"Keep Al Golden" banner will not fly in Tallahassee

By: @AndySlater

Florida State fans think Al Golden is great for the University of Miami football team. One fan thought he was so great, he planned on having a banner flown over Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night in support of the Hurricanes coach. That won't happen.

Due to a "scheduling conflict with the aerial sign company," the banner has been grounded --- so says an update to Joseph Johnson's GoFundMe page. 

Laurence Leavy, aka Marlins Man, said the "scheduling conflict" is not the reason why the banner will not fly. 

"I was informed by Johnson that he was being pressured by alumni and administration from both schools not to have it fly," Leavy said when reached by phone Saturday morning.

Johnson, a Seminoles fan, started the GoFundMe page in September to mockingly show support for the Golden. 

According to Johnson's post, all money donated to help fly the banner will now be donated to kidz1stfund.com in support of raising awareness to a rare blood disease, one that Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher's son was diagnosed with in 2011.

Leavy, who donated $500 initially for the banner, says he still plans to fund his own message for Golden to fly over an upcoming Hurricanes home game. "Whether he wins or loses against Florida State, my banner will fly supporting him," Leavy said. 

(Photo Credit: Nooga.com)

NFL says Campbell can't be handed Dolphins job in 2016

By: @AndySlater

On Monday, the Miami Dolphins introduced Dan Campbell as their interim head coach. Regardless of the team's performance in their remaining 12 games, they'll be forced to interview other candidates for the job.

An NFL spokesperson told me today, citing the league's Rooney Rule policy, "once the season is concluded, the head coaching position must be considered open and the club must fill the position in accordance with the interviewing guidelines." 

If the Dolphins turned their season around and made the playoffs, most people would figure that team owner Stephen Ross would automatically shed Campbell's interim title. However, the league will not allow that.

"No club may make a commitment to a coach retained during the season that extends beyond the end of the club's playing season," the Rooney Rule policy states.

Since Campbell was already part of the Dolphins staff before being named head coach,  no other interviews were necessary. If the team opted to hire an interim head coach from outside the organization, the Rooney Rule would have applied. 

Campbell's first game with his new title will be Sunday, Oct. 18 at Tennessee. 

(Photo Credit: South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

Miko Grimes arrested at Miami Dolphins game

By: @AndySlater

Miko Grimes, the wife of Miami Dolphins' cornerback Brent Grimes, was arrested at Sun Life Stadium on Sunday. 

Details:

• Miko Grimes allegedly tried to cross an area in which police had restricted people from walking in.
• Miami-Dade police officer grabbed her arm to stop her, but Grimes was able to get away.
• Another officer told Grimes to stop and also to relax, that's when Grimes allegedly started shouting curse words at officers.
• Grimes, when standing after being placed in handcuffs, then allegedly head butted an officer. 
• An officer took his taser out, pointed it at Grimes, and advised her should would be tased if she didn't relax.
• While being initially transported on a Miami-Dade Police golf cart, Grimes allegedly was continually kicking the officer whom had to hold her down.
• Grimes was treated for minor injuries and then arrested.

Miami-Dade Police spokesperson Det. Alvaro Zabaleta said Grimes was charged with:

• Battery on a law-enforcement officer
• Resisting with violence
• Disorderly conduct

First report of the arrest came via Twitter user Francisco Rosario who was outside the stadium and posted a video. 

This isn't the first time Grimes found herself in the spotlight. She went on a Twitter rant on her way home from the NFL Pro Bowl in January. I was able to exclusively speak to her after she landed at Miami International Airport. 

(Update: 9/28 5:30pm)

Miami-Dade Police Department Detective Zabaleta said usually in a case like Grimes', the person would be given a trespass warning and not be allowed back. Banning Grimes "is something that (special events police officers) are going to have to discuss," Zabaleta said. 

(Photo Source: Miami-Dade Corrections) 

Exclusive: Marlins Man Strikes Back

By: @AndySlater

Laurence Leavy, aka Marlins Man, will be spreading his generosity to the University of Miami. Leavy says he will be supporting the Miami Hurricanes football team not only financially, but also on national television.

Leavy has taken a lot of heat on social media over the last several days. He contributed $500 to a "Keep Al Golden" GoFundMe page setup by Seminoles fan Joseph Johnson. That money will go toward the cost of flying a banner in Tallahassee on Oct. 10 to keep the Hurricanes head coach. Johnson wants Miami to keep Golden because he believes the coach "has done a terrific job in keeping Miami irrelevant." 

Leavy genuinely wants Golden to stay at the University of Miami, though. "He is class, not trash," Leavy said. 

To show support for the Hurricanes football team and for Al Golden, Leavy says he will do several things.

• Donate $10,000 for fans to attend an upcoming University of Miami game. 
• Pay for banner planes or the blimp to be flown over Sun Life Stadium during a game Miami Hurricanes game. The banner or blimp will read "Keep Golden. Class, not trash. LLMM" (Update 10/15: This banner will fly for 3 hours on 10/17, Leavy told me.)
• He will wear a Miami Hurricanes football jersey with the name "Golden" on the back during ESPN's nationally-televised baseball broadcast this Sunday night in Chicago.

Leavy exclusively talked about his plans on Thursday while making an appearance on The Andy Slater Show on 940-AM WINZ and iHeartRadio. 

Fans interacted with Leavy and Slater on Periscope before the check was signed in the 940 WINZ studio.

(Update: Thanks to help from the University of Miami, the $10,000 was used to purchase 200 lower-level sideline seats for Oct. 17 vs Virginia Tech. The seats will be given away via The Andy Slater Show) 

Register below for 2 of the 200 seats that will be given away!

Marlins contacted Bud Black the day after he was fired

By: @AndySlater

Bud Black was managing the San Diego Padres from 2007 until June 15, 2015, the day he was fired. Less than 24 hours later, another team was already interested in his services and contacted him. That team was the Miami Marlins, according to a source close to the situation. 

When the Marlins reached out to Black to express interest, Dan Jennings was 27 games into his tenure as the team's new manager. Jennings, who had a 12-15 record at the time,  took over for Mike Redmond on May 18 after the team decided to make a highly criticized change. Redmond was fired and Jennings was moved from the front office to the dugout. 

Interest between Black and the Marlins in June was mutual. It's unclear if that interest remains at the same level three months later. The Marlins had no comment when reached Wednesday morning. 

Reports have recently surfaced stating the Marlins are currently in the process of searching for a manager to replace Dan Jennings.  It's expected that Jennings will be relieved of at least his managerial duties at the end of the season. ESPN's Enrique Rojas first reported that former Nationals and Indians manager Manny Acta was interviewed by the Marlins on Tuesday.

The next manager of the Marlins will be the team's fourth in the past five seasons. 

(Photo: isportsweb.com)