Newsmakers
Retired Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent retired from football Thursday, saying “doing the right things in life” is more important as he prepares to defend himself against a manslaughter charge in a drunken-driving crash that killed a teammate. Brent is charged with intoxication manslaughter and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, though he could also get probation. Suburban Dallas police accused Brent of driving with a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit the night of the crash. He has also tested positive twice for marijuana while out on bond, and was briefly jailed after the second test. He is again out on bond, but under stricter conditions that include monitoring for drugs and alcohol, and is banned from driving.
Signed The Orlando Magic signed free-agent big man Jason Maxiell, adding a veteran presence to an injury-depleted front court. The 30-year-old Maxiell comes from the Detroit Pistons, where he appeared in 72 games last season. He was drafted in 2005 and has spent his entire eight-year NBA career with the Pistons.
• The Dallas Mavericks reached a deal with Samuel Dalembert, who will likely be their fifth starting center in the past five seasons. The 6-foot-11 Dalembert is known as a defensive-minded center with career averages of 8.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots per game.
Agreed The Los Angeles Kings agreed to an eight-year contract extension with Dustin Brown that will keep the team captain around through the 2021-22 season. Brown had one year left on his current deal.
Suspended Indianapolis Colts tight end Weslye Saunders received an eight-game suspension without pay after violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. League officials did not say what substance was found in Saunders’ test. He can practice with the team during training camp and can play in preseason games. He won’t be eligible again until Nov. 4.
Increased Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin will receive a $50,000 annual raise that will increase his yearly compensation to $1.35 million. Martin, whose contract runs through the 2015-16 season, is 39-28 at Tennessee and has led the Volunteers to National Invitation Tournament appearances in each of his two seasons.
Hired Southern Mississippi hired Bill McGillis as its new athletic director. The 50-year-old McGillis comes to the Golden Eagles after six years as an associate athletic director at South Florida. He worked mostly with the football, baseball and softball programs and also was responsible for marketing, ticket sales, licensing, merchandising and communications.