Garoppolo suspended for PED policy violation
HENDERSON, NEV. >> Las Vegas Raiders backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was suspended by the NFL on Friday for the first two games of next season for violating the performanceenhancing drugs policy of the league and NFL Players Association.
ESPN also reported the Raiders are expected to release Garoppolo next month before an $11.25 million roster bonus kicks in.
Garoppolo's days in Las Vegas appeared over at midseason when then-interim coach Antonio Pierce replaced him with rookie Aidan O'Connell for the rest of the season. Pierce became the Raiders' fulltime coach last month, and the Raiders also hired Tom Telesco as their general manager.
The Raiders signed Garoppolo last offseason to a three-year, $72.75 million contract when coach Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler were in charge. He previously quarterbacked the San Francisco 49ers, making an appearance in the Super Bowl and two in the NFC championship.
But Garoppolo threw seven touchdown passes and nine interceptions this season with a 77.6 quarterback rating, opening the way for O'Connell to take over.
Garoppolo said after the season he wanted to be able to play again somewhere.
“I'm pretty open,” Garoppolo said at the time. “A lot
of things are out of my control. I've had situations like that before, so as a player, you've got to roll with the punches a little bit. Whatever happens, I think it all happens for a reason. You've got to make the best of your situation.”
The Raiders still have major decisions to make at quarterback.
O'Connell could keep the job after going 5-4 under Pierce, or Las Vegas could look to upgrade through free agency, a trade or this year's draft.
NBA
DONOR HEART FOUND FOR POLLARD >> A heart donor has been found for NBA
champion and “Survivor” contestant Scot Pollard, his wife said on social media.
Pollard, who turned 49 on Monday, needed a transplant because of a genetic condition that was likely triggered by a virus he caught in 2021. The same condition killed his father, who died at 54.
Pollard's size complicated efforts to find a donor with a heart big enough to fit his 6-foot-11, 260-pound body. He was admitted to intensive care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Feb. 7.
A 1997 first-round draft pick after helping Kansas reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in four straight seasons, Pollard
was a useful big man off the bench for much of an NBA career that stretched over 11 years and five teams.
Women's basketball
IOWA READY TO FOCUS ON TEAM >> More scoring records are in sight for Caitlin Clark, but right now the Iowa superstar is looking forward to a break from the chase.
She passed Kelsey Plum as the NCAA women's career scoring leader Thursday night, putting up a school-record 49 points in a 106-89 victory over Michigan and running her career total to 3,569.
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said it was a relief to have
Clark's pursuit of the NCAA record end.
“It's been a little bit of a distraction, but a good distraction, right?” Bluder said. “You want these kinds of distractions for your team. But at the same time, it's time now for us to really focus on making our team better and getting ready for Indiana next week, the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.”
Colleges PAC-12 PARTS WAYS WITH COMMISSIONER KLIAVKOFF >>
The Pac-12 is parting ways with Commissioner George Kliavkoff after the former MGM executive oversaw the demise of the once-powerful league during a wave of conference realignment last year.
The Pac-12 Board of Directors announced the move Friday in a two-sentence news release, saying the conference and Kliavkoff “mutually agreed to part ways, effective February 29, 2024.”
“More details about new leadership of the Pac-12 will be announced next week,” the release said.
Kliavkoff was a surprising and unconventional hiring in the spring of 2021 when he was picked to succeed Larry Scott. Kliavkoff has been the president of sports and entertainment for MGM Resorts International in Las Vegas since 2018.
ACC ASKS COURT TO PAUSE OR DISMISS FLORIDA STATE'S LAWSUIT AGAINST LEAGUE >> The Atlantic Coast Conference
asked a Florida court to pause Florida State's lawsuit against the conference while the ACC's claim against the school in North Carolina moves forward or dismiss the Seminoles' case altogether, according to a filing submitted Friday.
The ACC's response to Florida State's complaint came at the deadline set by the court and a week after the school filed a motion for dismissal of the conference's lawsuit in North Carolina, where the league office is located.
The first court appearance in either case is a hearing set for March 22 in Mecklenburg County Superior Court in North Carolina.
Water polo US WINS ANOTHER WOMEN'S WORLD TITLE >>
The United States held off Hungary 8-7 on Friday to capture the women's water polo title for the fifth time in the last six championships and eighth time overall.
Rachel Fattal scored three goals and goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson made 10 saves to lead the Americans, who are three-time reigning Olympic champions.
The U.S. bounced back from a quarterfinal loss at last year's world championships in Fukuoka. Rallying from an 8-5 deficit in the final quarter, Hungary came up just short of its first women's world title since 2005.
Spain defeated Greece 10-9 for the bronze medal.