Man waives extradition in charge related to Aaron Hernandez murder case

A man arrested in Florida has agreed to return to Massachusetts to face a charge in the murder case against former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez.

Ernest Wallace, 41, faces a charge of accessory after the fact in the slaying of semipro football player Odin Lloyd. Wallace turned himself in at a Miramar, Fla., police station last week.

An assistant to Broward County Judge John Hurley said Wallace waived extradition Monday and agreed to go back to Massachusetts.

In a statement, prosecutors in Bristol County, Mass., said they have 10 days to pick him up. They gave no indication when they would do so.

Prosecutors say Hernandez orchestrated Lloyd’s execution-style shooting near Hernandez’s North Attleborough home on June 17. They say it happened after the two went to a nightclub a few days earlier and Lloyd, 27, spoke to people Hernandez didn’t want him talking to.

Hernandez is being held without bail after pleading not guilty to murder.

ETC.

Tour confirms rule on putting

The PGA Tour said it would follow a new rule that bans the anchored putting stroke used by four of the last six major champions, asking instead for a temporary reprieve for those who play the game for fun.

The announcement after a PGA Tour board meeting is the final piece of confirmation from a major golf organization for Rule 14-1b, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2016, when the next Rules of Golf is published. The rule makes it illegal for players to attach the end of the club to their body while making a stroke.

The Royal & Ancient Golf Club and U.S. Golf Assn. proposed the rule Nov. 28 and allowed for a three-month comment period. They formally adopted the rule May 21.

Chivas USA signed former national team captain Carlos Bocanegra. The center back, who last played for the U.S. team in November, was formerly with second-division Spanish club Racing Santander.

Bocanegra, 34, a standout at Alta Loma High and UCLA, will be eligible to play for Chivas USA after the summer transfer window opens July 9 and he figures to be a welcome addition for the team, which is last in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference, having given up a league-high 31 goals in 16 games.

— Kevin Baxter

The Phoenix Coyotes achieved their top off-season priority, signing goalie Mike Smith to a six-year deal that averages about $5.7 million per season.

The 31-year-old Smith had mostly been a backup before leading the Coyotes to the Western Conference finals for the first time in 2011-12, his first season as Phoenix’s No. 1 goalie. Smith was about to become a free agent and had been waiting for clarity on the Coyotes’ ownership situation before signing.

The city of Glendale, Ariz., is set to vote on a lease agreement with Renaissance Sports & Entertainment on Tuesday, the last major hurdle in the group’s attempt to buy the franchise from the NHL.

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There is still no deal to send NHL players to next year’s Olympics. But all signs point in that direction, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says “things are moving along.”

Bettman, union leader Donald Fehr and International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel met for more than five hours Monday at league headquarters in New York to work out a deal that would allow NHL players to compete in Sochi, Russia.