Shaun Rogers, a Defensive Tackle for the Cleveland Browns, was fined $400,000 by the league for violating its personal conduct policy. Rogers was caught carrying a loaded gun inside an airport. The fine represents approximately 1/17th of his $6.9 million salary.

Some would say that Rogers got off easy, since it would have been no surprise to see him either suspended or sent to jail. The player was caught carrying a loaded semi-automatic handgun in his carry-on bag at Hopkins International Airport. There's no indication regarding whether or not he realized that TSA agents actually have the ability to see inside of someone's luggage with their x-ray machine. It's hard to imagine what he might have been thinking.

If I were an old man responsible for managing Team USA's public image, I would be cursing Twitter every day of the week. Apparently, giving young, bold athletes instant access to media was a cruel joke orchestrated by both fate and Mother Nature. At any rate, the latest athlete to embarrass himself with his Twitter account was Danny Granger. Making reference to the fact that deodorant is not as popular in Europe as it is in the United States, Granger said that Europeans smell like "dead donkeys." Here are his exact words:

"i'm dying over here ..how come nobody in europe wears deodorant? guess they didn't get the memo – smellin like dead donkey..no joke"

The big news for the Cincinnati Bengals this year is that they signed Terrell Owens, the guy that every team considers hiring, but nobody wants to touch. Owens, playing alongside Chad Ochocinco (Johnson), promises to be one of the more intriguing receiver combos in America this year.

One of the smaller stories of the Bengals is the fact that they had another receiver by the name of Antonio Bryant who'd just signed a four-year, $28 million deal, with $8 million in guaranteed money. This week, the Bengals cut Bryant, causing the team to drop the signing bonus they paid him. In other words, the Bengals gave away $8 million by cutting one of their most financially coveted athletic assets.

Maurice Clarrett, the embattled former superstar of the Ohio State Buckeyes, is getting another chance to play football. Clarett just signed a one-year deal to play for the Omaha Nighthawks in the United Football League. This is the first time Clarett has put on a football uniform since spending three and a half years in prison for having a hidden gun and holding up a couple outside a night club.

"I am humbled by the opportunity the Omaha Nighthawks have given me and will dedicate myself on and off the field to prove that I can be a valuable member of the team and the Omaha community," Clarett said. "I am committed to working hard to earn the right for a second chance in football and more importantly in life."

The start of the Barclay's Invitational golf tournament brought back high hopes for Tiger Woods. It appeared that he might dominate the tournament after shooting the lowest round in the field. Then, on Friday, he simply broke down. Woods shot a dismal 73, reminding us that he's still not back to old form.

Julious Threatts (pictured) is 21 years old, but for some reason, he thinks he can create his own fountain of youth. Threatts was caught trying to impersonate a 14-year-old, so he could play in a youth football league.

Threatts used the alias "Chad Jordan" to register for Webb Middle School. The school is located in Tampa, Fla. Threatts told school administrators that he was homeless on the day of his arrival to the school.

Some have criticized Bryant Gumbel of being something less than authentically black, but I am convinced that this is not the case. In fact, I think that his soft image and sharp grammar are masking an angry black male who understands what black men are going through all across America. But while Gumbel is empathetic to the plight of the black men, he also holds them accountable.

The latest piece of evidence supporting my theory of Gumbel's quiet revolution was his recent decision to cover the shooting of Robert Tolan, a black athlete in the state of Texas. Robert Tolan is the son of former Major League Baseball player Bobby Tolan. The junior Tolan was shot by police officer Jeffrey Cotton in a racially charged incident in late 2008. The story was covered this week on Gumbel's show, "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel."

I visited the training facilities for the New Jersey Nets this week to speak to a group of black athletes from The Guiding Hand organization. These weren't professional players, but were just high school kids with their entire lives in front of them. During my trip to the Meadowlands Sports Complex, I thought about Jason Williams, a former Nets player who is now in prison. I also thought about Derrick Coleman, another Nets star who declared bankruptcy this past year. I thought about the perpetual repeat of the experience of the black athlete in America, where personal choices can undermine your ability to be successful both on and off the court.

Just when the world started to wonder if Tiger Woods was ever going to be a great player again, he has reminded all of us who's boss. In the Barclay's Championship this week, Woods carded a sizzling score of 65 to take a share of the lead for the tournament. His 65 is the best score he's had all year, and the best score of anyone in the tournament on the first day.