NCAA
– The NCAA has given Penn State with a $60M sanction, a four-year football postseason ban and a vacation of all wins dating to 1998 for their involvement in the Penn State sexual abuse scandal. Joe Paterno’s career records will also be altered, the NCAA said. Penn State also must reduce 10 initial and 20 total scholarships each year for a four-year period. With the wins from 1998-2011 vacated, Paterno moves from 409 wins to 298, dropping him from first to 12th on the winningest NCAA football coach list. Penn State also will have six bowl wins and two conference championships erased. The Penn State athletic program also will be put on a five-year probation and must work with an athletic-integrity monitor of NCAA’s choosing. Any current or incoming football players are free to immediately transfer and compete at another school. The conference also will place the university on a five-year probation to run concurrently with the NCAA’s and has declared the football program ineligible for the Big Ten championship game for the four years in which the NCAA banned the Nittany Lions from postseason play.
NCAA president Mark Emmert and Ed Ray, the chairman of the NCAA Executive Committee and Oregon State’s president, spoke at a news conference in Indianapolis at the organization’s headquarters. Emmert said,
“In the Penn State case, the results were perverse and unconscionable. No price the NCAA can levy will repair the grievous damage inflicted by Jerry Sandusky on his victims.”
The NCAA said the $60M was equivalent to the average annual revenue of the football program. The NCAA ordered Penn State to pay the penalty funds into an endowment for “external programs preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims and may not be used to fund such programs at the university.”
Steve Garban, a member and former chairman of the Penn State board of trustees resigned on Thursday, becoming the first board member to do so in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. An internal investigation by former FBI Director Louis Freeh found that Garban was briefed twice about developments in the Sandusky case but didn’t share what he knew with the entire board, depriving trustees of a chance to prepare for the worst crisis in Penn State’s 157-year history. He wrote in a letter,
“It has been a privilege and an honour to serve the university that has done so much for me. Indeed, it is precisely because of my deep gratitude to and respect for my beloved alma mater that I now step aside.”
– Pittsburgh and the Big East conference announced Wednesday that the school will pay $7.5M to join Syracuse in leaving the conference for the Atlantic Coast Conference on July 1, 2013. The Big East reached a similar deal with Syracuse earlier this week. The agreement with Pitt includes the $5M the school already paid after it announced it was switching leagues last September. It also puts an end to an acrimonious split between Big East and one of its longest standing members. The Big East later Tuesday night confirmed it had dropped its lawsuit seeking $5M from TCU for on a commitment to join the league and instead joining the Big 12. The conference said in a statement that “TCU has fully discharged its obligations to the Big East …”
– Minnesota coach Tubby Smith agreed to terms Monday on a contract extension with the university through the 2016-17 season by adding three more years to his original deal. Talks first began between Smith’s agent and school officials during the 2010-11 season. After roughly a year and a half, the two sides finally reached a point where they were comfortable with both the language and the timing of the contract. Terms of the deal weren’t immediately available. Smith’s original contract was signed for seven years and about $1.8M annually. Entering his sixth season with the Gophers, Smith has yet to win an NCAA tournament game since leaving Kentucky and coming to Minnesota. But the Gophers rallied in March after another below-average performance in Big Ten play to reach the NIT championship game and finish with 23 victories. Smith was unavailable for comment, but in a statement distributed by the university, he said, “I believe that we can get the job done here. The commitment from the university is there to continue to grow the program, and I am looking forward to being a part of that.”
WWE
– On Raw, The Rock announced he will face whoever is the WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble PPV in January 2013. The last time The Rock was on RAW was, the night after he defeated John Cena at WrestleMania 29, when he vowed to become WWE Champion again.
– According to the Wrestling Observer, there many former WWE talents were backstage at RAW that didn’t make it on to the broadcast.
– Charlie Sheen told Michael Cole and Jerry The King Lawler, the next time WWE is in LA, Byran knows where to find him. The PWInsider reports that this could lead to an angle or perhaps a match at Summerslam on August 19.
– For those that missed it, here’s a shot of the new Raw set:
– Although the WWE heavily promoted a 1,000th RAW pre-show on Youtube.com all week long and on s RAW, WWE didn’t have one. The company opted to tape Superstars instead.
NHL
– The Canadiens have signed No. 3 overall pick F Alex Galchenyuk to a 3-year, entry-level contract. The 18-year-old from Milwaukee, Wis., only played three games last season with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting because of an knee injury. The six-foot-one, 195-pound forward had 31 goals and 52 assists in 68 games in the 2010-11 season.
– The Panthers have signed F Kris Versteeg to a 4-year/$17.6M contract through the 2015-16 season. Versteeg, 26, had a breakout year with the Panthers last season, notching career highs in goals with 23, and points with 54. The former-fifth round pick helped the Panthers capture the Southeast Division and clinch a playoff spot for the first time in 11 seasons, breaking the longest playoff drought in the league.
– The Predators have signed F Sergei Kostitsyn to a 2-year/$6M contract, avoiding arbitration. The 25-year-old recorded 17 goals and 43 points in 75 games for the Preds last season. In 10 post-season games, Kostitsyn notched a goal and an assist in 10 games.
– Jets’ D Dustin Byfuglien was been convicted of careless boating in court on Monday and the 27-year-old will be fined $1K and receive a 30-day sentence–28 of which will be suspended. Byfuglien was charged in August of last year while boating on Lake Minnetonka. He faced charges of boating while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and refusing a urine or blood sample. Those charges were dropped Monday morning in a Minneapolis courtroom. The Jets organization in a team statement:
“After allowing the legal process to play out, we are thankful to see this matter resolved to the satisfaction of all parties involved. As an organization, the Winnipeg Jets are happy this is behind Dustin and he can look forward to the upcoming hockey season, along with the rest of the team and their passionate fan base.”
Two days of the sentence will include ‘workhouse’ type of work – garbage pickup. Byfuglien’s lawyer Mitch Robinson had hoped his client could serve the community in some sort of hockey-related matter but the Judge refused, saying Byfuglien would be treated like anyone else. Robinson had been trying to get the charges dropped as far back as the new year, but the prosecution wouldn’t hear of it. The case seemed headed for a judge and jury before a resolution was reached in the courthouse Monday morning.
– Blackhawks’ F Marian Hossa (neck) says he’s recovering on schedule from a brutal hit that ended his season in Game 3 of the Blackhawks’ opening-round playoff series loss to Phoenix in April. Hossa, who led the Blackhawks with 77 points last season, was knocked out and suffered a concussion when the Coyotes’ F Raffi Torres left his feet to deliver the high, hard blow in the first period of the game on April 17. Hossa was rushed off the ice on a stretcher and went to the hospital. On Friday, Hossa said he had resumed high-intensity off-ice training several weeks ago and has experienced no ill effects. He has not yet started skating again, however.
“Right now I’m better and where I want to be. Everything has been good so far.
“I’ve been able to train at a high level so far and that’s my goal. It will be a little different when I get on the ice and get hit or someone pushes me.”
Torres received a 25-game suspension on April 21 and missed the Coyotes’ final 13 playoff games.
– Blackhawks’ F Patrick Kane has responded to rumours saying that he has a drinking problem. Kane was recently seen passed out at a Cinco De Mayo party and threw change at a Buffalo cab driver a few years ago.
“It was embarrassing. That’s the first thing I can say. From the pictures that came out, to the disappointment from the Hawks organization, to my family, to myself personally. It’s embarrassing.”
“It’s not who I want to be. I want to be a role model to kids and to everyone for that matter. It’s something I want to put behind me and be the best person and player I can be … It was the end of the season and I was looking for a good weekend with my friends and things got a little out of control.”
“Nothing illegal happened. But you have to realize the spotlight you’re in whether it’s Chicago or Buffalo, no matter where you are. You have to act like someone is always watching you, and no matter what you’re doing it can be put out there on the Internet, news blogs or articles.”
When asked if he had a drinking problem, Kane said:
“I don’t think so. I don’t want to put myself in that position again, but no I don’t think I do.”
– The Stars have signed D Mark Fistric to a 1-year/$1.475M contract, avoiding arbitration. The 26-year-old RFA will receive a raise over the $1.25M that he earned last season, when he had two assists in 60 games for Dallas.
– The Devils have re-signed D Mark Fayne to a 2-year/$2.6M contract, avoiding arbitration. The 25-year-old had four goals and 13 assists while playing in all 82 games for the Devils last season. The new deal more than doubles the $555K that Fayne made last season. He will reportedly earn $1.2M next season and $1.4M in 2013-14.
– The Senators have re-signed F Kaspars Daugavins to a 1-year/$635K contract. Daugavins had five goals and six assists in 65 games last season.
– The Capitals have named Tim Hunter the team’s assistant coach. Hunter, 51, has coached 1,041 games in an assistant role during his 13-season NHL coaching career. The former Stanley Cup winner was an assistant coach under Ron Wilson in all 13 previous seasons, including five years behind the Washington bench (1997-2002). Hunter helped the Capitals reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1998 and the team reached the postseason in three of his five seasons with Washington, compiling a record of 192-159-51-8 (.540 percentage).
– The Jets announced have agreed to terms with F Maxime Macenauer on a new contract. Maxenauer, 23, played in nine games with the St. John’s IceCaps last season, recording one assist. The Laval, PQ native also played in 29 games last season with the Ducks and recorded four points and 18 penalty minutes.
– The Panthers have acquired F Casey Wellman from the New York Rangers for a 2014 5th-round pick.Wellman has appeared in 41 NHL games, all with the Wild, with four goals and nine assists. He was traded to the Rangers in February and spent this past season in the AHL.
– The Pittsburgh Penguins have named Dr. Christopher Harner to lead the team’s medical staff. Harner replaces Dr. Charles Burke, who was removed after 24 years on the job earlier this week. Harner is a co-founder of the UPMC Center of Sports Medicine and was recently named president of the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine. Dr. Tanya Hagen will join the team as an associate physician and Dr. Dharmesh Vyas will serve as an assistant team physician. One of the three will travel with the team on every road game. The moves come as part of an overall restructuring of the Penguins’ medical program and will give the team access to UPMC doctors in more than 15 specialties.
MLB
– Former Reds’ SS Barry Larkin and former Cubs’ 3B Ron Santo have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Larkin, who played his entire 19-year career with the Reds, retired after the 2004 season with a .295 career average, 2,340 hits, 1,329 runs scored and 379 stolen bases. In 15 major league seasons, all but one with the Cubs, Santo was one of the top third basemen in major league history. He compiled a .277 batting average, had 2,254 hits, 1,331 RBIs and 365 doubles in 2,243 games. He also was a tireless fundraiser for juvenile diabetes, raising more than $65M. Santo also fought serious medical problems after he retired as a player. He underwent surgery on his eyes, heart and bladder after doctors discovered cancer. He also had surgery more than a dozen times on his legs before they were amputated below the knees — the right one in 2001 and the left a year later.
– According to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com, rival executives who have spoken with the Marlins believe they’ve “never been more open to the idea” of trading 3B Hanley Ramirez. Miller writes that the Fish have realized that their new overhauled roster isn’t working. HanRam is hitting .246/.322/.430 this season and is currently out with an infection in his right hand after he punched a dugout cooling fan. Last week, rumours suggested that the Red Sox were in talks, but nothing came of it. Yet. He still has 2-years/$31.5M remaining on his contract after this season.
– Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that a trade that would send Cubs’ RHP Ryan Dempster to the Braves for RHP Randall Delgado is now “50/50″ to happen. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Dempster might be hesitating to waive his 10-and-5 rights, which is the last remaining obstacle. Stay tuned.
– The Padres have signed OF Carlos Quentin to a 3-year/$27M contract extension. The deal contains $3M in incentives with a $10M mutual option for 2016. The oft-injured 30-year-old is getting quite a nice payday. He’s batting .273/.389/.525 with nine homers over 40 games this season. He spent the first two months of the season on the DL following knee surgery.
“This is an amazing opportunity for me to stay and play in the city I grew up in. I believe in this organization and what they’re doing and I think they believe in me and I wanted to be a part of it.”
NFL
– The Browns have agreed to terms with No. 3 overall pick RB Trent Richardson on a 4-year/$20.5M contract. The deal is fully guaranteed, and includes a $13.341M signing bonus with no offset language. Richardson will likely be the workhorse from the get-go for a team that ranked 28th in the league in rushing last season. He’s believed to be the best running back drafted since Vikings’ RB Adrian Peterson.
– Dolphins’ WR Chad Ochocinco has legally changed his name back to the original Chad Johnson. Johnson legally changed his name Monday in an appearance at the Broward County Courthouse. The change he announced via Twitter quickly follows his July Fourth marriage to Evelyn Lozada of TV’s “Basketball Wives” fame. Johnson was known as “Ochocinco” for the past four seasons.
– Saints’ LB Jonathan Vilma and DE Will Smith met Monday with NFL lawyers and a federal magistrate, but the closed-door settlement conference didn’t resolve lawsuits spawned by the players’ suspensions following the league’s bounty investigation. Vilma and his attorneys emerged from the three-hour-long conference with U.S. Magistrate Daniel Knowles III without commenting on whether progress was made toward resolution of the case. The meeting was closed to the public. Knowles said a settlement can’t be reached “at this time.” But he instructed the parties to contact him “at any stage of the proceeding if an additional settlement conference would be beneficial.” Peter Ginsberg, one of Vilma’s attorneys, said only that the group “went through the settlement process” and that he expects “things will move along.” Vilma declined to comment on the talks, but said, “I want the team to do well, and I want to be part of the team.”
Teammate QB Drew Brees defended Vilma in a court document filed Saturday to support Vilma’s fight against the NFL over his season-long suspension. The affidavit was entered in New Orleans federal court as evidence for Vilma’s motion to dismiss the 2012 suspension imposed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, for the linebacker’s alleged involvement in a program offering bonuses to players who injure opponents. Vilma has sued Goodell, claiming defamation. Brees also swears that he wasn’t aware of any bounty program.
“I have no knowledge of a pay to injure program existing, and yet to personally see any evidence that would substantiate these allegations. In my four years as a teammate with Jonathan, I have found that he is a man of integrity who passionately plays the game of football within the frameworks of the rules and has respect for his opponents.”
“As a professional football player, our platform to reach our communities is directly driven by the manner in which we compete on the field. Therefore, Jonathan’s absence on the field will adversely affect his ability to impact the community in a positive way as a leader and a role model.”
– Retired QB Brett Favre is returning to football as an assistant high school coach in Mississippi, according to his agent Bus Cook. Cook told the AP that Favre will work at Oak Grove High School this fall “to help out in some capacity, but I’m not sure exactly what his role will be.” The school is near the former NFL quarterback’s home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The 42-year-old is expected to be the offensive co-ordinator. Oak Grove head coach Nevil Barr told the AP he has talked about a possible role for Favre on the coaching staff, though a job title hasn’t been defined. Favre has helped at Oak Grove in an unofficial capacity in previous years.
– Jets’ QB Tim Tebow has been working on his throwing mechanics with former major league pitcher Tom House, according to ESPN. Tebow spent this week with House at the University of Southern California. House, a volunteer pitching coach for the Trojans, has worked with several NFL quarterbacks over the years, including Patriots’ QB Tom Brady, Saints’ QB Drew Brees and 49ers’ QB Alex Smith. House tells ESPN.com he thinks Tebow is “getting better, but the proof is in the pudding. Being out here at USC is different than being with the New York Jets.”
– The Chargers released retired G Kris Dielman from the team’s reserve-retired list. Dielman retired in March, 4 1/2 months after sustaining a concussion in a helmet-to-helmet collision on October 23. Dielman continued to play despite the injury, and the team didn’t diagnose his condition until after the game. Dielman suffered a grand mal seizure on the flight home. The team plane was met by an ambulance and he was hospitalized overnight. 10 days after Dielman was hurt, the league’s injury and safety panel told game officials to watch closely for concussion symptoms in players.
– The AP reports Cowboys’ WR Dez Bryant’s mother doesn’t want to press charges against her son following his alleged domestic violence incident. Bryant allegedly hit his mother in the face with a baseball hat and pulled her shirt and hair last Monday. DeSoto police have already decided to file a Class-A misdemeanour family violence charge against Bryant.
– The Seahawks have agreed to terms with RE Chris Clemons on a multi-year extension. Clemons was set to make $4M in the final season of a five-year deal, but was reportedly in line for a $1M pay cut after skipping mandatory minicamp. Clemons has led the Seahawks in sacks each of the past two seasons, tallying 11 each year–no other Seahawk notched more than four sacks in 2011.
– The Chargers have agreed on a 1-year contract with DT Aubrayo Franklin. The 6-foot-1, 317-pound Franklin started nine games for the Saints last season and recorded 17 tackles.
– The 49ers have signed CB Darcel McBath to a 1-year contract. McBath, a second-round draft pick by Denver in 2009, played 20 games for the Broncos and started once. He had 28 tackles, two interceptions, and four passes defenced. McBath was released by Denver last September and played one game in December for Jacksonville before being cut earlier in the off-season.
– The Titans have agreed to terms on a 1-year contract with S Aaron Francisco. A six-year NFL veteran, Francisco has played in 75 games with 23 starts.
– TheFalcons have re-signed LB Mike Peterson. He played in 15 games last season, including five starts, recording 27 tackles (16 solo) with one interception and two passes defenced.
– The Patriots have signed DL Kyle Love. The 25-year-old joined the team as a rookie free agent from Mississippi State in 2010. The 6-foot-1, 315-pounder has 69 tackles, 4.0 sacks and 1 fumble recovery in 25 NFL games.
NBA
– According to Ric Bucher, the Magic may keep disgruntled F Dwight Howard until closer to the trade deadline, barring a no-brainer deal being offered before then. For now, it appears that the constant trade rumours will continue to swirl until February, much to everyone’s dismay. Stay tuned.
– The Jazz have signed free agent G Randy Foye. Foye appears pencilled in for a backup role at the one and two.
– The Nets have signed G C.J. Watson. Watson played in 49 games for the Bulls last season, making 25 starts. He averaged 11.3 points and 4.6 assists in 29.2 minutes as a starter.
– The Cavaliers have claimed F Jon Leuer off waivers from the Rockets. Leuer averaged 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 46 games as a rookie last season for Milwaukee.
– The Mavericks have signed 1st-round draft pick F Jared Cunningham. Cunningham was the 24th overall selection in the NBA draft by the Cavaliers. Cunningham was selected first-team All-Pac 12 as a junior when he averaged 17.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game for Oregon State.
UFC
– Renan Barao defeated Urijah Faber via unanimous decision at UFC 149 to become the interim Bantamweight champion. During the right, Faber broke his rib during the first round of the fight. He tweeted this picture, saying:
“Congrats 2 @RenanBaraoUFC. He’s a tough dude. Broke my rib in the 1st with a great knee. Thank u 4 all the support “
– Ryan Jimmo tied the UFC record for fastest knockout by defeating Anthony Perosh in seven seconds at UFC 149. The 30-year old won his 17th consecutive fight, cashing in on a $65K check for knockout of the night. Enjoy:
– UFC president Dana White voiced his displeasure with the general turnout of UFC 149 in Calgary, Alberta. A number of big-name fighters suffered injuries and were forced to withdraw.
“I said this the other day and it’s true: We make money. This company makes money, and I like breaking records. We broke the gate record tonight and I’m embarrassed by it. I was excited when I heard and now I’m embarrassed. The undercard delivered — they were awesome — and the main card did not.”
“I’m bummed out about it, I don’t know what else to say. I’m pretty honest about it. I’m not out here saying that’s the greatest show you’ve ever seen. It wasn’t. When you buy tickets, we come into a market like this, we break the record and do the kind of gate we did because people believe in us. People believe in the UFC, and that when we come to town, we’re going to bring you the best fights possible. And then our guys go out and they deliver. Like I said, this is a partnership between us and the fighters. We do our part and they always do theirs. Unfortunately, I was so excited to stick this one up everybody’s a– that said this card sucked, and we didn’t.”
SERIE A
– Zlatan Ibrahimovic has officially joined PSG on a transfer from AC Milan. Ibrahimovic, 30, has signed a 3-year contract worth a reported €14 million ($17M) net a year, €2 million more than he earned at Milan.
“I want to thank PSG and Leonardo. They made something impossible possible and now I am very happy. It’s a big step in my career, another dream come true.
“I know there’s been a big media interest in this. It’s been more intense than when I moved to Barcelona. I’m very excited in this project. I’m here to make history and I will enjoy all the trophies we bring home.”
“It seems that I will finish my career here but that’s what I said at Milan too. You never know what will happen. But I’m not thinking about that at the moment, I’m thinking about winning during my time here.”
– AC Milan says it will give refunds to disgruntled fans with season tickets following the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva. The club made the offer in a statement on Monday after fans were left fuming at the star duo being sold, some even staging a mock funeral outside Milan headquarters. A lawsuit has been filed arguing that some fans bought season tickets on the presumption the two players would be at the club. The club says the offer was made because of “the need for style and love of the club towards its supporters and independent of any legal analysis,” adding that “the lawsuit is without any foundation.” Milan icons Alessandro Nesta, Clarence Seedorf, Gennaro Gattuso and Filippo Inzaghi also left the club after last season.
MLS
– Toronto FC has acquired striker Eric Hassli from the Whitecaps for a 2014 1st-round pick and an international roster spot through the 2013 season. During his Whitecaps tenure, Hassli recorded 12 goals and five assists in 44 league appearances, as well as three goals in eight Canadian championship matches. Although Hassli scored 10 goals in his first season, he also picked up an MLS-high three red cards.
– Toronto FC has acquired F Quincy Amarikwa from the New York Red Bulls for a conditional draft pick. The 24-year-old, who was claimed by New York off waivers this season from Colorado, has three goals in 31 MLS appearances.
EPL
– Manchester United’ D Chris Smalling (foot surgery) will miss the start of the Premier League season and is expected to be sidelined for up to 10 weeks. Smalling, who was just recovering from a groin injury sustained in May that ruled him out of the European Championship, broke a metatarsal earlier this week. Manager Alex Ferguson says “he got an injury on the Wednesday and, straight away, we decided to have the operation so he’s out … it could be 10 weeks.”
BOXING
–Adrien Broner defeated Vicente Escobedo on Saturday night, then faked a proposed to his girl during the post-fight interview. Check it out: