Midnight Man

Washington Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy has been cleared by doctors. McCoy had suffered an aggravated nerve in his neck in Sunday's 24-0 loss to St. Louis and couldn't finish the game. But he practiced all week and took every first-team snap Friday. Coach Jay Gruden called Friday's visit to a neck specialist a formality, as he said McCoy had not shown any reason to suggest he wouldn't play. Gruden said the team wanted McCoy to see the doctor one more time "to make sure we're 100 percent sure there's no risk of him doing damage to his neck." The team wanted to know McCoy could withstand punishment during the game. In practice this week, McCoy showed no ill effects on the field when throwing the ball or running. McCoy's neck was injured against the Rams on a Robert Quinn sack, but he stayed in for five more plays over two series. Robert Griffin III replaced him at the two-minute warning. If McCoy had been unable to play Sunday, Griffin would have gotten the start. Instead, McCoy will make his third straight start and fourth of the season. Gruden said that McCoy remains the best option for Washington (3-10). "His decision-making is the best right now because he's been in the NFL the longest," Gruden said. "His ability to see coverage, get the ball out, probably sets him ahead of the other guys by a little bit. That's really the No. 1 reason. He still has the mobility, obviously. He's a tough guy. He's a good leader, and players respond to him."

Fox News reporter Dominic Di-Natale has been found dead of an apparent suicide, he was 43. Di-Natale's body was found Wednesday in Jefferson County, Co., where Di-Natle owned property, after a friend reached out to officials about Di-Natale’s state of mind. According to Fox News, the international correspondent had been struggling with undisclosed health issues. "We were extremely saddened to learn of Dominic's passing and send our deepest condolences to his family and friends," said a statement from a Fox News spokesperson. "He was an esteemed journalist and an integral part of our news coverage throughout the Middle East." Since joining Fox News in 2007, Di-Natale covered some of the most major news stories, including the death of Osama Bin Laden and the Ferguson protests. Most recently, he had been freelancing for the network in Los Angeles until he resigned on Nov. 30.

Bill Cosby is being sued for defamation, as another former supermodel has come forward saying he abused her. Supermodel Beverly Johnson says Cosby attempted to assault her after she auditioned to be an extra on The Cosby Show in the 1980s. "I needed a big break badly and appearing on The Cosby Show seemed like an excellent way of getting Hollywood's attention," she writes. "Cosby asked what I wanted from my career going forward. He seemed genuinely interested in guiding me to the next level. I was on cloud nine." Johnson says Cosby invited her to his brownstone to rehearse lines and offered her an espresso that he had prepared in his personal machine. "I knew by the second sip of the drink Cosby had given me that I'd been drugged, and drugged good," she writes, adding that she immediately began yelling at the comedian. "I recall his seething anger at my tirade and then him grabbing me by my left arm hard and yanking all 110 pounds of me down a bunch of stairs as my high heels clicked and clacked on every step. I feared my neck was going to break with the force he was using to pull me down those stairs." Johnson says she remembers Cosby shoving her into a taxi, and that she woke up in her own bed the next day with no memory of how she got home. According to Johnson, she decided to confront Cosby about the incident and called his house a few days later, but backed off after his wife answered and said it was too late for them to take calls. She eventually decided to let the issue drop. "In the end, just like the other women, I had too much to lose to go after Bill Cosby," she writes. "I had a career that would no doubt take a huge hit if I went public with my story and I certainly couldn't afford that after my costly divorce and ongoing court fees." At the same time, another of Cosby's alleged victims, Tamara Green, is suing the actor for defamation. A lawyer for Tamara Green says Cosby's flat denials of her claims that he drugged and raped her in the 1970s in effect mean he has "publicly branded Plaintiff Green a liar." Read about The Life And Times Of Bill Cosby: just click here

Angelea Preston, who competed on Cycle 14 of the reality show before returning and winning Cycle 17, has filed a lawsuit against Tyra Banks. Preston alleges in her suit that she never received her grand prize because she was disqualified for previously having been an escort. She is suing for breach of oral agreement, breach of written contract, as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress, the latter because she claims the show withheld medical treatment for at least 10 minutes when she had an anxiety attack to make for better TV. Additionally, Preston is suing for failure to pay minimum wage, failure to pay overtime wages, failure to provide meal and rest breaks and unfair business practices, citing working conditions for the show's contestants. She is suing for damages on all eight accounts and says she believes she is owed at least $3 million. The CW issued the following statement in response to Preston's suit: "As noted during the broadcast of the America's Next Top Model finale in 2011, information about Angelea was learned after production wrapped on that cycle that led to her disqualification from the competition. We are confident that her lawsuit has no merit."

Actor Dimitri Diatchenko was recently arrested and charged with allegedly killing and eating his ex-girlfriend's pet rabbit and threatening to do the same to her. Diatchenko, 46, faces one felony count of cruelty to an animal with the use of a knife and another felony count for allegedly making criminal threats, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said in a statement to the site Thursday. He is due to be arraigned on Dec. 30. In the famous 1987 film, Glenn Close's character breaks into the home of Michael Douglas character and kills his daughter's pet rabbit and boils it on the stove after he ends their extramarital affair. According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office's statement, Diatchenko and his ex continued to live together for some time after the end of their relationship. When she said they shouldn't live together anymore, the actor then killed, skinned, cooked and ate half of her rabbit on Dec. 7 when she was not home. He then sent her pictures of each of the various acts. When she returned, he allegedly threatened to do the same to her. Diatchenko was taken into custody that afternoon and released almost 24 hours later after posting a $50,000 bond. If convicted, he faces a possible maximum sentence of four years and eight months in jail. Diatchenko played a Russian gangster on two Season 4 episodes of Sons of Anarchyand portrayed a character named Dimitri Romanov on Bones earlier this year. His other credits include 2 Broke Girls, How I Met Your Mother, Burn Notice, and Perception as well as films like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Get Smart. Watch Sons of Anarchy Now: just click here

Amy Schumer will host the 2015 MTV Movie Awards in April. "Wickedly funny and sharply insightful, Amy Schumer is perhaps the most ascendant talent in comedy today and she's on the brink of an epic year," MTV President Stephen Friedman said in a statement. "We are thrilled to work with Amy to create an unpredictable and hilarious showcase for Hollywood's biggest blockbusters and brightest stars in what promises to be the most combustible Movie Awards ever. I am honored to be hosting the awards. I will carry the audience with me like a teen mom #breaktheinternet #breakmywater." Season 3 of Inside Amy Schumer will premiere on Comedy Central in April. In July, Schumer's comedy Trainwreck, which she wrote, developed and stars in, will hit theaters. The 2015 MTV Movie Awards will air live on Sunday, April 12 at 9/8c. Do you think Schumer is a good choice to host?

BLACKHAWKS over DEVILS 3 to 2 BLUE JACKETS over FLYERS 3 to 2 SABRES over KINGS 1 to 0 MAPLE LEAFS over FLAMES 4 to 1 CANADIENS over CANUCKS 3 to 1 CAPITALS over LIGHTNING 5 to 3 WILD over ISLANDERS 5 to 4 JETS over STARS 5 to 2 PREDATORS over AVALANCHE 3 to 0 SHARKS over OILERS 5 to 2

PACKERS over FALCONS 43 to 37

HORNETS over CELTICS 96 to 87 CLIPPERS over PACERS 103 to 96 WIZARDS over MAGIC 91 to 89 HAWKS over 76ERS 95 to 79 BULLS over NETS 105 to 80 TIMBERWOLVES over TRAIL BLAZERS 90 to 82 MAVERICKS over PELICANS 112 to 107 SPURS over KNICKS 109 to 95 WARRIORS over ROCKETS 105 to 93 NUGGETS over HEAT 102 to 82

CAVALIERS over RAPTORS 105 to 101 TRAIL BLAZERS over PISTONS 98 to 86 GRIZZLIES over MAVERICKS 114 to 105 PELICANS over KNICKS 104 to 93 THUNDER over BUCKS 114 to 101 HEAT over SUNS 103 to 97 JAZZ over SPURS 100 to 96 LAKERS over KINGS 98 to 95

Minnesota Wild’s Keith Ballard has been released from the hospital, diagnosed with multiple facial fractures and a concussion after colliding with the boards. The Wild announced Wednesday that Ballard will be out indefinitely. Ballard was hurt when he tried to turn away from Matt Martin as the left wing charged toward him. Ballard was driven face-forward into the dasher board, and his head bounced hard on the ice after he fell. At one point, Ballard appeared to be convulsing as medics hustled out a stretcher, but he was able to get up after a few minutes and walk slowly to the locker room with assistance. The Wild recalled defenseman Justin Falk from their AHL affiliate in Iowa to fill in.

Hundreds of fans, many clad in his famed No. 4 jersey, and a who's who of hockey stars and politicians paid an emotional farewell to Montreal Canadiens great Jean Beliveau on a snowy Wednesday. The afternoon funeral for Beliveau, who died last week at 83, was held at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral and featured affectionate eulogies from former Canadiens teammates Dickie Moore, Yvan Cournoyer, Serge Savard and Ken Dryden, as well as Canadiens owner Geoff Molson. "It is a tremendous honor to stand here for my teammate and friend, Jean Beliveau," Moore said. "Everyone has said so many wonderful words about him, words like strength, dedication, devotion and elegance. I was lucky to have been with Jean for many glorious years with the Canadiens, lucky to share amazing moments together, lucky to have him as a friend. "Would you rather be good or lucky? I was lucky. He was good." Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was among those who attended the service, along with Gov. Gen. David Johnston, former prime ministers Jean Chretien and Brian Mulroney, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, and former Quebec premiers Jean Charest, Bernard Landry and Lucien Bouchard. Montreal mayor Denis Coderre and federal opposition leaders Justin Trudeau of the Liberals and Thomas Mulcair of the NDP also attended. Moore was followed to the podium by Cournoyer, one of six pallbearers. Cournoyer spoke about Beliveau in revered tones as his "captain" and described what he called almost a father-son relationship with the late icon. "Oh captain, my captain, bon voyage," Cournoyer said, his voice choking. Dryden recalled being Beliveau's roommate toward the end of the 1970-71 season when the big goaltender was an NHL rookie. "He treated everyone with respect," Dryden said. "He said the right things and in the right way, in French and in English, because that's what he believed and that's what he was. He made every occasion better. He made everyone who was there feel that their town, their organization, their province, their country, their event mattered. That they mattered. "This is not the time to say goodbye," Dryden said in closing. "This is the time to say thank you." Molson spoke of Beliveau as an athlete, a friend, a champion and an example to follow. "He was a special man -- a Jean Beliveau like no other," Molson said of the star center, who won 10 Stanley Cups in 21 years as a player and another seven as a team executive. The other designated pallbearers were Savard and former Canadiens players Phil Goyette, Guy Lafleur, Robert Rousseau and Jean-Guy Talbot.

The Dodgers have agreed on a trade that will send Matt Kemp to the Padres. Los Angeles will receive catcher Yasmani Grandal, pitcher Joe Wieland and another prospect, the source said, while the Padres get Kemp and catcher Tim Federwicz. The prospect is right-hander Zach Eflin, according to multiple media reports. The Dodgers will also send about $32 million to San Diego to cover part of Kemp's remaining $107 million salary. The trade helps alleviate a logjam of outfielders in the organization. The Dodgers' new front office has been looking to move bulky long-term contracts and to improve the atmosphere in the clubhouse, which was described as "dysfunctional" by several team sources last season. The glut of outfielders became a source of tension at various times throughout the season. Kemp, 30, looked rejuvenated this season after the All-Star break, hitting 17 of his 25 home runs and leading the major leagues in slugging percentage over that time period. Kemp finished second in voting for the National League MVP award in 2011, when he batted .324 with 39 home runs and 126 RBIs. He signed an eight-year, $160 million contract that winter. Injuries cost him more than 150 games over the last three seasons. He underwent a major shoulder operation after playing 106 games in 2012 and ankle surgery after playing 73 games in 2013.

Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland and receiver Andre Roberts exchanged punches during the individual portion of practice, adding yet another layer of drama to the team's season. Breeland and Roberts were involved in a play in which the rookie corner broke up a pass to Roberts. It appeared as they fell to the ground that Roberts accidentally kneed Breeland in the groin. As Breeland stood up, he grabbed his groin, walked a few steps and bent over; Roberts' back was turned at the time. A minute or so later, close to the line of scrimmage, Roberts and Breeland exchanged words. Roberts slammed his helmet to the ground and threw a punch immediately before Breeland, who hitched up his pants right before the punch, threw one of his own. Breeland then tried to tackle Roberts. Neither player was wearing his helmet. The scuffle was broken up by a handful of players, including safety Ryan Clark, cornerback E.J. Biggers. Clark walked Roberts away, but then Roberts shoved him as well. Roberts and Breeland exchanged more words from about 10 yards apart. At that point, the practice became closed to the media; it is open for only 15 to 20 minutes, and the incident occurred near the end of the session. Both Roberts and Breeland declined comment. Roberts, however, addressed the incident in a tweet later Wednesday.

NFL owners Wednesday unanimously approved a revised personal conduct policy, commissioner Roger Goodell announced. The new policy takes effect immediately. Among the key changes: • The policy embraces the use of independent investigations. To that end, the NFL will hire a special counsel for investigations and conduct who will oversee initial discipline. • The policy will implement an element of leave with pay during investigations of people charged with violent crimes. • The commissioner will maintain a role in the appeals process but also may appoint a panel of independent experts to participate in deciding an appeal. Goodell said Wednesday that the person hired to fill the special counsel role will be a "highly qualified individual with a criminal justice background. The person will oversee our investigations and decide the discipline for violations of the policy," he added. After the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson cases, a more extensive list of prohibited conduct will be included in the policy, as well as specific criteria for paid leave for anyone charged with a violent crime. A six-game suspension without pay for violations involving assault, sexual assault, battery, domestic violence, child abuse and other forms of family violence will be in effect, but with consideration given to mitigating or aggravating circumstances. "The policy is comprehensive," Goodell said. "It is strong. It is tough. And it is better for everyone associated with the NFL. "I have stated it many times: Being part of the NFL is a privilege. It is not a right. The measures adopted today uphold that principle." The NFL Players Association issued a statement in which it expressed its displeasure with not being able to collectively bargain changes to the policy. "Our union has not been offered the professional courtesy of seeing the NFL's new personal conduct policy before it hit the presses," the union said. "Their unilateral decision and conduct today is the only thing that has been consistent over the past few months." The union could consider Wednesday's vote by the owners as a violation of the collective bargaining agreement reached in 2011, giving the union cause to file a grievance. Among the union's options is pursuing an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board. The players could argue this policy is a change in terms and conditions of employment; the National Labor Relations Act says such changes in unionized situations are subject to collective bargaining. NFL executive vice president and general counsel Jeff Pash said the NFLPA's claim that it has not seen the policy lacks credibility because of the ongoing discussions between the league and the union. "The union knows every element of what we've been talking about because we've talked to them about it already," he said. "I respect the fact that they may not agree with everything that's been done, and I respect the fact that there's an unfortunate [need] to react: 'They say X, so we will say not X.' But I think that the best thing for everybody would be to take a step back and recognize the issues of reputation, of standards, of conduct." Troy Vincent, the NFL executive vice president of football operations and a former president of the NFLPA, said he is "ready to move on from the union and the statements. They've had ample amount of time to contribute to where we're going. It's always been that way," he said. "Farce, you hear the term farce, unilateral decisions. They’ve been part of the process the entire time. "The people who don't like discipline are those who have committed a criminal act. Nobody likes to visit the principal. That's a small number of players every year. Those are the ones who have a problem, whether it's the process, it's the amount of discipline or the fine." Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, the team's player representative, echoed the union's criticism of the NFL's actions. "I think it's interesting anytime you make changes to a policy that we collectively bargained for and you don't collectively bargain for it," he said. "So, like the [players association], said, it's [the NFL] doing it by the seat of its pants and making it up as they go along. You would hope anything having to do with that the players, we would have some say-so in the policy and at least something we could agree on and everybody is comfortable with. Obviously, that isn't what they saw fit." Later Wednesday, Goodell sent a letter to fans on the new policy, also thanking them for their support of the league. "Our communities are the heart of our teams and we put everything into making a positive impact on them. While we are stewards of the game of football, we know that virtue isn't earned on the field alone. Character and values sits above everything else because we represent something that means so much to so many people," he wrote. Get Your Very Own NFL Wallet: just click here

The conclusion to the seven-season journey of Sons of Anarchy had a certain sense of inevitability to it and that's exactly what the show's creative team intended. In other words, the finale, which saw Jax Teller tying up a lot of loose ends for both the club and in his personal life before ultimately sacrificing himself to give his kids hope for a life away from the bullets and blood was always going to end with Jax dead, but even though Jax's fate was seemingly written in the stars, what about those he left behind? Will Jax's grand gesture be enough to save his boys from becoming outlaws? And will the club go back to the simpler organization it was originally intended to be? The creators always saw it as a tragedy in the Shakespearean sense. So they wanted to close out the story of Jax Teller in particular in a way that was satisfying for the audience and satisfying for the rules of a really good tragedy. A really good tragedy tends to end with a hero's death because that's what Shakespeare said and he's usually right. How it actually happened was much discussed. What you finally saw was the product of a lot of hours and weeks of agonizing to make something that would be true to the character and also resolve a lot of the problems that Gemma made and the lies that she spun. So, there's a lot of cleanup to do in that ending but also a lot of resolution. They didn't want to leave you hanging. They didn't want to give you a full Soprano; they wanted to give you something that felt like it was a real closure. It’s best to end something that's as mythological and as big as Sons of Anarchy in a manner that's poetic. So, the whole conclusion of the story was much more elegiac and it's slower-paced and really provided Jax some chance to close out his life. That's why they took the time to go to the graves of the people that he really cared about, to really bring them into the conclusion of it. They didn’t want to just get rid of August Marks and try to clean up the Irish question, but to also let Jax say goodbye to the people that he really cared about, especially to his children. It’s very tough, and it's not going to be satisfying for everybody because a lot of people just don't want to say goodbye to Jax Teller. When Jax says, "The bad guys lose," I think he's thinking a little bit about himself as well as the people who have actually caused him so much pain. But he did want to leave a legacy and the legacy that he wants to leave is one that allows his children to hate him, which is unusual because usually people want to leave with the children still loving them and having a fond memory of them. But Jax wanted to make sure that didn't happen. He was trying to break that cycle even in his last moments. That's what makes it a real emotional split, because in order for him to do that, he thought the best solution would be to die at his own hands, in his own peaceful manner. Mythologically, that's very satisfying as opposed to the cops shooting him or whatever. He sort of takes control and ended the way that he wants to end it. The plan will eventually work for Abel, in this moment, with what Abel knows, which is really very little, I think he's questioning and curious and he's been given a new toy. He's toying with it and he's looking out the window and wondering what the heck is going on. But as he grows up, I would think that the story would be told to him of who his father was and what his father meant. That's the instruction that Jax gave Nero, which will turn him away from that life, but maybe it is in the genes and maybe he is fated to be his father's son. Hopefully the club is on better footing, even though theoretically the biggest obstacles have been removed for the time being and there seems to be peace in the valley. Possibly, the choices Jax made in the end are going to end up being problems for the club that would cause it to be incapable of doing anything like what it's done before. The club is going to be a bit of an outcast club now that they have black members, which is going to be an issue. They're going to have the Irish to deal with. It's not perfectly aligned for everything to be perfect for the club; it could be a troubled path for them. Hamlet of Shakespeare was an obvious influence here and to end on the fact that a lot of these choices, even the choices that Gemma made, as twisted as they were, were made out of her own twisted sense of love and her own allegiance to her family and to the men in her life. Jax is very similar. A lot of the choices he made to avenge Tara's death, even though they were mistaken, were made out of how much he loved her. Love is the biggest force that works on Jax, despite the fact that other things come into it and color it and twist it. That's what he's driven by and that's why those words ended up being so appropriate. Watch Sons Of Anarchy Now: just click here

MAPLE LEAFS over RED WINGS 2 to 1 DUCKS over OILERS 2 to 1