COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier said Tuesday he will have counselors available for players who wish to talk about the death of former Gamecocks receiver Kenny McKinley.
McKinley played at South Carolina from 2005-08 and set school records for catches and receiving yards. The Broncos’ second-year player was found dead in his Arapahoe County home Monday from what authorities believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Spurrier said he would leave it up to his older players if they wanted to wear a decal on their helmets in tribute or honor McKinley in some other way. The Gamecocks face Auburn on Saturday night.
• Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio was released from a hospital two days after suffering a mild heart attack following an overtime victory against Notre Dame.
Don Treadwell, the offensive coordinator for the Spartans, is leading the team in the coach’s absence.
“I’m anxious and excited to be home with my family,” Dantonio said. “I haven’t established a timeline for my return, but I have the utmost confidence in Coach Treadwell and the rest of the coaching staff to carry on with business as usual in my absence.”
Also, Michigan State tight end Dion Sims was among 10 men charged in the theft of 104 Detroit Public Schools laptop computers. Sims has been suspended.
• Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh would not reveal any information about the injury that knocked star receiver Ryan Whalen out of last week’s game against Wake Forest.
“I’m not going to tell you anything,” Harbaugh said when asked about Whalen’s status. “As soon as we tell you, you tell Notre Dame. There’s no advantage to doing that.”
• Notre Dame safety Jamoris Slaughter is expected to start against Stanford on Saturday after missing one game and another start with a sprained ankle.
Also, the Fighting Irish and Navy agreed to play in Dublin, Ireland, in 2012.
• BYU quarterback Riley Nelson is done for the season because of an injury to his right shoulder.
• Iowa running back Jewel Hampton will have knee surgery and is likely done for the season.
• Cincinnati tight end Ben Guidugli will miss Saturday’s game against Oklahoma because of a sprained ankle.
• New Mexico quarterback B.R. Holbrook will undergo exploratory surgery on his left knee and will miss Saturday’s game at UNLV.
Footnotes.
Oklahoma City Thunder center Nenad Krstic underwent surgery to repair a broken finger on his right hand but is expected to be ready for the season opener.
• The Tennessee basketball program reported several NCAA violations committed under coach Bruce Pearl, including nearly 100 excessive phone calls to recruits and permitting families of recruits to stay longer than allowed by the NCAA when visiting Knoxville.
• New York Red Bulls star Thierry Henry will miss Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Galaxy because of a sprained right knee.
• D.C. United forward Chris Pontius underwent season-ending surgery on his right hamstring.
• The Masters is adding an extra hour of television coverage April 7-10.
The Associated Press
