High school wrestling star Joel Northrup had his eye on the Iowa state championship – until he found out he'd have to compete against a girl in the first round.

Northrup, a home-schooled sophomore whose record was 35-4 wrestling for Linn-Mar High School this season, handed Cedar Falls freshman Cassy Herkelman a win by default at the tournament Thursday.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cassy and Megan and their accomplishments," Northrup said in a statement, referring also to Ottumwa sophomore Megan Black (the two girls are the first to make the state wrestling tournament in its 85-year history). "However, wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times."

"As a matter of conscience and my faith I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner," the statement continues. "It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most other high school sports in Iowa."

While Cassy wasn't available for comment, her father, Bill Herkelman, tells the Associated Press that he respects Northrup's decision.

"It's nice to get the first win and have [Cassy] be on the way to the medal round," Bill Herkelman wrote in a text. "I sincerely respect the decision of the Northrup family especially since it was made on the biggest stage in wrestling. I have heard nothing but good things about the Northrup family and hope Joel does very well the remainder of the tourney."

Northrup's father, Jamie Northrup, is a minister in the independent Pentecostal church Believers in Grace Fellowship, which teaches that young men and women shouldn't touch in a "familiar way," said Bill Randles, the church's pastor, according to The AP.

"We believe in the elevation and respect of woman and we don't think that wrestling a woman is the right thing to do," Randles said. "Body slamming and takedowns, that full contact sport is not how to do that."

Though he gave up his shot at a championship, it's not over yet for Northrup. He was still eligible for the consolation rounds, and he won his first match later Thursday by major decision

The Super Bowl is just two days away, but the big game won’t be football’s only showdown, as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Troy Polamalu and Green Bay Packers’ Clay Matthews face off in a battle of hair! As the ambassador for Head & Shoulders, Polamalu has already had his curly tresses insured for $1 million. And now Greenbay linebacker Matthews has recently jumped into the beauty game with a contract of his own endorsing Suave for Men’s reformulated line of hair care products. So put your football feelings aside and focus on the matter at hand: hair! Tell us: Whose hair do you think is more awe-inspiring: Troy Polamalu or Clay Matthews?

Willow Smith, watch out. (You too, future Olympic skaters!)

Starr Andrews, a 9-year-old amateur figure skater, has taken Smith's hair-whipping routine and put it on ice.

In a video that has more than 80,000 hits on YouTube, Andrews pulls off some serious, Olympian-style footwork to a remix of Smith's 'Whip My Hair,' rocking a pair of Chuck Taylor skates and neon hair extensions.

Next stop: Winter Olympics?

Amar'e StoudemireNY Knicks star Amar'e Stoudemire is hanging up his basketball jersey for a while and putting on something a little more stylish.Page Six reports that he has teamed up with fashion designer Rachel Roy to launch a clothing line. No, it won't be for men. In fact, it'll be part of her contemporary women's collection, Rachel Rachel Roy. 

Amar'e first started appearing in fashion circles when Anna Wintour brought him as her guest to both Fashion's Night Out and the Tommy Hilfiger spring show in September. He has been quoted as saying:
I love fashion...I love watches. I love shoes. I make sure that every time I step out of the house, I'm feeling comfortable and fashion-forward. Depending on the occasion, I dress the part.What do you think, will Amar'e's talent be just as good off the courts as it is on?

Does this lawsuit have a snowball's chance in hell?

Shaun Ellis of the New York Jets is being sued by a Seattle Seahawks fan who claims he suffered physical and mental pain after being hit by a large chunk of snow that Ellis chucked into the crowd, TMZ.com reports.

Video shows fans cheering and laughing as Ellis heaves the snowball into the stands during a 2008 playoff game in Seattle. But Robert Larson isn't laughing in court papers that detail his alleged suffering in the wake of the incident.

Larson says he experienced physical injury, humiliation, mental distress, pain and wage loss as a result of the stunt. The Seahawks season ticket holder says he was holding a pro-Seahawks sign, which made him a target.

It was not known how much money Larson is seeking.

Kye Allums is about to become the first openly trans person to play NCAA Division 1 basketball. And while his life hasn't always been easy, a lot of people could learn from his story.
According to Cyd Zeigler of Outsports, Allums was born a girl, but often preferred to identify and dress as a boy. His mom wasn't always supportive. Allums recalls, I've always felt most comfortable dressing like a boy, but my mom would take all of my clothes from me and she'd force me to wear girl clothes. I'd bring sweats and basketball shorts and put them in my backpack. I'd just change every day when I got to school, and I had to change back before I went home. It was annoying, but it was the only way I could go to school.

But it was a text from his mom that sparked an epiphany — his mom wrote "Who do you think you are, young lady?" and he realized "He wasn't a young lady at all." Says Allums,
I used to feel like trans anything was really weird and those people were crazy, and I wondered, ‘How can you feel like that?' But I looked it up on the Internet and I thought, ‘Oh my god, I'm one of those weird people.' And I realized they're not weird. It's all in your mindset and how you think.
When Allums told his (female) teammates about his gender, they initially made jokes. But then they began to take him seriously. Says one, We were all just talking, a bunch of teammates, and he said that he's a guy. At first I didn't understand, and then he explained that sex is how you're born and gender is how you identify yourself. Then I started to understand.

Allums was especially concerned about his coach Mike Bozeman's reaction, because of comments the coach had made about religion. And while the conversation started off tense, Bozeman ultimately said,
Why would you think I wouldn't have your back? I've had your back through everything. Our relationship has grown from nothing to this, and now you think I'd just turn my back on you because you told me this? No. I love you and I'll always be here for you.

Allums has faced some obstacles — one opposing coach said, anonymously, that "he might have a problem if a team in his conference had a player who identified themselves as a man." But his team's reaction is instructive — even though transphobia still runs rampant in some circles, we also shouldn't underestimate the ability of young athletes to accept a trans teammate. The report On the Team provides guidelines for encouraging participation of trans athletes, including a section on hormone therapy, which Allums is forgoing in order to continue playing on the women's team. It also says, "Transgender young people have the same right to participate and benefit from the positive aspects of athletics as other students do." Allums, his team, and his coach have recognized this — it's time for everyone else involved in college sports to do so as well.

Reggie Bush took the unprecedented step of giving back his Heisman Trophy yesterday, saying the scandal over improper benefits while he was a star running back at Southern California should not stain “the dignity of this award.’’

The New Orleans Saints star won the Heisman — symbol of the best player in college football — in 2005.

Returning the trophy has no practical effect on Bush since he’s already in the pros and a member of a Super Bowl championship team. However, it is the first time in the award’s 75-year history that a player has forfeited it.

USC was hit with heavy sanctions by the NCAA this summer after it determined Bush and his family had received hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts from two fledgling California-based marketing agents. The NCAA ruled that Bush was ineligible for the 2005 season, which opened the possibility that the Heisman Trophy Trust would take back the award.

One of the few guidelines given to Heisman Trophy voters is that a player must be in compliance with NCAA rules to be eligible for the award.

“The persistent media speculation regarding allegations dating back to my years at USC has been both painful and distracting,’’ Bush said in a statement. “In no way should the storm around these allegations reflect in any way on the dignity of this award, nor on any other institutions or individuals.

“For the rest of my days, I will continue to strive to demonstrate through my actions and words that I was deserving of the confidence placed in me by the Heisman Trophy Trust.’’

Shortly after USC was sanctioned, the eight-member trust, based in New York, said it was considering what to do about Bush, who won in a landslide vote over Texas quarterback Vince Young.

The trust met yesterday; it had no comment. Whether the 2005 Heisman will be vacated or given to Young remains to be seen.

“Reg will continue to be the 2005 Award recipient and I will continue to be honored to have been in the 2005 Heisman campaign with such a talented athlete,’’ Young said via Twitter.

Allegations of improper benefits to Bush and his family led the NCAA to come down hard on USC. The penalties levied included the loss of 30 football scholarships over three years and vacating 14 victories in which Bush played in 2004 and 2005.

Heads up NFL. Opposing teams had better mind the hair pulling–Head & Shoulders has taken out a $1 million Lloyds of London policy protecting their spokesperson, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Troy Polamalu’s famous ringlets. “It’s like J.Lo’s insured butt!” he jokes, comparing the famous urban legend surrounding the singer’s derriere to learning about his own very real insurance policy.

 The beauty brand has reason to keep Troy’s 35″ tresses under lock and key: Women and men across America are desperate for the secret to those Samoan curls, with some of his manliest teammates even trying to score the secret. “One guy in particular… is stealing all of my Head & Shoulder products,” he laughs. Taking 45 minutes pregame to care for his hair has become a ritual for the all-pro safety, who explains, “It’s correlated to what a warrior in the past would do to prepare for war. You have the Mongolians, the Japanese Samurai, the Spartans–all of these warriors with long hair…and in that way you can almost get into the mind-way, preparing for some type of battle when you are doing your hair.” After eight years without so much as a trim, would Troy ever consider cutting his signature locks? “With this big hair insurance–I don’t think so!” he says.

For the first time ever, the U.S. Open will be without the top female player in the world this year.

No. 1-ranked Serena Williams, 28, announced her withdrawal from the tournament, explaining that she's still recovering from surgery to repair cuts on her right foot.

"It is with much frustration and deep sadness that I am having to pull out of the U.S. Open," the tournament’s three-time champion said in a statement released Friday by her publicist.

Williams was reportedly hurt by a broken glass at a restaurant while she was in Munich – shortly after winning her fourth Wimbledon singles title – last month and had surgery on July 15.

The tennis superstar’s withdrawal also means she won't team with older sister Venus to defend the doubles title they won in at the U.S. Open last year. Venus, who hasn't competed on tour since Wimbledon because of a bothersome left knee, is expected to play singles at the tournament, which kicks off Aug. 30 in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

Williams – whose 13 major singles titles are the most among active women – said doctors advised her not to play so her foot can heal. Missing the tournament, she said, is "one of the most devastating moments of my career."

Cleveland Cavaliers fans weren't the only ones unhappy with LeBron James's move to Miami. One of the NBA star's closest confidants wasn't too thrilled with the news, either.

"Personally, Miami was not my favorite place. Vacationing there is great. You go for three days and get some sun and it's time to go home," his longtime girlfriend, Savannah Brinson, tells the September issue of Harper's Bazaar, on newsstands Aug. 17.

"It will definitely be an adjustment, but we'll make it," she adds. "We're not complaining. Whatever LeBron felt was comfortable, I'm with him. I just love him so much."

Though they've been together since high school, the couple, who have two sons, LeBron Jr., 5, and Bryce, 3, aren't planning to tie the knot just yet, and she would "never rush" her "soul mate" to get married – though the topic has been discussed.

"I've definitely not put a fire under his ass," says Brinson, 24. "We're really comfortable with the way things are now. And it's not up to me. When it happens, it happens. If we do it, I want it to be forever."

James, 25, believes, with or without a wedding ring, Brinson will be there to support him and has all the qualities he's looking for in a partner.

"A person like myself always needs a great sidekick and a person you can rely on no matter the circumstances. And she's that," James tells the magazine. "She's got my back, and I love her for that."

As for the kids, Brinson wants her sons to pursue what they want, though the two-time MVP says he'd be "on cloud nine every day" if his boys followed in his footsteps.

"Ultimately, though, only the big man above knows their future," he says. And even at such young ages, "they do have lots of talent."

NBA commissioner David Stern has indefinitely suspended Gilbert Arenas, saying the Washington Wizards guard is "not currently fit to take the court" for a game.

Stern says in a statement Wednesday that Arenas' actions will "ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse."

Because Arenas violated NBA rules by bringing guns into Washington's locker room, Stern decided to punish Arenas now. He said the suspension begins immediately.

"We fully endorse the decision of the NBA to indefinitely suspend Gilbert Arenas," the Wizards responded in a statement on Wednesday. "Strictly legal issues aside, Gilbert's recent behavior and statements, including his actions and statements last night in Philadelphia, are unacceptable. Some of our other players appeared to find Gilbert's behavior in Philadelphia amusing. This is also unacceptable. Under Abe Pollin's leadership, our organization never tolerated such behavior, and we have no intention of ever doing so."

Stern says he originally planned to wait for the criminal investigation to be completed before taking action, and had directed the Wizards to do the same.

Every game Arenas, who celebrated his 28th birthday on Wednesday, ends up missing during the suspension will cost him $147,208.

The suspension comes after multiple media reports over the weekend said that a dispute over a gambling debt led to a conflict between Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton.

Multiple sources told ESPN.com that an argument commenced during a card game on the team's overnight flight back to Washington from Phoenix on Dec. 19 and escalated into a heated exchange between Arenas and Crittenton. The Wizards had Dec. 20 off, but sources say hostilities between the two resumed Dec. 21 in the locker room on a practice day.

Sources say that Arenas, in response to what was said on the flight, placed the three guns on a chair near Crittenton's locker stall and invited him to pick one before practice on Dec. 21. Sources said that Crittenton subsequently let Arenas know that he had his own gun.

The Washington Post reported in Sunday's editions that Arenas, according to sources, was expecting Crittenton to see the guns on his chair as a joke based on the earlier back-and-forth on the plane, during which Crittenton allegedly said that he would shoot Arenas in his surgically repaired knee. But Crittenton, according to Post, reacted angrily and tossed one of the guns to the floor, saying he had his own.

In his statement, Arenas confirmed that the guns were brought out at the Dec. 21 practice.

"As I have said before, I had kept the four unloaded handguns in my house in Virginia but then moved them over to my locker at the Verizon Center to keep them away from my young kids," the statement read. "I brought them without any ammunition into the District of Columbia, mistakenly believing that the recent change in the D.C. gun laws allowed a person to store unloaded guns in the District. On Monday, December 21st, I took the unloaded guns out in a misguided effort to play a joke on a teammate.

"Contrary to some press accounts, I never threatened or assaulted anyone with the guns and never pointed them at anyone. Joke or not, I now recognize that what I did was a mistake and was wrong. I should not have brought the guns to D.C. in the first place, and I now realize that there's no such thing as joking around when it comes to guns -- even if unloaded."

Arenas met with law enforcement officials on Monday to explain why he had guns at the Verizon Center last month.

Arenas' lawyer issued a statement saying that the player met with federal prosecutors at the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department for more than two hours.

At the NBA's request, the firearms language was bolstered during collective bargaining in 2005. Players are subject to discipline if they bring guns to the arena or practice facility, or even an offsite promotional appearance.

When it comes to marriage, Shaquille O'Neal has thrown a brick.

Wife Va'shaundya has filed for legal separation in Los Angeles from the 37-year-old basketball star, court papers show.

In papers filed Monday, Va'shaundya O'Neal cites irreconcilable differences for the break in their seven-year marriage, and is seeking sole custody of their four minor children, ages 3 to 9, with visitation for O'Neal.

She's also asking for an unspecified amount of money for child support. She said she will eventually seek a divorce.

It's the second split for the pair. Shaq filed for divorce in 2007 in Miami-Dade County in Florida, but the two later reconciled, after a bitter dispute over whether or not he was hiding money from her.

There is a prenuptial agreement in place.

Further complicating matters is his wife's claims of residency in California, which has a more generous community-property divorce law than Florida. She reportedly flew out to L.A. recently, and claimed herself a resident of California on Nov. 8, a day before the separation papers were filed.

A lawyer for Va'shaundya and a rep for O'Neal weren't immediately available for comment.

Hank Baskett just hit the field for his first practice with his new team Thursday, but already Indianapolis is treating his wife Kendra Wilkinson like its own girl next door.

"They're gonna fit in, and I think they're gonna love it," Chris Gahl, Associate Director of Communication for the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association, tells DIDNTINVITEME. "They're gonna feel very embraced."

Baskett's agent, Jim Ivler, confirms to DIDNTINVITEME that the fourth-year wide receiver has signed a one-year deal to play for the Colts after he was released from the Philadelphia Eagles. "We got to pick and choose from among several teams," says Ivler. "It's not bad to be catching passes from Peyton Manning. Peyton had asked for Hank and wanted him to be there."

Not Just Cornfields
But what does Indy have to offer Wilkinson, the pin-up star of her self-titled show Kendra, who is used to the comfortable confines (and hot parties) of the Playboy Mansion?

"We have a fun side as well," insists Gahl. "Were not just cornfields in the middle of nowhere. We're a thriving metropolis in an urban landscape that has clubs that stay open late and celebrities who come to town."

For instance, there's St. Elmos Steak House, which not only has a celebrity connection – James Gandolfini and Ty Pennington have been spotted there – but it's also a good place to play company politics: It's a favorite hangout for the guy throwing the ball to Baskett – Colts quarterback Manning. And next door there's Harry and Izzy's upscale grill, which happens to be co-owned by Manning.

Social Opportunities
And if the couple stick around for the famed Indianapolis 500 next May, Wilkinson may well feel right at home; Playboy sponsored a pre-race party this year at the Indy hotspot, the Conrad Hotel.

As for social activities, Wilkinson may now volunteer for fundraisers for schools and the needy as a member of the Indianapolis Colts Women's Organization, made up of the wives, daughters and girlfriends of players and coaches.

Still, there's no rush to get settled into their new home: The Colts' next two games are on the road, a nationally televised match in Miami on Monday night, then a game in Arizona on Sept. 27.

But when Indianapolis returns to play the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 4, Wilkinson gets a couple of perks that any Colts fan would envy: a free ticket to the game and free parking at the stadium.