FOOTBALL
Jaguars, Jackson deal
The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed Tuesday with Denver Broncos defensive lineman Malik Jackson on a six-year, $90 million contract that includes $42 million guaranteed, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because free-agent deals can't be finalized until Wednesday. Jackson will be an immediate starter for a team desperate to improve an inconsistent pass rush and add several playmakers on that side of the ball. The Jaguars finished near the bottom of the league in just about every defensive category during Coach Gus Bradley's three-year tenure, and showed little, if any, improvement last season despite adding some pieces. The Jaguars gave up the second-most points (448) in franchise history. Jackson had 129 tackles, 14 sacks and two forced fumbles in his past three seasons in Denver. He started all 16 games in 2015, finishing with 45 tackles, 21 quarterback hurries, seven passes defensed and five sacks. The Broncos tried to re-sign Jackson prior to free agency, but it was clear they weren't going to be able to match Jacksonville's offer. The Jaguars entered the week with the most cap space in the league, at more than $82 million, and plans to spend big for the second consecutive year.
• Tony Romo underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a fractured distal clavicle, according to a source close to the Dallas Cowboys quarterback. Romo and doctors determined the best way to address the issue is to shave off or remove a portion of his clavicle. Known as a Mumford procedure, this reduces pain and discomfort where the clavicle meets the shoulder. The decision was finalized late last week after a review of the quarterback's latest CT scan. The Mumford procedure has a six-to-eight week recovery period, which would clear Romo to take the field for the start of organized team activities in May.
• Florida has suspended quarterback Treon Harris and dynamic receiver Antonio Callaway, but it's unclear what prompted the suspension that will cause them to miss the start of spring practice. Coach Jim McElwain said Tuesday that Harris and Callaway haven't been with the team since January. A team spokesman confirmed that both players have been suspended. It's unclear whether they're being punished by the university or the football program. McElwain said there's no timetable for either player's return. The Gators open spring practice today. Harris completed 50 percent of his passes for 1,676 yards as a sophomore last season, with nine touchdowns and six interceptions. McElwain said there's a chance Harris might switch positions when and if he returns. Callaway caught 35 passes for 678 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman in 2015. He also returned 28 punts for 435 yards and two scores.
• Replay officials will have more say about what is a targeting penalty in college football next season. The NCAA playing rules oversight panel approved on Tuesday a proposal by the rules committee to expand instant replay officials' authority regarding targeting fouls. Replay officials now will be able to call "egregious" targeting penalties missed by on-field officials. They also will have more flexibility to overturn incorrect targeting calls. Targeting results in a 15-yard penalty and the ejection of the player who commits the foul. All targeting fouls are reviewed, but replay officials have been limited to reviewing only if there was forcible contact to the head and neck area and if the hit was made with the crown of the helmet. Now how contact occurred can be reviewed.
BASEBALL
Fort Bragg to get ballpark
The Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins will play on the U.S. military base at Fort Bragg, N.C., on July 3 in a 12,500-capacity ballpark to be built with funding by Major League Baseball and the players' association. The ballpark will be converted to a softball field after the game. The game was originally scheduled to be played at Atlanta's Turner Field, and the Braves will remain the home team. The game will be televised by ESPN as part of its Sunday night baseball schedule. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement Tuesday that it will be "a unique event that will benefit the men and women of Fort Bragg and their families for many years." Col. Brett Funck, the garrison commander at Fort Bragg, thanked baseball and the union "for their support to our service members and families," saying the event and the facility will have "enduring benefits" for years to come.
• Major League Baseball's All-Star Game will have a stretch even before the seventh inning: the sport's first All-Star yoga party. MLB said Tuesday there will be a pair of 60-minute sessions in San Diego on July 9 that will include music, body paint and bubbles. But there is a cost to participate: the sport said the pre-sale price through March 16 is $19.99 if signing up as part of a team of two or more. There will be a 5-kilometer All-Star run on July 10, the day of the All-Star Futures Game. The All-Star Game is at Petco Park on July 12.
TENNIS
Serena, Wozniacki surprised at Sharapova
NEW YORK — Tuesday night was to be the culmination of World Tennis Day when Serena Williams took on Caroline Wozniacki and Stan Wawrinka faced Gael Monfils at Madison Square Garden in the BNP Paribas Showdown.
Instead, it was Day 2 of the Maria Sharapova drug saga after she had admitted at a media conference in Los Angeles on Monday that she had failed a test at the Australian Open for the drug meldonium, a medicine she had been taking for 10 years but was included in the list of banned substances issued by WADA for 2016. WADA now considers meldonium, a blood flow-enhancing drug, to be performance enhancing.
Sharapova has been provisionally suspended by the ITF pending an investigation to address the violation. She said she had not looked at the new list of banned substances for 2016, though she did say she received it.
Williams and Wozniacki addressed the situation Tuesday morning at the Garden, showing sympathy along with surprise.
“Like everyone else, most people were surprised and shocked,” Williams said. “But most people are happy with the fact she was up front with what she had done in terms of what she had neglected. With that being said, she’s taking responsibility, which she was ready to do.”
Wozniacki expressed surprise that Sharapova hadn’t checked the drugs list when she received it.
“Any time we take medication, we double and triple check,” Wozniacki said. “Sometimes even a thing like cough drops and nasal spray can be on the list. So as athletes we make sure not to take something that would put us in a bad situation.”
Sharapova is the highest-earning woman in sports, with endorsement deals believed to be worth about $30 million. Nike announced it was suspending its relationship with Sharapova “while the investigation continues,” the company said in a statement. Porsche also issued a statement saying it was suspending its agreements and TAG Heuer said it was suspending negotiations for a new agreement after one expired at the end of 2015.
After the Los Angeles news conference, Sharapova’s attorney John Haggerty said PED use can be a four-year ban and unintentional use can be two years. He said that with the mitigating circumstances, he believed it could be much less.
“Certainly one of the things we plan to present to the ITF is all of Maria’s medical records and the long history she had of being recommended to take this medication by her family doctor for very well-established medical conditions,” Haggerty told reporters in Los Angeles.
Sports on 03/09/2016