Newsmakers

Sued Former University of Louisville football player Patrick Grant of Sunrise, Fla., has sued the school and coach Charlie Strong and says he was coerced into covering up a beating in the locker room by a pair of teammates in 2010. Grant alleges two teammates beat him “so badly that he required immediate, urgent care and nearly lost his left eye.” Grant says that on the way to the hospital, the team’s trainer told him to lie about the beating coming from his teammates.

Transferring Michigan State basketball guard Brandan Kearney has decided to transfer. The 6-foot-5 Kearney is averaging 2.3 points per game and 16.9 minutes in the 2012-13 season.

Hired Division III St. John’s (Minn.) has hired assistant Gary Fasching to replace John Gagliardi, the all-time college football leader in coaching victories. He will succeed Gagliardi, who ran the Johnnies for 60 seasons and retired last month with a record of 489-138-11. Fasching was an assistant under Gagliardi for the last 17 years.

Hospitalized Retired boxing great Wilfred Benitez has been hospitalized in Puerto Rico after family members worried he might have suffered a stroke. Yvonne Benitez told the Associated Press that her brother will remain under observation for 72 hours. She said Friday that the family is awaiting medical tests results but that the 54-year-old Benitez is doing well and reading newspapers and magazines. Benitez is the youngest fighter to ever win a world title, at 17 years old, but he struggled with traumatic brain injuries later in life. He was previously hospitalized in October 1996 after being found unconscious at home and currently uses a wheelchair.

Knighted Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins and Olympic champion sailor Ben Ainslie were honored with knighthoods by Queen Elizabeth II in her New Year list. Wiggins became the first British rider to win the Tour de France, and won the Olympic time trial 11 days later in the London Games. Ainslie won his fourth consecutive gold medal to become the most successful Olympic sailor ever. Tennis player Andy Murray was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.