excuses
Police Disagree With Maryland Man's Contention That He Was Just "Scamming" Money From ISIS
Gabrielle Bluestone · 12/15/15 10:46AMBoston Got Lots of Excuses All of a Sudden
Hamilton Nolan · 03/18/15 09:10AM
It wasn't so long ago that Boston, a highway rest stop on the road from New York to Maine, was pining for the world's spotlight and asking to host the Olympic games and generally be the center of attention. My, how things change.
Dudes Discover New Explanation for All College Sex Mishaps
Hamilton Nolan · 08/21/14 11:44AMAlthough the college experience at large state universities is a nonstop sex party, the "elite" college experience is more... refined. Finding love can be difficult. Happily, our nation's future leaders now have a new crutch.
Dog Eats Student's Homework, Requires Surgery
Neetzan Zimmerman · 11/22/13 03:02PM
One Colorado eighth grader swears she wasn't lying when she said her dog ate her homework — and she has the X-rays to prove it.
Cop Learns Speeding Woman Faked Emergency, Brings Proof to Her House
Neetzan Zimmerman · 08/06/13 02:42PM
A speeding New Hampshire woman's excuse that she was rushing to be by her father's deathbed nearly worked — until the state police trooper looked her up and found out her dad had died five years ago.
In First Post-Election Interview, Paul Ryan Blames Loss on Unexpected 'Urban' Turnout
Neetzan Zimmerman · 11/13/12 01:42PMLooking to Get Day Off from Work, Texas Woman Tells Police She Was Kidnapped by a Drug Dealer
Neetzan Zimmerman · 10/22/12 11:21AM
A woman found tied up inside her own vehicle in San Antonio told police she was carjacked near an ATM by a drug dealer with a knife and forced to drive around with him as he made his rounds.
Mitt Romney Might Fall Asleep During Tonight's Debate
Taylor Berman · 10/03/12 06:54PM
If Mitt Romney, who never makes any mistakes, gives a subpar performance at tonight's debate, we'll all know why: he, like Rick Perry before him, was just too tired. According to a report from Buzzfeed, Mitt got almost no sleep Monday night. The cause? A loud train near the candidate's Denver hotel:
Drunk Guy Goes For Drive With Pet Squirrel, Blames Subsequent DUI on Squirrel
Kate Bennert · 09/26/12 04:00PMLuckily the local news was there to interview the drunk guy (and the squirrel). According to police reports, the squirrel was "eating him." According to Drunk Guy's girlfriend, the squirrel wasn't "eating him; he was just crawling around in his shirt." According to Drunk Guy himself, the squirrel was "just tired" and "resting" in Drunk Guy's shirt. Now that that's cleared up, the reporter informs us that Drunk Guy was indeed drunk and has renamed the squirrel DUI (pronounced: doo-ee).
Ohio Republican Party: GOP Chairman Made Racist Remarks Because He Thought He Was Speaking Off the Record
Neetzan Zimmerman · 08/22/12 02:20PM
After Ohio's Secretary of State Jon Husted announced last week that early-voting sites across the state would only be open on weekdays, many felt the restriction would unfairly impact "working people" in general, and minorities in particular.
College Student Fakes Own Kidnapping to Get Out of Handing in Paper
Neetzan Zimmerman · 07/05/12 11:49AM
22-year-old college student Susan Paola Fadel Correia of Belém in northern Brazil admitted to authorities that she made up a story about being kidnapped in order to avoid having to hand in a school project on time.
Accused Murderer Says Barry White's Voice and Olivia Newton-John's Body Made Him Do It
Maureen O'Connor · 02/21/12 01:58PMAs the murder trial of Decatur, Georgia's Hemy Neuman wraps up, we discover that Neuman admits he shot Russell Sneiderman outside the man's 2-year-old son's preschool. His lawyers say he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity because "he was visited by a demon who sounded like Barry White and an angel who looked like Olivia Newton-John before he shot and killed a toddler's father outside a preschool." Prosecutors says Hemy's motive was jealousy. [AP]
Pepper-Spray Cop Had 'Best Intentions' When He Pepper-Sprayed Protesters
John Cook · 10/20/11 03:34PM
Dep. Insp. Anthony Bologna, the NYPD commander whose loose ways with pepper spray caused a stir last month at Occupy Wall Street (and cost him some vacation days), has told colleagues that he "acted with the best intentions" when he sprayed a group of ladies who weren't doing anything at all, and he's been "tortured" ever since.
Drunk Alleged Rapist Cop Has Airtight 'Didn't Mean To' Defense
Hamilton Nolan · 08/24/11 04:45PM
Michael Pena, the off duty NYPD officer charged with raping a Manhattan woman last Friday night (not to be confused with the on-duty NYPD officers charged with raping a Manhattan woman) allegedly showed a gun, pulled the woman behind an apartment building, and raped her. Police arrived and found him still in the act, drunk, with his gun and badge next to him.
Riotous Ravers Blamed for Rave Movie Cancellations
Jeff Neumann · 08/04/11 04:25AMWhat's worse than going to a rave? Watching a rave in a movie theater, that's what. But even if you felt like spending your Thursday evening in a theater watching people on drugs dance around, it's no longer an option for many. The repercussions from last week's riot in Los Angeles that shut down the premiere of the Electric Daisy Carnival Experience are being felt across the country now, after theaters cancelled more than 500 one-night-only screenings of the film.
Actor Has Good Reason for Not Knowing Whereabouts of Charity Funds
Lauri Apple · 07/03/11 01:48PM
Back in the aughts, actor and former jeans model Jack Scalia set up charities to benefit both 9/11 victims and military vets. The charities raised some money, but apparently distributed less than they received. Where did all the money go? Scalia doesn't know—he was busy.
A Long List Of Sports Figures Who've Also Claimed Their Twitter Was Hacked
Remy Stern · 06/07/11 10:30PM
As soon as Rep. Anthony Weiner first acknowledged his roiling Twitter-bulge scandal with a desperate "I've been hacked" defense last week, we knew he was guilty. "I've been hacked" is the first refuge of a cock-Tweeter. [Deadspin]
Lady Gaga on Her 'Loser' Breakdown: 'I'm 25'
Seth Abramovitch · 04/28/11 03:19AMIn her upcoming appearance on Ellen, Lady Gaga addresses that clip from her HBO special in which she tearfully admits in a makeup chair that she "sometimes [feels] like a loser kid in high school."
Paz de la Huerta's Excuse for Assault: 'I'm a Real Actress, HBO'
Maureen O'Connor · 04/19/11 10:59AM
María de la Paz Elizabeth Sofía Adriana de la Huerta—known to mere mortals as actress Paz de la Huerta—has been charged with third-degree assault, attempted assault, harassment, and criminal possession of a weapon for a bar brawl with MTV reality star Samantha Swetra.