Woman arrested after allegedly asking Titans' Williams for bribe

Titans wide receiver Damian Williams was the target of an extortion attempt, according to police who arrested and charged an Antioch, Tenn., woman Monday, The Tennessean reported.

Shelley Anne David, who filed a domestic assault complaint against Williams earlier this month, was charged with one count of extortion and held on bond. Police say David, 22, tried to take $5,000 from Williams, the Titans' second-round pick in last year's draft.

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The arrest came when Williams met David in an area parking lot, where she was to receive a $5,000 cashier's check from the receiver. After the handoff was made, David was taken into custody by undercover officers. She's currently being held on bond.

"Damian Williams, in the presence of detectives, placed a phone call to Shelley David this morning and arranged for a meeting," Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron told The Tennessean. "David received a $5,000 cashier's check from Williams and gave him a signed note saying she would not appear in any court proceedings against him. At that point, she was taken into custody."

David had called police to her Antioch apartment June 4, claiming Williams had grabbed her by the arms and bruised her during an argument following an evening out. Police responded and took David to the department's domestic violence division. David initially was unsure about pressing charges, but per department policy, a misdemeanor assault warrant was issued on her behalf.

Williams denied the allegations, and police later found out about text messages David had sent the receiver asking for money that would make any charges stemming from the domestic incident disappear. That set in motion the police operation that led to the woman's arrest, according to the report.

The assault warrant against Williams was dropped Monday, "given the totality of the circumstances and taking into account Ms. David credibility issues," Aaron said.

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Hawaii governor says $4 million 'bribe' for Pro Bowl is wasteful

HONOLULU -- Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie said Thursday it's "so stupid" that the cash-strapped state pays millions to play host to the Pro Bowl when the money could be used for education.

Abercrombie said he opposes a deal the state made in 2009 to pay $4 million per game for the rights to hold the NFL's all-star game in Hawaii this and next year.

"You can't do things like give 4 million bucks to a $9 billion football industry and not give any money to children," Abercrombie said as he announced early-childhood education and health plans. "You've got this spectacle of these multimillionaires and billionaires out there arguing about how they're going to divide it up, and then they come and ask us to bribe them with $4 million to have a scrimmage out here in paradise.

"We've got to get our values straight and our priorities straight."

The Pro Bowl returned to Aloha Stadium this year after it was played in Miami in 2010, breaking up a 30-year run in Hawaii in which every game was a sellout.

The first-year Democratic governor and former longtime congressman said the NFL can ship the game back to Florida if it continues to require Hawaii to pay to keep it in the islands.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league has no comment on Abercrombie's statements.

Tourism officials said this January's Pro Bowl attracted 17,000 visitors to the state, generated $28.15 million in visitor spending and created $3.07 million in state taxes from people who traveled to attend the game.

Former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who negotiated contracts to keep the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, said the game's boost to the economy helps support government programs including education.

"It creates jobs, it's an economic revenue generator, it provides positive impressions throughout the United States," said Hannemann, who ran against Abercrombie last year and now is president for the Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association. "Honolulu is a great sports town. Sports tourism is very important to us."

But Abercrombie dismissed the economic impact of the game, saying newly enacted same-sex civil unions will do just as much to bring visitors to the state.

"Oh please. We'll get more out of civil unions in a weekend then we'll get out of those guys," he said. "We're going to market. Don't worry about marketing."

Abercrombie used the Pro Bowl as an example of ways the government could redirect money to underfunded childhood programs.

He announced Thursday he's reallocating $3 million annually from tobacco-settlement funds to revive a state program providing in-home assistance to mothers of young children.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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