The Many Lives (Women) of Shawne Merriman

Can't exactly say DMV native, Shawne Merriman is happy, (or merry, for that matter) about what went down Sunday with MTV's Tila ['I Date Men and Women'] Tequila.

While Merriman is stating he 'didn't do it', and Tequila is Tweeting she's "allergic to alcohol", and "God knows the truth", another of Merriman's girl toys (I mean, friends) is giving the straight dope on Merriman, Tequila, and some more stuff.

Warning: Video is NSFW (not safe for work).



Man, just when a brother tries to do the right thing, this stuff happens.

Related
Photo: Merriman On Celeb Basketball Team For Good Cause

Before The Mayhem

**Update** Merriman gets to play another day. Charges dropped.

Monday In Sports!

Is College Football Better Than The Pros?

College football season is underway, and already making a statement. If you watched games this past weekend, you saw some pretty good games, with some pretty good scores, and heard some pretty cool things. Read on.

Buckeye Pays Tribute to Mike Vick With His Face.

Ohio State Buckeye's Terrell Pryor makes statement about his football idol, Mike Vick, during Saturday's game against Navy.

Hear his reasoning here, or listen in below.

The Buckeyes defeated Navy 31-27.





In other college football action...

Maryland loses, 52-13, to Cal.
SC State over Grambling, 34-31. Grambling quarterback Greg Dillon threw for 268 yards and 2 TDs, 2 fumbles.
Air Force Falcons 72! Nicholls State, 0.
More scores here.

Reduction at Redskins Park

Roster Meets NFL's Required Fifty-Three.

The Redskins have made their final cuts, narrowing their roster to the Fighting 53. With four preseason games behind them, those who survived and showed good favor in the eyes of coaches and Redskins executives are listed here.

Meanwhile, those who weren't as fortunate to stay on include TE Robbie Agnone, RB Anthony Alridge, G/T Jeremy Bridges, T Scott Burley, DE Alex Buzbee, QB Chase Daniel, DT Antonio Dixon, RB Dominique Dorsey, CB Doug Dutch, WR Keith Eloi, LB Cody Glenn, WR D.J. Hackett, S Lendy Holmes, DE Rob Jackson, K Dave Rayner, G Rueben Riley, WR Trent Shelton, DL J.D. Skolnitsky, LB Robert Thomas, FB Eddie Williams, and LB Darrel Young.

QB Colt Brennan has been placed on injured reserved with hip and hamstring injuries.

"They took an MRI and he had a partially torn hamstring and a torn labrum in the other hip. When he had the other hip [injury] before, he was having a hamstring problem. The hip seems to cause him hamstring problems, so he is going to go back and see the same guy who did the previous hip", announced Vinny Cerrato earlier in the day at Redskins Park.

The Skins plan to move forward with two quarterbacks in Campbell and Todd Collins.

“I think a lot of teams are doing that this year. We will put one on the practice squad, so we will have three. Antwaan Randle El can go in and finish a game as well as any third quarterback.”

A not so surprising addition to the active roster is wide receiver Marko Mitchell.

“In mini-camp he made plays. When we had the scrimmage I think he caught five balls, and he’s caught a touchdown in three of the four games. To me, that one was pretty obvious", added Cerrato.

On comparing this year's roster with last year's roster, Cerrato said, "Well, I think so on the offensive line and the defensive line. I think we’re deeper in the secondary, and I think we’re deeper at running back, and I think Jason [Campbell] is a lot better than he was last year.”

Skins begin practicing on Monday for the first regular season game against the New York Giants on September 13 at Giants Stadium.

The Redskins are 1-3 in preseason action, finishing with a 17-24 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday.

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**Update** The Redskins added Safety Lendy Holmes, DE Rob Jackson, WR Trent Shelton, DE J.D. Skolnitsky, FB Eddie Williams, WR Onrea Jones, QB Andre’ Woodson, and LB Darrel Young to this season's practice squad.

On Jones, Woodson, and Young:

Jones is a six-foot, 202-pound wide receiver, who played this preseason with Arizona before being released on Sept. 4. In four games, he registered six catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Jones spent the majority of 2008 on the Cardinals’ practice squad after splitting the 2007 season on the Packers’ and Colts’ practice squads. The Hampton University product is a native of Williamsburg, Va.

Woodson spent last season on the New York Giants’ practice squad after the team made him a sixth-round selection following a decorated career at Kentucky. Woodson played this preseason with the Giants as well, before being released on Sept. 5. (The Skins face the Giants 9/13).

Young, a college free agent out of Villanova, spent the preseason with the Redskins.

Click here for roster info.

Other
Redskins Coloring Book On Sale Now

Still Looking For A Job?

Try the Mystics Sports and Entertainment job fair going on today at the Verizon Center from 1-5pm.

Companies representing include: Wizards, Caps, Mystics, and more!

The Mystics take on the Seattle Storm tonight at 7pm, at the Verizon Center.

Related
'08 S&E Job Fair

Tickets for U.S. FIFA World Cup Qualifier at RFK Stadium Go on Sale to The Public on Sept. 10!

Tickets for the U.S. Men’s National Team FIFA World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica on October 14 at RFK Stadium go on sale to the general public on Thursday, September 10.

The USA’s final home qualifying match will close out the team’s 10-game final round of FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. Kickoff for the match will be determined at a later date, as all of the CONCACAF qualifying matches that day must kickoff at the same time. In the teams’ first meeting during the final round of qualifying, the U.S. fell 3-1 to Costa Rica on June 3 at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa.

RFK Stadium has hosted the national team 19 times, and has been the site of 12 U.S. wins - more than any stadium in the world (overall record: 12-3-4). The most recent victory came in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, a 2-0 win against Honduras on July 8 in Group B, with goals from Santino Quaranta and Brian Ching.

Advance tickets start at $35 and are available September 10 at 12 p.m. ET online at ussoccer.com, through all Washington-Baltimore Ticketmaster outlets (including Macy’s stores), and by phone at 1-800-551-SEAT (7328). Groups of 20 or more can obtain a group order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290. Ultimate Fan Tickets (a special VIP package which includes a premium ticket, a custom made official U.S. national team jersey with your name and number, VIP access to the field before and after the game, and other unique benefits) are also available exclusively through ussoccer.com.

The U.S. is in the midst of the final round of qualifying and will face El Salvador at 6 p.m. MT on Saturday, September 5, at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, live on ESPN Classic and TeleFutura. The team will then travel to Port of Spain, Trinidad, where the U.S. will face Trinidad & Tobago at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, September 9, at Hasely Crawford Stadium, live on ESPN Classic and Galavision. ESPN Classic will air a pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Fans can also follow both matches live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker, and at U.S. Soccer’s Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/ussoccer.

Prior to hosting Costa Rica at RFK Stadium, the U.S. will begin the double fixture date away to Honduras, where they will face the Catrachos in San Pedro Sula on Saturday, Oct. 10.


More >> | 9/11 Service Event at RFK | Eagle Bank Bowl (Website)

Eunice Kennedy Shriver to be inducted into Washington Sports Hall of Champions

Founder and Honorary Chairperson of Special Olympics forever improved the lives of millions

The Greater Washington Sports Alliance is proud to announce that it will posthumously induct Eunice Kennedy Shriver into the Greater Washington Sports Hall of Champions during SneakerBall VI presented by MTM Builder/ Developer, Inc. on September 15, 2009 at the National Building Museum. Devoting her life to improving the welfare of mentally disabled people, Mrs. Shriver founded the Special Olympics in 1968 to showcase their abilities. Today, Special Olympics is now the world’s largest year-round sports program for mentally disabled children and adults with over 2.5 million athletes in 180 countries taking part in competitions each year. On a local level, the Greater Washington D.C. region is home to over 2,000 Special Olympics athletes.

“We are pleased to honor the legacy of this extraordinary human being,”said Robert Sweeney, President of the Greater Washington Sports Alliance. “Mrs. Shriver forever improved the lives of millions by leading a human rights movement to bring dignity, respect, opportunity and hope to people with intellectual disabilities throughout the world. I can think of no better person to receive this honor.”

“Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s lifelong work embodies what we attempt to do with our Greater Washington Sports Alliance Foundation which is to provide young people leadership skills to live happier and more productive lives through sports fitness,” said Fernando Murias, Chairman of the Greater Washington Sports Alliance.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who passed away in August at the age of 88, becomes the first Hall of Champion honoree to be inducted posthumously. Accepting the award on her behalf will be Frank Stephens, Special Olympics Athlete and Global Messenger Speaker.

For more on Eunice Kennedy Shriver, visit www.eunicekennedyshriver.org.

For more information on SneakerBall VI presented by MTM Builder /Developer, Inc. including Former Hall of Champions honorees please visit www.gwsportsalliance.com/sneakerball

About SneakerBall.
SneakerBall is an annual fall gala that celebrates the best of sports in the region and it is organized to benefit the Greater Washington Sports Alliance Foundation. The Foundation, which is made up of six local charities, creates avenues for sports-oriented corporate philanthropy to enhance the region’s youth sports programs and facilities. The Greater Washington Sports Alliance Foundation, a 501(c) 3, supports youth investment initiatives that provide young people from Greater Washington the leadership skills to live healthier, happier and more productive lives through sports and fitness.

SneakerBall began as a small fundraiser with about 400 people on the floor of the then MCI center in 2004. Today it is one of Washington D.C.’s signature gala held at the National Building Museum with over 1,000 attendees. More than 50 professional athletes & Olympians, the Greater Washington’s sports franchise ownership groups, the leaders of the region’s business community and the Sports Alliance charitable partners now gather every September for the only formal celebration that honors the region’s sports pioneers & their accomplishments.


For more information on GWSA, visit gwsportsalliance.com.

Ticket Debacle At Redskins Park

Just when you thought the ticket travesty out at FedEx Field/Redskins Park couldn't get any worse... it has. So much, in fact, that the Redskins' front office has decided to issue a risk management, I mean damage control, I mean statement.

Here's why.

As you know, the Washington Post's investigative team wrote the following article in this morning's edition alleging, for starters, that the Skins sell tickets to ticket brokers while thousands of fans are placed on waiting lists (often years in advance) to get tickets to Redskins games.

The Post followed up on that article with another story concerning the legal actions the Redskins (Dan Synder) use to collect money from ticket holders who 'default' on season (and multi-year) ticket packages.

Having said that, it begs the question.

How can people default on ticket packages they apparently aren't getting, if the tickets are being sold to brokers (sometimes masqueraded as Steeler fans)?



I'm not sure, but both of these stories were all the rave on DC sport radio shows today, filled with callers and ticket holders giving their own personal accounts and experiences trying to get tickets to games, or return ticket packages.

As such, the Redskins office has issued the following statement and would like you to know:

"In response to media inquiries about the Post’s upcoming story and certain information the Post has provided today on its website, the team provides the following information to provide balance and a more complete picture than the one the Post is attempting to portray.

On average, the team has filed twenty to thirty lawsuits each year since 2005 to try to enforce long-term contracts of corporate suite and club seat holders who defaulted on their obligations. Those lawsuits represent less than ½ of one percent of all the contracts the team has for the more than twenty-five thousand corporate suites and club seats at FedEx Field.

In many instances in which the team has taken legal action, the suite or club seat holder had simply refused to offer anything, or, worse, had used the suite or club seats and then bounced checks or disputed credit card charges, after the Team had provided tickets, parking passes, and other amenities.

Most instances in which the team has taken legal action involve long-term contracts with $40,000 to more than $1 million in outstanding, unpaid obligations. In no instance has the Team ever brought any legal action against its General Admission ticketholders, who comprise nearly 70,000 of the 91,000 ticketholders at FedEx Field.

In every instance in which the team has taken legal action, the team first has gone to great lengths to attempt to negotiate with the suite or club seat holder to determine their financial circumstances and to reach agreement on payment plans or revised terms. For every lawsuit the team has filed, it has worked out payment plans or renegotiated contracts with dozens of other suite and club seat holders.

The Redskins, like other NFL teams and many other businesses (including, presumably, the Washington Post) relies on long-term contracts to plan and run its business. Only a small fraction of a percent of our contracts ever default, out of the many thousands of contracts for the more than 25,000 suite and club seats at our Stadium. The Post’s focus on a tiny minority of suite and club seat holders who have defaulted on their contracts and against whom the Team has been forced to take legal action is unfair to the Redskins and the enormous efforts we make to reach out to and work with fans who find themselves in financial difficulties."

[Photo: WP's John Mcdonnell]
______________________________

We'd like to hear from you. Email us your Redskin ticket experience. Positive? Or other?

Count Down To Jacksonville

With only one day away, the Redskins prepare to tackle the Jacksonville Jaguars (on their turf) this Thursday in the final game of the preseason.

Here are some interesting items you may want to know from Ashburn, as asked of head coach, Jim Zorn after yesterday's practice.

On Albert Haynesworth’s Illness (stomach virus).
“Albert is recovering, he’s getting better. We’re going to keep him back here just because he’s missed two or three days of practice and get him working out – both conditioning and strength training. He wasn’t going to play anyways so we just want to make sure that he’s feeling better. He’s still a little bit wheezy, but definitely a lot better. That’s encouraging.”

On Whether London Fletcher’s (Sprained Left) Foot Is Still a Bother.
“No, this is what he had last year at the beginning of the season. This is what he does at the beginning of the season, and the reason we have to do it now is because the doctor has to do it at a particular time.”

“We just decided today that London [Fletcher] will have some medicine put in his foot. No emergencies or anything like that.

Who's Likely Not To Play On Thursday?
“Not going to play Carlos [Rogers]. Randy [Thomas] was practicing today and I may hold him out as well, but he’s so stubborn I got to pop him in the jaw.” (Ouch. No violence coach).

“Kareem Moore is a lot better. I may hold him out. That’s going to be a game time decision for Kareem.”

“Clinton Portis." [Side bar: CP celebrated his 28th B-Day Sept 1st].

"You may not see Todd Collins. I may just go right to the young guys.”

"[London Fletcher] wasn’t going to play either, but he’ll be on the trip with us. He’s going to do everything; he’s just not going to play.”

Will Rogers be traveling with the team?
“Yes, Carlos is going to go. Everyone but Albert is going to go.”

[Side bar: What I noticed on the Redskins website under 'Injury Report'. There's nothing there!]

On What Coach Zorn Needs To See Out of Mike Williams.
“I’d like to see a whole game. I’d like to see a lot of playing, so we’re going to try to get him revved up and let him go. Now he’s still sporting his ankle a little bit, but he’s going to go.”

On Where Cutting Players Ranks On A Coach's 'Difficult Things To Do List'.
“It ranks up there with the most difficult decision that any coaching staff has to make. These players have really done all that we’ve asked them to do, and now 22 of them don’t get to accomplish their goal. I told these guys right from the start, if you put the effort into it, we have the hard decision of finding the 53, but also they’ve accomplished a lot in the meantime and it doesn’t mean that their career is over. Going from here doesn’t mean that their career is going to be over. I think if you follow some of these guys that we will end up letting go, they’ll be in other programs because they’re good athletes and we just have to find the right group. It will be hard.”

How Much Angst Is There In Making A Decision To Cut A Player (When You Don’t Know How He'll Develop). “I’ve done that at the college level; right now I think we’ve done pretty well at the pro level of making those right calls, at least in my mind, and yet it’s nerve-raking. The choice has to be made. I’m capable of making those choices, and I’m also willing to live with the responsibility of that. I think it does change these young players’ lives, but it also sends them to the next step in their lives as well. Some of them will not be good enough to make it with an NFL team, but there are other leagues and other opportunities to play. And some will go to another team to play, and some will go on with their lives work. That’s the nature of the game. It has happened to me. I’ve been in it for a long time. It’s what must be done.”

What's up with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell talking to the Redskins players in person today?
“He got up and he was very relaxed in front of the group, very natural and very positive in front of the group. He didn’t try to sell them on anything, he just tried to talk to them about the whole idea of what the NFL is about and what we’re all trying to do together. They were listening. It was very quiet. Here is where he brought his legitimacy as well: he didn’t just skip out, he stayed around and talked to the players the whole time. He was out at our practice talking and communicating, so he was very approachable to the players.”

On How Much the Game Planning Changes From the 3rd Preseason Game To The 4th Preseason Game.
“I think it just revs up a little bit. I think we get more and more locked into doing the elements of practice that we’re going to do during the week. Everything leads up to the game, so you practice, you work back all the practices and all the components that make the full game plan. Those get more extensive as the preseason goes on. There’s more video to watch, there’s a little bit more game playing that can go on, and I think that’s the evolution of preseason.”

QBs Colt Brennan and Chase Daniel: Is There A Difference In the Intensity Between the Two During Practice?
“I don’t think I’ve seen anything different because they’re pretty competitive guys. I think at the quarterback position, every day you’re out there, every snap you take it’s a competitive situation because they’re being evaluated. So no, I would say nothing has changed. They’re highly motivated players.”

Is the List of Players to Cut Written in Stone? Or Will Some Players Change Zorn's Mind?
“I think there will be several. I think it’s happened in the past for a guy, and that’s why we play these games. Maybe you just get a confirmation, ‘you know what, I was right about this guy.’ Or, ‘you know what, now maybe he’ll perform at a different way in a different level, high or low,’ that will change the complexity of it as well. It will happen.”

Team | Schedule | Redskins '09: Got Your Tix? | More >>

Local Teams Prepare For Fall Training Camps

Capitals and Wizards Open Training Camps

The Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards open training camps this month in preparation for their upcoming seasons.

The Capitals take the ice for three preseason games at the Verizon Center September 21, 23 & 27 and host the inaugural Capitals Convention on September 26.

The Wizards hit the court for training camp at Virginia Commonwealth University (my alma mater) in Richmond at the end of the month with preseason games in October.

Venus Wins At US Open

Despite playing with a bad knee that plagued her for most of the two hour match in Flushing, New York, Venus Williams (#3) was victorious on the opening night of the US Open, defeating Russia's Vera Dushevina 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3.

Williams cited the positive energy from the crowd as the force she needed to prevail. Williams will need that energy, and "a lot of prayer" to help her going into the next round.

Baby sis, Serena was also successful with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Alexa Glatch. (Watch video)

Tennis favorite, Roger Federer was also a winner, defeating Devin Britton, 6-1, 6-3, 7-5, in 88 minutes.

Andy Rodick defeated Marc Cicquel, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.

The US Open continues at Arthur Ashe Stadium through September 13th.

Related
US Open TV Schedule
Tournament Schedule
Venus Buys Miami (The Dolphins That Is)
Venus Wins In Washington
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