FBI joins probe into PVAMU Alumna Sandra Bland's jail death

HEMPSTEAD, Texas — A trooper who pulled over and later arrested a woman found dead in her jail cell was put on desk duty Friday for violating procedures, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.

Sandra Bland, 28, was arrested July 10, and after spending the weekend in the Waller County jail, she was found hanged in her cell Monday. Harris County's medical examiner said the death was a suicide, but Bland's family disputes the finding.

The FBI has joined the Texas Rangers in investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.

In arresting Bland, the unidentified trooper "violated the department's procedures regarding traffic stops and the department's courtesy policy," state public safety officials said Friday.

Bland had been pulled over in Prairie View, Texas, and previously state public safety officials had said she became argumentative and uncooperative so she was arrested on a charge of assaulting a public servant.

"She had become combative on the side of the road," Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith said.



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Hines: ASU football, Jenkins not under NCAA investigation

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Alabama State interim athletic director Melvin Hines looked to clear the swirling air of speculation Friday about the school's football program.

At SWAC Media Day, Hines said the ASU football team is not under NCAA investigation.

"What's the date," Hines said while looking at his watch. "July 17th, 12:16 p.m., at this time, Alabama State football program is not under NCAA investigation."

Last week, the Montgomery Advertiser reported two ASU officials revealed under oath in depositions as part of former football coach Reggie Barlow's wrong termination lawsuit against ASU said the football program was under investigation for NCAA violations.

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Alcorn State Senior QB John Gibbs Jr. named SWAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Quarterback John Gibbs Jr. adds another preseason honor under is belt, as he headlines the 2015 Southwestern Athletic Conference Preseason Teams. He was named to the preseason All SWAC First teamand Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after a breakout junior campaign.

The Houston native led the Braves to an eastern division title and the team's first championship in the divisonal era. Gibbs is also joined by Tightend Jordan Payne, Defensive linemen Darien Moody, Linebacker Damon Watkins, and Defensive Back Warren Gatewood all earned spots on the 2015 SWAC Preseason first team.


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Alcorn State added three more on the Second Team All SWAC. Running Back Arron Baker, Defensive Back Anthony William Jr., and Haiden McCraney was named to both second team punter and kicker.

ASU received 10 first place votes and a total of 95 points to become the preseason favorite of the Eastern Divison. Jackson State followed with 83 points, AAMU 66 points, Alabama State (50), MVSU (31) to close out the Eastern Division preseason rankings. In the Western Division GSU are preseason favorites, they garnered 8 first place votes and 93 points, followed by Southern (91), PVAMU (72), TSU (40), and UAPB (34).

COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

New AD Overton to implement GradesFirst at FAMU

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- One of Milton Overton Jr.’s first moves as Florida A&M’s new athletic director will be to implement software he hopes will help get FAMU’s student-athletes on the right track.

GradesFirst, part of the nationwide Education Advisory Board, monitors the progress of student-athletes and provides updates to both professors and the athletic department. Many schools use the software to improve university-wide retention rates.

Overton said he plans to implement the system before the first day of school.

It’s the same software Florida State has used since 2011 to monitor its student-athletes, according to FSU officials.

Mario Moore, the managing director for GradesFirst, said the software first became available in 2006.

“We help the majority of Division I athletic departments with their academic services,” Moore said.

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Mistress of former JSU football player kills wife, then herself

ATLANTA, Georgia - Multiple sources tell us that a former Jackson State University football player is at the center of a tragic case out of Georgia.

Sources say that the girlfriend of Buster Barnett, kidnapped his wife, shot and killed her, then committed suicide Thursday.

Barnett is originally from Macon, MS and played college football at JSU before going to the NFL and playing for the Buffalo Bills for 4 years. We're told his wife, 58-year-old Sandra Barnett, is originally from Mississippi, also.

According to NBC affiliate in Atlanta, WXIA, it all began Wednesday afternoon when neighbors of the Barnetts said they spotted a black Dodge Durango outside of the home. The neighbors became suspicious because a lock had recently been placed on the gate to the backyard after believing that someone had tampered with the latch.

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Florida A&M's Tennis Team And 5 Players Make ITA All-Academic Team

Karlyn Small led the Rattlers on the court and in the classroom
COURTESY FAMU ATHLETICS 

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Five Florida A&M tennis players, as well as the FAMU team as a whole, earned prestigious Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) 2014-2015 All-Academic awards.

In order for a team to make the All-Academic squad, each player’s G.P.A. is factored in and must average at least 3.5 (4.0 scale) or above. The Rattler squad met that criteria and was selected an ITA All-Academic squad.

The individual players had to have an average of 3.5 (4.0 scale). Carlos Augustin Waitman, Courage Okungbowa, Jason Ulacio, Joel Ovonlen-Jones and Karlyn Small all made the All-Academic squad as individuals.

Head coach, Carl Goodman, Ph.D, takes pride in the academic success of his student-athletes. No slouch himself, he is an Assistant Dean in the FAMU School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. In addition, he was named FAMU’s Advanced Teacher of the Year for 2014-2015. He hold no lesser academic expectations of his teams, but is especially prideful in the accomplishments of this year’s squad.

“They are a bright bunch of guys. We’re very, very excited about these guys. They are truly scholar-athletes. They are able to handle both sides. They go hard in practice and find time and energy to go to their rooms or library to study. It’s rare to see a whole team like that. And then the next day they’re back at the tennis court again,” Goodman said.

FAMU Director of Athletics, Milton Overton Jr., uses academics as his first priority in FAMU Athletics. “The FAMU tennis team is a prime example of where we want our teams to achieve academically. Our first tier to building champions is academics. Without strong academics, on-court successes are marginalized. In building champions, we want our athletes to be well-rounded in the classroom, in competition and in life,” Overton said. “I applaud Dr. Goodman and the academic pace he is setting with the men’s tennis team,” Overton concluded.

Goodman echoed that sentiment. “It’s good to know that when they finish their careers on the court, they have bright futures in the corporate world or private industry. Three of our players are in the FAMU School of Business and Industry, one is in pharmacy and another in computer science. Neither of them took an easy route, but challenging ones that could result in success after college,” Goodman concluded.

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North Carolina A&T Launch Intercollegiate Men's and Women's Golf Programs; Watkins Named Head Golf Coach

RICHARD WATKINS
HEAD GOLF COACH
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S GOLF
N.C. A&T AGGIES

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Richard Watkins has been named the first-ever men’s and women’s varsity golf coach at North Carolina A&T State University as announced by director of athletics Earl Hilton on Thursday. Watkins will start the women’s program in the fall of 2016. The men’s program will begin the following autumn.

“Richard Watkins has always been on my short list of candidates for Golf Coach here at A&T,” said A&T athletics director, Earl M. Hilton III. “He is precisely what we need in order to get two new golf programs off the ground. Coach Watkins is a fixture in the Greensboro golfing community. He has a tremendous passion for the game and for student-athletes. He has decades of experience in teaching the game, and he’s a proven winner. I could not be more pleased to add him to our coaching staff.”

For Watkins and many longtime supporters of A&T athletics, an Aggies golf program has been a long-awaited wish come true. When Watkins arrived at A&T in 1976 to pursue a master’s degree in physical education, legendary men’s basketball coach Cal Irvin and Dr. Otis Tillman, Sr., an A&T graduate, convinced Watkins to become the golf coach of an A&T club team.

Even though a varsity team never materialized, Watkins served as a golf instructor over a span of nearly 40 years, but never lost hope that A&T would one day start a golf program.

“I’m excited,” said Watkins about becoming the Aggies coach. “I know others are excited too. A lot of people have wanted a golf program here for years. Anytime any of the past (A&T) athletics directors wanted information on what it would take to start a program, I was more than willing to help, so I’m looking forward to building a winner. I want to thank (Chancellor Harold L. Martin), athletics director Earl Hilton and the rest of the athletic administration for having the forethought to bring this program into fruition.”

Watkins has been a part of the pro shop staff at Gillespie Park Golf Course in Greensboro for the past 20 years. His responsibilities included course maintenance and private and group golf instruction. He has also served as a golf instructor for the Multicultural Golf Association of America clinics and the TYGR Paws clinics. He has also worked at the Oak Hollow Golf Course (High Point) and was a volunteer assistant golf coach at Page High School under head coach Debbie Jones.

In 1992, Watkins returned to A&T to become an instructor in the physical education department now known as human performance and leisure studies, a position he still holds. From 1993-96, he was the head baseball coach for the Aggies, helping the Aggies win the ‘93 MEAC championship.

Before returning to Aggieland, he was a physical education instructor, head baseball and volleyball coach and supervisor of physical education student teachers at Texas College (Tyler, Texas) from 1982-92. His Texas College baseball teams won six straight Interregional Athletic Conference baseball championships from 1986-91 and he was named coach of the year in each of those seasons. Texas College also made the NAIA District Baseball Playoffs six times during his tenure. He was volleyball coach of the year in 1985 and from 1987-91.

Watkins is a 1976 graduate of High Point College, where he earned a B.S., degree in physical education and became the first African American to play on the golf team. He earned his master’s degree at A&T in 1977. He has also had further study at Middle Tennessee State University.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION