The story of T.J. Peeler is the kind that simultaneously makes you wish there were more and less stories like his.

Peeler, a senior at Broad Run High School in Virginia, helped lead his undefeated team to the state championships for the second year in a row, and while Peeler left the game with a knee injury before his team clinched its second straight championship on Saturday, he was one of the main reasons his team was even there.

Next year, the 6-foot-1, 205 pound running back is heading to Pittsburgh to play football on a full scholarship.

But none of Peeler's accomplishments would have been possible if his school's basketball coach, John Costello and his wife JoAnne, hadn't helped rescue the young man from a life of instability and poverty by making the student a part of his family. Just call it another 'The Blind Side,' a movie about the real-life story of all-American football player Michael Oher, who was living on the streets when a family took him in.

Paul Tenorio of the Washington Post writes:

A few years ago, Peeler had no real home. His family had moved so many times in the previous six years he lost count. The cities and states no longer stayed straight in his mind. There were times Peeler wasn't sure where he'd lay his head, with different apartments and motels where his family would land and nights when even those were not an option. He isn't far removed from days when it was a question whether he would eat, or times he would have to find restaurant bathrooms to brush his teeth.

"We did what we had to do to stay together, but at the same time, things wasn't getting any better," Peeler said. "So I figured, I don't really know, at the age of 14, I wanted better. I've always wanted better for my family, and not just my family, [for] me. So I had to take things in my own hands. I told my mom I wanted to stay here so I could do what I needed to do: get an education."

NBA player Dwight Howard obtained an injunction against Royce Lyndsay Reed, his baby's mother, that prevents her from "using or publishing (orally, in writing or otherwise), directly, indirectly or by innuendo, [Dwight's] name, nicknames, image, brand photographs, and/or likeness."

Howard led the Orlando Magic to the NBA finals last year and now a court may have helped him slam dunk attempts by his child's mother to become a reality television star.

Reed was allegedly angling to appear on a new reality show called "NBA wives," even though she isn't even married to the guy. The injunction may shut that down.

According to Zimbio, Reed, a former Orlando Magic dancer, has bad-mouthed Howard in the past, calling him a deadbeat dad on her blog, Twitter and during an interview with ESPN.

I'm not sure how involved Howard is with his son, Braylon. He claimed paternity of the child but was sued by Reed for child support a year later, as he should have been if he was not providing financially for his child or she wanted to legally ensure financial support.

There are a couple of lessons we should take from this ugly situation.

Shaq Diesel is headed for divorce court.

According to the New York Daily News, O'Neal's wife, Va'shaundya "Shaunie" O'Neal, cited "irreconcilable differences" in her divorce papers last month. TMZ reported that Shaunie has actually filed for legal separation, the first step toward divorce. It is the second time that the couple has begun the process of divorce. In 2007, they were able to reconcile their differences after Shaq filed in Miami.

"Obviously, this is a difficult time for our family, and we request that the media respect our privacy," Shaq said in a statement. "I will continue to focus on being there for our children and I am confident that Shaunie will do the same."

It's ironic that a few months after consummating a new basketball marriage with Lebron James in Cleveland, Shaq's legal marriage is headed for the history books. (Though some think Shaq's latest basketball marriage won't last either. More on that later.)


According to the Daily News:

In addition to asking for an unspecified amount of money for spousal and child support, Shaunie is also seeking sole custody of the couple's four minor children, ages 3 to 9, with visitation rights for O'Neal. Though the couple lives in Florida, Shaunie claimed she's a resident of California, which has more generous community-property divorce provisions. According to People.com, Shaunie recently flew to Los Angeles and claimed herself a resident of the Golden State on Nov. 8, one day before filing the separation papers. This is the second split for Shaunie and Shaq, who originally filed for divorce in 2007. The couple, who reportedly have a prenuptial agreement, eventually reconciled after a bitter dispute over whether or not he was hiding money from her.

The website Bossip reported that O'Neal had an affair with fellow NBA player Gilbert Arenas' now pregnant fiancee, Laura Govan. It also reported that Govan and Shaunie were good friends. Whatever the reason for the divorce, I'm sad to see any once-happy marriage dissolve.

The University of Connecticut football team played a great game against West Virginia on Saturday. After a back and forth game with big scoring drives, UConn came up just a little short and lost the game 28–24.

The team was clearly inspired by the death of their teammate Jasper Howard. The 20-year-old star cornerback was stabbed to death after a fight outside an on-party campus a little over a week ago.

"I think they came out today and honored their teammate Jasper Howard the way they played," UConn Coach, Randy Edsall, told the New York Times about his team. "The love and compassion they have for each other is unmatched."

This morning, instead of practicing for their next game against Rutgers, the team will be in Howard's hometown of Miami for his funeral.

"I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen. I think it's going to be a difficult day for some of these young people," Edsall said to the Advocate newspaper. "But this is a lesson for them in life. These are the things you have to deal with in life."

Edsall has been a pillar for the group of young men he leads on to the football field each week, but I have to respectfully disagree with him.