Freshman Robinson has heart issue
AUTO RACING: NASCAR handed out punishments to three top teams for violations that include Denny Hamlin’s winning cars in his weekend sweep at Darlington and the No. 88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. NASCAR said Hamlin’s cars in both the Cup and Xfinity races violated rear suspension rules. Cup crew chief Mike Wheeler was suspended two races, fined $50,000 and Hamlin was stripped of five playoff points.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Tennessee coach Butch Jones said injured WR Jauan Jennings is out “indefinitely.” Jones didn’t specify the nature of Jennings’ injury, which kept the junior from playing in the second half of the 25th-ranked Volunteers’ 42-41 double-overtime victory over Georgia Tech on Monday. The Tennessean reported Tuesday that Jennings is likely out for the season . ... No. 16 Miami canceled its game at Arkansas State, in part out of concern that the Hurricanes may get stranded away from home if Hurricane Irma strikes South Florida. No. 10 Florida State and No. 22 Florida moved up their Saturday home games to midday starts, out of caution. Travel concerns prompted officials to move the start of Saturday’s game between No. 21 South Florida and host UConn to 10:30 a.m. from its original kickoff of noon. USF was concerned about its return trip to Florida . ... Officials at Houston and UTSA have decided the schools won’t play their game that was postponed last week by Hurricane Harvey.
GOLF: Phil Mickelson was selected as a captain’s pick for the Presidents Cup and will be on a U.S. team for the 23rd consecutive time. U.S. captain Steve Stricker used his two picks on Mickelson and Charley Hoffman, who was narrowly bumped out of the top 10 automatic qualifiers in the final week. Mickelson tied for sixth at the TPC Boston on Monday to finish at No. 15 in the Presidents Cup standings. International captain Nick Price selected Anirban Lahiri of India and Emiliano Grillo of Argentina . ... Michelle Wie withdrew from next week’s Evian Championship as she recovers from surgery to remove her appendix.
NBA: Pacers owner Herb Simon is denying a report that the team might sue the Lakers for tampering with Paul George. The NBA fined the Lakers $500,000 last week for violating league rules, and there was a report that the Pacers were considering legal action, too . ... The Cavaliers are reviving a $140 million renovation of Quicken Loans Arena just over a week after the project was scrapped. The team also said it will extend its lease at the facility for seven extra years, until 2034.
NHL: Senators captain Erik Karlsson has no timetable to get back on the ice following offseason foot surgery. Karlsson, the runner-up for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman, said he hasn’t been able to do anything since the operation in June to repair torn tendons in his left foot.
SOCCER: FIFA ordered a World Cup qualifier between South Africa and Senegal be replayed in November after the referee was found guilty of match manipulation and banned for life. South Africa beat Senegal 2-1 last November, helped by a penalty awarded by referee Joseph Lamptey for a nonexistent handball.
GAINESVILLE — UF receiver James Robinson’s rocky freshman season has taken an unexpectedly serious turn after an echocardiogram (EKG) revealed an abnormality.
Coach Jim McElwain did not share specifics but concluded, “It’s not a high-ankle sprain, I’ll tell you that.”
Robinson did not practice the past two days after returning from a one-game suspension following his Aug. 21 citation for marijuana possession. Robinson did not arrive to UF until the first day of preseason practices, on Aug. 3, due to academics.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Robinson was the team’s top offensive recruit in the 2017 class out of Lakeland. For now, his future in football is on hold.
“He had something show up in his echocardiogram … which is not good,” McElwain said.
Gardner back: Sophomore safety Chauncey Gardner returned to practice Wednesday. McElwain said Gardner “should be good to go” for Saturday’s visit from Northern Colorado.
Gardner injured his right lower leg during the third quarter of last Saturday’s loss to Michigan and left the stadium wearing a protective boot. He had an MRI on Monday that cleared him to practice.
Meanwhile, senior tight end DeAndre Goolsby underwent an MRI Monday for a leg injury and has not practiced since.
Next game: Northern Colorado at UF, Saturday, Noon, SEC Network
Edgar Thompson