Sports briefs
NFl investigating Texans’ Watson
The NFL said Thursday that it was investigating allegations that Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson sexually assaulted multiple women after three massage therapists filed lawsuits against the star player.
In lawsuits filed this week, two of the woman claim that Watson touched them with his penis during massages last year, and the third alleges he forced her to perform oral sex.
Watson, 25, has broadly denied that he acted inappropriately and said he looks forward to clearing his name.
In the NFL
The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $14.5 million with free agent running back Kenyan Drake to complement starter Josh Jacobs.
- After four sometimes rocky seasons in Chicago, Mitch Trubisky is getting an opportunity to re-establish himself as Josh Allen’s backup in Buffalo.
The Bills used what little space they had left under the salary cap to upgrade their quarterback depth by agreeing to sign Trubisky to a one-year contract on Thursday.
- The Cleveland Browns continued to upgrade their secondary by agreeing to terms on a contract with free agent cornerback Troy Hill, who spent the past five years with the Los Angeles Rams.
- Six-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack is reuniting with coach Kyle Shanahan after signing a contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
In wrestling
Iowa’s Spencer Lee was his usual dominant self on the opening day of the NCAA wrestling championships, and the Hawkeyes were well-positioned to end a 10-year team championship drought.
The Hawks, who qualified wrestlers in all 10 weights, had 26 points with second-round matches in five weight divisions still to be contested Thursday night. Penn State was second with 22 and Missouri third with 21.
Lee, the 125-pounder who’s bidding for a third straight national title, needed only 1:33 to end his opening match against Virginia’s Patrick McCormick, and he won by major decision over West Virginia’s Killian Cardinale.
In college basketball
John Walker III scored a season-high 19 points and Jordan Gilliam had 12 to help Texas Southern erase a 10-point halftime deficit Thursday and beat Mount St. Mary’s 60-52 in the first NCAA Tournament game in nearly two years.
- Joseph Yesufu scored 21 points and Drake beat Wichita State 53-52 in the First Four, the Bulldogs’ first NCAA Tournament win in a half-century.
Drake’s previous tournament victory was 50 years ago to the day – March 18, 1971, against Notre Dame.
Tremell Murphy added 11 points for 11th-seeded Drake (26-4), which advanced to play sixth-seeded Southern California in the West Region on Saturday.
Morris Udeze scored a career-high 22 points for Wichita State (16-6).