PHOENIX (AP) β NFC champion Seattle, Denver and Kansas City each were awarded four compensatory picks in this year’s draft after losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year. The NFL handed out 32 such picks to 14 teams yesterday, including third-rounders to New England, Kansas City and Cincinnati. Baltimore and Houston each received three picks, one more than Green Bay and San Francisco.
LOS ANGELES (AP) β Former NFL star Darren Sharper will serve nine years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault in Arizona and no contest in California to raping two women. By not contesting the charges in California, the All-Pro safety admitted he raped two women he drugged after meeting them at a West Hollywood bar in 2013 and 2014. He admitted sexually assaulting one woman and trying to attack another in suburban Phoenix in 2013.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) β The Indiana Pacers still have no timetable for the return of Paul George to the lineup despite a six-game losing streak that has them one game out of an Eastern Conference playoff berth. George continues to recover from a severely broken right leg suffered during a Team USA scrimmage 7 Β½ months ago. George says he and the team want to make sure he’s as close to 100 percent as possible before the two-time All-Star is activated.
ST. LOUIS (AP) β Virginia coach Tony Bennett has been named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association national coach of the year after guiding the Cavaliers to a 30-4 record, including a 28-2 mark in the regular season. The Cavaliers won their second consecutive outright ACC regular season title this year before losing in the conference semifinals and the third round of the NCAA tournament. Bennett is the ninth coach to win it twice, eight years after capturing the Iba (EYE’-bah) Award with Washington State.
GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) β Indians manager Terry Francona said he doesn’t expect slugger Nick Swisher to be ready for the team’s April 6 season opener at Houston. Swisher underwent surgery on both knees in August and began running the bases just last week. He struggled last season, batting .208 with eight homers and 42 RBis in 97 games.
