Brady now a minority owner of WNBA's Las Vegas Aces
Seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady has acquired an ownership stake in the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
He attended an Aces game on May 31 and later sent Las Vegas star Kelsey Plum a jersey and other gifts.
“I am very excited to be part of the Las Vegas Aces organization,” Brady said in a statement Thursday. “My love for women's sports began at a young age when I would tag along to all my older sisters' games — they were by far the best athletes in our house! We celebrated their accomplishments together as a family, and they remain a great inspiration to me.
“I have always been a huge fan of women's sports, and I admire the work that the Aces' players, staff, and the WNBA continue to do to grow the sport and empower future generations of athletes. To be able to contribute in any way to that mission as a member of the Aces organization is an incredible honor.”
Brady announced his retirement Feb. 1 at age 45. He won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Buccaneers and owns multiple passing records over a 23-year career.
“Tom Brady is a win not only for the Aces, and the WNBA, but for women's professional sports as a whole,” Aces owner Mark
Davis said in a statement.
Davis also owns the Raiders, who had reportedly been trying to convince the former Serra High standout to sign with Vegas in free agency before he retired.
NFL 49ERS SIGN FREE-AGENT LINEMAN BRYANT >>
The 49ers signed free agent defensive lineman Austin Bryant to a one-year contract.
Bryant was originally drafted by Detroit in the fourth round in 2019. In four years with the Lions, he had 65 tackles, 4 1/2 sacks and one pass defensed in 33 games.
He played nine games last season with nine tackles and one pass defensed. MOREAU SAYS HE HAS CANCER >> NFL tight end Foster Moreau posted on Twitter he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma during a physical with the New Orleans Saints.
“I'm grateful for the support and thankful for people who have stood firm with me,” Moreau tweeted. “There hasn't been a single step I've taken without hundreds of people lighting the path before me, and I will continue to seek their guidance.
The 25-year-old Moreau added he was stepping away from football for now and vowed to beat the cancer “and get back to doing what I love!”
Moreau is a free agent who played the previous four seasons for the Raiders,
who took him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft out of LSU when the Las Vegas team was based in Oakland. Last season, he set career highs with 33 catches for 420 yards. Moreau also caught two touchdown passes.
Golf MCILROY ADDS ANOTHER MATCH PLAY WIN >>
Rory McIlroy had every reason to love the long ball.
Taken to the 18th hole in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, McIlroy unleashed the shot of the tournament. He smashed a drive on the 375-yard closing hole so magnificently that it pitched on the green and rolled out to just inside 4 feet.
That all but clinched his 2-up victory over Denny McCarthy as McIlroy led a parade of top seeds into the final round of group play at Austin Country Club.
“It was good,” McIlroy said with a smile, which was like saying Michelangelo did a good job on the Sistine Chapel.
He capped a rally from 3 down through six holes. McIlroy didn't take his first lead in the match until another power show — a big drive into the wind on the par-5 16th to set up a twoputt birdie from 18 feet.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who had to make a 12-footer on the last hole to win his first match, had seven birdies in a nine-hole stretch in the middle of his match against Alex Noren for a 5-and-4 victory.
Patrick Cantlay (4), Max Homa from Cal (5) and Xander Schauffele (6) also won their matches as four of the top six seeds took a 2-0 record into today in a bid to win their group and advance to the knockout stage on the weekend.
Will Zalatoris of San Francisco, the No. 7 seed was among the 20 players who were eliminated.
Tennis GAUFF, PEGULA ADVANCE AT MIAMI OPEN >>
Sixthseeded Coco Gauff opened her 2023 Miami Open with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Rebecca Marino and advanced to the third round to face Anastasia Potapova.
Gauff's doubles teammate, world No. 3 Jessica Pegula beat Katherine Sebov 6-3, 6-1 and advanced to the third round.
College football EX-SPARTANS QB PIERCE DIES AT 89 >>
Former San Jose State quarterback and San Jose Sports Hall of Famer Wayne “Benny” Pierce recently died at 89.
Pierce, who graduated from Los Gatos High in 1951, was the Spartans' quarterback from 1953-54. Following his playing career, Pierce was Saratoga High's football coach for 36 years, where his teams won 16 league title and four Central Coast Section championships.
A memorial service is planned in his honor Saturday at Venture Christian Church in Los Gatos.