Dec 10, 2021 4 min read

In the NFL

Demaryius Thomas overcame a troubled childhood. He managed to shine as a receiver in Georgia Tech’s run-oriented offense. By the time his NFL career was over, he had earned five straight Pro Bowl honors and a Super Bowl ring with the Denver Broncos.

The football world mourned Friday for Thomas, who died in his suburban Atlanta home at the age of 33 – less than six months after officially announcing his retirement from the NFL.

Thomas was found dead in his home Thursday night, said Officer Tim Lupo, public information officer for the police department in Roswell, Georgia.

“Preliminary information is that his death stems from a medical issue, and our investigators currently have no reason to believe otherwise,” Lupo said early Friday.

• Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller will miss his second straight game with injuries to his knee and back.

Coach Rich Bisaccia said Waller had been ruled out of the division showdown against Kansas City.

• Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen will miss Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. Allen tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday and entered league protocols.
• Quarterback Joe Burrow and his sore pinky finger are fine, but the Cincinnati Bengals could be without other key players, including running back Joe Mixon.

Mixon is listed as questionable due to an unspecified illness for Sunday’s home game against the San Francisco 49ers. Receiver Tee Higgins (ankle) and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (foot) also are questionable.

In college football

Virginia has hired Tony Elliott as the Cavaliers’ next football coach.

Elliott, 42, has been Clemson’s sole offensive coordinator since 2019. He was co-offensive coordinator from Clemson’s 2014 bowl game until Jeff Scott, with whom he shared the role, left to become the head coach at South Florida.

• Duke is turning to Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko to turn around its program after a two-year slide and a winless Atlantic Coast Conference record. The school announced Elko’s hiring Friday night.
• The following players announced they will not play in their team’s bowl game and will enter the NFL draft: Florida defensive end Zach Carter; two junior star players for No. 5 Notre Dame, Kyren Williams and Kyle Hamilton and Iowa running back Tyler Goodson.

In college basketball

The NCAA has placed the Auburn men’s basketball program on four years probation for unethical conduct involving former associate head coach Chuck Person and imposed a two-game suspension on coach Bruce Pearl for failing to monitor his assistant and adequately promote compliance.

An NCAA Committee on Infractions panel issued its findings Friday. The NCAA, however, mostly accepted Auburn’s self-imposed penalties in the case dating back to September 2017, when FBI agents arrested Person as part of a wide-ranging investigation into corruption in college basketball.

Pearl will be suspended the next two games for the 18th-ranked Tigers, Saturday against Nebraska in Atlanta and next Tuesday against North Alabama.

In the NHL

Alexandar Georgiev stopped 36 shots and the New York Rangers extended one of the best starts in team history with a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres Friday night.

• The NHL is sticking to its plan to allow its players to compete in the Beijing Olympics.

For now.

Speaking at the conclusion of the board of governors meeting in Florida, Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday the league will continue to honor its commitment to giving players the opportunity to compete for gold in February.