ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan safety Marcus Ray will have to sit out three more games because of improper contact with a sports agent, not two games as school officials indicated earlier, the NCAA says.
Michigan could appeal Ray’s six-game suspension in an attempt to reduce it to five games, but officials did not immediately say whether they would do so. The senior already has missed three games.
If an appeal was rejected, or none was made, Ray would not play again until Michigan hosts Penn State on Nov. 7 — not Oct. 31 against Minnesota as the school had said last week.
Because the Wolverines are playing a 12-game regular season schedule, Ray’s offense — receiving an indirect benefit from a sports agent — means he must be suspended for half the season, NCAA spokeswoman Jane Jankowski said Tuesday. The suspension would be for five games if the Wolverines were playing a typical 11-game regular season.
University officials announced the five-game suspension Friday, when they learned that the NCAA had decided to penalize Ray. But Michigan had not received the NCAA’s official decision in writing at the time the announcement was made.
Kelly will return
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins manager Tom Kelly says he is staying with the team next year and is not interested in managing the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I turned them down,” Kelly said Tuesday. “I told (Twins general manager) Terry Ryan at the end of the season that I was coming back.” Kelly said he told Dodgers officials Sunday he didn’t want the job.
Dodgers general manager Kevin Malone said there are six or seven candidates on his list to succeed interim manager Glenn Hoffman.
Wrestling kicks off
The Gophers wrestling team has scheduled its fourth annual Wrestling Kickoff for Saturday, Oct. 24 at the Bierman Building. The event includes a clinic, autograph session and workout.
Registration will begin at 8:45 a.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.
On Oct. 23-24, the program will hold its fall coaches clinic. The clinic begins at 12:30 p.m., also at Bierman.
Hoops tix for sale
The Minnesota Athletics Ticket Office announced that a limited number of basketball season tickets will go on sale Saturday, Oct. 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The tickets are $395 for 18 games and can be purchased by phone only, by calling (612) 624-8080 or 1-800-UGOPHER.
There are some single seat locations with no obstructions, but most of these seats will have some viewing obstruction. Over-the-counter and phone sales of these tickets will resume Monday, Oct. 19, if necessary.
NCAA comes to U
On Tuesday, Oct. 20, Minnesota will play host to the second annual NCAA football Campus Tour as it makes one of 30 select stops across the nation.
The NCAA Football Campus Tour — a traveling series of six football-related interactive events stationed on campus for one day — is designed to promote college football and create excitement for the game. The Tour events will take place at the Superblock, near Frontier Hall.
