Auto Racing
Spartanburg, S.C., native will run Spartanburg, S.C., team
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Phoenix Racing named Steve Addington as competition director of the team recently purchased by Harry Scott Jr.
Addington also will crew chief the No. 51 Chevrolet, which Addington indicated could be Justin Allgaier’s Sprint Cup ride.
Scott bought the Spartanburg, S.C.-based team from James Finch in September and is determined to upgrade the organization.
Addington was born and raised in Spartanburg but moved to Charlotte in 1998 to work fulltime in NASCAR.
College Football
Winston volunteers his DNA, says sex was consensual
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – There was a lot of finger-pointing Thursday in the sexual assault investigation involving Florida State’s Jameis Winston after a DNA report linking the quarterback to the alleged victim was leaked to the media.
Tim Jensen, Winston’s attorney, said Winston voluntarily gave a DNA sample to Tallahassee police last week, but he said that even if it matches that of the alleged victim it wouldn’t mean his client raped the woman.
Jansen said the sex between Winston and the accuser “absolutely” was consensual.
Winston, 19, was a top freshman recruit and backup quarterback at the time of the alleged December 2012 assault. The 6-4, 225-pound redshirt freshman now is a Heisman Trophy candidate, and the Seminoles are the second-ranked football team in the country.
MLB
Rodriguez’s lawyers rest their case without his testimony
NEW YORK – Alex Rodriguez’s lawyers rested their primary case Thursday without calling the player as a witness at the grievance hearing to overturn his 211-game suspension, a person familiar with the proceedings told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized.
Major League Baseball started its rebuttal, and it was possible the hearing would conclude Friday, the person said. After the hearing finishes, the matter will be turned over to arbitrator Fredric Horowitz for a decision.
Soccer
Adidas and FIFA extend World Cup deal through ’30
ZURICH – FIFA said World Cup ball supplier Adidas has extended its sponsorship to 2030. The deal, announced Thursday in Moscow, eventually will complete a 60-year partnership.
The value was not disclosed, though FIFA top-tier sponsorships currently are estimated at about $100 million per four-year World Cup cycle.
Adidas will provide the “Brazuca” ball next year in Brazil after the much-criticized “Jabulani” was unpopular with players at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Tennis
Sharapova hires Groeneveld as her next coach
Maria Sharapova hired Sven Groeneveld as her coach, three months after splitting from Jimmy Connors after one match.
Connors replaced Thomas Hogstedt, Sharapova’s coach for more than two years.
Groeneveld has been a part of the Adidas tennis development program and worked with players such as Ana Ivanovic and Andy Murray.
WNBA
Sparks’ championship coach takes the Dream job
ATLANTA – The Atlanta Dream named former NBA star Michael Cooper as its new head coach Thursday, hoping he can lead the team to a WNBA championship after three consecutive winless trips to the finals.
The 57-year-old Cooper won five titles as a defensive stopper for the Lakers during the “Showtime” era, and he followed up his playing career by guiding the Los Angeles Sparks to consecutive titles as a coach in 2001 and 2002.
Associated Press
