MLB
NEW YORK – Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes has been put on the 15-day disabled list because of a sore right quadriceps, and a feisty manager Terry Collins has teed off on those wondering whether the outfielder aggravated his injury playing golf.
Cespedes hurt his leg July 8, and the injury has been nagging him since. He went 1 for 5 in Wednesday night’s 9-5 loss to the Yankees, and is hitting .292 with 22 homers and 59 RBIs.
On Wednesday, former big leaguer Kevin Millar tweeted a photo of himself playing golf with Cespedes earlier in the day.
“Golfing had nothing to do with his leg,” Collins said three hours before gametime.
NBA
The Oklahoma City Thunder have reached a new deal with All-Star guard Russell Westbrook.
The two sides have agreed on a new three-year contract worth $85.7 million, according to a person with direct knowledge of the terms. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team had not announced the deal.
The 27-year-old Westbrook averaged 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 10.4 assists last season as the Thunder reached the Western Conference finals, where they lost in seven games to Golden State.
NCAA
INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA’s Board of Governors is asking leaders in all three athletic divisions to consider legislation to deal with athletes accused of sexual violence.
The announcement came Thursday after the board’s quarterly meeting in Indianapolis – and one day after it received a petition signed by more than 157,000 people seeking a ban of sexually violent athletes.
Olympics
NEW YORK – NBC executives say that pre-Olympics media reports about the Zika virus, polluted water and political unrest in Brazil helped the network’s advertising sales.
NBC Sports advertising head Seth Winters said Thursday that the stories helped increase awareness of the event. He said NBC has already sold $1.2 billion in national advertising time, about 20 percent above the London Games of 2012 at the same point. NBC paid $1.2 billion for the broadcasting rights, and has said it expects to make a profit.
RIO DE JANEIRO – The police in Rio de Janeiro say a Russian diplomat trying to repel an attempted robbery near the Olympic Park was involved in a shooting that left the assailant dead. The Russian embassy denied any of their employees were involved in the incident.
The police say the diplomat wrestled with a gunman who was trying to rob him, causing the weapon to go off and killing the criminal. In a statement to The Associated Press, the Russians refuted the police report.
RIO DE JANEIRO – A flight delay stranded the Nigeria men’s soccer team in the United States on the same day the club was set to play its first game in the Olympic Games.
The team boarded a jet out of Atlanta on Thursday morning for the jungle city of Manaus, Brazil, where it plays Japan later in the day. They were scheduled to arrive in Manaus in time to play the match, but the team faced the uncomfortable situation of making its debut almost immediately after a lengthy flight.
Nigeria won the gold medal in the 2006 Olympics.
Associated Press
