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After an outcry over the future of Army star linebacker Andre Carter II, politicians scrambled to alter the language of a recently passed Congressional bill that clears his path to the upcoming NFL draft.

New language formally filed Tuesday morning in a piece of end-of-year legislation will restore the opportunity for Carter and other current academy upperclassmen at Army, Navy and Air Force to defer military service to pursue professional sports.

A provision has been included in the Omnibus Appropriations Measure, expected to pass this week, to make Carter and other current academy upperclassmen eligible for a waiver that will allow for a legacy exception for a 2019 ruling that allowed deferred service to play pro sports. This provision appeared on the Senate appropriations website Tuesday morning.

A bill that passed the Senate last week would revoke that 2019 ruling. Carter, who is projected by ESPN’s Mel Kiper as the No. 22 pick in next year’s NFL draft, finished the final regular-season game of his career on Dec. 10. The amended language that emerged Tuesday morning reads that the recently passed amendment “shall only apply with respect to a cadet or midshipman who first enrolls in the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy, or the United States Air Force Academy on or after June 1, 2021.”

Soon after an ESPN report published on Friday revealing the disappointment by both Carter’s family and Army officials over the timing of the ruling and the impact on Carter, a bipartisan effort began in earnest in Washington to figure out a way to exempt Carter from the ruling. The new language provides an exception for Carter and others, who went to Army and other academies expectating to be allowed a deferral of service.

The language, which was added to the much larger Omnibus Appropriations Measure, could be passed and approved by the president as soon as Friday. The inclusion of the new language sent a wave of relief over Carter’s family.

“Thank you to the members of congress who stepped up, spoke out and worked expeditiously in support of Andre and other service academy cadets and midshipmen who made decisions in reliance on the 2019 policy allowing deferral of service,” Carter’s parents, Melissa and Andre, wrote in a text message to ESPN. “The goodness we saw in people this past week will forever be imprinted upon us.”

Carter is poised to be the highest-drafted Army player in more than a half-century. Carter is universally regarded as a top-50 draft prospect, which would make him the highest-drafted player from the academy since 1947.

Carter said he elected not to transfer after leading the country in sacks per game in 2021, in part because of the policy passed in 2019 that allows athletes at academies to pursue professional athletics immediately after graduation and defer their service requirements.

Carter’s family had worried that he’d not only have to leave Army without graduating, but also have to pay back $400,000 to the government. Carter had already “affirmed” with Army, which means he’d committed after two years to both serve and pay back any tuition costs if he didn’t graduate.

Army coach Jeff Monken, former Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy and Carter’s parents all spoke to ESPN last week about the lack of fairness in the timing of the ruling, with Carter on the cusp of going pro.

Sources told ESPN that word of Carter’s story rippled quickly through Washington on Friday, grabbing the attention of the highest-ranking officials at the Pentagon and members of Congress such as Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell and Richard Shelby.

“It’s not normal for an issue to be highlighted and less than 10 days later have an opportunity for a bill to go through the House, Senate and get a presidential signature that quickly,” said a source familiar with the legislation.

Carter has committed to play in the Senior Bowl and will participate in the NFL scouting combine, and he promises to be one of the draft’s most intriguing stories.

“We are grateful for the support, time and energy of the United States Military Academy leadership, the Long Gray Line, and so many others throughout the country who offered their expertise and influence to quickly reach a resolution,” Carter’s parents told ESPN.

While this is an important short-term exception for Carter and others, the passage of the bill still looms as a significant obstacle for the football programs at Army, Navy and Air Force, which compete at the highest level of the sport and already have significant headwinds.

There’s a philosophical argument raised by Carter’s situation: Is it wiser to have a handful — perhaps one at each academy — of players drafted professionally each year and bask in the publicity, or have a policy that honors the importance of military service but loses that publicity?

This initial bill was introduced by Mike Gallagher, a Republican congressman from Wisconsin’s eighth district. While the pressure surrounding Carter’s situation sent Gallagher to quickly support the amended language, he remained staunch about the bill being passed.

“U.S. military service academies exist to produce warfighters, not professional athletes,” Gallagher said in a statement to ESPN last week.

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Ex-LSU WR Lacy turns himself in, released on bail

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Ex-LSU WR Lacy turns himself in, released on bail

Former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy, accused of causing a crash that killed a 78-year-old man on Dec. 17 and then fleeing the scene without rendering aid or calling authorities, turned himself in to authorities Sunday night, was jailed and then released on $151,000 bail, according to police records.

Lafourche (Louisiana) Parish Sheriff’s Office records indicate that Lacy was charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run with death and reckless operation of a vehicle.

A warrant had been issued for Lacy’s arrest, and police on Friday said they had been in contact with Lacy and his attorney to turn himself in.

According to a news release from Louisiana State Police on Friday, Lacy was allegedly driving a 2023 Dodge Charger on Louisiana Highway 20 and “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a designated no-passing zone.”

“As Lacy was illegally passing the other vehicles, the driver of a northbound pickup truck abruptly braked and swerved to the right to avoid a head-on collision with the approaching Dodge,” a Louisiana State Police news release said.

“Traveling behind the pickup was a 2017 Kia Cadenza whose driver swerved left to avoid the oncoming Dodge Charger. As the Kia Cadenza took evasive action to avoid impact with the Dodge, it crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a southbound 2017 Kia Sorento.”

Police alleged that Lacy, 24, drove around the crash scene and fled “without stopping to render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash.”

Herman Hall, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, who was a passenger in the Kia Sorento, later died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to state police. Hall was 78.

The drivers of the Cadenza and Sorento also sustained moderate injuries, according to police.

Lacy’s agent, Rocky Arceneaux, said in a statement that his client is “fully cooperating with the authorities.”

Lacy played two seasons at Louisiana before transferring to LSU in 2022. This past season, he had 58 catches for 866 yards with nine touchdowns and declared for the NFL draft on Dec. 19, two days after the crash.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.

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Sawyer gets his ‘moment,’ sends OSU to CFP final

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Sawyer gets his 'moment,' sends OSU to CFP final

ARLINGTON, Texas — As the confetti fell around him, Jack Sawyer raised his arms, lifted his head and closed his eyes. As a boy growing up in a Columbus suburb playing catch with his dad in the backyard wearing a scarlet and gray jersey, Sawyer had often dreamed that one day he might become an Ohio State hero with an iconic moment that would go down in Buckeyes history.

On Friday night, playing against Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, that moment finally happened.

On fourth-and-goal with just over two minutes remaining, Texas needed one play to tie the score and potentially force overtime. Instead, Sawyer ended the Longhorns’ season and catapulted the Buckeyes to the CFP National Championship game, where they will face Notre Dame.

Sawyer screamed past right tackle Cameron Williams and sailed toward Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, his freshman-year roommate at Ohio State. As he crashed into Ewers’ back, the ball popped loose. Off one bounce, Sawyer scooped it up and raced 83 yards for a touchdown that won’t be forgotten in Columbus.

“I almost blacked out when I saw nothing but green grass ahead of me,” he said.

With that play, the Buckeyes defeated Texas 28-14. And Sawyer cemented an Ohio State legacy.

“To make a play like that in that moment. … You want to leave a legacy behind? You become a legend. He just became a legend at Ohio State,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day told ESPN on the field after the game.

The longing for just that moment is why Sawyer put off the NFL to come back for his senior season. After three losses to Michigan with no Big Ten championships or national titles, Sawyer and several other Ohio State seniors who could have been Day 1 or 2 NFL draft picks opted to return for “one last ride,” as he put it.

Their disappointing 2023 season ended with a deflating loss to Missouri in the same Cotton Bowl stadium. Sawyer said he just couldn’t stomach ending his Ohio State career that way.

“I wanted to go to the NFL and chase my dream more than the next guy,” Sawyer told ESPN over the summer. “But I haven’t won a championship. And you walk around the Woody [Hayes Athletic Center] and all you see is championships and championship posters and banners. Having not helped our team win any of those, it’s something that wears on me and it’s something that motivates me every day.”

Sawyer nearly had that moment six weeks ago. Yet, in a turn, what followed was a career low point for him and the Buckeyes.

He intercepted Michigan quarterback Davis Warren at the goal line midway through the fourth quarter. But with the score tied, the Buckeyes couldn’t capitalize on the turnover. On their ensuing possession, the Wolverines nailed a game-winning field goal for a stunning 13-10 victory, handing the Buckeyes — and Sawyer — their fourth straight loss in the series.

As Michigan’s players planted their flag at midfield of The Horseshoe, Sawyer charged in along with his teammates and ripped it away, leading to a melee that lasted five minutes and was finally broken up by police with pepper spray.

But with the expanded 12-team playoff, Ohio State’s seniors got one final chance to end their careers with hardware. With his scoop-and-score, Sawyer brought the Buckeyes within a game of winning their first national championship since 2014.

“The resiliency of this team from a month ago has been incredible,” said Sawyer, who became the first FBS player in a decade to produce multiple pass breakups and a sack in three straight games, according to ESPN Research, all coming during Ohio State’s playoff run. “We sat up here last year with a sore taste in our mouth and heard a lot of things. We come back and heard the same things a month ago. But we kept swinging.”

The underdog Longhorns kept swinging too.

After the Buckeyes took a 21-14 lead, Ewers led Texas all the way to the Ohio State 1-yard line. But on second-and-goal, safety Lathan Ransom dropped Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner for a 7-yard loss on a risky sweep.

“We had a plan to try to get the ball on the edge,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “It’s one of those plays if you block it all right, you get in the end zone — and we didn’t.”

After an incompletion, Texas faced fourth-and-goal from the 8. Ewers, who began his career at Ohio State before transferring to Texas after one season, said he thought he had time to get off the pass. But his onetime roommate got to him before he could.

“Obviously, it’s not like I tried to give him the game,” Ewers said. “He is a great player, great individual, great person. … It sucks, but Jack’s a good player and he made a great play.”

Sawyer’s fumble recovery was the longest in CFP and Cotton Bowl history. As Ohio State quarterback Will Howard took a knee, Day jumped into Sawyer’s arms.

“I don’t know if there’s a guy … who loves being a Buckeye more,” Day said. “This is somebody … who has always wanted to be a Buckeye, who has always wanted for a moment like this. So to see him get the moment that he had today — I mean, he’s become like family to me.”

Day and Sawyer both cautioned that their last ride together isn’t over quite yet. They have one game left and a national title still to win. But they also both acknowledged the magnitude of the moment. And Sawyer’s looming place in Ohio State history.

“I love Columbus, I love the state of Ohio, I love Ohio State football,” Sawyer said. “And I’m so fortunate to be playing in the national championship my last year here.”

ESPN’s Dave Wilson contributed to this report.

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Minnesota’s Hetherman joins Miami as new DC

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Minnesota's Hetherman joins Miami as new DC

Minnesota defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman has resigned his post with the Gophers and accepted the same position at Miami.

Hetherman helped the Gophers to an 8-5 record this season, including a 5-4 mark in the Big Ten. Minnesota closed the season with a 24-10 victory over Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl earlier this month.

The Hurricanes fired defensive coordinator Lance Guidry last month after late-season defensive woes effectively cost Miami a chance to play for a conference championship, as well as a potential berth in the College Football Playoff.

Guidry spent two seasons on the Miami staff after arriving from Marshall. Though Miami showed growth in the early part of the season, the Hurricanes regressed in the final month, including a 42-38 loss to Syracuse in the regular-season finale with an ACC championship game berth on the line.

Miami blew a 21-0 lead, finished the regular season with losses in two of its final three games and failed to advance to Charlotte to play for the conference title. Miami finished two spots outside the final CFP spot.

Then, in its season finale, a 42-41 Pop-Tarts Bowl loss to Iowa State, Miami blew a 10-point third-quarter lead — allowing the Cyclones to score the go-ahead touchdown with 56 seconds remaining. Guidry was fired three days later.

“In a continuous effort to always improve all aspects of our program, I have decided to make a change on defense,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said at the time. “We will move forward and make decisions that provide our players, staff and program the best opportunity to win and develop at the highest level.”

The Hurricanes open next season at home against Notre Dame, which will play for the CFP title next week.

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