Sean Payton Suspended By NFL For Bounty System Which Encouraged Serious Injuries

Saints coach Sean Payton suspended for 2012 season by NFL


New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton was suspended without pay for the 2012 season by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was banned indefinitely on Wednesday because of the team's bounty program that targeted opposing players.

Handing down sweeping and serious punishment for a system that paid out thousands of dollars when hits knocked specific opponents out of games, Goodell also suspended Saints general manager Mickey Loomis for the first eight regular-season games next season, and assistant coach Joe Vitt for the first six games.

In addition, Goodell fined the Saints $500,000 and took away their second-round draft picks this year and next.

After the NFL first made its investigation public on March 2, Williams admitted to -- and apologized for -- running the program as the Saints' defensive coordinator from 2009-11. He was hired by the St. Louis Rams this offseason.

Goodell will review Williams' status after the upcoming season and decide whether he can return to the league.

The Saints now must decide who will coach the team while Payton is barred, his suspension is effective April 1, and who will make roster moves while Loomis is out.

After the NFL made clear that punishments were looming, Payton and Loomis took the blame for violations that they acknowledged "happened under our watch" and said Saints owner Tom Benson "had nothing to do" with the bounty pool, which reached as much as $50,000 in 2009, the season the Saints won the Super Bowl.

The NFL said payoffs went to 22 to 27 defensive players for inflicting game-ending injuries on targeted opponents, including quarterbacks Brett Favre and Kurt Warner.

"Knockouts" were worth $1,500 and "cart-offs" $1,000, with payments doubled or tripled for the playoffs.
All payouts for specific performances in a game, including interceptions or causing fumbles, are against NFL rules. The NFL warns teams against such practices before each season, although in the aftermath of the revelations about the Saints, current and former players from various teams talked about that sort of thing happening frequently -- although not on the same scale as the NFL found in New Orleans.

Punishment for any Saints players involved will be determined later, because the league is still reviewing the case with the NFL Players Association.

So far, though, the discipline for the Saints' involvement in the bounty scheme is more far-reaching than what Goodell did in 2007, when the NFL came down on the New England Patriots for illegally videotaping an opponent. Goodell fined the Patriots $250,000, stripped a first-round draft pick, and docked their coach, Bill Belichick, $500,000 for what was known as "Spygate."



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Gabrielle Giffords' Death Not Officially Confirmed Yet; MSNBC First Reported Death

Arizona Congresswoman Among 18 Shot At Tucson Grocery


Six people were killed and 12 others wounded -- including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords -- in a shooting outside a Tucson, Arizona, grocery store where the congresswoman was holding a constituent meeting, police said.

The suspect in the shooting was in custody, according to U.S. Capitol Police, who did not identify the alleged gunman.

Darci Slaten, a spokeswoman for University Medical Center in Tucson, said Giffords, 40, was undergoing surgery Saturday afternoon for a gunshot wound to the head.

Local law enforcement officials have not provided a public accounting of the injuries, but President Obama called the shooting an "unspeakable tragedy," and said "some have passed away," according to a statement from the White House. He said Giffords was "gravely wounded."

Read on....http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/08/arizona.shooting/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1

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MSNBC Update: Giffords In Surgery


Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head Saturday, an aide was killed, and an unknown number of others were injured when an assailant opened fire outside a grocery store as the Democratic lawmaker met with constituents, officials said.

President Barack Obama called the shooting an "unspeakable tragedy," and said that some had died and the congresswoman had been gravely injured, Reuters reported.

Read on....http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40978517/ns/politics/?gt1=43001




Congresswoman Giffords & 6 Others Shot In Arizona


U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona a Democrat, and six others have died after a gunman opened fire at a public event on Saturday, Pima County sheriff's office in Arizona confirmed to National Public Radio.

A gunman ran up to Giffords, 40, and shot her in the head as she addressed supporters outside a Safeway grocery store, according to media reports.

The gunman was in custody.

Read on.....http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40978517/ns/politics/


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Bret Michaels' Condition Worsens From Brain Hemorrhage (2009 Tony Awards Show Incident)

Bret Michaels Suffers Huge Brain Hemorrhage


Bret Michaels's health has taken a turn for the worse, PEOPLE magazine has learned: After an excruciating headache late Thursday night, the star was rushed to an undisclosed hospital where doctors discovered he suffered a massive subarachnoid hemorrhage (bleeding at the base of his brain stem), according to a source close to the situation.

Michaels, 47, is currently in critical condition. "After several CAT scans, MRIs and an angiogram, [doctors] decided to keep Michaels in the ICU and are running several tests to determine the cause. [It] will be touch and go for the next few days while he is under intense observation," the source says.

The rocker's latest hospital visit follows his emergency appendectomy in San Antonio, Texas, on April 12. There is no word yet whether this new development is related to the rocker's recent appendectomy or to his diabetes.

After his appendectomy, Michaels remained in the hospital under his doctors' care — then transferred to a rehab facility specializing in diabetic patients.

As he was recovering, Michaels — who was still in the running to win this season of NBC's Celebrity Apprentice — seemed to be in good spirits and updated fans on his progress.

"They told me that if I had gone on stage like I wanted to, [my appendix] likely would have ruptured and I could have died," he wrote in a note to his fans. "There is just no way around the fact that getting your appendix out HURTS. I have a pretty good threshold for pain, but this one hurts."

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Steve Benjamin Involved In Terrible Car Wreck Hours After Election

Mayor-Elect Steve Benjamin In wreck; Woman In Critical Condition


S.C. Authorities are investigating Wednesday’s car crash involving Columbia Mayor-elect Steve Benjamin and a hotel restaurant worker, who was hospitalized after the accident.

Benjamin’s automobile collided about 5:40 a.m. with a car driven by Columbia resident Deborah Rubens at the intersection of Gervais and Pickens streets.

Columbia Police responded to the crash involving Benjamin, who just hours earlier had been elected Mayor over City Councilman Kirkman Finlay.

Benjamin’s Mercedes sport utility vehicle was heading east on Gervais when the collision occurred, Columbia police said in a morning news release. A Toyota Tercel was heading north on Pickens Street when the crash occurred, police said. The Tercel car was making a right turn, Columbia police said.

Rubens, whose age was not immediately unavailable, was driving the Tercel and also was the only occupant in her car, according to reports from police and from her employers. She was taken to Palmetto Health Richland, according to Richland County EMS spokesman George Rice.

Rubens, who went to high school in the Columbia area, is an "excellent" employee of 10 years at the Clarion Hotel on Gervais Street, said general manager Bill Ellen. She is a server in the Clarion restaurant and a popular employee, he said.

Ellen said he went to the hospital to check on her but was unable to see her. He said she had to be cut out of the car and was in critical condition.

Michael Wukela said Benjamin was headed to early-morning media interviews in his Mercedes sport utility vehicle when the collision occurred. The Columbia Police Department said Benjamin was driving and was the only person in the car.

Wukela said Benjamin is OK, that he is "cooperating fully with police and his primary concern right now is that the woman in the other car is OK."

Wukela said Benjamin was driving to an interview at WLTX TV when the crash occurred.

Steve Benjamin was elected Columbia’s first African-American Mayor Tuesday night after a fierce campaign with Finlay.


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Two Officers Shot Outside The Pentagon Metro Station

3 People Shot Outside Pentagon Metro Station


Two Pentagon police officers and a suspect were shot in an incident Thursday outside the Pentagon Metro station, officials said.

The incident happened at 6:40 p.m., when a man who appeared calm -- with "no real emotion in his face" -- approached the Pentagon screening area, said Pentagon Police Chief Richard S. Keevill.

"As the officers started to ask him for his pass to get into the Pentagon, he drew a weapon from his pocket and started shooting" from a few feet away, Keevill told reporters.

The two Pentagon Force Protection Agency officers, who were slightly wounded, returned fire and the suspect was critically hurt, Keevill said. "He did not say a word," Keevill added.

Pentagon entrances were locked briefly but all were reopened with the exception of the Pentagon Metro entrance, the Pentagon said in a statement.

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency is the Pentagon's police department.

Lisa McDonald, a spokeswoman for George Washington Hospital, said three people were being treated there -- both officers and the suspect.

The U.S. Secret Service and the FBI were both involved in the investigation, Keevill said.


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Many Killed In Connecticut Power Plant Blast; 14 Injured

Many Feared Dead In Conn. Power Plant Blast

Workers at a power plant under construction were purging natural gas lines when a powerful explosion blew off part of the building Sunday, killing multiple people and injuring at least 14, officials said.

The Middletown mayor's office said five people were known dead and least 12 people were injured.

Al Santostefano, the deputy fire marshal in Middletown, said 50 construction workers were in the section of the power plant where the explosion happened at 11:17 a.m. He said he did not know what caused the explosion.

Dogs were searching for victims in the rubble, but there were no signs of life Sunday afternoon, he said.

Search and Rescue

"They are taking the building apart piece-by-piece now, the part that collapsed and came in, they are taking that apart in sections piece-by-piece, very carefully," he said.

The 620-megawatt plant was being built to produce energy primarily using natural gas. Santostefano said workers for the construction company, O&G Industries, were purging the gas lines, a procedure he called a "blow-down," when the explosion occurred.

Middlesex Hospital transferred one seriously injured person to Hartford Hospital and was evaluating another Sunday afternoon who might also be moved to Hartford for more intensive care, said Middlesex Hospital spokesman Brian Albert.

Two people were treated and released, and eight others were being treated for broken bones, abdominal injuries, blunt force trauma and other kinds of injuries consistent with being caught in an explosion, Albert said.

They did not expect to receive any more patients, he said Sunday afternoon, about four hours after the explosion.

A nursing supervisor from St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford said they had no patients from the explosion, and Hartford Hospital had two that were brought directly there after the blast, in addition to the one transferred later from Middlesex.

Shook houses for miles

The powerful blast shook houses for miles.

"I felt the house shake, I thought a tree fell on the house," said Middletown resident Steve Clark.

Barrett Robbins-Pianka, who lives about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away and has monitored the project for years, said she was running outside and heard what she called "a tremendous boom."

"I thought it might be some test or something, but it was really loud, a definite explosion," she said.

Kleen Energy Systems LLC began construction on the power plant in February 2008.

The company is run by president and former Middletown City Council member William Corvo. A message left at Corvo's home was not immediately returned.

Calls to Gordon Holk, general manager of Power Plant Management Services, which has a contract to manage the plant, weren't immediately returned. Holk earlier told NBC News two people had died.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell was on her way Sunday afternoon to the site after speaking with Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano, and called out a specialized search and rescue team to help firefighters.


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Chris Henry NFL WR Dies Following Domestic Dispute

Police: Bengals WR Henry dead at 26


Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry died early Thursday morning, according to a report on the Charlotte Observer Web site.

Police said Henry, who suffered severe injuries when he "came out" of the back of a pickup truck during a domestic dispute in northern Charlotte, died at 6:36 a.m. at Carolinas Medical Center.

A cause of death has not been released.

On Wednesday, Henry was found in the road about eight miles north of downtown Charlotte "apparently suffering life-threatening injuries," according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. Henry was transported to Carolinas Medical Center, the local trauma unit.

Police said a dispute began at a home just before noon and Henry jumped into the bed of the pickup truck as his unidentified fiancee was driving away from the residence.

"The domestic situation continued between the operator and Mr. Henry," the police said in a statement. "At some point while she was driving, Mr. Henry came out of the back of the vehicle."

Fey wouldn't name the woman and said no charges would be filed on Wednesday.

Henry was found on a residential street about a half mile away from the home when police were called to the scene after a medic report that a man was down.

A woman who identified herself as the fiancee's mother but declined to give her name told the Charlotte Observer that Henry and his fiancee had been staying at her house while he was on injured reserve and they were making plans for their wedding.

She said she wasn't home at the time of the dispute and wasn't sure exactly what happened, but she said her daughter is at Henry's bedside at the hospital.

Henry was engaged to Loleini Tonga, and the couple has been raising three children.

Neighbor Karen Clanton said the Tonga family lives in the house where the police say the incident began, adding that she didn't witness it and that "they're nice folks."

Henry broke his left forearm during a win over Baltimore on Nov. 8, had surgery and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. Charlotte is home to his fiancee's parents, the Bengals said.

Brown said Rusty Guy, the Bengals' director of security, will travel to Charlotte this morning to assist Henry's family.

Henry was in the final year of his contract with the Bengals, who let him go after his fifth arrest following the 2007 season. Owner Mike Brown then brought him back a few months later, signing him to a two-year deal. Henry had stayed out of trouble since his return, turning into a feel-good story that got fans rooting for him.

“Chris is Chris. He’s personable with his guys, but quiet,” left tackle Andrew Whitworth said on the Bengals' Web site Wednesday. “You could tell he missed being out there with us. He was supportive. He’s a big part of what we are. I really admire how he carries himself, how he's changed his life, and how he's made his career his passion. That’s what this team has done. He's one of the guys that has helped give this team that attitude. We’re worried about him and praying for him.”

In an interview with The Cincinnati Enquirer in October, Henry credited his fiancee for helping him straighten out his life, saying, "She's been a big help. She's been right here with me and going through things and helping out on my side. We have the kids, and she has my back with everything I've needed."

From the start, his career has been sidetracked by off-the-field problems.

Henry repeatedly got in trouble at West Virginia, where former Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez told him that he was an embarrassment to himself and the program.

Most teams shied away from Henry in the 2005 draft. Cincinnati was the only one that brought him in for a visit, and warned him that he had to stay out of trouble if he was going to make it in the NFL. Then, the Bengals drafted him in the third round.

His ability to run past defenders made him an integral part of the Bengals' run to the playoffs in 2005. He caught Carson Palmer's only pass in a playoff loss to Pittsburgh — both of them were hurt on the play.

His rookie season also marked the beginning of his problems in the NFL. He was arrested for marijuana possession in December 2005, and again on a weapons charge a month later in Florida. He was arrested four times in all, drawing repeated suspensions - two games in 2006, the first half of the 2007 season — for violating the league's conduct policy.

When he was arrested for a fifth time after the 2007 season, the Bengals released Henry. Over the objection of coach Marvin Lewis, Brown changed his mind and gave Henry another chance, offering a two-year contract before the 2008 season began.

After serving a four-game suspension to start the 2008 season, he returned and caught 19 passes in the last 12 games, becoming an afterthought in the offense. He spent the offseason getting in shape and working out so he could become a top receiver again. He impressed coaches and teammates with his newfound determination to resurrect his career.

Before the start of the season, he got a tattoo that said "Blessed" below his left ear, a reminder that he's gotten plenty of extra chances.

"I don't live the way I did in the past," Henry said, in an interview with The Associated Press during training camp. "I kind of plan my days out and take it one day at a time and stay away from the wrong people. I'm not partying anymore. I'm just focused on football right now and my family. I don't associate with the same people. I've completely changed everything."

A thigh injury limited him early in the season. He had 12 catches for 236 yards and a pair of touchdowns before he broke his arm.



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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Fallls, Injures Her Elbow In Route To White House

Politico-----

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fell and broke her elbow late Wednesday on the way to the White House.

"On the way to the White House late this afternoon, Secretary Clinton fell and suffered a right elbow fracture. She was treated at The George Washington University Hospital before heading home," Clinton chief of staff Cheryl Mills said in a statement.

"Secretary Clinton appreciates the professionalism and kindness she received from the medical team who treated her this evening and looks forward to resuming her full schedule soon."

The secretary of state was scheduled to attend an event Thursday morning in Washington with actress Angelina Jolie for World Refugee Day. The event has been removed from her schedule.

Clinton will have surgery next week to repair the break.


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