Sherman sorry; pleads not guilty
SEATTLE — Former Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers star cornerback Richard Sherman said Friday that he is “deeply remorseful” after his arrest on accusations of drunkenly crashing his SUV in a construction zone and trying to break in to his in-laws’ suburban Seattle home this week. Sherman, 33 and currently an NFL free agent, tweeted a statement before appearing in court and pleading not guilty to drunken driving, criminal trespassing, resisting arrest and other charges. “I behaved in a manner I am not proud of,” Sherman wrote. “I have been dealing with some personal challenges over the last several months, but that is not an excuse for how I acted. The importance of mental and emotional health is extremely real and I vow to get the help I need.” Sherman, who was released from jail Thursday, was arraigned on five criminal charges that also include reckless endangerment of road workers and malicious mischief. They are all misdemeanors, punishable by up to 90 days in jail, or gross misdemeanors, punishable by up to one year. Sherman was belligerent, had been drinking heavily and spoke of killing himself when he left his home in the Seattle suburb of Maple Valley late Tuesday, according to police reports. His wife, Ashley Sherman, called 911 to try to have police stop him. In February, King County prosecutors and the sheriff obtained an “extreme risk protection order” for Sherman, which barred him from having guns after a judge determined he posed a danger to himself or others. Details of the case were sealed, and it was not immediately clear if any weapons had been seized from him. The arrest was Sherman’s first known involvement with the criminal justice system. In his statement, he thanked community members and his family for supporting him.
BASEBALL
› TORONTO —The Toronto Blue Jays were given approval from the Canadian government Friday for an exemption on border restrictions that would allow them to play in Canada later this month. The Blue Jays had asked the federal government to allow them to play at Rogers Centre starting July 30 and wanted a response by Friday. “After nearly two years away, the Toronto Blue Jays are finally coming home to Canada beginning July 30,” the team said in a release. “The club was granted a National Interest Exemption by the federal government that allows Major League Baseball games to be played at Rogers Centre, with robust health and safety protocols in place.” The Blue Jays played home games during the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo, New York, and started this season in Dunedin, Florida, before moving to Buffalo. The Canadian government didn’t allow the team to play in Toronto because of the risk of spreading COVID-19, citing frequent travel required in the United States during the season.
BASKETBALL
› LAS VEGAS — Breanna Stewart and her Olympic teammates aren’t panicking, even after their U.S. women’s basketball program lost consecutive games for the first time in a decade. Two days after losing to a team of WNBA All-Stars, the Americans fell to Australia 70-67 on Friday in an exhibition game intended to be a warmup for this month’s Tokyo Games. “The standard is winning, and we haven’t gotten to that point yet,” said Stewart, who scored 17 points, adding that she believes “we’ll get to where we want to be” in time for Tokyo. The Americans, who got together as a team for the first time earlier this week, had 18 turnovers and were just 2-for-18 from 3-point range against Australia. It was the first time the U.S. women have lost backto-back games since 2011 in Spain. The Americans had gone 29-2 since then in exhibitions.