Newsmakers
Certified Rap mogul Jay-Z is now in the player agent business. He has been certified by the NBA players’ association, spokesmen for the union and Roc Nation Sports said Thursday. However, it’s unclear exactly what he can do. He would have to sell his minor share of the Brooklyn Nets before he can represent players, according to NBA rules, and a Roc Nation spokesman wouldn’t comment on whether that has been done. Jay-Z is friendly with a number of sports superstars and could quickly make Roc Nation a force in the agency field.
Awarded A Texas woman was awarded custody of her 9-month-old orphaned cousin whose mother was killed by former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher late last year before he turned the gun on himself. Jackson County Probate Commissioner Daniel Wheeler issued an order granting custody of Zoey Perkins to Sophie Perkins of Pflugerville, Texas, saying she was more suited than Belcher’s mother to be the baby’s guardian. Zoey was orphaned on the morning of Dec. 1 when her father, Belcher, fatally shot her mother, Kasandra Perkins, in the couple’s Kansas City home. Belcher then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and killed himself in front of coaches as they pleaded with him to put the gun down.
Agreed Penn State’s Bill O’Brien agreed to an amended contract that will raise his pay by nearly $1 million for his second season as football coach. Athletic director Dave Joyner said the new provisions in the contract were added to honor O’Brien’s “tremendous job with all facets of the Penn State football program,” one of which was an 8-4 record.
Signed The San Jose Sharks signed forward Raffi Torres to a three-year contract that will keep him off the free-agent market next month. Torres was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 5. Torres provided a spark after being acquired from Phoenix at the NHL trade deadline and had expressed a strong desire to stay in San Jose.
Acquired The Connecticut Sun acquired Kayla Pedersen from the Tulsa Shock for a second-round pick in next season’s WNBA draft. Ashley Walker was waived to make room for Pedersen.