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Officials should not have ejected Penn State?linebacker Brandon Smith for targeting in the second quarter of Saturdays game against Michigan, the Big Ten acknowledged in a statement Wednesday afternoon.Smith, attempting to break up a pass near the goal line, hit the helmet of a diving Grant Perry. Officials threw a flag -- which the Big Ten said was the right move -- but the conference said the referees should have then reversed the call upon further review.In this particular play, the defense was making a legitimate attempt to get the ball and, upon full review, the call of targeting should have been reversed by the replay official, the Big Ten wrote.The Nittany Lions had already lost all their starting linebackers to injury when Smith, a backup and a walk-on, was ejected. Penn State was essentially forced to plug in fourth-stringer?Jan Johnson, a former wrestler, who then suffered a season-ending injury.Immediately following the game, Penn State coach James Franklin said the officials technically made the right decision because the rule doesnt factor in intent.Its the right call, Franklin said Saturday. If you have helmet-to-helmet contact with a defenseless player, theres no gray area.Asked again about the call on Wednesday following the Big Tens statement, Franklin said,?To be honest with you, I cant say a whole lot about any of these types of things. I was told one thing during the game, so I reinforced that in the press conference -- what I was told. And, obviously, were been in conversations since then with the Big Ten, and they came out with a statement today.I think weve done a pretty good job with targeting, in general. That was kind of a unique situation, so thats one of the reasons the Big Ten came out with a statement to make sure everybodys clear. Because its a little bit of a gray area. Louis Domingue Jersey . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. Mikhail Sergachev Jersey . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.lightninghockeystore.us/Ryan-Callahan-Jersey/ . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. Martin St. Louis Jersey . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Andrei Vasilevskiy Jersey . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season.When Andrei Kirilenko opted out of a $10.2 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the 32-year-old forward did so presumably looking for one last long-term deal of his career. Then the Russian star decided to sign a two-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets that will pay him just over $3 million this season, and the conspiracy theories immediately started. The Nets are owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, so surely there was some backroom, nudge-nudge agreement for further compensation under the table, right? "No," Kirilenko said Thursday during a conference call. "Those type of rumours I cant control. I guess it comes from the history because of Russia, the KGB. I dont know what to think. I played 12 years in the NBA. It makes it look funny for those type of accusations." Earlier this summer, Prokhorov chalked up the talk to the kind of suspicion that is rooted in cinema and Cold War thinking, not modern reality. "I think old stereotypes, they are very hard to beat and to break," Prokhorov said. "And I want to thank our fans and members of the press, because they have been very quick to support us. And I respect all the NBA rules, and we play by the NBA rules. But I want just to stress once again, like with the luxury tax, I will do whatever I can in order to win championship, but under the NBA rules, please make no mistake about this." Kirilenko said the reason he chose Brooklyn is much simpler. After spending his first 11 seasons in the NBA with the Utah Jazz and Timberwolves, his motivation has changed from making money to chasing championships. "I play in NBA for 12 years and I think there is a time to take a shot to win a title," Kirilenko said. After spending the lockout year playing in Moscow, a rejuvenated Kirilenko averaged 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and shot 50.7 per cent for the Timberwolves last season. He also helped turn a team that had struggled mightily on defence for years into a respectable unit on that end of the floor. His contributions had team President David Kahn assuring Kirilenko that he would get a new, long-term deal from the Wolves this summer. But Kahn was fired after the season and new team President Flip Saunders wasnt willing to give Kirilenko a three or four-year deal worth more than $30 million, numbers that were discussed during the season. So Kirilenko opted out of the final year of his deal with Minnesota and hit the maarket.dddddddddddd "At that time I was feeling I want to be in Minnesota for a long time," Kirilenko said. "But there were some changes to Minnesota and I really respect Flip Saunders and I respect his decision that he decided not to sign me for a long time. I cant do anything with that. That kind of opened up all my options. I start looking to other teams and start comparing situations to other teams." He had conversations with several teams, and the Timberwolves did offer him a three-year deal that would have paid him $6 million to $7 million annually to anchor the teams defence. But Prokhorov was in the middle of a summer spending spree, swinging a massive trade to land Celtics stars Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry that would send the Nets luxury tax bill skyrocketing. Its the kind of bold, brash moves that Kirilenko watched Prokhorov pull off when the two were teamed up for Russian powerhouse CSKA Moscow, and he liked what he saw. "Hes always been known as a guy who is really trying to get the result," Kirilenko said. "Hes a competitor and he wants to win. Its always great when your owner is really passionate about basketball." And the Russian roots dont hurt, either. When Prokhorov first bought the Nets, Kirilenko said he envisioned himself one day playing in Brooklyn. He goes to New York, where there is a vibrant Russian community, another big plus for him. "Its a huge part," he said. "Its kind of reminding me that Im playing at home. In the lockout year I played back in Moscow and I feel so great that I had Russian friends and all the fans. Everybody speaks Russian. It makes you feel like you are home." Taking such a big pay cut certainly was a part of the discussions he had with his wife and children about the move. But they looked at living in New York, playing for Prokhorov and playing with a star-studded team that also includes Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson, and decided they couldnt pass it up. "I understand the money is not that great, is not what I could have made," Kirilenko said. "If you take a look at the situations, 10 years ago, Im not sure I wouldve taken that deal. Right now it was certainly best option possible to take the chance and win the trophy. Im not saying were going to win. ... But for first time in my career Im starting the season when I know we have a chance to win the whole thing." ' ' '