Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Off the wire
FOOTBALL Cowboys CB arrested
Newly acquired Cowboys cornerback Nolan Carroll has been arrested on suspicion of a driving while intoxicated after leaving a promotional event welcoming him to Dallas. Police said Carroll, 30, was arrested early Monday after being stopped for a traffic violation. He was booked into the Dallas County jail and posted bail later in the day. The Dallas Morning News reported Carroll was arrested after leaving a club that hosted the promotion in his honor. Carroll joined the Cowboys in March as a free agent from NFC East rival Philadelphia on a three-year, $10 million contract. The team issued a statement saying it’s aware of his arrest and is “gathering information at this time.” Carroll is an eight-year NFL veteran who began his career in Miami.
Arrested recruit to join team
Texas will allow a football recruit whose felony drug charge was reduced to a misdemeanor in a plea deal to join the team. Athletic Director Mike Perrin said Tuesday he met with Reese Leitao and his parents and gave the decision to let him play “considerable reflection.” Perrin said he found Leitao to be “contrite, sincere and accountable for his actions.” The statement from Perrin included no comment from first-year Coach Tom Herman. Leitao caught 34 passes for 423 yards and four touchdowns as a senior last season at Jenks High School in Oklahoma. He was arrested Feb. 28 and charged with felony drug possession with intent to distribute within 2,000 feet of a school in Jenks. Police said Leitao had 20 Xanax pills and about $1,300 in cash when he was arrested.
SOCCER Midfielder won’t make trip
Midfielder Morgan Brian won’t travel with the U.S. women’s national team on an upcoming European trip because she’s still returning to form after a knee injury in March. Brian also experienced tightness in her hamstring last weekend during a game with the Houston Dash of the
National Women’s Soccer League. She won’t be replaced on the roster for the U.S. team’s match against Sweden in Gothenburg on June 8 or a match against Norway in Sandefjord on June 11. Brian sustained a right knee injury against France during the SheBelieves Cup in March. She missed a pair of U.S exhibition games against Russia last month.
HORSE RACING Wagering operations relocated
Churchill Downs Inc. has moved its online wagering operations from Silicon Valley to its Kentucky hometown, where the Kentucky Derby is run at its namesake racetrack.
A decade ago, when the company was building its TwinSpires online wagering business, the operations were based in California to tap into its high-tech prowess. Now the company is confident it can fill those high-tech skills in Louisville, CEO Bill Carstanjen said Tuesday. TwinSpires has become a lucrative part of the Louisville-based racing and gambling company as a platform for mobile wagering on thoroughbred, harness and quarter horse races. In 2016, $1.1 billion was wagered through TwinSpires, amounting to 10 percent of total betting on U.S. races, the company said. TwinSpires employs more than 200 people, altogether. That includes operations that will continue in Lexington, Ky. It plans to add 25 more Louisville employees. The parent company said it is investing $2.2 million to expand its Louisville offices to house TwinSpires’ headquarters.
BASEBALL Robinson scholarships created
UCLA is creating $ 1 million worth of scholarships in the name of Jackie Robinson for male athletes in the four sports the baseball Hall of Famer played while attending the school. The Jackie R. Robinson Centennial Scholars Endowed Scholarships will cover baseball, football, men’s basketball and men’s track and field. The school said Tuesday that the $1 million was donated by local philanthropists with the UCLA Chancellor’s Centennial Scholars Match providing a 50 percent match. Robinson attended UCLA from 1939-41. Six years later, he broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 2014, UCLA renamed several recreation and athletic facilities in Robinson’s honor and retired his jersey number 42 across all 25 collegiate sports.
BOXING
Ali museum may close
The owners who restored Muhammad Ali’s boyhood home in Kentucky and opened it as a museum said it may have to close because of financial difficulties. The pink home where Ali — known then as Cassius Clay — dreamed of boxing greatness has drawn more than 10,000 visitors since opening last year in Louisville. Co-owners George Bochetto and Jared Weiss said Tuesday they have asked the city of Louisville and the Ali Center to help support the landmark. Bochetto said they have covered the costs to renovate the home and keep it open as a museum. They said a more comprehensive financial and marketing plan is needed. The first anniversary of Ali’s death is Saturday. Louisville will honor its hometown champ with a six-week celebration that begins Saturday.