Enforcer Brashear signs in Sweden
NHL veteran tough guy Donald Brashear is headed to Sweden to restart his hockey career.
Brashear, an 16-year NHL veteran with 2,634 career penalty minutes, signed with MODO of the Swedish Hockey League on Tuesday. The deal was announced by Peter Forsberg, a Hockey Hall of Fame member who is MODO’s assistant general manager.
The 42-year-old Brashear’s final NHL season was in 2009-10 with the New York Rangers. He last played hockey in a Quebec-based professional league notorious for fighting. He also has been involved in Mixed Martial Arts.
MODO’s interest in Brashear appeared to be motivated by several incidents involving William Nylander, a recent Toronto Maple Leafs first-round draft pick.
“He’s a type of player we’re missing,” Forsberg said of Brashear, a former teammate with the Philadelphia Flyers. “He will provide physicality and security.”
Ex-NFL defensive back charged with domestic assault in Virginia
Former Washington Redskins defensive back Fred Smoot has been charged with domestic assault following an altercation at a suburban Washington home, police said Tuesday.
Deputies responded to a call Sunday at an Ashburn, Virginia, home around 11 a.m. for a report of a domestic assault. The victim told police that Smoot — her boyfriend — grabbed her during a argument, according to a police report.
Smoot, 35, was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault, booked at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center and released.
A nine-year NFL veteran, Smoot played seven years with the Washington Redskins and two with the Minnesota Vikings before retiring after the 2009 season.
UCLA’s Hundley leans heavily toward draft
It appears that quarterback Brett Hundley won’t be sticking around for his senior season at UCLA.
The fourth-year junior told radio host Jim Rome this week that he’ll most likely enter the 2015 NFL Draft.
“There’s a really good chance that was my last game against USC,” Hundley said. “The conversation keep coming up. I’ve got my degree. I’ve done everything I wanted to do here. I’ve left something really, truly great, and I feel good. That’s probably my last one against USC.”
The 6-foot-3, 227-pound Hundley led the Bruins to a 38-20 victory over rival USC on Saturday night in Pasadena, Calif., throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns.
The 21-year-old still has until January to officially declare his draft intentions.
Klitschko agency sues Pulev over doping allegations
SOFIA — World heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko’s promotion agency K2 has filed a lawsuit against Kubrat Pulev over the Bulgarian challenger’s doping allegations ahead of their IBF title bout in Hamburg this month.
“K2 is suing me for my words,” Pulev told a news conference on Tuesday. “The case is… I have no right to speak on this topic, the doping.”
Klitschko, who also holds the WBO, IBO and WBA titles, knocked out Pulev with a fierce left hook in the fifth round for his 63th win in 66 fights.
Pulev, who had won his previous 20 fights, protested several times about being subjected to rigorous drug-testing, saying that Klitschko had not been tested at all before the bout on Nov. 15.
He repeatedly called for his 38-year-old opponent to be tested but the Ukrainian refused.
Reds bring former Arizona GM Towers on board
The Cincinnati Reds added former Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers to their front-office staff on Tuesday as a special assistant for player personnel.
Towers takes over for Bob Miller, who left after nine seasons with the Reds to become an assistant general manager with the Washington Nationals.
The Reds also named Jeff Schugel as a special assistant for pro scouting. Schugel was with the Atlanta Braves last season as a special assistant and also has worked for the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels during a 31-year career in baseball.
Towers was Arizona’s general manager for the past four years. Before that, he served as San Diego Padres general manager from 1996 to 2009.