Cycling
GANDIA, Spain – Nairo Quintana of Colombia preserved his lead of nearly four minutes over Chris Froome in the Spanish Vuelta after a relatively flat stage won by Magnus Cort Nielsen of Denmark on Thursday.
Quintana finished with the peloton to stay 3 minutes, 37 seconds ahead of Britain’s Froome after the 200-kilometer (124-mile) route from Requena to Gandia on the Mediterranean coast, with Esteban Chaves of Colombia and Alberto Contador of Spain less than 30 seconds behind.
Froome will have a chance to cut Quintana’s lead during Friday’s 37-kilometer (23-mile) individual time trial, which is one of his strengths. The Vuelta ends on Sunday.
NFL
RENTON, Wash. – Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin tweeted Thursday that the team “will honor the country and flag” in a “demonstration of unity” prior to Sunday’s season opener against Miami.
When approached in the locker room by reporters, Baldwin declined to elaborate further saying, “you’ll see on Sunday.”
Former Green Beret and one-time Seahawks long-snapper Nate Boyer later tweeted that he had spoken with the Seahawks players about their plans and wrote, “what the team will do is a powerful sign of unification + respect for the Anthem + those that fight for our Freedom!”
JACKSON, Miss. – The University of Mississippi Medical Center says New York Giants quarterback and Ole Miss alumnus Eli Manning is pledging $1 million to its campaign to improve neonatal and pediatric care.
The Center announced the donation by Manning and his wife, Abby, in a release Tuesday.
The Center is trying to raise $100 million to expand the neonatal intensive care unit, add more pediatric ICU rooms and surgical suites and create an imaging department geared toward children.
The $100 million fund-raising campaign is the largest in UMMC’s history. It kicked off earlier this year.
DENVER – Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, a college teammate of Colin Kaepernick, took to a knee during the playing of the national anthem before Denver’s season opener against Carolina.
Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem during San Francisco’s preseason games , explaining it was to protest racial oppression and police brutality in the United States.
Marshall was standing with his hand over his heart during the anthem before a preseason game on Aug. 20. He made no mention of his plans for Thursday’s opener but shortly after the large American flag was unfurled, the fifth-year linebacker went to the end of a long row of Broncos and took a knee.
NHL
QUEBEC CITY – Patrick Roy is looking forward to his first winter off in memory.
Roy resigned as coach and vice president of hockey operations of the Colorado Avalanche in July, saying he needed more input in decision-making. He isn’t seeking another job for the moment and, with a year left on his deal with Colorado, anyone interested in hiring him would need to go through the Avalanche.
The Quebec City native, a Hall of Fame goaltender with Montreal and Colorado, coached and managed the junior Quebec Remparts before taking his first NHL coaching job in Denver.
He said he had no regrets about his time with the Avalanche or how it ended.
Associated Press
