Photo investigation
Authorities are investigating whether deputies shared graphic photos of the helicopter crash scene where former NBA star Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others were killed.
BASKETBALL Report: Crash photos shared
Authorities are investigating whether deputies shared graphic photos of the helicopter crash scene where Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others were killed. The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday that a public safety source with knowledge of the events had seen one of the photos on the phone of another official in a setting that was not related to the investigation of the crash. He said the photos showed the scene and victims’ remains. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the allegations. Deputy Maria Lucero told The Associated Press on Friday that “the matter is being looked into.” The Times reported that it’s unclear how widely the photos might have been disseminated and who was involved. It’s additionally unclear whether the deputies had taken the photos themselves or received them from someone else. Bryant and the others were killed in the Jan. 26 helicopter crash northwest of Los Angeles were traveling to a youth basketball tournament at Bryant’s sports facility in Thousand Oaks. The cause of the crash is undetermined.
GOLF Steele holds 1 shot lead
Brendan Steele made a couple of big mistakes down the stretch, and still was more than good enough to grab the outright lead at the midpoint of The Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Steele shot a 3-under 67 on Friday, getting to 5 under for the week and putting himself a shot clear of J.T. Poston (69), Lee Westwood (69) and Luke Donald (66) after the second round at PGA National. This is Steele’s ninth time playing the Honda and the first time he’s ended any round at PGA National with the lead. He missed the cut last year by 10 shots. He made bogey on two of his final three holes. Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Arkansas Razorbacks) is at 2-over 142. Sebastian Cappelen (Razorbacks) shot a 4-over 144 and missed the cut.
Quigley finishes hot
Brett Quigley birdied six of the last seven holes Friday for a 9-under 64 and the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ Cologuard Classic in Tucson, Ariz. The winner a month ago in Morocco in his second Champions start, the 50-year-old Quigley birdied Nos. 12-15 and 17-18 on Tucson National’s Catalina Course. Robert Karlsson was second, making five back-nine birdies in a 65, The 50-year-old Swede is making his second career start on the 50-andover tour. He tied for 23rd two weeks ago in the Chubb Classic in his senior debut. Glen Day (Little Rock) and John Daly (Dardanelle, Razorbacks) are both three shots back at 6-under 67. Steve Stricker and Rod Pampling also shot 67s.
Woods skipping Bay Hill
Tiger Woods is taking a third consecutive week off by deciding against playing the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Woods hasn’t played since his 76-77 weekend at Riviera, where he finished 68th in the Genesis Invitational while serving as tournament host. He decided against the World Golf Championship in Mexico City the following week, saying his back was stiff and he needed time to rest and train. Woods is an eighttime winner at Bay Hill. He tied for fifth, eight shots behind Rory McIlroy, when he last played in 2018.
BASEBALL Antonelli, ’54 WS pitcher, dies
Johnny Antonelli, a five-time All-Star who was a key pitcher on the World Series-winning New York Giants in 1954, has died. He was 89. The San Francisco Giants released a statement saying Antonelli died Friday in Rochester, N.Y. A cause of death wasn’t given. The left-hander won 126 games over 12 seasons, including his memorable 1954, when he had a 21-7 record and National League-leading 2.30 ERA. He was also a 20-game winner in 1956. Antonelli had a stellar performance for the Giants when they swept the Cleveland Indians in four games to win the 1954 World Series. He threw a complete game in Game 2, giving up just one run over nine innings, and then came on in relief in Game 4, getting the final five outs to earn the save and clinch the series.
SWIMMING Sun Yang banned 8 years
Sun Yang, a three-time Olympic champion from China, was banned for eight years on Friday, likely ending the 28-year-old Sun’s racing days before he could defend his 200-meter freestyle title at the Tokyo Games. The Court of Arbitration for Sport found the threetime Olympic champion guilty of refusing to cooperate with sample collectors during a visit to his home in September 2018 that turned confrontational. The most vivid detail of the evidence — a blood sample rendered useless for testing by a hammer blow — left a clear impression on the judges. A rare hearing in open court in November was reminded of how a security guard instructed by Sun’s mother broke the casing around the vial to ensure the blood could not be used for anti-doping tests. China’s most famous swimmer, and one of its biggest stars in any sport, had asked CAS for a public trial.
OLYMPICS Bach: Games will be held
Hoping to boost morale in Japan by assuring people that the Tokyo Olympics will be held as scheduled, IOC President Thomas Bach held a conference call limited to three of Japan’s main media outlets. Bach was responding to comments made earlier in the week by IOC member Dick Pound in an interview with The Associated Press. Pound said a decision on the Tokyo Olympics — facing a fast-spreading virus from China — would need to be made by the end of May. Australian member John Coates, who heads the IOC inspection team for Tokyo, suggested a similar time frame. Both Pound and Coates are former IOC vice presidents. The Olympics open July 24.
TENNIS Barty upset in Qatar
Petra Kvitova beat No. 1-ranked Ashleigh Barty on Friday for the first time in more than a year to play for her second Qatar Open title. Kvitova won 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in two hours and will face Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the final today. Sabalenka defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3 in their semifinal. Kvitova had lost four in a row to Barty, but this win put her ahead again in their matchups at 5-4.
Djokovic advances to finals
Novak Djokovic saved three consecutive match points to beat Gael Monfils on Friday and set up a Dubai Championships final showdown against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Monfils led 6-3 in the second-set tiebreaker but Djokovic saved all three match points as his forehand forced errors. Djokovic converted his eighth set point when Monfils double-faulted. He cruised the rest of the way, winning 2-6, 7-6 (8), 6-1. No. 2-seeded Tsitsipas beat Daniel Evans of Britain 6-2, 6-3 without offering a break chance in their first meeting.
Back pain forces Garin out
Top-seeded home favorite Christian Garin retired from his Chile Open quarterfinal because of back pain after losing the first set of his quarterfinal match against Brazil’s Thiago Wild. Wild led 7-6 (1) when Garin retired. Wild will face Argentina’s Renzo Olivo in the semifinals. Olivo beat sixth- seeded Hugo Dellien of Bolivia 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the clay-court event. Norway’s Casper Ruud and Spain’s Albert Ramos Vinolas will meet in the other semifinal.
HOCKEY Rangers forward breaks foot
New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider could miss significant time after suffering a fractured foot in the first period against the Flyers on Friday night. He appeared to get hurt when he blocked a shot by Phillipe Myers early in the first period. The Rangers later tweeted about the fracture and said he wouldn’t return to the game. The 28-year-old Kreider just signed a seven-year contract extension reportedly worth $45 million on Monday. Kreider has 24 goals and 21 assists for 45 points in 63 games this season. Kreider was a 2009 firstround draft pick and has played his entire career with New York.