Influential Panthers founder, ex-owner Richardson dies
Jerry Richardson, the Carolina Panthers founder and for years one of the NFL’s most influential owners until a scandal forced him to sell the team, has died. He was 86.
Richardson died peacefully Wednesday night at his Charlotte home, the team said in a statement.
The Panthers began play in 1995 and Richardson quickly built Carolina into one of the league’s model franchises. But Richardson’s reputation took a tremendous hit when he announced he was selling the Panthers on Dec. 17, 2017 — the same day Sports Illustrated reported that four former Panthers employees received significant monetary settlements due to inappropriate sexually suggestive language and actions by Richardson. It was also reported he used a racial slur directed toward a team scout.
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara and three other men pleaded not guilty in Nevada to charges they beat a man unconscious at a Las Vegas Strip nightclub before the NFL’s 2022 Pro Bowl.
Carter posts bail, returns to combine
Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter returned to the NFL scouting combine after turning himself in to Athens police Wednesday night and posting a combined bond of $4,000 on charges of reckless driving and racing in relation to a fatal crash that killed a teammate and team staffer.
Carter, originally projected as one of the top players in next month’s NFL draft, could lose millions of dollars if he drops from the top of the first round because of his alleged connection to the Jan. 15 crash that killed teammate Devin Willock and a recruiting staffer, 24year-old Chandler LeCroy.
Carter turned himself in at 11:33 p.m. and was released at 11:49 p.m., according to jail records. He posted bond of $2,500 on the racing charge and $1,500 on a reckless driving charge.
Freddie Freeman hit his second home run of spring training in the
Dodgers’ 5-5 tie against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix. In addition to his two-run homer in the first, Freeman added an RBI double in the second. The Dodgers got two scoreless innings from starter Michael Grove and clean innings from relievers Evan Phillips and Alex Vesia . ... Kevin Padlo hit a two-run double as part of a three-run first for the Angels, but they lost to the Kansas City Royals 8-4 at Surprise (Ariz.) Stadium.
— Jack Harris
Texas officials raised interim basketball coach Rodney Terry’s salary to more than $800,000 this season as he leads the Longhorns after the midseason firing of former coach Chris Beard . ... Lindsay Whalen, considered the greatest player in Minnesota women’s basketball history, resigned as coach after a third straight losing season.
Marta Kostyuk breezed through the final set to beat Madison Brengle 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 at the ATX Open in Austin, Texas, and reach her third quarterfinal of 2023. She will meet Anna-Lena Friedsam. Other winners were Danielle Collins and
Anna Kalinskaya. ... Top-ranked Novak Djokovic beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 7-5 and will face former No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals at the Dubai Championships. Andrey Rublev will face Alexander Zverev in the other semifinal.
Edmonton acquired center Nick Bjugstad and minor leaguer Cam Dineen from Arizona with the Coyotes getting a 2023 third-round pick and prospect Michael Kesselring . ... The Boston Bruins signed All-Star forward David Pastrnak to an eightyear contract extension that will pay $90 million. The Bruins also bolstered the roster heading into Friday’s trade deadline, acquiring forward Tyler Bertuzzi in a deal that will send a top-10 protected firstround pick in 2024 and a fourthrounder in 2025 to Detroit . ... The Professional Women’s Hockey Player’s Assn. is finalizing plans with corporate sponsors to launch what would be North America’s second women’s pro league by the end of this year, said Jayna Hefford , a key stakeholder . ... The Ducks acquired wing Dylan Sikura from the Chicago Blackhawks for wing Max Golod. Sikura will report to AHL San Diego.