Bobby Petrino set to become Louisville football coach

A member of the Louisville board of trustees said Western Kentucky’s Bobby Petrino has accepted an offer to be the Cardinals’ next head football coach.

Jonathan Blue told the Associated Press on Wednesday evening that it’s a “done deal.” Blue said the University of Louisville Athletic Assn. will meet Thursday morning and barring any unforeseen issues is expected to approve Athletic Director Tom Jurich’s recommendation to have Petrino replace Charlie Strong, who accepted the Texas job over the weekend.

ETC.

USC water polo player dies at 19

Jon Walters, a freshman water polo player at USC, died Wednesday, the school confirmed.

Walters’ father, Bill, told the Orange County Register that his son, 19, died of a heart attack at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. Bill Walters told the newspaper’s website that his son fell into a coma on Jan. 1 and had been hospitalized while battling pneumonia and kidney failure. Bill Walters said his son had shown signs of improvement, walking Friday, but died Wednesday afternoon.

Walters was a former standout at Santa Ana Mater Dei High.

—Gary Klein

The San Diego Chargers said center Nick Hardwick sustained a concussion as well as a stinger Sunday in the team’s playoff victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

It’s not known whether Hardwick will be able to play Sunday in the divisional-round game at Denver, the AFC’s No 1 seed.

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The NBA fined New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith $50,000 for “recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct” after he tried to untie an opponent’s sneaker a second time.