Clippers’ Bradley Beal out for the season with hip fracture, will have surgery

Los Angeles Clippers guard Bradley Beal is out for the season because of a hip fracture. The team announced Wednesday that he will undergo surgery. Beal is expected to fully recover in six to nine months. The three-time All-Star played in only six games this season, averaging 8.2 points and 1.7 assists. He signed an $11 million, two-year deal with the Clippers in July after the Phoenix Suns bought out his contract. The 32-year-old already missed games because of a left knee injury and lower back soreness this season.

Track to open LA Olympics, with women’s 100-meter sprinters lining up three times in the same day

As part of a seismic schedule change for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, track and field, and not swimming, will lead off the Olympics. And the first day at the LA Coliseum, July 15, will include all three rounds of the women’s 100 meters. Sprinters normally run a maximum of two races in a day at a major event. It’s a change the men will not have to deal with, but that a women’s field that could include the last two world champions, Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, and Olympic champ Julien Alfred are being given nearly three years to prepare for.

Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown gets $25K bail and GPS monitor on Miami attempted murder charge

A Miami judge ordered that former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown will be released on $25,000 bail and must wear an ankle monitor. He has pleaded not guilty to the second-degree attempted murder charge in Florida. That carries a potential 15-year prison sentence and a fine up to $10,000 if he’s convicted. His lawyer said the 37-year-old Brown would return to his home Florida while the case proceeds. Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match on May 16 and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier. Brown’s lawyer says it was his own gun.

Jannik Sinner seals semifinal spot at ATP Finals with win over Alexander Zverev

TURIN, Italy — Defending champion Jannik Sinner sealed a semifinal spot at the ATP Finals with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Alexander Zverev before his home fans. Sinner extended his winning streak on indoor hard courts to 28 matches stretching back to his loss to Novak Djokovic in the final of this event two years ago. It was Sinner’s fifth straight victory over Zverev. The second-ranked Sinner still has a chance to finish the year at No. 1. But he needs to win the tournament and hope that Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t win another match. Felix Auger-Aliassime claimed his first win at this year’s finals by battling back to beat Ben Shelton 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5.

NCAA puts Michigan State football on 3 years of probation for recruiting violations under Mel Tucker

The NCAA put Michigan State’s football program on three years of probation and penalized the school $30,000 plus 1.5% of the team’s budget after agreeing former staff members under coach Mel Tucker broke rules regarding recruiting inducements and benefits, communication and unofficial visit expenses. Michigan State announced Wednesday that it had reached a negotiated resolution with the NCAA. Due to the participation of three ineligible players, wins from the 2022 through 2024 seasons were vacated and restrictions have been placed on recruiting for three years. The Spartans host Penn State on Saturday. Tucker coached Colorado in 2019.

NCAA agrees to pay volunteer coaches total of $303 million under proposed settlement

The NCAA has agreed to pay $303 million to settle a class-action lawsuit involving more than 7,700 volunteer coaches. These coaches worked in sports other than baseball but couldn’t receive pay or benefits due to an NCAA rule. The rule was rescinded in January 2023, and the lawsuit was filed two months later. Under the settlement, the NCAA would make three payments of $101 million into the qualified fund. Approved claimants would receive at least $5,000. A similar settlement for baseball coaches was approved in September.

Rob Gronkowski says decision to sign 1-day contract and retire as a Patriot was a ‘no-brainer’

Rob Gronkowski already thought of himself as a New England Patriot for life. Now he’s made it official, and fulfilled the wish of a longtime friend. Gronkowski signed a one-day contract with the Patriots to retire as a member of the team he won three Super Bowls with during his 11-year NFL career. While team owner Robert Kraft said there had been plans for Gronkowski to formally retire as a Patriot, the process was accelerated recently. It was the request of Susan Hurley, Gronkowski’s friend, a former Patriots cheerleader and a longtime philanthropist in the Boston area.