Headlinin’: Utah AG renews pledge to sue the BCS (soon, he promises)

Making the morning rounds.

? Haven't seen you here in a while. Welcome back to the blog our old friend Mark Shurtleff, attorney general for the great state of Utah and noted BCS hater, who announced Wednesday he's finally prepared to make good on his longstanding threat to sue the BCS as "illegal monopoly" that violates antirust law. "I think more [states] will get involved," Shurtleff told USA Today, "as they have a chance to look at what we're talking about ? that this isn't about bragging rights, it isn't some kind of frivolous deal, there are serious antitrust violations that are harming taxpayer-funded institutions to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. And the right thing to do, regardless of whether teams in your state benefit, is to go after the antitrust violations." He'll be pursuing action in federal courts "within the next couple of months," which sounds an awful lot like what he was saying two years ago.

If it ever materializes, Shurtleff's effort will include the latest overture to the Justice Department to lead the charge against the shadowy cabal of conference commissioners that stands in the way of a playoff, following closely on the heels of 21 law and economics professors, Senator Orrin Hatch and the official anti-playoff lobby, Playoff PAC, all of whom have formally petitioned the DOJ to take on the BCS on antitrust grounds. So far, though, the Obama administration in general has been dragging its feet on backing up the president's anti-BCS rhetoric, for some reason. [USA Today]

? Dealing Devil. Duke linebacker Tyree Glover was booted from the team Wednesday, officially, for "conduct unbecoming of a member of the program." Specifically, Glover was arrested and charged with cocaine trafficking Tuesday in downtown Durham, and picked up another charge for intent to sell and deliver after police found 29.6 grams of powder cocaine and 72.4 grams of marijuana in his dorm room. Glover, a Florida native, was being held in the Durham County Jail this morning on $750,000 bond. [Durham Herald Sun]

After that, it's only fair to note that offensive lineman Robert Shofner was one of six Blue Devils athletes honored for community service Wednesday by the ACC. [GoDuke.com]

? Desert attrition. Arizona linebacker Jake Fischer, a returning starter who finished fourth on the team in tackles as a sophomore, will miss at least the start of the regular season and possibly more after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL he suffered in Saturday's spring scrimmage. Fischer is the third 'Zona player and second defensive starter (along with safety Adam Hall) to go down with an ACL tear this spring, and comes just a few weeks after a pair of backup linebackers abruptly left the team. [Arizona Daily Star]

? Pike makes right. Coveted 2012 quarterback prospect Zeke Pike, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound slinger out of northern Kentucky, committed to play for Auburn Wednesday over finalists Arkansas, Michigan, Purdue and Tennessee. In the SEC, of course, a "commitment" is just a signal to let the real recruiting begin, but Pike insisted he picked the Plains for mostly non-football reasons and isn't going anywhere. "I'm an Auburn Tiger and that's not going to change," he said. "There are a lot of kids that will make this announcement this time of the year and go back and switch, but that's not what I am. I'm true to my word. I get to sign in February with the national champions." Is that a prediction, Zeke? [al.com, Cincinnati.com]

? We're not going away. The parents of Danroy Henry Jr, a Pace (N.Y.) University football player shot to death last year by a police officer in Pleasantville, N.Y., have filed a wrongful death suit against the officer for an "unconscionable use of force." The officer, Aaron Hess, shot Henry through the windshield of Henry's car on Oct. 17 as he tried to drive away from a disturbance at a bar; Hess claimed he was hit by the car, thrown onto the hood and had no choice but to fire to stop the driver. An autopsy report showed Henry, 20, was above the legal blood-alcohol limit for driving.

Hess was cleared of wrongdoing by a grand jury in February and recently voted "Officer of the Year" by his colleagues ? an honor that clearly infuriated Henry's family, which is seeking access to more evidence to support its claims that Henry wasn't drunk and didn't represent a threat that justified deadly force. The Henrys have already filed a suit seeking $120 million in damages from the cities of Pleasantville and Mount Pleasant for police misconduct, and four Pace teammates arrested in the same incident ? all of whom saw all charges against them dropped last month ?�said they also plan to sue for police misconduct and aggressive prosecution. [Associated Press, LoHud.com]

Quickly… Nebraska picks up a 250-pound running back transfer from Eastern Michigan. … Ohio State remains never worn red in his life. … Someone actually asked Mel Kiper about Denard Robinson's prospects as an NFL quarterback. … Will Muschamp returns Al Golden's volley with a slight dig at Miami. … Iowa State's getting a giant new video board. … An Oregon beat reporter rocks an awesome beanie after practice. … Bruce Feldman names Alabama defensive tackle Josh Chapman the strongest man in college football. … And you'll never guess who's on the cover of today's Boston Herald.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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