John Fox Out After Panthers' Season Finale Sunday

Filed under: Panthers, NFL Coaching

John Fox and his staff will not be back in Carolina next year, the team announced Friday. Fox will coach the Panthers at Atlanta Sunday.

"I told John today that I appreciate everything he has done for us over the last nine years," Panthers owner Jerry Richardson said in a statement, "but as happens in this business, it is time for both sides to move in different directions."

The decision comes as no surprise -- the contracts of Fox and his staff are up at the end of the season, and the sides have been rumored to be on the verge of a split all season. Fox holds a 73-72 regular-season record for the Panthers, but Carolina has limped along to an NFL-worst 2-13 mark this season.

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Anthony Pettis Uses Amazing Kick to Beat Ben Henderson

by Michael David SmithAnthony Pettis brought the WEC promotion to an end in style on Thursday night, using one of the most incredible kicks in the history of the sport to seal the victory against Ben Henderson at WEC 53.

The kick all but defies description: Pettis jumped into the air, pushed off the fence with his foot and landed an incredible head kick at the end of the fifth round, putting an emphatic ending on his unanimous decision victory. The kick looked like something out of a martial arts movie, but Pettis said it's something he and his coach have been working on.

"Duke Roufus, we practice that all the time," Pettis said. "I've got 10 more of those kicks coming when I'm in the UFC. How do you like that to end the WEC?"

 

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South Florida Beats Clemson in Meineke Car Care Bowl

Filed under: Clemson, South Florida, ACC, Big East, Bowl Games

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Skip Holtz era at South Florida began with an 8-5 record capped by a 31-26 victory against Clemson in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in a half-empty Bank of America Stadium Friday afternoon.

The coach who replaced Jim Leavitt this year led the Bulls to a third consecutive bowl victory, continuing a program on the rise in the Big East.

For Clemson, the Kyle Parker era ended with broken ribs and an early exit from his final game as quarterback of the Tigers on his way to a baseball career with the Colorado Rockies.

Parker, a first-round draft pick of the Rockies in June, had opted to play one final season with the Tigers before focusing on baseball. But it was a rocky year as Clemson (6-7) fell below expectations and Parker was unable to build on his impressive 2009 redshirt freshman season when he threw for 2,526 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Parker, who finished with 2,213 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2010, was apparently injured during a run in the final minute of the first half.

Tajh Boyd played the second half for the Tigers in preparation for taking over as starter next season. Parker was 11 of 17 for 134 yards and one interception in his finale; Boyd was 13 of 23 for 112, throwing an interception on the first play of the fourth quarter that led to a South Florida touchdown that put the game out of reach.

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Viv Bernstein: No Happy Ending for Kyle Parker

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NFL Two-a-Days: The Playoff Radar

Filed under: Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Jets, Packers, NFL Playoffs, NFL Video

The playoffs are nearly set, and LeCharles Bentley relates which teams are under the radar and which are overblown. Yes, the Jets fit in one of those categories. Find out which in Two-a-Days.

 

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O Canada! World?s Most Web Connected Land

According to a recent comScore report, Canada has beaten out the US, the UK, France, and everyone else in the world in various metrics relating to broadband and internet use. While the conspicuous absence of the likes of Sweden, a perennial leader in these categories, fills me with suspicion, the numbers are still fun, and slightly surprising. One statistic calculated to both please and terrify is that, by comScore's measurements, just over half the population of Canada is on Facebook. That amounts to about 16 million people — a drop in the bucket with Facebook's user base — but it's the proportion that matters. US usage is around 40% by some estimates, which is of course significant, but it's fun that Canada has passed us up in this race. I'm guessing it has something to do with the weather up there.

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When will Nelson fight? This video only confuses more

Roy Nelson is on the shelf for a while or is he? Inside MMA needed to bring Roger Cossack on board to navigate this story. Nelson is being sued by Square Ring Inc. for a contract signed before his fight against Jeff Monson in March of 2009. Nelson then accepted a slot on Season 9 of "The Ultimate Fighter." That's where things get fuzzy.

Apparently, SRI believes it holds promotional rights for Nelson and the fighter violated the deal by working out a deal with Zuffa. But there's a lot more to the story that the casual viewer should know.

The IMMA interview is incredibly misleading in several ways. Roy Jones is made into the villain. That's really not the case. Square Ring Inc. is a legitimate promoter in the world of boxing, so it's not Jones simply trying to screw over the MMA fighter.

Secondly, Nelson was working in a matchmaking capacity for the promotion after his March of 2009 fight. According to the Fight Lawyer blog, Square Ring built its lawsuit around a short conversation between the UFC's Marc Ratner and Nelson at a May 2009 MMA event in Primm, Nev. 

On or about May 24, 2009, Defendant's Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Mr. Marc Ratner, attended the Primm Event. Plaintiff s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. John Wirt, spoke with Mr. Ratner at the Primm Event and told Mr. Ratner that Mr. Nelson was not only assisting SRI's matchmaker for the MMA bouts on the Primm Event, but also that Mr. Nelson was under contract with SRI as a fighter. Mr. Ratner also spoke separately with Mr. Nelson while at the Primm Event.

In the end, it sounds like the lawyers have to figure out some cash settlement Nelson will have to send the way of Square Ring.

Check out the interview and then read the take from the Fight Lawyer. SRI probably has a case and Nelson is far from a fighter getting bullied by Jones. Hopefully, the financial terms can be worked out quickly so Nelson can get back into the Octagon sooner rather than later. Because of his fighting style, appearance and ability to promote a fight, just about every high level UFC heavyweight is calling out the mulleted-mammoth. Nelson's tale should serve as a lesson to all MMA fighters outside the UFC. Get a lawyer before you sign any contract!

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Jack's Haircut

I gave my nephew Jack a haircut.

I couldn't get it right so I just kept cutting and cutting and cutting and well...

I gave him the Dumb & Dumber do.

Whoops.

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Dwight Howard, Stan Van Gundy Rip Orlando's Defensive Effort

Filed under: Magic, Nuggets

DENVER -- And you thought it was kryptonite that is able to stop Superman. As far as Dwight Howard is concerned, it's also his own team.

Orlando lost for the fifth time in six games Tuesday night, and the Magic star center took a few shots at his teammates. Howard, who likens himself to the superhero, said Orlando's perimeter players are letting foes go freely to the basket.

"I like blocking shots, but, for guys, he's one dribble and laying the ball up and I'm all the way on the other side, I can't fly over there,'' Howard said after the team's latest defeat, an ugly 111-94 setback to Denver at the Pepsi Center. "I don't have a cape in real life.''

Howard was asked if, as the team leader, he needs to rally the team and fire it up.

"There's no need to fire anybody up,'' Howard said. "You've got to fire yourself up if you want to win. If you want to win the championship, you got to be dedicated to whatever. I can only do my part, and I do my part every day. So everybody has got to be on the same page.''

 

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Muschamp Can Talk, but Can He Coach?

Filed under: Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Florida unveiled its new head football coach Tuesday, and the world learned at least one thing.

The guy can talk.

As for the rest of the job requirements, we'll see. I wish I could be more definitive on whether Will Muschamp will be Urban Meyer or Ron Zook, but history has taught us the only answer to that is maybe.

Muschamp certainly had all the other answers at his introductory press conference. His opening statement alone lasted 20 minutes. By the time he invoked the holy phrase "Tebow" about 14 minutes in, Muschamp had pretty much won over Gator Nation.

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More Will Muschamp: Will Muschamp Hire Affects Florida, Texas Recruiting Efforts
Did Will Muschamp Leave Texas for Florida in Anger?
Will Muschamp Wants Urban Meyers Involvement at Florida

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Joel and Nicole's wedding cake was a masterpiece!

At a ceremony that included the who's who of Hollywood ? and even an elephant ? Nicole Richie and Joel Madden were sure to pull out all the stops when it came to their wedding cake. The couple, who said "I do" at proud pop Lionel Richie's LA estate on December 11, dug into a custom-made creation from Cake Opera Co., the upscale Toronto bakery confirms to In Touch. "Nicole enjoys the hand-sculpted, unique design of the cakes," an insider says of the bride, who flew Cake Opera Co.'s artist Alexandria Pellegrino and pastry chef Jessica Smith to the west coast to bake the couple's sweet treat. "It was a hit with the newlyweds and guests!"

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Cannon Smith, FedEx Founder's Son and Memphis Quarterback, Arrested

Filed under: Memphis, Police Blotter

Cannon Smith, 23, has reportedly been arrested on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct, according to the Commercial Appeal. Smith is the backup quarterback -- who began the season as the starter -- for the University of Memphis. He also happens to be the son of Federal Express founder and CEO Frederick Smith.

Smith is a sophomore transfer who started one game and appeared in seven this season for the Tigers. He completed 22 of his 43 pass attempts for 246 yards and one touchdown while throwing three interceptions. He did rush for one touchdown.

Smith committed to Ole Miss out of high school before enrolling at Hargrave Military Academy. From there he went to Miami and then transferred to Memphis. He was finally eligible to play this season after sitting out 2009 due to transfer rules.

"We are aware of the incident that occurred involving Cannon Smith," said coach Larry Porter in a statement. "The matter currently is under investigation, and we are in the process of gathering all of the facts before making any decisions or public statements."

Memphis finished the season 1-11 under first-year coach Porter.

 

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Miami Heat Nearly Overlook Cavs Before Grinding Out Victory

Filed under: Cavaliers, Heat

MIAMI -- The Miami Heat extended their winning streak to double digits by doing just enough to stay ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers, grinding out a 101-95 victory Wednesday. What initially appeared to be one of the easier games on their schedule turned out to be a dogfight until the very end.

Before the game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra warned of the dangers of easing up. "We just have to stay on top of the process and make sure we prepare and respect this game, and this opponent like we have been during this stretch," he said. "We can't get complacent with our success."

But with upcoming games in New York, Phoenix and Los Angeles, as well as a chance for revenge against the Dallas Mavericks looming on the horizon, the Heat seemed to look past their opponent at hand -- one they had annihilated by 28 points in Cleveland just six games earlier and entered the game on an eight-game slide. In fact, the Heat actually trailed after each of the first two quarters before finally exerting their will in the third quarter, building a lead they'd protect the rest of the way.

"It was a good game," James told reporters after the game. "We executed enough plays down the stretch to help us win. Gut-check? I don't ever think it got to a gut-check point ... but for us, we're happy that we continued to win and we continued to get better."

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UFC officially headed to Toronto's Rogers Centre in April of 2011

The UFC announced another major breakthrough Tuesday. During a press conference in Toronto, Dana White confirmed that the promotion finally has an event set for Ontario in 2011. From an earlier post by the Toronto Sun:

The UFC will stage its first fight in Ontario on April 30 at the Rogers Centre, president Dana White said Tuesday morning. White told media at a press conference at the Air Canada Centre that he expects the UFC 131 event will be the most attended of all time.

The Toronto Sun says a huge crowd is expected. 

The provincial government expects that a major UFC event in Ontario would draw up to 30,000 fans and generate up to $6 million for the local economy, including cash from hotel rooms rentals, restaurant meal expenditures and retail purchases.

The promotion, led by the efforts of Marc Ratner, has worked for years to get MMA licensed in Canada's most populated province. It finally got initial approval back in August.

The event is also significant because it will mark the first time the UFC will hold an event in a stadium.

Formerly known as Skydome, Rogers Centre, the home of MLB's Toronto Blue Jays, can seat 49,000 for baseball and 54,000 for football.

Dana White stated on many occasions that he was hesitant to hold an event in such a big venue. The UFC president worried about the integrity of the event. Said White via SB Nation:

"I don't want to do one of these big stadiums and lose the live experience, where it's too big and you're looking down and seeing these little ants fighting inside the Octagon." 

UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta was bullish on the possibility. Said Fertitta in October (via TSN.ca):

"It looks like we're going to try and do the Rogers Centre [...] We looked at the [Air Canada Centre] too, but we want to break the record for attendance to MMA... We'll try to get about 40,000 to 50,000 people in there."

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The Winter of Iowa's Discontent

Filed under: Iowa, Big 10, Coaching, Police Blotter

"No matter what you dream or feel or say, it ends in dust and disarray."

Those words are from "Fire Inside," one of approximately 14,000 songs Bob Seger has written about the unbearable pain of existence. He wasn't writing about Iowa football in 2010 but he might as well have been.

A season that began with a preseason top-10 ranking is indeed ending in dust and disarray. The Hawkeyes lost four of their last six games to finish 7-5 overall. If only the misery had ended when the regular season did.

Just since the first of December, Iowa has seen Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, its all-time leading receiver, dismissed from the team after his arrest on drug charges. Two of the team's top three running backs, Jewel Hampton and Brandon Wegher, have decided to transfer while the third, Adam Robinson, will be suspended for the upcoming Insight Bowl against No. 14 Missouri.

It seems like just yesterday coach Kirk Ferentz and his Hawkeyes had turned the corner from the multiple on- and off-field issues which marred the 2005-2007 period. A slew of arrests and other bad publicity, mediocre on-field performance and Ferentz's 500-pound gorilla of a salary combined to have many questioning whether Iowa was heading in the right direction. Ferentz started the 2008 season on many a hot-seat list.

On a snowy night in November, 2008, Daniel Murray kicked his coach off that list. Murray's wobbly field goal gave Iowa a victory over then-No. 3 Penn State. From that point, the Hawkeyes played like the nearly unstoppable 2002-2004 teams. A team that many thought lacked mental toughness suddenly wasn't afraid of anybody.

 

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Kirby Smart Reportedly Offered Florida Defensive Coordinator Job

Filed under: Alabama, Florida, SEC, Coaching

Kirby Smart currently serves as the defensive coordinator for Nick Saban at Alabama. Might he be interested in the same position at Florida? Apparently, that's a decision Smart gets to make, as Tuscaloosa News is reporting he's been offered the job at Florida.

Florida's new head coach, Will Muschamp, played football at Georgia with Smart and the two are reportedly friends.

Muschamp was revealed as the successor to Urban Meyer at Florida on Saturday night and is being formally introduced as the school's new coach Tuesday.

Smart is considered one of the stronger coordinators in the nation, having won the Broyles Award -- given to the top assistant in college football -- last season during the Crimson Tide's run to a national championship.

 

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Wikileaks: Assange To Be Freed On Bail (Plus Bonus Downfall Parody)

Wikleaks head Julian Assange is to be freed on bail today. He will leave either from the High Court (pictured, with Media Scrum) or from Wandsworth Prison Prison, either today or tomorrow, but it looks like today. The Bail has to be paid into the court in cash (�220,000) by the close of play this evening for him to be able to walk. The uncertainty is down to the fact that getting sureties signed for bail may not be until tomorrow. Interesting aside: His lawyer Mark Stephens said Assange has been staying in the same cell in Wandsworth prison as Oscar Wilde once did.

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Lessons from London ? and a few UK Start-ups that aren?t Rubbish

So that was London for another year - my annual trip back to the old town to see what?s what, en route North to spend Christmas with the family. Interested readers might recall (almost) a couple of weeks ago as I was leaving San Francisco, I reiterated my already year-old proposition that there are no interesting start-ups (which is to say companies less than 5+ years old) in the British capital. By ?interesting?, I dunno, I think I meant companies that are making a splash on the world stage, or might one day bring in - say - ten million pounds plus in annual revenues (hell, even ten million dollars would be nice). My reason for being so mean-spirited in my review of the UK start-up scene was two fold. First off, I was concerned that my reception in London would otherwise be too warm: punching every British entrepreneur on the nose before I?d even landed seemed like a good way to head off that possibility. But secondly, and more importantly, I wanted to be proved wrong. Brits love proving people wrong, and so I figured that by saying there were absolutely no good start-ups in London, scores of brilliant entrepreneurs would contact me to refute my claim. Guess what? Didn?t happen.

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Miami Heat Nearly Overlook Cavs Before Grinding Out Victory

Filed under: Cavaliers, Heat

MIAMI -- The Miami Heat extended their winning streak to double digits by doing just enough to stay ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers, grinding out a 101-95 victory Wednesday. What initially appeared to be one of the easier games on their schedule turned out to be a dogfight until the very end.

Before the game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra warned of the dangers of easing up. "We just have to stay on top of the process and make sure we prepare and respect this game, and this opponent like we have been during this stretch," he said. "We can't get complacent with our success."

But with upcoming games in New York, Phoenix and Los Angeles, as well as a chance for revenge against the Dallas Mavericks looming on the horizon, the Heat seemed to look past their opponent at hand -- one they had annihilated by 28 points in Cleveland just six games earlier and entered the game on an eight-game slide. In fact, the Heat actually trailed after each of the first two quarters before finally exerting their will in the third quarter, building a lead they'd protect the rest of the way.

"It was a good game," James told reporters after the game. "We executed enough plays down the stretch to help us win. Gut-check? I don't ever think it got to a gut-check point ... but for us, we're happy that we continued to win and we continued to get better."

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Erick Dampier: Miami Heat's 6-foot-11 Lucky Charm

Filed under: Heat

MIAMI -- Erick Dampier may just be the Miami Heat's lucky charm. An imposing 6-foot-11, 265 pound lucky charm that is.

After losing his first game playing as a member of the Heat to his former team the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 27, Dampier hasn't experienced another loss since. More than anything, the Heat have benefited tremendously from his mere presence in the paint on both ends of the floor with their co-captain Udonis Haslem lost for an indefinite amount of time due to a serious foot injury.

When asked what aspects of his game have made the most impact, he took a split second to make up his mind.

"I would say definitely on the rebounding and on the defensive end of the floor," Dampier explained to FanHouse after the victory against the New Orleans Hornets.

"I guess as I've gotten older I don't think its about points at this point in my career. I've been that guy to go out and average a double-double and lead the team in blocks. I just know I'm on this team and pretty much have to focus on protecting the basket, erasing a lot of mistakes when guys get driven by, try to get my hands on rebounds and try to keep the ball alive.

"There's going to be spots here and there I'm going to get opportunities where others are getting double-teamed and guys are looking for me. I'll continue to work myself into playing shape and I think those will come a little more."

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Will Muschamp Wants Urban Meyer's Involvement at Florida

Filed under: Florida, SEC, Coaching

Will Muschamp never thought for a Texas second that he would receive a telephone call from Florida.

Yet that's exactly what happened late last week, and Muschamp, who unabashedly describes himself as an overachiever, has returned to his childhood home as the new coach at Florida. The Gators lured Muschamp away from the University of Texas to one of the most prestigious jobs in the country, despite his lack of any head coaching experience.

"I certainly didn't feel like Jeremy Foley (UF's director of athletics) would call me but I was certainly relieved and pleased that he did," Muschamp said Tuesday night during his introductory news conference from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Muschamp, who was the Texas head coach-in-waiting and considered one of the up-and-comers in the college coaching profession, is no stranger to UF and the Southeastern Conference. At 39, he is also the second-youngest coach in the SEC behind Mississippi State's Dan Mullen.

Known for his passion, energy and work ethic, Muschamp detailed his blueprint for the Gators.

He explained UF would implement a pro-style scheme both on offense and defense, and he wants his best best athletes on special teams. Muschamp plans to build his program on trust, respect and communication. He expects the Gators to be tough physically and mentally, he expects them to graduate and he expects them to win championships. He wants his team to be known as a blue collar, overachieving unit.

 

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