Former 49er Hayne misses out on Olympic team
Former NFL and rugby league player Jarryd Hayne has missed out on his long-shot dream of playing for Fiji’s rugby sevens side at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Hayne was told on Friday he had not made coach Ben Ryan’s final squad for the Aug. 5-21 Games and is to return to Australia later this week.
Last year, Hayne defied the odds to make the 53-man roster of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, less than a year after quitting Australia’s top-flight rugby league competition.
“I had a meeting with Ben to discuss my future with the team and I was informed that my time has ended,” Hayne, who quit the 49ers in May to pursue the Olympic bid, wrote on his Facebook page. “As much as I would have loved to go to Rio, I too knew I wasn’t ready yet.
“I used all my experience as a professional athlete and have tried everyday and in every way possible to make this team and make it better but unfortunately, time has been against me.”
The son of a Fiji rugby league international, Hayne thumbed his nose at the critics in 2014 when he gave up a stellar career in Australia’s National Rugby League, the sport’s richest competition, for a shot at the NFL.
Middle Tennessee gives Davis eight-year extension
Middle Tennessee officially locked up head basketball coach Kermit Davis through the 2024 season, the school announced on Monday.
The Daily News Journal (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) first reported Davis’ eight-year extension June 21.
The Blue Raiders went 25-10 this past season and upset Michigan State in NCAA tournament. In 14 seasons at MTSU, Davis has compiled a 276-175 record.
The eight-year extension also comes with a raise to from $375,000 a year to $465,000 per season.
“My family and I love Murfreesboro and this community,” Davis told The Daily News Journal. “This is where we raised our daughters, and this is where we want to stay.”
Giants extend punter’s contract
The New York Giants signed punter Brad Wing to a contract extension through the 2019 season, the team announced Monday.
Financial terms were not released, but NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported the extension is worth three years and $6.45 million. The deal includes a reported $3.725 million in guarantees, with a $2 million signing bonus.
Wing, acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers last September, is entering his third season in the NFL and second with the Giants.
Last season, Wing had a 44.5-yard gross average and a 38.9-yard net average on 76 punts. He placed 33 punts inside the 20-yard line and had 10 touchbacks. His 33 punts inside the 20-yard line tied the Giants’ single-season record, set by Brad Maynard in both 1997 and 1998.
Flyers agree to terms with C Weal
The Philadelphia Flyers agreed to terms on a contract with restricted free-agent center Jordan Weal, the team announced on Monday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team, but CSNPhilly reported that it is a one-year, two-way contract. Weal is slated to earn $650,000 if he makes the Flyers’ roster or $250,000 should he start the season with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League, according to the website.
The 24-year-old was acquired from Los Angeles on Jan. 6 and was held without a point in four games with Philadelphia.
Weal recorded 173 points in 221 contests in the AHL, highlighted by a 70-point performance (23 goals, 47 assists) in 76 games with Manchester in 2013-14.
Kings sign three
The Los Angeles Kings agreed to terms on two-year contracts Monday with goaltender Jack Campbell, center Nic Dowd and defenseman Derek Forbort.
Financial terms were not disclosed by the team.
Campbell, who was acquired from Dallas on June 25, was busy in his lone NHL appearance as he made 41 saves in a 6-3 loss to Anaheim on Oct. 20, 2013. The 24-year-old posted a 7-7-5 mark with a 3.65 goals-against average in 19 games last season with Texas of the American Hockey League.
Dowd did not record a point in five contests with Los Angeles in 2015-16. The 26-year-old served as an alternate captain with Ontario of the AHL last season, collecting 14 goals and a team high-tying 34 assists.
Forbort, who was selected by the Kings with the 15th overall pick of the 2010 draft, scored a goal and set up another in 14 games with Los Angeles last season. The 24-year-old recorded two goals and eight assists in 40 contests with the Reign in 2015-16.