Panthers hire Hurney for second stint as GM
The Carolina Panthers rehired Marty Hurney as their fulltime general manager.
This will be Hurney’s second stint as Carolina’s general manager, having previously worked for the Panthers from 1998-2012, beginning as GM in 2002. Hurney also worked with the Panthers since last July as the interim general manager.
Panthers COO Tina Becker said Hurney did an “exceptional” job in helping the Panthers to an 11-5 season last year and that “Marty’s guidance and vision helped build the foundation for this team.”
The Panthers reinstated Hurney as interim general manager last week after an NFL investigation found no wrongdoing into charges of harassment by his ex-wife. Hurney had been on a paid leave of absence during the investigation . . . .
Free agent cornerback Vontae Davis met with the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders about upgrading their secondaries, according to a source. Davis is a two-time Pro Bowler who is on the open market after being released by Indianapolis . . . .
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired former NFL player Brentson Buckner as defensive line coach. Buckner spent the past five seasons as defensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals.
The Bucs also hired former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Stephen Nicholas as defensive quality control coach . . . .
More than 150 people didn’t learn they had bought counterfeit Super Bowl tickets until they arrived at U.S. Bank Stadium on game day, according to Minneapolis police. The number of fake tickets this year was seven times more than discovered at Houston’s game last year. People spent between $400 and $5,000 on the bogus tickets.
Pitino says sue
Former Louisville coach Rick Pitino believes the school should consider taking legal action against the NCAA after the governing body ordered the vacation of the Cardinals’ 2013 men’s basketball champion as part of sanctions for a sex scandal.
Louisville announced on Tuesday that the NCAA denied its appeal of sanctions that included vacating 123 victories and the return of about $600,000 in conference revenue from the 2012-15 NCAA tournaments. The school later removed banners of the 2013 championship and 2012 Final Four appearance.
Pitino said that the NCAA’s decision was unfair. The former coach did take responsibility for his assistant coaching hires. Asked about legal action, the Pitino says he was defenseless but that Louisville’s Board of Trustees should consider legal action “because the players deserve it.”
Tennis star testifies
Tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has taken the witness stand at a New York City trial to accuse the United States Tennis Association of negligence that led to her slipping on a locker room floor and hurting her head.
Bouchard testified a wet floor caused her to slip and fall inside a locker room at the 2015 U.S. Open. The fall left Bouchard with a concussion and “serious head injury.” Bouchard was forced to withdraw from the U.S. Open and other tournaments. She’s seeking unspecified damages. The 23-year-old Canadian is No. 116 in the world . . . .
The New York Red Bulls named goalkeeper Luis Robles as their captain . . . .
Brown University barred its men’s swimming and diving team from participating in this week’s Ivy League championships as it investigates allegations of hazing.