Commissioner Bettman joins new Hall of Fame class

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, pioneering black player Willie O’Ree and Martin Brodeur, the league’s leader in wins among goaltenders, top the latest class for the Hockey Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday.

Bettman has been commissioner since 1993, during which time the NHL has expanded its footprint across North America and increased from 24 to 31 teams. During Bettman’s tenure, the league has gone from a $437 million business to one with almost $5 billion in revenue.

Along with Bettman and O’Ree in the builder category, forward Martin St. Louis, four-time goldmedal-winning Canadian women’s national team star Jayna Hefford and Russian Alexander Yakushev were part of the six-person class of 2018 that will be inducted Nov. 12 in Toronto.

O’Ree was the first black player in the NHL but he will be the third inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Edmonton Oilers goalie Grant Fuhr and Canadian women’s national team captain Angela James. Now 82, O’Ree works for the NHL as diversity ambassador, helping with its “Hockey is for Everyone” initiative.

NFL

BODY FOUND IN HOUSE OF NFL PLAYER >> A body has been found at a New Jersey home owned by New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins. The Bergen County prosecutor’s office says it is investigating a death at the house in Fair Lawn, about 10 miles north of MetLife Stadium. Property records list Jenkins as the owner. Authorities have identified the dead man as 25-year-old Roosevelt Rene, a family friend of Jenkins. The prosecutor’s office didn’t say where Jenkins was when the death occurred.

A spokesman for the Giants says the team is monitoring the situation but didn’t comment further.

College baseball

ARKANSAS TAKES CWS GAME 1 >> Arkansas scored four fifth-inning runs against Luke Heimlich and moved a step closer to its first national championship in baseball with a 4-1 win over Oregon State in Game 1 of the College World Series finals in Omaha, Nebraska. Game 2 is today.

NBA

MAGIC PUTS JOB ON LINE >> Magic Johnson is betting his job on his free-agent recruiting skills for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Johnson declared that he will step down as the Lakers’ president of basketball operations if he can’t persuade an elite free agent to sign with the 16-time NBA champions within the next two summers.

“Next summer, if nobody comes and I’m still sitting here like this, then it’s a failure,” Johnson said after a news conference to introduce draft picks Moe Wagner and Svi Mykhailiuk.

Johnson was put in charge of the Lakers’ front office by owner Jeanie Buss in February 2017, and the former superstar point guard immediately announced his plans to revive the struggling franchise by enticing the game’s best players to join as free agents.

With Paul George and potentially LeBron James headlining the market this summer, Johnson is leading the Lakers’ efforts to land both players this weekend. If they sign elsewhere, Johnson and the Lakers will pursue the large crop of 2019 free agents.

CLIPPERS TRADE RIVERS TO WIZARDS >> A person familiar with the deal says that the Washington Wizards have agreed to trade center Marcin Gortat to the Los Angeles Clippers for guard Austin Rivers. The 1-for-1 deal was described to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither team had announced the swap. Both players are entering the final season of their contracts.

Cycling

GERMAN CYCLIST BADLY INJURED IN CRASH >> German track cyclist Kristina Vogel has been seriously injured after crashing in training in the eastern city of Cottbus. The dpa news agency reports that the Olympic champion suffered a severe spinal injury after crashing onto a concrete track following a high-speed collision with another cyclist. German coach Detlef Uibel told dpa, “We’re very worried about Kristina. It looks very bad.” Vogel, an 11-time world champion, was taken to the local hospital before being flown to Berlin.

Tennis

KYRGIOS FINED >> The ATP tour has fined Nick Kyrgios $17,500 for inappropriate behavior during the Queen’s Club tournament. Kyrgios was caught on camera performing an imitation of a lewd act as he sat in a courtside chair at the change of ends during his semifinal loss to Marin Cilic on Saturday.

College football

PLAYER HAD BRAIN DAMAGE AT SUICIDE >> The family of the Washington State football player who died of suicide in January said the 21-year-old quarterback had extensive brain damage that’s been linked to concussions from playing the sport. Tyler Hilinski was found dead in his apartment with a gunshot wound and a suicide note on Jan. 16.

Mark and Kym Hilinski told NBC’s “Today” show on Tuesday that the Mayo Clinic requested to do an autopsy of their son’s brain. The interview comes alongside the debut of a new Sports Illustrated documentary about the family’s search for answers.

The family in those interviews said the autopsy results indicated that their son had signs of extensive brain damage known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which has been found in hundreds of former NFL players.

Golf

NO CART, NO DALY AT SENIOR OPEN >> John Daly has withdrawn from this week’s U.S. Senior Open in Colorado Springs, Colorado, citing a deteriorating knee condition and blaming the USGA for not allowing him to use a golf cart. The 52-year-old two-time major champion went on Twitter to say the USGA turned down his request to use a golf cart, which could have been allowed under rules that conform with the Americans with Disabilities Act.