Federico Macheda, Nile Ranger and Manny Smith have been charged by the Football Association over alleged homophobic comments on Twitter. FOX Sports reports Manchester United striker Macheda, currently on loan at QPR, Newcastle forward Ranger and Walsall's Smith are accused of acting in a way which was "improper and/or brought the game into disrepute," including "a reference to a person's or persons' sexual orientation." The three players have until 4:00 pm on Wednesday to respond. An FA statement read: "Newcastle United's Nile Ranger, Walsall's Manny Smith and Manchester United's Federico Macheda, currently on loan at Queens Park Rangers, have all been charged with improper conduct in relation to comments made on Twitter. "The charge is that the players acted in a way which was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute. It is further alleged that the breach included a reference to a person's or persons' sexual orientation. Each has until 4 p.m. on Wednesday 29 February 2012 to respond to the charge." West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison was last week fined £7,000 by the FA in response to a homophobic remark made on Twitter. Morrison, who completed an undisclosed switch to Upton Park from Manchester United at the end of January, is reported to have made the comment in response to another Twitter user. The 19-year-old was also warned as to his future conduct by the FA.
In California, a discrimination lawsuit was filed Monday against the Charter Oak Unified School District, said the attorney of a former water-polo coach who claims he was fired for being gay. Mitch Stein, who worked as an assistant water-polo coach at Charter Oak High last summer, was fired in August after the school received an anonymous letter containing two photos of him taken from the Internet. Stein said one photo showed him posing with two drag queens; the other showed him holding a corn dog near his mouth. The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports that according to the complaint, the letter's author called Stein "unfit to coach" and threatened to go to the school board if he was not fired immediately. Stein said Principal Kathleen Wiard complied and fired him on the spot, despite Stein's promises to have the online photos taken down. Stein said he was called back to the school the next day for a meeting with Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Terry Stanfill. During that meeting, Stein said Stanfill explicitly told him he was not being fired for being gay. District officials, citing employee confidentiality laws, have declined to say why Stein was fired, but a letter from the law firm representing Charter Oak says Stein was fired for posting material of a “sexual nature” on a website that could be accessed by students. But Stein and his attorney, Brad Kane, insist his firing was discriminatory. Stein said he had a good track record at the school. The water polo team was undefeated at the time, he had successfully raised funds to pay for the pool deck to be repainted, and applied for and received a grant for the team from Kohl's department store. And Stein said he has the support of many parents at the school. He said he was unanimously elected president of the booster club for the swim and water polo teams on Thursday. “I think the parents just see that I'm a good guy and I think my actions have spoken louder than those couple of pictures,” Stein said. Stein and Kane are seeking to have Stein reinstated, but have found the district unwilling to budge. Kane said he is filing the discrimination suit in Los Angeles Superior Court today. News reports saying the suit has already been filed “jumped the gun,” Kane said. Stein, who is a Charter Oak High alumnus, has a daughter that now attends the school. He said the situation has been at times hard for her to deal with. “She's doing OK. She's learned a lot from this experience as well,” Stein said. “She said to me ‘People who don't like you are not going to like you no matter what you do.'”
The presumptive number one NFL draft pick Andrew Luck runs the 40-year dash at the 2012 Combine in Indianapolis in tight Under Armour gear, Luck likely headed to the home-town Colts.
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