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Packers restructure Lane Taylor’s contract

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Lane Taylor

Green Bay Packers guard Lane Taylor has agreed to redo the final year of his contract, saving about $3 million in cap space for the team.

As was first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Taylor’s base salary for 2020 will drop from $3.8 million to $1.5 million.  Taylor can recoup another $1.5 million if certain incentives are met.

The Packers now have more than $13.89 million in cap space.

Taylor won the Packers starting left guard job last season and started the first two games before suffering a biceps injury during practice in week three, which ended his season.

The team’s second round draft pick, Elgton Jenkins took over and played so well that he landed a spot on the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie team.

Packers sign a second late round pick

The Green Bay Packers a second seventh round draft pick, safety Vernon Scott II out of TCU.  The team still has seven more draft selections to sign.

 

Former Badger hockey star, Rob Andringa passes away

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Rob Andringa – Photo UW Sports

Madison native and former Wisconsin Badger hockey standout Rob Andringa passed away on Friday after a long battle with stage 4 colon cancer.  He was 51.

Andringa played in a program-record 179 games from 1987-’91.  He finished seventh on the all-time list for assists by a Badger defenseman with 88.  Andringa was 10th  all-time in points for a UW defenseman with 103.

Andringa helped UW win the 1990 NCAA title under Jeff Sauer and later served as an analyst on both radio and television broadcasts for Wisconsin men’s hockey.  He partnered with Brian Posick on WIBA Radio in Madison to call the three overtime win (1-0) over Cornell in the 2006 NCAA Regional in Green [Read more…]

Darner to receive a healthy settlement from Green Bay

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Linc Darner

Former UW-Green Bay men’s basketball coach Linc Darner will receive a healthy settlement after his departure from the program earlier this month.

According to a Green Bay Press Gazette story written by Scott Venci, Darner is guaranteed at least $720,000 as part of the settlement agreement he made with the school.

According to the report, Darner was paid $120,000 on May 21 and is set to receive $120,000 on the first business day in January.  He is also set to receive monthly payments of $20,000 from May 1, 2021, through April 1, 2023.

In addition, if Darner has not landed a head coaching or assistant job before that time, he will receive an additional $20,000 per month beginning May, 1, 2023, and going through April 1, 2024. [Read more…]

NHL to return this summer in new playoff format

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NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced Tuesday that hockey will return this summer in a new playoff format, with the rest of the regular season schedule being cancelled.

Bettman said the 2019-2020 regular season will not be completed, and that the top 24 teams, 12 from each conference, will effectively clinch postseason berths immediately and make up the new postseason format, with the seven remaining teams not returning again this season and going straight into the NHL Draft Lottery.

Two cities will serve as hubs for the tournament’s location to better combat the coronavirus pandemic.  Ten cities are vying to be selected as one of the two hubs.  Those candidates will include Chicago, Columbus (OH), Dallas, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Vancouver, Toronto and Pittsburgh.

Eight teams, the top four in the East and top four in the West, will compete in a round robin tournament to determine seeding for the top teams.  The remaining 16 teams will play in a best-of-5, one round play-in series, with the eight winners of the play-in rounds then joining the bracket with eight teams who already qualified to make up your usual 16-team playoff format.

Training camps aren’t expected to start until July 1st at the earliest, and there is no date set for the season to resume, but the league says the season will resume.

Packers sign 7th round pick, Garvin to deal today

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The Green Bay Packers signed rookie outside linebacker Jonathan Garvin to a contract today.  Garvin was the last of their nine selections in this year’s draft.

Garvin, who was the 242nd pick in the draft overall, recorded five sacks, nine tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in 2019 as a junior at Miami.

Garvin’s deal is for four years and is worth more than $3.3 million.

At age 20, Garvin is loaded with  upside, but his stock fell during the draft after he ran a 4.82 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine.

 

Badger football adds 4-star tight end

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Wisconsin football is adding a four-star recruit from Ohio for 2021.  Tight end Jack Pugh announced his commitment on Memorial Day to play for the Badgers.

Push also had offers from Michigan, Penn State, Indiana among others.  His older brother Trey is a tight end at Northwestern.

The 6’5 Pugh focused on basketball during his first two years of high school before joining the football team last fall.  But despite the lack of experience, Pugh received nearly two dozen offers.

UW  now has 11 known commitments for the 2021 class, although Pugh is the first tight end.

Keselowski wins Coca Cola 600

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The race was delayed by more than an hour by rain before Brad Keselowski picked up his first NASCAR Cup victory of the season by winning the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Jimmie Johnson finished second, but would later be disqualified after failing post-race inspection.

That means Chase Eliott moves from third place to second while Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick round out the top five.

Wisconsin’s Matt Kenseth finished 27th.

The series will be back in action at Charlotte on Wednesday night.

 

Kenseth finishes 30th in Darlington

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Denny Hamlin is taking home the win at Wednesday night’s Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway.  Weather caused delays, but it didn’t slow down Hamlin, who held off Kyle Busch in NASCAR’s second race back amid he ongoing coronavirus.

Wisconsin’s Matt Kenseth had tire issues and went a couple of laps down, finishing a disappointing 30th.

Up next is the Coca-Cola 600 this Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

 

Darner leaving Green Bay men’s basketball (update)

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Linc Darner

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Chancellor Michael Alexander confirmed today (Monday) that the University and men’s basketball coach Linc Darner have decided to part ways.

In a statement issued to the media this morning, no reason was given for Darner’s dismissal and the school is offering no further comment at this time.

Green Bay Athletics Director Charles Guthrie said a national search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

Darner was initially hired by former Athletic Director Mary Ellen Gillespie.  Gillespie put language in Darner’s contract which allowed for very sustainable extensions to be reached.  Darner could get a year added to his contract for finishing fourth or better in the Horizon League standings.  He also had built in protections that allowed for potential extensions in the event of changes in upper level leadership at the University. [Read more…]

UW-Green Bay fired men’s basketball coach Linc Darner

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Linc Darner

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is looking for a new head men’s basketball coach after firing Linc Darner over the weekend.

The Phoenix finished third in the Horizon League this past season and reached the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament.  Green Bay is 92-80 in five seasons under Darner, making the NCAA tournament in his first season in 2016.

It’s unclear why Darner was fired or exactly when the decision was made, but it comes with six years left on his contract with a base salary of $230,000 per season.

If Green Bay has to pay Darner all six remaining years of the contract, the school would owe him more than a million dollars.  If he was actually fired because he violated NCAA rules, the school could get out [Read more…]