Sports

(FORT WORTH, Texas) — If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Professional golfer and PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died by suicide on Saturday morning at 30 years old, according to his family and PGA officials.

“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone,” Eric and Terry Murray said in a statement Sunday shared by the PGA. “It’s surreal that we not only have to admit it to ourselves, but that we also have to acknowledge it to the world. It’s a nightmare. We have so many questions that have no answers.”

They later added: “We would like to thank the PGA TOUR and the entire world of golf for the outpouring of support. Life wasn’t always easy for Grayson, and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now.

“Please respect our privacy as we work through this incredible tragedy, and please honor Grayson by being kind to one another. If that becomes his legacy, we could ask for nothing else.”

“We were devastated to learn — and are heartbroken to share — that PGA TOUR player Grayson Murray passed away this morning,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said Saturday in a statement, adding: “I am at a loss for words.”

Murray’s passing comes one day after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge on Friday, citing an illness, according to ESPN.

Monahan said the Charles Schwab Challenge would continue as scheduled and that he’s been in contact with Murray’s parents.

“I reached out to Grayson’s parents to offer our deepest condolences, and during that conversation, they asked that we continue with tournament play,” Monahan said. “They were adamant that Grayson would want us to do so. As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes.”

Murray’s career in professional golfing was distinguished with several major titles, since becoming the second-youngest player to compete in the Korn Ferry Tour at 16 years old.

He won his second PGA Tour title at this year’s Sony Open in Hawaii after winning the 2017 Barbasol Championship.

Murray reached a career-high of 46th in the Official World Golf Ranking after his victory in Hawaii.

Murray was open about his past battle with alcoholism and depression, saying in January that he’s been sober since early 2023.

“The PGA Tour is a family, and when you lose a member of your family, you are never the same,” Monahan said in the statement Saturday. “We mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones.”

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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE  
Colorado 9, Oakland 10
Texas 2, Philadelphia 5

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto 9, Detroit 1
Seattle 0, NY Yankees 5
Baltimore 8, Chicago White Sox 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cincinnati 4, San Diego 6                      
Chicago Cubs 0, Atlanta 3    
San Francisco 7, Pittsburgh 6 

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Indiana Pacers 110, Boston Celtics 126     

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
New York Liberty 81, Chicago Sky 90
Minnesota Lynx 82, Connecticut Sun 83
Washington Mystics TBA, Phoenix Mercury TBA 

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Edmonton Oilers TBA, Dallas Stars TBA

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE  
Baltimore 1, St. Louis 1 (SUSPENDED)
Colorado 4, Oakland 5  
Cleveland 7, N.Y. Mets 6             
Minnesota 10, Washington 0           
Philadelphia 5, Texas 2 

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston 5, Tampa Bay 2           
Chicago White Sox 5, Toronto 0           
Kansas City 10, Detroit 3 
Seattle 6, N.Y. Yankees 3           
Houston 6, L.A. Angels 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Arizona 7, L.A. Dodgers 3 
Cincinnati 2, San Diego 0           
Milwaukee 7, Miami 5           
Pittsburgh 7, San Francisco 6           
Chicago Cubs 4, Atlanta 3          

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Boston 133, Indiana 128      

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Phoenix 98, Las Vegas 88       
Washington 68, Los Angeles 70  
Atlanta 83, Dallas 78

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Diego Padres 6, Atlanta Braves 5 (Doubleheader game 1)
San Diego Padres 0, Atlanta Braves 3 (Doubleheader game 2)
Milwaukee Brewers 2, Miami Marlins 3
Arizona Diamondbacks 4, LA Dodgers 6

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Chicago White Sox 3, Toronto Blue Jays 9
Seattle Mariners 5, New York Yankees 4
Boston Red Sox 5, Tampa Bay Rays 0
LA Angels 9, Houston Astros 7
Detroit Tigers 3, Kansas City Royals 8

INTERLEAGUE
New York Mets 1, Cleveland Guardians 3
Minnesota Twins 3, Washington Nationals 12
Baltimore Orioles 3, St. Louis Cardinals 6

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Connecticut Sun 88, Indiana Fever 84
Seattle Storm 63, New York Liberty 74

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(HARTFORD, Conn.) — Simone Biles kicked off her season with a remarkable performance ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On Saturday, the Olympic-winning gymnast won the Core Hydration Classic in Hartford, Connecticut, with an impressive all-around score of 59.500 during the star-studded competition featuring other Olympic champions, including Suni Lee and Gabby Douglas.

The event marked the first time Lee, Douglas and Biles competed at the same time. Douglas withdrew from the evening after competing in the uneven bars in the first rotation. Meanwhile, Lee completed three events — vault, beam and floor — taking home the highest score on beam and finishing with a total score of 40.75.

In addition to winning the title, Biles also scored the gold medal on floor exercise, and silver medals in the uneven bars and balance beam.

Continuing her road to the selection for the Paris Olympics this summer, Biles will compete in her next meet at the U.S. Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, followed by the U.S. Olympic Trials in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

After winning a bronze in balance beam at Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic Games, Biles took a break from gymnastics to “focus on her mental health.”

Upon her return late last year, Biles became the most decorated gymnast of all time after winning her sixth all-around world championship gold in Antwerp, Belgium, and led the U.S. women’s team to their seventh consecutive gold medal in the team competition.

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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
Boston 11, St. Louis 3
Houston 9, Milwaukee 4
Arizona 6 Detroit 4

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Cleveland 5, Minnesota 2
Baltimore 6, Seattle 3
Toronto 5, Tampa Bay 2
NY Yankees 7, Chi White Sox 2
Kansas City 8, Oakland 4
LA Angels 4, Texas 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 11, Washington 5
NY Mets 7, Miami 3
Pittsburgh 3, Chi Cubs 2
San Francisco 4, Colorado 1
LA Dodgers 3, Cincinnati 2
San Diego 9, Atlanta 1

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Indiana 130, New York 109 ((Indiana win series 4-3)
Minnesota 98, Denver 90 (Minnesota wins series 4-3)

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Seattle 84, Washington 75

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 golfer in the world, was arrested Friday for allegedly driving past a police roadblock at the Valhalla Golf Club, according to ESPN.

Around 5 a.m. a man was fatally struck by a shuttle bus as he tried to cross a road near the course of the PGA championship, according to a statement released by Louisville Metro Police Department.

The roadblocks and confusion over the accident allegedly led Scheffler to drive past police who were on site, according to reports from ESPN.

A “police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car, and Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla,” according to ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington. “The police officer then began to scream at Scheffler to get out of the car. When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer shoved Scheffler against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. He is now being detained in the back of a police car.”

Louisville police said that the start of the second round of the PGA Championship was delayed as a result of the accident.

The LMPD Traffic Unit is investigating and there have been no other injuries reported from the earlier incident.

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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AMERICAN LEAGUE
NY Yankees 5, Minnesota 0
Tampa Bay 7, Boston 5
Houston 8, Oakland 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pittsburgh 5, Chi Cubs 4
NY Mets 6, Philadelphia 5
Cincinnati 7, LA Dodgers 2

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Minnesota 115, Denver 70 (Series tied 3-3)

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
NY Rangers 5, Carolina 3 (New York wins series 4-2)
Vancouver 3, Edmonton 2 (Vancouver leads 3-2)

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
New York 102, Indiana 66

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs is facing backlash after delivering a commencement address that touched on everything from Pride Month to women’s roles in the home, abortion and in vitro fertilization.

“It is safe to say that over the years, I have gained quite the reputation for speaking my mind,” Harrison Butker said at the start of his address, which he delivered May 11 at Benedictine College, a Catholic liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas.

Butker, who has sparked controversy in the past for his public stances on religion, LGBTQ topics and abortion, criticized President Joe Biden for his stance as a Catholic who supports abortion rights before turning to speak directly to the women in the graduating class, saying they had been told “the most diabolical lies.”

“Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world,” Butker, 28, said. “I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and a mother.”

Butker and his wife share two young children. Isabelle Butker has spoken publicly about converting to Catholicism before the couple’s 2018 marriage.

“I’m on this stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation,” Butker continued. “I am beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class, back in middle school, would convert to the faith, become my wife and embrace one of the most important titles of all, homemaker.”

Butker added, “I’ve seen firsthand how much happier someone can be when they disregard the outside noise and move closer and closer to God’s will for life. Isabelle’s dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you ask her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud without hesitation and say no.”

The football player also said men should step up for families, saying, “This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation.”

“Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the culture of the emasculation of men,” he said, adding that men “set the tone of the culture.”

“Do hard things,” he added. “Never settle for what is easy.”

Elsewhere in his 20-minute speech, Butker described Pride month, which typically falls in June and is dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ+ community, as a “deadly sin.”

He also referenced popstar Taylor Swift, who is dating his teammate Travis Kelce, by citing some of the lyrics from her song “Bejeweled.”

“Tragically, so many priests revolve much of their happiness from the adulation they receive from their parishioners,” he said. “And in searching for this, they let their guard down and become overly familiar. This undue familiarity will prove to be problematic every time, because as my teammate’s girlfriend says, familiarity breeds contempt.”

ABC News has reached out to Butker for comment.

Justice Horn, a former Kansas City commissioner, spoke out in the wake of Butker’s comments over the weekend, writing on X, “Harrison Butker doesn’t represent Kansas City nor has he ever. Kansas City has always been a place that welcomes, affirms, and embraces our LGBTQ+ community members.”

Outsports, a media platform that covers the LGBTQ+ community, commented on the fact that Butker included a reference to Swift in his speech, writing on X, “One of the worst parts of this NFL player’s awful speech is that he quoted a Taylor Swift song before telling women they should be homemakers and serve their man’s career.”

Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, an LGBTQ+ organization, also responded to Butker’s speech, calling it “inaccurate, ill-informed, and woefully out of step with Americans about Pride, LGBTQ people and women.”

“Those with expansive platforms, especially athletes, should use their voices to uplift and expand understanding and acceptance in the world,” Ellis said in a statement. “Instead, Butker’s remarks undermine experiences not of his own and reveal him to be one who goes against his own team’s commitment to the Kansas City community, and the NFL’s standards for respect, inclusion, and diversity across the League.”

Benedictine College, which has around 2,100 undergraduate students, has disabled comments on a YouTube video of Butker’s speech.

The college did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment on Butker’s commencement address.

The NFL told ABC News the organization is “steadfast” in its “commitment to inclusion.”

“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization,” Jonathan Beane, the league’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, told ABC News in a statement. “The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”

The Kansas City Chiefs did not reply to ABC News’ request for comment.

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