Florida Sentinel Bulletin

One of the first players to sue the NFL over concussions and head injuries has committed suicide.

Ray Easterling, a defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons in the 1970’s, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Richmond, Va., on Thursday. He was 62.

Easterling was a top performer in the secondary for the Falcons when they set a team record with 26 interceptions in 1977, a year in which the defense allowed a league-low 129 points.

Easterling sued the NFL in August and according to his attorney Larry Coben wrote the NFL “continuously and vehemently denied that it knew, should have known or believed that there is any relationship between NFL players suffering concussions while playing . . . and long-term problems such as headaches, dizziness, dementia and/or Alzheimer’s disease that many retired players have experienced.”

Easterling had suffered for the past 20 years, according to his wife, battling depression, insomnia, memory loss and more. He was diagnosed with dementia in March 2011.

During Sunday afternoon’s Lakers home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, we saw a side of Metta World Peace (a.k.a., Ron Artest) that we haven’t encountered in quite some time.

World Peace elbowed James Harden hard in the side of the head. Harden went to the ground immediately, and Metta was immediately and rightfully ejected from the game.

The entire incident happened very quickly, so much so that it’s hard to know exactly what World Peace intended to do. What’s apparent is that he felt Harden and responded by swinging an elbow. However, MWP also didn’t look over his shoulder to see who it was and seemed to throw his elbow as an impulse rather than with the intention to hit a player in the head.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Veteran safety Brian Dawkins is retiring from the NFL after 16 seasons.

Dawkins posted the news on his Twitter account Monday, thanking the teams he played for, his coaches and teammates and fans.

Dawkins spent his first 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and his last three with the Denver Broncos.

He suffered a serious neck injury in December that sidelined him for the stretch run and the Broncos’ two playoff games.

“I would like to thank the Eagles & the Broncos 4 believing in me,” he tweeted. “I would like 2 thank all my teammates & coaches that I have been blessed 2 go to battle with. Along with u, the fans 4 helping make my career 1 that I have enjoyed tremendously. In other words. I am announcing my retirement from the NFL.”

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky’s starting lineup of three freshmen and two sophomores did most everything together en route to the school’s eighth national title. Now, they will each go their separate ways in the NBA.

Freshmen Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague, and sophomores Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb declared for the draft in a nationally televised news conference Tuesday night.

SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Bonds has been given an extension until May 4 to file written arguments in his appeal to overturn his obstruction of justice conviction.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday granted a second extension request by Bonds’ lawyers, which had been filed Friday. The original deadline had been March 21 before the court granted an extension last month to April 20

Under the new schedule, the government will have until June 4 to respond. After that, Bonds’ lawyers will have another 14 days to file a reply brief if they so choose.

Dennis Riordan, Bonds’ appeals lawyer, said in a filing to the court that his office could not meet the April 20 deadline because of several other cases in which it was involved.

Bonds’ appeal will be randomly assigned to a three-judge panel that will hear oral arguments this year. A decision is not likely until 2013 at the earliest.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has made another effort to say animal cruelty is wrong, urging Alabama lawmakers to increase penalties for cockfighting.

Vick says in a statement Monday that Alabama’s cockfighting law is the nation’s “weakest” because the $50 fine is the maximum punishment. Vick has been outspoken against animal cruelty since he served 16 months in federal prison on a dog-fighting conviction.

Vick says he doesn’t want others to make the same mistake of being cruel to animals.

Former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Nate Webster’s attorney said in court Tuesday that the girl he is accused of having sexual relations had reached the age of consent before the sexual relationship began.

In Ohio, the age of consent is 16, but Webster, then 31, admitted in a secretly recorded tape that he began having sex with the victim at age 15. The girl is a former babysitter for the Webster family.

Webster is charged with sexual battery, gross sexual imposition (sexual touching) and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. If convicted he could face 30 years or more in prison. If the girl was of the lawful age of consent, Webster could go free.

ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Redskins have signed free agent safety Tanard Jackson, who was released by Tampa Bay earlier this week after failing a physical.

Warren Sapp says a bad construction deal at the worst possible time sent him spiraling into debt that led him to file for bankruptcy last week.

Sapp claims he was motivated to file for bankruptcy with $6.7 million worth of debt because he didn’t want to go to jail.

Sapp estimates he grossed about $60 million during his playing days, primarily with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and now he’s reduced to not much. It’s a little hard to believe one failed investment project, building homes in Fort Pierce, Fla., broke him. But that’s what Sapp says.