Coroner: Gatti Died of Suicide
Boxer Arturo Gatti, who died suspiciously in Brazil on July 11, was the victim of suicide, Brazilian authorities concluded Thursday. Attorneys for Gatti’s widow, who has been jailed since Gatti’s death, ordered her immediate release. Amanda Rodrigues initially was suspected of strangling an intoxicated Gatti with her purse strap. Joe Gatti, the boxer’s eldest brother, said the family may exhume the fighter’s body in Canada and conduct their own autopsy. Gatti’s manager, Pat Lynch, said he was stunned to learn that authorities had concluded that Arturo had died of suicide. He pledged that the Canadian government will get involved. “I’m not going to rest. We’ve got a lot of investigation ahead of us,” Lynch said.

Boston Slugger on Infamous Drug List
Red Sox slugger David Ortiz acknowledged Thursday that a New York Times report tying him to performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 is accurate. “I have already contacted the Players Association to confirm if this report is true. I have just been told that the report is true,” Ortiz’s statement read in part. “Based on the way I have lived my life, I am surprised to learn I tested positive.” Joining Ortiz on the dreaded drug list was Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers star who already has served a 50-game suspension for a failed test earlier this season. Ortiz and Ramirez were among the 104 players who failed tests during the 2003 survey testing that triggered extensive testing throughout the league in 2004. Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa also surfaced on the list. “I have to get more info about it, and then I’ll honestly tell you guys what’s up. Right now I have no answers,” Ortiz said Thursday, shortly after jacking a game-winning three-run homer to beat the A’s at Fenway Park. “Today I was informed by a reporter that I was on the 2003 list of MLB players to test positive for performance-enhancing substances. This happened right before our game, and the news blind-sided me. I said I had no comment because I wanted to get to the bottom of this. I want to talk about this situation and I will as soon as I have more answers. In the meantime I want to let you know how I am approaching this situation. One, I have already contacted the Players Association to confirm if this report is true. I have just been told that the report is true. Based on the way I have lived my life, I am surprised to learn I tested positive. Two, I will find out what I tested positive for. And, three, based on whatever I learn, I will share this information with my club and the public. You know me – I will not hide and I will not make excuses. I want to thank my family, the Red Sox, my teammates, and the fans for their patience and support.”

Super Bowl QB Accused of Sexual Assault
A Nevada woman is suing two-time Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, claiming he sexually assaulted her last year, The Associated Press reports. “This weekend Andrea McNulty served Ben Roethlisberger with a civil complaint accusing him of sexually assaulting her in July 2008” Roethlisberger’s Atlanta-based attorney, David Cornwell, said Monday. “Ben has never sexually assaulted anyone, especially Andrea McNulty. The timing of the lawsuit and the absence of a criminal complaint and a criminal investigation are the most compelling evidence of the absence of any criminal conduct. If an investigation is commenced, Ben will cooperate fully, and Ben will be fully exonerated.” Details of the suit were not available late Monday night. Roethlisberger was one of nine defendants listed in the online court docket report.

Ramirez passes Mantle on Homerun List
Manny Ramirez hit his 537th home run Monday to pass Mickey Mantle and move into 15th place on the all-time homer list. The feat helped Ramirez’s Los Angeles Dodgers to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 7-5. ”I signed here so I could be on a winning team and have a chance to go to the playoffs and get a World Series ring,” said Ramirez’s teammate, pitcher Jason Schmidt, who made his first start in two seasons. In fact, it was only Schmidt’s seventh start since the Dodgers signed him to a three-year $47 million contract in 2006. “To get a pickup like Manny is going to put us right there,” Schmidt added. ”I was disappointed not to have that opportunity over the last few years to contribute, but hopefully I can help out a little bit. … ‘It was an emotional day. ‘It’s been a struggle. I didn’t want it to take this long, but unfortunately, it did. Before the game, driving here and getting all the phone calls and text messages from everybody, there was a lot of buildup. It was fun, and I’m glad we came out on the winning end of it.”

Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez, suspended last week for 50 games for using a banned performance-enhancing drug, served up an apology to Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. Ramirez, the flamboyant left fielder who has backed up his rhetoric about how good he is by leading his team to a league-leading record, is expected to face his disappointed teammates some time this week. Ramirez contacted McCourt on Saturday, two days after the 12-time All-Star began serving a penalty imposed by Major League Baseball. “I wanted to meet him face to face,” McCourt said. “He started off the meeting by apologizing and acknowledging the disappointment that he’s created – not only for me but for others. He’s in the process right now of doing what anybody else would do if they made a mistake, in terms of making amends here and communicating with the people he knows he has to communicate with and then going about repairing his relationships. And of course, his is magnified many times because he’s a public figure and a very popular one.” He encouraged Ramirez to speak to the entire squad. “If Manny takes the steps that I’m hopeful he will, I think this will be something that won’t damage this franchise at all,” McCourt said. “We all make mistakes, and it’s how we deal with those mistakes that really differentiates one from the other. And if Manny does with others what he did with me yesterday, I think we’ll be on the road to full recovery.”

Flamboyant L.A. Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez’s dabble with a banned performance-enhancing drug will cost the $25-million-a-year man 50 games and a whopping $7.65 million. Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that Ramirez had been nabbed, refuting the notion that the illegal use of such drugs had been wiped out of the sport in this new era of drug testing. Not until July 3 will Ramirez be able to return to the red-hot Dodgers, which have the best record in baseball. According to Sports Illustrated, Ramirez said he didn’t realize that he had been taking a banned substance and explained that he had a medical reason for taking the drug, which is also a weight-reduction supplement. Still, SI.com reports, Ramirez decided not to challenge the suspension. While the substance is not classified as a steroid, it was clearly defined as a banned performance enhancer, according to the drug agreement between baseball and its players association. Banned substances can only be taken with prior knowledge and medical clearance from baseball’s drug-program administrators. In a statement, Ramirez said, “Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.” He’s the first big-league superstar to be suspended under the tougher drug-testing rules that were enacted six years ago. The players union has contended that the use of performance-enhancing drugs was a thing of the past, saying that virtually all of the current reports of misuse – like those involving Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez and the revelations in the Mitchell Report – highlighted abuse before the stricter laws were put into place by the league in 2003.

Baseball superstar was nearly suspended. The baseball star who recently passed up a $45 million offer from his current team was nearly suspended by his old one. Manny Ramirez, who’s testing the market after helping the Dodgers to a successful season, faced pending discipline before his trade West. The Boston Red Sox had delivered a letter to Ramirez July 25 after he refused to play in a second straight game, ESPN reports. Ramirez would be suspended without pay effective the next day, according to the letter, but he called to say he was willing to suit up. His refusals to play were part of ongoing conflict between Ramirez and the organization. News of the planned suspension of Boston’s best hitter comes as Ramirez and his agent Scott Boras are holding out for what Boras calls “serious financial offers.” A week after receiving the letter, Ramirez was traded to L.A. The Dodgers withdrew their proposed $45 million renewal deal last week after Ramirez didn’t accept it. Negotiations are expected to continue. In response to the ESPN report, Boras emphasized that Ramirez never actually served a suspension. The player is vacationing with his family in Brazil.

Jaguars coach fines, benches team captain. Nine-hundred tackles in a 10-year career wasn’t enough to keep the NFL’s Mike Peterson off the bench. Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio has busted the team captain and starting inside linebacker down to second string and special teams after saying Peterson was insubordinate. Del Rio sent the player home from practice last week and fined him $10,000 before replacing him in the line-up. Daryl Smith is Jacksonville’s new starting middle linebacker. The permanent loss of a position for insubordination is unusual in pro sports – but some would call it a bold move by Del Rio in an age of unprecedented arrogance by millionaire athletes.

Manny Ramirez taking “serious offers.” An agent for baseball star Manny Ramirez says the player is accepting bids after the L.A. Dodgers general manager laid out his latest offer. The recently traded Ramirez helped the Dodgers to a successful season, and GM Ned Colletti proposed a two-year, $45 million contract to bring him back. But Scott Boras says Ramirez won’t bite unless L.A. sweetens the deal. “On behalf of Manny Ramirez, we will, for the first time, begin accepting serious financial offers on Friday,” Boras said Thursday. Reports suggest that the Dodgers may guarantee Ramirez a third year and an increase in their offer, though Colletti said the initial proposal could be withdrawn. Ramirez, 36, ended a tumultuous career in Boston before joining L.A. this year.

Sacramento’s Reggie Theus must pay $25,000. Retired NBA player Reggie Theus knows that athletes are penalized big bucks for dissing refs. But it’s in his Sacramento coaching capacity that Theus will have to cough up $25,000 after critical comments this week. The Kings will also pay $25,000 as a team after Theus called it “ridiculous” that Detroit shot 36 free throws to Sacramento’s 17. The criticism came following the Pistons 100-92 win against the Kings. The fines were announced on Thursday.

Bengals receiver says Donavan McNabb influenced him. Following an off-season that found him criticizing the organization that hired him, a NFL player thanks an opponent for showing the way. The former Chad Johnson, who legally changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco, says Philly quarterback Donovan McNabb helped him see the light. McNabb reminded Ocho Cinco that many would choose to trade places with the Bengals star, who wanted out of his contract. “Donovan was a big influence,” Ocho Cinco tells The Philadelphia Inquirer. “(He) really is one of the reasons why I really turned myself around and looked at my situation as more of a positive … thinking about all the people that would love to play this game, you know?” Calling McNabb a close friend, Ocho Cinco says they talk often. Even with team losses, Ocho Cinco says, he’s keeping focused.

The man who authorities believe is responsible for murdering a Denver Broncos player has been indicted. A Colorado grand jury made the decision to send Willie Clark to trial on 39 offenses, including first-degree murder and attempted murder in the 2007 drive-by shooting that killed Darrent Williams. The cornerback was wounded in the neck on New Years’ Day while riding in a limo after leaving a Denver nightclub. Witnesses say Clark jumped into an SUV, following an argument, and followed the limo before firing 15 shots, striking Williams and two passengers, who survived. Clark is in federal custody in connection with a separate case.

Analyst disses Manny Ramirez for “dichotomy.” A baseball commentator is calling out Dodgers star Manny Ramirez on his field performance since Ramirez’ trade from Boston in August. Tim McCarver, who’s slated to give play-by-play for the National League Championship Series, recently dissed Ramirez in the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s extraordinary – the dichotomy between what he was in Boston and what he is in Los Angeles,” says McCarver. “I mean, talk about wearing out your welcome in a town, and it was a long welcome with the Red Sox. But some of the things he did were simply despicable, like not playing, refusing to play, forgetting what knee to limp on.” Ramirez, who publicly stated that he and Boston were “tired of” each other, has hit an astonishing 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 187 times at the plate, since joining L.A.

Josh Howard hears some boos back in Dallas. Dallas Mavericks player Josh Howard scored 15 points – after being certain to place his hand on his heart during the national anthem – in a pre-season game this week. Howard’s name was met with a mix of boos and cheers from the home crowd as it was announced, following his widely publicized remarks about the “Star Spangled Banner.” Saying “I don’t celebrate that s–t. I’m Black,” the forward was videotaped while the anthem was performed at a celebrity flag football game hosted by fellow NBA player Allen Iverson this summer. Howard has since apologized for the remark, vowing to win back any fans he may have lost over the controversy.