Former NFL receiver Caldwell shot and killed
Former NFL wide receiver Donald “Reche” Caldwell was shot and killed on Saturday in Tampa, Fla. He was 41.
His mother, Deborah Caldwell, confirmed his death to TMZ on Sunday. The outlet reported Caldwell was shot by assailants who jumped out of bushes in an attempted robbery.
“He was a good person who smiled all of the time,” his mother told TMZ. “He tried to help everyone he could.”
Caldwell played collegiately at Florida for coach Steve Spurrier from 19982001 and posted 141 career receptions for 2,088 yards and 18 touchdowns.
The then-San Diego Chargers selected him in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft, and Caldwell played 47 games in four seasons for the club, followed by a season each with the New England Patriots and Washington. He finished with 152 career receptions for 1,851 yards and 11 touchdowns in six seasons from 2002-07.
Caldwell led the Patriots in 2006 with 61 receptions and 760 yards, his only season with the club.
Former New England teammate Ben Watson, a tight end, remembered Caldwell fondly on Twitter:
“Always kept us laughing and light hearted. Always had the biggest smile. Always had the greatest stories. Sad to hear about the passing of my teammate Reche Caldwell. May the Lord comfort his family during this time.”
• Former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Ken Riley died Sunday morning in Bartow, Fla. He was 72.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported his death but did not reveal a cause.
Riley spent his entire 15year NFL career (1969-83) with the Bengals, earning first-team All-Pro honors in his final season. He recorded a franchise-best 65 interceptions to go along with 18 fumble recoveries in 207 career games (201 starts) after being selected by Cincinnati in the sixth round of the 1969 NFL Draft.
He is tied with Charles Woodson for the fifth-most interceptions in NFL history.
Riley, who played quarterback at Florida A&M prior to joining the Bengals, became the coach of the Rattlers from 1986-93 at his alma mater. He later served as the school’s athletic director from 1994-2002.
• John Zook, who teamed with Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey to give the Atlanta Falcons a dynamic combination at defensive end, has died. He was 72.
His brother, Dean Zook, confirmed the death to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The former player died Saturday in his native Kansas after a long battle with cancer.
Initially a fourth-round pick by the Rams out of Kansas, Zook wound up in Atlanta after a pair of trades, first to Philadelphia, then to the Falcons.
Zook was with Atlanta from 1969-75, lining up on the right while Humphrey held down the left side.
He never missed a game during his tenure with the Falcons, starting 97 of 98 contests. He made his only Pro Bowl appearance in 1973.
Zook was dealt to St. Louis in 1976, spending his last four seasons with the Cardinals.
Mixed martial arts
NUNES MAKES HISTORY WITH DOMINATING WIN >>
Amanda Nunes became the first UFC fighter to defend two championship belts while actively holding the titles in both weight classes Saturday night, earning a dominant unanimous decision over featherweight contender Felicia Spencer at UFC 250.
Nunes (20-4), widely considered the greatest female fighter in mixed martial arts history, is the UFC’s champion of the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. The list of twodivision UFC champions is short, and no one else has defended both belts.
“Guys, no one else ever did that before!” Nunes said. “It’s amazing. I knew something big was going to happen in my life. Sometimes you’re surprised by how big it is.”
Former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt also knocked out Raphael Assunção an instant before the second-round bell in the co-main event at a fan-free gym on the UFC’s corporate campus in Las Vegas.
• Conor McGregor has announced his retirement for the third time in four years.
McGregor abruptly made his latest dubious declaration Sunday morning on his Twitter account, where the former two-division UFC champion also announced his retirement in 2016 and 2019.
“Hey guys I’ve decided to retire from fighting,” McGregor wrote in a caption below a photo of him and his mother. “Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been!”
Boxing
MAYER HAS CORONAVIRUS, OUT OF MATCH >>
Junior lightweight contender Mikaela
Mayer has tested positive for COVID-19 and won’t fight in the co-main event of Las Vegas’ first major boxing card since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mayer announced her positive test on social media, two days before her scheduled bout against Helen Joseph in the Top Rank show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Tuesday night.
Mayer (12-0, 5 KOs) is a former U.S. Olympian and a rising star in the 130-pound division. Mayer is asymptomatic, but she tested positive for the virus on Saturday, she says.
Mayer was scheduled to face Joseph in a 10-round bout as she angles for a world title shot later this year.
Basketball
TOP PROSPECT KUMINGA RECLASSIFIES FOR 2020 >>
Jonathan Kuminga, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2021, is reclassifying to the Class of 2020 and considering playing in the developmental G League, according to multiple reports.
The 6-foot-8 forward graduated Sunday from The Patrick School in Hillside, N.J. Both the 247Sports composite and ESPN list him as the top player in the 2021 class. He’ll be near the top of the 2020 class, too.
Kuminga, 17, previously said he was considering four colleges — Kentucky, Auburn, Texas Tech and Duke — but it is widely believed he will go the G League route and bypass college.