VIDEO: OFFICER TOLD VENUS WILLIAMS SHE CAUSED FATAL CRASH

A police officer told tennis star Venus Williams she likely caused a crash that fatally injured an elderly man last month but didn’t cite her, saying it appeared the actions of a third driver left her in a bad spot, a newly released body camera video shows.

The Palm Beach Gardens police video shows Williams walking uninjured and speaking calmly to officers minutes after the June 9 crash. The video also shows the other vehicle’s passenger, 78-year-old retired teacher Jerome Barson, was conscious, but bleeding and confused. It was later determined he had a broken spine and internal injuries. He died June 22.

Security video released earlier showed Williams was driving straight on a green light as she exited her neighborhood but a car turning left cut her off, forcing her to stop midway as she crossed a busy six-lane intersection. When she restarted, her light had turned red and the Barsons’ light had turned green. Their Hyundai sedan plowed into Williams’ Toyota Sequoia SUV.

The body camera video released late Thursday shows Williams, 37, listening intently as she sat in her SUV as Officer David Dowling, the lead investigator, explained to her why he believed after interviewing her and witnesses that she was at fault but wasn’t going to ticket her.

“You had a green light, so you had the right of way when you started to exit but because you got stuck in the middle of the intersection, you lost that right of way,” Dowling told Williams. Linda Barson, he said, now had a green light “and had no way of knowing that you were going to come across.”

Isner rolling at Atlanta Open.

Second-seeded John Isner beat Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko 7-5, 6-4 to reach the BB&T Atlanta Open semifinals.

Seeking his fourth Atlanta title in five seasons, the big-serving Isner will face third-seeded Gilles Muller of Luxembourg. Muller beat American Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-1.

Ole Miss releases booster names.

Mississippi released the names of 12 boosters that the NCAA claims provided impermissible benefits and recruiting inducements to football players.

The names of the boosters had previously been redacted from the NCAA’s notices of allegations and the university’s responses. The university re-released the NCAA notices and its responses Friday with the names of 12 of the 14 boosters.

The release was in response to a previous ruling by the Mississippi Ethics Commission. The names of two other boosters were still being redacted because of a court order.

Among the boosters named were Rebel Rags, an Oxford-based clothing store, and its president, Terry Warren. The NCAA alleges Rebel Rags and Warren provided $2,800 worth of free merchandise to recruits. Rebel Rags is suing two Mississippi State football players and Lindsey Miller, the father of former Ole Miss star Laremy Tunsil, for defamation in regards to their NCAA testimony.

The NCAA is accusing Ole Miss of 21 total violations — 15 classified as Level I, the most serious.

Coastal Carolina coach sidelined.

Coastal Carolina football coach Joe Moglia, 68, is taking a leave of absence because of a continuing medical problem.

The school granted him a fivemonth leave to deal with what he said was a bronchial asthmatic reaction to allergies, which causes inflammation around his lungs and results in difficulty breathing.

Predators reward Johansen.

The Predators signed top center Ryan Johansen to an eight-year, $64 million contract, the largest deal the NHL franchise has ever handed out. Now the Preds have him under contract at an average of $8 million a year through the 2024-25 season. — The Associated Press