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Former AFL player and coach Dean Laidley wants to be bailed to a residential rehabilitation facility and says he is looking forward to getting the help he needs. The ex-West Coast Eagles and North Melbourne player has been behind bars since May 2, when he was arrested over accusations he had been stalking a woman. Former teammates, coaches and club doctors have lined up with letters of reference for the 53-year-old, who is battling longstanding mental health issues. Laidley is accused of stalking a woman, with whom he’s in a financial dispute over a property. He phoned her 43 times on May 2, police told Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday. It’s also alleged he contacted her body corporate asking for CCTV footage, which prosecutors argue was to stalk her. Laidley’s barrister, Phil Dunn QC, said his client was fighting allegations he had been involved in aggressive confrontations with the woman at the apartment complex and suggested CCTV footage could be used as evidence that she was not telling the truth about their interactions. He asked that Laidley be released into the care of a 24-hour residential rehabilitation clinic where he’ll receive treatment for longstanding issues including gender dysphoria and substance abuse. “He’s not a bad man. He needs help and he’s prepared to accept this help,” Mr Dunn said. Former AFL coaches Mark Williams, Guy McKenna and Denis Pagan wrote references for Laidley, as did his former North Melbourne teammates Brent Harvey and Wayne Schwass and ex-club president James Brayshaw. Mr Dunn said Laidley had lived in a structured football bubble for 30 years and issues had crept to the surface since leaving the AFL. “This man here now is a very different person to those who knew him and knew him well,” he said. He said there were serious concerns for Laidley’s mental health. Mr Dunn also referenced the leaking of photos of Laidley in custody. Four officers have been suspended and are expected to be charged. The AFL Players Association will fund Laidley’s in-house care at the facility, which offers 24-hour supervision, drug testing and treatment. An officer said police had concerns Laidley would offend if he was released. He told the court Laidley had taken a number of photos of the property where the complainant lived, as well as asking for CCTV footage, and he had repeatedly called and sent her text messages. After he was arrested, police found 0.3g of crystals in a plastic bag inside an adhesive bra Laidley was wearing, as well as loose crystals believed to be methamphetamine, the officer said. Magistrate Kieran Gilligan is expected to make a decision on Laidley’s release later on Monday. Australian Associated Press

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The CFL and B.C. Lions have nullified Euclid Cummings’ contract after it came to light Wednesday that the defensive lineman was facing criminal charges in a Vancouver court for sexual assault and threats.

Provincial court documents show the 6-foot-3, 300-pound Atlanta native was charged last April with four criminal offences involving two alleged victims stemming from incidents in Vancouver on Oct. 16, 2016. His team at the time, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, played their regular-season finale at B.C. Place on Oct. 14, 2016.

Cummings is charged with sexual assault, assault and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm to one person, and the sexual assault of another.

The 26-year-old played 16 games the following season with the Edmonton Eskimos — his eight sacks ranking third in the CFL, his three forced fumbles second-best in the league, along with 22 tackles — but news of the charges — filed on April 21, 2017 — only surfaced Wednesday. The league and Lions were both quick to react, voiding his contract as per provisions in the collective bargaining agreement, and scrubbing his presence from their websites.

The CFL released a statement Wednesday. “Upon learning of the criminal charges facing Euclid Cummings, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie has voided his contract with the B.C. Lions. As these charges are before the courts, the CFL will offer no further comment.”

Lions general manager Ed Hervey also released a statement, and declined further comment.

“We support the Commissioner’s decision to void the contract of Euclid Cummings in light of criminal charges he is currently facing. We were given no indication by the player or his representation that these charges existed and I assure our fans, partners and supporters of the CFL across Canada, that we would not have offered him a contract had we known about this situation. Given that matter is before the criminal courts and under a publication ban, we will not be offering further comment.”

The Canadian Press reported that Cummings had signed a $150,000 contract with the Leos, including a $70,000 bonus that B.C. can’t recoup and will be counted against their salary cap.

The signing of the Georgia Tech product, who began his career with the Toronto Argonauts in 2014 and played two seasons there before moving to Winnipeg in 2016, was a big boost to the defensive line.

“Euclid is a young, up-and-coming lineman who definitely has the ability and potential to be one of most dominant interior players in the league,” Hervey said when Cummings was signed in mid-February.

“He’s equally skilled at playing the run and getting to the quarterback and never takes a play off.”

The revelation of the charges is particularly awkward, considering the Lions’ commitment to the Be More Than A Bystander campaign. Several members of the team have toured schools around the province, addressing the violence against women and girls and raising awareness of the issue.

Cummings appears in B.C. Provincial Court in Vancouver for trial on Oct. 15, 2018.

jadams@postmedia.com

Rae Carruth is a name that most fans of the Carolina Panthers and the Colorado Buffaloes undoubtedly want to forget. A star receiver at Colorado, Carruth was Carolina’s first-round pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, but his pro career ended abruptly after he was charged and convicted for conspiracy to commit murder in 2001. 

Carruth was found gulity of hiring a triggerman to kill Cherica Adams, a 24-year-old woman that was seven months pregnant with his child, and was sentenced to 18 to 24 years in prison. Now, Carruth’s release date is approaching. Oct. 22, 2018 is the day Carruth is slated to leave a North Carolina prison.

His impending release appears to have galvanized the sentimental side of him, as he appears to be ready to break his longtime silence on his crimes. Carruth didn’t testify at his own trial, and he’s done only one interview. Carruth has met his son, Chancellor Lee Adams, twice. Adams’ grandmother (and Cherica’s mother), Saundra Adams, has cared for Chancellor, and has staunchly protested the mere thought of Carruth getting custody of his son.

Which leads to Carruth’s letter. Carruth penned a 15-page letter to Saundra, telling her that her claims against him are untrue. He made the letter public, with a foreword, saying that releasing the letter wasn’t to win the public over but to make people question Saundra’s claims.

The letter, which can be read in its entirety here, is incredibly complex. It praises Saundra’s care of Chancellor, while also saying that she hasn’t been truthful in interviews about Carruth. Saundra has said in the past that she will be at the gates with Chancellor when Carruth is released, and she’ll work with him, according to WBTV.

WBTV conducted an interview with Carruth, in which he was candid about some of the circumstances surrounding Cherica’s death. He started by talking about Saundra’s claims against him, and questioned their truthfulness. “I feel like if I did it in the open, it would put an end to the lies,” he said to WBTV. “If I say publicly, ‘Ms. Adams, I apologize, Ms. Adams, I take responsibility for what happened,’ that she can no longer get on television and do an interview and say Rae has never apologized to me.”

When pressed about details on Cherica’s death, Carruth was reportedly evasive. But he did take responsibility. Sort of. “I’m apologizing for the loss of her daughter,” he said. “I’m apologizing for the impairment of my son (Chancellor has cerebral palsy and permanent brain damage). I feel responsible for everything that happened. And I just want her to know that truly I am sorry for everything.”

Carruth also said that he and Cherica should be raising Chancellor together.

“I should be raising my son,” he said. “His mother should be raising her son. Ms. Adams should not be doing this and I want that responsibility back. I feel like he might not ever have his mother in his life but he could still have me and I could still make a difference and I don’t think that’s anyone’s responsibility when I’m still here.”

This expounds on something that Carruth wrote in the letter, saying that Saundra won’t be alive forever. He wants to survive her as Chancellor’s guardian.

Carruth’s phrasing in the letter, however, is a bit more cavalier.

“Ms. Adams,” he wrote. “The story of how you lost your daughter; how Chancellor came into this world; and the way that he has gone on to endure, thrive, and over achieve with you by his side is so heart wrenching and inspiring on its own, that there isn’t any need for embellishment or lies. And yet you’ve made a habit out of doing so in every interview that you’ve given since the beginning of this whole ordeal.”

The letter also addresses his silence, saying he maintained it “reluctantly” out of “respect.” But he’s now ready to get out and make a change, regardless of what people say.

“When I first got incarcerated I would ask myself how did this happen?” he said. “How are you here? And the number one answer that I had was I didn’t have a relationship with God. And I know some people might smirk or laugh about that but I know now that I have a very real relationship with God and that’s changed a lot of the ways that I see and view a lot of things.”

Carruth’s letter also said that calling Cherica his girlfriend was false, with the two merely hooking up. Carruth concedes that he asked about abortion, but after Cherica said she was keeping the baby, he never went back to the topic.

It’s a messy situation that will only get messier. Carruth is one of the most infamous NFL names this side of O.J. Simpson, and any topic involving him is controversial. As we get closer to October, now that the seal is broken on Carruth’s side of things, Saundra and his war of words will likely only get more intense.

The Central Alberta Buccaneers have released defensive back Tyson Dichrow from the team’s roster after he was charged with sexual assault and several counts of child luring.

The team made the announcement on both Facebook and Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, citing “criminal charges of a serious nature” as the reason for his release.

“The decision was made to release Mr. Dichrow from the team roster and sever all ties with him, effective immediately,” the announcement said. “No further comment will be made at this time.

“Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.”

Dichrow, 24, was arrested in Sundre, Alta. on Feb. 3 after a school contacted RCMP about a Snapchat message of sexual nature that had been sent to a student.

The student, who is underage, shared the photo with her parents, who in turn reported it to the school, who alerted the police Jan. 30.

An investigation by RCMP and the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit revealed explicit messages and photos had been sent to several underage girls, all of whom had been befriended by an adult man on social media platforms.

RCMP say the messages progressed to sexual contact.

Dichrow faces 14 charges, including two counts each of sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, child luring, making sexually explicit material available to a child, and possession of child pornography. He was also charged with sexual assault and the trafficking of marijuana.

Dichrow has been released from custody with numerous conditions. He is to have no contact with the victims or any female under the age of 16 unless a responsible adult is present. He is also barred from any daycare, school grounds, playground, community centre or other places where children under the age of 16 can be expected unless a responsible adult is present.

He is scheduled to appear in provincial court in Didsbury, Alta. on Feb. 26.

“Allegations such as this are of great concern to the community and to police,” said Sundre RCMP Cpl. Karl Mandel in a release.

“Anyone who things that they may also have been a victim of this type of offence should contact the Sundre RCMP or their local police.”

Those with information on the crimes are asked to contact either the Sundre RCMP at (403)638-3675 or their local police. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.tipsubmit.com. 

Liverpool defender Jon Flanagan has been charged with common assault, police have said.

Merseyside Police said the 24-year-old full-back had been charged following an incident in Liverpool city centre on Friday.

A force spokesman said: “Merseyside Police can confirm that Jonathan Patrick Flanagan, aged 24, from Cressington in Liverpool has been charged with Section 39 common assault following an incident on Duke Street in Liverpool city centre at around 3.20am on Friday December 22.

“He has been released on conditional police bail and will appear before Liverpool City Magistrates’ Court on January 2 2018.”

Flanagan came through Liverpool’s academy system and made his senior Reds debut in 2011, though he has played just once this season in the Carabao Cup.

The defender, who spent last year on loan with Burnley, has also won one England cap in a warm-up friendly for the 2014 World Cup.

A Liverpool spokesperson said: “The club has been made aware of an alleged incident involving a member of the first team playing squad. We will be making no further comment on the matter while the process is ongoing with the relevant authorities.”