FOOTBALL
Eagles' OL indicted
Josh Sills, a reserve offensive lineman for the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, has been indicted on rape and kidnapping charges that stem from an incident in Ohio just over three years ago, authorities said Wednesday. Sills, an undrafted free agent who appeared in just one game this season, was placed on the commissioner's exempt list. That means he can't practice, play or travel with the team as it prepares for the Super Bowl. The NFL announced the move Wednesday and said the issue is being reviewed under the league's personal conduct policy. The rookie, who played at West Virginia and Oklahoma State, was indicted Tuesday by a Guernsey County grand jury in Ohio and ordered to appear in court on Feb. 16, four days after the Eagles are to play the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. His attorney, Michael Connick, said the allegations are false and that Sills will be aggressively defended. Sills was listed as a backup guard and played just four snaps on special teams against the Cardinals on Oct. 9, the one game he played.
Rhule files suit vs. Panthers
Nebraska Coach Matt Rhule has filed an arbitration suit with the NFL against the Carolina Panthers seeking about $5 million in offset severance compensation, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Rhule was fired as Panthers head coach on Oct. 10. He has since hired high-profile New York City litigator John Singer of Singer Deutsch LLP to handle the lawsuit, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the arbitration suit has not been made public. Rhule was fired after Week 5 of the NFL season, less than three years into a seven-year, $62 million contract. He was 11-27 as head coach with the Panthers. He was owed approximately $34 million at the time he was fired by billionaire David Tepper, the NFL's second-wealthiest owner. Rhule returned to college coaching in November when he was hired by Nebraska, receiving a reported eight-year, $72 million contract that seemingly offset what the Panthers owed him. But the arbitration suit alleges the Panthers still owe him about $5 million because of how the contract with Carolina was structured.
Former NFL executive dies
Four-time Super Bowl-winning executive Bobby Beathard has died. He was 86. A spokesman for the Washington Commanders said Beathard's family told the team he died Monday at his home in Franklin, Tenn. Beathard was director of player personnel for two of the NFL championships by Miami in the 1970s and served as general manager for two more by Washington in the '80s. He also scouted for Kansas City when the Chiefs won the American Football League title and made the Super Bowl in the 1960s and was GM with San Diego when the Chargers got there in the '90s. Part of seven teams that made the Super Bowl during his lengthy front office career, Beathard was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
BASEBALL
Castillo loses arbitration case
The Seattle Mariners defeated Diego Castillo in the first salary arbitration decision this year, and the relief pitcher will get a raise to $2.95 million rather than his request of $3,225,000. Richard Bloch, Melinda Gordon and Brian Keller made the decision on Wednesday, a day after hearing arguments. A 29-year-old right-hander who made $2.15 million last season, Castillo was 7-3 with a 3.64 ERA and seven saves in 59 relief appearances, striking out 53 and walking 22 in 54 1/3 innings. The Mariners made the playoffs for the first time since 2001 and lost to eventual World Series champion Houston in the division series. Castillo signed with the Rays in 2014 and pitched for Tampa Bay from 2018 until he was traded to Seattle in July 2021. He is 24-18 with a 3.12 ERA and 35 saves in five major league seasons, and is eligible for free agency after the 2024 World Series.
BASKETBALL
Storm postpones NBA game
The NBA game between the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons scheduled for Wednesday night was postponed because the Pistons were stranded in Dallas amid a winter storm. The Pistons were unable to fly home to Detroit following their game Monday against the Mavericks, the NBA announced about 6 1/2 before tipoff. The league said the date for the rescheduled game would be announced later. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans, who are scheduled to visit the Mavericks tonight, said they would not fly into Dallas on Wednesday. Instead, the Pelicans, who visited the Nuggets a night earlier, were staying overnight in Denver with plans to travel to Dallas today, weather permitting. Traveling on the day of a game is unusual in the NBA. Visiting teams normally travel one or two nights before playing on the road.
Stewart leaves Seattle for NY
Breanna Stewart couldn't turn down a chance to play in New York and potentially help the Liberty win their first WNBA championship. The most coveted free agent this offseason, who won the WNBA MVP award in 2018, announced on social media that she was going to New York with a photo of her in a Liberty shirt on Wednesday. Stewart had spent her entire career in Seattle since the Storm drafted her No. 1 overall in 2016. She won two championships with the team in 2018 and 2020. The 28-year-old wing has averaged 20.3 points and 8.6 rebounds in her WNBA career. She missed the 2019 season with an Achilles injury.
Spectator dies after brawl
A brawl broke out among spectators at a middle school basketball game in northern Vermont, and a 60-year-old man who participated in the fight died, police said. State troopers were called to the Alburgh Community Education Center just before 7 p.m. Tuesday after a report of a large fight involving spectators during a seventh- and eighth-grade boys basketball game between Alburgh and St. Albans. The fight ended before troopers arrived, and many of the participants had left. Russell Giroux, of Alburgh, sought medical attention, police said. He was taken by ambulance to the Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, where he was pronounced dead. Jay Nichols, the executive director of The Vermont Principals' Association, said in a statement that the group, which oversees school sports in the state, had no information about the event beyond what the authorities provided.
Bobby Beathard, director of player personnel for the Miami Dolphins, is pictured, Jan. 23, 1975 in Miami. The four-time Super Bowl winning executive has died. He was 86. A spokesperson for the Washington Commanders said Beathard's family told the team he died earlier this week at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. (AP Photo)
FILE - In this July 30, 2016, file photo, former Washington Redskins general manager Bobby Beathard gestures during a press conference at the Redskins NFL football training camp in Richmond, Va. The four-time Super Bowl winning executive has died. He was 86. A spokesperson for the Washington Commanders said Beathard's family told the team he died earlier this week at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)