Sports – Page 69 – The Mississippi Link

Mississippi's Johnson out with broken fibula

Mississippi defensive end C.J. Johnson is out for the rest of spring practice after suffering a broken fibula in his right leg during Wednesday’s practice.

Johnson was expected to have surgery Thursday, according to school officials. Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said Johnson’s recovery time is expected to be about three months.

The 6-foot-3, 233-pound junior played in all 13 games last season and led the Rebels with 61/2 sacks last season. […]

Freeze, Mississippi trying to keep momentum

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Most of the recent news about Mississippi’s football program relates to the surprising and star-studded recruiting class Hugh Freeze landed in February.

The second-year coach is excited about bringing in that new talent. But for the next month, he’s focused on improving what he already has on the roster as the Rebels go through spring practice. […]

JSU stadium could derail downtown arena plans

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Jackson State University’s recently announced plans to build a domed stadium could effectively kill an effort to build a downtown arena.

The city and other arena backers have spent or pledged $180,000 in recent years to study building an arena to host concerts, sporting events and other entertainment, The Clarion-Ledger reported.

The key factor in the city of Jackson supporting the university’s plans is that it would only have to pay $10 million toward the university stadium, Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said. A feasibility study in January estimated that a 9,000-seat arena would cost the city $115 million. […]

Southern Miss on probation after NCAA sanctions

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The NCAA has put Southern Mississippi on four years of probation and given the men’s tennis program a one-year post-season ban after citing the school with failure to monitor the tennis program.

Two former Southern Miss tennis coaches were cited for unethical conduct after the NCAA said they promised impermissible benefits to athletes – including offering $5,000 and the use of a car to one athlete – and engaging in academic misconduct. The NCAA also ruled that one of the coaches asked a player to lie during the investigation. […]

Henderson imperfect poster boy for upstart Rebels

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The talkative and brash Marshall Henderson is the face of Mississippi’s basketball program.

Sometimes that’s good, sometimes it’s not so good.

His play and antics have led to plenty of attention for the No. 16 Rebels (17-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference), who face No. 8 Florida (17-2, 7-0) in Gainesville on Saturday in a matchup of the SEC’s two top-ranked teams.

Henderson has been so good during his first two months in the SEC that the 6-foot-2 junior has brought a rare spotlight to a program that hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2002. He leads the conference in scoring at 19.3 points per game; he’s averaging more than 21 in SEC contests. […]

Ex-Meridian softball coach indicted on sex crimes

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A former Meridian high school softball coach has been indicted on eight charges alleging inappropriate contact with students under the age of 18.

The indictment filed Feb. 11 in Lauderdale County Circuit Court, charges former Clarkdale High School coach Ricky Roberson with three counts of exploiting a child and five touching a child lustfully. […]

Attorney asks for mediation in Bowling lawsuits

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Two alleged victims who filed separate civil lawsuits filed against former Mississippi and Alabama prep football coach Dwight Bowling have asked a federal judge to order case sent to mediation.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports that the men, now adults, claim Bowling molested them when they were Smithville, Miss., students. They also claim that Monroe County School District for which Bowling worked failed to act on complaints about Bowling and is responsible for damages inflicted upon them.

This month, their attorney, Donald Medley of Hattiesburg, filed a motion to compel mediation in the lawsuits filed in 2011. […]

West Point championship QB Doug Kenna dies

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Edgar Douglas “Doug” Kenna II, the quarterback of West Point’s 1944 undefeated national championship team and former president of the National Association of Manufacturers, has died. He was 88.

Kenna died Jan. 28 in North Palm Beach, Fla., where he had lived for years, according to Nicholas Hollis, a longtime friend who worked with him at the National Association of Manufacturers in the 1970s. Howard-Price Funeral Home in North Palm Beach confirmed his death. […]

Mississippi’s Jones out for season with injury

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Mississippi forward Aaron Jones is out for the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a loss to Kentucky earlier this month.

The 6-foot-9 sophomore has been one of the 16th-ranked Rebels’ most important reserves this season, averaging 3.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He’s also second on the team with 32 blocks.
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‘Blind Side’ family relishes Big Easy Super Bowl

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A knowing grin spread across Sean Tuohy’s face as he considered the uncanny connections between the hit film that changed his family’s life and the fact that Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Michael Oher played in and won his first Super Bowl in the Big Easy. (The Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31)

New Orleans is where Tuohy grew up and went to high school with author Michael Lewis, who wrote “The Blind Side.”

The book led to the movie, which depicted the Tuohys’ rewarding experience as Oher’s adoptive family. Actress Sandra Bullock, who starred as Sean Tuohy’s wife, Leigh Anne, owns a home in New Orleans. […]