NHL fines Tortorella $25,000 for quick exit after Game 5
The NHL has fined Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella $25,000 for his conduct during a media availability after Game 5 of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the league announced Tuesday.
After the Jackets lost 5-4 on Aug. 19 and were eliminated from the playoffs, Tortorella listened to a couple of questions in his postgame video conference, then excused himself and left.
“You know what, guys?” he said, pausing after a question about the Jackets’ camaraderie within a quarantine bubble. “I’m not going to get into the touchy-feely stuff and the moral victories and all that. You guys be safe.”
Tortorella declined to comment on Tuesday.
Powell, who played tight end on 1972-73 teams, dies
Ted Powell, who played tight end for Ohio State in the 1972 and ’73 seasons, has died.
He played in 22 games for the Buckeyes and caught eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
The Newport News, Virginia, native also played two seasons in the World Football League.
Ohio State’s Davis, Wade, Fields named to AP All-america teams
Ohio State junior guard Wyatt Davis and junior cornerback Shaun Wade are among 11 players selected to the Associated Press preseason All-america first team on Tuesday who are not slated to play this fall.
The team was selected by 47 AP poll voters, who were asked to consider all Division I players — even those who had already opted out of the season or whose teams had postponed football.
OSU junior quarterback Justin Fields is on the second team.
The Big Ten, Pac-12, Mid-american and Mountain West conferences have decided to try to play football in the second semester.
Lions skip practice after discussing shooting of Blake
The Detroit Lions decided not to practice on Tuesday, protesting after a Black man was shot by police in Wisconsin.
“We came up with this one as a unit,” defensive end Trey Flowers said.
Coach Matt Patricia opened the team’s morning meeting by allowing players to share their thoughts on the shooting of Jacob Blake, who is paralyzed from the waist down. Blake was shot Sunday, three months after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
The players continued to discuss Blake’s shooting and shared their personal experiences regarding race in the locker room.
Cardinals’ safety Baker agrees to four-year, $59 million deal
Two-time Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker has agreed to terms on a $59 million, four-year contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals.
The team announced the deal on Tuesday. Baker’s agent David Mulugheta confirmed the terms and that $33.1 million is guaranteed.
Baker led all NFL defensive backs with 147 tackles last season, including 104 solo tackles.
49ers to begin season against Cardinals without fans in stadium
The San Francisco 49ers will play their season opener without fans in attendance because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team said Tuesday after consulting with local officials that the Sept. 13 game against Arizona at Levi’s Stadium will be played without spectators.
The team said it would work with state and county officials to determine whether it will be safe to allow fans to attend games later this season.
Djokovic overcomes sore neck to win first post-hiatus match
Bothered by a bad neck that a trainer massaged twice, Novak Djokovic double-faulted seven times and trailed by a break in each set before avoiding the rash of upsets at the Western &
Southern Open by taking the last four games for a 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over Ricardas Berankis on Monday night in New York.
The No. 1-ranked Djokovic was playing his first ATP match in six months because of the coronavirus pandemic; he pulled out of the doubles event Sunday because of his neck.
No. 2 seed Dominic Thiem, a threetime major finalist, wasn’t even competitive in a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Filip Krajinovic, and No. 5 Alexander Zverev hit 11 double-faults — five over his last two service games — while being beaten by Andy Murray 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
On Tuesday afternoon, defending champion Daniil Medvedev returned to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Aljaz Bedene.
Britain’s top gymnastics coach steps aside amid investigation
Britain’s top gymnastics coach will temporarily step aside while allegations about her conduct are investigated, the country’s governing body said Tuesday.
Amanda Reddin has denied the allegations, saying her reputation within the sport “is now subject to a trial by media rather than through the proper processes.”
Last month, British Gymnastics chief executive Jane Allen announced an independent review of claims of mistreatment in the sport in Britain. Olympians Becky and Ellie Downie say they have suffered from abusive behavior in gymnastics training for many years.
Two gymnasts made allegations of mistreatment by Reddin — the head national coach — on Monday, the BBC reported.
Tennessee restricts tickets to about 25% of Neyland’s seats
Tennessee will be selling tickets for approximately 25% of the fan seats for football games at Neyland Stadium this season, officials announced Tuesday. The stadium has a capacity of 102,455, counting everybody in the building, which could mean around 25,000 fans.
The Volunteers’ first home game is Oct. 3 against Missouri and university officials say restrictions could change during the season based on statewide virus data and recommendations from public health officials.
From staff, wire reports