Off the wire
FOOTBALL Marshall: Headed to Seattle
Veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall has indicated on social media that he’s joining the Seattle Seahawks. Marshall posted a series of pictures on Instagram on Tuesday decked out in a green Seahawks jersey, one captioned “Let’s go,” and another with Marshall saying he’s always wanted to play before Seattle’s fans. A person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press that Marshall’s contract is expected to be finalized in the coming days. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the contract had not been officially signed. Marshall visited Seattle earlier in the offseason after he was released by the New York Giants and worked out for the team, but no deal was struck at that time. His representatives did not return messages seeking comment.
San Diego new AAAF member
San Diego will be the site of the sixth franchise in the Alliance of American Football league that debuts in February. The team will play at San Diego County Credit Union Stadium, the former Qualcomm Stadium that was the home of the Chargers. It joins Atlanta, Orlando, Memphis, Salt Lake City and Phoenix with teams in the new league that will begin play the weekend after the Super Bowl. Former Rams Coach Mike Martz, who led St. Louis to the NFC championship in 2001, is set to coach the team, but that won’t become official for a few days. Other Alliance coaches are Steve Spurrier in Orlando, Mike Singletary in Memphis, Brad Childress in Atlanta, Dennis Erickson in Salt Lake City, and Rick Neuheisel in Phoenix.
Stoops dismisses safety
Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops has dismissed safety Marcus Walker following his arrest on charges of trafficking cocaine and marijuana. The school had no other comment in a statement Tuesday besides listing his career statistics of 17 tackles in 21 games. The junior faces a June 20 hearing in Fayette District Court after his release Friday on $1,000 bond. Lexington police arrested Walker, 21, and another man Thursday after finding at least 5 pounds of marijuana and 4 grams of cocaine during a search of an off-campus apartment. The arrest citation stated that a large amount of cash and a cash counter were found. Walker, of Lake Wales, Fla., also was charged with possessing drug paraphernalia.
HORSE RACING Justify runs half-mile
Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Justify completed a halfmile workout at Churchill Downs in preparation for his Triple Crown bid next month. The 3-year-old colt covered the distance in 46.80 seconds on Tuesday with trainer Bob Baffert and co-owner Elliott Walden of WinStar Farm looking on. It was the fastest among 43 workouts at the distance. Jockey Martin Garcia flew in from Southern California to work Justify, who is ridden in races by Mike Smith. Baffert said Justify performed the way he wanted, and he believes the colt is progressing ahead of the June 9 Belmont Stakes. Justify is expected to have one more workout, possibly on Monday, before he flies to New York next Wednesday. Baffert will return to his Southern California base before returning to Louisville this weekend. Also Tuesday, Free Drop Billy was confirmed to run in the Belmont. The colt finished 16th in the Kentucky Derby and skipped the Preakness.
SOCCER U.S. women’s roster set
Midfielder Tobin Heath is back on the U.S. women’s national team roster after spending the start of the year recovering from surgery. Coach Jill Ellis named a 23-player roster Tuesday for two exhibition matches against China next month. Heath, who turned 30 on Tuesday, hasn’t played with the national team since appearing as a substitute in a friendly against New Zealand last September. She had surgery to remove bone growth on her right ankle in early January. Also returning to the national team is Julie Ertz, who missed two April exhibition matches against Mexico because of a knee injury. Christen Press, left off the roster for Mexico because she was not on a club team at the time, also returned to the roster.
BASKETBALL 76ers extend Brown
The Philadelphia 76ers will continue to put their trust in Coach Brett Brown. Brown, who took the 76ers from 10 victories to the third seed in the Eastern Conference in just two seasons, has agreed to a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2021-2022 season. A person familiar with the situation confirmed the deal to The Associated Press. The person spoke Tuesday night on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been officially announced. Brown had one year left on his contract. The extension is a sign the franchise believes he’s still the right coach to lead the Sixers into Eastern Conference contention. The Sixers won 52 games this season and beat Miami in the first round of the playoffs before they were eliminated in the conference semifinals by Boston. Under Brown’s watch, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have blossomed into two of the top young players in the league. The 76ers won 19, 18 and 10 games in each of Brown’s first three seasons. The Sixers won 28 games in 201617 and made the first playoffs this season for the first time since 2012.
Auburn trio returning
Auburn center Austin Wiley, point guard Jared Harper and shooting guard Bryce Brown are returning to school after exploring their NBA Draft prospects. All three announced their decisions Tuesday, a day before the deadline for underclassmen who haven’t hired an agent to withdraw. The NCAA ruled Wiley ineligible for his sophomore season after his family allegedly accepted money from former associate head coach Chuck Person. Person has been charged as part of a federal probe into corruption in college basketball. The NCAA has said Wiley would be eligible next season. Brown averaged 15.9 points per game as a junior. Harper had 185 assists to help lead the Tigers to a share of the SEC regular season title. Mustapha Heron also declared for the draft, but his status is unclear.
Schofield back to Tennessee
Admiral Schofield is pulling his name out of the NBA Draft and returning to Tennessee for his senior season. Schofield shared his decision on social media Tuesday, saying he is focused and hungry to once again chase championships with his teammates. The forward tested his NBA Draft status without hiring an agent, leaving him the option to return. He worked out last week for the Memphis Grizzlies but was considered a second-round prospect at best. Schofield wrote that he learned through the draft evaluation process where he needs to improve his game. The 6-foot-5, 238-pound Schofield averaged 13.9 points and 6.4 rebounds this season while helping Tennessee go 26-9 and win a share of the SEC regular-season title.
GOLF Cowboys, Tide to meet in final
Oklahoma State freshman Austin Eckroat made a 6-foot birdie on the final hole Tuesday morning for a decisive victory, and then won the match that sent the Cowboys to the title match on their home course in the NCAA men’s golf championship. Oklahoma State faces Alabama, which swept its five matches to beat Duke in the other semifinal, in today’s championship at Karsten Creek Golf Club. The Cowboys will be going for their first NCAA title since 2006, and their first since the NCAA switched to match play for the team title in 2009. They have been runner-up twice since then. Alabama is going for its third NCAA title in the last six years. The Tide beat Oklahoma State in the finals of the 2014 NCAA Championships.