NFL
NEW YORK (AP) Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul filed a lawsuit against ESPN and reporter Adam Schefter for posting his medical records last summer.
The lawsuit, filed in Miami Dade County in Florida, alleges that Pierre-Paul’s privacy was violated – as was the state’s medical records statute – by the report after the player severely injured his right hand in a fireworks accident on July 4.
The lawsuit doesn’t specify how much money Pierre-Paul is seeking, other than it ”is an action for damages in excess of $15,000.”
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Auburn running back Peyton Barber says part of the reason he left school early to enter the NFL draft was because of his mother was ”homeless.”
Barber, who is from Alpharetta, Georgia, is one of 24 running backs at the NFL combine this week, working out for scouts and coaches. He ran for 1,073 yards and 13 touchdowns last season as a third-year sophomore, but his decision to forgo his remaining two years of college eligibility was unexpected.
The 5-foot-11, 225-pound Barber said his mother, Lori, never pressured him to go pro.
Barber, whose cousins Marion and Dominique played in the NFL, is projected to be a middle-round pick in April’s draft.
SAN DIEGO (AP) – In a last-ditch effort to end their long, bitter push for a new stadium, the San Diego Chargers have joined a diverse group that includes some polarizing figures and civic lightning rods who have been involved in various issues in a city known for political dysfunction and an inability to get big projects done.
The Chargers are collaborating on a citizens’ initiative started by Donna Frye, a former city councilwoman who champions open government, and attorney Cory Briggs, who has excelled at beating City Hill. The two, who want the public to have a say in how tax dollars are spent, oppose an expansion of the bayfront convention center and are championing a joint-use stadium and convention center expansion a few blocks inland, near Petco Park, the home of baseball’s Padres.
A convention center expansion would be funded by an increase in hotel room taxes. The Chargers haven’t divulged financing details, and spokesman Fred Maas didn’t return calls seeking comment.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A Louisiana appeals court has upheld a civil judge’s ruling that New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson was mentally competent when he ousted relatives from ownership positions with his NFL and NBA clubs and appointed his third wife as his primary successor.
In the latest ruling, the state 4th Circuit Court of Appeal found no fault with Orleans Parish Judge Kern Reese’s decision to block the attorney for Benson’s estranged daughter and her children from cross-examining their 88-year-old patriarch during the closed trial last June.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
CINCINNATI (AP) – It took three seasons and seven tries for Xavier to finally get the one victory that had eluded it. And maybe tip the balance of power in the Big East, too.
J.P. Macura got Xavier rolling with 19 points off the bench, and freshman point guard Edmond Sumner had 19 points and nine assists as the fifth-ranked Musketeers knocked off top-ranked Villanova 90-83.
The Musketeers led most of the way in the first matchup of Top 5 teams since the Big East was reconfigured, pulling away at the end against the only team they’d never beaten in league play.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Rachel Banham put on another dazzling show in her final game at Williams Arena and Carlie Wagner made sure her backcourt buddy went out a winner.
Banham had 35 points and Wagner scored with 0.8 seconds left in overtime to lift Minnesota to a 90-88 victory over No. 5 Ohio State.
Wagner scored 26 points, the last on a pullup from the baseline after Banham had fouled out, and the Golden Gophers picked up a much-needed signature win to strengthen their case for an NCAA tournament bid.
FIFA
ZURICH (AP) – FIFA asked presidential candidates to provide details of their intended victory speeches ahead of Friday’s election in a bid to keep them on message while the governing body tries to repair its scandal-tarnished image.
The five contenders, who met at a FIFA gathering, were also provided with suggested answers to use in the post-vote news conference.
FIFA’s administration has brought in American lawyers and communications advisers while trying to preserve its victim status in U.S. criminal corruption investigations.
But Gianni Infantino, one of the men in the running to succeed Sepp Blatter as president, said he will resist any attempts by FIFA to control what he says if victorious.
ZURICH (AP) – Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini had their bans from soccer reduced from eight years to six by FIFA’s appeal body, two days before the sport’s ruling body tries to turn the page on years of scandals by electing a new president.
Blatter and Platini were initially found guilty of wrongdoing by FIFA’s independent ethics committee, which is led by a German judge, over a previously-secret 2011 financial transaction.
Platini, the UEFA president, said not being cleared was an ”insulting decision, shameful and a denial of rights” – and announced he will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
AUTO RACING
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – In a bid to strengthen its NASCAR roster, Ford pulled off a surprising coup by snagging Stewart-Haas Racing away from Chevrolet.
SHR, which has fielded Chevrolets since its 2002 inception, has won two Cup titles for Chevrolet and is one of the manufacturer’s flagship teams. Co-owner Tony Stewart has driven for General Motors in all but one of his 18 NASCAR seasons, and Kevin Harvick has never raced anything in the Cup Series except Chevrolet. Stewart and Harvick both won championships for SHR driving Chevys.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Ron Hornaday Jr., Jack Roush, Ricky Rudd, Ken Squier and Waddell Wilson are joining 15 holdovers as nominees for the 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame class.
The returning nominees are Buddy Baker, Red Byron, Richard Childress, Ray Evernham, Ray Fox, Rick Hendrick, Harry Hyde, Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin, Hershel McGriff, Raymond Parks, Benny Parsons, Larry Phillips, Mike Stefanik and Robert Yates.
From the 20-person nominee list, five inductees will be elected on May 25.
