Saints’ Armstead faces surgery on shoulder
The New Orleans Saints have lost starting left tackle Terron Armstead for the start of the regular season. Armstead needs surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder, and his rehabilitation is expected to take four to six months, said a person familiar with the situation.
The 6-foot-5, 304-pound Armstead is in the first year of a five-year, $65million extension that he signed before the 2016 season. He has been a starter since late in his rookie season in 2013.
Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey is recovering from surgery to “treat a core muscle injury” sustained during organized team activities. Ramsey had surgery Thursday. Jacksonville offered no timetable on Ramsey’s return, making it unclear whether he will be ready for the start of training camp in late July.
Brooke Henderson bogeyed the final two holes for a four-under 67, leaving the 19-year-old Canadian with a two-stroke lead in the Meijer LPGA Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Henderson had seven birdies and three bogeys in the second round to reach 12-under 130 at Blythefield. She had a one-stroke lead Thursday after an opening 63.
Lexi Thompson, coming off a playoff loss to Ariya Jutanugarn on Sunday in Canada, followed her opening 64 with a 68 to join Carlota Ciganda (64) and Mi Jung Hur (66) at 10 under. Moriya Jutanugarn, Ariya’s older sister, was nine under after a 66.
Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. are neck and neck at the top of the NASCAR Cup Series standings. Now, they’re set to start at the front for this weekend’s race at Michigan International Speedway.
Larson won the pole and Truex qualified second at the Brooklyn track, another impressive showing for the duo that’s been so consistently strong this season. Truex is first in the standings, one point ahead of Larson.
Clint Bowyer was third in qualifying, followed by Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney, last week’s winner.
Jimmie Johnson, fresh off another championship — and with three more victories already this season — is showing no signs of slowing down. And he agreed to a three-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports through 2020. Hendrick announced the deal with the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Friday.
The Ducks put defenseman Simon Despres on waivers for the purpose of buying out his contract.
The move was expected for Despres, whose career has been in jeopardy because of a history of concussions.
Despres, 25, had four more years on his contract, at an average annual value of $3.7 million. The buyout will be spread out over eight years, starting at $1.2 million next season, according to capfriendly.com.
Despres, a solid stay-at-home defender, was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in March of 2015. But he suffered a concussion on a hit from Tyson Barrie four games into the 201516 season and missed 42 games. He took another hit to the head in March of 2016, missed six games and later admitted he played through concussion symptoms in the 2016 playoffs.
In a related development, multiple outlets have reported that the Ducks are working on a contract extension for defenseman Cam Fowler. — Curtis Zupke
Florida gave raises and extensions to Gators football coach Jim McElwain and men’s basketball coach Mike White that keep them under contract into 2023. McElwain, who won the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division title in each of his first two years in Gainesville, will make $4.486 million annually over the next six years. He also got a significant bump in potential bonuses. White, who led the Gators to the Elite Eight in his second season at Florida, will make $2.525 million next season, up more than $600,000. His average compensation will be $2.712 million.