FOOTBALL
MSU to fire Tucker
Michigan State Athletic Director Alan Haller has informed suspended football Coach Mel Tucker he is being fired for cause without compensation for his conduct with activist and rape survivor Brenda Tracy. Haller said Monday that the notice provides Tucker with seven calendar days to respond and present reasons to him and the interim president as to why he should not be terminated for cause. Tucker is in the third year of a 10-year, $95 million contract. Haller says the decision does not affect the ongoing investigation into Tracy's allegations of sexual harassment. Tracy said Tucker sexually harassed her during a phone call in April 2022. Several months later, Tracy filed a complaint with the school's Title IX office and the investigation was completed in July. A hearing is scheduled for the week of Oct. 5 to determine if Tucker violated the school's sexual harassment and exploitation policy and a ruling could take up to 60 days. Tracy's allegations were made public by USA Today earlier this month. The 51-year-old Tucker, who said he is estranged from his wife and has two children, said the allegations against him are "completely false." Tucker insisted that the intimate phone call he had with Tracy was consensual and outside the scope of both Title IX and school policy.
Mahomes, Chiefs restructure
Two people familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday that the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes had agreed to a restructured contract. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the contract. Mahomes was signed to a 10-year, $450 million deal that would have kept him under contract through the 2031 season. At the time, Mahomes set the market for quarterback pay, but he has been passed over several times as the market inflated. The rapidly inflating quarterback contracts began with Deshaun Watson's $230 million deal with Cleveland last year. Jalen Hurts then agreed to a $255 million contract with the Eagles, the Ravens' Lamar Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million extension, and then Justin Herbert reached a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the AFC West-rival Chargers. Then, just over a week ago, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow -- one of Mahomes' burgeoning rivals -- signed a five-year, $275 million contract making him the NFL's highest-paid player on an annual basis at $55 million per year.
Baker goes on IR
Two-time All-Pro safety Budda Baker has been placed on injured reserve following a hamstring injury suffered last week during practice, adding more adversity for the winless Arizona Cardinals. Baker was inactive for the Cardinals on Sunday during a 31-28 loss to the New York Giants. The Cardinals blew a 21-point third-quarter lead in the game, which was the biggest collapse for the franchise since 2011. Baker will miss at least the next four games. The Cardinals are already without franchise quarterback Kyler Murray, who is still recovering from an ACL injury in his right knee suffered last season. Baker has been a productive and durable player for the Cardinals over the past seven seasons and is known for his physicality despite a relatively small stature at 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds. He had 111 tackles and two interceptions last season. After putting Baker on injured reserve, the Cardinals signed safety Qwuantrezz Knight from the San Francisco 49ers practice squad and put him on the active roster.
Brown's mother found dead
Authorities searched Monday for a former NFL player after his 73-year-old mother's body was found near a creek behind her suburban Chicago home. Relatives told officers Saturday in Maywood that they could not find Sergio Brown, 35, or Myrtle Brown, police said. Officers found Myrtle Brown's body, and a medical examiner determined Sunday that she had been injured during an assault. Sergio Brown played defensive back from 2010 through 2016 with the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills. He graduated from Proviso East High School in Maywood and attended the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.
Trial on Smith's shooting delayed
A long-awaited retrial has been delayed for the man who fatally shot former NFL star Will Smith in a confrontation after a 2016 traffic crash. Cardell Hayes had been scheduled for a retrial Monday. But after meeting in chambers with prosecutors and defense attorneys, the judge announced the latest delay. A hearing is set for Wednesday. Hayes was first convicted of manslaughter in 2016 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. But his conviction on a 10-2 jury vote was tossed in January 2021 after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed nonunanimous verdicts. Hayes has insisted he shot Smith in self-defense. His retrial has been delayed multiple times for a variety of reasons including the covid-19 pandemic.
Nebraska loses RBs
Nebraska has lost top running backs Gabe Ervin Jr. and Rahmir Johnson to season-ending injuries. Coach Matt Rhule made the announcement Monday. Ervin dislocated his shoulder and Johnson dislocated his hip in the Cornhuskers' 35-11 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday. Both will require surgery. Ervin started the Huskers' first two games and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Johnson started against Northern Illinois and has had 12 carries for 65 yards. Anthony Grant will move to the top of the depth chart for Saturday's home game against Louisiana Tech.
BASEBALL
Brewers stadium upgrades proposed
Republican legislators have announced a bill that would devote more than $614 million in public funding to repair and renovate the Milwaukee Brewers' stadium. That amount is far more than the $392 million in taxpayer money spent to build the stadium more than two decades ago. Under the proposal outlined Monday, the state would give the team $60.8 million next fiscal year and up to $20 million each year after that through 2045-46. The city of Milwaukee would contribute a total of $202 million and Milwaukee County would kick in $135 million by 2050. The team, which Forbes values at at $1.6 billion, would contribute about $100 million and extend its lease at American Family Field through 2050. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said "it's a win for Wisconsin" at a news conference at the stadium.
Perez on concussion list
The Royals placed All-Star catcher Salvador Perez on the seven-day concussion list Monday. The move came two days after Perez left a game against the Astros with what the club called a non-concussive head impact. The Royals made the move before opening a three-game series against the Guardians. They selected the contract of Tyler Cropley from Class AAA Omaha in a corresponding move and transferred fellow catcher Freddy Fermin to the 60-day injured list. Perez is hitting .252 with 21 homers and 72 RBI for the Royals this season.