Off the wire
FOOTBALL
Redskins extend Gruden The Washington Redskins have signed Coach Jay Gruden to a multi- year contract extension. Gruden, 50, was going into the fourth year of a fiveyear contract. The team announced the extension Monday morning. He is the first Redskins coach to have his contract extended by owner Dan Snyder. The Redskins, who missed the playoffs last season after reaching them in 2015, are 21- 26- 1 in three seasons under Gruden, who does not have a playoff victory. Extending Gruden comes during an uncertain offseason for the Redskins, who could lose two starting receivers in free agency and have placed the franchise tag on quarterback Kirk Cousins for the second consecutive year. General Manager Scot McCloughan also did not attend the last week’s NFL Combine last week with a spokesman saying he was taking care of family matters. Source: Raiders find partner
The Oakland Raiders told the NFL on Monday they have found a new partner to finance their proposed stadium in Las Vegas: Bank of America. A person familiar with the Raiders’ plans said the team presented the new proposal with financing backed by Bank of America to the NFL’s stadium and finance committees. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan was not made public. The Raiders had been seeking a new partner for the proposed $ 1.9 billion, 65,000- seat domed stadium after casino magnate Sheldon Adelson withdrew a $ 650 million pledge last month. The state of Nevada has committed $ 750 million to the project, while the Raiders and NFL would pay the remaining $ 500 million if three- quarters of the league’s owners approve a move. A vote could come at the owners meetings later this month. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf also made a presentation to the committees Monday in hopes of persuading owners to prevent the Raiders from moving. Schaaf offered no new plans to satisfy concerns from the league about a proposed new stadium near the site of the Coliseum, the person said. The Raiders have been looking for a new stadium for years as they seek to move out of the outdated Coliseum, which is the only current stadium used by an NFL and Major League Baseball team and is unable to generate the revenue for the team the way more modern stadiums around the league can. The Raiders applied to move to the Los Angeles area last year, but the league turned down that request in favor of the Rams moving from St. Louis. The Chargers will join the Rams in the Los Angeles area this season and the teams will share a stadium in Inglewood, which is expected to open in 2019. Vikings Greenway to retire Longtime Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway is retiring. The team said Greenway will announce his retirement at a news conference today at Vikings headquarters. Greenway, 34, played 11 seasons and appeared in 156 career games with 144 starts for Minnesota. He ranks fourth in franchise history with 1,334 career tackles. The native of Mount Vernon, S. D., was chosen in the first round, 17th overall, in the 2006 draft out of Iowa. Greenway made two Pro Bowls and had 18 sacks, 11 interceptions, 8 forced fumbles and 11 fumble recoveries. Former Raiders OL dies Mickey Marvin, an offensive lineman on two of the Oakland Raiders’s Super Bowl teams in the 1980s, has died. Paul Luck of Forest Lawn Funeral Home in Henderson, N. C., said Marvin died Monday. He was 61 and had been fighting ALS. Marvin was drafted in the fourth round by the Oakland Raiders in 1977, started at right guard in 1978- 1986 and was part of Super Bowl- winning teams in the 1980 and 1983 seasons. He played for Tennessee in 1973- 1976 and helped them win the 1974 Liberty Bowl. Marvin was a native of Henderson, N. C.
BASKETBALL
Game postponed Monday night’s scheduled game between the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves was postponed because of a slippery court. The Timberwolves announced shortly before the tipoff Monday night that the game could not be played. A combination of unseasonably warm temperatures in Minneapolis and ice laid under the court for Disney On Ice and an upcoming college hockey tournament resulted in condensation developing on the court. Players discovered the conditions as they came out to warm up a few hours earlier and were eventually ordered off the court for safety reasons. Maintenance workers used mops to try and dry the court. But NBA officials ultimately decided not to play the game. A game at Philadelphia between the Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings was postponed in November for the same reasons.
TENNIS
Cuevas wins Brazil Open Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay has won his third consecutive Brazil Open in Sao Paulo, but it took him two days to do it. In the rain- delayed clay- court tournament, Cuevas finally wrapped up the title Monday with a 6- 7 ( 3), 6- 4, 6- 4 victory against Albert Ramos- Vinolas of Spain. The Spaniard won the first set Sunday, but the second set was stopped by rain at 3- 3 and deuce with Ramos Vinolas serving. The break gave the Uruguayan time to rally. Play did not resume until early Monday evening, and players again waited all afternoon for the rain to stop. Cuevas has won six ATP singles title, all on clay, and three in this event.
SOCCER
Arena to be cautious United States men’s national team coach Bruce Arena is preparing for two critical World Cup qualifiers this month uncertain about the availability of forward Clint Dempsey, defender Geoff Cameron and goalkeeper Tim Howard. Arena spoke Monday with Cameron, who played a full match for Stoke City of the English Premier League, on Saturday for the first time since injuring a knee in October. While Arena said he is thrilled Dempsey has returned to the field for Seattle of Major League Soccer after dealing with an irregular heartbeat, the U. S. coach said he will be “very cautious” in determining Dempsey’s national team status before the March 24 qualifier against Honduras at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif.. Howard is still recovering from leg surgery in November and missed Colorado’s MLS opener last weekend. After losing its first two games in the final round of World Cup qualifying, the Americans fired Jurgen Klinsmann and brought back Arena, previously their coach in 1998- 2006. Rapinoe will respect anthem
Megan Rapinoe said she will respect a new U. S. Soccer Federation policy that says national team players “shall stand respectfully” during national anthems. The policy was approved last month but came to light Saturday before the U. S. women’s national team lost to England in a SheBelieves Cup match. A Fox Soccer analyst posted an image of the rule on Twitter. The policy comes after Rapinoe knelt during the anthem at two national team matches last year. “It is an honor to represent the USA and all that we stand for — to be able to pull on the red, white and blue to play a game that I love. I will respect the new bylaw the leadership at USSF has put forward. That said, I believe we should always value the use of our voice and platform to fight for equality of every kind,” Rapinoe said in a statement released Monday by her agent.