NHLPA boss backs Coyotes move if no arena plan
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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh believes the Arizona Coyotes should relocate if there isn’t a suitable arena plan in place by the end of the 2023-24 NHL season.
“If there’s no plan in Arizona, I would encourage a move to another location, absolutely,” said Walsh, speaking at NHL All-Star Weekend on Friday. “I think the league feels that Arizona is a good market and I can understand that. The issue I have, and the players have, is how long do you wait to get a home? They’re playing in a college arena and they’re the second tenant in that arena. This is not the way to run a business.”
The Coyotes called Glendale home from 2003 until 2022, when the city council decided not to renew their arena lease. The team is playing its second season at Mullett Arena, a 5,000-seat building on the campus of Arizona State University. It was a temporary fix while owner Alex Meruelo sought to build a $2.1 billion entertainment district in Tempe, on a landfill owned by the city. But that plan was rejected by voters on a special election ballot last May, which sent the team scrambling for alternatives.
When asked whether Coyotes players would support an abrupt relocation after this season, Walsh said that “the players want to play in an NHL arena.”
He also blasted the team for not working with the players’ union since he took over last year.
“I’m extremely disappointed in the ownership of Arizona and the president of Arizona. We have a team in Arizona that doesn’t seem interested in having conversation with the union who represents the players that play on that team,” he said.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said that Coyotes’ arena situation “will be addressed in the next few weeks,” as Meruelo “is focused on one piece of property.” Last August, Meruelo executed a letter of intent to purchase a parcel of land in Mesa to potentially build a new sports arena and entertainment district.
“Alex Meruelo told me as recently as last week that he was certain he was going to get this done. I don’t make it a practice of contradicting owners unless I have hard facts to the contrary,” said Bettman on Friday. “I’m both hopeful and reasonably confident that he’s going to do what he says.”
Bettman stressed that the NHL is not in an expansion mode, nor is it interested in relocating a team. That’s despite significant interest from Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith in bringing a team to Salt Lake City, although Bettman characterized that interest as being focused more on expansion than relocation.
“We have no formal expansion process set up. We’re listening to the expressions of interest, and I think it’s fair to say that the Utah expression of interest has been the most aggressive and has carried a lot of energy with it,” said Bettman.
Bettman mentioned the league has had conversations with representatives from Houston, Atlanta, Kansas City and Cincinnati about potential NHL expansion.
Walsh said he hasn’t seen the data on Salt Lake City’s viability as a market, other than that it’s growing as a market. He speculated a team there “could be another Vegas Golden Knights or Seattle Kraken,” citing two recent NHL expansion success stories.
He also didn’t rule out Utah as the next home for the Coyotes, as he again expressed exasperation with their lack of an arena plan.
“The next deadline for me is tomorrow. I mean, it’s right now,” he said.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Ball State fired coach Mike Neu, the school announced Saturday. The Cardinals are 3-7.
Neu was 40-63 in nine seasons at Ball State. Neu led the Cardinals to the MAC title in 2020, which was his only winning season at Ball State.
Sources told ESPN that the staff was informed of Neu’s dismissal early Saturday.
Offensive line coach Colin Johnson will serve as the interim head coach for the last two games, athletic director Jeff Mitchell said in a statement. Ball State hosts Bowling Green on Nov. 23 then plays at Ohio on Nov. 29.
Neu, 53, is a beloved alum with a strong campus reputation, but the lack of results ultimately led to his dismissal. Ball State lost 51-48 in overtime at Buffalo this week and fell to 2-4 in MAC play.
That clinched a fourth consecutive losing season for Ball State.
“Coach Neu has poured his heart into the Ball State football program,” Mitchell said in the statement. “I commend him for his professionalism and the positive team culture he has constructed. His efforts have greatly impacted the lives of hundreds of young men. He has represented the Ball State brand with integrity and class, and I wish him well in future pursuits.”
Neu led Ball State to two bowl games. That included a win over San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl to conclude the 2020 season, when Ball State finished 7-1 and won its first MAC title since 1996.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein will not play against No. 20 Clemson on Saturday, with redshirt junior Nate Yarnell getting the start for the Panthers.
Holstein hadn’t been cleared medically, sources said, and was considered a game-time decision by coach Pat Narduzzi after leaving two of Pitt’s past three games following apparent head injuries. Holstein took part in warmups Saturday.
Yarnell, who lost a camp battle to Holstein, will make his first start this season and fourth in his career for the Panthers. He has a 2-1 record as a starter, with wins over Western Michigan (2022) and Boston College (2023) and a loss to Duke (2023).
Yarnell has a strong amount of experience for a backup, as he has thrown for 1,104 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career. That includes a 65.3% completion percentage and an average of 8.9 yards per attempt. This season, he has thrown for five touchdowns and two interceptions while playing in the past three games.
Holstein has been a revelatory player for the Panthers under new offensive coordinator Kade Bell. Holstein, a transfer from Alabama, has thrown for 17 touchdowns with six interceptions.
Pittsburgh has the country’s No. 16 scoring offense at 36.7 points per game. That’s up from No. 114 last season, when it averaged 20.2 points.
Holstein has completed 61.9% of his passes and thrown for 2,174 yards.
Indiana has agreed to a contract extension with Curt Cignetti amid the Hoosiers’ unprecedented 10-0 start, the school announced Saturday.
Cignetti’s new eight-year contract runs through the 2032 season and will pay him an average of $8 million per year with an annual $1 million retention bonus, putting the total value of the new contract at $72 million.
“I am beyond appreciative for the tremendous commitment, confidence, and support from President Pam Whitten and Athletic Director Scott Dolson,” Cignetti said in a statement. “Manette [his wife] and I love Bloomington and are grateful for how the IU community has embraced us. I look forward to leading this outstanding program and doing my part to continue the momentum for Hoosier football.”
Cignetti originally received a six-year, $27 million contract when he was hired in December. He took the Indiana job after leading James Madison to an 11-1 season in 2023 — when he made $677,311 — with the goal of changing the Hoosiers’ historically woeful image in football.
He then led Indiana to the first 10-win season in school history and a possible push for the College Football Playoff. No. 5 Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) has one more win than its combined total over the previous three seasons. Its No. 5 ranking is one spot shy of the team’s highest ever, last reached in 1967, also the last time the Hoosiers won or shared a Big Ten title.
Indiana has scored at least 40 points seven times, won nine times by 14 or more points and trailed only twice briefly all season.
“We were confident IU could become a winning program and we love what he’s building here,” Dolson said in a statement. “We love the student-athletes that he’s bringing here. We love how our fanbase has rallied around this team and made Memorial Stadium the place to be on Saturday afternoons. And now, we love the fact that he’s going to be doing all those things right here in Bloomington for a long, long time.”
A source told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that Indiana will also significantly increase the pool for Cignetti’s assistants and staff.
The Hoosiers are on a bye this week before a pivotal matchup with No. 2 Ohio State next Saturday that could determine Indiana’s playoff hopes and a potential spot in the Big Ten championship game.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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