Celtics’ Bird is stepping away
Boston Celtics guard Jabari Bird said he’s taking a break from the team following charges that he choked and kicked his girlfriend and prevented her from leaving his apartment.
In a statement, the 24-year-old Bird apologized to his teammates and fans for creating an “unnecessary distraction” and said he’s taking time away to deal with “legal and medical issues.”
A management agency that represents Bird released the statement just hours after an arraignment hearing in which Bird was held on $50,000 bail. Not-guilty pleas to domestic violence-related charges were entered on his behalf.
A Milwaukee officer involved in the stun gun arrest of Bucks player Sterling Brown has been fired because of social media posts mocking the incident, the city’s police chief said.
Police Chief Alfonso Morales said the firing decision was not tied to anything Erik Andrade did when Brown was arrested, but explained that the social media posts compromised the officer’s ability to testify in other cases. Morales spoke about the case at a Marquette University event.
New York Mets captain David Wright will return for the team’s final homestand, making what will probably be his last appearance as a big leaguer.
The Mets said that they plan to activate Wright when they return to Citi Field on Sept. 25 against Atlanta. The 35-year-old is scheduled to start at third base on the second to last day of the regular season against Miami. It would be his first major league game since May 2016. Wright has worked to return from a litany of neck, back and shoulder injuries that have required surgery.
Former major league pitcher Billy O’Dell, who won 105 games in a 13-year career, has died. He was 85.
Aiming to stylishly cap a rookie season that Hurricane Maria almost denied her, Maria Torres shared the first-round lead on six under at the final women’s golf major in Evian-Les-Baines, France. Torres, the first Puerto Rican player to get an LPGA Tour card, went birdie-birdie-eagle from the 13th to 15th holes in a 65 that tied her atop the Evian Championship leaderboard with Carlota Ciganda of Spain.
Nick Cunningham, a three-time U.S. Olympian in bobsled, has put his on-ice career on hold and will focus on coaching for the next two years. Cunningham stopped short of calling his decision a retirement, saying he may consider a return with an eye on the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Jelle Wallays won the Spanish Vuelta’s flat 18th stage, while Simon Yates held on to the overall lead ahead of two decisive days in the Pyrenees.