Arkansas announced Wednesday it is bringing back Bobby Petrino to be offensive coordinator, 11 years after he was fired as head coach in a sordid scandal that involved a motorcycle accident, an affair with a woman who worked for him and being untruthful to his bosses.

Petrino received a two-year contract that will pay him $1.5 million next season and $1.6 million in 2025, according to a contract the school released.

Petrino’s career has taken him all over college football and the NFL, often leaving a mess behind after some notable peaks. This past season he was offensive coordinator for Texas A&M, where Jimbo Fisher was fired last month.

He has done two stints as head coach of Louisville, leading the Cardinals to an Orange Bowl the first time and coaching Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson the second time.

He also spent less than one full season in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons before quitting to take the Arkansas job. He was at Western Kentucky for a season as head coach and at Missouri State before returning to the Southeastern Conference with A&M.

In four years leading the Razorbacks, Petrino went 34-17, including consecutive double-digit victory seasons in 2010 and ’11.

Petrino had the Razorbacks rolling when in April 2012 he was involved in a single-vehicle motorcycle accident that left him with four broken ribs and produced a famous photo of him with skid marks on his face and wearing a neck brace at a news conference.

At first he said he was riding alone, but a police report revealed a woman was riding with him. The woman turned out to be a former Arkansas athlete who was in a romantic relationship with the married Petrino. The coach had given her a job in the football program and a $20,000 gift.

He was fired by then-athletic director Jeff Long for misleading his bosses about what happened with the accident and his relationship with the football staffer.

Petrino returns to Fayetteville, Ark., as coach Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks try to rebound from a 4-8 season, during which he fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos.

• Quarterback Spencer Rattler, perhaps the brightest spot for South Carolina in a losing season, is giving up his final year in college for the NFL.

Rattler, a fifth-year senior who spent his first three seasons at Oklahoma, announced his intentions on social media.

Rattler finished his career with 10,807 yards passing, 77 touchdowns and 32 interceptions.

• Oklahoma promoted Seth Littrell from offensive analyst to offensive coordinator, filling the spot Jeff Lebby vacated when he left to become Mississippi State’s head coach.

The Sooners also announced that they have promoted tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley to co-offensive coordinator.

• Utah State quarterback Levi Williams will not return for his senior season in 2024, intending to apply for Navy SEAL training following the Aggies’ upcoming bowl game.

• Duke quarterback Riley Leonard entered the transfer portal, signaling his departure from the Blue Devils after two seasons as a starter.

Also, Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall, a three-time Sun Belt Conference player of the year, entered the portal, and former Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson committed to North Carolina as a transfer.

Among the other notable players to enter the transfer portal:

— Cincinnati safety/linebacker Deshawn Pace, who led the team in tackles with 80

— North Texas receiver Ja’Mori Maclin, who had 1,004 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns

— Clemson offensive lineman Mitchell Mayes, a former four-star recruit who made five starts in four years with the Tigers

— Arizona State tight end Jalin Conyers, who had 30 catches for 362 yards and filled in at quarterback late in the season for the injury-riddled Sun Devils.

NASCAR gets $7.7B media rights deal

NASCAR has added two new partners and streaming elements to a seven-year media rights deal that will run from 2025 through the 2031 season.

The new media rights deal is worth $7.7 billion when the previously announced $1.1 billion agreement with CW is included, according to Sports Business Journal. NASCAR did not reveal monetary figures at the news conference held at the Music City Center one day before its season-ending awards ceremony.

The Cup Series will include existing partners Fox Sports and NBC, which will feature a mix of broadcast and cable events. Five races will be on Fox and four on NBC, with the remaining races for those two partners to air on FS1 and USA Network.

Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon have also joined the new package. SBJ said the value of the new deal is a 40% increase over the 10-year, $8.2 billion deal NASCAR has with Fox and NBC that expires at the end of the 2024 season.

Mets obtain Severino

Free-agent pitcher Luis Severino and the New York Mets are finalizing a $13 million, one-year contract, according to multiple sources.

Severino is set to move across town following a horrendous season with the New York Yankees that was abbreviated by injury. A two-time All-Star, the 29-year-old right-hander went 4-8 with a 6.65 ERA in 18 starts and one relief appearance.

• Baltimore’s Félix Bautista was a unanimous winner of the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year Award, and Milwaukee’s Devin Williams won the Trevor Hoffman National League honor.

Bautista, a 28-year-old right-hander, was 8-2 with a 1.48 ERA and 33 saves in 39 chances for the AL East champion Orioles. He made his final appearance on Aug. 25 and had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 9, which likely will cause him to miss the 2024 season.

Williams, a 29-year-old right-hander, was 8-3 with a 1.53 ERA and 36 saves in 40 opportunities for the NL Central champion Brewers. Williams also won the award in 2020.

Donald returning as Ryder Cup captain

Rory McIlroy and his teammates wanted it. The European tour wanted it. And, after some reflection, Luke Donald wanted it, too.

Donald accepted an offer to stay on as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain for its defense of the 17-inch golden trophy in 2025 at Bethpage Black in New York.

Donald, 45, led the Europeans to a 16½-11½ victory over the United States outside Rome last month. As he was delivering his victory speech at Marco Simone, Europe’s players — led by McIlroy and Shane Lowry — started a chant of “two more years.”