Sports
Ex NFL Player’s Son Bags Life Jail Sentence For Killing Parents
Antonio Jr. Armstrong, the son of a former American National Football League player, was convicted guilty of killing his parents, Dawn and Antonio Sr., in their southwest Houston home in 2016.
According to a story from the Daily Mail on Thursday, Armstrong Jr. was convicted of capital murder after the Houston jury deliberated for almost 10 hours and heard more than 40 hours of testimony from 31 witnesses over the course of 11 days.
The convict, who was 16 at the time of committing the murder, was sentenced to life imprisonment and will have the possibility of parole after 40 years.
AJ was charged with shooting his parents in July 2016, Dawn and Antonio Sr, both 42, were each shot in the head with pillows placed over their faces, while asleep in their southwest Houston home.
Armstrong Jr married Kate Ober, his high school girlfriend with whom he shares a son during the seven years of the committed offense and today’s guilty verdict.
His defense attorney, Rick Detoto said, “My client is devastated. He’s one of the strongest young men I’ve ever known. His family is amazing, and obviously, they are devastated right now.”
“This is a difficult time for them, but they will rally and they will help AJ and his young son and his wife get through this.”
Armstrong was detained when he started his junior year of high school. A check of the family home also turned up a crack pipe and a pillow with bullet holes in AJ’s room, according to investigators who claim he admitted to trying to muffle a gun with blankets and pillows.
Armstrong Sr. played linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins in the past.
The Ayomidiran Foundation, under the leadership of Hon Ayo Omidiran, has appointed four prominent women as ambassadors for its “Girls Play Sports” initiative, aimed at inspiring young girls to excel in sports.
The initiative has brought together Ayisat Yusuf, a former Super Falcons player and current sponsor of Ayisat Yusuf Football Club; Mary Onyali, a celebrated silver-winning Olympic sprinter; Onome Ebi, who represented Nigeria in five FIFA Women’s World Cups and captained the Super Falcons in several international competitions; and Olufunke Oshonaike, a six-time Olympic table tennis player who has won numerous medals for Nigeria.
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On the rationale for their appointment, Hon Omidiran asserted that ‘these accomplished athletes, known for their dedication and excellence, are role models for girls across Nigeria’.
The grand finale of the inaugural Girls Play Sports football tournament will take place in Abuja on September 29, 2024, where the ambassadors will participate in celebrating female athletic achievements and encouraging more girls to embrace sports.
The foundation also plans to expand the initiative to include sports like table tennis, basketball, and athletics in the future.
“We are honoured to have these sports legends on board,” said Hon Omidiran.
“Their success and passion for sports will inspire a new generation of female athletes, promoting empowerment through sports,” he added.
Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard will be sidelined for an extended period due to an ankle injury he sustained during international duty with Norway.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta announced this on Wednesday.
Ødegaard twisted his ankle in Norway’s Nations League match against Austria earlier this month.
The national team doctor initially estimated that Ødegaard would be out for at least three weeks.
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However, recent scans have revealed ligament damage, leading Arteta to acknowledge the injury’s seriousness.
Arteta said, “The scans showed some damage, especially to one of the ligaments in the ankle. While I can’t provide an exact timeframe, it is significant, and we’ll miss him for a while. We’re hopeful it won’t be for months, but we’ll see.”
Arsenal, who were Premier League runners-up last season, will face Manchester City, the reigning champions, on Sunday.
The Gunners are currently second in the Premier League after a 1-0 win over Tottenham, trailing City by two points.
Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress secured a thrilling 71-67 victory over Uganda on Friday, advancing to the final of the FIBA U18 Women’s AfroBasket 2024.
The closely contested semifinal took place at Pretoria University in South Africa.
With this win, Nigeria also earned a spot in the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2025 in Czechia, alongside Mali, who dominated Cameroon with a 103-45 win in the other semifinal earlier that day.
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Despite Uganda defeating Nigeria in the Group Phase, the Nigerians turned the tables in this semifinal, claiming sweet revenge.
Nigeria, who last won silver in 2010, had only won one Group Phase game, a resounding 107-30 victory over Zimbabwe.
However, they managed to advance as one of the two best third-place finishers and made the most of their second chance.
In the quarterfinals, Nigeria faced Egypt, a team they lost to 72-60 in the group stage. However, the West Africans bounced back, defeating the Pharaohs 66-51 to secure their semifinal berth.
While Nigeria, led by coach Juliana Ojoshogu Negedu, fought hard to overcome Uganda, coach Omondi of Uganda was focused on earning a spot on the podium for the first time in the tournament’s history.
Nigeria entered the match with a statistical edge, thanks to standout offensive contributions from Idubamo Beggi and Abigail Isaac.
Uganda responded with notable performances from Resty Nanangwe, Modesta Anyango, and Mia Belinda.
In the final on Saturday (tomorrow), Nigeria will take on Mali, seeking to redeem their men’s team’s previous quarterfinal loss to the same West African rival.
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