NCAA rules against Irish
The NCAA denied Notre Dame’s appeal of a decision to vacate 21 victories because of academic misconduct, including all 12 wins from the school’s 2012 national championship game run.
Notre Dame agreed to accept certain NCAA findings and acknowledged cheating involving several football players and a student athletic trainer, but appealed only the penalty that vacated victories.
The NCAA stripped the Fighting Irish of the 21 victories, fined the school $5,000 and placed the school on one years’ probation in November 2016 after finding academic misconduct orchestrated by a student athletic trainer.
NBA
All-star forward Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks has undergone surgery for a torn ligament in his left knee.
The team says the repair of his anterior cruciate ligament was a success. He is expected to be sidelined for much of next season.
Porzingis was hurt Feb. 6 when he landed after a dunk and crashed to the court against the Milwaukee Bucks. The 7-foot-3 Latvian was averaging 22.7 points and an NBA-leading 2.4 blocked shots.
HOCKEY
The group looking to bring professional hockey to the city of Seattle has formally filed its expansion application with the National Hockey League.
The Oak View Group and its prospective NHL ownership group, led by billionaire David Bonderman and filmmaker Jerry Bruckheimer, submitted the expansion application and $10 million filing fee. The expansion application has been expected for weeks and is the next step in Seattle’s ongoing hope of bringing an NHL franchise to the largest market in the United States without a professional winter sports franchise.
If Seattle is successful in its expansion bid, the new franchise would bring the league to an even 32 teams with 16 in each conference. A new team also would yield a hefty expansion fee — in the neighborhood of $650 million.
TENNIS
The ATP said it is reviewing accusations by Donald Young that Ryan Harrison used racially inappropriate language when the Americans had a heated exchange during their opening-round match at the New York Open.
Harrison defeated Young, 6-3, 7-6 (4), on Monday night, and at one point during a changeover the two appeared to be arguing, the chair umpire moving between the players to attempt to calm the situation.
Young posted on Twitter after the match: “I’m shocked and disappointed, Ryan Harrison, to hear you tell me how you really feel about me as a black tennis player in the middle of our NY match.”
Harrison responded on Twitter that the allegations were “absolutely untrue” and audio from the match would “clear me.”
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Minnesota State University and coach Todd Hoffner have reached agreement on a five-year contract extension.
Hoffner has guided the Mavericks to a 79-20 record in his eight years. Under Hoffner, Minnesota State has won four Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championships and six NSIC South Division titles.
The former UW-Eau Claire coach returned to MSU in 2014 after an arbitrator ruled he was wrongfully terminated. He sued to get his job back after being forced out initially by MSU for what were deemed inappropriate pictures of his children on his university-issued cellphone.