Burfict suspension upheld

Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict’s appeal to overturn his suspension for the rest of the season for a helmet-tohelmet hit was denied Oct. 9.

Appeals officer Derrick Brooks ruled he would not reduce the longest suspension ever handed down for an onfield infraction. Brooks is appointed jointly by the NFL and the NFLPA and heard Burfict’s appeal of the ban for the final 12 games of the regular season and the playoffs.

HILL CLOSE TO RETURNING >> The Chiefs could get star wide receiver Tyreek Hill back for an Oct. 13 game against Houston, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes avoided any serious injury to his ankle, though that may be about the end of their positive news on the injury front. The Chiefs placed defensive tackle Xavier Williams on injured reserve Oct. 9 after he sustained a high ankle sprain in last weekend’s 19-13 loss to the Colts. He was among a handful of crucial players who went down during the game, many of whom could still be out for Week 6.

NCAA

CALHOUN ACCUSED>> Hall of Fame basketball coach Jim Calhoun has been accused of sexual discrimination by a former associate athletic director at the University of Saint Joseph, the Division III school where Calhoun now works. Jaclyn Piscitelli filed a lawsuit Oct. 9 in U.S. District Court against the small Catholic school in West Hartford, which began admitting men in 2018. She alleges violations of Title IX, the federal law designed to ensure equal opportunities for women and girls in education, including athletics. Piscitelli’s attorneys say she was fired in June after complaining about the conduct of men in the athletic department, including the 77-yearold Calhoun, whom she alleges helped turn the department into “a boys club” after he was hired to form and coach the school’s men’s basketball team.