NFL linebacker Leroy Hill was arrested in Atlanta for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, according to the Associated Press.

According to a statement released today by Atlanta police, Hill was arrested early Saturday after officers obtained a search warrant for Hill’s condo, finding partially smoked blunts and marijuana residue inside.

Hill, 29, has spent his entire NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks, who drafted him out of Clemson in the third round of the 2005 draft. He is now a free agent.

Hill has a record of previous run-ins with the law — he was also arrested in January 2009 on a similar charge of marijuana possession, and he was arrested on a domestic violence charge in a Seattle suburb in April 2010.

When the Eastern Conference unveiled its starters for the NBA All-Star Game last  night in Orlando, four of the five men were more than happy to strut their stuff and dance onto the floor during pregame introductions. The fifth was Derrick Rose, who’s said he’s not a fan of the pregame dancing.

“I can dance,” Rose told Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago. “But there’s a time and place for that, and I don’t think it was right, then and there.”

Rose was mocked for his decision not to dance — while LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony were into it, Rose stood quietly off to the side, away from his All-Star teammates. To Rose, to dance or not to dance was a non-issue.

“I don’t care,” Rose said. “You just know that’s me, man. If you would have saw me out there dancing, you would have been looking at me different. I’m just me. I can’t be anybody else. I think that’s what people see.”

All the pre-NFL draft speculation in recent weeks has surrounded the Indianapolis Colts, proud owners of the No. 1 selection in the April pecking order — but now, there’s big news regarding the No. 2 pick, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Rams will trade No. 2 pick. Only question is where. Chargers once got two 1s, a 3 and a 5 for Eli Manning. Rams likely to get similar deal.

—
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2012

It’s long been assumed that the top two picks in the draft will be quarterbacks — in some order, Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Baylor’s Robert Griffin III. The Rams are all set at that position with Sam Bradford headed for stardom, and they can get better value out of the high pick by dealing it away.

That being the case, you can expect all the same teams rumored in the Eli Manning sweepstakes — think Miami, Washington, Seattle or maybe the New York Jets — to be in the hunt for a pick to nab Luck or Griffin.

As Schefter points out, the New York Giants had to unload a boatload of assets to acquire Eli Manning back in 2004. Expect this deal to be a similar blockbuster when it goes down.

Longtime Boston Red Sox captain Jason Varitek will announce his retirement on Thursday, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.

The news comes as no surprise — Varitek turns 40 in April, and he’s coming off of one of the least productive seasons of his 15-year career. The catcher hit just .221 with 11 home runs last season, playing in only 68 games. The team offered Varitek a minor league contract and an invitation to big-league camp, but the catcher declined.

Varitek is expected to stay with the organization in some capacity, Abraham reports.

The Red Sox are well stocked with backup plans at the catcher position — Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Kelly Shoppach and Ryan Lavarnway are all expected to see time behind the plate in Boston this season.

The New York Jets have given linebacker Bart Scott permission to seek a trade, according to the New York Daily News.

Coming off an 8-8 season, Scott, 31, was not satisfied with his reduced playing time last season.  Scott was often taken out on third downs because Jets coaches believed he was weak in coverage.

Scott has three years remaining on his six-year, $48 million contract signed in 2009.  Seeing the success Scott had playing for the Baltimore Ravens, Jets coach Rex Ryan acquired the linebacker hoping to replicate the same sort of play in New York.  Now, it seems both the Jets and Scott are content to part ways after a disappointing season.

During the regular season, Scott had 66 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.

The Boston Bruins have acquired left wing Brian Rolston and defensemen Mike Mottau from the New York Islanders just before the 3pm trade deadline, according to New England Sports Net.

Rolston had played for the Bruins from 2000 through 2004.  With the Islanders, he played 49 games scoring a total of four goals and five assists.

With the Islanders, Mottau’s playing time has been limited due to concussion issues.

In return for Rolston and Mottau, the Islanders were given two Bruin minor leaguers.

Robert Griffin III had the fasted 40-yard dash time out of any quarterback participating in last weekend’s NFL Combine with a 4.41 official time. Griffin, however, thinks he ran it even faster than the official scoreboard reported.

The Associated Press reports that Griffin, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, claims he was told on the field that he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds. If that were true, it would make him one of the fastest players in the draft overall.

Although he did not throw in Indianapolis, he participated in other drills and met with eight different teams. He is considered to be one of the top two or three potential pick’s in April’s NFL draft.

Griffin threw 4,293 yards and 37 touchdowns with six interceptions this season. During his time at Baylor he totaled 78 touchdowns for 10,366 yards and 17 interceptions.

University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun underwent successful  spinal surgery, according to the Associated Press.

“I am very fortunate to have been treated by three of the very best surgeons,” Calhoun said in a statement. “My heartfelt thanks to them and the entire Beth Israel community, who have made every effort to ensure my stay is as comfortable as possible. Lastly, thank you to the people across Connecticut and beyond who have reached out to offer their support.”

Calhoun had been diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spine, normally associated with aging.  The school said that the surgery was performed in order to remove a large extruded disk fragment that had been pressing on a spinal nerve.

Calhoun hopes to be back in time to coach the March 3 regular season finale against Pittsburgh.  Connecticut is 5-5 without Calhoun this season, including 3-4 during his current medical leave for spinal stenosis.  They play Providence Tuesday night.

Former NBA high flyer Shawn Kemp said in a recent interview with SonicsGate.org that Blake Griffin is not as strong a dunker as the former SuperSonics star was when he played for Seattle.

Griffin, who is considered by many to be the best dunker in the game today, is often compared to a young Shawn Kemp. The two power forwards have made a living off of high flying dunks, putbacks, and alley-oops from their All-Star point guard counterparts.

In Seattle, Kemp played with future Hall-of-Famer Gary Peyton. Griffin currently plays with All-Star Chris Paul.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired forward prospect Carter Ashton from the Tama Bay Lightning, according to NHL.com.

Ashton was the first round choice by the Lightning in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Through 56 games this season he has tallied 19 goals and 16 assists for 35 points for the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL.

The Maple Leafs sent defenseman Keith Aulie to the Lightning in return for Ashton. Aulie, 22, has tallied two assists and 16 penalty minutes in 17 games for the Maple Leafs this season

The Cleveland Browns have signed linebacker D’Qwell Jackson to a five-year, $42.9 million contract extension, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Browns signed LB D’Qwell Jackson on a five-year, $42.5 million deal that includes $19 millin in guaranteed money and roster bonuses.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2012

Last season the 28-year-old had 158 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, and one interception.

The former Maryland star will be entering his sixth year in the league in 2012-13. In total he has recorded 565 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and five interceptions, all for the Cleveland Browns.

The Maloof Brothers have pledged to contribute $150 million help build an arena in downtown Sacramento in an effort to keep the Kings in the state’s capital, according to the Sacramento Bee.

George Maloof told reporters Monday morning that the Maloof family would contribute close to $75 million right away to help build the stadium. According to the paper, they plan to contribute another $75 million over the course of the newly founded agreement.

“We got something worked out, tentative,” Maloof said. We’re all very excited about it. We were skeptical about whether or not something could happen.”

The NBA will also make a contribution to the project, however the size of that contribution is not yet known.

The New York Mets ownership have announced that they will sell two shares of the team to family members and four additional shares worth $20 million each to their partner cable network, SNY, according to New York Daily News.

The team announced at the beginning of the month that they were looking to sell 10 minority shares of the team to help quell the team’s recent financial woes.

The team’s financial woes stem mostly from a lawsuit against owner Fred Wilpon from the trustee in the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme. The trustee has filed a motion asking the Wilpons to repay $83 million in “fictitious profits” that the trustee believes they made from the scheme according to Newsday. The trustee is also seeking another $303 million from the Wilpons for “willful blindness.”

Last spring the Mets had attempted to sell a $200 million stake in the team, but were unable to find an ownership group to purchase a single stake that large in the team. The Mets have firmed up seven shares but are now trying to sell as many as 12.

“We’re proceeding with bringing in partners. We have seven partners in terms of groups,” majority owner Fred Wilpon said. “We have seven whose money is in escrow because they’ve been through Major League Baseball. We have two that are ready to almost finalize in Major League Baseball, and a couple of others that are in the process. It’s a real process. If you have three, four people in your group, everybody is vetted. They’re all in there. And we hope to be able to close that out shortly.”

Wilpon has been involved with the Mets organization since 1980. Wilpon served as president of the team between 1980 to 2002, as Chief Executive Officer since 1980 and as Chairman of the Board since 2003. He currently serves as Chairman of Sterling Equities.

Boston firefighters responded to a small fire in the mailroom at Fenway Park Monday morning, according to the official Boston Fire Department’s Twitter account.

Response at 11:26 am to 4 Yawkey Way, Fenway Park, for a building fire. Fire on floor 2 in the administrative office area.

—
Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) February 27, 2012

Boston Fire Department spokesman, Steve Macdonald, said the estimated damage is at $100,000 due to water on floors one and two in the administrative office area..

The fire at Fenway was reportedly caused by an electrical short circuit near a wall mounted light fixture.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant told the press that if he were to ever own an NBA team, he would have fired the entire front office for passing on Jeremy Lin, according to the New York Post.

“The biggest thing to me is how everybody missed it,’’ Bryant said yesterday before the All-Star Game’s practice session. “They all would be fired if I was owning a team. I hear this stuff, ‘It came out of nowhere.’ I think it’s a load of [garbage]. You can’t play that well and just come out of nowhere. There has to be something there and everybody missed it. So heads would roll [if I was owner].’’

Lin was passed up by two teams including the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets before being claimed by the New York Knicks off waivers.

Lin had one of his best performances against the Lakers, scoring 38 points and having 10 assists. Arizona Suns Steve Nash also commented on the improved Lin.

The 23-year-old has played in 21 games this season for the Knicks, and in the past 11 starts he has averaged 21.8 points, 8.9 assists, and 4.2 rebounds.  Leading the Knicks to a 9-2 record.

The Detroit Lions look to re-sign defensive back Eric Wright, according to the Detroit Free Press.

“He had a solid season for us,” Lions general manager Martin Mayhew told the paper Friday. “We were happy with his performance. He can obviously perform better. Most of our guys can. But we’re also going to work on trying to get him back.”

The Lions met with Wright’s agent on Saturday, however, no contract proposals were exchanged. Wright has said he wants to remain in Detroit, but is seeking a long-term deal.

Wright started this past season at right cornerback but also filled in on the left side due to injury. This season he had 74 tackles, four interceptions, and one forced fumble.

Miami Heat star LeBron James told reporters at this past weekend’s NBA All-Star festivities that he would likely participate in the Slam Dunk Contest if there was $1 million purse involved, according to Complex.com.

Despite the new feature of giving fans the complete voting power in the 2012 Slam Dunk Contest, this year’s event seemed to lack much of the “star power” evident in the history of the competition.   This year’s contestants were Houston Rockets Chase Budinger, Indiana Pacers Paul George, Minnesota Timberwolves Derrick Williams, and Jeremy Evans from the Utah Jazz who ended winning the title.

James did participate in the All-Star game where he led the East team with 36 points.   Despite closing a 21-point to one in the final seconds of the game, James committed a key turnover sealing the 152-149 win for the West.

Widely considered to be this year’s No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, Andrew luck surpassed last year’s top selection Cam Newton in several athletic categories in the NFL combine.  To the surprise of many, Luck even surpassed Newton in the vertical jump, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Just as everyone expected...Did Andrew Luck really vertical jump higher than Cam Newton did last year? He did. Proof: fb.me/1DyfFrsgq

—
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2012

At last year’s combine, Newton displayed tremendous athleticism recording a 4.59 40-yard dash, 35 inch vertical, and 10’6’’ broad jump.  At last weekend’s combine, Luck posted the same 4.59 40-yard dash, 10’4’’ broad jump, and surpassed Newton with a 36’’ vertical.

With the first pick in the draft, the Indianapolis Colts will likely choose Luck over Heisman winner Robert Griffin III.  Despite Griffin’s blazing speed and mobility, the Colts see a mirror quarterback to Peyton Manning in Andrew Luck, who consistently displayed excellent pocket presence, elite passing skills, and leadership as Stanford’s quarterback.

University of Kentucky linebacker, Ridge Wilson was suspended from the team after being arrested for felony drug charges over the weekend, according to WDRB.com.

Wilson was charged with “trafficking in a controlled substance,” early Sunday morning after police found Wilson laying down in the driver’s seat of his car, which was pulled over on the side of the road. WDRB.com reports that police say Wilson was nervous when he spoke with officers. When he granted them permission to search his car, the officers on the scene reportedly found  a bag of Xanax in a pair of jeans in the back seat, they also found nearly $2,000 in the jeans he was wearing.

This past season, Wilson started eight games for the Wildcats. The junior tallied 47 tackles, two sacks, and recovered one fumble. In 2010 he had 30 tackles overall as a sophomore.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel may have violated league policy by expressing his interest in Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne, according to Yahoo! Sports.

I’m not supposed to talk about anyone else’s players and he’s still a player with Indianapolis,” Crennel said when asked about whether the Chiefs would be interested if Peyton Manning became a free-agent. “But with a talent like that, I would be crazy not to consider it if he were available. I’ll leave it at that.”

He was also asked about the potential of going after free-agent quarterback Chad Henne. Henne had played under the Chiefs current offensive coordinator Brian Daboli.

“You have to look at all of it and see how it all plays out. You have to juggle some balls and see what happens. Because of his relationship with Diboli, I think that would be a consideration but to say right now that’s the case, I’m not ready to do that.”

Such responses could leave Crennel with a potential tampering case, according to Yahoo!. Current league rules prohibit “any public or private statement of interest, qualified or unqualified, in another club’s player to that player’s agent or representative, or to a member of the news media.”

Crennel took over as interim head coach after Todd Haley was fired with three games left to play.  Crennel went 2-1, leading the Chiefs to a victory over the undefeated Green Bay Packers which snapped their 19-game winning streak.  He was later named the team’s permanent head coach.

The sexual-assault trial of former Denver Broncos cornerback Perrish Cox is scheduled to take place this week, according to the Associated Press.

The accuser first reported the incident Oct. 28, 2010 after she learned that she was pregnant. According to reports, she was initially unsure whether she had been raped because she was intoxicated the night of the incident and could not remember everything that took place.

Cox was charged for the incident after DNA samples provided to the police by the Denver cornerback matched results taken from the alleged victim.

Cox has plead not guilty to one count of sexual assault while the victim was physically helpless, and one count of sexual assault while the victim was incapable of determining the nature of conduct.

If Cox is convicted he could face a potential sentence of two years to life in prison.

Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III will grace the cover of EA Sports NCAA Football 2013, the gaming company announced today.

Griffin III is widely expected to be the second quarterback selected in the NFL Draft behind Stanford’s Andrew Luck. Some believe the 22-year-old could be selected as high as the second overall pick.

Last season he completed 72.4 percent of passes for Baylor, while throwing for 37 touchdowns. He also ran for 699 yards, and tallied 10 touchdowns on the ground.

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez told reporters Saturday that his friend Kobe Bryant had considered retirement last offseason before receiving a platelet-rich plasma procedure in Germany, according to the Los Angeles Times. The procedure, which he then suggested to Rodriguez, has quelled his previously overwhelming knee pain.

“[Bryant] was really adamant about how great the procedure was for him,” Rodriguez told reporters when asked about the knee procedure that he underwent as a result of Bryant’s advice. “I know that he was hurting before, almost even thinking about retirement, that’s how much pain he was under.”

Despite a lingering torn ligament in his right wrist, Bryant leads the league in scoring at 28.4 points per game.

Rodriguez has yet to play in his first game since undergoing the treatment, but has told reporters he feels healthier than ever. Last season the 36-year-old had arguably his least productive season ever. In 99 games played he hit .276/.362/.461 with 16 home runs and 62 RBI.

Minnesota Twins power reliever Joel Zumaya is reportedly considering retiring, according to the Associated Press.

Zumaya learned yesterday that he has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, which will require Tommy John surgery. Such a procedure means that he will miss the entirety of the 2012 MLB season. He did not pitch last year, and has been limited to 31-innings-or-less since 2006 when he broke onto the scene with the Detroit Tigers.

The 27-year-old has undergone five previous procedures since 2006. In 2010, Zumaya’s average fastball speed still reached 99.3 miles per hour, despite his injuries.

In 171 career games he has struck out 210 batters in 209 innings pitched, while posting a career 2.58 ERA.

There is increased interest among teams around the league in signing Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning should he become available, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

There were teams at the combine that once said they wouldn't pursue Peyton Manning now pondering that possibility. Interest in 18 is high.

—
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2012

There has been great speculation this winter as to whether the Colts will choose to release  Manning before he earns his $28 million roster bonus in March. The former MVP missed the entire 2011 season, and with the No.1 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, the Colts are expected to take quarterback Andrew Luck as part of their across the board reconstruction.

The Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs have been teams who have been rumored to be interested in Manning should he become a free-agent.

The Green Bay Packers are in talks to acquire Houston Texans center Chris Meyers, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The #Packers, nowhere in talks with C Scott Wells, met with agent (D. Rosenhaus) in Indy to discuss Texans UFA-to-be C Chris Myers.

—
Bob McGinn (@BobMcGinn) February 27, 2012

By pursuing Myers, the Packers are looking to replace soon-to-be free agent center Scott Wells.  Wells, 31, has served as the center for Green Bay since 2004.

Myers has been in the league since 2005 when he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the NFL draft.  Last season, Myers started every game for the Texans, who finished the season with a record of 10-6.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant reportedly suffered a mild concussion in last night’s All-Star game, a source has told Yahoo! Sports.

Bryant was on the receiving end of a hard foul by Eastern Conference guard Dwyane Wade in the third quarter of last night’s exhibition game. The 14-time All-Star reportedly suffered a nasal fracture on the play. He was able to finish the contest, but received a CT scan in Orlando Sunday before flying home to Los Angeles.

The 31-year-old scored 27 points in the West’s 152-149 victory, he also passed Michael Jordan as the All-Star Game’s all-time leading scorer, with 271 career points.

Yahoo! Reports that Bryant is still expected to play on Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Bryant is averaging 28.4 points per game this season, the most he has averaged since the 2006-07 campaign. The Lakers are currently 20-14, and trail the Los Angeles Clippers by a game and a half in the Pacific Division standings.

San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan collapsed behind the bench after being hit by a stick in Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Wild, according to NHL.com. McLellan is “alert and responsive,” but is still under observation, according to the report.

McClellan was struck by Wild defenseman Nick Schultz’s stick early in the second period and was attended to by medical and arena personnel before heading to the locker room.

McClellan, 44, is in his fourth year coaching the Sharks.