McCaffrey to miss three more games
The Carolina Panthers put running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least the next three games with a hamstring injury.
McCaffrey has missed two games, both Carolina losses.
The earliest he will be able to return to game action is Nov. 7 against the New England Patriots. McCaffrey will have missed 18 of 24 games with injuries since becoming the league’s highest-paid running back following the 2019 season.
The Indianapolis Colts activated receiver T.Y. Hilton from injured reserve in time for Sunday’s game against Houston but will not have kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, who was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury. Michael Badgley will replace Blankenship . ... The Tennessee Titans will have outside linebacker Bud Dupree back for the first time in three games Monday night after the Titans did not have an injury designation on their final injury report for Dupree. Titans starting cornerback Kristian Fulton (hamstring) is out . ... The Baltimore Ravens activated rookie receiver Rashod Bateman (groin) from injured reserve, and the firstround draft pick is eligible to make his NFL debut Sunday against the Chargers.
Salata, creator of Mr. Irrelevant, dies
Paul Salata, who created the Mr. Irrelevant Award that honors the last selection of the NFL draft after playing end at USC, the NFL and Canadian Football League, has died. He was 94.
He died of natural causes at home in Newport Beach, a day before his 95th birthday, USC announced.
Salata created the Mr. Irrelevant Award in 1976.
The player and his family were invited to spend a week in Orange County enjoying activities including a trip to Disneyland and a golf tournament, and the honoree received the Lowsman Trophy depicting a player fumbling a football.
Salata played for the San Francisco 49ers (1949-50), Baltimore Colts (1950) and Pittsburgh Steelers (1950-51), catching 50 passes with four touchdowns in his career.
He also played in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders in 1952, earning All-Star honors that season, and with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1953.
Pro Football Hall of Fame President David Baker announced his retirement.
Baker, 68, had served in the role of president and executive director since January 2014. Jim Porter, 57, the Hall’s chief marketing and communications officer since April 2020, was named president and will oversee all daily business operations.
Rickie Fowler recorded his best round in three years, a nine-under 63 that gave him a two-shot lead left, won’t be able to return until Nov. 7 at the earliest because of a hamstring injury.
over Rory McIlroy going into the final round of the CJ Cup at Summit in Las Vegas. Fowler, who has plunged to No. 128 in the world rankings, birdied three of his last five holes and was at 21-under 195 . ... Miguel Angel Jimenez eagled the par-five 17th in a four-under 68 for a share of the second-round lead with Alex Cejka in the PGA Tour Champions’ SAS Championship in Cary, N.C.
Casey Martin, the Oregon golf coach who successfully sued the PGA Tour for the right to use a cart because of a rare circulatory disease, had his right leg amputated in what he told Golf Digest was always going to be “my destiny.”
The magazine reported that he had surgery Friday and was recovering at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
The Memphis Grizzlies exercised the rookie contract options for 2022-23 for point guard Ja Morant, forward Brandon Clarke and guard Desmond Bane.
All four spots in the championship round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series remained up for grabs after nonplayoff qualifier John Hunter Nemechek overcame a late penalty to win at Texas Motor Speedway. Nemechek won the first of three races in the round of eight, leaving the playoff drivers with two more chances in the semifinals, at Kansas and Martinsville, to qualify for the championship finale in Phoenix . ... Steve Torrence made the quickest top fuel run in Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway history with a 3.667-second run at 331.28 mph to top qualifying for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
The Vegas Golden Knights lost two more players as forward Max Pacioretty is week to week with a broken foot and captain Mark Stone day to day with a lower-body injury . ... Alex Bishop, a University of Toronto goalie, dressed as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ backup to starter Jack Campbell on Saturday with Petr Mrazek out with a groin injury and the Maple Leafs facing a salary cap squeeze.
Sandor Martin scored a majority-decision win over Mikey Garcia in a boxing match in Fresno . ... Vadim Nemkov got a fourth-round submission of Julius Anglickas to defend his light-heavyweight title in the main event of Bellator 268 in Phoenix.