February 5, 2022 4:34 am
BEIJING (AP) – Beijing Olympic organizers and the International Olympic Committee have responded to questions about why an athlete from China’s Uyghur community was picked to help deliver the Olympic flame to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games. The cross-country skier at the center of the issue is from Xinjiang province, where Western governments and human rights groups say the Beijing government has oppressed members of the Uyghur Muslim minority on a massive scale. The selection for the high-profile duty was seen by some as a provocation.
Asked about the choice, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said “we don’t discriminate against people on where they are from” and she was entitled to take part as a competitor.
February 5, 2022 4:32 am
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) – The Senior Bowl quarterbacks are vying to be No. 1. In an NFL draft where it seems unlikely for a passer to be the top overall NFL draft pick, that means a competition among players like Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, North Carolina’s Sam Howell and Liberty’s Malik Willis to be the first quarterback taken. They’ll culminate their weeklong NFL audition for NFL teams with Saturday’s Senior Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mississippi’s Matt Corral is also a candidate for the No. 1 status, but he couldn’t participate in the Senior Bowl since the junior hadn’t yet graduated.
February 4, 2022 3:25 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Major League Baseball has asked a federal mediator to intervene in stalled labor negotiations that likely will put off the start of spring training. On the 64th day of a lockout, MLB Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem asked the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to enter the dispute. An agreement by the players’ association is needed for the federal conciliation service to enter talks. The union declined comment and its lawyers were expected to consult with players. There is now almost no hope spring training workouts will start as scheduled on Feb. 16. Baseball’s ninth work stoppage will soon threaten opening day on March 31.
February 4, 2022 3:24 am
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Doug Pederson was the first person interviewed when the Jacksonville Jaguars opened their head coaching search on Dec. 30. He now has the job. Pederson waited more than month for a callback, got a second interview Tuesday and landed the job two days later. He led the Eagles to their lone Super Bowl victory four years ago and takes over for Urban Meyer, who was fired after 13 games and countless missteps in what will go down as one of the worst coaching tenures in NFL history.
February 4, 2022 3:22 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Bill Fitch has died at 89. Fitch was the original coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and guided the Boston Celtics to the 1981 NBA Championship. His 25-year NBA coaching career also included stops with the Houston Rockets, New Jersey Jets and Los Angeles Lakers before retiring in 1998. No cause of death was given.
February 2, 2022 10:02 pm
The WPIAL Wrestling Team Tournaments opened Wednesday with the first two rounds. In Class 2A, #5 Mt. Pleasant avenged an earlier loss to Beth-Center, knocking out the #4 Bulldogs. #1 Burrell, #2 Burgettstown and #3 Quaker Valley also reached the semifinals. Class 3A has the top four teams advancing to Saturday’s action as #1 Waynesburg, #2 Latrobe, #3 Connellsville and #4 Canon-McMillan each won two dual meets to move on. The semifinals and finals are set for 12 noon Saturday at Chartiers-Houston (2A) and Peters Township (3A). Click Here for the WPIAL Team Tournament brackets.
Class 2A, Semifinals (12 noon), Finals/Third-Place (15 minutes following conclusion)
#2 Burgettstown vs. #3 Quaker Valley on WJPA-FM (95.3) or Listen Here
#1 Burrell vs. #5 Mt. Pleasant
Semifinals winners wrestle for first place, losers for third
Class 3A, Semifinals (12 noon), Finals/Third-Place (15 minutes following conclusion)
#4 Canon-McMillan vs. #1 Waynesburg on WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here
#2 Greater Latrobe vs. #3 Connellsville
Semifinals winners wrestle for first place, losers for third
February 3, 2022 4:00 am
UNDATED (AP) – Brian Flores says his lawsuit against the NFL alleging racist hiring practices will continue even if he becomes a head coach again this offseason because the league needs change.
According to the lawsuit, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told Flores he would pay him $100,000 for every loss during the coach’s first season because he wanted the club to “tank” so it could get the draft’s top pick. The lawsuit alleges that Ross also pressured Flores to recruit a prominent quarterback in violation of the league’s tampering rules. It says that when Flores refused, he was portrayed as an “angry Black man” who is difficult to work with and was derided until he was fired. Flores was fired last month after leading the Dolphins to a 24-25 record over three years.
February 3, 2022 3:58 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The NCAA generated more than $1.15 billion in revenue in 2021, returning to normal after the cancellation of the men’s basketball tournament because of the pandemic in 2020 cost the association and its member schools $800 million. The majority of the revenue is distributed back to its more than 1,200 member schools. The 350 Division I schools that can participate in the basketball tournament earn the bulk of it, mostly through shared payouts to conferences.
February 2, 2022 3:02 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) -Dmitry Orlov scored his second goal of the game in the final minute of overtime to give the Washington Capitals a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Orlov scored the winner at 4:17 of OT, beating goaltender Tristan Jarry on the blocker side with a wrist shot. Nic Dowd scored a short-handed goal and Daniel Sprong also scored for the Capitals, who won their second straight. Ilya Samsonov made 43 saves for the Capitals. Samsonov denied Sidney Crosby his 499th career goal with a stop on a breakaway in overtime. Pittsburgh scored three power-play goals. Bryan Rust had two and Evgeni Malkin one. Jarry made 28 saves for the Penguins, who lost four straight games for the first time this season.
February 2, 2022 3:07 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores sued the NFL and three teams on Tuesday over alleged racist hiring practices for coaches and general managers, saying the league remains “rife with racism” even as it publicly condemns it. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, said the hypocrisy was on display with the chilly treatment Flores received from the Dolphins after he refused to accept a $100,000-a-game offer from the club his first season to “tank” so it could secure the top draft pick. The lawsuit sought class-action status and unspecified damages from the league, the Dolphins, the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants, along with unidentified individuals. Flores, 40, was fired last month by Miami after leading the Dolphins to a 24-25 record over three years. They went 9-8 in their second straight winning season, but failed to make the playoffs during his tenure.
