Giants’ Tate suspended for fertility-drug use
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate was suspended for four games for using a drug prescribed for fertility planning.
The 10-year veteran, who signed with the Giants in March as a free agent, announced the suspension in a Twitter post Saturday. He said he plans to appeal the violation of the NFL’s policy on performance enhancers and that he would have no further comment.
The NFL has not announced the suspension, and it had no comment, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email Saturday to the Associated Press.
Tate practiced Saturday, and he can practice throughout training camp. He will not be able to play in the first four regular-season games unless his suspension is overturned. That rarely happens.
In his statement, Tate said he and his wife met with a fertility specialist in April. He took a prescribed drug and learned shortly after an ingredient was a substance banned by the league. Tate said he reported the problem to the independent administrator of the NFL policy on performanceenhancing substances, and alerted his coaches and general manager.
Tate is confident his appeal has merit. He said he never has violated the league’s rules on banned substances and the treatment will have no effect on the 2019 season.
MOTOR SPORTS Harvick snares pole for Cup race
Kevin Harvick turned a lap of 174.058 mph to take the pole for Sunday’s Monster Energy Cup race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.
Harvick followed up his first victory of the season last week at New Hampshire with another strong run for the No. 4 Ford. Harvick helped Ford take the top three spots in the field. He will be joined on the front row for the 400mile race by reigning Cup champion Joey Logano. Aric Almirola, Harvick’s teammate at Stewart-Haas Racing, is third.
In other news:
• Will Power edged defending champion Alexander Rossi for a record fourth pole for the Honda Indy 200 at MidOhio Sports Car Course in Lexington. Power, in the Team Penske Chevy, ran a fast lap of 124.757 mph, with Rossi at 124.044 in his Honda. Earlier, Rossi signed a multiyear contract to remain with Andretti Autosport to avoid free agency.
• Chase Briscoe passed Christopher Bell with seven laps to go to win the NASCAR Xfinity race at Iowa Speedway in Newton for his first victory of the year. Bell led a career-high 235 out of 250 laps, but old tires allowed Briscoe to take over and clinch a playoff berth in the No. 98 Ford.
• Ross Chastain dominated at Pocono Raceway to win the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race for the third time this season. Tyler Ankrum was second.
BASKETBALL
U.S. to expand women’s training
The U.S. women’s national basketball team is expanding its training leading up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and paying a group of star players to participate.
Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, who have led the U.S. to gold in the last four Olympics, headline the eight players who will be paid $2,000 a day at each of the training camps and games leading up to the Olympics.
In the past, USA basketball gave its players a daily stipend for coming to training camps.
Joining Bird and Taurasi for the five training segments are Sylvia Fowles, Elena Delle Donne, Nneka Ogwumike, A’ja Wilson, Skylar Diggins Smith and Chelsea Gray. In other news:
• Brittney Griner and the WNBA All-Stars put on quite a show in Team Wilson’s 129-126 victory over Team Delle Donne at Las Vegas. Griner had an All-Star Game-record three dunks, including an impressive two-handed jam where she hung on the rim over Aces star Liz Cambage. Erica Wheeler, one of six first-time All-Stars, made the most of her debut, earning
MVP honors by scoring 25 points.
GOLF Kim leads Evian by one stroke
Cresting a wave of
South Koreans atop the Evian Championship leader board, Hyo Joo Kim fired a third-round 65 to move one shot clear at 15-under 198.
Top-ranked Sung Hyun Park closed the gap in second by making a birdie on the par-5 18th for a 5-under 66 on the hillside course overlooking Lake Geneva in Evian-les-Bains, France.
Four shots back in a tie for third place were seven-time major winner Inbee Park (69) and Jin Young Ko (66).
In other news:
• Rory McIlroy shot an 8-under 62 at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational to take a one-stroke lead over Brooks Koepka (64) at the World Golf Championships event. McIlroy, who missed the cut by a stroke last week in the British Open on his home turf in Northern Ireland, rebounded nicely. He had a nine-birdie, one-bogey round to move from a tie for 17th to the top of the leader board at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn., and is at 12-under 198.
• Englishman Paul Broadhurst birdied two of the last three holes to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Senior British Open, which will be Tom Watson’s final appearance at the tournament. Broadhurst had four birdies and a bogey in his third-round 3-under 67 in wet conditions at Royal Lytham & St. Annes for a 5-under 205 total. American Woody Austin (68) is second, one shot off the lead. Three-time champion Watson shot 2-over 72 and is tied for 55th at 6 over.
PRO BASEBALL Two-run ninth powers Skeeters
Anthony Giansanti’s sacrifice fly and a single by Rico Noel accounted for two runs in the top of the ninth inning to lift Sugar Land to a 6-4 Atlantic League victory over High Point at High Point, N.C.
Wynton Bernard also had a two-run triple for the Skeeters in a four-run seventh.