Report: Newton left Florida amid cheat probe
AUBURN, Ala., Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Auburn quarterback Cam Newton left the University of Florida two years ago amid an academic cheating scandal, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
Citing a person briefed on Newton's situation, the newspaper said the presumed Heisman Trophy front-runner left the school rather than face a suspension or expulsion, partly due to three alleged instances of cheating.
The Times report comes after allegations by former Mississippi State quarterback John Bond that a man connected to an NFL agent had been shopping Newton's services to colleges for a "specified payment," reportedly $180,000.
"I'm not going to respond to every story or criticism that is reported by the media," Newton told the Times. "I've talked on several occasions about my time at Florida."
Newton, who denies any wrongdoing, has said his departure from Florida was due to the return of the Gators' star quarterback, Tim Tebow, for his senior season in 2009.
But Foxsports.com reported that Newton wasn't even enrolled at Florida at the time of Tebow's return and was actually facing suspension or expulsion.
McIlroy bolts PGA, returns to Euro Tour
LONDON, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy said Monday he has decided to return to the European Tour rather than play on the American PGA Tour.
McIlroy, 21, the world's ninth-ranked golfer, earned his first U.S. title at this year's Quail Hollow Championship. But he told the BBC he felt lonely on the PGA circuit and wanted to return home.
He said his decision was made last month while helping Europe defeat the United States at the Ryder Cup in Wales.
"There was camaraderie out there and I got to know the European guys better," McIlroy said. "If you're not playing well in the United States then it can be lonely, but over here you have your mates."
The decision has reinforced a feeling that the European circuit is overtaking the PGA as the home to the world's best golfers and demonstrates it's possible to be a dominant force in the game without committing to the American tour, the BBC said.
Hockey player who broke neck walking
ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 9 (UPI) -- University of Denver hockey player Jesse Martin, who suffered a broken neck when hit during a game, is up and walking after surgery, doctors said Tuesday.
Martin, 22, collapsed after the blow by the University of North Dakota's Brad Malone during an Oct. 30 game in Grand Forks, N.D. He was transported to a St. Paul, Minn., hospital, where he was diagnosed with three broken vertebrae in his neck.
Doctors said Tuesday Martin was walking around his hospital room after an operation that included inserting a screw into one of the broken vertebra and realigning the other two, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
The physicians added the procedure went so well a return to the game for Martin couldn't be ruled out.
"We're very happy with how the surgery went," Dr. Alex Mendez of Regions Hospital told the newspaper. "These injuries ... can cause paralysis. Some people can die. If he had been hit a little bit more, we probably wouldn't be here."
Mendez said it will be about a year before therapists can determine how fully the 180-pound senior center will recover.
Ex-USF star Quintin Dailey dead at 49
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Former University of San Francisco and NBA basketball player Quintin Dailey has died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease, officials said Tuesday.
The Clark County (Nev.) Coroner's Office confirmed Dailey, 49, died Monday at his North Las Vegas home, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
The newspaper said Dailey, who helped vault USF basketball back into national prominence in the late 1970s and early 1980s, had been a supervisor at the Parkdale Community Center in Las Vegas where he had been helping at-risk youth.
"Not only was Quintin a tremendous player, he was a terrific worker," former USF Coach Dan Belluomini said in a released statement. "When the ball went up, nobody competed harder than he did. I always appreciated his hard work and his ability to rise to the occasion. It's a shame that he passed so early."
Known as "Q," Dailey was taken in the first round of the 1982 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls and went on to score 7,470 points and average 14.1 points per game in a 10-year pro career.
But he was also dogged by off-court problems, including a 1982 attempted sexual assault conviction and cocaine addiction.
