The revivals
COLLEGES: Michigan State, already reeling from the scandal involving gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar who molested young athletes, maintained ties to prominent Chicago-area club volleyball coach Rick Butler long after he was publicly accused in 1995 of sexually abusing and raping six underage girls he trained in the 1980s, the Associated Press reported. Advocates for the accusers revealed the school has been under pressure for at least a year to sever its relationship with Butler, whose training facilities have been a longtime pipeline for top volleyball recruits, including Michigan State. Butler’s accusers allege that he threatened to use his national influence to thwart their college prospects if they did not accept his advances. USA Volleyball in December banned Butler from its events for life, and the Amateur Athletic Union stripped him of his membership this year . ... Montana QB Gresch Jensen will transfer, the school announced. Jensen threw for 2,531 yards with 20 TDs as a redshirt freshman last season after starter Reese Phillips suffered a broken leg.
GOLF: Bernhard Langer announced that he will not be able to defend his Senior PGA Championship title May 24-27 in Benton Harbor, Mich., because his youngest son, Jason, will be graduating from high school that weekend.
NBA: The Nets hired former NBA player and Argentine guard Pablo Prigioni as an assistant coach and former Spurs C Tiago Splitter as a pro scout.
NFL: The Browns “definitely” are considering selecting Oklahoma QB and Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield with the
Even as the PGA Tour gets younger, five players in their 40s managed to win.
Phil Mickelson tops the list. Ian Poulter isn’t too far behind.
His victory drought approaching five years, Mickelson was on the verge of falling out of the top 50 in the world for the first time in 25 years when he ran off four consecutive top 10s, the last one a playoff victory in the Mexico Championship.
Poulter had gone more than six years without a win, would have lost his full PGA Tour card last year except for a clerical error and then was told at the Dell Match Play that he was in the Masters, when in fact he needed to win one more match (which he lost badly). Poulter opened with a 73 the following week in Houston, answered with rounds of 64-65, made a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th to force a playoff and won on the first extra hole to get into the Masters.
Those victories will go a long way in getting Mickelson and Poulter to France in the fall as captain’s picks if they don’t qualify for their Ryder Cup teams. But it’s early. Even though one half of the season is gone, the bigger half is coming up. No. 1 overall pick in Thursday night’s draft, ESPN reported. The Browns also own the No. 4 overall pick . ... Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski announced on Instagram that he will return next season, ending speculation he might retire. ESPN reported that Gronkowski, 28, and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, met with Patriots coach Bill Belichick and that the team will not trade the five-time Pro Bowler this season . ... The Rams picked up their fifth-year contract options for 2019 on RB Todd Gurley, the league’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year, and two-time Pro Bowl CB Marcus Peters.
NHL: The Sabres signed F Victor Olofsson to a two-year contract after he led the Swedish Hockey League with 27 goals last season. Olofsson, 22, was selected by the Sabres in the seventh round of the 2014 NHL draft.
SOCCER: Mohamed Salah had two goals and two assists in leading host Liverpool to a 5-2 win over his former club Roma in the first leg of a Champions League semifinal. Salah scored in the 36th minute and doubled the lead in the 45th. He produced crosses for Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino to score almost identical goals in the 56th and 61st minutes. Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain suffered what manager Jurgen Klopp called a “really bad” leg injury in the victory and may miss the rest of the season.
TENNIS: Fourth-seeded David Goffin of Belgium saved a match point to beat Marcel Granollers of Spain 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the second round of the Barcelona Open.