Sun, Mar 14, 2021 page11

• SPORTS BRIEFS

  • Agencies
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  FOOTBALL

  Brady re-signs with Bucs

  Tom Brady on Friday signed a contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and immediately set his sights on an eighth Super Bowl crown. After media reports indicating that Brady had agreed terms on a new deal with Tampa Bay, the 43-year-old quarterback confirmed the move on social media. “In pursuit of 8,” Brady wrote on Instagram alongside a photograph of him putting pen to paper on a new contract. “@buccaneers w’ere keeping the band together.” The NFL Network and ESPN reported earlier that the seven-time Super Bowl winner Brady, who turns 44 in August, had agreed to a deal that would ease salary cap issues for the Bucs. The new contract features voidable years at the end of the contract allowing the club to spread Brady’s salary cap hit over a longer period, which is to save the team US$19 million on Brady’s salary for the upcoming season, when he was due to cost US$28.4 million under NFL payroll limit rules and his original two-year deal.

  CYCLING

  Tribunal rules against doctor

  Former Team Sky and British Cycling head doctor Richard Freeman ordered banned testosterone knowing or believing that it was to be given to a rider for the purposes of doping, a medical tribunal ruled on Friday. A central plank of Freeman’s defense was that he ordered the testosterone to treat former performance director Shane Sutton’s erectile dysfunction — something that the Australian vehemently denied while giving evidence in 2019. However, in its ruling, the tribunal said that it “did not believe he ordered the Testogel for Mr Sutton.” In a statement of his own, Sutton said that he whole affair “saddened” him, adding that he had been “used as a scapegoat.” Freeman, 61, accepted 18 of 22 charges against him relating to the ordering of a package of Testogel sent to British Cycling headquarters in 2011, but denied he had requested it for an as yet unidentified cyclist.

  MOTORSPORT

  Verstappen sets pace

  Max Verstappen on Friday laid down an early marker ahead of the Formula 1 World Championship on the opening day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, while Lewis Hamilton suffered a nightmare start as a sandstorm swept across the Sakhir track. Verstappen clocked a best time of 1 minute, 30.674 seconds in his Red Bull car. The Dutchman also piled up an eye-watering 139 laps. “We had a very positive day and managed a lot of laps, even though the track conditions were quite difficult,” he said. “We don’t need to talk about pace yet and it isn’t really a discussion until we get to Q3 [third-round qualifying] at the first race weekend — it’s only then you see the real pace in all the cars.” In stark comparison, Hamilton was only 10th-fastest in 1:32.912, although his 42 laps dwarfed the six by Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, the slowest man on the track in 1:36.850, which the team said was due to gearbox issues. Hamilton shrugged off what proved to be a frustrating day for the champions. “I’ve never seen a sandstorm come through here before in all the years that I’ve driven at this circuit,” he said. “The sand was moving like rain would move. Having sand on the tires isn’t good for their longevity, and getting consistency on long runs is difficult.” The season is to start in Bahrain on March 28 before heading to Italy, Portugal, Spain and Monaco through May.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Eurovision Song Contest triggers surge in betting interest

  • 2

    Napoli close in on title despite Parma stalemate

  • 3

    Barcelona crowned champions

  • 4

    Sinner cruises past Ruud, Gauff battles into final

  • 5

    ‘Beitou Shilin’ announced as new Nvidia office site