Florida Sentinel Bulletin

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky freshmen Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones and junior DeAndre Liggins are heading to the NBA. Maybe.

The school announced Wednesday all three players have declared for the NBA draft but will not sign with an agent, clearing the way for them to return to school this fall if they change their minds by May 8.

Jones and Knight are considered mid-to-high first-round picks; Liggins is a defensive stopper who hopes to play his way into the first round after being evaluated by scouts.

BYU suspended basketball player Brandon Davis, after it was discovered that he had sex with his girlfriend, an action that violates the religious university’s “Honor Code.”

In a research report written by Darron Smith, the Black Moran and assistant professor at Wichita State writes:

“Since 1993, according to our research, at least 70 athletes have been suspended, dismissed, put on probation, or forced to withdraw from their teams or the school after running afoul of the honor code. Fifty-four of them, or nearly 80 percent, are minorities. Forty-one, or almost 60 percent, are black men.

Yet a majority of the honor code violations involve Black athletes. Do these numbers mean these athletes “sin” more than everyone else? Hardly. Several former BYU football players told us that their white teammates routinely broke the honor code and got away with it, either because they didn’t get caught or because their violations were covered up.”

In the piece entitled “The Truth About Race, Religion, And The Honor Code At BYU,” Smith, who taught courses on race and ethnicity in BYU’s sociology department from 1998 to 2005, documents a history of BYU’s racism towards Black athletes.

The article also takes in accounts from former BYU African-American athletes Tico Pringle, Ray Hudson, and Thomas Stanci, who also faced punishment for violating the school’s “Honor Code.”

The issues at BYU go deeper than the recent suspension of Brandon Davis, and further investigation of the university on grounds of racism might be needed.

Former Mets and Yankees star Dwight Gooden was sentenced Friday to five years of probation for driving under the influence of cocaine and sleeping pills while taking his 5-year-old son to school.

Gooden, 46, faced three years in prison under the terms of a plea agreement he struck with prosecutors several months ago. But Superior Court Judge Donald Venezia said the former pitcher deserved another chance to rid his life of addiction. Gooden, he said, is a decent guy who had a good chance of “finishing the game.”

The judge told the 1985 National League Cy Young Award winner that he should think of himself now as a fourth-inning pitcher who is getting walloped by the opposing batters and whose coaches are contemplating whether to take him out of the game.

In this game-of-life analogy, Venezia said, failure could mean ruining his legacy, embarrassing his children or even dying at a young age.

Gooden, agreed in an interview after the hearing in Hackensack that his life is on the line.

“I just have to take it a day at a time, and sometimes an hour at a time,” Gooden said. “I can’t look at it like I have to do this for 10 years. I just have to look at it like I have to get through today and then deal with tomorrow when it comes.”

The boyfriend of the woman who falsely accused Duke Lacrosse players of rape has died.

Crystal Mangum was arrested for stabbing her boyfriend, Reginald Daye, following a domestic dispute on April 3rd.

Mangum was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, while the 46-year-old Daye had been taken to Duke University Hospital.

It is still unclear if Daye’s death is a direct result from the April 3rd stabbing, and the 32-year-old Magnum could face additional charges, but remains uncharged.

In 2006, Magnum, accused three Duke Lacrosse players of rape. The players were declared innocent, and exonerated in 2007.

Magnum was also convicted of child abuse in 2010.

NEW CITY, N.Y. — Former pro football star Lawrence Taylor, who pleaded guilty in January to sexual misconduct and patronizing a 16-year-old prostitute, was declared a low-risk sex offender on Tuesday, meaning there will be no photo of the former New York Giants linebacker on public online sex-offender registries.

Rockland County Court Judge William Kelly said Taylor was not targeting children and was unlikely to commit the same crime.

“He would be awfully foolish to go out and do this again,” the judge said. As to a posted photo, he said, “I don’t see how that’s going to make the public any safer.”

Taylor has said the girl told him she was 19. The former NFL standout, who lives in Florida, did not attend the hearing.

The Monday Night football crew have their eyes set on a young NFL quarterback, and if his team returns to Monday Night Football after a two-year absence, they will have a story line in place.

The crew is excited about Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman, and former Bucs head coach, Jon Gruden, said he’s seen tremendous development with Freeman as he enters his third year.

Gruden said credit goes to offensive coordinator Greg Olson and the entire Buccaneer staff for doing an excellent job with Freeman.

“But, when a play breaks down, Freeman is pretty good all by himself. I hope he and the Bucs will have a long-term relationship.”

Former NFL (Philadelphia Eagles) quarterback, Ron Jaworski, said he sees all the great throws, but the job he has working out of NFL Films allows him to hear when these players are miked for a game.

“The beautiful thing is that when Freeman is in the huddle in crunch time with the Bucs trialing, you would have thought his team was ahead by 10 points. There’s a calm demeanor, which really shows his teammates that he was confident they would get the job done together.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant is settling some of his expensive debts.

Bryant reached a settlement with a New York-based jeweler over non-payment for $246,000 worth of jewelry.

Mikel J. Bowers, attorney for A+A Diamonds and Rafaello Company, which filed a suit against Bryant last month, confirmed a settlement was reached but wouldn’t disclose the terms.

Bryant purchased $267K worth of jewelry from A+A Diamonds LTD d/b/a Rafaello & Company, which makes high-end jewelry for celebrities and athletes.

Bryant’s attorney, Texas state Sen. Royce West, had said they were trying to settle the issue, which eventually happened.

Bryant’s most expensive purchase was a $60,000 custom charm bracelet. He made the purchases on four different days last year, spending as much as $144,000 on Feb. 8, 2010, according to court documents.

BOSTON — The New York Knicks must figure out how to finish off games.

Just watch the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics led for just 60 seconds in the second half until Ray Allen sank a go-ahead 3-pointer with 12 seconds left and beat the Knicks 87-85 in their playoff opener on Sunday night.

“Down the stretch we found a way to win,” Paul Pierce said, “and that was because of our experience.”

The Celtics won their NBA-high 17th championship in 2008 and lost in Game 7 of the finals last year to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Knicks, in the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, last won a postseason game on Apr. 29, 2001.

“We can compete with them, obviously,” New York coach Mike D’Antoni said. “They made big shots at the end. That’s why they are who they are.”

The Knicks ability to make those clutch shots may have suffered a blow when Chauncey Billups left with 51 seconds remaining with what he said was a strain in his left knee or thigh muscle.

He and D’Antoni said they didn’t know his status for Game 2 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series on Tuesday night.

On Sunday, it was Toney Douglas who hit a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left that put the Knicks ahead 85-82. But after a timeout, the Celtics scored just one second later on an alley-oop pass from Rajon Rondo – who had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists – to Kevin Garnett.

Pau Gasol took only nine shots Sunday, and his lacking game drew the ire of Kobe Bryant. Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins called Gasol soft a month ago, and there was no refuting that on Sunday in the Lakers’ 109-100 loss.

Gasol played the part and looked it too, leaving the arena with a bandage under his left eye that covered a gash DJ Mbenga had opened.

“It’s up to me to get myself going, be more aggressive, get myself into rhythm,” Gasol said.

Someone asked if [Lamar] Odom also needed to hike his scoring, and Bryant made clear that wasn’t the problem. “Pau is our guy,” he said. “He’s next in line and gets the responsibility that comes with it.”