A professional soccer player last seen playing for Bradford City A.F.C., a team England’s fourth-tier League Two, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges that included having sex with a 14-year-old girl, according to the BBC.

Tyrell Robinson reportedly admitted to a sex offense with the child in an appearance at Bradford Crown Court. The offense reportedly occurred in August 2018, and resulted in charges of engaging in sexual activity with a child and making and distributing an indecent image of a child via Snapchat.

Robinson also denied another charge of distributing an indecent photograph of a child in December 2017, and prosecution reportedly said it would drop that charge.

The 22-year-old was reportedly warned he could face jail time for the offense, and will be sentenced at a later date after making bail. He has already been ordered to sign the sex offenders registry.

Bradford City reportedly dropped the left winger for gross misconduct after he was charged in February. Robinson had previously played for the Under-23 club of the Premier League’s Arsenal until his departure in 2017.

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An English soccer star has admitted having sex with a 14-year-old girl and sharing child porn on Snapchat, according to reports.

Former Arsenal winger Tyrell Robinson, 22, pleaded guilty Tuesday to engaging in sexual activity with a child, as well as making and distributing an indecent image of a child, the BBC said.

He was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register before he was allowed to leave Bradford Crown Court on bail, the broadcaster said. 

“All options will be open to the judge who deals with your case, and that will very much include the possibility of a prison sentence,” Judge Jonathan Rose warned him. A date was not given for sentencing.

The pro player — who was just 7 when he first played for Arsenal’s youth team — had been fired by Bradford City for gross misconduct after he was charged by police in February, the report said.

“He had a promising football career in front of him,” Mike Harrison, editor of a Bradford City fanzine, told the Bradford Telegraph & Argus.

“He has thrown it away for whatever sexual gratification he [had],” he said.

Rutgers basketball player Jacob Young reached a plea deal Monday in his driving while intoxicated case, according to his attorney.

Young was arrested in the early-morning hours Feb. 2 in New Brunswick by Rutgers University police and charged with DWI, reckless driving, failing to signal, disregarding a stop sign and careless driving, according to a RUPD incident report.

Appearing in New Brunswick Municipal Court via a video-conference call Monday, Young’s DWI charge was dropped and he agreed to plead guilty to reckless driving. Young had his New Jersey license privileges suspended for 60 days and agreed to pay a fine of $240.

“Jacob’s accepting his responsibility,’’ James Curran, Young’s Milltown-based attorney, said. “He’s remorseful. He’s a really nice kid and he made a mistake.’’

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A rising senior guard from Houston who was 22-years old at the time of his arrest, Young was suspended for one game for a violation of team rules by Scarlet Knights coach Steve Pikiell after the incident.

Both Young and Pikiell on Monday declined to comment through a Rutgers spokesperson, who said, “The team considers the matter resolved.’’

In February, Pikiell said he was “disappointed’’ upon hearing the news of Young’s arrest.

“When you deal with young adults, they’re capable of making bad decisions. He obviously did,” Pikiell said. “I’m disappointed. I love him. But you’ve got to make great decisions, and young adults sometimes don’t. We’ll move forward, it will be a good learning experience for us and then we’ll move on.”

A key bench player for a Rutgers team that went 20-11 before its season was cut short prior to the Big Ten Tournament because of the coronavirus shutdown, Young averaged 8.5 points per game while 41.3 percent from the field in 30 games as a junior.

Young, who has one season of eligibility remaining after transferring in from the University of Texas two years ago, earned a spot on the Dean’s List after posting a 3.73 grade-point-average this spring, according to a Rutgers spokesperson.

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Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com.

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Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz admits he had a “blind spot” in not spotting problems that made black players feel mistreated or uncomfortable in his program, but he expects things to change moving forward.

Ferentz on Friday said Iowa’s program is on a better path following several emotion-charged team meetings, the formation of an advocacy group including 11 former Iowa players and more openness regarding communication within the program and player expression outside of it.

He announced no additional personnel changes a week after former players began speaking out about mistreatment black players faced in the program.

Strength coach Chris Doyle, who has served throughout Ferentz’s 21 years as coach, remains on paid administrative leave pending an external review. Athletic director Gary Barta is expected to provide an update of the review next week. Doyle, the focus of the former players’ criticism, is the nation’s highest-paid strength coach at $800,000 a year. He has denied any unethical behavior or bias on the basis of race.

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“The biggest question to me is, why the blind spot?” Ferentz said. “And I think every person has a blind spot. I’m sure every leader has a blind spot. The former players were very forthcoming. They were very direct, and just pointed out some things that perhaps gave me a new awareness. And I think Monday’s meeting, Tuesday’s meeting followed up with that light. So the key here is to try to create an environment where everybody feels free to talk and say their mind, and know it’s going to be weighed and valued and measured.”

Ferentz deferred commenting on Doyle, citing the external review, but said keeping Doyle in the weight room, given the scope of the allegations, “just wasn’t a workable environment.” After meeting Monday and Tuesday, Iowa players began voluntary workouts Wednesday with assistant strength and conditioning coach Raimond Braithwaite.

Ferentz didn’t address any specific allegations from former players or their parents but apologized for an environment where “the coaching style by some was at times demeaning, and created unnecessary frustration and anxiety.”

“If you have an environment where players don’t feel like they can bring up an issue, that’s a problem,” he said. “I feel like I let those players down by not creating that environment where they did feel comfortable and sharing more about their experiences, bringing that to our attention, while they were here. Our coaches feel the same way, and we’re committed to making sure that never happens again.”

Running back Ivory Kelly-Martin said communication is the major obstacle in the program, where players are hesitant to come forward about problems they see or experience.

“There was this feeling where you have to walk on eggshells,” Kelly-Martin said, “where you couldn’t really be yourself or when you heard something, you couldn’t really say it because maybe you’ll get attacked, too.”

Ferentz called his longtime policy prohibiting players from social media “stupid” but said he did it to protect players. On Monday, defensive back Kaevon Merriweather tweeted that fans need to support the team if it chooses to kneel during the national anthem before games this season. Ferentz, who previously opposed kneeling for the anthem, said players may decide to stand or kneel, as long as they do so together.

“The statement was really for the Iowa community, to let y’all know that our team, we are together as one and we expect our fans to be there with us every step of the way,” Merriweather said Friday. “We want you to support any decision this team has made. We haven’t decided on kneeling or not. But any step we do decide to make as team, we want your support, backing us every step of the way.”

Place-kicker Keith Duncan said he doesn’t blame Ferentz for missing problems that affected past players, saying that players see more than coaches and need to be willing to come forward. Duncan, a fifth-year senior, said he has never been part of a more unified team than the current one following the meetings this week.

“I would not want any other coaches to be here right now,” Duncan said “We came here believing in Coach Ferentz, believing in our other position coaches and we still do. … There has never been a trust issue. It’s just partially communication. But I trust 100 percent every single coach in our building.”

While Iowa focuses on moving forward, a group of parents of former players is planning to speak out about problems within the program, especially for black players. Sharonda Phelps, mother of former Iowa running back Akrum Wadley, spoke out earlier this week on Facebook Live about her frustrations with Ferentz and the Iowa coaching staff. Phelps and other parents are working with Pre-PostGame, a sports advisory firm, to discuss their experiences.

Pre-PostGame’s Robert T. Green said the parents want to speak out after Ferentz said he didn’t know about issues black players experienced at Iowa.

“This is not a one-person thing, a two-person thing or a three-person thing,” Green told ESPN on Friday. “There are several receipts and time stamps that will say everything [Ferentz] said to the world is not factual. Some of the things that will come out soon, it only applied to African-American athletes.”

Ferentz on Friday said he didn’t apologize to former players he has talked with over the past week, but accepts blame for any who had negative experiences at Iowa.

“I’m responsible for anything that happens here,” he said. “That’s my accountability, that’s my responsibility, I’m the head coach. So anything that happens is a failure. That’s on my desk. That’s my issue to deal with.

“I can’t do anything about what’s happened. What I can do is try to do a better job moving forward.”

Student, 20, who allegedly crashed into young mother in a brutal hit and run before dumping her Honda Accord admits she was high on drugs at the time

• Nakeisha Shaneye Smith, 20, allegedly hit Olivia McKay with her Honda Accord 
• Smith then allegedly drove off, leaving the mother-of-one with a broken leg
• She was charged with grievous bodily harm with intent after police found her 
• Smith appeared in court on Thursday where she admitted: ‘I was on drugs’

By Alana Mazzoni For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 08:26 EDT, 14 May 2020 | Updated: 08:28 EDT, 14 May 2020

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Hamilton Accies boss Brian Rice has been charged with breaching Scottish FA gambling rules and says he wrote to the governing body to “self-report”.

The 56-year-old has been accused of breaching the rules in each season from 14 July 2015 to 15 October 2019.

Rice, who has previously admitted to gambling addiction, faces a hearing on 30 January.

“I would like to express my regret to the players, coaching staff and my friends and colleagues,” he said.

Rice, who became Accies head coach in January 2019, described it as a “lapse” in a statement on his club’s website in which Hamilton say they have co-operated fully with the association throughout the investigation period.

He was accused of breaching disciplinary rule 31, which states that “no club, official, team official or other member of team staff, player, match official or other person under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA shall gamble in any way on a football match”.

The former Hibernian, Nottingham Forest and Falkirk midfielder could face a suspension of at least three matches and a maximum of 16 plus a £100,000 fine.

“This decision was one of the hardest I have had to take, but in a way also the easiest,” he said. “I have made no secret of the fact that I have struggled with the disease that is gambling addiction in the past.

“The reality is I am an addict and, while I have been proud of the fact I have been in recovery from this disease, a key part of the recovery programme is honesty: honesty to myself and honesty to those who have and who continue to support me, including my family and my football family at Hamilton.”

It is understood that Rice “reached out” to the SFA about the offences, which have led to one charge for each of the previous five seasons.

“I wrote a letter to the Scottish FA self-reporting my gambling and did so as an admission that my disease has returned in order that I commit to recovery,” he said.

“I accept that a breach of the rules will come with punishment and I accept that. The reason I am speaking out is to remove the stigma attached to this horrible, isolating disease in the hope that those involved in Scottish football who are similarly in its grasp feel they can seek help and draw strength from my admission.

“After committing to recovery I cannot believe that I have found myself back in the grip of gambling addiction, but this disease is not cured with a finite course of treatment.”

Rice’s statement and Hamilton’s support for their head coach have been described as “brave” by Conservative MSP Ruth Davidson, who said on Twitter: “Gambling is a disease and hypocrisy in football is rife – shirt sponsors, FA goals rights sold to betting websites – without acknowledgement of human cost.”

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A cornerback for the University of Houston football team has been suspended indefinitely following his arrest for allegedly beating a 60-year-old man unconscious.

Police say 21-year-old Ka’Darian Smith admitted to assaulting Thaddeus Lewis last Wednesday.

Lewis told ABC13 he spent three-and-a-half days in the hospital with a broken nose, cracked ribs and bleeding in his ear canal that has affected his hearing.

The maintenance worker at The Icon Student Apartments on Elgin near the university says he was repairing a door on one of Smith’s suite-mates’ rooms. A few hours later, Smith repeatedly accused him of stealing money. Lewis says Smith confronted him and then hit and kicked him until he blacked out.

“This has never happened to me. I take my work seriously. I never took anything from anybody,” Lewis said.

Police say Smith was arrested and interviewed. He allegedly confessed saying, “I beat him up.”

Smith has been charged with aggravated assault with serious bodily injury. ABC13’s attempts to contact him were not successful. The UH senior from Spring, who has no criminal history, is out of jail on bond.

University of Houston released the following statement:

“We are aware of the serious allegations regarding Ka’Darian Smith. He has been suspended indefinitely from the Houston football program. We will have no further comment at this time.”

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Gina Kim covers crime and courts for Santa Maria Times. Follow her on Twitter @gina_k210

Gina Kim covers crime and courts for Santa Maria Times. Follow her on Twitter @gina_k210

A former Hong Kong footballer of the year is facing jail as he admitted on Thursday that he pocketed HK$10,000 after fixing two local league reserve matches in 2016.

The District Court heard that Lee Wai-lim, who won the prestigious award in 2009, coached players of Hong Kong Pegasus Football Club, which he was then a member of, to score goals and lose the game in their matches against Biu Chun Rangers Football Club.

Lee, 36, did this after receiving instructions from a player of Biu Chun Rangers, with whom he had placed bets.

Former Hong Kong footballer of the year will admit match-fixing, court told

Prosecutors also revealed that Pegasus players were occasionally asked to follow a bookmaker’s instructions to fix the result of certain matches in exchange for monetary reward, or they would have to compensate the bookmaker when they failed to do so.

That was despite all players having agreed to the Hong Kong Football Association’s Code of Ethics, which prohibits any match-fixing activity and match manipulation as well as the solicitation or acceptance of any advantage for such purposes.

Lee, who had been remanded in jail for close to six months, on Thursday pleaded guilty to one count of being an agent accepting an advantage, and another of conspiracy to defraud. A third charge of conspiracy to defraud, which Lee denied, was not pursued by prosecutors on Thursday.

Five former Hong Kong footballers charged with match-fixing as city graft-buster probes irregularities in local league reserve matches

He was freed on HK$20,000 bail pending a sentence to be hand down after the end of trial, with the condition that he remain in Hong Kong and report to police once a week.

Lee was one of five former Pegasus players charged by the Independent Commission Against Corruption last year in relation to several alleged conspiracies that they had fixed three matches while offering and accepting bribes totalling HK$60,000.

The matches were part of the Reserve Division League organised by the football association, with results having no bearing on the respective teams’ position and points in the city’s Premier League.

But Pegasus’ chairwoman Canny Leung Chi-shan and association chairman Mark Sutcliffe both noted that match fixing or manipulation would adversely affect their respective image, sponsorship and income, and put their economic interests at risk.

District judge Edmond Lee Chun-man warned: “Imprisonment seems inevitable, and [the sentence] will not be a short one.”

The court heard that Lee Wai-lim was approached by Biu Chun Rangers’ then defender Liu Songwei before a game between the two clubs at Shek Kip Mei Park on March 23, 2016. Lee, in his capacity as Pegasus’ coach, then instructed his player Wong Wai to refrain from scoring in the first 15 minutes but aim for three goals in the second half of the match. Pegasus lost 2-6.

Lee and two players – Michael Cheng Lai-hin and Lee Ka-ho – were rewarded HK$20,000 each. Another HK$10,000 was each given to a third player Chan Pak-hang and Wong, who later told investigators that he did not follow instructions.

Similar negotiations took place before another game on April 13, during which Lee Wai-lim signalled Wong to lose the match – by putting on the hood of his jacket – for a reward Wong understood to be HK$15,000. But to Lee’s dismay, his team won 1-0.

After the match, Liu told him that he was in trouble because the results did not follow the plan. As Liu issued repeated demands for compensation, Lee Wai-lim – whom prosecutors said was in a “terrified” state for failing to fix the match results – collected HK$10,000 each from Wong, Cheng and Chan. He also told Wong that he would not engage in match fixing anymore.

Lee Wai-lim was arrested months later on October 4.

His co-defendants Kwok Kin-pong, 30, Cheng, 31, Chan, 24, and Lee Ka-ho, 24, have all pleaded not guilty to similar charges of conspiracy to defraud, offering an advantage to an agent and agent accepting an advantage.

Their trial will begin on Friday.