TRUMP SIDESWIPES NASCAR, WALLACE OVER FLAG, NOOSE

WASHINGTON» NASCAR’s layered relationship with President Donald Trump took a sharp turn Monday when Trump took a swipe at the racing organization for banning the Confederate flag and wrongly accused the sport’s only full-time Black driver of perpetrating “a hoax” when a crew member found a noose in the team garage stall.

Trump suggested Bubba Wallace should apologize after the sport rallied around him after the noose was found in his assigned stall at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Federal authorities ruled last month the noose had been hanging since October and was not a hate crime. NASCAR and the FBI have exclusively referred to the rope — which was used to pull the garage door closed — as a noose.

It was the only garage pull out of 1,684 stalls at 29 inspected NASCAR tracks to be fashioned as a noose.

NASCAR President Steve Phelps has bristled at suggestions the noose was a hoax. Wallace was shown a photograph of the noose, never personally saw it, and was told by NASCAR officials he was the victim of a hate crime.

Also on Monday, the president criticized a pair of pro sports teams that are considering name changes.

Trump tweeted, “They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct.”

Holdorf, 1964 Olympic decathlon

champion, dies at 80. BERLIN» Willi Holdorf, the 1964 Olympic decathlon champion, has died. He was 80. Holdorf led in Tokyo after nine of the 10 events. But his Soviet rival Rein Aun was stronger in the last event, the 1,500 meters. To win, Holdorf had to finish within 17 seconds of Aun. Holdorf had never achieved that, but his coach deliberately misled him and told him 12 seconds. Holdorf, exhausted, weaved across the lanes down the final straight before collapsing over the finish line. He was exactly 12 seconds behind Aun, who helped him off the track.

PGA Tour, Memorial scrap plans to have limited spectators. The PGA Tour and the Memorial scrapped state-approved plans to have limited spectators next week because of what it described as rapidly changing dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Memorial, hosted by Jack Nicklaus at his Muirfield Village Golf

Club in Dublin, Ohio, was in line to be the first tournament with spectators since golf resumed its schedule on June 11 in Texas.

Bolton left Penn State after coach’s “noose” comment. Iowa State guard Rasir Bolton said he decided to leave Penn State last spring because of a comment by coach Pat Chambers, who said the player had a noose around his neck. Bolton tweeted that Chambers made the noose comment after the coach returned from a onegame suspension for shoving Nittany Lions player Myles Dread.

Native American groups ask NFL to force Redskins name change. WASHINGTON» More than a dozen Native American leaders and organizations sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday calling for the league to force Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder to change the team name. The letter was signed by 15 Native American advocates and obtained by The AP.

MLS MVP Vela will skip LAFC’s trip to Orlando tourney.

LOS ANGELES» Major League Soccer MVP Carlos Vela will not accompany Los Angeles FC to the league’s return tournament in Orlando this month. Vela announced his decision Monday, citing his concern for the health of his family, including his pregnant wife, Saioa.

49ers sign CB Taylor to one-year contract. CALIF.»The

SANTA CLARA,

San Francisco 49ers signed cornerback Jamar Taylor to a one-year contract.