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.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
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