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NCAA president Charlie Baker calls for ban on college sports prop bets

NCAA president Charlie Baker announced on Wednesday that he wants states with legalized sports gambling to ban prop betting on collegiate athletics. Baker’s remarks come as the NBA is in the midst of an investigation into prop betting activity earlier this year.

Baker’s statement reads: “Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity of competition and leading to student-athletes and professional athletes getting harassed. The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college prop bets. This week we will be contacting officials across the country in states that still allow these bets and ask them to join Ohio, Vermont, Maryland and many others and remove college prop bets from all betting markets. The NCAA is drawing the line on sports betting to protect student-athletes and to protect the integrity of the game — issues across the country these last several days show there is more work to be done.”

Proposition (prop) bets are those unrelated to the score of a game. They can include an individual player’s expected points, rebounds and more. The NCAA prohibits betting activity and providing information to those involved in betting in relation to collegiate, amateur and professional sports competitions.,

The NCAA announced March 19 that it launched a “Draw the Line” campaign, which provides student athletes with education on the effects of sports gambling while also addressing additional issues with gambling. A 2023 NCAA study found that 67% of 18- to 22-year-olds on college campuses have engaged in sports betting, with the NCAA stating on its website that “player-specific prop bets create circumstances where student-athletes and other athletics personnel received targeted harassment by bettors.”

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Denver Broncos sign ex-Lions WR Josh Reynolds to 2-year deal

Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday that free agent, ex-Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds signed a two-year deal worth up to $14 million with the Denver Broncos. The addition of Reynolds’ comes after the Broncos traded wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns earlier this month.

Reynolds, 29, spent his first four NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Rams after being selected in the fourth round of the 2017 draft.  The veteran wide receiver was waived by the Tennessee Titans in 2021, after which he signed a two-year extension with the Lions before the 2022 season Reynolds was a consistent target for Lions quarterback Jared Goff over the past few season; he finished with 608 yards on 40 catches with 5 touchdowns in 2023.  Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he hoped to re-sign Reynolds during the NFL’s league meetings this week in Orlando, Florida, sharing: “He’s one that was part of the original [free agent] plans. Still having dialogue, we’ll just kind of see where that goes. But that’s really the only one that’s still out there that we had originally planned so far.”

Reynolds has 220 career receptions for 2,933 yards and 19 touchdowns in 107 games, averaging 13.3 yards per catch over seven seasons. With the Broncos, Reynolds joins a depth chart that includes Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., Tim Patrick and others.

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New Titans’ cornerback L’Jarius Sneed signs four-year, $76.4 million deal

Four days after being traded to Tennessee from the Chiefs, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed has agreed to terms on a four-year, $76.4 million deal with the Titans, including $55 million in guaranteed money and a $20 million signing bonus.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday that Sneed’s new contract (at an average annual value of $19.1 million per year) places him ahead of Jaylon Johnson ($19 million per year), and just behind Marshon Lattimore ($19.4 million), Trevon Diggs ($19.4 million) and Marlon Humphrey ($19.5 million), making Sneed among the top seven highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL.

Kansas City traded Sneed for a 2025 third-round pick and a swap of 2024 seventh-round selections. Sneed has won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs coming off a career-high season with 14 passes defensed and not allowing a single touchdown,  Including playoff games, Sneed finished first in completion percentage allowed (48.2) among those seeing at least 80 targets.

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NFL trade deadline pushed back one week to after Week 9

The NFL trade deadline will be moving to the Tuesday after Week 9 beginning with the 2024 season. Per a post on X from ESPN’s Mike Garafolo, owners voted Tuesday at the league’s annual meetings to approve a measure that would move the trade deadline to the Tuesday following Week 9 games, meaning players are eligible to be traded as late as halfway through the 18-week season. The 2024 trade deadline is set to be on Nov. 5; it was Oct. 31 in 2023.

After the league moved to a 17-game schedule for the 2021 season, the trade deadline wasn’t adjusted to accommodate a longer season. During the annual meetings, Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry submitted a proposal, supported by the Detroit Lions, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders, to move the trade deadline back two weeks after Week 10. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ proposal pushing it back only one week, which garnered the three-fourths approval needed to pass. The 2024 rule will again restore the deadline to its more centralized timetable.

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Stanford hires WSU’s Kyle Smith as new men’s basketball head coach

Stanford University has hired former Washington State coach Kyle Smith as their new head coach of men’s basketball. Athletic director Bernard Muir announced that Smith will helm the Cardinals, coming shortly after Jerod Haase was fired, and just as the school is poised to leave the Pac-12 for the ACC. Haase finished his eighth season at the school without a single NCAA Tournament appearance, going 14-18 this past season and finishing in ninth place in the Pac-12 with an 8-12 record in conference play.

Smith, 54, previously spent six seasons as the head coach at Columbia, and three seasons at San Francisco before coaching the past five seasons in the Pac-12 at Washington State.  He went 94-71 in five seasons at Washington State, leading the program to the NCAA Tournament’s second round this season. Washington State went 25-10 and finished second in the Pac-12 in 2023-24; Smith also earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors. Smith has a 258-193 career record and has gone nine straight seasons without a losing record.

Smith said in a statement: “The opportunity to serve as the head men’s basketball coach at Stanford is a dream come true, and I want to thank Bernard Muir for entrusting me with this opportunity. From my perspective, Stanford has the resources and reputation to attract the ideal student-athlete who is seeking the character development aspects of what our basketball program will offer. Stanford has the capacity to provide a place where student-athletes can hone their leadership skills and intellect through hard work and team building. I am thrilled to try to provide that type of culture for an institution that prides itself on excellence in all areas.”

Stanford AD Bernard Muir said in a statement: “I am extremely pleased to welcome Kyle and his family to Stanford. Kyle has an impressive track record of improving results in the programs he has led, and we heard consistently throughout our search process that he leads with great character and integrity. I look forward to working alongside Kyle and I am excited for Cardinal student-athletes to experience his passionate leadership.”

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Players object after NFL owners approve ban on swivel hip-drop tackling technique

The NFL announced on Monday during the league’s annual meeting in Orlando, FL, NFL owners approved a rule proposal to ban the swivel hip-drop tackle. The NFL competition committee proposed the measure, along with adopting three proposals. NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said there were 230 instances of the tackling technique occurring during a game last season, with 15 players missing time as a result.

Competition committee chairman Rich McKay said last week that the proposal was written to address only a subset of the rugby tackling style that has spread around the NFL in recent years; however, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent implied last week that it is likely to be enforced similarly to the “use of helmet” rule, which typically leads to warning letters and fines in the week after a game rather than flags during play.

The new rule on the tackling technique, which often results in lower-body injuries, requires officials to note two actions — if a defender “grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms” and also “unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.” The violation will result in a 15-yard penalty if flagged in games.

McKay clarified that the rule change doesn’t eliminate the hip-drop tackle — only the “swivel technique that doesn’t get used very often,” and added: “when it is used, it is incredibly injurious to the runner — the runner is purely defenseless. I’ve heard defenders say before and I hear them — ‘Hey, you’re putting me in a really tough spot, you’re saying I can’t hit here and what do I do?’ My response has as always been, ‘Well, you can’t do that.’ That’s just because the guy you’re hitting is defenseless, has no way to protect himself … So, we’ve got to protect him. You’ve got to come up with other ways and you know what, they do. Yes, we outlawed the hip-drop, but what you may think are the drag-from-behind where he falls on the — that’s still a tackle. This is only that tackle where the player is lifting themselves in the air and then falling on the legs.”

The NFL Players Association as well as many current and former players have objected to the proposal; in a statement posted to social media, the NFLPA said the rule would cause confusion among players, coaches, officials and fans.

The two other proposals approved were: (1) Teams will receive a third challenge following one successful challenge. Previously, teams had to be successful on two challenges to receive a third. The proposal was submitted by the Detroit Lions; and (2) a major foul by the offense will be enforced before a change of possession in situations where there are fouls by both teams.

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Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May hired as new men’s basketball coach at Michigan

The University of Michigan announced Sunday that Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May has been hired as their next men’s basketball coach, agreeing to a five-year contract averaging $3.75 million annually. May replaces Juwan Howard, who was fired on March 15 after an 8-24 season.

University president Santa Ono had posted on social media: “I am thrilled to welcome Dusty May to the University of Michigan as our new head basketball coach,” while athletic director Warde Manuel said
that he was “thrilled” to welcome May: “May’s proven track record as a winner. With his ties to the Midwest, Dusty has a deep understanding of our community, recruiting landscape and basketball tradition. I am thrilled to bring in a coach who has a demonstrated ability to develop talent and build successful programs. I believe Dusty will be an exceptional leader for our student-athletes and a tremendous asset to our basketball program and university.”

May said in a statement: “The University of Michigan is among the elite institutions in the world and it is both an honor and privilege to be named its head men’s basketball coach… This was an incredibly difficult decision, however, I am deeply committed to reigniting the proud tradition of Michigan Basketball. I can’t wait to get started.”

The 47-year-old May came to FAU after serving as an assistant at Florida and Louisiana Tech. May has gone 126-69 in six years at FAU, including a 60-13 mark over the past two seasons — which only UConn and Houston have also done. May took the Owls to the Final Four and a 35-4 record in 2023, with Florida Atlantic earning a No. 8 seed this year before being eliminated in the First Round by Northwestern on Thursday. May’s team finished the season 25-9 but hadn’t lost a game by double figures until their 77-65 overtime loss to the Wildcats.

Meanwhile, Michigan has missed the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years after reaching the Sweet 16 in five of the previous six seasons.

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Duke rallies from 16-point deficit to beat Ohio State 75-63 in women’s NCAA tournament

No. 2 seeded Ohio State was defeated by Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at the Schottenstein Center, falling 75-63 to the seventh-seeded Blue Devils. The defeat marked Ohio State’s second loss on their home court this season, with Duke advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018.

Ohio State led by as many as 16 points in the first half, but Duke’s junior guard Reigan Richardson carried the team to victory with 28 points, shooting over 60% from the field. Richardson went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and registered seven rebounds along with three steals.

Ohio state sophomore Cotie McMahon scored a team-high 27 points for the Buckeyes, but that effort was not enough to take the Buckeyes to a third consecutive Sweet 16.

The Blue Devils will head to Portland to take on the winner of the UConn vs. Syracuse matchup taking place on Monday

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Virginia Tech star Elizabeth Kitley to miss 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament after suffering torn ACL

Virginia Tech star player Elizabeth Kitley announced Thursday that she will miss the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament due to a season-ending knee injury. Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks confirmed the grad student center tore her ACL two weeks ago.

The three-time All-American wrote on social media: “On March 3rd I suffered a knee injury that is keeping me out of this years NCAA tournament💔 This is not at all how I anticipated ending this year with my team, but I’m so proud of all of our accomplishments, and I’m excited to see my girls continue to compete. Thank you to all of Hokie Nation for being so supportive during this tough time. I’m looking forward to making a strong comeback🫶🏼

Kitley suffered the torn ACL injury during her team’s loss to Virginia on March 3. With six minutes remaining in the third quarter, Kitley hit a jumper to tie things up at 41-41, but injured. her leg when she landed, collapsing on the floor. Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks said of Elizabeth Kitley per ESPN: “She’s been emotional. I’ve been emotional. We probably text 30 times a day. She’s put everything into this. She’s the reason we’re here. … The kid eat, slept, drank everything #Hokies basketball. … For everything to be taken away from you in a split second, it’s devastating .. “It’s probably been the hardest two weeks I’ve ever had coaching.”

Kitley led the fourth-seeded Hokies with 22.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game this season. She was the ACC Player of the Year three years running, named first-team All-ACC four times, and made the conference’s All-Defensive Team three times. Kitley also became the ACC’s all-time leader in rebounds on Dec. 21, surpassing former Virginia Tech forward Regan Magarity.

The Hokies will play their first round game against No. 13 seed Marshall on Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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Houston Dash fire goalkeeping coach Matt Lampson for violating anti-fraternization policy

The National Women’s Soccer League said in a statement on Thursday that Houston Dash goalkeeping coach Matthew Lampson has been dismissed by the team for violation of NWSL’s anti-fraternization policy and coach code of conduct. The league has also suspended Lampson from future employment in the league for the rest of the 2024 season as a result of the violations due to a “lack of full cooperation” in the investigation.

The statement from NWSL stated that Lampson, 31, was fired on March 18 following an investigation that “examined third-party reports of Lampson crossing professional boundaries with a Dash player”  It also said that the results found him to be in violation of regulations that “require coaches to maintain strict adherence to professional boundaries.”  The Athletic reports that the NWSL confirmed that while Lampson was fired for violating the league’s anti-fraternization policy, it “did not find a violation of the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy which is focused on preventing abusive, discriminatory, or harassing behavior.”

According to a report from Theodore Lloyd-Hughes of The Equalizer, the Dash organization said: “Houston Dash goalkeeper coach Matt Lampson was terminated on March 18. We respect the privacy and confidentiality of our players and employees and will not comment on specific details of Club employment matters.”  

Lampson made 51 appearances in MLS for the Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, Minnesota United and LA Galaxy from 2012-2020. Following his playing career, Lampson served as a volunteer assistant goalkeeper coach for his alma mater, Ohio State, as well as Ohio Dominican University. He joined the Houston Dash as their goalkeepers coach in March 2022.

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