Mixon a topic of discussion at combine

Former OU running back Joe Mixon isn’t in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine, but that doesn’t mean that he’s not a major topic of conversation among coaches and general managers.

Detroit general manager Bob Quinn told reporters Wednesday afternoon that he’s disappointed Mixon wasn’t at the combine, and he confirmed that the running back is still on the Lions’ draft board.

Mixon likely wasn’t extended an invitation to the combine due to the 2014 incident where he punched OU student Amelia Molitor in the face. Video of the incident was released in December, and Mixon issued a formal apology in a press conference shortly afterwards.

“It’s really disappointing that he’s not here,” Quinn said. “We come here to see the best college football players. I’d like to be able to get a chance to sit down with the people that know Joe, or Joe, and see what the circumstances were around the incident.”

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he supports the NFL’s decision to keep Mixon and Kelly out of the combine at news conference Wednesday morning.

“Our job as a coach, or a scouting staff, is to turn over every stone, to find out everything we can about every single guy, regardless of whether they’re here at the combine or not, for whatever reason,” Harbaugh told reporters in Indianapolis.

Hernandez murder trial begins in Boston

The real killer of two men in a hail of gunfire at a stoplight was not former New England Patriots player

but rather the government’s star witness in the double murder trial, Hernandez’s attorney alleged Wednesday in opening statements, revealing the defense strategy for the first time.

Attorney said prosecutors want to convict his client so badly that they made “a deal with the devil,” referring to Hernandez’s former friend,

Bradley has said he was with Hernandez the night of the shooting and is scheduled to testify against him. Baez told jurors Bradley fatally shot and deal.

Prosecutor told the jury that Hernandez had a brief encounter with the men involving “a simple bump, a spilled drink and an exchange of looks” at a Boston nightclub in the early morning hours of July 16, 2012.

Two hours later, Haggan said, Hernandez opened fire on the men’s car as they waited at a stoplight, killing both men and wounding a third man.

over a drug

Giants interested in Adrian Peterson

officially is on the New York Giants’ radar.

Now that the Minnesota Vikings and former Oklahoma running back is due to become a free agent on March 9, he’ll be one of the players the Giants plan to give a once-over before the market opens.

“We’ll go take a look at him, we’ll evaluate him and get a grade on anyone who is available and we’ll make those decisions in terms of what’s best for the Giants moving forward,” head coach

said Wednesday. Peterson has mentioned the Giants as a possible landing spot and tweeted about the team’s moves since the end of the season. The Vikings declined to pick up his 2017 option on Tuesday, clearing the way for him to become a free agent.

Former Patriot sentenced in Ponzi scheme

Former New England Patriots cornerback and his business partner have been sentenced to prison for running a Ponzi scheme that took in more than $35 million.

A federal judge in Boston Wednesday sentenced Allen, of Davie, Florida, and

of Coral Springs, Florida, each to six years in prison and three years of supervised release. They also were ordered to pay restitution totaling $17 million.

Allen and Daub collected millions from investors between 2012 and 2015, saying it would be used for high-interest loans to professional athletes. Their Massachusetts business made some loans but they also diverted money to themselves and other ventures.

Both pleaded guilty in November to charges including wire fraud and money laundering.

Allen most recently played for the Patriots before retiring in 2013.

Harrison resigns with Steelers

the Steelers’ 38-year-old outside linebacker, has a new deal worth $3.5 million over two years, the club announced Wednesday.

Harrison, already the oldest linebacker in the NFL, led the team with five sacks last season, giving him 79.5 for his career and setting the Steelers’ record. FROM STAFF AND WIRE

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