Off the wire

FOOTBALL Stafford gets extension

Quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms on a $53 million, three-year extension to keep him under contract through 2017, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person, who spoke Tuesday to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the agreement has not been announced, said Stafford will make $41.5 million in guarantees as part of a new contract. Detroit drafted Stafford No. 1 overall in 2009 and signed him to a six-year contract worth as much as $78 million with $41.7 million in guarantees. After two injury-shortened seasons, he helped the franchise reach the playoffs two years ago for the first time in more than a decade. The Lions lost their last eight games last season and finished 4-12. Stafford threw more interceptions and had less than half as many touchdown passes in 2012 as he did the previous year.

A person familiar with the situation said Mississippi cornerback Carlos Davis has been suspended for six games next season by the NCAA after playing in six games in 2012 while academically ineligible. The person spoke to The Associated Press Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the university has not released the player’s name. Davis, 5-9, 163 pounds, was used mostly on special teams, making seven tackles and returning four kickoffs. Ole Miss self-reported the violation in April after being notified of the problem by the NCAA.

The family of a Mississippi football player who died following a workout in 2010 has reached a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit against the university and the NCAA. Bennie Abram III, a 20-year-old non-scholarship player from Southaven, Miss., collapsed during an off season workout and later died at a hospital in Oxford. An autopsy determined Abram’s death was caused by complications from sickle cell trait, which can alter red blood cells after strenuous exercise. According to settlement documents, the family will receive $50,000 from the insurance company for the university’s athletic foundation. The Abrams’ attorney, Gene Egdorf of Houston, Texas, said the family also will receive $275,000 from the NCAA’s insurance policy. The NCAA has a set of guidelines for institutions to follow regarding the training of athletes with sickle cell trait, including a “slow and gradual” preseason conditioning regimen and for athletes to “stop immediately upon struggling.” The lawsuit alleged that the first day of workouts was “carelessly and recklessly excessive,” especially for athletes with sickle cell trait. It also claims there was no evidence Abram was informed of his condition, and that he didn’t receive proper medical attention when he began struggling during the workouts, and was instead pushed to continue.

BASKETBALL NBA sets salary cap

The NBA has set next season’s salary cap at $58.7 million, paving the way for contracts to be signed starting today. The tax level is $71.7 million, with harsher penalties starting this season for teams that exceed it. Teams formerly paid $1 for every $1 they were over, but the penalties now start at $1.50 for teams up to $4.9 million over, with increases from there. The cap is a slight increase from this season’s $58 million. The mid-level exception for non-taxpayers is $5.15 million. It’s $3.2 million for teams over the tax, and there’s a mid-level worth $2.7 million for teams with room under the salary cap.

The biggest unresolved key issue of the Miami Heat’s off season reached a favorable conclusion Tuesday when Chris Andersen agreed to return on a one-year deal, according to a league source. The Heat preferred Andersen return for $1.7 million - the league minimum for a player with his service time, plus a 20 percent raise - but terms were not disclosed. Andersen, 35, had at least one offer that was more financially lucrative, according to a source, but decided to return largely because he enjoyed his Heat experience and wants to try to win another championship. He also will receive nearly $4.4 million next season from Denver, which used the amnesty provision on him last summer to purge his contract from its salary cap. Andersen averaged 4.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 14.9 minutes per game during the regular season, while shooting 57.7 percent.

The Houston Rockets talked too much too soon about Dwight Howard. A league spokesman confirms the team and its personnel were fined $150,000 by the NBA for comments made about the All-Star center during the moratorium period. Howard committed to leave the Los Angeles Lakers and join the Rockets on Friday, and Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey gave an interview later that night with Comcast SportsNet Houston in which he talked about the recruitment and landing of him. Coach Kevin McHale also discussed Howard over the weekend at the Orlando Summer League. Though free agency opened July 1, deals aren’t official until today, after the 2013-14 salary cap is set. ESPN.com first reported the fine.

The Golden State Warriors added some depth by reaching agreements with guard Toney Douglas and center Jermaine O’Neal on Tuesday, a person with knowledge of the situation said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because teams can’t confirm moves until the new league year begins today. Both are believed to be one-year contracts. Douglas, 27, played for the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings last season, averaging 7.5 points and 2.1 assists in 18.1 minutes per game. The Warriors are hoping O’Neal, 34, can be a backup.

HOCKEY Niedermayer, Chelios lead Hall class

TORONTO - Defensemen Scott Niedermayer and Chris Chelios, along with forward Brendan Shanahan will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

They’ll be joined in the class of 2013 by Geraldine Heaney, the third woman to be enshrined in the hall, and coach Fred Shero, who led the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975. He was selected posthumously in the builder category.

“There’s no sense looking back as to why it didn’t happen sooner, because today’s a happy day to celebrate the fact that a guy that deserves it immensely has finally been elected to the Hall of Fame,” Flyers chairman Ed Snider said.

Chelios and Niedermayer earned hockey’s biggest individual honor in their first year of eligibility. Shanahan was a teammate of Chelios’ in Detroit and played with Niedermayer during the Olympics in 2002 when Canada won gold.

“When you got to play with them, it was a thrill,” Shanahan said. “I spent some years playing with Cheli, and there’s not another guy that you would want to go into a tough situation looking out for you.”

The induction ceremony is scheduled for November.

Niedermayer won four Stanley Cups in 17 full NHL seasons to go along with a Norris Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy. He played for the New Jersey Devils from 1991-92 through the 2003-04 season and finished his career in Anaheim in 2010.

Chelios played 23 full seasons and parts of three more, taking part in his final NHL game at age 48.

“I was part of an era, Chris was part of a few,” Niedermayer joked.

Among the game’s best U.S.-born players, Chelios won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman three times. The Chicagoan split much of his career with three storied franchises in Montreal, Chicago and Detroit.

Shanahan finished his career with 656 goals and 698 assists. He won three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings, an Olympic gold medal and was the quintessential scoring power winger of his era. Shanahan started his career with the Devils, went on to play in St. Louis, Hartford, Detroit and for the New York Rangers before ending his playing career back in New Jersey.

Heaney was a defenseman on Canada’s gold-medal-winning team at the 2002 Olympics and is considered one of the best female players in history.