49ers' Bosa agrees to historic deal worth a reported $170M

By The Associated Press

Nick Bosa’s lengthy contract holdout ended four days before the start of the season for the San Francisco 49ers when he agreed to a contract extension that will make him the NFL’S richest defensive player ever.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that the two sides agreed to the contract and that Bosa is on his way to the team facility. Shanahan said he expects Bosa to be able to play in the season opener Sunday at Pittsburgh despite missing all of training camp.

ESPN first reported the extension and said it was worth $170 million over five seasons with $122.5 million guaranteed. The average annual payout of $34 million tops the previous mark of $31.7 million for Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and the guarantees top the $102 million Bosa’s older brother, Joey, got from the Chargers in 2020.

■ The Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce was held out of practice and listed as questionable for tonight’s season opener against Detroit, one day after the All-pro tight end hyperextended his knee in practice.

■ Defensive end Chandler Jones was not at the Las Vegas facility a day after he posted, then deleted social media posts critical of Raiders management, and his status for Sunday’s season opener at Denver is in question.

■ Edge rusher Carl Nassib, the NFL’S first openly gay player to play in a regular-season game, announced his retirement.

Nassib came out in 2021 while with the Las Vegas Raiders. He spent last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Nassib, 30, a third-round pick by the Browns in 2016, had 251/2 sacks in seven seasons with Cleveland, Las Vegas and two stints in Tampa Bay.

Mitrovic hired to coach U.S. U-23 men’s team

Marko Mitrovic was hired to coach the U.S. under-23 men’s team at next year’s Paris Games, the first Olympics for the Americans since 2008. Mitrovic, 45, was an assistant for the Chicago Fire from 2016-19 and Reading from 2020-22, then became head coach of the U.S. under-19 team in April 2022. He served as an assistant to national team interim head coaches Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan from this April until July.

■ Spanish player Jenni Hermoso has accused Luis Rubiales of sexual assault for kissing her on the lips without her consent after the Women’s World Cup final, the country’s prosecutors’ office said.

Rubiales, the now-suspended president of the Spanish soccer federation, kissed Hermoso on the lips during the awards ceremony after Spain beat England to win the title Aug. 20 in Sydney, Australia.

Rubiales has insisted the kiss was consensual. Hermoso has denied that in statements issued by her and her players’ union.

The prosecutors’ office in Madrid said that, according to a sexual consent law passed last year, Rubiales could face a fine or a prison sentence of one to four years if found guilty. The new law eliminated the difference between “sexual harassment” and “sexual assault,” sanctioning any unconsented sexual act.

Spain’s government, players’ unions, players and many citizens have come out in support of Hermoso.

Rubiales, meanwhile, has become a soccer outcast even while he refuses to resign.

Germany to face U.S. in World Cup semifinal

Germany will play the United States in the semifinals of the Basketball World Cup, a rematch of an exhibition matchup from earlier this summer in which the Americans needed a big rally to win.

Franz Wagner scored 16 points and Germany — the last unbeaten team left in the World Cup — held off Latvia 81-79 in a quarterfinal game, pulling away in the fourth quarter of what had been a back-and-forth game for the first 30 minutes.

Next up: The U.S. on Friday for a spot in Sunday’s gold medal game. The U.S. beat Germany 99-91 on Aug. 20 in Abu Dhabi, rallying from a 16-point secondhalf deficit and needing an 18-0 run down the stretch to take control.

Gamblers plead guilty to reduced charge

Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers is among three athletes from his school and two from Iowa who have pleaded guilty to underage gambling.

The five were among more than a dozen athletes from the two schools who faced criminal charges in connection to a state investigation into illegal sports wagering. All originally were charged with tampering with records, an aggravated misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison.

The reduced charge carries a $650 fine, and the plea agreement reached Tuesday closes legal proceedings against the five.

Also taking the plea were former Cyclones offensive lineman Dodge Sauser, current Iowa State offensive lineman Jacob Remsburg, former Iowa kicker Aaron Blom and former Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen.

Nemechek to return to NASCAR top series

John Hunter Nemechek will return to NASCAR’S top Cup Series next season when he joins Legacy Motor Club, which will become a Toyota team in 2024 and promote its development driver.

Nemechek will drive the No. 42 Chevrolet that was initially driven by Noah Gragson, but he abruptly quit the team last month while under NASCAR suspension. That created an opportunity for Legacy co-owners Jimmie Johnson and Maury Gallagher to start fresh, and, as the team prepares for its move to Toyota, took a driver favored by the manufacturer.

Senators’ Sanderson signs 8-year extension

The Ottawa Senators signed defenseman Jake Sanderson to an eight-year, $64.4 million contract extension.the 21-year-old, selected No. 5 overall by Ottawa in the 2020 NHL draft, had four goals and 28 assists in 77 games as a rookie with the Senators last season.

■ Spain’s Jesús Herrada pulled away on an uphill climb to win the 11th stage of the Spanish Vuelta to Vinuesa, while American rider Sepp Kuss kept the race lead for a fourth straight day. Kuss stayed 26 seconds ahead of Marc Soler in the overall standings.