Costas splits from NBC after nearly 40-year run
Bob Costas has formally parted ways with NBC after nearly 40 years as a sportscaster for the Peacock.
Costas and NBC have been negotiating an exit agreement for months. Word surfaced last summer that he was preparing to end his tenure with the network after ending his job as Olympics anchor for the network in 2017.
Costas confirmed the news in an interview with the New York Post. “It’s all settled quietly and happily for all concerned,” Costas told the Post.
A rep for NBC Sports also confirmed the parting. His last contract was to have run through 2021. He will continue to work as a baseball announcer for MLB Network. He is also believed to be pursuing a deal for a new sports-focused interview show.
Costas also stopped covering NFL games amid his growing criticism of the toll the game takes on brains and bodies of pro football players. That left Costas with little to cover for the Peacock.
Costas is a 28-time Emmy winner who is known for his outspoken views and in-depth coverage of sports and its impact on culture.
College football
HURTS TO FINISH CAREER AT OKLAHOMA >> Former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts will transfer to Oklahoma, he announced Wednesday. As a graduate transfer, Hurts can play immediately in 2019. He has one year of college eligibility remaining.
He made the announcement in an essay he penned for The Players’ Tribune.
”I’ve decided to take my talents to the University of Oklahoma, where I will continue my development as both a quarterback and as a student.
“I’m very fortunate to have this opportunity, and I’m excited for the journey ahead.”
Hurts, who started his freshman and sophomore seasons at Alabama, lost the starting quarterback job to sophomore Tua Tagovailoa in 2018, who is returning next season.
At Oklahoma, Hurts will follow two Heisman Trophy winners, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, both of who were transfers to the Sooners.
In his three seasons at Alabama, Hurts threw for
5,626 yards with 48 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He added 1,976 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns.
Golf
TIGER TO PLAY AT TORREY PINES >> It’s official. Tiger Woods will make his 2019 PGA Tour debut next week at the Farmers Insurance Open at his beloved Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego. Woods has also committed to the Feb. 1417 Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, where he serves as tournament host.
The Farmers field also includes defending champion Jason Day, world No. 1 and reigning FedExCup champion Justin Rose, 2017 winner Jon Rahm, San Diegan Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Marc Leishman and Jordan Speith.
NBA
JAMES CLEARED TO PRACTICE >> LeBron James has been cleared to practice with the Los Angeles Lakers after they return from their upcoming two-game road trip. James will have missed 13 consecutive games by the time Los Angeles returns from the road this weekend, matching the most games ever missed in one season by the four-time NBA MVP. NETS OUTLAST ROCKETS DESPITE HARDEN’S 58 POINTS >> Spencer Dinwiddie scored 25 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and the Brooklyn Nets spoiled James Harden’s 58-point night with a 145-142 victory over the host Houston Rockets.
Harden had his second straight season high after scoring 57 in a victory over Memphis on Monday night, but was only 5 of 19
from 3-point range. The Rockets shot an NBA-record 70 3s, making just 23. Harden has scored at least 30 points in 18 straight games.
NHL
NHL, NHLPA ABANDON WORLD CUP IN 2020 >> The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have given up on the possibility of staging the next World Cup of Hockey in September 2020. The league and PA announced that conclusion in separate statements Wednesday. The sides met earlier in the day in Toronto to discuss the World Cup as part of collective bargaining talks after meeting last week in Las Vegas. Not holding the World Cup in September 2020 is consequential because it was tied to the potential of labor peace in hockey. Owners or players could choose this September to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement and end it Sept. 15, 2020.
Skiing
VONN READY TO HIT SLOPES >> Lindsey Vonn is finally ready to open her injury-delayed final full season on the skiing World Cup circuit — and she couldn’t be happier to do it in Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy.
Vonn says, “If there’s a place — minus Lake Louise — that I could make a return then I think Cortina would be No. 1 on my list.”
Vonn has won 12 of her 82 World Cup victories in Cortina.
Soccer
MLS MVP MARTINEZ SIGNS NEW DEAL WITH CUP CHAMPIONS >> The Atlanta United have signed reigning MLS Most Valuable Player Josef Martinez to a new five-year deal through the 2023 season. The 25-year-old Venezuelan striker scored a league-record 31 goals in the 2018 regular season and added four more in the playoffs for the MLS Cup champions.
College basketball
UTAH STATE BURIES SAN JOSE STATE >> Noah Baumann scored a game-high 29 points for San Jose State, but the Spartans (3-13, 0-4 MW) fell 81-63 to visiting Utah State (13-5, 3-2). Baumann, the Mountain West leader in 3-point shooting before the game at 52.3 percent, made 7 of 10 from 3-point range in the loss.