Sports Daypop Archives

A former South American soccer official convicted on corruption charges in FIFA bribery scandal has been sentenced in New York to four years in prison. Jose Maria Marin, a former president of Brazil’s soccer federation, was sentenced on Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court.  Dozens of people and entities have been charged in the U.S. with a scheme to extract hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.The former president of Peru’s soccer federation, Manuel Burga, was acquitted in December. ...Read more

Former NFL offensive lineman Richie Incognito is in police custody on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and making threats, a spokesperson for the Scottsdale, Arizona, police department said Tuesday. According to the police, they were called to Messinger Pinnacle Peak Mortuary, where Incognito was making arrangements for his father’s funeral. According to the police, “Incognito reportedly was upset with staff and began to damage property inside the business and shout at employees. At several points during his contact with staff, Incognito threatened to retrieve guns from his vehicle and return to shoot the employees.” Incognito announced Sunday on Twitter that his father had died Saturday. This is the second time Incognito has been in police custody since being released from the Buffalo Bills’ retired list in May. Two days after being released by the Bills, Incognito was taken into custody after a disturbance at a Boca Raton, Florida, gym, during which police believed Incognito to be in an “altered, paranoid state.” Incognito threw items at gym employees and patrons, and “believed ordinary citizens were government officials that were tracking and recording him.” ...Read more

The Washington Nationals on Tuesday began the sell-off that they opted not to do ahead of the trade deadline, by sending second baseman Daniel Murphy to the Chicago Cubs and first baseman Matt Adams to the St. Louis Cardinals in separate waiver deals. Murphy was owed $17.5 million this season on his expiring three-year, $37.5 million contract. Meanwhile, Adams is playing on a one-year, $4 million deal. The Nationals received infielder Andrew Monasterio and a player to be named later or cash considerations from the Cubs for Murphy. Adams was sent to the Cardinals in exchange for cash considerations. ...Read more

The United States Tennis Association said on Monday that France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has withdrawn from the U.S. Open due to a long-term knee problem. Tsonga is a three times a quarter-finalist at Flushing Meadows, but has not played since a semi-final defeat at the Open Sud de France in February. He had knee surgery in April. The 33-year-old, now ranked 64 in the world, will be replaced in the main draw by Australian James Duckworth. The season’s final grand slam begins on Aug. 27 in Flushing Meadows. ...Read more

Simone Biles won her record fifth U.S. all-around title and swept the four apparatus titles, combining scores from Friday and Sunday at TD Garden. The four-time Rio Olympic gold medalist became the first woman to win all five golds at the national gymnastics championships since Dominique Dawes in 1994. She won the all-around by 6.55 points over 2017 World all-around champion Morgan Hurd. Biles wore a teal mint leotard in part to stand with fellow Larry Nassar sexual-abuse survivors (teal ribbons were worn at NCAA meets in the winter and spring).  At 21, she is the first non-teen to win the U.S. women’s all-around since 1971. ...Read more

Kurt Busch claimed his sixth-career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at the Bristol Motor Speedway short track on Saturday night. His triumph at the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race was his first victory of 2018 which snapped a 58-race winless streak, dating back to the 2017 season-opening Daytona 500. Pole sitter Kyle Larson took runner-up honors after leading laps early and getting back up to second on the final restart with 13 laps remaining. ...Read more

On Saturday, the Minnesota Vikings played their second preseason game, losing14-10, but they also lost a good chunk of players on this day, some of whom may be out of commission for the entire 2018 season. Minnesota had six players leave the game with injuries and not return, with three of them being take off the field via cart: Defensive end Ade Aruna (knee), offensive lineman Cedrick Lang (lower leg) and fullback Johnny Stanton (lower leg). CB Mackensie Alexander suffered an ankle injury, Center Josh Andrews also injured his ankle, and rookie Jeff Badet suffered a concussion.  ...Read more

Atlanta Braves shortstop Ronald Acuna will bat first in the team’s game against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, just a day removed from taking a pitch to the elbow against the Miami Marlins. Marlins pitcher Jose Urena struck Acuna with a fastball in the first inning on Wednesday. That pitch was clearly deemed intentional by the umpires, who ejected Urena. Acuna didn’t finish the game, though x-rays after the contest came back negative. Acuna, 20, is hitting .288 with 19 homers, 43 RBI, 49 runs and eight stolen bases this season. He’s a crucial figure for the Braves, who are chasing the NL East title and a place in the postseason. ...Read more

Kasey Kahne will no longer race in the NASCAR Cup Series full time after the 2018 season, he announced Thursday morning. The 38-year-old Kahne has 18 career wins in 527 starts over a 15-year-career. “I’ve thought about this decision for many months, if not longer,” Kahne tweeted Thursday. “It’s time for me to step away from racing in NASCAR full time. … Racing in Cup full time for a few more years was just something that I couldn’t commit to. I’m not sure what the future holds for me, but I know I’m at ease with the decision that I have made. The highs didn’t outweigh the lows and the grueling schedule takes a toll on your quality of life.” Kahne won six races in just his third season in 2006 and finished eighth in points. His best points finish was fourth in 2012. He has won two races with 13 top-5s in the past five years. He also has eight Xfinity Series wins and five truck victories in six career starts in the series. ...Read more

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