Athletes And Their Wags

Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag weekly during the season and periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question. A couple of weeks ago, Bo Nix had a game where he couldn’t hit the side of the proverbial barn. (Against Kansas City in Week 18) he couldn’t miss.

Brian Matusz, a former Orioles left-handed pitcher and first-round draft pick, died Tuesday, the ballclub announced. He was 37. Matusz pitched parts of eight seasons in Baltimore after the club selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 draft. “Our hearts are heavy tonight as we mourn the passing of former Oriole, Brian Matusz,” the Orioles said in a statement.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will not play against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, the team announced. Jokic is dealing with a non-COVID illness and did not warm up on the main floor at Ball Arena before the game, which will be broadcast on TNT with an 8 p.m. tip. It’s the fourth game he has missed this season.

Colorado left town earlier than usual for a business trip, getting ahead of the winter storm to relocate to Orlando, Fla., where even Tuesday’s temperature in the high 50s probably was a welcome relief. Before the Buffaloes vacated Boulder, though, they battled through some frustrations. The CU men’s basketball team went through a tough practice on Monday before flying to Orlando, where they will visit the Central Florida Knights for the first time as Big 12 Conference rivals on Wednesday night. The Buffs are coming off arguably their most frustrating effort of the season, losing by 20 points at Arizona State against a Sun Devils squad missing its leading scorer.

Colorado guard Kindyll Wetta, left, talks with head coach JR Payne during a game against Baylor on Jan. 4, 2025, at Foster Pavilion in Waco, Texas. (CU Athletics) Losing both games on a road trip to Texas didn’t damage the confidence of the Colorado women’s basketball team. It did, however, spotlight some of the areas in which the Buffaloes have to improve. “We’re good; 100 percent we’re good,” Buffs junior Jade Masogayo said.

More experience is joining the herd on the defensive line. On Tuesday, former Texas State defensive lineman Tavian Coleman announced that he plans to transfer to Colorado and play his final season of college football for head coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes. In two seasons at Texas State, the 6-foot-1, 300-pound Coleman started all 26 games for the Bobcats.