April 21, 2020 3:43 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Major League Baseball players are bracing for a battle with owners over the possibility of reduced salaries caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Players are upset over the prospect teams may seek additional pay cuts if games are played in empty ballparks. Their anger was stoked last week when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he was told by Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon that the union would have to agree to lower salaries if games are played without fans. A March 26 deal between the sides states “the Office of the Commissioner and Players Association will discuss in good faith the economic feasibility of playing games in the absence of spectators or at appropriate substitute neutral sites.” The union points to another passage covering salaries in which players agree to give up 1/162nd of base pay for each regular season game lost. Meanwhile, Commissioner Rob Manfred has made a move that allows teams to lay off or cut the pay of major and minor league managers, coaches, trainers and full-time scouts starting May 1.
April 20, 2020 3:47 am
The mayor of Madrid says soccer matches and other sports events in Spain will take place in empty venues at least until the end of the summer. He says the coronavirus pandemic likely “won’t be under control” in time for events with big crowds to resume normally. The Spanish league is not expecting to resume at least until the end of May. It is working on several scenarios, including playing without fans through the fall.
April 18, 2020 4:05 am
UNDATED (AP) – Marion Hollins has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame. She was elected through the contributor’s category, joining a 2021 class that so far includes Tiger Woods.
Hollins was a visionary in golf course architecture. She financed and developed a club only for women in New York in the early 1920s. And she was the brains behind Cypress Point Club and Pasatiempo in California. Hollins died in 1944 when she was 51. The induction is planned for March in Florida.
April 17, 2020 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – One of the NFL’s top players is being treated for the coronavirus. Von Miller’s agent says the Denver Broncos linebacker has tested positive for the coronavirus and wanted to come forward with his diagnosis to show doubters how serious the disease is. Joby Branion tells The Associated Press that Miller is in good spirits while resting at his home in Denver and that Miller plans to speak publicly about his diagnosis on Friday. Miller told KUSA-TV in Denver that he developed a cough a couple of days ago. When his nebulizer for his asthma didn’t clear things up, he decided to get tested for the coronavirus. Miller said last week he trained in San Francisco before returning home to Colorado when the stay-at-home measures went into effect to contain the virus. Miller was recently a unanimous pick to the NFL’s All-Decade team of the 2010s.
April 17, 2020 3:41 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Where the Pittsburgh Steelers go in the NFL draft will say a lot about how general manager Kevin Colbert and coach Mike Tomlin view the state of the franchise. The Steelers will have to wait until the second round to make their first selection after trading their top pick to Miami last season for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Pittsburgh could use the pick to find an eventual heir to 38-year-old quarterback Ben Roethlisberger or find competition at running back for James Conner and Benny Snell Jr.
April 15, 2020 3:49 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Kyle Larson has been fired by Chip Ganassi Racing, a day after nearly every one of his sponsors dropped the star driver for using a racial slur during a live stream of a virtual race. Larson was in his seventh Cup season with Ganassi and had been prepping to test free agency for the first time. Just weeks ago, the 27-year-old was considered the top free agent in NASCAR. Now he is out of a job in what could ultimately be an eight-figure blunder. He was suspended without pay by Ganassi early Monday, then suspended indefinitely by NASCAR and Larson, who is half Japanese, was ordered to complete a sensitivity training. But his entire program fell apart as primary sponsors McDonalds and Credit One Bank pulled their funding from Larson. Chevrolet suspended its relationship with him, and all but one commercial partner denounced Larson’s comment and indicated they were ending their relationship.
April 15, 2020 3:46 am
UNDATED (AP) – ESPN is asking some of its on-air personalities to take a 15% pay cut over the next three months because of the coronavirus pandemic. The request applies to about 100 ESPN commentators. The voluntary pay cuts would apply to ESPN’s highest-paid broadcasters. They are designed to help deter further immediate furloughs that would affect network employees who might be more financially vulnerable.
April 14, 2020 3:44 am
ESPN and NFL Network will join forces for this year’s NFL draft. They will produce a broadcast that will air on both networks over all three days. The April 23-25 draft was originally scheduled to be in Las Vegas but has been moved due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will now originate from ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut.
April 14, 2020 3:43 am
Former NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has died in a one-car crash outside Montgomery, Alabama. He was 36. The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro that Jackson was driving went off the road, struck a tree and overturned at 8:50 p.m. Sunday. Jackson was hired as quarterbacks coach for Tennessee State last season after a 10-year NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills.
April 14, 2020 3:42 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – The Carolina Panthers have rewarded Christian McCaffrey for his production and versatility, making him the highest-paid running in the NFL. The team agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract extension with McCaffrey on Monday, a person familiar with the contract negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Panthers have not announced the extension. Details on how much of the contract is fully guaranteed were unavailable. The $16-million-a-year deal eclipses Ezekiel Elliott’s contract with the Dallas Cowboys that is worth $15 million per season. The extension keeps McCaffrey, 23, tied to the Panthers through the 2025 season. The coming season would be the final year of his rookie contract, and Carolina had the option to pick up a fifth year in 2021.
