Short Sport Reports from Court

It’s all fun and games until the lawyers get involved. The sports desk knew this day was coming – the day we would have to shift gears for a few minutes from the excitement of athletic achievement and crushing failure on the field of play to the courthouse beat.

Welcome to what we hope is only an occasional feature at Sporting Life Arkansas. Without a delay…

Spanning the globe; muckraking the lowlights of heroes in all things Sport, we present you –

“Short Sport Reports from Court”

Four Alabama football players (gruesome details are here) have been arrested on a variety of charges that stem from the apparent beat down of a couple of students while stealing computers and other items, but leaving intact a REAL BAMA fan’s love of football. No reports on if the beaten to a pulp alleged victims can still say, “Roll Tide” with gusto.

The bloodied alleged victim gets high marks from former Alabama quarterback and current NY Jets back-up QB, Greg McElroy, for staying true to the Tide.

A bit closer to home, an Arkansas Razorback defensive end, Austin Flynn, was arrested last night on an array of charges after crossing the center line on a Fayetteville city street. We will give you one guess as to how many beers Flynn is reported to have told the police he had to drink. Hint: More than one and less than three. That’s the same number uttered by drivers on every episode of COPS, isn’t it?

And from the white-collar files of the courthouse, everybody’s favorite pep-talking Papaw of a coach, John L. Smith, may have proven he’s as dumb as a fox, or at least may have tried to be as sly as one. From USA Today we learn this:

Former Arkansas football coach John L. Smith has been accused of using his employment contracts with the Razorbacks to defraud several of his creditors, according to two complaints filed this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. …

…

Smith made a series of transactions “with the intent to hinder, delay, or defraud creditors,” said one of the complaints filed Monday.

The creditors cite his unusual contract with the Razorbacks last year, in which 71% of his $850,000 salary was deferred until right after the 2012 season. In general, the bankruptcy estate controls assets acquired by a debtor before the date of the bankruptcy filing, which was Sept. 6 in Smith’s case. Debtors generally can keep what they earn after the filing date.

SMILE! SMILE! There you have it, sports fans – Short Sport Reports from Court.