(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 7 Texas 5
LA Angels 3, Minnesota 2
Tampa Bay 5, Cleveland 4
Boston 5, NY Yankees 4
Oakland 4, Seattle 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis 3, Chicago Cubs 2
Atlanta 7, Philadelphia 2
San Diego 3 Miami 2
San Francisco 5 L.A. Dodgers 3
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Orlando City 2, Philadelphia 1
Seattle 1, Austin FC 0
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NEW YORK) — New York Jets assistant coach and passing game coordinator Greg Knapp has died after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle in California on Tuesday, the team announced Tuesday.
“Today at 11:32 am PST, Greg Knapp (aka Knapper) was called back home to Heaven, where he will be reunited with his Dad,” the team said in a statement.
Knapp was struck by a car on Tuesday and never regained consciousness, according to the team.
“Those of us who were so blessed to have known him, know that he would have wanted even this moment to be a teachable one. So this is it…”Live every day as if it’s your last, and love those around you like it won’t last!” the statement said. “Greg’s infectious personality is most people’s first and lasting memory of him. The phrase “He never met a stranger” encapsulates Knapper’s zest for life. He had a unique gift to make everyone feel special, and to Knapper, they all were.”
Knapp was struck at 2:49 PM local time on Tuesday and based on preliminary investigation drugs/alcohol were not involved, San Ramon Police Department told ESPN. The driver, whose name is being withheld, is cooperating.
It happened at an intersection about 27 miles east of Oakland, according to ESPN.
The Jets rookies will arrive at training camp on Tuesday with veterans starting on July 27.
This season would have been Knapp’s 26th as an NFL coach. He has spent the past 22 years as either an offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach.
Knapp coached 13 different Pro-Bowlers, including 11 quarterbacks, in Jeff Garcia, Peyton Manning, Michael Vick, and Steve Young. Manning and Young are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
According to ESPN, Knapp was hired to work with Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson.
Before joining the Jets, Knapp was the quarterback coach in Atlanta for three seasons. During his time in Atlanta, Matt Ryan threw for 13,971 yards, the most in the league, and 87 touchdowns.
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(NEW ORLEANS) — The New Orleans Pelicans have named Willie Green as its next head coach, Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin announced Thursday.
An introductory press conference will be held on Tuesday, July 27
Green joins the Pelicans after spending the past two seasons as an assistant to Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams.
“Willie has established himself as one of the most respected assistant coaches in the NBA. In large part, this is due to a tireless work ethic and authenticity of character,” said Griffin in a statement. “He brings a vast amount of basketball knowledge and experience to our team as both a coach and former player, along with exceptional leadership qualities and an innate ability to connect with players, staff, and fans alike. We could not be more excited to welcome Willie and his family to New Orleans.”
The Suns made the NBA Finals this season against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks won the NBA championship 4-2.
“I want to thank Mrs. Benson, David Griffin, and the entire Pelicans organization for having faith in me to lead this talented group of players moving forward,” said Green in a statement. “It’s a blessing and an honor to get this opportunity in a special place like New Orleans. I look forward to getting to work and immersing myself and my family into the local community.”
During his time in Phoenix, Green led the Suns’ defense to the sixth-best defensive rating this past season and coached the Suns’ summer league team in 2019.
Before joining the Sun, Green was an assistant coach/player development for the Golden State Warriors for three seasons. He was a part of the 2017 and 2018 NBA championship teams and coached the Warriors 2018 summer league team.
A 12-year NBA veteran, Green appeared in 731 regular-season games with Philadelphia, New Orleans, Atlanta, the LA Clippers, and Orlando from 2003-15 and made the playoffs seven times.
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(ST. LOUIS) — St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong told reporters on a conference call that forward Vladimir Tarasenko could still be on the team next season.
After the regular ended, Tarasenko’s agent Paul Theofanous called Armstrong and said his client wanted a trade. Because Tarasenko has a full no-trade clause, they gave Armstrong a list of teams he would accept a trade to.
“I informed all the teams that Vladi had requested a trade, that there was a list of teams he would prefer to go to,” said Armstrong. “But if anyone has any ideas or thoughts, I would work with them and take something to Vladi, and he would have the 100% opportunity to accept or reject that concept,.”
Ahead of the Seattle Kraken expansion draft, the team exposed Tarasenko, knowing it would give the forward a fresh start and it would alleviate salary cap space for St. Louis.
The Kraken chose defenseman Vince Dunn.
Armstrong was asked whether he envisions Tarasenko being on the team come opening night.
“There’s many players in the NHL that have requested trades,” said Armstrong. “You always try to keep it below the surface, but our responsibility is to do what’s best for the St. Louis Blues, and if that means he comes back and plays for us, then that’s the outlook that it has.”
Tarasenko has played in just 34 games over the past two seasons because of a dislocated left shoulder and two surgeries. Armstrong conceded that might be a reason why a trade has not happened.
“We’re dealing with a player that’s coming off an injury, too, which I’m sure affects the way other teams view it and what risks they’re willing to take,” said Armstrong. “I view Vladi as a healthy player, a guy who has scored 30 goals in the past on numerous occasions and a guy who should continue to score.”
The 29-year old is a five-time 30 goal scorer for the Blues but has seven goals and 24 assists over the past two seasons because of his injury.
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(DALLAS) — Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence will begin the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list after offseason back surgery, head coach Mike McCarthy announced Thursday.
It is the third time Lawrence has had back surgery during his career.
“It’s more of a cleanup, so there’s no high concern,” said coach Mike McCarthy before the Cowboys’ first training camp practice. “He looks great. It’s probably more us than him as far as the timeline of him coming back.”
In 2016 and 2017, Lawrence had back surgery to repair an issue that began in 2015.
Wide receiver Amari Cooper, kicker Greg Zuerlein, defensive tackle Trysten Hill, rookie defensive end Chauncey Golston and offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt will also start training camp on the PUP list.
“He has a history there,” McCarthy said about Cooper, who had offseason ankle surgery. “He looks great. He’s in great shape, so this is the time of year to be smart.”
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(PHILADELPHIA) — The Philadelphia Flyers have sent defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and two draft picks to the Arizona Coyotes, the team announced Thursday.
The Flyers are getting nothing back in return. Instead, the trade opens up $4.5 million in salary-cap space for the team.
“This was a difficult decision but one we thought was necessary given the reality of the salary cap,” said President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Chuck Fletcher in a statement. “Shayne has been a quality player for this organization since the moment he arrived in Philadelphia and has been a part of many special moments in his seven seasons as a Flyer.”
Gostisbehere has spent his entire seven-year NHL career in the city. He appeared in 381 games and scored 60 goals and assisted on 159 goals.
This is the second time in a week that Arizona has traded for a player and did not have to give up anything in return. On Saturday, the New York Islanders traded forward Andrew Lang and three picks to the Coyotes to dump Ladd’s $5.5 million salary.
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(ATLANTA) — Atlanta Hawks rookie center Onyeka Okongwu had surgery to repair his torn right labrum in his shoulder, the team announced.
The sixth overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft will be out for the next six months and will miss the start of the NBA season. Training camps will begin in late-September with the regular season commencing in October.
During his rookie year, Okongwu appeared in 50 games averaging 4.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the surgery in Los Angeles.
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Disability advocates and elected officials are calling on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee to rethink its policies after a Paralympic gold medalist swimmer was denied a request to have a care assistant travel with her to Tokyo due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Becca Meyers’ ordeal also speaks to the larger issue of disability inequities amplified by the pandemic, advocates say.
Meyers, 26, who is blind and deaf, was set to compete at the Paralympics in Tokyo with the women’s swim team in August, and requested that her mother join her as her personal care assistant. Assistants are assigned to help the athlete navigate the Olympic village and with any other duties that are limited because of their disability.
Meyers, who won three gold medals in the 2016 Games, announced that she had chosen to withdraw from the team after the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee denied her request, citing COVID-19 restrictions on the number of personnel it could send to Tokyo.
The news stunned the Paralympian and disabled community as they’ve been looking forward to her swimming for over five years, Kristin Duquette, a former Team USA Paralympic swimmer and disability rights advocate, told ABC News.
Duquette, who works as a preparedness officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, acknowledged the difficulties that COVID-19 poses in keeping the athletes safe during the two-week event, but she said the USOPC could have easily complied with Meyers’ request.
“It is a stain on the USOPC’s efforts to be inclusive and diverse,” she told ABC News.
The committee defended its decision in a statement released Wednesday, citing the strict COVID-19 restrictions. It added that a single personal care assistant has been assigned to the U.S. Paralympics Swimming team who “has more than 27 years of coaching experience, including eleven years with para swimmers.”
“This PCA joins a staff of 10 additional accomplished swim professionals, all who have experience with blind swimmers; totaling 11 staff for 34 athletes,” the USOPC said in a statement.
Meyers noted that her mother has accompanied her to events as her personal care assistant since 2017 and was essential for her to compete.
Duquette, who is friends with Meyers, emphasized that an athlete’s personal care assistant is trained to assist with specific limitations that come from a Paralympian’s particular disability. She noted that Meyers is the only member of Team USA swimming who is both blind and deaf.
“There is a lot of anxiety that goes into travel. A personal care assistant is really dependent on the disability you have,” she said.
Meyers’ announcement sparked calls from Congress to meet the needs of the American Paralympians.
U.S. Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Ben Cardin, D-Md., both called on the committee to rethink its rules.
Hassan sent a letter to the USOPC reminding them that many disabled Americans are already facing too many hurdles when it comes to athletics and it should set an example for the rest of the world.
“[The athletes] should not be forced to navigate the Tokyo Olympics without the support that they need, particularly in the midst of a global pandemic,” she wrote in her letter.
Move United, a nonprofit group that promotes parasports, also called on the committee to rethink its policies given the limited resources for Paralympians.
“Too often as a community, we are faced with inadequate resources to promote our best selves, and when this happens we should speak up and advocate for our rights to access and accommodation,” the group said in a statement to ABC News. “We are saddened that Becca Meyers will not be competing in the Paralympics next month.”
Duquette said the coronavirus has amplified the day-to-day difficulties that the disabled community faces. From accommodations to assist deaf persons who can’t read lips through a mask to difficulties transitioning to a work-from-home setup, the community has had extra mental stress on top of their fears of catching the virus.
“Disability is at the bottom when we think of diversity and inclusion,” she said.
Duquette said she hopes this situation will open more Americans’ eyes to disability rights and spur change beyond the sports world.
“Hopefully this is a learning lesson,” she said. “But this is at the expense of someone’s dream.”
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Kansas City 6, Milwaukee 3
Colorado 6, Seattle 3
NY Yankees 6, Philadelphia 5
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 5, Baltimore 4
Detroit 4, Texas 2
Boston 7, Toronto 4
Cleveland 5, Houston 4
Minnesota 7, Chi White Sox 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Diego 3, Atlanta 2
NY Mets 7, Cincinnati 0
Arizona 6, Pittsburgh 4
Miami 3, Washington 1
St. Louis 3, Chi Cubs 2
San Francisco 4, LA Dodgers 2
San Diego at Atlanta (Suspended)
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Nashville 0, Columbus 0 (Tie)
New York 1 Toronto FC 1 (Tie)
New York City FC 1, CF Montreal 0
New England 5, Miami 0
Atlanta 1, Cincinnati 1 (Tie)
D.C. United 2, Chicago 2 (Tie)
San Jose 1, Sporting Kansas City 1 (Tie)
Colorado 2, FC Dallas 0
LA Galaxy 2, Real Salt Lake 2 (Tie)
Portland 2, Los Angeles FC 1
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(TOKYO) — An American volleyball player tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival to Japan and is reportedly no longer participating in the Tokyo Olympics.
“In alignment with local rules and protocols, the athlete has been transferred to a hotel,” USA Volleyball said in a statement on Wednesday.
The player’s name has not yet been officially released.
The athlete is the second member of Team USA to test positive for the virus just two days ahead of the opening ceremonies.
The International Olympic Committee reported 71 people accredited to the games have tested positive for COVID-19, including a growing number of international athletes within the Olympic Village in Tokyo.
As of Wednesday, Japan reported 3,600 new cases of COVID-19 and the country remains in a state of emergency due to large outbreaks in the greater Tokyo area.
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