Newsmakers

Cut The Golden State Warriors have let go executive vice president of basketball operations Chris Mullin, nearly a year after the former star player apparently lost his authority to run the troubled franchise. Mullin will be replaced by Larry Riley, the longtime assistant to coach Don Nelson.

Recovering Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis has been released from a Dallas hospital eight days after his neck was broken when the roof of the team’s indoor practice facility collapsed during a severe thunderstorm.

Banned The Italian Olympic Committee’s anti-doping tribunal has banned Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde from competing in Italy for two years. The tribunal held a hearing in Rome into drug allegations against the rider. The panel’s ruling does not apply outside Italy.

Suspended French tennis player Richard Gasquet was suspended following a positive cocaine test and will miss the French Open. The International Tennis Federation expects to have a panel in place within 60 days for a hearing. Gasquet could face a two-year ban if found guilty. The 22-year-old player is gathering evidence to prove his innocence despite two samples testing positive.

Back Sidelined by shoulder surgery, Maria Sharapova wrote on her Web site that she will play her first competitive singles match in nearly 10 months at the May 18-23 clay-court tournament in Warsaw, Poland. The posting makes no mention of the French Open, the major championship played on clay that starts May 24.

Returning Mississippi State center Jarvis Varnado will return for his senior season after deciding not to turn pro. The nation’s leading shot blocker for two straight seasons will make a run at the NCAA record for career blocks in 2009-10. He is 19 blocks shy of breaking Shaquille O’Neal’s career SEC record of 412 and is 142 from passing the NCAA career mark of 535 set from 1999-2002 by Louisiana- Monroe’s Wojciech Mydra.