Newsmakers

Announced Former welterweight champion Paul Williams’ promoter says the boxer is resting Friday night in Atlanta following surgery to stabilize his spine. Promoter Dan Goossen said the surgery lasted 6 1/2 hours. Williams, 30, severed his spinal cord when he was thrown from his motorcycle in Marietta, Ga., on Sunday Police said he was driving too fast for conditions. • New York Rangers forward Marian Gaborik will undergo surgery on his right shoulder that is expected to sideline the high-scoring winger for about five months.

Signed The Super Bowl-champion New York Giants and two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora ended their feud with a deal. The Giants announced that they signed Umenyiora to a restructured contract. Terms of the deal were not immediately available.

• The Minnesota Vikings signed first-round draft choice Harrison Smith to a four-year deal. The Vikings announced the signing without disclosing terms. The Vikings traded back into the first round to grab the safety out of Notre Dame with the 29th overall pick.

• The Norfolk (Va.) State Spartans say men’s basketball coach Anthony Evans agreed to a three-year contract extension that will take him through the 2016-17 season. Evans received a $50,000 raise to $175,000.

Awarded Kansas recruit Perry Ellis has been chosen the high school basketball player of the year by the National High School Coaches Association. The four-time Kansas player of the year led Wichita Heights to four straight Class-6A state titles. The senior forward averaged 25.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He surpassed former Jayhawks center Greg Dreiling as the career scoring leader in Wichita City League history, finishing with 2,231 points. Dreiling’s record of 1,888 points stood for 31 years.

Apologized Vanderbilt coach James Franklin apologized for what he calls an attempt at humor saying he considers the looks of an assistant coach’s wife before deciding whether to hire. The coach apologized in a string of comments on Twitter for comments he made Wednesday to a Nashville radio station, 104.5 The Zone. Franklin said on the show that he will not hire someone until seeing the man’s wife first to see if she looks like a “D1 recruit.” Franklin wrote on Twitter that his attempt at humor “fell a few yards short. I clearly used language that doesn’t reflect my views on women and I am SORRY!”

Interviewed A person familiar with the situation says the Bobcats met with Indiana Pacers assistant coach Brian Shaw about their vacant head coaching position. Shaw won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers – three as a player and two as an assistant coach.