BASEBALL
Mets release Tejada
Infielder Ruben Tejada was released Wednesday by the New York Mets, who decided he was superfluous. Tejada will receive $491,803, which is 30 days' termination pay, rather than the $3 million salary under the contract he agreed to on Jan. 15. Tejada signed with the Mets in 2006 and spent parts of six big league seasons with New York. But after the Mets offered him a contract on Dec. 2, they signed free-agent shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and acquired second baseman Neil Walker from Pittsburgh. With Wilmer Flores also on the roster, Tejada's future with the team became uncertain. He hit .261 with 23 doubles, 3 home runs and 28 RBI last year. His season ended when the Los Angeles Dodgers' Chase Utley broke Tejada's right leg with a takeout slide in the NL division series.
• Major League Baseball said it will not discipline Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig for his involvement in an incident in a Miami area club last November. MLB said Wednesday it investigated and did not find any witnesses who supported an assault allegation. MLB said video evidence did not support the allegation, and Puig and his sister denied there was an assault. MLB concluded "barring the receipt of any new information or evidence, no discipline will be imposed." Puig was among three players investigated under the sport's new domestic violence policy. Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman agreed to a 30-game suspension without pay, and Colorado shortstop Jose Reyes was suspended with pay pending an April 4 trial on a charge of abusing his wife.
TENNIS
Goffin upsets Wawrinka
David Goffin upset Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5) to reach the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday, ending the Belgian's 14-match skid against top 10-ranked opponents. Goffin advanced to the quarterfinals, where he next plays No. 10 seed Marin Cilic, who beat No. 8 Richard Gasquet, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 as temperatures reached 91 degrees under cloudless skies in the California desert. Wawrinka and Gasquet weren't the only higher seeded men to lose. No. 12 Milos Raonic defeated No. 6 Tomas Berdych 6-4, 7-6 (7). Rafael Nadal rallied from a set down and fought off a match point in the third set to beat Alexander Zverev 6-7 (8), 6-0, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals in pursuit of a fourth title. Zverev, an 18-year-old German ranked 58th in the world and in his second full year on the ATP Tour, blew a 5-2 lead in the third, when he was serving for the match leading 5-3, 40-30. He made three consecutive forehand errors to give Nadal the break. Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were to play later matches.
FOOTBALL
Ruling expected soon
The NFL's sudden acknowledgement of a link between football and brain disease comes as a U.S. appeals court prepares to rule on the fairness of a likely $1 billion settlement that excludes future CTE diagnoses. The NFL filed a letter with the court this week after league official Jeff Miller, senior vice president for health and safety, acknowledged that brain research on deceased players "certainly" shows a link between football and CTE. "Simply put, Mr. Miller's remarks have no bearing on the pending appeal," NFL lawyer Paul Clement argued in a letter filed late Tuesday. "The NFL has previously acknowledged studies identifying a potential association between CTE and certain football players." The settlement would affect more than 20,000 retirees, paying $190,000 on average but up to $5 million to young men with severe neurological conditions, such as Lou Gehrig's disease or Parkinson's disease. The NFL has said it expects three out of 10 ex-players to qualify for compensation during their lifetimes. Critics who appealed the settlement believe it should also cover future cases of CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which cannot currently be diagnosed until after death. Some believe that Miller's statement lends weight to that position, and they asked the court to consider it in their review. "To have said anything other than that would have been ridiculous at this point," said Dr. Robert Stein of Boston University, who expects to find a way to diagnose CTE in the living within five to seven years. The appeals court could ask for briefs on the point, or remand the case back to U.S. District Judge Anita Brody for new findings. But most consider that a long shot. The appeals court heard arguments on the settlement in November, and a ruling is expected soon.
• Martellus Bennett's future with the Chicago Bears was likely sealed by the end of last season, and when Zach Miller was re-signed Monday, it made it a matter of when and not if the team would unload the veteran tight end. That happened Wednesday as the Bears traded Bennett to the New England Patriots, as first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Bears are sending Bennett and a six-round draft pick (185th overall) to the Patriots in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick (127th overall). The Patriots will pair him with All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski and bank on the culture in New England directed by Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady helping Bennett click. It's not known if the Patriots will give Bennett the new contract he has been seeking. His deal runs through the 2016 season and calls for him to make $5.185 million. Bennett caught 53 passes for 439 yards and three touchdowns last season. He spent four of his first five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (2008-2011). Bennett played for the New York Giants in 2012.
BASEBALL
Former pitcher: Quit because of homophobia
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — A former minor-league pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals system said he quit baseball because of homophobic conversations he encountered in the sport, according to a report published Wednesday on Outsports.com.
The Cardinals said they took the allegations “very seriously.”
Tyler Dunnington, who is gay, told the website that he had not come out yet during his time with the Cardinals, with whom he pitched in 2014.
“I was also one of the unfortunate closeted gay athletes who experienced years of homophobia in the sport I loved,” Dunnington wrote in an email to the website, which was included in the news story. “I was able to take most of it with a grain of salt but towards the end of my career I could tell it was affecting my relationships with people, my performance, and my overall happiness.
“I experienced both coaches and players make remarks on killing gay people during my time in baseball, and each comment felt like a knife to my heart,” he continued in the email. “I was miserable in a sport that used to give me life, and ultimately I decided I needed to hang up my cleats for my own sanity.”
“This is very disappointing and our hope is that every player, staff member, and employee feels they are treated equally and fairly,” General Manager John Mozeliak wrote in an email to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and MLB.com. “Given the nature of these allegations I will certainly look into this further as well as speak with Billy Bean of the Commissioner’s Office for further assistance on this matter. … We will take this very seriously.”
Bean is Major League Baseball’s official ambassador for inclusion. A year ago, he was invited by teams to visit during spring training. Mozeliak invited Bean to the Cardinals’ spring training complex and they spoke at length about Bean’s role and goal.
Dunnington spent most of his career with the Cardinals organization at rookie-level Gulf Coast League. He left the organization after the 2014 season and officially retired before 2015 spring training.
Sports on 03/17/2016