Saints Player Has Super Bowl Ring Stolen

Super Bowl rings are hard to come by. Some of the greatest players in NFL history have played for years only to come up short in the championship category. Don't believe me ask Dan Marino, Dan Fouts, or Earl Campbell how they really feel about not having won the big one. Or ask former Ram Chidi Ahanotu how he feels about having to pay part of his divorce settlement with his. So they are a pretty big deal.

It must've not been a big deal to New Orleans Saints linebacker Stanley Arnoux. Arnoux lost his Super Bowl ring in Miami during Memorial Day weekend. How he lost it is what has people guessing.

Arnoux attended and valet parked both his car and the $30,000 Tiffany ring at what reportedly was a wild hip-hop party at the Fontainebleau Hotel, an iconic beachfront property on South Beach. But the hotel's fame -- Drake and Lil Wayne have also been guests recently -- apparently confers no immunity from bandits, because Arnoux told police the ring was no longer with the car when he departed around 7 a.m. on June 1.

Arnoux left the ring in the center console of the car. What the hell was he thinking? You don't leave a Super Bowl ring in the center console of your car under no circumstance. You leave it at home or in a safe deposit box. Not carrying it around in for show, especially at a rap gathering. Nothing against rap, it's my favorite music, but I wouldn't be worrying about 'ballin out' with my Super Bowl ring.

Hopefully he finds it and all ends well. If not he better hope he can earn another. Good luck on finding the ring Stanley and consider this a lesson learned.     




   

Mark Jackson Hired As Coach Of The Golden State Warriors

NBA broadcaster and former elite point man Mark Jackson has been hired to be the next coach of the Golden State Warriors.

“After an extensive search and a great deal of consideration, we have come to the conclusion that Mark Jackson is the best coach for this team,” said Warriors’ General Manager Larry Riley. “He will bring a youthful and fresh approach to our team and the fact that he enjoyed a stellar playing career, where he served most of that time as the leader of some very successful teams, will prove invaluable in the long run. We were looking for a coach with leadership ability and a strong personality and believe Mark possesses those qualities. He’s very well respected in NBA circles, is a consummate professional and his knowledge and background will be an incredible asset for our team and organization.”



“We are tremendously excited about the addition of Mark Jackson as our new head coach,” said Warriors’ Owner Joe Lacob. “He epitomized leadership as a player in this league for 17 seasons and we think that characteristic – and many other positive traits – will translate very well into his coaching duties with our young team. He was a leader and a winner both on and off the floor in this league and we’re convinced that he is the right person to guide this team into the future and help us achieve the success that we are striving for as an organization.”

Jackson will be taking over for Keith Smart and ushering in a new era of Warriors basketball with Jerry West.

Maybe these NBA front office types know more than I do, but I've never pictured Jackson as a coach. Maybe it's because I've heard him on television so much recently that I couldn't see him going into coaching. I wish him luck, because he's gonna need it and some patience with the Warriors franchise.

I know some will disagree, but I'll actually miss him in the booth. 

Former Michigan Coach Bill Frieder Fitting In With A New Crowd

Even though Bill Frieder had success coaching college basketball ( he led Michigan and Arizona State to six NCAA tournaments and was a monster recruiter), he'll always be known for ditching the Wolverines for Arizona State on the eve of the 1989 tournament. I have my own thoughts about Frieder but that's another topic for another day. 

Frieder has stayed around the game since retiring doing color commentary on NCAA games for Westwood One radio. Nowdays, Frieder has a new gig. He helps the Maloof brothers, Joe and Gavin, the owners of the Sacramento Kings, run the Maloof Money Cup, a skatebording contest with four different events, the first being held in New York City and a total prize potentially paying more than $2 million.

Now Frieder doesn't commentate or pick the skaters. He handles the money, makes sure things run smoothly during the contests, and with the Maloofs and general manager Tim McFerran - a former hoops player at Willamette University - helps make business decisions, including on expanding the contests domestically and internationally.

The surprise is that Frieder seems to be a big hit with the skating community and Frieder likes being involved with the event.

Frieder has become friends with many of the skaters who live in the San Diego area, including Pierre-Luc Gagnon, a two-time winner of the Maloof Money Cup Orange County vert title, and Jake Brown, who is best known for his spectacular 40-foot fall during the 2007 X Games.


"When I got into this I knew who Jake Brown was because I saw his fall on ESPN," Frieder said. "I knew who Sheckler was. We had a Ryan Sheckler night our first year up at Sacramento. There was a line all the way around the arena and out the door to get his autograph. It was incredible."

The skaters also seemed to have some kind of special kinship with the old coach.

"Bill Frieder's an amazing guy," Brown said. "He comes from a history of sports, with basketball and stuff, and he's just a great all-around dude."

"He knows sports," said Maloof, who's been a game-changer in pro skateboarding. "Frieder's been around sports his whole life. He understands young people, athletes. The people 40-70 know who he is, but it's the young people that are attracted to Frieder. He just knows how to relate to young people, like he did his whole career, like recruiting basketball players. Skaters trust him."

It's kind of strange that Frieder would be involved in skateboarding with all the young athletes involved, since he never went back into coaching. But he's played the stock market and poker, so anything isn't out of the ordinary for Frieder. 



 

Ex-Army Football Player Sues Patti LaBelle

The name Richard King doesn't ring bells in football circles or to anyone outside his inner circle. Not trying to rip the guy, but it's probably the truth. I'll say this, I bet r & b legend Patti LaBelle knows who Richard King is after being sued by King. 

King is suing LaBelle for orchestrating a beating he received by her security detail outside a Houston airport terminal. King was alledgedly standing too close to LaBelle's luggage that prompted security to start an altercation and jump him.

“Apparently, defendant LaBelle believed King was standing too close to her (no doubt expensive) luggage, even though he was oblivious to her presence and the danger he was in,” according to King’s lawsuit, which was filed in Houston civil court on Wednesday and also names the bodyguards, the airport and a taxi dispatcher as co-defendants. “LaBelle lowered the window of her limousine and gave a command to her bodyguards. They sprang into action.”


A surveillance video from the airport provided by King’s lawyer and reviewed by The Associated Press showed King, 23, talking on a cell phone when one of LaBelle’s bodyguards appeared to push up against him. It appeared that King then pushed him back. Raley said King did not push back but was only trying to protect himself from a punch.



After that, the bodyguard and two other individuals then pushed and punched King, hitting him in the face and knocking him to the ground.


In the video, the bodyguards could be seen towering over King and then moving away when King unsuccessfully tried several times to get up off the ground. Police eventually came over and helped King. The video then cuts to King, who has a bandage on his head and blood on his yellow sweater, being placed on an ambulance stretcher. The video ends with two Houston police officers taking photos with LaBelle.

The investigating officer said that King was appeared to be intoxicated and smelled of alcohol. Nice way to try and spin this one.

King, a defensive back with Army last season, had four interceptions in his senior season. He was told by doctors that he wouldn't be able to play football again due to the injuries suffered inn the beatdown. 
Best bet is to come up with a nice little settlement number and make this go away.

Nate Montana Busted For DUI

Nate Montana, son of Joe, has been flying under the radar since transferring from Notre Dame and winding up at Montana. 

Nate decided to go out and make some news by going out and getting busted for a DUI early Friday morning. Way to go and show that you're different from your father.

The 21-year-old Montana, who joined the UM football squad earlier this year, was arrested about 3:15 a.m. Friday after a Missoula County sheriff's deputy stopped his northbound car on Van Buren Street for allegedly driving 39 mph in a 25 mph zone.



Deputy Ken Guy was sitting in his cruiser at the corner of Holly and Van Buren streets when his radar picked up Montana's car.


The traffic stop turned into a DUI arrest when Guy smelled alcohol.

Nate also had a little trouble producing his driver's license and did poorly on the sobriety tests (twice). Montana also declined to take a breath test. There were other passengers in the car but they weren't cited for anything.

Why didn't young Montana have one of the others drive or call a cab or something? That would've been the most logical solution. Also, I'm not ripping on the town of Missoula, but what is there to do that late at night?      
He definitely hasn't done his father proud.

Julius Peppers' Father Arrested On Drug Charges

It won't be a happy father's day for the Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers father. Peppers' father lost his law enforcement job after being arrested on drug charges.

The State Bureau of Investigation said Thursday that 50-year-old George Thomas Kurney was arrested following a joint state-local investigation.



Nash County Sheriff’s Lt. Pat Joyner said Kurney was dismissed from his sheriff’s deputy job after his arrest Wednesday. Kurney was taken to the Wilson County jail shortly after 11 p.m. and released about an hour later on $1,000 bond.

I don't know the bond between father and son in this case, but I would think that Peppers is hoping for the best.

Freddie Mitchell Has A Message For Kevin Kolb

For a person that had a limited NFL career, former Philadelphia Eagles receiver, Freddie Mitchell is doing a lot of talking.

In a recent interview, Mitchell had a lot to say including telling quarterback Kevin Kolb not to trust head coach Andy Reid.

“Yeah okay [laughing]. Believe that if you want Kevin. Believe that if you want. Hey. I’ll tell you what Andy Reid. ..I love him to death. He’s like my father and whatever else, but I’m gonna keep it real. Andy is going to do what is best for the Philadelphia Eagles. I tried when I was going on after we lost the Super Bowl [XXXIX] or whatever else…I went in there and I did not want to go to the media or whatever else I said ‘Hey Coach Reid I had problems with Donovan McNabb. You know I can’t eat off of 12 catches a year. I need more catches. I’m doing all the things with the blocking and whatever else to make it happen. I need more catches. Donovan will not throw me the ball. Andy Reid was like ‘Okay Fred well just don’t tell nobody. You don’t have to come to this next mini-camp. We’re going to try to…I know a couple of teams and we’re going to try to trade you.’ At the end of the day what he tried to do was he tried to put a price tag on me that nobody was even going to touch. When they found out that they wasn’t going to touch me, he released me, and then the blackball began with all kinds of dirt saying I was a cancer to the team. I talk too much and everything else. It’s funny because you never heard a teammate complain about me. You never heard that or whatever else, but he put the cancer [comment] on. Kevin Kolb do not think them guys or anybody in the NFL is your friend. The only friend that you have is your agent and if you’re a left or right-handed quarterback is your arm. That’s it. Them guys at the end of the day they are going to go and save their job, save their butt, and go out and do what’s best for the Philadelphia Eagles. You need to do what you need to do.”


First of all why is Mitchell still partly relevant in Philly. Can someone in that city please explain that to me. Second of all Fred Ex, the NFL is a business and Reid is going to look for the best deal possible for Kolb. Mitchell wasn't that good that's why he wasn't traded. No one wanted to waste money on a receiver that couldn't catch.

Mitchell, you weren't blackballed and you can thank your hands for that.