(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
AMERICAN LEAGUE
LA Angels 6, Houston 4
Texas 2, Seattle 1
Detroit 6, Cleveland 2
Tampa Bay 3, Baltimore 0
NY Yankees 7, Oakland 2
Kansas City 12, Chi White Sox 6
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Arizona 5, Miami 2
Washington 5, San Francisco 1
Milwaukee 9, LA Dodgers 3
St. Louis 3, Chi Cubs 1
Pittsburgh 2, Colorado 0
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
LA Lakers 104, Golden State 101 (LA leads 3-1)
Miami 109, New York 101 (Miami leads 3-1)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Vegas 5, Edmonton 1 (Vegas leads 2-1)
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Atlanta 3, Baltimore 2
Philadelphia 6, Boston 1
Toronto 10, Pittsburgh 1
St. Louis 12, Detroit 6
Chi White Sox 17, Cincinnati 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland 2, Minnesota 0
Kansas City 5, Oakland 1
Tampa Bay 8, NY Yankees 7
Seattle 3, Houston 1
Texas 16, LA Angels 8
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Colorado 13, NY Mets 6
Miami 5, Chi Cubs 4
Milwaukee 7, San Francisco 3
Washington 9, Arizona 8
LA Dodgers 5, San Diego 2
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Philadelphia 116 Boston 115 (OT) (Series tied 2-2)
Phoenix 129, Denver 124 (Series tied 2-2)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
New Jersey 8, Carolina 4 (Carolina leads 2-1)
Florida 3, Toronto 2 (OT) (Florida leads 3-0)
Seattle 7, Dallas 2 (Seattle leads 2-1)
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Sporting Kansas City 2, Seattle 1
(NEW YORK) — Max Verstappen could win his 38th Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday in Miami, Florida. The 25-year-old defending champion is leading in points this season and is on track to win his third consecutive world champion title — if he and his Red Bull team continue to execute at a level unmatched on the grid.
Verstappen, who has been competing in Formula 1 since he was 17 years old, recognizes the sport can be unpredictable, maddening and cutthroat. Cars often break down. Rival teams gain an edge. Grueling race schedules can affect performance.
“You learn from bad and good results,” he told ABC News before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. “That is the key. Even when you have good results, you always have to look back and analyze what you could have done better or what you would have wished to have done differently.”
Verstappen has also seen his popularity skyrocket as Formula 1 grows its fan base in the U.S. Drive to Survive, Netflix’s docuseries on the sport, raised the profiles of Verstappen and his fellow drivers, turning them into celebrities and reality TV stars.
Verstappen spoke with ABC News about the pressures on the grid, his jet-setting race schedule and what it’s like to film Drive to Survive. The conversation below has been edited.
ABC News: How has Formula 1 changed since you first started in the sport?
Max: I think it did shift a little bit more toward fan engagement, especially in the U.S. compared to other areas of the world, which I think in general has been really good for the sport. That is partly because of the technology available but also the new owners [are] involved more [and] focusing on the fans and the show side of things.
ABC News: Let’s talk about Netflix’s “Drive to Survive.” What has your experience been like on the show?
Max: Yeah, it’s been a ride. I mean, I think we had to clear a few things up, you know, before getting back on it. I gave one interview last year because I understand that it’s important for [the producers] to try and create a bit of a picture.
Some people … love being a bit more in the spotlight and some don’t. I just enjoy my privacy. And I enjoy being at home and being away from Formula 1 when I’m not racing.
ABC News: Are you part of filming for this current season?
Max: Not yet. We’ll do something again a bit later on in the year.
ABC News: When you say clear some things up, what do you mean by that?
Max: It was just how things were portrayed before in the early seasons, where it was basically creating a bit of a wrong picture. But it was to create a bit more excitement, I guess, for the show. I just want [the producers] to show me how I really am or at least as close as possible to it.
I’m very straightforward. And I will say what I think. Sometimes that might seem arrogant to some people but that’s just the way I was brought up. And I always learned that you have to speak out. If you really want something or you want something changed, at the end of the day, it’s better to say [it] quite directly.
ABC News: “Drive to Survive” has really boosted Americans’ interest in Formula 1. What’s your opinion of the Miami track?
Max: It’s a great event. Miami feels quite different to Austin even though it’s the same country. I love being in Miami. It’s nice and warm and that makes it also a tough track to drive in general.
ABC News: Do you enjoy driving when you’re not competing? Do you have your own personal car?
Max: Well, I do a lot of virtual racing at home. I spend a lot of hours on that. And when I’m at home, I don’t actually drive a lot. But I don’t mind being the passenger as long as I trust the driver. Then you can actually relax quite well.
I have some personal cars … a few sports cars. But the one I use the most is an Audi RS Q3, which I actually bought for my girlfriend. When I need to get into town in Monaco I actually use it myself because it’s a bit easier to park and when you hit a curb or whatever, it doesn’t feel as bad as damaging a wheel on another car.
ABC News: That makes me feel better that you also hit curbs.
Max: We all do.
ABC News: Can sim racing really prepare you for the pressures on the track and the G forces?
Max: Not the G forces. But I do think it keeps you really on top of things.
I just enjoy racing. It doesn’t matter if it’s Formula 1 or a GT car or a prototype car, I just enjoy really getting the best out of myself but also getting the best out of the car. And it doesn’t matter if it’s real life or virtual. It’s a hobby but I also want to win. I take it very seriously.
ABC News: Do you have any pre-race rituals?
Max: No, not really. I mean, I just go through my normal warmup in terms of just getting your body ready.
ABC News: You’ve won many Grand Prix but you’ve also had disappointments. How do you recover from a poor result?
Max: I mean, that’s just your racing career. I started racing when I was 4. You hope you have good results most of the time. But you know, there are also bad results. And I’ve been experiencing that from [age] 7 till now. You have ups and downs, hopefully more ups than downs. I think over time you learn how to deal with that. And everyone is a bit different. I forget stuff quite easily in terms of race results. It doesn’t really make sense to keep on thinking about the results too much.
You learn from bad and good results. That is the key. It’s not only about learning from the bad results. Even when you have good results, you always have to look back and analyze what you could have done better or what you would have wished to have done differently.
ABC News: Who is your biggest competitor this season? Is there a particular driver or team?
Max: No team yet. There are a lot of great drivers in Formula 1 currently. Some people just don’t have the material to fight up front, which is a bit of a shame but that’s how Formula 1 has always been. And I actually think that it’s getting closer and closer to the 80s and 90s and the early 2000s, when there was a lot of dominance.
We know that we have a great car again this year but the focus is always the same. You take it race by race. We don’t get ahead of ourselves. We know the competition is tough and things can change quite quickly. But we just have to focus on ourselves and really try to push everyone forward on the team.
We fought for this for many years, to come back on top, and now we are there. It’s important to win but it’s also important to enjoy it.
ABC News: What do you make of Aston Martin’s new car and Fernando Alonso’s surprise podium finishes this year?
Max: They’ve built a great car. They made a really big jump forward. And yeah, I’m happy for Fernando, he’s an amazing driver. He has won titles but I think he could have won even more if he was given the right material. It’s just great to be able to share all these podiums with him. And I really hope that it leads to more, you know? Not only a third place but second next to me, that would be great.
ABC News: Formula 1 has been criticized for its punishing race schedule. How do you cope with the constant travel?
Max: Yeah, some of [the races] don’t really make sense, right? The time zones are different and sometimes it can be tough. Later on in the season, it’s a bit harder because you’re getting tired, your energy levels are going down.
ABC News: Former Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton have taken on causes like climate change and racial injustice. Are there any causes that you care deeply about?
Max: I think I’m at a stage of my career where I’m really focused on performing in Formula 1. Of course there are a lot of things in the world that are not correct. But I don’t think I can solve these things on my own.
I’m a racing driver and I should focus on racing and if I want to focus on other stuff then maybe I should become a politician or something. But that’s not what I grew up wanting. When people ask me questions, you can have an opinion and share your thoughts, but sometimes you need to be well lectured and informed about things before commenting.
ABC News: What’s your relationship like with Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez? Do you two speak off the grid?
Max: Oh, for sure. Checo is Mexican so he’s traveling back to Mexico a lot. If he lived a bit closer, maybe it would be easier to do stuff together. You’re so busy racing, the weeks that you have off you actually just want to spend it with your friends and your family, which I think they deserve the time as well. So yeah, we do have a great relationship and it has really grown. Over the years I knew him as a Formula 1 driver but never as a teammate. So once we were teammates, we naturally spent more time together. And it’s been good.
(NEW YORK) — New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta are investigating the NFL over allegations of workplace discrimination and hostility, their offices said Thursday.
The joint investigation will examine the workplace culture of the NFL and allegations by former employees of gender discrimination and retaliation.
Those allegations first surfaced in a February 2022 report in The New York Times that said more than 30 former female NFL employees were retaliated against after they had filed complaints with human resources.
Two months later, James sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell asking him to address the alleged inequity.
“No person should ever have to endure harassment, discrimination, or abuse in the workplace,” James said. “No matter how powerful or influential, no institution is above the law, and we will ensure the NFL is held accountable.”
As part of the investigation, the attorneys general subpoenaed the NFL seeking information regarding allegations of gender pay disparities in compensation, harassment and gender and race discrimination.
“We have serious concerns about the NFL’s role in creating an extremely hostile and detrimental work environment,” Bonta said. “No company is too big or popular to avoid being held responsible for their actions.”
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Detroit 6, NY Mets 5
Detroit 8, NY Mets 1
San Francisco 4, Houston 2
Arizona 12, Texas 7
Tampa Bay 8, Pittsburgh 1
LA Angels 6, St. Louis 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Seattle 7, Oakland 2 (10)
Kansas City 6, Baltimore 0
NY Yankees 4, Cleveland 3
Chi White Sox 6, Minnesota 4
Boston 8, Toronto 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Diego 7, Cincinnati 1
LA Dodgers 10, Philadelphia 6
Atlanta 14, Miami 6
Washington 2, Chi Cubs 1
Colorado 7, Milwaukee 1
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Boston 121, Philadelphia 87 (Series tied 1-1)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Carolina 5, New Jersey 1 (Carolina leads series 1-0)
Vegas 6, Edmonton 4 (Vegas leads 1-0)
(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) — Two basketball players spoke out Wednesday after filing a lawsuit against New Mexico State University accusing it of negligence, vicarious liability and violation of the state’s civil rights act after they allege they complained about being assaulted by fellow players and were ignored.
The three players named in the suit are being accused of sexual assault, battery and false imprisonment.
The two players — William “Deuce” Benjamin Jr. and Shakiru “Shak” Odunewu — allege the abuse went on for months, despite them reporting it to the coaching staff. Deuce’s father, William Benjamin, a former NMSU star basketball player, is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
After Benjamin reported the alleged incidents to police, New Mexico State suspended its basketball program and fired the team’s head coach in the middle of its season in February, saying at the time this was due to a “hazing incident.”
The lawsuit filed last week alleged that what the university referred to as hazing crossed the line “into nonconsensual touching,” harassment and abuse of players that continued “for months.”
“When coaches and universities do not take adequate action to either prevent it from happening, or just stop it from happening, they fail their student athletes and they’re complicit, at that point, in the abuse,” Joleen Youngers, a lawyer representing Deuce and his father, said at a press conference Wednesday.
The defendants named in the suit are the NMSU board of regents, two former members of the coaching staff — including former coach Greg Heiar — and three former players: Kim Aiken Jr., Doctor Bradley and Deshawndre Washington.
The suit alleges that the three players began degrading Odunewu through unwanted touching and cruel comments in the locker room. The behavior allegedly was “rarely, if ever addressed or limited by the coaching staff,” according to the suit.
The three players were allegedly “frequently inappropriate, disrespectful, degrading and violent toward their fellow team members, particularly those who were quieter and less accustomed to a rough environment,” according to the suit.
In one incident, Bradley filmed as he and Aiken harassed Odunewu while he was in the shower in what lawyers described as a “traumatizing event,” according to the suit.
He was later the victim of “unwanted physical and sexual contact accompanied by degrading remarks and taunts,” according to the suit.
When Odunewu reported one incident of alleged sexual assault to the coaching staff — namely Heiar and associate coach Dominique Taylor — Taylor allegedly “laughed in his face and said, ‘What do you want me to do?'”
According to the lawsuit, Odunewu discussed what had happened three times with Heiar. Heiar allegedly told Odunewu’s former high school coach that he was looking into it and would be issuing suspensions, but none of the players or staff aware were ever suspended.
“It’s just sad to see. Like never in a million years did I ever think that something like this was gonna happen,” Odunewu said at a press conference Wednesday.
Odunewu told reporters he had not wanted to go public with the allegations because he did not want to “tarnish” or mess up their careers.
“It just got to a point where I couldn’t bear it anymore. It’s just sad that my college experience had to go like this,” Odunewu said.
The three players’ alleged attacks on Benjamin usually happened in the locker room before workouts or practices. According to the suit, the three players would hold him down and expose him, and inflict pain on him and “degrade him.”
In one instance, this happened on the road in front of women, according to the suit.
After Benjamin reported the abuse to NMSU police, they launched an investigation listing possible criminal charges of “false imprisonment, criminal sexual contact and harassment,” according to the suit. The matter is still under investigation by law enforcement.
“My dream turned into a nightmare real quick and I never expected this to happen my freshman year. Now because of the situation, I gotta go a different route,” Benjamin told reporters at a press conference Wednesday.
“I haven’t been able to move on from this, but I want to be able to move on from this and go to a school that will just let me play basketball and let me be the person that I am,” Benjamin said.
Benjamin and Odunewu are asking the court for damages and legal fees, according to the suit.
The university launched an investigation conducted by Greenberg Traurig, a law firm, which recommended NMSU hire a third party to assist it in reviewing and revising its existing training modules to include the latest education in hazing prevention and response, which it said should be provided to all employees and students, NMSU said in a statement Wednesday.
The firm also recommended NMSU hire a third party to review its organizational effectiveness, working relationships and reporting structures for hazing prevention and response training as well as its response and investigation of hazing allegations, including in the Office of Institutional Equity, the dean of students’ office and any other NMSU department in which the hazing occurred.
In a statement to ABC News, the university said it had taken action in response to allegations.
“NMSU continues to regard this matter as extremely important. Once university leaders were made aware of these allegations, extensive measures were taken, including, without limitation: recalling the entire basketball team from their road trip out of state, placing the entire coaching staff on administrative leave, launching an investigation, making mental health counseling available, canceling the remainder of the season, and firing the head coach,” the university said.
“The kind of behavior described in those allegations has no place on our campus,” NMSU said.
(TEXARKANA, Texas) — An 18-year-old college baseball player was shot by a stray bullet in the middle of a game while he was standing in the bullpen over the weekend.
The incident occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at a baseball game between Texas A&M – Texarkana and the University of Houston – Victoria at George Dobson Field at Spring Lake Park in Texarkana, Texas, when the unnamed player was struck by a stray bullet from some type of altercation in a nearby neighborhood just west of the baseball field, according to a statement from the Texarkana Texas Police Department.
The baseball player was immediately taken to St. Michael hospital nearby where he underwent surgery for the gunshot wound.
“We initially received several calls of shots fired on Lynda Street, which is in a neighborhood just west of Spring Lake Park. Moments later, we received a 911 call that a baseball player at the park had collapsed and may have been shot,” the Texarkana Texas Police Department said. “We were able to almost immediately determine that the two incidents were related, so as some officers were at the ball field rendering aid to the victim, other officers were on Lynda Street looking for any evidence or witnesses.”
Police officers were able to locate several spent shell casings in the front yard of the residence on Lynda Street and determined that the incident began as a disturbance at that location which eventually led to two men shooting at each other in front of the home when “one of those errant rounds travelled about 400 yards and struck the innocent victim at the ball field.”
The Texarkana Texas Police Department have issued felony warrants for the suspects involved in the shooting and have identified 17-year-old Kamauri Butler and 20-year-old Demarco Banks as those involved. Both Butler and Banks fled the area following the shooting, but officials said that Butler is now wanted for aggravated assault while Banks is wanted for deadly conduct.
“We made arrests of three other men who were [at the home] after detectives obtained a search warrant for the house and several vehicles at the scene,” authorities confirmed. Officers arrested Yankeengea Smith (49) for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon and two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance (methamphetamine and Ecstasy pills), Nathan Moore (19) for Tampering with Evidence and Possession of Marijuana, and Marcell Beaver (19) for Possession of Marijuana.”
The baseball player who was shot is currently in stable condition and expected to recover.
“We’ve heard that some people are saying that the suspects were either at Spring Lake Park or driving through there when the victim was shot. That’s simply not the case at all,” police said in a follow up statement regarding the shooting. “The disturbance and shooting all happened on Lynda Street and had nothing to do with the park itself or any event going on there. Tragically, one of the shots that Butler and Banks fired at each other on Lynda Street travelled several hundred feet and struck the unsuspecting victim at the ballpark.”
The baseball game was called off and the Scout-O-Rama event that was happening in another area of the park was also shut down early as a precaution in the immediate aftermath.
Anyone with information about the incident or who know where Kamauri Butler or Demarco Banks can be found is asked to contact Texarkana Area Crime Stoppers at 903-793-STOP.
