The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, as they cycled on a rural New Jersey road pleaded not guilty to the indictment Tuesday after turning down a prosecution offer of 35 years in prison.

Sean M. Higgins, 44, appeared briefly in court in Salem County, New Jersey, and entered a formal plea to the recent indictment in the Aug. 29 deaths. The case will now move toward trial.

Police say Higgins, of Woodstown, had a history of road rage and was impaired that day after drinking five or six beers. He said he had been driving around for two hours, sometimes talking by phone with a friend, after an upsetting conversation with his mother.

Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and Matthew Gaudreau, 29, were killed near their childhood home in South Jersey on the eve of their sister’s wedding.

NFL

Titans Fire GM >> The Tennessee Titans fired general manager Ran Carthon after two seasons on the job and a 9-25 record.

The Titans introduced Carthon as the franchise’s first Black general manager and its 14th of all time in January 2023, and he helped the franchise hire a new coach in Brian Callahan a year later.

Tennessee controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk, who fired general manager Jon Robinson in December 2022, will have yet another new GM helping the franchise decide what to do with its fourth overall No. 1 pick in the NFL draft after going 3-14 in 2024.

Dolphins GM says WR Hill never asked for a trade >> The Miami Dolphins don’t appear to have any immediate plans to trade Tyreek Hill.

General manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel both had conversations with Hill a day after the star receiver indicated he might want out of Miami following a loss to the New York Jets, which punctuated a losing season in which the Dolphins missed the playoffs.

Grier said Hill did not retract his postgame statements, when he said he enjoyed playing in Miami, but “at the end of the day, I’ve got to do what’s best for my career.”

Jets interview former Coach Ryan >> Rex Ryan has returned to the New York Jets — for an interview, at least.

The former Jets coach and current ESPN analyst, who led the franchise to its last playoff appearance to cap the 2010 season, met with the team Tuesday about its head coaching vacancy.

Ryan went 50-52, including 4-2 in the playoffs, in six years with the Jets before being fired after the 2014 season.

College Football

Washington State wins lawsuit over former coach >> Washington State was justified in firing Nick Rolovich as head football coach because of his refusal to comply with the state’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements, a federal judge has ruled.

Rolovich sued the university following his dismissal midway through the 2021 season. He claimed that as a Catholic, he was exempted from the state’s vaccine mandate but his exemption request had been denied.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice ruled that Washington State could not accommodate Rolovich without undue hardship, including increased travel costs and hindered recruitment and fundraising efforts. The university also claimed damage to its reputation.

Rice also found no basis for Rolovich’s objection to the vaccine on religious grounds.

Rolovich is currently a senior offensive assistant for Cal.

Former Florida State WR transfers to Oregon >> Wide receiver Malik Benson is leaving Florida State and transferring to Oregon, he announced on social media.

Oregon will be Benson’s third school in three years after he played two seasons at a Kansas junior college before transferring to Alabama first, then Florida State. Benson is in line to play another season after a federal judge last month issued a preliminary injunction allowing Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia to play one more year after Pavia challenged NCAA eligibility rules for athletes coming from junior colleges.