Former Buckeye to speak at East

Former Buckeye to speak at East

YOUNGSTOWN

Jimmie Bell, a former Ohio State Buckeye and New York Giants defensive lineman, will be speaking at East High School on Wednesday at 9:55 a.m. and 10:55 a.m.

Bell is a youth motivational speaker.

Canfield’s Italiano contends for award

NEW YORK

Canfield graduate and Kent State senior Anthony Italiano will find out tonight if he’s won the “academic Heisman,” the William V. Campbell trophy.

Italiano, along with Mount Union’s Hank Spencer, are among the 12 finalists for the award.

Italiano carries a 3.98 GPA as a pre-med/biochemistry major and on the field, made 257 tackles, five forced fumbles and five interceptions as a three-year starter.

The winner will be announced during the awards ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria’s Grand Ball in New York City, where the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be formally inducted. The ceremonies will be broadcast on ESPN3 from 8-11 p.m.

Mineral Ridge native wins gold medal

Michael Cluse recently won a gold medal at the World Kettlebell Lifting championships in Ireland.

The Mineral Ridge native won in the biathlon event. It was the third time Cluse earned a gold medal in a world event.

Bethany falls to CMU

BETHANY, W. Va.

Haley Holenka scored 18 points in Bethany College’s 70-57 loss to Carnegie Mellon.

Mikyla Tipton (Wellsville) recorded her second career double-double with 11 points, including three triples, and a career-high 13 rebounds. Guard Alexis Naples (South Range) finished with seven assists and zero turnovers.

Rutgers hires Buckeyes’ Ash

PISCATAWAY, N.J.

Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash has been hired to coach Rutgers.

Rutgers’ board of governors approved Ash’s contract on Monday.

The 41-year-old Ash has been defensive coordinator at Ohio State the past two seasons, building the defense into a top 20 unit nationally.

Ash replaces Kyle Flood. Flood was fired following a 4-8 season in Rutgers’ second Big Ten campaign.

Ash — an Iowa native — is a first-time head coach. He played at Drake before beginning his coaching career there in 1997 as a graduate assistant, then defensive coordinator. Ash worked at Iowa State on two occasions.

NFLPA takes swipe at Goodell in court

NEW YORK

The NFL Players Association told a federal appeals court Monday that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was making a “sweeping grab for power” in the “Deflategate” controversy and a judge was right to reject his handling of the scandal.

Lawyers for the union made the claim in papers filed with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. A three-judge panel will hear oral arguments in March before issuing a decision weeks or months afterward.

The appeals court is hearing the National Football League’s appeal of a judge’s ruling that nullified the league’s four-game suspension of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

The union said Goodell ignored the collectively bargained agreement between the league and the union when he upheld the suspension in July.

“It is a sweeping grab for power that is contrary to collectively bargained penalties,” union lawyers wrote.

They said the league has for decades provided all players with hundreds of pages defining league policies including conduct detrimental to the game, with some penalties collectively bargained. Under “equipment violations,” the union said, the league provides notice in bold, italicized type that “First offenses will result in fines.”

Staff/wire report