Some Virginia players will get extra season

The NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to Virginia football players whose eligibility has expired in the aftermath of the slaying of three members of the team, the school confirmed Wednesday.

Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry and Devin Chandler were killed last month as they returned to campus from a field trip to see a play in Washington, D.C. A former player at the school, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., is facing three counts of second-degree murder and other charges in the shooting. A fourth player, Mike Hollins, and student Marlee Morgan were injured in the shooting.

Virginia canceled its final two games of the season after the shooting, and the team and university community memorialized the victims in a nearly two-hour service on campus. Team members also traveled to each of the three funerals held for their teammates.

Minnesota announced that it signed coach P.J. Fleck to a contract extension through the 2029 season. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Fleck, 42, has been at Minnesota for six years and has compiled a 43-27 career record with the Golden Gophers . ... Punter Matt Araiza and former San Diego State teammates Zavier Leonard and Nowlin Ewaliko will not face criminal charges in connection with an alleged gang rape of a minor that occurred at an off-campus party in October 2021, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office announced. The DA’s office said police didn’t recommend charges be filed when the case was submitted in early August. Araiza was drafted by the Bills in the sixth round of this year’s NFL draft but was released in August in the wake of the allegations.

NHL: The Avalanche will be without top scorer Nathan MacKinnon for about a month after he suffered an upper-body injury. MacKinnon, 27, has eight goals and 26 assists for a team-best 34 points this season for the defending Stanley Cup champs.