Sports

Gregg Popovich on Daunte Wright shooting: ‘Makes you sick to your stomach’

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich spoke out on Monday night following the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright.

Popovich, who is known for being outspoken when it comes to social issues, said the incident just “makes you sick to your stomach.”

“How many times does it have to happen? As sick to our stomachs as we might feel, that individual is dead. He’s dead!” Popovich said on Monday, according to KSAT-TV’s RJ Marquez. “And his family is grieving, and his friends are grieving. And we just keep moving on, as if nothing is happening.”

MINNESOTA SPORTS TEAMS POSTPONE GAMES IN LIGHT OF DAUNTE WRIGHT SHOOTING

Police shot and killed Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, in a Minneapolis suburb, on Sunday. The bodycam footage showed three police officers gathered near a stopped car that was pulled over an expired registration. Police attempted to arrest Wright for an outstanding warrant, leading to a struggle, followed by the fatal shooting.

Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said the officer who shot and killed Wright had intended to fire a Taser, not the handgun.

The officer was identified as Kimberly A. Potter, whose career with the Brooklyn Center Police Department has spanned more than 25 years, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Monday night that Potter is on standard administrative leave.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, center, yells from the sideline during the fourth quarter of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

MINNESOTA OFFICE WHO SHOT DAUNTE WRIGHT SHOULD HAVE KNOWN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TASER, GUN: TED WILLIAMS

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers also spoke out on the fatal shooting on Monday. He said the discussion should not be framed as “frustrating for Black Americans.” Instead, he said we should be frustrated by “all Americans.”

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“We keep hearing this ‘cancel culture’ stuff, but we’re canceling Black lives. To me, that’s more important in my opinion,” he added.

Tom Brady reacts to Julian Edelman retiring: ‘You never lost that chip on your shoulder’

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady reacted to the news of his former teammate Julian Edelman announcing his retirement on Monday by posting a photo of the two from when they suited up for the New England Patriots.

Brady directed the message to Edelman saying, “You had an amazing football journey, an amazing life journey in New England, and I have no doubt you will succeed in anything you choose to do next!”

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“On the biggest stage and in the biggest moments, you always came through,” Brady wrote. “I was a witness to so much of the journey and am so proud of you and how you grew from 7th round underdog to an older 7th round underdog. The truth is, you never really grew up! You never lost that chip on your shoulder. You never let anyone define you as a person or player.

“You have so many teammates that admired your work ethic and will to win, and I am at the top of the list because when I was down and feeling sorry for myself at times, you were right there to pick me up,” Brady continued. “You were as tough as could be and I love you for all that you did to make our teams as great as they could possibly be.”

PATRIOTS’ JULIAN EDELMAN RETIRES; ‘IT’S BEEN THE BEST 12 YEARS OF MY LIFE’

Edelman, a three-time Super Bowl champion and the MVP of Super Bowl LIII, posted a video on social media of himself sitting at the Patriots’ home field, Gillette Stadium. In the post, the former seventh-round draft pick said how playing in the NFL as a Patriot has “been the best 12 years of my life.”

Other former teammates and players across the league reacted to the news of Edelman retiring.

Edelman finished his career with 620 receptions, 6,822 receiving yards, and 41 touchdowns.

The fan-favorite receiver was actually a quarterback in college at Kent State and was converted to wideout. But every now and then, New England would tap into his QB skills. Edelman completed 7 of 8 passes in the NFL for 179 yards, with two touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

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Despite those throwing skills, it was his catching of the ball that made him such a standout — especially in the playoffs. He had 118 postseason receptions and 1,442 yards in the postseason. Both rank him second in the Super Bowl era behind the legendary Jerry Rice.

Tom Brady, Bruce Arians recruit key player to join Bucs: report

For Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the rich got richer on Monday.

The defending Super Bowl champs signed long-time Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard to a one-year deal, adding to an already stout backfield that already features Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones, and Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

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According to the NFL Network, Brady and head coach Bruce Arians both personally recruited Bernard to the Buccaneers. Bernard, who is 29 years old, is one of the best receiving running backs in the NFL. Since his rookie season in 2013, he has 342 receptions at an average of 8.4 yards per catch.

PATRIOTS’ JULIAN EDELMAN RETIRES; ‘IT’S BEEN THE BEST 12 YEARS OF MY LIFE’

Another NFL Network report stated that Bernard also had interest from the Kansas City Chiefs.

When featured running back Joe Mixon was injured for the Bengals in 2020, Bernard stepped into a larger role and was a viable option for rookie quarterback Joe Burrow.

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Bernard, a North Carolina product, had 771 total yards with six touchdowns. He also had 47 receptions, and he should immediately contribute to the Bucs, especially on passing downs.

Doug Pederson treated like a ‘baby’, micromanaged by Eagles owner, GM: report

As if things couldn’t get any more dysfunctional for the Philadelphia Eagles, another report was detailed on Monday and it explained how former head coach Doug Pederson was “treated like a baby” by owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman.

Pederson was reportedly “ridiculed and criticized for every decision.”

“If you won by three, it wasn’t enough. If you lost on a last-second field goal, you’re the worst coach in history,” The Athletic reported citing sources. According to the report, Pederson was forced to have sit-down meetings with Lurie and Roseman every Tuesday.

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After the 2019 season, Eagles management reportedly threatened to fire Pederson if he didn’t dismiss offensive coordinator Mike Groh, as well as wide receivers coach Carson Walch. They were eventually let go, even though sources close to Lurie said that he never asked for that to happen. Another report was released in 2016 when they wanted Pederson to get rid of the then-offensive coordinator and current Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich.

PATRIOTS’ JULIAN EDELMAN RETIRES; ‘IT’S BEEN THE BEST 12 YEARS OF MY LIFE’

Pederson reportedly fought to keep Reich on the staff, and a year later the Eagles ended up winning the Super Bowl with Reich leading the charge in that role.

“The fact that Doug had the success he did with all the s–t going on in the building, sometimes I look at our Super Bowl rings, and I’m like, ‘Holy cow, I don’t know how we did it,'” another source told The Athletic.

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This past offseason, the Eagles fired Pederson and replaced him with Nick Sirianni, who was the Colts offensive coordinator under Reich in Indianapolis. Pederson wasn’t the only piece to be let go this offseason. They also traded away quarterback Carson Wentz, a former No. 2 overall pick, to the Colts in exchange for draft picks.

Since their incredible Super Bowl run, the franchise has been trending on a downward spiral. The Eagles have a chance to be among one of the worst teams in all of football entering the 2021 season.

Hinch reflects on Astros sign-stealing scam in return

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch reflected on the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal that cost him his job as the team’s manager in his return to Houston on Monday, saying it put a “cloud over the sport.”

Hinch was suspended by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred for a year in January 2020 and subsequently fired by owner Jim Crane for his role in the scheme that violated rules by using a video camera to steal catchers’ signs during Houston’s run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season.

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He was hired by the Tigers this off-season and discussed the scandal prior to Monday night’s opener of a three-game series against the Astros.

Asked whether he still takes pride in leading the Astros to their first title in a season tainted by cheating, he gave a long and frank answer acknowledging the team’s wrongdoing.

“I do believe that we did some good things in Houston,” Hinch said. “I do believe we were wrong in the behavior and the decisions that we made in 2017, and it’s hard to have that cloud over the sport and be responsible for that and be the man that was that was the manager that it happened on my watch.”

Hinch spent five seasons in Houston, helping turn around a team that had sunk to embarrassing lows during a rebuild in the years before he arrived. The Astros won more than 100 games in each of his last three seasons, capped by a franchise-best 107 wins in 2019 when they lost to the Washington Nationals in the World Series.

Hinch added that he has largely been quiet in publicly reflecting on his time in Houston because his “relationship with that time is complicated.” He said he’s tried to keep the stain of his actions away from the Tigers since they hired him.

“It’s something I take very seriously,” he said. “I will continue to apologize not only to the Houston fans, but to all the fans around baseball and continue to repeat how wrong it was. And for that, we’re going to have to live with that for the rest of our careers. It’s part of my story.”

There’s been quite a bit of turnover on Houston’s roster since Hinch left, but several players remain from his teams and were excited about seeing him on Monday.

“He did amazing things for this organization,” shortstop Carlos Correa said. “It’s really special. I learned a lot from A.J. He was a great manager to us.”

The Astros have faced hostile and angry crowds on the road early this season from fans still upset about Houston’s cheating — spectators weren’t allowed to attend games last season because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Remaining players that were on a team proven to have cheated have faced taunts of “cheaters,” been subject to incessant boos and even had things thrown onto the field at them.

Hinch said some fans have “let me know that they haven’t forgot that I was on that team,” but that he hasn’t received nearly as much venom as the players have. He understands why people are still so upset, but that he doesn’t devote any energy to worrying about how fans have responded or will respond to him.

“It’s part of my of the back of my baseball card, so to speak,” he said. “And it’s going to be attached to me for the rest of my career. I’ve tried to continually show how contrite I am for for being the manager and how much wrong is wrong. Obviously, I served a punishment. I was out of baseball for a year.”

Aside from the team’s accomplishments and highlights on the field, one of Hinch’s most memorable moments with the Astros came in their first game at Minute Maid Park after Hurricane Harvey devastated the city in 2017.

“Standing in front of that crowd on that game, coming back and delivering a speech is probably the most nervous and most emotional that I’ve been wearing a uniform,” he said. “And that mattered to me and the people have let me know that mattered to them.”

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Despite the way his time with the Astros ended, Hinch loved working in Houston and became emotional coming into town last night when he stayed in a hotel downtown for the first time since the World Series in 2019.

“I do have to focus on the good things that happened here,” he said. “I have a lot of fond memories, a lot of incredible interactions with fans and throughout the organization and some really, really good times. And then ultimately a really low time. And so, I kind of embrace all parts of that in my in my journey through this.”

No cap crunch for Capitals, who land Mantha at deadline

Flat cap or not, the Washington Capitals refused to stand by and watch their division foes improve their rosters without making a move at the NHL trade deadline Monday.

Not long after the Boston Bruins acquired 2018 NHL MVP Taylor Hall from Buffalo, the Capitals responded by mortgaging a valuable portion of their future to acquire forward Anthony Mantha from the Detroit Red Wings.

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With the championship window beginning to close on the Alex Ovechkin-led roster, Washington went all in on Mantha by trading wingers Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik, a 2021 first- and a 2022 second-round pick to Detroit.

The 26-year-old Mantha is a two-time 20-goal-scorer, uses his big 6-foot-5, 234-pound frame to create space and is signed for three more seasons at at salary-cap hit of $5.7 million.

So much for the notion that the cap, which remained flat at $81.5 million, would prevent every team from swinging a blockbuster deal at the deadline. The cap did not budge from last season, a result of the economic blow suffered by the NHL during the pandemic that hit U.S. sports 13 months ago.

The Capitals, three years removed from winning their first and only Stanley Cup championship, began the day tied with the New York Islanders atop the East Division, and two points ahead of Pittsburgh. In a separate trade, Washington also acquired forward Michael Raffl from Philadelphia.

The Islanders strengthened their roster last week by acquiring Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from New Jersey. Pittsburgh followed suit Monday by adding veteran depth in acquiring Jeff Carter in a deal with Los Angeles.

And the banged-up Bruins boosted their late-season playoff push by landing Hall, a six-time 20-goal-scorer who is seeking a fresh start after an underwhelming stint with the last-place Sabres. Boston began the day holding the division’s fourth and final playoff spot.

Among the handful of notable moves, Florida got center Sam Bennett in a deal that sent prospect forward Emil Heineman and a second-round pick to Calgary. The move came two days after Florida acquired defenseman Brandon Montour in a trade with Buffalo.

The Vegas Golden Knights acquired center Mattias Janmark from the Chicago Blackhawks while West foe Colorado brought back forward Carl Soderberg in a trade that sent forwards Ryder Rolston and Josh Dickinson to Chicago.

Just as notable were the players not traded.

Los Angeles Kings center Alex Iafallo and Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton, both pending free agents, had their names come off the market after signing contract extensions.

Goalie Linus Ullmark is staying in put in Buffalo after the Sabres had enough promising discussions on an extension to believe a deal can be reached before Ullmark is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, according to a person with direct knowledge of talks. who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the talks were private.

The salary cap did handcuff several teams from making moves while also heavily benefiting numerous buyers. The Bruins, for example, landed Hall at a cut-rate price by giving up only a second-round pick and forward in Anders Bjork, while also getting the Sabres to retain half of what’s left on Hall’s one-year, $8 million contract.

“Money was tight and assets were tight,” said Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland, who acquired defenseman Dmitry Kulikov from New Jersey.

Other teams got creative and acquired draft picks by taking on payroll.

The Sharks landed a fifth-round pick in helping Vegas acquire Janmark. San Jose added payroll and a fourth-round pick from Toronto to broker the trade in which the Maple Leafs acquired Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno. The Red Wings landed a fourth-round pick as part of the trade in which Tampa Bay acquired defenseman David Savard from Columbus.

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The Sabres and Devils were among the NHL’s top sellers; Buffalo and New Jersey’s 24 combined wins are three fewer than each of their division’s top three teams.

In trading Hall, Sabres first-year GM Kevyn Adams was not only restricted by the cap, but also by the player’s no-movement clause, which limited the number of potential trading partners. Hall had turned down the Bruins in free agency last offseason to sign with Buffalo.

Hall was looking forward to filling a secondary role in Boston.

“I don’t want to set expectations too high. I want to come in and win games,” said Hall, who had two goals and 19 points in 37 games.

“These last few days, you do some soul-searching and you look back on what you can do better and look forward to the future,” Hall said. “I think the best way to get confidence is to be part of a winning team and to make yourself part of the bigger solution.”

Patriots’ Julian Edelman announces retirement: ‘It’s been the best 12 years of my life’

New England Patriots great Julian Edelman announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday afternoon.

Edelman, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots, posted an emotional video on social media of himself sitting at Gillette Stadium, saying how playing in the NFL as a member of one of the greatest organizations in the league has “been the best 12 years of my life.”

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“Nothing in my career has ever come easy, and no surprise this isn’t going to be easy either,” Edelman said. “I always said I’ll go until the wheels come off, and they finally have fallen off. Due to an injury last year, I’ll be making my official announcement of my retirement from football. This was a hard decision, but the right decision for me and my family. And I’m honored and so proud to be retiring a Patriot.”

Edelman continued thanking Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his family, head coach Bill Belichick, and his teammates and coaches through the years.

MARV LEVY’S ADVICE FOR BILL BELICHICK ON HIS FOOTBALL FUTURE: ‘YOU JUST COACH AS LONG AS YOU LOVE IT’

“It’s a helluva run,” Edelman concluded. “And I can’t forget you, Patriot Nation. You guys welcomed me and my family to a region we didn’t know. But now, I am one of you. I’ll leave you guys with two words: Foxboro Forever.”

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Edelman, a Super Bowl MVP, finished his career with 620 receptions, 6,822 receiving yards, and 41 touchdowns. A seventh-round pick out of Kent State, Edelman showed up for the Patriots when it mattered most. He had 118 postseason receptions and 1,442 yards, which are both second-most in the Super Bowl era behind only the legendary Jerry Rice.

Patriots’ Julian Edelman retires; ‘It’s been the best 12 years of my life’

New England Patriots great Julian Edelman announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday afternoon.

Edelman, a three-time Super Bowl champion and the MVP of Super Bowl LIII, posted an emotional video on social media of himself sitting at the Patriots’ home field, Gillette Stadium. In the post, the former seventh-round draft pick said how playing in the NFL as a Patriot has “been the best 12 years of my life.”

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Edelman also thanked Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his family, head coach Bill Belichick as well as his teammates and coaches through the years.

MARV LEVY’S ADVICE FOR BILL BELICHICK ON HIS FOOTBALL FUTURE: ‘YOU JUST COACH AS LONG AS YOU LOVE IT’

“It’s a helluva run,” Edelman, 35, concluded. “And I can’t forget you, Patriot Nation. You guys welcomed me and my family to a region we didn’t know. But now, I am one of you. I’ll leave you guys with two words: Foxboro Forever.”

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Edelman finished his career with 620 receptions, 6,822 receiving yards, and 41 touchdowns.

Mets-Phillies postponed after rainout miscue on Sunday

A game between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies has been postponed due to rain and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader for Tuesday.

The decision was announced about two hours before Monday’s 7:10 p.m. scheduled first pitch.

The single-admission doubleheader will start at 4:10 p.m. Tuesday, and the second game will start about 30 minutes after the first game ends.

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The rainout follows a miscue by the Mets ballpark operations staff, which pushed ahead with a game against Miami on Sunday afternoon, only to have umpires waive the teams off the field seven minutes later — home teams make decisions regarding delays before games start, but once they’re under way, that power transfers to the umpires.

Marcus Stroman started that game for New York and threw just nine pitches. He tweeted his unhappiness to have wasted his turn in the rotation.

“This game should have never been started. Not smart at all,” Stroman tweeted during the delay. “Those conditions put everyone at risk. Beyond happy no players on either side were injured. Hate that I have to wait another 5 days to pitch again. That’s a miserable feeling.”

Mets manager Luis Rojas said Monday that Stroman will keep his slot in the rotation, getting four days of rest before pitching Friday at Colorado.

Miami manager Don Mattingly opted to use reliever John Curtiss as an opener Sunday, leaving the Marlins rotation unaffected. Curtiss never reached the mound.

Rojas insisted the Mets learned a lesson about trying to “protect the players” from Sunday’s drama, but he also said the team didn’t plan to substitute a reliever for scheduled starter David Peterson if Monday’s game began amid more rain.

“I don’t think we’re going to go to that with getting a reliever ready to protect the starter,” Rojas said. “We just have to be aware of that decision better when we make it, to not disrupt our starter.”

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TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: The team was still awaiting results of testing on RHP Archie Bradley’s strained oblique. Bradley was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday.

Mets: RHP Carlos Carrasco (right hamstring) will throw four innings in his next simulated game and could report to the team’s alternate training site in Brooklyn after that. Rojas said he’s also taking infield and swinging a bat. … RHP Seth Lugo (right elbow surgery) hopes to get on a mound for the first time since his February operation next week. … RHP Drew Smith (right shoulder) has resumed playing catch.

UP NEXT

Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (0-0, 2.53) is set to face Mets RHP Taijuan Walker (0-0, 3.00) on Tuesday, when the forecast appears clear.

Struggling Nationals get back Schwarber, Bell, Harrison

Kyle Schwarber, Josh Bell and Josh Harrison were reinstated from the injured list Monday by the Washington Nationals, making the team’s roster nearly whole again after a coronavirus outbreak sidelined nine players and caused postponement of four games.

That trio had been expected to be in Washington’s opening day lineup — with Schwarber in left field, Bell at first base, Harrison at second — but they were part of the group kept away from the rest of the club because of COVID-19 protocols. Major League Baseball wound up rescheduling the Nationals’ first four games of 2021.

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Four players tested positive for the illness, while five others were put under quarantine after contact tracing determined they might have been exposed. The Nationals never announced which players fell into which category.

Now eight of the nine are back with the manager Dave Martinez’s club, which took a 1-5 record and five-game losing streak into Monday night’s opener of a three-game series at the St. Louis Cardinals.

The only player still missing is left-handed starting pitcher Jon Lester, who is expected to spend some time ramping up at the team’s alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Virginia, before making his Nationals debut.

While the Nationals were in Los Angeles over the weekend, getting swept in three games by the reigning World Series champion Dodgers, catchers Yan Gomes and Alex Avila, starting Patrick Corbin, closer Brad Hand and infielder Jordy Mercer cleared COVID-19 protocols and rejoined the team.

The 2019 champs are hoping that Bell, Schwarber and Harrison can offer a bit of pop to the lineup, which has been scuffling and was shut out in three of the team’s past four games.

Only two players have hit home runs for the Nationals so far this season: Juan Soto and Trea Turner, each with a pair deep shots.

In corresponding roster moves made by the Nationals before Monday’s game:

— infielder Luis García and outfielder Yadiel Hernandez were optioned to the alternate training site and added to the team’s taxi squad for the current trip;

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— relievers Ryne Harper, a right-hander, and T.J. McFarland, a lefty, were returned to Fredericksburg;

— catcher Jonathan Lucroy was designated for assignment.

Signed as a stop-gap measure with Gomes and Avila both unavailable, Lucroy showed up for his first day with the Nationals on April 6 — when they finally played their first game of the season.

Lucroy caught Max Scherzer against the Atlanta Braves that day and delivered a two-run double in Washington’s 6-5 victory.

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