Ex-Grand Valley St. QB who went missing found dead
Ex-Grand Valley St. QB who went missing found dead
DETROIT — A three-day search for one of the winningest college quarterbacks ever ended in a remote wooded area in Michigan, where authorities found his body and were left with a mystery of how he died.
Cullen Finnerty, 30, a former Grand Valley State University quarterback, went missing Sunday while fishing near his family’s cottage. His body was found in Webber Township about a mile from where he disappeared, but authorities said no foul play was suspected. An autopsy will be needed to determine how he died, they said.
Finnerty led Grand Valley State University to three Division II national titles and more than 50 wins during his four years as a starter in Allendale, Mich., last decade. His body was found about 8 p.m. in woods within a mile of where he disappeared, said Lake County Undersheriff Dennis Robinson.
Robinson said the body was not in the water and was found in a wooded area in near the family’s cottage.
The search drew scores of police and volunteers, including staff and players from Grand Valley State.
Members of Congress urge Redskins to change name
WASHINGTON — Ten members of Congress are urging the Washington Redskins to change their name because it is offensive to many Native Americans.
The representatives said Tuesday they’ve sent letters to Redskins owner Dan Snyder, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Redskins sponsor FedEx and the other 31 NFL franchises.
The letter to Snyder says that “Native Americans throughout the country consider the ‘R-word’ a racial, derogatory slur akin to the ‘N-word’ among African Americans or the ‘W-word’ among Latinos.”
Among the group sending the letters are the leaders of the Congressional Native American Caucus: Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Betty McCollum, D-Minn.
The nickname is the subject of a long-running legal challenge from a group seeking to have the team lose its trademark protection.
Snyder has vowed that he will never change the name.
Police: Jaguars’ Jones-Drew denies alleged battery
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Florida authorities say Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew has been accused in a complaint of hitting someone at a St. Augustine restaurant, but that police have not brought criminal charges.
St. Augustine police said in a press release Tuesday that the alleged victim filed a misdemeanor battery complaint following a Sunday night altercation at the Conch House Restaurant and Marina. Jones-Drew wasn’t taken into police custody.
Police spokesman Mark Samson says the department has spoken with Jones-Drew’s attorney, and the player has agreed to speak with detectives. Police say Jones-Drew maintains his innocence.
The Jaguars said in a statement Tuesday they were aware of the situation but had no comment.
The 28-year-old Jones-Drew, who attended UCLA, has played seven seasons with the Jaguars. The two-time Pro Bowler has 1,570 rushes for 7,268 yards and 63 touchdowns, and 292 receptions for 2,559 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Rutgers president gets governor’s backing
NEWARK, N.J. — It looks like the latest embarrassing episode in the athletic department will not cost the Rutgers University president his job.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has given President Robert Barchi a public show of support, saying he has “absolute confidence” in the president who was brought in last year to turn the state’s flagship public university into a medical sciences powerhouse.
Some lawmakers are questioning Barchi’s fitness for the job after allegations have surfaced that incoming athletic director Julie Hermann verbally abused players when she was a volleyball coach at Tennessee in the 1990s.
LA Kings advance, edging Sharks 2-1 in Game 7
LOS ANGELES — Justin Williams scored two goals in the second period, and the Los Angeles Kings adv anced to the Western Conference finals with a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Game 7 on Tuesday night.
Jonathan Quick made 25 saves as the defending Stanley Cup champions finished off this agonizingly even series with their 14th consecutive home victory over the past two months, including seven straight in the postseason.
The home team won all seven games in this thrilling all-California series, and the fifth-seeded Kings barely rode their home-ice advantage to victory in their first potential elimination game in the last two years. Antti Niemi stopped 16 shots, and Dan Boyle scored early in the third period for the Sharks.
From wire sources