Saints’ Dallas stay may last longer
The Saints are investigating the possibility of remaining in the Dallas area for up to a month and opening their regular season against the Packers in the Cowboys’ home stadium, coach Sean Payton said.
While the Superdome appears to have been spared significant damage from Hurricane Ida, there are logistical challenges with staffing an NFL game there in the near future because of the widespread damage in the New Orleans area.
Many New Orleans residents have evacuated and officials have advised them not to return for at least another several days while roadways are cleared and widespread damage to power lines are repaired. Some neighborhoods are expected to be without power for weeks.
“There’s a chance that, if our stadium isn’t ready to host the Packers in Week 1, where might that game be?” Payton said Tuesday. “That game could very well be right here at AT&T Stadium. We’ve got enough fans in this area and Houston, certainly from northern Louisiana, that we think that would be something that’s very realistic.”
Payton said the Dallas area, where the Saints relocated on Saturday as Ida approached the Gulf Coast, also seems to make the most sense as a temporary practice base because multiple D-I college football programs there have offered help and because of conflicts or logistical challenges with other locations the club considered.
The Cardinals placed CB Malcolm Butler on the reserve/retired list. Butler, 31, reportedly has been considering retirement. He signed a one-year deal with the team in late March after spending the last three seasons with the Titans.
College football: Wisconsin dismissed freshman RB Loyal Crawford from the team and suspended freshman RB Antwan Roberts. School officials didn’t specify the reasons for the disciplinary measures and said they would have no additional comment on the matter. Crawford and Roberts both signed with No. 12 Wisconsin in December as consensus three-star recruits.
Golf: Former Masters champ Patrick Reed announced on Twitter that he would play in the Tour Championship after missing the last three weeks because of what he described as bilateral pneumonia. Reed secured the 30th and final spot in the FedEx Cup finale. He will start 10 strokes behind No. 1 seed Patrick Cantlay.
Hockey: The Blackhawks and top defenseman Connor Murphy, 28, agreed to a four-year extension with an annual average value of $4.4 million. He had three goals and 12 assists in a career-high 22:09 of ice time last season . ... The ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones hired Jason Payne, making him the only Black head coach in North American professional hockey next season. Payne, 45, was promoted from assistant coach after Cyclones head coach Matt Thomas was hired by the Providence Bruins of the AHL. Payne, who grew up in Toronto, had a 14-year pro career as a player, making it as far as the AHL.
NBA: As expected, veteran PG Rajon Rondo signed a one-year deal with the Lakers. Financial terms weren’t yet released. Rondo, 35, was a member of Lakers’ 2020 championship team. He spent last season with the Hawks and Clippers.