Steelers, coach Mike Tomlin agree to 1-year extension
LATROBE, Pennsylvania (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers and coach Mike Tomlin have agreed on a one-year contract extension that will run through the 2021 season.
The club announced the deal as players arrived at Saint Vincent College on Thursday for the start of Tomlin’s 13th training camp with the team.
The 47-year-old Tomlin had two years left on his previous deal, a time frame when the Steelers typically renegotiate or do new contracts for prominent coaches, players and front-office members.
“Mike is one of the most successful head coaches in the National Football League, and we are confident in his leadership to continue to lead our team as we pursue our goal of winning another championship,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement.
Tomlin is 126-66-1 since replacing Bill Cowher in 2007. He has led the Steelers to a pair of Super Bowl appearances — winning one — while capturing six AFC North titles and eight playoff berths overall. Pittsburgh is looking to bounce back from a late-season collapse last winter that forced it to miss the postseason for the first time since 2013.
———
Incoming Louisville basketball star out 4-6 months
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville freshman guard David Johnson will be out four to six months because of an injury to his left shoulder.
The university says Thursday that Johnson was hurt during practice Monday and will need surgery.
Coach Chris Mack calls it “tough news” but he expects the 6-foot-5 player to return in time to “impact our team this season.”
Johnson was a four-year starter at Trinity High School in Louisville. During his senior year, he averaged 16.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists and led the team to a 30-8 record and the Kentucky state championship.
———
Ryder Cup returning to Ireland, Adare Manor to host in 2026
VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — The 2026 Ryder Cup will be played in Ireland, taking golf’s greatest team event to the home country of British Open champion Shane Lowry.
European organizers say they picked Adare Manor in County Limerick to host the biennial three-day match against the United States.
The decision by Ryder Cup Europe caps a stellar week for Irish golf and its fans after Lowry’s euphoric win at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
Ireland hosted one previous Ryder Cup before, in 2006 at The K Club in County Kildare.
That was a record win for Europe by 18 ½ to 9 ½ points.
The U.S. next hosts in 2020 at the Whistling Straits course in Wisconsin.
Europe picked Italy to host in 2022, at the Marco Simone course near Rome, and the 2024 edition is at Bethpage Black in New York.
———
Kentucky safety Robinson to miss season with leg injury
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky safety Davonte Robinson will miss the upcoming season because of a leg injury.
Coach Mark Stoops says Robinson injured his right quadriceps and will require surgery.
Robinson, a junior from Lexington, played in all 13 games last season, making 42 tackles, four pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. He started three games.
On the final play of the game at Florida, Robinson picked up a fumble and ran 30 yards for a touchdown, sealing the victory.
———
Visa issues knock Russia’s Kuznetsova out of Citi Open
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has pulled out of the Citi Open because of visa issues.
The 34-year-old Russian announced the problem on Twitter on Thursday and apologized to fans for not being able to make it to the U.S. Open tuneup.
Kuznetsova won the U.S. Open in 2004 and French Open in 2009. The 2018 Citi Open is one of her 16 career WTA titles.
Kuznetsova tweeted that she “never had issues like this in my life” and eventually hopes to get a visa and play some tournaments on the U.S. swing.
———
NBA, Pistons settle lawsuit over G League player’s death
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — The NBA and the Detroit Pistons have settled a lawsuit with the family of a G League player who died after collapsing during a game last year.
Zeke Upshaw played for the Grand Rapids Drive, a G League affiliate of the Pistons. He died two days after he was stricken.
A lawsuit filed by Upshaw’s estate said lifesaving measures weren’t attempted in a timely manner. Robert Hilliard, a lawyer for Upshaw’s mother, informed a judge Wednesday that a deal has been reached with the NBA and the Pistons. No details were disclosed.
The NBA confirmed a settlement and expressed sympathy to Upshaw’s family.
The lawsuit continues against other defendants in federal court in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
———
Kentucky to visit Texas Tech in 2020 Big 12/SEC Challenge
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Kentucky will visit 2019 NCAA Tournament runner-up Texas Tech and Kansas will host Tennessee on Jan. 25 as part of the seventh annual Big 12/SEC Challenge.
The other Jan. 25 matchups between these two conferences include Kansas State at Alabama, TCU at Arkansas, Iowa State at Auburn, Baylor at Florida, LSU at Texas, Mississippi State at Oklahoma, Missouri at West Virginia and Oklahoma State at Texas A&M.
Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Vanderbilt are the four SEC teams that won’t be playing in this year’s challenge.
This will mark the second straight year that Tennessee and Kansas have faced off. Kansas beat Tennessee 87-81 in overtime at the NIT Season Tip Off last year in New York.
The LSU-Texas game matches two coaches who used to work together. LSU coach Will Wade was an assistant on Texas coach Shaka Smart’s staff at VCU from 2009-13.
———
Score! Megan Rapinoe book to be published next year
NEW YORK (AP) — Soccer star Megan Rapinoe has scored again, this time with a book deal.
Penguin Press announced Thursday that Rapinoe’s book, currently untitled, will be published in Fall 2020. Penguin is calling the book a “perfect vehicle” for an “honest, thoughtful, unapologetic” take on everything from soccer to nationalism to gay rights. Meanwhile, a division of Penguin Young Readers will work on a Rapinoe book for middle graders.
Rapinoe became an international celebrity this summer after she helped lead the U.S women’s soccer team to a World Cup championship. She openly denounced President Donald Trump and said she would refuse to attend a White House celebration if invited. Trump tweeted in response that Rapinoe should “never disrespect our country, the White House or our flag.”
