Judge’s ruling sends Vick back to Kansas prison
Michael Vick will head back to a Kansas prison after a judge rejected an effort Tuesday to keep the suspended NFL star in Virginia to work on a new bankruptcy plan.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank J. Santoro denied a motion to require Vick to attend an April 28 status hearing on his case in Newport News. Vick’s lawyers had hoped such an order would prompt U.S. marshals to leave him at the Western Tidewater Regional Jail in southeastern Virginia until then.
Santoro had ordered Vick to testify in person at a hearing last week, but the judge ruled that he did not need Vick at the next hearing because no evidence will be presented. Vick and his lawyers are developing a new plan for the 28-year-old former Atlanta Falcons quarterback to pay back his creditors after Santoro rejected Vick’s Chapter 11 reorganization plan on Friday.
“It just means he’s going to end up back in Leavenworth, and we’ll have to deal with the case long distance,” said Paul Campsen, one of Vick’s bankruptcy attorneys.
•McAllister’s cars yanked: Nissan began removing vehicles from a Jackson, Miss., dealership owned by former New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister.
About 20 cars and trucks were loaded on tractor-trailers even as McAllister said in an interview that he is seeking investors to help pull the dealership out of bankruptcy.
•Bengals sign Tank: Tank Johnson, a player with legal troubles in his background, is joining the Cincinnati Bengals, a team that frequently has dealt with such issues.
The defensive tackle agreed to a contract with the Bengals.
•Extension for Stroud: Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcus Stroud has signed a two-year contract extension potentially worth $16.5 million.
NBA
Yao sparks Rockets
Yao Ming scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, outplaying Dwight Howard and leading the Houston Rockets to a 93-83 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic.
The Rockets stayed a half-game behind San Antonio in the race for the Southwest Division.
•Hawks top Raptors: Josh Smith had 25 points and seven rebounds, and the Atlanta Hawks used 11-for-22 shooting from 3-point range to beat the Toronto Raptors 118-110 in Toronto.
•Bobcats beat Sixers: Gerald Wallace scored 29 points, including the final four of the game, and the Charlotte Bobcats beat Philadelphia 101-98 at Charlotte, N.C., to snap a three-game losing streak.
•Rockets activate Landry: Houston Rockets forward Carl Landry was activated, a little more than three weeks after he was shot in the left calf.
Landry, 25, has missed eight games since he was wounded March 17.
•Three declare for draft: Arizona forward Chase Budinger, Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks and South Carolina guard Devan Downey have all made themselves eligible for the NBA draft. Of the three juniors, only Budinger hired an agent.
NHL
Flyers in playoffs
Jeff Carter scored the go-ahead goal at 7:32 of the third period, helping the Philadelphia Flyers clinch a playoff berth with a 2-1 win over the visiting Florida Panthers.
•Hot start carries Caps: Tomas Fleischmann had a goal and an assist and the Washington Capitals scored three first-period goals to beat the host Atlanta Thrashers 4-2 and strengthen their hold on second place in the Eastern Conference.
•Key win for Rangers: Chris Drury scored a pair of goals and the New York Rangers defeated the visiting Montreal Canadiens 3-1.
The Rangers, eighth in the Eastern Conference, moved within one point of seventh-place Montreal and two in front of Florida with two games remaining.
•Hurricanes rout Islanders: Eric Staal had three goals and an assist and the Carolina Hurricanes matched a club record with their ninth straight win by giving the visiting New York Islanders the worst beating in franchise history, a 9-0 rout at Raleigh, N.C.
•Penguins clinch spot: Sidney Crosby scored twice in a 1-minute, 4-second span midway through second period to help the Pittsburgh Penguins clinch a playoff berth with a 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Tampa, Fla.
•Oilers’ hopes dashed: Wayne Simmonds had a goal and an assist, and the Los Angeles Kings removed the Edmonton Oilers from the playoff picture with a 2-1 win at Edmonton, Alberta.
Cycling
Dajka found dead
Ex-world champion cyclist Jobie Dajka has been found dead at his home in Adelaide, Australia, local media are reporting.
Nine Network TV reported in a news bulletin that Dajka was dead but did not give details. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances.
•Armstrong defends himself: Lance Armstrong is defending himself against suggestions he misbehaved during a recent drug test in France.
The cycling great said he did not try to evade a March 17 test in which blood, urine and hair samples were collected and were ultimately found to be drug free.
France’s anti-doping agency sent a report on Armstrong’s behavior during the test to cycling’s governing body and the World Anti-Doping Agency. At question is a 20-minute delay when Armstrong said the tester agreed to let him shower while his assistants checked the tester’s credentials.
Miscellany
Canas upsets Blake
Guillermo Canas of Argentina, ranked 113th in the world, defeated top-seeded James Blake 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships.
•Fight venue set: Wladimir Klitschko’s defense of his heavyweight title against David Haye on June 20 will be staged at Schalke’s soccer stadium in Frankfurt, Germany, which has a capacity of more than 60,000.
•Iraq hires coach: Well-traveled soccer coach Bora Milutinovic said he has another job – coach of Iraq’s national team. The Serbian is taking charge of his eighth national team and will coach Iraq’s men at this year’s Confederations Cup.