Pernetti resigns as Rutgers AD
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., April 5 (UPI) -- Tim Pernetti resigned Friday as Rutgers athletics director because of an abuse scandal that cost Scarlet Knights' basketball Coach Mike Rice his job.
Rutgers President Robert Barchi said he accepted Pernetti's resignation and apologized to numerous groups who may have been offended by the words and actions depicted in a video of Rice.
"I recognize and understand the gravity of recent developments with the men's basketball program," Barchi said at a news conference. "I want to personally apologize to the entire Rutgers community for the negative impact this situation has had."
Rice was fired Wednesday, one day after ESPN's "Outside the Lines" program showed the video of the coach verbally and physically abusing players during practice last November. Rice is seen yelling obscenities and homophobic slurs at players, throwing basketballs at them and pushing and shoving them.
Pernetti, on the advice of school lawyers, suspended Rice for three games and fined him $50,000 in December. That decision came under question when the video became public this week.
He stated in his resignation letter his first instinct after seeing the video was to fire Rice immediately but Rutgers decided to "follow a process involving university lawyers, human resources professionals and outside counsel."
Pernetti, 42, had been director of athletics at Rutgers, his alma mater, since April 1, 2009. He was credited with moving the Rutgers athletic program from the Big East Conference to the Big Ten Conference, effective in the 2014-15 academic year.
Some instructors at Rutgers have called for the resignation of Barchi, who said he was aware of the video in November but hadn't viewed it until the ESPN airing.
Burke voted national Player of the Year
ATLANTA, April 5 (UPI) -- Michigan sophomore guard Trey Burke won two national collegiate Player of the Year awards, it was announced Friday.
Burke was announced as winner of the John R. Wooden Award, which is administered by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, and the Oscar Robertson Trophy, given by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
Burke and the Wolverines (30-7) are in the NCAA Tournament's Final Four, taking on Syracuse Saturday.
The Michigan star was also voted the Big Ten Player of the Year after leading his team with averages of 18.8 points and 6.8 assists a game.
A nationwide panel of college basketball media members voted on the Wooden Award, with Burke totaling 2,808 points, 90 more than Indiana's Victor Oladipo. Creighton's Doug McDermott (2,344) was third and Georgetown's Otto Porter (2,144) finished fourth.
Burke is the first Michigan player to win the Wooden Award, which was first given in 1977, and the second Wolverine to get the basketball writers' trophy, joining Cazzie Russell, the 1966 winner.
Derrick Rose 'close' to returning
CHICAGO, April 5 (UPI) -- Chicago Bulls Coach Tom Thibodeau said point guard Derrick Rose, recovering from knee surgery, is doing well in practice and getting close to playing in games.
Rose, who underwent surgery for an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, can do "everything" in practices, Thibodeau said, but won't return to regular-season games until he feels ready, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Friday.
"Yeah, he's close, but he's not going to come back until he's ready, "the coach said.
"He feels a lot better but he's still not there ... his skillset is power, speed, stop, go, change of direction, so he has to make sure that he's completely comfortable with that. He's close, but he's not quite there yet."
Thibodeau said Rose wants to get back to the point where he plays the game on instinct.
"To have the ability to do it every day,'' Thibodeau said.
"Like right now, we're not doing a lot of scrimmaging because of where we are so it's hard to gauge. But when we did scrimmage I thought he looked very good. But the most important thing is him being comfortable, so we've got to let him work through it."
Chris Bosh's home burglarized
MIAMI BEACH, Fla., April 5 (UPI) -- Police in Florida said someone took items valued at $479,000 in a burglary at the home of the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh while he was out celebrating his birthday.
The thief, or thieves, took jewelry, watches, purses and other goods but left the player's NBA championship ring, USA Today reported Friday.
"We are leaning on the side of this being an inside job," Miami Beach police spokesman Bobby Hernandez said.
He said there was no sign of forced entry at the home Bosh shares with his wife and two children.
Bosh and his wife were out celebrating the player's birthday at a Moroccan-themed party attended by fellow Heat players, including LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
Police said the couple's children were at home with housekeepers at the time of the incident, but no one reported hearing anything unusual during the time period when the items were stolen.
