NEW YORK — A New York federal judge on Wednesday nullified the suspension of Nogales, Arizona-born horse trainer Bob Baffert, finding that the New York Racing Association acted unconstitutionally by failing to let him adequately respond to claims made against him after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a postrace drug test.
In her written ruling, Brooklyn Judge Carol Bagley Amon said a prompt post-suspension hearing where Baffert could refute the claims was required to meet constitutional muster.
But she said the racing association “had held no hearing — let alone a prompt one.”
Attorney W. Craig Robertson III, who represented Baffert at a Monday hearing before Amon, said the ruling confirms that “following the Kentucky Derby, there was an improper rush to judgment and Mr. Baffert has been treated unfairly.”
He called Amon’s ruling “one step, in one venue, toward righting those wrongs,” and said he hoped it would lead to cooperation between the parties rather than division.
A lawyer for the racing association did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Amon said she concluded that Baffert had established a likelihood he will prove the suspension violated the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
She said he also made a “strong showing” that there would be irreparable harm if the suspension was not overturned.
ARIZONA FOOTBALL
Wildcats add Chandler DT for 2022
Arizona picked up another commitment for its 2022 football recruiting class late Tuesday, when Chandler High School defensive tackle Isaiah Johnson committed to the Wildcats, his head coach, Rick Garretson, tweeted.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 275-pound Johnson, who isn’t rated by 247Sports.com, picked the UA over Colorado, Utah State and Idaho.
As a junior in 2020, Johnson totaled 23 tackles for Chandler, a five-time defending state champion and back-to-back Open Division winner.
Johnson is the 12th commit for Arizona’s ‘22 recruiting class — and the fourth in-state prospect, joining Scottsdale Saguaro edge rusher Tristan Monday, Chandler Hamilton offensive lineman Grayson Stovall and Hamilton edge rusher Russell Davis II.
The Wildcats also received a commitment from three-star Fresno, California cornerback TJ Hall earlier on Tuesday.
ARIZONA BASKETBALL
Ex-UA staffer lands at Holy Cross
Former UA basketball staffer Anthony Richards has been officially named the basketball operations director at Holy Cross.
Richards worked at UA for the last three seasons of the Sean Miller era, serving as a graduate manager in 2018-19 and as director of student-athlete development in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
All three of Miller’s support (non-coaching) staffers from last season have moved on to other jobs: Operations director Ryan Reynolds has been named a UA assistant athletic director while on-campus recruiting director David Miller became an assistant coach at San Jose State.
NFL
Sherman arrested after attempted break-in
SEATTLE — Former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was arrested Wednesday morning on investigation of burglary domestic violence after trying to force entry into a family member’s house, according to Redmond police. He is also being investigated by the State Patrol for an earlier hit-and-run, single-vehicle collision, a spokesperson said.
Sherman, 33, was booked into the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle at 6:08 a.m., jail records show. He is expected to make his first court appearance on Thursday afternoon, at which time a judge will determine if there is probable cause to believe that Sherman committed a crime. The judge could set bail or order that Sherman be released.
The King County Sheriff’s Office notified Redmond police that Sherman was possibly traveling to the Eastside city at 11:26 p.m. Tuesday, according to a Wednesday news release from Redmond police. The release does not indicate the reason for the notification.
Around 1:49 a.m. Wednesday, Redmond police officers responded to a 911 call of a burglary in progress and found Sherman outside the residence, the release says. Police say Sherman fought with officers and a police dog was used to arrest him.
Trooper Rick Johnson said Wednesday that the State Patrol responded to a one-car collision on eastbound Highway 520 near the 148th Avenue Northeast exit around 1 a.m. The vehicle, which had crashed into a concrete jersey barrier, had been driven away from the scene by the time troopers arrived but it was found disabled or abandoned off the exit, Johnson said.
Troopers ran the license plate, which led them to an address in Redmond, where they assisted Redmond police in placing a man into custody, he said. Troopers observed indications of possible impairment and obtained a warrant for a blood draw, Johnson said.
Reached by cellphone, Sherman’s wife, Ashley Moss, was emotionally shaken and declined to discuss specifics of the incident that led to Sherman’s arrest.
