Djokovic makes another early exit

Novak Djokovic was shocked by Botic Van De Zandschulp of the Netherands 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday in Indian Wells, California, suffering an early exit at the tournament for a second consecutive year. Djokovic fell to Luca Nardi of Italy in the California desert last year, and history repeated itself on the Stadium One court. Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, got off to a horrid start, hitting 14 unforced errors and being broken twice in the first set. He regrouped to race out to a 3-0 lead in the second, leveling the contest with a mighty forehand winner. But the 29-year-old Van De Zandschulp ran away with the decider. Djokovic, 37, retired in the Australian Open semifinals with a hamstring injury and lost in the Qatar Open first round last month. He said the leg injury was behind him coming into the tournament and didn’t look hampered by it in his match Saturday, when he was accompanied by coach Andy Murray. “No excuses for a poor performance,” Djokovic said. “... Congratulations to my opponent. Just a bad day in the office.”

Browns keep Garrett on record deal

Myles Garrett is staying in Cleveland after the Browns gave him a record four-year contract extension that makes the four-time All-Pro edge rusher the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Garrett’s deal includes $122.8 million guaranteed, an average annual salary of $40 million with a total value of $204.8 million. The Browns announced the extension, which runs through the 2030 season, on Sunday but didn’t disclose financial terms. The deal also includes a no-trade clause. Garrett, the 2023 AP Defensive Player of the Year, had asked for a trade last month but the Browns were adamant about keeping the 29-year-old star. Garrett’s contract raises the bar for other non-QBs, including Bengals All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons.The Bengals already has stated plans to make Chase the highest-paid non-QB in the league. Garrett, a first-round pick in 2017, had 14 sacks and 22 tackles for loss last season. He has 102 1/2 sacks in his eight seasons with the Browns, but has only played in three playoff games with the team.

Bowling Green tabs George as coach

Former Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George agreed to a five-year deal to become the head football coach at Bowling Green, according to reports Sunday. George, 51, coached Tennessee State for four seasons and led it to the FCS playoffs and a share of the OVC-Big South title last season, the school’s first league title in football since 1999. Now George returns to the state of Ohio, where he won the Heisman in 1995 and ran for 3,768 yards over four seasons with the Buckeyes. George played eight seasons in the NFL for the Oilers/Titans and one for the Cowboys. He ran for 10,441 yards and scored 78 total touchdowns in his career. The Titans retired his jersey — he’s the franchise’s all-time leading rusher. George replaces Scot Loeffler, who left to become the quarterbacks coach of the Eagles. Loeffler went 27-41 over six seasons, a run that included three straight bowl games the last three seasons. George’s hire is similar to Colorado’s move in 2023 to hire Deion Sanders, with the former NFL star moving from an FCS-level HBCU to an FBS program. —News services