8:00 PMJeRome Wilkins, a former University of New Hampshire football player accused of sexually assaulting a woman outside a house, said in court Friday that he did have sex with the woman but that it was consensual.
7:30 PMRafael Nadal says he was given a surprise drug test Saturday a few days after a French TV show lampooned doping allegations against Spanish athletes.
Regardless of how you feel about the Miami Heat (both the sports team and the climate, for that matter), everyone has to agree: Dwayne Wade is a pretty solid guy. After hearing a holiday tale of woe about a South Florida woman’s nephew accidentally burning down their house, Wade and his charitable foundation — Wade’s World — stepped in and did what he thought was right: He bought her a new house.
OK, he didn’t buy her the entire house, but he did make her purchase of a new house possible. Wade reportedly took care of the property’s down payment and has committed to make Dawn Smith’s monthly mortgage payments until she gets her family back on their feet.
“That’s what I try to teach my kids,” Wade said. “It’s not about what you’re going to receive—it’s what you can give to others from what you’ve received. … We can help this family have a new beginning.”
As for the recipient, she was understandably overcome with thankfulness for the Miami swingman’s generosity. Not that it mattered that he was an NBA player.
One good thing about recovering from injury is the chance to spend more time with the ones you love - or at least the ones you’re occasionally with:
GOSSIP GIRLS snaps some shots of Saints RB Reggie Bush doing some Christmas shopping with gal pal Kim Kardashian.
Last we’d seen of Kimmy, she was getting friendly with actor Terrence Howard. But it looks like she’s back with Bush, who’s been sidelined the past few weeks with a knee injury.
It’s such a sweet reunion, and just in time for the holiday season. Or maybe Kim just needed a stronger companion to carry all her gifts.
During Sunday’s Kings-Nuggets game, two NBA referees got caught under the holiday holly, held up by Sacramento’s mangy mascot, Slamson.
Before anyone makes any jokes about “dawn we now our gay apparel,” it was lady ref Violet Palmer who got in the holiday spirit, and planted a big wet one on the lips of whistle-blowing colleague Ron Olesiak.
Palmer’s peck probably didn’t match the passion of Charles Barkley’s All-Star pucker-up with Dick Bavetta. But then again, what smooch would?
Still looking for that last-minute Christmas gift? Darren Rovell of CNBC suggests there’s no better way to show your holiday spirit than by decking the halls with humongous visions of yourself:
A company called WallMonkeys have expanded on the Fathead concept of giant wall posters - but this time, it’s personal. For only $50 to $90 (plus tax), customers can send in their photos, and WallMonkeys will send back 2- to 6-foot versions to proudly display on the vertical surface of your choice.
Who needs Tom Brady or Peyton Manning gracing your kid’s bedroom wall, when it can be a enlarged snapshot of a drunk Uncle Bob spilling his beer and tripping over his own feet while arguing how the Democrats have ruined the country to cousin Kristy’s frightened boyfriend at the last family outing?
Of course, we already have our photo choice picked out.
THE SPORTS HERNIA gets in the holiday spirit, as the NEW YORK POST shows off their jolly green Giant:
That’s the one and only Eli Manning stylized as the Dr. Seuss yuletide villain. Based on their back-page photoshop, it appears the Post is expecting coal in New York’s playoff stockings.
Still, we’d rather see Peyton’s little brother Grinching it up than Jim Carrey.
• WITH LEATHER via MR. IRRELEVANT shocks our stockings with holiday wishes from the Arizona State cheerleaders:
• Staying in the season, DEUCE OF DAVENPORT passes along a special greeting from the Houston Rockets.
• THE BEAUTIFUL GAME channels Chumbawumba, as this soccer players gets knocked down, but gets up again – twice – and scores.
• MENTAL FLOSS takes tit for tat, as they offer up this tattoo quiz:
• EVERY DAY SHOULD BE SATURDAY stays at home, as SEC teams don’t like to travel very far to play.
• JEN’S FREE THROWS won’t belittle Floyd Mayweather Jr. for hanging out with the Oompa Loompas.
Walker was always known for having a strong arm, so it’s no surprise that he would throw that kind of dough on a desperate attention-grab home decoration.
NEXT ON HIS XMAS LIST: THE SPACE SHUTTLE (LOW MILES!) The ASSOCIATED PRESS finds out what to get the man who has everything, Tiger Woods, for Christmas.
Excerpt: “There aren’t many autographs he wants in return, but Woods recently got a prized possession — a baseball signed by Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax.“Woods on the landing a signed ball from the out-of-sight southpaw: “How about that? I’ve been a Dodger fan my entire life, and Koufax is the man.”
Woods, who rarely signs autographs himself except under the auspicies of Upper Deck, “asked an official at Upper Deck that if he ever ran into Koufax, would he ask for an autograph. The next time Woods saw him, the Upper Deck rep handed him a baseball.”Woods only other autograph? Signed boxing trunks (circa 1977) from Muhammad Ali. Woods: “I had never asked for any autograph ever, and I said to him, ‘Could you please sign anything, a paper, anything, please?’ He was shaking (from Parkinson’s Disease) and said, ‘I’ll take care of it.’ All of a sudden, I had a a pair of trunks. He said, ‘I won’t be needing these anymore.’ I’ve got those hanging on my wall.”
And hanging right next to that? A Phil Mickelson game-worn brassiere (sadly, unsigned).
