Off the wire

Compiled from Democrat-Gazette Press Services

FOOTBALL

Owens to be honored Despite his decision to not attend Saturday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, Terrell Owens will be “honored” by the hall for his NFL career. Hall President David Baker told The Associated Press on Monday that the Canton, Ohio, shrine’s mission statement begins with the goal “to honor the heroes of the game.” So Owens, who instead will be making an appearance at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, where he played college football, will be part of the 2018 class exhibit that includes a glass locker for each new member; their pictures on the light standards of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium; a role in opening videos shown within the stadium; and mention in any reference to the 2018 class. Baker said NFL Network and ESPN, which both televise the inductions, will show a video of Owens’ career to the audience at home. That video will not be shown in the stadium. “It’s difficult he will not be here to put on the jacket, unveil his bust, make a speech, and attend the parade,” Baker said. “For those things, there’s nothing we can do.”

Blount returns to practice Detroit Lions running back LeGarrette Blount returned to training camp a day after walking off the field during practice. Blount declined interview requests Monday. The Lions are counting on the 31-year-old Blount to help improve their running game, which has ranked among the NFL’s worst in recent years. He helped Philadelphia and New England win the past two Super Bowls. Blount ran for 1,927 yards and 20 touchdowns over the previous 2 seasons. Safety Tavon Wilson attended practice, but was not in pads with his teammates. It was not clear why Wilson was held out of drills. Defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand left the field with his right knee wrapped in ice. Concussion claims at $500M

More than $500 million in claims have been approved under

the NFL’s concussion settlement in less than two years, nearly a decade earlier than league officials estimated they would reach that amount. Claims administrators in the settlement said Monday that $502 million had been approved. The original actuarial estimates from the NFL estimated a little more than $400 million would be paid out in the first decade. Attorneys for the retired players adjusted their estimates on the total payout of expected claims earlier this month, saying the settlement would likely reach $1.4 billion— almost a half billion more than the NFL originally estimated. Almost 2,000 claims have been filed in less

than two years. Hundreds more of the nearly 20,500 retired players signed up to be prequalified to file claims than were expected.

BASKETBALL

Hawks waive Anthony The Atlanta Hawks have waived Carmelo Anthony, making official the move that was expected when the 10-time All-Star was traded from Oklahoma City this month. The 34-year-old Anthony may now sign with another team as a free agent. He averaged 16.2 points with Oklahoma City this season. The Hawks acquired Anthony, a protected 2022 first-round draft pick from Oklahoma City and Justin Anderson from the Philadelphia 76ers in the threeteam trade July 19. In that deal, the Hawks traded forward-center Mike Muscala to Philadelphia and point guard Dennis Schroder to Oklahoma City. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was traded from Philadelphia to Oklahoma City.

MOTOR SPORTS

Iowa race set for night Iowa Speedway and the IndyCar series announced Monday that next year’s race in Newton will be at night. The series says that the race will move back to a nighttime start “in response to overwhelming fan feedback.” The track will host an IndyCar race for the 13th year in a row on Saturday, July 20, 2019. Iowa will pair the IndyCar race with an ARCA stock car event the night before. The speedway will also host NASCAR Xfinity races on June 16 and July 27. The NASCAR Truck Series will be Iowa’s season opener on June 15 of next year. The track concluded its 2018 season on Saturday, when Christopher Bell beat Justin Allgaier for his third consecutive Xfinity series win.

HOCKEY

Iginla retires after 20 years

Jarome Iginla closed his 20year NHL career in the city where he was the face of the franchise. The 41-year-old winger made his retirement official Monday in Calgary, where he spent 16 seasons with the Flames. Iginla entertained a packed news conference at Scotiabank Saddledome with humorous stories about his career and teammates. He’s the Flames all-time leader in goals with 525. The captain for his last decade in Calgary also scored the most points and played the most games. While a Stanley Cup eluded the likely Hall of Famer during his career, he was a dominant power forward in the NHL. He assisted on one of the most famous goals in Canadian hockey history. Iginla set up Sidney Crosby for the overtime winner in the final of the Olympic men’s hockey tournament in Vancouver in 2010.