EX-NHL STAR OLCZYK DIAGNOSED WITH COLON CANCER
CHICAGO» Former NHL forward and coach Eddie Olczyk has been diagnosed with colon cancer.
Olczyk, who turns 51 on Aug. 16, had surgery last week, and Chicago Blackhawks team physician Dr. Michael Terry said Tuesday he “will be undergoing further treatment in the coming weeks, including chemotherapy.” Olczyk is a color analyst for TV broadcasts for the Blackhawks and NBC Sports.
Olczyk was selected by Chicago with the No. 3 overall pick in the 1984 draft. He played for six teams during his 16 seasons in the NHL, helping the New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1994. He finished with 342 goals and 452 assists in 1,031 games.
College HOF coach MacPherson dies.
N.Y.» Former Broncos SYRACUSE, assistant coach Dick MacPherson died Tuesday at age 86. He was a defensive coach under Lou Saban with the Broncos from 1967-70.
MacPherson is best known for rebuilding the Syracuse University program. He was the Orangemen’s head coach from 1981-90, including an 110-1 season in 1987, and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
MacPherson also was the head coach for the New England Patriots in 1991 and 1992.
• San Francisco 49ers rookie linebacker Donavin Newsom suffered a concussion during Tuesday’s practice, but the team said he didn’t suffer any cervical spinal fractures.
He was taken from the practice field in an ambulance after taking a hit to the head and neck.
• Los Angeles Chargers rookie wide receiver Mike Williams resumed running in his comeback from a lower back disk herniation.
• Dallas defensive end Tyrone Crawford badly turned his right ankle when he closed in on running back Ezekiel Elliott during practice at training camp, and there was no word on the injury’s severity.
• Cleveland Browns receiver Corey Coleman will not be charged for an early-morning Dec. 31 brawl in downtown Cleveland that left one man with a ruptured eardrum, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office said.
• Attorneys for a man who said he was attacked during a Chiefs game argued during a trial that started this week that there’s inadequate security at Arrowhead Stadium.
• Coach Marvin Lewis missed the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice for what the team called a minor health issue.
• Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton will sit out the team’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans on Wednesday night while he continues to battle soreness in his right throwing shoulder.
• Jay Cutler practiced with the Miami Dolphins, marking the start of his comeback from a brief retirement. The workout included 11-on-11 drills.
• The New England Patriots bought two 767 Boeing wide-body jets in the offseason and retrofitted them with all first-class seats. In doing so, they became the first NFL team to have its own planes.
• Tennessee Titans minority owner Susie Adams Smith is selling her portion of the team.
NBA makes schedule changes.
The NBA eliminated several old scheduling practices to ensure teams will have more rest built into their schedules for the 2017-18 season.
According to ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst, a memo sent to teams by the league office said there will no longer be stretches that include four games in five nights. There will also be fewer back-to-back sets this season.
Windhorst reported teams previously played an average of just over 16 back-to-backs per season. This year the average will drop to about 15 per team per season.
Those moves come after the NBA decided to start the 2017-18 season nearly two weeks earlier so it had the flexibility to give players more time to heal and avoid its biggest stars from resting for nationally televised games. — The Associated Press