Watson reports to training camp
Deshaun Watson reported to Houston Texans training camp Sunday, multiple media outlets reported.
The Associated Press, citing a person familiar with Watson’s decision, reported that the quarterback still wants to be traded and reported to avoid being fined. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Watson would have faced fines of $50,000 a day if he didn’t report. Players were reporting for COVID-19 testing and meetings Sunday, with practice scheduled to begin Wednesday.
Watson led the NFL in yards passing last season and signed a four-year, $156million contract extension with the Texans last offseason. But he became unhappy with the direction of the team and requested a trade in January after the Texans sunk to 4-12 last season.
His future was further clouded in March after 22 women filed lawsuits alleging he sexually assaulted or harassed them. Houston police and the NFL are investigating the allegations, but no charges have been filed.
The Texans signed veteran Tyrod Taylor to a oneyear deal in March to give them an insurance policy at quarterback if Watson can’t or won’t play this season. Houston drafted Stanford’s Davis Mills in the third round of this year’s draft, and he and Jeff Driskel ,arecent free-agent signee, likely will compete to back up Taylor if Watson isn’t an option.
Cleveland Browns rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will miss the start of his first NFL training camp after being put on the COVID-19 list . ... Chicago Bears running back and return specialist Tarik Cohen is being placed on the physically unable to perform list as training camp begins. Cohen is still working back from the knee injury he suffered last fall, but the Bears hope he will be back at full health for the regular season
. ... The Minnesota Vikings signed former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Dede Westbrook.
ETC. Big 12 execs try to prevent exits
Barring a big change of direction, Texas and Oklahoma are moving toward taking the Red River Rivalry to the Southeastern Conference in a seismic shift that will have major repercussions in college sports.
According to multiple reports, the first and significant formal step of the process could come as soon as Monday with the two schools informing the Big 12 that they will not renew the contractual agreement that binds conference members until 2025.
The Big 12 said Sunday night that its executive committee of Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec, Baylor President Linda Livingstone and Commissioner Bob Bowlsby held a videoconference with Oklahoma President Joe Harroz and Texas President Jay Hartzell.
If the Big 12 can’t get Oklahoma and Texas to reverse course, expect the lawyers to take over. An early departure could cost the schools well over $100 million combined.
Matthew Hoppe scored his first international goal on a header in the 83rd minute, and the United States beat Jamaica 1-0 in Arlington, Texas, to reach the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The U.S. eliminated the 45th-ranked Reggae Boyz for the third straight Gold Cup. The 20th-ranked U.S. will face Qatar, an invited guest ahead of its hosting next year’s World Cup, on Thursday in Austin, Texas. It will be the 11th consecutive Gold Cup semifinal for the Americans.
In the opening game of the doubleheader, No. 70 Canada beat 50th-ranked Costa Rica 2-0.
Canada will play defending champion Mexico in a semifinal Thursday in Houston.
In MLS, Sporting Kansas City handed the Seattle Sounders their first home loss of the season, 3-1.
Defenseman Marc Staal is staying put in Detroit, while the Vancouver Canucks put forward Jake Virtanen on waivers for the purpose of buying out the final year of his contract.
The Red Wings’ deal with Staal is for one season and $2 million. Staal, 34, returns to Detroit for a second year after spending his first 13 NHL seasons with the New York Rangers.
The Canucks are parting ways with the underperforming Virtanen after six seasons. He was placed on leave May 1 after being accused in a lawsuit of sexually assaulting a woman four years earlier.
The 20-year-old son of University of Minnesota hockey coach Bob Motzko died of injuries from a car crash after the speeding vehicle he was riding in went off the road in a Minneapolis suburb.
Mack Motzko, who played junior hockey last season, died at a hospital after being taken there from the crash Saturday night in Orono. One of the other two people in the vehicle, a 24year-old male in the front passenger seat, died at the scene. The 51-year-old male driver was critically injured, according to Orono police. The crash remained under investigation.
Top-seeded Danielle Collins won her first WTA title, beating qualifier ElenaGabriela Ruse 6-4, 6-2 in the Palermo (Italy) Ladies Open final. Collins, a 27year-old American, lost a quarterfinal to Ruse two weeks ago in Hamburg, Germany, where the Romanian went on to win as a qualifier.
Top fuel star Steve Torrence won the NHRA Sonoma Nationals for his third consecutive victory. Robert Hight raced to his third straight funny car win at the track, Aaron Stanfield topped the pro stock field, and Karen Stoffer won in pro stock motorcycle. The Western swing will end next week at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
A 14-year-old Spanish rider died after being struck by another rider in a motorcycle race in Spain, organizers said. Hugo Millan was run over after going down in the middle of the track on the second lap of the European Talent Cup race at the MotorLand Aragon Circuit.
Gloria Ratti, a champion of women’s running who rose from a finish-line volunteer at the Boston Marathon to vice president of the race’s organizing body, has died at 90. A fixture at the historic marathon, Ratti died Saturday after “a courageous battle with cancer,” the Boston Athletic Assn. said.