Ohio State’s Zach Smith scandal http://www.falconsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-vic-beasley-jersey , which led to Urban Meyer’s suspension for three games at the start of the 2018 season. Reporting by McMurphy was part of the impetus for Ohio State to fire Smith, who’d been accused of repeated domestic violence, and to commission its own investigation into how Meyer handled allegations against his longtime receivers coach. As the 2018 season winds down, McMurphy’s made news about Meyer, Smith, and Ohio State again. On Tuesday, he reported for Stadium the 2017 transfer of a blue-chip Ohio State receiver might have been related to Smith using the N-word in a confrontation with that player. That runs counter to what Ohio State, the player involved, the player’s mother, and apparently the NCAA have agreed happened: that he transferred because of a family medical issue. Here’s what we know is true about four-star receiver Trevon Grimes’ transfer from the Buckeyes in 2017: After the season, Grimes, then a freshman, transferred from Ohio State to Florida. He had left the team that October, due to what Meyer called “family health issues.”His mother, Leah Grimes Calvin Ridley Jersey , had been diagnosed with cancer, UF later revealed. The NCAA gave Grimes immediate eligibility to play in 2018, declining to make him sit out the usual one year for underclass transfers. He got a hardship waiver, which is the NCAA’s usual tool to bend its rules for players dealing with difficult family issues. The player’s estranged father, LeBron Grimes, now tells McMurphy his son didn’t actually transfer because of his mom’s health issues.There’s a lot in McMurphy’s new story, but here’s the key passage: LeBron Grimes alleged to McMurphy that Meyer knew of Smith’s “alleged racially-charged altercation in September 2017 with his son Trevon and helped keep it quiet.”McMurphy’s report challenges whether Leah Grimes was really as sick as the NCAA believed she was when it granted Trevon Grimes a hardship waiver. He also wrote Leah “has had her share of past legal issues” and goes on to list a few of them. In turn, Leah Grimes provided McMurphy with this statement: Trevon Grimes did not confirm McMurphy’s report. Zach Smith denied it.McMurphy wrote: A number of Ohio State players have refuted the version of events described by Grimes’ dad and reported by McMurphy. These are all members of Ohio State’s offense. All were on the team in September 2017, when Grimes’ father says the incident with Smith took place:Ohio State’s administration took the unusual step of denying the report by name. That included Meyer, the president, and the AD.Meyer suggested legal action by the school was possible: In a statement from the school, which president Michael Drake — who’s butted heads with Meyer over the Smith story before — tweeted out: Athletic director Gene Smith added: We’ll update this post as needed. The New York Times’ Marc Stein reports the NBA and players’ union have agree to televise the All-Star Draft in late January. You may remember that the NBA debuted the All-Star Draft -- where the two top vote-getters picked teams from the pool of All-Stars -- last season to make the game more interesting and mix up the conference pools. It worked! The game was nice. But the league didn’t televise the draft over fears of pettiness and discord in what is supposed to be pure fun. Everyone complained (including yours truly) and the NBA and players flipped this year. So we’ll get to see it. (Credit especially to Rachel Nichols, who beat these drum last year.)Now the NBA just needs to fix the All-Star selection process.Putting all of the All-Stars into a pool to avoid East vs. West battles is necessary for the draft format, obviously. But the NBA really ought to abandon conference alignment when selecting All-Stars in the first place. Instead of voters (fans, players Authentic Terrell McClain Jersey , and the media) picking five East and five West starters, and coaches picking seven East and seven West reserves, it should just be one big pool. Voters should pick 10 starters; coaches should elect 14 reserves. (I’ve given up on expanding All-Star rosters to normal NBA roster size. Playing time in the All-Star is obviously an important consideration, though if you picked 30 total you wouldn’t need commissioner replacements when guys get injured.)The West simply has way more star-level players than the East. It would be arbitrary to continue to segregate the selection pools. Conferences mean increasingly little. Bite the bullet of remove them from this ultimately meaningless bit of the NBA process on the path toward erasing them completely.ScoresThunder 95, Cavaliers 86Pistons 103, Magic 96Knicks 112, Hawks 107Spurs 88, Heat 95Sixers 100, Pacers 94Nuggets 87, Grizzlies 89Bulls 98, Pelicans 107Mavericks 102, Jazz 117Raptors 114, Kings 105Timberwolves 110, Lakers 114ScheduleOn National TV:Rockets at Thunder, 8 p.m. ET Youth Takkarist McKinley Jersey , TNTBucks at Warriors, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNTOn League Pass:Celtics at Suns, 9 p.m. ETClippers at Blazers, 10 p.m. ETLinksAnother episode of Spencer Hall’s true sports crime podcast It Seemed Smart is out. This one focuses on the incredible rise, abrupt fall, and continuing relevance of daily fantasy sports.Seerat Sohi asks a question we’re all thinking about on one level or another: do we really believe in the Sixers yet?Five dramatic ways the new NBA All-Star Draft could play out on TV.REWINDER ON THE SHOT. YES, THAT SHOT. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.Ethan Strauss x Ron Adams.Uh, Kyle Lowry’s numbers are like MVP-era Steve Nash’s this season. Kawhi Leonard gets all of the attention, but Lowry is out there every night.A coach at Savannah State is trying to break basketball. He should talk to the Cavaliers, who are on the same mission.How hot is Luke Walton’s seat?Matt Ellentuck has two reasons you should tank: Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett.Kyle Kuzma is way behind on defense.Danny Leroux uncovers that Victor Oladipo isn’t eligible for a designated veteran contract with the Pacers because of the date he was traded.And finally: Young Pecho Harry Lyles, Jr. on the unwritten rules of shooting a three when you’re already won.Be excellent to each other.
