Bears player Gaines Adams, 26, is dead, according to a report by the Greenville News of South Carolina.
Adams, a former Clemson University football star, died Sunday morning after he was taken to the Emergency Room at Self Regional in Greenwood, County Coroner James T. Coursey told the Greensville News.
Adams, a defensive end, was the fourth player chosen in the 2007 National Football League draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He was traded from Tampa Bay to the Chicago Bears in October. An autopsy will be performed today by a forensic pathologist.
According to the Chicago-Sun Times, Gaines passed away due to a heart attack:
Chicago-Sun Times Report
Gaines Adams, the defensive end the Bears acquired for a second-round draft pick from Tampa Bay this season, died this morning at 26.
Adams, according to reports in The Greenville News, was pronounced dead at the emergency room of Self Regional Hospital in Greenwood, S.C. according to County Coroner James T. Coursey.
Adams, 26, was a standout player at Clemson at defensive end, and was the fourth player chosen in the 2007 National Football League draft by the Buccaneers. He was traded from Tampa Bay to the Chicago Bears in October, though didn’t find much playing time with the struggling defensive unit.
An autopsy is planned by Anderson County officials following reports of a heart attack, though no cause of death has been declared yet.
In four years in the league, Adams, a native of South Carolina, recorded 13.5 sacks in 29 games.
The tragic news comes less than 24 hours after fellow Bears defensive lineman Dusty Dvoracek was arrested in relation to a bar brawl in Oklahoma.
Kevin Sumlin has eliminated himself from consideration for the vacant University of Cincinnati head football coach job.
In a statement released Saturday afternoon through the University of Houston, Sumlin said he decided against interviewing for the Cincinnati job that opened Thursday when Brian Kelly left for Notre Dame.
Sumlin is 18-8 in two seasons at UH, which faces Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 31 in Fort Worth.
“After speaking with representatives with the University of Cincinnati yesterday and today, I declined an interview,” Sumlin said. “I am looking forward to our first bowl practice later this afternoon and later honoring our seniors at the football banquet tonight.”
In the release, the school said players will not be available for comment until an undetermined time.
Houston coach Kevin Sumlin has declined an interview request for the vacant Cincinnati job.
“After speaking with representatives with the University of Cincinnati yesterday and today, I declined an interview,” he said in a statement. “I am looking forward to our first bowl practice later this afternoon and later honoring our seniors at the football banquet tonight.”
The Bearcats are in the midst of leadership change after former coach Brian Kelly left the program for Notre Dame on Thursday.
Kelly posted a 34-6 record in three years at the school and has guided Cincinnati to consecutive BCS bowl appearances in the past two seasons.
Sumlin, who took the Houston job in 2008, came to the Cougars after a five-year stint as an Oklahoma offensive assistant under Bob Stoops.
The Cougars are 18-8 under Sumlin and will play Air Force in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 31.
Houston’s Kevin Sumlin declines interview for University of Cincinnati job
Houston football coach Kevin Sumlin issued a statement through the school Saturday that he has declined an interview for the coaching job at the University of Cincinnati, according to the Houston Chronicle.
“After speaking with representatives with the University of Cincinnati yesterday and today, I declined an interview,” Sumlin said. “I am looking forward to our first bowl practice later this afternoon and later honoring our seniors at the football banquet tonight.”
UC’s Athletic Diretcor Mike Thomas said Thursday he will not comment on his search for Kelly’s replacement until it is complete.
The UC job became open when Brian Kelly left for Notre Dame.
On Wednesday, Houston athletic director Mack Rhoades told the Chronicle he and Sumlin were “probably 99 percent” set on a new deal. Sumlin said the negotiations were “getting close to where we need to be.”
Updated: Saturday, 12 Dec 2009, 4:51 PM CST Published : Saturday, 12 Dec 2009, 1:43 PM CST
MARK BERMAN
HOUSTON – University of Houston headfootball coachKevin Sumlin issued a statement on Saturday that says he will not interview for a similar job at the University of Cincinnati.
“After speaking with representatives with the University of Cincinnati yesterday and today, I declined an interview. I am looking forward to our first bowl practice later this afternoon and later honoring our seniors at the football banquet tonight,” said Sumlin.
Bearcats officials received permission from UH to talk with Sumlin earlier this week.
“CoachSumlin and I feel very good about the future of our program and his status as our head coach,” said UH Athletics Director Mack Rhoades in an interview with FOX 26 Sports.
Rhoades added, “In the future, we will continue to be proactive and do the best we can to ensure Coach Sumlin and his family remain Cougars for many years. We understand as we build upon our success other institutions will seek his services. However, we will continue to work extremely hard to elevate this program to a level of consistent national competiveness that rivals other top programs. This will require a lot hard work and dedication by many including our athletics administration, coaches, student-athletes and Cougar faithful. We look forward to continuing to work toward fulfilling this vision for our football program.”
In two years as UH head coach, Sumlin owns an 18-8 record and is taking the Cougars to their second bowl game in consecutive years under his watch.
UH faces the Air Force Academy at the Armed Forces Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
If only one half of football could win games, the Texans would have left Reliant Stadium with a victory yesterday. The Texans started the game on a 17-0 run, and appeared to have a winning game plan for the unbeaten Colts. The game had what could be described as the closest feel to a playoff game as the players and fans had felt before at Reliant Stadium. After scoring two touchdowns (they almost had a third that was lost to a Andre Johnson drop in the end zone) and two field goals, Reliant Stadium was buzzing with the fans enthusiasm and excitement. After two quarters of play, the Texans were up by thirteen, had picked off Peyton Manning twice (Brian Cushing and Brice McCain had the interceptions), and appeared to have control of the game.
Unfortunately for the Texans, Peyton Manning and the Colts defense would not allow the Colts to come out and continue their sub-par play in the second half.
After trailing 20-7 at halftime, Manning and the Colts came out of the tunnel from halftime with a new game plan that the Texans would not find a way to stop. The Colts only scored once in the third quarter (Manning to Reggie Wayne for a 4 yard TD), but began to put the Texans away for good in the final quarter of the game. In the fourth quarter, Manning would connect with Dallas Clark for a 6 yard touchdown, followed by a Clint Session interception return for a touchdown, and a 23-yard rushing touchdown for Chad Simpson on the Colts following offensive drive which put the Colts up for good.
Matt Schaub appeared to be a completely different quarterback in the second half. He would throw two interceptions before a 10-yard pass to Jacoby Jones with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter for his only touchdown toss of the second half. The first interception Schaub threw in the third quarter appeared to be a spot pass that either: (1) did not reach its correct spot or, (2) was a result of miscommunication between Schaub and Andre Johnson. However, the second (and more costly) interception Schaub threw appeared to be an ill-advised pass on the quarterback’s part. After the Schaub-to-Jones touchdown, the Texans were only left with 18 seconds on the game clock and could not recover the ensuing onside kick for a last chance effort to tie the game.
The Texans fall to 5-6 on the year after three heartbreaking losses that have left the team, and city, questioning their once strong playoff hopes. In post game interviews, coach Kubiak repeatedly shouldered the blame for this loss against the Colts, citing game management and prior preparation. After hearing the same reasons from Kubiak following each of the Texans recent losses, many Texans fans have begun calling for Kubiak’s firing. Reports have surfaced that Bill Cowher may have interest in coaching the Texans, and after yesterday’s loss, Texans owner Bob McNair may find chatting with the former Pittsburgh Steelers’ coach appealing. Many fans called in to Houston’s Sports Radio 610 AM to express their displeasure for both Kubiak and Schaub, but the answer to ‘What is the Texans’ problem?’ may be a combination of both. While Schaub did throw two interceptions to compound his dismal second half performance, the Texans once again showed signs of conservative play calling and lack of a killer instinct after they acquired their 17 point lead.
What’s my take?
The Texans should patiently wait until the end of the season to determine whether Kubiak or Schaub (or both) should be replaced with upgraded personnel at their positions. Should the Texans manage to put together a four or five game win streak to close out their 2009-2010 season, they might still have a shot at reaching the playoffs. Although wins against teams like New England (January 3, 2010 /// 7-3 record), the Jaguars (December 6th /// 6-5 record and Texans lost 21-24 in the previous meeting on September 27), and the Dolphins (December 27 /// 5-6 record) appear to be a daunting task for this Texans squad, they do not appear to be completely out of reach if the Texans can manage to put together some complete games over the next month. Although many fans have begun calling for immediate resolutions to the Texans’ issues, they may need to wait for the season to end to clearly see the problems at hand. Talk of personnel changes at this point in the season will only compound whatever problems the Texans are currently trying to solve in order to salvage the season which began with the highest expectations since the franchise began. After the next five games if fans repeatedly hear the same “it’s on me” answers from Coach Kubiak, then the calls for Bill Cowher to replace him as coach may be the correct answer. However, if Matt Schaub cannot elevate his game of play to that of the premiere franchise quarterbacks in the NFL for the last five games, the Texans and owner Bob McNair will have to decide whether or not changing coaches is the only thing left to push the Texans into true playoff contention.
STORRS – Jasper Howard, a 5-foot-9, 174-pound starting cornerback on the UConn football team, died today after an on-campus stabbing.
According to multiple sources, Howard, 20, was taken to St. Francis Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Coach Randy Edsall spent the night at St. Francis.
Howard is from Miami and attended Miami Edison High School.
Howard played in UConn’s 38-25 vicory over Louisville Saturday.
UConn officials reported a fight and stabbing early Sunday morning at the Storrs campus.
The perpetrator of the stabbing is still at large, according to an emergency alert posted on the University’s website Sunday morning.
Police are asking anyone with information related to the stabbing to contact the University police at 860-486-4800.
Edsall and sports information director Mike Enright did not return calls.
If any coach in the Big East can relate to what Randy Edsall and the UConn community is going through right now, it’s South Florida’s Jim Leavitt.
The Bulls haven’t lost a player in midseason like the Huskies did with Jasper Howard’s stabbing death. But they’ve had their own share of tragedies.
Those include the death of freshman running back Keeley Dorsey in a conditioning drill in January 2007. One player on the team is still wearing Dorsey’s No. 10 in tribute this season. Patrick Payton was killed in a motorcycle accident in the 2001 offseason. And this summer, former player Will Bleakley died at sea in a boating accident.
Leavitt thought about all of those losses when he found out about Howard.
“When I heard about it on Sunday, I broke,” Leavitt said today on the Big East coaches’ weekly teleconference. “It brought back all the memories of what I had to go through with our football team, with Keeley’s family, but also Patrick Payton, and Will Bleakley. We’ve been through a lot of different things, and there’s no way you can describe the pain that you go through.
“The only thing you can do is put faith in our Lord and in each other. I haven’t had to go through it during a season. It was in the spring, in winter conditioning, so we had a couple of weeks where I let the guys sit down with their families. That’s what’s going to be an incredible challenge for Randy and the team.
“But there’s nothing worse. It does put things in perspective. You lose a football game, and it’s very difficult. But it is nothing like losing a player.”
Johnny Hood, 21, is being held on $100,000 bond in connection with the early Sunday morning stabbing outside a school dance at the Storrs campus.
Cops said Hood was charged with interfering with an officer and breach of peace, but he has not been charged in the stabbing.
Witnesses identified him as being involved in the fight, and he gave police a fake name, cops said.
Hood was arraigned this morning in Rockville Superior Court. It’s unclear if he is a student at the school.
Howard, 21, of Miami, and another male student who cops have not identified were stabbed on the street after a fire alarm at the dance forced the evacuation of about 300 partygoers.
Howard, who was expecting a baby with his girlfriend, was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he later died.
His coach, Randy Edsall, said two teammates were with him during the fight and tried to save his life.
Edsall didn’t identify the players but said they may not be able to play next Saturday against West Virginia.
An autopsy showed that Howard died of a single stab wound to his abdomen, according to the state medical examiner’s office.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe says Connecticut cornerback Jasper Howard was “a great player” and his death during the weekend was a “tragedy.”
Kragthorpe expressed his condolences on Monday over the fatal stabbing of the Connecticut football player just hours after helping the Huskies beat the Cardinals.
The 20-year-old Howard, from Miami, was stabbed during a fight outside a school-sanctioned dance. He died a short time later.
Louisville running back Victor Anderson says he had an ongoing conversation with Howard throughout UConn’s 38-25 win, a game in which Howard had a career-high 11 tackles and forced a fumble. Anderson says he was saddened by Howard’s passing.
STORRS, Conn. — Another Connecticut football player has been identified as the second victim in Sunday morning’s fatal stabbing at the University of Connecticut.
Brian Parker, a 19-year-old sophomore wide receiver from Sarasota, Fla., sustained minor injuries in the attack that killed teammate Jasper Howard outside a university-sponsored dance.
Parker, who is academically ineligible this season, is identified in a police report stemming from the arrest of Johnny Hood, a Hartford man taken into custody after the fight on charges of breach of peace and interfering with police.
The incident report says Parker identified Hood as one of those involved in the attack. Hood was arraigned Monday and ordered held on $100,000 bond.
STORRS, Conn. — Connecticut Huskies football coach Randy Edsall said he’s heard nothing to indicate members of his team were involved in a fight before cornerback Jasper Howard was killed.
Edsall, speaking Tuesday at his weekly pregame news conference, said there may have been some “verbal jostling” but has not been told that any of his players were fighting with anyone.
Police say Howard was stabbed to death, and another player suffered minor injuries, during an altercation following a dance early Sunday morning on the UConn campus.
A Hartford attorney says his client, who expects to be arrested, was fighting with several football players before the stabbing.
Edsall said Howard’s mother visited with each player Monday, and his uncle, a former Miami police officer, advised them not to seek revenge. Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
UConn will mark Tuesday as a day of silence for slain football player
Jasper Howard, 20, was stabbed to death early Sunday after a student dance
Black Student Association asks community to wear dark clothes in mourning
Candlelight vigil is Wednesday, and other commemorations are planned
(CNN) — The University of Connecticut will mark Tuesday as a day of silence for slain football player Jasper Howard, who was killed over the weekend.
The university’s Black Student Association is asking the UConn community to wear dark clothes Tuesday to show that it is united in mourning, the school said on its athletic Web site.
Howard, a 20-year-old cornerback, was stabbed to death early Sunday after a student dance on the campus in Storrs, authorities said.
Further activities to remember Howard are planned this week, UConn said, including a candlelight vigil on Wednesday.
The school’s football team will play West Virginia on Saturday, and the players’ helmets will carry Howard’s initials for the away game.
Man Questioned In Stabbing Death Of UConn Football Player
Police have questioned a Bloomfield man about his connection to the stabbing death of a UConn football player.
The unidentified man’s attorney says the police view people as suspects.
Deron Freeman, a Hartford attorney, said his client was questioned Sunday. Jasper Howard was murdered Saturday night at a school sponsored party.
The 5-foot-9, 174-pound Howard was the team’s starting cornerback. He was a junior from Miami, FL and an expected father.
The medical examiner says Howard died of a single stab wound to the abdomen.
The stabbing took place near the Student Union on campus. The 20-year old Howard played in the team’s homecoming win earlier in the day.
According to the attorney, UConn police arrived at is client’s home Sunday and asked him to follow them back to Storrs for questioning.
Freeman added the man’s family contacted him because the questioning took quite some time.
Freeman said he contacted police, told them he represented the man and told them to stop the questioning.
He said he believes his client will be arrested, stating the police claim to have evidence connecting his client to the stabbing, including an eyewitness.
Freeman said that his client was not involved in the stabbing or any altercation.
THE WOODLANDS – The Cinco Ranch High School football team has had bigger comeback wins in its 10-year history, but none that were as much fun as Friday night.
The Cougars scored 17 points in the final 3:36 of the fourth quarter – including a game-winning 28-yard field goal by sophomore Jacob Farmen – to edge College Park 38-35 at Wood Forest Stadium to improve to 5-0 on the year. Read the full story
All it really took was 30 seconds to sum up what happened when Beaumont West Brook went up against Katy.
West Brook receiver Reggie Bevelton was trying to catch a kick-off return but got blasted by Katy’s Ryan Rose instead on the three-yard line. Then West Brook quarterback Bruce Reyes got sacked for a safety by Katy’s defense.
Those two plays were an example of Katy’s dominance as the two-time defending Class 5A champs thumped West Brook 36-7 on Saturday at Jack Rhodes Stadium in Katy. Katy, which ended North Shore’s nine-year regular-season winning streak, improves to 4-1 with its only loss coming against The Woodlands. Read the full story
What a week this is going to be. The Green Bay Packers are coming to the Metrodome to play the unbeaten Vikings. Yes, it’s Brett Favre week. In all of the NFL, there isn’t a bigger neighborhood rivalry than the Packers and the Vikings — and now Minnesota has the former Packer as its quarterback. It doesn’t get any better than this. Read the full story
HOUSTON — Houston Texans receivers Andre Johnson and Jacoby Jones have been fined by the NFL for their roles in a fight during Sunday’s 34-31 win over Tennessee. Read the full story
Personally, I think the overturned touchdown Oakland had at the end of the first half should have stood. Maybe its just the Raiders curse to forever get jipped by bad reviews….Either way, Russell stepped up tonight and I was impressed by the team’s overall performance. If they can carry that hunger and smash-mouth style with them all season, I like their chances. Also, good to see Richard Seymour making an instant impact (he’s got me re-thinking just how bad that trade may end up).
OAKLAND, Calif. — Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers opened the season doing what they do best: beating the Oakland Raiders.
Rivers answered a pair of go-ahead scored by Oakland by leading two touchdown drives, capped by Darren Sproles 5-yard run with 18 seconds left that gave the Chargers their 12th straight in this one-sided rivalry, 24-20 Monday night. Read the full story
STILLWATER, Okla. — The old man wanted on the field, but security was everywhere. No. 9 Oklahoma State had just finished off No. 13 Georgia 24-10 — one of the biggest wins in OSU history — and security guards surrounded the turf of Boone Pickens Stadium.
No visitors allowed. No family members. No fans. No exceptions.
OK, one exception. The old man wanted on the field, and the sea of security parted. It was like watching the arrival of Moses, had Moses been as important to Israel as T. Boone Pickens has been to Oklahoma State. The sea parted, and what do you know? This is Boone Pickens Stadium, and that’s 81-year-old Boone Pickens. And now he’s hugging … I’ll be damned. Seconds after the final horn, the man he’s hugging is OSU coach Mike Gundy. Read the full story
Green Bay — On most days this off-season, Ryan Grant would emerge through the familiar Packers tunnel onto Lambeau Field, turn left and take off, starting at the aisle between Sections 131 and 133.
He sprinted every step – not skipping two at a time – running up and then down each and every aisle. Past the seats where the bikini girls brave the elements, past where the adoring await with open arms for the Lambeau Leap, past the press box and rows of critics, around to the scoreboard that so badly needs him and by the famous retired numbers of Hutson, Starr, Nitschke and White. Read the full story
STILLWATER, Oklahoma — Everyone knew that the Cowboy’s offense was going to play well, but like years past, the defense would have to answer the bell if No. 9 Oklahoma State was going to come out on top in their season opener.
After holding No. 14 Georgia to 95 yards rushing, some of the critics might be silenced. Read the full story
Someone needs to tell Al Davis his time has come and gone…Another questionable move by my favorite NFL team. Why give up a first round draft pick when all signs point to that first round pick ending up in the top 10???? Oh the joys of being an Oakland Raiders fan.
ALAMEDA, Calif. — The Oakland Raiders took a big step toward improving their struggling run defense by acquiring five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour from the New England Patriots on Sunday. Read the full story
Recent Comments