Newsmakers

Agreed It’s official, free-agent left-hander Erik Bedard is coming back to the Mariners. General manager Jack Zduriencik announced the team and the oft-injured 30-year-old agreed to a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2011. The contract is expected to have a base salary a fraction of the $7.75 million Bedard made last season. It includes incentive clauses, the exact value of which were not immediately known.

He is rehabilitating with a physical therapist in his native Canada following surgery in August to repair a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder. It appears Bedard would make his season debut in June at the earliest.

Arrested Former football star Warren Sapp was arrested following an alleged domestic violence incident at a Miami Beach hotel, police said. Sapp was charged with one count of misdemeanor domestic battery and is expected to appear before a Miami-Dade County judge today. Shortly after police officials confirmed the charge NFL Network spokesman Dennis Johnson said that Sapp – who is an analyst – wouldn’t be part of the Super Bowl coverage for today’s game.

Promoted Boise State head coach Chris Petersen promoted Pete Kwiatkowski this week to take charge of the Broncos defense, a unit that ranked 14th in the nation last year in total defense and has been one of the stingiest in the Western Athletic Conference the last five seasons. Kwiatkowski, leader of the defensive line since 2006, takes over for Justin Wilcox, who moved on this week to take the top defensive job at Tennessee.

Reinstated Tennessee junior center Brian Williams has been reinstated to the Volunteers after he was suspended for a Jan. 1 arrest. Williams was one of four Vols players disciplined for drug, gun and alcohol charges stemming from a traffic stop and has not participated in any team activity since the beginning of the year.

Suspended The Chicago Bulls suspended forward Tyrus Thomas for their game against the Miami Heat for conduct detrimental to the team. Thomas’ suspension is another blow to a team that had lost three straight and was already short-handed up front for Saturday’s game, with Joakim Noah sidelined by plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

Traded The Oakland Athletics have traded left-hander Dana Eveland to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Eveland, 26, was designated for assignment by the club Monday. While he began and finished the 2009 season in the A’s rotation, he mostly pitched for Triple-A Sacramento.