Month: January 2020

Jakub Voracek scored in overtime and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3

Kawhi Leonard will become the first San Diego State player to have his jersey retired when the No. 7 Aztecs honor him Feb. 1 during a game against Utah State.

The offseason departure of leading LSU talent has kicked into gear, with leading rusher Clyde Edwards-Helaire, leading pass-catcher Justin Jefferson, leading tackler Jacob Phillips and defensive back Grant Delpit among seven declaring for the NFL draft.

The Pirates closed the game on a 13–4 run to win their seventh in a row.

INDIANAPOLIS — Myles Powell scored 19 of his 29 points in the second half and Romaro Gill matched his career high with 17 points to lead No. 18 Seton Hall back from a 10-point halftime deficit for a 78-70 victory at No. 5 Butler on Wednesday night.

The Pirates (13-4, 5-0 Big East) closed the game on a 13-4 run to win their seventh in a row. They are the only conference team still unbeaten in league play.

Quincy McKnight had 11 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds.

Kamar Baldwin had 19 points and six assists to lead the Bulldogs (15-2, 3-1). Jordan Tucker had 14 points and 10 rebounds as Butler’s six-game winning streak ended.

Powell and Gill dominated the second half.

They helped to quickly cut a 40-30 deficit to five, and when when the 7-foot-2 Gill asserted himself in the post the Bulldogs could not match up. He scored nine points in a 15-6 run that ended with Powell’s three-pointer to give Seton Hall a 58-57 lead with 8:14 to play.

It looked like the Bulldogs might rally when Sean McDermott completed a three-point play to give Butler a 66-65 lead with 3:48 remaining — after Gill picked up his fifth foul.

Instead, Powell and Jared Rhoden knocked down three-pointers during the final spurt to help the Pirates pull away late.

BIG PICTURE

Seton Hall: The Pirates showed some real grit Wednesday. After playing poorly most of the first half, they leaned on Gill to make an impact in the middle and that opened things up for Powell and his teammates on the outside. It’s quite a combination, even against one of the nation’s top defenses.

Butler: The Bulldogs came into the game giving up 54.4 points and allowed 48 in the second half. That was not the only problem — they struggled taking care of the ball, did not shoot particularly well and could not shoot over Gill. It was a bad time for sub-par night.

STAT PACK

Seton Hall: The Pirates have beaten two top-10 teams this season. … Rhoden added 13 points on a night Powell made five threes. … The Pirates were 5 of 17 on threes in the first half and finished 9 of 31. … Seton Hall has won five consecutive conference games in the same season for the first time since 2008-09.

Butler: Still won the rebounding battle 36-34, but wound up allowing a season-high point total. … Sean McDermott had 11 points as the Bulldogs went 6 of 21 on threes. … Butler fell to 9-1 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, playing on their home court for the first time as a top-five team since the arena opened in 1928.

UP NEXT

Seton Hall completes a two-game road trip Saturday at St. John’s.

Butler visits DePaul on Saturday, starting a two-game road trip.

Conor McGregor walked out on stage, shook hands with UFC president Dana White and then extended his hand and exchanged pleasantries with opponent Donald Cerrone. That was how the rest of the UFC 246 prefight media event went Wednesday in Las Vegas.

Breaking down the impact on LSU and its players if the schools investigation shows OBJ gave student-athletes real money after the CFP national championship.

He’s a distinguished alumnus of Louisiana State University and the Tigers football program. He was also born and raised in the Bayou State.

It’s safe to assume that Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. meant no harm to LSU on Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Yet within minutes of the Tigers defeating Clemson 45-25 in the national championship game, Beckham insisted on handing cash-like currency to nearby players. Whether he dispensed real cash or fake money—or perhaps a bit of both—is now a crucial compliance question for LSU Athletics.

Beckham Takes on NCAA Amateurism

Beckham was televised on the field handing wads of what appeared to be U.S. currency to two LSU players, junior receiver Justin Jefferson and junior defensive back Jontre Kirklin. Beckham didn’t try to hide what he was doing. Just the opposite, he wanted attention.

And he got it.

Many cheered Beckham for bluntly mocking NCAA amateurism rules. Those rules, which attempt to separate college sports from professional sports, forbid student-athletes from accepting cash and other benefits. NCAA Bylaw 12 contemplates the loss of a student-athlete’s eligibility to play if he or she accepts cash or an equivalent award. Schools, meanwhile, are obligated to undertake reasonable steps to prevent, monitor and, if necessary, address illicit payments.

Beckham’s provocative move tapped into the values of a large segment of sports fans, journalists, public figures and other NCAA critics. They find it hypocritical that college coaches can earn millions of dollars a year and universities can build multi-million-dollar stadiums, arenas and other sports facilities when the labor—the student-athletes—are denied compensation for their unique talents as well as for their commercially marketable names, images and likenesses. The fact that elite college football and basketball players generate the very entertainment that attracts billion-dollar TV deals and lucrative apparel and merchandise contracts is essentially dismissed as irrelevant under amateurism. Players are limited to reimbursement for tuition, housing, books, cost of attendance and other narrowly defined categories of education-related expenses.

Beckham also had nothing to fear from the NCAA. He’s a 27-year-old NFL star in the middle of a five-year, $90 million contract. The NCAA can’t do anything to him.

The problem for Beckham is that while the NCAA has no jurisdiction over him, it certainly has jurisdiction over his favorite university—including for actions that Beckham takes in relationship to the Tigers football program. To that point, omissions, oversights and lack of monitoring by athletic department personnel or boosters can trigger school punishments.

Direct Deposit or Practical Joke?

On Tuesday, LSU senior associate athletic director Robert Munson seemed to downplay Beckham’s cash handouts. Munson thought Beckham was only playing a “joke.” He noted that the bills appeared to be fake. But Munson cautioned that his staff would discuss the matter with Jefferson and Kirklin and figure out exactly what occurred.

On Wednesday, LSU Athletics released a statement which suggests the cash may have been real.

“Initial information,” the statement reads, “suggested bills that were exchanged were novelty bills.” Upon further review, however, LSU Athletics now believes that real cash “may have also been given” to football players. LSU Athletics also notes that its personnel have been in contact with the NCAA and SEC “in order to rectify the situation.”

It’s not clear if LSU has interviewed Beckham. The school has no ability to compel him to cooperate. However, given Beckham’s longstanding ties to the school, it would be sensible for him to play a constructive role.

Additional evidence suggests the cash was real and that Beckham gave it to more than two players.

While appearing on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take on Wednesday, Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow—the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL draft—told host Dan Katz that Beckham handed him real money after the game. Burrow, who is a 23-year-old senior, didn’t believe it was a big deal since the handout occurred after the game had ended. By that point, Burrow stressed, he was no longer a student-athlete but instead an NFL draft prospect.

If Burrow’s retelling of events is correct, Beckham handing real cash to other LSU players seems likely. After all, was Beckham really in possession of different bundles of real cash and fake cash, and then distinguishing which type he gave to LSU players based on their remaining NCAA eligibility? Sure, that’s theoretically possible, but sounds like a stretch.

Another relevant piece of evidence is the fact that Beckham requested, and received NCAA permission, to provide every LSU player a pair of Beats Studio 3 wireless headphones (which retail for several hundred dollars). On one hand, it’s clear that Beckham wanted to furnish a valuable benefit to LSU players. On the other, Beckham offering advance notice to LSU (and in turn the NCAA) before carrying out a plan suggests he was mindful of amateurism consequences. Was he cautious about headphones but then reckless about cash?

Impact on LSU and Its Players

LSU’s incentive in investigating the matter is not necessarily to dispute that Beckham handed cash to football players—what’s done is done. Instead, it’s to make clear that LSU coaches and athletic compliance staff neither knew, nor had reason to know, that Beckham would engage in behavior that jeopardized LSU’s compliance with NCAA rules. The NCAA would be less likely to sanction LSU if the school genuinely didn’t know that Beckham would carry out a post-game stunt and if school officials hadn’t observed any indications that it would happen.

To that end, LSU will need to explain what steps it took to monitor Beckham, who likely qualifies as a “representative of LSU’s athletic interest” or, more colloquially, an LSU booster. The NCAA broadly defines boosters to include those who promote an athletic program and those who provide benefits to enrolled students or their families. Schools must carefully monitor boosters pursuant to NCAA Bylaw 13.02.15.

LSU will attempt to detail how it monitored Beckham while he was on the field, in the locker room and in other locations in which he interacted with LSU players. The school, remember, was on notice that Beckham wanted to provide gifts to LSU players in the form of expensive headphones. For LSU’s compliance, that fact cuts both ways: it signaled to LSU that Beckham wanted to provide items of value to football players but it also suggested that he wished to do so in an NCAA-compliant way.

LSU also wants to communicate to the NCAA and SEC that it is taking the Beckham matter seriously. A school that, through a detailed and systematic investigation, uncovers wrongdoing and self-reports it to the NCAA is less likely to face a severe punishment. In that scenario, LSU might face a public reprimand and modest restrictions on boosters, but not much more. In contrast, a school that ignores or covers-up possible wrongdoing is much more likely to attract a threatening NCAA investigation. If found in violation of rules, the school could then face severe penalties, such as loss of scholarships and a post-season ban. LSU, in other words, is taking the right steps by signaling that it is conducting a credible investigation.

Lastly, LSU is mindful of the possible adverse impact of Beckham handing real cash to players with remaining eligibility. Burrow is headed to the NFL, perhaps to the Cincinnati Bengals with the first overall pick. Jefferson, meanwhile, declared his eligibility for the NFL draft on Wednesday. He is projected to be selected in the first or second round.

Kirklin is in a more problematic spot. He is not expected to declare for the draft and presumably wishes to return to LSU for his senior year. If he accepted and retained real cash from a booster, he could face an NCAA suspension. If Kirklin attempted to return the cash to Beckham (which admittedly would have been awkward and kind of tacky) or to school officials (less awkward), the NCAA would be less inclined to punish him.

Michael McCann is SI’s Legal Analyst. He is also an attorney and the Director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law.

A biopsy revealed that late ESPN reported Edward Aschoff, who died on Dec. 24, had stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

A biopsy has revealed that late ESPN reporter Edward Aschoff had stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in his lungs. 

Aschoff’s fiancée, Katy Berteau, announced the news on social media Wednesday, stating that the cancer had not been known by Aschoff’s family prior to the biopsy. Aschoff, who died on Dec. 24, his 34th birthday, was originally believed to have died from a battle with pneumonia. 

In the announcement, Berteau said that both pneumonia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can trigger hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH, which is what seems to have affected Aschoff. HLH is a condition where the immune system begins to damage one’s tissues and organs. 

“All of this combined to what led to his very rapid decline those last few days, and ultimately his passing,” Berteau wrote.

Aschoff joined ESPN in 2011 as part of the SEC blog network, which covers the NCAA Southeastern Conference. Through his time covering college football, Aschoff had gotten to know many people across the sport, bonding with LSU head coach Ed Orgeron and a number of Tigers, among others. 

Aschoff has been honored at events since his passing with reserved press seats, including at the College Football Playoff national championship game. Aschoff’s hometown of Oxford, Miss. is also honoring the late reporter on Jan. 18 by naming the date Edward Aschoff Day. 

A scholarship fund is being set up at Aschoff’s alma mater, the University of Florida, for the university’s school of journalism and communications, Berteau added. Donations are currently being accepted. 

The PGA Tour kicks off the West Coast swing in La Quinta, California

After a two-month hiatus, Phil Mickelson returns to the PGA Tour this week for the American Express in La Quinta, California. The tournament previously known as the Bob Hope Classic, Career Builder Challenge and Humana Challenge, among others, will once again be spread out over three different courses in the California desert. (TPC Stadium course at PGA West, Nicklaus Tournament Course, La Quinta CC)

The pro-am format pairs celebrities with PGA Tour pros and will have a 54-hole cut instead of the standard 36-hole cut.

Here are three players to keep an eye on this week:

Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson makes his long-awaited return to the tour as he looks to rejuvenate the back end of his career before he turns 50 in June. Phil hasn’t played since the HSBC Champions in November but according to his social media handles, has been getting into great shape for the 2020 season. Can Lefty find his form? He hasn’t had a top 20 performance since the 2019 Masters, but traditionally plays well during the west coast swing. Mickelson is a two-time winner of the American Express and finished T-2 a year ago, one stroke behind winner Adam Long.

Abraham Ancer

Traditionally scores are low…very low at the Amex, which turns the event into a shootout. The only way to keep up is to make birdies and Abraham Ancer does plenty of that. Ancer, who shined for the International President’s Cup team in December, ranked 22nd on tour in total birdies last season and already has 13 sub 70 rounds this season. He finished T-38 at last week’s Sony Open and was T-18 last year at the American Express.

Sungjae Im

Keep an eye on the reigning Rookie of the Year as a legitimate threat to win this week at PGA West. The ironman on tour, who played in 35 events last season, is back to making birdies in bunches this season. Im is fresh off a T-21 showing at the Sony Open and finished T-12 a year ago at the Amex. He currently ranks 15th in birdie average and 14th in putting which should be an important factor in trying to win a shootout in the desert.

Keep up with the latest news and rumors around baseball.

The Houston Astros are reportedly “moving quickly” to replace manager AJ Hinch after he and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired on Monday for their involvement in the team’s cheating scandal in 2017. 

According to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, the Astros have some early targets in their managerial search. Among those names are bench coach Joe Espada, former Giants and Padres manager Bruce Bochy, former Giants, Cubs, Reds and Nationals manager Dusty Baker and former Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers and Orioles manager Buck Showalter.

Team owner Jim Crane is reportedly also considering Pirates special assistant Jeff Banister, Cubs third-base coach Will Venable and Dodgers special assistant Raúl Ibañez, according to KRIV-TV in Houston. 

With pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training next month, the Astros are reportedly aiming to fill both the manager and general manager roles by early February. The managerial role is expected to be filled first, according to McTaggart. 

Crane said in his press conference that he is running baseball operations until a new general manager is hired, and he reportedly met with the Astros’ coaching staff Monday after Hinch and Luhnow were dismissed.

Here are the latest rumors around MLB.

• With Josh Donaldson off to the Twins, the Braves are reportedly interested in Marcell Ozuna for a “middle of order” bat. (John Heyman, MLB Network)
• The Rangers are targeting Nicholas Castellanos to add another “big bat.” (T.R. Sullivan, MLB.com)
• The Cardinals and Rangers have shown “active interest” in Nolan Arenado over the past few days, but neither team is close to trading for him. (Jon Morosi, MLB Network)