The one-game suspension for Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi was upheld by appeals officer James Thrash on Wednesday, the NFL announced.

Thrash, however, rescinded Ogujobi's fine of $10,527.

Ogunjobi had been disciplined for shoving Mason Rudolph from behind during last Thursday night's game after Browns teammate Myles Garrett had hit the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback on top of his head with his helmet.

The NFL said rulings on the appeals by Garrett and the Steelers' Maurkice Pouncey will be issued later in the week.

Garrett was given an indefinite suspension of at least six games for striking Rudolph, while Pouncey received a three-game ban for kicking and punching Garrett.

Rudolph called Garrett's actions "bush league" and "cowardly" during his news conference following Pittsburgh's 21-7 loss to Cleveland last Thursday night.

Appeals officers are jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFLPA. Thrash also conducted the hearing for Garrett on Wednesday, and Derrick Brooks heard the Pouncey appeal Tuesday.

Memphis freshman James Wiseman has been suspended 12 games by the NCAA and will be eligible to play on Jan. 12 against South Florida. He sat for Saturday's game, so he'll only need to miss another 11 before he can return.

Memphis announced that it will appeal the NCAA's decision based on "case precedent, the circumstances of this case and other mitigating factors.

"We expect a more fair and equitable resolution, and we will exhaust all avenues on James' behalf. James will not compete in this evening's contest," the school said in a statement.

The punishment stems from two violations: Wiseman's mother accepting $11,500 from Penny Hardaway in the summer of 2017, and Wiseman playing in three games while ineligible.

The NCAA initially declared Wiseman eligible in May, but further investigation found documentation of Hardaway's payment to Wiseman's family in 2017. Memphis said Wiseman had no knowledge of the payment, which was used as moving expenses when Wiseman's family moved from Nashville to Memphis. At the time, Hardaway was the head coach at East High School (Tennessee) and ran the Team Penny grassroots program. Wiseman had played for Team Penny and would enroll at East High School.

Hardaway, a Memphis alum, was considered a booster due to a $1 million donation he gave the school in 2008 to build a sports hall of fame. He became the head coach of Memphis in the spring of 2018, replacing Tubby Smith. Wiseman ultimately committed to Memphis over Kentucky in November 2018, headlining the Tigers' No. 1-ranked recruiting class.

Wiseman was ruled ineligible earlier this month, but a Shelby County judge issued a restraining order allowing Wiseman to play. Wiseman would play in two more games before Memphis declared him ineligible and decided to withhold him from competition. The freshman star also withdrew the lawsuit against the NCAA he filed after being ruled ineligible. Memphis then applied for his reinstatement by the NCAA.

In addition to the suspension, the NCAA also said Wiseman must donate the $11,500 to a charity of his choice.

The No. 1 ranked prospect in the 2019 class and the projected No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft, Wiseman averaged 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in the three games he played.

No. 16 Memphis (3-1) hosts Little Rock on Wednesday.

The Portland Trail Blazers have waived big man Pau Gasol, he said on Wednesday.

Gasol, 39, has been unable to successfully rehab his left foot following surgery.

Gasol and the Blazers are working on details of a coaching role for the future Hall of Famer. Gasol has two championships and six All-Star appearances in his 18 NBA seasons. He is remaining in Portland to rehab.

As of today, I will no longer be a member of the @TrailBlazers player roster, so I can focus all my energy on my rehabilitation. ??? pic.twitter.com/JlXWJ73B23

— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) November 20, 2019

He signed with the Milwaukee Bucks after a buyout with the San Antonio Spurs last season but played only three games with Milwaukee before a season-ending foot injury. Gasol finished the campaign having played just 30 games, averaging a career-low 3.9 points and 4.6 rebounds.

Gasol signed a one-year deal with the Blazers in July.

He also has played with the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls, and he had an outstanding FIBA career with the Spanish national team.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR and Rev Racing have announced the six ethnically-diverse and female drivers selected to the 2020 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program.

The program’s newest class features five drivers who will make their return to Rev Racing next season, including Chase Cabre, Nicholas Sanchez, Gracie Trotter, Rajah Caruth and Isabella Robusto.

Late model driver Perry Patino will make his debut with NASCAR Drive for Diversity in 2020.

Caruth and Robusto competed in the 2019 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program and raced Legends cars for Rev Racing at this year’s Bojangles’ Summer Shootout in Charlotte, N.C.

They also ran five other races with Rev Racing as part of the youth program.

“We are very enthusiastic about the progress we continue to make with the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program, and the 2020 class exemplifies the evolution of the program,” said Jusan Hamilton, Director, Racing Operations and Event Management at NASCAR. “We were extremely impressed with the confidence, competitive drive and raw talent of the drivers that competed at this year’s combine, which made the selection process challenging for us. Our partners at Rev Racing work hard every year to develop the best diverse drivers around the world.

“To see familiar faces in this class that have grown and advanced through the youth ranks of the program bolsters our belief that we will see some of these same drivers at the top levels of NASCAR in the future.”

The six drivers were selected from a group of invitees that competed in the two-day NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Combine in October at Daytona International Speedway and New Smyrna Speedway.

The combine included fitness assessments and evaluations of each driver’s marketing and media skills. The on-track portion tested the drivers’ abilities behind the wheel and proficiencies in late model stock cars.

Representatives from NASCAR and Rev Racing were on-hand to evaluate the talent and determine the 2020 team.

“We have seen great success this past year with our drivers having multiple wins in every series we participated in this season,” said Max Siegel, owner of Rev Racing. “Our returning drivers have certainly set the bar high. We are all excited to welcome the new members of this year’s class to the Rev Racing family and continue the momentum moving into the 2020 season.”

Caruth, Patino, Robusto and Trotter will compete in NASCAR late models, while Cabre and Sanchez will compete in the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Showdown Series in 2020.

Competing in a late model stock car will be a first for drivers like Caruth, whose background is in iRacing and Robusto who has experience racing Legends cars.

Rajah Caruth will become the first driver with an iRacing background to be selected for the program. He is a product of the eNASCAR Ignite Series – a first-of-its kind esports competition created to identify young talent by providing a low barrier of entry to the sport.

NASCAR Drive for Diversity provides opportunities for women and minorities to pursue career opportunities in NASCAR in the driver’s seat and on pit crews through the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Development Program and off the track through the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program.

The 2020 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development team includes:

• Chase Cabre: The 22-year-old from Tampa, Fla., will join Rev Racing for his fourth-consecutive racing season and compete in the ARCA Menards Series East. Cabre won twice in 2019 in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.

• Rajah Caruth: In just 42 starts, Caruth, 17, of Washington, D.C., has twice won races in the eNASCAR IGNITE Series, driving the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1/Ford Mustang. Additionally, he earned two heat wins with Rev Racing in the 2019 Bojangles’ Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  

• Perry Patino: The 20-year-old, Montgomery, Ala. native will join Rev Racing for the first time with one Limited Late Model win at Montgomery Speedway and the 2018 Limited Late Model championship under his belt.

• Isabella Robusto: The 15-year-old won the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout in the Semi-Pro class in 2019 and finished second in Semi-Pro points. The Fort Mill, S.C., native was honored with the Young Racer award at the 2018 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards.

• Nicholas Sanchez: The 18-year-old Miami native returns to Rev Racing for his fourth-consecutive season after winning at Myrtle Beach Speedway and Langley Speedway in a Late Model Stock Car in 2019.

• Gracie Trotter: Denver, N.C. native, Gracie Trotter, 18, returns to Rev Racing as the 2019 Winter Heat Series champion at Charlotte Motor Speedway. She also won Round 5 of the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout in the Semi-Pro Division.

Editor’s Note: This story was provided courtesy of Robin Miller and was originally published by Racer.com.

When Conor Daly ventured into the unknown world of dirt racing back in 2018 at the inaugural BC39 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he had the vocal support of fellow IndyCar drivers Alexander Rossi, Spencer Pigot and Jordan King.

What he didn’t have was a clue about running a midget on the little bullring inside turn three at IMS.

As most first-timers do, Daly struggled holding the car sideways with the throttle while trying to avoid traffic, and there was plenty of it as he went from the pole to last place in his heat race in about half a lap.

His next outing came at the Chili Bowl last winter and he was a little better. Last September at the BC39, he showed marked improvement.

But last weekend at Arizona Speedway the second-generation racer really earned his USAC wings, so to speak.

In a two-day show on the third-mile dirt oval, he made both A Mains, put on a passing show in the B Main, and qualified only a couple tenths off quick time both nights.

“It was fun and it’s much more rewarding to see some progress,” said Daly, who teamed with Kevin Thomas Jr. and Jerry Coons Jr. on Scott Petry’s Toyota team in a deal put together by David Byrd. “I mean, I started right behind Rico (Abreu) in the A Main on Saturday night, and I finished every lap both nights and didn’t get lapped.

“And after the B Main, I got more response from Twitter and Facebook than I did for some IndyCar races. It was wild.”

Since his midget experience consisted of a couple heat races at IMS, an indoor show at DuQuoin, Ill., and the Chili Bowl, a quarter-mile was the largest dirt track he’d negotiated.

When he got to Arizona Speedway in San Tan Valley, he gulped.

“The track was huge, and I didn’t know if I wanted to be out there because it was going to be way faster than I’d ever driven on dirt,” he continued. “But the nice thing was we had a night of practice, I got three hot-lap sessions instead of three laps, and Kevin really helped me.

“It was fast and you had to run wide open in turn one. KT said he was flat out all the way around and I said, ‘All the way around?’ I never did a lap full throttle but I got close in qualifying.”

On opening night, Daly started second, lost a spot but then held off Zeb Wise for third to transfer directly into the A Main, where he finished 21st.

But the next night, despite being just three-tenths behind fast qualifier Tyler Courtney, he had to run the B Main and finish in the top seven to transfer. He started 10th, headed for the cushion and passed four cars to take sixth.

“I went to the top and found some speed, and if I could run in the middle or on top I was pretty good because a lot of people ran the bottom,” said Daly, who wound up 16th in the feature.

“After the race, my dad (Derek) was so pumped up. ‘That was awesome!’ he told me. Later that night I got texts from Rico and a couple drivers saying I did a good job, and that really made me feel good.

“That never happens in IndyCar.”

Speaking of IndyCar, Daly is working hard to put a drive together for 2020 and should know something by Thanksgiving.

“No Turkey Night,” he replied when asked if he’d be running the annual USAC midget race at Ventura, Calif., on Thanksgiving. “I really appreciate David Byrd getting behind me and letting me experience dirt racing. But that’s it for this year; I’ve got to focus on my day job.”

NEW YORK -- Washington Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway has been suspended three games for spitting on an opponent.

The NHL announced Hathaway's suspension Wednesday after a hearing with him. He will forfeit $24,194 in salary.

Toward the end of a heated brawl between the Capitals and Ducks on Monday night, Hathaway responded to a rabbit punch from Erik Gudbranson by spitting on the Anaheim defenseman. Hathaway was ejected with a match penalty that carried with it an automatic suspension pending review by the league.

Hathaway said he regretted spitting on Gudbranson and called it an emotional moment. He will miss Washington's games against the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers.

The 27-year-old has been a strong addition to the Capitals, who signed him in July. With Washington in salary cap trouble because of injuries and the suspension, the team put winger Carl Hagelin on long-term injured reserve and Nic Dowd on injured reserve and recalled two minor league forwards to play Wednesday night at New York.

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- After missing the previous three games, LA Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard is planning to play in his first game with Paul George against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, league sources told ESPN.

Leonard has not played since last Wednesday against Houston due to a left knee contusion he suffered in that loss. George made his Clippers' debut last Thursday at New Orleans and has played the previous three games without Leonard.

Leonard was seen after the morning shootaround getting shots up. Teammate Ivica Zubac said he couldn't wait to play in the Clippers' first game with the two All-Stars in the starting lineup.

"Yeah, finally," Zubac said at the morning shootaround when asked what it will be like whenever Leonard and George play together. "It will be great. We are really good with only Kawhi [playing and George out]. We are really good with only PG [and Leonard out]. So you know when you put them two together, it's got to be good. So we'll see it tonight, but I'm really excited."

Leonard has played in nine games this season and is averaging 26.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.0 assists.

This year's tepid MLB stove season is dominated by talk of whether contending teams in Boston and Cleveland, both of which won their divisions in 2018 but missed the playoffs in 2019, might trade their best players -- Mookie Betts and Francisco Lindor, respectively -- now, before they reach free agency (next November for Betts and the following offseason for Lindor). Cleveland's financial picture is its own set of problems, but Boston should have no issue whatsoever paying Betts -- who seems to want to go to free agency -- $30-plus million a year to spend the rest of his prime years with the Red Sox. There is, however, an argument for trading Betts now to address the organizational deficiency in starting pitching, even though it would mean trading their best and perhaps most popular player.

The Red Sox are not in a great competitive position right now; their rotation for 2020 depends on two veterans, Chris Sale and David Price, whose health and durability are both gigantic questions. Neither threw 150 innings last season; both had the worst ERAs of their careers and both ended the year on the injured list. Their healthy returning starters are Eduardo Rodriguez and ... Nathan Eovaldi, if you are an optimist. The Red Sox had a 4.70 ERA last year, putting them at the league median, and would project to worse than that in 2020 unless they bring in a lot of outside help.

Looking at this year's list of free agents, there are plenty of drool-worthy options at the top of the rankings. Gerrit Cole is one of the most valuable pitchers to become available in free agency. Anthony Rendon was a serious MVP candidate in 2019 and Stephen Strasburg isn't that far behind Cole. Zack Wheeler and Hyun-Jin Ryu would fit near the top of most major league rotations.

However, not everyone is getting a star. Some teams are running up against salary issues -- many of those limits being self-imposed, of course -- and even if the willingness is there, there are a lot more teams than there are available stars. So there is going to be a lot of shopping at the bargain end of free agency. These players won't carry a team to the postseason single-handedly, but they will likely contribute at a reasonable salary.

Saracens' punishment for breaching the Premiership's salary cap regulations will act as "an excellent deterrent" to other clubs, according to Sale Sharks director of rugby Steve Diamond.

Sarries, the reigning Premiership and European champions, were docked 35 points and fined £5.36m after an inquiry into business partnerships between owner Nigel Wray and some of their players.

"They've been foolish in what they've done but it looks like it was not intentional," Diamond told BBC Sport.

"But the powers that be have determined the punishment to be significant.

"It's an excellent deterrent for other clubs if they thought about going down that route."

Saracens originally stated they would appeal the sanction, which they described as "heavy handed", but on Monday the north London club confirmed they will not be contesting their points deduction and fine.

Mark McCall's side have subsequently dropped from third in the table to bottom of the Premiership with -22 points.

Diamond, who spent two years as Saracens head coach between 2004 and 2006, has previously stated rugby union will "bankrupt itself" if clubs are not stopped from breaching salary cap rules.

"It's a very wise decision that Saracens have accepted what the findings were," he added. "We can put the matter to bed.

"The game is embryonic. It's only 25 years old as a professional game and we already see £30-40m losses each year in the league and we want to try to cap that.

"That's what the salary cap is there for.

"They'll have a difficult job staying in the league this year and if they do, then good on them."