OSU reportedly voted against canceling fall football season
A court filing disclosed Monday shows Big Ten Conference presidents voted 11-3 to postpone the football season, bringing some clarity to a key question raised in a lawsuit brought by a group of Nebraska football players.
The vote breakdown was revealed in the Big Ten’s response to the lawsuit.
The court documents did not identify how each school voted, but a person familiar with the outcome told the Associated Press that Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska voted against postponing the fall football season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Big Ten was not planning on making the specifics of its vote public.
The Big Ten announced Aug. 11 it would move its football season from fall to spring semester because of health risks associated with the coronavirus pandemic. The Pac-12 followed suit, joining the Mid-american Conference and the Mountain West.
The eight Nebraska players are seeking the reinstatement of a fall season.
“The Big Ten Conference continues to share the disappointment that student-athletes and families are feeling,” the conference said in a statement. “The Big Ten Return to Competition Task Force will continue to be transparent as it actively considers options to get back to competition when it is safe to play.”
The lawsuit contends, among other things, that the players are losing a chance for development, exposure for a possible pro career and won’t be able to market themselves to eventually capitalize on name, image and likeness revenue opportunities.
The lawsuit says the Big Ten’s decision-making process was “flawed and ambiguous” and called into question whether the league’s Council of Presidents and Chancellors formally voted on the decision. The medical studies used to make the decision, the lawsuit says, were not relevant to the circumstances of college-age athletes and did not take into account school safety measures.
Browns linebacker Mack doesn’t need knee surgery
Cleveland Browns starting linebacker Mack Wilson does not need surgery for his hyperextended left knee and is expected to play this season.
Wilson hurt his knee while breaking up a pass in practice Aug. 18. He was carted off the field, and there was fear the second-year linebacker from Alabama might be done for the season. But after getting a second medical opinion, an operation was ruled out.
First-year coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Tuesday that Mack will return at some point. There is no definitive timetable on when he’ll be on the field.
Gauff bounced from US Open following three-set loss
Coco Gauff’s stay at the U.S. Open was short.
Anastasija Sevastova knocked off the 16-year-old Gauff 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 on Monday.
It was Gauff’s earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament in four appearances. She had 13 double-faults.
On Tuesday, Sam Querrey was beaten by a player who missed more than two years because of a hip injury.
Andrey Kuznetsov beat Querrey 6-4, 7-5 (6), 6-2 to complete the long comeback, getting his first tour-level win since 2017. The Russian returned to play last month at a Prague Challenger event and lost his only match after a two-year, seven-month layoff because of the hip.
Kuznetsov was ranked No. 39 in 2016 before the hip problems sidetracked his career. He’s the first unranked player to win a Grand Slam match since Nicolas Kiefer at Wimbledon in 2007.
In other matches Monday, top-seeded Novak Djokovic breezed past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-4, 6-1.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka managed to overcome her own uneven play to pull out a three-set victory over Misaki Doi in an all-japanese matchup, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
Steve Johnson knocked off 16thseeded John Isner 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (3) in a match that lasted 3 hours, 50 minutes.
Seventh-seeded David Goffin held on to beat Reilly Opelka 7-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. And 19th-seeded Taylor Fritz topped Dominik Koepfer 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. The 6-foot-11 Opelka is tied as the tallest Top-50 player in ATP rankings history.
No. 9 seed Diego Schwartzman blew a two-set lead and was knocked out by Cameron Norrie 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 in a match that took nearly four hours.
LSU receiver Chase won’t play this season
LSU record-setting receiver Ja’marr Chase announced his decision to opt out of the 2020 season Monday.
And a person familiar with the situation said defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin, who started 13 games last season, also has told coaches he will opt out. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Shelvin’s decision has not been announced.
Arnette’s play leads Raiders to release veteran cornerback
The Las Vegas Raiders released cornerback Prince Amukamara on Monday and will instead go with unproven players in the secondary.
Amukamara was signed as a free agent to provide a veteran presence in the secondary across from second-year cornerback Trayvon Mullen. He started 99 games over nine seasons with the Giants, Jacksonville and Chicago, but had been surpassed in practice by rookie Damon Arnette from Ohio State.
The Raiders plan to start the season with Arnette and Mullen as the starting outside cornerbacks. Mullen fared well in 10 starts last season as a rookie. Arnette was drafted 19th overall in April.
PGA Tour event in Japan to relocate to California
The Zozo Championship is moving from Japan to California this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the anchor of a West Coast Swing in the fall portion of the schedule that is certain to attract strong fields.
The $8 million tournament will be played Oct. 22-25 at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California, with Tiger Woods as the defending champion on a course where he has won five times.
It will be called the Zozo Championship at Sherwood, a similar title to the South Korean event moving to Las Vegas the week before. That one will be called the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek. Both tournaments will return to Asia next fall.
ASSOCIATED PRESS