NBC Report On US Soldier Arrested For Raping Four Women In Iraq

While others stew about John Kerry's remarks, the hard reality is that there are terrible acts done by some soldiers in Iraq, this is one of them. The rape victim, Abeer Qassim Hamza, was 14 years old.

Accordin to reports: Steven D. Green, a 21-year-old former Army private first class in the 101st Airborne Division, appeared in a federal magistrate's courtroom in Charlotte on Monday. FBI agents had arrested Green on Friday and he is being held in Charlotte without bond pending a transfer to Louisville, Kentucky. He was honorably discharged from the Army in May 2006 because of an alleged "personality disorder."

Maybe Senator Kerry has a bit of a point, even though he stated it too honestly.

Here's the video:

Senator Allen's Staffer Jumps Overzealous Man

As the election draws closer, people go to more desparate actions to achieve an objective. For example, take this man in this video who was intent on chasing down Senator George Allen, Jr. (R) Virginia. He was a little too intense. So much so that Allen staffers fought him to the ground.

Here's the video:

Fire Yamia At Wikipedia - An Overzealous And Prejudicial "Gate Keeper" Who Goes Too Far

There's a person called "Yamia" at Wikipedia who I'm openly lobbying to be removed from his "gate keeper" role. Yamia's role has obviously caused the person to think more highly of who they are than what they do.

This all started when I was posting information on a subject that was from text from the SBS website. Yamia tried to claim that I don't own the site, which is totally stupid. But not willing to see example or listen to reason, this person decided to issue threats and not pay attention to the content of the text. So a relevant website or blog or text goes unpublished because of people like Yamia.

Wikipedia's a great source of information. People like Yamia do not check the source at all, they just use their own opinion, which they try to color as logic. Then, when you don't comply with their interpretation, they try to threaten you: "I'll ban you."

Come on.

Well, I could go on and on about this person. I'm done. I want Yamia removed from Wikipedia. ASAP I want to set an example for how Wikipedia nees to weed out overzealous gate-keepers.

Cutis Martin's Out - Injury Career Ending - ESPN

A sad end to a great career. Very different from Tiki Barber, who's ready to get out. What will Marin do with the rest of his life?

Martin out for 2006, unsure he'll ever play again
Assocaited Press

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Curtis Martin's season ended Wednesday because of a lingering knee injury, and the New York Jets' star running back isn't sure if he'll ever play again.

"I'm officially not playing this year," Martin said. "Retirement -- that may be the inevitable result. I just haven't gotten there yet."

The Jets placed the 33-year-old Martin on the reserved physically-unable-to perform list with a bone-on-bone condition in his right knee, ending his season before it ever got started and throwing his career in doubt.

"I think this is as good as my knee gets, where it is right now," Martin said.

He's not sure when -- or if -- he'll get back on the field, but said he isn't even thinking about that at this point.

"I don't know if it's even possible," Martin said, keeping his composure throughout the nearly half-hour news conference. "It hasn't been possible up to this point, so I'm not looking forward to saying I'll definitely be back next year. It's a long stretch, I'll put it that way. And that's the most honest answer I can give you."

Martin spoke with coach Eric Mangini on Tuesday night, and the NFL's No. 4 career rusher said he didn't think he'd be ready to practice next week -- the team's deadline for a decision on his availability this season.

"I sat in Eric's office and I said, 'Eric, you know what? I just need one last conversation with the doctors.' I said, 'I even know. I know what they're going to say and I know what the outcome is, but for some reason I just wanted that last conversation."

Martin, who said he's in game shape and at his playing weight, never got that final conversation, instead talking with general manager Mike Tannenbaum and deciding Wednesday was the day to end months of speculation.

He had one last request: "I had somebody actually ask Mike, 'When we turn in the papers for me that say I can't play anymore, I want to push the button."'

Mangini said Martin will still attend meetings and work with the team.

"I think his heart was saying one thing and, unfortunately, the injury was saying something else," Mangini said.

Martin said he injured the knee in Week 2 of 2005 when he took a hit from Miami's Zach Thomas and aggravated it two games later against Baltimore. Martin said the knee became a "bone-on-bone" situation when the damaged cartilage was removed during surgery in December.

"This is something beyond my threshold of pain," said Martin, who often played through injuries throughout his first 11 seasons.

Martin said doctors gave him a very clear indication of the severity of this injury.

"If I don't play, they're saying I have a chance to have a normal life," Martin said. "But if I do play, I can jeopardize that."

Martin said he can run fine, but it's making the cuts and turns that helped make him a star that worries him.

"I'm an instinctive guy, I'm an instinctive runner, and once I get out there, just like any other time that I've been in pain, the pain is not going to matter," he said. "But what I do instinctively, I'm equipped with the information to know that's probably going to jeopardize my future as a human being."

Mangini did not rule out Martin playing again next season. When asked if he would be willing to go through a similar situation next year with uncertainty surrounding Martin's availability, Mangini said, "For Curtis Martin, yes."

Martin, who has rushed for 14,101 yards, last year played in 12 games before ending his year. He underwent surgery in December, but was slow to recover. He was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list before training camp so he could rehabilitate the knee.

The five-time Pro Bowl player was eligible to come off the PUP list Oct. 16, but the team announced he'd remain on it until after the game at Cleveland last Sunday.

On Monday, Mangini said he spoke with Martin, Tannenbaum and the Jets' medical staff last week. They chose to hold off until next week on whether Martin would rejoin the team and practice.

Mangini reiterated that on Tuesday, but said things changed after talking with Martin on Tuesday night.

"I usually deal with things the way they are now, and with the information that I know about my future, it doesn't look like it's too bright as far as me having a further career," Martin said. "And if that happens, great."

Shawne Merriman Drops Appeal; Suspended Four Games - ESPN

I saw his press conference on The NFL Network, and I give him high praise for being forthcoming and honest. A great example of what to do in such a scenario.

Merriman drops appeal, will serve suspension
ESPN.com news services

Shawne Merriman made the right move in dropping his appeal of his four-game suspension for a steroid product found in a supplement.

The Chargers linebacker could have gone to a hearing next Tuesday in New York but he had little chance of winning. Players who test positive for a tainted supplement rarely win. Knowing that, it was a matter of figuring out the right time to fit in the four-game suspension.

Merriman, who's tied for the NFL lead with 8 1/2 sacks, and his attorney have blamed a tainted supplement for the player's positive test for the steroid nandrolone. Merriman couldn't be reached for comment.

The suspension won't officially begin until after Merriman addresses his teammates on Wednesday. After that, he'll be barred from the team's headquarters until he's eligible to return on Nov. 27.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Merriman had sought a deal with the league that would allow him to address his teammates on Wednesday before his suspension took effect, and the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that request was granted. Under NFL rules, suspended players are banned from their team facilities.

The Chargers, who were off Tuesday, vowed to press on without Merriman, a Pro Bowl starter who was voted the 2005 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

"He's upset because he let his team down, but we're OK," outside linebacker Shaun Phillips said in a phone interview. "We're behind him 100 percent. We know he's not that kind of guy, that he wouldn't do anything to boost his performance.

"We're a good team. We'll get over it," said Phillips, who moved into the starting lineup after Steve Foley was shot by an off-duty police officer on Sept. 3. Phillips missed Sunday's 38-24 win over the St. Louis Rams with a calf injury and has only a 50 percent chance of playing against the Browns.
Had Merriman gone through with the appeal and lost, there was the chance he'd miss both games against Denver. The Chargers host the Broncos on Dec. 10. Few people expected Merriman to win on appeal because the NFL holds players accountable for knowing the contents of the supplements they take.

Word of Merriman's positive test leaked on Oct. 22. Merriman announced last Tuesday he was appealing, and matched his career-high with three sacks against the Rams. He celebrated each as he usually does, by pretending to flip a switch tattooed on his forearm followed by a spasmodic dance.

Carlos Polk, who missed most of the last two seasons due to injuries, is expected to start in Merriman's place. Polk has no starts and one sack in six seasons..

"We're obviously going to support Shawne and we'll prepare for the alternatives much the way we would if we had a player who wasn't available for other reasons," coach Marty Schottenheimer said by phone. "We'll put the pieces together and go back to work."

Merriman apologized to his teammates last Monday for the distraction his positive test caused. But Schottenheimer and other players said it would be a distraction only if they let it.

"The way we performed with this information out there would indicate it was not a distraction," Schottenheimer said.

While Phillips is expected to be listed as questionable for the Browns game, end Igor Olshansky (knee) is expected to be doubtful due to a knee injury.

General manager A.J. Smith and Merriman's attorney, David Cornwell, didn't return calls seeking comment.

The team released this statement:

"We're proud of the standup way Shawne has taken responsibility for the mistake he made. We have faith in Shawne Merriman and we have faith in the players on this team. The Chargers have been resilient all season long, and we will continue to be resilient. It's a tough lesson learned for Shawne about the world of supplements."

Besides Merriman's suspension, the Chargers have had five separate off-field issues dating back to April.

Foley was shot three times near his suburban home early on Sept. 3 by an off-duty police officer who suspected him of drunk driving. Foley will miss the entire season and was charged with two counts of DUI.

Safety Terrence Kiel was arrested on five felony drug counts in September and has pleaded not . He missed one game.

Cornerback Markus Curry, who had been demoted to the practice squad, was released on Oct. 9, just hours after he was arrested on suspicion of committing domestic violence.

Foley and Phillips were each arrested for scuffling with San Diego police officers a week apart in April. Neither was charged.

Commissioner Goodell with T.J. Simers & Fred Roggin of AM 950 Los Angeles - NFLMedia.com

Roger weighs in on the LA situation in this interview.

Commissioner Goodell with T.J. Simers & Fred Roggin of AM 950 Los Angeles

October 30, 2006
T.J. Simers: On how the NFL turned off all of Los Angeles coming out of the New Orleans owners meeting?

Roger Goodell: We’re trying to be direct with our fans, and tell them what our challenges are. You know that I’m a pretty direct person, but from our standpoint, we’ve been working on the L.A. solution and we’re trying to be part of that solution and doing something that’s good not only for the NFL, but the community. We are just being direct with what our challenges are.

Fred Roggin: On has the league made it impossible for Los Angeles to have a franchise?

Goodell: Has the league made it impossible? If you re-call back in the late nineties, we gave an expansion franchise to Los Angeles, and we did that on the expectation that we wanted to be there and as long as people felt like there was a solution that worked for us. What happened is a long story, but the bottom line is it was not a solution that worked for the NFL, and we’re not going to make a bad deal. I think what everyone has to understand is that the city of Los Angeles is a great city with or without the NFL. The NFL has done very well without the city of Los Angeles. We think that we’d be better together, but it has to be a solution that works for the community and the NFL.

Simers: On can this deal be made without the NFL getting any public money contributions from the city of Los Angeles?

Goodell: We haven’t been talking about public money. That is an issue that either the media or politicians raise all the time. Listen, you’re talking to an entity that is bringing hundreds of millions of dollars of investment to your community, and trying to solve an issue that you’re facing in your community, which is the state of the Coliseum. That is one of the things people have told us here, is that the Coliseum needs significant work done, and that’s why they’re looking at other alternatives to see what they can do. We are part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Simers: On hasn’t the league already agreed to providing private funding?

Goodell: We have agreed to put private funding in. We have done that in many markets. As a matter of fact, we’re the only league in the world that I know of that puts league money into stadiums around the country. We would do that, but it has to make good business sense.

Simers: On is the main issue the cost of the stadium?

Goodell: The expense is one of the challenges we’re facing there. Here in New York, we’re trying to get a stadium built for two NFL franchises exceeding a billion dollars. It’s a tough nut to crack, and it’s a challenge we’re going to have to figure out, but we’ll figure it out.

Roggin: On it being as simple as if A, B and C to get done, then we’ll have a franchise in Los Angeles?

Goodell: I don’t think it’s that simple. I think the biggest thing we can do is to work with not only the political leaders, but also the business leaders to quietly try to figure out how we can find a win-win solution for the community and the NFL. I don’t like the roller coaster either. That’s why we’ve been trying to be very direct. We’ve had good dialogue with many of the leaders both politically and business wise, and we know there are fans out there who want to see NFL football back, and we want to bring it back. They just want to see the end game, when the team starts and we understand that.

Simers: On David Israel’s comments that the NFL and Los Angeles negotiations are dead?

Goodell: Is that a proclamation by Mr. Israel?

Simers: Yes, it was.

Goodell: I just wanted to understand what Mr. Israel was saying.

Simers: On Israel, speaking on the behalf Mayor Villaraigosa and Governor Schwarzenegger, states that the NFL has worn out its welcome in Los Angeles?

Goodell: I have had very good dialogue with the mayor, and I’ve had numerous conversations recently. I have been very direct with him and I think he’s appreciative of that. I know they want results, and we want results too, but I can only be direct on this. I’m not in this as a popularity contest. I’m in this to do what’s best for the NFL at the end of the day.

Simers: On what your dad would have said when you became the NFL commissioner?

Goodell: I hope that he would have been very proud. He knew before he passed away that I was pursuing my dream of working for the NFL, and that was a great thing, but I don’t think he would have ever imagined me sitting in this chair right now.

Simers: On how you started as an NFL intern in 1982 and how we have a high school kid in our office working with us?

Goodell: I just spoke with Jason, and I told him to choose his role models carefully (laughter). He told me he wanted to be a sportswriter like T.J. Simers (laughter).

Simers: On what’s been the biggest surprise since assuming the commissioner post?

Goodell: It’s a good question, and I have to tell you it’s really how people treat you differently. You’re of a different status, and that’s difficult for me because I feel like I’m just the same guy that was doing my job three months ago.

Roggin: On what was the process like waiting to find out if you would be the next commissioner, and how would you have felt if you weren’t selected?

Goodell: I was prepared for that. When I was sitting in the room I felt like I had done everything possible. That I had represented myself the way I wanted to be represented and put my best foot forward. If they had decided not to select me, I was prepared for that and ready to move on in life.

Tracy Simers: On have you spoken with Commissioner Tagliabue recently about Los Angeles?

Goodell: Yes, I have. I spoke with him in advance of the meeting in New Orleans. I told him where I thought we were and he understood. Again, I think you have to find a solution that works for all parties.

Simers: On how the NFL is going to play a game in Germany before a game in Los Angeles, and does that make any sense?

Goodell: I’ve heard that line before, and you’re using someone else’s line T.J., and I’m disappointed in you (laughter).

Simers: On a prediction of what year Los Angeles is going to have a franchise?

Goodell: I’ve never been on a timetable. I hope we can bring it back successfully and give all those fans something great to cheer about besides great football from USC, UCLA and a lot of high schools that play there. We want to be back in Los Angels with NFL football.

Simers: On can we be there before 2011?

Goodell: I sure hope so. I’ll work at it.
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Broncos / Colts Game - View From The Third Deck At Invesco Field

Ever wonder what it looks like to watch a Denver Broncos game from the third deck of Invesco Field? Well, here's a video that gives you the view: