ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Ryan Clady has been one of the NFL’s most dependable players, quickest healers and best risk assessors.

One year after rejecting a $50 million offer and playing last season for a relative bargain price of $3.5 million, Peyton Manning’s blindside protector cashed in on his gamble by signing a five-year deal worth up to $57.5 million over the weekend.

Clady is one of just four offensive linemen in league history to start every game in each of his first five seasons and also earn three Pro Bowl berths. He skipped last year’s trip to Hawaii with a torn right labrum that required surgery.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos have suspended two executives who are facing drunken driving charges.

Director of player personnel Matt Russell was suspended indefinitely without pay Monday, and director of pro personnel Tom Heckert was suspended for a month without pay.

Executive vice president John Elway’s top two advisers were arrested and jailed on suspicion of drunken driving in separates incidents within a month of each other.

On July 6, Russell hit two vehicles, including a police SUV in Breckenridge, injuring an officer. Russell registered a 0.246 percent breath alcohol content, three times the legal threshold for a DUI violation in Colorado, according to the arrest affidavit.

Heckert’s blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.162 percent upon his release seven hours after his June 11 arrest in Parker, according to a Douglas County Sheriff’s Office report.

Kazan, Russia – Nebraska’s Jordan Hooper scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds while making her first international start, powering the USA Basketball Women’s World University Games Team to a 90-71 victory in the gold medal game on Monday.

Hooper, a 6-2 senior forward from Alliance, Neb., erupted in her first USA start, pouring in five points, including the game’s first three-pointer, to go along with three early rebounds to fuel the U.S. team’s 13-3 lead to open the game. She also played a major role defensively in helping the United States to its third straight World University Games gold medal.

Hooper scored seven first-quarter points to help the USA take a 22-13 lead at the end of the quarter. She played the entire first period and finished with 31 minutes in the game. Entering the contest, Hooper had averaged 6.2 points and 5.0 rebounds while playing 12.6 minutes per game in the USA’s first five wins.

In the tournament, Hooper finished with 6.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game, giving her per 40-minute averages of 16.6 points and 14.9 boards.

In addition to her scoring and rebounding, Hooper was officially credited with two assists, although her passes led directly to four USA baskets. She also had one official blocked shot, which came on a 3-on-1 Russian fastbreak. Hooper also caught a pair of Russian passes and forced several turnovers, although she was not officially credited with a steal in the contest.

Hooper started the second quarter on the bench, and while she was out, the Russian team quickly trimmed the USA margin to 25-21 with 7:46 left in the first half.

Hooper immediately returned to the court and helped shut out the Russians for the next three minutes to ignite a 7-0 USA run. Hooper’s offensive rebound and assist to Crystal Bradford (Central Michigan) in the corner for a three-pointer, gave the USA a 38-25 lead with 2:43 left in the half. It was the first of back-to-back threes by Bradford in a 45-second stretch to send the U.S. squad to halftime with a 41-27 lead.

With Hooper keying the defense, the USA surrendered just six points in the final seven-plus minutes of the half.

Nebraska’s two-time All-American played every minute of the third quarter. She again keyed a U.S. defense that helped the team build a 68-47 lead at the end of three quarters.

Hooper’s final bucket came with 7:30 left in the game, giving the USA a 75-55 lead.

For the game, Hooper hit 4-of-8 shots from the field, including 1-of-3 three three-pointers, while the USA connected on 35-of-57 shots for the game, including 9-of-20 threes. The U.S. squad also hit 11-of-15 free throws. Despite Hooper’s game-high nine rebounds, the Russians outrebounded the USA, 38-34, but the United States won the turnover battle, 20-16.

Bria Hartley (UConn) led a balanced U.S. attack with 17 points, while Bradford added a huge performance off the bench with 16 points in just 11 minutes. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (UConn) pitched in 15 points, while tournament MVP Odyssey Sims (Baylor) contributed 10 points and three assists. Theresa Plaisance (LSU) managed nine points and six rebounds, while fellow post player Cassie Harberts (USC) added eight points off the bench.

Russia hit 27-of-65 shots from the field, but just 5-of-24 from three-point range. Russia hit 12-of-18 free throws. Natalia Vieru, a 2012 Russia Olympian, led the team with 13 points.

The gold medal game, which was televised live by ESPNU, will be re-aired Monday at 8 p.m. The game will also re-air on Tuesday at 7 a.m.

USA Basketball Women’s World University Games 
Results & Schedule (Gold Medal)
Monday, July 8 – USA 120, Mali 32 (Pool B)
Tuesday, July 9 – USA 101, Czech Republic 61 (Pool B)
Wednesday, July 10 – USA 105, Brazil 75 (Pool B)
Friday, July 12 – USA 103, Sweden 72 (Quarterfinals)
Saturday, July 13 – USA 79, Australia 78 (Semifinals)
Monday, July 15 – USA 90, Russia 71 (Gold Medal Game)
  ESPNU will re-air at 8 p.m. and on Tuesday, July 16 at 7 a.m.

Lincoln – Nebraska offensive linemen Spencer Long and Jeremiah Sirles were recognized on Monday, as both players are on the initial 2013 Rotary Lombardi Award.  The candidates earned a place on the preliminary watch list by earning All-America honors, being named to their respective all-conference teams or receiving 2013 preseason honors.

Long has been the anchor of the Huskers’ offensive line for the past two seasons. The 6-foot-4, 315-pounder has started the past 27 games for the Huskers at offensive guard. He has played a major role in the Huskers being ranked in the top 15 nationally in rushing in each of the past two years. As a junior, he started all 14 games, helping NU to a 10-4 mark and an appearance in the Big Ten Championship game. He was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection and garnered second-team All-America honors from the AP and Walter Camp Foundation, becoming the first Husker All-American lineman since 2001.

Sirles has been a two-year starter at offensive tackle for the Huskers and enters his senior season with 40 career games played. As a junior, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound tackle enjoyed his best season, starting all 14 games at right tackle and earning second-team honors from both the Big Ten coaches and media. He helped a pair of Huskers rush for over 1,000 yards, while Nebraska led the Big Ten in total offensive and rushing offense.

Eligibility for the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball, or linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage.

Long and Sirles were two of the 12 players from the Big Ten on the list. The Lombardi Award winner will be announced on Dec. 11, 2013, in Houston, Texas.

The North Platte First Nationals wrapped up the regular season portion of its schedule over the weekend by going 1-3 at Elkhorn Frerichs Field.

The First Nationals beat Elkhorn Friday night, 10-9. North Platte scored six runs in the top of the ninth inning to go up by four runs, then held on for the one-run win. Jack Kenny went 2-5 in the game with a double and three RBIs. Ty Brockmoller threw the final five and two-thirds innings and gave up four runs with just one earned.

The next three games were all losses for the First Nationals. They lost 17-3 to Ralston Saturday morning. A bright spot in the game was Luke Volz. Volz went 3-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored.

The second game of Saturday’s double header resulted in an 11-1 loss to Lincoln North Star. Lincoln NS one-hit the First Nationals. The lone hit of the game for North Platte was an RBI double by Riley Vieyra  that brought in Volz in the fourth inning.

The final game of the weekend for the First Nationals was a  5-3 loss to Omaha Central on Sunday. Volz went 2-3 in the game at the plate with a double and an RBI and Drew Beyer threw three shutout innings in relief on the mound.

North Platte is now 22-26 going in to the district tournament in Scottsbluff this weekend.

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos locked up left tackle Ryan Clady on Sunday, signing Peyton Manning’s blindside protector to a five-year deal worth up to $57.5 million.

The Broncos and Clady have been at odds over a long-term contract for more than a year. Had he not signed by Monday, he would have played under a one-year, $9.823 million deal because of the franchise tag.

Instead, Clady has a deal that guarantees him at least $33 million and should keep him in Denver through the end of Manning’s playing days.

Clady, a first-round draft pick in 2008, is still recovering from surgery to his right shoulder and is expected to miss the start of training camp, which begins July 25.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Kenny Perry completed his comeback from 10 shots down after the second round to win the U.S. Senior Open on Sunday.

Perry shot a final-round 63 at the Omaha Country Club and won his second straight senior major by five strokes over Fred Funk. His 64-63 finish set a tournament record for the last 36 holes.

The 52-year-old Kentuckian started Sunday two shots behind leader Michael Allen, but was in front to stay after he birdied the second and third holes and Allen bogeyed the third.

Perry’s 63 matched Allen’s Friday score for best round of the tournament. He finished with a 13-under 267.

Rocco Mediate used three straight birdies on the back nine to get within two shots of Perry. But Perry birdied Numbers 14 and 15, Mediate bogeyed 16, and Perry’s lead was five shots.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Cuddyer hit a two-run homer and drove in another run to help the Colorado Rockies defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 Sunday in the teams’ last game before the All-Star break.

The clubs split their four-game series, leaving Colorado with a 46-50 record. The Dodgers fell back to .500 at 47-47.

Jhoulys Chacin (9-4) allowed one run and six hits in six innings, struck out six and walked three. Rafael Betancourt pitched the ninth to earn his 15th save in 16 chances.

Ricky Nolasco (6-9) gave up three runs and eight hits over five innings of his home debut with the Dodgers.

Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig wasn’t in the starting lineup, but he singled as a pinch-hitter in the fifth and then scored.

Kazan, Russia – Nebraska’s Jordan Hooper scored five points and grabbed five rebounds to help the USA Basketball Women’s World University Games Team to a dramatic 79-78 victory over Australia in the semifinals Saturday.

Crystal Bradford (Central Michigan) hit the game-winning shot with 14 seconds left in a see-saw game for the United States. The U.S. squad trailed by as many as nine points in the first quarter, then responded to build a 17-point lead with just over seven minutes left in the game. But a furious 24-5 rally in just over five minutes in the fourth quarter, left Australia with a 78-76 lead in the final minute. Bradford saved the day by scoring the final three points in the final minute. She finished with nine points.

The U.S. team will face Russia in Monday’s gold medal game. Russia cruised into the title game with a 69-51 victory over Chinese Taipei. The USA will play for gold on Monday, July 15 at 12:30 p.m. with live national TV coverage on ESPNU.

Hooper, a 6-2 senior forward from Alliance, Neb., scored three points late in the second quarter, tying the game at 31 with 1:16 left. For the United States, who trailed 20-13 at the end of the first quarter, it marked the first time the USA had matched the Australians in the game.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (UConn) added a free throw to give the United States its first lead of the game at 32-31 with 54 seconds left, before Alice Kunek hit a shot to send Australia to halftime with a 33-32 lead.

The United States owned the third quarter, including its final two points of the period from Hooper, building its then-largest lead of the game at 62-47 with 27 seconds left in the quarter.

Hooper’s five points and five boards came in just 11 minutes, giving her one of the most productive days by a U.S. player. She added a steal while going 2-of-3 from the field and 1-of-2 at the line for the United States. In her first five international games, Hooper has averaged 6.0 points and 5.2 rebounds in just over 12 minutes per game for the USA. Taken over a 40-minute game, Hooper would be averaging 19.0 points and 16.5 rebounds for the United States throughout the World University Games.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis produced the game’s only double-double with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in 35 minutes of action. Mosqueda-Lewis went 4-of-12 from the field.

Odyssey Sims (Baylor), who led the USA with 20 points in 35 minutes, pumped in 12 in the third quarter, while Bria Hartley (UConn) and Aaryn Ellenberg (Oklahoma) each added five points in the quarter. Hartley finished with 14 points while Ellenberg pitched in seven. Hartley’s 14 points came in 35 minutes, but she went just 4-of-13 from the floor.

The U.S. squad pushed its margin to 17 points at 71-54 with seven minutes left, thanks in part to five early points in the quarter from LSU center Theresa Plaisance, who finished with 10 points and three boards in the game.

But the Australians mounted a furious rally, scoring 10 straight points in less than two minutes to trim the U.S. lead to 71-64 with 5:12 left.

Hartley answered with a three-point play to return the margin to double figures at 74-64 with 4:50 remaining.

After Australia’s Kunek hit a pair of free throws, Sims hit a shot to give Team USA a 76-66 edge with 3:51 left.

But Kunek fueled a 12-0 surge that gave the Australian’s a 78-76 lead with 1:08 left. Kunek led four Australians in double figures with 20 points and nine rebounds. Marianna Tolo contributed 16 points, including the two free throws with 1:08 remaining that gave Australia the lead. Kunek and Tolo combined for 20 of Australia’s 29 points in the final quarter.

Bradford then came up huge for the United States. Her free throw with 54 seconds left, cut Australia’s margin to one at 78-77, before her shot with 14 seconds left gave the USA a 79-78 victory. Bradford finished with nine points, three rebounds, a steal and a block in 16 minutes.

A replay of Saturday’s exciting game, which was televised live nationally by ESPNU, will re-air in its entirety at 9 p.m.on ESPNU. It will also re-air on Sunday at 4 and 10 a.m.

The USA advances to Monday’s gold medal game, which will tip at 12:30 p.m., with live national TV coverage by ESPNU. The gold medal game will re-air on ESPNU at 8 p.m. on Monday and at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, July 16.

USA Basketball Women’s World University Games Results & Schedule
Monday, July 8 – USA 120, Mali 32 (Pool B)
Tuesday, July 9 – USA 101, Czech Republic 61 (Pool B)
Wednesday, July 10 – USA 105, Brazil 75 (Pool B)
Friday, July 12 – USA 103, Sweden 72 (Quarterfinals)
Saturday, July 13 – USA 79, Australia 78 (Semifinals)
ESPNU will re-air Saturday, July 13 at 9 p.m., and Sunday, July 14 at 4 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Monday, July 15 – Gold Medal Game – 12:30 p.m. (ESPNU Live)
  ESPNU will re-air at 8 p.m. and on Tuesday, July 16 at 7 a.m

Lincoln—The Opening Ceremonies for the 29^th annual Cornhusker State Games–featuring skydivers, fireworks, a parade of athletes, a basketball/unicycle exhibition by a family of 14, a mascot race, a concert by Groove Puppet and the revelation of the Mystery Torchlighter–are set for 8 p.m. Friday, July 19 at Lincoln’s Seacrest Field, 7600 A St.

Competition actually began today, with 381 swimmers taking to the water at Woods Pool and 17 sporting clays marksmen breaking targets at Lincoln Trap & Skeet.  The remainder of the 67 sports commence on July 20, with more than 11,000 athletes registered overall.  Entries are still open in several sports and those interested can register or find information at CornhuskerStateGames.com.

The Opening Ceremonies are preceded by SportFest at 5 p.m. featuring a meal for athletes and guests, inflatable games, temporary tattoos, a tennis demo, vendor booths, photo booths, a meet-and-greet and Sportsmanship Rally with the Husker softball team, several performances by Lincoln’s En Pointe Dance Academy and a sneak preview of the Crevier Family’s Spintastic show.  Organizers expect more than 5,000 at SportFest and 9,000 at the Opening Ceremonies.

The Ceremonies are kicked off by the Olympic-style parade of athletes, led by recently-retired East High Basketball and Track Coach Ed McPherren as the honorary parade marshal.

Celebrity guests include U.S. Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, Brigadier General Daryl Bohac of the Nebraska National Guard, Husker Softball Coach Rhonda Revelle and Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler.

Skydiver Mike Blackshear will make his 29^th jump into the Opening Ceremonies for a perfect attendance record since the Games began in 1985.  Fellow jumper Larry Bartlett, who will—as usual—fly in with the American flag in tow with 27 Games O.C appearances under his belt.

The mascot lineup includes Sylvester—Lincoln Southwest, Runza Rex, Homer—Lincoln Saltdogs’, Sergeant Rock–National Guard, Sporty the Torch—Nebraska Sports Council, Haywire—Lincoln Haymakers, Casey & Stormy—Omaha Stormchasers, Subman—Subway, Buzz the Bee—Applebee’s, I.C. Starz—Lincoln Stars and The Penny—Goodcents Deli Fresh Subs.

The headline act, including Bruce and Diane Crevier and their 12 children, do a show they call Spin-tacular, combining basketball and unicycle tricks with inspirational messaging.  The family travels the nation performing at half-time shows for NCAA and NBA teams and has appeared on national television multiple times, most recently on the first two rounds of this season’s America’s Got Talent. Bruce Crevier holds the Guinness World Record for spinning one basketball the longest time at 22 hours and 12 minutes.

Groove Puppet has been performing rock originals and covers at venues across the Midwest since 2000.  The seven-piece band will bring its mix of horns, a driving rhythm section and lively vocals to the post-torchlighting concert.

The national anthem will be sung by Fremont 12 year-old Payton Eyler, who won the third annual Cornhusker State Games National Anthem contest, sponsored by Amigos/Kings Classic.  The 7^th Grader-to-be has already performed the anthem for a UNO Hockey game and numerous school events in Fremont.

In keeping with tradition, the identity of the 2013 Torchlighter will not be revealed until the end of the Ceremonies.  Once the caldron is ablaze, this year’s honorary chairmen, Jeff Barclay and Scott Ritter owners of Goodcents Deli Fresh Subs, a long-time sponsor of the Games, will declare the competitions open.  The fireworks display and Groove Puppet concert will cap the show.

Chris Lofgreen, voice of the Lincoln Saltdogs, will handle P.A. announcer duties and KOLN-KGIN anchors Kevin Sjuts and Chad Silber will serve as field hosts.  KFRX Radio morning host Lindsey Nielsen is the emcee for SportFest performances.  Veteran CSG volunteer Dave Tinius is the Opening Ceremonies Chairman and Lincoln Journal-Star Entertainment Writer Kent Wolgamott is the show director.

Admission is free for registered athletes. For all others: $10 for adults, $5 for students age 6-18 and free for kids five and under.  All admission fees include the SportFest meal and Opening Ceremonies admission. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or at the Nebraska Sports Council offices at 4903 N. 57^th Street in Lincoln.

The Cornhusker State Games is conducted by the Nebraska Sports Council.  Platinum partners include St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center, BlueCross and BlueShield of Nebraska and Nebraska Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine.  Learn more at CornhuskerStateGames.com.