Sports briefs
By NewsPress Now
Packers aren’t ruling out Jordan Love for Colts game
GREEN BAY, Wis. | Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur still isn’t ruling out the possibility Jordan Love could play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts as the quarterback recovers from a knee injury that has kept him from practicing.
Love injured his left medial collateral ligament Friday on the third-to-last play of the Packers’ season-opening 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. LaFleur said Love doesn’t necessarily have to practice this week to be ready to play in Sunday’s game.
“But at the same time, like I told you guys, he’s got to be cleared,” LaFleur said. “We’ve got to feel like he can protect himself, and he’s got to be confident enough to go out there and do that. Until that happens, we are not even going to think about that.”
While Love continues his recovery, Malik Willis is preparing for the likelihood he will start a game for Green Bay less than three weeks after the Packers acquired him from the Tennessee Titans.
Willis was asked Wednesday how much of the playbook he knows.
“I’m not sure I’d put a percentage on it,” Willis said. “Just trying to, whatever we have in each day, try to come in, diagnose it, study it the night before and be able to go out there and execute.”
LaFleur compared the situation to his 2018 stint as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator, when the Titans turned to Blaine Gabbert after starting quarterback Marcus Mariota got injured in the season opener.
At least in that instance, Gabbert had been with the Titans throughout training camp. The Packers just added Willis in a trade that was finalized Aug. 27.
Willis’ only three previous career starts came as a rookie with Tennessee in 2022. The Titans went 1-2 in those games, and Willis didn’t top 100 yards passing in any of them.
He went 6 of 10 for 55 yards with an interception in a 17-10 victory at Houston, a game in which Tennessee attempted only one pass after halftime. He was 5 of 16 for 80 yards with no touchdown passes or interceptions in a 20-17 overtime loss at Kansas City. And he was 14 of 23 for 99 yards with two interceptions and no touchdown passes in a 19-14 home loss to the Texans.
“I wasn’t ready yet, but I had to go in,” Willis said Wednesday of that rookie experience. “I’m a different player than then.”
Willis said he has learned plenty since and is more prepared for this second chance to start. Willis credits the way he worked last year while appearing in only three games as a reserve.
“You just prepare until you get an opportunity,” said Willis, a 2022 third-round pick from Liberty. “That’s the way this league works. You’ve got guys like Taylor Heinicke, you’ve got guys all over the league that have been in positions where they weren’t starting or they weren’t playing, and they just continued to work and work and work. And when they get the opportunity, they can put something good on tape. That’s all you want to do, is put something good on tape for yourself and the opportunity to go out and perform the best that you can.”
The Titans deemed Willis expendable after Mason Rudolph beat him out for the right to back up Will Levis. The Packers then acquired Willis for a 2025 seventh-round pick.
Little did they know at the time how soon they’d need him.
Green Bay’s receivers say they have faith in Willis. Dontayvion Wicks says he already was familiar with him because they attended nearby colleges, with Wicks at Virginia and Willis at Liberty. Jayden Reed said he was impressed once he saw Willis’ passes
“That he could spin it, that was just my first thought when I first saw him throw the ball,” Reed said.
The real chance to make an impression should come Sunday. Willis is working overtime trying to establish a rhythm with these teammates he’s just getting to know.
“At the end of the day, the reality is I just got here, so it’s going to be a little bit in overdrive, not (like) a normal week as if I’ve been here the whole time,” Willis said. “But we’re definitely going to be taking it day by day and just doing what we can each day to prepare ourselves for Sunday.”
Tyreek Hill says he
could have handled
his traffic stop better
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill acknowledged Wednesday that he could have handled himself better in the initial moments of a weekend traffic stop that left him handcuffed and pulled out of his car by police officers near the team’s stadium.
Hill also said he wants one of the officers involved in the incident dismissed from the police force.
Hill said he wishes he did some things “a bit differently” on Sunday morning, including leaving the window of his car down when officers instructed him to do so. He rolled up the window instead. The incident escalated quickly from there.
“I will say I could have been better,” Hill said. “I could have let down my window in that instant. But the thing about me is, I don’t want attention. I don’t want to be cameras-out, phones-on-you in that moment. But at the end of the day, I’m human. I’ve got to follow rules. I’ve got to do what everyone else would do.
“Now, does that give them the right to literally beat the dog out of me? Absolutely not,” Hill continued. “But at the end of the day, I wish I could go back and do things a bit differently.”
Miami-Dade Police Director Stephanie Daniels launched an internal affairs investigation on Sunday afternoon and one officer was transferred to administrative duties. That officer, Danny Torres, wants to be immediately reinstated, his attorney said this week. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have said they want “swift and strong action” against all the officers involved.
Hill did not mince words when detailing what action he thinks should be taken against the officer.
“Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. He’s gotta go, man,” Hill said. “In that instant right there, not only did he treat me bad, but he also treated my teammates with disrespect. He had some crazy words towards them and they didn’t even do nothing. Like, what did they do to you?”
Hill was pulled from his car near the team’s stadium less than three hours before kickoff of Miami’s Week 1 game. He was placed on the ground and handcuffed, and teammate Calais Campbell — who drove by the scene and stopped in an effort to play peacemaker — also was handcuffed by police during the incident.
Hill was cited for careless driving and failing to wear a seatbelt.
The Dolphins play the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, and Hill said he would use the game as therapy, an escape from thinking about the incident. He said he would not take a knee — a move many players have used in recent years to protest police brutality — or call for the defunding of police. Hill has said several times in recent days that he has respect for police officers, and he intends to pursue work in law enforcement when his playing days end.
Body camera footage of the incident, released by the Miami-Dade Police Department on Monday evening, showed that the traffic stop escalated quickly after Hill put up the window of his car.
Hill rolled down the driver’s side window and handed his license to an officer who had been knocking on the window. Hill — an eight-time Pro Bowl selection who led the NFL with 1,799 receiving yards last season — then told the officer repeatedly to stop knocking before rolling the darkly tinted window back up.
After a back and forth about the window, the bodycam video shows an officer pull Hill out of his car by his arm and head and then force him face-first onto the ground. Officers handcuffed Hill and one put a knee in the middle of his back.
Hill can be heard in the footage yelling repeatedly that he’d just had surgery on his knee as officers forced him to the ground. The receiver said Wednesday he had a minor stem cell procedure on his knee this offseason in Antigua. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel called it a procedure that Hill “makes sure that he takes care of.”
Hill said he was inside a movie theater Monday night when he received word that the footage was released. He left the theater to watch it and said he hopes people seeing the video — both civilians and law enforcement — use it as a means to learn and get better, even drawing the parallel to the way that football players improve when they watch game film.
“It’s shell-shocking, man,” Hill said. “It’s really crazy to know that you have officers in this world that would literally do that with bodycams on. It’s sad. It’s really sad. Which brings up another conversation and leads into ‘What would they do if they didn’t have bodycams?’ Which is even crazier.”
Lloyd Howell Jr., the executive director of the NFL Players Association, said the organization has reached out to Hill and Campbell to provide them with “necessary support,” though he didn’t specify what that support was.
“I think on a go forward basis, it’s a function of communication,” Howell said. “No matter what your circumstances are, is take care of yourself, your family and hopefully that’ll translate to the field. That’s where things are now.”
NBA player Bam Adebayo said he believes Hill should have adhered to the officers’ demands and left his window down when instructed. He also said it was difficult to watch what happened next.
“For me, it’s the yanking him out of the car, throwing him on the ground, the knee on the back and you can kind of hear him speak but because the officer has such weight on his back he can barely speak,” the Miami Heat captain said. “I don’t ever want to get pulled over and catch a cop on a bad day. It’s a reminder that they don’t care who you are. Some of it escalated to a point where it could have gotten ugly for him. We’ve seen this story a lot, countless times.”
The altercation, and what was seen on the six officers’ bodycam videos, has again brought to the forefront conversations surrounding the experience of Black people with police — something that has been a national talking point for some time.
Hill has been involved in off-field incidents before, though teammates spoke out this week to condemn those who used Hill’s past allegations of violence to justify any excessive use of force. McDaniel said Wednesday that Hill continues to grow as a person, and that he has spoken to him on multiple occasions about why that matters. He also acknowledged that Hill could have handled the incident differently, without revealing specifics.
“A conversation about what provoked unnecessary,” McDaniel said, “is trivial to the unnecessary.”
Deshaun Watson denies sexual assault allegations
BEREA, Ohio | Just one game in, Deshaun Watson’s third season with the Browns is already headed in a bad direction.
In addition to talking about his shaky performance in the season opener, Cleveland’s quarterback was confronted Wednesday with questions connected to new sexual assault allegations brought against him in a civil lawsuit.
On Monday, a woman in Texas accused Watson of sexual assault and battery in October 2020 while he played for Houston. Watson said he was unaware of the allegations until they went public in the media.
“I found out exactly whenever everyone else found out,” said Watson, who is expected to start Sunday at Jacksonville.
According to the lawsuit, the woman, known only as “Jane Doe,” says Watson “roughly sexually assaulted” her for several minutes during a dinner date in her apartment.
During his weekly media availability, Watson said he was surprised by the allegations, adding he didn’t know if the woman’s lawyer had approached his legal representation 10 months ago seeking a resolution, as her attorney, Tony Buzbee, claims.
“I haven’t heard anything,” Watson said before practice. “I haven’t spoke with anybody so I’m not sure. I’m not aware of that.”
Watson’s appearance on the dais came about an hour after his attorney, Rusty Hardin, released a statement saying the QB “strongly denies” the claims in the lawsuit.
The NFL said Tuesday it will examine the case to determine whether Watson violated the league’s personal conduct policy.
Watson was suspended 11 games in 2022 — months after the Browns signed him to a fully guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract — and fined $5 million after an independent arbiter reviewed accusations of sexual misconduct and assault made against him by more than two dozen women during massage therapy sessions.
Hardin said he and Watson are “comfortable he will ultimately be vindicated. We will be ready to defend this case in court at the appropriate time, but don’t intend to conduct our defense in the media. We would ask that people be patient while the legal process runs its course.”
Watson did not repeat the same denial, choosing instead to lean on Hardin’s statement as “exactly how I’m feeling and what we’re going through this process with.”
As Watson spoke, Buzbee fired back on Instagram, saying he contacted Hardin about a settlement.
“We knew this case was the most serious and egregious case brought against Watson to date and our client, who is rightly traumatized by these events, wanted to attempt a private resolution,” Buzbee said. “Unfortunately, Watson’s team or maybe his lawyers couldn’t or wouldn’t give this case the attention it was due.”
Buzbee, who has represented most of the other women in past lawsuits, said the QB knew about his client’s assertions.
“Watson was well aware of this victim and her claims immediately after it occurred,” Buzbee said, “and Watson was again reminded back when we filed the first lawsuit for the other multiple victims. … He is well aware of what he did. This case is strong and now that we have filed we will pursue it with vigor.”
Buzbee said he has since been contacted by Hardin and his team. He added that he has heard from NFL counsel “and will respond in due course.”
Watson settled 23 of 24 civil suits before being suspended in 2022. Depending on what the league finds, the three-time Pro Bowler could be sidelined again but said he hasn’t given any thought to possible punishment.
“My focus is figuring out Jacksonville’s plan on defense and focusing on my craft to be the best quarterback I can be on Sunday for this team,” he said. “That’s something that the NFL has to do on their time and I have to focus on what’s in front of me right now.”
The new lawsuit is the latest twist in Watson’s drama-filled tenure with the Browns. He’s only made 13 starts in his three seasons with Cleveland due to the suspension and a severe right shoulder injury in 2023.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said he did not consider benching the QB this week in light of the new allegations.
“We’ll let due process play out and follow the NFL’s guidelines,” Stefanski said.
Watson played poorly in Cleveland’s season opener, his first game since undergoing surgery in November to repair a fracture in his throwing shoulder. He was hesitant, inaccurate and held the ball too long, drawing boos from the home crowd.
He finished 24 of 45 for 169 yards with a touchdown, two interceptions and a 51.1 passer rating. Watson was sacked six times and hit 17 as the Cowboys defense teed off on a Browns line missing its starting tackles.
Afterward, Watson disclosed his father and a close friend had died in the days leading up to the game.
“I’m not going to sit up here and make any excuses for anything that’s off the field is what’s causing on the field,” he said. “I just got to be better this week, and I will be better.”
McIlroy says PGA-LIV exhibition match offers a glimpse of possibilities
Rory McIlroy doesn’t view the made-for-TV match between stars from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf as a message, more like a glimpse of the possibilities of what can happen, and what has been missing in golf since the great divide.
McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are playing against Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in December in Las Vegas. The only times they have competed in the same field this year were in the four majors.
McIlroy, once a fierce opponent of Saudi-funded LIV Golf, has been bullish about finding a solution to bring the top players together more often. He has was on the PGA Tour board for a year, resigned and now is part of a negotiating committee.
“It’s more we wanted to do something that, I guess, all golf fans could get excited about,” McIlroy said Wednesday ahead of the Irish Open. “It’s a way to show golf fans in the world that this is what could happen or these are the possibilities going forward. I’ve been saying this for a long time. I think golf and golf fans (should) get to see us together more than four times a year.
“I think we all thought it was a good idea and something that hopefully is a sign of things to come in the future.”
A flight-tracking website reported that private planes of the PGA Tour and Aramco, formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., were in the New York area, and ESPN reported more meetings between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Tiger Woods also was in New York, first for a charity event.
“I don’t know much about the talks that are going on. I know that there is, but that’s not something that I’m a part of,” McIlroy said. “I think we are all in the game of golf trying to look for a solution to all this and try to move forward.”
The PGA Tour starts the fall portion of its schedule, while LIV Golf wraps up its regular season at a public course in the Chicago suburbs. Jon Rahm, who signed with LIV in December, has a slight lead in the bid for the individual title and an $18 million bonus.
Still unclear is Rahm’s status with the Ryder Cup. He is required to play four European tour events to maintain his membership — the Olympics count as one — and Rahm says he has entered the Spanish Open next week.
But he is required to pay fines for playing LIV events against European tour events.
“Still talking to the DP World Tour. I intend to play in Spain,” Rahm said Wednesday ahead of LIV Golf Chicago. “We entered a long time ago. Whether they let me play or not is a different thing. I’m not a big fan of the fines. I think I’ve been outspoken about that. I don’t intend to pay the fines, and we keep trying to have a discussion with them about how we can make this happen.”
Rahm said the European tour would be doing Spanish golf a disservice by not letting him play.
The European tour said in a statement: “Jon has outstanding sanctions for breaches of the DP World Tour’s conflicting tournament regulation. Until those outstanding sanctions are resolved, he is ineligible to play in a DP World Tour event.”
As for the PGA Tour-LIV match in Las Vegas, Rahm said he would be happy to be part of a similar event in the future.
“I think we could do some special things having both tours,” he said.
Davis Cup: U.S., Spain, Italy and Britain win their opening group matches
VALENCIA, Spain | Less than two weeks after his shocking second-round exit at the U.S. Open, Carlos Alcaraz was staring at another upset when a set down in his opening group-stage match for Spain in the Davis Cup Finals on Wednesday.
This time, Alcaraz turned things around — though he needed some help from his opponent.
The No. 3-ranked Alcaraz clinched victory for Spain against the Czech Republic in Group B on Wednesday when Tomas Machac retired injured with the score at 6-7 (3), 6-1 in Valencia. It gave Spain an unassailable 2-0 lead, with Roberto Bautista Agut having already defeated Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (1), 6-4, and Alcaraz then partnered with Marcel Granollers-Pujol to win the doubles in three sets and wrap up a 3-0 victory.
They were Alcaraz’s first matches since losing in straight sets to Botic van de Zandschulp — who was ranked 74th — at Flushing Meadows.
Spain joined the United States, defending champion Italy and Britain in gaining victories on Wednesday.
Brandon Nakashima beat Alejandro Tabilo 7-6 (5), 2-6, 7-6 (3) after Reilly Opelka defeated Cristian Garin 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3) to give the Americans a winning 2-0 lead over Chile in Group C in Zhuhai, China.
Those two singles matches lasted in excess of five hours and the U.S. brought in Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram for the doubles, which they won 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) against Tomas Barrios Vera and Matias Soto to seal a 3-0 sweep.
“It was truly an epic day of tennis for both teams, everyone showed a lot of heart, a lot of guts,” U.S. captain and retired doubles great Bob Bryan said. “I don’t think it’s ever happened in Davis Cup that all matches went to the third-set breaker . . . historic day. Just feeling very, very proud of the players.”
The U.S., which has a leading 32 Davis Cup titles but none since 2007, is bidding to reach the quarterfinals for the second time since the Davis Cup Finals were introduced in 2019. In the qualifiers this year, the Americans defeated Ukraine 4-0 on neutral ground in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Italy didn’t need top-ranked Jannik Sinner, the newly crowned U.S. Open champion, to begin its title defense with a 2-1 win over Brazil in Group A in Bologna.
Matteo Berrettini beat Joao Fonseca 6-1, 7-6 (5) before Matteo Arnaldi gave Italy an unassailable 2-0 lead by beating Thiago Monteiro 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5). Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo won the doubles for Brazil, beating Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in three sets.
“It was a great, great feeling. I’ve been missing this kind of feeling for so long for so many reasons,” Berrettini said. “The Davis Cup, the tournament in Rome, it felt like almost a first time.”
Britain also established a 2-0 advantage over Finland in Manchester, England, in Group D thanks to wins by Dan Evans and Billy Harris.
Evans beat Eero Vasa 7-6 (3), 6-2 and Harris, the guy who once lived out of a van while playing tennis tournaments around Europe, defeated Otto Virtanen 6-4, 7-6 (4).
“He (Vasa) was playing so freely in the first set and I did well to weather the storm and find a way to win,” Evans said. “That’s what you have to do in the Davis Cup.”
It finished 2-1 for Britain after Virtanen teamed with Harri Heliovaara to beat Evans and Neal Skupski 7-6 (4), 7-5 in doubles.
The four groups are playing in four cities this week to qualify for the Final 8 knockout stage to be held in Malaga, Spain, in November. The top two countries in each four-team group will advance.
In opening play on Tuesday, Belgium beat the Netherlands 2-1, Australia defeated France 2-1, Germany — playing without No. 2-ranked Alexander Zverev — beat Slovakia 3-0 and Canada defeated Argentina 2-1.
—From AP reports
