FOOTBALL
Tampa re-signs QB Gabbert
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have re-signed free agent backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert to a one-year contract. The 10th-year veteran spent all of last season on injured reserve after hurting his shoulder during the preseason. Gabbert signed with the Bucs last year after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals, where he played for Coach Bruce Arians in 2017. He entered the NFL as the 10th overall pick of the 2011 draft and has started 48 of 56 games he's played, throwing for 9,036 yards, 48 touchdowns and 47 interceptions.
Niners sign two free agents
Wide receiver Travis Benjamin and offensive lineman Tom Compton have signed one-year deals with the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. Benjamin is a ninth-year pro who has caught 19 touchdown passes and returned four punts for scores in his eight NFL seasons in Cleveland (2012-15) and with the Chargers (2016-19). His 2019 season was cut short by a thigh injury. Also a ninth-year pro, Compton is joining his sixth team in the last six seasons. After playing for Washington from 2012-15, Compton played in Atlanta (2016), Chicago (2017), Minnesota (2018) and for the Jets last year. Compton has played in 101 career games, including 14 for the Jets, five of them starts.
Lions agree to deal with CB
The Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with free agent cornerback Darryl Roberts. The Lions announced the move Friday. Roberts spent the past four seasons with the New York Jets. Roberts has started 10 games in each of the past two seasons. He joins a Detroit secondary that is moving on without star cornerback Darius Slay, who was traded to Philadelphia last month. The Lions also acquired cornerback Desmond Trufant this offseason.
BASKETBALL
NC State case moves forward
North Carolina State's NCAA case involving recruiting violations tied to former Wolfpack one-and-done star Dennis Smith Jr. has been recommended to go through an independent investigation process created for complex cases. In a statement Friday, athletics spokesman Fred Demarest said the school must respond by April 14 to the recommendation. Demarest said officials are "reviewing and evaluating our options." The NCAA created the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) last year, a product of proposals from the commission led by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2018 to reform college basketball amid a federal corruption investigation into the sport. The process includes independent investigators and decision-makers with no direct ties to NCAA member schools, and rulings cannot be appealed. The NCAA announced last month that Memphis' case involving star freshman basketball player James Wiseman would go that route, becoming the first to enter the process. N.C. State was charged last summer with four violations, including former Coach Mark Gottfried being charged individually under the provision of head-coach responsibility for violations within his program.
Iowa forward transferring
Cordell Pemsl is planning to leave Iowa and play his final season at another school as a graduate transfer. The 6-foot-8, 248-pound forward averaged 5.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists over 96 career games. Pemsl, who had three major surgeries over the last six years, was a reserve exclusively after starting 14 games as a freshman. He did not say where he hopes to play.
Sports on 04/04/2020