Sports briefs
Pitt football adds graduate transfer
Pitt head football coach Pat Narduzzi announced the signing of graduate transfer offensive lineman Keldrick Wilson.
The 6-5, 300-pound Wilson will join the Panthers with one season of eligibility remaining. He played the past four seasons at Hampton University and was a starting offensive tackle for the Pirates in 2019.
A native of Mount Ulla, N.C., Wilson is coming off the most productive campaign of his collegiate career. He started 11 games for Hampton last season, one year removed from missing all of 2018 because of injury.
Wilson joins a Pitt offensive line unit that returns four starters and six lettermen. The Panthers must fill the right tackle position vacated by the departed Nolan Ulizio, who started all 13 games last season.
Hole-in-one
Tim Rodsky had a hole-in-one Wednesday at Washington Country Club. Rodsky aced the 107-yard No. 14 hole by using a 9-iron. His playing partners were Ken Rigby and Bill Solominsky.
XFL’s McMahon defends firing Luck
Lawyers for XFL owner Vince McMahon argued in court filings Wednesday that the wrestling magnet was justified in firing league CEO Oliver Luck last month just before the football operation shut down.
Luck filed a federal lawsuit last month over his April 9 termination, alleging McMahon breached their contract.
Attorneys for McMahon, the chief executive of Connecticut-based WWE, which backed the new league, argued Wednesday that Luck was fired for cause, in part because he failed to devote all of his business time to his XFL duties.
He “effectively abandoned his responsibilities as the CEO and Commissioner of the XFL at a time when the league faced its most significant crisis – the threat to its business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” they wrote.
They also accuse Luck of improperly using a league cell phone and ignoring a directive from McMahon not to hire players with “questionable or problematic backgrounds”
Luck’s attorney, Paul Dobrowski, has said the reasons Luck was given for his firing were without merit.
IndyCar to end season in St. Petersburg
IndyCar plans to crown its champion on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., with the original opener being rescheduled for Oct. 25 as the finale.
IndyCar was supposed to start its season March 15 on the temporary street course and teams were already in place to compete before sports shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. IndyCar initially planned to go forward with the opener without spectators but ultimately suspended the season 48 hours before the race.
IndyCar is now scheduled to open its season at Texas Motor Speedway on June 6 and said Wednesday. IndyCar is scheduled to race at Road America in Wisconsin after Texas on June 21 in what could be its first event with fans.
Georgetown’s McClung to transfer
Georgetown guard Mac McClung plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal so he can switch schools after taking his name out of consideration for the NBA draft.
The 6-2 McClung’s departure follows the transfers of four other Georgetown men’s basketball players during last season.
McClung said in late March that he would make himself available for the draft but was going to maintain his eligibility so he could return to college if that’s what he opted to do. He averaged 15.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists as a sophomore this season.