STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State defensive end Nick Bell died Tuesday at the University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital after a short battle with cancer.
Bell, a 20-year-old from Bessemer, Ala., was diagnosed in late September after experiencing headaches during football practice and had surgery Oct. 1 to remove a mass from his brain. He had emergency surgery Monday after it was found that the cancer had aggressively spread throughout his body.
“Nick was a son and he was a brother to everyone in this football family,” a somber Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said Tuesday night. “I know he’s looking down on us right now and I’m sure he’s already been picked for a team up in heaven to play football again — the game that he loved.”
• Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said quarterback Taylor Martinez (ankle) practiced “surprisingly well” and will be ready to play Saturday at Iowa State.
• Minnesota defensive tackle Brandon Kirksey, a team captain, has been suspended for Saturday’s game against Michigan State for undisclosed reasons. Defensive back Michael Carter and defensive lineman Ra’Shede Hageman were suspended for academic issues.
Parise out three months
NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey Devils left wing Zach Parise will be sidelined three months after undergoing surgery on his right knee to repair a torn meniscus.
Parise has been the focal point of the Devils’ offense the past four seasons with 31, 32, 45 and 38 goals.
• Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller is day to day because of a lower-body injury.
Footnotes.
The Phoenix Suns and forward Jared Dudley agreed to a four-year, $17 million deal with a player option for a fifth year beginning next season.
• The Memphis Grizzlies signed guard Mike Conley to a five-year contract extension worth $40 million with possible incentives.
• The Washington Wizards expect guard Gilbert Arenas to return to practice today after missing the first three games of the season because of a strained tendon in his right ankle.
• Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant told U.S. basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski that he would play in the Olympics in 2012 if the Americans want him there.
• Former three-time world surfing champion Andy Irons died of unknown causes in a hotel room in Dallas. He was 32.
• Clemson sophomore guard Donte Hill is leaving the basketball program with plans to transfer to another NCAA Division I school after the semester.
• University of Minnesota hockey player Zach Budish was injured in a moped accident, with the school saying the sophomore suffered a lower-body injury.
• The Minnesota Lynx won the WNBA draft lottery and will select first in the 2011 draft. Tulsa will pick second, followed by Chicago.
• The AVP pro beach volleyball tour filed for bankruptcy protection.
• American cyclist Floyd Landis and his coach Arnie Baker will stand trial in a hacking case that targeted a French doping lab, judicial officials in Paris said. No trial date has been set.
The Associated Press
