CONCORD, N.C. — Less than 48 hours remain before the start of a new year and surprisingly, six-time and defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby remains unemployed.

The 40-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has been rideless since team owner Mike Smeriglio III announced he was retiring in early November. Coby won 21 Whelen Modified Tour races and five of his six championships while driving for Smeriglio.

“You work with enough people in racing that you don’t like, so you end up with the ones that you do like and you try to put the pieces of the puzzle together,” Coby said about the crew that surrounded him at Mike Smeriglio III Racing. “Everybody on our team has been able to put the benefit of the team first and there is no chatter behind each other’s back. We say things to each other’s faces, and I think that the back chatter is what usually undoes the good things about race teams.”

This isn’t the first time Coby has found himself searching for a place to race. Two years before his dominance of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour began with his first championship in 2012, Coby was entering his fourth consecutive season without a full-time ride.

He said it was late friend and sponsor, Harvey Berube of Reynolds Auto Wrecking, who helped him land a ride with Wayne Darling that led to the 2012 series championship.

“He was the first person, when I had lost my ride, that five years later he pulled aside Kevin Crowley, who was crew chief at the time for like Donny Lia and a bunch of other guys, he pulled Kevin aside and said, ‘How do we get Doug in a full-time ride?’” Coby recalled. “He helped orchestrate my deal with Wayne Darling, which led to the championship in 2012.”

Coby admitted that the things that motivated him during his ride search in 2010 have changed during the last 10 years. Instead, he appreciates what he went through at the time as he continues his search for a new car owner.

“I don’t necessarily look back on the things that motivated me then as motivation for now,” Coby explained. “I think it’s more of an appreciation and an understanding, especially considering I’m coming off the sixth championship and I’m still looking for a car owner for next year. I get a little bit of a flashback to 2010 where I was looking to put something together.”

As far as what comes next for Coby, he jokingly confirmed he won’t be signing a developmental contract with Ford anytime soon.

“Hailie Deegan stole my Ford driver-development ride, so I’m out there,” Coby said with a laugh.

Jokes aside, Coby is working on a deal to run in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour next season. He even admitted he’d entertain the idea of stepping up to ARCA or one of the NASCAR national tours if sponsorship comes together.

“I don’t have anything lined up quite yet. We’re working on some stuff with the modifieds,” Coby said. “There are always opportunities to run in ARCA, Truck or Xfinity if I have the sponsorship money to do it. That’s something I thought that was pretty cool over the last couple of years that I’ve made some connections in those arenas that I know I can call people up and say, ‘Hey, I have X amount of dollars of sponsorship, can I get in something?’ That never existed for me five years ago or 10 years ago.

“I would expect you’ll probably see me back in the modifieds and obviously I’m hoping that if I’m going to be racing the tour, I’m hoping it’s going to be with the same equipment and the same team that I’m with now and we don’t end up splitting up and doing separate stuff. We’re hoping to get some more information on that in the next week or two, just to see if there is any traction on some things we’ve been working on.”

TULSA, Okla. — NTT IndyCar Series young gun Santino Ferrucci will tackle one of the most unique challenges of his career when he straps into a midget for the upcoming Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway.

Ferrucci, 21, will make his Chili Bowl debut behind the wheel of the No. 18s Boss-Fontana for Jody Rosenboom Racing, with major support from David Byrd of Jonathan Byrd’s Racing.

The Woodbury, Conn., native is a past test driver for Haas F1 Team and, at one time, appeared to be on a path to race in Formula One before circumstances led him to return to the United States and drive for Dale Coyne Racing in the Indy car ranks.

However, out of all the open-wheel and single-seater racing he’s done in the past, Ferrucci told Sprint Car & Midget that nothing he’s driven will relate to the dirt midget experience he’s about to embark on.

“I’m excited for it, but it’s also crazy because (dirt racing) has absolutely nothing to do with anything I’ve ever done in my life from a racing standpoint,” Ferrucci said. “But from a fundamental standpoint, with car control and weight … your eyes are looking, it’s something that’s very good for training.

“Actually, after one of the Indy car races last year that David was at, I think we were at the airport and he had asked me at one point if I ever wanted to go run in a sprint car or a midget,” recalled Ferrucci. “I thought that it sounded like fun, but I kind of thought he was joking, even though I did know he was trying to put together some programs and everything and he had done a lot in the past. But he called me up in December and said, ‘All right, we’re good to go. Which dates?’

“It was a pretty cool process and he’s done an awesome job putting everything together.”

Ferrucci’s foray into dirt racing began Dec. 16, when he spent a test day with Byrd and Gene Gile Racing at Arizona’s Canyon Speedway Park turning laps in a non-winged sprint car.

While it’s not quite the same as the midget he’ll be racing at the Chili Bowl, Ferrucci said it was still a valuable tool for him.

“The test day actually went really well. I was really happy,” said Ferrucci. “I mean we got 80 laps in that day, and I feel like at the end I started to get the hang of it. It’s just a different animal, though. There’s absolutely nothing like it.

“I can explain it best like this: I’ve never gone flat into a corner to go backward,” he noted with a laugh. “Driving the 410 sprint, I had to take it with the throttle and then once I had it backward, I had to give it more throttle. And to me that made absolutely no sense. It was just completely wrong on all standpoints as far as anything car related. So I was just working on adapting and teaching myself new ways to drive.”

Ferrucci pointed out one thing he felt transcends both Indy car racing and his time on the dirt.

“A good thing that I did learn going into dirt racing was that it’s always good to look where you want to go,” he explained. “And that’s super important, especially in the Indy car with oval racing; you’re always looking so far ahead because you’re going so fast. And I found it’s the same kind of mentality with the dirt car.

“That was probably the best thing I had adjusted to by the end of the day, was just looking ahead and hitting my marks and going where I wanted to.”

Ferrucci’s goal going into his first Chili Bowl is extremely simple.

“I just really don’t want to roll it,” he affirmed with a laugh. “I want to have fun and enjoy the atmosphere that the Chili Bowl has. It’s one of those races that’s really prestigious, especially for dirt racing and dirt oval competitors. It’s really out of my realm and I’m stepping into their world and what they love to do, but I’m just glad to be a part of it and glad I can join in on the fun.”

For Ferrucci, who earned Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 along with three top-five and seven top-10 finishes in the IndyCar Series, his maiden voyage at the Chili Bowl is part of a greater goal.

He wants to be a modern-era version of A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti or Tony Stewart, a driver who is diverse enough to be able to jump in any type of car and find speed out of it at the end of the day.

“Man, back in the day you had drivers that raced across all platforms. You had drivers that did the Indy 500 and did NASCAR,” Ferrucci pointed out. “I mean, look at Tony (Stewart). When he used to race NASCAR, it seemed like every night he’d be at a dirt track having fun, and then back into his stock car during the day. That’s the kind of driver I think it would be cool to be like.

“We’re losing that kind of old-school mentality, where as drivers, we can drive anything,” he added. “I was more than happy to get behind the wheel of something completely new. I wanted that experience and to see how it went. Hopefully, this can go well and maybe then I can do it again sometime.”

SPEED SPORT’s Chili Bowl coverage is presented by MyRacePass, the official timing and scoring app of the 2020 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. Fans can download the MyRacePass app on their phones to follow all the action during the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. For more information on MyRacePass, visit www.myracepass.com and use the hashtag #GetTheApp on Twitter!

PLACERVILLE, Calif. – Justyn Cox has welcomed back Berco Redwood, Berry Lumber, and the Berry family back as marketing partners for his upcoming racing season.

Cox has plans in place to run a full schedule with C&M Motorsports in 2020, as well as selected races in the Cox Family Racing No. 31c.

“I am extremely excited to have Tim Berry, Berco Redwood, Berry Lumber, and the Berry Lumber back on board in 2020 and beyond after year apart,” Cox said. “I am excited to have them with me in what will be my first year with C&M Motorsports, and I am excited to continue a great relationship I have had with the company since 2015.”

As previously announced, Cox and C&M Motorsports will go after the 2020 Placerville Speedway track title, as well as the Sprint Car Challenge Tour title, filling their schedule in with various dates as they see fit.

Cox also has plans of running the family car on a hit-and-miss basis as his schedule allows.

“Tim Berry and I have always wanted to Placerville Speedway championship, and with the new El Dorado Hills location now open, it is a great time to team back up and go after it,” said Cox. “We have had such a good relationship in years past, and it is pretty neat that people associate myself with Berco thanks to the support they have provided over the years. It should also be a fun year, as Berco is also a large supporter to up-and-coming racer Ashlyn Rodriguez, so it will be fun to mentor her as she makes the move into winged sprint cars in 2020.

“Again, I am extremely thankful, and happy to have Berco back on board in 2020.”

While Cox is excited to reunite with his longtime sponsor, the feeling is mutual for Tim Berry and his family, who are also looking forward to getting back on the dirt in 2020.

“Berco Redwood, Berry Lumber, and the Berry Family are excited to reunite with Justyn Cox in both the Cox Family Racing No. 31c, as well as the C&M Motorsports No. 7c cars in 2020,” said Berry. “Justyn exemplifies our family tradition of hard work, character, and quality and that excites us. Along with Justyn’s Berco teammate, Ashlyn Rodrigues, we look forward to a great 2020 season.

“We wish the best of luck and a safe season to all the participants and racing family members.”

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo is expected to miss multiple weeks after suffering a knee injury during Sunday's game, coach John Tortorella said Monday.

Korpisalo left the 3-2, shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks after being injured trying to stop the first-round overtime shot from Jonathan Toews.

The 25-year-old has a 17-10-4 record this season with a 2.49 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.

Korpisalo's injury was part of the reason for a rant from Tortorella after the loss. The coach said the whole shootout would have been avoided had extra time been restored to the clock in the third period, allowing Zach Werenski's potential game winner to count.

"So the chain of events, if it was done right," Tortorella said, striking the podium in front of him, "is that we don't lose our goalie and we win the hockey game. So all the goddamn technology, right? The technology and getting things right ... the stubbornness tonight, by the officials and by the league and Toronto, however it's supposed to goddamn work, screws us."

NHL vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell said in an email that Tortorella's comments were "unprofessional" and "unacceptable" and that the league is dealing with the matter.

On Monday, Tortorella said in a news conference that he was undisciplined with his Sunday comments.

Elvis Merlikins, who replaced Korpisalo for the shootout, has played in nine games this season and has yet to record a win.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic -- Canada bounced back from a big loss to Russia with a 4-1 victory over Germany on Monday at the world junior hockey championship.

Nolan Foote, Liam Foudy and Ty Dellandrea had a goal and an assist each for Canada, with Calen Addison also scoring.

Yannik Valenti netted for Germany.

Canada was thumped 6-0 by Russia on Saturday for its worst ever defeat at the tournament.

Canada is tied atop group B with the United States on six points, three more than Russia, the host Czech Republic and Germany. The U.S. plays the Czechs later Monday.

Canada forward Alexis Lafreniere, projected to be the No. 1 pick at the 2020 NHL draft, missed the game after sustaining a knee injury against Russia but could return later in the tournament.

Sweden dispatched Kazakhstan 6-2 to take the lead of Group A with eight points, a point ahead of defending champion Finland.

Switzerland plays Slovakia in the group's other game later Monday.

Samuel Fagamo scored twice for Sweden to top the scoring table with five goals.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence said the vicious hit he took from Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade in the first half of Saturday's College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl left his arm numb and was a turning point for the entire team in its 29-23 win over the Buckeyes.

"It was just, they hit me, and I was worried it was my collarbone for a second because I couldn't feel it up there around my shoulder and neck, and my arm just went numb," Lawrence said Monday on a CFP teleconference. "It was just a really bad stinger. And then I got kind of -- I was kind of pissed off because I knew they were over there thinking like, 'All right, we knocked him out.'"

After a review of the play on third-and-5, officials determined that Wade had lowered the crown of his head when going in for the sack, and he was ejected for targeting. Lawrence missed one play and returned to complete a 10-play drive that took 4:35 off the clock and was punctuated by an 8-yard touchdown by Travis Etienne.

"They think they had all the momentum, so I was like, 'All right, I'm just going to pop up, I'm going to run it off,'" he said. "And I was pissed, too, because I thought we were punting, and then it turns out they called targeting and we got a chance to go back out there and we finished and scored on that drive. But I was just like, man, from then on, they thought they had knocked me out. I had a different kind of edge when I got up.

"It's definitely I would say the most physical game I've ever been in and the most sore I've been after a game," he said. "Yeah, I woke up yesterday morning and definitely felt it. But you know, it's a good feeling, though, when you wake up and you know you left everything out there."

With the win, Clemson advanced to the CFP national title game for the fourth time in five years, where it will face No. 1 LSU on Jan. 13 in New Orleans (8 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App). Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said the entire team is banged up.

"Oh, there ain't nobody OK," Swinney said. "Are you kidding me? We just came out of a 15-round bout. Coaches are sore. We're all sore. Everybody is beat up. That was an unbelievable game. But again, our guys finished. Everybody who got hurt came back." Swinney said everyone will be healthy and ready to play on Jan. 13. The long break between games will work in their favor, but Swinney said he would still prefer to play sooner.

"I think playing on Saturday and then playing the following Monday, I like that," he said. "But in this particular case, it's a blessing for us because we can kind of give our guys a couple days to just rest and recover, and also the coaches."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Eli Manning is contemplating retirement. If he does return, it almost certainly will not be with the New York Giants.

Manning, who turns 39 on Friday, has spent all 16 of his professional seasons with the team that traded for him during the 2004 NFL draft. But he isn't interested in being Daniel Jones' backup next season.

"I doubt it. I doubt it," Manning said the day after the Giants completed a 4-12 season where he spent most of his time as the second-string quarterback. "Backing up is not real fun."

Manning will spend the next days and weeks contemplating his future. He's going to talk with his family and decide what is best for him and them. He said coaching isn't really an option, aside from serving as the assistant for his daughter's third-grade basketball team.

"I don't think so," Manning said of coaching football. "I felt like I was a coach this year and I didn't enjoy it that much."

Retirement is a much more realistic possibility for Manning after 236 career games and two Super Bowl MVPs.

"Yeah, everything is an option," Manning said. "That is the first decision, whether I want to continue to play or not."

What Manning does know is that he wants to make a decision rather quickly.

But there is no concrete timetable. The Giants' season ended Sunday, and the Super Bowl is in February. Free agency begins in March. Manning is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career.

He admitted that he needs to determine how much quality football he still has left in his body. Manning started four games and threw six touchdown passes and five interceptions this season.

"That is what I will decide," Manning said. "I'll just try to figure it out. I think I can still play."

What will factor into his decision is how he feels about playing for another team.

His father, Archie, has told ESPN on multiple occasions that he didn't foresee his youngest son ever playing for another franchise. That was Archie's opinion. Now it's Eli's turn to actually make that decision.

"That will come into the consideration," he said. "That is what I'll be thinking about these next couple days."

Manning has thrown 366 touchdown passes and 244 interceptions in his career. He owns a 117-117 record as a starter in the regular season.

And then there were those two magical playoff runs that led to two Super Bowls and two Super Bowl MVPs. Those are part of the indelible images he leaves behind and the memories he talked about taking with him.

This was always the expected outcome of this season, though. The Giants drafted Jones sixth overall last April and view him as their quarterback of the future, seemingly regardless of their new coach. They fired coach Pat Shurmur on Monday.

Jones took over as the starter this season after two games.

LeBron James has spent nearly half of his life in the NBA.

He was drafted on Jun. 26, 2003, 6,752 days after he was born. Monday, he'll celebrate his birthday, 6,031 days after walking across the New York stage and shaking then-commissioner David Stern's hand.

In that time, James has spent more minutes on the court than nearly any other player in NBA history, racking up countless accolades, accomplishments and memories.

With that in mind, we asked those who've spent the past two decades crossing paths with James in and around the NBA to share their memories and stories of him as he celebrates his 35th birthday.

• Nine things you might have missed about LeBron

• LeBron's story can't be told without these 13 moments

• 23 for 23: Little-known facts about LeBron James

What happens on the Banana Boat, stays on the Banana Boat

Chris Paul, Oklahoma City Thunder guard: There are few in the NBA who know LeBron quite like fellow banana boater Chris Paul. Paul has stories for days about LeBron, too many to pick, he says, as he stands shuffling through them in his mind.

"I don't know," Paul says, shaking his head. "I can't think of one."

It's probably difficult to quickly edit which ones he's comfortable making available for public consumption, so Paul takes it another direction. He starts in on the respect he has for LeBron, as a player, as a father, as a man and as a friend.

"I think probably one of the biggest things about Bron, if the man wakes up and uses the bathroom, somebody is gonna analyze how he did it. If he did it good or bad," Paul says. "For all that he's been dealt from a young age, just to see how he's handled everything, man, as a friend and a brother it's unbelievable to see. People don't realize how selfless he is."

He pauses for a moment and thinks.

"But that ain't for everybody to understand, either."

-- Royce Young

Christmas in Akron

Chris Dennis, James' former PR manager: "In 2003, LeBron received his first endorsement check, which actually came FedEx to my house from Nike. After I hand-delivered it to him, LeBron took that multimillion-dollar Nike check, deposited it and came out with maybe $2,000 in cash. He never spent or indulged in a frivolous manner when the money came. He did take his closest friend to an amusement park but didn't immediately purchase any new cars [he did have a Hummer] or homes.

"The following day, Nike dropped so much product on him and his close friends it was like Christmas in West Akron.

"He made sure his guys Randy [Mims], Rich [Paul] and Mav[erick Carter] were set up on payroll without real defined roles, but he knew their capabilities. They were truly surprised when payroll came, especially Rich Paul. He was like, 'I ain't done nothing yet.'

"LeBron has always been about business, a true visionary beyond his years."

-- As told to Marc Spears

From this point forward

Paul Silas, former Cleveland Cavaliers coach: When James was drafted No. 1 overall by Cleveland in 2003, Cavaliers players, who posted a 17-win season the previous season, made it clear they weren't banking on a high school kid known as "The Chosen One." While Carlos Boozer acknowledged that James had great potential, he sniffed, "We have players better than him in his position already on our team.'' Darius Miles openly questioned how LeBron would have a major impact but offered to allow him to "just hop on our bandwagon.''

Newly hired Cavs coach Paul Silas knew almost immediately that his players were underestimating James. He was astonished by how quickly James would learn an action, or improvise on a defensive scheme. "I told him something once," Silas recalled, "and he committed it to memory. His basketball mind was incredible." Silas decided to make James, listed as a shooting guard, his point forward.

As the season continued, and the abilities of the eventual Rookie of the Year became apparent, Silas would pull his veterans aside and implore them to embrace the cerebral 19-year-old.

"Their egos wouldn't allow it," Silas said. "I kept telling them, 'You have a chance to help one of the game's future stars,' but they wouldn't embrace him. If it bothered LeBron, he never let on. We won 35 games that year because of him. He's had some outstanding seasons since then, but that first one may have been the most impressive because of how he excelled in spite of the jealousy on his own team."

-- Jackie MacMullan

'Don't put me on the highlight reel'

Vince Carter, Atlanta Hawks forward: "I was with the Nets -- that's how long ago [this game] was. And we were talking about not dunking on each other. It was a very athletic conversation, believe it or not. He was like, 'Don't put me on the highlight reel.' And I said, 'You don't put me on the highlight reel!' But I remember in the game I had a tip dunk. It wasn't nothing crazy. No 'ooh, aahs.' You know when you go for the rebound and you tip it in? And he looked at me, and I was like, 'My bad.' I'm glad he didn't wind up on me after that."

-- As told to Malika Andrews

Get your followers up

Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics forward: In April 2012, the parents of a then-14-year-old Jayson Tatum had finally allowed him to open his own Twitter account. Tatum, the godson of former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Larry Hughes, immediately set to the task of getting followers, one in particular.

"@KingJames Follow back it's Larry Hughes nephew from st. Louis and Abe and Rj Lil cousin and Justin Son Follow Back," Tatum tweeted.

@KingJames Follow back it's Larry Hughes nephew from st. Louis and Abe and Rj Lil cousin and Justin Son Follow Back pic.twitter.com/AnOnb7E8

— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) April 13, 2012

James didn't respond, but the tweet resurfaced near the end of Tatum's rookie year when he faced off against James in the 2018 Eastern Conference finals.

"I was trying to get my followers up," Tatum said recently with a smile, when asked what led him to send that tweet. "But I didn't really understand how Twitter worked. I knew he ain't see it. He's got so many followers he probably didn't see it, but it was funny that it came back up when we played them."

Eventually, James did follow Tatum -- on Instagram. But while he follows 186 people on Twitter, the Celtics forward isn't one of them.

Is he surprised that hasn't changed?

"Nah," he said with a laugh. "[The media] made a big deal of it when he followed me on Instagram. But [the tweet] just was me being young.

"It was funny."

-- Tim Bontemps

'No one lets a guy get 40'

Alvin Gentry, New Orleans Pelicans coach: Gentry was an assistant on the Golden State Warriors team that faced James' depleted Cavaliers squad in the 2015 Finals. With Kevin Love out for the entire series and Kyrie Irving lost to a knee injury after Game 1, James was forced to shoulder a heavier-than-usual load, one that nearly toppled the Warriors -- and one that Steve Kerr couldn't exactly account for.

"There was a reporter that asked Steve, 'You guys seem to be doing a great job of letting LeBron get 40 and keeping everyone else in check,'" Gentry said. "Steve, said 'We didn't let him get 40, he took 40.' We didn't let him do anything. He did exactly what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it. We were just fortunate enough that we did do a pretty good job on the other guys, but no one lets a guy get 40. He did that every night we played."

James finished that series averaging 35.8 PPG, his highest output in any of his nine Finals series. He nearly became the second player to win Finals MVP despite playing on the losing team.

-- Andrew Lopez

King's court

Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors power forward: On the floor, James and Green are rivals, squaring off against each other in four straight NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018 as Green's Warriors won three titles. James, then a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, earned the 2016 Finals MVP and won Game 7 in Oakland.

Off the floor, though, James and Green have developed a friendship that extends beyond basketball. Both James and Green are represented by James' childhood friend, agent Rich Paul, and Green has been a guest on James' HBO show "The Shop." As the player empowerment era has grown in prominence in recent years, Green appreciates the fact that James has been at the forefront, setting an example for young players.

"It's meant a lot," Green said of James' advocacy. "[People thought] he made one of the biggest mistakes in his career [in 2010] when he decided to take his talents to South Beach. And it ended up being one of the most powerful moves in sports history today."

-- Nick Friedell

23 and me

Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers teammate: "It was the end of the dinner. [James] pulled out a card. He was like, 'My wife wanted me to give you this.' I was like, 'Why is Savannah giving me a card?'"

"'Welcome to L.A.' such and such and such, 'bro.' I stopped reading. I said, 'Wait, Savannah doesn't even call me 'bro.'"

Davis scanned to the bottom of the card for the signature: King James #6. From inside the to-go bag the waiter had brought over, James whipped out a gold Lakers jersey with No. 23 stitched in purple numerals and the name "Davis" on the back.

"He was like, 'I know you wanted 23.' For him to, in an instant, just say, 'Here. Here's 23. You can have it.' ... It was a cool moment."

Note: While league sources confirm the NBA would have bent the rules to allow for James to swap his jersey number without meeting the deadline to file the paperwork a year ahead of time, Nike intervened, citing tens of millions of dollars in potentially wasted inventory, according to sources.

-- As told to Dave McMenamin

London Irish hooker Motu Matu'u has been banned for five weeks after being sent off for a dangerous tackle in the loss to Worcester on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Samoa international was red-carded for a challenge on Duncan Weir in the 33rd minute of the Premiership match at Sixways.

Matu'u will miss Premiership games with Exeter, Northampton and Harlequins.

He will also miss the European Challenge Cup pool matches away at Bayonne and at home to Scarlets.

"This was a reckless tackle which, as the player accepted, he had got technically wrong," RFU independent judicial officer Jeremy Summers said.

"While both arms were attempting to wrap, he nevertheless led with his head up and in to contact with an opponent making contact with his head which carried an inherent risk of causing a potentially serious injury.

"The player accepted the charge and apologised to Duncan Weir post-match."

Motu'u was banned for three weeks in September after being cited for a dangerous tackle on Russia's Vasily Artemyev while playing for Samoa in the World Cup pool stages.

It meant Motu'u was only entitled to one week's mitigation from a six-week starting point for the ban for Saturday's offence.

"He will serve a suspension of five meaningful weeks until 17 February which takes in to account two weekends when London Irish and the player have no matches," Summers added.