NFL
Patriots’ Gronkowsky goes back on injured reserve
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots placed tight end Rob Gronkowski on injured reserve Monday with a damaged right knee.
Gronkowski was hurt midway through the third quarter of the Patriots’ 27-26 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday when he was hit on the knee by safety T.J. Ward after a 21-yard reception.
Gronkowski missed the first six games this season after forearm and back surgeries, and the Patriots went 5-1. In the next six games, he led all NFL tight ends with 37 catches and 560 yards receiving. They were 4-2 in those games, but the offense was much more productive.
Shanahan might bench a healthy Griffin III for safety
ASHBURN, Va. – Mike Shanahan, still for now the coach of the Washington Redskins, made a surprising reversal Monday and said he might bench a “100 percent” healthy Robert Griffin III for the rest of the season to keep the quarterback from getting hurt.
Shanahan essentially declared it might be more beneficial for Griffin to get offseason snaps in May rather than game experience over the next three weeks. The coach, for the first time, then explicitly left open the possibility that he might not return next year, saying his future will be decided after he meets with owner Dan Snyder at the end of the season.
Shanahan’s departure appears more likely than ever after the Redskins (3-10) were embarrassed 45-10 by Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, a fifth consecutive loss that ensured a third season of double-digit losses in the coach’s four seasons in Washington.
‘Honey Badger’ sees his rookie season come to end
TEMPE, Ariz. – Tyrann Mathieu’s terrific rookie NFL season has come to a premature end.
Arizona coach Bruce Arians on Monday confirmed Mathieu tore an ACL and sustained further damage in his left knee and will undergo surgery.
Mathieu, who earned the nickname “Honey Badger” in his days at LSU, was Arizona’s starting safety and had been in on almost every defensive play for the Cardinals.
He was injured returning a free kick after John Abraham had tackled Kellen Clemens in the end zone in the third quarter of Arizona’s 30-10 victory over St. Louis on Sunday.
After Mathieu was buried in a pile of tacklers, he tried to jog off the field but his knee buckled and he collapsed. Mathieu blew a kiss to the crowd as he was carted off.
MLB
Roy Halladay walks away after 16 years as a pro
Citing a desire to avoid surgery for an ailing back and wanting to spend more time with his family, two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay retired Monday after 16 seasons in the major leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies.
The 36-year-old right-hander signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Blue Jays, where he spent the first 12 years of his career. He choked up and held back tears while making the announcement at a news conference at the winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Halladay played for the Phillies from 2010-13, finishing with two injury-plagued seasons. He won an NL Cy Young Award in 2010, throwing a perfect game that season and a no-hitter in his first postseason appearance.
Halladay was 203-105 with a 3.38 ERA in 416 career games, including 390 starts. He had 67 complete games and 20 shutouts.
Halladay was a six-time All-Star, won the 2003 AL Cy Young Award and went 148-76 with a 3.43 ERA in 12 seasons with the Blue Jays. He was traded to the Phillies after the 2009 season, and was 40-16 with a 2.40 ERA in his first two years in Philadelphia. But back and shoulder issues limited Halladay in 2012-13. He was 15-13 with a 5.15 ERA in 38 starts.
Halladay had shoulder surgery during the season and returned in September, but clearly wasn’t right. He was 4-5 with a 6.82 ERA in 13 starts this year.
Associated Press
