Police return to Hernandez home seeking sneakers

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. – Authorities returned to the home of ex-New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez seeking sneakers they believe were worn on the night of a 2013 killing he’s charged in.

The Sun Chronicle reports local and state authorities went to Hernandez’s North Attleborough home this week but seized no evidence.

The paper, citing court records, reports authorities wanted the Nikes to compare with sneaker prints at the industrial park where the bullet-riddled body of Odin Lloyd was found in June 2013. Hernandez plead not guilty to murder in Lloyd’s killing.

The records say investigators preparing for trial recently noticed three pairs of men’s shoes in video taken inside Hernandez’s home. Police say Hernandez and two co-defendants were seen in home surveillance video wearing the sneakers.

NHL

League suspends Jets’ Lowry and Stars’ Garbutt

NEW YORK – Dallas Stars forward Ryan Garbutt has been suspended for two games by the NHL, while Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry received a one-game ban for separate incidents this week.

Garbutt was disciplined for kneeing Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall in the Stars’ 3-2 victory Tuesday.

Garbutt was assessed a minor penalty for tripping on the play. He’s considered a repeat offender and will forfeit $43,902.44 in salary.

Lowry was suspended for boarding Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory in Buffalo. Lowry will forfeit $4,453.41. He was assessed a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct on the play.

Skiing

No Ligety at Lake Louise, as he opts to rest wrist

DENVER – Olympic champion Ted Ligety will skip the World Cup races in Lake Louise, Alberta, this weekend with his left wrist still on the mend.

The 30-year-old Ligety had surgery on his wrist after a training mishap in Vail last weekend.

The U.S. Ski Team remains hopeful that Ligety can return to competition in early December when the circuit switches to Beaver Creek. The World Cup stop at Birds of Prey includes downhill, super-G and giant slalom races.

U.S. men’s coach Sasha Rearick said that Ligety is “making good decisions to get himself ready for Beaver Creek. We’re going to have high quality training for him to get up to speed so he can prep for and focus on Birds of Prey.”

Ligety is a two-time Olympic champion.

Soccer

Investigations begin in FIFA corruption probe

GENEVA – Five officials, including three long-serving FIFA executive committee members, are being investigated in the corruption probe into the bidding contests for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

A person familiar with the cases confirmed the names Thursday to The Associated Press after the five were identified in European media reports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the FIFA probe is confidential.

The current FIFA board members under investigation are FIFA vice president Angel Maria Villar of Spain, Michel D’Hooghe of Belgium and Worawi Makudi of Thailand.

Villar and Makudi risk losing their FIFA seats within months as even provisional suspensions from all football duty can block them standing in scheduled confederation elections.

The others under suspicion are German great Franz Beckenbauer and Harold Mayne-Nicholls of Chile.

Associated Press