Newsmakers

Fri., April 22, 2011

Guilty Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Johnny Jolly pleaded guilty to a drug possession charge Thursday and was sentenced to probation after striking a deal with prosecutors that wipes out a similar charge and spares him any time in prison unless he stumbles again. Jolly had faced up to 20 years in prison if he had been convicted of possessing at least 200 grams of codeine, a controlled substance, after being arrested outside a Houston club three years ago. He pleaded guilty to the 2008 charge while a drug charge from March, in which he was also accused of possessing codeine, was dropped.

Suspended Anaheim Ducks left winger Jarkko Ruutu was suspended for one game by the NHL for a late hit on Nashville’s Martin Erat during Wednesday night’s Game 4 of their Western Conference playoff series. Ducks star Bobby Ryan will be back in the lineup tonight after serving a two-game suspension for stomping on Predators defenseman Jonathon Blum’s foot in Game 2.

Hired UCLA has named Cori Close as its women’s basketball coach, giving the former Bruins assistant her first head coaching job. Close was introduced by athletic director Dan Guerrero as the successor to Nikki Caldwell, who resigned to take the LSU job earlier this month. Close spent the past seven seasons as an assistant at Florida State. The Seminoles advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of her seasons and won at least 20 games in all but one.

Declared Standout Michigan sophomore guard Darius Morris has submitted his name for the NBA draft, though he has not hired an agent. Morris is eligible to return for his junior season if he withdraws his name from draft consideration by May 8.

Named Veteran marketing executive Laurel J. Richie was hired to lead the WNBA on Thursday, becoming the league’s third president as it enters its 15th season.

Richie brings more than three decades of experience in consumer marketing, corporate branding, public relations and corporate management, NBA commissioner David Stern said.

Died Lynn Chandnois, a 1950s special teams star for the Pittsburgh Steelers whose average on kickoff returns ranks second only to Gale Sayers in NFL history, died Tuesday in Flint, Mich., where he lived. He was 86. Other details were not disclosed.

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Newsmakers

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

Mark Few reveals Gonzaga 'sliding doors' moment one day before Tommy Lloyd leads Arizona into Final Four

WSU QBs Caden Pinnick, Owen Eshelman go throw-for-throw at open practice in Spokane

Jo Adell robs 3 home runs as Angels stun Seattle Mariners