Recently in pros and cons Category

Louisville coach Rick Pitino told police that he had consensual sex with and paid for an abortion for the woman who has been charged with trying to extort him, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported on Tuesday.

Karen Cunagin Sypher was federally charged in April with demanding cars, tuition for her children and finally $10 million. Police interviewed Pitino, who is married with five children, regarding the incident last month, and according to the newspaper, he said that he gave the woman $3,000 to have an abortion.

From the Detroit News:

According to a criminal complaint, (Leon Desmond Barrett, 37,) sent about 14 threatening letters to the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell between 2006 and April. 

Some of the letters referred to an alleged dispute between Barrett and Bettis and his family. "We do not want to have a gunfight with them but if we have to, we will," said one of the hand-written letters.

"I guess it (sic) going to be another Virginia Tech. massacre all over again in Detroit." A letter dated Aug. 18, 2007, said: "I'm getting ready to start killing some more people. Beyonce, Jay-Z, Jerome Bettis and Tune-up Man are the first 4 people I'm getting ready to kill."

Similar letters were sent in 2009 to former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, care of the Hall of Fame, and former University of Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz, the complaint said.

Most of the letters bore Barrett's signature and home address, the complaint alleges.

A study in contrasts? Florida justice? Celebrity justice?

Donte Stallworth, a pro athlete, gets a minimum sentence for killing a man in a DUI-related incident in  Florida:

MIAMI (AP) -- Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth is going to serve 30 days in jail after pleading guilty in Florida to a DUI manslaughter charge.

The plea deal announced Tuesday calls for the 28-year-old Stallworth to also serve 10 years' probation and do 1,000 community service hours for killing a pedestrian he hit with his car. Stallworth had faced up to 15 years in prison.

Police say Stallworth was drinking at a hotel bar before the March 14 crash that killed 59-year-old construction worker Mario Reyes. Tests showed Stallworth's blood-alcohol content was .126.

Stallworth also reached a confidential financial settlement with the Reyes' family. A person close to the negotiations told The Association Press about the agreement on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the deal.

The criminal complaint also alleged that Andrew Thomas Gallo caused great bodily injury and death to more than one victim. In addition, he faces sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury.

Schroeder said Gallo faces 54 years and eight months to life in prison if convicted on all counts.

Gallo's attorney, Randall Longwith, entered the not guilty plea for him. Longwith later told reporters he would seek a change of venue for the upcoming trial.

"Generally the emotion here, it's so heated," Longwith said. He said he and Gallo have received death threats.

Trial for former Ram kicker Tony Zendejas ended in acquital Wednesday at the Pomona court house. Closing arguments today followed Zendejas taking the stand in his own defense.

Here's the most recent story on the case.

A preliminary hearing for former Rams kicker Tony Zendejas is underway today in Pomona. Sources tell me the woman who accuses Zendejas of raping her in a motel room earlier this year has testified.

I'll have an update when there's more information to post.

*Zendejas will face trial in the rape case.

City News Service reports:

Former Los Angeles Rams placekicker Antonio "Tony" Zendejas was ordered today to stand trial on four charges alleging that he drugged a woman at his San Dimas sports bar and sexually assaulted her.

Zendejas, 48, is accused of giving a woman at his restaurant/bar a drink that made her groggy either late Jan. 25 or early Jan. 26. She told authorities that she woke up in a nearby motel room and had been raped.

Pomona Superior Court Judge Charles Horan found sufficient evidence to require the former National Football League player to proceed to trial on one felony count each of rape by use of drugs, rape of an unconscious person, sodomy by anesthesia or controlled substance and sodomy of an unconscious person, according to Deputy District Attorney Rouman
Ebrahim.

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Jurors in the O.J. Simpson trial reached a verdict Friday after working into the night, deliberating the fate of the former football star and a co-defendant accused of robbing two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a casino hotel room.
"We have a verdict," said Michael Sommermeyer, spokesman for the Clark County District Court. He said it would be read after all the defendants, lawyers and prosecutors arrived at the court.
The jury reached a decision after deliberating for more than 13 hours.
Simpson, 61, and a golfing buddy, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, 54, each face five years to life in prison if convicted of kidnapping, or mandatory prison time if convicted of armed robbery. They've pleaded not guilty to 12 charges, including conspiracy, coercion and assault with a deadly weapon.
Deliberations began 13 years to the day after Simpson was acquitted of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in Los Angeles.

Lawrence Phillips, an outstanding tailback at Baldwin Park High and in the pros for the Rams and 49ers, got 10 years state prison time for an assault at a pick up football game. AP, NFL Blog

The latest from reporter Bethania Palma:

Speaking through an attorney Thursday, former Rams placekicker Tony Zendejas maintained his innocence.

"The charges are utterly false," attorney Tim Younger said.

Lunch time traffic at Zendejas' plush sports bar was light Thursday.

A manager identifying himself as "Marty" said he could not comment and referred all questions to Younger.

Zendejas is charged in an ugly rape case and was arrested Thursday morning at his home in Yorba Linda. A woman claims he drugged her and raped her in a motel room on Jan. 26. The criminal complaint alleges the the woman suffered great bodily harm as a result of the rape.

The photo comes from Zendejas' MySpace

Former Rams place kicker Tony Zendejas was charged with a felony count of rape by use of drugs, rape of an unconscious person, sodomy by anesthesia and sodomy of an unconscious victim, according to the Los Angeles County DA in a press release issued this morning.

Zendejas, 48,  owns Zendejas restaurant in San Dimas. The press release indicates the victim was drugged and raped in Pomona.  

*Zendejas retired in 1995 after playing 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, the Houston Oilers, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. He was arrested Thursday morning at his home in Yorba Linda.

*The complaint also alleges Zendejas caused great bodily injury.

*If convicted he faces up to 15 years in state prison. Arraignment is scheduled for Friday in Pomona Superior Court.

** Here's some data on Zendejas:

** Wikipedia entry on the kicker

** Zendejas Mexican Restaurant

** NFL statistics

**Zendejas MySpace page

*** Zendejas criminal record includes a couple of minor traffic violations in Orange County, according to public records.

****Officials said their investigation into the rape allegations lasted seven months; thus the delay between the event and Zendejas' arrest Thursday morning.

TMZ posted a brief on this story based on the original press release. They haven't updated but here's a link. 

*** Complaint on Jump 

It looks like Zendejas had a rude wake-up call.

According to booking information, the onetime NFL star is a puny guy.

Just 5-8 and 165 pounds.

Very similar to his playing weight.

Seems like he'd be crushhed in today's NFL.

 Info from the booking sheet:

ANTONIO ZENDEJAS

Booking Num: 1542051

Charge(s): 261(A)(3) / PC / F / RAPE OF DRUGGED VICTIM

Arrest Date: 07-10-2008

Birth Date: 05-15-1960

Sex: M

Race: H

Height: 5' 8"

Weight 165

From the Associated Press:

KANSAS CITY, MO -- Shaquille O'Neal will lose his special deputy's badge in Maricopa County, Arizona. Because of language he used in a rap video that mocks former teammate Kobe Bryant.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the Phoenix Suns center's use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language left him no choice. Arpaio made Shaq a special deputy in January and promoted him to colonel of his largely ceremonial posse earlier this month.

This comes from the Associated Press:

Thomas Riccio, the memorabilia dealer who arranged O.J. Simpson’s ill-fated meeting in a Las Vegas hotel room, says in a book released Monday that the former football star’s entourage carried at least one gun, even though Simpson tried afterward to tell him otherwise.

“He was trying to convince me a gun wasn’t involved, but that was ridiculous,” Riccio says in the book “Busted,” which he and his publisher, Phoenix Books, tout as an inside account of events leading to Simpson’s arrest in the botched Sept. 13 heist.

“I was standing right next to the guy with the gun,” Riccio says. “Some reports claim there may have been a second gunman in the room, but I only witnessed one.”

Riccio acknowledged the 212-page book breaks little new ground.

“Maybe there’s nothing really surprising in it,” Riccio told The Associated Press by telephone from New York, where he planned a news conference and television appearances.

“But as far as the O.J. thing, it’s amazing how many people don’t know quite what
happened,” he said.