Apr 4, 2018 4 min read

Pats’ Edelman helps thwart school shooting

A social media message to New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman has led police to a teenager who posted a threat about shooting up his school.

The New York Times reports Edelman received a message from a concerned Instagram follower late last month who told him about the threat to “shoot up” a school in the comments section of his account.

Edelman notified his assistant, Shannen Moen, who called police and they tracked down a 14-year-old boy in Michigan who admitted to posting the threat about his middle school.

Police officials say the boy was charged with making a false report of a threat of terrorism.

Edelman called the man who tipped him off “the real hero” and says he plans to send him a gift.

In the NBA

JJ Redick scored 25 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers won their 12th straight game, eliminating Detroit from playoff contention with a 115-108 victory over the Pistons Wednesday night.

The Pistons had their five-game winning streak snapped, and their defeat clinched a postseason spot for the Milwaukee Bucks. The Eastern Conference playoff field is now set, although there’s still plenty of uncertainty over the actual matchups. Philadelphia pulled even with Cleveland for third place in the East.

• Kelly Olynyk scored 19 points, including 15 on five 3-pointers when Miami took the lead for good in the second period, and the Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks 115-86, capping a sweep of back-to-back games between Southeast Division rivals.
• Rookie Jamel Artis had 18 points for his second straight career high to help the Orlando Magic beat the depleted Dallas Mavericks 105-100.

Artis was coming off a 16-point game Tuesday night in a victory at New York.

• Miami Hurricanes freshman guard Lonnie Walker IV says he’ll enter the NBA draft and that he’ll hire an agent, which will prevent him from returning to the Hurricanes.

The 6-4 Walker became the first freshman to lead the Hurricanes in scoring since 2001. He averaged 11.5 points while shooting 42 percent.

Walker was perhaps the most highly regarded prospect in school history when Larranaga signed him out of Reading, Pa., in late 2016.

• Malik Newman plans to leave Kansas and enter the NBA draft after leading the Jayhawks to the Final Four in his only season playing for them. The sophomore guard said he plans to sign with an agent.

Newman started 33 of 39 games this season, earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors. He was at his best in the postseason, averaging 24 points in the Big 12 Tournament and 21.6 in the NCAA Tournament, including a career-high 32 points in the overtime victory over Duke in the Midwest Region final.

McGregor stripped of UFC title

Conor McGregor’s run as UFC lightweight champion is set to end.

The long-expected move that McGregor would lose his 155-belt was officially announced by UFC President Dana White at a press conference for Saturday’s pay-per-view card at Barclays Center. McGregor has not fought for UFC since he won the 155-pound title at UFC 205 in November 2016. McGregor last fought at all in a boxing match he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. Aug. 26, 2017.

White had not announced he would officially strip McGregor of the championship until Wednesday when he discussed the popular Irish fighter’s return to UFC this year.

“Conor McGregor is 100 percent coming back this year,” White said.