If you thought that all sports writers were going to protect Brett Favre, you’d be wrong. It’s somewhat axiomatic that writers come to the aid of the sports “stars” when the boys misbehave.

This may very well have gone way out into the end-zone to be considered, “misbehaving.” It’s about sexual harassment.

Jason Whitlock a writer for Fox Sports has written some very straight forward things about this situation. He writes, “This is sexual harassment. She’s a human being. If she sold popcorn for the Jets, Favre’s conduct would still be inappropriate.”

Whitlock also says in his report that sexual harassment is not an issue that can be ignored. That it’s real, pervasive, damaging and unfair.

Dan Graziano, Senior NFL Writer for NFL FanHouse writes, “He’s just another arrogant millionaire jock — a guy who has everything but still wants more. His is an ego so massive and invincible that he can’t conceive of a woman ignoring or rejecting his advances, so he thinks nothing of escalating them to the point of offering her evidence of the contents of his Real. Comfortable. Jeans.”

These are two very courageous sports writers. A Favre fan calling himself, Pete Slawek wrote a comment that what Favre did is, “no more or less that (sic) happens among teenages (sic) frequently. If he took a shot at her it’s no big deal.” It’s probably a big deal to Mrs. Favre and their children. Hey Pete, you have a sister, a wife, maybe a mother, know a female? His comment was posted on the FanHouse page.

Many “fans” will try to give Favre an alibi or a reason or excuse for what Favre’s alleged to have done. Excuses abound.

That these two writers took an unpopular stand says a lot about their character.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin has apologized for his “poor decisions” that led to his dismissal from the team amid an ongoing NCAA investigation.

In a statement, Austin said Monday he regretted “my actions and the embarrassment I brought to the university and to the football program.” That followed the school’s announcement that Austin wouldn’t play again for the Tar Heels for breaking rules on NCAA agent benefits, preferential treatment and ethical conduct.

Austin says he will pay “a severe price” by missing his senior season and said he was sorry for letting down his teammates, coaches and fans.

Christopher Lyons, Austin’s Miami-based attorney, released the statement and says it was “a very difficult day” for his client.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/wires/10/11/2060.ap.fbc.ncarolina.ncaa.3rd.ld.0172/#ixzz125GHZbcJ

It’s been a good news-bad news kind of week for Brett Favre.

On the good side, Randy Moss, one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, joined Favre’s Minnesota Vikings in a trade and will give the 40-year-old quarterback an extra weapon in the offense.

On the bad side, there’s that whole alleged sex scandal.

You may recall that back in August, sports website Deadspin reported that Favre had sent Jenn Sterger, a former Maxim and Playboy model, a series of voicemails and pictures of his naked self when both were working for the New York Jets in 2008. What the site didn’t have was any evidence of the alleged calls and photos.

Until now, that is. Deadspin has posted what it says are voicemails from Favre to Sterger, as well as a few messages left on her MySpace page during the time both were with the Jets — Favre was the team’s QB in 2008, and Sterger was working as a sideline reporter. The messages and pics came from a third party, the site says.

The messages themselves aren’t all that scintillating. “I just got done with practice. I’ve got meetings here for a couple more hours, then going back to the hotel and just chill. So send me a text. … I’d love to have you come by tonight,” Favre (or someone who sounds a lot like him) says in one. The photos (be warned; some seriously NSFW stuff at the end of Deadspin’s video) are another matter.

Sterger, who now co-hosts a show on Versus called “The Daily Line,” hasn’t commented. Favre brushed a question about the leaked voicemails aside at a Vikings press conference Thursday (Oct. 7): “I’m not getting into that,” he said.

By the way, the Vikings’ opponent this week? None other than the Jets. We suspect Jets fans will have a thing or two to say about that when Favre arrives at the stadium.

North Korea’s gymnasts have been suspended from the world championships starting next week because one team member’s age had been falsified.

The International Gymnastics Federation said Thursday it provisionally suspended North Korea’s federation and gymnast Hong Su Jong for 30 days, ruling them out of the worlds — being held Oct. 16-24 in Rotterdam — and any other international or national event.

North Korea — which entered four women, including Hong, and two men to compete at the worlds — can appeal to the FIG within five days.

The FIG’s disciplinary commission met Wednesday and noted that Hong’s entry for the worlds had her birth date as March 9, 1989.

FIG documents show that she competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2006 worlds using a birth year of 1985, and won the silvermedal on vault at the 2007 worlds using 1986. American Alicia Sacramone was the bronze medalist on vault in 2007.

If Hong was born in 1989, she would have been ineligible to compete in Athens. Gymnasts must turn at least 16 in the calendar year of an Olympics to be eligible.

“The USA has always played very correctly and followed the rules. We would be very happy to see other countries doing the same thing,” said Martha Karolyi, coordinator of the U.S. women’s team. “From time to time, it’s frustrating to see some people are not playing by the rules. I’m very happy the FIG stands up and is trying to track down these mistakes.”

Age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s, when the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 to help protect still-developing athletes from serious injuries. The minimum age has been 16 since 1997.

North Korea was banned from the 1993 worlds after the FIG discovered Kim Gwang Suk, the 1991 gold medalist on uneven bars, was listed as 15 for three years in a row.

Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee stripped China of its team bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Olympics for using an underage gymnast.

That case followed an investigation by FIG into unproven claims that some of China’s gold-medal team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics could have been as young as 14.

The governing body now requires all junior and senior gymnasts who represent their countries at most international meets to have a license that acts as proof of their age for their entire career.