Sports

(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.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(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.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(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.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(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.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(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

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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

INTERLEAGUE
Houston 2, NY Mets 0
Milwaukee 5, Tampa Bay 3
Detroit 3, San Francisco 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE
NY Yankees 5, Oakland 3
Kansas City 2, Texas 1
Seattle 9, Baltimore 3
Cleveland 7, Minnesota 6
Boston 6, Toronto 5
LA Angels 4, Chicago White Sox 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pittsburgh 8, Washington 7
San Diego 4, Arizona 0
Atlanta 4, Philadelphia 1
Miami ,4 St. Louis 3
Chicago Cubs 8, Cincinnati 3
LA Dodgers 8, Colorado 4

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Chicago 91, Connecticut 83
Seattle 88, Las Vegas 78
Phoenix 99, Indiana 78

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
New York City FC 4, Cincinnati 4 (TIE)
Columbus 2, Toronto FC 1
Chicago 1, Philadelphia 0
CF Montral 2, Seattle 1
Los Angeles FC 3, FC Dallas 1
Portland 2, Houston 1
Minnesota 3, LA Galaxy 2

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
Houston 9, NY Mets 1
Milwaukee 5, Tampa Bay 3
San Francisco 4, Detroit 3

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland 3, Minnesota 2
NY Yankees 2, Oakland 1
Minnesota 6, Cleveland 0
Toronto 6, Boston 5
Texas 8, Kansas City 3
Seattle 2, Baltimore 0
Chi White Sox 11, LA Angels 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington 3, Pittsburgh 1
Atlanta 5, Philadelphia 3
St. Louis 5, Miami 3
Colorado 7, LA Dodgers 4
Cincinnati 5, Chi Cubs 3
Arizona 7, San Diego 6

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Washington 92, Atlanta 74
Minnesota 92, Dallas 64

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota 11, Cleveland 1
Toronto 7, Boston 2
NY Yankees 9, Oakland 5
Texas 10, Kansas City 4
LA Angels 4, Chi White Sox 3
Baltimore 9, Seattle 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington 3, Pittsburgh 2
St. Louis 9, Miami 0
Colorado 4, LA Dodgers 0

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Phoenix 83, Indiana 71
Las Vegas 79, Los Angeles 73

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(MOSCOW) — WNBA star Brittney Griner appeared at a preliminary hearing in Moscow on Monday more than three months after she was detained in Russia.

Griner did not respond to an ABC News reporter’s question as she walked out of the courtroom. Her attorney did not comment after the hearing. The next hearing is scheduled for July 1.

Griner was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Russia on Feb. 17 after she was accused of carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in Russia.

The U.S. State Department has said Griner was “wrongfully detained” by Russia.

“Our position for some time on this has been very clear. Brittney Griner should not be detained. She should not be detained for a single day longer,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said June 14.

Russia had issued multiple extensions of her pre-trial detention. If convicted, Griner, 31, faces up to 10 years in prison.

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.

Cherelle Griner told Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts in May that she would like to speak with President Joe Biden.

“I just keep hearing that, you know, he has the power. She’s a political pawn,” she said. “So if they’re holding her because they want you to do something, then I want you to do it.”

Asked last week about a potential meeting between Cherelle Griner and President Biden, Jean-Pierre said, “We don’t have anything to share about a potential phone conversation or meeting.”

ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.