Former Evessa star Washington claims he is 'blackballed' despite exoneration

The Osaka Evessa and bj-league office claimed that Lynn Washington, one of the league's original superstars, retired on April 9 after he was exonerated of all charges following his arrest and 18 days in Osaka Prefectural Police custody.

The former Indiana University forward, however, is now telling a different story.

"I have been wrongfully blackballed from Japanese basketball," Washington told The Japan Times in an exclusive interview this week.

The two-time MVP and three-time title winner was the undisputed leader of the Evessa before his March 13 arrest on suspicion of smuggling about 1 kg of marijuana into Japan. When he was released by the police, neither the Evessa nor the bj-league issued a statement saying they would welcome Washington back into the league.

The 34-year-old Washington was ordered to keep quiet, to say nothing about his "retirement," this reporter has learned, after the team's news release was issued. He admitted as much. One source familiar with the situation called it "hush money," and Washington didn't speak out about the end of his successful career. Until now.

Despite the fact, he said, that no bj-league team will sign him, "if I did have a contract from a team, I would probably sign."

Recently, "I turned down two gigs in South America. So, no, 100 percent retired, absolutely not," he added.

Washington became the first player in bj-league history to reach the 5,000-point milestone, doing so on Oct. 15, 2011, against the Takamatsu Five Arrows, and also earned back-to-back All-Star Game MVP awards the past two seasons. He cherishes those accomplishments, he said, but is miffed about the way he and his family were treated by bj-league personnel.

Lynn's wife, Dana Washington, was arrested in February and released on May 25 after pleading guilty to drug possession.

Dana Washington's lawyer, Ichiro Morioka, presented her prescription, issued in California for medical marijuana to treat arthritis, sleep deprivation and migraine headaches, to court officials in Osaka. The 3?-year sentence sought by prosecutors was dropped.

(Washington maintains that he had no knowledge of his wife sending the package to Japan, and that he would have told her not to do so because of Japan's strict Cannabis Control Law.)

"Even though my wife did what she did, no one cared for my (three) children who were the most affected by what happened," Washington said.

Other key officials around the league demonstrated rude, thoughtless behavior after Washington's arrest, he said.

"For instance, the Shiga GM (Shinsuke Sakai) laughed when I went to jail and said the Evessa are finally finished," Washington said.

"Who cares if the Evessa are finished or not? Family is at stake, something, I thought all Japanese people cherished. I guess not."

Another incident involving the Saitama Broncos illustrated the immature way some individuals around the league handled matters after Washington's arrest.

"In Saitama, one of their team officials paused my picture on television from one of my endorsement commercials and started laughing," Washington said. "One of my friends on the team cursed him out because of his insensitivity.

"In the last 10 months, I have learned more about Japanese people than I have in the 10 years living in Japan," he said. "Most Japanese people will disown you if it saves their face. I'm OK with that however."

What angers Washington, though, is the way the championship-caliber team fell apart after the end of the 2011-12 season. The Evessa were 26-12 at the time of Washington's arrest, sitting in second place in the Western Conference behind the eventual-champion Ryukyu Golden Kings.

Osaka finished the season with a 35-17 record and remained in second place entering the postseason, giving the Evessa the right to host a second-round series against the Kyoto Hannaryz.

After the team's playoff exit, then-coach Ryan Blackwell said, "We lost arguably the greatest player in league history and we still had a chance (to make the Final Four)."

Washington said, "I understand the public relations aspect of disassociation, but cruelty reared its head therein. How so? Ryan Blackwell was fired for keeping a team together during troubling times and by being guilty by association. In one word, 'unreal.' "

In the Osaka front office's view, anything but an Evessa championship in May was an acceptable reason to unload Blackwell, one longtime league insider told this newspaper.

"All in all, the league handed down sanctions on anyone associated with what happened to me," Washington said. "Blackballed, absolutely. . . "

"I'm not bitter at all however. I had a nice career in Japan with a very promising future in America. I will come back to Japan and watch bj-league games this winter. I just hope I can get a front-row seat."

Washington's saga is a cautionary tale for anyone who expects the bj-league to offer them a second chance, even if they are declared innocent by the courts. Case in point: On March 30, Washington said in another exclusive interview after his release from police custody that he definitely wanted to return to the Evessa. "Give me a week of training and four games with the Lord with me, and I'm back where I left off," he said at the time.

That never happened.

"The Lynn Washington situation truly upset me," a former bj-league player told The Japan Times in a recent interview. "An innocent man being forced to retire, a week after he says to you that he only needs a week to get back in shape, then comes out and retires. Ridiculous."

The Evessa stumbled out of the gates losing three times in as many days by a combined 60 points in the recent Seiki Cup in Shiga Prefecture. It appears new coach Zoran Kreckovic will have his hands full building a team with only three of 12 players back on the squad from last season. General manager Hirotaro Nomamoto's ouster last week is the latest sign of a team far removed from its glory years — six Final Fours and seven straight playoff appearances.

For Washington, Nomamoto's departure was no surprise.

"By the way, Nomamoto being fired is just what happens when you have no knowledge of how a team should be put together," Washington said.

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Former U.S. coach Panagoulias dies

VIENNA — Former U.S. men's soccer head coach Alketas "Alkis" Panagoulias has died. He was 78.

USA Soccer and the Greek Football Association confirmed Tuesday that he died on Monday.

A native of Greece, Panagoulias led the U.S. men from 1983-85, and also guided the 1984 Olympic team. He later managed Greece from 1992-94 and led his country to its first World Cup appearance in 1994.

The Americans went 6-5-7 with Panagoulias as coach. At the time, Panagoulias' six wins were the second-highest total for a U.S. head coach.

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Former NFL QB Leaf pleads guilty

GREAT FALLS, MONTANA — Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges that he broke into a Montana home and illegally possessed painkillers, part of a deal with prosecutors that recommends he spend nine months in a secure drug treatment facility.

The former San Diego Chargers quarterback was shackled hand and foot and wore black-and-white prison stripes as he told Cascade County District Judge Kenneth Neill that he needed treatment.

"I'm very much looking forward to the opportunity presented," Leaf said. "An intensive nine-month rehab facility is presently needed."

It was one of the few statements Leaf made in the hearing under questioning by his attorney, Kenneth Olson. Leaf admitted that he broke into a home in Cascade County on April 1. He then admitted that a few days earlier, on March 28, he illegally possessed oxycodone that was not prescribed to him.

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Former Yankee Skowron dead at 81

NEW YORK — Moose Skowron, a five-time World Series champion and one of only two players to hit three home runs in Game 7s, died Friday of congestive heart failure at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Ill. He was 81.

Skowron helped the New York Yankees win four titles in the 1950s and 1960s.

"There weren't many better guys than Moose," said former teammate Yogi Berra, the only other player with three Game 7 homers in the Series. "He was a dear friend and a great team man. A darn good ballplayer, too."

Skowron became a star first baseman with the Yankees and went on to appear in eight All-Star Games over six seasons.

After Skowron's playing career he returned to Chicago, where he was born and had worked for the White Sox since 1999 in the team's community relations department, making appearances.

Skowron played for the Yankees from 1954-62, then won a fifth title with Los Angeles in the first season after he was dealt to the Dodgers for Stan Williams. He hit .282 in 14 major league seasons with 211 home runs and 888 RBIs, also spending time with the expansion Washington Senators (1964), the White Sox (1964-67) and the California Angels (1967).

He was an All-Star from 1957-61, appearing in both games in 1959 and 1960, then was picked one final time in 1965.

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Former Penguins Jagr, Talbot power Flyers to win

PITTSBURGH — Jaromir Jagr spent the days leading up to his return to Pittsburgh insisting it wasn't personal. He stressed that he didn't mean to cause hard feelings when he signed with the hated Philadelphia Flyers over the summer instead of with the Penguins, with whom he became a star two decades ago.

Seeming to revel in the chance to play the villain, Jagr punctuated his homecoming with his 12th goal of the season in a 4-2 Flyers victory on Thursday night.

"I felt pretty good but I had so many chances that if I would have scored five goals, nobody would be surprised," Jagr said.

Jagr missed an open net in the first period, then atoned late in the second. He took a pass from Claude Giroux in the high left slot, fended off Pittsburgh's Brooks Orpik while skating through the zone, and flipped a backhander past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to give the Flyers a lead they didn't relinquish.

The second-leading scorer in Penguins history briefly raised his arms in triumph, then skated along the boards, offering a stone-faced salute as the Consol Energy Center crowd booed lustily.

"I think it was important for not just him but the whole team to get that goal because he got it pretty tough from the fans," Giroux said. "But I think he kind of liked it a little bit."

Jagr wasn't the only former Penguins player to return in triumph. Max Talbot, who helped Pittsburgh to the 2009 Stanley Cup title, added an empty-net goal in the final seconds as the Flyers remained perfect in Pittsburgh's new building since it opened a year ago.

Islanders 3, Flames 1

In Uniondale, New York, John Tavares scored a goal and added an assist, and Evgeni Nabokov made 29 saves to lead the Islanders over Calgary.

Hurricanes 4, Leafs 3 (OT)

In Raleigh, North Carolina, Eric Staal scored a power-play goal 3:09 into overtime to lift the Hurricanes to a comeback win.

Lightning, 4 Canadiens 3

In Tampa, Vincent Lecavalier scored a tiebreaking goal midway through the third period.

Wild 4, Oilers 3

In St. Paul, Minnesota, Dany Heatley scored his third goal in four games to help the Wild snap an eight-game losing streak.

Blue Jackets 4, Stars 1

In Dallas, Rick Nash scored twice, Steve Mason made 36 saves, and Columbus earned its first regulation road win of the season.

Jets 1, Kings 0 (OT)

In Winnipeg, Evander Kane scored the only goal of the game 69 seconds into overtime, and Chris Mason made 31 saves.

Avalanche 3, Coyotes 2

In Denver, Semyon Varlamov made 25 saves and Gabriel Landeskog had a goal and an assist.

Canucks 5, Ducks 2

In Anaheim, Daniel Sedin scored twice and twin brother Henrik had a goal and two assists.

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Former official claims FIFA traded television rights for support

PORT-OF-SPAIN — Jack Warner, a former FIFA vice president, said Thursday he was awarded World Cup television rights for as little as $1 in return for helping Sepp Blatter win elections for the presidency of world soccer's ruling body.

Warner, who resigned from FIFA in June amid bribery allegations, said in a statement that the organization awarded him the 1998 World Cup rights in his native Trinidad and Tobago for $1 after he helped Blatter win a "brutal" campaign to become FIFA president.

A former president of regional body CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union, Warner also said he was sold the rights for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups after helping Blatter get re-elected in 2002, and later bought the 2010 and 2014 rights.

The accusations are the latest twist to the corruption accusations and infighting that have dogged FIFA throughout 2011.

FIFA said in a statement that "we are currently looking into the matter."

Once a Blatter ally, Warner switched his allegiance to Qatar's Mohammed bin Hammam during FIFA's presidential election this year. After being suspended by FIFA in May, Warner had threatened to unleash a "tsunami" of corruption allegations against the organization.

On Thursday, Warner said in his statement that he and bin Hammam, a former Asian Football Confederation president, had helped Blatter in 2002 by playing "extremely critical roles in his re-election as well as in preventing several members of the then-Executive Committee from instituting criminal charges against him." Warner did not give details of the possible charges.

TV rights for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups were "again sold to me personally however using the CFU as the vehicle," Warner said, adding that they were subsequently resold.

He said the profits, as with previous rights earnings, were used to fund soccer activities in the Caribbean.

Warner's decision to quit FIFA meant that he avoided an investigation of his alleged role in arranging payments for Caribbean voters during bin Hammam's presidential campaign — a bribery scandal that subsequently led to the Qatari challenger's lifetime ban from soccer. Bin Hammam withdrew his bid after the scandal emerged in May.

In his statement Thursday, Warner claimed FIFA had vainly made him other lucrative offers if he would support Blatter, rather than bin Hammam.

"In 2011, in exchange for my support (and by extension the support of the CFU and the CONCACAF) in the FIFA presidential election, the FIFA again offered me the sale of the World Cup Rights for 2018 and 2022 as a 'gift' at a nominal fee," Warner said.

FIFA also agreed to give CONCACAF a combined total of $1 million for two soccer development projects, Warner claimed.

"Notwithstanding the inducements offered, I . . . refused to endorse Sepp Blatter for the 2011 FIFA Presidential election . . .," the statement added.

According to Warner, a 28-year veteran of FIFA's executive committee, there are more revelations to come.

He said that he would make further disclosures next week, including "why I could not support Sepp Blatter's re-election," and "why Caribbean football will never be for sale."

The bribery scandal involving Warner and bin Hammam was sparked when whistle-blowers from four Caribbean countries reported that cash was offered during bin Hammam's May 10 visit to Trinidad ahead of the FIFA vote for the presidency.

A video of Warner urging Caribbean soccer leaders to accept their cash gifts was leaked and published on the website of Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Bin Hammam is appealing his FIFA ban and is awaiting a date for a hearing from the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

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Devils honor former player Niedermayer

NEWARK, New Jersey — Saying it felt right to be wearing a Devils jersey again, a humble Scott Niedermayer saw his No. 27 jersey retired on Friday night by the New Jersey franchise that he helped win three of his four Stanley Cups.

To the rafters: Former Devils star Scott Niedermayer's number is retired by the franchise on Friday in New Jersey. AP PHOTO

"It was an honor to be a New Jersey Devil," Niedermayer said near the end of the 35-minute ceremony held more than an hour before the Devils played the Dallas Stars. "These memories, I will cherish the rest of my life."

The swift-skating Niedermayer is only the third Devil to have his jersey retired by the franchise, joining fellow defensemen Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko, the trio who along with goaltender Martin Brodeur formed the backbone of NHL championship teams in 1995, 2000 and 2003.

Brodeur, Stevens, Daneyko and former assistant coach Larry Robinson combined to give Niedermayer his Devils jersey during the ceremony. The only other member of all three teams who was not present was forward Sergei Brylin, who is playing in Russia.

"To put this jersey on again feels right," Niedermayer said, drawing a roar from the packed crowd at the Prudential Center.

Niedermayer was accompanied at the ceremony by his parents, his wife, Lisa, and their four children and his brother Rob, who joined Scott in winning a Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007.

During a short speech that was interrupted by cheers of 'Scotty,' 'Nieder-mayer' and 'Nieder,' the Edmonton, Alberta native thanked the Devils owners, general manager Lou Lamoriello, who drafted him third overall in 1991, his teammates, the fans and even the Stars, who showed a lot of class sitting on the bench for the ceremony.

"We had so much depth on those teams, I think sometimes it allows a player of Scott's caliber to get lost a little bit," said Stevens, the captain on all three Stanley Cup teams who was the first player in team history to have his jersey retired. "But he had it all, and he was able to develop at a time when the culture was changing under (former coach) Jacques (Lemaire) and Larry, and we just continued to build confidence. It's a good feeling.

"There were some bumps along the way, like there are with all teams, but we ended up becoming a championship team. Scott, obviously, had a lot to do with that."

NEWARK, New Jersey — Zach Parise had a goal and three assists to help lead New Jersey to a 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Friday.

The Devils' David Clarkson, Adam Henrique, Ilya Kovalchuk, Petr Sykora and Patrik Elias also scored.

Blackhawks 4, Ducks 1

In Chicago, goalie Ray Emery stopped 24 shots, and Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa each had a goal and an assist for the hosts.

Sabres 5, Maple Leafs 4

In Buffalo, Thomas Vanek had two goals and two assists, and Tyler Ennis added a goal and assist.

Senators 6, Penguins 4

In Ottawa, Jason Spezza had two goals and two assists, and Jared Cowen also had four points to lead the Sens past Pittsburgh.

Panthers 3, Flames 2 (SO)

In Sunrise, Florida, Stephen Weiss connected on the winner in the shootout.

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Former Cowboys RB Springs dies

AP — Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ron Springs, who spent the past four years in a coma after losing oxygen during a 2007 operation, has died at age 54 without ever regaining consciousness.

Former Cowboys teammate Everson Walls, who donated a kidney to Springs for a transplant, says the Springs family informed him that his friend died about 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Medical City Dallas hospital.

The hospital is where Springs, who played in college at Ohio State, first slipped into the coma in 2007 after undergoing surgery to remove a cyst from his forearm.

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