I hope this is true!!!!

The police officer who pulled out his gun and threatened an NFL player with jail instead of allowing him inside a hospital where his mother-in-law was dying resigned Wednesday.

Officer Robert Powell had been placed on paid leave pending an investigation of the March 18 incident. “I made this decision in the hope that my resignation will allow the Dallas Police Department, my fellow officers and the citizens of Dallas to better reflect on this experience, learn from the mistakes made, and move forward,” Powell said in a statement issued through his attorneys. He had stopped Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats‘ SUV outside Baylor Regional Medical Center in suburban Plano after the vehicle rolled through a red light. The officer pulled out his gun and threatened Moats with jail as the player and his family pleaded to be allowed to go inside the hospital. Powell continued writing Moats a ticket and lecturing him even after a fellow officer confirmed that Moats’ mother-in-law was dying. Jonetta Collinsworth, 45, died of breast cancer before Powell allowed Moats to go inside the hospital. Powell’s resignation was first reported by Dallas-Fort Worth television station KTVT. He later issued an apology, and Moats said he would accept it. “I still hope to speak with the Moats family to personally express my deep regret, sympathy, and to apologize for my poor judgment and unprofessional conduct,” he said in the Wednesday statement. He also said he wanted to apologize to his fellow officers. A call to Dallas police was not immediately returned Wednesday. Dallas police Chief David Kunkle previously apologized to the family and said Powell acted inappropriately. He also lauded Moats’ restraint, noting that he did not try to seek special treatment by identifying himself as an NFL player. Moats, 26, explained that he had waited until there was no traffic before continuing through the red light. When Powell asked for proof of insurance, Moats grew more agitated and told the officer to go find it. According to video from a dashboard camera inside the officer’s vehicle, Moats’ wife, Tamishia Moats, and another woman disregarded Powell’s order to get back inside their vehicle, and they rushed into the hospital. After Powell yelled at Tamishia Moats to stay in the SUV, she said, “Excuse me, my mom is dying — do you understand?”

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Corey Smith, Marquis Cooper Missing In Florida Along With 2 Other Boaters

The Coast Guard searched off Florida’s Gulf Coast on Sunday for a fishing boat carrying NFL players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper and two other men missing more than a day in choppy seas.

Smith, a defensive end for the Detroit Lions, and Cooper, an Oakland Raiders linebacker, were on a 21-foot vessel that left Clearwater Pass for a fishing trip Saturday morning and did not return as expected, the Coast Guard said Sunday. Crews used a helicopter and an 87-foot ship to search a 750-square mile area west of Clearwater Pass, but poor weather made the search difficult. Officials did not receive a distress signal from the missing craft.

Cooper owns the boat and he and Smith have been on fishing trips before, said Ron Del Duca, Smith’s agent. The pair had been teammates on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004. Two others were aboard: Will Bleakley and Nick Schuyler, both former University of South Florida players.

Coast Guard Capt. Timothy M. Close said the weather early Saturday had been fair, but worsened toward the evening as a front moved in. The National Weather Service said seas were about 2 to 4 feet Saturday morning and increased to 3 to 5 feet in the afternoon. Late Saturday night, a small craft advisory was issued, when winds were around 20 knots and seas were up to 7 feet or more. There were no thunderstorms in the area.

Close said the men were traveling in a boat manufactured by Everglades. At least one of the men was an experienced boater, and relatives provided the Coast Guard with GPS coordinates from previous fishing expeditions.

Close said there was no communication with the men even before the weather started to pick up. They were expected home by early evening. No sign of them or the boat had been spotted by Sunday evening. Relatives told the Coast Guard the men had lifejackets and flares onboard.

Poor weather conditions could be dangerous for a boat the size of Cooper’s.

“A 21-foot boat is a relatively small vessel to be 50 miles off shore in bad weather conditions, certainly the current weather conditions,” Close said.

Source

This is personal responsibility!!!!!

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has taken a 20 percent pay cut and the league staff has been trimmed by 15 percent because of a reeling economy.

The league said Wednesday it has dropped 169 jobs as a result of buyouts, layoffs and other staff reductions. Goodell voluntarily took a cut from the $11 million salary and bonuses he was to receive this past year. He and other league executives are freezing their salaries for 2009. The NFL announced Dec. 9 it would reduce its staff of 1,100 by 10 to 15 percent. Seventy-six people took buyouts while 45 jobs were eliminated and 48 openings went unfilled. The move affects NFL headquarters in New York, NFL Films in Mount Laurel, N.J., and the NFL Network in Los Angeles.

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Smith explains why he wasn’t present for Saturday’s combine workout

The PA announcer in Lucas Oil Stadium told the assembled teams Saturday morning that Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith, one of the top prospects in the April NFL draft, had gone AWOL.

While he made the announcement, Smith was in the air, flying to Atlanta to go meet with his personal trainer for the first of two previously scheduled workouts. After he landed, and questions were raised, Smith explained that he made a mistake in failing to communicate to the people at the combine that he was leaving Indianapolis earlier than previously scheduled.

Smith had been booked on a 4 p.m. flight but moved it up himself to 6 a.m. so he could get back to work out with his trainer and continue preparations for his March 11 Pro Day at the University of Alabama.

“If I had the chance to do it all over, I wouldn’t have handled it the way I did,” Smith said Saturday afternoon in his first public comments on the incident. “I should have told my group leader that I was leaving, and I didn’t. I didn’t mean to ruffle any feathers or step on any toes. I didn’t mean to grandstand anyone at the combine. That was not my intention at all, and I apologize for my mistake.”

Knowing he was not going to work out, Smith thought he had accomplished everything he had wanted. He weighed in for NFL scouts at 332 pounds, interviewed with the teams, answered any questions teams had about any potential weight issues, and even told teams that he was unsure whether he was going to work out Saturday. Then, when the day came, and the announcement was made, no one at the combine knew where Smith was or what he had done. But once he felt like he had satisfied his requirements Friday night, Smith changed his flight, headed out of town, and raised questions amongst teams.

“It was an obvious miscommunication,” said Smith’s agent, Alvin Keels. “Even I can shoulder some of the blame for the mishap. But Andre is focused on getting ready for his Pro Day and showing teams what a good pro he will be.”

The reason Smith opted not to work out at the combine in the first place was because he had switched trainers one week ago and didn’t feel comfortable enough with the new regimen to impress teams the way he hopes. But Smith now realizes his mistake and is focused on pushing ahead.

“I got done in Indianapolis what I thought I should have, but I realize there was more to it now,” Smith said. “It was important for me to get back to my trainer and that’s what I did. All I was thinking about was what it would take to get to the next level.”

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Arizona def. Dalls 30-24

Kinda embarassing, huh?

We Have a secret…

Be sure to tune in on Monday, the 29th. We have a huge announcement!!!!!

NFL Ref Ed Hochuli Blows…Literally

Ok, so he’s one of the better refs the NFL has seen, but on Sunday in Denver, Ed Hochuli blew his whistle, blew the entire game, and in general, just blew.

Trailing 38-31, the Broncos (now 2-0) reached the Chargers’ 1 yard line, but on third-and-goal, Cutler reared back to throw and the ball slipped out of his hands, bounced off the grass and into linebacker Tim Dobbins’ hands.

But referee Ed Hochuli blew his whistle, apparently ruling it an incomplete pass. After a review, Hochuli said that the Broncos would keep the ball because his whistle had blown the play dead. The Broncos got the ball at the 10-yard line, where it had hit the grass out of Cutler’s hands.

Two plays later, Cutler hit Royal for the TD to make it 38-37.

Instead of going for the tie, however, Shanahan kept his offense on the field and, 75,000-plus fans at Invesco Field holding their breath, Cutler again found Royal in the end zone for the game-winner.

CUTLER FUMBLED THE BALL. IT WAS OBVIOUS. IT WAS CLEAR TO ANYONE WITH EYES AND HALF A BRAIN CELL. The NFL needs to overturn this whole “whistle blows the call dead.” That is idiotic if the ref blew the whistle INCORRECTLY. This wasn’t the only screw up of the game. Earlier, the Broncos were handed an interception on a play that, after watching the replay, was 100% clearly NOT an interception. But again, Ed Hochuli couldn’t reverse the ruling on the field because the replay equipment wasn’t working.

Ok, so basically this game was a joke. Denver played a nice game, but the Chargers clearly were the better team, coming back in the second half to score over 30 points and hold the Broncos on the defensive end of the ball. The Chargers did everything they were supposed to do. But the NFL failed them. That fumble call was atrocious. This isn’t pee wee football. These are people’s livelihood’s hanging in the balance. Norv Turner has every right to be royally ticked off.

After the game, he had this to say: “On the last play, it was clearly a fumble,” Turner fumed. “Ed came over, the official, and said he blew it. And that’s not acceptable to me. This is a high-level performance game and that’s not acceptable to have a game decided on that play.”

And this is my message to the Chargers – get angry and get even. Jets next week….let’s give Brett and nice SD welcome.

As an aside, Darren Sproles is the MAN!

It’s Official: Tom Brady…Out For Season

Boohoo.

No more Brady for 2008. Chargers – it’s your to lose.