Sports briefs
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Eric Beiniemy
expected to join UCLA
as associate head coach
LOS ANGELES | Eric Bieniemy is on the verge of returning home for his next job.
The former Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator is expected to become UCLA’s associate head coach and offensive coordinator, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because details of the contract are still being worked out.
Bieniemy is the first significant hire for new UCLA coach DeShaun Foster, who was hired on Feb. 12 after Chip Kelly left Westwood to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator.
Bieniemy, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, spent the past season in Washington. He wasn’t retained by new Commanders coach Dan Quinn, who replaced Ron Rivera.
Foster does not have head coaching or coordinator experience, so the hiring of Bieniemy gives the Bruins an experienced voice as they enter the Big Ten in 2024 and try to retain or add players via the transfer portal.
Despite his success in Kansas City, Bieniemy hasn’t been able to land a heading coach job even though he has interviewed with more than half of the NFL’s teams.
Bieniemy only received offers to be a running backs coach and pass game coordinator for 2024 so he chose to return to UCLA, where he spent three seasons as an assistant in various roles from 2003-05.
Bieniemy spent 10 seasons with the Chiefs working under Andy Reid and played a major role in helping Patrick Mahomes develop into one of the NFL’s best players. Mahomes just led the Chiefs to their third Super Bowl title in five years and earned MVP honors for the third time.
Reid brought Bieniemy in to speak to the offense before the Chiefs beat Baltimore in the AFC championship game.
“It’s always great to have EB in the building,” Mahomes said. “Just being there, the energy that he brings, the mentality that he brings, you can feel because he has that intensity, but he loves it. He loves being there, he loves being a part of the team and being a part of that culture. Just having him back in the building was really cool; listening to him talk, his energy. I think guys had a little bit of chill bumps, like, ‘Hey, EB’s back here.’ Obviously, he didn’t get that head coaching opportunity, but I’m excited for him to continue to coach football and to continue to make his impact on the game.”
Bieniemy went to Washington to escape Reid’s shadow and have full control of play-calling duties. He had mixed results for a 4-13 team that lacked talent overall. The Commanders finished with the league’s 24th-ranked offense behind quarterback Sam Howell.
“His coaching future is great. I’m obviously a big fan of his and I know the things that he can do,” Reid said about Bieniemy before the Super Bowl.
Bieniemy attended high school in Southern California at Bishop Amat in La Puente, which is 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
It is Bieniemy’s first college job since 2012, when he was the offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Colorado
Bieniemy’s second college coaching job was at UCLA. He coached running backs for three seasons and also was the Bruins’ recruiting coordinator in 2005.
Foster, a Bruins assistant for the past seven years, left last month to become the Las Vegas Raiders’ running backs coach but returned to his alma mater after Kelly’s departure.
Kelly had a 35-34 record with the Bruins, but the program was showing signs of stagnating ahead of its move to the Big Ten.
Cody Bellinger is returning to the Cubs on an $80 million, 3-year contract, AP source says
Cody Bellinger is going back to the Chicago Cubs
The slugger can opt out of the deal after each of the first two seasons, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Sunday because the agreement was pending a physical. Bellinger is set to make $30 million this year, and then $30 million in 2025 if he stays with Chicago and $20 million in 2026 if he doesn’t opt out of the contract.
Bellinger was among five significant free agents represented by Scott Boras who went into spring training without agreements. Pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, third baseman Matt Chapman and designated hitter J.D. Martinez remain on the market.
It was a much different experience than last offseason, when Bellinger finalized a $17.5 million, one-year deal with the Cubs in December 2022. He then declined his end of a $25 million mutual option for 2024 and rejected a $20,325,000 qualifying offer from Chicago after a resurgent performance.
Healthy again after years of injuries, Bellinger regained the form that made him one of baseball’s biggest stars at the beginning of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit a career-best .307 with 26 homers, 97 RBIs and 20 steals in 130 games in 2023.
The 28-year-old Bellinger helped power the Cubs into playoff contention before the team faded in September. He had 48 RBIs in one 45-game stretch from Aug. 1 to Sept. 19.
“He’s part of this club. He’s one of us. There was a little void in here, for sure, before he came back,” pitcher Kyle Hendricks told reporters at the team’s spring training facility in Arizona. “Just seeing him in here, man, getting a hug, smiling. I know he’ll be back to work soon. But yeah, just seeing his body, seeing his face in here, was just amazing.”
Bellinger also gave Chicago a lift with his defensive versatility. He won a Gold Glove in 2019 for his work in center, and he also plays a solid first base. He likely will be in center on opening day this year, giving top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong more time to develop.
“Just the impact that (Bellinger) had on our group last year from a personality standpoint, from a versatility standpoint, and then obviously his ability to produce at a high level really made our team and put ourselves in position to have some success last year,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said in Arizona. “And that’s something that we’ve been looking forward to being able to get back.”
Bellinger’s rejuvenation was greeted with some skepticism from the analytics crowd. He ranked in the 22nd percentile among big leaguers in average exit velocity and in the 10th percentile in hard-hit rate in 2023 — he was in the 83rd and 86th percentiles, respectively, when he won NL MVP in 2019.
Bellinger was selected by Los Angeles in the fourth round of the 2013 amateur draft. His father, Clay, was a utilityman who appeared in 183 big league games, mostly with the New York Yankees.
Cody Bellinger broke into the majors in 2017, hitting 39 homers for the Dodgers and winning the NL Rookie of the Year award. He was the NL MVP in 2019, batting .305 with a career-best 47 homers and 115 RBIs in 156 games.
The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series, and Bellinger played a key role in their October success. He hit four homers and drove in 13 runs in 18 postseason games as Los Angeles won it all for the first time since 1988.
After that stellar season in 2019, injuries became an issue. Bellinger had surgery on his right shoulder in November 2020. He hit a career-low .165 in 95 games in 2021.
Bellinger was let go by the Dodgers in November 2022 after he hit .210 with 19 homers, 150 strikeouts and a .654 OPS in 144 games in his final season with the team.
CEO of Ford demands resolution of investigation of Christian Horner
The CEO of Ford Motor Co. insisted on a resolution into the investigation of Red Bull team principal Christian Horner in a letter sent to the team, a copy of which was obtained Sunday by The Associated Press.
The letter dated Friday from Ford CEO Jim Farley expressed his displeasure with “the unresolved allegations of inappropriate behavior by Red Bull Racing leadership.”
Farley noted it had been 11 days since Ford, which is set to become Red Bull’s engine supplier in 2026, first requested further information into the investigation Red Bull’s parent company announced on Feb. 5 into allegations made against Horner by a team employee. Red Bull has given no public details on the accusations, which were initially characterized internally as an investigation into Horner’s “aggressive management style” but have now shifted to reports of sexual misconduct.
Horner has denied any wrongdoing and said he also wanted a quick resolution to the investigation.
“As we have indicated previously, without satisfactory response, Ford’s values are non-negotiable,” Farley wrote in the letter. “It is imperative that our racing partners share and demonstrate a genuine commitment to those same values. My team and I are available at any time to discuss this matter. We remain insistent on, and hopeful, for a resolution we can all stand behind.”
Ford so far is the only one of Red Bull’s corporate partners to speak publicly on the Horner investigation. The company reportedly sent an initial letter to Red Bull — seemingly what Farley referenced in Friday’s communication — but the AP has not seen the first letter.
Ford on Sunday declined to comment.
Formula 1 and governing body FIA both issued statements pressing Red Bull for a resolution. But neither Larry Ellison, co-founder of Red Bull title sponsor Oracle, or Ryan McInerney, CEO of Visa, have replied to requests for comment from the AP. Visa in January was announced as title sponsor for Red Bull’s junior team in Visa’s first new global sports partnership in 15 years.
Farley’s letter expresses clear frustration with the pace of the investigation. In the time since Red Bull’s Austria-based parent company revealed it was looking into allegations of misconduct, Horner has continued in his role as team leader of the three-time reigning world champions.
Horner was at the launch of the 2024 car two weeks ago, spent last week with the team testing in Bahrain, and has said he expected to be the team principal when the F1 season opens next weekend.
Farley wrote that although Ford trusts the investigation is fair, the company is “increasingly frustrated, however, by the lack of resolution or clear indication from you about when you anticipate a fair and just resolution of this matter.
“We are likewise frustrated by the lack of full transparency surrounding this matter with us, your corporate partners, and look forward to receiving a complete account of all findings.”
Farley ended the letter calling for “prompt and serious attention” to the matter.
The Horner investigation has consumed the F1 community as the start of the new season and Max Verstappen’s bid for a fourth consecutive title are just days away. There were reportedly nearly 100 pieces of evidence introduced during a deposition of Horner, who allegedly offered his accuser a six-figure settlement.
His fate, though, is complicated no matter what the investigation finds.
Red Bull was founded by Dietrich Mateschitz and Chaleo Yoovidhya, a Thai pharmacist. Mateschitz died last year and although his son, Mark, runs the company, the family holds only 49% ownership of Red Bull.
The remaining 51% is owned by Yoovidhya, and Horner’s future with Red Bull could come down to a standoff between the two families.
Hawks lose All-Star point guard Trae Young for at least four weeks
ATLANTA | The Atlanta Hawks have lost All-Star point guard Trae Young for at least four weeks with a torn ligament in his left pinkie finger.
The Hawks announced the injury Sunday. Young was hurt during Friday night’s loss to Toronto and will have surgery Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
The team said Young will be evaluated in four weeks.
“You feel awful for Trae more than anything,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “It is going to be a challenge for him not to be out there.”
The loss of Young comes as the Hawks, fighting for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, are facing front-line depth issues as center Onyeka Okongwu recovers from a sprained left toe. Snyder said Thursday that Okongwu is not going to be available for the foreseeable future.
“You have to adapt,” Snyder said. “That happened when we lost Jalen (Johnson). We have to have minutes from Kobe (Bufkin) and Patty (Mills) and we obviously know what (Dejounte Murray) can do. I don’t want to wallow in anything.”
The Hawks entered Sunday 2-3 in games Young has missed this season.
Young, who made his third All-Star team this year, leads Atlanta with his averages of 26.4 points and 10.8 assists per game. Murray likely will assume primary ball-handling duties with Young sidelined, and Bogdan Bogdanovic took Young’s spot in the starting lineup for Sunday night’s game against Orlando. In 46 games as a reserve, Bogdanovic is averaging 16.8 points.
“This will be fluid. If Boji starts, we lose his punch off the bench,” Snyder said. “Do you want him stabilizing the second unit? There’s a lot of things that go into it. We will approach it that way.”
Five players suspended after Heat-Pelicans incident
NEW YORK | Miami’s Jimmy Butler and New Orleans’ Naji Marshall have been suspended for one game apiece for instigating an on-court altercation, the NBA announced Sunday.
The incident happened during the Heat-Pelicans game Friday night.
Miami’s Thomas Bryant and New Orleans’ Jose Alvarado were both handed three-game suspensions for fighting and leaving the bench area. Miami’s Nikola Jovic also got a one-game suspension for leaving the bench area and entering the altercation, the league said.
Butler — who did not think he should have been ejected — will lose nearly $260,000 in base salary because of his suspension. The rest of the suspensions will cost the four other players about $115,000, combined.
“I put my hand around his neck. He put his hand around my neck,” Butler said after the game of his incident with Marshall. “And it just took off the way it did.”
It started when Miami’s Kevin Love fouled New Orleans’ Zion Williamson under the Pelicans’ basket. Butler and Marshall “engaged in a physical altercation” after the foul, the league said, and Alvarado and Bryant then fought.
Alvarado, Bryant, Butler and Marshall were assessed technical fouls and ejected from the game, which the Heat won 106-95.
Alvarado will miss games Sunday against Chicago, Tuesday at New York and Wednesday at Indiana. Marshall will miss Sunday’s game against the Bulls.
Butler and Jovic will not play when Miami visits Sacramento on Monday and Bryant will miss that game, along with ones Tuesday at Portland and Thursday at Denver. Bryant played for the Nuggets last season when they beat the Heat in the NBA Finals.
—From AP reports
