COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The University of South Carolina's first African American basketball star, a former NBA veteran running unopposed with the governor's backing, would appear to be a slam dunk for election to a full term on the school's board of trustees.

But Alex English still had to sweat out his reelection somewhat on Wednesday after a conservative lawmaker insisted on a roll-call vote in which 10 Republicans voted against the former pro athlete, just one of two Black members of the 21-member board. About two dozen Republicans didn't vote at all.

English was one of the first Black players at South Carolina in 1972 and perhaps its most famous. He played 15 seasons in the NBA, most prominently for the Denver Nuggets in the 1980s, and was an eight-time All-Star. Now 67, he sought reelection to a term that expires in 2022.

Black lawmakers said the vote is just the latest example of a number of Republicans in the General Assembly dismissing diversity when they elect judges and trustees. More than one in four people in South Carolina are Black.

The General Assembly elected two dozen judges last month and none were Black. In 2019, legislators selected 44 judges. Just two of the races were contested, and both times a Black candidate lost to a white one. A number of African American lawmakers briefly walked out to protest. Of the 61 judges on the supreme, appeals or circuit courts in South Carolina, just nine are Black.

"Even though there was no other option other than Alex English, some of my colleagues still felt compelled to vote against him. And the drama and machinations they go through to do that is really kind of -- special, shall we say," said Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, the House's longest-serving member after the vote Wednesday.

There was another trustee candidate running unopposed at Lander University in Greenwood and a vote was not called in that race. A former House member won the only contested seat at The Citadel 154-2, while English won his University of South Carolina seat 112-10, with 34 lawmakers who voted in the contested race choosing simply not to vote in English's contest.

"It shows how much work is left to do in South Carolina,'' said Cobb-Hunter, a Democrat from Orangeburg first elected in 1992.

English served as a trustee at his alma mater for a few years after his playing career, then went into coaching. Last summer, Gov. Henry McMaster appointed him back to the board after a member left to run the university's law school.

English promised to push for diversity and fiscal responsibility when he appeared in February before a panel of senators and representatives that screens trustee candidates and narrows them for the General Assembly's elections.

"We've got to make our faculty and staff resemble the population of the state, you know. And I think we have to do the same thing with the students,'' English said.

About 10% of students are Black at the University of South Carolina's main campus in Columbia.

When the race was still contested, some Republicans worried about Twitter posts English has since deleted supporting efforts to change the names of campus buildings away from segregationists or other historically divisive people, including former U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond.

Rep. RJ May voted against English, saying he wished candidates in all trustee races didn't drop out before a vote happens. May, A Republican in his first year in the House, said he wants the best judges and trustees in the eyes of the people in his district, in the conservative western suburbs of Columbia.

"I don't think Mr. English represents their conservative values,'' said May, a University of South Carolina graduate who said he now wishes English "all the luck in the world for the school I love.''

English said in a statement he will always support students using their voices to make change. But as a trustee, he would listen, then eventually defer to the Legislature under a state law that protects the names of historic buildings from being changed.

One of the newer African American lawmakers in the House said conservatives' idea of diversity is allowing one or two Black candidates to rise to the forefront whether or not Democrats want that person.

"We are not a monolith. We have standards. We have criteria. We have things we are looking for as well,'' said Rep. Krystle Matthews, a Democrat from Ladson who was elected to the House in 2018.

Matthews said it gets tiring to fight tooth and nail for every Black candidate, but the lack of diversity falls the hardest on an African American who finds himself in court or herself at a university that doesn't understand her upbringing.

"While it is high level up here for us, somebody will have to deal with the details and that will be the people," Matthews said.

Britain's Andy Murray has been knocked out of the Rotterdam Open, losing 7-5 6-2 to world number eight Andrey Rublev in the second round.

The Scot triumphed over a 19-year-old Rublev in their only previous meeting at the 2017 Australian Open, but was deemed the underdog on Wednesday.

Russian fourth seed Rublev secured the match in one hour and 34 minutes.

The opening set was well contested, before Rublev gained a break in the 11th game following a Murray double fault.

After Murray was unable to convert two break points to take the opening set to a tie-break, Rublev raced away with the second, winning five successive games to book his place in the quarter-finals against David Goffin or Jeremy Chardy.

Murray, who says he plans to play in Dubai in a couple of weeks and then Miami at the end of the month, smashed his racquet in anger during the defeat.

He said: "I did some things quite well in the first set, but when it mattered I didn't play well.

"I lost my serve from 30-love up: I hit two double faults, and a bad forehand. To me that's just not good enough. I felt in that moment at the end of the first set that I blew it a bit.

"I'm not used to making those errors in those moments and I'm finding that quite frustrating, and mentally finding myself looking back on those moments a little bit too much."

Former world number one Murray, winner of the Rotterdam tournament in 2009, missed last month's Australian Open after testing positive for coronavirus and lost in straight sets to Egor Gerasimov on his ATP Tour comeback in Montpellier last week.

Last month, three-time Grand Slam winner Murray, 33, reached the final of the ATP Challenger event in Biella, Italy, but lost 6-2 6-4 to Ukraine's Illya Marchenko.

Meanwhile, the ATP has announced that prize money will be increased at lower-ranked tournaments as part of a financial support package amid the coronavirus pandemic.

ATP 250 and ATP 500 events will see winnings rise from 50% of pre-Covid totals to 80% and 60% respectively up until Wimbledon, which is due to take place from 28 June to 11 July.

The extra £3.72m will come from money that ordinarily goes to the top 12 players at the end of the season.

LEXINGTON, N.C. – Kaulig Racing announced Wednesday that uniform rental company Alsco Uniforms will sponsor Jeb Burton’s No. 10 Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend.

Alsco Uniforms, a leading supplier of employee uniforms, towels, first aid kits, floor mats and mops, has been a long-time partner of both Kaulig Racing and Burton, having supplied many of its products and services to the team.

Kaulig Racing looks forward to taking that partnership to the next level and welcoming the uniform industry’s best kept secret onboard the No. 10 Chevrolet.

“Alsco Uniforms couldn’t be more thrilled for our new alignment with Kaulig Racing and driver Jeb Burton as a supplier and sponsor” said Ben Fox, director of sales and marketing at Alsco. “In addition to our sponsorship, we provide uniforms, towels, floor mats, sanitizers and first aid to the team.”

“Having Alsco on the No. 10 car is really exciting for Kaulig Racing, as they have been a valued partner of ours for a couple years now,” added Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing. “We’re so happy Alsco has partnered with us as a sponsor and supplier, so we can help showcase their products to the motorsports industry.”

In addition to their primary race, Alsco will serve as an associate partner on the No. 10 for the remainder of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

“I’m really looking forward to having Alsco on our No. 10 Chevrolet in Las Vegas,” said Burton. “They’ve been a great partner of mine the last couple years. This is the first time they will be a primary partner for me so I’m excited about that. Hopefully we can keep up the momentum we’ve had the last three weeks and make Alsco proud.”

Not only will Alsco act as the primary partner on the No. 10 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it will also serve as the title sponsor for the Alsco Uniforms 300 on Saturday. The green flag is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET, live on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM.

SAYREVILLE, N.J. – Dominick Buffalino has been a mainstay in the Northeast dirt modified world for more than a decade.

Now, the Sayreville, N.J., native will tackle the Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series fueled by Sunoco for the first time this season.

The newly-named driver of the Glenn and Bonita Hyneman-owned No. 126 car has run only a handful of STSS races since the series began in 2014.

However, the Buffalino-Hyneman team will chase the full STSS Velocita USA South Region presented by Design for Vision and Sunglass Central, along with select Hurlock Auto and Speed Supply North Region races, throughout the year.

“Getting to race for Glenn, running the package we have put together, especially in the motor department, I’m excited to get to run the series full time,” Buffalino said while making final preparations to the Keystone Racing machines.

The Hyneman team carries four Bicknell race cars between Buffalino’s shop in New Jersey and Hyneman’s shop in Pennsylvania.

The weekly car will remain at Buffalino’s shop, while Hyneman maintains the STSS fleet in the Keystone State.

Buffalino has always wanted to run the series for points, but never felt he had the equipment he needed to compete over the course of a full season with the STSS.

That all changed when the phone rang, and it was Hyneman on the other end.

“The last time we talked, we had more than 65 races on the schedule and we weren’t done yet,” he said.

The No. 126 team will be aggressive in attending races, but Buffalino was quick to point out running the STSS will be uncharted territory.

“I have only run the series races at my home tracks (in New Jersey at New Egypt Speedway and Bridgeport Motorsports Park) so I don’t have any expectations for how we’ll do on the series,” Buffalino admitted. “It’s going to be a different setup to the race car. I’ll have to learn and get better over the season.”

Buffalino sat out the ‘Speed Showcase 200’ weekend last October at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway due to a blown engine in his Todd Neiheiser-owned No. 2 but did attend ‘The Gobbler’ at the end of the season for his first race in the No. 126 car and brought home a respectable eighth-place finish at Georgetown (Del.) Speedway.

“I always thought I ran well in my stuff in the few series races I ran, so with better equipment, I don’t see why I can’t do better this time around.”

First up for the Buffalino-Hyneman combination will be the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial Weekend at Georgetown Speedway on March 12-13.

The First State facility features both the Velocita-USA presented by Design for Vision and Sunglass Central South Region STSS Modifieds going for 49 laps and $10,049 to win.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Fans of the NTT IndyCar Series now have their complete channel guide for the upcoming season as NBC released its television schedule on Wednesday.

It will include a record nine telecasts on NBC, beginning with the season-opening Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 18 at Barber Motorsports Park.

The 17-race season, which will be exclusively presented across NBC Sports, also features the inaugural presentation of the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tenn., on Aug. 8, at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Other highlights of NBC Sports’ IndyCar Series schedule, which features a mix of ovals, road and street courses, include:

• The 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 30, with coverage on NBC beginning at 11 a.m. ET;
• Six of the first eight races of the season will air on NBC, including the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (April 25), the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (May 15) and the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear doubleheader (June 12-13);
• The inaugural presentation of the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Aug. 8, at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN;
• Return of the IndyCar-NASCAR doubleheader at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, headlining a revamped Brickyard Weekend on Aug. 14-15, with the NTT IndyCar SERIES race on Saturday, Aug. 14, at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN;
• The record nine NTT IndyCar Series races on NBC also include IndyCar’s race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on the Fourth of July and the season-ending West Coast swingto Portland Int’l Raceway (Sept. 12) and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (Sept. 19);
• The season concludes with one of IndyCar’s longest-running events— the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach — on Sept. 26 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

The Television Schedule

April 18 — Barber Motorsports Park, NBC, 3 p.m. ET

April 25 — Streets of St Petersburg, NBC, 12 p.m. ET

May 1 — Texas Motor Speedway – Race 1, NBCSN, 7 p.m. ET

May 2 — Texas Motor Speedway – Race 2, NBCSN, 5 p.m. ET

May 15 — Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, NBC, 2:30 p.m. ET

May 30 — 105^th Indianapolis 500, NBC, 11 a.m. ET

June 12 — Detroit Grand Prix – Race 1, NBC, 2 p.m. ET

June 13 — Detroit Grand Prix – Race 2, NBC, 12 p.m. ET

June 20 — Road America, NBCSN, 12 p.m. ET

July 4 — Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, NBC, 12 p.m. ET

July 11 — Toronto, NBCSN, 12 p.m. ET

Aug. 8 — Streets of Nashville, NBCSN, 5:30 p.m. ET

Aug. 14 — Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, NBCSN, 12:30 p.m. ET

Aug. 21 — World Wide Technology Raceway, NBCSN, 8 p.m. ET

Sept. 12 — Portland International Raceway, NBC, 3 p.m. ET

Sept. 19 — WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, NBC, 3 p.m. ET

Sept. 26 — Long Beach Grand Prix, NBCSN, 3 p.m. ET

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — California sprint car racer Shane Golobic will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut when the stock car series returns to dirt racing for the first time since 1970 March 28 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Golobic’s team owner, Matt Wood, has partnered with Live Fast Motorsports, a Cup Series charter team, to enter Golobic in the Food City 500 at the track will have its concrete surface covered with dirt for racing through the month of March and April.

“I believe every racer has dreamed of the opportunity to race in the NASCAR Cup Series and the fact that it’s going to happen on dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway only makes it sweeter,” Golobic said. “This opportunity honestly fell into our lap out of nowhere and it’s something you just can’t pass up. I am so thankful for everyone involved in making this happen, as well as everyone who has had a hand in helping me get to this point in my career. I hope to represent all of our supporters to the best of my ability, and I can’t wait to see what we can do on the dirt at Bristol.”

Wood, president of Matt Wood Racing & Promotions, echoed Golobic’s sentiments.

“Sometimes something falls in your lap that’s just too good to be true,” Wood said. “Partnering with Matt Tifft and B.J. McLeod of Live Fast Motorsports to run Shane in the NASCAR Cup Series is one of those deals. I think it’s every person’s dream that’s ever owned a race team to be a part of a NASCAR Cup race. This is definitely one of those items you put in your bucket that you think you will never check off the list.”

Live Fast Motorsports co-owner Matt Tifft is a former racer himself.

“We are thrilled to have Shane Golobic join Live Fast Motorsports at the Bristol dirt race,” Tifft said. “This is such a historic event for the Cup cars to race on dirt once again and for the first time at Bristol. We couldn’t have thought of anyone better to join our team with all of Shane’s background in the dirt racing world, and we can’t wait to see the show that he and the NASCAR Cup Series puts on in just a few weeks.”

Golobic, 29, is an accomplished winged/non-winged sprint car and midget racer with 83 career feature wins. Golobic has won features with the World of Outlaws and USAC among other sanctioning bodies. He also made a trio of ARCA Menards Series West starts for Bill McAnally Racing in 2013

“I’m very excited for Shane… obviously, he knows his way around dirt,” said Wood. “I think this will be an opportunity for him to showcase that talent on one of the World’s biggest stages. I’m very proud of what we have accomplished with our sprint car and midget program. This will be completely new experience for us. Hopefully, we can do more in the future with Matt, B.J. and Live Fast Motorsports.”

SAN DIEGO -- Former NFL player Kellen Winslow II was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in prison for multiple rapes and other sexual offenses against five women in Southern California, including one who was homeless when he attacked her in 2018.

The 37-year-old son of Chargers Hall of Fame receiver Kellen Winslow appeared via videoconference at the hearing in San Diego Superior Court in Vista, California.

Winslow declined to comment before his sentence, saying his lawyers had advised him not to speak.

San Diego County Superior Court Judge Blaine Bowman said Winslow can only be described with "two words, and that is sexual predator." Bowman said Winslow selected women who were vulnerable because of their age or their living situation with the idea that "hopefully he would get away with it in his mind."

Bowman called them "brazen" crimes, and he said Winslow continued to prey on women even after his first arrest. He performed a lewd act in front of a 77-year-old woman at a gym while hiding his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet with a towel. He also exposed himself during that time to a 57-year-old neighbor who was gardening.

"The vulnerability of the victims was no accident,`` Bowman said. "It was the type of victim that you sought out yourself because you felt that perhaps they wouldn't report the crime" or "wouldn't be deemed credible by the jurors."

The 14-year-sentence was the maximum allowed under a plea deal. He was convicted of forcible rape, rape of an unconscious person, assault with intent to commit rape, indecent exposure, and lewd conduct in public.

The forcible rape involved a woman who was homeless in his hometown of Encinitas, a beach community north of San Diego. She was among four of the women who gave statements Wednesday, saying that since she was raped she has had trouble raising her head and walking, and she feels afraid constantly, checking under beds and in closets, and cannot be alone.

"It's affecting my life every day and every night," she said while calling into the hearing via video conference from the San Diego County District Attorney's office, where she was watching the proceedings with another victim. "I don't ever feel safe inside or outside. You brought so much damage to my life."

All described suffering years after their attacks from fear and emotional trauma.

Winslow's attorney Marc Carlos said his client suffered from head trauma from the many blows to his head while playing football and suggested that was why he "went off the rails," going from a star athlete to a convicted sexual predator.

Carlos said his client has accepted responsibility and intends to get help.

Jurors also convicted Winslow of two misdemeanors -- indecent exposure and a lewd act in public -- involving two other women.

But that jury failed to agree on other charges, including the alleged 2018 rape of a 54-year-old hitchhiker and the 2003 rape of an unconscious 17-year-old high school senior who went to a party with him when he was 19.

Before he was retried on those charges, he pleaded guilty to raping the teen and to sexual battery of the hitchhiker.

The father of two, whose wife filed for divorce after he was convicted, had faced up to 18 years in prison for all the charges. Both sides agreed to reduce the sexual battery charge to assault with intent to commit rape last month. That reduced the maximum sentence to 14 years.

Winslow must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2004 and spent four seasons with the team, being named to the Pro Bowl in 2007. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and New York Jets. He was once the highest-paid tight end in the league, and his last NFL season was in 2013.

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Las Vegas Raiders general manager Mike Mayock gave quarterback Derek Carr, the subject of so many offseason trade rumors, a ringing endorsement on Wednesday.

"I think Derek Carr had his best year yet, under Jon Gruden," Mayock said in a Zoom meeting with reporters, "I think he's one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL and we couldn't be happier with him. And I tell you every year -- we evaluate every position every year. I have no idea who might call me [for a trade] or who might not call me. So, you have to do the evaluations, both on your own players and every other player in the league. And you've got to stack your boards and understand what league value is all around the league and we do that.

"But if you're asking me [specifically] about Derek, I think Jon and I would both stand shoulder to shoulder and pound the table for Derek Carr."

The Raiders have been linked to both Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson, whose agent listed Las Vegas as one of his four desired destinations, along with New Orleans, Dallas and Chicago, if the Seattle Seahawks chose to trade him.

Carr, meanwhile, is coming off his third straight year with Gruden. Last season, Carr had career highs in passing yards (4,103), passer rating (101.4) and Total QBR (71.0) with 27 touchdowns and 9 interceptions for a Raiders team that finished 8-8, a one-game improvement over the 2019 season, but lost five of its last seven games and was just 2-6 in his new home of Allegiant Stadium. In his career, Carr, who signed a five-year, $125 million extension in June of 2017, has a career record of 47-63, with just one winning season.

Mayock, meanwhile, was not as effusive in his praise when it came to right tackle Trent Brown, who signed a then-record-for-an-offensive lineman four-year, $66 million free-agent contract in 2019.

Brown has played 10-plus snaps in just 14 of 32 games with the Raiders.

"Regarding Trent, the jury's still out here," Mayock said. "He's under contract and, again, we believe in the talent of that player. There'd be nothing finer than to have Trent Brown at right tackle, protecting Derek Carr, next year, Week 1. But the jury's out and we still have to make some decisions on our roster in general."

Brown has a salary cap number of $14 million for 2021, with no dead money.

"Trent's whole thing is, when he's healthy, in shape and ready to go, he's as dominant as any tackle in football and he proved that early in the 2019 season," Mayock said. "Since then it's been kind of a rollercoaster. Really, what he needs to do, I think more than anything, is get himself in the best shape of his life and come out ready to prove that he is a dominant tackle in the National Football League and really that's all it takes -- if Trent gets in shape and stays committed, there's not a better talent out there."

Meanwhile, Mayock would not confirm or deny a report by NFL reporter Josina Anderson that right guard Gabe Jackson was informed of his release.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets, who once considered quarterback Sam Darnold an untouchable asset, are open to listening to trade offers.

"I will answer the call if it's made," general manager Joe Douglas said Wednesday in a videoconference with reporters, confirming previous reports that the Jets are willing to field inquiries.

The Jets are facing a major quarterback decision: stay with Darnold, draft a replacement with the No. 2 pick or perhaps pursue Houston Texans star Deshaun Watson if he becomes available -- a potential scenario that Douglas downplayed.

Douglas said he's in no rush to make a quarterback decision, but there's a pressing deadline with regard to safety Marcus Maye, a pending free agent whose agent lashed out at the Jets on Tuesday night on social media. The GM dismissed the criticism, saying the goal is to sign Maye to a long-term contract. Failing that, they could use the franchise tag by the deadline on Tuesday.

The quarterback drama remains the headline, especially in light of Darnold's struggles.

At the 2019 trade deadline, Douglas said he'd listen to offers on every player except a franchise quarterback -- and he put Darnold in that category. Clearly, that position has changed. Since the end of the season, the organization has remained noncommittal on Darnold.

"As it pertains to Sam, we think Sam is a dynamic player in this league with unbelievable talent," Douglas said. "He really has a chance to hit his outstanding potential moving forward. [But] if calls are made, I will answer them."

The Jets have received multiple calls from interested teams, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported previously. Their plan is to evaluate the top quarterbacks in the draft before making a decision on Darnold. The top candidate with the No. 2 pick is thought to be BYU's Zach Wilson. Douglas said they're gathering "as much information -- good information -- as we possibly can" on the available quarterbacks. Another option is sticking with Darnold and trading the second pick for a haul of draft picks.

The wild card is Watson. With two first-round picks in the upcoming draft, and two more in 2022, the Jets have the ammunition to pull off a trade of that caliber.

By rule, Douglas is prohibited from commenting directly on Watson, but he didn't seem enthused about the prospect of trading significant draft capital for one player. Of course, that could be posturing.

"Obviously, we have a lot of different scenarios and a lot of different rabbit holes we can go down," he said, responding to a general question about a potential blockbuster deal. "Not to get so much into a hypothetical question, but I just go back to [our philosophy].

"For us to get to where the great teams are, the most consistent teams are, you do that through the draft. It's the most team-friendly market in sports. For us to be a team that's consistently competing for Super Bowls, we have to hit on our draft picks."

The Jets have a history of trading away top draft picks. They traded unhappy safety Jamal Adams last summer, and now Maye -- his former sidekick -- appears to be disenchanted with negotiations. Agent Erik Burkhardt tweeted that the Jets "refuse to take care of their best player, captain and team-voted MVP."

...Yet refuse to take care of their best player, Captain, & team-voted MVP in his prime who had several All-Pro votes...and who played out his entire rookie deal and even changed positions on his contract year (after they got rid of last yrs All-Pro safety). ✌?

— Erik Burkhardt (@ErikBurkhardt) March 3, 2021

Douglas brushed it off, indicating it's part of the business and negotiations. He said they've had "productive conversations" with Maye's agents, adding, "Our plan hasn't changed. We're in the process of working to have Marcus be here long term."

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been downgraded to doubtful for Wednesday night's home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to low back tightness.

A source told ESPN that Doncic is still expected to play in Sunday's All-Star Game even if he sits out Wednesday, which is the Mavs' final game before the break.

Doncic was selected as an All-Star starter for the second consecutive season. He is averaging 28.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game.

Doncic has missed only one game this season for the 17-16 Mavs, who have won eight of their last 10 games to climb above .500.