Sports in Brief

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Wrestler Snyder 1st to repeat as Big Ten athlete of year

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Ohio State wrestling star Kyle Snyder is the first in Big Ten history to repeat as the conference’s male athlete of the year.

Snyder won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and beat Russian standout Abdulrashid Sadulaev to clinch the world freestyle title for the U.S. in 2017.

Snyder wrestled as a heavyweight last season as a senior — a weight class more than 70 pounds heavier than he typically competes in internationally — and won his third straight NCAA title.

He will be favored to win his fourth world championship this fall and possibly compete among the stars of the U.S. team in Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics.

The Big Ten has given the award since 1982.

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NFL suspends Bucs QB Jameis Winston for 3 games

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has been suspended for the first three games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Winston says in a statement released on Facebook that the NFL informed him of their decision on Thursday.

Winston says that “in the past 2½ years my life has been filled with experiences, opportunities and events that have helped me grow, mature and learn.” Winston added that he has eliminated alcohol from his life.

Winston, the first pick in the 2015 draft, has started 45 of the Bucs’ past 48 games. He missed three games last season with a shoulder injury.

He will miss the Bucs’ games against New Orleans, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and will return Sept. 30 for a game at Chicago.

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Cubs’ Darvish has setback in bullpen session

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yu Darvish won’t be rejoining the Chicago Cubs’ rotation this weekend after sustaining a setback during a bullpen session on Thursday.

Manager Joe Maddon says the Japanese right-hander felt pain in his right arm.

“It didn’t go well,” Maddon said. “He still felt pain on extension. He wasn’t able to cut it loose.”

Darvish will return to Chicago to be evaluated, and won’t pitch Saturday as scheduled. He’ll be replaced by Tyler Chatwood, who came off the paternity list.

Darvish said his strength and endurance was good after he played catch on Wednesday. He threw a five-inning, 57-pitch rehab start with Class A South Bend on Monday.

He’s been on the disabled list since May 26 because of tendinitis in his right triceps, his second DL stint this season.

Darvish has a 4.95 ERA in eight starts with the Cubs since he signed a $126 million, six-year deal with the team in February.

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Martinez hits MLB-best 25th HR as Red Sox beat Angels, 9-6

BOSTON (AP) — J.D. Martinez and the Boston Red Sox keep piling up big offensive numbers — not to mention wins — against the Los Angeles Angels.

Martinez hit his major league-leading 25th home run, Rafael Devers delivered a tiebreaking double and the Red Sox beat the skidding Angels 9-6 on Wednesday night after squandering a six-run lead.

Boston (54-27) moved into first place in the AL East, a half-game ahead of the rival New York Yankees. After finishing their series with the Angels on Thursday night, the Red Sox play three games at Yankee Stadium this weekend.

The homer by Martinez capped a six-run second for the Red Sox, who won for the fifth time in six games. Eduardo Nunez and Sandy Leon also went deep in the inning. Boston improved to 5-0 against the Angels this season and has outscored them 45-10 with 18 homers and a .363 batting average.

It’s the most homers by any club in a season series of six games or fewer, according to the Red Sox.

Russian crackdown on women-shaming online during World Cup

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s leading social network is cracking down on chat groups created to shame women during the World cup amid growing complaints of sexist abuse during the tournament.

Social network VKontakte told The Associated Press on Thursday that it issued warnings to the administrators of such groups. VKontakte reminded administrators that “offensive behavior is unacceptable” and told them to better moderate their sites, including blocking content.

But sexist comments continued to appear Thursday on at least one of the targeted sites, which was named after an offensive Portuguese phrase for the female anatomy.

The site’s administrators openly criticize what they call inappropriate behavior by Russian women who celebrate with foreign fans during the World Cup.

Several female fans, journalists and others have complained of groping, sexist comments or other misconduct at the World Cup, being hosted in 11 Russian cities.

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Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Blatt joins Olympiakos

PIRAEUS, Greece (AP) — Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt is joining European basketball powerhouse Olympiakos.

The Greek side says the 59-year-old Blatt has agreed on a two-year deal.

Blatt, who helped Russia become European champion in 2007, is quoted on Olympiakos’ site as saying, “It fills me with pride and motivation to do my utmost to give the club and its special fans the very best part of me.”

Blatt was unexpectedly hired by the Cavaliers in 2014 after winning the EuroLeague with ?accabi Tel Aviv. He was fired by the NBA side in January 2016.

Blatt also previously coached Aris, Dinamo Moscow, Anadolu Efes when it was known as Efes Pilsen, Benetton Treviso and Dinamo St. Petersburg. He was last in charge of Turkish side Darussafaka. Blatt also had stints in charge of Israel and Russia.

Olympiakos is a three-time European champion and 12-time Greek champion.

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NFL fines ex-Panthers owner $2.75M after misconduct review

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The NFL has fined former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson $2.75 million following its investigation into sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace.

The league said Thursday the investigation conducted by former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White substantiated the allegations against Richardson, that the improper conduct was limited to him and that the team and its ownership failed to report the allegations or any resolution agreements to the league.

The league also said most of the money will go toward organizations that address racial- and gender-based issues in and outside the workplace.

Richardson put the team up for sale after a Sports Illustrated report in December that Richardson made sexually suggestive comments to women and on at least one occasion directed a racial slur at an African-American Panthers scout. The report also stated that the settlements came with non-disclosure requirements forbidding the parties from discussing the details.

Richardson has an agreement to sell the Panthers for a league-record $2.2 billion to hedge fund president and owner David Tepper. The league owners unanimously approved the sale last month, and NFL officials said the sale is expected to close in the next two weeks. Tepper is a former minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Atlanta to bring human rights murals to city for Super Bowl

ATLANTA (AP) — In the months leading up to the 2019 Super Bowl, some of Atlanta’s bare walls will get a makeover.

The city of Atlanta and the Super Bowl Host Committee have partnered with arts group WonderRoot to launch “Off the Wall.” The project will create up to 30 murals focusing on Atlanta’s past, present and future role in civil and human rights. The murals will transform the city in hopes of sparking a community-wide conversation, said Brett Daniels, chief operating officer of the host committee.

The initiative was announced Thursday at a press conference in front of a mural of civil rights giant U.S. Rep. John Lewis. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms noted the importance of the location: The mural is close the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. once preached. The streets surrounding the mural were the birthplace of Atlanta’s civil rights movement, Bottoms said.

“Quite often art is a conversation starter,” Bottoms said.

Although the Super Bowl is a one-time event in Atlanta, those involved with Off the Wall hope the event leaves an enduring legacy. In recent years, street art has popped up throughout the city. By focusing on human and civil rights as the content of the murals, Off the Wall hopes to create lasting conversations about issues affecting the city.

“There is no greater legacy than Atlanta’s contributions to the civil rights movement,” WonderRoot executive director Chris Appleton said.

“Young people in this city have been leading the way for human rights,” Freedom University executive director Laura Emiko Soltis said. She said they were “standing on the shoulders of giants,” referencing leaders such as Lewis.

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