FOOTBALL
NFL reviewing charges
The NFL said it is reviewing domestic violence allegations against Dallas Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott. A police report said Elliott denied allegations that he assaulted his girlfriend early Friday in Columbus, Ohio, causing bruises and abrasions. The report said he wasn't arrested because of conflicting versions of what happened. Three witnesses told police they didn't see Elliott assault the 20-year-old woman. Elliott said the woman got the bruises and abrasions in a bar fight. The player's father, Stacy Elliott, said in a statement Friday that the claims are "completely false" and that his son has cooperated with the investigation. Ezekiel Elliott is a running back who played at Ohio State. He turned 21 on Friday. NFL spokesman Brian McCarty said the allegations will be reviewed under the league's personal conduct policy.
Watt has surgery
A person familiar with J.J. Watt's condition said the Houston Texans' star defensive end has had back surgery and will begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list. The person spoke to The Associated Press late Thursday night on condition of anonymity because the team hasn't confirmed the surgery or roster status. Watt, the NFL sacks leader last season with 17 1/2, will miss the start of training camp, but is expected to be ready for the season opener. He has never missed a regular-season game. Watt, 27, played last season with a herniated disk and spent most of the offseason recovering after having surgery to repair a groin injury in January. Last season, Watt helped the Texans to their first playoff berth since 2012 and won his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year Award.
BASKETBALL
Nowitzki's big deal
Dirk Nowitzki has taken the high road so many times in terms of giving the Mavericks a hometown discount, it's about time he took the high paycheck. The franchise icon made it official Friday by signing a two-year deal to remain with the Mavericks. That will take him to 20 seasons when the deal is completed. According to sources, Nowitzki is getting a bump to $50 million from his previously agreed-to deal of $40 million over the next two seasons. He earned almost $23 million in 2013-14 before giving the Mavericks a steep discount the past two seasons. Now, he's back to a number more in line with his stature. He averaged 18.3 points and 6.5 rebounds last season. He becomes the highest paid Maverick, surpassing newcomer Harrison Barnes, who signed a four-year, $94 million max deal on the opening day of free agency. He will make $22.1 million in 2016-17. Nowitzki agreed to his new deal shortly after free agency opened on July 1. He had made $16 million over the last two seasons before opting out of the third year of that deal. According to ESPN, the deal features $30 million in guaranteed money. He has the option of opting out of his new deal after one season. As in the past, he likely would do that if it helps the Mavericks in their pursuit of marquee free agents. Nowitzki, 38, has said he would like to play 20 seasons. This contract, if completed, will take him to the doorstep of his 40th birthday in June 2018.
TRACK AND FIELD
Bolt takes 200
Usain Bolt marked his return from injury by winning the 200 meters at the London Diamond League meet on Friday in his final race before heading to Rio de Janeiro in search of three more Olympic titles. The world's fastest man ran 19.89 seconds at the Olympic Stadium he left with three golds four years ago during the London Games. It was Bolt's first race since pulling out of the Jamaican Olympic trials for Rio earlier this month with a hamstring injury. The six-time Olympic champion said: "I'm not fully in shape. I need more work but over time I will be fine." Bolt was upstaged at the London meet by Keni Harrison of the United States breaking a 28-year world record in the 100-meters hurdles by running 12.20 seconds.
TENNIS
Pegula advances
Top-seeded Sam Stosur lost to 173rd-ranked wild-card entry Jessica Pegula in the Citi Open quarterfinals 7-6 (4), 6-3 on Friday in Washington. Stosur, the U.S. Open champion in 2011, led 4-1 in the opening tiebreaker before losing six consecutive points to drop that set. The only break of the match came in the next-to-last-game, when Pegula went up 5-3, then served out the biggest victory of her career. Pegula, 22, moved into her first WTA semifinal. Her parents own the NFL's Buffalo Bills and NHL's Buffalo Sabres. Today, Pegula will face either Lauren Davis or Camila Giorgi for a berth in the final. The other semifinal at the hard-court tournament will be No. 6-seeded Yulia Putintseva against No. 7 Yanina Wickmayer. Wickmayer beat No. 4 Kristina Mladenovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, while Putintseva defeated Risa Ozaki 6-4, 6-2.
OLYMPICS
45 more caught
Forty-five more athletes, including 23 medalists from the 2008 Beijing Games, have been caught for doping after retesting of samples from the last two Olympics, the IOC said Friday. The new cases bring to 98 the total number of athletes who have failed tests so far in the reanalysis of their stored samples from Beijing and the 2012 Olympics in London. Using "the very latest scientific analysis methods," the latest round of retests produced 30 "provisional" positive findings from Beijing and 15 confirmed positives from London, the IOC reported. No names were given. The International Olympic Committee stores doping samples for 10 years so they can be retested when new methods become available, meaning drug cheats who escaped detection at the time can be caught years later.
BASKETBALL
Enlarged heart after workout caused death
STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State basketball player Tyrek Coger died from an enlarged heart after a 40-minute team workout on the football stadium stairs in hot weather, officials said Friday.
While the temperature was 99 degrees, it wasn’t known if the weather played a role in Coger’s death. The 22-year-old forward, who had recently transferred to OSU, did not appear to struggle during Thursday’s workout at Boone Pickens Stadium, school spokesman Gary Shutt said at a news conference.
Coger sat down after the drills and the team noticed later he was having issues and called 911 about 5 p.m.; he was pronounced dead at a hospital at 6:23 p.m., Shutt said.
National Weather Service records show the temperature at 5 p.m. Thursday was 99 with humidity at 38 percent, resulting in a heat index of 106. The NCAA’s Sports Medicine Handbook does not provide specific guidelines for when teams should avoid practicing in extreme temperatures, but recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say sports teams should set workouts in parts of the day when the heat isn’t severe.
“It was obviously hot yesterday, and you know, in competitive athletics, you’re always pushing,” Athletic Director Mike Holder said, adding that the team will thoroughly examine its practices following Coger’s death.
Coger died from an enlarged heart — “cardiomegaly with left ventricular hypertrophy” — and the manner of death was natural, Oklahoma State medical examiner’s office spokesman Amy Elliott said in an email Friday. The office’s family assistance coordinator, Eddie Johnson, told The Associated Press that the final report is not likely to be ready and released for another eight weeks.
Oklahoma State basketball Coach Brad Underwood broke down Friday, noting that he was in Las Vegas on a recruiting trip when he learned of Coger’s death.
“This is the hardest couple of days I’ve ever experienced in my coaching life. You say goodbye to players when they graduate and that’s one thing,” Underwood said, pausing to wipe away tears with a towel. “Making that phone call to a mother is — there are no words.”
Sports on 07/23/2016