Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce has been hit with an eight-year show-cause order by the NCAA for violations during his time as an assistant coach at Arizona State.

Former Arizona State staffer Anthony Garnett also incurred a five-year show-cause penalty, according to a statement released by the NCAA on Thursday.

The penalties primarily stem from impermissible contact with 35 recruits during the roughly one-year COVID-19 dead period, including tryouts, football facility tours and entertainment over a span of 15 weekends. The NCAA said Pierce, several members of the football staff and a booster — then a parent of a student-athlete in the program — arranged the visits.

Pierce also arranged or personally provided free meals, apparel, airfare and/or lodging to 27 prospects. The benefits associated with the unofficial visits, which included taking a prospect’s parents to a gentleman’s club, constituted impermissible recruiting inducements, according the NCAA.

Golf

Skinns opens with a 60 to lead Sanderson Farms Championship >> David Skinns of England set a personal best and a course record with a 12-under 60 to lead the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Skinns, a 42-year-old from England, had a three-shot lead over Michael Thorbjornsen.

The future is a big part of the Sanderson Farms Championship, one of eight PGA Tour events in the “FedEx Cup Fall” that determines the 125 players who keep a full card for next year.

Augusta chairman confident Masters will go on >> Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley said he was confident the Masters would be held as scheduled in April as the club directs its attention and resources to helping the area recover from devastating damage from Hurricane Helene.

Augusta National and the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area announced a joint $5 million donation to a fund providing essential services throughout the greater Augusta area.

Ridley said the home of the Masters sustained “a lot of damage,” just like the rest of the Georgia city on the border with South Carolina.

The Masters is scheduled for April 10-13.

WNBA

Indiana star Clark a near-unanimous choice as Rookie of the Year >> Caitlin Clark has been named the WNBA Rookie of the Year in a near-unanimous vote, giving the Indiana Fever back-to-back winners after Aliyah Boston won the honor last season.

A national panel of sportswriters and sportscasters gave Clark 66 of 67 votes in balloting released Thursday. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese received the other.

NFL

Craig, Anderson lead group of 60 senior candidates for Hall of Fame >> Versatile 49ers running back Roger Craig, former MVP Ken Anderson and key member of the Steel Curtain defense L.C. Greenwood are among the players who advanced to the next stage in the Seniors category for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

The Hall released a list of 60 players who remained from the original list of 183 nominees made last month by a newly created Seniors Screening Committee.

Soccer

Messi, Inter Miami playoff game will be shown live in Times Square >> Lionel Messi’s first MLS Cup playoff match with Inter Miami will be on Oct. 25. And it’ll be aired live on a massive screen spanning an entire block of New York’s Times Square.

Major League Soccer announced Thursday that Inter Miami’s opener will be the lone playoff match played on that Friday night, with an 5:30 p.m. Pacific start time. It’s a slight adjustment to the MLS Cup schedule; original plans called for the playoffs to begin on Oct. 26.