Associated Press
FOOTBALL
Browns hire firm to renovate headquarters
TAMPA, Fla. — The Browns aren’t just rebuilding their roster. They’re renovating their headquarters.
The team said Tuesday it has hired Westlake Reed Leskosky, a Cleveland-based firm to remodel its training facility and administrative building in Berea. Browns CEO Joe Banner wants most of the team’s employees working in one place, and there are currently some at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Banner said the Browns are looking forward to partnering with Westlake Reed Leskosky, which recently oversaw a major expansion project for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
The Browns’ complex, which was built in 1991 and includes an indoor field house and four outdoor field, was previously renovated in 1999 and 2009. Construction on the project will start next month and should be completed by mid-July.
Union leader: Players don’t trust Goodell
NEW YORK — Union leader Domonique Foxworth says NFL players don’t trust Commissioner Roger Goodell because of the Saints bounty case, in particular.
The NFLPA president added he wouldn’t be able to persuade players to have faith in the league even if he wanted to.
Speaking on a conference call Tuesday, days before union representatives meet with NFL officials at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, Foxworth returned to a theme he stressed at the NFLPA’s pre-Super Bowl news conference.
“It’s pretty obvious that there’s a gap in what would be a reasonable amount of trust ...” Foxworth said. “There’ve been a number of events to lead players to believe they cannot trust the league.
“There was a bridge beginning to be built and then there were some recent events that kind of broke that bridge again.”
Foxworth said the players are seeking checks and balances such as a neutral arbitrator to improve relations between the union and league. He cited the bounties and how former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was not “unbiased.”
Hawkins hired to lead Alouettes of CFL
MONTREAL — Former Boise State and Colorado coach Dan Hawkins has been hired to coach the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL.
He succeeds Marc Trestman, who was hired as the Chicago Bears’ coach last month. Trestman led the Alouettes to Grey Cup titles in 2009 and 2010 and was the CFL’s coach of the year in 2009.
Hawkins has never coached in the CFL. He was 19-39 at Colorado and 53-11 at Boise State and has an overall coaching record of 112-61-1.
Mike Miller, the Arizona Cardinals’ offensive coordinator last season, will be on the Alouettes’ coaching staff.
WRESTLING
Olympic controversy unites rival nations
TEHRAN, Iran — The caretakers of the Olympics may have inadvertently accomplished what has eluded diplomats: Galvanizing Iran and the U.S. on a common goal.
Wrestling officials from the arch foes appeared to be in bonding mode Tuesday on the sidelines of a Tehran tournament less than a week after the stunning decision by the International Olympic Committee that will force the ancient sport — as old as the Olympics themselves — to lobby for a spot at the 2020 Games.
Already, the fight to keep wrestling in the Olympics has brought the U.S. and Cuban federations into a possible alliance. But close cooperation between Iran and America would be an even more remarkable display of common cause with almost everything else driving them apart — led by an impasse over Tehran’s nuclear program and Western sanctions that have upended the Iranian economy.
It’s unlikely that any kind of wrestling detente would spill over into the wider issues, but it’s certain to at least draw attention to the power of sports as a low-risk icebreaker going back to the historic 1971 “pingpong diplomacy” between China and the U.S.
U.S. freestyle coach Zeke Jones, speaking to The Associated Press by phone from Tehran, said that officials from 10 of the world’s top wrestling nations will meet Wednesday in Iran. Delegations from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, the United States, Russia and Turkey will gather to discuss how to reverse the IOC’s decision.
Jones said that those countries were chosen because they finished in the top 10 in the freestyle competition at the 2011 world championships, the last time team scores were held at a major international meet.
BASKETBALL
Bynum plans to join 76ers before season ends
PHILADELPHIA — Andrew Bynum plans on making his season debut for the Philadelphia 76ers this year, though he’s still a week or two away from practicing with the team.
The 7-foot center has been sidelined by knee injuries since the Sixers acquired him from the Los Angeles Lakers last summer. He worked out for 80 minutes on Tuesday and said afterward his knees are feeling better, but he doesn’t expect to ever be pain-free.
“I’ll definitely be back sometime this year,” Bynum said. “I’m focused on getting back and being right versus trying to rush.”
Bynum’s timetable for a return has been pushed back numerous times since training camp opened with him off the court. He says he won’t rush his return just to help Philadelphia make a playoff push or to improve his status with his pending free agency.
Hiram women fall to DePauw at NCAC tourney
GREENCASTLE, IND. — The eighth-seeded Hiram College women’s basketball team had its season come to an end with a 72-35 loss against top-seeded and No. 1 nationally ranked DePauw (Ind.) University in a quarterfinal game of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday.
DePauw (26-0) was led in scoring by Savannah Trees with a game-high 14 points. Ali Ross and Alex Gasaway rounded out the high scorers for the Tigers with 10 points each.
The Terriers (9-17) were led by junior guard Danielle Day and sophomore guard Taylor Ratliff with seven points each. Day also grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
BOXING
Mayweather Jr. to fight May 4 on Showtime
Floyd Mayweather Jr. will fight Robert Guerrero on May 4, and he’s changing television networks to do it.
The biggest star in boxing dropped a surprise Tuesday while announcing his long-rumored next bout: After several years on HBO, Mayweather is moving to Showtime with a lucrative multi-fight deal.
Mayweather’s move is a coup for Showtime, the CBS-owned network that has always trailed behind HBO in boxing prominence. Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs) is the sport’s biggest moneymaker, and his new revenue-sharing deal with Showtime could include up to six fights over 30 months.
Cleveland fighter Bey tests positive after win
LAS VEGAS — Nevada officials have filed a complaint against boxer Mickey Bey after he tested positive for elevated testosterone before a Las Vegas fight earlier this month.
The Nevada Athletic Commission says the undefeated contender from Cleveland had a T/E ratio of more than 30 during a Feb. 2 super featherweight matchup against Robert Rodriguez at the Cosmopolitan casino.
An elevated T/E ratio suggests steroid use. Commission director Keith Kizer says Bey’s was one of the highest test results the commission has ever seen.
Kizer says Bey could face a temporary suspension later this month, and will be able to respond to the allegations possibly in April.
The 29-year-old Bey won the fight by a third-round knockout and has a record of 19-0-1.
COLLEGE
Miami receives notice of allegations from NCAA
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami has finally received its notice of allegations from the NCAA, marking the end of just one step in what’s already been a two-year probe of the athletic department.
Next up: The sanctions phase, where Miami’s penalties will be decided.
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