Month: January 2022

After 18 seasons in the NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers star Ben officially announced his retirement from the league. Roethlisberger made the announcement in a Twitter video, saying in part: “I don’t know how to put into words what the game of football has meant to me and what a blessing it has been. While I know with confidence I’ve given my all to the game, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all it has given me. A boy from Findlay, Ohio, with NFL dreams, developed at Oxford at Miami University, blessed with the honor of 18 seasons as a Pittsburgh Steeler and a place to call home. The journey has been exhilarating, defined by relationships, fueled by a spirit of competition. Yet the time has come to clean up my locker, hang up my cleats and continue to be all I can be to my wife and children.  I retire from football a truly grateful man.

Roethlisberger also thanked his family, the Steelers organization, his teammates and his coaches:  “Thank you for believing in me and allowing me to battle with you in the pursuit of excellence. To all of my teammates and the endless friendships I have gained, I appreciate you in our shared commitment to wearing the black and gold with pride and dignity. Putting that jersey on every Sunday with my borthers will always be one of the greatest joys in my life.

“To Steeler Nation, the best fans in all of sports, thank you accepting and supporting me as your quarterback over the years. Football has been a gift and I thank God for allowing me to play it. Surrounding me with great people and protecting me through until the end with love and honor.”

The Steelers also released a video on social media, which highlighted Roethlisberger’s impressive career. The veteran QB will retire with two Super Bowl championships under his belt, six Pro Bowl selections and as the 2004 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. He wrapped up with 64,088 passing yards and 418 touchdown passes. Roethlisberger ranks fifth in all-time passing yards and eighth in all-time passing touchdowns.

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The Michigan school shooting suspect who is accused of killing four people in a shooting at Oxford High School last November is planning on using an insanity defense at trial. The defense attorneys for the alleged shooter, Ethan Crumbley, filed a notice on Thursday saying that they plan to “assert the defense of insanity at the time of the alleged offense.”  Oakland County Chief Assistant Prosecutor David Williams released  a statement that Crumbley would be evaluated by a doctor from the Center for Forensic Psychiatry, saying:  “As expected, Ethan Crumbley’s attorney has requested an evaluation of his criminal responsibility. This is standard procedure.” At Crumbley’s arraignment last month, the judge entered a plea of not guilty at the request of Crumbley’s attorney.

Crumbley faces 24 charges, in connection with the shooting at Oxford High School, including one count of terrorism causing death and four counts of first-degree murder. Crumbley was 15-years-old at the time of the shooting, and is being charged as an adult.  Additionally, Crumbley’s parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, were arrested days after the shooting and charged with four counts each of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors allege that the parents disregarded signs their son was a threat, and gave him easy access to the gun used in the shooting. At a hearing earlier this month, prosecutor Mark Keast alleged Crumbley’s parents were negligent in addressing issues with their son, who allegedly texted his mother while his parents were not home, saying he saw demons or ghosts, or that he believed someone was inside the house. Crumbley’s parents have pleaded not guilty.

Authorities say that teachers at the high school had reported concerning behavior from Crumbley. Hours before the killings, Crumbley was found with a drawing that essentially depicted a shooting.  The teen’s notebooks also included concerning content including entries about how he wanted to shoot guns, shoot up a school and other dark thoughts. Crumbley searched online for information about guns and school shootings so much that he started to get spam advertisements regarding guns and mental health, the prosecutor said.

Four students — Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; and Justin Shilling, 17 — were killed at Oxford High School, located 40 miles north of downtown Detroit. Another six students and one teacher were wounded in the attack, making it the deadliest school shooting since 2018 in the United States.

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The NBA announced Charlotte Hornets forward PJ Washington and Toronto Raptors forward Justin Champagnie have each been fined $15,000 for their roles in an on-court altercation on Tuesday.

On the play before the confrontation, Washington knocked Champagnie to the floor with a hip check. On the next possession, Champagnie shoved Washington in the back, initiating the altercation. Washington escalated the altercation by forcefully shoving Champagnie.

Washington and Champagnie each received a technical foul and were ejected; the incident occurred with 1:46 remaining in the first quarter of Toronto’s 125-113 victory over Charlotte on Jan. 25 at Scotiabank Arena.

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