Cycling
Martin wins third stage, takes Catalonia lead
LA MOLINA, Spain – Daniel Martin of Ireland was the first up the mountain to win the third stage of the Tour of Catalonia and take the overall lead on Wednesday.
Martin, who won the weeklong race in 2013, beat Alberto Contador to the finish line of the 106.9-mile ride from Girona finishing at the La Molina summit in the Pyrenees Mountains in just over five hours.
Overnight leader Nacer Bouhanni withdrew from the race midway through the stage due to illness after having won the first two stages on the flat.
Thursday’s fourth stage stays in the mountains with a 107-mile ride from Baga to Porte Aine.
NFL
L.A. Rams will be subject of HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Los Angeles Rams will be the subject of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this summer.
As they move from St. Louis to Southern California, the Rams have agreed to let HBO’s cameras film their first training camp in the LA area. The NFL announced the latest subject of the popular documentary series Wednesday.
The hour-long series kicks off its 11th season Aug. 9 and airs each subsequent Tuesday, with a Sept. 6 finale.
Goodell: Patriots won’t get ‘Deflategate’ picks back
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Roger Goodell will not be returning the draft picks stripped from the New England Patriots for the use of deflated footballs in the 2014 AFC championship game.
The NFL commissioner said Wednesday at the owners’ meetings that he responded to a letter from Patriots owner Robert Kraft seeking reinstatement of the first-round selection in next month’s draft and a fourth-rounder in 2017. Goodell told Kraft he “considered his views and didn’t think there was any reason in there to alter the discipline. There will be no changes.”
Las Vegas franchise still a possibility for NFL
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Roger Goodell isn’t dismissing Las Vegas as a potential home for an NFL franchise when asked about Raiders owner Mark Davis’ interest in moving his team there.
Traditionally, the NFL has strongly opposed the idea of America’s gambling capital hosting a franchise. After being passed over for relocation to Los Angeles in January, Davis has shown interest in moving to Las Vegas or other cities if he’s unable to get a new stadium built in Oakland.
The commissioner said Wednesday that “Mark Davis is appropriately looking at all his alternatives.”
Specifically on Las Vegas and legalized gambling there, Goodell replied: “Those are things we’d have to deal with. We would have to understand the impact on us. Each owner would have a vote; it would be a factor many owners would have to balance, the league would have to balance.”
Swimming
Swim body asks for the evidence of Russian doping
LAUSANNE, Switzerland – FINA wants British daily The Times to share evidence backing up its claims of widespread doping in Russian swimming.
FINA says it will investigate any allegations “substantiated by evidence and which have not already been addressed.”
The newspaper on Wednesday alleged doping and cover-ups in Russian swimming linked to sports doctor Sergei Portugalov, who the World Anti-Doping Agency wants banned for life after investigating a doping conspiracy in athletics.
The reports quoted unidentified witnesses who suggested their fear of being named as whistleblowers.
FINA says it is “not aware of any concrete evidence of systemic doping in Russian swimming,” and defends its “particularly robust approach to our anti-doping procedures.”
Associated Press
