Purdue Football Team Lands Transfer From The Hoops Squad

A growing trend in the world of college sports is when a player from the basketball team decides that they want to give football the ol' college try. It's not that they haven't played before, but they are usually three or more years removed from the gridiron.

Purdue forward Patrick Bade had an underwhelming basketball career to say the least, so he decided to give football another try. Following in the footsteps of Melvin Goins and Demetri Goodson (who transferred to Baylor).

“I want to thank the Purdue basketball staff for the opportunity to be a member of such a successful program for the last two years,” Bade said in a statement. “This is the start of a new chapter for me, and I look forward to taking on the challenges that come with playing college football. I’m excited for the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Bade who is 6-8 and 229 pounds will be playing tight end, something that looks like a position of need according to head coach Danny Hope.


“We’ve met with Patrick and I know he’s excited about joining our football team,” head coach Danny Hope said. “He didn’t play football his senior year of high school, but I’ve seen his junior film and he looks like a pretty good prospect for us. He’s a big-body guy who plays a position where we have a quite a bit of youth and not a lot experience, so he’ll be able to compete right away. We’re happy to have him aboard.”

Bade last played football his junior year of high school, but he was apparently talented enough to be recruited by Texas, Texas A&M, USC and Ohio State.




 

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.