Sports category, Page 1426
Todd Haley returning to sidelines with USFL
Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley will make a return to the sidelines this spring as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League. The USFL, a new professional football league, will begin play April 16. Coaches for four of the eight teams...
Flawed but resilient, No. 1 Alabama peaking at right time
Down to the last play of the regular season, this Alabama team managed to bounce off the ropes when it seemed most vulnerable. It is unlike some previous Nick Saban powerhouses that seemingly have been destined for the national title game — barring a shocker along the way — from...
No. 3 Purdue looks for road win vs. Penn State
No. 3 Purdue (12-2, 1-2) vs. Penn State (7-5, 2-2) Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, Pennsylvania; 12 p.m. Saturday Bottom line: No. 3 Purdue looks for its fourth straight win over Penn State at Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State’s last win at home against the Boilermakers came on Feb. 2,...
Bucs make it official: terminate Antonio Brown’s contract
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially severed ties with Antonio Brown, terminating the contract of the mercurial receiver who claimed he was fired in the middle of a game for not playing through an ankle injury. The Bucs announced the move Thursday, one day after Brown broke...
3 questions that Penn State football will need to answer heading into offseason
Penn State football’s 2021 season wrapped up Saturday with a 24-10 loss in the Outback Bowl to the No. 21 Arkansas Razorbacks. The loss moved Penn State to 7-6 on the season with a 4-5 record in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions began the year as well as they...
Penguins executive Scott Young named to United States Olympic coaching staff
Pittsburgh Penguins director of player development Scott Young was named as an assistant coach for the United States Men’s Olympic team in the upcoming games in Beijing. The 54-year-old Young will work under coach David Quinn. A native of Clinton, Mass., Young served in the same capacity for the United...
Steelers’ T.J. Watt picked as team MVP 3rd straight time amid historic season
In one sign of the significance Mike Tomlin places on the position, three times over his first 11 drafts as coach, the Pittsburgh Steelers spent their first-round pick on an outside linebacker. On four other occasions during the Tomlin tenure, the Steelers took an outside linebacker in the second or...
Steelers vs. Ravens: Diontae Johnson, Kendrick Green placed on reserve/covid list
The Pittsburgh Steelers likely will be without their most prolific wide receiver and rookie center when they face the Baltimore Ravens in the season finale Sunday. Diontae Johnson and Kendrick Green were placed on the reserve/covid list Thursday, putting their inclusion against the Ravens in jeopardy. Even with the NFL’s...
Seth Lundy’s dandy in Penn State win over Northwestern
EVANSTON, Ill. — Seth Lundy scored 23 points and his side-step fadeaway 3-pointer from the right side with 35 seconds left gave Penn State the lead for good as the Nittany Lions beat Northwestern, 74-70, on Wednesday night. Leading 68-65, Lundy broke free behind Northwestern’s press for a breakaway and-1...
First Call: Health updates for Evgeni Malkin, Lamar Jackson; Antonio Brown’s statement on why he bailed on the Bucs
Thursday’s “First Call” has a health update on Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson as we prepare for the latest chapter of Steelers-Ravens. A loss in the football world is felt by a former Steeler. Evgeni Malkin is on the doorstep of a return for the Penguins. And Antonio Brown is telling...
This date in sports history: Jan. 6
1951 — The Indianapolis Olympians beat the Rochester Royals 75-73 in six overtimes, the longest game in NBA history. 1976 — Ted Turner, a millionaire communications executive and internationally known yachtsman, buys the Atlanta Braves for a reported $10-to-12 million. 1980 — The Los Angeles Rams, behind three field goals...
U mad, bro?: Readers ramp up emotion over coverage of T.J. Watt’s sack record quest; Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement; Steelers’ future
Glad tidings from Steelers fans coming off the holidays and Ben Roethlisberger’s goodbye party lasted only briefly. Given their unfortunate playoff predicament, my inbox was sour like three-week-old eggnog and saltier than that holiday nut-mix grandpa likes. If somehow the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Indianapolis Colts and the Steelers manage...
Tim Benz: Fans staging ‘Clown out’ protest in Jacksonville as Steelers need Jaguars to beat Colts
For Steelers fans who consider the Jacksonville Jaguars to be a clown show, apparently you were even more accurate than you may have believed. By now, most of Pittsburgh is aware that if the Steelers are to make the playoffs, they need to beat the Ravens on Sunday in their...
Antonio Brown says Bruce Arians forced him to play injured
Antonio Brown says he was forced to play injured by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and that an MRI on Monday revealed damage to his ankle. While not specifying which ankle was hurt, Brown — through a statement released by his attorney Wednesday — said the MRI showed broken bone fragments,...
Sidney Crosby sparks comeback win over Blues, upping Penguins’ win streak to 9
Sidney Crosby didn’t speak with the media after Wednesday’s home game against the St. Louis Blues. And he had a legitimate reason not to. He was getting stitches. A tussle with Blues defenseman Niko Mikkola, listed at a robust 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds, during the second period caused some damage...
Fenway Sports Group formally takes over Penguins
Thomas Werner picked a good night to catch the Pittsburgh Penguins. Wednesday’s contest at PPG Paints Arena against the St. Louis Blues had a listed 17,921 fans in attendance, a few busloads shy of a sellout. With the pandemic still a daily reality, there haven’t been many nights this season...
Robert Morris continues to struggle, loses to Youngstown State
It’s been a tough ride so far in the Horizon League for the Robert Morris men’s basketball team. “No fun,” coach Andy Toole said following the Colonials’ latest effort. Another game, another frustrating result. Just two years in, their quest for some traction continues to sputter. Michael Akuchie turned in...
First-place Louisville hands Pitt another close loss in ACC play
Pitt fought through a series of misfortunes Wednesday night before and during its 75-72 loss at Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center. • After nearly a week without practice while sitting in covid protocol, Jamarius Burton showed up the morning of the game and scored 21 points. • Center John...
NHL MVP, Oilers captain Connor McDavid goes on covid-19 protocol listVideo
Edmonton captain and reigning league MVP Connor McDavid went on the NHL’s covid-19 protocol list Wednesday, while the Dallas Stars and their captain Jamie Benn prepared to return to the ice after missing six games over 2 1/2 weeks because of virus issues. McDavid, forward Derek Ryan and defenseman Tyson...
Browns’ No. 2 QB Keenum admires Mayfield’s ‘gutsiest’ seasonVideo
CLEVELAND — Case Keenum didn’t doubt Baker Mayfield’s toughness for a second. He might have underestimated his tenacity. “There were some weeks just to get him to the field was a small miracle,” said Keenum, Cleveland’s backup quarterback who will start for Mayfield in the Browns’ season finale Sunday. With...
Top players Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay back from long layoffs for Tournament of ChampionsVideo
KAPALUA, Hawaii — The sweeping views of the Pacific beyond the lush landscape of Kapalua put the soul at ease and can make the first PGA Tour event of the year feel like part work, part vacation. Patrick Cantlay and Jon Rahm have had enough of the latter. Rahm, the...
Mid-major pop-up game pits San Francisco, Loyola ChicagoVideo
This college basketball season feels like an extension of the last one, the coronavirus leaving pauses, cancellations and postponements in its wake. A beacon of basketball brilliance has risen from the ashes: two of the nation’s best mid-majors squaring off in a junior college gym. Struggling to find opponents amid...
Ravens veterans face uncertain futures after season finaleVideo
For Baltimore defensive back Jimmy Smith, the possibility of retirement is now more than just talk. “Anybody who knows me knows that I’ve been retiring since my rookie year. I always say it. It’s just how I talk,” he said Wednesday. “But to actually really think about it, it’s too...
Return of crowds did little to boost home advantage in NFLVideo
The cheering fans returned to NFL stadiums this season, forcing road teams into silent counts and other coping mechanisms to deal with the noise. But the home-field advantage that could be expected over road teams that have to deal with travel, time zone changes on occasion and the din from...
Micah Parsons, Joe Mixon latest stars added to covid-19 list
Dallas Cowboys star rookie linebacker Micah Parsons and Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon were the latest big-name players added to the covid-19 reserve list Wednesday. Penn State’s Parsons likely will miss the season finale for the Cowboys on Saturday against Philadelphia when Dallas has a chance to improve its...
