by tyler | May 12, 2023 | CNN, sport
Two fishermen who were accused of cheating during the Lake Erie Walleye Trail fishing tournament last September – after it was discovered their fish were stuffed with lead weights and fish fillets – will serve jail time for the crime, according to court documents from a Thursday sentencing hearing.
As part of an agreement reached in March, Jacob Runyan and Chase Comnisky pleaded guilty to charges of cheating and of unlawful ownership of wild animals. Additional charges of attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools were dropped as part of the plea deal.
Runyan and Cominsky will each serve 10 days in jail and six months’ probation, according to court documents. They are required to forfeit their boat and trailer to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
The men will also each pay a $2,500 fine. The court said half the fine may be suspended if Runyan and Cominsky chose to make a charitable donation of $1,250 to a non-profit organization instead.
The judge also imposed a three-year suspension of their state fishing licenses.
Runyan and Cominsky had been set to win a $28,760 prize until Jason Fischer, director of the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament, became suspicious.
They were disqualified from the tournament.
The walleye – a type of fish – in the bucket looked like they each weighed around four pounds, but the total weight indicated they would have to be at least seven pounds each, Fischer told CNN last year.
The moment when Fischer discovered the alleged cheating was documented in several videos that went viral at the time.
They showed Fischer, surrounded by competitors, slicing open the fish with a knife and pulling out what he said was a lead ball.
Fischer later provided photos of metal objects and fish fillets that the tournament host said he had pulled from the walleye, allegedly inserted by the two accused to increase the weight of their catch.
In a video that Fischer shared with CNN last year, Runyan could be seen standing by silently watching while spectators in the crowd screamed insults at him.
by tyler | May 12, 2023 | CNN, sport
Another parent’s attempts to “psych her out” spurred Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to compete in her son’s sports day, the Olympic sprinter said in an interview with The Guardian this week.
Fraser-Pryce, a two-time Olympic champion in the 100 meters, inevitably ended up winning the parents race with ease and footage of her crushing victory later went viral on social media.
The Jamaican said a friend and fellow parent had laid down a challenge two weeks before the sports day.
“She started sending me photos of her working out in the gym. And then she told me she was coming for me!” Fraser-Pryce told The Guardian’s Sean Ingle.
“I was like, ‘You can’t be serious girl!’ And when we got to sports day, she even started giving me the eyes, trying to psych me out.”
Fraser-Pryce added that she had not initially intended to compete in the race but changed her mind once her five-year-old son Zyon fell in an event and her husband finished fourth in the dad’s race.
“I just had to show up,” she said. “I had to preserve my name.”
The rest was captured on video by those watching the race – Fraser-Pryce blazing ahead of her other competitors as she claims one of the easier victories of her career.
At the age of 36 and with eight Olympic medals already to her name, Fraser-Pryce is still running some of the fastest times of her career having won gold at the world championships last year.
This week, she was crowned Sportswoman of the Year at the Laureus World Sport Awards in Paris following her success in 2022.
“As competitors, as individuals, as moms and dads, we must believe that we can produce greater things that we may not always immediately see,” Fraser-Pryce wrote on Instagram after receiving the award.
“The discipline, the drive and the passion we apply daily in training, in recovery, in trying new strategies can deliver more than we think ourselves capable.”
by tyler | May 9, 2023 | CNN, sport
Eric Lira, 43, pleaded guilty Monday for his involvement in providing banned performance-enhancing drugs to Olympic athletes prior to the 2020 Tokyo Games, Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced.
The 2020 Tokyo Games were postponed until the summer of 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This conviction is a watershed moment for international sport. Lira provided banned performance-enhancing substances to Olympic athletes who wanted to corruptly gain a competitive edge,” Williams said in a statement.
“Such craven efforts to undermine the integrity of sport subverts the purpose of the Olympic games: to showcase athletic excellence through a level playing field. Lira’s efforts to pervert that goal will not go unpunished.”
READ: WADA appeals case of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva to Court of Arbitration for Sport
Lira is the first defendant charged and convicted under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act (RADA) which allows the US to impose criminal sanctions on individuals involved in doping activities at international events.
Named after whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, who helped expose the Russian doping scandal, the act was signed into law in December 2020.
Lira, who claimed to be a “kinesiologist and naturopathic” doctor from El Paso, Texas, acquired banned performing enhancing drugs from Central America and distributed the drugs to two athletes – one from Nigeria, the other from Switzerland – according to court documents seen by CNN.
“Both athletes tested positive for prohibited substances, and in both cases, Lira directly and indirectly advised that the athletes should blame the positive drug test on contaminated meat, knowing full well that the drug tests had accurately detected the presence of banned, performance-enhancing drugs,” the press release from the Southern District of New York states.
The head of the US Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart, said the guilty plea is a “strong testament” in holding individuals “who conspire against the rules to rob clean athletes and defraud sport” accountable.
In a statement, Tygart said, “This is a landmark outcome given that this is the first case under the newly enacted RADA, which was signed into law following the unprecedented state-sponsored doping fraud perpetrated by the Russian state and sport system on innocent athletes and fans across the globe.
“Without this law, Lira, who held himself out as a doctor to athletes, likely would have escaped consequence for his distribution of dangerous performance-enhancing drugs and his conspiracy to defraud the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games because he did not fall under any sport anti-doping rules.”
Lira has yet to be sentenced but could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for violating the law.
by tyler | May 9, 2023 | CNN, sport
At a Summer League in Las Vegas, a towering figure perched next to basketball trainer Drew Hanlen and introduced himself.
“I already know who you are,” Hanlen retorted – the formidable figure needed no introduction.
By the time the pair met, Joel Embiid had made a name for himself as one of the most exciting young prospects in the NBA, but he was still an unrefined talent.
The Cameroonian was also coming off the back of missing two whole seasons through injury and there were doubts over how long he had been playing the game.
“He missed the first couple of years, and nobody really knew what to think,” long-time Philadelphia 76ers play-by-play commentator Marc Zumoff explains to CNN Sport.
“He was an unpolished product to begin with, having played really part of only one year at Kansas. And everybody knew he took up the game at 15. You wondered, ‘Well, yeah, there’s potential there, and physically he has the chance to grow into a body that could be pretty imposing. But who is this guy?’”
Hailing from Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, Embiid only picked up basketball in his mid-teens when he was invited to a camp hosted by then NBA player and fellow Cameroonian Luc Mbah a Moute.
“They could see something in me [and] I got a spot at the Basketball Without Borders camp in South Africa,” Embiid explained to The Players’ Tribune. “Two months later, I was on a plane to Florida to go to high school in America.”
Embiid had been hooping for less time than many middle-schoolers, but Hanlen knew from that very first conversation it would not be long before the newly crowned MVP would reach another level.
When hearing the trainer was on his way back to Los Angeles, the 76ers star joked that he would join the young coach in the City of Angels – at least Hanlen thought he was only joking.
“A couple of hours later, I was getting calls from his agent and his manager,” Hanlen tells CNN Sport. “Joel had basically told them, ‘Figure it out, I want to work.’”
The pair sorted a time, and the next day Embiid was in LA having his first of many workouts with Hanlen.
This work ethic has stayed with the 29-year-old throughout his time in the NBA and is something that Zumoff says was always plain to see.
Zumoff was the Sixers’ play-by-play man for over 25 years and saw Embiid’s desire to improve from up close. The 67-year-old saw “a lot of sweating with assistant coaches and anybody else who dared to put a body on him.”
Hanlen reiterates this and says the Sixers big man is constantly searching for ways to improve.
“He’s the biggest film nerd there is in the NBA,” Hanlen laughs. “We’ve watched every single made field goal of Kobe Bryant, of Shaquille O’Neal, of Hakeem Olajuwon, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant,” Hanlen stops before naming any other greats.
This is another of the countless examples Hanlen has to emphasize Embiid’s need to be better.
Hanlen smiles while explaining how ‘The Process’ had watched every single Nowitzki field-goal on tape and was still asking for more footage of the former Dallas Mavericks star.
Embiid’s obsession doesn’t stop there. On late night journeys to and from the gym, Hanlen is forced to drive as the four-time All-NBA second-teamer sits in the passenger seat and watches every possible ‘meaningless’ League Pass game on his phone.
It is no surprise that the seven-footer turned up to Hanlen’s sessions with the goal of being an elite defender, yet, fast-forward to the present day, he is now the most dominant offensive player in the NBA.
Despite his ‘Joel Troel’ alter-ego, Embiid’s approach to the game shows he is everything but a joker who fools around.
To partner with his MVP crown, the big man has won back-to-back scoring titles – the first center to do so since Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo 47 years ago.
Embiid has demonstrated in those two years that he can score in every possible way despite his huge frame – his 33.1 points-per-game on 54.8% shooting from the field this season is an indicator of this.
One of the reasons for this dominance is the hours spent watching tapes of the greats and then replicating them on the hardwood floor with Hanlen.
“At times, you look at him and you’re like, ‘Man, he’s Shaquille O’Neal on the low block,’ and then you’ll see him in the mid post, and you’ll go, ‘Man, there’s a lot of Hakeem [Olajuwon] right there.’
“Then you’ll see him facing up and you go, ‘Wait, is that the little bit of Kevin Durant?’ And then you see him move to the nail and you’ll say, ‘Oh, there’s Dirk Nowitzki.’ But the fact that he can steal the best aspects of all these great players and put it all into one is a testament to his hard work.”
Hanlen grins as he explains he still struggles to believe that the clips of Embiid at high school and college are the same person he coaches today.
Zumoff believes there was a moment when everything switched for the six-time All-Star.
“My theory about Joel has always been that since he became a father to his son, Arthur, that really changed his outlook on life,” Zumoff says.
Based on the MVP’s reaction to winning this year’s award, it seems he would agree.
Speaking after being named MVP, Embiid said: “I’d say the biggest key of it is, obviously, I’m all about family. I don’t talk about it a lot. My son I would say is probably the biggest part of it.”
It is clear that family is incredibly important to Embiid and, after speaking about his parents, he spoke about his son.
“Arthur … losing my brother and then giving his name to my son meant a lot. My son is the reason why I’m really sitting here.”
Zumoff can remember the exact moment he realized the importance of fatherhood to Embiid, when during a post-game interview, the Sixers commentator asked the two-time scoring champ about being a dad.
“He proceeded to talk for about 90 seconds about the joy that fatherhood brought him, and then he turned it to himself and said, having a son now and being a father has inspired him to show his son that when all is said and done, he would be known as one of the best players to ever play the game.
“And if you take a look at his scoring stats since the birth of his son, they have been pretty good,” Zumoff understates.
Arthur is named after Embiid’s late brother who passed away shortly after the 2014 NBA Draft. This tragedy hit Embiid hard and speaking to The Players’ Tribune in 2020, he touched on this.
“I thought about walking away from the game. I’m not exaggerating at all. I seriously considered retiring from the NBA before I’d even played one game.”
Embiid added: “When you talk about my life, you have to talk about my brother Arthur. There’s no telling my story without him.”
Despite his individual success, basketball is of course a team game and Embiid has had to endure some tough moments playing for the Sixers.
Playoff defeats over the years garnered media attention and criticism aplenty, but Embiid’s desire to bring a championship home has never wavered.
“His only goal is to win, you know, win a championship, bring a championship to the city of Philadelphia that’s embraced him from the second that he stepped foot in Philly,” Hanlen explains.
“And every year, when he falls short of reaching that goal, we analyze the film, we break down what he can do better, and then he works on adding that aspect to his game.”
Philly has already made Embiid an honorary Philadelphian, but winning a chip would secure his status in the City of Brotherly Love.
“Philadelphia, I think, is one of, if not the most passionate sports city in the United States. And I say that because we really do consider our sports teams an important part of our fabric, our society, our culture and our commerce,” outlines Zumoff.
“Because of that, we live and die with them, whether they win or lose. Yes, we do a lot of complaining and booing and whatnot, but that’s only because we care. If we didn’t care, we wouldn’t boo or we wouldn’t criticize.”
For Zumoff, it is clear why Philadelphians have become so attached to their star man.
“When you have a player like Joel Embiid, who is leading his team to victory and doing so in a way that is big and imposing and dominant, well, we love that because that’s what we’re all about.
“We’re all about putting in the work. We’re about the blue-collar ethic and not taking any shortcuts. We see that with Embiid. And I’ll tell you what, we also see the joy that he plays with.”
In a brilliant career so far, it is clear that Embiid’s journey to the Michael Jordan Trophy transcends more than just the sport of basketball itself.
“If you’re looking for a word or phrase, I would literally say what he’s done in his career has been a miracle,” says Zumoff.
“When you consider he didn’t start until he was 14 or 15, that he came from a culture that didn’t necessarily emphasize the game of basketball or had games available to watch all the time.
“When you consider where he came from to what he’s become, it’s really nothing short of miraculous.”
After becoming just the second African player to receive the honor of winning MVP, Embiid said something similar to reporters, adding: “For us Africans, we don’t have a lot of these opportunities.
“The probability of us making it here is and let alone being an MVP is probably negative zero. But improbable doesn’t mean impossible.”
Hanlen then summed up Embiid’s overall approach by saying: “I would just say he’s obsessed with greatness. He’s willing to do anything and everything to become the best possible player that he can ever become.”
Whether Embiid can lead his team to a championship is a different story, but the MVP trophy has been a long time coming in one of basketball’s true fairytales and he can finally enjoy being recognized for his personal accomplishments.
by tyler | May 8, 2023 | CNN, sport
Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden fulfilled a promise to John Hao – a survivor of the Michigan State University shooting in February, which killed three students and wounded five more – on Sunday with an invitation to the team’s crucial series-equalling Game 4 playoff win against the Boston Celtics.
Harden became friends with Hao, an international student from China who has been left paralyzed from the shooting, over FaceTime calls since February’s shooting.
Hao and his family had been invited by Harden to a Philadelphia game once Hao was able to travel – and true to his word, Harden had the 20-year-old in attendance for Sunday’s key game, with the pair sharing a hug during pre-game warmups.
Hao and his dad – both wearing Harden’s No. 1 jersey – watched the game from the stands where they were treated to a thrilling affair with their friend playing a key role.
Harden had 42 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and hit the game-winning three-pointer in overtime to give the Sixers a 116-115 win over the Celtics to level their best-of-seven playoff series at 2-2.
Newly-crowned MVP Joel Embiid pitched in 34 points and 13 rebounds to help Harden fight off a spirited Celtics squad which had six players hit double figures, led by Jayson Tatum’s 24 points, 18 rebounds and six assists.
After the game, Harden met Hao on court, signing his game-worn shoes and giving them to him as a memento from the game.
In a post on social media afterwards, Harden called Hao his “good luck charm.”
In a video featured on Philly’s official social media page, Harden suggested that Hao might have to return to the Wells Fargo Center for Game 6.
“I don’t know what you got going or what your schedule is, but Game 6 you gotta be back here,” Harden said. “Because you’re the good luck charm. For real, I just kept thinking about you.”
Harden had reached out to Hao after he learned that the 20-year-old was a fan of his. The 10-time NBA All-Star donated money and shoes to Hao during his recovery, as well as calling him over FaceTime where he invited him to a game and offered encouragement during his rehabilitation process.
“I’ve been keeping in contact with him. Obviously, like any of us in here, something tragic like to happen, it’s a lot of nonsense going on in the world,” Harden said during his post-game press conference.
“For him to be a victim of that is heartbreaking. I mean he’s strong, he’s bouncing back, he’s recovering really well. I feel like it’s my job to give him that light, that smile he deserves, that he needs. Hopefully, today was one of those days where he’s smiling. That’s all I’m here for.”
Hao was injured in February’s shooting at Michigan State University where Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43 – who had no known ties to the university – opened fire on two parts of campus, MSU police said. He was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
by tyler | May 4, 2023 | CNN, sport
Jackson Mahomes, the younger brother of NFL superstar Patrick, was arrested and charged with sexual battery on Wednesday, according to court records.
Mahomes was charged with three counts of aggravated sexual battery and one of battery by the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office.
The 22-year-old was arrested at 7 a.m. ET on Wednesday and was booked into a detention center. He posted $100,000 bond and was released, court records show.
Jackson Mahomes has risen to fame in recent years with his social media content, including his TikTok account which has over a million followers.
Mahomes did not speak during his first court appearance. Before he posted bond, he appeared virtually in custody from the jail, according to CNN affiliate KCTV.
Upon leaving court, he did not respond to reporters’ questions about the incident. A man escorting him said, “We can’t say anything right now, excuse us.”
In a statement sent to CNN, Jackson Mahomes’ agent, Brandan Davies, said: “The Court has prohibited the defendant and lawyers from commenting on the matter.”
CNN has reached out to the Aspens Restaurant and Lounge, site of the alleged incident, for comment.
In March, prior to charges being filed, Davies sent a statement to KCTV.
“We have provided law enforcement with the tools and evidence they need to evaluate the claims against Jackson,” the statement read, per KCTV. “Every interaction between people needs to be placed in the proper context. Releasing a short clip of any video does not provide proper context. We have faith in the process and look forward to a swift resolution of the matter.”
Mahomes has a court date scheduled for May 11.
Mahomes’ brother, Patrick, is the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. He won his second Super Bowl title earlier this year.
CNN has reached out to the Chiefs to see if Patrick Mahomes would be commenting on his brother’s arrest but has yet to hear back.
