Saints RB Bush could reach out-of-court settlement with plaintiffs

According reports by Yahoo Sports, former NCAA cornerback for USC Reggie Bush might have reached out-of-court settlement with the plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against him asking the star running back, who is currently wearing No. 25 New Orleans Saints jersey, and his family to return nearly $300,000 in cash and gifts they accepted during Bush’s college football career with the USC.

According to attorney Brian Watkins, the depositions scheduled to be made by the suitors on Wednesday have been cancelled. The suitors, Lloyd Lake and Michael Michaels tried to attract Bush as a client for their marketing firm, New Era, while he was at the University of Southern California. While Bush did not sign with New Era, they filed a lawsuit against the running back to ask for the money to be repaid. Michaels reached an out-of-court settlement with Bush’s family in April 2007 that included a confidentiality agreement, but in late December Bush lost his bid to go to confidential arbitration to settle Lake’s lawsuit and did not show up for a deposition scheduled in February 2008.

The lawsuit also caused Bush to be a subject in the NCAA investigation into USC's athletic program as they though he received possibly illegal benefits and violated association rules. If the investigators find that Bush is retroactively ineligible and determines that the USC violated rules, the player could lose his 2005 Heisman Trophy and his former college would have to their national championships in 2004 and 2005. But if an out-of-court settlement is reached between Bush and the plaintiffs, the NCAA and Pac-10 Conference would have to stop investigation and every one will keep what they already have.

Cowboys WR Irvin is facing one-million-dollar extortion

Another woman filed lawsuit against another NFL player, seeking $1 million because of a rape happened two years ago. As expected, the lawyer for the player claimed that it was another story of extorting big money from sports figures.

This time the player getting involved is former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin. A Florida woman filed a lawsuit against him Thursday, claiming that Irvin and another man raped her more than two years ago.

The lawsuit claims that a woman referred to as Jane Doe met Irvin and another man at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on July 4, 2007 and Irvin bought her drinks. The two men then raped her in Irvin’s hotel room, according to the suit.

Working as an analyst for NFL Network after officially taking off his NFL jersey, Irvin could not expect what would happen today when he was enjoying the amorous meet. Something may indeed happen, but calling it a rape more than two years later and asking for compensation just sounds unreasonable. No wonder Irvin’s lawyer called it extortion, the price one has to pay for fame day.

$134,000 settlement reached between Rams and trainer with epilepsy

U.S. District Court in St. Louis filed a consent decree filed Wednesday, saying that the St. Louis Rams will pay Ronald DuBuque $100,000 in damages and award him a $34,000, two-year contract to work as a rehabilitation specialist.

DuBuque is an 11-year assistant trainer for the Rams. In 2006, the team claimed he was a medical liability because he was diagnosed with trauma-induced epilepsy in 1984. Then DuBuque complained that the Rams did not renew his contract that year and the complaint caused the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to file the lawsuit claiming the Rams discriminated against the trainer because of his seizure disorder.

It was really satirization for what Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff’s statement, which said that the Rams had not and would never judge an employee on anything other than their ability to perform their job.