Update on the latest sports
APMLB-NEWS
Diamondbacks’ Smith suspended 10 games for sticky substance
UNDATED (AP) —Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Caleb Smith has been suspended 10 games and fined an undisclosed amount for having a foreign substance on his glove during a game last week.
Smith’s suspension is the second this season as Major League Baseball cracks down on pitchers using sticky substances to get a better grip on the ball. Seattle’s Hector Santiago had his 10-game suspension issued last month. Smith has elected to appeal his suspension, which otherwise would have begun Tuesday night against Pittsburgh. Smith had his glove confiscated after he came off the field in the eighth inning against Philadelphia last Wednesday and was ejected.
In other MLB news:’
—A federal magistrate judge has decided that changes by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Phillie Phanatic mascot were sufficient to allow its continued use by the club. U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn sided with the creators of the Phanatic in deciding it had been registered as an artistic sculpture under copyright law. She recommended that Harrison/Erickson be credited as sole authors of the Phanatic and said the company had the right to terminate the Phillies’ 1984 agreement to acquire rights to the fuzzy creature. The Phillies unveiled the redesign of the green mascot last year.
NFL-NEWS
Jaguars RB Etienne out for season with left foot injury
UNDATED, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars rookie running back Travis Etienne is out for the season after injuring his left foot in Monday’s preseason loss at New Orleans. The first-round draft pick from Clemson is expected to have surgery as soon as possible. Losing Etienne is a significant setback for the Jaguars, who planned to use him to create mismatches in the slot and as a third-down back. Jacksonville selected Etienne with the 25th overall pick in April’s draft and paired him with fellow Clemson star Trevor Lawrence.
In other NFL developments:
—Three-time All-Pro receiver Cliff Branch and Super Bowl-winning coach Dick Vermeil are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2022. Branch is the senior candidate and Vermeil is the nominee in the coaches category picked by a five-person committee of Hall of Fame voters. To be elected to the Hall of Fame, Branch and Vermeil must receive 80% of the vote from the entire 49-member selection committee when it meets early next year.
—Browns wide receiver Davion Davis has been suspended two games by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Davis, whose emergence this summer has put him in position to win a roster spot, will miss Cleveland’s first two regular-season games. He can be with the team for the rest of the preseason and play in Sunday’s exhibition finale against Atlanta. Davis will be eligible to return to the active roster on Sept. 20, a day after the Browns host Houston in their home opener. The league suspension stems from a driving under the influence charge Davis got while he was with the Minnesota Vikings in 2019.
—Receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis are among four Buffalo Bills players who must spend at least five days away from the team facility after having close contact with a trainer who tested positive. The two other players placed in the NFL’s five-day reentry cadence were defensive tackles Star Lotulelei and Vernon Butler, general manager Brandon Beane said. Beasley, Davis and Lotulelei were sent home before practice, while Butler was sent home following practice and after it was determined he was in contact with the trainer.
— The Carolina Panthers have agreed to a three-year, $37.5 million contract extension with wide receiver Robby Anderson. That’s according to a person familiar with the situation. The deal includes $20.5 million in guaranteed money. Anderson was due to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2021 season. He’s coming off a career season in his first year with the Panthers, catching 95 passes for 1,096 yards and three touchdowns.
— The Chicago Bears will start rookie quarterback Justin Fields in the preseason finale Saturday at Tennessee against the Titans. He still is regarded as the Bears’ backup to veteran Andy Dalton for the regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Fields was drafted 11th overall after the Bears traded up in the first round to take the Ohio State star.
— New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick says he expects Cam Newton to return to the field this week for the second day of joint practices with the Giants after the quarterback missed a second day of practice because of a misunderstanding of COVID-19 testing rules. Newton is under an NFL-mandated five-day reentry process for unvaccinated players.
__ Browns defensive end Takk McKinley has returned to the team after leaving training camp last month for personal reasons. McKinley took part in the early walkthrough portion of practice on Tuesday before he was spotted heading into the training facility.
— Former Arizona Cardinals first-round pick Josh Rosen has signed with the Atlanta Falcons and will compete to open the season as the backup quarterback. Rosen replaces AJ McCarron, who was placed on injured reserve. The Falcons said Sunday an MRI showed McCarron suffered an ACL injury to his right knee in last week’s preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins. The 24-year-old Rosen was the No. 10 overall pick by Arizona in 2018.
NBA-NEWS
Celtics sign Josh Richardson to contract extension
UNDATED (AP) — The Boston Celtics have signed guard Josh Richardson to a contract extension.
It’s the latest in a flurry of moves by Boston as it tries to shore up its roster before training camp. The 27-year-old Richardson was acquired in a trade with Dallas last month. His offensive numbers took a dip last season with the Mavericks. But he is just two seasons removed from averaging a career-high 16.6 points with Miami in 2018-19. The Celtics also recently signed veteran guard Marcus Smart to a contract extension and signed point guard Dennis Schröder.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-CONFERENCE ALLIANCE
AP source: ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 announce alliance plans
UNDATED (AP) — The Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten and Pac-12 are forming an alliance to work together on the future of college athletics and scheduling. Conference officials have been discussing the idea for weeks.
The move comes less than a month after the Southeastern Conference invited Texas and Oklahoma to join and create a 16-school league by 2025. The move sent shockwaves through college athletics.
The ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 hope an alliance of 41 schools that span from Miami to Seattle leads to stability at the top of big-time college sports.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE FOOTBALL
LSU to require vaccine or recent test to enter Tiger Stadium
UNDATED (AP) — LSU is requiring fans attending games at Tiger Stadium who are 12 or older to provide proof of vaccination for COVID-19 or a recent negative test.
The university is the third Power 5 program to impose those restrictions. The policy will be in effect when LSU’s plays its home opener on Sept. 11 against McNeese State. Children ages 5 to 11 will be required to wear masks. LSU hasn’t decide whether masks will be required for vaccinated adults.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-OBIT-JERRY HARKNESS
Loyola Chicago basketball pioneer Jerry Harkness dies at 81
UNDATED (AP) — Jerry Harkness, who led Loyola Chicago to a barrier-breaking national basketball championship and a was civil rights pioneer, has died.
A two-time All-American at Loyola, Harkness was part of the 1963 team that won a national championship with four Black starters and played in what became known as the Game of Change. State laws prohibited Mississippi State from playing integrated teams, but the team slipped out of town to play Loyola in East Lansing, Michigan. Harkness appeared in an iconic photo taken before the game, when he shook hands with Mississippi State captain Joe Dan Gold. Jerry Harkness was 81.
