Off the wire

MOTOR SPORTS Johnson’s brother-in-law dies

A skydiver found dead after a collision with another parachutist in eastern San Diego County (Calif.) has been identified as the 27-yearold brother-in-law of NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson. The county medical examiner’s office says in a statement Monday that Jordan Jor-El Janway died Sunday while skydiving with two others at Jamul. Janway collided with one of the other jumpers during freefall, failed to open his parachute and impacted the ground. A statement posted on Johnson’s website said Janway was the brother of Johnson’s wife, Chandra. The statement asks for prayers and privacy. Skydive San Diego owner Buzz Fink told reporters the victim was a veteran of more than 1,000 jumps. The medical examiner has yet to schedule an examination of the body.

FOOTBALL Jackson meets Redskins

A person familiar with the situation said three-time Pro Bowl receiver DeSean Jackson planned to visit the Washington Redskins on Monday night and today. The person says the Redskins were one of several teams interested in Jackson, who was released Friday by the Philadelphia Eagles after a career-best season and amid reports of off-the-field concerns. The person spoke to The Associated Press Monday on condition of anonymity because the Redskins had not announced the visit. The Eagles had tried to trade Jackson and there were questions about his work ethic. He also upset the organization further when he lobbied for a new contact shortly after Philadelphia was eliminated in the playoffs. When Jackson was released, he issued a statement denying he was associated with gang activity.

The New York Giants re-signed defensive tackle Mike Patterson and added cornerback Zack Bowman on Monday. Patterson spent last season with the Giants after eight years in Philadelphia. He played in all 16 games for the first time since 2009 and made 35 tackles (22 solo). In nine years, Patterson has played in 131 regular-season games with 100 starts, and started seven postseason games. The Giants lost starting defensive tackle Linval Joseph as a free agent to the Vikings. But they still have Cullen Jenkins, Patterson, Johnathan Hankins and Markus Kuhn. Bowman played his first six seasons with the Bears. His career statistics include 151 tackles (131 solo), 10 interceptions, 19 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 5 fumble recoveries, 2 for touchdowns. He also plays special teams.

An attorney for suspended University of Washington quarterback Cyler Miles said he won’t be charged after being investigated in an incident following the Super Bowl. Attorney Mike Hunsinger said Monday he was informed that prosecutors did not have enough evidence to charge his client. The Seattle City Attorney’s office said Monday no charging decisions have been made and the school says Miles’ status with the football program isthe same. Miles and wide receiver Damore’ea Stringfellow were suspended indefinitely by Washington Coach Chris Petersen for violating team rules on Feb. 6. The school never confirmed the two players were under criminal investigation and Hunsinger didn’t elaborate on the probe. There was no word on Stringfellow’s status. Myles was the presumptive starting quarterback heading into 2014. Washington resumes its spring practices today.

Lonnie White, the former Southern California football player who worked as a Los Angeles Times sports writer for two decades, has died. He was 49. White died Saturday at Glendale Memorial Hospital, his sister Terri told the Times. He’d had a number of health problems in recent years, she said. White worked for the Times from 1987 to 2008. He covered UCLA and NFL football, Southern Cal basketball as well as the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Kings. He wrote the book UCLA vs. USC: 75 years of the Greatest Rivalry in Sports. White was a receiver and special teams player at USC, where he played under John Robinson and Ted Tollner in 1982-1986. He set a season record in kickoff return yardage that stood until 2010. USC athletic department spokesman Tim Tessalone called him one of the university’s “favorite sons.” White went to training camp with the New Orleans Saints before his football career ended. He was the subject of a 2010 Discovery Health Channel television show that documented his long struggle with hidradenitis suppurativa, a painful skin disease. In 2011, White wrote a confessional column for the online publication The Daily admitting that he took $14,000 in illegal payments during his USC career, mostly by selling game tickets allotted to scholarship players.

HOCKEY Sabres stick with Nolan

Buffalo Sabres Coach Ted Nolan will keep building what he started in Buffalo - minus the interim tag. Nolan is staying on as the head coach beyond this season after signing a three-year contract extension Monday. The deal comes 41/2 months after Nolan returned to Buffalo for a second stint - this time, initially, on an interim basis. And it’s a reward for Nolan, who has provided a spark to a young, patchwork lineup on a last-place team. The extension was more of a formality than a surprise. The two sides established the framework of a contract about a month ago and agreed to the deal in principle last week. Nolan took over in mid-November after Coach Ron Rolston was fired along with General Manager Darcy Regier after Buffalo got off to a franchise-worst 4-15-1 start. The Sabres (20-45-9) haven’t done much better at 16-30-8 under Nolan and are likely to finish in last place with only two weeks left in the season. Buffalo is 1-10-1 in its past 12 games in preparing to host New Jersey today. This is Nolan’s second stint in Buffalo. He went 73-72-19 in two seasons before leaving in the summer of 1997 because he was unhappy with the team’s one-year contract offer after being selected the NHL’s coach of the year. Nolan then spent two seasons coaching theNew York Islanders and led them to the playoffs in 2006-2007, before being fired after the following season. Nolan also enjoyed a successful stint at the Sochi Games, where he coached Latvia to an eighth-place finish - the country’s best in five Olympic appearances.

The Colorado Avalanche will be heading into their first postseason in four years without leading scorer Matt Duchene after the forward suffered a quirky left knee injury. Duchene hurt his medial collateral ligament when he ran into a teammate on the opening shift against San Jose over the weekend. He’s expected to miss about four weeks. The loss is a big blow for the Avalanche, who have turned things around in Coach Patrick Roy’s first season in charge and are in the running for home-ice advantage with eight games remaining. Duchene was trying to avoid a collision with teammate Jamie McGinn, but they awkwardly bumped anyway near the Sharks blue line. Duchene fell to the ice and then gingerly skated to the bench. McGinn said he’s called and texted Duchene, telling him to “stay positive.” Duchene, 23, has set career highs this season in points (70), assists (47) and shots (217). He missed three games earlier this season with an oblique injury. The team went 3-0 in his absence. For now, Roy said the plan is to move rookie Nathan MacKinnon to center to fill in for Duchene, with O’Reilly and McGinn playing on the wings.

GOLF Tournament staying in D.C.

Congressional Country Club members have voted to keep Tiger Woods’ tournament at its golf course every other year through 2020. The Quicken Loans National returns to Congressional on June 26-29. Club members voted over the weekend for the PGA Tour event to return to Congressional in 2016, 2018 and 2020. The vote was crucial to keep the tournament in the Washington, D.C., area. The Tiger Woods Foundation, which runs the tournament, said the 2015 event would be played at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va.