Sports category, Page 1341

BEIJING — The head of the women’s professional tennis tour questioned the legitimacy of what Chinese state media said was a retraction by a Grand Slam doubles champion who has accused a former top government official of sexual assault. WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said Wednesday that a statement...

You’d never know it by watching the first 10 games of Pitt’s season, but there was a time when Kenny Pickett couldn’t stand up straight while holding a ball in his hands. “My wife used to hold him standing up to shoot basketball,” Ken Pickett Sr. said in an interview...

Olivia Kruger watched the WPIAL Class A girls soccer championship game Nov. 5 at Highmark Stadium from a hospital bed, shortly after delivering her 8-pound, 4-ounce bundle of joy, James Thomas Kruger. The baby was born minutes after kickoff. Just 11 days later, she had a much better view of...

LAS VEGAS — A Las Vegas judge ordered former Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III to appear before her on Monday after learning he missed a required alcohol test while on house arrest following a fatal crash he’s accused of causing by driving drunk at speeds up to 156 mph. Ruggs’...

The billionaire behind the sports group in advanced negotiations to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins has been described as a “shy quant” who uses “dispassionate analysis,” stripping ego and emotions out of the decision-making process to turn the teams he owns into cash cows and champions. John Henry, whose entry in...

Pat Freiermuth, largely, has lived a charmed football life. State championships in high school. All-conference in college. A second-round NFL Draft pick who was getting rave reviews midway through his rookie season. Then came Sunday, when the tight end’s fumble late in overtime cost the Pittsburgh Steelers a chance to...

Since Minkah Fitzpatrick joined the Pittsburgh Steelers early in the 2019 season, Terrell Edmunds could count on him lining up at free safety for every game. He learned Fitzpatrick’s tendencies and developed a rapport with the two-time All-Pro selection. “When you’re together like that, each year we’ve gotten more and...

Exiled from the team facility after testing positive for covid-19, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is staying involved and in contact with his coaches and teammates. Roethlisberger typically does not practice Wednesdays during the season anyway, so that reps were split between Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins was not all...

As coach Mike Tomlin alluded to Tuesday, wide receiver Chase Claypool returned to Pittsburgh Steelers practice Wednesday. But early indications are that Tomlin’s “confidence” in regards to Trai Turner might have been less founded. Turner, the Steelers’ veteran starting right guard, did not practice Wednesday because of an ankle injury...

Things were status quo for the Penguins on Wednesday. At least on the ice. They engaged in a brisk-but-efficient practice at their facility in Cranberry. Their sputtering power play was a focus. And they even managed to work in the occasional shootout attempt to break up the monotony. It was...

The NFL is requiring players and staff to wear masks inside team facilities regardless of vaccination status for a week starting on Thanksgiving, and they must be tested twice for covid-19 after the holiday. The league’s protocols were updated as a result of increasing rates of covid-19 across the country....

STATE COLLEGE — Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie became the latest Nittany Lions standout to accept an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl. The Senior Bowl announced Ebiketie’s acceptance Tuesday, and it comes on the heels of safety Jaquan Brisker and linebacker/defensive end Jesse Luketa accepting invites to the...

More than 400 student-athletes from schools throughout Western Pennsylvania gathered Wednesday morning to discuss their roles in creating a stronger leadership environment through sportsmanship both on and off the field. The 12th annual WPIAL Sportsmanship Summit at the Sen. John Heinz History Center in Downtown Pittsburgh gave students the opportunity...

On Nov. 2, the Steelers traded edge rusher Melvin Ingram to Kansas City. Ingram was unhappy with his playing time and asked out. This past Sunday, during a 16-16 tie with Detroit at Heinz Field, edge rusher T.J. Watt left the game hurt. An MRI on Watt’s hip and knee...

November marks the 100th anniversary of an infamous event in the history of Great Lakes fishing: the date when sea lamprey, native to the Atlantic ocean, first moved into Lake Erie from the Welland Canal in Ontario. The parasitic invaders decimated Great Lakes fish populations, which reached rock-bottom in the...

Is Fenway Sports Group really sure it wants to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins? Based on the way things have gone on the ice of late, principal owner John Henry might want to keep his money in his wallet. If Henry does still feel like spending, though, maybe he can buy...

Someone is getting snubbed. Virginia has Brennan Armstrong, who is third in the country with 3,557 passing yards. Pittsburgh has Kenny Pickett, who vaulted himself into the Heisman Trophy conversation with 32 touchdown passes this season. Wake Forest has Sam Hartman, who may wind up leading the Demon Deacons into...

Sometimes patience can be a virtue. At least that’s what Brant Mack hopes is the case. Mack was an assistant for Penn State New Kensington’s men’s basketball program for three years before taking over the head coaching job before last season. However, the season was canceled because of covid-19. But...

Wednesday’s “First Call” shows us that the Steelers’ 16-16 tie against Detroit has influenced some gambling odds. The Lions have some significant injury concerns after that game as well. Plus, we serve up some local college basketball news and a potential tonic for the lackluster Pittsburgh Penguins. After effects It...