Former USC player Armond Armstead settles lawsuit with USC

Armond Armstead and USC have settled his lawsuit against the school, a team doctor and a medical center.

The former Trojan defensive end was suing because he said he suffered a heart attack in 2011 due to the overuse of Toradol. The painkiller was prescribed by USC's team doctor, James Tibone, who said in a court deposition that he didn't agree with the FDA cardiovascular warnings regarding the drug.

Terms of the settlement were not released. Armstead missed the 2011 season and was an undrafted free agent after he wasn't selected in the 2012 NFL draft.

“He believes that these athletes in particular are too often in a vulnerable position, without the resources or information necessary to make informed decisions regarding the use of Toradol, especially in game day circumstances where the drug might be used to get a player on the field in spite of an injury, when more conservative medical care might be more appropriate for the long term health of the student athlete,” Roger Dreyer, Armstead's lawyer, said in a statement via InsideSoCal.com.

Per Tibone's deposition, he also said he used his own judgment when it came to Toradol injections. After he was diagnosed with costochondritis in February 2011, Armstead was then diagnosed in March with a heart attack, a possible side effect of Toradol use. Armstead also said in court documents he had a second heart attack in 2014 while with the Patriots. He retired from football in July.

For more USC news, visit TrojanSports.com.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Aaron Hernandez chain smoked marijuana, never failed NFL drug test

In the days and days and days of testimony at the Aaron Hernandez murder trial, there have been moments that presumably fit into the prosecution or defense somehow, but are interesting on their own.

Like the revelation on Wednesday that Hernandez "chain smoked" marijuana, sometimes up to an ounce a day. That is a lot of pot.

What makes that testimony interesting from an NFL standpoint is that Hernandez reportedly never failed an NFL drug test, according to a Boston Globe story from 2013.

It's not like the NFL doesn't test for marijuana, or catch players who have smoked. Ask Josh Gordon. So how did Hernandez never test positive? According to multiple reporters covering the trial, the claim that Hernandez smoked up to an ounce of marijuana a day was made by Alexander Bradley, a witness who sued Hernandez claiming that the former New England Patriots tight end shot him in the face in Florida in 2013. Hernandez is on trial for the murder of semipro football player Odin Lloyd in June of 2013.

Perhaps Bradley is exaggerating about Hernandez's use, but it should be a legitimate concern for the NFL that its drug testing failed to ever catch Hernandez.

Hernandez skirting the NFL's drug-testing methods is not a focus of the trial of course, but it's an interesting footnote that the league should probably take note of.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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VOD: 6-year-old Owen Provencher's day as a Cal football player

6-year-old Owen Provencher got to spend a day with the Cal football team recently. If the team needs any help at wide receiver in 12 years or so, he's probably worth a scholarship offer. He's got some good hands.

Provencher has cystic fibrosis and got to hang out with some Cal football players recently. He also got to meet coach Sonny Dykes, the first person he meets in the video. He even got his hair cut at the Cal barbershop.

His father, Gary, is a Cal grad and the trip was set up through Cal's equipment director. Gary said Owen slept in his Cal jersey that night.

Cystic fibrosis is a disease that causes mucus buildup in the body. Here's a sample of Provencher's typical day from the Cal site:

In an effort to reduce the hospital visits that he has been able to avoid for the last 18 months, Owen has undergone therapy nearly every day of his existence. His days normally begin at 5:30 a.m., with the first of a series of daily treatments including but not limited to inhaled medications and a vest that he uses with a machine that basically beats his chest for about 20 minutes in an attempt to break up the thick mucus that forms in his lungs. When he gets home from school, it’s back to more therapy and treatments before he does anything else.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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MAC will not hold events in Indiana because of religious-freedom law

The Mid-American Conference is boycotting Indiana because of its new religious-freedom law.

The commissioner of the MAC, John Steinbrecher, told ESPN that the conference will not hold meetings in the state until the law is changed or repealed.

"The Mid-American Conference will not schedule any more meetings or championships in Indiana until this current matter is brought to a sensible and appropriate conclusion," Steinbrecher told the site.

When the law was passed last week, the NCAA issued a strongly-worded statement that threatened the existence of NCAA events in the state if the law continued. The NCAA is based in Indianapolis.

The MAC holds its annual presidents' meetings in Indianapolis. The football conference championship game is held in Detroit. A petition has already been created to move the Big Ten title game out of Indianapolis.

Critics of the measure, which goes into effect on July 1 and is titled the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, feel that it opens the door for groups to be discriminated against on religious grounds. Tuesday, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said he'd seek to clarify the law and said it wasn't his intent for the law to give people the ability to discriminate.

From the AP:

The Indiana law prohibits any laws that "substantially burden" a person's ability to follow his or her religious beliefs. The definition of "person" includes religious institutions, businesses and associations.

Although the legal language does not specifically mention gays and lesbians, critics say the law is designed to shield businesses and individuals who do not want to serve gays and lesbians, such as florists or caterers who might be hired for a same-sex wedding.

USC athletic director Pat Haden tweeted Tuesday that he wouldn't be attending College Football Playoff meetings in Indianapolis this week because of the law. Haden is a member of the CFP committee.

NASCAR issued a statement against the law on Tuesday as well and said it was disappointed in it. Other companies have written to Indiana urging the law's change.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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MLB bullpen depth

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball: Sign up and join a league today!]

American League

Baltimore Orioles – Zach Britton (D. O'Day, T. Hunter)

Boston Red Sox – Edward Mujica (J. Tazawa); Koji Uehara injured (hamstring)

Chicago White Sox – David Robertson (Z. Duke, J. Petricka)

Cleveland Indians – Cody Allen (B. Shaw)

Detroit Tigers – Joe Nathan (J. Soria, B. Rondon)

Houston Astros – Luke Gregerson (C. Qualls, P. Neshek)

Kansas City Royals – Greg Holland (W. Davis, K. Herrera)

Los Angeles Angels – Huston Street (J. Smith)

Minnesota Twins – Glen Perkins (C. Fien)

New York Yankees – Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller (D. Carpenter)

Oakland Athletics – Tyler Clippard (F. Abad); Sean Doolittle injured (shoulder)

Seattle Mariners – Fernando Rodney (D. Farquhar, Y. Medina)

Tampa Bay Rays – Brad Boxberger (G. Balfour, E. Frieri); Jake McGee injured (elbow)

Texas Rangers – Neftali Feliz (T. Scheppers, R. Mendez)

Toronto Blue Jays – Brett Cecil (A. Loup, M. Castro)

[Want to join a league and live draft right now? Go to the Yahoo Draft Lobby ]

National League

Arizona Diamondbacks – Addison Reed (B. Ziegler)

Atlanta Braves – Craig Kimbrel (J. Grilli)

Chicago Cubs – Hector Rondon (P. Strop, N. Ramirez)

Cincinnati Reds – Aroldis Chapman (J. Diaz, S. LeCure)

Colorado Rockies – LaTroy Hawkins (A. Ottavino, R. Brothers)

Los Angeles Dodgers – J. Peralta, Y. Garcia, P. Rodriguez; Kenley Jansen injured (foot)

Miami Marlins – Steve Cishek (M. Dunn, AJ Ramos)

Milwaukee Brewers – Francisco Rodriguez (J. Broxton)

New York Mets – Jenrry Mejia (J. Familia); Bobby Parnell injured (elbow)

Philadelphia Phillies – Jonathan Papelbon (K. Giles)

Pittsburgh Pirates – Mark Melancon (T. Watson, A. Bastardo)

St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal (J. Walden)

San Diego Padres – Joaquin Benoit (K. Quackenbush)

San Francisco Giants – Santiago Casilla (S. Romo)

Washington Nationals – Drew Storen (A. Barrett)

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Judge: Paterno family can't suit NCAA, PSU for breach of contract

A Pennsylvania judge ruled Monday that the family of late Penn State coach Joe Paterno cannot sue the NCAA or the university for breach of contract.

Per the Associated Press, the Paterno estate has argued that the NCAA and university violated the rights of the late coach with the way the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal was handled. That includes the signing of the 2012 consent decree that questioned Paterno’s response to allegations made against Sandusky. Sandusky, the longtime PSU defensive assistant, was sentenced in June 2012 and will spend the rest of his life in prison

Judge John Leete dismissed the breach-of-contract claim in the Paterno family’s lawsuit, which had been previously amended.

“Plaintiffs are not amending their complaint to include a new cause of action or even a new theory of an existing cause of action; rather they are attempting to resurrect a claim on which this court already dismissed,” Leete wrote in his decision.

Aside from Leete dismissing the breach-of-contract portion of the lawsuit, the rest of the lawsuit will proceed. However, Leete did turn down a few other requests from the Paternos, who are suing defendants from the NCAA for commercial disparagement.

From the AP:

On Monday, Leete also turned down the Paternos' request to let them make public more of the material they are getting from the NCAA. And he rejected a request from the NCAA that would have required the Paterno estate's lawyers to conduct depositions of some people before they issue subpoenas.

A lawyer representing the NCAA said the organization will “continue to defend vigorously” what remains in the lawsuit.

The NCAA issued a statement that said Leete's decision means the organization did not breach any obligation it owned Paterno, under its rules, when it and Penn State entered into the consent decree.

Former Penn State assistants Bill Kenney and Jay Paterno, Joe’s son, are also plaintiffs in the case. They claim that the NCAA has hindered them from finding college coaching positions since not being retained on PSU’s staff after Paterno’s tenure came to an end.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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Why don't casinos take bets on NCAA tourney brackets?

Every year, the faithful journey to Las Vegas to lay down March Madness money, and every year, they target their own schools and perhaps that fabled 5-12 upset. But why don’t Vegas casinos, the heart and soul of gambling in this country, offer up some kind of overall bracket challenge?

You’d think a full bracket game would be an easy way for casinos to make money, given how many brackets get busted like eggshells by the tournament’s first Friday. Heck, if the guy over in Human Resources can whip up a pool with a copy machine and a coffee can, surely a multimillion-dollar casino operation could do so. No-brainer, right?

Wrong, as it turns out. The limitations are both logistical and technological, according to Jay Rood, VP of Race and Sports at MGM International.

At the moment, MGM does not have the software capable of handling thousands of complete-bracket bets. Think about what’s involved in entering a single bracket – 63 different games – then consider thousands of similar brackets all hitting the system at once. It’s a technological hurdle MGM hasn’t yet cleared.

“Grading the brackets is a nightmare,” Rood says. “We’re upgrading our system in the fall, and we may be capable of handling more.”

Plus, there are simple logistical challenges.

In Vegas, you have to place your bet in person, which is far trickier than banging out 63 picks on a Yahoo bracket ten minutes before the first tip-off. A significant percentage of March Madness casino-goers arrive after the first games have tipped off – Friday is one of the busiest sports days of the year – making them ineligible to deliver a pre-tourney bracket.

“So many of our customers are transient,” Rood says. “Only a small number get in on time.”

That said, there’s the possibility that bracket picking could be in play soon. Some smaller casinos in Vegas, primarily catering to locals, do a version of a round-by-round bracket challenge. Gamblers pick the first round, compile point totals, then return to pick the second, accumulating points along the way. But again — this is an option not available to non-Vegas folk. Legal gambling on the internet remains a murky-at-best prospect.

Still, it’s clear the interest is there. Where there’s interest, there’s money, and where there’s money, there’s a solution. Rood said he’s tinkering with the possibility of offering various odds for various point totals after each round – getting 25 of 32 right pays out at a certain rate, and getting 30 of 32 pays out at a better one, for instance.

A Vegas payout for bracket acumen would be a wonderful thing. For now, though, you’ll have to content yourself with beating everyone in your office.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.

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