NASCAR star's in-laws are found dead
Police in Muskogee, Oklahoma, confirmed Tuesday they are investigating the deaths of three relatives of seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson as an apparent murder-suicide.
The bodies of Jack Janway, 69; his wife Terry Janway, 68; and their grandson Dalton Janway, 11, were discovered Monday at a home in Muskogee, located about 50 miles southeast of Tulsa, Muskogee police spokesperson Lynn Hamlin said. Police responded to the home after a woman called 911 to report a disturbance with a gun before hanging up, Hamlin said.
When police arrived on the scene, they found one person near the front door of the home and then heard a gunshot from further inside, where officers later found two other people dead, Hamlin said. She said investigators believe Terry Janway shot and killed her husband and grandson before shooting herself. Hamlin confirmed the three are the parents and nephew of Johnson's wife, Chandra Janway.
Johnson's race team, Legacy Motor Club, announced on Twitter it was withdrawing his No. 84 Carvana Chevrolet from this weekend's NASCAR Cup Series event in Chicago. The team added: “The Johnson family has asked for privacy at this time and no further statements will be made.”
“We are saddened by the tragic deaths of members of Chandra Johnson's family,” NASCAR said in a statement. “The entire NASCAR family extends its deepest support and condolences during this difficult time to Chandra, Jimmie and the entire Johnson & Janway families.”
NFL
EX-QB MALLET DIES IN APPARENT DROWNING >> Former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett, who also played for New England, Houston and Baltimore during five seasons in the NFL, has died. He was 35.
Mallett died in an apparent drowning, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office near Destin, Fla. Mallett was a football coach at White Hall High School in his native Arkansas, and the school district also confirmed his death in a post on its website.
Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek said the university “lost an incredibly special person.”
Mallett played for the University of Michigan for
one season before finishing his college career at Arkansas. He passed for 7,493 yards and 62 touchdowns in two seasons with the Razorbacks.
Mallett was selected by New England in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft. He appeared in four games with the Patriots during the 2012 season, completing 1 of 4 passes for 17 yards.
New England coach Bill Belichick said he was “extremely saddened by Ryan's tragic passing.”
Mallett made six starts in nine games with the Texans and two starts in eight appearances with the Ravens. He completed 190 of his 345 attempts in the NFL for 1,835 yards and nine touchdowns with 10 interceptions. FOURNETTE SAYS HIS CAR CAUGHT FIRE ON FREEWAY
>> NFL running back Leonard Fournette appears to have avoided injury after his car caught fire while he was driving on a freeway.
Fournette posted a video to Instagram where he showed his burned vehicle on the side of the highway. Fournette doesn't speak in the video, which shows extensive damage to the SUV. It's unclear from the video where he was.
Fournette has spent the past three seasons playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He started 25 of 43 regular season games in his three years with the Bucs and scored 17 rushing touchdowns.
Fournette, who was a first-round pick by Jacksonville in 2017, is currently a free agent after being released by the Bucs during the offseason in a salary cap move.
Swimming
LEDECKY DOMINATES AT
U.S. NATIONALS >> Katie Ledecky from Stanford joined an elite club, earning her sixth trip to the world championships with a dominating victory in the 800-meter freestyle at the U.S. nationals in Indianapolis.
Ledecky was under her own world-record pace for much of the race before settling for the victory in 8 minutes, 7.07 seconds — her third-fastest time in the grueling event, which she has dominated over her career.
She was clearly pleased with the performance, flashing a thumbs-up and a defiant shake of the head when she turned and spotted the time.
Ledecky became only the sixth swimmer to make the world championships for the sixth time, joining Michael Phelps, Ryan
Lochte, Natalie Coughlin, Elizabeth Beisel and Nathan Adrian.
No one else was even close to Ledecky. When she touched the wall, the closest swimmer was nearly a lap behind.
Seventeen-year-old Jillian Cox claimed the second spot on the worlds team in a major surprise. She finished in 8:20.28 — more than 13 seconds behind Ledecky.
Meanwhile, Caeleb Dressel dropped farther and farther behind at the nationals, a far cry from the dominant swimmer he was at the last Olympics.
In his first major competition since a long layoff, Dressel finished 29th in the 100-meter freestyle, falling far short of qualifying for the world championships in an event he won at Tokyo two years ago.
Dressel touched the wall behind the other seven swimmers in the last of eight preliminary heats.
His time of 49.42 seconds was a whopping 1.79 behind top qualifier Ryan Held, who swam one heat earlier, and a sobering reminder of how far Dressel has to go after walking away from swimming last summer during the world championships in Budapest, Hungary.
College sports
ATHLETES WHO BACK OUT OF NLI MAY GET REPRIEVE
>> The governing body for the National Letter of Intent Program announced new policies allowing athletes to back out of NLI agreements without penalty under certain circumstances.
The signing of letters of intent has been part of the recruiting process in NCAA divisions I and II since 1964. It is intended to be a binding agreement between an athlete and school. The athlete promises to attend the school for one academic year in exchange for a full or partial athletic scholarship for one academic year.
An athlete who does not fulfill his or her NLI agreement usually must sit out one season at the next school they attend.
Following a committee review of NLI policy, the Collegiate Commissioners Association will not penalize an athlete who requests a release due to a head coaching change. Neither will an athlete be penalized for leaving their original school after one quarter or one semester as long as a release is requested.
The policy change takes effect with the 2023-24 signing periods for 202425 enrollees.
NHL
KINGS ACQUIRE DUBOIS IN
DEAL WITH JETS >> The Los Angeles Kings acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois in a major sign-and-trade deal with the Winnipeg Jets.
The 25-year-old center was a restricted free agent but told the Jets this month that he didn't plan on resigning with them. Dubois agreed to an eight-year extension worth $8.5 million annually in agreeing to the trade.
Winnipeg will get center Gabriel Vilardi, forwards Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari, and a secondround pick in 2024.
Dubois scored a careerhigh 63 points last season, including 36 assists. He has at least 27 goals in three of his six NHL seasons.
This will be Dubois' third team. He was the third-overall pick by Columbus in the 2016 draft before being traded to Winnipeg in 2021. AVALANCHE TRADE NEWHOOK TO MONTREAL >> The Colorado Avalanche traded young forward Alex Newhook to the Montreal Canadiens for a late first- and an early second-round pick, plus a minor-leaguer.
Colorado got the 31st and 37th picks in the upcoming draft and defenseman Gianni Fairbrother from Montreal. The move clears potential salary cap space to try to keep pending free agent center J.T. Compher, after the Avalanche acquired Ryan Johansen from Nashville over the weekend.
Newhook played all 82 games this past regular season and finished with 30 points. DEVILS ADD VETERAN TOFFOLI FROM FLAMES >> The up-and-coming New Jersey Devils have acquired veteran forward Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames for forward Yegor Sharangovich and a draft pick they recently acquired in a deal with Columbus.
The Devils will give the Flames the third-round pick they got from the Blue Jackets in the sign-andtrade deal that sent defenseman Damon Severson to Columbus.
Toffoli is entering in the final year of a four-year deal he signed with Montreal. He carries a $4.5 million cap hit. Sharangovich was set to become a restricted free agent.
Toffoli is coming off a career year, with 34 goals, 39 assists and 73 points, with points and goals being his best. The 31-year-old had 227 goals and 239 assists in 733 games with Los Angeles, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary.