Larry Brown Sports

Michael Phelps tweeted on Friday to refute a report that said he would be making a comeback to the swimming pool for the 2016 Olympics.

Peter Busch of NBC 2 News in Southwest Florida reported on Friday that “Phelps is planning a return to competitive swimming.”

Busch says Phelps “had a change of heart recently and will try to make the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.”

Phelps’ phone must have been blowing up after that with people wondering if the report was true. He responded by tweeting the following:

“Why do I keep getting texts about coming back? Do ppl really believe everything they hear or read? There are to many ppl in the world that think they have a “story”…”

I have no idea who Busch’s sources are or where he’s getting his information, but I wouldn’t dismiss his report.

When athletes have just lost a big event or completed a competition that required extensive training, they can feel worn out. Sometimes all they need is a break to recharge and change their mind. Maybe that’s the case for Phelps.

Phelps said in March that he loves being retired, but Ryan Lochte said last December that he thought Phelps would be back for Rio. We’ll see what happens.

Photo credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

Apolo Ohno has not competed since the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and the speedskater says he is “pretty sure” he is retired.

Ohno told SI.com’s Nick Zaccardi Wednesday that he will be working for NBC as a correspondent during the 2014 Games in Sochi and that he doesn’t envision a return to the ice.

“I think it’s pretty sure at this point [that the comeback is] not going to be,” Ohno told Zaccardi. “It was always in the back of my head. I just didn’t want to rule it out. I’ve been very blessed, had such an amazing career, overcome a lot of obstacles in my life. It’s time to try some different opportunities.”

Ohno, 30, has done some TV work this year, including hosting “Minute to Win it” on Game Show Network that will begin airing in June. He also acted in the TV movie “Tasmanian Devils.”

Ohno is an eight-time Olympic medalist. He won two medals at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, and three in both Turin and Vancouver.

Until now, he had not given a firm comment about his retirement plans. He said in January that he had “not made an official decision either way.” This seems to indicate that he is done.

Ski resorts around the world rely on temperature and weather conditions in order for their businesses to survive, but that cannot be the case with the Winter Olympics. Simply put, there has to be snow. Without snow, the show will not go on.

According to the Russian website Ria Novosti, the Alpine skiing resort for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi is preparing to refrigerate roughly 450,000 cubic feet of snow over the summer to assure that there is plenty of coverage on the mountain when the Games begin next February. Storing snow will help alleviate some of the concerns surrounding temperatures not being cold enough to bring natural snow when needed next year.

“Storing snow from the 2012-2013 season will allow us to avoid the risk of insufficient natural snow quantities or anomalous temperatures next season,” Rosa Khutor (the resort) said in a statement on Thursday. “The 450,000 cubic meters of ‘last year’s’ snow is the volume that will guarantee the necessary covering on the slopes of Rosa Khutor, even in the worst weather conditions.”

How the heck do you refrigerate 450,000 cubic feet of snow? Seven on-site reservoirs will reportedly be used, each with the ability to store 100,000 cubic meters of snow. If you thought keeping a gallon of milk cold on a hot summer day caused your electric bill to spike, try spending $8 million to refrigerate an extraordinary amount of snow.

Kudos to Russia for thinking ahead and preparing for any potential issues the weather might cause. As we learned over the summer during the London Olympics, extreme elements can create all kinds of problems and prevent operations from running smoothly.

Maurice Clarett has traveled down an incredibly windy road throughout his 29 years of life, and it appears he has decided to take another unexpected turn. According to RugbyMag.com, Clarett is currently training to try to make the US rugby team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

Clarett has joined the Tiger Rugby Olympic Development Program in Columbus, Ohio. He has absolutely no prior rugby experience, but Tiger Rugby director Paul Holmes praised Clarett for being a tremendous athlete.

“He’s committed to try to make Rio in 2016,” Holmes said. “That’s Maurice’s plan. His footwork is phenomenal. He’s nowhere near conditioned for rugby, but that will come. … The stuff he’s doing in the gym right now, he’s just ridiculous.”

Clarett rushed for 1,237 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown in the national championship during his freshman season at Ohio State. He was one of the most promising young talents in college football before the Buckeyes dismissed him after it was believed that he took $20,000 worth of improper benefits during his freshman season. He unsuccessfully tried to join the NFL Draft early after leaving college but wasn’t able to enter until he was taken by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 2005 draft. Clarett then got into more legal trouble that included an armed robbery incident after being released by the Broncos.

And now, the former Buckeye wants to represent his country — in a sport he has never played. As for his troubled past, Walker said the folks at Tiger Rugby were given reason to believe Clarett is a changed man.

“We hit up a few guys whose opinion we value in Columbus,” Walker explained. “We’ve been assured by people that we trust that he’s a different person, that he’s found himself. And I believe in giving him a shot.”

Is Clarett going to be on the US rugby team when the sport makes its Olympic debut in a few years? That would be a miracle, but at least he’s found himself a hobby that should help keep him out of trouble. If he was in it for the money, he’d probably just go back to Ohio State and fish around. He made some good dough there 10 years ago.

H/T SB Nation

If Michael Phelps wanted to, he could return to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and pad his own records. The 18-time gold medal winner could probably snag a few more if he took the time to train properly, but at this point he has not given us any reason to believe that is going to happen.

During a trip to Brazil to receive the Exceptional Achievement Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards last week, Phelps reiterated that his competitive swimming career is over.

“It has been an amazing career and it is crazy to think that it is over,” Phelps said according to United Press International. “But I’ve done everything that I wanted to do in sport. I wanted to change swimming and take it to a level, and I have. But I will continue to be a part of sport and help grow sports. That is a goal and a passion of mine”

Phelps said he is planning to attend the 2016 Olympics as a spectator, but at this point it appears Ryan Lochte’s prediction about Phelps’ future is unlikely to fruition.

“I am having fun,” Phelps said of enjoying his time off. “I love being retired, I can’t stress it enough. I am happy, smiling, and more relaxed. It’s something that I have wanted for a long time and now I’m happy that I can make the most of it.”

Is it completely out of the question? Phelps is only 27 years old, so it’s not like he would be unable to handle the physical demands of training for another Olympic Games. That being said, he needed an NFL superstar to convince him to compete in London last summer. That probably says all we need to know.

Photo credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

The evidence seems to be piling up against South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius. Over the weekend, a report surfaced that indicates a bloodied cricket bat has been found in “Blade Runner’s” home and has become a central piece of evidence in the murder investigation. The City Press reports that police are investigating a number of possible scenarios involving the bat, one of which is that Pistorius used it to brutally beat 30-year-old Reeva Steenkamp.

The police are also looking into the possibility that Steenkamp used the bat in self defense or that Pistorius used it to break down the bathroom door that she was reportedly hiding behind. A source told the City Press that there was “lots of blood” on the bat and that forensic tests will reveal who it belongs to. Steenkamp’s skull was reportedly “crushed” when police arrived on the scene at Pistorius’ home.

As we know, South African prosecutors are accusing Pistorius of the premeditated murder of Steenkamp. The City Press reportedly interviewed three sources close to the investigation, all of who have ruled out the possibility that Pistorius could have mistaken Steenkamp for a intruder. Police found no evidence of forced entry into the home.

In addition, police say Steenkamp was wearing a nightgown at the time she was murdered. They also found an overnight bag that belonged to her on the floor in Pistorius’ bedroom. The sheets and blankets on the bed were reportedly ruffled, with a police source saying that it was “clear” both Steenkamp and Pistorius had slept in the bed.

“The suspicion is that the first shot, in the bedroom, hit her in the hip,” a source said of the theory surrounding the case. “She then ran and locked herself in the toilet. She was doubled over because of the pain. He fired three more shots. She probably covered her head, which is why the bullet also went through her hand.”

Last week, neighbors revealed that Pistorius had had previous “domestic incidents” at his home. Oscar’s team of lawyers are working to prove that the shooting was an accident, but the evidence for the contrary is piling up rapidly.

Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius appeared in South African court on Friday, where he is being accused of the “premeditated” murder of his girlfriend. Early Thursday morning, Pistorius shot and killed 30-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp during what he claims was a tragic accident. Pistorius said he mistakenly thought Steenkamp was an intruder in his home.

Prosecutors are trying to prove that the shooting was no accident, while Pistorius’ agent says that the murder is being disputed in “the strongest terms.”

According to NBCNews.com, police say neighbors heard noises before the shots were fired. The fact that Pistorius reportedly fired the shots through a bathroom door seems to support the claim that he believed Steenkamp was an intruder. For what it’s worth, police also said neighbors claim there had been previous “domestic” incidents at the house.

On Thursday, Steenkamp’s publicist told TODAY that there was no sign of discord between Oscar and Reeva and described Pistorius as a “charming, great guy.”

It’s clearly far too early to know what happened, but as expected there is no shortage of theories. Most people seem to want to believe that Pistorius would never intentionally murder his girlfriend. I’m one of those people, but I’m not going to form an opinion until more details emerge.