Kraft donated to fight sex crimes, finds himself implicated by sting
Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, is an avid supporter of Ivanka Trump’s initiatives to “dismantle the criminal organizations behind forced labor, sex trafficking and involuntary servitude.” Kraft, long-time friend of President Trump, has donated to that cause. Which made it all the more embarrassing when Kraft, 77 and married, was charged with soliciting prostitution at the Orchids of Day Spa in South Florida. Prosecutors offered to dismiss the charges against Kraft and two dozen other men if they acknowledge committing crimes. Kraft has denied doing anything illegal. Police set up surveillance on the Orchids of Day in a sting operation against a prostitution network that allegedly brings Asian women to Florida. Peter King of Pro Football Talk said Kraft “is not going to cop a plea. He does not want in any way to be connected to sexual trafficking. He’s donated a lot of money to a group in Massachusetts that fights sexual trafficking.” William Snyder, sheriff of Martin County, Fla., said he’s seen film of the spa customers that is “explicit, sexual, graphic” and “pretty ugly.” He said police will not release any videos until the legal process is completed, but ”ultimately they are probably going to be released.” And if that release causes embarrassment to the NFL, Kraft’s ownership of the Super Bowl champions could be in jeopardy. King: “I think Roger Goodell is going to come down harder on Robert Kraft than you may think.”
Spartans coach Izzo restrained by his players as he assails freshman Aaron Henry
Michigan State’s Tom Izzo is one of college basketball’s most accomplished coaches. But he may have crossed a line with his dressing-down of Aaron Henry in Thursday’s NCAA Tournament opener against Bradley. After calling a timeout, Izzo angrily confronted the freshman guard as he left the court of a surprisingly close game against a 15-seed. Izzo jabbed Henry in the stomach and yelled at him so loudly that players felt compelled to restrain their coach. Izzo was not contrite after his team prevailed 76-65: “What’s wrong with challenging a kid who makes some mistakes? Aaron Henry did some things you can’t do as a starter on a top-5 team at the end of your freshman year. They were effort-related. . . . It’s one and done time. The ‘my bads’ are out the window.”
Dear Coach: Your job is to provide constructive criticism to improve a player’s performance. This was abuse, physical and verbal. You ever hear of anger management? Or accountability.
Leafs coach throws shade on his players and his boss
Mike Babcock became hockey’s highest-paid coach when the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015 agreed to pay him $50 million over eight years. He was supposed to turn around this historically underachieving franchise (no Stanley Cup since 1967). But in their four seasons under Babcock, the Leafs have not advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs. And the prospects are not much better this year. They rank 5th among the 16 teams in the NHL East, they’ve lost 4 of their past 5 games, and their defense is short-handed. The coach spoke out Tuesday about his team’s lack of depth: “You’re supposed to build the best program you can to have as much depth as you can so you don’t miss a beat and you keep on going. There are other teams that have done a better job when players are out than we have.” His remarks were interpreted as criticism of his back-line players – Justin Holl, Jake Muzzin, Martin Marincin, Nick Petan, Trevor Moore – and also of general manager Kyle Dubas for not acquiring better reserves.
Between the Lines: Babcock has damaged important relationships. Doug MacLean, former NHL coach and GM, said on NHL Network: “These comments should not be made in public. Why cause more of a distraction? It’s not healthy.”
Roethlisberger’s ex-teammate says he fumbled to spite coordinator Haley
Ben Roethlisberger is a two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback who at 37 is frequently called a “future Hall of Famer.” He usually displays a sunny disposition, but there is a dark side: two women on separate occasions accusing him of sexual assault, six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, complaints by teammates of selfishness and arrogance. But now comes a former teammate, Josh Harris, accusing Big Ben of intentionally fumbling the ball to annoy his offensive coordinator, Todd Haley. In the last game of the 2014 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers led by 10 points with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter. Harris, a running back, said Haley called for him to carry the ball, but “Ben wanted to kneel. He rolled his eyes in the huddle.” Harris tweeted that Roethlisberger “stuck the ball out in front of (fullback) Will Johnson” and “purposely fumbles the ball. I had to recover it. At that moment I knew what kind a person he was.”
Dear Josh: More detail, please. Video supports your story. But how did the team react to this “intentional fumble”? Were you the only one to notice?
