Chiefs' Pope honored by family of boy he saved from drowning

Chris Whitaker / Americus Times-Recorder (Special to NFL.com)Chiefs TE Leonard Pope (left) shares a Sunday fist-bump with Bryson Ross, a 6-year-old he saved from drowning.

Weeks after he rescued 6-year-old Bryson Ross from drowning in a swimming pool, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Leonard Pope was honored Sunday in a private ceremony held by the boy's family and friends in Americus, Ga., the Albany Herald reported.

Anne Moore, the boy's mother, thanked Pope for his June 11 heroics.

"He appeared out of no place. He was not there at first," Anne recalled. "I never saw him running up. I only saw him dive in, so I felt that he stepped in right on time, and it was just in the nick of time."

Moore has known Pope since he was a young child. Incredibly, Pope was the only person who actually knew how to swim at the pool party.

Sunday marked the first time Pope had seen Moore or Bryson since the incident. Moore awarded Bryson with a plaque, but the Chiefs player deflected attention to praise the boy he saved.

"He's the star," Pope said of Bryson. "Everyone's been telling that I'm the star throughout the story, but I said he's the star. I really want Bryson to look at it as a chance for him to learn how to swim. He can tell his friends, and hopefully the message gets to young kids to be able to learn how to swim at an early age."

Pope is a native of the area, having starred as a teenager at Americus High School. He played collegiately at Georgia before joining the Arizona Cardinals in 2006. He has spent the last two seasons with the Chiefs.

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Court clears Falcons CB Owens after family violence hearing

The case against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Chris Owens, who allegedly ransacked his ex-girlfriend's apartment, was dismissed after a family violence hearing in Superior Court of Gwinnett County (Ga.) on Wednesday, the player's attorney told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Owens, 24, and Latia Terry, 22, have a 9-month-old child together. According to a police report filed after the June 12 incident, a suspect smashed holes in walls and a giant-screen television, threw lamps and broke the baby's crib. The report stated that the master closet was "piled full of clothes, purses and jewelry. The suspect poured bleach all over the items, leaving discoloration on them and the carpet."

Owens said Terry -- who obtained a restraining order against Owens, according to TMZ.com, which also reported the story initially -- was unhappy with their relationship and sought "revenge."

Owens' attorney, Randall M. Kessler, said, "He’s is pleased that she decided to dismiss the case. He looks forward to working with her to raise their son together."

The 5-foot-9, 179-pound Owens, who started three games during the 2010 season for the NFC South champions, was a third-round pick out of San Jose State in the 2009 NFL Draft.

He was selected the Falcons' Man of the Year in 2010 for his community work and was nominated for the league-wide Walter Payton Award.

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Family refutes report that Lombardi's grave neglected

Vince Lombardi won five NFL Championships, including two Super Bowls with the Packers. (Marty Lederhandler/Associated Press)

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Relatives of Vince Lombardi are criticizing media reports suggesting that the family ignored the grave of the legendary Green Bay Packers coach and left its upkeep to a stranger.

The family wrote a letter to the Green Bay Press Gazette that was published online Friday. The letter took issue with a May 26 Press Gazette column that also ran on The Associated Press wire.

The column detailed the efforts of a man who tends the New Jersey burial plot out of admiration for Lombardi. Individuals quoted in the column say the grave was in disarray and wonder why the family was ignoring it.

The family's letter says the local Knights of Columbus had been tending to the site since the mid-1970s. It says it's incorrect to say the gravesite was ever abandoned.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Broncos' Tebow writing book about 'faith, family and football'

NEW YORK -- Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow is working on an inspirational memoir.

Tebow is collaborating with Nathan Whitaker on "Through My Eyes," scheduled to come out in April. HarperCollins announced the book Monday.

The former University of Florida quarterback was drafted 25th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He has played in four games so far, scoring two touchdowns in 10 carries, but has yet to throw a pass in the regular season.

In a statement released by HarperCollins, the 23-year-old Tebow said his book would be a story "of faith, family and football" and inspiring people to "fulfill their dreams."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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