Chris Spielman’s son among five charged in bizarre hazing incident

5 college football players face felony charges after hazing incident turns violent and kinky

Five football players for a Division III powerhouse and bastion of Christianity, Wheaton College, have been charged for felony assault in a hazing incident last March.  The Chicago Tribune reported that an 18-year-old freshman teammate was allegedly subjected to assault that included stripping him of his shorts and underwear, tearing his shoulder muscles while trying to wrap him in duct tape, inserting an object into his rectum, beating him and dumping dirt on him before abandoning him on a baseball field.  The five indicted players include defensive lineman Noah Spielman, son of former NFL player Chris Spielman, who is now a football analyst for Fox Sports.  The other alleged perpetrators are James Cooksey, Kyler Kregel, Benjamin Pettway, and Samuel TeBos.  Kregel, 21-year-old center, from Grand Rapids, Mich., was second-team Division III All-America in 2016.  The Wheaton College Thunder frequently has been nationally ranked under long-time head coach Mike Swider.  The Tribune did not identify the victim but quoted him saying, “This has had a devastating effect on my life.”  The college, which is near Chicago, conducted its own investigation of the incident and issued a statement saying it was “deeply troubled” by actions that were “not reflective of the school’s religious values.”

Giants’ coach McAdoo unfairly slams his QB, Eli Manning, for critical delay of game

NFL coaches are becoming more inclined toward public criticism of their quarterbacks.  Carson Palmer was ripped by Bruce Arians, and Dak Prescott took heat from Jason Garrett for two interceptions.  Worst case, however, was Eli Manning, winner of two Super Bowls, being hammered by Ben McAdoo following a 24-10 loss to Detroit at MetLife Stadium on Monday night.  McAdoo complained of a delay-of-game penalty on 4th-and-goal from the Lions’ 2-yard line with the home team trailing 17-7 in the third quarter.  Manning was trying to change the play at the line when he ran out of time.  “Sloppy quarterback play,” the coach said.  “Quarterback and the center need to be on the same page there.  We’ve got to get the ball snapped.  Because we have a veteran quarterback who has played a lot of football, I expect us to get the ball snapped.”  The Giants had to settle for a field goal, and the Lions regained their momentum and put the game away.  Manning agreed with McAdoo’s assessment: “I’ve got to call a timeout or get it snapped.”  He added: “You can’t be sensitive in this league.”

Between the Lines: Neither McAdoo nor Manning pointed out an unwritten rule in the NFL.  When the play clock hits zero, an extra half second is allowed for the snap.  This time, that was not the case.  Further, the coach could not be sure of the communication between QB and center.  It was unfair to throw all the shade on Manning.  And unwise.  McAdoo may have compromised the quarterback’s leadership of the players.

Ladainian Tomlinson says Elliott ‘absolutely quit on his team’

Ezekiel Elliott is doing well in his court battle to postpone a suspension for assaulting women, but the Dallas Cowboys running back is getting pounded in the court of public opinion for loafing on the football field.  In a blowout loss in Denver on Sunday, a pass slipped through Dez Bryant’s hands and was intercepted by Chris Harris Jr., and Elliott, five yards away, stopped and put his hands on his hips.  “You gotta have your quarterback’s back,” Harris said.  On an interception that Aquib Talib returned 103 yards with 53 seconds left in the game, Elliott again refused to pursue.  Hall of Fame running back Ladainian Tomlinson said, “He absolutely quit on his team today. . . on a couple of plays.”  Speaking on NFL Network, Tomlinson also cited “his attitude on the sideline . . . He didn’t want to talk to his teammates.  Sometimes, when things are going wrong, as a leader of that team, as a captain, you have to rally the troops.” . . . Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told Pro Football Talk: “He had two plays that were not good plays.  The two interceptions, obviously.  We preach to our team on both sides of the ball, that when there’s a turnover, everybody’s involved.  If you’re an offensive player, become a defensive player on a fumble or interception.”

Between the Lines: By the way, Elliott wasn’t much of an offensive player either.  He gained a mere 8 yards on 9 rushing attempts against the Broncos.  

Dolphins’ linebacker Timmons suspended for going AWOL

Lawrence Timmons, the Super Bowl veteran who was signed by the Miami Dolphins to bring leadership, on the field and off, went AWOL from the team the day before the season opener Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.  The next day, a miffed head coach, Adam Gase, said: “We have two rules.  Play hard and show up on time.”   Timmons, 30, subsequently was suspended “indefinitely.”  The NFL’s labor contract limits such a suspension to four games without pay, but it does eliminate all compensation guarantees in the player’s contract and raises the possibility that he may be required to return his signing bonus.

Between the Lines:  Timmons, like many other Floridians, may have been troubled by the effects of Hurricane Irma.  But Gase felt that whatever reasons Timmons had for not showing up or notifying the team, he had to be fair to the players who overcame the distractions.

Charles Tillman, retired Pro Bowl cornerback, fulfills childhood dream by joining FBI

Charles Tillman, former Pro Bowl cornerback of the Chicago Bears, is training to join the FBI.  This is a goal he had in mind when he earned a degree in criminal justice from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.  Tillman, 36, was a winner of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2013.  He has won praise for his television and radio appearances following retirement from the NFL but he spent some of his off-seasons training for police work.

Dear Charles:  Good to see you being a role model for preparing for life after football.

Media firestorm rages when ESPN’s Jemele Hill tweets of presidential racism

The White House demanded an apology, and her own bosses retreated from her when ESPN commentator Jemele Hill, a black American, tweeted that Donald Trump, an orange American, “is a white racist.” Shannon Ryan, a blonde and white columnist for the Chicago Tribune, wrote: “When ESPN singled out Jemele Hill with a public reprimand . . . it struck me and others as unnecessary and hypocritical.  ESPN has been especially adept at blurring the lines, creating controversy and hoping the formula results in higher ratings.  To its credit, ESPN has also been one of the rare media outlets in sports – maybe the only one – that has truly diverse hiring practices.”

Dear ESPN:  Looks like you made a wise business decision, playing to your base of white males who cringe when others of their type are being ridiculed.