Just before draft, top prospect Laremy Tunsil sued by stepfather

This probably isn't what Laremy Tunsil wanted to be dealing with right before one of the biggest moments of his life.

Tunsil, the Ole Miss offensive tackle who could go as high as third overall to the San Diego Chargers in Thursday's NFL draft, was sued again this week by his stepfather Lindsey Miller. Miller claims an “intentional infliction of emotional distress" due to Tunsil allegedly attacking him last June and defaming his character, the Clarion-Ledger reported.

The history between Tunsil and Miller isn't pretty. The two sued each other on domestic violence charges last year. Tunsil said Miller attacked his mother, and Miller said Tunsil attacked him unprovoked, according to the Clarion-Ledger. Both sides dropped those charges last August.

An arrest report obtained by the Clarion-Ledger said the fight was over Miller warning Tunsil about having contact with agents. The lawsuit said Tunsil's mother and Miller had a heated argument about contact with agents, and Miller alleged that after that argument Tunsil rushed into the house and attacked him. Miller claims that Tunsil fabricated the part about defending his mother to Ole Miss coaches, and Miller says that Tunsil defamed him when he claimed Miller assaulted his wife. The new lawsuit by Miller says he is suing on grounds of “past, present, and future bodily injury, pain & suffering, severe emotional distress, medical costs, damage to reputation, and/or other types of damages that he has incurred (and will likely continue to incur),” the Clarion-Ledger reported.

Tunsil was a fantastic college player and became a well-known name when he was given a high-profile seven-game suspension by the NCAA last year for receiving impermissible extra benefits.

None of this is likely to affect Tunsil's draft status on Thursday. NFL teams don't care much about impermissible benefits, and the facts of the incident with Miller are disputed. But it's not pleasant story for a player who will hear his name called early in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday.

Kentucky's mass exit: 6 players have left program since fall

FILe - In this March 4, 2016 file photo, Kentucky head coach Matthew Mitchell speaks with his players during an NCAA college basketball game against Florida in the Southeastern Conference women's tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell addresses the departure of a sixth player since October, which could leave his roster thin again for next sesaon. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, File)

Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell said there are various reasons why several players have left his program since last fall.

But he wonders if the disturbing trend of Wildcat exits could have been avoided by being more engaged with players and his assistant coaches, several of whom have also departed this spring.

Forward Batouly Camara on Monday became the sixth Wildcat to leave the program since October. Assistant coaches have also resigned, which means Mitchell will have an overhauled staff and a thin roster. Kentucky was 25-8 and reached the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in the past seven seasons under Mitchell.

Despite the record, changes need to be made.

''The program does not look like we want it to look, and that's 100 percent on me,'' Mitchell said during a 47-minute news conference Wednesday that addressed the departures.

''It's been a three-year revolving door of staff, and that just creates tremendous upheaval.''

Camara, a freshman, was granted her release Monday after starting 14 of 33 games last season. Assistant coaches Tamika Williams-Jeter and Camryn Whitaker resigned this week, while the contract of fellow assistant Adeniyi Amadou was not renewed.

Linnae Harper, Kyvin Goodin-Rogers, Ivana Jakubcova and Morgan Rich have also left the program. Oregon transfer Chrishae Rowe was dismissed before the season.

Lindsey Corsaro, a 6-foot All-America from Indianapolis, was released from her national letter of intent on Tuesday.

Mitchell said some of the players left for personal reasons.

Whatever the reasons, the departures of so many coaches and players have created a potential perception issue off-the-court, forcing Mitchell to publicly address the situation. He talked with players, parents and Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart and learned that staff instability seemed to be a common concern.

Mitchell said he understands.

''This is a tough time for (players), there's a lot of uncertainty with what's going and it's hard on the players,'' said the coach, who is 219-89 in nine seasons with the Wildcats. ''There is apprehension about how we move forward.''

Mitchell said he favored of some of his coaches returning after managing last season's urgency, but acknowledged he could have communicated that desire better.

The coach also said he could have been more in tune with all of his players' needs, instead focusing on the ones that had issues.

Mitchell hopes to have learned from his mistakes after one of the most tumultuous seasons he has ever endured.

''Where I have made the misstep is people think that I didn't care about them and wasn't here to serve them,'' he said. ''That's where I have to take a strong look at and see where I have to improve.''

Kentucky has filled one of its staff openings on Wednesday with the re-hiring of former assistant Kyra Elzy, who previously worked at the school from 2008-12. She had spent the four seasons as a Tennessee assistant and associate head coach.

The Wildcats have to fill the void created by yet another regular in Camara, who was expected to contribute even more this fall after a promising debut last season.

The 6-foot New York City native averaged 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and tied for ninth-most by a UK freshman with 142 boards.

The Wildcats do return a solid nucleus in senior guard Makayla Epps, an Associated Press All-America honorable mention selection; sharpshooter Maci Morris; forwards Evelyn Akhator and Alexis Jennings; and center Alyssa Rice.

Mitchell still has highly regarded 6-foot wing Chanin Scott on board as a recruit.

That will give Kentucky eight players this summer, but Mitchell knows he'll need more bodies in search of its first Final Four bid. What's important now is to close the revolving door that has opened the program up to scrutiny.

Said Mitchell, ''We have the right people in place. I feel confident we'll get it done.''

Flyers' Evgeny Medvedev arrested on suspicion of DUI

Evgeny Medvedev of the Philadelphia Flyers was arrested early Wednesday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to NBC Philadelphia.

Police say that the 33-year-old Medvedev was pulled over for a traffic violation and later arrested.

No charges have been filed and toxicology reports are not in yet. Medvedev was later released from custody.

Medvedev signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Flyers in the summer after spending the last eight seasons with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL. In 45 games this season, the Russian defenseman recorded 12 points and averaged 18:49 of ice time per game. He did not appear in any of Philadelphia’s six playoff games against the Washington Capitals.

Flyers general manager Ron Hextall had no comment on Medvedev's arrest while speaking with the media on Wednesday.

Curt Schilling says ESPN is biased against political conservatives

One week after being fired from ESPN after commenting on and promoting a controversial anti-transgender meme on his Facebook page, Curt Schilling is firing back at his former employers.

In a one-hour guest appearance on SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s “Breitbart News Patriot Forum,” the former pitcher-turned-analyst flatly accused the sports network of being biased against political conservatives and having inconsistent standards when it comes to reprimanding on-air talent.

According to Newsday, Schilling's commentary was recorded on Wednesday afternoon and is scheduled to air at 8 a.m. Thursday morning. Here's just a sampling of what he had to say.

“It was apparent to me early on that if you wanted to go off topic as a sports person you had to go off topic left, or you were going to get in trouble.”

“Some of the most racist things I’ve ever heard have come out of people that are on the air at ESPN. They’re some of the biggest racists in sports commentating.”

Asked to clarify his remarks after the show, which was recorded before a live audience at SiriusXM headquarters in Manhattan, Schilling said, “The memo that was sent out more than once was about they wanted on air-talent to focus on sports. To me that means focus on sports unless you want to talk about something that is part of the liberal agenda.

Schilling points to several specific instances that he believes support his claims. That includes one involving Stephen A. Smith, who was in the baseball news cycle on Wednesday after raising the ire of Jake Arrieta.

“You listen to Stephen A. Smith, and Stephen A. Smith was the guy who said that Robert Griffin didn’t play quarterback for the Redskins because he’s black. No, Robert Griffin didn’t play quarterback for the Redskins because he [stunk]."

"Tony Kornheiser compared the Tea Party to ISIS. I don’t know any planet where those are sports topics. But I don’t care. It’s OK. I think those conversations need to happen. But as soon as you go to the flip side, the right side, there are repercussions for not talking about sports.”

When asked for a response on Wednesday, ESPN declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Schilling has not been at a loss for words. He's been unapologetic since his firing and has remained defensive, but he apparently just biding his time or waiting for the right forum before really letting loose. These are obviously some strong words here and some strong accusations that he's been waiting to express.

They're out there now though, and they will no doubt be met with the same fervor from those who support him and those who honestly felt ESPN didn't fire him soon enough. Both bandwagons have plenty of occupants and enough fuel to keep their animosity waging for months.

Worth noting, the discussion wasn't just centered around Schilling's issues with ESPN. He also shared his opinions on other topics, including expressing his support for New York passing laws that ban tobacco at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. It was a wide-ranging discussion that's worth reading more about at Newsday and listening to on Thursday.

For now though, the focus will be on the controversy, because when Schilling speaks there's always plenty of controversy to focus on.

Raúl Ibañez to replace Curt Schilling on ESPN's Baseball Tonight

A week after ESPN fired Curt Schilling they've already named his replacement. Former outfielder, and 19-year MLB veteran, Raúl Ibañez will join the network as an analyst on "Baseball Tonight."

According to ESPN's release, Ibañez will also appear on select broadcasts, and occasionally join other programs on the network, such as "Sportscenter."

Ibañez is set to make his television debut for the network Wednesday, April 27 during ESPN's "Wednesday Night Baseball" broadcast between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees.

Ibañez retired from the game following the 2014 season, and joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as a special assistant to GM Andrew Friedman in February. Ibañez will continue in that role despite his new ESPN position, according to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times, so it will be interesting to see whether that impacts how he's used by the network. Asking Ibañez to work a Dodgers broadcast, or having him seriously analyze the club, might be out of the question considering his current ties to the organization.

Ibañez on-field qualifications for the job are clear. He posted a strong .272/.335/.465 slash line over his career, hitting 305 career home runs. He did all that despite not becoming a full-time player until he was 30 years old. Toward the end of his career, Ibañez hung around as the motivating, veteran type. During that period, he was lauded for his leadership and personality.

Once his playing career ended, many expected Ibañez to eventually manage in the majors. He did interview for at least one managerial opening, and was often a name thrown out by journalists covering teams in need of a new skipper.

Ideally, those traits will make Ibañez an excellent baseball analyst. He already has some experience in that role, appearing as an analyst at Fox Sports during the 2015 season.

Ibañez path to success, and his ability to then remain in the majors for so long even after his late start, could give him a unique perspective on certain aspects of the game. He might be better equipped to explain why a young player might be struggling in his first taste of the majors, or give fans a look into the role aging veterans can play in a clubhouse. He experienced those things firsthand.

By all accounts, Ibañez seems like a strong hire. The people he's worked with in and outside of the game all seem to think he's a good guy and a smart baseball mind. As long as he doesn't start posting memes on Facebook, ESPN will probably agree with that assessment.

Terrorist group plotted to kidnap boxer Manny Pacquiao, President Aquino says

Filipino president Benigno Aquino III said Abu Sayyaf, a militant Muslin group based in the Philippines, planned to assassinate him and was plotting to kidnap boxer Manny Pacquiao, according to a report from The Associated Press.

Pacquiao, who announced his retirement as a boxer following an April 9 victory over Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas, is a congressman representing Sarangani province and the most popular figure in the island nation. He is in the midst of a campaign for a seat in the Filipino senate.

Aquino said the government scuttled Abu Sayyaf's plans to detonate bombs in Manila.

They allegedly even hatched plots to kidnap Manny Pacquiao or one of his children, as well as my sister Kris or one of her children, with the plan to use them in bargaining for the release of their cohorts. Threats against my own life have been investigated.

Aquino gave no further details about Pacquiao.

TODAY IN HISTORY - APRIL 27TH

1791 – Samuel Morse, American painter and inventor, co-invented the Morse code (d. 1872) is born.

1822 – Ulysses S. Grant, American general and politician, 18th President of the United States (d. 1885) is born.

1861 – American President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus.

1865 – The New York State Senate creates Cornell University as the state's land grant institution.

1896 – Rogers Hornsby, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1963) is born.

1911 – Following the resignation and death of William P. Frye, a compromise is reached to rotate the office of President pro tempore of the United States Senate.

1936 – The United Auto Workers (UAW) gains autonomy from the American Federation of Labor.

1945 – World War II: Benito Mussolini is arrested by Italian partisans in Dongo, while attempting escape disguised as a German soldier.

1947 – Keith Magnuson, Canadian ice hockey player, Chicago Blackhawks, and coach (d. 2003) is born.

1950 – Apartheid: In South Africa, the Group Areas Act is passed formally segregating races.

1961 – Sierra Leone is granted its independence from the United Kingdom, with Milton Margai as the first Prime Minister.

1974 – Ten thousand march in Washington, D.C., calling for the impeachment of U.S. President Richard Nixon

1989 – Konosuke Matsushita, Japanese businessman, founded Panasonic (b. 1894) dies.

2002 – Ruth Handler, American inventor and businesswoman, created the Barbie doll (b. 1916) dies.

2006 – Construction begins on the Freedom Tower (later renamed One World Trade Center) in New York City.

2011 – The April 25–28 tornado outbreak devastates parts of the Southeastern United States, especially the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee. Two hundred five tornadoes touched down on April 27 alone, killing more than 300 and injuring hundreds more.

2014 – A tornado outbreak over much of the eastern United States kills 35 people.