Former NFL head coach Ron Rivera is looking to head back to college to work at his alma mater.

Rivera said Wednesday on social media that he was following the lead of Bill Belichick and will take a job in some capacity at Cal.

“Coach Belichick has made going back to school, cool,” he wrote. “Stay tuned I am coming home.”

Rivera and the school revealed no details about what role he would take at Cal. Coach Justin Wilcox is entering his ninth season in charge of the Golden Bears and has a 42-50 career record.

“Our alum, Ron Rivera is an icon in football for good reason,” UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons said. “I’m thrilled to be in discussion with him about the details of joining the Cal team to support and advance our football program. We will release more information as soon as possible.”

Cal’s rival, Stanford, recently hired former star quarterback Andrew Luck to be the general manager of the program.

Rivera was an All-American linebacker at Cal in 1983 before heading to the NFL as a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1984.

Rivera was on a Super Bowl-winning team his second season and had a nine-year playing career.

Rivera began his coaching career in 1997 and was head coach for Carolina for nine seasons and Washington for four years. Rivera had a 102-103-2 record in the regular season, winning AP NFL Coach of the Year awards in 2013 and 2015 with the Panthers.

Rivera made the playoffs five times with his best season coming in 2015 when Carolina went 15-1 in the regular season and lost the Super Bowl to Denver.

NHL

Penguins star Crosby injured >> Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is being evaluated for an upper-body injury.

Crosby did not practice on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after he got caught between a pair of New Jersey Devils in the third period of what became a 3-2 shootout loss.

The Penguins superstar missed several shifts in the third period after colliding with New Jersey’s Luke Hughes and Erik Haula. Crosby skated to the bench favoring his left arm/hand but returned after being examined in the locker room. Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan did not speculate on whether Crosby would miss any time.

Golf

U.S. Open offers pathway for LIV golfers >> The U.S. Open became the first major to publish a direct pathway for LIV Golf players, announcing a new exemption category that awards one spot to the leading player from among the top three at LIV’s halfway point this year.

The next exemption category will include one spot this year from the May 19 standings in LIV. Starting with the 2026 U.S. Open, the USGA will take the leading player in the final 2025 individual standings, along with the leading player from the May 18, 2026, list.

In each case, the exemption goes to the leading player not already exempt, and the player must be among the top three in the standings.

The other majors have not turned away players from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League.

For this year’s U.S. Open, an exemption from qualifying will be given “the top player who is not otherwise exempt and in the top three” of the LIV individual standings as of May 19.

Women’s soccer

NWSL offers settlements in misconduct case >> The National Women’s Soccer League will establish a $5 million fund for players as part of a settlement that stemmed from allegations of emotional and sexual misconduct that rocked the league in 2021.

Attorneys general from Washington, D.C., Illinois and New York announced the settlement with the league.

The funds will go to players who experienced abuse. The settlement also requires the league to maintain safeguards put into place following a pair of investigations released in late 2022 that found widespread misconduct that impacted multiple teams, coaches and players.

MLB

Alonso re-signing with Mets >> First baseman Pete Alonso is staying with the New York Mets, agreeing to a $54 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told AP.

Alonso will get a $10 million signing bonus and can opt out after the 2025 season to become a free agent again.

Alonso, who turned 30 on Dec. 7, lingered on the market longer than other top players.

Skiing

Vonn battling illness >> Lindsey Vonn is feeling sick with “a cold or the flu” on the eve of her first event at the world championships in her return to ski racing at the age of 40.

The American, a two-time world champion and the holder of eight total medals at the biggest event in skiing outside the Olympics, is scheduled to race in the super-G today in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria.