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  • Matt Prater Suspended For Four Games

    Matt Prater Suspended For Four Games

    Denver Bronco’s kicker Matt Prater has been suspended for the first four games of the season after he violated the NFL’s substance-abuse program.

    According to Prater’s lawyer Harvey Steinberg, Prater was first enrolled in the program after he was arrested for drunk driving in August 2011.

    Although Prater wasn’t suspended for his DUI, the incident left him open for random alcohol tests. Prater recently tested positive for alcohol, however Steinberg said he was simply having a few drinks at home while he was on vacation, and it shouldn’t violate the policy.

    “This guy was off probation. There’s no allegation that he used PEDs or illegal drugs,” Steinberg said. “He was on vacation, had three beers three years after a DUI. Come on, give me break.”

    Steinberg did acknowledge that he and Prater had been treated very well, under the circumstances. “Having said that, the NFL under the constraints of the policy couldn’t have treated us better,” Steinberg added.

    Although it is frustrating that Matt will be sitting on the bench during the opening games, his punishment could have been a lot worse. Prater was originally looking at a year-long suspension, but Steinberg was able to get his time reduced to only four games.

    Prater does not plan on appealing the punishment, and is taking full responsibility for his actions. “I’ve made some mistakes,” Prater said. “I’m accepting full responsibility. I’ll learn from it and come back a better person. I want to apologize to my teammates, my coaches, the Broncos’ organization and the fans.”

  • Denver Broncos Kicker Receives Four-Game Suspension

    This football player’s timing couldn’t be worse–Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater will be suspended for four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Prater has been with the Broncos since 2008 and was selected to the 2014 Pro Bowl team.

    The news that the Denver Broncos kicker was suspended came Sunday morning. Prater confirmed the suspension with The Denver Post, but an announcement from the league isn’t expected until Monday. Prater was charged with DUI in 2011, and as part of the NFL’s substance abuse program, Prater can be fined or suspended if he has a positive test. According to Harvey Steinberg, Prater’s attorney, it sounds like the Denver Broncos suspended their kicker over a relatively small amount of alcohol.

    “No one feels worse about this than Matt Prater,” Steinberg said of the suspension. “He feels terribly for his teammates. It’s cost him personally, both professionally and financially. I wonder if we shouldn’t take a second look at the policy when only a couple beers were consumed at home while he was on vacation. Having said that, the NFL under the constraints of the policy couldn’t have treated us better.”

    Even though the Denver Broncos kicker will have to miss the first four games over a couple of beers, he isn’t making any excuses for what happened. “I’ve made some mistakes,” Matt Prater said. “I’m accepting full responsibility. I’ll learn from it and come back a better person. I want to apologize to my teammates, my coaches, the Broncos’ organization and the fans.”

    According to a tweet from ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, there may be a good reason that Prater isn’t complaining about being suspended from the Broncos for four games. According to Schefter, the kicker was facing a year-long suspension before Steinberg intervened.

    Some fans feel that the suspension is too long, considering that Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was only suspended for two games after being arrested for domestic violence.

    The Denver Broncos first regular season game is September 7 against the Indianapolis Colts. Prater should return for the October 12 game against the New York Jets. Until then, Mitch Ewald will likely take over Prater’s placekicking duties. The Broncos signed the recent Indiana University graduate last month.

  • Student Gets Psych. Evaluation For Pencil Twirling

    Listen. It’s okay to have your Nerf Guns, your first person shooter video games, and maybe your second amendment – but by God, if you even so much as engage in pencil gymnastics suggesting anything more than mere stimulation out of boredom, you’re probably insane or a terrorist.

    The location is Glen Meadow Middle school in Vernon Township, New Jersey. The culprit is seventh grader Ethan Chaplin, whose crime was twirling a pencil in math class. The punishment? Media outlets report conflicts of whether or not Ethan was suspended, but he was definitely psychologically evaluated.

    According to News 12 New Jersey, Ethan was twirling a pencil with a pen cap on top when all of a sudden another student yelled, “He’s making gun motions! Send him to juvie!” Ethan, who said that the student had been bullying him earlier that day, was just trying to get him in trouble, and that the interpretation of his pencil twirling was all blown out of context.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRjD7cv_fPk

    Ethan said administrators ignored his side of the story when he mentioned the bullying. Instead, the 13-year-old had a little visit to the principal’s office, where, according to News 12, “he was suspended, pending the outcome of a psychological evaluation.”

    “I was shocked because I’m like, how am I not going to come back to school? I didn’t even do anything.” said Ethan.

    Ethan’s father, Michael Chaplin agreed, stating: “I’m livid. I’m absolutely livid. I think it’s gross misconduct at its finest. They took something so minimal and took it so far over the edge.”

    Charles Maranzano, the Vernon Schools Superintendent, sides with the principal and said she was just doing her job. School policy as well as the law requires that administration investigate any situation where a student feels uncomfortable or threatened by another student.

    “We never know what’s percolating in the mind of children, okay. And when they demonstrate behaviors that raise red flags, we must do our duty.” Maranzano said.

    Ethan underwent a five-hour physical and psychological evaluation which came back clean.

    Chaplin told Infowars that his son had to endure a five-hour long physical and psychological evaluation:

    “The child was stripped, had to give blood samples (which caused him to pass out) and urine samples for of all things drug testing. Then four hours later a social worker spoke to him for five minutes and cleared him. Then an actual doctor came in and said the state was 100 per cent incorrect in their procedure and this would not get him back in school.”

    On Monday, Ethan returned to school after missing two days – most likely due to media pressure exposing the sheer intelligence of an academic intuition’s methodology of proper pencil twirling punishments. WPIX 11 reported that the Vernon Township School District leadership stated Ethan Chaplin was never taken out of school.

    “I don’t think any district in New Jersey or America would ever suspend a student for twirling a pencil. That’s ludicrous.” said Maranzano.

    Images via YouTube

  • Homeless Sign Contest: Two Texas Cops Suspended

    Two Midland, Texas police officers were suspended for three days after the police department learned of a panhandling game.

    According to the Associated Press, Derek Hester, 25, and 26-year-old Daniel Zoelzer, were suspended without pay for competing in a game to see who could steal the most cardboard signs from the homeless.

    The news agency also reported how:

    …eight signs were found in the trunk of Hester’s patrol car on Nov. 20 and Zoelzer had thrown about 10 signs he had confiscated into a city trash container after Hester called him to warn him he had been reprimanded by his superior for having the signs.

    Although there isn’t a city ordinance that forbids the homeless from panhandling, both officers claimed that they were issuing trespass warnings. However, there were no records to prove this.

    Public scrutiny has now prompted the department to take action against the officers who have only been with the Midland police division for two years.

    Police Chief Price Robinson reportedly said that the officers didn’t deserve a harsher punishment since their actions concerned another department.

    However, homeless advocacy groups believe otherwise. One attorney in the Odessa Office of the Texas Civil Rights Project described how she felt about the officers’ immature game.

    “The fact that they are making sport out of collecting the personal property of homeless individuals could be seen as them targeting these individuals for discriminatory harassment,” Cassandra Champion told the AP.

    In addition to their suspension, Hester and Zoelzer are being investigated for failing to report evidence received during a November 18 patrol stop.

    Robinson said that officers were recently reminded of the appropriate behavior expected of them, which is outlined in the department’s professional standards of conduct.

    “We want to respect people, no matter who they are — homeless, whatever,” Robinson said. “That situation’s been dealt with. Those officers understand.”

    A message posted on the department’s website may also be in connection to what has occurred recently:

    The members of the Midland Police Department are committed to working with the public to provide law enforcement services to all. We will provide these services in an effective, efficient, and professional manner to insure that Midland is a quality community in which to live, work, visit and play

    The department greatly appreciates the positive relationship that exists between the citizens of our community and our police force. Our officers are highly professional in their skills and are very sensitive to the concerns of our community.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Boy Says He Was Suspended for Carrying a Purse

    A 13-year-old Kansas student was suspended from his junior high school this week because he reportedly refused to ditch his Vera Bradley purse. Skyler Davis is an eighth grader at Anderson County Senior-Junior School and says he has been carrying the bag since school started and found himself in trouble after he refused to take it off one day this week.

    Skyler’s mother, Leslie Willis, was called to the school on Wednesday to pick up Skyler. After he refused to take the purse off in class, he was sent to the office, where he also refused to remove the bag.

    “I was a little furious, and I called the school to reverify the story, and yeah, he refused to take off his Vera Bradley bag, nothing more to it. Skyler has been going to school since August with that same Vera Bradley bag on, hasn’t taken it off. What is the problem?” Willis commented. Willis says she is supportive of her son’s decision to wear a Vera Bradley bag.

    Check out a picture of Skyler wearing his Vera Bradley purse below.

    (image)

    “It expresses myself and I think everyone else can wear it, so I wear it as well. All the girls can wear purses but I can’t because I’m a male,” Skyler said. Skyler’s mother says that he is the victim of gender discrimination.

    When Skyler went back to school the next day, he says he was told that he was never suspended for refusing to remove the purse. “He was pulled into an office, behind closed doors to tell him that he was never suspended for refusing to take off his purse, he got suspended for foul language,” Willis said. “That’s not the story that Mr. Hillard told me yesterday. Skyler is only 13 years old. He’s just a child. And if this isn’t bullying, I don’t know what is.”

    Even though the root cause of the suspension is disputed, Anderson County School District Superintendent Don Blome is very clear on the fact that students aren’t allowed to bring any bags in the classroom, something that has been a rule for around 10 years.

    “We strive to make sure we treat every kid alike and there are classroom rules we expect kids to follow,” Blome said. “They can bring (bags and purses) to school. There’s no policy against that. But the classroom rules are that they can’t bring it to the classroom.” Blome says that handbags and backpacks are supposed to be stored in lockers while the kids are in class–this rule applies to all students, not just males.

    Skyler has received a lot of support for his decision to wear a purse, both at school and online. Check out some comments posted to Twitter. Make sure to post your thoughts on the issue below.

    [Images via KCTV5]

  • Cornell Hazing Leads To Suspension Of Lacrosse Team

    Cornell is facing some heat after the lacrosse team participated in hazing, causing the program to be suspended. The hazing has caused the men’s lacrosse team to be suspended for the entire fall season. Cornell announced last week that the fall games would be cancelled, after finding out about the seniors hazing the freshman in a very mean way, through an investigation done by the university.

    The seniors on the team forced the freshman to do a number of outrageous things, mostly involving drinking, for students that were obviously under 21. College officials have said that the freshman were forced to stand in a circle and drink beer up until the point where multiple members vomited. CBS News mentions that the team held a party which featured a “keg race,” where freshmen were challenged to drink large amounts of beer in a competition against other team members. Hazing can often be a problem for high school and college students, but it is sad to see it having such an effect on a sports team at this level.

    Especially after Cornell’s successful Lacrosse team that they had last season, it is sad to see them start the year off this way, not even eligible to play. In the spring, they went 14-4, losing in the national semi-finals to Duke. The team finished at No.3 in the nation, according to ESPN. This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed at the university level, and hopefully after cracking down and suspending the team for a season, Cornell’s players will take a hint and quit their awful antics.

    Rob Pannell, who played lacrosse for Cornell from 2008-2013, said “In my five-plus years as a member of the Cornell lacrosse family, I can confidently say that no hazing took place.” It is sad to see such a negative turn around from players. This cannot be tolerated and it is a good thing that the Cornell administration. The decision was made within the university and was not enforced by NCAA. The team has previously had a great reputation, and will hopefully be able to get back to that soon, but will have to rest up this season.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah-_aTvyVLc

    Image via Youtube

  • Von Miller Cheats NFL Drug Test

    Denver Broncos’ linebacker, Von Miller, is in hot water with NFL officials these days, and he’s not alone. According to ESPN, Miller enlisted the expertise of an NFL urine collector employed with the league’s drug-testing program. The effort was vastly unsuccessful. League sources indicate that this type of action will subsequently alter the how the NFL’s collection testing procedure is administered.

    The unnamed NFL urine collector was compensated to dilute Miller’s urine sample. The test still counted as a positive, which led to an initial four-week suspension for violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. Sources said Miller’s camp of representatives were initially making strides to appeal the suspension. However, once details confirmed that Miller did indeed conspire to corrupt the NFL’s drug testing program with the help of an insider, all further intent to appeal waned. Four meetings have been conducted in regards to the disciplinary actions taken toward Miller by the NFL. While the NFL could have actually slapped Miller with a full-year suspension for his attempt to use his status to influence the collector, it was later determined that the two equally conspired together. NFL officials settled on a six-game suspension once

    NFL officials conducted a meeting with Drug Free Sport, the company contracted to conduct the NFL’s drug testing program. According to inside sources, Drug Free Sport has already taken extensive action to implement fingerprinting procedures. This advance in technology would render it impossible for unauthentic urine samples to be submitted.

     

    Image via Wikimedia Commons 

  • Dashon Goldson Suspended For Illegal Hit

    Dashon Goldson, safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has been suspended. He will be out for one week as a result of the illegal hit that he delivered to running back Darren Sproles, who plays for the New Orleans Saints. On Sunday, he hit Sproles with helmet to helmet contact, which is illegal in the NFL and can be very dangerous for players. This is not the first time that Goldson has violated the rules of the NFL and put another player in danger. Due to being a repeat offender and the seriousness of his latest hit, Goldson is being suspended for one week.

    The illegal hits that players have been delivering lately has become a big issue and something needs to be done in order to change that behavior, or we will be seeing more and more injuries. There have already been several injuries this season to running backs and quarterbacks, which can really hurt a team. Clay Matthews was fined for a very serious hit on Colin Kaepernick in week 1, in addition to other fines that were delivered during the game. Fox Sports Florida reports that Goldson, a seventh-year veteran, has drawn 15 personal fouls since 2010, more than anyone else in the league. The violation that occurred this past Sunday was also the fifth time that he has been called for unnecessary roughness since 2011. It seems a bit unnecessary, but he does not seem to get the point, since the whistle continues to be blown on his inappropriate antics.

    Overall, Tampa Bay was penalized 10 times for 118 yards in the Week 2 loss. This certainly played a large part in their loss and the game ended with a final score of 16-14 after a lack of offense from both teams. The suspension will prevent Goldson from practicing with the team or competing in their week 3 game against the New England Patriots. He will be able to resume team activities next Monday. This was also his second fine in the first two weeks of the season, after being penalized for striking Jeff Cumberland of the New York Jets, when he was defenseless. He was fined $30,000 for the hit against Cumberland, when he hit him in the head and neck area, according to ABC News.

    The suspension was imposed Monday by NFL vice president of football operations Merton Hanks. In the statement sent to Goldson, Hanks told him “It is clear that you lowered your head and unnecessarily rammed the left side of your helmet into the left side of your opponent’s head.”

    Hopefully, Goldson will start to get the point eventually, otherwise more drastic measures will need to be taken.

    Dashon Goldson hit on Darren Sproles

    Image via Youtube

  • Ryan Braun Loses Convenience Store Endorsement Deal

    As reported yesterday here on WPN, former major league MVP Ryan Braun was recently slapped with a 65-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy. While it has not been explicitly revealed just what Braun did to go against the policy, that is not stopping companies from pulling out of their endorsement deals.

    Until recently Braun was the face of Kwik Trip, a company that operates over 400 stores in the tri-state area of Iowa, Minnesota, and his team’s home state of Wisconsin. Braun had been the company’s spokesman for four years, but the suspension proved to be too much to allow him to remain the face of the business.

    All commercials and other advertisements bearing Braun’s face have been removed and the company has also announced the cancellation of a contest that would have allowed a winner to have lunch with Braun at a Wisconsin area restaurant.

    Other companies that have deals with Braun, including restaurant groups and sports giant Nike, are currently evaluating their options before they announce whether or not they plan to stick with the besieged slugger.

    Braun losing endorsements is nothing new. In the recent past Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong experienced similar obstacles in the face of controversy. Unfortunately for Braun, his tale leans more toward Armstrong, whose reputation will likely never recover since his deeds directly involved the sport he excelled in and, at least to some, invalidated his position as sports idol.

    The one silver lining for Braun is that Canadian company SAM BAT says that it will continue to produce and sell his signature RB8 bat. Company president Arlene Anderson went on record saying “We’ve had a good relationship with Ryan and we don’t anticipate that changing at this point.”

    However, it is likely that SAM BAT will prove to be the exception as more details about Braun’s suspension come to light.