The Playbook argument continues to be proven: Saints' Grant charged with involuntary manslaughter - NFL

Saints' Grant charged with involuntary manslaughter
Associated Press

BLAKELY, Ga. -- New Orleans Saints defensive end Charles Grant has been indicted on a charge of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a February altercation at a nightclub.

Grant, who was stabbed in the neck during the fracas, was charged by an Early County grand jury that also charged Laquient Macklin with felony murder and feticide in the shooting death of Korynda Reed, 23. Reed died after being taken to the Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, after the fight early Feb. 3.

The indictment was posted on the Web site of the Early County News on Tuesday.

"We are aware and have no comment," Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said.

District Attorney Charles M. Ferguson could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Sheriff's Capt. Will Caudill said at the time of the melee that there was no known connection between Grant and Reed. He said the fight started inside the club and then moved outside, and Grant was attacked after shots were fired.

Woodrow Gray was indicted on a charge of aggravated assault in the knife attack on Grant, a former University of Georgia star from nearby Colquitt.

Grant was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft. He had 2½ sacks in 2007 while starting 14 games for the Saints and has 38½ over his six-year career.

In addition to Grant and Macklin, and Marshae Stromer, Anthony Wilson, Jarvis Tinson, Rodreaco Gray and Woodrow Gray were charged with involuntary manslaughter for alleged participation in the fight.

Grant also received misdemeanor fighting charges.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

ESPN - Saints' Grant charged with involuntary manslaughter - NFL

The Playbook: ESPN - USC, Tim Floyd have no excuse for turning a blind eye - Columnist

USC, Tim Floyd have no excuse for turning a blind eye
By Pat FordeESPN.com



In a just world, USC basketball would have something in common with SMU football in the near future.
The death penalty.

It's not going to happen, because NCAA bylaws don't work that way. And besides, they're not likely to ever again disband a program for a year after the smoking crater it left at SMU.

But USC deserves it. The school has so far escaped facing NCAA prosecution for compelling allegations that star tailback Reggie Bush and his family were lavishly compensated by an aspiring agent while playing for the Trojans. Now comes a devastating, thoroughly documented "Outside The Lines" report that goes into stunning detail about the money and gifts star guard O.J. Mayo allegedly received before and during his one season at USC.

All directly beneath USC's chronically blind eyes.

You can plead ignorance once -- and even that was almost impossible to believe, in the case of Bush. Plead it twice? Um, no. USC should be crushed by the NCAA, the Pacific-10 and its own administration.

Especially with a player everyone in Hoopsworld strongly suspected was no amateur before he set foot in Los Angeles. You had to search hard to find a soul who didn't think O.J. Mayo had been prostituted for years as his prep legend grew, starting in seventh grade. (Put it this way: When early Mayo confidant Sonny Vaccaro gets muscled out of the scene, somebody's bringing some serious juice to the table.)

So you take the Bush allegations, add a side of Mayo and ask the question: Has there ever been a more textbook definition of "lack of institutional control"?

If all the allegations stand up, USC athletic director Mike Garrett and the Inspector Clouseaus who comprise his compliance staff must lose their jobs over these serial embarrassments, or the school has no credibility whatsoever. When USC's two highest-profile sports both have star players allegedly on the brazen take from agents, somebody needs to answer for it. A lot of somebodies.
Or USC can take its ignorance and explain it to the NCAA Committee on Infractions, which shouldn't be in much of a mood to listen if the same OTL facts are presented to NCAA investigators as compellingly as they were on national TV and on this Web site Sunday.

According to the OTL investigation, Mayo received thousands of dollars' worth of clothes. A flat-screen TV for his dorm. Hotel rooms for him and his friends. And receipts for all of them, provided to ESPN by insider-turned-whistle-blower Louis Johnson (whose stories were remarkably consistent and verifiable, according to those who worked on the piece).

But it gets better: The swag allegedly was financed by a man named Rodney Guillory, who previously had gotten former USC guard Jeff Trepagnier in trouble for accepting agent kickbacks. Not only did that fail to get Guillory banned from campus, he also wound up a fixture within the program. Of course, who wouldn't want a 43-year-old scammer hanging around a college freshman?

According to transcripts from OTL's interviews with Johnson, Guillory was sitting in the USC basketball offices when Mayo's signed letter-of-intent rolled off the fax machine. Johnson also said coach Tim Floyd talked frequently with Guillory about Mayo whenever "issues" arose.

In the wake of this, it's hilarious to listen to Floyd's interview on "Pardon The Interruption" before Mayo started his brief career at USC. In a previous episode, Michael Wilbon had arched an eyebrow about taking someone with Mayo's red flags into the program. Floyd's response made Mayo sound like a tragically misunderstood Eagle Scout.

According to Floyd, Mayo was raised by a single mother who didn't have the money to pay a big cell phone bill -- which ostensibly is why Guillory discouraged Floyd from calling him during his recruitment. Floyd also said the kid "doesn't have anything" materially.

Despite that, the USC coach apparently never got around to wondering how the poor child from Huntington, W.Va., could afford the expensive clothes on his back or the expensive shoes on his feet. How about the flat-screen TV in his dorm? That never set off an alarm? If the answer is that USC coaches or compliance workers never set foot in Mayo's dorm room … why the hell not?

When you recruit someone radioactive, you better have everything checked down to the smallest detail. Or else your program turns into Three Mile Island.

Johnson told ESPN that he believes USC did not know about any of the kickbacks Mayo allegedly received. Why?

"I think after the Reggie Bush fiasco that they would have definitely taken steps to prevent this type of thing from happening again," Johnson said.

Except they apparently didn't. Which is astonishing. And damning.

(However, it would not qualify as "repeat violator" status with the NCAA. The school has not been penalized -- or even charged -- in the Bush affair, and until that happens, USC would not fall under the repeat violator umbrella. That's why it couldn't get the death penalty. But a postseason ban would seem to be both plausible and justifiable.)

You have to assume USC simply didn't want to know. Didn't want to know the extent to which runners already had set their hooks into their highest-profile basketball recruit ever. The Trojans knew they were in this deal for one year before Mayo turned pro, and they probably just averted their gaze, hoping nothing blew up and the victories would pile up.

It's a scenario playing out right now on many other campuses nationwide, guaranteed. Agents and their runners are identifying who can play as early as college scouts are, and they're commencing the jockeying for position. And we all know what wins most of those turf wars: money and favors. Most topflight young basketball players have at least been offered plenty before college, even if they haven't accepted it.

It's a problem the NCAA desperately needs to get a grip on if college basketball is going to maintain even a hint of a legitimate relationship to higher education. The sport's repeatedly pilloried reputation took another big hit with this revelation, but perhaps it will spur other Louis Johnsons to tell the truth about what's going on in college hoops and youth basketball.

And as for USC?

Fight on.

And deny on.

Pat Forde is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at ESPN4D@aol.com.
ESPN - USC, Tim Floyd have no excuse for turning a blind eye - Columnist

Dialing up True Love while Temptation is on the Other Line - AccessAthletes :: The Real Athlete Blog

Dialing up True Love while Temptation is on the Other Line - AccessAthletes :: The Real Athlete Blog

The Playbook: ESPN - Florida player allegedly used deceased woman's credit card - College Football

The Playbook commentary:

Now this one is sad on so many levels. First, and foremost, why did this young man find it necessary to do what he did? This action speaks of total desparation. Now, yes, with gas prices the way they are, we all would love to be able to catch a break. But, NOT like this....so sad.

What is also sad is how fast the university's team dismissed Hornsby. Severing all ties and any level of responsibility. Now, understanding that this is not the first or second time this young man had been in trouble, and in knowing that, a red flag goes up for me....who takes responsibilty for the previous times? What was done to help him, "see the light" when the first and/or second incident occurred? This is scary because it shows that players are valued only when they are producing key results on the field....nothing is sincere. And, if this is not the case...perception is reality. Time to rethink how you manage players, communicate to the media/public and prioritize your goals.

And, lastly, what is sad is the tragic way two young people died. They can not be forgotten in this....no matter what.

I hope that someone tries to step in and save the life of Mr. Hornsby, while he still has a chance. He should not easily be dismissed...he still has a promising future, maybe not on the field, but in life.

MWPRInsight


Florida player allegedly used deceased woman's credit card
ESPN.com news services

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida Gators safety Jamar Hornsby has been kicked off the team after turning himself in Friday to answer charges he allegedly used the credit card of a woman killed six months ago in an accident that also killed a teammate.

"He is not a part of our program," Florida coach Urban Meyer said in a news release.
Hornsby, a 21-year-old junior, learned Thursday that a judge had issued a warrant for his arrest on charges he used the dead woman's gas card for six months, so he surrendered on charges of credit card theft and fraudulent use of a credit card, lawyer Huntley Johnson said.

Hornsby was released from jail several hours later on his own recognizance.

Hornsby allegedly used a credit card issued to Ashley Slonina, a University of Florida student who died in an October 2007 motorcycle accident that also took the life of Gators walk-on Michael Guilford. It was not known how Hornsby obtained the card.

Alachua County Sheriff's Office spokesman Stephen Maynard said the card was used 33 times in Alachua County and another 37 times in Jacksonville, for $3,000 in charges.

"I would love to hear the explanation for utilizing the card of a deceased person," Maynard said.
Hornsby is accused of using the card starting Oct. 13, 2007, the day after the woman's death, the newspaper said.

Slonina, the girlfriend of another Florida teammate, was apparently getting a ride home from Guilford when his motorcycle struck a curb at high speed near campus early on the morning of Oct. 12.
Hornsby, who has played the last two seasons mostly on special teams, has had two prior off-field problems during his Florida career. He was cited in April 2007 on misdemeanor criminal mischief charges when he caused $750 damage to a car by throwing a man onto the vehicle's hood during a fight.

He also was suspended from playing in last year's game against Georgia for selling his tickets to the game, a violation of NCAA rules.

Guilford, a walk-on defensive back, had earned national attention for playing the role of Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith on the scout team during preparation for the 2007 Bowl Championship Series national title game, which the Gators won 41-14.

Information from ESPN.com college football reporter Mark Schlabach and The Associated Press was used in this report.


ESPN - Florida player allegedly used deceased woman's credit card - College Football

The Playbook Poster Child: ESPN - Florida state attorney drops case against Broncos' Thomas - NFL

The Playbook Commentary:

My two cents before you read yet another story about a player not thinking, whatsoever....Mr. Thomas should get down on his knees and thank God that the charges were dropped. This situation is becoming too much the norm in the world of professional sports, especially within the NFL. And, it is so ridiculous because it doesn't need to happen. Why do you find it necessary to be in possession of any illegal substance, when you know that your job has mandatory drug testing? Why do you find it necessary to associate with folks who obviously do not respect your job (yes, playing football is not a game) and don't take the potential consequences of their actions into consideration before they get you involved? People (players, agents, the NFL, family, friends, etc.), can we PLEEZE wake up?!

Now, of course I am not going to illuminate the problem without offering a solution, at least one solution, from my POV. My firm's latest initative under MWPR │Presents, is The Playbook. This mentoring initiative looks to bring productive, positive and purpose-driven solutions to the real-life needs and situations that occur during the lifecycle of a professional athlete. And, pertaining to players in crisis...there are proactive as well as reactive programs developed to address these scenarios including: Under Your Jersey: Game Day Decision; Post-Game Wrap-up; and, 4th & Goal.

I would LOVE to be able to help the Marcus Thomas' of the world and their "agents"realize once and for all that this thing is for real....let us help you (the professional athlete) make your career a successful one.

Coming soon!

Florida state attorney drops case against Broncos' Thomas
By Bill WilliamsonESPN.com(Archive)

The Florida state attorney's office has dropped its case against starting Denver Broncos defensive tackle Marcus Thomas.
Thomas had been arrested in March in Clay County, Fla., for cocaine possession. However, charges were never pursued by prosecutors. According to the Clay County clerk's Web site, the case was abandoned Friday.

Thomas' attorney, Charlie Truncale, said Friday night that he had spoken with assistant state attorney James Boyle earlier in the day and was told the case had been dropped.

"It's over," Truncale said. "I'm so pleased for Marcus."

Thomas, who was dismissed as a senior from the eventual BCS champion Florida Gators in 2006 after repeated positive tests for marijuana, was arrested with his former high school teammate, Bryce Carter, in Jacksonville, Fla.

According to the county Web site Friday, Carter is being charged with third-degree felony possession of a controlled substance.

Truncale said in March that both Thomas and Carter told the arresting officers that the cocaine was in the possession of Carter, who was driving when Carter's truck was stopped for a traffic violation.

However, those statements were not part of the police report. Thomas, Truncale said, recently talked to prosecutors and maintained his story. "I'm just glad the right thing was done," Truncale said.

The Broncos had no comment Friday night. However, coach Mike Shanahan said in March that the team supported Thomas. Sources have said that if Thomas would have been prosecuted, Denver likely would have cut him.

"Marcus is so appreciative of Coach Shanahan's support and he is happy this thing is over," his agent, Richard Burnoski, said Friday night. "He's looking forward to the future with the Denver Broncos."

Denver drafted Thomas in the fourth round in 2007, moving up to get him at the No. 121 spot by trading a package of picks to the Minnesota Vikings.

Shanahan repeatedly has said Thomas was a top-15 quality pick. He finished last season as a starter and is expected to be teamed with Dewayne Robertson, just acquired from the Jets, in the middle of Denver's defensive line.

Bill Williamson covers the NFL for ESPN.com.

ESPN - Florida state attorney drops case against Broncos' Thomas - NFL

Hamilton resigns post at Georgia Tech | ajc.com

Hamilton resigns post at Georgia Tech
By STAFF REPORTS
Published on: 05/07/08

Joe Hamilton's career on the Georgia Tech football staff ended less than two weeks after it started when he resigned Wednesday, a day after his arrest on charges of drunk driving, hit-and-run, marijuana possession and open container.

Hamilton, the 1999 Heisman Trophy runner-up, had hoped to use his assistant player personnel job as a steppingstone to a position as an on-the-field coach. Instead, he faces charges from an early Tuesday traffic stop on the Tech campus.

Hamilton did not immediately return a voice and a text message sent to his cell phone.

"Today, I sadly accepted Joe's resignation," Georgia Tech football coach Paul Johnson said in a released statement on Wednesday. "I know he has great love and concern for this program and always will. Both athletic director Dan Radakovich and I made it clear to Joe that we would offer any support he requires in the coming weeks and into the future. Joe will always be a part of the Yellow Jacket family."

He had just joined the Tech staff on April 28. His duties included assisting with recruiting and helping the players.

Hamilton apologized to Tech and professed his innocence after a bond hearing in courtroom in Fulton County Jail Tuesday evening.

Hamilton was pulled over shortly after midnight by a Georgia Tech police officer because his black Ford Expedition matched the description of a car in a nearby hit-and-run crash.

Officers smelled alcohol on Hamilton's breath and asked him if he had been drinking and involved in an accident. Hamilton admitted that he had a few beers and that he hit another vehicle from behind, the report said.

Hamilton failed a series of field sobriety tests, including walking in a straight line and standing on one leg.
Hamilton, 31, received his history, technology and society degree from Tech last August. Since graduating, he has been a personality on Tech's pre-game radio show. He also provided color commentary on the game replays on CSS-TV.

The 5-foot, 10-inch quarterback played for Tech from 1996 to 1999. He led the team to an ACC championship in 1998 and finished second in the Heisman Trophy race the next year. He moved on to play in the NFL and the Arena Football League.

Hamilton resigns post at Georgia Tech ajc.com

MWPRInsight: Evidence of why "The Playbook" initiative is timely

It's academic: NCAA reveals APR sanctions
Steve Megargee is a national writer for Rivals.com.

Orange Bowl champion Kansas and Washington State were the only programs from "Big Six" conferences to face penalties. Other schools facing penalties for football were Akron, UAB, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Hawaii, Idaho, UNLV, New Mexico State, North Texas, San Diego State, San Jose State, Temple and Toledo.

The list of major programs facing penalties is longer in men's basketball. Colorado, Kansas State, Purdue, Seton Hall, South Carolina, USC and Tennessee were among the 53 Division I programs cited.

A total of 218 teams at 123 schools will be sanctioned for poor performance, NCAA president Myles Brand said. Another 712 teams were publicly recognized last month for APRs in the top 10 percent of each sport.

Every Division I sports team calculates its APR each academic year. The APR is based on the eligibility, retention and graduation of each student-athlete on scholarship. An APR of 925 equates to an NCAA Graduation Success Rate of about 60 percent.

The average APR for all Division I student-athletes is 961 – 951 for males and 969 for females. This year marked the first time the average eligibility and retention rates both showed increases.

"Overall, there is much to be encouraged about with the latest data," Brand said. "When we started four years ago, baseball and football were in serious trouble. There has been great improvement in both of those sports.

"We are not out of the woods, however. There are individual institutions that have seen steady decline in APR over the last four years. The situation is dire for them."

Teams that score below 925 on the APR and have a student leave school academically ineligible can lose up to 10 percent of their scholarships. Teams also can be subject to penalties for poor academic performance over time.

The majority of basketball programs facing penalties recently had coaching changes. Coaching changes can be problematic for a school's APR, particularly with the transfers that can result.
No school faces penalties in more sports than Sacramento State, which was cited in baseball, football, men's basketball, men's golf, men's indoor track, men's outdoor track and women's tennis. The Hornets are a I-AA football program.

Schools facing penalties in six sports included UAB (football, men's basketball, men's golf, men's soccer, men's tennis, women's basketball), New Mexico State (baseball, football, men's basketball, men's tennis, women's tennis, women's outdoor track) and San Jose State (baseball, football, men's basketball, men's cross country, men's soccer, women's basketball).

The single-year APR has increased 12 points for baseball and 11 points for football since 2003-04, when the NCAA began collecting data on this issue. The APR for men's basketball declined each of the past two years before increasing four points this year.

This is the second year for "historical penalties." Second-year sanctions include restrictions on scholarships and practice time. Starting next year, teams that receive three consecutive years of historical penalties (below 900 APR) face the potential of restrictions on postseason competition in addition to scholarship and practice restrictions.

Every program posting an APR score below 925 is required to develop a specific academic improvement plan. Teams posting APR scores below 900 must submit their plans to the NCAA for review.

Steve can be reached at smegargee@rivals.com. Link to article:

MWPRInsight: Another Example of Why Athletes Need Qualified PR Professionals

By Monica Wood │MWPR, Inc.


Up to now, all I have done is post examples of off-the-field mistakes and choices athletes have made, expressing my frustration in the headers. But, I really need to finally state for the record my total disgust at what seems to be epidemic in the NFL. Why is it that SO many players are continuing to make the same bad decisions over and over again?


Isn't this a fraternity of sorts? Where is the internal communication line between fellow players getting the word out that "player X" of "Y team" was just arrested...and screaming to the members..."brothers, we need to stop the maddness and focus on the game." There is a responsibility that should be placed on the players (fellow members of the fraternity) to help nip this thing. Come on....you don't have to make the same mistake that others have made....learn from them.


And, now my finger is pointing to the agents, PAs and PR folks....where are you? How is it that your clients are able to get so out of hand? Why isn't anyone sitting them down and talking about how important it is to keep their nose clean off-the-field? Give them the examples of other players that have fallen from grace and let them know that they are not special....it could easily happen to them. Where is the mentoring? Where is the consulting? Where is the assistance?


If nothing else will get their attention, the mighty dollar should. Let them know how much they stand to loose with one mistake. Pound into them the point of how hard it will be to regain trust and to polish their tarnished brand.


My passion has always been sports and making sure athletes, especially ones that look like me, are able to embrace all they can from the priviledged opportunity they have....playing professional sports. It is a job...not a game. Can you please start acting like it?

If not, you could possibly suffer the same fate as Quincy Wilson. Let it stop with him.


Coming soon: The Playbook


Wilson released by Bengals, RB was previously arrested
Associated Press

CINCINNATI -- Running back Quincy Wilson has been waived by the Cincinnati Bengals.

It is the second time in the past five days the Bengals released a player who had been arrested.

The second-year running back from West Virginia was arrested last June 17 in Huntington, W.Va., and charged with disorderly conduct for failing to disperse after a weekend wedding party. The Bengals waived him Monday.

Wilson was the 10th Bengals player arrested in a 14-month span.

The Bengals recently released wide receiver Chris Henry, another former West Virginia star, after he was arrested last week on an assault charge, his fifth arrest while he was with the team.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

ESPN - Mauia arrested on battery charge, accused of punching man outside restaurant - NFL

"WESTON, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins fullback Reagan Mauia was charged with punching another man in the face and knocking him unconscious in a restaurant parking lot early Friday.

The victim, Michael Gianatassio, was treated at a hospital and released. Mauia was charged with battery and released on $1,000 bond, the Broward County Sheriff's Office said.

According to witnesses, Gianatassio and his girlfriend were walking by when Mauia asked Gianatassio what he was looking at. Gianatassio replied he wasn't looking at anyone, then was punched by the 270-pound Mauia, the sheriff's office said.

Mauia fled, but a witness took a photo of his vehicle, which allowed the sheriff's office to track him down. A witness identified him as the person who punched Gianatassio, the sheriff's office said. After being booked at the county jail, Mauia was released.

A sixth-round draft choice, Mauia started nine games for the Dolphins as a rookie last year.
'We are aware of the situation regarding Reagan earlier today,' coach Tony Sparano said in a statement. 'We will withhold any further comment because we are in the process of gathering more information.'

ESPN - Mauia arrested on battery charge, accused of punching man outside restaurant - NFL: Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

ESPN - Panthers' Smith wants young WR Jarrett to produce - NFL

Panthers' Smith wants young WR Jarrett to produce
Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Steve Smith wants Carolina Panthers teammate Dwayne Jarrett to get his act together.

Carolina's three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver was asked Monday if the embattled Jarrett was due for a coming-out party after his disappointing rookie season was followed by an offseason charge of driving by impaired.

"You know, the party session is actually over. This is the NFL," Smith said. "You make plays. You're here to play football. You do the party scene at your own discretion, but on Sundays, we're here to play football. If you can't play football, you won't be playing with the Carolina Panthers or any NFL team.
"So, this isn't a poke at anybody," he added at a charity golf tournament hosted by fellow NFL players Torry and Terrence Holt. "That's just the way it is. You know, you produce, you're in. You don't produce, you're out."

For years, the Panthers have searched for a second capable receiver to relieve the double teams faced by Smith seemingly every week, and team executives drafted Jarrett in the second round last year with the hope that he would develop into that kind of threat.

But he struggled to adjust to the NFL, never cracked the starting lineup, played in just seven games and caught six passes for 73 yards with no touchdowns. Then, when he reported last month for the team's offseason conditioning, Jarrett was arrested after police said he crossed the center line and ran a red light in the Charlotte suburb of Mint Hill.

The police report said Jarrett's blood-alcohol level was .12, above North Carolina's legal limit of .08 for driving. He pleaded not guilty to the DWI charge and faces a June 23 court date.
Now the Panthers are turning to one of their best players from their past to mentor Jarrett and become a quality No. 2 option to Smith.

They re-signed Muhsin Muhammad, who was released by the Bears. Muhammad turns 35 in May, spent nine seasons with Carolina after he was picked in the second round of the 1996 draft and still holds three club records.

"A lot of people look at [his] age, but I think he's like fine wine," Smith said.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press






ESPN - Panthers' Smith wants young WR Jarrett to produce - NFL

MWPRInsight: Crisis Situation...Who ELSE?

Police drop all but criminal trespassing charge against Colts' Keith
Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts running back Kenton Keith was charged Tuesday with one count of criminal trespassing for refusing to leave a nightclub parking lot being cleared by police.

Keith will not face the charges of disorderly conduct, resisting law enforcement, public intoxication and contributing to the delinquency of a minor on which he was arrested early Sunday, said Matthew Symons, a spokesman for the Marion County prosecutor's office. Keith was released from jail later Sunday on his own recognizance. His initial hearing on the misdemeanor charge is set for Wednesday.

Officers working security tried to clear a crowd from the parking lot of the Cloud 9 club after it closed at 3 a.m. Sunday. The 27-year-old Keith and several others refused to leave and were laughing, dancing and joking, police said.

Police eventually ordered them to put their hands on a vehicle, but Keith refused and took out a cell phone to record the incident, according to an Indianapolis police report.
Keith kept saying, "I'm a Colts player, I'm a Colts player," the report said.

Last season was Keith's first with the Colts after playing in the Canadian Football League. He ran for 533 yards and scored four touchdowns, backing up Joseph Addai.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3361494&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

MWPRInsight Helpful Hints:Timing Preparedness in Crisis Management | The Business Crisis Counselor

The Business Crisis Counselor
By Richard Solomon
Thursday, March 27 2008

When there is an apprehension of difficulty, getting prepared to deal with the possibilities is less difficult/easier than when everything has already hit the fan. It is possible to manage personal apprehensions well before the fact at a stress level that doesn't have everyone reaching for their anxiety medications.

Since very few people ever have the misfortune to do this both ways -- way before the fact and at the moment of attack -- it's hard to appreciate the difference in levels of difficulty.

Having seen it both ways, I can reliably report that early warning prophylaxis is easier on the soul, easier on the budget, and far superior in the sense that the options are maximized. What you can do once an assault has begun or is about to begin immediately is greatly restricted by comparison. When assault has begun, triggers are pulled that may limit defensive strategies.
Denial is the most expensive company dynamic. Even if you are reasonably satisfied that "nothing is wrong," you need to take into account that if the sentiment is reliable and nothing is wrong in fact, that verification is worth a great deal in psychic revenue as well as downstream risk.

To view the rest go to: Personalities Under Stress: Timing Preparedness in Crisis Management The Business Crisis Counselor

MWPRInsight: 40 Years Later

By MWPRInsight as posted on BlackVoices.com

I believe that we are all here to play a specific role in making our communities reflect the dream that Dr. King preached, marched for and ultimately died trying to realize. It is our responsibility to pick up the baton and take an active role in improving ourselves first and then our personal circles of influence and work out from there. I am truly afraid of the generations that are behind me and are yet to be born...that the disconnect between 1968 and 2008 is becoming so wide, that the future will have no connection to the past, if we do not put action behind our constant rhetoric.

MWPRInsight: What did the Bengals to do contribute to Henry's downfall?

Bengals cut Henry, say they'll no longer tolerate his conduct
ESPN.com news services

CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry lost his job while in jail awaiting arraignment on assault charges on Thursday.

The Bengals cut him after his fifth arrest since 2005.

An attorney for Henry, 24, entered not guilty pleas for him after Henry was accused of punching an 18-year-old man in the face and breaking his car window with a beer bottle.
Municipal Court Judge Bernie Bouchard set bond at $51,000 on charges of misdemeanor assault and criminal damaging. Noting Henry's previous arrests involving drugs, guns and alcohol, the judge called Henry "a one-man crime wave." He ordered electronic monitoring if Henry makes bail.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said it was premature to speculate on Henry's future in the league.

"It will be reviewed under the standard conduct policy," Aiello said.
Henry did not speak at the hearing. His lawyer, Perry Ancona, disputed the allegations in the complaint sworn by Gregory Meyer.

"We have a different set of facts we ask the court to consider," Ancona said.
Minutes before the arraignment, Ancona broke the news to Henry that he had been released.
Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement that Henry, an often brilliant receiver who would be in his fourth pro season this year, had forfeited his career with the club. "His conduct can no longer be tolerated," Brown said.

Henry was suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for the first half of last season for repeatedly violating the league's conduct policy. He also was suspended for two games in 2006.
"The Bengals tried for an extended period of time to support Chris and his potentially bright career," Brown said. "We had hoped to guide him toward an appropriate standard of personal responsibility that this community would support and that would allow him to play in the NFL. … But those efforts end today, as we move on with what is best for our team."

Henry's agent, Marvin Frazier, thanked the Bengals for their patience. "I just want to say that we're sorry this all happened, and we will continue to try to work to help Chris," Frazier said. "I do want to thank the Cincinnati Bengals -- Mike Brown, [coach] Marvin Lewis and everyone -- for all they have done to try to help this young man. Many of them have gone beyond the call of duty."

Under the NFL's tough new policy, Henry could face further suspensions even if he is not convicted of the latest charges. The Bengals were among the worst offenders in recent years, with 10 players arrested in a 14-month span from April 2006 and June 2007.

According to a complaint filed with authorities, Henry was identified by Meyer and a witness who claimed Henry punched Meyer on Monday, causing "visible injury." Henry then threw a beer bottle at Meyer's car, breaking the rear passenger window, according to the affidavit.
After an arrest warrant was issued, Henry surrendered to police Wednesday night.

Henry has had a string of problems with police. He was in court last week after being ticketed for driving with expired Kentucky license plates. He paid $149 in fines and court costs, according to the Municipal Court records.

He was ticketed a year ago for driving with a suspended license. Henry was arrested four times between December 2005 and June 2006. He was accused of possession of marijuana in northern Kentucky, carrying a concealed weapon in Florida, drunken driving in Ohio and providing alcohol to minors in northern Kentucky. He pleaded guilty to the marijuana possession and concealed weapon charges. In the drunken driving case, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless vehicle operation. In the last case, he served two days in jail in 2006 after pleading guilty to a charge of letting minors drink alcohol in a hotel room he had rented.

Following his suspension, Henry caught 21 passes for 343 yards and two touchdowns last season. He had nine touchdown catches in 13 games in 2006, when he was suspended by the league for two games and benched for another by Lewis because of misconduct.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound receiver was a third-round draft pick from West Virginia in 2005.
Disgruntled star receiver Chad Johnson was stunned when told of Henry's release.
"Are you sure? Man, they can't let him go. That dude is good. He's very, very good," Johnson said on 1050 ESPN New York.

"We need him. Those are not easy shoes to fill, regardless of the trouble he has gotten into in the past," Johnson said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

ESPN - Bengals cut Henry, say they'll no longer tolerate his conduct - NFL

MWPRInsight: Crisis Situation in Sports...AGAIN!

Browns' Wright arrested on misdemeanor marijuana charge
ESPN.com

PEARLAND, Texas -- Cleveland Browns defensive back Kenny Wright was arrested Thursday after police said he led them on a quarter-mile foot chase that began in the parking lot of the police station.

The 30-year-old Wright faces a misdemeanor charge of unlawful restraint, a misdemeanor charge of evading arrest and a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana. He remained in the Pearland City Jail on Thursday night pending a bond hearing Friday.
Pearland police said officers were investigating a disturbance in the police station parking lot around 11:30 a.m. Thursday. When officers approached Wright, he took off running and was eventually caught in a nearby subdivision.

"We had people on scene pretty fast and I believe because of our quick response time and the mental and physical toughness of our officers to catch offenders, we were able to get him in custody quickly and safely," Sgt. Roy Castillo said.

Police said they found 1.875 ounces of marijuana in Wright's vehicle.
A jail official told The Associated Press he did not know if Wright has an attorney. The Browns said they would not comment on the arrest Thursday night.

If found guilty on the unlawful restraint charge, Wright faces up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. If found guilty on the other charges, Wright faces up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine on each charge.

Wright, who attended Northwestern State in Louisiana, was a fourth-round pick in the 1999 draft by the Minnesota Vikings. The nine-year veteran also has played for Houston, Jacksonville and Washington. He has seven career interceptions.

Houston television station KRIV first reported the arrest.

Pearland is about 15 miles south of Houston.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

40 Years - Same Fight: What if the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had lived?

What if the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had lived? CNN.Com

(AP) -- The preacher in him would have continued speaking out against injustice, war and maybe even pop culture. He would likely not have run for president. He probably would have endured more harassment from J. Edgar Hoover.

Four decades after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. fell to an assassin's bullet, colleagues and biographers offer many answers to the question: What if he had lived?

For his children, however, the speculation is more personal. They know their lives would have turned out differently had they had their beloved father to guide and teach them.

Instead, history moves on, remaking the world in myriad ways. The nation has grappled with issues of race and inequity without the benefit of King's evolving wisdom. A generation has come of age celebrating him in a national holiday, like other figures of the frozen past.

But given the trajectory of his life -- from his appearance on the national scene during the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott of 1955 to his death on a second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968 -- some of those closest to him have a good idea what King might be doing now, and where we might be as a country.

In the months before his death, King was speaking out against the growing U.S. involvement in Vietnam and was working with other civil rights leaders on a Poor People's Campaign, with a march on Washington scheduled for that May. He was in Memphis that spring day to support striking sanitation workers.

Were King alive today, the disciple of Mahatma Gandhi would most certainly be speaking out against the Iraq War, says King biographer David J. Garrow. However, citing the famous "Drum Major Instinct" sermon King delivered from the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta just two months before his death, Garrow says people might be surprised to hear echoes of presidential candidate Barack Obama's controversial former pastor.

"God didn't call America to engage in a senseless, unjust war," King said of the fighting in Vietnam. "And we are criminals in that war. We've committed more war crimes almost than any nation in the world, and I'm going to continue to say it."

While King didn't go as far as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright in suggesting that God "damn America," he predicted that the almighty might punish this country for "our pride and our arrogance."
"And if you don't stop your reckless course," he imagined the deity admonishing, "I'll rise up and break the backbone of your power."

Garrow and others feel comfortable saying that King would not have sought elective office.
In 1967, King was being courted by the "New Left" to make a third-party run for president on an anti-war ticket with the renowned pediatrician, Dr. Benjamin Spock. FBI wiretaps reveal that King gave serious thought to running, but ultimately decided that his role lay outside the political arena.

The Rev. Joseph Lowery, who co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with King and marched alongside him, doesn't think time would have changed his friend's mind.

"I think Martin was a preacher, and I doubt very much if he would have wanted to subject himself to the need to compromise and play certain games that are requisite to political candidacy," says Lowery. "I think he would have preferred to do what he did best, and that was point out to ALL candidates and ALL officials ... `Thus sayeth the Lord."'

Had he chosen that path, his enemies -- chief among them FBI Director Hoover -- would have laid bare potentially embarrassing details of King's personal life.

Then-U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy authorized the wiretapping of King's home and offices in a campaign to ferret out communists. The secret recording campaign failed to prove that King was a communist, but it did provide evidence of the civil rights leader's extramarital affairs.

William C. Sullivan, head of domestic intelligence under Hoover, told a congressional committee that King was subjected to the same tactics used against Soviet agents and, "No holds were barred."

Hoover's office was unable to marginalize King with his supporters or cow him into silence with threats of exposure. But how might King have fared in the Internet age, when every peccadillo is exposed and every word parsed in a 24-hour news cycle?

The late Hosea Williams, one of King's chief lieutenants, once told Martin Luther King III that his father was "unstoppable" because he had conquered the two things that made men most vulnerable: the fear of death and the love of wealth.

Some, however, feel King's influence was on the wane and that at the time of his death he had already reached the zenith of his public career. He had "run out of things to do," the late Chauncey Eskridge, a King attorney, told Garrow.

"The painful truth is that in his last two months or so before he was killed, King was so exhausted -- emotionally, spiritually, physically -- that a lot of the people closest ... to him were really worried about his survival, his survival in the sense of would he have some sort of breakdown," Garrow says. "It would be expecting something truly superhuman, literally superhuman, for King to have continued the pace of life he had lived over those 12 years for another 12 years, never mind for another 20 or 40 years." Journalist, author and commentator Juan Williams wonders whether King would be able to connect in a meaningful way with today's youth.

Although he was just 39, the 1964 Nobel Peace laureate's insistence on nonviolence was bumping up against the burgeoning black power movement, says Williams, author of "Eyes on the Prize" and more recently "Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America--and What We Can Do About It."

"The big issue would be whether or not when he spoke out against the excesses of the rappers, for example, or when he spoke out on the high number of children born out of wedlock, whether or not he would be lumped in with the Bill Cosbys of the world ...," Williams says.

But he has no doubt King would be a force on the international stage.

"I don't think he'd be in the petty fray in the way that we think of some of these civil rights guys who are kind of ambulance chasers," says Williams. Instead, he sees an elder King as a man of "some standing, some stature, that people wait to hear from him... I think of Nelson Mandela in this way."
Lowery says that when King died, part of the nation's conscience died with him. Four young children lost something much more personal.

To Marty, Yolanda, Dexter and Bernice, the baby, Martin Luther King Jr. wasn't the icon or the dreamer. He was Daddy -- the man who smelled of Magic Shave and Aramis and chlorine from the YMCA pool where he taught his sons to swim, and of the long-stemmed green onions that somehow fell outside the prohibition against eating before the evening blessing.

One of Bernice King's fondest memories is of the ritual she and her father shared when he'd return from a trip, like the time he came home for her fifth birthday party on March 29, 1968 -- a day late because of a march in Memphis. She would jump into his arms for the "kissing game," in which each member of the family had a different spot on his face. Bernice's "designated spot" was his forehead.

Had her father lived, the 45-year-old minister is fairly certain she would be married and have children by now. But his graphic death and ponderous legacy, she fears, have made her a less than "viable candidate" for domestic bliss. Part of the problem is that her father set the bar so high. She remembers something her mother often said.

"She said, `I didn't marry a man. I married a mission,"' the daughter says. "So for me, a spouse is more than just a companion. It's someone to fulfill your destiny with. And I think in my case, because the destiny is so great, because you had a man whose life was cut short and there was some work that had to be completed, that you now have a responsibility to participate in, that makes it a little more difficult." Martin III, likewise, feels he wouldn't be having his first child at age 50 had his father not been killed. "I wasn't clear that I even wanted to bring a child into the world," he says.

Both siblings are quite certain, however, that their father's death did not determine their career paths. "I don't feel like I could have been exposed to what my father and mother were doing without being involved in this movement," says Martin King, president of the nonprofit group Realizing the Dream. Each year as the assassination anniversary approaches, legions flock to the Lorraine Motel, which now houses the National Civil Rights Museum. Among those who made the pilgrimage last week were two lions of the civil rights movement -- U.S. Rep. John Lewis and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

If King were alive today, Lewis has no doubt he would be speaking just as forcefully and with as much authority as ever about the issues that matter most to Americans, old and young.
"He would be the undisputed leader," the Georgia Democrat says. "Martin Luther King Jr. 40 years later would still be speaking out against poverty, hunger, against violence, against war."

Jackson, then 26 years old, was in the parking lot of the Lorraine that day, talking up to King when he was shot. During his recent visit, the aging activist stepped over a low wall meant to keep out ordinary tourists, climbed the stairs to the balcony where his mentor lay dying, and wept.

King would be 79 now, but Jackson feels his power to move would remain undiminished.
"He might not be leading the marches, but he would have set the frame of reference," says Jackson. "His voice would be a voice of great moral authority."

Of all the "might be's" and "what if's," MLK III feels sure of one thing. Had his father lived, the country would be closer to realizing the "beloved community" he'd envisioned.
Still, he feels his father's guiding force pulling us inexorably in that direction.

"From my perspective, his light still shines," he says. "His voice, his message, we're living every day. We're embracing more and more. We're not as close to it as I would like to see us, but we're still living it.

We're still moving toward it."

So, in that way, he lives.


What if the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had lived? - CNN.com

MWPRInsight: Crisis Situation (Yet ANOTHER example of the need for real PR counsel)

Titans' Adam 'Pacman' Jones Stills Wants to Make It Rain?
Posted Mar 26th 2008 8:00AM
by Quibian Salazar-Moreno
Filed under: Casually Obsessed

Yesterday Titans' cornerback Adam 'Pacman' Jones was on Dallas radio station KESN-FM with former Cowboy Michael Irvin, discussing his arrests since joining the NFL and being suspended for the entire 2007 season.

"I'm not sitting here telling you I don't own up to mistakes I've made," Jones told Irvin according to the Associated Press. "I accept everything, the punishment, everything that comes along with the bad decisions and bad choices I've made. In the end, I just pray to God I get a second chance."

Irvin interviewed Jones for almost three hours starting from his upbringing, to what he's been doing nowadays. But soon after the radio show ended, Pac Man's mug appeared on a flyer for a party on March 30 called "National Street League's Grey Goose Party 2008". The flyer leads one to believe that Jones will be hosting the party with a dude named Young Spoaty (can we retire "young" rappers already?).
But the kicker is the hook line on the flyer: "Party starts at 12am & we gon make it rain."

Last time Jones was making it rain, it didn't turn out too good. But according to Michael David Smith over at AOL Fanhouse, Jones will most likely not be at that party. Yeah, that wouldn't be a good look for someone who's trying to get a second chance.


Titans' Adam 'Pacman' Jones Stills Wants to Make It Rain? - Black Voices Blogs

MWPRInsight: "The Playbook" Poster Child

Panthers' Dwayne Jarrett charged with DWI




CHARLOTTE (AP) — Carolina Panthers receiver Dwayne Jarrett's difficult rookie season on the field has given way to problems off it.

Jarrett, in town for the start of the team's offseason conditioning program, was arrested early Tuesday and charged with driving while impaired.

Jarrett was pulled over in the Charlotte suburb of Mint Hill at 3 a.m., said police spokesman Lt. Sergio Carrera. An officer spotted Jarrett's car cross the center line and run a red light, Carrera said. Jarrett later failed field sobriety tests before he was given a breath test.

"The officer then formed the opinion that Mr. Jarrett was impaired by alcohol," Carrera said.
Jarrett was taken to Mecklenburg County jail and later released on a $1,000 bond.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Southern California Charlotte Panthers Pac-10 Steve Smith Keyshawn Johnson Muhsin Muhammad Dwayne Jarrett Marty Hurney Mecklenburg County Charlie Dayton Darin Morgan Mr. Jarrett

Panthers spokesman Charlie Dayton said the team had been in contact with Jarrett since his arrest.
"Our players know these kinds of situations are unacceptable," Dayton said. "We have talked to Dwayne and expressed our feelings on this matter and are gathering all the information we can."

Jarrett's agent, Darin Morgan, declined comment.

The Panthers had high hopes for Jarrett when they selected the former Southern California star in the second-round of last year's draft. Three days later, the Panthers released veteran Keyshawn Johnson, believing the 6-foot-4 Jarrett would replace him as the No. 2 receiver opposite the smaller and speedy Steve Smith.

But Jarrett struggled to learn the playbook and adapt to the NFL game. He was beaten out for a starting job and even had trouble getting on the field on game days.

Jarrett was on the inactive list for six of the first eight games. He played more later in the season, but finished with only six catches for 73 yards and no touchdowns.

The Panthers signed veteran receiver Muhsin Muhammad last month, and general manager Marty Hurney indicated Muhammad could serve as mentor to the 21-year-old Jarrett, who holds the Pac-10 career record with 41 touchdown catches.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Panthers' Dwayne Jarrett charged with DWI - USATODAY.com

MWPRInsight: An Awesome Example of Community Relations

Visit with troops in war zone humbles NFL linemen

By Sean Leahy, USA TODAY

Photo Credits: Michael A. Clifton, USO
(1) Carolina's Mike Rucker, center, and San Diego's Luis Castillo, right, were among a contingent of NFL players on a mission to Afghanistan where they spent time with U.S. troops. (2) Bears lineman Tommie Harris, shown climbing a helicopter, said lending support to troops was a priority during the trip. "You don't want to talk," he said. "You just want to be there for them … let them vent and ask questions."

_______________________________________________________

The injured soldier eating homemade chocolate chip cookies in the hospital bed made the biggest impression on Mike Rucker.

The treats were sent to the medical unit in Afghanistan from an unknown well-wisher in the United States. And they were a sweet taste of home, a distraction from the dangers lurking for the American servicemen and women there.

Rucker, a defensive end for the Carolina Panthers, visited with troops on a 10-day NFL-USO trip. Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris and San Diego Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo joined him on the trip.

The players heard first-hand tales of wartime perils — snipers, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), road-side mines and grenades landing near soldiers' feet. And the NFL crew was happy to serve as a distraction.

"You don't want to talk," Harris said from Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan on Sunday. "You just want to be there for them … let them vent and ask questions."

FIND MORE STORIES IN: United States Afghanistan Bears San Diego Chargers Carolina Panthers Rex Grossman Luis Castillo Black Hawk Tommie Harris Mike Rucker Bagram Airbase

The conversation inevitably pointed toward the playing field. Harris joked he heard "about 60" inquiries regarding Bears quarterback Rex Grossman, whom the team benched for six starts last year before re-signing in February.

The popularity of the NFL stood out for Castillo. Soldiers told him of finishing up missions of 10 or 15 days with one major priority: game updates. "Once they get done with whatever was occupying them," the Chargers defender said, "they get on the radio and get an idea of what the score was or who won the playoff game.

"We provide a small distraction for them and provide some moment that's not life and death."
Camaraderie is key to the soldiers' sanity in the war zone, Castillo said. The players joined in for some late-night bonding and practical jokes that, when the visitors are gone, help to ease the tension of the dayside dangers.

"If they thought about it solely as life-and-death situations," Castillo said, "I don't know how they'd be able to do their jobs.

"They joke to make it easier for them to deal with."

Rucker and Castillo toured a small area of the Afghanistan terrain in a Black Hawk helicopter. Though the players were limited to areas that posed little danger, they still wore bullet-proof vests. Rucker was surprised by how uncomfortable the vests fit, and said his NFL brethren would be hard-pressed to operate with similar agility.

"I had to tip my hat," Rucker said. "It's not like these guys are giants. They're guys (that) in the football world might be a kicker. And here they are carrying an 80-pound backpack and a weapon for a long period of time."

The trip to Afghanistan, which took roughly 40 hours in each direction, concluded Sunday. And what was the one guilty pleasure soldiers said they missed most? A beer, according to Harris.

"It's a dry campus out here," he said.

Visit with troops in war zone humbles NFL linemen - USATODAY.com

MWPRInsight: Another Example of No PR Counseling

Duhon's reaction to benching brings more discipline for guard
ESPN.com news services

Add another item to the laundry list of issues the disappointing Chicago Bulls have had to face this season.

Guard Chris Duhon, who was benched for the Bulls' game against the Detroit Pistons Sunday for missing the team's morning shootaround, was disciplined a second time by general manager John Paxson for making flip comments about the punishment.

It's unclear what action Paxson took Monday, but Duhon was on the inactive list for a second straight game Tuesday when Chicago faced the Utah Jazz.

"That's a coach's decision," interim coach Jim Boylan said when asked if Duhon was still being punished for missing the shootaround.

During Sunday's telecast, it was revealed that Duhon had not received permission to attend Saturday's college basketball game between his alma mater, Duke, and North Carolina. He reportedly slept through the shootaround.

"I did meet with Chris," Paxson said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "We obviously talked it out."
Duhon's benching comes on the heels of a two-game suspension for Tyrus Thomas for an unexcused absence from practice. Rookie center Aaron Gray reportedly had words with Boylan recently. And Joakim Noah was suspended earlier in this disappointing Bulls season.

"Obviously when things go badly, they go badly," Paxson said, according to the Sun-Times. "I'm disappointed in what happened in the last couple of weeks, but … I've dealt with it the way I feel was right and we'll move on from there."

Duhon's response to the benching may have led to the second discipline.

"I don't play anyway, so it doesn't have that much of an effect on me," Duhon said, according to the Sun-Times.

Duhon later was interviewed on WMVP-AM 1000 and said he didn't expect to return to the Bulls next season.

"I probably won't be back," Duhon said, according to the newspaper. "I don't know what the summer has for me."

Duhon is averaging 5.8 points and 4.1 assists.
ESPN - Duhon's reaction to benching brings more discipline for guard - NBA

MWPRInsight: A Great Story about a Great Man

First black b-ball player reflects
By: Holden Slattery
Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: News






Julius Pegues' name will not turn up in any NBA record books or highlights, and that's fine with him. But he will turn up in a search for the first black man ever to play basketball for the Pitt Panthers. He'll also turn up as a distinguished consultant for the Federal Aviation Administration.Pegues used basketball scholarships to earn an aeronautical engineering degree from Pitt and never looked back. This past Sunday, Pitt honored Pegues at the Pitt-Louisville game. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his graduation. At center court of a packed Petersen Events Center, Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg handed Pegues a commemorative basketball. "I was humbled, and I'm still in awe of how they put all of that together to observe my 50th anniversary and being the lone black player," Pegues said Wednesday from his home in Tulsa, Okla.

Pegues was impressed with the crowd at Sunday's game, especially the student section known as the Oakland Zoo."If we had 1,300 people in our arena, we probably would have had a better record than we did," Pegues said. "The atmosphere is great!"Pegues, 72, played for the Panthers from 1954 to 1958 - one year on the freshman team and three on varsity. He is now the 34th leading scorer in Pitt history. He said he started every game in his four seasons at Pitt and helped the team win its first Big East title.

Because of segregation laws at the time, Pegues was unable to play basketball for any college in his home state of Oklahoma except for Langston University, a historically black college that did not offer engineering. But a Tulsa oil man named E. Alex Phillips helped him get to Pitt.

When Pegues was playing at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Phillips used to watch the team play. Phillips helped to pay for Pegues' first year at Pitt, and after an impressive season on the freshmen team, Pegues received a full scholarship.


To read full article go to The Pitt News

Media Credit: Courtesy Pitt Media Relations
In 1954, Julius Pegeus became the first black man to play on Pitt's basketball team. He averaged 17.6 points per game, he said.

MWPRInsight: A Page out of "The Playbook"

Bledsoe Is Out of Football and in Business for Himself

By GREG BISHOP
Published: March 10, 2008


BEND, Ore. — On the first day of the first football season after his retirement, Drew Bledsoe actually missed two-a-days. In the morning, he climbed into his boat and floated on Whitefish Lake in Montana and allowed for 30 minutes of reflection.

Then he started training camp.

This was not training camp like the ones Bledsoe reported to during his 14-year N.F.L. career. This was Camp Bledsoe, the beginning of his transition. He grabbed a camera and asked his wife to snap a shot of him sitting on a deck, feet in the water, beer clutched between his legs. He sent the picture to dozens of friends still playing in the N.F.L., all sweating through training camp in the sun.

“As you can see from this first picture I am maintaining my strict workout regimen,” he wrote them. “You can see here I am alternating some 12-ounce curls with some toe swirls. I generally do these until the bottle gets too light to offer enough resistance then I start over with a fresh one.”

The messages continued through the first week of camp — Bledsoe riding his motorcycle, sipping wine, playing golf. By the end, Bledsoe knew deep down what he already suspected. His N.F.L. career was over.

“When training camp came and went, and I wasn’t there, that was when the official break happened,” said the 36-year-old Bledsoe, who announced his retirement last April. “I left that phase of my life and moved on to the next one.”

Last week, quarterback Brett Favre joined Bledsoe in the retired quarterbacks club. Next season, Favre will experience what Bledsoe went through this year, a transition from veteran signal caller to real-world rookie.

On a recent two-day tour of his new life in the city of Bend, Ore., Bledsoe conducted a business meeting over wine, coached third graders on the basketball court and closed a business deal on the ski slopes at nearby Mount Bachelor.

Bledsoe began planning his transition six years before his retirement, about the same time his tenure ended with the New England Patriots. They selected him out of Washington State with the first overall pick in the 1993 draft, and Bledsoe’s entire family traveled to New York City, their first trip together on an airplane.

“Like the Waltons go to New York” Bledsoe said.

During his ninth season in New England, against the Jets in late September 2001, Bledsoe took the most vicious of hit of his career. Linebacker Mo Lewis smacked Bledsoe along the sideline as he tried to run for a first down. Four liters of blood flowed into Bledsoe’s chest cavity, until his lungs failed to inflate.

Bledsoe went back into the game, but he could not remember plays he spent years practicing. He needed assistance getting dressed after the game. In Bledsoe’s absence, the Patriots turned to a young and unknown quarterback named Tom Brady. Bledsoe threw a touchdown pass in the American Football Conference Championship game that year, but Brady started in the Super Bowl, and the Patriots’ dynasty began with Bledsoe on the sideline.

“I don’t play the what-if game much,” Bledsoe said. “And of course, I believe had I not gotten hit, we would have done the same thing. As an athlete, you have to believe that.”
After that season, Bledsoe felt a strong urge to walk away. Instead, he went to Buffalo, where he made his fourth Pro Bowl, then to Dallas, where he was benched again. His career ended with more than 44,000 passing yards and 251 touchdown passes.

The Cowboys pulled Bledsoe at halftime of a game against the Giants in late October 2006. He said he decided to retire then, but waited until the season ended to make sure he was not simply making an emotional decision.

Bledsoe says he is still bothered by the perception at the end of his career that he was too slow and his skills were declining. He insists his skills “had not diminished to any measurable degree.”Bledsoe wished he could show up at the scouting combine wearing a disguise, pretending to be from a small school, essentially starting over.

“Perception always bugged me,” said Adam Bledsoe, his younger brother. “In the latter half of his career, he became a whipping boy.” Bledsoe relished standing on the field, the center of attention, 80,000 fans packed in the stands. But after the second benching, after teammates started addressing him by Mister, he decided to fade into the background. He started to decline interview requests and began starting businesses.

He knew the statistics of recently retired players, the marriages that crumbled, the money that disappeared, the friend who refused to watch football for three years after retirement. Gone were the people who made his doctor’s appointments, gave him directions and planned nearly every minute of his day.

His biggest fear: finishing football and having no reason to get out of bed in the morning. As a result, Bledsoe said yes to everything. During his career, a winery deal with three other N.F.L. quarterbacks — Damon Huard, Rick Mirer and Dan Marino — fell through, so Bledsoe started his own vineyard. He planted the grapes three years ago, and the winery will start producing in 2010.

To read entire article go to link...Bledsoe Is Out of Football and in Business for Himself - New York Times

Helpful Tools: Online Press Release 101 - Publicity & promotion

Online Press Release 101 - Publicity & Promotion - Biznik
By Barry Hurd


Whether you use word-of-mouth marketing at the local coffee shop or submit to the communication gurus, start by understanding the five starting points of press release 101.

Know what you are pitching, what you have to offer, and who you are pitching it to. Almost 30 million people a month use Google and Yahoo News to find relevant and local news content.

To understand what type of impact a press release can have on business, we can use the Seattle metro as an example: the Seattle Times has a Sunday readership of 1.1 million, and an online monthly readership of 3.5 million. If you stop and realize this is for the entire paper and site at Seattle Times in comparison to just PR news, the numbers start to be very comparable on a local level.Now think for a moment and multiply that result by fifty states.

From PR Web and PEW research: "Research has shown that editors take approximately 7 seconds to read your headlines and first paragraph. * 98% of journalists go online daily * 92% for article research * 81% to do searching * 76% to find new sources, experts * 73% to find press releasesOn an average day, 68 million American adults go online * 30% use a search engine to find information * 27% get news"

With that math in your head, lets take a look at the basics of press releases.

1- What is a press release?A press release is a short, direct, and concise statement that pitches your idea, service, or product. It needs to be written so that it grabs attention, gives fast and relevant information, and saves the communication specialist time when they utilize the information.

2- What is a newswire?The newswire historically was a service that sent your press release to newsrooms, websites, radio, tv stations, and other media outlets. Over the past few years the newswire has been evolving to catch-up with how online media is transforming the PR industry.

3- What newswire services should I use?There are two free services that transmit your press release, both http://biznik.com/click?u=http%3A//www.pr.com/&t=www.pr.com and http://biznik.com/click?u=http%3A//www.prleap.com/&t=www.prleap.com. Be warned - if you have a competitive market or lackluster release, you get what you pay for. http://biznik.com/click?u=http%3A//www.prweb.com/&t=www.prweb.com and http://biznik.com/click?u=http%3A//www.prnewswire.com/&t=www.prnewswire.com both offer paid versions of newswire, and are better options for businesses that want to be competitive.

4- Who receives a press release when using a newswire?That is an amazingly complex question. In reality, newswires have become almost like radio stations. Hundreds or even thousands of communication specialists will read your release, but they may not act on it.Almost all newswire services reach major online portals such as Google and Yahoo. A variety of other online news portals also syndicate the content: NBCi, AskJeeves, MSN News, etc. Social media sites such as Technorati, Mashup, and TechCrunch also monitor newswire syndication.

5- What makes a good press release?Think of a good press release as a one page introduction to who you are and what you have to offer. This letter is going to go onto the desk of someone who reads hundreds of them each day, who has the unfortunately daunting task of deciding which one is ” news worthy” and requires honorable mention in the media source they work with.

Tips to improve your press release success-

Be bold. You have seven seconds to get some attention. If your first line or two doesn’t suck them into what you are saying, they will not continue or be impressed.

Be brief. One page. The important section is the first paragraph. Anything past one page is a sure fire travel plan to the round filing cabinet.

Be timely. Link everything you say to something else that is newsworthy. Publishers and communication professionals are looking for ways to connect your story to something else that is HOT! If you do this for them, they like you.

Be available. List your contact info. Answer your phone. Read your e-mail. Be fast in responding. If they are kind enough to send an inquiry, be kind enough to send back a response the same day!

Be ready. Have your longer statement ready for when they reach out. A press release is like getting a “yes” from someone for a first date. Make sure you are ready, well mannered, and kicking it up a notch when you meet them for questions and answers.

If you really want to see how the online and social media realm is affecting the world of publication relations and press releases, you can take a quick read through www.myragan.com - Online Press Release 101 - Publicity & promotion - Biznik

MWPRInsight: Great Community Relations Initiative

Change what they see. Influence how they think. Impact what they do!


Tied to Greatness Advances Eleven- City Tour to Charlotte
Groundbreaking Teen Program Inspires Young Men to Improve and Value Their Personal Image

Author and Image Authority, Alex Ellis advances to Charlotte, NC with Eleven-city tour Tied to Greatness; an image program designed to empower young men to make quality decisions regarding their personal image from the inside out. Since the February 1st New York launch over 900 teens have been captivated with a fresh vision of healthy image using the power of positive male role models, inspiring entertainment, and principle based instruction. An additional 300 young men are expected at Midwood High School on Friday, March 7th at 9:00am, joined by a congruent army of men from the Charlotte area.

At the heart of planned event is the TIE-TYING CEREMONY. Every man in attendance will personally teach a younger man how to tie a tie commemorating this rite of passage with a symbol of manhood. Men’s Wearhouse has donated fashionable ties and each young man will also receive a free copy of Ellis’ award-winning book, “Restoring the Male Image: A Look from the Inside Out.” “The character and integrity of a man should coincide with an impeccable outward appearance. We are calling on men to sense the weight of responsibility and urgency for our nation’s inner city young men,” states Ellis. “We can’t afford to sit by and watch another generation deteriorate. Mediocrity is not an option. Their greatness must be realized!”

The Charlotte tour date has garnered the confirmation of notable celebrities who were moved by the programs principles and have pledged to share insight and personal testimonies on “Image & Greatness.” Atlanta Falcons Players (Former) Keion Carpenter, Award winning author Omar Tyree, and the President of Urban League (Central Charlotte) Patrick Graham are just a few of the expected celebrities that will be in attendance.

The day’s event will culminate with Oprah Winfrey’s scholarship and three-time Showtime at the Apollo winner, Messiah delivering a poignant Spoken Word expression through the voice of this generation. Finally, Tied to Greatness Founder, Ellis will follow; delivering a stirring address from his award-winning book, Restoring the Male Image: A Look from the Inside Out.
Tied to Greatness will continue tour stops in cities such as Dallas, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Newark, NJ.

To learn more about Tied to Greatness log onto http://www.tiedtogreatness.com/.

Helpful Tools: How To Find New Clients | eHow.com

How to Find New Clients

Step 1:Picking new places to advertise your business. Check into new publications in your area. Many of them will offer free or low cost advertising price.

Step 2:Check out networking groups in your area. When you find a local networking group in your area get involved. These are called GBR, which stand for Group Business Referral. If you cannot find one in your area think about starting one with other local business owners.

Step 3:National groups are another great place to find clients. There are a number of these groups and most have local chapters. Just a few minutes and surf the internet for groups that pertain to your business. One example is National Association of Women Business Owners; they have chapters all over the United States.

Step 4:Get to know new business owners in your area. Once you find the new businesses, go and take some time to introduce yourself.

Step 5:Develop a website. We are all becoming do dependent on the internet so use it to your advantage. If you have a website, take the time and money to maintain and update it. Make it stand out against all the others.

Step 6:Talk with family, friends and neighbors for referrals. When invited to parties look at them as new people to talk with about your business.

Step 7:Use bulletin boards in local places of business, such as grocery stores, retail business, and libraries.

How To Find New Clients eHow.com