In the news
SPHL Playoff Tickets to go on sale Sunday: The Mississippi RiverKings announced that tickets for the 2017 SPHL President’s Cup Playoffs will go on sale Sunday, April 2.
Single-game ticket prices will remain the same as the regular season, starting at $5 per game up to $23 for glass seats. All tickets purchased on game day will be subject to an additional $3 charge.
Group ticket pricing includes a $5 discount off day-of-game pricing and is available for parties of 10 or more.
Playoff mini plans will also go on sale April 2. Fans can commit to every home postseason game and receive the current group rate for each game, starting at $9 Red Level up to $21 Blue Level.
To purchase group or mini plan tickets, call the RiverKings at 662-342-1755. Single-game tickets may be purchased at the Landers Center Box Office during regular business hours or online at Ticketmaster.com.
The official Playoff schedule will be announced at the conclusion of the regular season on April 8. The RiverKings currently sit in fifth place in the SPHL with four games left to play.
The Mississippi RiverKings travel to Columbus on Friday to face the Cottonmouths. Watch the game at Old Style Bar-B-Q in Olive Branch or online at SPHLLive.com
The team will return to Landers Center on Sunday, April 2 to take on the Evansville Thunderbolts. The RiverKings will then host the Peoria Rivermen for Fan Appreciation Night on Friday, April 7.
Pistons’ Caldwell-Pope cited for driving while intoxicated: Pistons guard Kentavious CaldwellPope has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after police say he was spotted speeding in suburban Detroit.
Auburn Hills police say an officer spotted a vehicle traveling 45 mph in a 25 mph zone about 2:50 a.m. Wednesday and stopped Caldwell-Pope.
He was arrested after a field sobriety test and taken to the police station, where a breathalyzer test showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent. Caldwell-Pope was cited for operating while intoxicated and released.
The Associated Press sent a message Friday seeking comment on his behalf.
Caldwell-Pope played in Thursday’s home win over the Brooklyn Nets. The team says it’s aware of the situation. Detroit is competing for a spot in the playoffs and plays Friday night on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Vikings DT Floyd’s career in jeopardy due to nerve issue in knee: Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd’s career is in jeopardy due to complications from knee surgery the former firstround draft pick underwent last fall.
The nerve that controls Floyd’s quadriceps was disrupted during surgery in September to clean up the meniscus in his right knee, and nearly six months later, the quad still isn’t firing, people with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to disclose medical details.
Floyd’s agent, Brian Mackler, declined to comment on specifics of the injury but told USA TODAY Sports: “Sharrif is rehabbing, has seen some of the best doctors in the country, will continue to rehab and hopefully, this will heal sooner than later.”
Knee problems have dogged Floyd’s promising career. He missed most of four games in 2015 following a cleanup on his left knee. He also had a minor procedure on the left knee during camp before his rookie season in 2013.
ACC to consider NC as event host again after LGBT law change: The Atlantic Coast Conference is ready to start holding events again in North Carolina after the state rolled back a law that limited protections for LGBT people.
In a statement Friday, the league said its Council of Presidents has voted to again consider North Carolina sites to host events.
In September, the ACC pulled 10 neutral-site championships for the 2016-17 season due to the law, including moving the football championship game from Charlotte to Orlando.
The league had made it clear that it would consider moving events already awarded to North Carolina for the 2017-18 season if there wasn’t a change in the law.
But North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed a compromise bill Thursday to repeal elements of the so-called “bathroom bill” after passage by the state legislature earlier in the day, making that threat moot.
Arkansas gun exemption for stadiums heads to governor’s desk: Arkansas lawmakers sent the governor a measure Friday exempting college sporting events from a new state law that greatly expands where concealed handguns are allowed.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he plans sign the bill Monday after it was approved by the state Senate on a 23-7 vote. The move comes a little over a week after the Republican governor approved legislation that allows someone with a concealed handgun license to carry at colleges, government buildings and some bars to carry if they undergo eight hours of active shooter training.
The Southeastern Conference and two of the other major college athletic conferences in the state had urged lawmakers to make the change, saying the concealed handgun law raised concerns. The University of Arkansas is an SEC school.
Hutchinson said after the vote he believed the measure struck the right balance and ensured college sports events could be gun-free if they had a security plan in place.