Athletics

Acquitted of murder but guilty of culpable homicide

PRETORIA, South Africa – Oscar Pistorius was taken away in a police van with barred windows Tuesday to start serving a five-year prison sentence for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Delivering her sentence, Judge Thokozile Masipa cited the “gross negligence” the double-amputee Olympic runner showed when he shot Steenkamp multiple times through a toilet cubicle door in his home.

Pistorius, who cried and retched during his murder trial, was unemotional as he stood to hear his sentence. His prison term begins immediately, and he was led by police down a flight of stairs to holding cells before leaving the courthouse in the armored vehicle.

The world-famous runner later arrived at the nearby Kgosi Mampuru II prison in the South African capital. Despite the prison’s reported problems with overcrowding and violence, authorities have said Pistorius would be held away from the general prison population because of his disability and high profile – possibly in a high-security section or a hospital wing.

Pistorius could be released after 10 months to serve the remainder under house arrest, according to legal experts. Masipa last month convicted Pistorius of culpable homicide, or negligent killing, but acquitted him of murder after he testified he mistook Steenkamp for a nighttime intruder.

College Athletics

Scholarship changes afoot says the NCAA President

CHICAGO – NCAA President Mark Emmert said Monday there is no talk about allowing compensation for autographs and signed memorabilia.

Emmert made his remarks at a luncheon with business leaders while Georgia running back Todd Gurley remains suspended because of a school investigation into possible violations of NCAA rules involving autographs and memorabilia. Florida State also is reviewing whether star quarterback Jameis Winston received improper benefits from a large number of autographs being sold online.

Emmert also expressed confidence that NCAA members would adopt a new model in January that would allow for larger scholarships that included broader insurance coverage, miscellaneous expenses and multiyear commitments.

MLB

The ‘black market source’ for Bosch arrested by DEA

MIAMI – U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents Tuesday arrested a South Florida man suspected of manufacturing and supplying banned performance-enhancing drugs to clinics that distributed them to Major League Baseball players and other athletes.

A DEA criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday charges Paulo Berejuk with conspiracy to distribute testosterone. An initial court hearing for Berejuk was delayed until Thursday.

A DEA affidavit describes Berejuk as a “black market source” for testosterone to clinics whose customers included MLB players. The affidavit said Berejuk is a chemist who made the substances in his garage and was the initial main supplier to Anthony Bosch, former owner of the now-shuttered Biogenesis of America clinic.

NFL

Cowboys cut Michael Sam from their practice squad

IRVING, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys released Michael Sam from the practice squad, another setback as the NFL’s first openly gay player tries to make an active roster during the regular season for the first time.

Sam was signed to Dallas’ practice squad Sept. 3, four days after he was among the final cuts by the St. Louis Rams at the end of the preseason.

The Rams drafted Sam, the former SEC defensive player of the year at Missouri, late in the seventh round of the NFL draft in May.

Associated Press