NCAA
Players ejected from games for targeting will be allowed to remain in the bench area and replay reviews will be limited to two minutes if proposals by the NCAA football rules committee are passed.
The committee wrapped up several days of meetings in Indianapolis on Friday by issuing its recommendations.
In an effort to crack down on pregame dust-ups between teams, the committee also recommended officials be on the field 90 minutes before a game begins - instead of the current 60 minutes.
NCAA coordinator of officials Steve Shaw said there was a “robust” discussion about what he called the growing trend of defensive players flopping or seemingly faking injuries as a way to slow down offenses trying to run plays quickly. For now, rulemakers will appeal to coaches to clean up an issue that is difficult to legislate away.
Proposals must be approved by the NCAA playing rules oversight panel, which is scheduled to discuss changes April 16. New rules would go into effect for the upcoming season.
SWIMMING
GENEVA (AP) - When the hammer came down on a container holding a vial of Sun Yang’s blood, it ultimately shattered the career of China’s greatest swimmer.
The three-time Olympic champion was banned for eight years on Friday, likely ending the 28-year-old Sun’s racing days before he could defend his 200-meter freestyle title at the Tokyo Games.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport found the three-time Olympic champion guilty of refusing to cooperate with sample collectors during a visit to his home in September 2018 that turned confrontational.
The most vivid detail of the evidence - a blood sample rendered useless for testing by a hammer blow - left a clear impression on the judges.
A rare hearing in open court in November was reminded of how a security guard instructed by Sun’s mother broke the casing around the vial to ensure the blood could not be used for anti-doping tests. The swimmer lit the early-hours scene with his mobile phone.
NBA
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Authorities are investigating whether deputies shared graphic photos of the helicopter crash scene where Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others were killed.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday that a public safety source with knowledge of the events had seen one of the photos on the phone of another official in a setting that was not related to the investigation of the crash. He said the photos showed the scene and victims’ remains.
The source spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the allegations.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Friday it was investigating the allegations detailed in the newspaper’s report.
Deputy Maria Lucero told The Associated Press on Friday that “the matter is being looked into.”
The Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, the union that represents rank-and-file deputies, declined to comment specifically on the allegations.
-By Stephanie Dazio.
NHL
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider could miss significant time after suffering a fractured foot in the first period against the Flyers on Friday night.
He appeared to get hurt when he blocked a shot by Phillipe Myers early in the first period. The Rangers later tweeted about the fracture and said he wouldn’t return to the game.
The 28-year-old Kreider just signed a seven-year contract extension reportedly worth $45 million on Monday. Kreider has 24 goals and 21 assists for 45 points in 63 games this season. Kreider was a 2009 first-round draft pick and has played his entire career with New York.
SPORTS TELEVISION
Tony Romo will remain with CBS as its top NFL analyst after agreeing to a record extension.
CBS Sports spokeswoman Jen Sabatelle said that the network and Romo have agreed to a long-term contract. The New York Post reported that Romo’s new deal is worth $17 million a year. If the former Dallas Cowboys star was still playing, that would make him the 17th highest-paid quarterback next season.
CBS’ deal with the NFL expires after the 2022 season, but Romo’s contract goes beyond that. CBS is expected to retain their rights when the next round of negotiations start, which could happen this year once a new collective bargaining agreement with players is finalized.
Romo was hired by CBS in 2017 when he retired after 14 seasons and signed a 3-year deal that averaged $3 million per season.
GOLF
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Tiger Woods is taking a third straight week off by deciding against playing the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
Woods hasn’t played since his 76-77 weekend at Riviera, where he finished 68th in the Genesis Invitational while serving as tournament host. He decided against the World Golf Championship in Mexico City the following week, saying his back was stiff and he needed time to rest and train.
Woods is an eight-time winner at Bay Hill. He has played it only once since his last Arnold Palmer Invitational victory in 2013, including four straight years while going through surgeries on his lower back.
He tied for fifth, eight shots behind Rory McIlroy, when he last played in 2018.
OBITUARY
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - Johnny Antonelli, a five-time All-Star who was a key pitcher on the World Series-winning New York Giants in 1954, has died. He was 89.
The San Francisco Giants released a statement saying Antonelli died Friday in Rochester, New York. A cause of death wasn’t given.
The left-hander won 126 games over 12 seasons, including his memorable 1954, when he had a 21-7 record and National League-leading 2.30 ERA. He was also a 20-game winner in 1956.
Antonelli had a stellar performance for the Giants when they swept the Cleveland Indians in four games to win the 1954 World Series. He threw a complete game in Game 2, giving up just one run over nine innings, and then came on in relief in Game 4, getting the final five outs to earn the save and clinch the series.
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