Auto Racing
Fernando Alonso crashes out of Down Under opener
LONDON – Fernando Alonso will not race in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix following a crash during Formula One testing that sent him to the hospital for three days, McLaren said Tuesday.
The decision was taken to avoid the chance of Alonso having another concussion – second-impact syndrome – following the accident at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit last month, the team said in a statement.
McLaren maintained that Alonso’s doctors “see no evidence whatsoever of any injury, and that they therefore describe him as entirely healthy from neurological and cardiac perspectives.”
Reserve driver Kevin Magnussen will take Alonso’s place in the March 15 race in Melbourne.
McLaren expects Alonso to be back racing again for the Malaysian Grand Prix on March 29.
MLB
Steroids clinic case fallout sends another to prison
MIAMI – A South Florida man who admitted to recruiting foreign baseball players for the operators of a steroid-dispensing clinic was sentenced to prison followed by house arrest.
U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga agreed with the attorney for Juan Carlos Nunez that his part in the conspiracy was minimal compared with others’. Nunez will serve three months behind bars and three months on house arrest.
Nunez admitted in court last year that he brought professional ballplayers from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela to Anthony Bosch and the now-closed Biogenesis of America in Coral Gables. Fourteen baseball players, including New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, were suspended in the drug scandal.
Nunez said he used his position at a New York-based sports representation agency, ACES Inc., to connect with foreign players.
NFL
Eagles ship Shady to Bills for ex-Oregon linebacker
BUFFALO, N.Y. – A person familiar with the deal said the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to trade star running back LeSean McCoy for Buffalo Bills linebacker Kiko Alonso.
The person spoke under condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the teams had not announced the deal.
ESPN first reported the trade.
McCoy had an inconsistent season last year after leading the NFL with 1,607 yards rushing in 2013.
Incoming Bills coach Rex Ryan has said he wants his offense to rely heavily on a running attack. Buffalo is expected to lose C.J. Spiller to free agency next week.
Alonso played college football in Oregon under Eagles coach Chip Kelly. The 2013 second-round draft pick was a contender for NFL defensive rookie of the year. He missed all of last season with a knee injury after while working out in Oregon in July. He is expected to fully recover in time for the 2015 season.
Rugby star Jarryd Hayne will put 49ers pads on
SAN FRANCISCO – A person with knowledge of the agreement said Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne has agreed to a contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press on Tuesday because an announcement is not anticipated until Hayne signs. He is expected to receive $100,000 guaranteed.
Hayne is giving up his sport to pursue an NFL career. He likely will compete for a job as a running back and return man on special teams. The 27-year-old player is 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds.
He held a news conference in Sydney to announce he would join the 49ers, who are beginning to build a roster for new coach Jim Tomsula.
Associated Press
