A’s top pick Murray to pursue NFL career
When Kyler Murray won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma last season, the Oakland Athletics knew there was a chance he might chose football over baseball.
On the day the A’s started spring training workouts, Murray said he will pursue a career in the NFL. Murray passed for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns last season.
The A’s made Murray the ninth overall pick in the June amateur draft, and the outfielder agreed to a minor league contract. The deal called for him to receive $1.5 million of a $4.66 million signing bonus. He must now return six-sevenths of the money he received, or $1,285,714.
More baseball
Former Pirates pitcher Zach Duke, 35, signed a $2 million, one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds. Duke pitched in 14 games for the Reds in 2013 and also has played for Minnesota, Seattle, Arizona, Washington, Milwaukee, Chicago White Sox and St. Louis.
• The Wild Things signed outfielder Saige Jenco, who spent three years with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization after being drafted in 2016.
Pro football
Safety Eric Reid, who sued NFL owners for colluding to keep him out of the league for kneeling during the national anthem alongside former teammate Colin Kaepernick in protest of social and racial injustice, re-signed with the Carolina Panthers, getting a threeyear contract through 2021.
• Former referee Red Cashion, known for his vociferous calls of died Sunday at the age of 87 in Bryan, Texas.
Pro basketball
Cleveland signed welltraveled guard Nik Stauskas, who was traded three times and released within a week. Stauskas averaged 6.1 points in 44 games as a reserve for Portland. He also has played for Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Sacramento since being drafted in 2014. … The Atlanta Hawks waived Jeremy Lin, and he plans to sign with the Toronto Rapters when he clears waivers.
Auto racing
Doug Kalitta, Robert Hight and Bo Butner were victorious at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. Finals in the season opener were delayed a day because of rain.
Elsewhere
Whiskey, a whippet, who had won the prized National Dog Show on Thanksgiving Day and the prominent AKC event on New Year’s Day, missed his bid for a Triple Crown of dogdom when he was topped by littermate Bourbon in the hound group judging at the Westminster Dog Show in New York.