Off the wire
BASKETBALL Sarr transfers to Kentucky
Former Wake Forest center Olivier
Sarr is transferring to Kentucky, he announced on social media Wednesday, giving the Wildcats a veteran 7-footer after the team’s entire starting lineup declared for the NBA Draft. Sarr, a 255-pound junior from France, told ESPN last week he had entered the transfer portal. Former coach Danny Manning was replaced last week by
Steve Forbes, a Southern Arkansas University graduate who spent the previous five seasons coaching at East Tennessee State. Sarr was the Demon Deacons’ second-leading scorer (13.7 points per game) and top rebounder (9.0) last season. He joins a Kentucky program that lost eight players from its roster but will welcome another highly rated recruiting class this fall. Sarr will have one season of eligibility remaining.
Ollie loses UConn appeal
An NCAA panel on Wednesday rejected an appeal by former UConn men’s coach Kevin Ollie, who sought to overturn findings that he violated ethical conduct rules while leading the Huskies. The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee ruled Ollie failed to prove that information he presented alleging witnesses against him lied outweighed the information that supported the violation findings. In July 2019, the NCAA Committee on Infractions placed the UConn program on two years of probation and sanctioned Ollie individually for numerous violations of NCAA rules during his tenure. The Committee on Infractions said the violations mainly stemmed from improper pickup games at which student managers kept statistics for coaches; the use of a video coordinator as a coach, which resulted in more than the allowable number of coaches; and free training sessions provided to three players by a trainer who was friends with Ollie.
FOOTBALL NFL sets facility protocols
The NFL has set protocols for reopening team facilities and has told the 32 teams to have them in place by May 15. In a memo sent by Commissioner Roger Goodell and obtained Wednesday night by The Associated Press, several phases of the protocols were laid out. The first phase to deal with the coronavirus pandemic would involve a limited number of nonplayer personnel, initially 50% of the nonplayer employees (up to a total of 75) on any single day, being approved to be at the facility. But state or local regulations could require a lower number. The individual clubs would decide which employees could return to the facility and when once facilities reopen. No players would be permitted in the facility except to continue therapy and rehabilitation for injuries that was underway when facilities were ordered closed in late March by Goodell. Goodell noted that the league is actively working on the next phase of reopening, which will involve both more staff members and players. He said the players’ union is also being consulted on these steps.
Titans, Joseph reach deal
The Tennessee Titans have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph as they continue to revamp their secondary. Joseph, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, has spent the last nine seasons with the Houston Texans after beginning his career with a five-year stint in Cincinnati. The 2006 first-round draft pick from South Carolina has 750 tackles and 31 interceptions in his 14-year career. He ranks fourth among active NFL players in career interceptions and leads all active NFL cornerbacks in tackles. His 194 passes defended are the most of any NFL player of the past 20 seasons.