
For the Record
Arrested
Arizona State running back Loren Wade, who's suspected of murder after he allegedly shot former Sun Devils defensive back Brandon Falkner outside a Scottsdale hip-hop club last Saturday morning. Police say Wade, 21, had "sharp words" with Falkner, 25, after seeing his girlfriend, former Arizona State soccer star Haley van Bloomestein, approach Falkner's BMW in a parking lot. A witness said Wade pistol-whipped Falkner, who was sitting in the driver's seat, then shot him in the head. Wade, the Sun Devils' starting tailback as a redshirt freshman in 2003 and for three games in '04, sat out the final nine last season while the school investigated claims he had received improper benefits from a former athletic department employee. On Saturday he was dismissed from the team, and he was being held without bail.
Admitted
By Saints coach Jim Haslett, that he used steroids during his days as a linebacker with the Bills, for whom he played from 1979 to '85. Haslett said that shortly after he was drafted in '79, he experimented with the performance-enhancing drugs, which weren't banned by the NFL until 1987. According to Haslett, steroid use became rampant as the rest of the league followed the example set by the Steelers dynasty of the 1970s. "They were so much stronger," he said. "They're the ones who kind of started it." Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, who was Pittsburgh's president at the time, denied that his team pioneered steroid use. "Haslett, maybe [the steroids] affected his mind," he said.
Awarded
By an Alameda County (Calif.) jury, $340,000 in damages to former Raiders tight end Marcus Williams, who sued ex-teammate Bill Romanowski after they fought during a 2003 practice. Romanowski, who was released by the Raiders last year, admitted in court that he punched Williams in the face. Williams says the blow left him with a fractured left eye socket, blurred vision and depression. Williams, who hasn't played in the NFL since, was seeking $3.8 million. "If Marcus Williams would have come to us and said, Write us a check for $340,000, this would have been done in a heartbeat," said Romanowski's lawyer.
Died
At age 79, longtime Twins public-address announcer Bob Casey, after a battle with liver cancer and pneumonia. Beloved for his raspy baritone, Casey had worked Twins games since the franchise arrived in Minnesota in 1961. He was planning to retire after this season and reported to Fort Myers, Fla., for his final spring training, but he returned to Minnesota last month after developing pneumonia. Last Saturday, Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez--a longtime fan and friend--called him in the hospital to wish him well. Casey died the next morning. "He's one of the great announcers of all time, and [we] grew very fond of each other," said Rodriguez.
COLOR PHOTO
SCOTT QUINTARD/ICON SMI (WADE)
COLOR PHOTO
NICK DOAN/ICON SMI (WADE INSET)