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2 Illini Football Players Suspended Indefinitely; NCAA Notes

 width=Illinois coach Tim Beckman has suspended a pair of defensive players for unspecified violations of team policies.

Sports information director Kent Brown said Wednesday that senior defensive lineman Joe Fotu and junior defensive back Caleb Day are both suspended indefinitely. Brown declined to elaborate on what policies the two broke.

Both players played regularly last season. Fotu played in seven games and Day played in 12.

>>Ohio State WR Out For Season

Ohio State announced Wednesday evening that wide receiver Noah Brown will miss the 2015 season with a leg injury. Brown will have surgery on the leg Thursday and is expected to make a complete recovery.

 width=While Ohio State wouldn't go into the specifics of the injury, Ari Wasserman of Cleveland.com reported that wide receiver Noah Brown suffered "what appeared to be a major leg injury" during practice. Wasserman also reports that a source told him it could be a broken leg or a knee injury, and that a "pop was heard when he went down."

Post-practice interviews were abruptly canceled following practice.

Brown had been one of the stars of Ohio State's spring practice, with Urban Meyer saying he had "solidified" his part in the rotation on offense. Brown saw limited time in 2014, though he did appear in 11 games. He caught one pass for 9 yards, had one rush for minus-4 yards and also returned one kick for 23 yards.

>>Minnesota Finalizes Contract For Richard Pitino

Richard Pitino enters year No. 3 with the Minnesota men's basketball program as a richer man. The school has announced Pitino -- who owns a 43-28 record with the Golden Gophers -- received a new deal in the lead-up to the 2015-16 campaign.

Pitino's updated contract has an extension on it through the 2020-21 season; he'll earn $400,000 more per season as well in "supplemental compensation." His contract terms now come out to $1.6 million/year.

Minnesota won an NIT championship in 2014, at the conclusion of Pitino's first season with the team. That season Minnesota won 25 games, which is, kind of amazingly, a school record. (The 1996-97 team that reached a Final Four and won 31 games had its marks taken away by the NCAA due to academic fraud charges.)

"I am extremely grateful for this opportunity given to me by President Kaler, Beth Goetz and the University of Minnesota," Pitino said. "Being the basketball coach at this tremendous university is something I cherish every day. My family and I love living in the Twin Cities and we look forward to continuing to build this basketball program the right way."

Pitino's buyout is north of $1 million if leaves Minnesota prior to April 30, 2017.

The terms of the contract were agreed to by Pitino and former Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague months ago. Teague stepped down earlier this month after multiple accusations of sexual harassment -- including one from a Minnesota beat writer -- emerged. More accusations against Teague became public last week. Goetz is currently serving as Teague's interim replacement.

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