Ex-boxing champ Taylor pleads guilty to felony charges
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — Former world middleweight boxing champion Jermain Taylor on Tuesday entered guilty pleas in an Arkansas state court to felony charges stemming from three separate cases and is set to face sentencing in April 2016, court officials said.
Taylor, 37, had earlier indicated he would contest the charges, which include shooting and wounding a cousin in 2014 near the boxer’s home in suburban Little Rock.
Taylor pleaded guilty to nine counts, each of which is a D-class felony under Arkansas law. Each count is punishable by zero to six years in prison, prosecutors said.
“The outcome is satisfactory to the state. The amendments to the original charges were relatively minor,” said John Johnson, a deputy prosecuting attorney.
In January, Taylor was arrested on suspicion of brandishing a pistol to threaten a family member during a Martin Luther King Day parade in Little Rock, and in July was charged with battery for assaulting a man at a Little Rock substance abuse treatment center.
In exchange for Taylor’s guilty plea, the state dropped a child endangerment enhancement count in the January incident and reduced in severity the charge arising from the July episode.
Taylor has offered repeated apologies for his erratic behavior in recent years. He has also vowed to resume his career in the ring and was granted permission on Tuesday by state court judge Leon Johnson to leave the state for training.
Kings’ Greene faces shoulder surgery
Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Greene is scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery on Thursday that will keep him off the ice indefinitely, the team announced Tuesday.
Greene visited a doctor on Monday after skipping the Kings’ recent road trip and skating on his own. He did not practice with the team on Monday.
The 32-year-old Greene has played in just three games earlier this season after initially injuring the shoulder during the preseason. He is scoreless and has eight penalty minutes.
In 589 career games with the Kings and the Edmonton Oilers, Greene has logged 78 points (16 goals, 62 assists) and 644 penalty minutes.
Rangers’ Klein to miss 2-3 weeks
A strained oblique will sideline New York Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein for possibly two to three weeks.
Klein was injured Monday night after playing just over two minutes in the Rangers’ 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.
In 25 games this season, Klein has contributed six points (three goals and three assists) and 13 penalty minutes and also is a contributor on the Rangers’ penalty kill.
The Rangers have Dylan McIlrath on the roster as a possible fill-in for Klein. McIlrath and Dan Boyle have rotated as the team’s sixth defenseman this season.
Cardinals put RB Johnson on IR
The Arizona Cardinals placed running back Chris Johnson on injured reserve/designated for return on Tuesday with a fractured tibia.
Johnson, who was injured during the third quarter of Sunday’s 19-13 win over the San Francisco 49ers, will be eligible to return after six weeks and able to play in a game after eight weeks. That would leave Johnson available only if the Cardinals reach the Super Bowl.
The Cardinals (9-2) also lost running back Andre Ellington with turf toe after Johnson’s injury on Sunday.
The loss of the two backs will force Arizona to turn to David Johnson, a 2015 third-round draft pick, as the starter. The rookie made a splash earlier this season, becoming the first NFL player to score on a run, pass and kick return in his first two games.
Backing up David Johnson at running back will be Stepfan Taylor and Kerwynn Williams, who was promoted from the practice squad.