Newsmakers

Pleaded ESPN sports personality Jay Mariotti pleaded no contest Thursday to one count of misdemeanor domestic violence in connection with an incident in August in which police said he grabbed and pushed his girlfriend. Los Angeles County Court Commissioner John Green agreed to dismiss the remaining six misdemeanor counts against Mariotti that included four domestic-violence related counts, grand theft and false imprisonment. Mariotti avoids jail time and was instead placed on three years’ probation and required to perform 40 days of community labor.

Committed High school guard Austin Rivers, the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, is headed to play basketball at Duke. Austin Rivers posted his intentions on his Twitter site and later made the announcement on ESPN, choosing Duke over Kansas and North Carolina.

Retired The University of Washington women’s basketball team has already lost a player before the 2010-11 campaign begins. Redshirt sophomore Liz Lay, who was a prized recruit from Oklahoma City, retired from the sport because of chronic knee injuries, the school announced. Lay missed most of last season with knee problems and has undergone multiple surgeries.

Awarded Soccer star Lionel Messi has been presented with the Golden Boot award for being the top scorer in European domestic leagues last season. The Argentine forward received the prize after scoring 34 league goals to help Barcelona retain its Spanish La Liga title. Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and Udinese’s Antonio di Natale were tied for second place with 29 goals apiece.

Sidelined The Carolina Hurricanes placed left winger Sergei Samsonov on injured reserve and said he won’t travel with the team to Europe. The Hurricanes said that Samsonov would be re-evaluated when the team returns from the trip. Samsonov injured his neck when he was tripped into the boards in a preseason game last week in Atlanta.

Extended American midfielder Stuart Holden agreed to a contract extension with Bolton, just eight months after joining the English Premier League club from Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo. The 25-year-old from Texas, who was born in Scotland, had been signed through this season. The club announced he agreed to a deal through 2012-13.