Canton nominations for Brandt, Bowlen
Gil Brandt and Pat Bowlen have been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, as contributors to the game.
Brandt, a consultant to the NFL and one of the key figures in the staging of the draft, was one of the key contributors to the building of the Dallas Cowboys. As vice president of player personnel from 1960 through ’89, he helped Dallas grow into one of the most powerful and popular sports franchises in America.
Bowlen, 74, a longtime owner of the Denver Broncos who has Alzheimer’s disease, is the only owner in NFL history with 300 overall victories during his first 30 seasons. Under his leadership, the Broncos have won three Super Bowls and seven conference titles.
Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles threw two interceptions and Philadelphia committed four turnovers as the visiting Eagles fell to the Browns 5-0 in an exhibition in Cleveland.
Foles completed 13 of 17 passes for 127 yards, but he made poor decisions while throwing two first-half picks, was stripped for a fumble and sacked for a safety.
For Cleveland, starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor exited in the first quarter after injuring his left hand, then returned and finished 11-for-16 passing for 65 yards. Taylor’s backup, rookie Baker Mayfield, completed 8 of 12 passes for 76 yards and an interception.
Browns rookie cornerback Denzel Ward, a first-round pick, suffered a back injury in the first quarter and did not return. Ward appeared to get twisted while tackling tight end Zach Ertz.
Linebacker Vince Williams and Pro Bowl kicker Chris Boswell, both of whom could have been free agents after this season, agreed to three- and four-year contract extensions, respectively, with the Steelers.
ELSEWHERE Ex-coach indicted in Nassar case
In Lansing, Mich., former Michigan State gymnastics coach Kathie Ann Klages was charged with lying to an investigator when she denied that witnesses told her years ago about being sexually assaulted by ex-sports doctor Larry Nassar.
Former gymnast Larissa Boyce has said she told Klages of Nassar’s abuse in 1997, when Boyce was 16 — 19 years before Nassar was first criminally charged with sexual abuse.
Klages, who resigned in 2017 after she was suspended for defending the now-imprisoned Nassar, is the third person other than Nassar to face criminal charges related to his serial molestation of young female athletes under the guise of treatment. Numerous other people have lost their jobs or been sued.
If convicted of lying to a peace officer, Klages, 63, could face up to four years in prison.
Hundreds of girls and women have said Nassar molested them when he was a physician, including while he worked at Michigan State and Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics, which trains U.S. Olympians.
Nassar, 55, last year pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting nine victims and possessing child pornography, and his sentences equate to life in prison.
Prosecutors in Lubbock, Texas, have dismissed a theft charge against Texas Tech sophomore Da’Leon Ward. The running back, who had been accused of theft of from $2,500 to $30,000, is in the mix to start for the team. College football: Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher said his program will be “very open” to any inquiry into allegations of possible NCAA violations, but said he is confident in how things have been handled since he arrived from Florida State.
Fisher, who is in his first year at Texas A&M, was responding to allegations former Aggies linebacker Santino Marchiol made to USA Today this week about improper cash payments for hosting recruits, practices that went beyond allowable time limits and mishandling of his ankle injury.
The Texas A&M administration has said only that the school is “reviewing the situation with the NCAA and the SEC office.” Soccer: In Major League Soccer play, Niko Hansen scored his first goal of the season in the 87th minute and the visiting Columbus Crew tied the Chicago Fire 1-1.
Ronaldo Peña scored his first MLS goal in the 88th minute, helping the host Houston Dynamo tie FC Dallas 1-1 in the Texas Derby.
Peru captain Paolo Guerrero, who was cleared to play at the World Cup by Switzerland’s supreme court, again has been blocked from playing because a federal judge ended the freeze on his 14-month doping ban. Guerrero tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine at a World Cup qualifying game against Argentina in October.