Sports In Brief

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Bengals sign WR Tyler Boyd to 4-year contract extension

CINCINNATI (AP) — Receiver Tyler Boyd signed a four-year contract extension on Tuesday, coming off his breakthrough season with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Boyd was a second-round pick out of Pittsburgh in 2016 and was entering the final year on his contract. The extension runs through the 2023 season.

He had a breakout season in 2018, when A.J. Green was sidelined by a toe injury. Boyd led the team with 76 catches and 1,028 yards receiving, both career highs. He also tied for the team lead with seven touchdowns.

The Bengals also are trying to work out a contract extension with Green, who is entering the final season of a four-year, $60 million deal. Green has fully recovered from a toe injury that required surgery.

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Bengals owner Mike Brown opposes 18-game schedule proposal

CINCINNATI (AP) — Bengals owner Mike Brown opposes an 18-game regular season in the NFL that would include players sitting out a couple of weeks.

Brown said Tuesday that he likes the current 16-game format. He doubts that the regular season will expand because of the players’ objections.

One proposal would eliminate two preseason games while extending the regular season by two. Teams would rest players for two regular season games so that nobody would play in more than 16. Brown called the idea “absurd,” noting teams would be fielding less than their best lineup.

Brown blames owners for allowing coaches to rest their starters during the preseason games, making them unattractive to fans.

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Russian boxer, 28, dies after suffering brain injury in ring

MOSCOW (AP) — Boxer Maxim Dadashev died Tuesday, two days after suffering a brain injury in a fight in Maryland. He was 28.

The Russian Boxing Federation said Dadashev suffered a brain swelling in Friday’s light-welterweight fight with Subriel Matias at the Theater at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. He underwent surgery but his heart stopped Tuesday, the federation said.

Dadashev was hospitalized at UM Prince George’s Hospital Center shortly after the fight, which was stopped by his corner following the 11th round after Dadashev took numerous shots to the head.

Footage from the fight shows Dadashev shaking his head in his corner as his trainer, Buddy McGirt, pleads with him to stop the fight, telling him: “You’re getting hit too much, Max. Please, Max, please let me do this.”

Shortly after, the referee stopped the bout at McGirt’s request.

The Russian Boxing Federation’s secretary general, Umar Kremlev, said the federation would investigate whether anyone was at fault for Dadashev’s death.

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NCAA punishes DePaul for basketball recruiting violation

CHICAGO (AP) — The NCAA suspended DePaul men’s basketball coach Dave Leitao for the first three games of the regular season Tuesday, saying he should have done more to prevent recruiting violations by his staff.

The NCAA also put the Big East program on three years of probation, issued a $5,000 fine and said an undetermined number of games will be vacated because DePaul put an ineligible player on the floor. An unidentified former associate head coach is also facing a three-year show cause order for his role in the violations.

According to an NCAA infractions committee decision, the associate head coach arranged for the assistant director of basketball operations to live with a prospect to help ensure the player did the work necessary to meet NCAA eligibility requirements. That arrangement violated recruiting rules.

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Clemson dominates preseason all-ACC team

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Clemson is dominating the preseason all-Atlantic Coast Conference football team.

The reigning national champions placed 13 players on the 27-player team released Tuesday by the league following a vote of 173 media members last week at the conference’s media days.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was picked as the preseason player of the year with 127 votes. Lawrence started the Tigers’ final 11 games in 2018 and threw for 30 touchdowns with four interceptions while leading them to their second national title since 2016.

Joining him on the preseason all-ACC team were 2018 league player of the year Travis Etienne at running back, receivers Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross, four offensive linemen and five defensive players.

Boston College’s AJ Dillon joined Etienne in the backfield.

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Ohio picked to beat Toledo for MAC football championship

DETROIT (AP) — Ohio is the favorite to win the Mid-American Conference football championship.

The Bobcats received 24 first-place votes at media day Tuesday. Toledo is picked to win the West Division, getting 15 first-place votes. Western Michigan, defending champion Northern Illinois and Central Michigan also received first-place votes in the preseason poll.

The Bobcats are picked to win the East, followed by Miami (Ohio), Buffalo, Kent State, Akron and Bowling Green. In the West, the Rockets are followed by Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Ball State and Central Michigan.

Frank Solich has won 106 games at Ohio since 2005. The former Nebraska coach is five wins away breaking the MAC’s coach record for victories set by Herb Deromedi from 1978-1993 at Central Michigan.

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