Owings Mills, Md. ? The Baltimore Ravens are wasting no time shaping their roster for the 2011 season.

The Ravens on Tuesday night agreed to terms on a five-year, $32 million contract with offensive lineman Marshal Yanda, an unrestricted free agent who has spent his entire four-year career in Baltimore. Drafted in the third round of the 2007 draft, the 6-foot-3, 315-pound Yanda is equally effective at guard and tackle.

Retaining Yanda was a priority for general manager Ozzie Newsome, who cleared salary-cap space for the sturdy lineman by dumping the contracts of four notable veterans.

Running back Willis McGahee, former Pro Bowl tight end Todd Heap, wide receiver Derrick Mason and nose guard Kelly Gregg have been told they will be cut, coach John Harbaugh confirmed Tuesday.

Panthers, DE Johnson reach deal

Charlotte, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers weren’t about to let their top free agent, Charles Johnson, get away, even if it meant shelling out big bucks.

The Panthers persuaded Johnson, their prized defensive end, to agree to a contract worth $72 million over six years and that includes a $30 million signing bonus. The team confirmed the deal Tuesday night, and Johnson said he plans to sign the deal Friday.

“The Panthers told me the whole time they were going to come after me hard,” Johnson said. “I had to see it to believe, but they did.”

Giants checking out Burress

New York — When the Giants say they look into every player available, they aren’t kidding. ESPN is citing team sources and reporting that the team spent time Tuesday in discussions with Plaxico Burress, the former Giants wide receiver who was released from prison in June after serving nearly two years for accidentally shooting himself in the leg in November 2008.

The Giants had carefully left the door open for any conversations with the free agent, who had harsh comments about Tom Coughlin during an interview shortly after his prison release. The report suggests that no deal is imminent for a return to New York, but the team is apparently gauging whether the soon-to-be 34-year-old has changed his ways.

College athletics

OSU bans Pryor for 5 years

Columbus, Ohio — Terrelle Pryor’s lawyer wanted Ohio State to make it clear to the NFL that his client could not return to the Buckeyes. So Ohio State not only declared its former star quarterback would not have played at any time during the 2011 season but also banned him from any contact with the school’s athletic program for the next five years.

In a letter from Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith dated Tuesday, Smith said that Pryor was ineligible because he failed to cooperate with NCAA and Ohio State investigators.

He then added, “The university must also dissociate you from its athletic program for a period of five years.”

That means that Pryor can have no contact with recruits or enrolled Buckeyes, cannot accept complimentary tickets to home games and cannot use the team’s athletic facilities.

Smith didn’t rule out the use of all campus facilities, however.

“Please note that this dissociation does NOT prohibit you from enrolling in classes at the university to complete your degree,” Smith wrote. “As you know, I would encourage you to complete your degree.”

NCAA

Panel proposes redefining ‘agent’

An NCAA panel has proposed broadening the definition of agents in a move aimed at closing the loophole that allowed Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton to keep playing despite his father’s pay-for-play scheme — and puzzled many across college athletics.

The Division I Amateurism Cabinet is sponsoring legislation that would include family members and other third parties who shop an athlete’s services to schools for financial gain, the NCAA announced Tuesday on its Web site.

The NCAA determined that Cecil Newton — Cam’s father — sought money from Mississippi State when Cam Newton was being recruited out of junior college. The quarterback signed with Auburn and was deemed eligible after a one-day suspension when the NCAA’s reinstatement staff found he didn’t know about the pay-for-play scheme. He was cleared to play in the SEC and national championship games. The Division I Leadership Council will review the new proposal at its meeting Aug. 2.

NBA

Love headed to volleyball court

New York — Locked out of NBA arenas, Kevin Love is headed to the beach.

Beach volleyball, that is.

The NBA’s leading rebounder plans to play in next month’s Manhattan Beach Open on the pro volleyball tour, finding himself a paycheck while he’s not earning one on the basketball court.

“I thought it was a great idea, a way for me to be out in the sun, be active and have fun during the lockout,” Love said Tuesday after practicing with pros for the first time. “It’s sport, it’s active, it’s a way to stay in shape, so I just thought it was a home run.”