SPORTS BRIEFS
Phoenix Rising FC to face Portland Timbers 2 with playoff berth on the line
Phoenix Rising FC can clinch its first ever playoff spot with a win on Wednesday at Portland Timbers 2.
The team is riding a ten-match unbeaten streak and has shot up the Western Conference standings over the past two months. With five matches left in the regular season, Rising FC have 27 points and are in fifth in the Western Conference standings in the USL, five points back of Swope Park and six points behind San Antonio.
The top eight make the postseason. Since Patrice Carteron took over as head coach on May 22, Rising FC have lost just two of its 18 matches (9-2-7).
Its last loss was July 29. The Club has also won a franchise-best four in a row, with three straight shutouts.
Senior PGA Professional Championship to be played in Scottsdale
The 29th Senior PGA Professional Championship will take place Sept. 28-Oct. 1 at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale. The field of 264 players includes the top finishers from the 2017 Section Senior PGA Professional Championships and exempt players.
Police: LA Rams defensive tackle Westbrooks arrested with stolen gun in his vehicle
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks was arrested after an officer saw a stolen gun in his car when he was pulled over for speeding, the California Highway Patrol said Tuesday.
Westbrooks was arrested Friday on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm, possessing a stolen firearm and possessing a high-capacity magazine, said Sgt. Chris Carr.
Westbrooks was stopped for speeding along Interstate 5 near Bakersfield on Friday and an officer spotted a gun in the glove box as Westbrooks was looking for his car’s registration document, Carr said.
The gun, which had been reported stolen in Sacramento in 2009, was loaded with a high-capacity clip that held 13 rounds, Carr said.
Westbrooks is a starting defensive end who received a one-year extension through 2018 earlier this month.
Packers players say team, coaches, staff will lock arms
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Players, coaches and staff from the Green Bay Packers will lock arms during the national anthem before Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Bears, and they are asking fans to do the same in what they say will be a “moment of unification.”
Players released a statement on Tuesday night. They say the image they hope to portray on Thursday is one of unity.
Prosecutors won’t file charges against Dolphins’ Landry
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Prosecutors have decided not to file charges against Miami Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry over allegations of domestic violence.
The Broward State Attorney’s Office said an investigation determined there was “no reasonable likelihood” of a conviction. The case involved an April 1 encounter between Landry and Estrella Cerqueira, the mother of their daughter.
Louisiana Lt. governor won’t attend NFL games amid protests
BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser says he’s boycotting New Orleans Saints games and NFL events after several players refused to stand during the national anthem.
Nungesser, Louisiana’s top tourism official, told news outlets Tuesday he finds players kneeling or sitting during the anthem “unAmerican” and “disgraceful.”
Nungesser will be in London on Sunday when the Saints face off with the Miami Dolphins, part of a trip to promote travel from Europe to New Orleans.
But the lieutenant governor said he won’t attend the game.
Ten Saints players were among more than 200 NFL players who wouldn’t stand for the national anthem during the latest games. Two Louisiana lawmakers are pushing to reconsider state subsidies to the Saints because of the controversy.
The Saints organization didn’t comment on Nungesser’s boycott.
Timmons’ suspension lifted after 1 week by Dolphins
MIAMI - The Miami Dolphins’ vanishing linebacker is back.
Miami lifted the suspension of Lawrence Timmons after one week Tuesday, and he’s eligible to play Sunday against the New Orleans Saints in London.
Timmons was suspended indefinitely after he went AWOL the day before the Dolphins’ season-opening win at the Los Angeles Chargers.