PRO FOOTBALL
NEW YORK (AP) - Oakland running back Marshawn Lynch was suspended for one game without pay by the NFL for shoving a game official during the Raiders’ victory over Kansas City on Thursday night.
Lynch was ejected from the game after he shoved line judge Julian Mapp.
The scuffle started when Oakland quarterback Derek Carr was hit late on a run by Kansas City’s Marcus Peters midway through the second quarter. Raiders offensive linemen Kelechi Osemele and Donald Penn immediately confronted Peters, and Lynch sprinted onto the field from the bench to join the fray. Mapp tried to break up the fight, but Lynch pushed him and grabbed his jersey. Lynch also got a personal foul.
NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote a letter to Lynch, saying:
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Top high school recruit Jahvon Quinerly has retracted his commitment to Arizona less than a month after a Wildcats assistant coach was arrested in a federal probe.
Quinerly said through his Twitter account that he and his family determined it was in his best interest to withdraw his verbal commitment to Arizona.
Last month, Arizona assistant coach Emanuel Richardson was among 10 people arrested for allegedly taking bribes and using money to influence recruits.
FBI documents say Richardson accepted $20,000 in bribes and used money to influence an unnamed recruit who committed to the school ’on or about Aug. 9, 2017.” Quinerly, a five-star point guard from New Jersey, announced his commitment to the school on Aug. 8.
BASEBALL
WASHINGTON (AP) - Dusty Baker is done as manager of the Washington Nationals after two seasons, two NL East titles and zero playoff series victories.
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said he told Baker the news via telephone Friday morning. Baker’s two-year deal with the club is expiring.
“Our expectations have grown,” Rizzo said during a conference call with reporters. “Winning a lot of regular-season games and winning divisions are not enough. Our goal is to win a world championship and, to that end, we made the decision late last night.”
Rizzo declined to say why he believes Baker can’t help reach that goal.
The GM also wouldn’t offer any specifics about what sort of manager he will be looking for as a replacement. The Nationals will be hiring their sixth manager in a 10-season span.
DETROIT (AP) - The Detroit Tigers have hired Ron Gardenhire as their manager, bringing the longtime Minnesota Twins skipper back to the AL Central to take over a team in the middle of a significant rebuilding process.
The Tigers announced the move, saying Gardenhire has agreed to a three-year contract. Then Gardenhire was introduced at a news conference at Comerica Park.
“I’ve been here, battled here against this team for a long time,” Gardenhire said. “Always respected it.”
Gardenhire takes over for Brad Ausmus, who was let go after four seasons as Detroit’s manager. The Tigers went 64-98 this season, finishing tied for the worst record in the majors.
The 59-year-old Gardenhire was the bench coach this season for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He managed the Twins from 2002-14, going 1,068-1,039. He’s one of 10 managers in baseball history to win at least 1,000 games with one team.
OLYMPICS
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Carlos Nuzman left prison after his arrest two weeks ago on eventual charges that he arranged bribes to land the Olympics he headed last year in Rio de Janeiro.
Nuzman walked from a Rio prison wearing a white polo shirt, accompanied by his defense team and watched by a handful of curious bystanders.
The 75-year-old Brazilian is to stand trial for money laundering, tax evasion, and racketeering, though it’s unclear how long that will take under Brazil’s slow-moving justice system.
Brazilian and French authorities say Nuzman helped direct about $2 million to Papa Massata Diack to win votes to land the 2016 Olympics.
ANTHEM PROTESTS
NEW YORK (AP) - The national anthem singer at the Brooklyn Nets’ home opener took a knee at the end of her performance.
Justine Skye was nearing the completion of the song when she went to one knee for the finish. There were some cheers, but appeared to be more boos from the crowd at Barclays Center to see the Nets play the Orlando Magic.
Skye, who is black, is a recording artist from Brooklyn for Roc Nation. Rapper Jay-Z, the agency’s founder, was a part-owner of the Nets when they moved to Brooklyn five years ago.
Players from both teams stood along the foul lines during her performance, as NBA players have continued to do. Unlike the NFL, where some players have followed Colin Kaepernick’s lead and taken a knee during the anthem, the NBA has a rule requiring players to stand.
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