FOOTBALL
Jones to appeal: reports
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will appeal the NFL’s request that he repay more than US$2 million in legal fees to cover costs incurred by teams when he tried to block an extension for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and during the defense of Ezekiel Elliott, according to multiple reports. Jones has requested a hearing before Goodell, but when it will take place has yet to be identified, the Washington Post reported. The justification for the monetary demand, which is to be issued in the next few weeks, is reportedly that Jones’ actions have been detrimental to the NFL. According to Ken Belson of the New York Times, while Goodell himself was reluctant to issue any sort of discipline toward Jones, the owners encouraged him to do so, because Jones “crossed an unspoken boundary by threatening his colleagues.” Among Jones’ actions last year that ruffled feathers were the Elliott ordeal, proposing a six-month moratorium on finalizing any new contract for Goodell and threatening to sue the owners’ compensation committee if it approved Goodell’s extension. Elliott eventually served a six-game suspension for a domestic violence incident. Goodell ultimately signed his extension without any lawsuit being filed.
SOCCER
Neymar out for six weeks
Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar faces “at least six weeks” out with a fractured bone in his foot and is to miss next week’s return leg of the UEFA Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid, his father said on Tuesday. “PSG know that they will not be able to count on Neymar for the upcoming matches: his treatment will last six to eight weeks, whether there is an operation or not,” he told ESPN Brasil. The Brazilian star suffered the injury, as well as a twisted ankle, in an innocuous looking incident toward the end of Sunday’s 3-0 Ligue 1 victory over bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille. PSG coach Unai Emery earlier on Tuesday said “no decision” had been made regarding an operation, denying an earlier report in the Brazilian media that the world’s most expensive player would go under the knife to repair the cracked bone in his right foot. Brazilian newspaper Globo Esporte had claimed a decision had been reached for Neymar to undergo surgery and that the 26-year-old would be sidelined until May.
TENNIS
Kyrgios derides inaction
Outspoken Australian Nick Kyrgios has bemoaned a recent outburst by Daria Gavrilova, saying that he would have been “banned for six years” had he behaved in a similar manner to his compatriot. Gavrilova on Monday lost her temper during a match against American Madison Brengle at the Acapulco Open, the Australian throwing her racket after misfiring on a serve and nearly hitting a ball kid. The racket then bounced up and slammed into the umpire’s chair, yet Gavrilova escaped punishment and went on to win the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Kyrgios, known for tantrums and controversial moments of his own, tweeted a video of the incident and wrote: “I would be banned for 6 years and been on every paper and news channel for the next month.” American Coco Vandeweghe, who has also found herself in trouble with tennis authorities, appeared to support Kyrgios with a reply to his tweet that included an emoji of a woman shrugging. “Double standards everywhere,” she said.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB