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☆ Oakland Athletics’ announcer apologizes for using racial slur
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Oakland Athletics play-by-play announcer Glen Kuiper has apologized for using a racial slur during the team’s pre-game show prior to the A’s road game against the Kansas City Royals on Friday. Kuiper was discussing the “phenomenal” time he had visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri with A’s TV analyst Dallas Braden when he used a racial slur to describe the museum during the NBC Sports California broadcast. I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said. … I just wanted to apologize for that.”The Athletics called Kuiper’s language “unacceptable.”“The language used by Glen Kuiper during (Friday’s) pregame broadcast is unacceptable,” the team said in a statement. “The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language.

☆ Aaron Rodgers: New York Jets general manager calls deal 'historic' for the franchise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas called the deal to acquire four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers “historic” for the franchise. Douglas spoke Tuesday on how the trade – which has not yet been finalized as the two teams work out the details – came together. “Obviously, a long time in the making,” Douglas told reporters at a previously scheduled pre-draft press conference. Rodgers is joining the New York Jets after 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. The NFL Draft begins Thursday night in Kansas City, Missouri.

☆ Tua Tagovailoa admits considering retirement after suffering multiple concussions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said Wednesday he considered walking away from football “for a time” after suffering multiple concussions last season. “I always dreamed of playing as long as I could to where my son knew exactly what he was watching his dad do. I love the game of football, if I didn’t, I would have quit a long time [ago].”Tagovailoa suffered multiple concussions last season causing him to miss five games, including the playoffs. This offseason, Tagovailoa is doing jiu-jitsu training to help him learn how to fall carefully. Tagovailoa will make a fully guaranteed $23.17 million for the 2024 season, according to the NFL.

☆ WTA set to return to China in September despite uncertainty over Peng Shuai’s situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced Thursday that it will return to hosting tournaments in China in the fall after suspending all events in the country in 2021 due to the uncertainty over tennis player Peng Shuai’s safety. Human Rights Watch called the WTA’s decision to return to China a “huge disappointment,” but “not surprising.”“International businesses need to work together to do the right thing,” said Yaqiu Wang, senior China Researcher at Human Rights Watch. “It’s hard to challenge the Chinese government alone, but if businesses band together to address China’s flouting of human rights, the power balance can shift. “After all, sports organizations and companies all want to operate in an environment where the human rights of their players, employees, and consumers are protected and there is rule of law. “The road to expose the Chinese government’s human rights abuses and hold it accountable is difficult and often incurs a cost, and it’s not a straight road.”

☆ Carlos Correa: San Francisco Giants and shortstop reportedly agree on 13-year, $350 million deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The San Francisco Giants and two-time All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa have reportedly agreed to a franchise record, 13-year deal worth $350 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, citing unnamed sources. The deal is the largest for a shortstop in MLB history, according to Passan. Correa signed with the Minnesota Twins on a three-year, $105.3 million deal, according to the salary tracking website Spotrac, in March. He won his first ever Gold Glove, which is awarded to the best defender in each position, in 2021. The 28-year-old has batted .279 with 155 homers and 553 RBIs in eight MLB seasons.

☆ Mike Leach: Mississippi State head football coach has died at 61 from heart condition complications
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach died Monday night from heart condition complications, the university announced on Tuesday. “Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather,” the Leach family said in a statement via the school. We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world. Leach compiled a 158-107 overall record in 21 seasons – 10 at Texas Tech, eight at Washington State and three at Mississippi State. Texas Tech said in a statement, “Texas Tech Athletics joins the countless others across the game of football who mourn the passing of Mike Leach.”“Coach Leach will be forever remembered as one of the most innovative offensive minds in college football history.

CNN —University of Texas at Austin men’s basketball head coach Chris Beard was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony assault on Monday. “The University is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. The university announced Monday night that Beard was suspended following his arrest. “Given the information available, The University has suspended Chris Beard from his position as head coach of Men’s Basketball and will withhold his pay until further notice. Associate Head Coach Rodney Terry will serve as acting head coach for tonight’s game against Rice.”The 7-1 Longhorns, ranked No.

☆ Cristiano Ronaldo speaks for first time since shock World Cup exit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

“To win a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram on Sunday. “Fortunately, I won a lot of titles of international dimension, including Portugal, but to put the name of our country in the highest level in the world was my biggest dream. I never faced away from the fight and I never gave up on that dream.”It is likely the 37-year-old’s final appearance at a World Cup. However, his benching by Santos and his recent contract termination from Manchester United, which was announced just after the World Cup started, arguably overshadowed Ronaldo’s time at Qatar 2022, a tournament where he scored just one goal. “Thank you, Portugal.

☆ New York Yankees and Aaron Judge reportedly agree on nine-year deal worth $360 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —New York Yankees and slugger Aaron Judge have reportedly agreed on a nine-year deal worth $360 million, sources told ESPN, The Athletic senior writer Ken Rosenthal and MLB Network insider Jon Morosi on Wednesday. The slugger comes off a historic season with the Yankees. Maris hit 61 home runs 61 years ago in 1961, breaking Babe Ruth’s record of 60 set in 1927. Barry Bonds set the major league record with 73 home runs in 2001. Judge finished his stellar 2022 season leading Major League Baseball in home runs (62), RBIs (131) and runs (133) in 157 games.

☆ Neymar could play against South Korea as Brazil coach gives positive outlook on star man
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Brazil national team head coach Tite said Neymar will play against South Korea in Monday’s last 16 World Cup match, if he practices “okay” on Sunday. “He will practice this afternoon, and if everything is okay, he will play,” Tite said at a news conference on Sunday. “Neymar being on the lineup depends on the medical department clearing that.”Neymar sprained his right ankle in his side’s opening World Cup match – a 2-0 win over Serbia - on November 24. “Today has become one of the hardest moments in my career… and again in a World Cup,” Neymar, who was injured for Brazil’s World Cup semifinal in 2014, wrote on Instagram after his injury. The five-time champion faces South Korea at Stadium 974 in Doha on Monday.

☆ College Football Playoff will feature Georgia vs. Ohio State and Michigan vs. TCU
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The Georgia Bulldogs will step up their pursuit of back-to-back national titles when they compete in the upcoming College Football Playoff. The Michigan Wolverines, Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs and the Ohio State Buckeyes join the Bulldogs in the playoff, the selection committee announced on Sunday. 3 TCU (12-1) in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This week, it was agreed that the College Football Playoff will expand from four to 12 teams starting with the 2024/25 season. The decision was made with the promise of “more excitement for fans, alumni, students and student-athletes,” according to Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff.

☆ Rhian Wilkinson: Portland Thorns FC head coach resigns at players' request following a 'friendship' with a player
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Rhian Wilkinson has resigned as the head coach of the Portland Thorns FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) at the request of the players following her “friendship” with a player, she said Friday. “During my time as the Thorns coach, a player and I formed a friendship that turned into more complex emotions,” Wilkinson wrote on Twitter. “The Portland Thorns and Coach Wilkinson followed all League processes and policies and fully cooperated with this investigation,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement posted on Portland’s website. “The investigative process and player and staff willingness to use human resources and league reporting is critically important,” Wilkinson tweeted. Wilkinson led the club to a 10-3-9 record and Portland’s league-best third championship in her only season as head coach.

“There’s discrimination everywhere you go,” replied Adams, who was born in Wappingers Falls, New York. “One thing that I’ve learned, especially from living abroad in the past years and having to fit in in different cultures and kind of assimilate into different cultures, is that in the US, we’re continuing to make progress every single day. “So, I had a little bit of different cultures, and I was very easily able to assimilate in different cultures. A now-deleted graphic of the Group B standings posted on Saturday displayed the Iranian flag only bearing its green, white and red colors. A US soccer federation screenshot displaying Iran's national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic.

CNN —Iran state media has called for the US to be kicked out of the 2022 World Cup after the United States Soccer Federation changed Iran’s flag on its social media platforms to show support for protesters in Iran. A now-deleted graphic of the Group B standings posted on Saturday displayed the Iranian flag only bearing its green, white and red colors. “We have the main flag on our website and other places.” The emblem is currently back on the flag on US Soccer’s social media channels. A US soccer federation screenshot displaying Iran's national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic. “No matter how much I can respect what you did inside the pitch, those remarks about Iran Culture, Iran National Team and my Players are a disgrace to Football.

CNN —The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has referred the case of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after deeming the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has made no progress on the skater’s Winter Olympics doping case. In a statement on Tuesday, WADA President Witold Bańka said: “Despite putting RUSADA under formal notice to resolve the Kamila Valieva case promptly, no progress was made. She had tested positive for a banned substance – the heart medication trimetazidine, which can enhance endurance – in December 2021. In October, RUSADA said in a statement that it had completed its investigation but was keeping the final resolution of a case involving a figure skater, who is a member of the Russian Olympic Committee and a “protected person,” confidential. Team USA finished second in the team event, Japan third and Canada in fourth.

☆ Ryan Reynolds interested in buying NHL's Ottawa Senators
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds is interested in buying the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). “I am trying to (buy the Senators),” Reynolds told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. “This was a necessary and prudent step to connect with those deeply interested parties who can show us what their vision is for the future of the team,” Senators chairman and governor Sheldon Plener said in the Friday statement. Reynolds was born in Vancouver but spent time in Ottawa. “I grew up in Vancouver which has my heart always, but I also grew up in Ottawa, Canada, as I spent a long time in Vanier, which is a little town right inside Ottawa,” Reynolds said.

CNN —The Indianapolis Colts have parted ways with head coach Frank Reich, the NFL team announced Monday. Former Colts Pro Bowl center and Super Bowl winner Jeff Saturday has been named interim head coach. You have to be able to work with people.”His interim coach “knows this game inside and out,” he assured reporters. Reich, who was in his fifth season with the Colts, compiled a 40-33-1 record in the regular season and 1-2 in the playoffs. Frank Reich walks off the field after losing 17-16 to the Washington Commanders at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 30 in Indianapolis.

☆ Mitchell Miller: Boston Bruins president says team 'failed' in signing controversial prospect
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Boston Bruins president Cam Neely apologized and said the team “failed” by signing prospect Mitchell Miller. The National Hockey League (NHL) deemed Miller ineligible to join the team due to a bullying incident the player participated in when he was a teenager. Boston signed Miller to an entry-level contract on Friday, then rescinded it on Sunday. “I’m extremely upset that we have made a lot of people unhappy with our decision,” Neely said at a Monday news conference. “I take pride in the Bruins organization and what we stand for, and we failed there.

CNN —Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving on Saturday tweeted that he “meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs” after the owner of his NBA team condemned him for tweeting a link to a documentary deemed antisemitic. “I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation,” Nets owner Joe Tsai wrote on Twitter Friday night. The ‘Anti-Semitic’ label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday. Irving should clarify now.”The Nets also spoke out against the star guard’s tweet. “If Kyrie Irving or any Black Celebrity needs ‘back up’ to prove that we are the True Israelites … i am available to assist them on or off the camera so that the world can finally see and receive the TRUTH.”

CNN —British LGBTQ activist Peter Tatchell protested by himself outside the Qatar national museum on Tuesday ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup which the country will host starting in November. “I did this protest to highlight Qatar’s abuse of LGBT, women’s and migrant workers rights,” his foundation said in a statement. Police shook Tatchell’s hand and left, leaving the activist on the sidewalk, Reuters said. Tatchell shared video on Twitter showing a man in plain clothes speaking to him and taking his sign away. The World Cup takes place from November 20 to December 18.

☆ Group of prominent Iranian sports figures In Iran calls on FIFA to ban Iranian Football Federation from World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A law firm has sent a letter to FIFA on behalf of a group of former and current Iranian sports figures urging football’s governing body to suspend the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) and ban it from participating at this year’s World Cup in Qatar. Iranian authorities have since unleashed a brutal crackdown on demonstrators, who have united around a range of grievances with the country’s authoritarian regime. Iran faces England in its first match of football’s flagship event on November 21, followed by a game against Wales on November 25. The nation is also set to face the United States in its third and final group stage match on November 29. CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly named four Iranian players and former players as among those who signed the letter sent by Spanish law firm Ruiz-Huerta and Crespo.

☆ Neymar testifies he had no involvement in negotiations over 2013 transfer to Barcelona
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar Jr. told a Barcelona court on Tuesday that he wasn’t involved in negotiations that sent him from Santos to FC Barcelona in 2013, according to Reuters. “I didn’t participate in the negotiations,” Neymar said. Newymar signed to Barcelona in 2013 from Santos. Neymar’s father, Neymar da Silva Santos, testified: “Our intention was to prepare a career plan for him in Europe, in which we had in place already established, could learn the language, etc. Spanish prosecutors are pursuing a two-year prison term and a $9.8 million fine for Neymar as well as a five-year jail term for Rosell.

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