Press Box: Tulane AD suspended for alleged ties to gambling
Ross Parmley was suspended by Tulane from his position as athletic director after his name appeared in an FBI affidavit investigating a gambling ring in Oklahoma City.
Parmley, 39, will remain on paid administrative leave until the investigation into his alleged ties to an Oklahoma bookie is complete. Parmley was named athletic director in January after serving in an interim AD capacity for three months.
Parmley's name has been tied to the illegal gambling operation run by Teddy Mitchell of Oklahoma City. The Oklahoman on Tuesday reported that an admission to the FBI had been recorded on which Parmley states that he bet on college and professional games for multiple years, including during his time as an employee of the Tulsa athletic department.
The unsealed affidavit alleges Parmley exchanged funds for deposit with Mitchell, including a check for more than $1,700.
Parmley is cooperating with the investigators but is accused by Mitchell of being an involved gambler. He has not been charged but could be called as a witness against Mitchell, a 57-year-old alleged to have operated high-stakes poker games, accepted sports wagers and laundered the illegal proceeds along with nine others.
Mitchell faces more than 75 counts in a federal indictment. He has pleaded not guilty.
SOCCER
---Former D.C. United CEO Kevin Payne is set to become president of FC Toronto on Wednesday, the Toronto Star reported.
Payne, 59, resigned his position with D.C. United on Tuesday. He had worked with the Major League Soccer club since its founding in 1996, building one of the league's most successful franchises.
In his new role with FC Toronto, Payne will lead the business and soccer operations for a franchise that has never made the playoffs in its six years in MLS and had the worst record in the league in 2012.
--Luiz Felipe Scolari will return as Brazil's national soccer team, replacing the dismissed of Mano Menezes, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday.
Scolari, 64, was Brazil's coach when it beat Germany 2-0 to win the country's fifth World Cup title in 2002.
The Brazilian soccer federation fired Menezes on Nov. 23, and officials said they will hold a press conference Thursday, but have not confirmed that Solari is the choice.
Brazil, long one of the world's soccer powers, has fallen to 13th in FIFA's world soccer rankings. Brazil is hosting the 2014 World Cup.
NHL
--Center Riley Sheahan, the Detroit Red Wings' top draft pick in 2010 was charged with "super drunk" driving after a traffic stop in Grand Rapids, Mich., in late October while wearing a purple Teletubby costume.
Sheahan's blood-alcohol level was .30, nearly four times the legal limit in Michigan, when he was arrested on Oct. 29 by Grand Rapids police, who spotted him going the wrong direction on a one-way street, MLive.com reported. In Michigan, a driver with a level of .17 or higher is considered "super drunk."
Sheahan, 20, who plays for the minor-league Grand Rapids Griffins, was dressed as Tinky Winky, one of the characters on the Teletubby children's show.
GOLF
---The United States Golf Association and the R&A, which governs the sport outside the U.S. and Mexico, are proposing a ban of anchored putting that would take effect on Jan. 1, 2016.
The potential rule would not allow steadying a club against the body, usually the chest or belly, as a base for a pendulum motion during a swing.
Golf's governing bodies will listen to public comment on the rule before making the change official in early 2013.
If the rule change is enacted, a golfer would be penalized two strokes for each violation during stroke play or lose the hole in match play. Belly and extended putters still could be used as long as they aren't anchored against the body, said Mike Davis, executive director of the USGA.
