BASKETBALL
Olson among Hall picks
Longtime coach Lute Olson and the late Rick Majerus headline the 2019 class of six former players and three influential coaches selected Tuesday for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Joining them during the induction ceremony in November are former Indiana star Calbert Cheaney, Duke's Shane Battier, Purdue's Terry Dischinger, Ernie DiGregorio of Providence, UNLV's Larry Johnson, Stanford standout Todd Lichti and longtime Valparaiso coach Homer Drew. Former University of Arkansas Coach Eddie Sutton was a finalist but was not selected. Olson won 781 games during a decorated career at Long Beach State, Iowa and Arizona, taking the Hawkeyes to the Final Four and the Wildcats to a trio of Final Fours and winning the 1997 title. Majerus, who died in 2012, won 517 games at Marquette, Ball State, Utah and Saint Louis.
Wizards fire Grunfield
Ernie Grunfeld has been fired as president of the Washington Wizards after 16 seasons in charge of the team. The Wizards announced his dismissal Tuesday with four games left in a disappointing, no-playoffs season. Washington is 32-46 and in 11th place in the 15-team Eastern Conference. The club went 568-724 during Grunfeld's tenure with eight postseason appearances.
FOOTBALL
Cardinals sign CB Brock
The Arizona Cardinals have signed cornerback Tramaine Brock to a one-year contract. Terms of the deal announced on Tuesday were not disclosed. The 30-year-old Brock has played nine NFL seasons with Denver, Minnesota and San Francisco. He played seven seasons with the 49ers after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Belhaven College in 2010. Brock had a career-high five interceptions in 2013 and played 12 games with the Broncos last season, finishing with 21 tackles and 6 passes defended.
Harris skips workouts
Chris Harris Jr. skipped the start of the Denver Broncos offseason program Tuesday as he angles for a new contract. The Broncos became the fourth team to start their offseason program, which at this point is voluntary. One of the NFL's most versatile defensive backs, Harris is due $7.8 million next season in the final year of his team friendly, five-year, $42.5 million contract that he signed in 2015. The perennial Pro Bowl selection who is equally adept at playing the slot, on the outside or even at safety has said since the end of last season that he doesn't want to play in 2019 without an extension. General Manager John Elway, who signed two defensive backs in free agency to add depth behind Harris, is expected to begin negotiations with Harris' representative before the summer.
Former Aggie's son on trial
Prosecutors say house alarms and motion detectors indicate a Houston teenager whose father was a standout linebacker for Texas A&M before a brief NFL career fatally shot his parents. Jurors were told during opening statements Tuesday that no one forced their way into the home and that Antonio Armstrong Jr. was the only person detected inside just moments before the shooting in July 2016. The 19-year-old is charged with capital murder. Defense attorney Rick DeToto countered that investigators decided early on that the teen killed Antonio and Dawn Armstrong then contorted the case to fit their opinion. Antonio Armstrong was a first-team All-American who was taken in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft.
BASKETBALL
Bowman declares for draft
Ky Bowman is foregoing his senior season at Boston College and declaring for the NBA Draft. The point guard announced his decision on Instagram on Tuesday, calling it a "lifelong dream of mine to play in the NBA" and expressing gratitude to his teammates and coaches at Boston College. Bowman was an Associated Press All-ACC first-team selection this season. He averaged 19 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4 assists in an NCAA-high 39.4 minutes per game for an Eagles team that finished 14-17. Bowman also put his name in for draft consideration following last season but did not sign with an agent and eventually returned to school. He is expected sign with representation this time around.
FOOTBALL
AAF ends first season prematurely
SAN DIEGO -- The Alliance of American Football has ended its first season prematurely and told most employees that they will be terminated as of today.
Employees were notified of the decision in a letter from the AAF board Tuesday afternoon. The board essentially is majority owner Tom Dundon, who also owns the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes.
The letter, obtained by The Associated Press, gave no reason for ending the inaugural season, only that the decision was made "after careful consideration." It also said a small staff would remain to seek new investment capital and "restructure our business. Should those efforts prove successful, we look forward to working with many of you on season two."
The abrupt end to the latest spring league after just eight weeks stunned co-founder Bill Polian, the former NFL executive who built a Super Bowl winner with Indianapolis.
"I'm extremely disappointed," Polian told The Associated Press by phone from Charlotte, N.C.
"On the one hand it was kind of our wildest fantasies come true. It all came true and now it's all come crashing down."
Asked why the league was shutting down, Polian said he's heard "only that it's about the money. That's all."
The league had teams in Orlando, Atlanta, San Diego, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Birmingham and Memphis.
Several hours before the letter was sent, Memphis quarterback Johnny Manziel tweeted: "If you're an AAF player and the league does dissolve. The last check you got will be the last one that you get. No lawsuit or anything else will get you your bread. Save your money and keep your head up. It's the only choice at this point unless something drastic happens."
Manziel said in another tweet: "Just the reality of this unfortunate situation.. great concept, good football on the field and fun for fans to watch. Just not enough money to go around which has been the main problem with "other" leagues for a long time."
The letter said employees would be paid through Wednesday.
Sports on 04/03/2019