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GEORGE FLOYD-MAYWEATHER-FUNERAL
Boxer Floyd Mayweather to pay for George Floyd's funeral
UNDATED (AP) — Former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather has offered to pay for George Floyd’s funeral and memorial services, and the family has accepted that offer.
Mayweather personally has been in touch with the family, according to Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions. Mayweather will handle costs for the funeral on June 9 in Floyd’s hometown of Houston, as well as other expenses.
Floyd, a black man, died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck while Floyd was handcuffed and saying that he couldn’t breathe. His death sparked protests in Minneapolis and around the country, some of which became violent.
Mayweather, who lives in Las Vegas, has not met the Floyd family.
GEORGE FLOYD-TIGER WOODS
Woods speaks out for 1st time since George Floyd's death
UNDATED (AP) — Tiger Woods is speaking out for the first time since George Floyd’s death, saying his heart goes out to Floyd, his family and everyone who is hurting right now.
The 44-year-old golfer broke his silence with a statement on his Twitter account Monday night.
Woods said, “I have always had the utmost respect for our law enforcement.” He said, “They train so diligently to understand how, when and where to use force. This shocking tragedy clearly crossed that line.”
Floyd, a black man, died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck while Floyd was handcuffed and saying that he couldn’t breathe. His death sparked protests in Minneapolis and around the country, some of which became violent.
Woods' statement came one day after former NBA star and current Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan made his first public remarks on Floyd and the killings of black people at the hands of police.
FIFA-FLOYD
FIFA signals support for in-game Floyd solidarity messages
UNDATED (AP) — FIFA urged soccer competition organizers on Monday to apply “common sense” and consider not sanctioning players for solidarity with George Floyd during matches.
The recognition of the “depth of sentiment” over Floyd’s death came in a rare statement by FIFA telling the global game to show flexibility and not enforce laws of soccer it helps to set.
Players used weekend games in Germany to reveal messages demanding justice for Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died after he pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck in Minneapolis.
Germany's soccer federation announced earlier Monday that it was assessing whether to sanction the players for breaking laws of the game that prohibit “any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images" on equipment.
LIVERPOOL-TAKING A KNEE
Liverpool stars take a knee in gesture of support for Floyd
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool players took a knee around the center circle at Anfield Stadium on Monday in a gesture of support following the death of George Floyd.
Squad members posted a picture of the act on their social media accounts with the caption, “Unity is strength #BlackLivesMatter.”
The picture of 29 players from the English league leaders was taken during a training session.
Star players Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and captain Jordan Henderson were among those to post the picture that was retweeted by the official account of Liverpool, which is owned by Fenway Sports Group — the U.S. company which also controls the Boston Red Sox. Liverpool also tweeted out the picture.
Floyd’s death has sparked days of protests across the U.S. and it has resonated in the soccer world.
NFL-CARDINALS-CANTRELL
Cardinals sign TE Cantrell, release CB Shelton
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) —The Arizona Cardinals have signed tight end Dylan Cantrell to a one-year deal.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Cantrell is switching positions to tight end after being selected as a receiver by the Los Angeles Chargers in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. He played in college at Texas Tech under current Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury, who is now in his second season in Arizona.
Cantrell spent most of the 2018 season on the Chargers' practice squad and was released prior to last season. He had 158 catches for 1,873 yards and 18 touchdowns during a four-year college career with the Red Raiders.
OBIT-PAT DYE
Former Auburn coach dead at 80
UNDATED (AP) — Former Auburn football coach Pat Dye has died at the age of 80.
Dye took over a downtrodden program in 1981 and turned it into a Southeastern Conference power.
The Lee County coroner says Dye died Monday at a hospice care facility in Auburn from complications of kidney and liver failure. His son, Pat Dye Jr., had told ESPN.com recently that the former coach had been hospitalized in Atlanta for kidney-related issues. He also said his father had tested positive for the coronavirus but had been asymptomatic.
In 12 years at Auburn, Dye posted a 99-39-4 record. He also coached at Wyoming and East Carolina.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BASEBALL
MLB owners, players revert to salary squabbles of old
NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball owners and players have reverted to form -- the type displayed over the past half-century during eight work stoppages filled with salary squabbles.
Players proposed to resume the sport in the coronavirus pandemic with a 114-game regular season and full prorated salaries, leaving each player with approximately 70% of what he had been slated to earn.
That proposal was made Sunday, five days after Major League Baseball’s plan for an 82-game season with additional pay cuts that would leave each player taking in 23-47% of his original pay, with the highest earners accepting the biggest cuts.
MLB claims an additional $640,000 would be lost with each extra regular-season game played. The union has said it doesn’t believe those calculations and asked MLB for more economic documents and data.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred discussed the next move with owners on Monday.
MLB-NATIONALS-MINOR LEAGUE STIPENDS
Nationals change course, pay minor leaguers full stipend
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals have changed course and are telling their minor leaguers they will receive their full weekly stipends of $400 through June.
The team's decision comes after Washington reliever Sean Doolittle tweeted that the team’s major league players would cover a planned cut in those payments from $400 to $300.
A text message sent by the Nationals to players in the minors and forwarded to The Associated Press reads: “Upon further internal discussion, you will receive your full stipend of $400 per week through the month of June." The text says further payments will be decided on a monthly basis.
Here are other sports stories related to the coronavirus:
— The Big 12 Conference says its schools can begin bringing athletes back to campus, with the resumption of voluntary activities starting June 15 for football players. The conference says each school can use its own discretion in deciding when athletes return to campus. The Big 12 had suspended all team activities, voluntary or required, because of the coronavirus pandemic through May 31. As of June 1, new rules go into effect. In-person required and voluntary team activities are still banned for all athletes from June 1-14.
— Italian soccer authorities are considering the possibility of allowing fans into stadiums starting next month. The Italian league is set to resume on June 20 with no spectators allowed. There are also strict rules limiting the number of people in the stadium to 300. That includes both teams, staff and journalists. Italian media are reporting that the soccer federation could discuss the possibility of increasing that number and permitting a vastly reduced number of fans.
MLB-DYKSTRA-DARLING LAWSUIT
Judge dismisses Dykstra defamation suit against Darling
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge has dismissed Lenny Dykstra’s defamation lawsuit against former New York Mets teammate Ron Darling, the pitcher’s ghost writer and a pair of publishers.
Dykstra’s suit followed the publication of Darling’s book, “108 Stitches: Loose Threads, Ripping Yarns, and the Darndest Characters from My Time in the Game.” Darling accused the outfielder of directing racist comments toward Boston starter Oil Can Boyd during the 1986 World Series.
Justice Robert D. Kalish wrote Dykstra’s reputation “for unsportsmanlike conduct and bigotry is already so tarnished that it cannot be further injured by the reference."
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