WNBA stars arrested
Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner and her fiancee, fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson, were arrested on suspicion of assault and disorderly conduct after an argument in the home they recently purchased together became physical.
The two 24-year-olds were each arrested Wednesday in Goodyear, Ariz., on counts of assault by recklessly causing physical injuries and disorderly conduct for fighting. They were booked into the Maricopa County Jail in downtown Phoenix and later released.
Agents for the players did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
Griner told police that she and Johnson had been arguing every day and got into each other’s faces Wednesday afternoon in the home they had bought two days earlier after Johnson said Griner “disrespected” her, according to a police report.
Pro football
Six Pro Football Hall of Famers will be among the 32 former players who will announce second-round selections at next week’s NFL draft. Announcing the selections for their teams will be linebacker Dick Butkus (Bears), quarterback Jim Kelly (Bills) and cornerback Mel Blount (Steelers).
• The family of late Pro Bowl safety Dave Duerson will appeal this week’s NFL concussion settlement amid concerns it doesn’t include future awards for the brain decay diagnosed after his 2011 suicide.
• Six months after having knee surgery, wide receiver Victor Cruz has no doubt he will play in the New York Giants’ regular-season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Cruz, 28, said his right knee feels great and that he feels he can return to being one of the league’s top receivers.
Tennis
Rafael Nadal’s claycourt woes mounted at the Barcelona Open with another loss. The eighttime champion lost to
Fabio Fognini, 6-4, 7-6 (6), in the third round, a year after his 41-match winning streak ended in the quarterfinals.
Auto racing
NASCAR chairman Brian France is not sure if Kyle Busch will be granted a waiver to be part of the championship chase when he returns from injury, but he said the sanctioning body would like to “accommodate” him. Busch broke his right leg and left foot in a crash into a concrete wall in the Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway the day before the seasonopening Daytona 500.
• Michael Waltrip will drive the No. 55 Toyota in next week’s race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
College basketball
Marcus Foster, who led Kansas State in scoring before his dismissal from the team, will transfer to Creighton.
Little League
Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West plans to leave the Little League organization for the Babe Ruth League’s Cal Ripken division. The team was stripped of its national title in February after allegations arose that team officials falsified boundaries to add ineligible players to the roster.