In Brief: Colts owner facing felony charges
NFL: Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay is known in NFL circles as a tough businessman and eccentric billionaire who enjoys interacting with fans about his beloved team.
He may end up adding convicted felon to the mix.
Irsay was pulled over near his home in suburban Carmel, Ind., just before midnight Sunday by police who said they found multiple prescription drugs inside his vehicle. He was spotted driving slowly, stopping in the roadway and failing to use a turn signal, and police said Irsay failed several roadside field sobriety tests before he was arrested.
The 54-year-old Irsay, who acknowledged a painkiller dependency more than a decade ago, faces preliminary charges of misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and four felony counts of possession of a controlled substance.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Andre Miksha said no decision had been made on formal charges and a hearing was set for March 26.
An NFL spokesman said Irsay is subject to discipline but didn’t elaborate on what that might be.
Authorities would not say what drugs Irsay was allegedly caught with, but they were listed as Schedule IV drugs by the Drug Enforcement Administration. That type of drug, which includes Xanax, Darvocet and Ambien, has a low risk for abuse or dependency, according to the DEA.
• Cowboys pick up Weeden: Dallas has signed quarterback Brandon Weeden even though they expect Kyle Orton to return behind Tony Romo next season.
A person with knowledge of the deal said Weeden signed a two-year contract. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not yet announced the deal.
• Giants make secondary a primary focus: A day after signing former Seahawks cornerback Walter Thurmond and Chiefs safety Quintin Demps, the New York Giants continued to be a player in free agency, signing cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, formerly with Denver.
Terms of the contract were not immediately available.
• Raiders, WR Jones agree to deal: The Oakland Raiders have agreed to a three-year deal with former Green Bay wide receiver James Jones.
Jones has 310 career catches for 4,305 yards and 37 touchdowns in 104 games over seven seasons in Green Bay.
Backes backs Blues’ victory over Jets
NHL: David Backes scored twice, and Ryan Miller made 16 saves as the St. Louis Blues beat the visiting Winnipeg Jets 4-1.
The Blues are 7-0-1 since Miller was acquired by trade from Buffalo. St. Louis has won three straight and eight of nine.
• Bruins extend streak to nine: Jarome Iginla scored two goals, Tuukka Rask stopped 33 shots, and the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins extended their winning streak to nine games with a 4-1 win over Minnesota in Boston.
Pacers stretch Sixers’ skid to 21 games
NBA: Lance Stephenson scored 25 points and the Indiana Pacers rallied from an early deficit to beat Philadelphia 99-90 in Indianapolis, handing the 76ers their franchise-record 21st straight loss.
Paul George had 24 points for the Pacers, who staked the Sixers to a 15-6 lead before pulling away.
Thaddeus Young had 23 points to lead the Sixers.
• Rockets rout Jazz: Terrence Jones scored 30 points and the Houston Rockets ended a three-game skid with their most lopsided victory of the season, a 124-86 win over the visiting Utah Jazz.
Dwight Howard missed his first game for the Rockets with an ankle strain.
• Cavs’ Irving sidelined: Kyrie Irving will miss at least two weeks with a strained tendon in his left biceps, a major blow to Cleveland’s chances of making the playoffs with only a month left in the regular season.
He’ll miss at least eight of the final 15 games, as the Cavaliers (26-41) try to clinch the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland begins the week 4 1/2 games behind Atlanta, and the Cavs have a difficult schedule ahead with Miami, Oklahoma City and Houston in town over the next five days.
Gators No. 1 in final Associated Press poll
Men’s basketball: Florida, the overall No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament, is on top of the AP’s final college basketball poll of the season.
The Gators (32-2) are No. 1 for the fourth straight week after capping the regular season with the Southeastern Conference tournament title. Florida, which has won 26 straight, received 50 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel.
The other No. 1 seeds are second through fourth. Wichita State (34-0) drew the other 15 first-place votes and is No. 2, followed by Virginia (28-6) and Arizona (30-4).
Unbeaten UConn closes season at No. 1
Women’s basketball: Connecticut finished No. 1 in the women’s college basketball poll for a record 11th time.
The Huskies received all 36 first-place votes in the AP Top 25. They were No. 1 all season, marking the fifth time they were the top-ranked team for the entire year.
Notre Dame (32-0) finished second as the Huskies and Irish became the 13th and 14th teams to enter the NCAA tournament unbeaten.
Southern Cal entered at No. 25, the school’s first appearance since 2011, while Bowling Green dropped out.