CEDRIC BENSON DIES AT 36
The former Texas Longhorn star and NFL running back was killed in a motorcycle accident on Saturday night
Former NFL running back Cedric Benson, one of the most prolific rushers in NCAA and University of Texas history, died in a motorcycle accident in Austin, Texas. He was 36.
Benson's attorney, Sam Bassett, said Austin law enforcement told him that Benson was killed in the wreck Saturday night. He had no details about the accident.
Benson was one of the top high school recruits out of the West Texas town of Midland. He led Midland Lee to three straight state championships, the only three in school history, from 1998-2000.
Benson played at Texas from 2001-2004 and his 5,540 yards ranks second at the university and ninth in NCAA history.
Benson was drafted No. 4 overall by the Bears in 2005 and helped Chicago reach the playoffs the following season. He had his finest years with Cincinnati from 2008-11, taking over as the featured back on a team that made the playoffs twice but lost in the first round each time.
Benson played one season with Green Bay, where he started the first five games in 2012 before suffering a season-ending Lisfranc fracture in Indianapolis on Oct. 17.
Benson returned to Austin after his playing career and set up a foundation, NUFCED, to aid underprivileged children and families.
Madison Keys wins 1st Cincinnati title
Madison Keys rallied late in both sets and beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 7-6 (5) for her first Cincinnati championship Sunday, sending her into the U.S. Open on a one-week upswing.
By winning her first hardcourt final since the 2017 U.S. Open, she'll be No. 10 when she returns to New York. Keys entered the tournament on a streak of early flameouts in her last three tournaments.
Elsewhere
UFC: Stipe Miocic stopped former Oklahoma State wrestler Daniel Cormier with a barrage of punches in the fourth round, taking back his heavyweight championship belt with a comeback victory at UFC 241 on Saturday night in Anaheim, California. Cormier, who beat Miocic in their first fight last year, didn't announce his retirement in the cage afterward, but the 40-year-old planned to think seriously about quitting MMA after this fight, no matter its outcome. Also on Saturday, Nate Diaz returned from a three-year hiatus with a dominant decision victory over Anthony Pettis. MLB: Ronald Acuña Jr. was removed from the Braves' game against the Dodgers on Sunday after he stood at the plate admiring a long flyball that did not leave the park. Acuña, an All-Star outfielder for the NL East leaders, was pulled before the fifth inning after failing to run out a drive off the right field wall in the third. The ball bounced off the wall for a long single.
• Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper left the game against the Padres after the fifth inning because of dehydration on a muggy Sunday in Philadelphia. Manager Gabe Kapler said Harper had blurred vision and received an IV for hydration. San Diego won the game 3-2.