"Be prepared, thunderstorm possible." In fact, the main gripe

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Former NFL safety Darren Sharper pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he drugged and raped two women he met at a West Hollywood night club, while the emergence of a new accuser in Florida left him under investigation in five states. Lawyers for Sharper, who played in the NFL from 1997 to 2010 primarily with the Green Bay Packers, said they would prove that any sexual contact Sharper engaged in was welcomed. "All of these were consensual contact between Mr. Sharper and women who wanted to be in his company," said attorney Leonard Levine. But a prosecutor pointed out the many investigations against Sharper in places including Tucson, Ariz., Las Vegas and New Orleans, and asked a judge for $10 million bail. The judge rejected that as excessive, though increased it from $200,000 to $1 million. "The court considers these crimes quite serious and has to protect the public," Superior Court Judge Renee Korn said. Sharper, wearing a grey suit and black t-shirt, came to court with his lawyers and a bail bondsman who immediately arranged to post his bail. The judge ordered Sharper to remain in Los Angeles, stay away from nightclubs and not be alone with any woman he did not know before October, when the first allegations emerged. The judge set a court date for April 15 to schedule a preliminary hearing. Korn rejected a bid by defence attorney Blair Berk to shut down the release of information in the case. "Were asking to litigate this in a court of law, not by Twitter feed and entertainment shows," said Berk. The latest allegations surfaced in a Miami Beach police report released Thursday. It was filed Jan. 19 — more than a year after the alleged attack. No charges have been filed but Detective Vivian Hernandez said the investigation remains open. The report states that the accuser and two friends went to a club in the fall of 2012 and met Sharper and another man. All five left the club at approximately 4 a.m. and Sharper drove them all to his condo. The victim admitted to being extremely intoxicated. The victims two friends told her the next day that she went into a bedroom with Sharper and he closed the door behind them. The friends said they heard her telling Sharper "No, no. Stop, I dont want to." They began knocking on the door, entered the room and attempted to take the victim home. The victim cant remember what she said except that she wanted to sleep. The victim said she awoke around 9 a.m. to find her pants off and Sharper having sex with her. She said she asked "whats going on" and Sharper got up and put on a pair of shorts. Sharper told her they didnt have sex. He then walked her to her car in a parking garage. The victim said she went to be examined a week later. She made the police report after a friend saw that Sharper was arrested for sexual battery. If convicted in the California case, Sharper could face more than 30 years in state prison. Sharper was selected All-Pro six times and chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. He played in two Super Bowls, one with the Packers as a rookie and a second with the Saints. Adidas Prophere Canada . Kevin Martin and Kevin Love paced the Timberwolves like they do so often. Martin had 27 points with some key baskets down the stretch, Love had his usual double-double, and the Timberwolves snapped a three-game losing streak with a 112-106 victory Saturday night over the suddenly slipping Dallas Mavericks. Ultra Boost 19 Sale Canada . a€“ All signs point to the Maple Leafs having their top offseason acquisition in the lineup on opening night. http://www.nmdshoescanada.com/ . Bjoerndalen, who had failed to win any major race for two years before Sochi, writes in a Facebook entry that he is "full of energy and inspiration" after winning the 10-kilometre sprint and mixed relay at last months Olympics. NMD 2020 Cananda . "I only want to go through this one more time," Crosby said Friday. The 24-year-old captain hasnt played since the symptoms resurfaced following a loss to Boston on Dec. 5. Doctors allowed him to return to full practice on Tuesday and while Crosby is pleased with the way his body is responding he refuses to put on his return. NMD R1 Canada Mens . So far, so good: Gonzalez has allowed one run through 12 innings this season. His second start came Tuesday night, when he gave up only three singles over six innings to lead the Nationals to a 5-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.HOYLAKE, England - If organizers of the British Open needed any vindication of their historic decision to use a two-tee start at Royal Liverpool on Saturday, it came from Rory McIlroy about 30 minutes after his round. Torrential rain was pounding the roof of the media tent as McIlroy was holding a news conference, discussing his third-round 68 that inched him closer to a first claret jug. Asked if The R&A made the correct decision to go off two tees and send the whole field out early, the tournament leader looked up and pointed to the skies. "It was a great decision," McIlroy said. "They got it right." In a move that riled traditionalists, The R&A looked at the forecast of thunderstorms and heavy rain and decided late Friday to make an unprecedented schedule change. Half of the field was to begin on the 10th hole and all 72 remaining players were to set out within two hours of each other. Sure enough, the heavy rain arrived — 30 minutes after McIlroy rolled in his eagle 3 at No. 18 to secure a six-shot lead with the last action of the day. Players finishing their third rounds were generally accepting of the two-tee start. "Weve never done it before at the Open Championship," said 2011 champion Darren Clarke, who was disbelieving when he was told over dinner on Friday. "Its one of the beauties — you get good tee times, you get bad tee times. "But they had to do it today, and it looks like theyve made the perfect call." There had been only intermittent outbreaks of rain and barely any wind at Hoylake by the time McIlroy wrapped up the third round shortly before 4 p.m. loocal time (11 a.ddddddddddddm. EDT). McIlroys group finished about three hours earlier than usual on a Saturday at the British Open. There was thunder and flashes of lightning in parts of the northwest of England overnight, and the forecast of more of the same across the area on Saturday led The R&A to act. A two-tee start had never been done in the tournaments 154-year history. Spectators arrived with their rain gear and umbrellas. A sign at the back of the ninth green read: "Be prepared, thunderstorm possible." In fact, the main gripe among players and fans was that they were not given enough time to prepare. One spectator was heard complaining that the decision was made too late, because it disrupted his travel plans. "Theres a lot of surprise (among players) that no one could get their tee time until 10:30 last night," 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose said. "Thats very tough when youre trying to prepare for the tournament." Swedish player Henrik Stenson said he had gone to bed not knowing his tee time. "My caddie woke up in the middle of the night and checked it," Stenson said. The split tee times also meant that the duties of Ivor Robson, the official starter for the British Open since 1975, were halved. Players getting underway on the 10th were introduced to the crowds by European Tour official Mike Stewart. "I dont know what to do now," Robson told the BBC after calling out his last name for the day at 11:01 a.m. local time (6:01 EDT). "The last two days the tee times have been 6:24 (a.m.) till just past 4 (p.m.). I will watch golf I suppose." ' ' '