Latest news with #UniversityofKentucky
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Buffalo Bills back Maxwell Hairston amid sexual assault lawsuit: 'A young man you'd let in your house'
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has thrown his support behind Maxwell Hairston after the rookie cornerback was recently accused of sexual assault by one of his former university classmates. Hairston, who was selected by the Bills with the 30th overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, has been named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit which alleges that he sexually assaulted a woman while he attended the University of Kentucky back in 2021. The plaintiff, Rebecca Hendryx, claims she was living in the same dormitory with the football player in early 2021. It was there, her attorneys allege in the filing obtained by Daily Mail, that he barged his way to her dorm room. Hendryx alleges that she physically resisted his advances only for him to forcibly remove her clothing and sexually assault her. Hairston, now 21, was 17 at the time of the incident. He is not facing criminal charges and already claims to have been 'exonerated' following a previous University of Kentucky investigation. And as he continues to protest his innocence, the new Bills star has received support from Beane - who praised him for not 'running' from the allegations and being a 'young man you would let in your house'. 'Frustrating because, in the legal world you can't sit there and say things back and forth. You've got to let it go,' the Buffalo GM told reporters on Wednesday. 'This happened to this young man over four years ago. He gave up his phone to prove [it]... he took a polygraph test. This kid didn't run from anything, he answered all of that. 'We have to remember in society that people can make accusations and do things. I have no idea what the agenda is there. I can tell you, every stone we turned over, every door we looked behind, this is a very good young man. A young man you would let in your house, watch your kids, hang out with whoever. 'He is genuinely a good person. I think we need to remember in the world, I'm not going to get into it, but we see these accusations, sometimes these guys can be victims, too. They make a lot of money. Rarely do people defend them. 'That's hard for me in this seat sometimes. Because I've seen it. We've had it here with a player here a few years ago that's no longer here that's wrongly accused.' The former player Beane was referring to is Matt Araiza, who was released by the Bills in August 2022 after a woman alleged that he and other San Diego University players raped her at an off-campus party in October 2021. She claimed that the punter, then 21, had sex with her in the side yard of a house before bringing her into a bedroom where a group of men took turns raping her. However, after he filed a defamation countersuit against her, the woman agreed to dismiss him from her lawsuit in December of last year. Araiza also dropped his countersuit against her to bring the ordeal to a close, before he was signed by back-to-back Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs two months later. Hairston insists he has nothing to hide despite the accusations that have been leveled against him, telling reporters after practice on Wednesday: 'The University of Kentucky did a thorough investigation. I was exonerated from that, as well. And I volunteered to do multiple polygraphs 'cause I was determined to get my truth out there, because I had nothing to hide. I was an open book. 'I have two sisters that I love dearly, and I respect all females, and I was just determined to get my truth out there. Like I said, I was an open book, and I was exonerated from both of those and just got to stay strong. But I'm confident that my truth will be out there.' Beane also previously said that the Bills looked into the claims made against Hairston before drafting him 30th overall in April.
Gizmodo
15 hours ago
- Health
- Gizmodo
This Experimental Weight Loss Drug Works Without the Nausea or Vomiting
What if you could lose weight with a drug that won't make you lose your lunch at the same time? New research shows it might be possible. Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Kentucky, and other institutions say they've found a potentially novel way to suppress people's appetite and treat obesity—without causing the nausea or vomiting commonly experienced with semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy). In early animal experiments, the team's experimental drug appears to be working as intended. Semaglutide and similar drugs mimic the natural GLP-1 hormone, which is important to regulating our insulin production and hunger. As effective as these medications are at helping people lose weight, they have their tradeoffs—most notably a high chance of gastrointestinal side effects. So there's clearly still a need for improved obesity treatments, according to lead study author Caroline Geisler, an assistant professor at UKY's College of Pharmacy. This Simple Strategy Could Curb One of Semaglutide's Worst Side Effects Geisler and her team have been exploring one particular strategy for treating obesity, involving a protein called octadecaneuropeptide, or ODN. ODN is produced by the brain's glia, specialized cells that support neurons. But glia aren't just the brain's support troops, and ODN seems to be important to controlling our sense of hunger. 'Now we know that [glia] play a large role in sensing and communicating the status of the body, and we hope that by targeting a glial signaling molecule, we can engage many energy-regulating pathways in the brain and avoid the side effects of nausea and vomiting,' Geisler told Gizmodo. The researchers first tested their hypothesis by delivering ODN directly to the hindbrain of rats. Once treated, the rats lost weight and improved their blood sugar control. And when they blocked ODN signaling in rats, the animals exhibited a weaker response to GLP-1 treatment (suggesting its effects are at least partly tied to ODN). Finally, they indirectly dosed mice, rats, and shrews with an experimental drug derived from ODN, called TDN. In mice, TDN improved blood sugar control; in rats, it caused weight loss without nausea or vomiting; and in shrews (animals commonly used to test motion sickness and vomiting), the drug triggered no puking at all. The drug also appeared to not have any noticeable effects on the animals' heart rate, movement, and temperature. 'This paper shows for the first time that giving a smaller version of ODN in the periphery is still effective to improve body weight and metabolic control without side effects,' Geisler said. The team's findings, published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine, are only a proof of concept for now. There remain many questions about exactly how ODN works in the brain to tamp down our appetite and control blood sugar. It's also possible that ODN-based drugs can be further optimized for medical use, though TDN seemed to produce steady weight loss in animals for at least over a week without waning. Still, the researchers are hopeful this potential new drug class can match or even surpass the effectiveness of today's GLP-1 therapies while being less of a hassle to take. And they're now planning to develop such drugs for testing in people. 'We have an optimistic timeline that we could be ready to start clinical trials within 2 years,' Geisler said. The Best Obesity Drugs Aren't Even Here Yet The study researchers are hardly the only ones working to introduce the next generation of improved obesity and diabetes treatments. But it's likely plenty of people would sign up for a safe weight loss drug that comes without the need for a barf bag.
National Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
Up Close: Meet Roughriders defensive tackle Micah Johnson
Article content 'Then I believe it was after I got cut from the Packers the next year, my agent was like, 'Hey, man, this team in Canada has your rights, you want to go? I was like, 'Nah.' Article content 'But then for the next couple years, I wasn't doing nothing but getting cut. I had my first son, so I was ready to start making some money.' Article content Article content 'Hell no, bro. I didn't think so. Especially (since) my first year, I tore my ACL in my first year in the CFL. I tore it again the second year. Article content 'My first three years in the CFL, people don't understand it was pretty much a wash. And I know you see the career numbers (now), but them first three years, like I was coming off of double ACLs and meniscus and stuff, so my first full season, I'll be telling everybody was 2016.' Article content Article content 'Scoring a touchdown at running back in the bowl game (for the University of Kentucky). We were playing against Clemson, and they put me in at running back, and I scored.' Article content Article content Article content 'Probably producing music. I've always liked making music, making beats. I sold a lot of beats … I lived in Atlanta for two or three years, and just selling beats, making beats. Article content 'This was my first few years in the CFL. So, this was like 2012-15. My first few years, that's really when I wasn't getting paid that much, that's how I was making my most of my money selling beats in the off-season. Article content 'It's become more of a hobby for me (now) though, but I always say I got to get back into it, even if it's not just the production of music. I enjoy sound engineering, master and mixing and stuff like that. So I've always wanted to kind of do something in that field. Article content 'I bought a studio when I was in college … I've always enjoyed recording people. I had people all over the city coming to record. It was actual studio equipment, Pro Tools (music software), like all that stuff. And it was self-taught.' Article content Article content
NBC News
15-07-2025
- NBC News
Suspected Los Angeles arsonist run down by former college football player
A former college football player ran down a suspected arsonist, and Los Angeles firefighters tackled hillside flames before the burning brush could get out of control, officials said Tuesday. One-time University of Kentucky wide receiver Scott Mitchell and girlfriend Davanah DiMarco were out on their regular 7-mile hike on Sunday when they came upon a burning tree and a suspicious, disheveled man leaving the scene. "'Oh wait, that tree's on fire,'" Mitchell recalled DiMarco telling him. "'Hey, that guy lit that tree on fire. He started that fire. Get him!' " By this point, that man was about 150 yards down the road. And then all of a sudden, Mitchell found himself back on an SEC gridiron in the fall of 2004 or 2005. "Even without digging, I was able to chase that guy down," Mitchell told NBC News. "I didn't know I still had it, I'm not going to lie." The man told the couple he was a fire marshal and started the blaze as part of a controlled burn — a tale they didn't believe given his disheveled state. "So I asked him, 'Where's your badge, fire marshal?'" said Mitchell, a talent manager. "And there was nobody else over there, so you can reasonably deduct that he set the fire." Other hikers on the trail helped keep the man at bay and called 911. Andrew Wistic O'Calliham, a 43-year-old homeless man, was booked on suspicion of arson upon a structure or forest land, jail records showed. He was being held in lieu of $75,000 bail on Tuesday. Aerial personnel and about 53 firefighters on the ground 'fully extinguished all active flames' along Runyon Canyon Road in the Hollywood Hills on Sunday afternoon, according to an LAFD statement. Mitchell and DiMarco were evacuated during the devastating Eaton Fire earlier this year, so they're hyper-sensitive to smell or sight of any flames.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
World No. 1s Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner headline 2025 Cincinnati Open player field
The player fields for the 2025 Cincinnati Open were announced on Tuesday, July 8, with the top 65 players from the women's and men's tennis tours set to compete at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason (Aug. 5-18). Headlining the preliminary fields are the world's No. 1 players, Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner. Both of the top-ranked players will defend their titles in Mason. Advertisement Last summer, Sabalenka, then-ranked No. 3, beat No. 6 Jessica Pegula in the first Cincinnati Open women's singles final featuring two top 10 opponents since 2017. Sabalenka and Pegula are tied for the most WTA titles this season with three each. Aryna Sabalenka won the Rookwood Cup in 2024 after defeating Jessica Pegula in the finals at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. Sinner beat Frances Tiafoe for his second ATP Masters 1000 title of the year last August in Mason. Six other previous Cincinnati Open champions are in the field, including three-time champion Novak Djokovic (2018, 2020, 2023), Coco Gauff (2023), Madison Keys (2019), Alexander Zverev (2021), Daniil Medvedev (2019) and Grigor Dimitrov (2017). "We look forward to welcoming the world's best tennis stars to compete for the Cincinnati Open title in August," Tournament Director Bob Moran said in a statement. "We have received a lot of excitement from the players about coming back to see our transformed campus and experiencing the new player amenities. Players and fans alike will enjoy the re-imagined venue and world-class atmosphere as the sport's best compete for the title." Advertisement Every player who has won a title this season is in the Cincinnati Open field, including Carlos Alcaraz, who has five wins on the year and fell to Djokovic in the 2023 Cincinnati Open finals in the longest match in the tournament's history (3 hours, 49 minutes). World No. 1 Jannik Sinner won the 2024 Cincinnati Open. Cincinnati Open singles field increases to 96 There are 96 players in each singles field this year, compared to 56 in 2024. There are a total of 119 players who have won a title during their career. The initial entrants include players from 37 nations. The United States leads the way with 24 players, including six in the top 10 of their tour's rankings in Gauff (No. 2), Pegula (No. 3), Keys (No. 8), Emma Navarro (No. 10), Taylor Fritz (No. 5) and Ben Shelton (No. 10). Advertisement There are 16 players with college experience, including a few of local interest in University of Kentucky product Gabriel Diallo and Mason native Peyton Stearns, who won NCAA singles and team titles for the University of Texas. Twelve players will be added to each field through a two-round qualifying event that take place Aug. 5-6, and additional players will earn wild cards to the tournament. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 2025 Cincinnati Open: Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner headline field
