CriminalSports

CriminalSports
The home of sports prime time crime

Monday, September 23, 2002

SENTENCED: Michael Spinks, Former Heavyweight Champion
WILMINGTON, Del. -- Associated Press reports former heavyweight champion Michael Spinks was sentenced to a year of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge stemming from a fight with his girlfriend two years ago. Spinks was sentenced Thursday at the Court of Common Pleas in Wilmington on a charge of offensive touching. He also was ordered to complete domestic violence counseling, have no contact with the woman and pay a $150 fine and court costs. He declined to comment outside court.
Spinks was originally charged with felony second-degree assault after the Nov. 12, 2000, fight at his home in Greenville, Del.

7:08:19 PM

CHARGED: Derek Watson, South Carolina State

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Associated Press reports South Carolina State running back Derek Watson was arrested and charged with reckless driving early Sunday, the latest legal problem for the ex-South Carolina player. Watson was stopped hours after he scored a touchdown in South Carolina State's 50-12 win over Savannah State. He later was released on bond.

Watson has gotten into trouble several times since he gained 1,066 yards for South Carolina and helped Lou Holtz's Gamecocks get to the Outback Bowl, a year after the team went 0-11. Watson was suspended from the bowl game after wrecking a teammate's car while driving with a suspended license. He is appealing a 10-day jail sentenced handed down last month by a Greenville municipal judge after Watson failed to complete community service work for a March 20 marijuana possession conviction.

7:03:11 PM

LABOR ACTION: Major League Umpires

NEW YORK – Associated Press reports baseball umpires angry with the computer system used to track their calls behind the plate filed unfair labor practice charges against owners Monday with the National Labor Relations Board. In a 21-page letter sent to the NLRB's regional office in New York, the World Umpires Association accused management of violating the labor law by refusing to provide information about the computer system, which umpires claim is inaccurate.

6:56:12 PM

DENIAL: New York Mets

NEW YORK -- Associated Press reports New York Mets general manager Steve Phillips is denying published reports of "widespread drug use on the team." Tony Tarasco, Mark Corey and Grant Roberts were identified by Newsday as among those who had used marijuana. The paper, which did not name any other Mets, cited unidentified sources close to the team.

6:49:32 PM

UPDATE: Bison Dele, Former NBA

PAPEETE, Tahiti -- Associated Press reports The brother of missing former NBA player Bison Dele reportedly is on life support, and FBI agents were wrapping up their investigation Sunday in Tahiti. The FBI arrested Dabord on suspicion of impersonating his younger brother while trying to buy $152,000 in gold in Phoenix.

Investigators in Tahiti believe Dabord killed Dele, Dele's girlfriend and the French captain on board Dele's sailboat. Dele, his girlfriend Serena Karlan and the skipper, Bertrand Saldo, haven't been seen since July 8. A team of FBI-led investigators found what they believe are bloodstains on the catamaran, which Dabord docked at a Tahitian port July 18 before departing the French territory.

1:17:28 PM

ARRESTED: Indian Bookmakers

JODPHUR, India - The Cape Argus reports Indian police said on Monday they had arrested 13 punters for betting on the cricket match in Colombo where India crushed England to storm into the semifinals of the Champions Trophy tournament. Public betting is banned in India and, since a match-fixing scandal rocked national cricket in 2000, authorities have taken sweeping precautions against clandestine betting on international cricket matches.

1:04:03 PM