Update on the latest sports
APGYMNASTICS COACH-SEXUAL ASSAULT
Ex-US Olympics gymnastics coach with ties to Nassar charged
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A former U.S. Olympics gymnastics coach with ties to disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar has been charged in Michigan with two dozen crimes, including sexual assault, human trafficking and running a criminal enterprise.
John Geddert was head coach of the 2012 U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team, which won a gold medal. Nassar was the team’s doctor and also treated injured gymnasts at Twistars, Geddert’s Lansing-area gym for elite athletes.
Geddert is accused of injuring people for years through forced labor and recruiting minors for forced labor, according to documents filed in an Eaton County court, near Lansing. He also is charged with molesting a teen with hands in 2012.
Authorities said Geddert also lied to investigators in 2016 when he said he had never heard anyone complain about Nassar.
Geddert has insisted he had “zero knowledge” of Nassar’s crimes, although some gymnasts said he forced them to see Nassar and was physically abusive.
Nassar, who was a doctor at Michigan State University, has been sentenced to decades in prison for sexually assaulting gymnasts at the school and elsewhere as well as possessing child pornography.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-MARQUETTE-SPECTATORS
Marquette hoops to allow 1,800 fans at home arena
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Marquette will allow up to 1,800 to attend its men’s basketball regular-season finale March 6 against Xavier.
This will be the first time this season that Marquette has played a home game in front of that many spectators. The Golden Eagles had no spectators for most of their home games. They allowed family members of players to attend a 71-68 loss to Creighton on Feb. 6.
Those 1,800 fans represent about 10% of the capacity at Fiserv Forum, which also serves as the home arena for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks just started allowing fans to fill 10% of the arena’s seating capacity to home contests on Sunday after experimenting with smaller crowds earlier in their current eight-game home stretch.
Marquette said tickets for the Xavier game won’t go on sale to the general public. Most of the tickets will be offered to students. Seating will be arranged to ensure social distancing. Fans must wear masks and can’t bring bags into the arena.
The Xavier game represents Marquette’s first home contest since that Feb. 6 loss to Creighton. The 11-12 Golden Eagles currently are in a stretch of six consecutive road games.
SOCCER-PUERTO RICO-SARACHAN
Dave Sarachan hired to coach Puerto Rico soccer team
UNDATED (AP) — Former U.S. interim coach Dave Sarachan has been hired as coach of Puerto Rico’s soccer team.
The Puerto Rican Football Federation says Sarachan will lead Puerto Rico in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
Puerto Rico, which competes separately from the United States, is in Group F of the pandemic-delayed first round of the North and Central American and Caribbean region. It opens March 24 at St. Kitts and Nevis, then hosts Trinidad and Tobago four days later.
The group also includes Bahamas and Guyana, and the group winner opens the final round at home against the U.S. in September.
Sarachan was Bruce Arena’s top assistant with the U.S. team from 1999-2002 and again in 2017. He took over as interim coach when Arena quit following the October 2017 loss at Trinidad that prevented the Americans from qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
Sarachan was interim head coach through 2018 and led the U.S. to three wins, five losses and four ties in 12 exhibitions.
