44 Year Old Special Olympic Athlete from Albania Andi Gusmari Missing Since 8/1/15 in Los Angeles, CA (Update: Found Safe)

44 year old Special Olympic Athlete from Albania, Andi Gusmari, has been missing since Saturday, August 1, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Gusmari was last seen Saturday night around 8:30 PM attending a festival at the University of Southern California with his coach and the rest of the Albanian delegation. Gusmari has a speech impediment and does not speak English, but will respond to his first name.

Click HERE or on PIC to watch VIDEO via NBC-Los Angeles

Andi Gusmari was attending a festival at the University of Southern California with his coach and the rest of the Albanian delegation when he disappeared at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday night.

He was described as a white male, standing around 5 feet 9 inches tall, 180-190 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a red polo shirt with “Albania” on the back, black pants with white stripes down each side and white athletic shoes.

UPDATE I: Special Olympics Athlete Found Hundreds of Miles From Los Angeles, CA.

Missing Albanian Special Olympics athlete found safe in Hayward.

A 44-year-old Special Olympics athlete from Albania who had been missing since Saturday was found safe in Northern California.

Andi Gusmari of Albania was found in Hayward. Los Angeles police said he is in good condition.

Hayward police said Gusmari walked into a police station early Monday morning. Officials said he seemed OK but confused.

If anyone has any with information on his whereabouts, please contact the Special Olympics Command Post at (323) 441-1180 or the Los Angeles Police Department at (877) ASK-LAPD.

Wrestling Legend Rowdy Roddy Piper Dead At 61, RIP

The Hot Rod has passed away and far too young …

Wrestling legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper has died at the age of 61.   Roddy Piper, born Roderick George Toombs, died of an apparent cardiac arrest in his sleep at his home in Hollywood on Thursday night. The “Hot Rod” Piper was one of professional wrestling’s true icons who participated in WWE’s Wrestlemania 1 in 1985 where he squared off against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T.  Back in my youth when I used to watch wrestling, Piper was one of my favorites. His actions were off the charts and he could go from bad guy to good guy on the wrestling mat with ease. Of course we know that professional wrestling is sports entertainment, but Rowdy Roddy Piper was a master of entertainment and during his era of wrestling was truly the Golden Age. Piper was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. Roddy Piper is survived by his wife Kitty and their 4 kids, including 3 daughters and son Colton who’s pursuing a career in professional wrestling.

Shawn Michaels vs Roddy Piper from 1992

Wrestlers Sean Michaels and Roddy Piper, Announcers Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby the Brain Heenan, and Manager Sherry Martel. Sadly, 3 of 5 have died.

TMZ:

Wrestling legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper has died at the age of 61 … TMZ Sports has learned.

Piper — born Roderick George Toombs — died from cardiac arrest in his sleep at his home in Hollywood on Thursday night. He was discovered on Friday.

Piper was a wrestling icon — one of the biggest stars in the WWE back in the ’80s, and even wrestled in “Wrestlemania I” back in 1985 … squaring off against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T.

Roddy’s rep tells us, “I am devastated at this news. Rod was a good friend as well as a client and one of the most generous, sincere and authentic people I have ever known. This is a true loss to us all.”

Piper had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2006, but last November he said he was cancer free. A family source tells us he was “cancer free” at the time of his death.

A family member tells us, “Our family is saddened by the sudden passing of our father and beloved husband, Roderick Toombs aka Rowdy Roddy Piper.”

Roddy Piper makes his entrance at WrestleMania I

Former NFL Star & Soon to be Hall of Famer Charles Haley Tells SF 49ers Rookies … “Why Don’t You all Act Like the White Guys? You Never See Them in the Paper Getting High or Hitting People”

I GUESS THIS MEANS THAT HALEY WILL BE BANNED FROM THE NFL FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME NOW …

WOW, former Defensive end for the San Fransisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys had some interesting comments and advice for the 2015 class of 49er rookies at a mentoring program. Haley, the soon to be DE who is to be enshrined in the NFL Football Hall of Fame later this summer in Canton, OH told the new crop of rookies, “Why don’t you all act like the white guys? You never see them in the paper getting high or hitting people.” Oh I bet you could have heard a pin drop on that one. Haley said he did it for the shock value to get their attention. I bet he did just that. Of course all the  Van Gogh listeners and readers probably only saw or heard that blacks needed to act more like whites. Charles Haley, what a racist!!! Oh, he’s black … then what an uncle Tom.

But you know what, Charles Haley has all the street cred in the world … he is a five-time Super Bowl champion, two with the 49ers and 3 with the Cowboys. If anyone bothered to actually listen to what Haley was trying to tell these newbies to the NFL, he was saying that young players need to have role models, much like he did growing up. Charles Haley was probably one of my favorite Cowboys in the 90′s as his no nonsense approach to the game was amazing. Personally, I would have rather have had him on my D-line than others like Bruce Smith and Reggie White, who garnered more praise. Thus what explains the 5 rings, count ‘em.

Said Haley: “As far as the rookies, and I know they probably got mad, but I said, ‘Why don’t you all act like the white guys? You never see them in the paper getting high or hitting people. Why don’t you act like that?’ They all looked at me crazy.”

It should be noted that fullback Bruce Miller, who is white, had been charged days earlier by Santa Clara County prosecutors with misdemeanor vandalism for throwing his then-fiancee’s phone in an argument; Miller later resolved the case by pleading no contest to disturbing the peace.

“I just did it for the shock value of it,” Haley said of his May speech. “… The hardest thing is these guys, they have an attention span of a 5-year-old. I’m not the most gentle and kind person to sit there and deal with that crap. I’m a little more confrontational. I think I got my point across.”

This year, Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown, Charles Haley, Bill Polian, Junior Seau, Will Shields, Mick Tingelhoff and Ron Wolf will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The family of Junior Seau was recetly told that they will not be able to speak live in Canton because Seau is being honored posthumously. However, after Haley’s comments and the BS nature of the NFL and political correctness these days, what them take away Charles speaking privileges as well. The NFL commissioner Roger Goodell can’t fine Haley or ban him from any games, maybe instead he will disconnect his microphone on induction day.

FSU’s Dalvin Cook Charged with Battery After Punching a Woman Several Times Outside a Tallahassee Bar Clyde’s & Costello’s (Update: Suspended from Team)

FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES CRIMINALS BACK IN THE NEWS … HEY FSU, SAY GOODBYE TO DALVIN COOK.

Thus life continues at FSU … Florida State running back Dalvin Cook has been charged with misdemeanor battery for allegedly punching a woman several times outside of a downtown Tallahassee bar June 23. The 19 year old sophomore Cook has been suspended indefinitely from the FSU football team. Cook, was FSU’s starting running back who rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman last season. According to accounts, the incident occurred outside of Clyde’s & Costello’s after it closed at 2 AM, when a 21 year old female refused to give her phone number to an FSU football player. The individual was not Dalvin Cook. However, Cook was identified out of a lineup as the person who repeatedly punched the woman and gave her a bloody lip.

Read the Court Documents HERE.

What the hell is going on at FSU and better yet, more to the point, the FSU football team. Coach Jimbo Fisher should be ashamed of himself and probably fired. What are you running, a football program or a gang? The obvious thing that should be pointed out that jumps off the table is Cook is 19. Last time I checked the drinking age was still 21 in Florida. But in Tallahassee, the drinking age for FSU football players is whatever. Second, this incident and the one with QB De’Andre Johnson, who has now been dismissed from the team, happened one day apart. ONE DAY!!!

There is no way in hell that Dalvin Cook can remain on this team and Jimbo claim he gives a damn about woman and domestic violence. What does anyone expect the culture to be at FSU when Fisher, the University president and the Alumni all looked the other way with Jameis Winston?

Florida State running back Dalvin Cook turned himself into Leon County Jail Friday night hours after the State Attorney’s Office charged him with misdemeanor battery for allegedly punching a woman several times outside of a downtown Tallahassee bar June 23.

Cook, 19, was suspended indefinitely from the football team Friday afternoon.

“It is important to me that our fans and the public be aware that I do not tolerate the type of behavior that was captured on video and that was most recently alleged,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said in a statement released early Friday evening.

“We will do better. I will not tolerate anything less.”

The 21-year-old woman, who is not an FSU student, and a friend were speaking with a group of five to seven football players outside of Clyde’s & Costello’s after it closed at 2 a.m. when she refused to give her phone number to an FSU football player not named in court records.

Cook, a sophomore, came over originally trying to calm the situation down, court records say. At another point FSU sophomore wide receiver Travis Rudolph also joined the argument.

The woman pushed Rudolph and he did not react other than to continue arguing. Cook asked if she’d pushed Rudolph and punched the woman after she replied, knocking her into a parked car.

Cook continued to swing at her, hitting her at least one other time as he was being restrained. The blow knocked her to the ground. The group of football players then walked away, court records say.

The woman had a bloody lip and dirt on her knee and was intoxicated, police noted in court records.

 ESPN – FSU’s Dalvin Cook charged with battery, suspended from team.

Check this out, Fisher says this type of behavior wont be tolerated, yet as long as they could win a National Championship, rape meant nothing. He also goes on to say that they spend a great deal of time educating their student athletes about appropriate behavior. HAHAHA. You might want to reevaluate that Jimbo. Seems they are getting as much out of those lessons as they are the classes they don’t attend.

VIDEO of discussion of the incident from ESPN

“Recent events at Florida State University involving members of my football team have brought a lot of attention to the school and program. It is important to me that our fans and the public be aware that I do not tolerate the type of behavior that was captured on video and that was most recently alleged,” Fisher said in a statement Friday. “We spend a good deal of time educating our student-athletes about appropriate behavior and their responsibilities as representatives of Florida State. The majority of our players are exemplary, but clearly we must place an even stronger emphasis on this, and I personally promise we will.

“I remain committed to educating our young men and holding them accountable for their actions.”

In a separate statement, FSU president John Thrasher said he was “extremely disappointed” to hear about the allegations, calling them “especially disheartening” considering they came just days after Johnson’s dismissal.

“I have asked Coach Fisher and Athletics Director Stan Wilcox to develop a plan to help our student-athletes understand the consequences of these kinds of actions,” Thrasher said. “This will include Coach Fisher meeting immediately with his team to reiterate, in no uncertain terms, our expectations of them. I also plan to meet with the team, and we will be asking professionals who deal with these matters, including State Attorney Willie Meggs, to speak with them.”

UPDATE I: Jimbo Fisher bans FSU players from bars after arrests.

Banned? What the hell are 19 year old kids allowed to be in them in the first place? Maybe some one needs their liquor license revoked? Talk about putting a band-aid on a broken leg. This is a character flaw coach, not a drinking issue. Your players think they are entitled to treat people like this and obviously have no respect for woman. Maybe you might want to ban them from being around females.

After a week that any football coach would not wish on another, where two players (one now a former player) were arrested for the horrendous action of beating on women, FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher has reportedly laid down the law with his players as to what is expected.

And for the time being, that won’t involve going out to local bars in Tallahassee.

It’s one way to solve the problem, but in the end it’s going to fall right back on the players to be the responsible ones. Fisher and his staff can’t be everywhere to insure that this action occurs, so the players have to decide how they want to represent being a member of the Florida State football program.

UPDATE II: A Culture of Violence against woman … 20 FSU athletes accused of crimes against women since 2009.

According to a report, Cook is the 20th Florida State athlete since 2009 to be accused of a crime against a woman

Twenty.

In June, Outside the Lines ran a report with data from 2009 to 2014 looking into criminal allegations involving football and men’s basketball players at 10 different schools.

Among the schools studied — Florida State, Florida, Auburn, Michigan State, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Texas A&M and Wisconsin — FSU had the most cases of sexual assault, harassment or violence against women at 18 at the time of the report.

Keith Olbermann Gone from ESPN Again

Keith Olbermann and ESPN have parted ways yet again …

As reported at THR, television personality Keith Olbermann and ESPN are parting ways for a second time. It turns out that Olbermann is even too liberal for what I like to refer to now as LESPN, liberal entertainment sports programming network. ESPN is looking to cut $100 million from next year’s budget and $250 million from 2017′s budget. According to BI, network executives had asked Olbermann to ditch his leased Times Square studio, where his program is produced for ESPN2, and either move to the network’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut or to Los Angeles, However, the biggest sticking point appeared to be that  as a part of an extension of his 2 year deal, the network wanted him to stop offering commentary on his program. What, Olbermann not allowed to spew his venom? No way, that was a deal breaker. But when one thinks about it, opinion commentary and criticizing sports hardly seems like a money maker for those in the sports entertainment industry. Especially when these days ESPN is not the only game in town.

Keith Olbermann is exiting ESPN once again.

The television personality, who rejoined the sports network in August 2013, won’t be renewing his deal to anchor his ESPN2 program. The news follows a THR report on July 1, noting that ESPN management floated an ultimately unworkable caveat: that Olbermann cease engaging in commentary.

“Keith is a tremendous talent who has consistently done timely, entertaining and thought-provoking work since returning to ESPN,” the network said in a statement. “While the show’s content was distinctive and extremely high quality, we ultimately made a business decision to move in another direction. We wish Keith nothing but the best and trust that his skill and ability will lead him to another promising endeavor.”

Press Release from ESPN:

“Keith is a tremendous talent who has consistently done timely, entertaining and thought-provoking work since returning to ESPN. While the show’s content was distinctive and extremely high quality, we ultimately made a business decision to move in another direction. We wish Keith nothing but the best and trust that his skill and ability will lead him to another promising endeavor.”

Although I admit there is very little that I agree will politically with Keith Olbermann, he did have some solid commentary when it came to sports and the actions of sports athletes. None could I agree more that when he spoke out against domestic violence and asked viewers to boycott the NFL Draft because of  Jameis Winston and not watch the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight because of Mayweather’s long past of domestic violence charges,