EX-STAFFER: MSU, DANTONIO WARNED AB OUT RECRUIT

A former football recruiter who is suing Michigan State says he urged coach Mark Dantonio to reject a player who subsequently was convicted of sexual assault.

The former recruiter, Curtis Blackwell, said Dantonio chose Auston Robertson in 2016 over the objections of staff. He said it was widely known Robertson had a criminal history in Indiana and would be a controversial choice. Blackwell said he and others warned that Robertson would be a “horrible fit for a college campus.”

The remarks were made during a deposition, which is part of a lawsuit against Dantonio and other officials. Blackwell’s contract wasn’t renewed in 2017.

His lawsuit claims he was illegally suspended and released in the fallout over assault charges against three other players.

Panthers QB Newton ruled out for Sunday’s game vs Arizona.

» The Panthers will be CH A RLOTTE, N.C. counting on second-year quarterback Kyle Allen to help them climb out of an 0-2 hole to start the season.

Allen was named Carolina’s starter for Sunday’s game at Arizona after Cam Newton was ruled out with a mid-foot sprain. It will be the second career start for Allen, an Arizona native.

Calvin Johnson: Lions told him to change concussion story.

Retired star receiver Calvin Johnson said the Detroit Lions wanted him to change his story regarding one of the many concussions he had during his nine-year NFL career.

Johnson told Sports Illustrated in a story published Friday he blacked out against Minnesota in 2012 and later told reporters he had a concussion from the game.

“I wasn’t seeing straight,” Johnson said in the interview. “And they wanted me to change my story.”

Byeong Hun An leads storm-delayed Mississippi tour event.

Byeong Hun An was making so many birdies in the Sanderson Farms Championship he worried the storms would cost him momentum.

Evenwakingupat4a.m.toplay25 holes Friday didn’t slow him.

An finished off a 6-under 66 in the morning and then birdied four straight holes to start the second round, carrying the former U.S. Amateurchampiontoanother66anda two-shot lead when the second round was halted by darkness.

NBA teams approve stiffer penalties for tampering.

TheNBA’s board of governors was unanimous Friday in its approval of a plan to stiffen potential penalties for tampering with players and employees under contract with other clubs, hoping for increased compliance in existing league rules.

Fines of up to $10 million are now possible in the most egregious situations, along with forfeiture of draft picks, suspensions of executives and voiding of contracts.

Bell opens Xfinity playoffs with dominant run.

RICHMOND, V A .

» Christopher Bell passed pole-sitter Austin Cindric for the lead after 85 laps and won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway on Friday.

Bell, the championship leader coming into the first race of the playoffs, won both stages and led 238 of the 250 laps for his seventh victory of the season. It was his 15th career win in 68 starts.

“Hopalong” Cassady, Ohio State Heisman winner, dies at 85.

» Howard “Hopalong” COLUMBUS, OHIO Cassady, the 1955 Heisman Trophy winner at Ohio State and running back for the Detroit Lions, died Friday in Tampa, Fla. He was 85.

Cassady also played baseball at Ohio State and was a longtime coach in the New York Yankees organization. It was the late owner and friend George Steinbrenner who was the first to tell Cassady he had won the Heisman. — The Associated Press