Albright cuts player for kneeling during anthem
READING » A backup quarterback for Division III Albright College has been cut for kneeling during the national anthem.
Sophomore Gyree Durante took a knee before Saturday’s game. He says he was “taught you fight for what you believe in and you don’t bow to anyone.”
Professional and college football players and athletes in other sports have been kneeling or protesting during the anthem. The movement was started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick last season over his view of police mistreatment of black males.
The school says Durante was cut because he violated a team decision to show unity by kneeling during the coin toss, but standing during the anthem.
The school says the players understood there could be consequences for anyone that didn’t support the team’s decision.
NCAA to form commission
The NCAA said it will form a commission to study the inner workings of college basketball in response a federal investigation into bribery and fraud that rocked the sport and implicated several assistant coaches.
The NCAA announced the commission Wednesday and said former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will lead the committee.
“We need to do right by student-athletes,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement. “I believe we can — and we must — find a way to protect the integrity of college sports by addressing both sides of the coin: fairness and opportunity for college athletes, coupled with the enforcement capability to hold accountable those who undermine the standards of our community.”
Emmert said the NCAA needs to quickly make “substantive changes” in the way it operates.
Tennis: Nadal and Federer win
SHANGHAI » Rafael Nadal lost only four points on serve Wednesday in a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Jared Donaldson in the second round of the Shanghai Masters.
The top-ranked Spaniard and No. 2 Roger Federer both advanced by winning their opening matches in straight sets.
Federer defeated Diego Schwartzman 7-6 (4), 6-4, winning the match with his 14th ace on his second match point. LONDON » Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini was handed a suspended ban of two Grand Slam tournaments for insulting a chair umpire at the U.S. Open.
Auto racing: Furniture Row to field just 1 car
DENVER » Furniture Row Racing will field only one team next season, the ride for Martin Truex Jr.
The Denver-based team expanded this year to two cars with Truex and Erik Jones. But Jones is a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, and is being pulled inside that organization next year. CHARLOTTE, N.C. » Ricky Taylor’s amazing sports car season landed him another perk when he was picked as the final driver for Roger Penske’s new Acura program. Taylor teamed with younger brother Jordan to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona.