Off the wire

— FOOTBALL

Ravens, Rice reach deal

Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice shed his franchise tag Monday after reaching an agreement with the Baltimore Ravens on a five-year contract worth roughly $40 million. Had Rice not signed, he would have played the 2012 season under the $7.7 million franchise tag tender. Instead, he will get $17 million this year and $8 million in 2013. Baltimore has made the playoffs in each of Rice’s four seasons, twice advancing to the AFC title game. He earned his second Pro Bowl invite last year after leading the NFL with 2,068 yards from scrimmage, including a career-high 1,364 yards rushing. He also scored a career-best 15 touchdowns. Since being drafted out of Rutgers in the second round of the 2008 draft, Rice leads the NFL in receptions and yards receiving by a running back. He’s had 250 catches for 2,235 yards during that span. “This is another example of [owner] Steve Bisciotti’s commitment to the team and to our fans to retain our core players,” Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome said. “Ray has been an integral part of us earning the playoffs in each of his four seasons. His production on the field speaks for itself, and his leadership in the locker room is outstanding.” In 61 career games, he ranks second in franchise history in yards rushing (4,377) and yards from scrimmage (6,612).

Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte and the Chicago Bears have agreed to a four-year contract. The team confirmed the deal before Monday’s deadline. Had the sides not reached an agreement, Forte would have had to play next season for $7.7 million after being given the franchise player tag. The Chicago Sun-Times, citing an unidentified source, reported the deal is worth $32 million with more than $18 million guaranteed. “I’m proud to be a Chicago Bear and excited to be here for another four years,” Forte said in a statement released by the Bears. “I’m glad the business part is done and we can all turn our attention to football and our goal of winning a championship.” Forte made the Pro Bowl for the first time, finishing with 1,487 yards from scrimmage and 997 rushing. Forte led the league in yards from scrimmage before he was injured last season, and he ranks sixth in that category since the Bears drafted him in 2008. He is the only player in NFL history with at least 900 yards rushing and 400 receiving in each of his first four seasons.

Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee has signed a four-year contract reportedly worth $13.8 million, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid kickers. Had Scobee and the team not reached an agreement the veteran kicker likely would have signed a one-year tender worth $2.88 million. The Florida Times-Union reported Scobee’s new deal to be worth $3.45 million annually, with $4.75 million guaranteed.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant is free on bond after he was arrested on a misdemeanor family violence charge. Bryant turned himself in Monday afternoon to police in the southern Dallas suburb of DeSoto. His attorney, Royce West, says Bryant posted $1,500 bond after learning a warrant had been issued for his arrest. West said he was gathering details of the allegations and declined to comment further. DeSoto police said details would be released today.

Joe Paterno’s family Monday strongly denied the findings of a special investigator who concluded the late football coach and other top Penn State administrators concealed former assistant Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse of children in order to shield the school from bad publicity. In a statement, the family said its lawyers will conduct their own investigation of the scandal. “Our interest has been and remains the uncovering of the truth,” the statement read. The family characterized the 267-page report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who was hired by the university board of trustees, as “yet another shocking turn of events in this crisis” and said Paterno, who died in January at 85, did not knowingly protect a pedophile. Sandusky is awaiting sentencing after being convicted last month of 45 counts for abusing 10 boys. Freeh, citing e-mails and handwritten notes, concluded that Paterno intervened to stop a plan by three top Penn State officials to report a 2001 allegation against Sandusky to child-welfare authorities. The report also cited two e-mails that showed that Paterno knew about a 1998 allegation.

BASEBALL

Gamecocks hire Holbrook

Chad Holbrook was named coach at South Carolina on Monday, three days after his old boss Ray Tanner became the school’s athletic director. Holbrook said he’s not worried about living up to Tanner’s two national championships and six College World Series trips since 2002. Holbrook expects to call on Tanner to keep the winning going. “I’m not here to replace Ray Tanner,” Holbrook said. “No one can.” The Gamecocks won national championships in 2010 and 2011. They reached the College World Series championship round last month before falling to Arizona. It was the sixth time in seven seasons Holbrook coached in Omaha at the College World Series, getting there his last three seasons at North Carolina from 2006-2008. Tanner was elevated to athletic director Friday, taking over for departing AD Eric Hyman, who leaves later this month for a similar job at Texas A&M.

BASKETBALL

Nets sign Stackhouse

The Brooklyn Nets have signed veteran swingman Jerry Stackhouse. General Manager Billy King did not announce terms of the deal in releasing the acquisition Monday. Stackhouse appeared in 30 games with the Atlanta Hawks last season, averaging 3.6 points and 9.1 minutes. The 17-year NBA veteran did not appear in any of Atlanta’s six playoff games. Selected third overall by Philadelphia in 1995, he has career averages of 17.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 31.8 minutes.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin had arthroscopic surgery Monday to repair the medial meniscus tear of his left knee that he injured during practice with the U.S. national team in Las Vegas. He will miss the London Olympics, but the Clippers say he should be ready for the start of the NBA season.

BASKETBALL

Blair and Foster head Hall class

WASHINGTON - Coaches Gary Blair of Texas A&M and Jim Foster of Ohio State headline the 2013 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame class.

Joining them are Jen Rizzotti, Peggie Gillom-Granderson, Annette Smith-Knight and Sue Wicks. The class was announced Monday night during the U.S. women’s basketball Olympic team’s 99-67 exhibition victory against Brazil.

“That’s a heck of a class,” U.S. women’s basketball Coach Geno Auriemma said. “As you get older, people get inducted who you have a connection with. Coaches like Jim and Gary have maintained a high quality of work at different schools.”

Blair has won more than 620 games in his 27-year coaching career and is one of three coaches to lead two schools to the NCAA women’s Final Four, including his current team Texas A&M, which won the national championship in 2011. He led Arkansas to the Final Four in 1998.

“The honor is humbling, and I feel I should be thanking players, assistant coaches and administrators for their belief in me instead of receiving accolades for what I consider a team award,” Blair said. “The roll call of the people that are in the Hall of Fame is mind boggling. So many of them have helped shape my life in coaching as mentors, role models, and players I have had an opportunity to coach or compete against.”

Foster ha s won 765 games in his career and is just the second college coach to win at least 200 games at three schools - Ohio State, Vanderbilt and St. Joseph’s.

Rizzotti helped UConn to its first national championship in 1995 and a 35-0 record. She had 1,540 points, 637 assists and 349 steals in her career at Connecticut and was honored as The Associated Press Player of the Year in 1996. Gillom-Granderson played at Mississippi and is the Rebels’ all-time leading scorer (2,486) and rebounder (1,271). She joins her sister Jen Gillom as the only siblings in the Hall of Fame. Smith-Knight helped guide Texas to a 34-0 record and national championship in 1984. She’s the Longhorns all time leading scorer with 2,523 points. Wicks, who played for Rutgers, holds the school record for points (2,655), scoring average (21.2), rebounds (1,357) and blocked shots (293).

The six will be inducted next June at the Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn.

Sports, Pages 14 on 07/17/2012

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