Under a plea agreement, former Nebraska Danger players Claude Wroten and Kayne Farquharson were sentenced on Friday to six months probation and ordered to pay restitution and fines for the use of financial transaction device.

Wroten was initially charged with a felony and a misdemeanor, while Farquharson was charged with one misdemeanor. Under the plea agreement, both were found guilty of misdemeanors.

Wroten, 31, pleaded no contest to unauthorized use of a financial transaction device, involving $200 to $500, and theft of property, lost or mislaid. District Judge Philip Martin assessed two fines against Wroten totaling $550.

Farquharson, 30, pleaded no contest to unauthorized use of financial transaction device, involving up to $200. He was fined $350.

In addition to the probation, both men were ordered to pay court costs of $49 each.

Together, the two men will also have to pay restitution of up to $813.74.

Wroten and Farquharson used a debit-credit card belonging to Carol Knauss, which Wroten found in the parking lot of Pumpers. Farquharson used the card to buy shoes at Foot Locker, and Wroten used the card to pay a Charter Communications bill. The crimes occurred on May 4 and 5.

Attorney Robert Alexander, representing Farquharson, said his client has no prior record as far as he can determine and that Farquharson has been "very cooperative in this matter."

Wroten told Martin that he called Charter to make sure the problem was resolved and that the shoes had been returned to Foot Locker with the receipt.

Wroten said that he had used poor judgment and "would like to put this behind me and move forward."

Marvin Anderson, Wroten’s lawyer, said his client literally found opportunity lying at his feet in the parking lot and exercised poor judgement.

Anderson also asked that the fine against his client be lowered because Danger players don’t make a lot of money. They play, he said, "for the love of the game." Martin lowered the amount from what the state had recommended.

In an interview outside the courtroom, Wroten said he had the money put back on Knauss’ card "because I’m a good character guy."

After the crime, Wroten realized that he’s familiar with Knauss.

"I know this lady," he said, adding that they’ve run into each other at Pumpers. "We hug, kiss, talk about great things in Grand Island and Danger football and whatnot. So I took it upon myself to do that and make sure she got reimbursed."

If they violate probation, the men will face up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine or both.


(theindependent.com)

The Nebraska Danger of the Indoor Football League announced Thursday that wide receiver Kayne Farquharson and defensive lineman Claude Wroten have been released from the team.

The Danger released this statement:

“The Commissioner of the Indoor Football League has suspended Kayne Farquharson and Claude Wroten for violation of League rules. Due to personal conduct that does not support the values or integrity of their teammates, the Nebraska Danger organization, or the Indoor Football League, they have been released from the team. At this time, the Danger have no further comment.”

Wroten, 31, and Farquharson, 30, have both been charged in Hall County Court.

Wroten is charged with unauthorized use of a financial transaction device (a Class IV felony) and theft of property lost or mislaid, a Class III misdemeanor.
Farquharson is charged with unauthorized use of a financial transaction device, a Class 1 misdemeanor.

They were both released on their own recognizance.

In both charges, the device or property belonged to Carol Knauss.

Wroten will have his preliminary hearing in Hall County Court at 9:30 a.m. June 12.

The former University of Miami player had been with the Danger since 2012. He led the team with 74 catches for 915 yards and 26 touchdowns that season and was an All-IFL second team selection.

He followed that with a strong 2013 campaign when he caught 71 passes for a league-leading 1,081 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was named to the All-IFL first team that season.

Farquharson had 54 catches for 690 yards and 12 touchdowns last year as the Danger advanced to the United Bowl for the second straight season. Farquharson was an All-IFL second team pick that year.

Farquharson was considered one of the Danger’s leaders with the community. He made countless public appearances during his time in Grand Island. Danger general manager Mike McCoy said earlier this year that the team had 109 public events last year, and estimated that Farquharson was at 90 percent of them.
McCoy also said in April that Farquharson was great with the kids in the community.

“Even when he and I are like walking through Walmart, kids will come up and mob him and he will talk to each young person about coming to the game on Saturday and how much fun they’ll have,” McCoy said. “He’s on all the time, 24-7, not just when we go to schools.”

Farquharson was second on the Danger this year with 34 catches and led the team in receiving yards (446) and touchdowns (15).

Wroten was an All-IFL first teamer last year. Wroten, who played college football at LSU, had 29 tackles, including 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for losses, for the Danger.

Wroten had 15 tackles, including two sacks and 5.5 for losses, for the Danger in seven games this season.

The Danger lead the Intense Conference of the IFL with an 8-1 record. The team has a bye this week before playing on the road against the unbeaten Sioux Falls Storm on May 16.


(theindependent.com)

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Kayne Farquharson (WR, Nebraska Danger)

In a battle of two 4-1 teams, the Nebraska Danger outmaneuvered the Cedar Rapids Titans, 52-42, in one of the IFL's great early season matchups. Danger WR Kayne Farquharson emerged as the team's number one offensive threat in the back-and-forth affair. The two-time All-IFL WR caught six passes for 112 yards and three touchdowns against the IFL's number one rated pass defense. Farquharson also became the first WR to have a 100-yard performance against the Titans in 12 games. Thus far in 2015, Farquharson has caught 21 passes for 252 yards. He also leads the IFL with 10 touchdown receptions. Farquharson and the Danger face off against the Iowa Barnstormers this weekend.


(hastingslink.com)

Just over a week ago, the Nebraska Danger traveled to Green Bay, Wisconsin, for a Sunday afternoon game against the Green Bay Blizzard.

The Danger won that game 57-32, then jumped on the bus and headed home. About 13 hours later, they arrived in Grand Island bright and early Monday morning.
No doubt many of the players went on, kicked back, and relaxed for a few hours before they had to go in for team meetings.

Not receiver Kayne Farquharson.

As soon as he got to his apartment, he called Danger general manager Mike McCoy and asked him if he was going to pick him up for a speaking engagement at Dodge Elementary.

McCoy told him he was already there with two other players who hadn’t made the trip to Green Bay and that he should relax and not worry about it.

Not Farquharson. He jumped in his car and drove to Dodge.

“He walked in there and gave an incredible speech in front of like 520 students,” McCoy said. “That just tells you what he’s all about and his commitment to the city of Grand Island and to this community.

“He’s here to play football and get better obviously, but he’s also here to do the community things that we need to do. He’s by far our team spokesperson. I really think he could run for political office here and potentially win maybe some day. He’s just a great, great young man who really gets it.”

As far as Farquharson is concerned, it was no big deal. He had a message to deliver and he was going to get it done.

“I wanted to tell the kids that decision making is very important and they have to be accountable,” Farquharson said. “Even though I just came from a 14-hour bus ride, I had promised the kids and I wanted to be a man of my word.

“Doing things for the kids puts them at a good place. When I was younger and professional athletes came, it was always a pleasure to hear what they had to say.”
Farquharson remembers what that was like as a youngster to meet those professional athletes. That’s why he makes it a point to get to every meet-and-greet and speaking engagement he can.

McCoy said the team had 109 such events last year, and estimated that Farquharson was at 90 percent of them.

Just doing his job, Farquharson said.

“It’s part of my job description,” Farquharson said. “It’s pretty much a blessing. I know we’re not in the NFL, but in those kid’s eyes, you would have thought I was Adrian Peterson.

“Just the look in their eye and they whisper, ‘He’s a Danger player.’ It’s a good feeling.”

This is Farquharson’s fourth season with the Danger. He’s been an all-IFL player three times — a second-teamer in 2012 (74 catches, 915 yards, 26 TDs) and 2014 (54 catches, 690 yards, 12 TDs), a first-teamer in 2013 (73 catches, 1,081 yards, 21 TDs) and a second-teamer again last year (54 catches, 690 yards, 12 TDs).

McCoy still remembers when Farquharson joined the Danger before the 2012 season.

“He stood up and he just took over the room right then,” McCoy said. “I mean, ‘Hi. I’m Kayne Farquharson from Miami. I’m here to win football games. We’re going to do this thing the right way and I’m going to work hard and we’re all here for the right reasons.’

“This is what pro football is all about at it’s purest form. These guys make $225 a game plus room and board. They’re not making millions of dollars.”

For Farquharson, the money he makes isn’t the most important thing. What matters the most is playing his best and giving back to the community.

“He gets it. He really, really gets it and he understands the importance of doing the right thing in the community,” McCoy said. “Even when he and I are like walking through Walmart, kids will come up and mob him and he will talk to each young person about coming to the game on Saturday and how much fun they’ll have. He’s on all the time, 24-7, not just when we go to school.”

It’s a bit surprising to see a Miami native like Farquharson adopt a smaller city in the middle of Nebraska as a second home town, but that’s exactly what he’s done.
So why does he keep coming back?

“The community, the coaching staff, my fellow teammates,” Farquharson said. “It’s a great city. Coming from Miami, there are so many lanes at times. Grand Island is a slower city for me. I save more money. I learn a lot from the Bosselmans and the people that are surrounding me. It’s a good pace for me. It’s kind of a second home now.”

Farquharson has nothing to prove to the IFL. He’s already shown what he can do on the football field.

But his work here is not yet done. The Danger is 2-0 this season after a 45-30 victory over Wichita Falls Saturday night. Now the Danger heads to Texas to face that same Wichita Falls team this weekend.

Whatever happens Saturday, the long-range goal for Farquharson and the Danger will remain the same.

“There’s only one goal, and that’s pretty much to win a championship,” Farquharson said. “I hold all the records for receiving yards and touchdowns and receptions. I pretty much know most of the fans. There is only one thing I’m missing is a banner on the roof and a trophy with my name on it so I can always come back here and say I brought the first championship to Grand Island.”
And this year, it just might happen.


(theindependent.com)

Just like the other veterans who returned from last year, Nebraska Danger wide receiver Kayne Farquharson is thrilled to have the opportunity to play once again in the Indoor Football League’s United Bowl.

His only regrets include that Saturday’s 7:05 p.m. championship game is being played in Sioux Falls, not Grand Island. Another one is that it is the Storm that is defending a championship from last season, not the Danger.

But for one scary stretch of Thursday’s Intense Conference championship game win over Colorado, returning to the United Bowl was the last thing on Farquharson’s mind.

The University of Miami product left the field on a stretcher after taking a hard hit into the dasher boards early in the third quarter.

“I bobbled the ball,” Farquharson said. “I should have caught the ball and the defender tackled me into the wall, and my neck got caught between the wall and the field. It was hurting at first.

“They took me to the hospital for precautionary reasons.”

It was a frightening moment for Farquharson.

“I was crying. I was scared,” he said. “It was one of those deals where I didn’t know what was going on. I saw the trainers whispering to each other. It terrified me.”

But after the initial scare, it quickly became apparent to Farquharson that he would be fine.

“I knew I was alright on the way to the hospital,” he said. “When I got to the van, they put IVs on me and I was moving my head. I knew I was cool.”

Farquharson was released from the hospital in time to join his teammates on the bus ride home, celebrating a 45-15 blowout win.

Now the focus is squarely on the Sioux Falls Storm, the team that edged the Danger 43-40 in last year’s United Bowl.

“That was the goal since February,” said Farquharson of winning the United Bowl. “When we saw 18 guys were coming back, we knew what time it was. It was championship or nothing.”

This year’s postseason has a different feel than last year’s breakthrough season for the Danger.

“Last year was kind of a surprise to everybody,” Farquharson said. “We didn’t know how far we were going to get. Now we know what we’ve got, so we’ll go in there with a confident mindset.”

Farquharson led Nebraska this season with 54 catches and 690 yards receiving. He was second on the team with 12 touchdowns catches.

Andre Piper-Jordan topped the Danger with 15 touchdowns among his 41 receptions for 594 yards. Troy Evans has added 38 catches for 341 yards and four scores.

Those receivers may provide the Danger with its best match-up advantage over the Storm, Nebraska coach Mike Davis said.

“I like our receivers and their secondary. I do,” he said. “I think we have a lot of guys that know their guys. They have three starters (in the secondary) that played for us in the last two years. So we know their pros and cons, what they’re good at.

“Granted, they know our defense inside and out, which is fine. You still need to execute and know where you’re going and what to do. We’ll have a good game plan offensively, and we’ll see if we can’t exploit some holes in (Sioux Falls’ defense).”

Farquharson is glad to get back on the field, this time to try and bring an IFL championship back to Grand Island.

“It would mean the world to me,” he said. “Grand Island is a great city. This is a great organization. It deserves the best.”


(theindependent.com)

Over the weekend, the annual "Race for Grace" took place in Grand Island. Over 2,000 participants showed up to help raise money for cancer awareness. With that same cause being so close to one players heart, this Saturday the Nebraska Danger are hoping for a similar result.

Danger receiver Kayne Farquharson wants to add another color to the team's green and black. In honor of his aunt he lost to breast cancer, he's hoping the danger will paint the heartland events center pink this weekend.

"You always see breast cancer awareness in professional sports, college football, college basketball. it don't effect you until something happen to you personally so when it effected me personally I did some research and I wanted to start a foundation basically." said Farquharson.

Kayne started the Real Deal Foundation and approached the the Bosselman's to see if the Danger football family would like to help.

"When he came to us asking to do something for his aunt who he lost to breast cancer, we didn't think twice about it. We're just so proud of him." said Laurie Bosselman, the head of Danger merchandise.

This Saturday, The Real Deal Foundation alongside the Grace foundation, the Danger will be putting on their 1st Pink Out.
Where Kayne is hoping to see a crowd full of loyal Danger fans swinging their pink towels in support.

"It's an awesome cause and we have thoroughly enjoyed working with the Grace Foundation as well as Kane's project so were really excited about our pink Out night and to just get a lot of excitement and awareness going on." said Stephanie King-Witt, the director of communications for the Danger.

Currently the all-time leading receiver in Danger franchise history, Kayne Farquharson has reached many goals at the Heartland Events Center and since losing his aunt, his vision making a difference in her memory, will become a reality on that very same field.

"I took a chance and it came together so dreams do come true." Farquharson said.

The Pink Out will be played at the Heartland Event Center this Saturday, April 12 against the Texas Revolution.




(1011now.com)

Kayne Farquharson has found a home away from home in Grand Island.

The Nebraska Danger receiver is from Miami, but February finds him back in Central Nebraska and there is no place he’d rather be.

“It feels good to be home,” Farquharson said. “Like I’ve said in the past, Grand Island is my second home. It’s good to see the people in the community. It’s just great to be back.”

Farquharson will likely be the leader of a very strong group of receivers when the Danger open the season with an exhibition game against the Lincoln Haymakers Monday at the Heartland Events Center.

Farquharson, an All-IFL performer last season, led the league with 1,081 yards last year and was second in touchdown receptions (21) and third in catches (73).

Andre Piper-Jordan (50 catches, 6-2 yards, 11 TDs), Marcus Barnett (19 catches, 298 yards, 4 TDs) and Maurice Avery (10 catches, 124 yards, 4 TDs) are also returning this season.

Not only that, but the Danger also signed Troy Evans, who led the IFL in catches with 79 while playing for Wyoming last year. Evans was also fifth in the league in both receiving yards (728) and touchdowns (16).

“The nice thing about it is we have some new receivers who are going to push the veterans for starting positions and to make the team,” Danger coach Mike Davis said. “Talent-wise it’s going to be really competitive.

“I told them at the team meeting that there will be guys here who don’t make it. They’ll go to other teams and start and play. Unfortunately it’s just the nature of the beast.”

Farquharson said all the receivers know that they are battling for jobs.

“That’s why every rep counts,” Farquharson said. “Guys better give their maximum effort because guys might be playing for other teams or guys might be going home. Even though a lot of these guys can play, it’s a business at the end of the day.”

Danger quarterback Jameel Sewell said it’s great to have so many familiar faces lined up at receiver.

“I realize I can throw the ball anywhere, and those receivers I have will give everything they’ve got to got get it,” Sewell said. “That just makes my job a whole lot easier.”

The Danger return a large group of veteran players from last year’s team that fell to Sioux Falls in the United Bowl. Farquharson said that’s important.

“If you look at the history of the league, that’s the key to success,” Farquharson said. “Sioux Falls, they always keep their same core of guys. One or two might change, but that’s their key to success.”

Farquharson said the veterans wanted to come back because of people like owner Charlie Bosselman, general manager Mike McCoy and the entire Danger coaching staff.

“It’s great to be a part of a first-class organization,” he said.

Sewell said the new players will be impressed with the Danger and Grand Island.

“We have guys who are coming from different teams and guys who haven’t even played this game of arena football yet, and they’ve adjusted very well to this atmosphere,” Sewell said. “It’s totally different from outdoor to indoor. Every time you run a rout it’s different, the way you throw the ball is different, the way you run the ball is different.”

Barnett said the chemistry between the players already feels pretty good.

“It feels good to be back,” Barnett said. “I just told the guys the other day, it just felt like we had a bye week. When everybody got back together, we seemed to click. We got out here running around (Monday). We were a little rusty, but I’m sure we’re going to pick it up.


(theindependent.com)

Kayne Farquharson (6'2, 190, Miami) becomes the 3rd Wide Receiver to earn Offensive Player of the Week in 2013 (Bryan Pray Week 2, Ryan Balentine Week 10).  In an 82-53 victory over the Wyoming Cavalry, the Danger receiver turned in the most impressive performance for a player at his position this season.  Farquharson hauled in 8 catches for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns.  For the season, he ranks at or near the top in nearly every receiving category; 2nd in receptions (61), 1st in receiving yards (866), and 3rd in receiving touchdowns (17).  A 2nd Team All-IFL selection in 2012, Farquharson is well on his way to collecting a 1st Team nod this year.


(noco5.com)

Three Nebraska Danger players were the victims of a burglary Tuesday, according to Grand Island police.

They say what makes this crime unusual is the thieves did not use the front door to break into the second story apartment.

"It was a difficult situation because anytime somebody breaks into your home, you feel almost violated," said Kayne Farquharson.

Farquharson said when he returned to his apartment on Tuesday, he knew something was wrong.

"Cupboards in my bathroom were open," he said. "the TV was missing, and then when I went to my room, my mattress was flipped. Clothes and some shoes were missing, some cash. And, my other roommates, they were victims also."

G.I. police say the afternoon burglary is different than others because it happened in broad daylight.

"It's a second story apartment, so it's kind of unusual," said Capt. Dean Elliot. "There's nothing disturbed. Door was still locked as far as the main entrance door."
The residents suspect the thieves scaled their balcony then helped themselves to electronics, clothes, and cash.

"We leave our sliding door open, because we're on the second floor," said Farquharson. "If I would've known better I would've closed it, but didn't think anything of it."

Police say warmer weather means more open windows and doors give burglars more opportunities.

"Screen doors, patio doors, that type of stuff, if you're going to be leaving, make sure those are shut and locked," said Elliot. "Windows are a different story, but if they're crank-out style window you don't have to have those fully open, but not as far as somebody could reach in and roll it open even farther."

"My message to anybody out there - just be careful, be cautious of what's going on in your surroundings and people you invite to your home because you just never know," said Farquharson.

Anyone with information about this or other burglaries should contact G.I.P.D. or Crimestoppers at 308-381-8822.


(1011now.com)

The Nebraska Danger’s Kayne Farquharson celebrates with fans after scoring a touchdown during his team’s game Saturday against the Sioux Falls Storm at the Heartland Event Center. Nebraska won 30-21 to end the Storm’s 21-game winning streak. Farquharson finished with six receptions for 73 yards.