Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1313 of 1503)

Well it’s that time of year again. The bowl season has wrapped up, the NFL playoffs are in full swing and with the draft just a few short months away, one of the top prospects is hurting his stock by getting into trouble.

Heisman Trophy runner-up Darren McFadden was handcuffed by police and then released without charges after being involved in a “pretty rowdy scene” at a piano bar early Thursday.

Arkansas’ All-American running back and at least four others were at the downtown bar when a disturbance broke out shortly after midnight, police Lt. Terry Hastings said. A bouncer was hit in the face as he was trying to get the group to leave, Hastings said. A police report did not specify who hit the bouncer.

McFadden’s mother claims that Darren was trying to protect his younger brother. At first this seemed like a big deal, but with more details coming out, it sounds more like a scuffle than a full-blown fight. Apparently it wasn’t even a real bar, but a “piano-bar”, whatever that is…

SPORTSbyBROOKS.com posted an interesting piece about Don Yager’s new book, “Tarnished Heisman”. The book is about Reggie Bush’s behind-the-scenes dealings at USC, including him and his family accepting up to $291,000 from future business clients.

The jacket of Don Yaeger’s “Tarnished Heisman”: “With the explosive information revealed in Tarnished Heisman, Bush stands to be ruled ineligible — a decision that could cost his alma mater the 2004 national championship title, force the forfeit of every game Bush played in after losing his eligibility, and potentially strip Reggie Bush of the shining prize of his college career: the Heisman Trophy.”

The first reax of Adam Rose of the LOS ANGELES TIMES, who covers USC for the outlet: “It doesn’t look good.”

Rose has yet to sift through every last word, but notes that Yaeger, a former investigative reporter for SI, claims in the book that “$47,000 went directly to Bush out of the overall $291,000 that went to his family. That makes it hard to deny he knew what was going on. While the photo section lacks any photocopied receipts, bank statements, or otherwise, the Author’s Note says that a website will publish much of it.”

As the evidence continues to mount against Bush, all we can really think of is where was Pete Carroll? Considering the myriad of entanglements (legal and otherwise) that allegedly ensnared Bush during his time at USC, it’s hard to believe that the coach knew absolutely nothing about what was going on. If he didn’t, he wasn’t doing his job, and should be held accountable.

This is obviously just speculation, but maybe this is why reports have surfaced that Carroll is interested in the Atlanta Falcons’ head coaching job after years of rebuffing offers from various NFL teams. Is Carroll planning an escape plan if shit hits the fan? Either way, Bush has to be uneasy about this entire situation, because the story just won’t die. In fact, it seems to be growing legs.