BYU football a priority for Big East
The Big East is working hard to put Brigham Young in its new west wing. A person with knowledge of the conference’s expansion plans told the Associated Press that Big East officials have made adding BYU a priority as they try to become a 12-team football conference. The person spoke on condition of anonymity yesterday because negotiations were supposed to remain confidential. BYU is in its first season as a football independent. If it did move to the Big East it would be for football only. The school’s other teams play in the West Coast Conference. The Big East is close to adding as many as seven new members, including Boise State, Air Force, and Navy for football only, and SMU, Houston, and UCF in all sports. Boise State is primed to make the jump to the Big East. Two weeks ago, the Idaho State Board of Education gave the school permission to pursue membership and leave the Mountain West Conference.
Fiesta Bowl COO indicted by grand jury
The former chief operating officer of the Fiesta Bowl was indicted by a federal grand jury in Phoenix on charges of filing false income tax returns for the bowl game, the first charges against a former official of one of the top national college football bowls and Bowl Championship Series member since a scathing report led to the firing of its president in March. Natalie Wisneski, 47, also faces federal campaign finance and conspiracy charges over allegations she solicited campaign contributions from bowl employees for federal, state, and local political candidates and arranged for the bowl to repay them. Wisneski resigned in March, shortly after bowl president and chief executive officer John Junker was fired after the apparent campaign-donation scheme was made public . . . New Mexico hired former Notre Dame football coach Bob Davie to head up its program. Davie, who will become the university’s 31st head coach, hasn’t coached since being fired in 2001 by Notre Dame, where he compiled a 35-25 record over five years . . . Maine sophomore defensive end Mike Cole and Springfield senior quarterback Josh Carter earned this week’s Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Gold Helmet awards from the New England Football Writers. Cole registered seven tackles, a pass breakup, and two fumble recoveries, including a game-clincher in the end zone, as the Black Bears stopped UMass, 32-21. Carter, the leading scorer in Division 3, rushed for a school-record 299 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-36 loss to Union, earning his second helmet of the season.
Mobley sues Knicks over retirement
Former guard
Cuttino Mobley
filed a lawsuit against Madison Square Garden, accusing the New York Knicks of pressuring him to retire as a way to save approximately $19 million. Mobley retired because of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy shortly after the Knicks acquired him from the Los Angeles Clippers Nov. 21, 2008. The lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York contends the Knicks knew of Mobley’s condition, but pushed to make the trade anyway, then sent him to specialists they knew would oppose him playing, so insurance could pay his contract and it wouldn’t count against the luxury tax.
Blues’ Stewart suspended three games
Blues forward
Chris Stewart
was suspended three games without pay for shoving Red Wings defenseman
Niklas Kronwall
into the boards from behind. The illegal hit occurred during the first period of Tuesday night’s game. The league said Stewart will forfeit $46,621.62 in salary . . . The Maple Leafs will be without
Mikhail Grabovski
for two weeks, and fellow forward
Clarke MacArthur
will also miss time because of injuries sustained in a loss to Phoenix. Grabovski has an undisclosed lower-body injury and MacArthur, ruled out of tonight’s game at Nashville, didn’t play after the second period because of an undisclosed upper-body injury . . . Canadian businessman
W. Brett Wilson
bought into approximately 5 percent of the ownership group of the Predators and the company that manages the arena where the team plays.
Lifetime ban for ex-gymnastics coach
Don Peters
, a former Olympic gymnastics coach accused of sexual abuse, has been banned for life by USA Gymnastics and his place in the federation’s Hall of Fame revoked. Peters, head coach of the 1984 US women’s gold medal-winning Olympic team, was declared “permanently ineligible’’ after a hearing by USA Gymnastics. Two former gymnasts told the Orange County Register they were sexually abused by Peters as teenagers in the 1980s. He can’t be prosecuted under California law because the statute of limitation has expired . . . The English Football Association charged Liverpool striker
Luis Suarez
with racially abusing Manchester United defender
Patrice Evra
, who is black. The FA said Suarez “used abusive and/or insulting words and/or behavior’’ during last month’s Premier League match. The FA said it is “alleged that this included a reference to the ethnic origin and/or color and/or race of Patrice Evra.’’ . . . FIFA president
Sepp Blatter
faced a wave of criticism after downplaying racism on the soccer field, saying players involved in such clashes should settle things with a handshake. Blatter said soccer has no problem with racism and minimized recent allegations of abuse.