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February 28, 2024
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February 28, 2024
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Update on the latest sports

 
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February 28, 2024

Red Bull F1 team boss Christian Horner stays in charge after complaint dismissed

SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Red Bull has dismissed the allegations of misconduct against team principal Christian Horner, closing an investigation that has overshadowed the start of the Formula 1 season. Horner will remain in charge of the champion F1 team after Red Bull’s internal investigation cleared him of alleged misconduct toward a team employee. Red Bull said in a statement Wednesday that it “can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed.” Red Bull won all but one race last season and its driver Max Verstappen is the three-time defending champion.

MLB wants to make starting pitching more prominent, but it’s a tough task in today’s game

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Major League Baseball wants to put a greater emphasis on starting pitching. But it’s a tricky situation in the era of openers and hard-throwing relievers. Big league starters averaged 15.4 outs and 85.1 pitches last year, according to Sportradar, and 15.6 outs and 84.9 pitches in 2022. But the numbers were 17.4 and 93.1 as late as 2015, and 17.8 and 98.6 in 2000. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in October that the league is considering lowering the maximum of 13 pitchers per team to 12 possibly as soon as the 2025 season — with the goal of making starting pitching more prominent.

Kirk Cousins and Chris Jones head an NFL free agents list filled with star-quality players

NFL teams could find a Pro Bowl quarterback, an All-Pro defensive lineman or a future Hall of Fame wide receiver and plenty more star-quality players when the free agency period begins on March 13. Kirk Cousins, Chris Jones and Mike Evans are among the best players who will be available on the open market unless their teams use a franchise tag by March 5. They’ll be joined by running backs Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs, edge rushers Josh Allen, Brian Burns and Danielle Hunter and several other talented players. Defensive line is the deepest position while offensive tackle has the fewest starting-caliber players on the list.

Social media influencer says Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill broke her leg during football drill at his home

A social media influencer is suing Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill over an alleged incident that happened at the star’s South Florida home last summer. In a lawsuit that Sophie Hall’s attorneys filed in Broward County circuit court on Feb. 23, the influencer claims that Hill “forcefully and purposefully” shoved her while the two were participating in a football drill at his mansion. Hall is seeking up to $75,000 in damages. It is unclear whether she reported the incident to authorities. Her attorneys are suing Hill for battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.

‘What NIL stands for: Now it’s legal’: Ruling frees booster-backed groups to negotiate with recruits

The NCAA claimed that if a court barred it from enforcing rules against name, image and likeness compensation being offered to recruits it would make an unmanageable situation even worse. Those who work with the booster-funded organizations called collectives say lifting those rules will bring much-needed clarity. Last week, a Tennessee judge granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit against the NCAA. The association is still trying to sort out what exactly it means, but most who work on NIL deals for college athletes believes they will be able to operate more freely.

Rory McIlroy not bothered by Masters ‘asterisk’ comments from LIV Golf’s Talor Gooch

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Here’s how things seem to work regarding LIV Golf and Rory McIlroy: Someone says something, the other side responds, and the cycle just keeps repeating from one topic to the next. It’s still going. The latest chapters of the saga came Wednesday, when McIlroy said he wanted to give LIV player Talor Gooch “the benefit of the doubt” over comments he made saying if the world’s No. 2-ranked player wins the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam the accomplishment should come with an asterisk because some players who have signed with Saudi-backed LIV cannot play at Augusta National since they have fallen out of the top 50 in the world rankings.

Saudi Arabia’s PIF and the ATP tennis tour have a 5-year sponsorship deal that includes the rankings

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the men’s professional tennis tour have agreed to a five-year partnership that includes naming rights for the ATP rankings. The latest move into sports by the kingdom was announced Wednesday. The ATP already had a deal that placed its Next Gen ATP Finals — a tournament for players 21 and under — in Jeddah through 2027. This new arrangement includes courtside branding for the PIF at the season-ending ATP Finals and tournaments in Indian Wells, California; Miami, Madrid and Beijing. The tour’s announcement Wednesday touted ways in which it hopes the sport will continue to grow in Saudi Arabia.

Block or charge? New rule for once-contentious call leading to a more free-flowing game

A new set of rules for the block/charge call in college basketball has helped open up the game. Defenders can no longer slide in front of a driving player and expect to get a call. A charge now is only called if the defender is in position before the driving player has planted a foot to go airborne. After a bit of an early-season learning curve, players have gotten the hang of the new rule. Scoring so far is up more than two points per game across the sport and two teams are averaging more than 90. Officials also have remained relatively consistent with the calls, even into conference season.

Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch this season after major elbow surgery, but he can still hit. Here’s why

PHOENIX (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is unique in baseball history, a two-way Japanese superstar who can excel as a hitter and a pitcher, sometimes in the same game. But for the 2024 season, Ohtani will be just a hitter. That’s because Ohtani is recovering from an injured elbow ligament that often leads to a procedure colloquially known as Tommy John surgery. Ohtani has been vague about the exact procedure he had last September, but the Dodgers do not expect him to pitch until 2025. Even so, he could still have a big impact in 2024 as a hitter.

American Logan Sargeant heads into 2nd F1 season stronger, hopes to deliver for Williams

Even before Logan Sargeant finished his rookie Formula 1 season, a set of expectations were given to the American on what he needed to do to keep his ride at Williams. It still took until December for Williams to confirm Sargeant would get a second season. He was the last driver finalized for this year’s 20-car grid. But he enters the new season that begins this weekend in Bahrain, he’s already ahead of schedule. Sargeant has gained more than 11 pounds in offseason training that should help him with the handling of his car.