AP Sports

Kirk Ferentz, assistant suspended for No. 25 Iowa’s opener over recruiting violation, reports say

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and an assistant coach will be suspended for the No. 25 Hawkeyes’ opener against Illinois State on Aug. 31 over a violation while recruiting quarterback Cade McNamara. That’s according to multiple media outlets. The Athletic, citing an unidentified source, first reported the suspension of Ferentz and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr. Iowa football spokesman Matt Weitzel told The Associated Press he could not confirm or deny the report. It was unclear whether the NCAA or Iowa imposed the suspensions. Ferentz is scheduled to meet with reporters Thursday afternoon.

NWSL reaches new collective bargaining agreement that adds more money for players, ends draft

NEW YORK (AP) — The National Women’s Soccer League and its players have reached a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement that eliminates the draft, guarantees all contracts, provides for parental leave and childcare benefits and promises more money to players. The deal extends the current contract with the NWSL Players Association by four years to 2030. The minimum salary will rise from $48,500 in 2025 to $82,500 in 2030. It includes a base salary cap but also includes a revenue-sharing model that could increase the cap even more. It has no maximum salary. Mental health services and mental health leave policies will be broadened, and charter flights will be allowed for up to six legs per season. Team medical and training staffs will also increase.

Professor Pete? Former Trojans, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll returning to USC to teach a class

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pete Carroll is heading back to the University of Southern California as a teacher. Carroll told KJR-FM that he plans to teach a class at USC in the spring, and the university confirmed the championship-winning football coach’s return in some capacity. The details of Carroll’s role haven’t been determined. Carroll coached USC through the Trojans’ best stretch of the past half-century from 2001-2009. Carroll’s teams went 97-19 and won two national championships while reestablishing USC as a national power. He left USC in late 2009 for the Seattle Seahawks, coaching the NFL team to a 137-89 record and the franchise’s only championship.

Rookie Bo Nix wins Broncos’ starting QB job over Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Rookie Bo Nix was informed Wednesday that he’d won the Denver Broncos’ starting quarterback job. That means he’ll be the 14th different player to start at quarterback for the Broncos since Peyton Manning retired in 2016. Nix was the 12th player and sixth quarterback selected in the 2024 NFL draft. He started 61 games at Auburn and Oregon, which is the most by a quarterback in NCAA history. Nix beat out incumbent Jarrett Stidham and trade acquisition Zach Wilson, whom the Broncos acquired from the New York Jets in April.

Collier has 23, Williams 22 to lead the Lynx to a 98-87 win over Aces

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Napheesa Collier scored 23 points, Courtney Williams added a season-high 22 and the Minnesota Lynx raced past the Las Vegas Aces 98-87. Minnesota scorched the two-time defending champions at home for the second time this season, winning its June game in Las Vegas 100-86. Jackie Young had 26 points, hitting 6 of 8 behind the arc, and Kelsey Plum had 20 for Las Vegas. A’ja Wilson had 15 with nine rebounds, ending her run of 20 and 10 at eight straight.

Browns trading kicker Cade York to Commanders for 7th round pick, AP source says

CLEVELAND (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Cleveland Browns have traded kicker Cade York to the Washington Commanders for a conditional seventh-round draft pick. York returned to the Browns this offseason after the 2022 draft pick from LSU was released by the team at the end of preseason last year. Now he’s on his way to Washington for a 2025 selection. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams have not announced the swap. York has handled the kicking duties during the exhibition season for Cleveland while Dustin Hopkins recovers from a hamstring injury.

‘Pommel Horse Guy’ Stephen Nedoroscik will join ‘Dancing With the Stars’

NEW YORK (AP) — Fresh off the Olympics, U.S. breakout star and medalist Stephen Nedoroscik will compete on the upcoming season of “Dancing With the Stars.” Better known to the internet as “Pommel Horse Guy,” he was announced Thursday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” He’s the first celebrity contestant named for the season premiering Sept. 17 and the first male gymnast to compete. A release from the show says the rest of the cast will be announced at a later date. The 25-year-old gymnast picked up two bronze medals in Paris and became a viral star, in part thanks to his preparation and his glasses.

Al Attles, one of NBA’s first Black head coaches who led Warriors to 1975 title, dies at 87

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Al Attles, a Hall of Famer who coached the 1975 NBA champion Warriors and spent more than six decades with the organization as a player, general manager and most recently team ambassador, has died. He was 87. The Warriors announced that Attles had died in his East Bay home on Tuesday surrounded by family. Nicknamed “The Destroyer” for his physical style of play, the Warriors were his love and his only team after they selected him in the fifth round of the 1960 draft. Attles was one of the NBA’s first Black head coaches.

Jesse Winker’s pinch-hit homer in 9th gives Mets 4-3 win over Orioles

NEW YORK (AP) — Pinch-hitter Jesse Winker led off the ninth inning with his first home run for the New York Mets, giving them another rousing 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Mets starter Sean Manaea retired his first 17 batters and Mark Vientos put New York ahead 3-2 with a solo homer in the seventh. Francisco Lindor also went deep and J.D. Martinez drove in a run with a grounder to help the Mets take two of three in the series. Austin Slater had a two-run homer for the Orioles. In the series opener Monday night, it was Francisco Alvarez’s solo homer in the ninth that gave the Mets a 4-3 victory.

Chaos at Chelsea: A high-risk, $1.3B spending spree has left the club fractured and vulnerable

The experiment unfolding at Chelsea under their American investors will in future years be a fascinating case study in how to run a soccer club. That’s because no one in England has ever seen anything like what has been happening at Stamford Bridge over the last two years. The Premier League club has spent nearly $1.3 billion on 39 players across five transfer windows since a consortium fronted by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought Chelsea for $3.2 billion in May 2022. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says “it’s not a mess like it looks from the outside” but sports finance experts say the club’s high-risk strategy might not pay off.