Saturday's Sports In Brief
August 8, 2015
SAN ANTONIO (AP) Leaving no doubt that he'll be ready for the Rio Olympics, Michael Phelps turned in the fastest time in the world this year in the 200-meter butterfly, winning at the U.S. nationals in a stunning 1 minute, 52.94 seconds
Phelps held up one finger when he saw his time on the scoreboard, then pounded the water defiantly - first with one hand, then with both. It was one of the most raucous celebrations of his career and showed how much he wanted to post a fast time at nationals after being denied a spot at the world championships.
Phelps was banned from worlds as part of his punishment for a second drunken-driving arrest. So he came to San Antonio and posted a time that would have been good enough for gold in Kazan, Russia.
Laszlo Cseh of Hungary won the world title in 1:53.48.
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FOOTBALL
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - More than missing one of the game's most menacing pass rushers, the San Francisco 49ers care that Aldon Smith can carry on with a healthy life off the field over the long haul.
With or without football.
Smith received second chance after second chance with the Niners before they finally had enough following his fifth run-in with the law. The franchise parted ways with the troubled but talented linebacker Friday after Santa Clara police accused him of drunken driving, hit and run and vandalism.
It's a tough blow for a team that watched several other young stars depart and retire this offseason.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) - Michael Sam became the first openly gay player to appear in a Canadian Football League game Friday night, playing sparingly for the Montreal Alouettes in a 26-23 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks.
The 25-year-old defensive end failed to record a tackle.
The 2013 Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year at Missouri, Sam was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh and final round of the 2014 NFL draft. He was cut by St. Louis and signed by Dallas to the practice squad, but failed to make the Cowboys' roster.
Sam agreed to a two-year deal with the Alouettes this summer. He left training camp June 12, citing personal reasons, and sat out the team's first five games.
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NASCAR
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The family of a young driver struck and killed by Tony Stewart's car on an upstate New York dirt track filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the NASCAR star Friday.
The lawsuit was filed as Stewart returns to Watkins Glen International on the one-year anniversary of the fatal crash.
The lawsuit accuses Stewart of gross negligence, saying he gunned his engine and put his car into a skid as 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr. walked on the track after a crash at Canandaigua Motorsports Park on Aug. 9, 2014. The car struck Ward, and he was killed.
A grand jury declined to indict Stewart, who at the time called it ''100 percent an accident.'' A toxicology report found Ward had marijuana in his system.
There was no comment from Stewart, who was with his crew in the garage before a final practice Friday afternoon. Stewart-Haas Racing, the NASCAR Sprint Cup team Stewart co-owns, also declined comment.
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COLLEGE
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The University of Minnesota's athletics director, Norwood Teague, resigned on Friday, admitting he sent ''inappropriate texts'' after drinking too much at a recent university event.
Teague, who got the athletics director job three years ago, said in a video statement that he intends to seek help for a drinking problem.
''At a recent university event, I had entirely too much to drink. I behaved badly towards nice people and sent truly inappropriate texts. I'm embarrassed and I apologize to everyone involved. This neither reflects my true character or the true character of this great, great university,'' Teague said.
University President Eric Kaler said in a statement that he accepted Teague's resignation, effective immediately, and that Beth Goetz, the deputy athletics director, would take over for Teague on an interim basis.
Kaler said Teague's resignation followed reports that he had sexually harassed two non-student school employees recently. He didn't go into detail about the nature of the harassment.
August 8, 2015
SAN ANTONIO (AP) Leaving no doubt that he'll be ready for the Rio Olympics, Michael Phelps turned in the fastest time in the world this year in the 200-meter butterfly, winning at the U.S. nationals in a stunning 1 minute, 52.94 seconds
Phelps held up one finger when he saw his time on the scoreboard, then pounded the water defiantly - first with one hand, then with both. It was one of the most raucous celebrations of his career and showed how much he wanted to post a fast time at nationals after being denied a spot at the world championships.
Phelps was banned from worlds as part of his punishment for a second drunken-driving arrest. So he came to San Antonio and posted a time that would have been good enough for gold in Kazan, Russia.
Laszlo Cseh of Hungary won the world title in 1:53.48.
---
FOOTBALL
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - More than missing one of the game's most menacing pass rushers, the San Francisco 49ers care that Aldon Smith can carry on with a healthy life off the field over the long haul.
With or without football.
Smith received second chance after second chance with the Niners before they finally had enough following his fifth run-in with the law. The franchise parted ways with the troubled but talented linebacker Friday after Santa Clara police accused him of drunken driving, hit and run and vandalism.
It's a tough blow for a team that watched several other young stars depart and retire this offseason.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) - Michael Sam became the first openly gay player to appear in a Canadian Football League game Friday night, playing sparingly for the Montreal Alouettes in a 26-23 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks.
The 25-year-old defensive end failed to record a tackle.
The 2013 Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year at Missouri, Sam was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh and final round of the 2014 NFL draft. He was cut by St. Louis and signed by Dallas to the practice squad, but failed to make the Cowboys' roster.
Sam agreed to a two-year deal with the Alouettes this summer. He left training camp June 12, citing personal reasons, and sat out the team's first five games.
---
NASCAR
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The family of a young driver struck and killed by Tony Stewart's car on an upstate New York dirt track filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the NASCAR star Friday.
The lawsuit was filed as Stewart returns to Watkins Glen International on the one-year anniversary of the fatal crash.
The lawsuit accuses Stewart of gross negligence, saying he gunned his engine and put his car into a skid as 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr. walked on the track after a crash at Canandaigua Motorsports Park on Aug. 9, 2014. The car struck Ward, and he was killed.
A grand jury declined to indict Stewart, who at the time called it ''100 percent an accident.'' A toxicology report found Ward had marijuana in his system.
There was no comment from Stewart, who was with his crew in the garage before a final practice Friday afternoon. Stewart-Haas Racing, the NASCAR Sprint Cup team Stewart co-owns, also declined comment.
---
COLLEGE
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The University of Minnesota's athletics director, Norwood Teague, resigned on Friday, admitting he sent ''inappropriate texts'' after drinking too much at a recent university event.
Teague, who got the athletics director job three years ago, said in a video statement that he intends to seek help for a drinking problem.
''At a recent university event, I had entirely too much to drink. I behaved badly towards nice people and sent truly inappropriate texts. I'm embarrassed and I apologize to everyone involved. This neither reflects my true character or the true character of this great, great university,'' Teague said.
University President Eric Kaler said in a statement that he accepted Teague's resignation, effective immediately, and that Beth Goetz, the deputy athletics director, would take over for Teague on an interim basis.
Kaler said Teague's resignation followed reports that he had sexually harassed two non-student school employees recently. He didn't go into detail about the nature of the harassment.
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