Slap to face sparks Monmouth-Iona postgame scuffle (VIDEO)

The Monmouth Hawks have been tearing up social media with their hilarious sideline celebrations all season long but, on Friday, those slapstick antics sparked a confrontation complete with a real slap.

The Hawks defeated the Iona Gaels 110-102 in a thrilling MAAC battle, but it was what happened after the game that became the big story.

Here are some clips of the incident, starting with one that shows center Chris Brady being slapped by an Iona player during the handshake line:

Things escalate and it appears an assistant coach is caught in the altercation and pulled to the ground by a member of a coaching staff:



Earlier this week, Iona coach Tom Cluess had some harsh words about the Monmouth celebrations after a big play or basket, so maybe this choreographed display of exuberance on Friday contributed to the postgame drama.



Or maybe Iona didn't find this little skit so funny:

LMAO I LOVE YOU @danpillari 😂😂😂😂😂 @MonmouthBench https://t.co/RsNF0U7LIy

— RT Ohio (@RT_Ohio) January 16, 2016

And the Hawks won for the ninth time in their last 10 games, so don't expect the sideline show to end anytime soon.

Islanders' Adam Pelech takes skate blade to the face (VIDEO)

Sharp objects and slippery surfaces are never a good combination but, when it comes to hockey, the two are just part of the game.

And nobody realizes that more then New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech. Especially after the young player chased down New York Rangers center Derek Stepan after a defensive zone turnover and came up with a nasty cut from Stepan's foot Gitsu.

Stepan was racing to the net as a fallen Pelech swiped at the puck only to have his face make contact with the inadvertent skate.

Pelech did leave the bench for a portion of the period, but managed to return — thankful that it wasn't a whole lot worse.

Adam Pelech's cut makes him look like one of the old 12" G.I. Joe figures. #Isles pic.twitter.com/oOxBK78J0Z

— Dan Saraceni (@cultureoflosing) January 15, 2016

Blair Walsh to visit first graders who sent letters of support after missed FG (VIDEO)

After the Minnesota Vikings saw their season come to a sudden end Sunday when kicker Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal against the Seattle Seahawks in the waning moments of their NFC Wild Card Game, nobody felt worse than the usually reliable three-point specialist.

To his credit, the 26-year-old Walsh faced the media and took full responsibility for the wide-left kick, but it seemed a foregone conclusion that he would be facing a long offseason filled with self-doubt and condemnation.

That was until a group of first graders at a Minnesota elementary school got together and took the time to write some kind words to Walsh in hopes of making him feel better.

Northpoint Elementary teacher Judie Offerdahl saw a teachable moment about things like empathy and forgiveness with this sports moment. She had her students write supportive letters to Walsh and read them aloud to the class.

“Dear Blair Walsh,” wrote one student. “I know that it can be hard to get through things that are sad. but you have to try and try again. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. One time I made a mistake when I was doing a cartwheel. I felt embarrassed. You can still help the Vikings win the Super Bowl next year. Your fan, Sophia Doffin.”

And after this video showing the youngsters' heartfelt support was posted, the healing process kicked (no pun intended) into gear.

Now, as payback for those kind words, Walsh will return the favor with a visit Thursday to their classroom in Blaine.

Walsh will express his gratitude by taking photos and sign autographs with the kids, who unlike many of the adults who used Walsh as a social media punching bag, understand that football is still just a game.

Peyton Manning takes swipe at Al Jazeera America closing

If anyone was upset by news that cable news channel Al-Jazeera America was closing after only two years, Peyton Manning was definitely not one of them.

The Denver Broncos quarterback — who was linked to a banned human growth hormone by the network last month — made light of the announcement that Al Jazeera will soon shut down after failing to attract a wide enough audience in the US.

"I'm sure it's just devastating to all their viewers," Manning sneered at a press conference in Colorado Wednesday.

And with good reason.

The fledgling news outlet  aired a documentary, The Dark Side: Secrets of the Sports Dopers, and reported that Manning ordered shipments of HGH which were shipped to his wife Ashley while he was rehabilitating from a neck injury in 2011.

The 39-year-old Manning has vehemently denied Al Jazeera's accusations and denounced the report as "complete garbage" before threatening to sue the network.

Manning did miss the entire 2011 season as he was undergoing career-saving neck surgeries leading to his departure from the Indianapolis Colts before rebounding to a successful run in Denver.

In October 2013, the channel was launched after opening 12 bureaus in the United States and a state-of-the art studio in New York — backed by a $500 million investment.

However it had trouble persuading cable and satellite companies to carry it, and only had about 30,000 viewers in prime-time. 

A spokesman for Al Jazeera — which is owned by the Quatari royal family — told The Washington Post that news of the closure will not affect the department that reported the alleged doping scandal.

So far, nothing has come from the allegations and it doesn't sound like Peyton is too worried about them anyway.

Antonio Cromartie and wife expecting twins despite having vasectomy

Antonio Cromartie will soon have enough children for his own defense and a benchwarmer to boot, after the New York Jets star's wife Terricka announced she is pregnant with twins.

Making the announcement even more amazing for the father of 10 is the fact that the 31-year-old cornerback had a vasectomy.

Cromartie's 31-year-old wife confirmed the news to Us Weekly now that they have finally gotten over the surprise.

Terricka first became aware she was pregnant when she was admitted to hospital with what she thought was bad cramps. She told the magazine she was in the emergency room on October when she found out she was pregnant again.

"I really thought I was dreaming, even after, I was just in total disbelief.

"I didn't even tell Antonio right away because I didn't think it was possible. Was going back and forth in my head how it could even happen. 

"In my head we were good to go, we were having free sex! I just really thought that his procedure was the best protection you could have at this point."

The snipped cornerback was completely caught off guard when his wife revealed the news.

"Originally, he was like, 'Oh, s**t! Are you serious? How did this happen?'

"It was shocking news for the both of us. It took me a while to process it, but Antonio stood firm and was saying, ''It's God's will.'' And he's been excited the whole time."

The Jets player and Terricka share a daughter Jurzie, 5, and son Jagger, 3, but Cromartie also has a brood of eight other children from previous relationships. 

Terricka also has a daughter from a previous relationship. 

He has previously been criticized for the amount of children he has and his wife of seven years told the magazine she thought about hiding her pregnancy because she wanted the twins to be more than a number.

"To be honest, I've gone back and forth about if I wanted to share the news or not," she said.

"All my children are blessings and all of Antonio's children are blessings, for that matter. It was made to seem that my children weren't a blessing because they were categorized by a number, and for that reason and that reason alone, I hid both of my [first two] pregnancies with my husband, just so I could enjoy them with those who were really happy for me."

The model said she plans to ensure there are no more blessings for her family by getting her tubes tied.

Cromartie signed a huge $32 million contract with the Jets earlier this year and reportedly pays over $3,500 a month in child support per child expect for the two with Terricka and also to the mother of oldest son Alonzo.

The oldest boy lived with the football star's mother hence the exception, however, according to the New York Post the boy's mom is fighting for support and custody.

According to Us Weekly, the couple are now working on a book about blended families, as well as a new reality show.

Wisconsin high school athlete suspended for protesting sportsmanship policy on Twitter

The PC Police have struck again after a Wisconsin high school basketball star was suspended for her tweet protesting some new controversial sports chant guidelines.

Hilbert High School’s April Gehl drew a five-game suspension for posting an image of an email from officials at the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and writing, “EAT S--- WIAA,” The Post-Crescent reported.

The WIAA had forwarded all athletes an advisory email that noted an increase in hecklers and asked all schools in the state to “take immediate steps to correct this unsporting behavior.”

Gehl, a three-sport star and one of the top scorers for the Wolves’ girls’ basketball team, was informed by Hilbert athletic director Stan Diedrich on Wednesday that she would be suspended for five games during the current season due to the tweet she posted on Twitter early Monday morning.

“Among the chants that have been heard at recent high school sporting events are: ‘You can’t do that,’ ‘Fundamentals,’ ‘Airball,’ ‘There’s a net there,’ ‘Sieve,’ ‘We can’t hear you,’ the ‘Scoreboard’ cheer and ‘Season’s over’ during tournament series,” the WIAA email specified.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Gehl told the Post-Crescent. “I was like, ‘Really? For tweeting my opinion?’ I thought it was ridiculous.”

WIAA director of communications Todd Clark, who had sent the email to all schools last month, said the chants mentioned aren’t expressly banned from Wisconsin high school sports. Rather, he had sent the email as “a guide to help our schools in promoting positive chants,” he said.

“It’s up to the school for how they want to enforce that,” he said.

The fact that some schools are toning down some of the most popular chants in sports has already prompted a national debate. A few months ago, the Florida Gators band was told to cease playing a specific song because it elicited an inappropriate chant from the crowd.

Fox News columnist Todd Starnes called the WIAA’s efforts a move toward the “wussification of Wisconsin.”

Wisconsin’s football stadiums, basketball arenas and wrestling mats have become safe spaces for the perpetually-offended generation,” he wrote. “Vince Lombardi must be rolling over in his grave.”

“How ridiculous,” ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas wrote in a tweet. “The ‘adults’ making these decisions have too much time on their hands, and too little sense.”

Bilas posted this photo:

Under the new rules, a crowd behaving in an acceptable fashion at a Wisconsin high school basketball game. pic.twitter.com/n8aGfztVdV

— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) January 12, 2016

Travis Wilson of Wisconsin Sports Network allowed he would have approved of only a one- or two-game suspension for Gehl or even a simple rebuke from administrators and an apology by Gehl. But he supports her longer-term suspension, he wrote.

“Because let's be clear: the tweet was inappropriate, and deserved to be addressed,” Wilson wrote.

“Too often in recent years with the rise of social media, student-athletes and students have developed a misplaced idea that they can say whatever they want wherever they want and get away with it.”

Cal State Northridge (5-10) self-imposes postseason ban for 2016

Cal State Northridge's men's basketball team, currently ranked 284 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index, has self-imposed a postseason ban for the 2015-16 season.

The ban comes from a series of incidents going back to November 2014, when the university withheld a group of basketball players from games for potential violations of team rules and university policy, according to a release from athletic director Brandon Martin.

"CSUN has a proud tradition of athletic excellence and an absolute commitment to the success of our student-athletes," Martin said. "Our actions today demonstrate the values on which our athletic programs are built."

The exact nature of the violations were not announced, however the school acknowledged "serious violations" in its men's basketball program, announcing the self-imposed penalty Wednesday ahead of what the NCAA might ultimately decide.

Coach Reggie Theus also commented on the ban.

"I'm pleased that we are moving forward," Theus said. "As I've said all along, this incident was an opportunity for our student-athletes and the team to come together in a time of uncertainty. And that's what they've done. While I am disappointed for our current men's basketball players who are impacted, I look forward to moving past this matter, and I am confident the basketball program will be successful both on and off the court in the years ahead."

Given the Matadors' low ranking in just about every computer-rated category, this largely only affects their ability to play in the Big West Tournament — which will now be cut down to an eight-team playoff.

CSUN did not detail what the allegations were or what the investigation found, citing the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other federal and state privacy rights. 

However, a player involved in the situation told The Los Angeles Times that he and several teammates were summoned last fall to Martin's office, where they were told that the school was investigating suspicious exam results pertaining to a particular online course.

The player spoke to The Times on the condition that he would not be identified because of the sensitivity of the allegations.

"They were all the same grades," said the player, who denied wrongdoing. "They somehow thought we were cheating."

The Matadors haven't reached an NCAA Tournament since 2009 and are probably better known for their cool blacktop-themed home basketball court than the play on it.