FOOTBALL
Brady hearing 10+ hours
Tom Brady's appeal of his four-game suspension lasted more than 10 hours Tuesday, ending in the early evening. The sight of Commissioner Roger Goodell leaving the league offices in New York after he heard Brady and representatives from the players' union during the lengthy meeting, confirmed its conclusion. League security said Brady also had left. No details of the hearing were immediately available. Brady was suspended by the league for his role in the use of deflated footballs in the AFC championship game win over Indianapolis. He arrived at the NFL's Park Avenue offices Tuesday morning, as did attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who is leading Brady's defense. The hearing was expected to adjourn in late afternoon, but carried well beyond that. "I think we put on a very compelling case," Kessler said, adding that no timetable on a decision by Goodell had been given. Kessler said he would have no further comments Tuesday night. The principles headed out just past 7:30 p.m. Central. The NFL Players Association had asked Goodell to recuse himself from hearing the appeal because he could not be impartial and might be called as a witness. But Goodell said it was his responsibility to oversee the hearing to protect the integrity of the league.
HOCKEY
Salary cap up $2M
The NHL and its players' association announced Tuesday the salary cap for next season has an upper limit $71.4 million. That figure is an increase of more than $2 million from the $69 million for the '14-15 campaign and was about as expected. The NHLPA triggered its 5 percent escalator clause to increase the cap. The NHL and its players' association announced Tuesday the salary cap for next season has an upper limit of $71.4 million. That figure is an increase of more than $2 million from the $69 million for the '14-15 campaign and was about as expected. The NHLPA triggered its 5 percent escalator clause to increase the cap. When asked last week if he was prepared to deal with a cap of around $71 million, Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman said, "I guess everyone wants to know if it's a good number or a bad number. Obviously, if it were $80 million it would be easier for us. If it's going to be $70 (million) or 71, whatever it will be, we'll make it work. If it comes in at 69.5 or 71.5, that could be the difference between what we decide to do." The Blackhawks will head into this weekend's draft, a time when many trades are made to shed salary, with 15 players signed for the '15-16 season with cap hits totaling around $65 million. With restricted free agents Brandon Saad and Marcus Kruger in line for raises, the Hawks will be looking to unload salary. The most likely players to be dealt are wingers Patrick Sharp ($5.9 million cap hit) and Bryan Bickell ($4 million). The NHL set the lower limit at $52.8 million with an adjusted midpoint of $62.1 million.
TENNIS
Baghdatis, Simon win
Top-seeded David Ferrer lost to Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 7-6 (4) in the second round of the Aegon Classic at Nottingham, England, on Tuesday. Ferrer, the world No. 7, lost his first two service games to Baghdatis, who earned his first victory over a top-10 player in more than two years. "For me, the first set was difficult because it was the first set back on grass," Ferrer said after his first appearance in Nottingham in 11 years. "He (Baghdatis) played more hours on court, and had more confidence in his game." Second-seeded Gilles Simon of France also struggled before rallying for a 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (0) victory over Marcel Granollers of Spain. In other matches, No. 3 Feliciano Lopez of Spain beat Taylor Harry Fritz of the United States 6-3, 6-3, fourth-seeded Leonardo Mayer of Argentina brushed aside Hyeon Chung of South Korea 6-3, 6-1 and No. 7 Dominic Thiem of Austria beat Malek Jaziri of Tunisia by the same score.
MOTOR SPORTS
Country wants F1 team
Azerbaijan's sports minister said Tuesday he wants a Formula One team to be run under the national flag, adding the government would support any companies interested in the project. Oil-rich Azerbaijan will host its first grand prix next year on a street circuit in the capital, Baku, but has almost no history of participating in motor sport, whether with teams or drivers. Sports Minister Azad Rahimov said the government was keen to see racers competing "under the flag of Azerbaijan, under the Azerbaijan team or sponsorship." He added: "We actually see the potential for that. It would be very interesting for the country to participate, after some time maybe, in this race for Formula One." The idea was not government policy, and would depend on businesses becoming involved, he said, but added "we will be totally supporting" any private investment. Projects are also under way to develop a new generation of young Azerbaijani drivers and help them progress up the ladder of motor sport series, he said. The inaugural Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be run next year on an unusually long 6-kilometer track circling Baku's historic old town and city walls, under a four-year contract with an option for a further five years. It will be run in the daytime to start with, although Rahimov said a Singapore-style night race would be "possible in the future." Rahimov compared the circuit to a mix between Monaco and Singapore because of the blend of historic buildings and modern skyscrapers along the route, adding: "It's something special."
MOTOR SPORTS
NASCAR supports removal of flag
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR issued a statement Tuesday backing South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s call to remove the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds in the wake of the Charleston church massacre.
The motor sports series issued its statement on the same day South Carolina lawmakers agreed to discuss removing the flag and one day after Haley said “the time has come” to take it down.
“As our industry works collectively to ensure that all fans are welcome at our races, NASCAR will continue our long-standing policy to disallow the use of the Confederate Flag symbol in any official NASCAR capacity,” NASCAR said. “While NASCAR recognizes that freedom of expression is an inherent right of all citizens, we will continue to strive for an inclusive environment at our events.”
Nine people were slain last week at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, and Dylann Storm Roof, 21, has been charged with murder. The white man appeared in photos holding Confederate flags and burning or desecrating U.S. flags, and purportedly wrote of fomenting racial violence.
NASCAR has faced criticism over the years for various issues, often involving sponsors. A decade ago, there were questions when hard liquor companies emerged as potential sponsors for a sport built around fast cars and a series whose founding in 1948 gave ex-moonshiners a place to race. More recently, the National Rifle Association drew attention when it struck a sponsorship deal with Texas Motor Speedway not long after the shooting incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
The Confederate flag has been easy enough to find at NASCAR races through all of that, as common in some track infields as cutoff jeans and beer-swilling fans.
In 2012, NASCAR and track officials canceled plans to have pro golfer Bubba Watson drive the car from the television series The Dukes of Hazzard at Phoenix International Raceway, which is owned by International Speedway Corp. Officials cited concerns about a negative reaction to an image of the Confederate flag on the roof of the “General Lee.”
Former Dukes of Hazzard actor and ex-Georgia Congressman Ben Jones criticized that decision.
“As a cast member of The Dukes of Hazzard and the owner of several ‘General Lees,’ I can attest that the car and our show reflect the very best of American values, and that Hazzard County was a place where racism was not tolerated,” said Jones, who played the mechanic Cooter on the show. “This action by NASCAR is a provocative and unnecessary overreaction to a problem that doesn’t exist.
“It is a disgraceful and gratuitous insult to a lot of very decent people.”
Sports on 06/24/2015