Princeton University fired its men's lacrosse coach after he elbowed an opposing player during a game.
The Ivy League school said Wednesday that the move to terminate Coach Chris Bates came after a review of the game at Brown University on Saturday. Bates had been put on leave this week.
A video showed Bates hitting Brown midfielder John Yozzo-Scaperrota with his elbow as the player was running off the field. The player kept running after the hit, but turned and looked at Bates when he reached the sideline.
Prior to the altercation, Yozzo-Scaperrotta had collided with Princeton midfielder Austin deButts. Brown on the game 19-8.
Messages left by The Associated Press at phone numbers listed for Bates were not immediately returned Thursday. Bates declined to comment in the midst of the review. He told the Daily News of New York in an email "there's more context to the story than what appears in a :5 clip."
Bates was in his seventh season at Princeton and had a 53-42 record. He led the Tigers to three Ivy League titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
His online biography on Princeton's website said his "calmness and strength serve as the bedrock of the Princeton men's lacrosse program."
Offensive coordinator Matt Madalon, in his third season with the Tigers, was named interim coach for the remainder of the season.
Bieber fever
With two days off before a three-game weekend series against the Minnesota Twins, the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals used the down time for a team bonding exercise Wednesday night.
Members of the team attended Justin Bieber's concert at the Sprint Center.
The concert ended with first baseman Eric Hosmer getting mobbed by a crowd outside the arena late Wednesday night. Videos of the mob had gone viral by Thursday afternoon. Outfielder Alex Gordon joked that was planned too.
"We sent Hos out first, out of the concert," Gordon told Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star while working out at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday. "And then we kind of followed behind him and he took all the heat. He took one for the team."
According to Gordon, the group included Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas and pitcher Wade Davis, along with their significant others.
"Not a huge fan," Gordon said of Bieber. "It was a team get-together and all the wives wanted to go, so I sucked it up and had fun."
Headlines
• From the satirical website fark.com, noting the San Diego Padres' dismal start to the season: "Introducing the new corporate sponsor of the San Diego Padres: Chico's Bail Bonds."
• Also from fark.com: "MLB Commissioner says pitcher Jenrry Mejia will be given 'fair reinstatement consideration.' Apparently the league doesn't want to rush to judgment on a player who has only failed his drug test three times."
Sports quiz
How many Gold Gloves has Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon won?
Answer
Four (2011-2014).
Sports on 04/08/2016