FOOTBALL
No deal for RB Bell
Pro Bowl running back Le'Veon Bell and the defending AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers failed to reach an agreement on a new contract by Monday's deadline, meaning he will play under the franchise tag for a second consecutive year and hit the open market in the spring. Bell tweeted that "both sides worked extremely hard" to try and find common ground but could not. The 26-year-old Bell is one of the league's most versatile players and has long maintained he wants to be paid accordingly. In addition to serving as a workhorse in the backfield -- his 321 rushing attempts last season led the NFL -- he also caught 85 passes, good enough for 10th in the league. Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert said the team will make another attempt to re-sign Bell in the 2019 offseason. Bell will make $14.5 million whenever he signs his franchise tender, which likely won't be until the end of training camp. It's the path Bell followed last summer after the Steelers placed the franchise tag on him for the first time. He arrived the weekend after the end of the exhibition season and got off to a bit of a slow start before finding his footing in October while helping the Steelers to a second consecutive division title and fourth consecutive playoff appearance.
Jets waive WR Smith
The New York Jets waived 2015 second-round draft pick Devin Smith and signed safety Brandon Bryant on Monday. Smith, a wide receiver from Ohio State, couldn't stay healthy or provide anything on the field for the team. He played in 14 games with only 10 receptions. Twice, Smith suffered major knee injuries. Bryant struggled to concentrate on football after his father died in a 2015 motorcycle crash. Bryant was arrested for driving under the influence later on. Academically ineligible for next season at Mississippi State, he declared for the NFL's supplemental draft but was not chosen last week. He had five interceptions and 157 tackles in three seasons while appearing in 37 games.
Playoff miss hurts Packers
The Green Bay Packers' profit fell by nearly 50 percent in the last fiscal year as the team missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. President and CEO Mark Murphy said the outlook for the Packers remains strong as the NFL's only publicly owned team released its 2018 financial statement. The Packers announced a profit from operations of $34.1 million, a steep decline from $65.4 million a year earlier. Expenses soared 11.9 percent, from $376.1 million to $420.9 million, a by-product of player salaries, coaching changes and travel costs. Revenue increased just 3.1 percent to $454.9 million. Local revenue grew by 0.8 percent. A 7-9 record -- the team's first losing season since 2008 -- hurt the bottom line.
Esiason steps away
Boomer Esiason is dropping his national radio duties on NFL Monday night games. Esiason was the analyst on Westwood One's broadcast for 18 years, sharing the booth with Kevin Harlan and, before that, Marv Albert and Howard David. The 1988 NFL MVP called the Super Bowl for each of those seasons. Citing his daily drive-time radio show in New York and his work on CBS and Showtime studio shows, Esiason said Monday "the timing was right for me to step away." A 14-year NFL veteran who led the Bengals to the 1988 AFC title, Esiason made four Pro Bowls. He ranks first among left-handed quarterbacks with 247 touchdown passes, and 19th overall.
Vols suspend lineman
Tennessee has suspended defensive lineman Ryan Thaxton from team activities after his arrest on charges of false imprisonment and domestic assault. University of Tennessee police say Thaxton was arguing with his girlfriend Sunday at 8:23 p.m. when he insisted that she accompany him to his dorm room. Police said the girlfriend refused, but Thaxton pushed her toward the room, picked her up and carried her inside. According to a court affidavit, Thaxton's girlfriend tried leaving the room but he blocked the doorway with his body, preventing her from escaping or seeking help. Tennessee athletic department spokesman Zach Stipe said Thaxton has been suspended from all team activities while law enforcement and the university investigate the situation. Thaxton, 19, didn't appear in any games for Tennessee as a freshman last season.
BOXING
Joshua's opponent set
Anthony Joshua will defend his WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles against Alexander Povetkin of Russia in London on Sept. 22. Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn on Monday confirmed the fight, which will take place at Wembley Stadium. Povetkin is the mandatory challenger to the WBA title. The 28-year-old Joshua has been in training while negotiations with WBC champion Deontay Wilder stalled. Joshua said in a statement: "Povetkin is a serious challenge that I will prepare meticulously for. He has serious pedigree and only a fool would underestimate what he brings to the table." Povetkin, 38, beat David Price on the undercard of Joshua's victory over Joseph Parker in March, having previously fought for the titles Joshua now holds in a 2013 defeat to Wladimir Klitschko.
BASKETBALL
Final Four sites picked
The Final Four is headed back to Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio and Indianapolis. The NCAA announced the sites for 2023-2026 on Monday, with all four cities recently hosting the finale of the NCAA Tournament. Houston, site of Villanova's last-second win over North Carolina in 2016, will host the Final Four in 2023. Phoenix will get the Final Four for the second time in 2024 after hosting in 2017. San Antonio, site of this year's Final Four, will host in 2025. Indianapolis will be the host city in 2026, along with 2021. Indianapolis has hosted the Final Four five times, including in 2015. The Final Four will be played in Minneapolis in 2019, Atlanta in 2020 and New Orleans in 2022.
TENNIS
Serena up 153 spots
Serena Williams climbed 153 spots in the WTA rankings after her runner-up finish at Wimbledon, putting her back in the top 30. Williams is ranked 28th in the list published Monday. At Wimbledon, the former No. 1 was playing only her fourth tournament after returning from childbirth, but still reached the final before losing to Angelique Kerber of Germany. Kerber climbed six spots to No. 4, with Simona Halep holding onto the top ranking despite going out in the third round at the All England Club. Kevin Anderson climbed into the men's top 5 for the first time after his run to the Wimbledon final put him in fifth place, while champion Novak Djokovic jumped 11 spots to No. 10. Rafael Nadal, who lost to Djokovic in the semifinals, remains No. 1.
Sports on 07/17/2018