Raptors forward Jontay Porter receives lifetime ban from NBA for violating gambling rules

The NBA released a statement Wednesday announcing that Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter has been given a lifetime ban for “by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.” The NBA said the suspicious bets were brought to its attention by “by licensed sports betting operators and an organization that monitors legal betting markets.” The investigation remains open, and the league said it will share information with federal prosecutors. (per USA Today)

The league’s news release read: “There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment.”

Porter, 24, hadn’t played in the league since the NBA began investigating him for betting irregularities on March 25, after which the Raptors removed him from the lineup prior to that night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets. Per Yahoo Sports, the NBA’s investigation found that Porter purposely limited his participation in the Raptors’ March 20 game against the Sacramento Kings specifically to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance. Against the Nets, Porter claimed he felt ill after playing just three minutes. The NBA also found that prior to the game, Porter disclosed confidential information about his health status to “an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor.” A different individual associated with Porter also bet that Porter would underperform March 20 as part of an $80,000 parlay the bettor placed with an online sports book.

NBA players are not allowed to wager on NBA games. According to the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association, if a player is found culpable, punishment is at the discretion of the NBA commissioner and “may include a fine, suspension, expulsion, and/or perpetual disqualification from further association with the Association or any of its Members.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement: “While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players. Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game.”  

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Zion Williamson to miss Pelicans’ NBA Play-In game vs. Kings with hamstring injury

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson will miss Friday’s NBA Play-In Tournament game against the Sacramento Kings with a left hamstring injury. Wojnarowski tweeted: “Friday’s Play-In Tournament elimination game vs. Sacramento and will be evaluated again in coming weeks. Huge blow for New Orleans.”

Williamson, 23, put up 40 points, 11 rebounds and five assists before injuring his hamstring late in Tuesday’s Play-In Tournament matchup vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. Williamson left the game with 3:13 remaining in the fourth quarter due to the left leg injury with the game tied at 95 apiece, and the Lakers went on to win 110-106.

Injuries have plagued Williamson throughout his NBA career thus far, but this season he has been healthy, appearing in 70 contests while averaging 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and five assists. Prior to this season, Williamson had never appeared in more than 61 games in a season. He only appeared in 29 games last year and missed the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign.

The Pelicans loss in the first round of the play-in tournament send them to an elimination game against the Kings on Friday; the winner of that game will secure the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. If the Pelicans win on Friday, Williamson’s status is unclear; he may not be available to play in the first round of the playoffs, pending further evaluation.

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Alabama on the road with the ‘Roll On II North America Tour’

Alabama kicked-off their 2024 “Roll On II North America Tour” last month, which will make stops at arenas, amphitheaters and festivals across the U.S. through Nov. 9.

Says Alabama’s Randy Owen: “I look forward to singing ‘Mountain Music,’ ‘Tennessee River,’ ‘Feels So Right’ and so many more. It’s just a matter of just getting up on stage and enjoying it. We can’t wait to see the fans who made it all possible.”

The group also announced earlier this year that that June Jam XVIII will take place June 1 at the VFW Fairgrounds in Fort Payne, Alabama. Last year’s event drew nearly 11,000 fans and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity efforts throughout the state.

The Roll On II North America Tour will feature special guests at select shows including The Marshall Tucker Band, Diamond Rio, Jamey Johnson, Bellamy Brothers, Lee Greenwood and more. For more information, click here.

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See Anya Taylor-Joy in the trailer for ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’

Anya Taylor-Joy is featured in the second trailer for George Miller’s “Furiosa”, the post-apocalyptic prequel to “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Taylor -Joy stars as Imperator Furiosa, a role originally played by Charlize Theron in the 2015 series reboot. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke star alongside Taylor-Joy.

‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ follows the origin story of the young Furiosa as she is ripped from her refuge in the Green Place of Many Mothers and, forced to face the insanity of the desolate world beyond for the first time. After being snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers as a child, Furiosa falls into the hands of a Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus (Hemsworth).

An official film synopsis reads: “Sweeping through the wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.”

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga opens in theaters May 24; check out the trailer: here.

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Selena Gomez to launch ‘Selena + Restaurant’ series for Food Network

Deadline reports that Selena Gomez will be launching the six-episode series ‘Selena + Restaurant’, a spinoff of sorts of her popular ‘Selena + Chef’ series that aired four seasons on MAX, premiering May 2 on Food Network.

‘Selena + Restaurant’ will see Gomez head out of her home kitchen and into the kitchens of some of L.A.’s hottest restaurants, as her cooking skills are put to the test. Says Gomez: “After cooking mostly virtually from my kitchen with some of the best chefs for the last four years, I was thrilled to step into their world. You’ll have to see if being in person helped my skills at all.”

Chefs Shirley Chung, Keith Corbin, Stephanie Izard, Andrew & Michelle Muñoz, Wolfgang Puck, and Marcel Vigneron will teach and test Selena (accompanied by best friend, Raquelle Stevens) to see how quickly she can learn the ropes with the ultimate goal of creating a dish good enough to make each restaurant’s menu. Each chef will also highlight a charity that is meaningful to them during each episode, with all of the featured non-profits receiving a donation to further their cause.

Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery: “Selena’s culinary journey has riveted viewers from day one as she has elevated her kitchen skills on her Emmy-nominated series, ‘Selena + Chef.’ Now, out of the comfort of her home kitchen, but with her best friend for support, Selena’s graduation to the big leagues offers a natural progression of her culinary education as this superstar shows what she can do in a restaurant environment.”

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Slash and Chris Stapleton join forces to cover Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Oh Well’

Slash has released his cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well,” which features country star Chris Stapleton on vocals, written by original founder Peter Green. The song is the second single from Slash’s star-studded debut blues album and sixth solo album, Orgy of the Damned, due May 17th.

Orgy of the Damned is a collection of 12 songs, and described as an homage to Slash’s love of classic blues, with vocals from Gary Clark Jr., ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Dorothy, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Chris Robinson and Beth Hart. The house band supporting the guitarist on the record included two of his 1990s bandmates from Blues Ball, bassist Johnny Griparic and keyboardist Teddy ‘ZigZag’ Andreadis, as well as drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal.

Slash said in a statement: “So, this is the original Fleetwood Mac, which was founded by Peter Green, one of the greatest singer-songwriter-guitar players, he’s less known in the public, but very well known to us guitar players re the 60s British blues and he’s up there with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Nick Taylor. I remember hearing the song on the radio when I was probably 13, they used to play both the older version of Fleetwood Mac and the new version of the band with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham a lot. I always loved this song, and it’s a great guitar riff. I jammed it with the Blues Ball back in the ‘90s, and I’ve played it live here and there. I knew from the beginning I wanted to do the song on this record. It was also one of the songs that I was trying to figure out who would be the right vocalist for it, and one of the ideas I had was Chris Stapleton, who is one of the most brilliant singer songwriters today. He’s also got such a gritty and distinctive voice, so I called him up and he did an amazing job. I mean, his voice is so cool.”

Per Billboard, “Oh Well” is the second single to date from Slash’s album, following his previously released “Killing Floor,” which features AC/DC singer Brian Johnson on vocals, and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler on harmonica.

To stream ‘Oh Well,’ head here.

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House sends articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Sec’y Alejandro Mayorkas to Senate

ABC News reports that articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border were officially transmitted to the Senate on Tuesday. The House impeachment managers, selected by Republican leadership, walked the two articles through the Capitol led by the House clerk and sergeant-at-arms.

The House voted to impeach Mayorkas in mid-February over what they said was his failure to enforce border laws amid a surge in migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. The controversial vote, which had previously failed, was opposed by three Republicans and all Democrats. House leaders opted to wait until after a government funding fight to present the issue to the Senate, with Senate Republicans pushing to delay the proceedings until this week amid concerns over attendance. The House impeachment managers include Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and Reps. Andy Biggs, Ben Cline, Andrew Garbarino, Michael Guest, Harriet Hageman, Clay Higgins, Laurel Lee, August Pfluger and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has denounced the effort to impeach Mayorkas as “baseless,” saying that House Republicans “continue to ignore the facts and undermine the Constitution” with the impeachment push. A DHS spokesperson said in a statement: “Congressional Republicans should stop wasting time with unfounded attacks, and instead do their job by passing bipartisan legislation to properly fund the Department’s vital national security missions and finally fix our broken immigration system.” 

The historic vote that marked the first time a Cabinet secretary has been impeached in nearly 150 years. Mayorkas is only the second Cabinet secretary to be impeached in U.S. history after William Belknap, a former secretary of war, in 1876.

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Supreme Court divided in hearing on obstruction charge against Jan. 6 rioter

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court began hearing arguments on rioters involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which could potentially impact former President Donald Trump in his ongoing legal battles.

Per NBC News, the justices heard an appeal brought by defendant Joseph Fischer, a former police officer who is seeking to dismiss a charge accusing him of obstructing an official proceeding, namely the certification by Congress of Joe Biden’s election victory, which was disrupted by a mob of Trump supporters. The law in question criminalizes efforts to obstruct, influence or impede any official proceeding. If convicted, it would result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

Arguments took place for nearly two hours as Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito reportedly seemed to be skeptical of the government’s interpretation of legal arguments being made against defendant Joseph Fischer. A ruling by the 6-3 conservative majority high court could overturn felony obstruction charges for more than 300 individuals involved in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol building (from UPI).

Tuesday’s hearing comes just a week before the Supreme Court hears Trump’s bid to toss out his election interference charges based on a claim of presidential immunity. Fischer and Trump both say that the obstruction law does not apply to their alleged conduct, and as such, the charges should be dropped.

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MLB Hall of Fame manager Whitey Herzog dies at age 92

MLB Hall of Fame manager Whitey Herzog, who led the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series in 1982, has died at the age of 92. Herzog’s last public appearance had been in the stands at the Cardinals’ home opener 12 days ago, when he was introduced to the crowd along with the other Hall of Famers present.  The Cardinals said in a statement on X: “The entire Cardinals family is heartbroken to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer and World Series champion manager Whitey Herzog.”

The Herzog family said in a statement released by the Cardinals: “Whitey spent his last few days surrounded by his family  We have so appreciated all of the prayers and support from friends who knew he was very ill. Although it is hard for us to say goodbye, his peaceful passing was a blessing for him.” Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. added: “On behalf of the entire St. Louis Cardinals organization, I would like to offer our condolences to the family and many friends of Whitey Herzog. Whitey and his teams played a big part in changing the direction of the Cardinals franchise in the early 1980s with an exciting style of play that would become known as “Whitey Ball” throughout baseball. Whitey loved the Cardinals, their fans and St. Louis. He will be sorely missed.”

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred also said in a statement: “Whitey Herzog was one of the most accomplished managers of his generation and a consistent winner with both ‘I-70’ franchises. He made a significant impact on the St. Louis Cardinals as both a manager and a general manager, with the Kansas City Royals as a manager and with the New York Mets in player development. Whitey’s Cardinals’ teams reached the World Series three times in the 1980s, winning the championship in 1982, by leaning on an identity of speed and defense that resonated with baseball fans across the world. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Whitey’s family, his friends across the game and the fans of the Cardinals and the Royals.”

Herzog, born Dorrel Norman Elvert Herzog, was given the nickname “Whitey” due to his light blonde hair. Herzog reached the majors in 1956 and played for the Washington Senators, Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and Detroit Tigers for a total of eight seasons in MLB – hitting .257 with 25 home runs and 172 RBIs- before retiring as a player in 1963. (per Yahoo Sports).

Through Herzog’s post-playing career, he served as a scout for the Athletics and then as a third base coach/director of player development for the NY Mets. He took his first managerial job in 1973 when he succeeded Ted Williams as skipper of the Texas Rangers (lasting less than one season), and was then the interim manager for the California Angels for four games in 1974 before taking over the Kansas City Royals in the middle of the 1975 season. Herzog went on to manage in KC and brought the Royals to three division titles and a second-place finish from 1976-79. Herzog’s greatest managerial success came with St. Louis, where he led the Cardinals for 73 games in 1980 before being promoted to general manager, later returning as manager for the 1981 season. The Cardinals returned won the National League pennant in 1982 and defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games in the World Series. He led the Cardinals to World Series appearances in 1985 and in 1987, where the Cardinals lost, before moving on to serve as the Angels general manager in 1992-1993 before ending his 45-year association with MLB. Herzog was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a manager as part of the Class of 2010.

Herzog is survived by his wife of 71 years, Mary Lou Herzog, their three children; Debra, David and Jim, and their spouses; nine grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. The Herzog family is planning a private celebration of life service, and asks that any donations be made to Shriner’s Hospital for Children.

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Legendary NY Yankees broadcaster John Sterling announces his retirement

The New York Yankees announced that legendary New York Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling is retiring from the broadcast booth, effective immediately. Sterling, 85, will be honored on Saturday, April 20th in a pregame ceremony before the Yankees game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Yankees statement read: “Fans find a certain comfort in the daily rhythms of baseball. Day in and day out, season after season, and city after city, John Sterling used his seat in the broadcast booth to bring Yankees fans the heartbeat of the game, employing an orotund voice and colorful personality that were distinctly, unmistakably his own. John informed and entertained, and he exemplified what it means to be a New Yorker with an unapologetic and boisterous style that exuded his passion for baseball, broadcasting and the New York Yankees * There is no shortage of adjectives to describe John and what he means to this organization and our millions of fans around the world. But what makes John a goliath of the sports broadcasting world was how sacred he held his role as voice of the Yankees. Showing up to perform virtually every single day since 1989, he was a pillar for Yankees fans who relied on the comfort and familiarity of his voice to be the soundtrack of their spring, summer and fall. Given the tremendous care he had for the team and his performance on the air, it’s not a stretch to believe that our fans live and die with every pitch because John Sterling did the same * We congratulate John on a remarkable and illustrious career. His contributions to this great game and to the Yankees franchise will echo long into the future.”

Sterling made his final broadcast during the Yankees’ 8-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on April 7 in New York. Sterling shared in a statement: “I am a very blessed human being. I have been able to do what I wanted, broadcasting for 64 years. As a little boy growing up in New York as a Yankees fan, I was able to broadcast the Yankees for 36 years. It’s all to my benefit, and I leave very, very happy. I look forward to seeing everyone again on Saturday.”

Sterling, a NYC native, was best known for his enthusiastic, personalized home run calls. He started his broadcasting career in 1970 as the play-by-play announcer for the NBA’s Baltimore Bullets, and is in his 36th season as a Yankees broadcaster — overall, Sterling has been in the broadcasting industry for more than six decades. He has called more than 5,600 games, including 5,420 during the regular season and 211 playoff contests, which included a stretch of 5,060 consecutive games spanning from 1989 to 2019.

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