April 30, 2020 3:45 am
UNDATED (AP) – NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has reduced his salary to zero, according to a person familiar with the move. The person told The Associated Press that Goodell voluntarily had his salary reduced this month. He makes upward of $30 million a year from salaries and bonuses. Other NFL employees will be taking pay cuts or furloughs due to the coronavirus pandemic. The league is implementing tiered reductions in base salary, beginning with the pay period ending May 22. The reduction will be 5% for workers up to the manager’s level, 7% for directors, 10% for vice presidents, 12% for senior vice presidents, and 15% for executive vice presidents. In a memo sent to league office staffers, Goodell also said no employee earning a base salary of less than $100,000 will be affected by these reductions, and no employee’s salary will be reduced below $100,000 by the reductions.
April 29, 2020 3:45 am
UNDATED (AP) – Jameis Winston has found a landing spot. The unrestricted free agent quarterback has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints. Winston was the first overall pick in the 2015 draft and the starting QB for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’ll serve as backup to Drew Brees in New Orleans. Winston is coming off a season in which he led the NFL with 5,109 yards passing and ranked second with 33 touchdown passes, but he also led the NFL in interceptions with 30. That made Winston the first QB in NFL history to have at least 30 TDs and 30 interceptions.
April 29, 2020 3:43 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Pirates are suspending retirement benefits for members of the team’s baseball operations staff in an effort to cope with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. General manager Ben Cherington says the team has been searching for ways to find savings with the 2020 season on hold indefinitely with much of the country locked down in hopes of stemming the spread of the virus. The temporary suspension of retirement benefits is part of an effort to avoid any potential personnel cutbacks.
April 28, 2020 3:50 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – NASCAR is racing toward a restart that could come as early as mid-May. The stock car series is trying to put together a schedule that allows it to race in states that have started re-opening without spectators. The series is working on safety protocols that other racing leagues will be watching. Teams could be back at work in North Carolina race shops by the end of the week when local stay-at-home orders expire.
April 28, 2020 3:44 am
Following a season in which Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens ran away with the AFC North title, the rest of the division has been working diligently to narrow the gap. The Ravens, however, show no signs of slowing down. After a whirlwind of free agent signings and the NFL draft, the AFC North has a decidedly different look. The Bengals have No. 1 draft pick Joe Burrow, the Steelers expect to have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger back and the Browns are sporting a new GM and a first-year coach. But the Ravens improved, too, and expect to repeat as division champs.
April 27, 2020 3:42 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A person familiar with the situation says the New Orleans Saints and quarterback Jameis Winston are working on a contract proposal to make the former Buccaneers starter a backup to Drew Brees. The person says the Saints and Winston are in “advanced” talks. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because negotiations were ongoing. Winston passed for 5,109 yards and 33 touchdowns last season but also threw 30 interceptions. Tampa Bay has replaced Winston with ex-Patriots QB Tom Brady.
April 26, 2020 2:44 am
We’re rolling back the hands of time, featuring the dozen state championship games involving Washington County high school teams over the past 10 years. We’ve relived basketball, baseball, softball and hockey championships so far, adding an afternoon broadcast to our original evening schedule. Now, we’re heading down the home stretch with just a few classics remaining.
Every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday through the end of the month, we’re opening the championship game archives. Our broadcasts air at 1 pm and again at 7 pm. Championship Classics are available on WJPA-AM (1450) and online. LISTEN HERE! Here’s the remaining schedule:
Tuesday, April 28–2010 Softball–Chartiers-Houston vs. Montgomery
Thursday, April 30–2010 Hockey–Canon-McMillan vs. Cardinal O’Hara
April 25, 2020 3:40 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Philadelphia Eagles selected Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second round of the NFL draft and hybrid safety-linebacker Davion Taylor from Colorado in the third round. After taking TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor with the 21st overall pick in the first round, the Eagles made a stunning move to get Hurts at No. 53. Carson Wentz, who signed a $137 million contract extension last season, is Philadelphia’s starter and there’s no quarterback controversy. Hurts transferred from Alabama to Oklahoma and became a Heisman Trophy finalist last year when he threw for 3,851 yards and 32 touchdowns.
April 24, 2020 1:59 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers spent the first round of the NFL draft as spectators. The team traded its first pick in this year’s draft last September for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. He earned All-Pro honors in 2019 thanks to a series of dynamic plays that helped keep the injury-ravaged club in the playoff hunt until the final weeks of the season. Pittsburgh likely won’t be on the clock until the middle of the second round, where it has the 49th overall pick.
April 22, 2020 3:45 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Rob Gronkowski spent nine seasons catching passes from Tom Brady in New England. The two are about to reunite in Tampa Bay. Gronkowski’s agent says the tight end is about to come out of retirement and has accepted a trade to the Buccaneers. The Patriots also would send a seventh-round pick to the Bucs for a fourth-rounder. The deal is pending a physical and would give Brady one of his most dependable pass-catchers. Brady signed a two-year, $50 million contract with the Bucs last month. Gronkowski has caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns in 115 regular-season games. The five-time Pro Bowl selection has another 81 catches for 1,163 yards and 12 TDs in 16 playoff games.
