Off the wire

FOOTBALL

Haden gets hefty contract

The agent for cornerback Joe Haden told The Associated Press that the Cleveland Browns have signed the Pro Bowl cornerback to a five-year, $68 million contract. Agent Drew Rosenhaus said Monday that Haden’s deal includes $45 million in guaranteed money. The agreement surpasses the total value of the four-year, $57 million extension Richard Sherman signed with the Seattle Seahawks last week. One of the AFC’s top corners, Haden made his first Pro Bowl last season, his fourth with Cleveland. The Browns have not yet announced the signing. Signing Haden to a long-term deal was a priority for Cleveland in this offseason. During the draft, the team selected Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert early in the first round to play opposite Haden.

Former Texas defensive tackle Chris Whaley and running back Ben Malena of Texas A&M are among 24 undrafted free agents signed by the Dallas Cowboys. Whaley followed the same path to the NFL as new teammate Henry Melton. Both were recruited to Texas as running backs and became defensive linemen. Melton signed with the Cowboys as a free agent after starting for Chicago. Malena was one of the running backs behind quarterback Johnny Manziel with the Aggies. The Cowboys signed five offensive linemen, four defensive backs and three linebackers. They added a fifth quarterback in West Texas A&M’s Dustin Vaughan. With nine draft picks, Dallas is adding 33 rookies to the roster. The Cowboys released six veterans to make room for them.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have taken another step toward parting ways with suspended receiver Justin Blackmon. The Jaguars removed Blackmon’s name plate from atop his locker, the latest indication that he has no future with the franchise. General Manager Dave Caldwell hinted during the draft that the team will cut Blackmon when and if he gets reinstated. The 2012 first-round draft pick is suspended indefinitely for repeated violations of the league’s substance-abuse policy.

BASEBALL

Infante heads to DL

The Kansas City Royals placed second baseman Omar Infante on the disabled list with a lower back injury and selected the contract of infielder Pedro Ciriaco from Class AAA Omaha before their game Tuesday night against Colorado. Infante has been dealing with disc irritation. His move to the DL was retroactive to May 7. Ciriaco began the season on the 40-man roster and appeared in a game April 2 against Detroit as a pinch runner. He was designated for assignment April 5, and was hitting .305 with 6 doubles, 1 triple and 1 home run in 19 games for Omaha. For the time being, the Royals are sticking with third baseman Mike Moustakas, who has been slumping all season. There had been speculation that he would be sent to Omaha this week.

One slugger back, one slugger down for the Milwaukee Brewers. Outfielder Ryan Braun has been activated from the 15-day disabled list after being sidelined with a right oblique strain. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez was placed on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. He got hurt fielding a bouncer in Saturday night’s 5-4 victory over the Yankees. Milwaukee on Tuesday also optioned outfielder Caleb Gindl back to Class AAA Nashville and recalled utilityman Elian Herrera, who was batting .359 in the minors.

Slugger Yulieski Gourriel has become the third Cuban baseball player to legally join a foreign team under a law passed by the talent-rich communist island last year. The 30-year-old infielder signed Monday with Japan’s Yokohama Dena Baystars for one season, for an amount he declined to disclose. Gourriel told The Associated Press he would arrive in Japan by the end of the month. Gourriel played for Cuba in three World Baseball Classics and has a .336 average and 258 home runs over 13 seasons in Cuba. Cuban defectors have become some of the best players in the major league but only two have been formally allowed to play overseas under the new law. Cuba has not specified how much of the legal players’ earnings go to the government.

BASKETBALL

GM: Irving not responsible

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ general manager said All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving had nothing to do with coach Mike Brown’s firing. David Griffin was promoted from interim GM on Monday by owner Dan Gilbert. He said Irving was not consulted on Brown’s future and any insinuation that he pushed to have him fired is “patently false.” Brown was dismissed for the second time by the Cavs, who went 33-49 this season and missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. Brown previously coached the Cavs from 2005 to 2010, guiding the team to the finals in 2007. Griffin has begun looking for a coach, Cleveland’s third in three years. He did not mention any potential candidates and said there is no timetable to make a hire.

MOTOR SPORTS

Allgaier out of Showdown

Accidents in three of the past four races have led HScott Motorsports to pull rookie Justin Allgaier from the entry list for the Sprint Showdown. Allgaier will watch Friday night’s qualifier at Charlotte Motor Speedway from the sidelines, and will not have a chance to race his way into the Sprint All-Star race. The top two finishers in the Showdown advance to Saturday night’s $1 million main event. Allgaier said his HScott team needs to regroup and focus on next week’s Coca-Cola 600, the longest race on the NASCAR schedule. By skipping the Showdown, the crew can work on building cars and concentrate on preparations for the May 25 race.

BASKETBALL

Sterling is ‘reaching,’ Magic says

LOS ANGELES — An interview that was supposed to be an attempt at rehabilitation instead had Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling facing fresh rebukes as he went from apologizing for recent racist remarks to slamming Magic Johnson, repeatedly bringing up the ex-NBA star’s HIV status and calling him an unfit role model for children.

“He’s got AIDS!” Sterling said loudly at one point in the interview, cutting off CNN’s Anderson Cooper as the interviewer attempted to cite Johnson’s accomplishments after Sterling asked, “What has he done, big Magic Johnson, what has he done?”

Johnson, who appeared Tuesday on Cooper’s show to reply, wrote on his Twitter account that “I’d rather be talking about these great NBA Playoffs than Donald Sterling’s interview.”

In an early excerpt from Johnson’s interview posted on CNN’s website, the former Lakers star said Sterling is “upset.”

“He’s reaching,” Johnson said. “He’s trying to find something that he can grab on to help him save his team. And it’s not going to happen. … I’m a God-fearing man and I’m going to pray for him and hope things work out for him.”

Sterling’s comments earned quick condemnation from the league that was already trying to rid itself of the owner.

Commissioner Adam Silver, who gave Sterling a lifetime ban and $2.5 million fine two weeks ago, issued a statement saying, “while Magic Johnson doesn’t need me to, I feel compelled on behalf of the NBA family to apologize to him that he continues to be dragged into this situation and be degraded by such a malicious and personal attack.”

“The NBA Board of Governors is continuing with its process to remove Mr. Sterling as expeditiously as possible,” the commissioner added.

Sterling’s estranged wife, Shelley Sterling, watched her husband’s interview and told NBC’s Today show that he may be losing his mental faculties.

“He’s not the man I know, or I knew,” she said. “There’s something wrong. I really think, personally, he has dementia.”

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