Police investigate alleged rape at Nebraska players’ home
Police in Lincoln, Neb., are investigating an alleged rape at the residence of Nebraska starting quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. and wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp.
According to police, a 20-year-old woman said she was forced into having sex there early Sunday and later went to a Lincoln hospital.
The woman knew the suspect, officer Katie Flood said, but police refused to identify him. A case report does not list a suspect’s name and no arrests had been made as of Tuesday morning, though contact has been made with the person in question.
According to the alleged victim, the incident took place between 2:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Sunday, after the team returned from its victory at Rutgers on Saturday afternoon.
Records indicate that Armstrong is listed as the home’s resident. Westerkamp is his roommate.
Browns stay with Manziel as starter
When the Cleveland Browns return from their current bye week, Johnny Manziel will be the starting quarterback and he won’t have to worry about any disciplinary action from the NFL resulting from an October driving incident with his girlfriend.
The league announced Tuesday that the results of their investigation cleared Manziel in the Oct. 12 episode. Witnesses saw him driving recklessly on a freeway and his girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, said he had roughed her up in the car, but she refused to press charges.
The other good news for Manziel on Tuesday was landing the starting job for the remainder of the season. Barring injury or incident, Manziel has the rest of the season to prove his value in Cleveland, where the Browns are 2-8 and on a quest to find a franchise quarterback for the first time since the team came back to the city in 1999.
Cotto stripped of WBC title before Alvarez pay-per-view
Miguel Cotto has been stripped of his World Boxing Council middleweight title four days ahead of his big pay-per-view bout against Mexico’s Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas, the sanctioning body said on Tuesday.
The hotly anticipated Cotto-Alvarez clash, pitting aggressive veteran Cotto (40-4) against young slugger Alvarez (45-1-1), will proceed despite the WBC withdrawing championship recognition of Cotto over a refusal to sign the fight agreement.
According to sources who spoke to ESPN, the 35-year-old Cotto balked at paying the World Boxing Council a $300,000 sanctioning fee in a bout that could earn him up to $30 million.
The 25-year-old Alvarez, the former unified junior middleweight champion, would claim the WBC middleweight crown should he defeat Cotto, the WBC said.
There was no immediate comment from the Cotto camp.
Cowboys part with RB Michael
The Dallas Cowboys reportedly gave up on Christine Michael on Tuesday, releasing the running back the team hoped would help their ground game.
The move was reported by NFL.com.
The Cowboys acquired Michael before the season in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for an undisclosed 2016 NFL Draft pick.
Michael, a former second-round draft pick, carried just 15 times for the Cowboys and rushed for 51 yards. His season high was 20 yards against the Seahawks in Week 8.
Giants shortstop Crawford signs new deal
The San Francisco Giants signed shortstop Brandon Crawford to a new contract on Tuesday.
The deal, announced by the Giants, is reportedly for six years and $75 million.
“Brandon is an exceptionally talented baseball player who has earned this through his hard work, dedication and competitive spirit,” Giants general manager Bobby Evans said in a statement. “He took great strides both offensively and defensively last season, winning his first-ever Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award.”
The 28-year-old hit .256 with 21 homers and 84 RBIs this past season while playing a steady defensive game.