Softball

Senior tournament on tap — The Bend Senior Softball League will host the two-day Bend Senior Classic softball tournament, set for this Saturday and Sunday at Pine Nursery Community Park in Bend. The men’s tournament, for players age 50 and older, will be composed of 15 teams from Oregon, Washington and Idaho, and will be divided into four divisions. The tournament is free for spectators. The action will commence at 9 a.m. Saturday and will continue at 8 a.m. on Sunday. For more information, email Dan Zukaitis at zukaitis@bendbroadband.com.

Jefferson County falls — The Jefferson County Juniors softball team lost to District 1’s Scappoose 16-15 during the semifinals of the state tournament in Klamath Falls on Wednesday. District 5’s Jefferson County had a successful tournament, winning three of its five games.

Basketball

Charlotte changing back to Hornets — Charlotte is the home of the Hornets once again. The NBA unanimously approved Charlotte’s nickname change from Bobcats to Hornets on Thursday at the league’s Board of Governors meeting. The original Hornets built a supportive fan base in Charlotte from the time they entered the league in 1988 until they moved to New Orleans in 2002. But the new owners in New Orleans have changed the team’s name to the Pelicans. That opened the door for owner Michael Jordan to bring the Hornets name back to Charlotte. The change will take place after the 2013-14 season. The board also approved an expansion of instant replay. Officials can now review block/charge plays after checking the replay to see if the defender was in the restricted area.

Football

Cowboys DT Brent retires — Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent retired from football at the age of 25 on Thursday, saying “doing the right things in life” is more important as he prepares to defend himself against a manslaughter charge in the drunken-driving crash that killed a teammate. Brent said he had “given a lot of thought” to his decision. His football career has been on hold since the Dec. 8 crash that killed Jerry Brown, a practice squad player, college teammate and close friend. “I am at a point where my main focus is all about getting the priorities in my life in order,” Brent said in a statement provided by the team. “Those priorities are more important than football. Doing the right things in life are more important than football. I love the game very much. I love my teammates, but this is the right thing for me to do.” Brent is charged with intoxication manslaughter and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, though he could also get probation. Suburban Dallas police accused Brent of driving with a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit the night of the crash. He has also tested positive twice for marijuana while out on bond, and was briefly jailed after the second test.

49ers LB won’t face charges — The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office said Thursday it won’t pursue assault charges against San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks because of insufficient evidence in the case. Assistant District Attorney Karyn Sinunu-Towery said that Brooks will not face prosecution after further investigation into allegations that Brooks repeatedly hit a teammate on the head with a beer bottle in a June incident. The district attorney’s office said early this month there was no arrest warrant for Brooks after one initially had been filed erroneously. According to police, Brooks hit teammate Lamar Divens with the bottle three times and then punched him in the face during an early morning argument June 8. The alleged attack left Divens with a 3-inch cut on his forehead, according to police statements.

Players suing NCAA — Six current college football players were added as plaintiffs Thursday to a high-profile anti-trust lawsuit that claims the NCAA owes billions of dollars to former players for allowing their likenesses to be used without compensation. The players are: Vanderbilt linebacker Chase Garnham; Clemson cornerback Darius Robinson; linebacker Jake Fischer and kicker Jake Smith from Arizona; and tight end Moses Alipate and wide receiver Victor Keise of Minnesota. “These athletes are incredibly brave. They are well-aware of the risks of standing up to the NCAA, and yet they felt that this was the right thing to do,” Michael Hausfeld, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement.

— From staff and wire reports