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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 5, 2007

GOLF

Mickelson To Skip BMW Championship

LEMONT, Ill. - Phil Mickelson withdrew Tuesday from the BMW Championship, one day after threatening not to play because of a conflict he had with PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem over issues he wouldn't explain.

'This decision was not an easy one to make, and in no way is meant as disrespectful to the tour or 'sending a message' to anyone,' Mickelson said in a statement.

Tiger Woods skipped the first week at The Barclays, saying his body and mind needed a break from back-to-back victories at a World Golf Championship and the PGA Tour Championship. Ernie Els and Scott Verplank skipped last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

PRO FOOTBALL

Trotter Officially Signs With Bucs

TAMPA - The release this past offseason of former Pro Bowler Shelton Quarles left a hole in the middle of the Bucs defense that was finally filled when the Bucs signed Jeremiah Trotter to a one-year deal.

The signing comes two weeks after Trotter's surprising release by Philadelphia and less than two weeks after the four-time Pro Bowler worked out for the Bucs at One Buc Place.

The contract is for $1 million and gives the Bucs a veteran presence behind projected starting middle linebacker Barrett Ruud. Trotter, 30, has said he also intends to help the Bucs on special teams.

To make room for Trotter on the roster, the Bucs released wide receiver Taye Biddle. In another move, the Bucs signed receiver Michael Spurlock to their practice squad.

PRO BASKETBALL

Shaq, Wife In Divorce Proceedings
MIAMI - Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal wants to divorce Shaunie, his wife of nearly five years. 'The marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken,' says his petition, filed Tuesday by attorney Ira Elegant.

The O'Neals have four children together - Shareef, 7, Amirah, 5, Shaqir, 4, and Me'Arah, 1. Shaq has a daughter, Taahirah, and Shaunie has a son, Myles, from previous relationships.

Shaq, 35, and Shaunie, 32, wed Dec. 26, 2002, in a lavish ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The two have a prenuptial agreement, according to the petition.

INDICTED: A grand jury in Chicago indicted four men in the armed robbery of Miami Heat forward Antoine Walker.

Prosecutors say 28-year-old Antoine Larkins; Demorris Hill, 25; Phillip Allison, 28; and Gregory Reedfields, 23, broke into Walker's Chicago home June 9 and bound Walker and a relative with duct tape. The men then made off with Walker's Mercedes, cash and jewelry.

NELSON'S FATHER: The Delaware state medical examiner has listed the death of Orlando Magic star Jameer Nelson's father as accidental. The body of Floyd 'Pete' Nelson, 57, was pulled from the Delaware River on Saturday.,

LEGAL

Murder Charge Filed In Porter's Death

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Former Villanova star Howard Porter was trying to trade money and crack cocaine for sex with a prostitute when he was beaten to death, according to murder charges filed against a St. Paul man.

Porter, 58, a former Sarasota Booker High star, died May 26, a week after he was found unconscious in a Minneapolis alley.

Rashad Arthur Raleigh, 29, was charged with second-degree murder.

COLLEGES

Former FAMU Coach Pleads No Contest

TALLAHASSEE - Former Florida A&M University basketball coach Mike Gillespie pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of stalking a former girlfriend, and was sentenced to a year of probation.

The court also ordered Gillespie, who is married, to stay away from his accuser.

ELSEWHERE

U.S Gymnasts Earn Berth In Beijing

STUTTGART, Germany - The U.S. men's gymnastics team silenced its critics with an impressive performance at the world gymnastics championships, securing a spot in Beijing.

With 364 points, the Americans were fourth behind China, Japan and Germany. The top 12 teams qualify for Beijing, and the top eight get to come back Thursday to try for a team medal.

OBITUARY: Former Clemson basketball standout Clarke Bynum, 45, who once helped thwart a plane hijacking, died Monday after a long battle with cancer. Bynum subdued a man who attacked a pilot in the cockpit of a British Airways jet in December 2000.

PRO HOCKEY: Maple Leafs forward Mark Bell was suspended indefinitely without pay after last month's plea of no contest to drunken-driving and hit-and-run charges. ... Nine-time All-Star Jeremy Roenick signed a one-year, $500,000 contract with the San Jose Sharks.

A Tribune staff, wire report

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