PHENIX CITY, Ala. (AP) Deputies on Wednesday fatally shot a man who earlier had fired a gun at a utility worker trying to shut off his water, authorities said. The incident in Phenix City, in eastern Alabama near the Georgia state line, began when the man “fired a round” at the water works employee, Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor said at a news conference.
A month highlighted by gambling-related firings and potential NCAA infractions in college sports motivated the Southeastern Conference to put extra emphasis on the issue at this week’s spring meetings. Commissioner Greg Sankey called on U.S. Integrity, a company that works with professional sports leagues and college conferences including the SEC to monitor events for gambling improprieties, to give multiple presentations to SEC coaches and administrators. With information a commodity more than ever before, talk of an injury report comes up among football coaches. But Sankey says that's unlikely and that more sophisticated ideas need to be explored.
DAHLONEGA, Ga. (AP) A high-ranking Georgia Tech administrator will become the next president of the University of North Georgia beginning July 1. The Board of Regents voted Thursday to name Mike Shannon as president of the 18,000-student university, which is based in Dahlonega and has campuses in Gainesville, Cumming, Blue Ridge and Watkinsville.
NCAA rules state schools cannot recruit athletes who are currently on another team’s roster. But with college football players freer to transfer than ever before and name, image and likeness compensation opportunities being dangled coaches are frustrated the recruiting starts even before the name pops up in the portal. SEC coaches all say tampering is more prevalent than ever, but there are few if any ways to stop it.
Atlanta Braves (32-23, first in the NL East) vs. Oakland Athletics (12-45, fifth in the AL West) Oakland, California; Wednesday, 3:37 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Jared Shuster (1-2, 5.33 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 20 strikeouts); Athletics: James Kaprielian (0-5, 8.45 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, 34 strikeouts)