Tuesday Sports in Brief

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio State coach Urban Meyer abruptly announced his retirement Tuesday, citing health reasons and a difficult year that included a three-game suspension over his handling of domestic violence allegations against a now-fired assistant coach. He will step down after the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.

Meyer is leaving at the top of his career after three national championships and seven years at the Big Ten school, where he has an 82-9 record. The 54-year-old Meyer has an arachnoid cyst in his brain that causes severe headaches, and had shown obvious effects of being in pain on the sideline this season.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Maryland hired Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley as its football coach Tuesday night, bringing home a familiar presence after the most tumultuous year in the program’s recent history.

Locksley will take over after a season defined by tragedy and turmoil. Offensive lineman Jordan McNair died of heatstroke in June after a spring practice, and in the wake of his death came allegations of bullying and intimidation by coach DJ Durkin and one of his assistants.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Louisville has officially hired Scott Satterfield as its head football coach.

The University of Louisville Athletic Association unanimously approved the hiring of the former Appalachian State coach on Tuesday. Satterfield, who received a six-year contract with a base annual salary of $1.625 million and another $1.625 million for media obligations, was introduced at a news conference later Tuesday at Cardinal Stadium.

Satterfield was hired nearly a week after Jeff Brohm said he was staying at Purdue. The 45-year-old Satterfield guided the Mountaineers to a 51-24 record with three bowl wins in six seasons.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky State has fired veteran football coach John L. Smith and replaced him with defensive coordinator Kevin Weston on an interim basis.

The school added in a news release Tuesday that it will seek to “take the program to new heights.”

Smith, who previously coached Division I programs at Louisville, Michigan State and Arkansas, was 7-25 in three seasons with the Division II Thorobreds. KSU was 0-10 this past season.

NFL

The NFL has placed official Roy Ellison on administrative leave while it investigates an accusation that he called Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes a vulgar name during Buffalo’s game at Miami on Sunday.

The league confirmed Ellison’s status and the investigation Tuesday but provided no other details.

Hughes confronted Ellison in the tunnel near the locker room following Buffalo’s 21-17 loss, and video of the incident shows him accusing the umpire of using a derogatory term. Hughes waved his index finger and shouted “I’ll catch you. I’ll catch you, guaranteed,” before being pulled away by team officials.

Ellison was suspended in 2013 for making a derogatory statement to Washington tackle Trent Williams during a game.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - San Francisco 49ers long snapper Kyle Nelson has been suspended 10 games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Nelson will miss the final four games of this season and the first six in 2019 under the suspension handed out Tuesday. He will be able to participate in the offseason program and preseason games before resuming his suspension.

Nelson says he believes the positive test came from a legal supplement.

BASEBALL

WASHINGTON (AP) - A person familiar with the deal says All-Star pitcher Patrick Corbin has agreed to a six-year contract with the Washington Nationals, pending a physical exam.

The person confirmed the length of the agreement to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Tuesday because nothing had been announced by the team.

The left-handed Corbin, who left the Arizona Diamondbacks, joins a Nationals starting rotation that already includes three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg.

The 29-year-old Corbin is coming off his best season in the majors, going 11-7 with a 3.15 ERA while pitching 200 innings for the second time in his career.

__ By Howard Fendrich.

NBA

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz is out indefinitely with thoracic outlet syndrome.

Fultz visited with several specialists to figure out what’s ailing him. The Sixers said the specialists have identified a compression or irritation in the area between the lower neck and upper chest. Physical therapy was recommended for Fultz before returning to play.

Fultz’s representatives informed the Sixers last month that the guard would be shut down until he had been examined by specialists.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Joakim Noah will to try to revive his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace announced Tuesday that the team has signed the 6-foot-11 Noah for the remainder of the season.

Noah made consecutive All-Star appearances in 2013 and 2014. He finished fourth in the Most Valuable Player balloting and was named NBA defensive player of the year in the 2013-14 season.

But he hasn’t been much of a factor in recent years as injuries curtailed his production.

NHL

SEA ISLAND, Ga. (AP) - The National Hockey League is expanding to Seattle.

The NHL Board of Governors unanimously approved adding Seattle as the league’s 32nd franchise on Tuesday. Play will begin in 2021 to allow enough time for arena renovations. The as-yet unnamed franchise will be the Emerald City’s first major winter sports team since the NBA’s SuperSonics left town in 2008.

The decision was widely expected after the Seattle Hockey Partners group impressed the board’s executive committee in October and had all the ingredients the NHL was looking for.

The owners will pay a $650 million expansion fee, up from the $500 million the Vegas Golden Knights paid to join the league.

AUTO RACING

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) - Kurt Busch and sponsor Monster Energy will move to Chip Ganassi Racing next season for Busch’s 20th season in NASCAR.

The partnership announced Tuesday is a one-year contract for Busch to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet with primary sponsorship from Monster. It is believed the one season as teammate to Kyle Larson will be Busch’s final year of fulltime NASCAR competition.

Busch won NASCAR’s Cup title in 2004 and counts the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 among his 30 career victories. He spent the last five seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Fernando Alonso will be powered by Chevrolet for his second attempt to win the Indianapolis 500.

Alonso is entering the race with McLaren, which had a 70 percent win rate from 1968 to 1970 when partnered with Chevrolet that included 23 consecutive victories.

The retired Formula One champion won the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year and the Monaco Grand Prix in 2006. Indianapolis is the final race the Spaniard needs to join Graham Hill as the only drivers to have won all three.

GOLF

FRISCO, Texas (AP) - The PGA of America is leaving Florida for a $520 million development in the Dallas area with two golf courses that will bring major championship golf back to Texas.

The decision Tuesday followed approval by the Frisco City Council and other government entities. The PGA of America, for four decades based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, initially plans to employ at least 100 people at its new headquarters.

The move is not expected until the summer of 2022.

Under the agreement, the PGA Championship will be held on one of the two courses in 2027 and 2034. The agreement also brings the Senior PGA Championship twice, the Women’s PGA Championship twice and possibly a Ryder Cup.

OLYMPICS

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Samsung has extended its IOC sponsorship deal through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, making it 30 years of Summer and Winter Games support.

The IOC says the South Korean technology firm will give limited edition phones to all Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

The value of the deal was not stated. The IOC’s 2017 annual report showed $493 million revenue from 13 top-tier sponsors.

SOCCER

MADRID (AP) - Spanish club Athletic Bilbao has fired coach Eduardo Berizzo after the team won only two of its first 15 matches this season.

The Basque Country club made the announcement on Tuesday, a day after a 3-0 loss at Levante in the Spanish league.

The result kept the Athletic winless in 13 league matches, inside the relegation zone. Its only league win was against Leganes in the first round.

LAW

POMONA, Calif. (AP) - Prosecutors say former NFL cornerback Brandon Browner has been sentenced to eight years in prison for trying to kill his ex-girlfriend after breaking into her Southern California home.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office says Browner was sentenced Tuesday after pleading no contest to attempted murder as part of a deal with prosecutors. The 34-year-old also pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to a child.

The judge ordered Browner to stay away from the victim and her two children for 10 years.

Browner, who won Super Bowls with the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, was arrested in July.

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