James joins list of wounded Niners with broken wrist
Deebo Samuel won’t be the only spectator at his position group when the 49ers report for training camp.
Fellow wide receiver and return specialist Richie James Jr. broke his right wrist while training, the 49ers confirmed Friday. The club expects to have a timetable for James’ return when the 49ers report for training camp in late July. According to the NFL Network, James will miss two months.
A third-year player out of Middle Tennessee State, James has flashed big-play ability since being a seventhround draft pick in 2018.
Last season, James played in all 16 games, catching six passes for 165 yards, including a 57-yard completion from Jimmy Garoppolo against Arizona on Nov. 17. He also had an 81-yard kickoff return against the Rams on Dec. 21.
• Colton McKivitz, a fifth-round draft pick out of West Virginia, was signed to a four-year contract, the 49ers announced. McKivitz (6-foot-6, 301 pounds) was the 153rd player selected overall and was a third-team All-America after playing left tackle for the Mountaineers. NFL NETWORK, REDZONE GOES DARK ON DISH NETWORK, SLING TV >> NFL Network and NFL RedZone went dark on DISH Network and Sling TV as both sides try to reach a new distribution agreement.
The league said in a release that “while NFL Media remains committed to negotiating an agreement and has offered terms consistent with those in place with other distributors, DISH has not agreed.”
DISH said on its website that “the NFL has chosen to remove their channels during these unprecedented times” and that they hope to reach an agreement before the season starts.
Baseball
MLB TELLS PLAYERS AT MOST 60 GAMES; 50 OR FEWER POSSIBLE >> The players’ association was told by Major League Baseball on Friday that teams will not agree to more than 60 games in the pandemic-delayed season, leaving open the possibility of an even shorter schedule of perhaps 50 games or fewer.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, owners will hold discussions this weekend to determine their next steps. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported that players likely will vote Saturday on whether to accept the owners’ latest proposal, one that called for a 60-game regular season.
MLBPA said in a statement Friday night, “MLB has informed the Association that it will no longer respond to our latest proposal and will not play more than 60 games. Our Executive Board will convene in the near future to determine next steps. Importantly, Players remain committed to getting back to work as soon as possible.”
TWINS REMOVE EX-OWNER GRIFFITH STATUE>> The Minnesota Twins announced they removed a statue of former owner Calvin Griffith at Target Field, citing racist remarks he made in 1978.
Griffith’s statue was one of several installed when the team opened the ballpark in 2010. Its removal came on Juneteenth, the traditional commemoration of emancipation of enslaved African Americans, and on the same day as a statue of a former owner of the Washington NFL franchise was removed from outside the team’s old RFK Stadium.
NHL
LEAGUE’S FOCUS SHIFTS TO CANADIAN CITIES AS POSSIBLE
HUBS>> Canada has approved the NHL’s return-to-play proposal that could lead to one or more cities north of the border serving as host sites for the league’s 24-team playoff format.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that the nation’s top public health officer, and health officials in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario had signed off on the NHL plan.
The decision followed discussions with government health officials, and comes as the league enters the advanced stages of selecting its hub cities — most likely two — from a list of seven in the U.S. and three in Canada, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an email to The Associated Press.
Daly didn’t rule out the possibility of two hubs being located in Canada from among Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton.
Soccer
MLS PLAYERS ESTABLISH COALITION TO CONQUER RAC
ISM IN SOCCER >> A group of more than 70 MLS players have formed a new coalition that was unveiled with the aim of addressing racial inequalities in the U.S.based league and standing with those who fight racism in the sport.
The Black Players Coalition of MLS, which is being headed up by Toronto FC defender Justin Morrow, was announced to coincide with the Juneteenth holiday marking the abolition of slavery in the United States.
The standalone organization, which has an 11-player board, comes at a time when many athletes across various sports are speaking up and using their platform amid nationwide protests over police brutality and last month’s death of George Floyd. POGBA HELPS MAN UNITED DRAW IN RETURN FROM INJURY
>> Paul Pogba made an immediate impact on his return from surgery, earning a penalty converted by Bruno Fernandes that recovered for Manchester United a 1-1 draw at Tottenham in the English Premier League.
Motorsports
ZANARDI UNDERGOING SURGERY AFTER HANDBIKE CRASH
>> Alex Zanardi, the Italian race car champion who transitioned into a gold medalist Paralympian after losing both of his legs, was seriously injured in a handbike race in Italy.
Zanardi was transported by helicopter to Santa Maria alle Scotte hospital in Siena following a crash near the Tuscan town of Pienza during a national race for Paralympic athletes, police told The Associated Press.
A medical bulletin from the hospital said Zanardi underwent “a delicate neurosurgery operation” due to “severe cranial trauma.”
The surgery lasted about three hours, after which Zanardi was moved to the intensive care unit.