Sports in brief
Published 12:00 am Thursday, July 24, 2014
BASKETBALL
Testimony concludes in Sterling case — Testimony in the probate court trial between Donald and Shelly Sterling finished Wednesday with the contentious examination of Dr. Jeffrey Cummings. The Alzheimer’s disease expert from the Cleveland Clinic testified that Dr. Meril Platzer’s May exam of Donald Sterling, one of two used to declare him mentally incapacitated, was not appropriate because of Shelly Sterling’s presence. “My impression was … there is a stress in the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Sterling,” said Cummings, who was not present for the exam. Post-trial briefs from the parties are due today, with closing arguments scheduled for Monday.
FOOTBALL
TE Davis ends holdout, reports to 49ers’ camp — Tight end Vernon Davis ended his offseason holdout and reported to the San Francisco 49ers’ training camp on time Wednesday. Davis skipped June’s mandatory minicamp and earlier offseason workouts in hopes of a better contract. His deal expires after the 2015 season.
Chiefs reach deal with RB Charles — Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles has reached a two-year contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs. The deal will keep Charles in Kansas City through the 2017 season. The six-year NFL veteran ran for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns last year as the Chiefs reached the playoffs. He also had 70 catches for 693 yards and seven more TDs as Kansas City went 11-5 before losing to Indianapolis in an AFC wild-card game.
Broncos owner Bowlen gives up control of team — Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen has been battling Alzheimer’s disease and is relinquishing control of the franchise, his wife and the team announced Wednesday. Bowlen, 70, bought the Broncos in 1984, and saw his team reach six Super Bowls, including winning back-to-back championships in 1997 and ‘98. Team President Joe Ellis will assume control of the franchise. The team issued a statement offering “our full support, compassion and respect to ‘Mr. B,’ who has faced Alzheimer’s disease with such dignity and strength.” After acknowledging in 2009 that he suffered short-term memory loss, he stepped back from day-to-day operations in 2011 when he promoted Ellis to president.
TRACK & FIELD
Adidas in Eugene? IAAF mandates it — Adidas has invaded the birthplace of Nike. Crews preparing for this week’s world junior track championships at Hayward Field covered the Nike swooshes and pinned Adidas posters to the fence alongside the track. Adidas can take that action because of its sponsorship deal with the International Association of Athletics Federation. As part of the sponsorship, the German multinational receives a “clean venue” at the University of Oregon’s track stadium, free of its rivals’ logos. The agreement does stop short of throwing a paper bag over the statue of Bill Bowerman, the Nike co-founder and legendary Ducks track coach.
OLYMPICS
Cities to meet with USOC about 2024 — Leaders from the four U.S. cities in the running to bid for the 2024 Summer Games will meet with U.S. Olympic Committee leadership Friday in the first gathering to include representatives from all the major interested parties. The USOC has asked teams from Los Angeles, Boston, Washington and San Francisco to send up to four people each for what it is billing as a low-key informative session about the finances and other details about bidding for the Olympics. USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said the list of representatives was still being completed as of Wednesday. This will be the city leaders’ first major meeting with Blackmun and chairman Larry Probst. Chief bid and protocol officer Chris Sullivan, chief communications and public affairs officer Patrick Sandusky and Olympic insider Doug Arnot were in charge of vetting the cities and trimming the list to four. The USOC is waiting until early next year before deciding whether to bid for the 2024 Games, which will be awarded in 2017. Other cities possibly in the running include Rome, Paris, Doha and Istanbul.
— From wire reports