NEW YORK (AP) - The NFL is coming down hard on the people most closely associated with the New Orleans Saints' well-publicized "bounty" program. Former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who now holds the same title with the St. Louis Rams, has been suspended indefinitely while head coach Sean Payton has been suspended for the 2012 season. New Orleans GM Mickey Loomis got an eight-game suspension, and assistant coach Joe Vitt will miss the first six games this year.
NEW YORK (AP) - The Denver Broncos have finally completed a deal that sends quarterback Tim Tebow (TEE'-boh) and a seventh-round draft pick to the New York Jets for fourth- and sixth-round picks in this year's draft. The trade was eventually completed after the Jets apparently balked at repaying Denver more than $5 million for a salary advance due Tebow. ESPN reported that the two sides had agreed to split that cost.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed free agent guard Derek Fisher, giving him a chance to earn his sixth NBA championship. The longtime Los Angeles Lakers point guard was traded to Houston last week, but decided to buy out of his contract with the Rockets and seek somewhere else to play. Thunder general manager Sam Presti says Fisher is available to play immediately.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Kendall Marshall is out of his cast following surgery on his broken right wrist, and his father tells The Associated Press that the North Carolina point guard is wearing a removable splint. Dennis Marshall said it was still too early to know if his son could play against Ohio on Friday in the NCAA tournament's round of 16 in St. Louis. He said his son "hasn't been ruled out, but not cleared to play either."
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - Virginia Commonwealth basketball coach Shaka Smart has ended speculation he might take the open job at Illinois by announcing he'll stay with the Rams. The decision by the young coach was cause for celebration among VCU fans and disappointment for their Illini counterparts. Illinois' search for a replacement for fired coach Bruce Weber has begun to resemble the search last year for a new football coach, when the school's top choices reportedly turned down the Illini.
