Update on the latest sports
APTIGER WOODS ACCIDENT
LA sheriff calls Tiger Woods crash ‘purely an accident’
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles County sheriff says the rollover that seriously injured Tiger Woods was “purely an accident” on a downhill section of road known for crashes.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Wednesday that deputies didn’t see any evidence that the golf star was impaired by drugs or alcohol after Tuesday’s rollover. He says investigators may seek search warrants for a blood sample to definitively rule out drugs and alcohol.
Detectives also could seek warrants for Woods’ cellphone to see if he was driving distracted, as well as information from the vehicle about how fast he was going.
One police expert says it’s “premature” to say the crash was an accident just a day later..
NHL-NEWS
Canadiens fire coach Claude Julien amid losing stretch
UNDATED (AP) — The struggling Montreal Canadiens fired head coach Claude Julien (ZHOO’-lee-ehn) and associate coach Kirk Muller on Wednesday following a three-game skid.
Assistant coach Dominique Ducharme was appointed interim coach, and Alex Burrows was added to the Canadiens’ coaching staff.
The Canadiens were battling the Toronto Maple Leafs for top spot in the North Division earlier in the season but have since dropped into fourth.
A 5-4 shootout loss in Ottawa against the Senators on Tuesday night marked the end of the line for Julien, who returned for his second go-round as Montreal’s coach midway through the 2016-17 season.
In other NHL news:
— San Jose’s game against Vegas scheduled for Thursday night has been postponed after a Sharks player entered the NHL’s COVID protocol. It’s the 36th NHL game this season to be postponed for virus-related issues and 40th counting the Texas snowstorm that affected Dallas. The NHL had a season-low eight players on its COVID protocol list Tuesday, five of them from Philadelphia. That’s down from a season high of 59 just 11 days ago.
MLB-NEWS
Abreu tests positive for virus
UNDATED (AP) — American League MVP José Abreu (ah-BRAY’-oo) has tested positive for COVID-19 and will remain away from the Chicago White Sox for at least the next few days.
General manager Rick Hahn says the Cuban slugger is “completely asymptomatic.” Hahn says testing also showed the presence of COVID antibodies and Abreu believes he had a mild case of the coronavirus in January.
Manager Tony La Russa said Abreu will likely join the team by Monday, perhaps as soon as Friday.
Abreu powered the White Sox back to the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The three-time All-Star hit .317 with 19 home runs and a major league-leading 60 RBIs in the pandemic-shortened season.
In other baseball news:
— Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán gave a public apology Wednesday for actions that led to a lengthy suspension under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy, a day after he spoke with New York teammates and admitted he had engaged in dangerous conduct. The 28-year-old has been welcomed by teammates but also has faced wariness as he attempts to regain a place in the starting rotation. Luke Voit says Germán “is skating on thin ice.”
— Brett Gardner and the New York Yankees have finalized a $5.15 million, one-year contract for the outfielder to return for a 14th season that includes a $1 million signing bonus and a $1.85 million salary this year. New York also finalized its one-year deal with left-hander Justin Wilson that includes a $2.85 million salary this year and a $2.3 million player option for 2022. To clear roster spots, right-hander Luis Severino was put on the 60-day injured and outfielder Greg Allen was designated for assignment.
— The Atlanta Braves have claimed outfielder Guillermo Heredia off waivers from the New York Mets. Heredia was added to Atlanta’s 40-man roster. He was designated for assignment on Sunday when the Mets finalized a deal with center fielder Kevin Pillar. Heredia is the second veteran outfielder to be added to Atlanta’s roster this week. The Braves claimed Phillip Ervin off waivers from the Chicago Cubs on Monday.
— Minnesota Twins shortstop Royce Lewis has a torn ACL in his right knee that will sideline him for the 2021 season. Lewis is considered the organization’s top prospect. The 21-year-old Lewis will have reconstructive surgery Friday but the rehabilitation process will take between nine and 12 months. Lewis was not expected to be in the majors in 2021. He finished the 2019 season at Double-A.
NBA-NEWS
Hectic finish awaits all NBA teams in 2nd half of season
UNDATED (AP) — The second half of the NBA schedule will be hectic, all the way to the end. The league on Wednesday released the list of games that will be played between March 10 and May 16.
Memphis and San Antonio — two of the teams that dealt with long unplanned shutdowns because of coronavirus-related issues — are set to play 40 times apiece, tied for the most in the league during the 68-day sprint to the end of the regular season.
Every team is scheduled to play on the final day of the regular season, which is a rarity.
The season reopens following the All-Star break on March 10 when Washington visits Memphis and San Antonio goes to Dallas.
In other NBA news:
— The Houston Rockets have released DeMarcus Cousins after just 25 games. Cousins was waived this week after signing a $2.3 million contract with Houston in the offseason. He returned to the court this season after missing all of last season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.
— Backup guard Quinn Cook has been waived by the Los Angeles Lakers. The defending NBA champions announced the move shortly before Cook’s contract would have been guaranteed. Cook averaged 2.1 points while appearing in 16 games this season for the Lakers, who also waived him in November before re-signing him in December.
— The leadership of the National Basketball Coaches Association is voicing its “concern and level of disappointment” with the way the Minnesota Timberwolves changed head coaches. The Timberwolves fired Ryan Saunders on Sunday night and formally introduced Toronto Raptors assistant Chris Finch who is white as the replacement on Monday. Timberwolves assistant David Vanterpool who is black, has support from several NBA players, many of whom expressed anger that he did not get the job or, at minimum, the appearance of being considered for it. Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas says the team did consider minority candidates.
NFL-NEWS
Steelers planning on Roethlisberger’s return in 2021
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers plan on having quarterback Ben Roethlisberger back for an 18th season. Team president Art Rooney II says he and Roethlisberger have met to figure out a way to ease the financial pressure caused by Roethlisberger’s contract.
Roethlisberger’s current deal carries a $41 million salary cap number for 2021.
He is due a $15 million roster bonus on March 20 shortly after the new league year begins.
In other NFL news:
— The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are open to giving Tom Brady a contract extension. General manager Jason Licht reiterates that the Super Bowl champions would like to keep the 43-year-old quarterback in uniform for as long as Brady wants to play but declined to characterize any conversations the team’s had about that prospect.
— The Las Vegas Raiders have released receiver Tyrell Williams following two injury-plagued seasons with the team. Williams initially signed a four-year, $44.3 million deal as a free agent to join the Raiders in 2019. He struggled with injuries to his feet his first season and then missed all last season with a torn labrum.
COLLEGE SPORTS-NEWS
Bill would allow college athletes to return from draft
UNDATED (AP) — The latest federal bill related to college sports would allow athletes to earn money from endorsements, loosen restrictions around transfers and permit players to return to school after entering a professional league’s draft.
The proposed legislation would require the wealthiest athletic programs to increase spending on long-term medical care for athletes.
The bill is the fourth to emerge from the Senate since December and second from a Republican. Most recently, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy introduced a bill narrowly focused on giving college athletes the right to earn money off their names, images and likenesses.
In other college sports news:
— A diversity study for racial and gender hiring across college sports found little change in scores that continue to lag behind the professional ranks. Wednesday’s report card from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at Central Florida assigned an overall C-plus grade, a B for racial hiring and a C-plus for gender hiring for the 2019-20 sports season, the same grades as last year.
— The West Coast Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be held without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournaments are March 4-9 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The WCC has played its postseason basketball in Las Vegas for 13 years, selling out every time.
TENNIS HALL OF FAME
Original 9, Hewitt in Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021
UNDATED (AP) —Billie Jean King and the other members of the Original 9 who laid the groundwork for the women’s professional tour are the first group elected together to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Lleyton Hewitt and Dennis Van der Meer are the other members of the Hall’s Class of 2021. Hewitt was the only one of five nominees in the Player Category voted in. He won the U.S. Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002 and reached No. 1 in the rankings.
Van der Meer advocated for a universal teaching method in tennis and was elected in the Contributor Category. He died in 2019. The induction ceremony is scheduled for July 17 at the Hall in Newport, Rhode Island.
