FOOTBALL
ULL hires new HC
Louisiana-Lafayette hired Arizona State offensive coordinator Billy Napier as its football coach on Friday. Napier replaced Mark Hudspeth, fired after the Ragin' Cajuns finished 5-7 this season. On Thursday, Hudspeth joined Mississippi State as associate head coach and tight ends coach. Napier spent one season at Arizona State. He was promoted to associate head coach and offensive coordinator last week after Herm Edwards was hired as head coach to replace the fired Todd Graham. Before his season at Arizona State, Napier was the wide receivers coach at Alabama, where he had two stints on Nick Saban's staff -- one in 2011 and another from 2013-16. Alabama won national titles twice while Napier was on staff with the Crimson Tide. In 2012, Napier was assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach at Colorado State. His other stops as an assistant included one at Clemson from 2006-2010. Napier was a star quarterback at Furman.
Ex-Vols staffer: Guilty
Chris Spognardi, former director of football operations at Tennessee, has pleaded guilty to a charge of official misconduct related to the handling of team travel expenses. Spognardi worked at Tennessee the first three seasons of former coach Butch Jones' tenure, and his responsibilities included managing cash expenditures for team trips. The charge against Spognardi involved the fabrication of receipts from those trips. His plea Thursday includes a restitution order of more than $14,000 to make up for money that was unaccounted for. The Knoxville News-Sentinel first reported Spognardi's plea and said a sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 9. Spognardi was placed on paid administrative leave in August 2016 and was fired December 2016 for what former athletic director Dave Hart termed "gross misconduct."
3 Cowboys out Sunday
Dallas defensive lineman David Irving will miss his second consecutive game with a concussion when the Cowboys visit Oakland on Sunday night, and cornerback Orlando Scandrick also is out again with a back injury. Linebacker Justin Durant also was ruled out Friday because of a concussion. Irving and Scandrick were injured in Dallas' victory over Washington two weeks ago. Irving played the entire game before being diagnosed with a concussion. Scandrick sustained a small fracture in his back and also kept playing before leaving the game. Irving is second on the team with seven sacks despite sitting the first four games on a suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Scandrick is the veteran leader in a young secondary. The Cowboys need a victory to maintain realistic wild-card playoff hopes in the NFC.
Chiefs' center on IR
The Kansas City Chiefs placed center Mitch Morse on injured reserve with a left foot injury Friday and elevated cornerback Keith Reaser from the practice squad heading into an AFC West game against the Chargers. Morse started all 31 games over his first two seasons before getting hurt Oct. 2 against Philadelphia. He missed five games before getting back on the field against Denver, and started four more games before he was carted off during the Chiefs' 38-31 loss to the Jets on Dec. 3. Zach Fulton has been starting in his place this season. Reaser spent 28 games on the 49ers' active roster the past two seasons, making 49 tackles and 5 pass deflections. He also can contribute on special teams. The Chiefs and Chargers are tied at 7-6 atop the division heading into tonight's game.
Saints WR Ginn to play
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Ted Ginn said he expects to play against the New York Jets despite being limited by sore ribs in practice this week. However, the Saints have ruled out starting linebacker A.J. Klein and defensive end Trey Hendrickson for Sunday's game after they both left New Orleans' Week 14 loss at Atlanta with injuries -- Klein with a sore groin and Hendrickson with an ankle injury. Left guard Andrus Peat also is listed as questionable with a groin injury that kept him out of last week's game. He practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday, but did not practice Friday. Ginn said he's had X-rays on his ribs, which were negative. Still, he sat out Wednesday's practice before returning on a limited basis Thursday and Friday. Ginn took a hard impact to his ribs from a Falcons defender's helmet while being tackled during New Orleans' 20-17 loss at Atlanta on Dec. 7. Ginn said the Thursday night game gave him a needed three extra days of rest leading up to this week's match-up with the Jets.
MOTOR SPORTS
Busch back with SHR
Kurt Busch will return to Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2018 season. Busch, the 2017 Daytona 500 champion, will start his fifth season with SHR with a new crew chief. Busch will be paired on the No. 41 Ford with Billy Scott, who takes over for Tony Gibson. Gibson will remain with SHR in a yet-to-be determined capacity. Busch is the 2004 NASCAR Cup champion and has 29 career victories. SHR had declined the 2018 contract option on Busch but the organization had said it planned to bring him back for another year. Aric Almirola, who replaces Danica Patrick in the No. 10 Ford, will be paired with crew chief John Klausmeier, a team engineer with SHR since 2009. Klausmeier served as an interim crew chief for a Busch victory in 2016 at Pocono.
Family can sue Stewart
A federal judge has ruled the family of a race car driver fatally injured when struck by Tony Stewart's sprint car can pursue its claims against the former NASCAR star. In a 28-page ruling issued Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge David Hurd dismissed Stewart's counterclaim and said the case was best left to a jury. Hurd concluded it was inappropriate at this early stage of the case to draw factual conclusions from competing evidence in the death of Kevin Ward Jr. Ward was killed in August 2014 at Canandaigua Motorsports Park after his car crashed into the wall lining the dirt track in upstate New York after a bump from Stewart's vehicle. Ward exited his sprint car and was walking in the direction of Stewart's car when he was struck and killed by the veteran driver. The family claims Stewart caused the collision by improperly maneuvering toward the victim after the race was placed under caution. In October, Stewart and his attorneys had requested that all but one of the family's four claims be thrown out.
GOLF
Rose leads in Indonesia
Justin Rose completed the final two holes of his second round early today for a 3-under 69 and a one-stroke lead at the Indonesian Masters at Jakarta, Indonesia. Rose, who had a first-round 62, was among a quarter of the field forced off the Royale Jakarta Golf Club course after weather delays on Friday. The Englishman, who bogeyed his last hole, had a two-round total of 13-under 131. Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who completed his 64 on Friday, was in second place. Brandt Snedeker withdrew with apparent heat exhaustion on Friday on the 11th hole of the second round. Ranked 51st in the world, he flew to Jakarta looking to move inside the top 50 by the end of the year and ensure a spot in next year's Masters.
SOCCER
Del Nero suspended
FIFA has suspended Brazilian soccer federation president Marco Polo del Nero for 90 days while he is under an ethics investigation. Del Nero has remained in power in Brazil despite being charged by American authorities with racketeering and money laundering in 2015. FIFA said Del Nero has been provisionally banned from all soccer activities as formal ethics investigation proceedings are conducted. Del Nero fled Zurich in May 2015 when FIFA colleagues were arrested, quit the executive committee of soccer's governing body after missing meetings and was then indicted in the United States in December 2015. He has not been extradited from Brazil to face the charges.
Sports on 12/16/2017