FOOTBALL
Questions surround Romo
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn't give a definitive answer Tuesday morning when he was asked if the club plans to put quarterback Tony Romo on the injured reserve list, but he came close. During a radio interview, Jones said "medicine can fail you when you start really creating these bright lines. And we've found that out over the years when they say it takes six weeks, it takes this. We learned that with (Jason) Witten. So, in his case, it was supposed to be a length of time. It turns out that it wasn't. So, some of these kinds of things have been around, these traditional healing times, aren't necessarily as bright-lined as you might like for them to be. So, his importance to us, his being able to play in a game, a half, is really kind of unique. So, we'll be real liberal when we start evaluating when it is he'll start coming back."
No charges against Elliott
A prosecutor said charges won't be filed against Dallas Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott following domestic violence allegations. The office of Columbus, Ohio, City Attorney Richard Pfeiffer cites conflicting and inconsistent information in evidence supporting the filing of criminal charges. Pfeiffer's office said it examined the credibility of all identified witnesses. Elliott's agent Frank Salzano said Tuesday that Elliott and his family were pleased with the outcome and Elliott looks forward to putting the issue behind him. A police report states that Elliott, a running back who played at Ohio State, denied allegations that he assaulted his girlfriend in July, causing bruises and abrasions. 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 NFL said it would conduct its own review of the matter, and spokesman Brian McCarthy said Tuesday the review is continuing.
Saints change kickers
The New Orleans Saints have changed kickers, cutting veteran Kai Forbath on Tuesday and signing Wil Lutz, a rookie who spent the preseason with Baltimore. Lutz was a four-year kicker at Georgia State, where he also handled punts his senior season and was nominated for the Ray Guy Award. The move comes days after it appeared that Forbath, who took over as the Saints' place kicker last season, had won a preseason competition with Connor Barth for his job. Lutz attempted three field goals with the Ravens this preseason, hitting two from within 40 yards and missing one beyond 50. The Saints, who open the regular season at home Sunday against Oakland, have also cut veteran defensive back Cortland Finnegan, defensive tackle Ashaad Mabry and linebacker Tony Steward.
Bridgewater surgery set
Minnesota Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater was at the team's Winter Park training facilities on Monday, just days before he is scheduled to undergo surgery. According to ESPN's Ed Werder, Bridgewater will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and other structural damage in his left knee. The non-contact injury caused Bridgewater's knee to dislocate Aug. 30 during a routine practice drill. To take Bridgewater's place, the Vikings traded for quarterback Sam Bradford on Saturday by sending a 2017 first-round pick and conditional 2018 fourth-round pick to Philadelphia. The team has not said whether Bradford or Shaun Hill will start Sunday at Tennessee, though the tentative plan this weekend was for Hill to lead the offense. The Vikings, Bridgewater's agent and his adviser did not immediately return requests for confirmation.
MOTOR SPORTS
Power OK to race
Will Power was cleared Tuesday to race for the IndyCar championship in two weeks after a crash over the weekend at Watkins Glen left him with concussion-like symptoms. Power trails leader Simon Pagenaud by 43 points with only the finale at Sonoma on Sept. 18 remaining on the schedule. The two Team Penske drivers are the only ones in contention for the championship. Power wrecked on lap 39 of Sunday's race after making contact with Charlie Kimball and did not return. Dr. Geoffrey Billows, IndyCar's medical director, said the Australian driver passed two tests "with no issue whatsoever."
HOCKEY
Huberdeau gets deal
Jonathan Huberdeau's agent confirms that the Florida Panthers have signed the forward to a $35.4 million, six-year contract extension. Agent Allan Walsh confirmed the deal Tuesday in a message to The Associated Press. Sportsnet in Canada first reported the contract. Huberdeau's six-year deal goes into effect for the 2017-18 NHL season and has a salary-cap hit of $5.9 million. The 23-year-old from Saint-Jerome, Quebec, has 58 goals and 114 assists for 172 points in 272 games. He had a career-high 20 goals and 59 points last season. Huberdeau, signed through the 2022-23 season, is the latest player to sign long term with the Panthers. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad is signed through 2025, defenseman Keith Yandle through 2023 and center Aleksander Barkov, forward Vincent Trocheck and winger Reilly Smith through 2022.
GOLF
Scott plans a break
Adam Scott will play the Tour Championship at the end of the month and then most likely not show up on the PGA Tour until Riviera. Yes, there will be a long break, and there will be plenty of travel. Scott said he plans to start his new PGA Tour season in Malaysia and Shanghai, just like last year, and then go home to Australia for three events, including the World Cup at Kingston Heath. The surprise is that he does not plan to be at Kapalua for the Tournament of Champions. Instead, Scott will play in the Singapore Open on Jan. 19-22, a tournament he has won three times.
MMA
Tate helps rescue child
UFC star Miesha Tate said she's inspired by the tough little girl who broke her arm while hiking near Las Vegas after the mixed martial arts fighter carried the child back down the mountain. Tate posted on Facebook that she encountered the 6-year-old Sunday on the popular Mary Jane Falls trail of Mount Charleston, about 40 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Amber Ellis of Lake Havasu City in Arizona said in her own Facebook post that her daughter, Kai, broke her arm at the top of the mountain during a family hike over the Labor Day weekend. Tate said she assisted the family after spotting the "meekly built" Ellis struggling to carry the girl down the mountain. They made it down without any issues, which Tate attributed to team work.
PARALYMPICS
Rio ready as events to begin today
RIO DE JANEIRO — With the Rio Paralympics set to begin today, organizers say ticket sales have jumped from around 200,000 to 1.6 million, and a spirit of optimism now pervades the cash-strapped event.
“It’s helped by the fact that the Brazilian team did so well in the final weekend of the Olympics,” Craig Spence, a spokesman for the International Paralympic Committee, said. “It gave the Cariocas a flavor of what they can expect here in Rio with the Brazilian team chasing a top five finish in the medals table.”
Spence and Mario Andrada, the spokesman for the local organizing committee, were joined by three track and field stars — Tatyana McFadden of the United States, Ireland’s Jason Smyth and Marlou van Rhijn of the Netherlands — and gave an upbeat assessment of a games that faced severe budget shortfalls and concerns about accessibility for the disabled athletes.
The IPC and Rio 2016 committee organizers tried to assure the world that preparations are going smoothly, though neither promised the best Paralympics ever, four years after a games in London that were considered a turning point in sports for people with disabilities.
“It’s impossible in the modern era to have a glitch-free games — you haven’t seen any in history,” Andrada said. “As far as Rio 2016 is concerned, we hope to learn from the IPC as much as we learn from the IOC. We hope we can react to our glitches and, eventually, our mistakes as fast as we did during the Olympic Games.”
Spence said that, overall, organizers are now selling around 40,000 tickets per day and expect to overtake Beijing’s sale of 1.7 million tickets total, making Rio the second best-attended Paralympics behind London 2012.
After over a month delay, travel grants were finally being paid Tuesday for all countries, easing a worry that some nations couldn’t afford to send athletes to Rio. After the news conference, Spence said there were now athletes from 159 countries on the ground in Brazil, plus two “independent” refugee athletes.
Eighty-four Russian athletes lost their bid to compete as individuals on Tuesday in a German court ruling, a legal bid that followed the IPC’s ban on the entire Russian team for systematic doping.
Sports on 09/07/2016