March 20, 2021 4:39 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is sticking with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith-Schuster announced he is remaining in Pittsburgh rather than leave as a free agent. The move is a bit of a surprise considering the 24-year-old was considered one of the most coveted receivers on the open market. Smith-Schuster said in a social media post that it was too difficult to leave. Smith-Schuster caught 97 passes a year ago and has developed a deep bond with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
March 19, 2021 3:53 am
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – Scott Wedgewood made 40 saves, Jack Hughes had a goal and an assist, and the New Jersey Devils beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2. P.K. Subban and Travis Zajac also scored, and the Devils collected their second straight win at home following a losing streak of 11 games in Newark. Mackenzie Blackwood was expected to start in goal for New Jersey, but he was scratched after warmups. The team says the absence was not COVID-19 related. Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust scored for Pittsburgh, and Tristan Jarry made 32 saves. Pittsburgh lost its second straight.
March 19, 2021 3:55 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NFL will nearly double its media revenue to more than $10 billion a season with new rights agreements announced Thursday, including a deal with Amazon Prime Video that gives the streaming service exclusive rights to “Thursday Night Football” beginning in 2022. The league took in $5.9 billion a year in its current contracts. Amazon has partnered with the league to stream Thursday night games since 2017, but it will take over the entire package from Fox. Games will continue to air on CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN, while ABC will have a limited schedule of games as well as returning to the Super Bowl rotation (two games) for the first time since the 2005 season.
March 19, 2021 3:58 am
UNDATED (AP) -Three masseuses are suing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson for alleged sexual assault. They accuse the star player of a “disturbing pattern” of behavior toward women. The lawsuits were filed this week. The 25-year-old Watson has broadly denied that he acted inappropriately and said he looks forward to clearing his name. A Houston police spokeswoman declined to comment on whether any of the incidents were reported to police. The NFL says it is investigating the allegations.
March 18, 2021 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – The San Francisco 49ers have worked out a contract with left tackle Trent Williams, the largest deal for an offensive lineman. His agents say the Niners will pay Williams $138.1 million over the next six years, surpassing the $138 million deal David Bakhtiari got from Green Bay during last season. Williams also will get the biggest signing bonus ever for an offensive lineman at $30.1 million, as well as $55.1 million guaranteed. Williams sat out the entire 2019 season in Washington over a dispute with the front office before reviving his career in San Francisco, earning his eighth Pro Bowl selection.
March 18, 2021 3:51 am
UNDATED (AP) – The New York Rangers are back at .500 after posting the NHL’s most lopsided win of the season. The Rangers destroyed the Flyers as Mika Zibanejad recorded a hat trick and collected three assists in New York’s 9-0 thrashing. Zibanejad scored three consecutive goals within a 10:10 span of the second period for his fifth career hat trick Pavel Buchnevich had two goals and two assists for the Rangers, who scored seven times in the middle frame. The Rangers did it without their coaching staff due to COVID-19 protocol, promoting their AHL staff from Hartford.
March 18, 2021 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – Ralph Krueger has become the Buffalo Sabres’ sixth coach to be fired in just over eight calendar years, losing his job with the team on a 12-game losing streak. The Sabres are 6-18-4 this season, earning as many victories as shutout losses as forwards Jeff Skinner and Taylor Hall have failed to produce as expected. Assistant coach Don Granato has been promoted to interim head coach by general manager Kevyn Adams, who openly challenged his players’ accountability and pride, while suggesting changes to the roster are looming.
March 17, 2021 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) -Trent Frederic scored the lone goal of the third period and the Boston Bruins beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1. Frederic gave the Bruins the lead for good at 7:07 of the third. He beat goaltender Casey DeSmith with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle through traffic. David Pastrnak scored his 13th on the power play for the Bruins, who had lost nine of their previous 13 games. It was the Bruins’ second win in their last seven road games following a 5-0-1 stretch away from home.
March 17, 2021 3:52 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers have released veteran inside linebacker Vince Williams. The team made the decision on the eve of free agency, freeing up $4 million as they try to navigate a salary cap crunch. Williams spent eight seasons in Pittsburgh after making the team as a sixth-round draft pick in 2013. The Steelers also re-signed cornerback Cam Sutton to a two-year contract and brought back offensive tackle Zach Banner.
March 17, 2021 3:55 am
UNDATED (AP) – Tiger Woods is back at home in Florida to resume his recovery from career-threatening leg injuries he suffered when his SUV ran off a road and down a hill in the Los Angeles suburbs last month. Woods was injured Feb. 23, two days after the Genesis Invitational at Riviera. Authorities said his SUV crashed into a median, rolled over and ended up on its side near a steep road known for wrecks. He had a lengthy surgery that day at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for shattered tibia and fibula bones of his lower right leg in multiple locations.
