Jaguars to start rookie Lawrence in opener
Trevor Lawrence will start Jacksonville’s season opener at Houston on Sept.12, one of the least surprising decisions in franchise history.
Coach Urban Meyer made the announcement Wednesday, giving Lawrence the nod over thirdyear pro Gardner Minshew after two preseason games and a month of training camp. Meyer expects Lawrence will never have to earn a starting job in the NFL again.
“You can capitalize that if you want. Underline it. Cap it,” Meyer said.
Lawrence, the top pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and Minshew, a two-year starter in Jacksonville, split repetitions with the first-team offense during camp.
• The Denver Broncos are going with the steady over the spectacular. Coach Vic Fangio informed the team that Teddy Bridgewater has edged incumbent Drew Lock to win the starting quarterback job.
• Offensive lineman Connor Williams and safety Damontae Kazee joined the list of Dallas players under COVID-19 protocols, bringing the total to six along with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
Williams and Kazee tested positive for COVID-19, coach Mike McCarthy said. Williams practiced Tuesday, while Kazee was absent because he was being tested.
The other players out because of health and safety protocols are defensive tackle Carlos Watkins, receiver CeeDee Lamb and safety Malik Hooker. Safety Israel Mukuamu was on the list but returned to practice Wednesday.
McCarthy said he didn’t have a timeframe for the return of anyone on the COVID-19 list. The preseason finale for Dallas is Sunday at home against Jacksonville. The opener is Sept. 9 at defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay.
• The Las Vegas Raiders got help at their banged-up linebacker spot by acquiring Denzel Perryman from the Carolina Panthers in a swap of draft picks. The Raiders will send a 2022 sixth-round pick to Carolina and get a seventhrounder that year and Perryman back in the deal that will be official once Perryman passes a physical.
• Tennessee linebacker Harold Landry has become the fifth person and first starter affected by the Titans’ latest virus outbreak placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Coach Mike Vrabel announced Sunday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 a day after the Titans beat Tampa Bay 34-3 in Florida. Vrabel later received monoclonal antibodies treatment.
Landry joins defensive lineman Anthony Rush, linebacker Nick Dzubnar and running back Jeremy McNichols on the reserve/ COVID-19 list, which is for players who either test positive for the virus or are in quarantine after close contact with an infected person.
• New York Jets defensive end Vinny Curry announced he has a rare blood disorder that required his spleen to be removed.
Curry, 33, wrote in a post on Twitter that Jets team doctors discovered the disorder last month, but he didn’t specify the condition ailing him. Curry said he was projected to return to the field in midSeptember, but he developed blood clots that prevent him from having physical contact for the next three to six months.
• Veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph is finally getting on the field with the New York Giants, at least on a limited basis. The Giants announced Rudolph has passed his physical and was taken off the physically unable to perform/active list. He had offseason foot surgery and had been unable to practice since training camp started just under a month ago.
Williamses, Kenin pull out of U.S. Open
Serena and Venus Williams added themselves to the list of big-name withdrawals from the U.S. Open, making this the first time since 2003 neither of the sisters will appear in the year’s last Grand Slam tournament.
Serena, who turns 40 next month, cited a torn right hamstring that has kept her out of competition since she was injured in the first set of her firstround match at Wimbledon in late June.
Venus, who is 41, said she has a leg injury.
The Americans join Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in sitting out the competition in Flushing Meadows, where play begins Monday.
Also, fifth-ranked Sofia Kenin pulled out of the U.S. Open because she recently tested positive for COVID-19, even though she said she has received a vaccine.
Pac-12 to conduct first baseball tourney
The Pac-12 will hold a conference baseball tournament for the first time next year.
The conference announced that the inaugural Pac-12 baseball tournament will be held May 2529 at Scottsdale Stadium in Arizona. The initial agreement with the city of Scottsdale runs through 2024.
“Creating this tournament is a meaningful way to showcase Pac-12 baseball at an important time of the year,” said Stanford director of baseball David Esquer. “I’m excited for the competitive opportunities the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament will provide our programs, the championship experience it will deliver for student-athletes, and the atmosphere it will create in an unbeatable location for both fans of our schools and those who may just be fans of the game.”
The top eight teams during the regular season will earn automatic berths into the double-elimination tournament at the spring training home of the San Francisco Giants. The tournament champion will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
• Emoni Bates has committed to Memphis, adding another five-star basketball recruit to coach Penny Hardaway’s roster.
Bates announced his decision on Instagram after also considering Michigan State, Oregon and the NBA’s G League. The Michigan native committed to Tom Izzo and the Spartans last year before changing his mind in April.
The 6-foot-8 guard has been called a generational talent and is projected as the No. 1 overall pick when he becomes eligible for the NBA draft after he turns 19 in 2023.
Czechs win group in women’s worlds
Dominika Laskova scored twice and the Czech Republic beat Germany 2-0 in the women’s world hockey championship in Calgary, Alberta, to win Group B and avoid having to face the United States or Canada in the quarterfinals.
All five teams in Group A — with the fivetime defending champion United States (3-0) and Canada (3-0) set to play for the pool title today — and the top three in Group B will advance to the quarterfinals.
Roglic captures his second Vuelta stage
Primoz Roglic prevailed on the steep final climb to earn his second stage victory in this year’s Spanish Vuelta, cutting into the overall lead of Odd Christian Eiking.
Roglic went past Enric Mas in the final yards of the 83-mile 11th stage to Valdepenas de Jaen in southern Spain. The twotime defending champion also won the first Vuelta stage.
“It was a hard stage, short but super hot again. I was also suffering a lot, but luckily I had enough for the win in the end,” Roglic said. “Enric Mas is also very strong, luckily I had a little more. It’s always nice to win, you never know when the last one will be.”
It was the seventh career stage win at the Vuelta for Roglic, the Slovenian rider from team Jumbo-Visma. He relinquished the leader’s red jersey after crashing near the end of the 10th stage on Tuesday. He is now third, less than two minutes behind Eiking, with the three-week Grand Tour race just past the halfway point.
Guillaume Martin stayed second overall, less than a minute behind Eiking, who finished 10th on Wednesday.