DeBoer: Bama didn’t ‘steal’ Miami (Ohio) kicker
Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin has accused Alabama of “illegally” recruiting All-America place-kicker Graham Nicholson, a charge that Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer denies.
Martin made the accusation after being asked in a video for the school website about “losing” his star kicker through the transfer portal. Nicholson, who won the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top place-kicker last season, is replacing Will Reichard at preseason No. 5 Alabama, which opens the season Aug. 31 against Western Kentucky.
“We didn’t lose him,” Martin said. “He’s at Alabama. We know exactly where he’s at. You media people, it’s all pretend. Like, no, Alabama stole our kicker. They illegally recruited our kicker and stole him from us.
“That’s a fact. But we act like it’s not. … We live in this la-la-type world, like, hey, let’s not talk [reality]. I don’t know why. Everyone knows what’s going on. Alabama stole our kicker. A couple of other schools tried to steal him.”
DeBoer said after practice Thursday that Alabama followed the proper protocols.
“He entered the portal, and we reached out to him,” the Crimson Tide coach said. “That’s how that goes, right? So we did everything the way you’re supposed to.”
Nicholson made 27 of 28 field goals last season for the RedHawks and all but one of his 36 extra-point attempts. He was the first Lou Groza Award winner from the Mid-American Conference.
Reichard, who was drafted in the sixth round by the Minnesota Vikings, set the FBS record for career points with 547 during his Alabama career.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and safety DeShon Elliott have agreed to a two-year, $12.5 million extension with $9.21 million guaranteed, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Elliott, 28, was one of the Steelers’ best run defenders last year with 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 4 tackles for loss and 108 combined tackles.
NFL Network first reported the deal.
A former sixth-round pick, Elliott spent his first four seasons in the league with the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions before joining the Miami Dolphins for one year.
The Steelers signed Elliott as a free agent to a two-year deal before the 2024 season.
He has 395 tackles in 72 career games.
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Tisha Thompson
Ippei Mizuhara, the disgraced former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, is in federal prison in Pennsylvania, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told ESPN on Monday.
Mizuhara, 40, was ordered to surrender to federal authorities by Monday. He is in custody at Federal Correctional Institution Allenwood Low, a low-security facility, after being sentenced to 57 months in prison for stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani.
Mizuhara was initially ordered to report to prison in March, but a federal judge granted the delay. The reasons for the delay remain under seal.
Mizuhara’s attorney declined ESPN’s request for comment, but previously stated that he expects Mizuhara, a Japanese citizen, to eventually be deported.
The Dodgers fired Mizuhara in March 2024 after an ESPN investigation revealed he sent millions in wire transfers from Ohtani’s account to an illegal bookmaker. He pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return in June 2024, admitting that he placed about 19,000 bets with the bookie over a two-year period and accumulated over $40 million in debt.
The bookmaker, Mathew Bowyer, pleaded guilty in August to running an illegal gambling business, money laundering and subscribing a false tax return. He is awaiting sentencing.
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