RAMS COACH SAYS LITTLE ABOUT QB
Sean McVay says he can’t talk about Matthew Stafford until the new league year begins in midMarch and the Los Angeles Rams’ blockbuster quarterback trade is official.
He’s still allowed to talk about Jared Goff, but the coach isn’t saying much.
In his first public comments since the Rams agreed to ship Goff to Detroit, McVay gave only a few minor insights Thursday into the ways he feels everything went wrong with his franchise quarterback just two years after they reached the Super Bowl together.
“I don’t know that really a lot changed,” McVay said of the period between that Super Bowl run and the Rams’ decision four weeks ago to move on from Goff, their No. 1 draft pick and McVay’s starter over four winning seasons with 42 victories, two NFC West titles and three playoff wins.
“There’s just so many things that have taken place since then,” McVay added. “I think what I would say that I learned over the last handful of years is things change by the day, and you probably want to be careful making blanket statements when you can’t predict the future.”
McVay had never been shy about professing his confidence in Goff, even when the quarterback’s performances didn’t appear commensurate with the $110 million guaranteed in the contract extension the Rams handed him in September 2019. As recently as last December, McVay said he and Goff were “in this together” while Goff wrapped up the season passing for 3,952 yards with 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
McVay wouldn’t say what made him decide to break up with Goff. McVay followed his usual line instead, accepting a large share of the blame for the Rams’ offensive
decline while complimenting Goff’s growth and leadership.
“There are a lot of things when I self-ref lect that I wish I was better for him in some instances,” McVay said.
More NFL
The Broncos released veteran defensive tackle Jurrell Casey, freeing up about $12 million in salary cap space two weeks after the release of veteran cornerback A.J. Bouye saved them a similar amount against the cap. The Broncos are projected to have more than $40 million in salary cap space as they head into free agency.
Track and field
Caster Semenya is going to the European Court of Human Rights to challenge “discriminatory” rules that prohibit her from competing in certain track events because of her high natural testosterone, her lawyers said.
The two-time Olympic
champion in the 800 meters has already lost two legal appeals against World Athletics’ regulations that force her to medically lower her natural testosterone level if she wants to run in women’s races from 400 meters to one mile.
Death
Bill Wright, the first Black competitor to win a U.S. Golf Association event in an era when African Americans were not welcome either in segregated country clubs or in the top amateur and professional ranks, died Feb. 19 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 84. Wright, who won the 1959 USGA Amateur Public Links Championship in Denver, had a stroke in 2017 and had Alzheimer’s disease, according to his wife and only immediate survivor, Ceta (Smith) Wright.
Notable
Chiney Ogwumike
two-time WNBA All-Star and former No. 1 overall pick, has re-signed with the L.A. Sparks after opting out of the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• CF Montreal lost a head coach and MLS said goodbye to a marquee name with news Thierry Henry was stepping down, citing family reasons.
• Rafael Nadal has pulled out of next week’s hardcourt tournament at Rotterdam, Netherlands, because of the bad back that bothered him during the Australian Open.
• Coco Gauff advanced to the Adelaide International semifinals, defeating Shelby Rogers 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
• Jerry Richardson, the former owner of the Carolina Panthers, has given $150 million to his alma mater, Wofford College. Richardson has now contributed more than $260 million to Wofford over the years.