Newsmakers

Retiring Veteran safety Brian Dawkins is retiring from the NFL after 16 seasons. Dawkins posted the news on his Twitter account Monday, thanking the teams he played for, his coaches and teammates, and fans. Dawkins spent his first 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and his last three with the Denver Broncos. He suffered a serious neck injury in December that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Expanded The NFL has expanded rosters for the offseason and preseason to 90 players. Previously, the limit was 80, but the league’s management council voted to increase it. The first cutdown, in late August, will be to 75, with the final cut after the last of four preseason games bringing rosters to 53. Only the 51 highest-paid players count toward the salary cap.

Denied The New Orleans Saints are denying an anonymously sourced ESPN report alleging that general manager Mickey Loomis’ booth was wired so he could listen to opposing coaches’ radio communications during games in the Superdome between 2002 and 2004. ESPN could not determine if the system was ever used.

Released The Green Bay Packers have released veteran left tackle Chad Clifton. It was not immediately clear whether Clifton will retire. Clifton has been the Packers’ primary left tackle since 2000, starting 160 regular-season games in 12 seasons.

Granted Connecticut has confirmed that basketball players Michael Bradley and Roscoe Smith have both been released from their scholarships, a move that will allow them to transfer. The pair would become the fourth and fifth underclassmen to leave the program since the NCAA turned down a waiver request that would have allowed UConn to play in the 2013 NCAA tournament despite failing to meet academic qualifications.

Fired Men’s basketball coach Seth Greenberg was fired by Virginia Tech, a decision athletic director Jim Weaver said he and basketball administrator Tom Gabbard arrived at last week as they assessed the state of the program. The discussion came after a second assistant coach in two weeks, and sixth in four years, announced that he was leaving Greenberg’s staff, this time to take an assistant’s job at ACC rival Clemson.

Died Track and Field legend LeRoy Walker, the first African-American to head the U.S. Olympic Committee and coach an American Olympic team, has died in Durham, N.C. He was 93. No cause of death was given. Walker led the U.S. Olympic Committee from 1992-96, shepherding the Games played in Atlanta. He also coached the U.S. track team in 1976, which brought home 22 medals.