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Jon Jones injured, Davis to step in against Evans

April 27, 2011 / Staff

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been forced out of his UFC 133 bout against Rashad Evans, and Phil Davis has stepped in for the August bout writes Nate Lawson of HeavyMMA.com.

Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will not meet Rashad Evans later this year.
Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press broke the news today that the champion was forced out of the contest and that the fast-rising Phil Davis will step in against Evans at UFC 133 this August.
According to MMAjunkie.com, Jones has been sidelined due to a torn right hand ligament, and the recovery will apparently be a lengthy one. A timetable has not been set, though.
Jones defeated former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 last month to earn the light heavyweight strap. Immediately following the fight, former champion Evans entered the cage, and the pair agreed to fight for the championship later this year.

Read the full article.

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Haynesworth indicted on sexual abuse charge

April 26, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

NBCWashington.com is reporting that Redskins’ DT Albert Haynesworth was indicted on Tuesday for a misdemeanor sexual abuse charge that stems from an incident last February.

In February, Haynesworth was accused of fondling an employee at the W Hotel in Washington.
In the complaint, a waitress said that the incident happened in the hotel’s rooftop lounge, while she was clearing a table.
In court documents the waitress said that her hands were full of glasses when Haynesworth asked to pay his bill using a credit card. According to the court document, Haynesworth asked her if it was OK to slip the credit card into her shirt. She nodded yes, and Haynesworth slipped the credit card down her blouse. The waitress said the football player then grabbed and caressed her breast.

I’m assuming that the waitress meant that he could “slip the credit card” into her shirt pocket, and not down in between her knockers. Either way, this situation could have been avoided had she just said, “Leave it on the table and I’ll be back in a second to pick it up.”

Then again, Haynesworth could have also acted like a human being and not grabbed a woman’s breast at a hotel restaurant. Call me crazy, but I never assume that my waitress’s hooters are also available when I go to Hooters and get a plate of wings. Maybe that’s just me though.

A conviction could result in up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

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Is Blaine Gabbert’s draft stock slipping?

April 26, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

The closer we get to Thursday’s NFL draft, the more muddled Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert’s stock appears to be.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Lombardi, Gabbert’s draft stock is “slipping” and the 49ers, who hold the seventh overall pick, are only “lukewarm” on the Missouri product. Lombardi even suggests that Gabbert “could easily slide out of the top 10.”

I don’t buy this. I can see the 49ers not being interested in Gabbert, but I don’t see him falling out of the top 10. Yes, the fact that he played in the spread at MIZZOU raises concerns. But Sam Bradford proved last year that just because a QB played in the spread in college, doesn’t mean he won’t be able to tie his shoes without falling over as soon as he reaches the pros.

Gabbert is a big, strong-armed passer with above-average athletic ability and a good football I.Q. Is he unpolished? Yes, much like all quarterback prospects are at this stage. Is he a sure thing? No, but no prospect is a sure thing heading into the draft.

Assuming Carolina passes on him with the first overall pick, the Bills, Bengals, Cardinals, 49ers, Titans and Redskins are all possibilities for Gabbert in the top 10. In fact, I really like him at No. 8 overall to Tennessee, which will obviously need a quarterback once it dumps Vince Young. I’m not as connected as Lombardi and I would need a calculator to add up how many times I’ve missed on observations when it comes to previous drafts (a fact readers are never shy to remind me about…a-holes). But I don’t see a well put-together quarterback prospect like Gabbert slipping out of the top 10.

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NFL draft prospects Houston and Ballard tested positive for marijuana

April 26, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

According to a report by FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer and Alex Marvez, Georgia DE/LB Justin Houston tested positive for marijuana at February’s scouting combine. Iowa DL Christian Ballard also failed a drug test, which isn’t good considering he’s already facing question marks about his lack of production in relation to his immense talent.

In Houston’s case, the failed drug test could cost him the opportunity to be selected in the first round. He’s too good of a talent to fall out of the second round, but teams were already wary of his abilities to stand up and produce as an outside linebacker in a 3-4. For those observers who have watched tape on the former Bulldog, most of them say that he’s better with his hand in the dirt as a DE in a 4-3.

The other thing that was already hurting Houston’s draft stock was the fact that the defensive line position is deep in this year’s draft. When you couple the failed drug test with the questionable tape, it stands to reason that eight or nine defensive ends could be selected before Houston comes off the board. Granted, that may have happened anyway (even before FOX’s report came out), but the positive drug test certainly doesn’t help.

It never ceases to amaze me how NFL prospects are willing to potentially lose thousands (if not millions in some players’ cases) of dollars just so they can smoke a little ganja. Hopefully the crap Houston smoked was worth potentially falling into the second round and costing him guaranteed money on his first pro contract.

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