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Sports Brief: 7/3/20

Sports

July 3rd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago Cubs left-hander José Quintana had surgery to repair nerve damage in his pitching thumb Thursday after he cut himself washing dishes and is out indefinitely. The Cubs said Quintana lacerated his thumb at his home in Miami on Saturday and needed five stitches. He had surgery in Chicago on Thursday morning. The 31-year-old Quintana is expected to resume throwing in about two weeks. The Cubs will then get a better idea of how much time he will miss.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Major League Baseball Players Association more than doubled its liquid investments over two years to nearly $160 million as the sport heads toward collective bargaining that could lead to a spring training lockout in 2022. Union head Tony Clark earned a $2.25 million base salary, an increase of $100,000, according to the disclose form. Bruce Meyer earned $1 million in his first full year as senior director of collective bargaining and legal. Baseball’s labor contract expires on Dec. 1, 2021.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The title sponsor of the Washington Redskins’ stadium wants the NFL team to change its name. In a statement Thursday, FedEx said they “have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name.” The company paid the team $205 million in 1999 for the naming rights to FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. In addition to the stadium name and sponsorship agreement, FedEx CEO Frederik Smith is a minority owner. Majority owner Daniel Snyder has shown no indications he’ll change the name since buying the team in 1999. Thursday night Nike appeared to remove all Redskins gear from its online store. The other 31 NFL teams were listed and a search for “Redskins” came up with no results.

UNDATED (AP) — Fewer preseason games following an offseason without on-field workouts creates more challenges for new coaches, players who changed teams and rookies. The NFL is cutting the exhibition schedule in half and pushing back the start of the preseason to allow teams more time to train because the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of organized team activities and minicamps. An official announcement on the exact length of preseason still hasn’t been made. Players are strongly considering asking for even fewer exhibition games.

COLLEGE STATION (AP) — The NCAA has put Texas A&M’s football program on probation and coach Jimbo Fisher has been given a six-month show-cause order. The Aggies were found to have violated recruiting and other rules beginning in January 2018. The NCAA says Fisher and an assistant coach had impermissible contact with a recruit. Fisher was banned from phone calls, emails and texts with prospects for nine days in January. The school was fined $5,000 and given other recruiting restrictions.

DETROIT (AP) — Doc Redman took a step toward remaining among those to make the cut in every event since the PGA Tour resumed, opening with a 7-under 65 to share a one-shot lead with Scott Stallings and Kevin Kisner in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Redman closed his first round Thursday with four straight birdies and seven over the last eight holes at the Detroit Golf Club. He went from being a Monday qualifier to finishing second at the inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic last year. The 22-year-old Redman is shooting to take the next step with his first PGA Tour victory.

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — American women players suing the U.S. Soccer Federation for equal pay have hired a pair of appellate lawyers, even before a trial. Nicole Saharsky and Brian Netter of Mayer Brown have joined the legal team. Netter is a former clerk of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Players sued in March 2018 under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and they asked for more than $66 million in damages. U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner threw out the pay claims in May but allowed discriminatory work conditions allegations to go to trial. That’s scheduled for Sept. 15.