AP Sports

AP-Newswatch
September 19, 2023
AP Scorecard
September 19, 2023
AP Sports

Update on the latest sports

 
AP-Summary Brief-Sports
September 19, 2023
 

Nick Chubb suffers another severe knee injury, likely ending the Browns star running back’s season

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cleveland Browns star running back Nick Chubb was carted off the field with a serious left knee injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick came in low for a tackle at the end of a 5-yard run early in the second quarter and delivered a hit to Chubb’s legs. Chubb’s knee buckled underneath him. After the play, a teammate grabbed Chubb’s hand to try to help him to his feet, and Chubb shook his head while clutching his left knee. He undid his chinstrap and rolled over onto his side. Chubb suffered a major injury to the same knee in 2015 while in college at Georgia — a dislocation with three torn ligaments.

Spain players arrive at camp after Hermoso accuses federation of threatening World Cup winners

MADRID (AP) — Some of Spain’s World Cup-winning players have started reporting to training camp despite not wanting to be called up for the national team while fighting for changes in the soccer federation. Local media showed some of the players arriving at the hotel where they gathered before heading to Valencia to meet other teammates. They arrived a day after new coach Montse Tomé ignored their decision not to play until their demands for reform at the federation were met. Players who don’t show up risk breaking a Spanish sports law that requires athletes to answer the call of national teams unless there are circumstances that impede them from playing.

Victor Wembanyama will be aiming for the gold medal with France at Paris Olympics

PARIS (AP) — Victor Wembanyama will be aiming for the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. The San Antonio Spurs rookie has reaffirmed his commitment to the national squad for the Summer Games next year in his home country. He spoke in the wake of France’s poor showing at the World Cup last month. He says: “I’ll be present at the Olympics, and there’s no other goal than gold.” The No. 1 draft pick had decided not to play at the World Cup in order to prepare for his rookie season. France came to the World Cup as the reigning Olympic silver medalists but failed to qualify for the second round.

Column: Duane Bock thought he would have the summer off. Now the caddie is going to the Ryder Cup

Duane Bock finally gets to caddie in a Ryder Cup and it’s not anything like he expected. For one thing, he’ll be working for Sepp Straka, not Kevin Kisner. And he’ll be part of Team Europe, not Team USA. Bock is still trying to get his head around how this all came about in three months. Kisner needed a break from poor play and wanting to be home with his young children. Straka had changed caddies and was looking for a fill-in. Straka won the John Deere Classic and was runner-up at the British Open, and the Austrian was picked for the Ryder Cup.

NFL’s two 70-something coaches proving they still have what it takes to compete in this league

The NFL’s two oldest coaches are Pete Carroll who’s 72 and Bill Belichick who’s 71 and both of them showed in Week 2 that still have what it takes to compete in this league increasingly dominated by young coaches. Carroll led his Seahawks into Detroit and took a bit of the luster off the Lions with a 37-31 win in overtime. Belichick fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2001 but his Patriots pulled off an unorthodox block of a field goal that had never been attempted in the NFL.

Tampa Bay Rays finalizing new ballpark in St. Petersburg as part of a larger urban project

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The playoff-bound Tampa Bay Rays put the finishing touches on plans for a new 30,000-seat ballpark in St. Petersburg. It’s part of a $6.5 billion development project announced Tuesday that includes affordable housing, retail, bars and restaurants and a Black history museum. The site is on the same 86-acre tract of downtown land where Tropicana Field now sits. An official with the Rays says that domed, oddly-tilted ballpark will be demolished once the new one is built, in time for Opening Day 2028. The plan would keep the Rays in St. Petersburg for the foreseeable future. But, it still has to clear some political hurdles on funding and approvals.

Grievance filed by NFL says players’ union leaders advised running backs to fake injuries

The NFL says leaders of the players’ union have advised running backs to fake injuries. The league made the allegation in a grievance it filed last week against the NFL Players Association. The grievance says President JC Tretter and other union leaders suggested that running backs “consider feigning or exaggerating injuries” to increase their leverage in contract negotiations. The grievance was detailed in a league memo obtained by The Associated Press. The league said the union made the suggestion to running backs during a Zoom meeting before the season. The league argues that anyone who fakes an injury would be violating the collective bargaining agreement.

Colorado State coach says safety Henry Blackburn received death threats for hit on Travis Hunter

DENVER (AP) — Colorado State coach Jay Norvell said Monday that senior safety Henry Blackburn has been receiving death threats since his late hit that hospitalized Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter. Blackburn drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Saturday night for the blow he delivered to Hunter’s midsection on a deep pass in the first quarter of the Rocky Mountain Showdown. It was one of 17 penalties the Rams committed in their 43-35 loss in double overtime to Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes. Norvell said Blackburn, who’s from Boulder, and his family had their address posted on social media. He added that police have been involved due to the serious nature of the threats.

Danielle Kang made it to the Solheim Cup in Spain. Her golf clubs did not

Danielle made the journey from Las Vegas to the south of Spain for the Solheim Cup. Her golf clubs did not. The American has sent out a desperate plea to the airlines. Kang used a borrowed set of clubs to practice at Finca Cortesin on Tuesday, and Titleist has made her a new set that it is sending. In other golf news, all signs indicate the Sentry Tournament of Champions being played at Kapalua as Maui recovers from its catastrophic wildfires. And Steve Stricker is so good he might be able to win the Charles Schwab Cup without playing the postseason.

For Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, representing Ukraine is a duty to the country

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Just playing is a small victory for Shakhtar Donetsk but the Ukrainian champions won’t stop there. Team captain Taras Stepanenko tells The Associated Press that Shakhtar’s opening Champions League game against Porto is part of his team’s duty to represent Ukraine and show his country’s resilience. Shakhtar is playing its Champions League games outside of Ukraine following the Russian invasion. It was in Poland last season and will play home games this season in the German city of Hamburg. Stepanenko says “our soldiers fight in the battles and we fight in the sports arena.”