MINNESOTA SPORTS TEAMS POSTPONE GAMES
Professional baseball, basketball and hockey games in Minnesota were postponed Monday in response to tension and unrest after a police officer shot and killed a Black man during a traffic stop north of Minneapolis.
The Twins postponed their afternoon game with the Red Sox and were quickly followed by the NBA’s Timberwolves calling off a game against the Nets and the NHL’s Wild postponing a match against the Blues.
With the region on edge as the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer facing murder charges in the death of George Floyd, continues in Minneapolis, the Twins said it would not have been appropriate to play. The police in Brooklyn Center, Minn., where the latest shooting took place Sunday, said that the victim, Daunte Wright, 20, was shot accidentally by an officer who had intended to use a Taser.
“Our community’s been through a lot, and we have a trial taking place just blocks away from Target Field,” the Twins’ team president, Dave St. Peter, said in a Zoom call with reporters. “Emotions across our community, emotions across our organization, are raw.”
He added that baseball seemed “a little less important” now, and that the Twins prioritized safety and compassion over holding the game as scheduled.
The Twins and the Red Sox were scheduled to play four games through Thursday, and this is Boston’s only scheduled trip to Minnesota this season.
The NBA’s announcement did not say when the Timberwolves and Nets would make up the lost game.
The Wild’s game against the Blues has been rescheduled for May 12.
Sports and courts
Britt Reid, the former outside linebackers coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and the son of head coach Andy Reid, was charged with one count of driving while intoxicated when he crashed into two cars, leaving a child seriously injured.
The collision occurred just days before the Chiefs played in the Super Bowl in February. If Reid, 35, is convicted of the charge, a felony, he faces up to seven years in prison.
• A federal judge approved a partial deal between players on the women’s national team and the U.S. Soccer Federation over unequal working conditions. U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner approved the Dec. 1 settlement during a hearing. The deal calls for charter flights, hotel accommodations, venue selection and professional staff support equitable to that of the men’s national team.
NFL
For more than a decade Julian Edelman lived the ultimate NFL underdog story, going from undersized college quarterback to a favorite option of Tom Brady on three Patriots’ Super Bowl-winning teams. He says he’ll leave the league after giving everything he had to the sport. Citing a knee injury that cut his 2020 season short after just six games, Edelman announced that he is retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons. Earlier in the day, the Patriots terminated the contract of the Super Bowl 53 MVP after the receiver failed a physical.
• The Browns appear to be closing in on Jadeveon Clowney. Continuing a pursuit that began with a contract offer Clowney turned down last year, Cleveland remains interested in signing the free agent defensive end, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. Clowney visited the Browns on March 24, and NFL Network reported Monday that he’ll return to Cleveland’s headquarters Wednesday — a visit that could include a physical that may lead to a contract agreement.
Tennis
The cities of Innsbruck in Austria and Turin in Italy will co-host the Davis Cup Finals along with the Spanish capital of Madrid this year, the International
Tennis Federation said.
• Aslan Karatsev set up a second-round match with Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco by defeating Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-4 as rain played havoc with the clay-court tournament’s schedule.
Colleges
Eastern Michigan hired Stan Heath as its new men’s basketball coach. The 56-yearold Heath, an EMU alum, returns to the Mid-American Conference. He was previously the coach at Kent State, Arkansas and South Florida.
• Aaron Henry decided to skip his senior season at Michigan State to enter the NBA Draft. Henry said he plans to sign with an agent.
• Tennessee State announced coach Rod Reed’s contract will not be renewed after 11 seasons running the Tigers’ football program with former NFL running back Eddie George reportedly poised to replace him. The school has scheduled a news conference for a “major announcement” today.
• Tulsa hired Arizona State assistant Angie Nelp to coach its women’s basketball team. Nelp spent four years on the Arizona State staff and was promoted to associate head coach last April.