Newsmakers
Enacted Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly says the top-ranked Fighting Irish will have an early curfew every night they are in Miami preparing to play second-ranked Alabama for the national title. Kelly told the media Saturday he usually has a 2 a.m. curfew the first night or two on bowl trips so players can have fun. He says the curfew in Miami will be 11 p.m. every night, saying he has told the Irish (12-0) to approach the game as a business trip. The Irish play Alabama (12-1) in the BCS title game Jan. 7.
Sidelined Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio was a late scratch against the Phoenix Suns because of back spasms. He is considered day-to-day with the injury.
• Washington Wizards leading scorer Jordan Crawford did not play against the Chicago Bulls because of a left-ankle injury. Crawford is averaging 16 points per game this season, and 21.8 in his last six games.
• Atlanta Hawks leading scorer Josh Smith has a strained right hip flexor and did not play against the Indiana Pacers. Smith was injured on Friday in the Hawks’ 102-94 victory at Cleveland. He is averaging 16.6 points.
Returned Rutgers men’s basketball coach Mike Rice returned to the court after a three-game, 16-day suspension for inappropriate behavior and language. Rice held a walk-through session with his team in his first work since he was suspended without pay and fined $50,000 on Dec. 13 for a violation of athletic department policy. Rutgers (9-2) went 3-0 under associate head coach David Cox, capped by a 68-56 win over Rider on Friday.
Suing A young man who was paralyzed after diving into a mud pit during an extreme race near Flint, Mich., is suing the event’s organizers, claiming he was encouraged to take the plunge. James Sa of Rochester Hills, Mich., was paralyzed from the chest down in 2011 during the Warrior Dash in Genesee County. The Flint Journal says the lawsuit, filed Dec. 11, accuses a race emcee of encouraging runners to go head-first into the mud pit, although Sa had signed a document pledging he wouldn’t enter it that way.
Died Former Pittsburgh Steelers center and coach Chuck Cherundolo died from heart failure Friday in Lakeland, Fla., at the age of 96. Cherundolo played for the Steelers in the 1940s, taking a break to serve in the Navy during World War II. In 2007, the Steelers named him to their legends team, representing the franchise’s best players through 1970.
Canceled Aqueduct canceled Saturday’s card due to anticipated rain and snow showers in the New York area. Both Aqueduct and Belmont Park remained open for simulcast betting on out of town tracks. Live racing is slated to resume today.