French tennis player Richard Gasquet's fate is in the hands of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which could ban the 23-year-old for at least a year after he tested positive for cocaine in March.

But according to Gasquet, if there was a trace of cocaine in his system, he didn't put it there - the sweet lips of a woman did.

In July, Gasquet told an independent tribunal called by the International Tennis Foundation and the World Anti-Doping Agency, that cocaine got in his system after he kissed "Pamela" who he met at a nightclub in Miami where he was playing in a tournament.

The tribunal took sympathy on Gasquet and imposed only a 2 month ban. But, it appears both have had a change of heart and would like the CAS to drop the hammer on Gasquet.

Gasquet is currently ranked No. 53 in the world once ranked as high as No. 7 after making it to the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2007.

Why does this remind us of the time Pete Rose denied betting on baseball for 20-plus years then remembered he in fact did because he had ODD - Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Or when German distance runner Dieter Baumann tested positive for steroids in 1999 and claimed someone spiked his toothpaste.

Hey, stranger things have happened, so with that said, we guess it's only fair to give Gasquet the benefit of the doubt.

End of an era

Va'Shundya filed for legal separation with intent to divorce, Monday in Los Angeles.

She is seeking spousal and child support and full legal custody of their four children. According to the Associated Press no monetary amounts were disclosed in the filing, but knowing Shaq, expect a hefty payout coming to his soon-to-be

ex-Mrs.

- Kerith Gabriel

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