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FORMER BUCKEYE PLEADS NOT GUILTY
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -- Denver Broncos pass rusher and former Ohio State Buckeye Jonathon Cooper pleaded not guilty Monday in a domestic violence case stemming from an altercation with his girlfriend.
Cooper will have a motions hearing in a Douglas County courtroom on July 6 with the potential for a jury trial on July 22, just before the Broncos report for training camp.
Cooper’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, said the defense doesn’t plan to file a motion to dismiss the charges and requested a trial date as soon as possible so that Cooper wouldn’t have to miss any training camp workouts.
Cooper, 28, and his girlfriend were arrested Thursday night by Parker police and both were booked into jail early Friday morning, according to Douglas County jail records. Cooper was held on suspicion of criminal mischief with a domestic violence enhancer. His girlfriend was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence and petty criminal mischief.
The arrests followed an argument and physical confrontation between Cooper and his girlfriend over cell phones that were damaged in the scuffle after she accused him of infidelity, according to a police affidavit.
Cooper had his first appearance Friday in the 23rd Judicial District Court and was released later that day on a personal recognizance bond.
Over the weekend, Cooper posted a Bible verse about anger on his Instagram account and wrote, “I apologize to my family and my friends and my community. … And so many others.” He added, “I realize positing a bible (verse) after something very serious happens does not just mean everything is okay.”
In another post, Cooper wrote, “I apologize. This situation is not who I am.”
Besides the legal case, Cooper could also potentially be subject to discipline under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
A seventh-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 2021, Cooper is entering his sixth season with the Broncos. He has started every game since 2023 and has 31 1/2 career sacks. He’s had at least eight sacks in each of the last three seasons, including a career-best 10 1/2 sacks in 2024 when he signed a four-year, $54 million contract extension.
KNICKS FEVER SPREADS
NEW YORK (AP) -- Inside Madison Square Garden, Spike Lee wore a Knicks jersey with Pope Leo’s name on the back. On the concourse and the street, fans in blue and orange cheered and chanted. Watch parties sprung up all over the city, including one at a Brooklyn funeral home.
Knicks fever reached a new peak Monday night, with New York hosting Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Shouts of “Let’s go Knicks!” and “Knicks in four!” were heard throughout midtown Manhattan, with spirits up even as tight security measures for the presence of President Donald Trump caused hours-long lines to get in.
With the Knicks in the finals for the first time since 1999 and leading the best-of-seven series 2-0, their first home game this round was a hot ticket. The get-in price exceeded the average cost of rent in the biggest U.S. city.
“This is my son here, so taking him to the finals, you can’t really put a price on the experience,” said Greg Weldon, who flew in from Florida to attend a finals game as he did when New York won it all in 1970 and ’73. “It’s like that commercial: The tickets, ridiculous; the hassle getting in, ridiculous -- the experience, priceless.”
The cheapest upper-deck seats available were going for over $5,000 on resale platforms like StubHub, SeatGeek and VividSeats. The experience of being courtside goes for more than $75,000.
“I don’t care who you are, that’s a lot of money for a ticket,” said guard Jose Alvarado, a New York native who was planning a viewing party in Brooklyn and pointed out his Queens high school also is hosting one. “People that could afford it, we’re grateful with them coming out, and it just shows you our team is really special and we’re doing something here that hasn’t been done in a long time.”
The Knicks were two victories from their first championship since ’73, and the hoopla for Game 3 included the anticipated appearances of Trump and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Trump’s presence led to the cancellation of a planned watch party outside the arena, where fans have gathered throughout this playoff run that has included a 13-game winning streak.
CHAMP NOT CELEBRATED
PARIS (AP) -- Alexander Zverev’s victory at the French Open did not dominate the headlines in France on Monday as is normally expected for the men’s singles champion.
Most noticeably, his win was reduced to a minor mention on the front page of sports daily L’Equipe, the country’s main sports newspaper, which published an editorial highlighting accusations of domestic violence that the German player has faced.
Zverev won his first major title on Sunday in Paris when he defeated Flavio Cobolli in five sets.
L’Equipe instead dedicated its front page to the handball team of Metz, which became the first French club to lift the Champions League women’s trophy. There was just a small picture of Zverev on the top left corner of the main page, with the headline “Zverev, major at last.”
In addition to its coverage of the final, L’Equipe published an op-ed headlined “To live with” that focused on past accusations against Zverev. Two years ago, he settled a domestic abuse case after reaching an out-of-court settlement with his former partner, who accused him of assaulting her.
A district court in Berlin ended the trial after an agreement between state prosecutors and lawyers for Zverev and his former partner Brenda Patea. Zverev agreed to pay fines of 150,000 euros ($162,000) to the state and 50,000 euros ($54,000) to charitable organizations.
Zverev previously denied an assault allegation made by another woman. Those accusations were investigated by the ATP, but it said in January 2023 that there was insufficient evidence.
“The context complicates the reception of his success,” L’Equipe wrote. “Under German law, the payment of this sum does not constitute an admission of guilt. The proceedings concluded without any entry on his criminal record. He remains presumed innocent in a case that the courts will no longer adjudicate. Everyone will have to live with that. Her, him, you, us.”