Off the wire
Cowboys’ assistant dies
Dallas Cowboys strength coach Markus Paul died Wednesday, a day after being taken to the hospital after experiencing a medical emergency at the team’s facility. He was 54. The team said the cause of death was pending. Paul was in his third season with the Cowboys after previously being a strength and conditioning coach with the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, New York Jets and 12 seasons with the New York Giants. Paul was part of five Super Bowl championships, three with the Patriots and two with the Giants. The former NFL safety played for the Chicago Bears (1989-93) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1993). He played in 71 games with 17 starts over those five seasons. He was a fourth-round draft pick out of Syracuse, where he was an AP All-American as a senior in 1998.
Texas State DB fatally shot
Texas State defensive back Khambrail Winters has been fatally shot in San Marcos, Texas, and two men have been arrested and charged in the killing, officials said Wednesday. Police officers responded to calls of shots fired at the Lodge Apartments in San Marcos on Tuesday evening after what witnesses described as a drug deal gone wrong, according to a statement from the San Marcos Police Department and city officials. The officers found Winters with a gunshot wound to the chest. San Marcos police, Hay County EMS and San Marcos Fire Department personnel began lifesaving efforts but were unsuccessful, officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses told police that Winters, Enalisa Blackman and Michael Ifeanacho went to the apartment building with the intention of buying marijuana, the police statement said. Winters was shot and killed during the deal. Police arrested Blackman and Ifeanacho, who have been charged with capital murder. Both are being held at the Hays County jail. Texas State is coming off a 47-45 victory over Arkansas State.
Chiefs welcome Watkins back
The Kansas City Chiefs appear to be getting Sammy Watkins back on the field just in time. The Chiefs put fellow wide receiver Byron Pringle on injured reserve after he hurt his ankle last weekend in Las Vegas, leaving them with only Tyreek Hill, Demarcus Robinson and Mecole Hardman as the healthy players in the group. Watkins has been out since Week 5 with a hamstring injury, though his teammates said he looked good in practice Wednesday.
Jags to start Glennon at QB
The Jacksonville Jaguars are going with quarterback Mike Glennon against Cleveland, giving the NFL journeyman his first start in more than three years. Coach Doug Marrone made the announcement Wednesday, three days after he considered benching rookie Jake Luton during a 27-3 loss to unbeaten Pittsburgh. Luton completed 16 of 37 passes for 151 yards and four interceptions against the Steelers. Luton went winless in three starts for Jacksonville (1-9), which has dropped nine in a row. The skid ties the longest single-season losing streak in franchise history. Luton replaced Gardner Minshew (thumb) during the team’s bye week and has completed 54.5% of his passes for 624 yards, with two touchdowns and six interceptions. He also was sacked seven times.
NBA moves 2024 All-Star Game
Indianapolis will host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2024, the league said Wednesday, formally rescheduling the plans for that city to be the site of the league’s midseason showcase this season. Cleveland will play host in 2022 and Salt Lake City will do so in 2023, both of those sites and years previously announced. The next open spot on the league’s All-Star calendar was 2024, which now belongs to Indianapolis. The league said “public health conditions prevented the Pacers, the NBA All-Star Host Committee and the NBA from appropriately planning and executing fan-focused All-Star activities in Indianapolis that were envisioned for this February.” The new dates for Indianapolis’ All-Star weekend: Feb. 16-18, 2024.