Quick hits
Agent Rosenhaus cuts ties with Antonio Brown
Drew Rosenhaus is breaking up with Antonio Brown.
The agent who’s stood by the former AllPro receiver amid his numerous off-field conflicts and incidents over the past year and change conditionally cut ties with his client Thursday, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
The move comes a couple of days after Brown’s dispute with the mother of some of his children went viral. In a video Brown posted to Instagram, he can be heard yelling profanities at the woman and police who responded to the scene of the disturbance at his Florida residence.
It’s far from the only time Brown has made news in recent months. Last March, the Steelers traded him to the Oakland Raiders after he skipped practices before the team’s 2018 season finale and his relationship with teammates including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger soured.
The Raiders, likewise, cut Brown before the start of the 2019 season following his confrontation with general manager Mike Mayock.
He then signed with the New England Patriots and played one game for them before they, too, cut him after a sexual misconduct lawsuit was filed against him Sept. 10.
Arrest warrant issued for Beckham Jr. after claims he slapped officer’s backside
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. did not endear himself to New Orleans police Monday night when he apparently slapped a Mercedes-Benz Superdome security officer on the backside in the Louisiana State University football team’s locker room after the Tigers defeated Clemson for the national championship.
On Thursday morning, New Orleans police obtained an arrest warrant for Beckham on a charge of misdemeanor simple battery in relation to the incident, the New Orleans Police Department Public Affairs Division confirmed for the Beacon Journal.
Nola.com first reported the warrant had been issued after a video of the incident circulated online.
“We are aware of the incident and have been in touch with Odell and his representatives on the matter,” a Browns spokesperson said in a prepared statement. “They are cooperating with the proper authorities to appropriately address the situation.”
LSU also released a statement Wednesday saying it’s investigating whether Beckham, a former Tigers star, handed out real money to some of its players after the win.
Two titles were stolen from Dodgers, so give them to L.A., city leaders say
Should Major League Baseball strip the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox of their World Series titles and award them to the Los Angeles Dodgers?
At least two L.A. City Council members think so in the wake of a cheating scandal centered on the Astros, whose bench coach went on to lead the Red Sox, KABC reports. The Dodgers lost to Houston in the World Series in 2017 and Boston in 2018.
“This is an equity and justice thing,” said Councilman Gil Cedilo, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“Who was the best team in 2017? Who was the best team in 2018?” Cedillo asked, according to the publication. “It was the Dodgers. They got beat by teams that were cheating. Do they need to be told that they shouldn’t have a title?”
Cedillo and Councilman Paul Koretz introduced a resolution Wednesday for a City Council vote calling on MLB to award L.A. both World Series titles, KCBS reported.
On Monday, the league issued one-year suspensions to Houston manager A.J Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow. The Astros were also fined $5 million and had four future draft picks taken away.
James, Doncic again top fan voting for All-Star game
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is more than 335,000 votes ahead of Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic in fan voting for the All-Star game and the right to be one of two captains for the Feb. 16 contest in Chicago.
James has received 4,747,887 votes while Doncic got 4,598,323. James overtook Doncic, who led the first wave of fan balloting, when the second round of votes was released Jan. 9.
Lakers forward Anthony Davis (4,412,619 votes) and Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2,973,076) are next in line in the Western Conference frontcourt voting, while Rockets guard James Harden (2,934,614) is a distant second to Doncic in the backcourt. Clippers forward Paul George is fourth (1,171,616) in the West frontcourt.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (4,474,107) is clearly the fan favorite in the Eastern Conference with 2 million more votes than Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (2,433,411) and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (2,398,743) in the frontcourt. Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (2,066,924) and Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (1,814,618) led the East backcourt voting.