Froome falters in the mountains
Four-time champion Chris Froome cracked in the feared 17th stage of the Tour de France through the Pyrenees, solidifying Sky teammate Geraint Thomas’ hold on the yellow jersey.
Colombian climber Nairo Quintana won the short but extremely difficult mountainous stage with a solo attack up the brutal finishing climb to Col du Portet.
Froome finished eighth, 1:35 behind, and dropped from second to third overall, a distant 2:31 behind Thomas, the Welsh rider who is seeking his first Grand Tour victory.
Former All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman has been cleared to practice for the San Francisco 49ers at the start of training camp. Sherman joined San Francisco after getting released by rival Seattle following season-ending surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon. He received a $2-million bonus for passing his physical.
New York Jets cornerback Rashard Robinson has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has doubled down on insisting that players stand for the national anthem, saying he wouldn’t support anyone who chose to stay in the locker room.
Jones said, “Our policy is that you stand at the anthem, toe on the line.”
Last week, the NFL and the players’ union agreed to suspend the rule approved by owners this spring that gave players the option of staying in the locker room while allowing teams to discipline players who took a knee or sat during the anthem.
Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly is in the clear in his latest check for oral cancer, his wife Jill said.
Former USC women’s volleyball coach Mick Haley accused the school of age discrimination and harassment in a complaint filed Wednesday with the American Arbitration Assn.
USC athletic director Lynn Swann announced in December that Haley, 74, wouldn’t return as coach after a season in which USC was 25-10, finished second in the Pac-12 Conference and advanced to a regional final in the NCAA tournament.
Haley was 435-119 in 17 seasons at USC, winning national titles in 2002 and 2003.
USC replaced Haley with Brent Crouch, 43, in January. —Nathan Fenno
Conor McGregor is scheduled to appear Thursday in a Brooklyn courtroom, where an expected plea deal will move him closer to a return to fighting in the UFC after nearly a two-year absence.
McGregor is facing multiple charges, the most serious of which are two criminal mischief felonies for leading associates in the April attack of a bus carrying UFC fighters at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, including McGregor’s likely next opponent, lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. —Lance Pugmire
Minnesota Lynx forward Rebekkah Brunson has been picked as an All-Star game injury replacement for Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike, who has been sidelined by an illness. Brunson will join Candace Parker’s team, which will face Elena Della Donne’s team in Minnesota on Saturday.
The Vancouver Canucks and president of hockey operations Trevor Linden have “amicably” agreed to part ways. The team said Wednesday that Linden is leaving the organization to “pursue different endeavors.” General manager Jim Benning is slated to take over hockey operations.
Brazil soccer coach Tite had his contract extended until the end of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Brazil was knocked out by Belgium in the quarterfinals in Russia this month, only Tite’s second defeat at the helm.