CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have released veteran Jadeveon Clowney after selecting two edge rushers in the NFL draft.
Clowney, the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft, had 5 1/2 sacks last season for the Panthers.
He had one year left on his contract.
The Panthers drafted Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton in the second round and Mississippi’s Princely Umanmielen in the third round in the NFL draft with an eye towards getting younger at the position.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is reducing its 20-game men’s basketball schedule to 18. That will give teams two more spots for marquee nonconference games in a bid to boost a league getting a dwindling haul of NCAA Tournament bids. That’s according to a person familiar with the decision. That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the league hasn’t formally announced the move. It comes after the league has spent the past two seasons examining how to improve its bid chances. The league had four this season for its lowest haul since 2013.… Continue Reading
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have signed goaltender Frederik Andersen to a one-year contract for next season that is worth $2.75 million. Andersen could earn up to $750,000 in incentives for games played and his participation in a potential run to the Eastern Conference final next year. Extending Andersen could give the Hurricanes a goaltending tandem with Pyotr Kochetkov for less than $6 million combined. The 35-year-old from Denmark has become coach Rod Brind’Amour’s trusted option in net. He is expected to return to the starting role at the beginning of the second round after getting injured in Carolina’s playoff-opening series against New Jersey.… Continue Reading
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Sovereignty outdueled 3-1 favorite Journalism down the stretch to win the 151st Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths in the slop. Trainer Bill Mott won his first Derby in 2019, also run on a sloppy track, when Country House was elevated to first after Maximum Security crossed the finish line first and was disqualified after a 22-minute delay. This time, he knew the result immediately. Journalism found trouble in the first turn and jockey Umberto Rispoli moved him to the outside. He and Sovereignty hooked up at the eighth pole before Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado pulled away.… Continue Reading
North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick has defended girlfriend Jordon Hudson for interjecting during a CBS interviewer’s questions about their relationship and said she was “simply doing her job.” The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach issued a statement through UNC on Wednesday. That followed an appearance on “CBS News Sunday Morning” to promote his upcoming book on his coaching life. In the interview, Hudson objected to a question about how the two had met. The 73-year-old Belichick said in his statement that the segment presents “selectively edited clips” to “suggest a false narrative” that the 24-year-old Hudson tried to control the interview.… Continue Reading
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sebastian Aho hammered a one-timer past Jacob Markstrom at 4:17 of the second overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 5-4 on Tuesday night to clinch their first-round playoff series. The score came with the Hurricanes on a four-minute power play on a double-minor high-sticking penalty by Dawson Mercer. Aho’s capper marked the only lead for the Hurricanes in a wild game that pushed them into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They’ll next play the winner of the Montreal-Washington series. Carolina won this game despite falling behind 3-0 in the first 10 minutes.… Continue Reading
It’s on to fall camp for the Atlantic Coast Conference and new North Carolina coach Bill Belichick. The Super Bowl champion coach with the New England Patriots came to college last December, taking over a Tar Heels program looking for ACC championships. Belichick was the buzziest offseason addition in the ACC. Stanford and interim coach Frank Reich made it through a chaotic spring following the March firing of coach Troy Taylor, who was twice investigated on allegations of hostile behavior. CFP teams in Clemson and SMU both felt like they built on playoff seasons from a year ago.… Continue Reading
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The New Jersey Devils had the top special teams units in the NHL this season. Things haven’t worked out so well in the playoffs, and they are now one loss away from elimination. The Devils were third on the power play at a franchise-record 28.2% during the regular season but went 0 for 2 in their 5-2 loss in Game 4 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday that dropped them to a 3-1 deficit in the first-round series. New Jersey is now 0 for 12 with the man-advantage against Carolina, which had the NHL’s top penalty-kill at 83.6%. New Jersey remained the only playoff team without a power-play goal.… Continue Reading
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A judge denied a preliminary injunction Tuesday filed in lawsuits by four college football players seeking an additional season of eligibility. Former Duke football players Ryan Smith and Tre’Shon Devones filed complaints in Durham County Superior Court earlier this month. Former Duke player Cam Bergeron and ex-North Carolina player J.J. Jones had a similar suit. The players’ lawsuits had claimed their careers were derailed by injuries, ailments and personal difficulties. Smith and Devones had competed in five seasons. Bergeron and Jones participated in four seasons across a four-year period.… Continue Reading
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Martinook scored a go-ahead shorthanded goal in the second period to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 3-1 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. Frederik Andersen had a big night in net with 25 saves and several big stops. Shayne Gostisbehere also scored in the second period for Carolina, while Seth Jarvis added a clinching empty-net breakaway goal. Jesper Bratt had New Jersey’s lone goal in the opening minutes of the game. Jacob Markstrom had 25 saves for the Devils. Game 3 is in Newark on Friday.… Continue Reading