Hurts plans transfer to Oklahoma

Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts, who lost his starting job but rallied the Crimson Tide to victory after Tua Tagovailoa went down with an injured ankle during the SEC title game vs. Georgia, announced Wednesday in a story in the Players’ Tribune he’ll transfer to Oklahoma. He’ll be available immedi- ately as a graduate transfer.

Hurts leaves with 5,626 yards and 48 TDs passing and 1,976 yards and 23 TDs rushing. If he starts for the Soon- ers’ wide-open offense, more huge numbers are possible.

Hurts should help Okla- homa smooth its transition from the loss of Heisman win- ner Kyler Murray. Last year’s backup QB, Austin Kendall, is expected to transfer. Tanner Mordecai, a freshman last season, is the only QB currently on scholarship. The con- sensus No. 1 QB in the Class of 2019, Spencer Rattler, is committed to the Sooners.

Arkansas: Leading WR La’Michael Pettway will play his senior season elsewhere as a graduate transfer. He’s at least the 10th player to leave since a 2-10 season under first-year coach Chad Morris.

USC: A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted Todd McNair’s motion for a new trial in the ex-USC assistant’s long-running defama- tion lawsuitagainst the NCAA and issued a stinging rebuke of how the organization investigated the Reggie Bush extra benefits scandal. Judge Frederick Shaller wrote that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to support a jury’s finding in May that the NCAA didn’t defame McNair, and ruled that the jury foreman, an attorney whose firm did appellate work for the NCAA in the case, should have been disqualified. The NCAA’s Committee on Infractions found in 2010 that McNair engaged in unethical conduct in connection with Bush, an All-American running back, receiving extra benefits from sports marketers while playing at USC. McNair sued the NCAA a year later, arguing the stigma from his punishment made coaching with another team all but impossible.

TENNIS

leader of an organized gambling syndicate suspected of fixing hundreds of matches and paying off more than 100 players from around Europe.

Players far down the sport’s food chain are being questioned this week by French police on suspicion of fixing matches for Grigor Sargsyan, 28, known as the Maestro, investigators said. He is being held in a Belgian jail. The picture emerging from months of police work is of a massive matchfixing scheme organized via encrypted messaging and involving dozens of lowranked players. Police said Sargsyan hired people for little money to place bets for the syndicate that were small enough to slip past gambling watchdogs.

Sources close to the investigation, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity, said four French players were in police custody and at least one told investigators that he fixed around two dozen matches. A dozen or more other French players are expected to be questioned in coming weeks. Investigators have also questioned players in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Slovakia and Bulgaria and are looking to question others, including both players and managers, in the United States, Chile and Egypt. In all, more than 100 players are suspected of having worked with the syndicate, fixing matches, sets or games.

Still unclear is whether the Belgium-based syndicate was linked to another match-fixing and gambling operation unraveled in Spain. Spanish police last week announced that 28 pro players, including one who participated in last year’s U.S. Open, were linked to that ring, taking bribes to fix results that the group bet on using fake identities.

GOLF