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Why is this news?: Jon Waters' attorney challenges firing, Kevin Love to Cavs deal in place, Mix Diskerud not joining Crew

All the big Ohio State news in one place.

By Brett Ludwiczak
#twobros
#twobros
Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

"I am absolutely saying that OSU didn't absolutely have to fire Jon Waters."

-David Axelrod, Jon Waters' attorney

With the controversy over the firing of Ohio State Marching Band director Jon Waters carrying on, the attorney for Waters released a document on Thursday which outlined various court cases and legal guidelines as to why the firing of Waters by the university was unjust. Waters is claiming that he was trying to change the culture of the band that had been present when he took over, while the university is saying those claims are unsupported.

Axelrod states that there were a number of punishments that the university could have done instead of firing Waters, which include suspending the band, putting the band on probation, and installing somebody to educate, clarify, and enforce appropriate behavior rules. Axelrod also cited the Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education Supreme Court case, which rules that a school is not mandated to any "particular disciplinary action" to avoid being held liable under Title IX, so long as the school takes reasonable steps to correct the hostile environment. Waters made appearances on a number of TV shows on Tuesday to refute Ohio State's investigation which resulted in Ohio State denying Waters had any evidence to back up his arguments.

"I was going to get (Buckeyes football coach) Urban Meyer, put him in my car, and have him spend 5 minutes with (site selectors) at the stadium."

-Ohio State University athletic director Gene Smith

As Columbus bids to try and win the 2016 Democratic National Convention, it was thought that Urban Meyer would be part of the pitch by the city to DNC site selectors, but a schedule change has put the brakes on that plan. A tour of Ohio Stadium, where it is thought could be the site where the democratic nominee would accept the nomination, was originally scheduled to happen this morning, but was switched to the afternoon. Had the tour been given in the morning, Meyer was supposed to be part of the morning tour, but with the football team practicing in the afternoon the tour change would provide a time conflict for Meyer. A winning bid by Columbus could replicate the 2008 scene where Barack Obama accepted the party nomination in front of 100,000 people at Denver's Mile High Stadium.

A tour of Ohio Stadium isn't the only stop on the schedule for the DNC selection committee, as yesterday there was a morning pep rally with about 1,000 people present outside of Nationwide Arena. Boxer Buster Douglas and former Ohio State basketball player Jim Jackson were guests at a sports-themed lunch for the committee. Columbus is one of five cities in the mix to gain the Democratic National Convention along with Birmingham, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. No matter the result, Ohio will have at least one convention in the state in the summer of 2016 with Cleveland already having been awarded the 2016 Republican National Convention.

"Love will join superstar LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to create the most devastating trio in the NBA and will instantly make the Cavaliers a frontrunner to win the NBA Championship."

-Yahoo! Sports NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski

This morning news came out that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves had an agreement in place for the Timberwolves to trade Kevin Love to the Cavs. In exchange for Love, Minnesota will receive the last two number one picks in the NBA Draft, Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett, along with a protected 2015 first round draft pick. Love had expressed his desire to leave Minnesota, and it was rumored that along with the Cavaliers that Golden State and Chicago were a couple other teams that were in the mix to acquire Love, but that talks with the Warriors and Bulls had cooled significantly.

The deal can't officially be finalized until August 23rd, which is a month after this year's first overall pick Andrew Wiggins had signed his rookie contract. With this deal Cleveland believes that they have a firm agreement that Love will opt out of his current contract in 2015 and re-sign with the Cavaliers to the tune of five years and $120 million dollars. Now with Love on board, there is speculation that another player that could be joining Cleveland soon is sharpshooter Ray Allen.

With Kansas City resigning Matt Besler and Graham Zusi recently, along with chatter of Jermaine Jones possibly making the move to MLS, the Columbus Crew had been trying to acquire Mix Diskerud from Rosenborg BK of the Tippeligaen (Norway's professional soccer league). Sadly for Crew fans, those talks broke down last night and we won't be seeing Mix suiting up for Columbus this year. It was thought that a deal was in place, but reports are that Diskerud's father upended the deal by asking for more before the final deadline.

Wednesday was the final date that MLS teams could sign players that are currently under contract in other countries. With the Crew failing to acquire Diskerud it still leaves Columbus at the top of the MLS allocation order, which gives them first right of refusal for returning USMNT players or players who left MLS for a transfer fee. The addition of Diskerud would have given the Crew a boost, as they currently sit fifth in the MLS Eastern Conference, which would give them the final playoff spot in the conference, but they are just one point ahead of New England. The Crew have won two of their last three matches, but had really struggled before that, not recording a win since late May.

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