IN BRIEF
COWBOYS’ ELLIOTT HELD FROM PRACTICE AFTER WRECK
Dallas Cowboys running back
Ezekiel Elliott was sidelined for the second consecutive day Wednesday after he was involved in a car accident this week, the team confirmed. Elliott bumped his head while a passenger in a car that was involved in a collision, the Cowboys said. Elliott escaped the accident Sunday with no significant injuries. “When he came in on Monday, he had some body stiffness and some neck stiffness,” Cowboys coach Jason
Garrett told reporters. “We had him checked out. We felt it was the right thing to do keep him out it.” Garrett said Elliott would return to practice Tuesday. Elliott led the league in rushing with 1,631 yards and was runner-up for offensive rookie of the year to teammate Dak Prescott.
AIR FORCE RECEIVER ISN’T ALLOWED TO GRADUATE
Former Air Force Academy wide receiver Jalen Robinette did not graduate with his classmates Wednesday while the Air Force investigates his credentials for graduation and commission. The Academy released a statement Wednesday that said its leadership became aware of information that called into question Robinette’s eligibility. The statement said the information was not criminal in nature, nor was it related to Robinette’s quest to play in the NFL. Robinette, Air Force’s career receiving leader, expected to be drafted last month and was planning to apply for a waiver to defer his two years of required active duty. On the first night of the draft, he was informed that the Air Force would not sign such a waiver. This month, Secretary of Defense
James Mattis signed an order that rescinded the 2016 policy that allowed graduates of the military academies to defer active duty while playing professional sports. Robinette was undrafted and remains unsigned despite participating in rookie minicamps with the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots on a tryout basis.
2019 NBA ALL-STAR GAME TO BE HOSTED BY CHARLOTTE
NBA All-Star weekend will return to Charlotte in 2019, the league announced Wednesday. The three-day weekend featuring the All- Star Game, slam-dunk contest and three-point shootout is slated for Feb. 15-17, 2019. The Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets, is the expected venue. NBA Commissioner
Adam Silver said in a statement the decision was based on the city of Charlotte’s deep connection with the NBA for more than three decades and updated legislation by the state of North Carolina. The league relocated the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte because of the state’s controversial House Bill 2, which was considered to be discriminatory to members of the LGBT community and cost the state millions of dollars from other canceled events. But North Carolina replaced HB2 with House Bill 142, signed by Gov. Roy
Cooper, in early April. The new bill’s authors deemed it a compromise from HB2, which the NBA thought went against its allinclusive initiative. HB142 re- moves the requirement for transgender people to use public bathrooms based on their birth certificate and not their gender identity. But it still includes a ban for anti-discrimination ordinances until December 2020 — keeping intact a key part of HB2 that could allow businesses to determine bathroom provisions.
uAfter a successful visit this year, the NFL’s Pro Bowl will return to Orlando in 2018, scheduled for Jan. 28 at Camping World Stadium. The league will stick with the AFC-NFC format used in 2017 after tinkering with player fantasy drafts. The league announced the news Wednesday.
CHELSEA CANCELS PARADE
English Premier League champion Chelsea called off its victory parade because of the terrorist attack in Manchester. Chelsea says it would be inappropriate to hold a parade in London this weekend after Monday’s bombing at a concert at Manchester Arena. The club says “given the heightened security threat announced by the government, and recognizing that this is a developing situation, we have given this careful consideration.” Chelsea also says it does not want to divert emergency services. English champs traditionally celebrate by driving through city streets on an open top-bus, with players waving to fans.
MESSI TAX APPEAL DENIED
Barcelona soccer star Lionel Messi and his father, Jorge Ho
racio Messi, lost their appeal to Spain’s Supreme Court over a 21month prison sentence for tax fraud that originally was handed down by a Barcelona court. Multiple outlets reported the ruling. Neither man is expected to serve prison time. Under Spanish law, unless there are prior offenses, prison sentences of less than two years are often suspended, or probation will suffice. A Barcelona court found both guilty in 2016 of defrauding on their taxes from 2007 to 2009 — equaling three counts of tax fraud — for using shell companies to avoid taxes on income from the player’s image rights.
FOURTH-RANKED HALEP MIGHT MISS FRENCH OPEN
Simona Halep could miss the French Open because of a torn right ankle ligament. The fourthranked Romanian was injured during the Italian Open final. She tripped while leading 5-2 in the first set and eventually lost to
Elina Svitolina 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. Wednesday, Halep wrote on Instagram that she was “keeping my fingers crossed” to play at Roland Garros. The tournament begins Sunday in Paris.