Rays’ Franco arrested after finally meeting with prosecutors
Rays shortstop Wander Franco was arrested in the Dominican Republic after being interviewed by prosecutors investigating him for an alleged relationship with a minor, according to an official in the Puerto Plata province prosecutor’s office. Franco appeared before prosecutors while accompanied by two lawyers, days after not showing up for a meeting with a prosecutor. The official said the interview lasted nearly three hours. Franco was originally requested to appear Dec. 28, two days after prosecutors and police visited two of his properties and did not find him there. The 22-year-old All-Star must be brought before a judge within 24 hours, according to Dominican law. The republic’s prosecutors’ office said Aug. 14 that Franco was under investigation because of postings on his social media channels suggesting he had a relationship with a minor. Franco was placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball under its joint domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy with the players’ association.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Gonzaga men on precipice
Purdue remained atop the Associated Press top 25 men’s poll for the third straight week, while Gonzaga dropped to No. 24 after a loss to San Diego State but kept alive its streak of 142 consecutive weeks in the poll. The Boilermakers picked up three more first-place votes and had 49 of 63 from the national media panel, easily outdistancing second-place Kansas. Houston remained third despite keeping its perfect record intact with a victory over Penn and picking up the other nine first-place votes. UConn and Tennessee each moved up one spot to round out the top five following Arizona’s loss to Stanford on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs fell 11 spots from No. 13 after their 84-74 loss to San Diego State. Gonzaga has been ranked in every poll since Jan. 11, 2016, but that streak is in jeopardy after coach Mark Few’s team dropped to 9-4 with no Quad 1 wins this season.
South Carolina women tops
South Carolina started the new year where it finished off 2023 — atop the AP women’s poll. The Gamecocks received 34 of the 35 first-place votes from a national media panel. UCLA got the other No. 1 vote after beating then-No. 6 USC on Saturday. The No. 2 Bruins have now defeated four top25 teams this season, with two wins coming at neutral sites and one on the road. Syracuse (11-1) entered the poll at No. 25, marking its first appearance since Jan. 18, 2021. The Orange beat then No.13 Notre Dame on Sunday.
FOOTBALL XFL, USFL merge to form UFL
The XFL and USFL announced they will merge to form the United Football League. The eightteam UFL will include four teams from the XFL: the D.C. Defenders, Arlington (Texas) Renegades, San Antonio Brahmas, and St. Louis Battlehawks.
Three teams will come from the USFL: the Birmingham (Ala.) Stallions, Memphis Showboats, and Michigan Panthers. The eighth team, the Houston Roughnecks will use the name of Houston’s previous XFL team and the players and staff from Houston’s previous USFL team, the Gamblers. The league announced that it will be divided into two conferences. The Defenders, Battlehawks, Brahmas, and Renegades will make up the XFL Conference, and the Panthers, Roughnecks, Showboats, and Stallions will form the USFL Conference. The UFL also announced its head coaches: Reggie Barlow (Defenders), Bob Stoops (Renegades), Wade Phillips (Brahmas), Anthony Becht (Battlehawks), Skip Holtz (Stallions), Curtis Johnson (Roughnecks), John DeFilippo (Showboats), and Mike Nolan (Panthers). Phillips coached the Roughnecks in 2023 and will replace Hines Ward. The UFL will kick off March 30 with a matchup between the Renegades and Stallions — the defending champions of the now-defunct leagues.