SPORTS SHORTS
NFL: ’Hawks waive Freeney
The Seahawks have made an unexpected roster move, waiving veteran defensive end Dwight Freeney just four games after signing him to help boost their pass rush.
Freeney was signed in late October to aid Seattle’s pass rush after Cliff Avril was lost to a neck injury. Freeney had three sacks in his first two games, moving into 17th on the all-time sack list. But he did not record a tackle in either of his last two games.
Raiders fired defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. in a staff shake-up during a disappointing season. Coach Jack Del Rio called the move a difficult decision and said that assistant head coach for defense
John Pagano will take over as coordinator leading into this week’s home game against the Broncos. Former first-round draft pick
Paxton Lynch will start at quarterback for the Broncos on Sunday at Oakland, according to an AP report. Former general manager John
Elway moved up in the 2016 draft to select Lynch with the 26th pick in the first round, but the former Memphis QB was soundly beaten out by seventh-rounder Trevor
Siemian for two straight seasons. Lynch hasn’t played this year.
In Canton, Ohio, first-year eligibles Ray Lewis and Randy
Moss are among 27 semifinalists for induction into the Pro Foot- ball Hall of Fame. The hall said all ties for the 25th spot in the semifinals also advance.
NCAA: Porter Jr. out for year
Michael Porter Jr. insisted before the season that he was not necessarily a one-and-done player who would leave next year for the riches of the NBA. The standout Missouri freshman will have plenty of downtime to consider his future after the school announced that he would miss the rest of the season following lower back surgery. The procedure, called a microdiscetomy, was scheduled in Dallas and the expected recovery time is three to four months.
Baker Mayfield wasn’t the only one to lose his captaincy after the Oklahoma quarterback’s antics following last weekend’s blowout victory over Kansas.
Jayhawks coach David Beaty announced that his captains — Dorance Armstrong Jr., Daniel
Wise and Joe Dineen Jr. — were also stripped of their status. The trio refused to shake Mayfield’s hand during the pregame coin toss, which led to a game filled with vitriol.
NBA: Lakers rally past Bulls
Kyle Kuzma had 22 points, Ken
tavious Caldwell-Pope scored 11 of his 21 in the fourth, and the host Lakers rallied from a 19-point deficit in the second half for a 103-94 win over the Bulls. Lonzo Ball had eight points, 13 rebounds and four assists.