by tyler | Jun 16, 2023 | CNN, sport
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has been suspended for 25 games without pay by the NBA for “conduct detrimental to the league,” the NBA announced Friday.
In May, Morant was suspended from team activities after an Instagram Live video appearing to show him flashing a gun while in a vehicle with others circulated on social media, just two months after he was suspended over a similar video.
The NBA had suspended Morant for eight games without pay in March after he was seen in another Instagram Live video holding a gun at a nightclub in Glendale, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.
“I’ve had time to reflect and I realize how much hurt I’ve caused,” Morant said Friday in a statement. “I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates and the city of Memphis. To (NBA Commissioner) Adam Silver, (Grizzlies General Manager) Zach Kleiman and (team owner) Robert Pera – who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me – I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done.
“To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I’m going to be better. To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.
“I’m spending the offseason and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision making. I’m also going to be training so that I’m ready to go when I can be back on the court. I know my teammates are going to hold it down and I’m so sorry I won’t be out there with you at the beginning of the season.
“I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove to you over time I’m a better man than what I’ve been showing you.”
Morant’s unpaid suspension runs through the first 25 games of the 2023-24 regular season, the league said. He will not be allowed to take part in any “public” team activities, including preseason games, until the suspension is lifted.
“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” Silver said in a statement. “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.
“For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”
The Grizzlies “respect the League’s decision to suspend Ja Morant following this latest episode,” the team said in a statement.
“Our standards as a league and team are clear, and we expect that all team personnel will adhere to them,” it added.
Earlier this month, Silver said what was important was not the amount of games Morant was suspended for but rather changing his life path.
“There is an acceptance that we need to find ways to engage with each other going forward so that he can change the trajectory that he’s now on, which is not a positive one,” Silver told the Dan Patrick Show.
Nike said it is standing by Morant.
“We are pleased that Ja is taking accountability and prioritizing his well-being. We will continue to support him on and off the court,” the company said.
by tyler | Jun 13, 2023 | CNN, sport
American track and field champion Tori Bowie died from complications of childbirth, according to an autopsy report released by the Orange County, Florida, medical examiner’s office.
The three-time Olympic medalist was found deceased in bed on May 2, according to the report. The 32-year-old was estimated to be eight months pregnant, and there was evidence she had been in labor.
Bowie’s manner of death was ruled natural, and the report stated that there had been “possible complications,” including “respiratory distress and eclampsia.”
Preeclampsia happens when a woman who previously had normal blood pressure suddenly develops “high blood pressure and protein in her urine or other problems after 20 weeks of pregnancy,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some women with preeclampsia can develop seizures or coma – a condition called eclampsia – which is a medical emergency, the CDC says.
Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy appear to be on the rise in the US. Older women as well as Black, American Indian and Alaska Native women were at higher risk of hypertensive disorders, according to data published last year by the CDC.
As CNN previously reported, federal data showed that the nation’s overall maternal death rate rose significantly in 2021, with the rates among Black women more than twice as high as those of White women.
Bowie won three medals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio: gold in the 4x100m relay, silver in the 100 meters and bronze in the 200 meters. At the 2017 world championships, she won gold in both the 100 meters and the 4x100m.
A native of Sandhill, Mississippi, Bowie was a three-time All-American at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Bowie’s last official competition was in June 2022. Her last appearance on the world stage was in 2019 at the world championships in Doha, when she finished fourth in the long jump.
by tyler | Jun 8, 2023 | CNN, sport
A string of sports games and practices have been postponed as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to choke the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast parts of the United States.
Around 75 million people are under air quality alerts as wildfire smoke shrouds major US cities, with Major League Baseball (MLB), the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) forced to postpone games due to concerns over dangerous air quality.
The MLB postponed two games – one between the Detroit Tigers and the host Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park and the other between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium – on Wednesday due to medical and weather expert warnings about “clearing hazardous air quality conditions in both cities,” the league said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the WNBA was forced to postpone Wednesday’s game between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx due to smoke impacting the Liberty’s home arena, with the league noting that information regarding the rescheduling of the game would be provided at a later date.
The New York Racing Association (NYRA) canceled Thursday’s training at Belmont Park due to “poor air quality conditions” affecting New York state, while in New Jersey, the NWSL postponed Wednesday night’s Challenge Cup game in Harrison and rescheduled it for August 9.
“The safety of our players, officials and fans is our top priority. Following consultation with the NWSL Medical and Operations staff, it was determined that the match could not be safely conducted based on the projected air quality index,” the NWSL said in a statement.
Smoke from Canada’s fires has periodically affected the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for more than a week, raising concerns over the harms of persistent poor air quality.
More than nine million acres have been charred by wildfires in Canada so far this year – about 15 times the normal burned area for this point in the year – and more than 10,500 people have been evacuated from communities across Alberta.
According to the MLB, the Phillies-Tigers game will take place at 6:05 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, while the Yankees and the White Sox will now play a doubleheader beginning at 4:05 p.m. (ET) on Thursday.
The Belmont Stakes is scheduled for Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, and the NYRA said a decision on Thursday’s live racing program will be made in the morning following a “review of the air quality conditions and forecast.”
by tyler | Jun 7, 2023 | CNN, sport
In a scene eerily similar to that of a post-apocalyptic movie, the New York Yankees hosted the Chicago White Sox as the Yankee Stadium was engulfed in smoke from Canadian wildfires.
New York City topped the list of the world’s worst air pollution for parts of Tuesday as harmful smoke wafted south from more than a hundred wildfires burning in Quebec.
Smoke from Canada’s fires has periodically affected the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for more than a week, raising concerns over the harms of persistent poor air quality.
New York City’s air quality index was above 200 at one point Tuesday night – a level that is “very unhealthy,” according to IQair. The city had the worst quality of air of any major metropolitan area Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET, according to IQair.
Later Tuesday night, New York City had the second-worst levels of air pollution in the world after New Delhi, India, IQair reported. Other cities on the list were Doha, Qatar; Baghdad, Iraq; and Lahore, Pakistan.
But the show must go on and the Yankees looked to take the opening game in their home series against the White Sox.
However, playing without captain Aaron Judge, who is set to be placed on the injured list, the Yankees had no hits through six innings and, despite nearly mounting a comeback in the ninth, lost the game 3-2.
Seby Zavala crushed two home runs into the smoky crowd to give the team on the road the initiative. The catcher homered to right field in the third inning and then hit a deep home run to the opposite side on his next at-bat in the fifth.
Liam Hendriks then managed to get his first save since returning from a battle with cancer.
Hendriks made an emotional return after undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the White Sox’s 6-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels last week.
“Yeah, it almost helps me when the stadium gets that loud,” said Hendriks post-game after being hit for a home run by Josh Donaldson. “I tend to get a little bit better after that. That helped me lock in a little bit more than I had initially.”
The Yankees and the White Sox play again Wednesday with New York looking to level the series.
by tyler | Jun 6, 2023 | CNN, sport
Indianapolis Colts player Isaiah Rodgers Sr. said he takes “full responsibility” while adding that he made an “error in judgment” after reports that he is being investigated by the NFL for possibly breaching the league’s gambling policy.
ESPN and SportsHandle.com, citing unnamed sources, reported that a sportsbook account was opened under the name of one of Rodger’s associates, where approximately 100 bets were placed over an undisclosed amount of times.
“Addressing the current reports, I want to take full responsibility for my actions,” Rodgers said in a statement on Twitter on Monday. “I know I have made mistakes and I am willing to do whatever it takes to repair the situation.
“The last thing I ever wanted to do was to be a distraction to the Colts organization, my coaches and my teammates. I’ve let people down that I care about. I made an error in judgment and I am going to work hard to make sure that those mistakes are rectified through this process. It’s an honor to play in the NFL and I have never taken that lightly. I am very sorry for all of this.”
Most of the bets placed were in the $25-$50 range, with some of them being on Colts games, according to ESPN.
In a statement to CNN, the Colts acknowledged the team was aware of the NFL’s investigation but provided no further comment. Meanwhile, an NFL spokesperson told CNN the league did not have a comment, when asked about the report.
Rodgers, who was selected by the Colts in the sixth-round of the 2020 NFL Draft, played in 15 games for the team last season and was expected to be a starter this upcoming season.
The 25-year-old Rodgers, who is on the final year of his four-year contract with the team, is the latest player in the NFL to be investigated for breaching the league’s gambling policy.
In April, the NFL suspended five players for violating the league’s gambling policy. Quintez Cephus and C.J. Moore of the Detroit Lions and Shaka Toney of the Washington Commanders were suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games during the 2022 season. Meanwhile, Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams of the Lions received a six-game suspension for placing bets on non-NFL games from NFL facilities.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley was reinstated by the league in March, after a year-long suspension for gambling on NFL games while he was a member with the Atlanta Falcons.
The NFL’s gambling policy, which is annually reviewed with all league personnel, including players, prohibits anyone in the NFL from engaging in any form of gambling in any team or league facility or venue.
by tyler | Jun 6, 2023 | CNN, sport
The Vegas Golden Knights scored early and often in a dominant offensive display in Game 2, defeating the Florida Panthers 7-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup on Monday at T-Mobile Arena.
The offensive game of the Golden Knights has been irrepressible so far in the NHL’s season showcase and records are tumbling as a result.
Nine different goal scorers have tallied a goal for the Knights in the final, setting the record for the most by a team in the opening two contests of a final in NHL history. The 12 goals through the opening two games also ties an NHL record.
Golden Knights star – and former Florida Panther – Jonathan Marchessault continued his scoring tear on Monday with a two-goal performance in Game 2. The 32-year-old tallied the opening score of the game for the Golden Knights, burying a shot from the circle for the power-play goal.
He would then net his second of the game in the third period to put the Golden Knights up 5-2 in what was an all-but-secured victory at that point.
After failing to score in the Golden Knights first five postseason games, Marchessault now has 12 goals in the team’s last 12 fixtures, setting a franchise record for most in a single postseason. The right-winger also extended his point streak to seven straight games to tie for the longest point streak in the playoffs in Golden Knights history.
Brett Howden also scored twice for Vegas, with his second putting the Golden Knights ahead 4-0 and forcing the Panthers to pull goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky. Meanwhile, Alec Martinez, Nicolas Roy and Michael Amadio added one goal each in the blowout victory.
Speaking after the game, Marchessault gave credit to the Vegas team’s setup.
“I mean part of our game plan, we know we have depth, we know if we roll four lanes and get good forecheck, we’ll get rewarded and topping that off I think our discipline has been unbelievable,” Marchessault told reporters. “They wanted to set the tone with like, being undisciplined like Game 1 and we set the tone back.
“It was scoring that first goal there, so I think it’s all in our honor and we’ve done a great job so far. But I mean, we’re still pretty far from our goal there.”
With the victory, the Golden Knights are now two wins away from claiming the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.
According to the NHL, teams with a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven hold a series record of 347-55 (.863). Teams with a 2-0 series lead in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup final have gone on to hoist the cup 90.6% of the time (48-5).
Game 3 is on Thursday at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida with the Panthers looking to get a game back in the series.
