Rooney returning to England from DC to play for Derby
DERBY, ENGLAND >> Wayne Rooney will be leaving Major League Soccer after less than two seasons to return to play in England and be closer to his family.
The 33-year-old former England captain will remain at D.C. United until the end of the season before joining second-tier Championship team Derby County as player-coach from January.
Rooney has signed an 18-month contract that can be extended until the end of the 2021-22 season.
“I am very excited about the opportunity that Derby County have provided me with,” Rooney said. “I am sure I can make a big contribution and can’t wait to meet everyone, especially the supporters. I am equally excited to begin my coaching career at Derby County working with both the first team and academy.”
Rooney, who is the record goal scorer for Manchester United and England, had another two years remaining on the contract he signed with D.C. United after joining from Everton in 2018.
“After speaking to Wayne and understanding his difficult situation of being so far away from his family, we have accepted that this is the best decision for all parties,” said D.C. United cochairmen Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien.
Chelsea apologizes
LONDON >> English Premier League club Chelsea has apologized for the “terrible past experiences” of some former youth players after an investigation into child sexual abuse.
Barrister Charles Geekie found that Eddie Heath, who coached Chelsea’s youth teams from 1968-1979, was a “dangerous and prolific child abuser. His conduct was beyond reprehensible.”
Geekie said the abuse by Heath, who died in 1983, “was able to occur unchallenged,” and his report documented “the life-changing impact it had on those affected.”
Former Crewe manager Dario Gradi, who was suspended by the Football Association in 2016 amid separate investigations, was criticized by Geekie for failing to stop Heath when working at Chelsea in the early 1970s.
European Tour suspends Olesen
VIRGINIA WATER, ENGLAND >> The European Tour has suspended Thorbjorn Olesen pending the investigation into his arrest on charges of being drunk on an aircraft and assaulting a female passenger while she slept.
Olesen is to appear in court on Aug. 21 on charges of sexual assault, being drunk on an aircraft and common assault, according to Metropolitan Police in London.
The European Tour said Tuesday in a statement the Danish golfer has been suspended pending the outcome of his case. The tour said it would have no further comment while the legal matter proceeds.
Lewis backs equal pay, calls Trump racist
LIMA, PERU >> Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis said female athletes deserve fair and equal pay and criticized President Donald Trump for being “racist” and “misogynistic.”
Lewis spoke in the Peruvian capital of Lima, where he will present the 100-meter and long jump medals at the Pan American Games. He also said that he became an athlete thanks to his mother, who competed in the first Pan Am Games in Buenos Aires in 1951.
“If I didn’t have a strong woman in my life, I wouldn’t be sitting here today,” he said at a press conference with Penn Wood’s Leroy Burrell, a former world record-holder in the 100 meters. “My mother was a pi