Page 26 - 7-10-15 Friday's Edition

Sports
Former USF/NFL Star Pierre-Paul And Buc CB Wilson Have Fingers Amputated
Serena Williams Destroys Russian Rival In Semi-Final On Centre Court, Winning 6-2, 6-4
The end when it came was quick indeed. Serena Williams dispatched Maria Sharapova from the women’s singles with a speed that was brutal. In the last game of the semi-final, Williams pro- duced four aces and a double fault. Sharapova did not lay a racket on the ball.
If the Russian had not taken so long lingering over her serve, in the repetitive compulsions of her little dances, the endless bouncing of the ball before she finally hits it, she would have been back in the locker room in under an hour. Since 2005, Williams has now beaten her Russian opponent 17 times without reply. As rivalries go, this is as one-sided as they come, less a competition than a procession.
Mo Williams Returning To Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to sign guard Mo Williams to a contract, Williams announced on his Twitter feed Monday night.
It will be for two years and a total of $4.3 million, with a player option in the second season. The Cavs used a por- tion of their taxpayer midlevel exception to sign Williams, and will have about $1.3 mil- lion remaining.
Williams, who was an All- Star with the Cavs in 2009, willbeabletofillavoidasa scoring combo guard for the Cavs, who have been looking for perimeter help. Starting point guard Kyrie Irving is recovering from a fractured
MO WILLIAMS
knee cap and has dealt with various injuries during his ca- reer, making the Cavs inter- ested in acquiring a solid backup. Williams has started 511 games in his career.
In Firework Accidents
N.Y. Giants star Jason Pierre-Paul and Tampa Bay Buc C.J. Wilson both loss fingers dealing with fireworks.
This 4th of July was very dangerous and could be costly for two NFL players.
NFL star player and former USF star, Jason Pierre- Paul (New York Giants) and Buc cornerback, C.J. Wilson ended up having to get fingers amputated following separate firework accidents over the holiday weekend.
ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted, "ESPN obtained medical charts that show Gi- ants DE Jason Pierre-Paul had right index finger ampu- tated.”
The 26-year-old defensive end has been in a South Florida hospital since Satur- day night when he severely in- jured his hand in a fireworks accident, however specifics on what happened are unknown.
It was initially believed that Pierre-Paul had only suf- fered burns on three fingers and parts of both hands, but it was clearly worse than people thought.
However, physical injury isn't the only problem the ath-
lete may have to deal with. It was reported on Tuesday that several police departments in South Florida are looking into where exactly the incident oc- curred. because if Pierre- Paul was setting off the fireworks in their jurisdiction, he could potentially face a charge of criminal possession of fireworks.
In the state of Florida, any firework "that becomes air- borne or explodes is illegal to use," according to Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman, Mike Jachles.
Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers player lost two fingers in a fireworks accident on Saturday, according to the Lincoln Times-News, located in Wilson's home town of Lincolnton, N.C.
The Buccaneers have ac- knowledged they're aware of the injury but have not re- leased any details about Wil- son's condition. Wilson's agent has likewise confirmed that he's injured but declined to release any medical informa- tion.
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade And CP3 On A Banana Boat Having Fun Together
LeBron James To Sign Two-Year Deal To Return To Cavs
On Tuesday, TMZ published a picture that will go down in history as one of the greats. In it, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union (D- Wade's wife) straddle a ba- nana boat in the Bahamas.
The website wrote that de-
spite being on different teams, the trio of NBA megastars, who are noted pals, “spent three days hanging out and partying together...riding jet skis and splashing around in the ocean...off the side of the mega-yacht they were all stay- ing on.”
De'Andre Johnson Was Provoked By Woman's Racial Epithets, Lawyer Says
LEBRON JAMES
Former Florida State quar- terback De'Andre John- son's attorney, Jose Baez, told NBC News on Tuesday that his 19-year-old client punched a woman in the face after she called him the N- word and provoked him.
Johnson, a redshirt fresh- man from Jacksonville, Florida, was dismissed from FSU's team by coach Jimbo Fisher on Monday night, hours after the state's attor- ney's office released surveil- lance video of him striking the 21-year-old woman in a Talla- hassee, Florida, bar on June 24.
Johnson, who was named "Mr. Football" in Florida as a senior at First Coast High School in 2014, is charged with misdemeanor battery. Baez entered a written not guilty plea on his client's behalf on July 2. Johnson is scheduled to appear at a case manage-
DE'ANDRE JOHNSON
ment hearing in Leon County Court on July 22.
Appearing on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday, Baez said Johnson was not the ini- tial aggressor, but is "owning this" and trying to learn from the experience.
Baez said the woman raised her fist and shouted "racial ep- ithets" at Johnson after he accidentally made contact with her while they waited to order at the bar.
LeBron James has agreed to sign a two-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers worth the maximum of $46.9 million. The second year of the contract is a player option, sources said. The deal follows James’ plan to keep year-to-year flexibility to take advantage of expected increases in the salary cap.
James, who has been on va- cation over the last week, didn't talk to any other teams and al- ways intended to re-sign with the Cavs.
This is the first time since 2006 James will re-sign with a team. The last two times he was a free agent he left for an- other team, going to Miami in 2010 and Cleveland in 2014.
James met with Kevin Love before free agency started and they discussed plans for the upcoming season. Love signed a five-year, $113 million deal to stay with the team.
PAGE 14-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2015