Formerly homeless Baylor player released
Baylor walk-on running back Silas Nacita, who received national attention when people learned he had been homeless for a year, is no longer on the team.
Nacita, a native of Bakersfield, Calif., was a backup last season and rushed for 191 yards and three touchdowns. He walked on at Baylor in the summer of 2014 after being homeless.
“Silas Nacita will not be a part of the football program moving forward due to rules violations that impact his eligibility,” Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw said Wednesday in a statement released by the school. “We appreciate his contributions to Baylor football and wish him well as he completes his studies.”
Earlier Wednesday, Nacita said on Twitter that the NCAA ruled him ineligible because he accepted impermissible benefits while he was homeless last summer.
Nacita had transferred from Cornell but was unable to enroll in 2013. He said he lived homeless for the next year and took online community college courses at a library. He earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors in his first year at Baylor.
Sea Dogs guarantee baseball opener on April 9 in Portland
PORTLAND, Maine — The Portland Sea Dogs are scheduled to open the minor league baseball season at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 9 at Hadlock Field. Despite the record-breaking harsh winter, the Sea Dogs are guaranteeing the team will be playing baseball on that day.
“We are ready for spring and confident that it will arrive along with baseball season on April 9th,” Sea Dogs General Manager Geoff Iacuessa said in a news release. “We have the best grounds crew in the league, I have no doubt we will be ready for the season opener, therefore I am guaranteeing Sea Dogs baseball will be played on April 9th in Portland.”
If the Sea Dogs should not be able to play on April 9th for any reason (field not ready, rain, snow), they will double the normal rain check policy by providing two tickets to a future Sea Dogs game for each opening day ticket exchanged.
Typically if a game is postponed due to weather, tickets are exchangeable for a ticket of equal or lesser value to any remaining game, based upon availability.
The Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
Blackhawks’ Kane out 12 weeks after surgery
Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane is expected to be out for 12 weeks after suffering a broken clavicle during Tuesday night’s shootout win over the Florida Panthers.
The team placed Kane on long-term injured reserve Wednesday.
The Blackhawks announced that Kane had surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, performed by team physician Dr. Michael Terry and Dr. Bradley Merk.
The season ends April 11, and the playoffs will begin the following week. Kane could return during the postseason if the Blackhawks have an extended run in the playoffs.
Kane, who leads Chicago in goals (27) and assists (37), was injured at 7:49 of the first period of the Blackhawks’ 3-2 win when he was slammed on a cross-check by Florida defenseman Alex Petrovic, who was given a two-minute minor penalty.
Lions release RB Bush
The Detroit Lions released running back Reggie Bush on Wednesday.
Bush, who turns 30 in March, played in just 11 games in 2014, gaining 530 yards from scrimmage.
The previous year — his first in Detroit after signing a four-year, $16 million deal — he rushed for 1,006 yards and four touchdowns while catching 54 passes for 506 yards and three scores.
The No. 2 pick in the 2006 draft, Bush has rushed for 5,465 yards and 35 touchdowns and caught 466 passes for 3,489 yards and 18 touchdowns in nine seasons with the New Orleans Saints (2006-2010), Miami Dolphins (2011-2012) and Lions.
He was scheduled to make $3.5 million in 2015. The team will save $1.7 million against the salary cap by releasing him now.