NFL's Kamara, Lammons plead not guilty in Vegas assault case
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara and three other men pleaded not guilty Thursday in Nevada to charges they beat a man unconscious at a Las Vegas Strip nightclub before the NFL's 2022 Pro Bowl.
Kamara appeared alongside Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Chris Lammons and co-defendants Darrin Young and Percy Harris in state court. They could face trial July 31, according to the schedule set by the judge.
The four are each charged with a felony and a misdemeanor for allegedly punching, kicking and stomping on Darnell Greene Jr. of Houston during an altercation outside an elevator.
“Not guilty, your honor,” said Kamara, who played in the league all-star game the day after the alleged attack. Police questioned him after the game and he was arrested Feb. 6, 2022, on suspicion of felony battery resulting in substantial bodily harm. Lammons, Young and Harris were arrested days later. PANTHERS FOUNDER, FORMER OWNER JERRY RICHARDSON DIES AT 86 >> Jerry Richardson, the Carolina Panthers founder and for years one of the NFL's most influential owners until a scandal forced him to sell the team, has died. He was 86.
Richardson became the first former NFL player to own a team since Chicago's George Halas when he landed the expansion Panthers in 1993.
College football
JALEN CARTER POSTS BOND IN FATAL CRASH >> Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter returned to the NFL scouting combine after turning himself in to Athens police Wednesday night and posting a combined bond of $4,000 on charges of reckless driving and racing in relation to a fatal crash that killed a teammate and team staffer.
Carter, originally projected as one of the top players in next month's NFL draft, could lose millions of dollars if he drops from the top of the first round because of his alleged connection to the Jan. 15 crash that killed teammate Devin Willock and a recruiting staffer, 24-year-old Chandler LeCroy.
Pro basketball LAKERS SAY JAMES HAS TENDON INJURY >>
LeBron James is expected to miss most of March with an injured tendon in his right foot, the Los Angeles Lakers said.
If that timetable holds, the Lakers will have to find a way to stay in the playoff race without the league's all-time scoring leader.
The Lakers did not disclose the full extent of the injury, saying it was a tendon issue and that he will be “reevaluated in approximately three weeks.” If James misses three more weeks, starting with Thursday, that would keep him out for at least 10 of the Lakers' final 19 games.
Hockey BRUINS LOCK UP PASTRNAK WITH 8-YEAR, $90M DEAL >>
The Boston Bruins have signed forward David Pastrnak to an eight-year contract extension that will pay him $90 million — the sixth-largest deal in NHL history.
The deal locks up one of the league's MVP candidates through the 2030-31 season for $11.25 million a season. He had been eligible to become a free agent after this season.
Pastrnak, 26, is second in the league this season with 42 goals, adding 38 assists while leading Boston to the best record in the NHL.