RUGBY UNION
Etzebeth faces assault probe
South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth has denied any wrongdoing after an alleged racial assault at a bar on Sunday, as he met with the South African Human Rights Commission (HRC) following a complaint by a member of the public. Local media reports said that a man was allegedly racially and physically abused in Langebaan by a group that contained Etzebeth. The commission confirmed it spoke with Etzebeth on Thursday to inform him of the process. Etzebeth has been named in the Springboks’ 31-man squad for the Rugby World Cup in Japan and is a key leadership figure within the team. If found guilty, Etzebeth would have to issue a public apology and might have to pay a fine, but beyond that, it could have a significant effect on his reputation and standing within the team.
BASKETBALL
Warrant out for Cousins
Alabama police have issued an arrest warrant for Los Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge, USA Today Sports reported on Thursday. The Mobile Municipal Court listed a charge of third-degree harassing communications, but provided no details. The warrant comes two days after TMZ released an audio recording allegedly of Cousins threatening to shoot his ex-girlfriend during an argument about their seven-year-old son. The NBA and the Lakers on Tuesday released statements saying that they were investigating the allegations.
FOOTBALL
Russell comes out as bi
NFL defensive end Ryan Russell came out as bisexual in interviews published on Thursday, saying that he hopes the revelation would not hinder his return to the league. Russell said he decided to go public with his sexual identity to be the best version of himself. He was drafted in the fifth round by the Cowboys in 2015. After one season in Dallas he played two for the Buccaneers, playing 14 games in 2017. He missed last season after sustaining a shoulder surgery, and said his twin goals now are “returning to the NFL and living my life openly... Those two objectives shouldn’t be in conflict, but judging from the fact that there isn’t a single openly LGBTQ player in the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball or the NHL, brings me pause.”
CYCLING
Herrada wins sixth stage
A day after seeing his older brother miss out on a stage victory, Jesus Herrada on Thursday came through with a strong late charge on the final climb to win the sixth leg of the Vuelta a Espana, with Belgian rider Dylan Teuns coming in second to take the overall lead. Herrada moved past Teuns with about 200m to go on the 198.9km stage that finished on a mountaintop in Ares del Maestrat. Jose Herrada was in the breakaway group on Wednesday, but could not keep up with stage winner Angel Madrazo. It was the first Grand Tour win for Jesus Herrada, who last year wore the leader’s red jersey on two Vuelta stages. Yesterday, riders were to face a 183km stage that was to end on another mountain. Former leader Miguel Angel Lopez dropped to third overall. David de la Cruz moved to second. Irishman Nicolas Roche, one of the early overall leaders, was among the riders who had to withdraw after a crash about 100km into the race, along with Rigoberto Uran, Hugh Carthy and Victor de la Parte.
IN-HOUSE BUSINESS: LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said that the reason for the team’s poor form was not due to Paul, but the player was not a good fit for them Chris Paul’s return stint with the Los Angeles Clippers has come to an abrupt and stunning end, with the franchise parting ways with one of its greatest players in a late-night meeting on Wednesday that adds another layer of drama to the team’s terrible start this season. The news was delivered in a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, that ended at about 2am, Clippers basketball operations president Lawrence Frank said. Frank said he made the decision to sever ties with Paul on Sunday then told the franchise’s career assist leader that he needed to see him on Tuesday in Atlanta. Frank did not confirm
Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday scored twice and had an assist as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to end a three-match winless streak in La Liga. Eduardo Camavinga also found the net for Madrid as they moved back within one point of Barcelona, who beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday. Both 19th-round matches were moved forward because Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid are to play in the Supercopa de Espana semi-finals in Saudi Arabia next month. Real Madrid were coming off league draws against Girona, Elche and Rayo Vallecano. It was their second win in their past six matches in
SEESAW CONTEST: The Pistons remain top of the Eastern Conference after battling to a win over the Hawks in a game that saw the lead change 27 times The Phoenix Suns on Monday shrugged off an injury to Devin Booker to end the Los Angeles Lakers’ seven-game winning streak with an emphatic 125-108 victory on the road. Booker exited in the first quarter, but the loss of the star point guard did little to halt the flow of Phoenix points over the remainder of the game. Dillon Brooks led the Phoenix scoring with 33 points, while Collin Gillespie added 28 — including eight three-pointers — as the Suns romped to victory. The Lakers were left ruing a colossal 22 turnovers — at a cost of 32 Suns points — on a
PINA BRACE: Claudia Pina scored in the 61st and 74th minutes, while Vicky Lopez added one as Spain notched their third victory in a final in the past four tournaments Claudia Pina scored twice and Germany crumbled on Tuesday as Spain retained the UEFA Women’s Nations League title with a 3-0 victory in the final’s second leg. Vicky Lopez also scored after Pina finally broke the deadlock in the 61st minute with Germany stubbornly hanging on as Spain had done in the first leg, a 0-0 draw in Kaiserslautern on Friday. Spain were without three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, who broke her leg in training on Sunday. Lopez took Bonmati’s place and Spain dominated from the start. Esther Gonzalez swept the ball just past the post and Mariona Caldentey forced a save
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