Hometown Broadcasting Sports Tuesday 4/14/20
14 April 2020 Sports
Ryan Braun, Christian Yelich and Mike Attanasio are doing their part to help both their mutual hometown and their adopted hometown respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Now the effort is growing.
The trio of Brewers — Attanasio is the son of principal owner Mark Attanasio — are directing efforts in Los Angeles and Milwaukee to aid healthcare professionals and hourly workers affected by the crisis. In L.A., they are marshaling the resources of the California Strong organization they founded two years ago, and in Milwaukee, they are contributing their own money and rallying funds from teammates on a couple of fronts.
“The goal when we started this thing was to help people in need,” Braun said. “I don’t think we could have anticipated anything like this.”
The latest initiative was finalized Monday, when the Brewers announced that Braun was leading a group that includes Bob Uecker, Yelich and teammates Lorenzo Cain, Corey Knebel, Josh Lindblom and Brent Suter to add $300,000 to the team’s $1 million fund for Miller Park game day workers who have lost wages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Braun was the first to commit, giving $100,000. Uecker contributed $50,000, the team said.
The Chicago Bulls fired general manager Gar Forman on Monday after 10 years in the role and 22 years with the team.
The move came soon after the Bulls confirmed the hiring of Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas (Arturas Karnishivas) as the franchise’s executive vice president of basketball operations, which ESPN reported last week.
The Bulls also announced Monday that John Paxson, who previously held Karnisovas’ position, will stay with the team in the new role of senior advisor of basketball operations.
Forman was named the 2011 NBA Executive of the Year. The Bulls reached the playoffs seven times during his tenure as general manager.
Karnisovas is planning to start discussing Chicago’s GM job with candidates soon, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week. The pool is expected to include several assistant GMs: Calvin Booth (Denver), Marc Eversley (Philadelphia), Mark Hughes (LA Clippers) and Matt Lloyd (Orlando), among others.
Paxson had been EVP of basketball operations since 2003 and also served as general manager until Forman took on those duties in 2009.
Former Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson died Sunday night in a car crash. He was 36.
A Tennessee State spokesperson confirmed Jackson’s death to ESPN. Jackson was the Tigers’ quarterbacks coach in 2019 after spending a year as a quality control and quarterbacks coach at his alma mater, Alabama State.
According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Jackson was involved in a single-vehicle crash at 8:50 p.m. Sunday; the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro he was driving left the roadway, struck a tree and then overturned. Jackson was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The crash occurred about 7 miles south of Jackson’s hometown of Montgomery, Alabama. Jackson is survived by his wife, Lakitta, and three children.
Kyle Larson was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR on Monday for using a racial slur on a livestream during a virtual race. Chip Ganassi Racing also suspended Larson without pay.
The star driver said there was “no excuse” for his comment and apologized in a video posted on his social media accounts. NASCAR ordered Larson to complete a sensitivity training course before he’s eligible for reinstatement. Larson also was suspended indefinitely by iRacing. Larson was competing in an iRacing event Sunday night when he appeared to lose communication with his spotter on his headset. During a check of his microphone, Larson said, “You can’t hear me?” That was followed by the N-word.
The NFL draft is going on as scheduled, with all of the TV coverage a quarantined football fan could ask for.
But there will be some changes from the typical TV presentation, including a collaboration between two networks that usually have competing draft shows.
The NFL announced its draft broadcast plans, adjusted for coronavirus restrictions. The most interesting note was that ESPN and NFL Network will be teaming up for one broadcast, shown on both networks. The draft will take place April 23-25.
There will still be multiple broadcasts. ABC will have a prime-time broadcast of the first two nights of the draft, which covers the first three rounds. That will be different than the ESPN/NFL Network telecast.
The Cleveland Browns are trying to build some goodwill for their upcoming jersey release. When the team unveils its new uniforms Wednesday, 100 percent of the sales from the team’s pro shop will go toward helping healthcare workers, according to NFL.com.
The team says it will donate 100 percent of jersey sales for a “significant period of time.”
Fans looking to take advantage of the team’s offer must order jerseys from the team’s FirstEnergy Stadium Pro Shop. Since in-store purchases are currently unavailable, the team has set up a phone number so fans can call in and place their orders.
Carolina is signing Christian McCaffrey to a four-year, $64 million extension, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
On a per-year basis, the deal vaults McCaffrey past the Cowboys‘ Ezekiel Elliott as the highest-paid running back in the NFL.
McCaffrey validated Carolina’s decision to select him with the eighth overall pick of the 2017 draft by posting a 1,000-all-purpose-yard season as a rookie, then took a significant leap in his second season, breaking 1,000 rushing yards with an increased workload and flirting with 1,000 receiving yards. His third season saw him do just that, becoming the third player in NFL history to break 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season with 1,387 on the ground (and 15 touchdowns) and 1,005 receiving (plus four receiving scores) in 2019.
McCaffrey has earned two All-Pro selections in three seasons, including a first-team honor in 2019, and was also named a Pro Bowler in 2019. McCaffrey’s contributions have been a bright spot in the last two years, in which the Panthers have been forced to endure injuries to quarterback Cam Newton, who ultimately was released by the team last month.
His track only points to more success, as the running back still has plenty of good football ahead of him as he nears his age-24 season. With the Panthers saying goodbye to established contributors elsewhere in an eventful offseason, they’re wise to keep their star running back as they begin a new era under coach Matt Rhule.
The XFL’s parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday, the first business day after the league suspended operations and laid off almost all of its employees.
The filing, officially made by Alpha Entertainment, listed the XFL with assets and liabilities each in the range of $10 million to $50 million. The largest creditor was listed as the St. Louis Sports Commission at $1.6 million. Seven of the league’s eight coaches also are among the top creditors.
In a statement, the XFL attributed its decision to the coronavirus pandemic:
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