Sports category, Page 802
Steelers welcome Thursday night spotlight, though short turnaround presents challenges
When the Pittsburgh Steelers arrived at Acrisure Stadium in advance for their game Thursday evening, it might have felt as if they’d just left. After all, those players and coaches had just left that facility less than 100 hours earlier. Furthermore, it was the second time in a five-week span...
Jags employee charged with stealing $22M gambled away 99% of funds, plans guilty plea, lawyer says
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former Jacksonville Jaguars financial manager accused of stealing more than $22 million from the franchise has a gambling addiction and plans to plead guilty to resolve federal charges against him, his attorney said Thursday. Attorney Alex King of First Coast Criminal Defense in Jacksonville released a...
QB Joe Flacco set for 2nd start as Browns meet Jaguars with AFC playoff ramifications
CLEVELAND — Joe Flacco has gone from the couch to contention. Signed three weeks ago by Cleveland as emergency protection when quarterback Deshaun Watson was lost with a season-ending shoulder injury, Flacco has a chance to get the Browns into the playoffs — a scenario not even he could have...
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence returns to practice in hope of playing Browns
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence returned to practice in a limited capacity Thursday, taking another step toward playing at Cleveland despite a high ankle sprain. Lawrence took snaps, moved around on his right ankle and threw passes during the portion of practice open to reporters. It came...
Entertaining Saint Vincent men’s basketball team off to scorching start
A quick glance at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference men’s basketball statistics shows Saint Vincent is tops in assists per game (16.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.52). That makes sense for a team that shares the ball, plays at a breakneck pace and throws alley-oops in transition. Social media videos tell the...
LB Elandon Roberts, RB Najee Harris among injured players active for Steelers’ game vs. Patriots
Four starters who were listed as questionable for the Pittsburgh Steelers are active for the game Thursday night against the New England Patriots at Acrisure Stadium. Running back Najee Harris (knee), left guard Isaac Seumalo (shoulder), inside linebacker Elandon Roberts (groin) and center Mason Cole (neck) will play against the...
Army goes for Commander-in-Chief’s trophy vs. Navy
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — College football keeps changing. The Army-Navy game never does. In an era of booster collectives and transfer portals, the nation’s oldest service academies will line up their triple-option offenses Saturday at the home of the New England Patriots for a day full of pageantry, tradition and a...
Yankees make vintage Steinbrenner move by landing All-Star OF Juan Soto
NEW YORK — Juan Soto’s arrival is a sign the New York Yankees want stars to help them rebound from their worst season in three decades — a move right out of late owner George Steinbrenner’s playbook. “We certainly want to try under the Steinbrenner leadership to make this the...
Duke hires Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to lead Blue Devils
Duke has hired Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz as its head coach, a person with direct knowledge of the move told The Associated Press on Thursday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was being finalized and the school was planning an announcement. Diaz replaces...
Masters champion Jon Rahm signs with LIV Golf
Masters champion Jon Rahm bolted for Saudi-funded LIV Golf on Thursday for what’s believed to be more money than the PGA Tour’s entire prize fund, a stunning blow that deepens the divide in golf as the two sides were negotiating a commercial deal. Rahm confirmed the move in an interview...
Pitt volleyball rolls past Washington State, advances to NCAA Elite Eight for 4th straight season
There were times Thursday when the Pitt women’s volleyball team appeared to be running on automatic pilot while methodically handling Washington State in straight sets 3-0 in the NCAA Sweet 16 at Fitzgerald Field House. Even coach Dan Fisher seemed a bit surprised by the Panthers’ dominance after a tightly...
No Myles Jack vs. Patriots, but Steelers again elevate Kyron Johnson from practice squad
The Pittsburgh Steelers again elevated Kyron Johnson from the practice squad for Thursday’s game against the New England Patriots, activating the young outside linebacker for a second game in five days. Johnson, signed to the practice squad in October, played exclusively on special teams during Sunday’s home loss to the...
Steelton-Highspire tops Fort Cherry to defend PIAA Class A football title
MECHANICSBURG — Fort Cherry’s record-setting football season reached its final act Thursday, but Steelton-Highspire got to write the final scenes. The Rangers, who won their first WPIAL title two weeks ago, were defeated in their first PIAA Class A championship game 42-8 by the Rollers at Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field....
Monessen native Michael Moorer along with Hatton, Calderon, Corrales elected to Boxing Hall of Fame
CANASTOTA, N.Y. — Monessen native Michael Moorer, the first left-hander to win the heavyweight title, and fellow two-division champions Ricky Hatton and Ivan Calderon were elected Thursday to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Diego Corrales, who died two years after winning a 2005 bout voted “Fight of the Year,”...
Ex-Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez expelled from U.S., returned to Venezuela
Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez has been returned to his native Venezuela, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Vazquez, 32, was taken to Venezuela on Dec. 1 by members of Enforcement and Removal Operations in the Philadelphia Field Office. He was convicted in Westmoreland County court in 2021...
Blake Hinson’s points often come 3 at a time for Pitt, but his contributions stretch beyond scoreboards
Jeff Capel gladly accepts the numbers Blake Hinson adds to Pitt’s score sheet, three at a time. Even when they’re accompanied by Hinson’s fearlessness when shooting the basketball — covered or not, from anywhere on the court. In his second season with the Panthers and after only nine games (6-3),...
Jayden Daniels, the dazzling quarterback for LSU, is the AP college football player of the year
BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is The Associated Press college football player of the year, the school’s second winner in the past five seasons. Daniels received 35 of the 51 first-place votes and 130 total points from AP Top 25 poll voters. The Heisman Trophy finalist finished...
Longtime NFL kicker, Penn State walk-on Robbie Gould retires after 18-year career
Longtime NFL kicker Robbie Gould is retiring following an 18-year career that established him as one of the game’s best in the clutch. Gould announced his retirement on The Player’s Tribune on Thursday. Gould had been a free agent after the San Francisco 49ers opted not to bring him back...
Football Footnotes: Is this the end for Bill Belichick in New England?
Two things seem pretty obvious heading into the latest edition of Steelers-Patriots on Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium: 1. There won’t be many points on the scoreboard at the end of the night. 2. No one is going to be confusing this game with any one of the classics involving...
What’s next for Penn State’s DE room after Chop Robinson declared for the 2024 NFL draft
Chop Robinson surprised no one when he declared for the NFL Draft and opted not to play in the Peach Bowl. Robinson, a projected first-round pick after establishing himself at Penn State as one of the top edge rushers in the country, announced his decision Tuesday. So, where do the...
Steelers executive Sheldon White chosen to participate in NFL diversity showcase program
Pittsburgh Steelers director of pro scouting Sheldon White accepted an invitation from the NFL to participate in what it has dubbed the Front Office & General Manager Accelerator Program next week during league meetings in Dallas. White is in his second season with the Steelers but had 20 prior years...
Recalls from minors continue as injuries mount, testing Penguins’ depth
Shortly after the Pittsburgh Penguins recalled forward Joona Koppanen from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League last weekend, coach Mike Sullivan was asked what his observations of Koppanen had been so far this season. “I can’t say that I’ve seen him play in a lot of games,” Sullivan said. “Obviously,...
Next on the Tee: Champions Tour pros Bob Estes, Billy Mayfair discuss rollback of the golf ball
On this episode of Next on the Tee, host Chris Mascaro is joined by Champions Tour pro and member of the University of Texas Hall of Honor Bob Estes, Pittsburgh native and now director of golf at the Golf Club of Houston Adam Lockwood, top instructor and host of The...
U mad, bro?: Awful Arizona loss, Diontae’s dancing have Steelers fans in a Grinchy mood
The Pittsburgh Steelers just suffered one of the franchise’s worst losses ever at Acrisure Stadium. Diontae Johnson celebrated a meaningless touchdown. The Penguins look as old as we feared that they would. And Sports Illustrated is rewarding empty hype in college football. All we need now is the annual December...
First Call: ‘Optimism’ for Najee Harris vs. Patriots; Micah Parsons on T.J. Watt’s holding complaints
Thursday’s “First Call” has a hopeful health update for Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris. T.J. Watt is getting lots of Pro Bowl votes and support from a fellow pass-rushing star in their battle against holding calls. We also recap a busy night of college basketball action, and Robert Morris’...
