AP Sports Editors honor Ron Borges

For the third straight year, Herald sports columnist Ron Borges has been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors as one of the premier columnists in the nation.

Borges — whose best work in 2016 included heartfelt columns on late Patriots running back Kevin Turner and boxing great Muhammad Ali — again notched Top 10 honors in column writing in the APSE awards that were handed out this week.

The Herald also won Top 10 honors for its digital content.

“These are terrific reminders,” Herald Sports Editor Sean Leahy said, “that readers get unique, top-notch and aggressive reporting and writing from our Herald staff — regardless of the platform they're using.

“Whether readers find us on the web, in our Herald app on their smartphones, on social media or in print, they know they'll get stories and columns that no one else in our area can provide.”

For the second straight year, the Herald won Top 10 honors for breaking news reporting — earned by former Herald reporter Erin Smith and Adam Kurkjian for their hard-nosed story on Chandler Jones' January 2016 encounter with Foxboro police.

Two days after their story was published, Jones admitted to “a pretty stupid mistake” when he arrived “confused” and shirtless at the station on a Sunday morning during a Patriots playoff bye.

Herald Editor-in-Chief Joe Sciacca said, “The vibrancy and credibility that Ron Borges brings every time he sits down at the keyboard makes his column an absolute must-read. We're proud of Ron and the entire sports staff for their unceasing excellence under Sean's leadership. We know that's why so many readers turn first to Herald sports.”