(UVALDE, Texas) — In the wake of the horrific shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the Houston Astros and the Astro Foundation visited the city Friday to host a series of events.
“Baseball has healed me in my past — it’s healed so many people,” Astros manager Dusty Baker told ABC affiliate KTRK-TV prior to his team’s game Thursday against the Royals.
“Hopefully, we can bring some enjoyment in their lives. I can’t imagine. You can say you know how they feel, but you don’t. I just pray to God that life can go on and they can heal — and I’m glad the Astros are a part of that,” Baker added.
Youth players, coaches and organization members of the Astros began their visit with Uvalde community members at 11 a.m., almost two months since 19 children and two adults were killed at the school.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the organization offered ice cream, promotions, giveaways and other activities, while at Memorial park a Play Ball baseball event was run by Astros Youth Academy players and staff. There were also give-away prizes and lunch provided by Whataburger for those who attended the game.
From noon to 1 p.m., the organization also led a visit to the Uvalde Memorial Hospital. The Astros’ mascot, Orbit, and cheerleaders, the Shooting Stars, visited and brought along giveaways and prizes for patients, doctors and nurses.
Jim Crane, owner of the Astros, was seen visiting the memorial site at Robb Elementary School alongside members of the Astros Foundation, youth players and cheerleaders.
He told ABC affiliate KTRK-TV he spent time with the families who lost someone in the shooting at a private brunch, and that the Astros plan to bring many of the family members to a game in Houston in August.
Staff from the Astro Foundation were seen handing out T-shirts, plastic baseball bats, Astro signage and baseball hats in a local Uvalde park.
(LAS VEGAS) — The Las Vegas Raiders welcomed Sandra Douglass Morgan, the first Black woman ever to serve as team president in NFL history, on Thursday.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to join the Raiders at one of the most defining times in the team’s history,” Morgan said in a Raiders press release on Thursday.
Morgan is currently an attorney for Covington and Burling LLP and serves on the board of directors for Allegiant Travel Company and Caesars Entertainment.
Her appointment pioneers a new path of diverse leadership in the NFL’s history, but she has long made strides in diversifying various bureaucracies in her home state of Nevada.
Prior to changing the game in NFL administration, she was previously Nevada’s first Black city attorney for the city of North Las Vegas and the first Black woman to chair the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
The Raiders brought Morgan onboard at a challenging time, shortly after former team president Dan Ventrelle was fired in May.
His controversial termination followed other resignations seen across the board from senior roles, including chief financial officer Ed Villanueva, who was with the team for 18 years, and chief operations and analytics officer Jeremy Aguero, who maintained his role for seven months.
“I am thrilled that Sandra has agreed to join the Raiders family,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said in the press release.
Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler joined Davis in welcoming Morgan to the team in a joint message via Twitter.
Morgan’s leadership marks a significant change for leadership within the Raiders administration.
Thursday’s historic appointment is now the first intersectional advance with previous strides standing in its shadow, like the hire of Amy Trask in 1997, the first female CEO of an NFL team back when the team was still based in Oakland, California.
“This team’s arrival in Las Vegas has created a new energy and opportunities we never dreamed possible. I look forward to taking this team’s integrity, spirit and commitment to excellence on the field into every facet of this organization,” Morgan said.
(MOSCOW) — WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday morning to drug charges in a Russian court, saying that the vape cartridges containing hashish oil were in her luggage unintentionally.
“I would like to plead myself guilty,” Griner said when asked if she would like to give testimony. ABC News was present inside the courtroom during the hearing.
“I did not have any intention on breaking Russian law,” she said, adding that she was is in a rush and did not mean to leave the cartridges in her bag.
Griner is expected to appear in court on July 14 for the third day of her trial.
Griner’s trial, which is taking place in Khimki — a suburb of Moscow — began last Friday, more than four and a half months after Griner was detained.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was visiting Russia to play basketball in the off-season when she was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport on Feb. 17 after being accused of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in the country.
Griner’s detention was extended repeatedly, most recently through Dec. 20, which is the expected length of her trial. If convicted, Griner, 31, faces up to 10 years in prison and also has a right to an appeal.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris called Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, to discuss efforts to release the WNBA star, according to the White House.
“The president called Cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other U.S. nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia and around the world,” the White House said in a statement released Wednesday.
The call came months after Cherelle Griner publicly expressed interest in speaking with Biden about her wife’s case in a May interview with Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts.
“I just keep hearing that, you know, he has the power. She’s a political pawn,” Cherelle Griner said in May. “So if they’re holding her because they want you to do something, then I want you to do it.”
The first witness at Griner’s trial last Friday was a customs officer who was at the airport when she was arrested. Meanwhile, two others failed to appear, so the trial was adjourned for the day.
Representatives of the U.S. Embassy, as well as two representatives from Russian and foreign media, were allowed into the courtroom.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began one week after Griner was detained. Some officials are concerned that Americans jailed in Russia could be used as leverage in the ongoing conflict.
The U.S. government classified Griner’s case on May 3 as “wrongfully detained,” meaning the U.S. will more aggressively work to negotiate her release even as the legal case against her plays out, the State Department has said.
Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, personally reached out to Biden in a handwritten letter that the White House received on Monday, urging the president to help her get out of Russia.
“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Griner wrote to the president.
“It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate [the Fourth of July] because freedom means something completely different to me this year,” she added.
Biden intends to send a letter to Griner in Russia in response to her message, and he read a draft of that letter to Cherelle Griner during their call, according to the White House.
ABC News’ Kendall Ross, Teddy Grant, Shannon Crawford and Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris called Brittney Griner’s wife to discuss efforts to release the WNBA star, who has been detained in Russia since February, according to the White House.
“The president called Cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other U.S. nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia and around the world,” the White House said in a statement, adding that Biden will respond to a letter from Griner on Wednesday. “He also read her a draft of the letter the president is sending to Brittney Griner today.”
Biden received a handwritten letter from Brittney Griner on Monday, expressing her fear that she may be in Russian custody “forever.”
“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Brittney Griner wrote.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during a briefing on Tuesday that Brittney Griner’s letter was “very personal” to the president.
Russian officials took Brittney Griner into custody at Sheremetyevo International Airport on Feb. 17 after she was accused of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which are illegal in the country. Her trial, which began on July 1, is expected to run through Dec. 20.
While National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have been in communication with Cherelle Griner, she has been vocal about her push for the president to get involved.
“There is one person that can go get her, and that’s our president,” she said in an interview with ESPN.
In May, Cherelle Griner sat down with Robin Roberts to discuss her fight to bring her wife home.
“You say she’s top priority, but I want to see it. And I feel like to see it would be me seeing BG on U.S. soil,” Cherelle Griner said in an interview.
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford, Ben Gittleson, and Tanya Stukalova contributed to this report.
Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images, FILE
(NEW YORK) — The professional football fate of an NFL star quarterback is set to be determined this week amid sexual misconduct allegations.
A three-day internal disciplinary hearing was held for Cleveland Brown quarterback Deshaun Watson, who could face up to a season-long suspension from the league, after he was accused of sexual assault by nearly two dozen women.
Last month, Watson reached a settlement in 20 of the 24 lawsuits filed by women who accused Watson of sexual assault and harassment while he played for the Houston Texans. It was made clear during the hearing that the league is seeking an indefinite suspension of at least a year for the quarterback.
Watson has never been arrested or criminally charged for the allegations and two grand juries declined to indict Watson after reviewing the evidence.
Disciplinary officer Judge Sue L. Robinson is expected to release her decision next week after a review of post-hearing briefs from both sides.
For years, the NFL has faced criticism for the way the league has handled allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault against women. More recently, the league has tried to make amends by enforcing a personal conduct policy for all NFL employees, current and former players specifically aimed at addressing these issues.
Mary Kate Cabot covers the Browns for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and spoke to ABC News’ “Start Here” about what’s expected for the NFL’s next play regarding the situation.
“Well, these were from 24 massage therapists, mostly in the Houston area, who during from about the fall of 2020, they accused Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct during massage appointments,” said Cabot. “[Although] 20 of the 24 have now been settled… this could mean sort of the beginning of the end of this whole saga.”
Watson has maintained his innocence throughout the allegations and the Cleveland Browns have stood behind the player.
“If we didn’t get comfortable with Deshaun the person, it wouldn’t have mattered how talented he was, we wouldn’t have pursued the trade,” said Browns general manager Andrew Berry during a press conference last month. “We believe in Deshaun, the person.”
Despite not admitting to wrongdoing, Cabot said that Watson had recently told her that he is “seeking some counseling.”
“He’s taking advantage of the resources the Browns have made available. I think that will be a mitigating factor in the eyes of the NFL,” said Cabot. “But the NFL now must decide on the discipline for Deshaun Watson.”
Although the settlements do not officially assign blame one way or another, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made it clear last month that Watson is still under investigation by the NFL.
“The personal conduct policy does not need a criminal violation to be a violation of the personal conduct policy,” said Goodell during a press conference.
In March, the Cleveland Browns reportedly guaranteed Watson $230 million over five years in a trade deal, the most guaranteed money at signing of any NFL player in history, according to ESPN.
Cabot said that the NFL Players Association is bracing for “a very long suspension” of Watson from the league.
“They plan to vigorously fight it,” said Cabot. “The next big step that everyone has to cross is to find out what the NFL has in mind and then how Deshaun’s side will fight it.”
During a press conference hosted by the Cleveland Browns last week, Watson addressed the allegations. He said he regrets the impact the situation has made on the community.
“That includes my family. That includes this organization. That includes my teammates in this locker room that have to answer to these questions,” said Watson. “That includes the fan base of the Cleveland Browns… It’s tough to have to deal with.”
Cabot said the league is now grappling with what is the right amount of disciplinary action.
“It’s going to be difficult out there in the court of public opinion and they’re going to have to walk this fine line between making it seem like they really do value, respect and believe women who bring these things up,” she said. “And also being fair to the fact that there is no evidence that anything happened.”
(NEW YORK) — A stance on transgender athletes made by one of the world’s most important athletic federations has sent ripples throughout the rest of the sports world and some fear it may bring even wider changes to come.
The governing body of international competitive swimming announced a policy that will only allow athletes who’ve transitioned before the age of 12 to take part in any of the elite international swimming competitions.
The decision made by FINA pointed to what the organization says is a “performance gap” that emerges between biological males and females during puberty.
“Without eligibility standards based on biological sex or sex-linked traits, we are very unlikely to see biological females in finals, on podiums, or in championship positions,” read the statement in part.
The policy also includes a proposal for a new open competition category, which athletes “would be able to compete without regard to their sex, their legal gender or their gender identity.”
FINA cited coming to the decision after consulting with scientists and policy makers, but the policy still sent shockwaves throughout the world of swimming and beyond. USA Wrestling and the International Rugby League have already followed suit and announced similar policies and other governing bodies are likely to follow suit.
FIFA, soccer’s governing body, and World Athletics, the international governing body that covers track and field events, also announced a review of their transgender athlete policy.
Transgender athlete Schuyler Bailar said the FINA policy is “extreme.”
“It’s the most extreme policy that I’ve read to date. I think it builds upon the discrimination that we’re seeing specifically on trans people,” said Bailar, who was the first openly transgender swimmer in NCAA Division 1 competition and the first trans man to compete in any NCAA Division 1 sport, to ABC News.
The decision could impact athletes like Lia Thomas, whose record-breaking season in the women’s swim category set off a firestorm of international controversy. Thomas, who was recruited to the University of Pennsylvania men’s swim team and competed with them for three seasons, began transitioning in 2019 and joined the women’s team for the 2021 to 2022 season.
Earlier this year, Thomas made history as the first transgender athlete to win a NCAA Division 1 National championship. That season, she set Ivy league records and rose significantly in the women’s rankings versus her performance in the men’s field.
In her only television interview, Thomas spoke to ABC News in May.
“Trans women competing in women’s sports does not threaten women’s sports as a whole,” said Thomas. “Trans women are a very small minority of all athletes and we haven’t seen any massive wave of trans women dominating.”
At the time, Thomas told ABC News that her goal was to swim at the Olympic Trials. But now, the new policy change prohibits Thomas from achieving those dreams.
In a statement to ABC News, Thomas said, “The new FINA release is deeply upsetting. It is discriminatory and will only serve to harm all women.”
Former Southern Illinois University swimmer Natalie Fahey was one of the first openly trans women to compete in the NCAA. Unlike Thomas, Fahey didn’t break any records and her races were far less controversial.
“After I transitioned, I was solidly middle ground. I didn’t come in and break any records,” said Fahey. “I only competed at a conference, but certainly just the fact that I’m not as good as Lia is, weighs into that.”
Fahey added that being able to swim as a woman was crucial to her.
Three-time Olympic Gold-medalist Nancy Hogshead-Makar is the founder of Champion Women, a non-profit organization that advocates for gender equality in sports for women and girls. She said she advocates for the open competition category.
“Trans women are women, but there are a few places where biology really matters and women’s sports is one of them,” she said.
But Bailar argues that the policy will have a lasting impact on trans youth that expands beyond sports.
“Most people play sports for fun, to learn cooperation, to have a team, to have peer mentorship,” said Bailar. “This [policy] polices all women because you have to know which girls are trans in order to exclude them. And when you do that, you enforce the policing of all women’s bodies.”
(NEW YORK) — Basketball star turned activist Maya Moore and her husband, Jonathan Irons, are now parents to a baby boy.Moore and Irons revealed exclusively on “Good Morning America” Tuesday that they welcomed their first child, a son named Jonathan Hughston Irons Jr., in February.
Moore and Irons wed in 2020, shortly after Irons was freed after spending over two decades in prison.
Moore, who won four WNBA championships with the Minnesota Lynx and as well as league MVP in 2014, stepped away from the game at the height of her career to focus full time on helping Irons overturn his conviction.
At 16 years old, Irons was tried and convicted as an adult by an all-white jury for the burglary and shooting at the home of 38-year-old Stanley Stotler. Irons maintained his innocence while he was in prison, saying he was wrongly identified during the lineup.
Moore and Irons formed a close friendship in 2007, before her freshman year at the University of Connecticut, when she met him through a prison ministry she participated in with extended family in Missouri.
After years of fighting, a Missouri judge overturned Irons’ conviction in March 2020, saying there were problems with the way the case had been investigated and tried — including a fingerprint report that would’ve proved Irons’ innocence, not being turned over to his defense team.
Irons told “GMA” in September 2020, when the couple announced their marriage, that he proposed to Moore on the night he was freed.
“When I got out, we were in the hotel room, we had some friends in the room, it was winding down and we were extremely tired, but we were still gassed up on excitement,” Irons recalled. “It was just me and her in the room and I got down on my knees and I looked up at her and she kind of knew what was going on and I said, ‘Will you marry me?’ She said, ‘Yes.'”
The couple’s love story and fight for justice is featured in an ESPN “30 for 30” documentary, “Breakaway,” that was released last year.
ABC News’ Kelly McCarthy and Shannon McClellan contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Brittney Griner personally reached out to President Joe Biden, urging him to help get her out of Russian custody, according to her representatives.
A handwritten letter from Griner, portions of which were made public, was delivered to the White House on Monday. In it, she expressed fears she will be held in Russia “forever.”
“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Griner wrote to the president.
On Feb. 17, the WNBA star was detained at Russia’s Sheremetyevo International Airport after being accused of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in the country.
“It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate [the Fourth of July] because freedom means something completely different to me this year,” she wrote.
Last Friday marked the first day of Griner’s trial. She appeared in person at a courtroom in Khimki, a suburb of Moscow, ABC News reported. Her detention in Russia was extended to Dec. 20, the expected length of her trial.
Griner’s family and friends have called for the Phoenix Mercury star to be released and for the Biden administration to act.
“I just keep hearing that, you know, he has the power. She’s a political pawn,” Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, told ABC News’ Robin Roberts in May. “So, if they’re holding her because they want you to do something, then I want you to do it.”
In the Monday letter, the basketball star asked Biden to not forget about her and other American detainees in the country and to work toward bringing them back to the U.S.
“I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home,” she said.
It’s unknown if Biden read the letter, but National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement obtained by ABC News the president “has been clear” about seeing all detainees who are wrongfully detained oversees, including the WNBA star, released.
“The U.S. government continues to work aggressively – using every available means – to bring her home,” Watson said.
ABC News’ Courtney Condron and Sarah Kolinovsky contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Friday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Final Chicago Cubs 6 Boston 5
Final N.Y. Mets 4 Texas 3
Final Chicago White Sox 1 San Francisco 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Toronto 9 Tampa Bay 2
Final Kansas City 3 Detroit 1
Final Minnesota 3 Baltimore 2
Final Houston 8 L.A. Angels 1
Final Oakland 3 Seattle 1
N-Y Yankees at Cleveland 12:10 p.m. (Postponed)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Miami 6 Washington 3
Final Philadelphia 5 St. Louis 3
Final Atlanta 9 Cincinnati 1
Final Milwaukee 19 Pittsburgh 2
Final Arizona 9 Colorado 3
Final L.A. Dodgers 5 San Diego 1
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Las Vegas 91 Minnesota 85
Final Los Angeles 97 Dallas 89
Final Seattle 73 Indiana 57
