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Ravens’ Jackson, GB’s Love doubtful

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Lamar Jackson is listed as doubtful for Baltimore’s game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night as he continues to deal with a back injury that knocked him out of the game against the New England Patriots last weekend.

The two-time MVP quarterback hasn’t practiced this week after getting hurt in the second quarter of Baltimore’s 28-24 loss. Tyler Huntley, who went 9 of 10 for 65 yards against New England, would likely start if Jackson’s unavailable.

Green Bay (9-5-1) has its own quarterback issues after Jordan Love left the Packers’ 22-16 overtime loss at Chicago last weekend because of a concussion. Love and Green Bay backup quarterback Malik Willis are both listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against the Ravens (7-8).

Love practiced on a limited basis this week. Willis hurt his throwing shoulder against the Bears and was considered a limited practice participant Tuesday and Thursday. Willis didn’t practice Wednesday because of an illness.

Jumbo Ozaki dies of cancer at 78

Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki, whose 113 worldwide victories were the most of any player from Japan, died Wednesday in his home country after a battle with colon cancer, the Japan Golf Tour said. He was 78.

Ozaki was revered in Japan, a big hitter with a sense of style who won 94 times over 29 years on the Japan Golf Tour, the last one coming at the 2002 ANA Open when he was 55.

He rose to No. 5 in the world ranking in 1996 at age 49. Ozaki often got overlooked for never winning outside Japan except for the New Zealand PGA Championship. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.

Ozaki competed in 49 majors, his best finish coming in the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill when he finished three shots behind Curtis Strange. He played the Masters for the 19th and final time in 2000 when he was 53 and tied for 28th.

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Ex-Fitch standout enters portal

Iowa State defensive back Cam Smith put his name in the transfer portal.

He announced his decision Tuesday via a post on X.

A junior, the former Austintown Fitch standout made nine tackles, including a half tackle for loss, with half a sack in 11 games this season for the Cyclones. He appeared in 25 games for Iowa State, making 18 stops.

Smith has one year of eligibility remaining.

Iowa State DC Heacock retires

AMES, Iowa — Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock has retired, ending a coaching career after four-plus decades.

He announced his decision on Tuesday.

Heacock, known for a 3-3-5 scheme with the Cyclones, was a finalist for the Broyles Award that recognizes college football’s top assistant coach in 2017 and was nominated for it from 2022-25.

He was a top assistant on Matt Campbell’s staff at Iowa State for 10 seasons and at Toledo for two seasons. Campbell left Iowa State earlier this month to lead Penn State’s program.

Heacock was 60-44 as coach at Youngstown State from 2001 to 2009, leading the second-tier college football program to the FCS semifinals in 2006 and earning conference coach of the year honors twice.

The 65-year-old Heacock, who is from Beloit, Ohio, started his coaching career in 1983 at Toledo as a graduate assistant. He later was a graduate assistant for the late Bo Schembechler at Michigan and defensive coordinator for Jim Tressel at Youngstown State.

Jets place quarterback Fields on IR

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets are placing quarterback Justin Fields on season-ending injured reserve with a knee injury that has sidelined him the past three games.

Coach Aaron Glenn announced the decision on Tuesday to sit Fields for the final two games.

Fields, who signed a two-year, $40 million deal — with $30 million guaranteed — with New York in March, was the starter for most of this season until he was benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor last month.

Undrafted rookie Brady Cook is set to make his third consecutive start Sunday against New England. Taylor will be the backup.

Fields, speaking to reporters last Friday for the first time since his injury in practice three weeks ago, said he recently had an MRI on his ailing knee and “they found something, so now we’re at this point.” He added that he had “a nick or a bruise” and said his injury is “more of a week-to-week thing.”

But Fields also said he “of course” would like to play again this season. He was inactive for the Jets’ past three games.

Fields went 2-7 as the Jets’ starter with seven touchdowns and only one interception for 1,259 yards — but had four games during which he threw for under 55 yards, including a season-low 27 in a loss to Buffalo in Week 2.

Vikings to start Brosmer at QB

EAGAN, Minn. — J.J. McCarthy has a hairline fracture in his throwing hand that will keep him out of Minnesota’s upcoming game against Detroit, making Max Brosmer the starting quarterback this week.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said after practice on Tuesday that further examination of McCarthy’s right hand revealed the small fracture, after initial X-rays at the stadium on Sunday were negative for broken bones. McCarthy was injured late in the second quarter against the New York Giants and unable to properly grip the ball, forcing the Vikings to turn to Brosmer.

With the Vikings hosting the Lions on Thursday as part of the NFL’s holiday tripleheader on Christmas, there was too little time for McCarthy to recover. O’Connell said his ability to play in the season finale against Green Bay on Jan. 3 or 4 would simply depend on his grip.

McCarthy has played in just 8½ of a possible 33 games in the NFL since he was drafted 10th overall in 2024, with a torn meniscus in his right knee keeping him out his entire rookie season, a badly sprained right ankle costing him five games this season and a concussion sidelining him for another.

Brosmer started for McCarthy that time on Nov. 30, when the Vikings lost 26-0 at NFC-leading Seattle after the undrafted rookie threw four interceptions.

Bruins-Canadiens starts with fight

BOSTON — Boston’s Tanner Jeannot and Montreal’s Josh Anderson dropped the gloves at the opening faceoff of Tuesday night’s game, renewing the long-running rivalry between the Original Six teams who are jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference standings.

Jeannot, who has 53 goals and 435 penalty minutes in his career, and Anderson (154 and 582) fought for about a minute while teammates on both benches banged their sticks against the boards in approval. The Bruins forward landed several blows before his Canadiens counterpart went to the ice, drawing a big roar and a chant of “U-S-A!” from the TD Garden crowd.

Midway through the first period, it happened again, with Boston’s Nikita Zadorov and Montreal’s Arber Xhekaj dropping their gloves off a faceoff in the Bruins’ end. In all, there were nine penalties for 30 minutes in the first, with Boston taking a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal with 18 seconds left in the period.

The Canadiens entered the night tied for third in the East with 43 points, but a Boston victory would match them. The Bruins have won eight of the last 10 matchups between the teams, including a 3-2 win in Montreal on Nov. 15.

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Curbstone idle for two weeks

In observance of the holidays, the Curbstone Coaches will not be meeting for the next two Mondays.

They will reconvene on Jan. 5, when they will honor the Warren JFK Boys Golf team who are the division III Ohio State Champions.

Hoffmann Family to buy Penguins

PITTSBURGH — A family-owned, Chicago-based investment company has reached a “definitive agreement” to purchase a controlling interest in the Pittsburgh Penguins from Fenway Sports Group.

The Penguins announced Friday that Hoffmann Family of Companies and FSG have come to terms on a sale that would signal Hoffmann’s initial foray into major professional sports. Any purchase would need to be approved by the NHL’s Board of Governors, though that is often merely a formality.

The financial details of the agreement were not released, though the Penguins were valued at around $1.7 billion recently by Forbes.

The sale, if completed, would end FSG’s brief run as stewards of the five-time Stanley Cup-winning franchise. FSG, which owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox and Liverpool of the Premier League, agreed to purchase the Penguins from Ron Burkle and Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux in late 2021.

The terms of that sale were not announced, though the team was valued at around $845 million by Sportico at that time.

The Hoffmann Family, a private equity enterprise of more than 125 global brands that counts the ECHL’s Florida Everblades among the many entities it runs, will pay considerably more than that to become the team’s third owner in a half-decade.

The Penguins said FSG will remain a minority shareholder for a period of time to continue its support in key business areas, including sponsorship sales and regional sports network management, as part of a phased transition.

The Penguins are in the midst of an overhaul orchestrated by general manager Kyle Dubas. They parted ways with two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Mike Sullivan last spring and are off to a better-than-expected start under first-year coach Dan Muse, though they are currently riding a seven-game losing streak.

What’s unclear is where Lemieux might fit in. The franchise icon’s role during FSG’s tenure was nebulous, though he has been around more frequently of late as Crosby neared Lemieux’s franchise points record.

Lemieux, who led the team to a pair of Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992, remains beloved in Pittsburgh, where a statue of him sits outside one of the gates at PPG Paints Arena, which was built during his tenure as one of the club’s majority owners.

NBA tweaks injury reporting rules

The NBA reminded its teams on Friday that it wants to control which types of bets are offered on its games, an indicator that it will continue negotiating with sportsbooks and regulatory agencies to make that happen.

The moves come about two months after the arrests of Miami guard Terry Rozier and Portland coach Chauncey Billups on separate gambling-related charges, and the league acknowledged that what was announced Friday was to “further promote understanding of and adherence to the league’s betting rules.”

In a memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the league detailed a list of changes — some minor, some not-so-minor — that it will implement as part of its policies regarding injury reporting, the issue of “tanking,” safety measures for players and coaches, and more.

Among the changes:

• Except on the second day of back-to-back games, teams will be required to resubmit injury reports on game days. For games that tip off at 5 p.m. or earlier, the additional report would come between 8-10 a.m.; otherwise, the additional report would come between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The league said the move would “further promote transparency regarding players’ game participation status, and thereby diminish the value of confidential information that could be ‘tipped’ ” to bettors or others.

Rozier is accused of disclosing to friends that he would be leaving a game early when he was with the Charlotte Hornets in March 2023, prompting bettors to make successful “under” wagers on his prop bet values for that night.

• The league said more “training touchpoints” would be made throughout the season to educate all league and team personnel on betting rules. The NBA also plans to have new “compliance measures (for) individuals who are not employed by a team and may have access to confidential team information.”

• The league will update its Fan Code of Conduct “to better protect NBA players, coaches, and other team personnel from harassment or threats by sports bettors.” Players and coaches have long said that fans, courtside and otherwise, often voice displeasure when they make unsuccessful wagers. The league said it’ll make more moves to protect its coaches and players, including advocating for “stronger anti-harassment protections in federal or state laws and regulations.”

• Tanking remains a major concern, and the NBA is again reviewing potential policy changes. None were announced Friday.

• The league will do more, it said, to better utilize artificial intelligence and other tools to protect the game from unusual betting activity. It also will continue pushing for changes on the so-called “prop bets,” which the NBA hopes will reduce the risk of having player performances manipulated.

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Davis to speak at First Pitch

Former Major League Baseball outfielder Rajai Davis will be the featured speaker at the 2026 Youngstown State Baseball First Pitch Breakfast on Jan. 31 at Mr. Anthony’s Banquet Center.

The event will also provide fans with the opportunity to meet the 2026 Penguins baseball squad, enjoy a breakfast buffet and bid in live and silent auctions on an impressive lineup of Major League Baseball memorabilia, unique experiences and YSU baseball gear. A breakfast ticket will also provide entrance into a door prize drawing, which will be for two different door prizes. The first prize will be an autographed helmet signed by the 2026 YSU baseball team. The second prize will be four 2026 season tickets for Youngstown State baseball home games.

General admission tickets are $55 apiece. Premium Reserved tables are also available for $650 and include eight breakfast/raffle tickets and premium seating at the First Pitch Breakfast. Fans can also join Davis and the YSU baseball staff for an exclusive dinner on Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m. at Michael Alberini’s in Boardman for an additional $200 per guest. Please note there are limited tickets available for Friday’s dinner.

For the breakfast on Jan. 31, doors and buffet will open at 8 a.m. with the program commencing at 9 a.m.

Davis played for eight different teams during his 14-year MLB career, and he led the American League with 43 stolen bases while playing for Cleveland, where he hit the game-tying home run in Game 7 of the World Series. Davis finished his career with 415 stolen bases while recording 30 or more steals in seven different seasons.

Davis was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 38th round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft as a second baseman. He made his major league debut for the Pirates on August 14, 2006. He finished his MLB career with a .262 batting average, 62 home runs, 387 RBIs and 415 stolen bases. Since retiring in February 2021, Davis has served in the Baseball Operations department of Major League Baseball.

The program is also holding the 2026 YSU Baseball First Pitch Auction. Fans and supporters can bid on exclusive auction items through Feb. 2. Visit BidPal.net/FirstPitch26 to view auction items as they are added to the online site over the coming weeks.

Tickets for Friday night’s dinner and Saturday’s First Pitch Breakfast can be purchased online or by returning the ticket order form. Fans can also contact associate head coach Will Maddox at wpmaddox@ysu.edu.

Soto and Pirates finalize 1-year deal

PITTBURGH — Two-time All-Star reliever Gregory Soto and the Pittsburgh Pirates finalized a $7.75 million, one-year contract on Tuesday.

Soto gives the Pirates an experienced left-handed option in a bullpen that will get a makeover in 2026 after relievers Colin Holderman and Dauri Moreta were designated for assignment last month.

The 30-year-old is 15-34 with a 4.26 ERA and 56 saves over seven seasons with five teams. He was an All-Star in 2021 and 2022 for Detroit. He spent 2025 with Baltimore and the New York Mets, who acquired him in late July just before the trade deadline.

Soto struggled in New York, going 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 25 appearances. His departure is the second significant subtraction from the Mets bullpen in free agency after closer Edwin Díaz agreed to a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier Tuesday.

Pittsburgh appears to be settled at the back end of the bullpen, where Dennis Santana performed well after two-time All-Star David Bednar was traded to the New York Yankees last season. Soto gives the Pirates a pitcher who has filled a variety of roles, including closer.

USC-Brown hoops game canceled

LOS ANGELES — The men’s basketball game between Brown and Southern California scheduled for Sunday in Los Angeles has been canceled. So has the women’s game against Monmouth, which was set for Sunday in Rhode Island.

Brown athletic officials announced both cancellations Tuesday. USC said the schools mutually agreed on the decision following the mass shooting on the Ivy League school’s campus in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday. The shooter remained at large as of Tuesday.

Brown’s next scheduled game is Dec. 31 at home.

The Trojans (10-1) will play against an as-yet announced opponent on Sunday at Galen Center.

“The entire USC community sends its support to Brown University following the tragedy that has impacted its students, staff, alumni and the city of Providence,” USC officials said in a statement.

Indiana’s Cignetti wins COY again

Indiana’s Curt Cignetti exceeded expectations again this season and it earned him a second consecutive honor as The Associated Press coach of the year in college football.

Cignetti is the first coach to win the award in back-to-back years since it was first presented in 1998. He is the fourth coach to win it twice, joining Brian Kelly, Gary Patterson and Nick Saban.

The 64-year-old Cignetti is 24-2 while leading the Hoosiers to unprecedented heights in his two seasons since leaving James Madison of the Championship Subdivision to take over what had been the losingest program in major college football. Last year, the Hoosiers won their first 10 games, were ranked as high as No. 5 in the AP Top 25, and reached the first round of the College Football Playoff.

He outdid himself this year, showing his smashing debut was not a one-off.

Indiana is 13-0, Big Ten champion for the first time since 1967, No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time and the top seed for the CFP. He also is coach of Indiana’s first Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the AP player of the year.

Cignetti was a landslide winner for coach of the year in voting by the nationwide panel of 52 media members who cover college football. Cignetti received 47 first-place votes. Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea received two each, and Virginia’s Tony Elliott got one.

In 2022, the Hoosiers became the first Bowl Subdivision program to reach 700 all-time losses. They entered this season with 714, a figure that still stands, and they’ve since been passed by Northwestern (717) for the dubious FBS mark.

In a program that had never won more than nine games in a season before Cignetti’s arrival, the Hoosiers have double-digit wins for a second straight year and completed a regular season without a loss for the first time.

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Haskell to speak to Curbstone

Charles “Chuck” Haskell, the executive director of the Ohio Athletic Commission, will be the guest speaker at Monday’s luncheon meeting of The Curbstone Coaches at the Avion Banquet Center on Western Reserve Road in Beaver Township.

The event begins at noon and the public is welcome to attend. For those arriving early the buffet lines will open at 11:45 a.m.

Salem changes today’s game times

Due to the weather forecast for today, Salem changed the start times of its girls and boys basketball games.

The junior varsity girls game against Carrollton will start at 11 a.m., with the varsity to follow.

The JV boys game against Southeast was moved to 2 p.m., with the varsity squad taking the court right after.

YSU announces Hall of Fame class

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown State will induct a class of five former student-athletes and a long-time contributor into the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame in February.

The class of 2025 features Marta Burak (women’s tennis), Danielle Curry (women’s track and field), Dr. Ray Duffett (contributor), Phil Klein (baseball), Eric Rupe (men’s cross country and track and field), and Heidi Schlegel (women’s basketball).

The ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 7, in the DeBartolo Stadium Club in Stambaugh Stadium. Tickets are available by contacting Austin Snodgrass at arsnodgrass@ysu.edu. The inductees will be introduced at halftime of the women’s basketball game against Green Bay. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. The YSU men host Robert Morris at 4:30 p.m. as part of a doubleheader.

Burak, who played from 2011-15, was a four-time first-team all-league honoree and won all but one regular-season and postseason Horizon League match in her four-year career. She had a school record 94 singles wins and guided YSU to the 2014 and 2015 Horizon League Tournament titles and the 2015 regular-season title. In 40 league matches, she lost five out of 74 sets played, and three of those were her freshman year. Overall, she had a career mark of 94-31 in singles and won 78 doubles matches. Burak was the YSU Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2014-15.

Curry, a thrower from 2007-10, set the outdoor track shot put record with a throw of 15.71 meters in 2010 and ranks second all-time. She ranks eighth all-time in the indoor track weight throw at 17.18 meters, and she was named the Horizon League Indoor Field Newcomer of the Year in 2008. Curry earned the Horizon League Outdoor Field Athletic of the Year in 2009 and was a five-time Horizon League individual champion.

Duffett served as the Youngstown State team doctor from the late 1980’s until 2025. He is retiring from his service to the Penguin community, and he has been practicing here in the Mahoning Valley since 1988. Prior to coming to the area, Dr. Duffett worked with MLB and NFL players in Cincinnati, where he honed his skills and later benefited the YSU Athletic community, including four National Championship football teams in the 1990s.

Klein, a pitcher from 2008-11, was named First-Team All-Horizon League his sophomore year in 2009, and he is one of just four pitchers to earn first-team honors since YSU joined the Horizon League in 2002. Klein was also a Second-Team All-Horizon selection in 2011. Klein was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 30th Round of the 2011 MLB Draft, and he went on to make 40 appearances over three seasons in the majors with the Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies.

Rupe (Maplewood), who competed from 2011-15, led the Penguins by placing first at the Horizon League Cross Country Championship with a time of 25:41.24 as a junior. In 2013 he became the first YSU male runner in school history to win a cross country conference championship. He placed first in the Disney World Cross Country Classic with a time of 25:05.46 in 2013 and won the 5,000-meter run at the indoor Horizon League Championships with a time of 14:49.68 as a senior. By winning the 5,000-meter run, Rupe defended his title and became the first repeat champion in the event since Butler’s Gary Blackman in 2003-04. As a junior he won the event in a time of 15:09.25. In 2014, Rupe helped the Penguins win the Horizon League Outdoor Championship with first place finishes in the 5,000-meter and 3,000-meter runs.

Schlegel, who played from 2010-15, was a two-time All-Horizon League selection in 2013-14 and 2014-15. She ranks fourth on the all-time scoring list with 1,729 points, and her 621 points in 2013-14 rank fifth on the single-season chart, while her 584 in 2014-15 is eighth. Schlegel’s 20.0 ppg average in 2013-14 ranks eighth in a single season. Her 14.5 career-scoring average ranks 10th all-time, she ranks eighth all-time with 796 career rebounds and seventh all-time with 25 double-doubles.

Utah’s Whittingham steps down

SALT LAKE CITY — Kyle Whittingham, who with 177 victories is the most successful coach in the history of the Utah football program, will be stepping down after the Utes’ appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31.

“The time is right to step down from my position as the head football coach at the University of Utah,” Whittingham said in a statement Friday. “It’s been an honor and a privilege to lead the program for the past 21 years, and I’m very grateful for the relationships forged with all the players and assistant coaches that have worked so hard and proudly worn the drum and feather during our time here. The opportunity to guide so many talented young men as they pursued their goals — both on and off the field, has truly been a blessing.”

Whittingham posted a 177-88 (.668) record over 21 seasons. Utah finished with 18 winning seasons under Whittingham and won at least 10 games eight times.

During his tenure, Whittingham twice helped Utah navigate conference changes. The Utes moved from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12 Conference in 2011 and then departed the Pac-12 for the Big 12 Conference in 2024.

Whittingham led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 Championships and Rose Bowl appearances in 2021 and 2022. Then, after a 5-7 campaign in their first Big 12 season, Utah went 10-2 this season and finished in a tie for third place in the league.

The second-longest tenured head coach in FBS college football, Whittingham earned three national Coach of the Year awards, including the AFCA and Bear Bryant Awards in 2008, and the Dodd Trophy in 2019.

Morgan Scalley will be Whittingham’s successor at Utah. Scalley has been designated head coach in waiting in recent seasons while serving as defensive coordinator — a position he has held since 2016.

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Andy Hake to speak to Curbstone

Mineral Ridge head football coach Andy Hake will be the guest speaker at Monday’s luncheon meeting of The Curbstone Coaches at the Avion Banquet Center on Western Reserve Road in Beaver Township.

The event begins at noon and the public is welcome to attend.

For those arriving early the buffet lines will open at 11:45 a.m.

Penn State targets ISU’s Campbell

Penn State is in talks to name Iowa State’s Matt Campbell as its next head football coach, according to reports.

Multiple outlets, including The Athletic and ESPN, citing anonymous sources, reported talks between Campbell and the Nittany Lions were progressing.

Campbell’s potential hire comes nearly two months after the Nittany Lions fired longtime coach James Franklin midway through his 12th season following an 0-3 start in Big Ten play.

The Nittany Lions began the year ranked No. 2 after advancing to last year’s CFP semifinals. They went 3-3 under interim coach Terry Smith and are currently awaiting a bowl assignment.

Campbell, Iowa State’s all-time winningest coach, went 72-55 for a Cyclone program that was 489-622-45 with just three bowl wins over its 133-year history before his arrival. Campbell’s 10-year tenure in Ames includes eight winning seasons, three bowl wins and the program’s only 11-win campaign last year, when Iowa State reached the Big 12 championship game.

Campbell, who was previously the head coach at Toledo for five years before joining the Cyclones, is 107-70 overall as a head coach. He signed a contract extension at Iowa State in August worth $5 million per year until 2032, with a buyout of $2 million.

A Massillon Perry graduate, Campbell would become Penn State’s 17th full-time coach. He would take over a team that missed big during the early signing period that began on Wednesday.

Penn State, the second Power Four program to fire its coach this season, signed only two players toward its 2026 recruiting class this week. The Nittany Lions have no commitments in the 2027 class.

Now, current Nittany Lions will have to weigh whether or not to stick around and play for Campbell, who’s done a lot with a little in Ames while reportedly passing on other job offers, including overtures from the NFL.

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Fielding wins HL Athlete of Year

The postseason honors continue to pour in for junior McKinley Fielding, as she can now add Horizon League Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year to her résumé, the league announced Thursday.

Fielding becomes just the second Penguin female to win the prestigious award, and the first since Morgan Cole in 2022. This marks the third-straight year that a Penguin has received a #HLXC Athlete of the Year honor, though, as YSU great Hunter Christopher won the Men’s Athlete of the Year award in 2023 and 2024.

At the Horizon League Championships on Nov.1, Fielding blazed through the field en route to winning the conference crown, as her winning 6K time of 20:10.9 was 36 seconds quicker than the second-place finisher, and also broke her previous program record mark in the event by 30 seconds. Her victory put her in YSU XC lore as she became just the second Penguin female to win the individual Horizon League title, joining Morgan Cole in 2022. She also received First Team All-Horizon League honors for the second consecutive year following the league meet.

Fielding also led the Penguins to their third Horizon League title in program history, and first since 2014. The Penguins had 54 points, followed by Purdue Fort Wayne with 74 points, and Oakland with 79.

On the season, Fielding was the top YSU finisher in each of the five races she competed in, including a victory on Sept. 27 at the YSU Invitational XC Meet, where she set a new course record 5K time of 17:35.5. She had an impressive 42nd-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships in Evansville, Ind., on Nov. 14.

Cavs fined again for resting players

NEW YORK — The NBA fined the Cleveland Cavaliers $250,000 on Thursday for violating the league’s player participation policy by resting All-Star guard Darius Garland for a nationally televised game against the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 24.

It is the second time this season the Cavaliers have been fined for violating the policy. They received a $100,000 fine on Nov. 18 for resting both Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley against the Miami Heat on Nov. 12.

The league said an investigation confirmed that Garland was able to play in one of the team’s games in a back-to-back set. He played on Nov. 23 at home against the LA Clippers but the not the next night in Toronto, which was carried by Peacock in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada. Garland is considered a star play under the policy.

The Raptors extended their winning streak to eight games with a 110-99 victory. Cleveland was also missing De’Andre Hunter (rest) and Jarrett Allen (sprained finger) for that game.

Slay contemplating football future

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Cornerback Darius Slay has put off reporting to the Buffalo Bills to instead take time to consider his future, the player’s agent confirmed Thursday.

“Slay is honored that a first-class organization like the Bills claimed him, but he is going to take some time away from football right now and decide in the next few days if he wants to keep playing,” Drew Rosenhaus wrote in a text to The Associated Press.

Slay has 13 seasons of NFL experience, and the decision to take some time comes a day after the Bills claimed him on waivers following his release in Pittsburgh. In his first season in Pittsburgh, Slay was inactive in two of the Steelers’ past three outings after losing his starting job.

He was cut to make room for the team claiming receiver Adam Thielen on waivers.

Slay was not present at Bills practice on Thursday, with the team declining to comment.

Complicating matters further, Buffalo (8-4) may have lost a player for nothing if Slay decides not to continue playing. In claiming Slay, the Bills released fourth-year defensive back Ja’Marcus Ingram, who on Thursday was claimed by the Houston Texans.

Slay, meantime, takes up a spot on Buffalo’s 53-player roster as the team prepares to host Cincinnati (4-8) on Sunday. The Bills regarded Slay as an upgrade over Ingram in a bid to add experienced depth to a position where veteran Tre’Davious White and rookie Maxwell Hairston have split time opposite starter Christian Benford.

The 34-year-old Slay was an All-Pro in 2017 while playing his first seven seasons in Detroit. He spent another five years in Philadelphia, where he won a Super Bowl last season.

Athletics’ Las Vegas stadium on track

LAS VEGAS — The Athletics are on track to open their approximately $2 billion Las Vegas stadium on time, officials said Thursday at the Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting.

The A’s, who are scheduled to move to Las Vegas before the 2028 season, met their year-end goals of beginning the concrete phase, having cranes in place and putting in the first buttress and concrete column.

A’s President Marc Badain also was instrumental in getting Allegiant Stadium built in time for the 2020 NFL season, when he had the same title with the Raiders. Mortenson-McCarthy built Allegiant and is the contractor for the A’s new venue.

Ceremonial groundbreaking on the 33,000-person capacity domed stadium located on the Las Vegas Strip occurred June 23. The A’s Ballpark Experience Center opened Tuesday in Las Vegas to give fans a chance to view the stadium in detail and take part in other immersive experiences.

The price tag has gone up considerably twice, rising from $1.5 billion to $1.75 billion to the current estimate. A’s vice chairman Sandy Dean indicated he didn’t expect the cost to increase much more.

Nevada and Clark County have approved up to $380 million in public funds for the ballpark, and the A’s have said they will cover the remaining expenses. Owner John Fisher has been seeking investors, but Dean said he didn’t have an update on that effort.

Steve Hill, CEO and president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said A’s officials have not yet asked for their share of public assistance.

This Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting occurred one day short of the one-year anniversary of when it approved lease, non-relocation and development documents, the last major hurdles before construction. The lease and non-relocation agreements each cover 30 years.

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