FOOTBALL
Reid's grievance denied
Eric Reid's grievance against the Cincinnati Bengals has been denied by an arbitrator, a decision that has irked the NFL Players Association. The union said that arbitrator Shyam Das found that the team asking Reid during a free-agent visit if he planned to kneel during the national anthem violated fair hiring practices. The union argues that standing for the anthem is not required in the labor agreement with the league. The grievance claimed that Reid wasn't signed by any team because of his anthem protests. Reid is now with the Carolina Panthers, whom he joined this month. The interview with Bengals owner Mike Brown came in April. The Bengals said Wednesday they have no comment on the matter. The union said it will review the decision with Reid and his attorneys to consider their next step.
Ex-assistant pleads guilty
Fired Ohio State assistant football coach Zach Smith has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct and an Ohio court issued a three-year protective order that keeps him away from his ex-wife. Smith had been facing a criminal trespass charge stemming from a May dispute. According to Delaware Municipal Court documents, he pleaded guilty Tuesday to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and was fined $150. Smith said in a Twitter post he agreed to plead guilty to avoid the cost of a trial and end the situation. Courtney Smith agreed to the deal because "a public trial would have had a negative impact on the children, and their safety and well-being has always been her priority," according to a statement from her attorney. Zach Smith was fired in July by Coach Urban Meyer after domestic violence allegations surfaced. Meyer later was suspended for three games for his handling of it. Smith was not criminally charged with domestic violence.
Michigan St., Michigan fined
The Big Ten has fined Michigan State $10,000 and reprimanded the Spartans football team, Coach Mark Dantonio, Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh and Wolverines linebacker Devin Bush for their actions and comments regarding a confrontation before last week's game. The Big Ten said Wednesday in a statement Michigan State violated the conference's sportsmanship policy when its team walked across the field with linked arms and initiated contact with Michigan players, who were on the field during pregame warmups. Dantonio, who was walking behind the team during its pregame ritual, was reprimanded for "failing to take action to mitigate a foreseeable conflict from occurring." Harbaugh was reprimanded for postgame comments about the incident and Dantonio. Bush was reprimanded for tearing up Michigan State's midfield logo with his cleats before the game.
MMA
Suspensions extended
Nevada fight regulators extended the suspensions of UFC fighters Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, but allowed some prize money to be released to Nurmagomedov following a brawl inside and outside the octagon after their match in Las Vegas. Nevada Athletic Commission Chairman Anthony Marnell III said Wednesday the suspensions will last until an investigation is complete, and the two fighters are required to attend a Dec. 10 disciplinary hearing in Las Vegas. The five-member board voted unanimously on the suspensions and the release of $1 million of the $2 million withheld from Nurmagomedov immediately after the Oct. 6 brawl at T-Mobile Arena. Marnell said he would have also withheld McGregor's $3 million purse if he'd immediately seen video that later emerged showing McGregor trying to join the fighting outside the cage.
TENNIS
Four could still advance
Sloane Stephens and Angelique Kerber both earned three-set victories at the WTA Finals in Singapore on Wednesday to leave their group wide open ahead of the last round. Stephens, who is making her debut at the year-end event, beat Kiki Bertens 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3 for her second consecutive victory in round-robin play. Earlier, Kerber held her nerve and her serve to beat Naomi Osaka 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 after saving 13 of the 18 break points she faced, including five in the final game of the first set. The results mean all four players could still advance to the semifinals. Stephens is the only player with a 2-0 record, with Kerber and Bertens at 1-1 and Osaka dropping to 0-2. Stephens would have secured a semifinal spot if she had won in straight sets but Bertens managed to extend the match past midnight local time. Kerber had a chance to win straight sets, but the Wimbledon champion was broken while serving at 5-4. In the final set, the German didn't squander a second chance and an error from Osaka on match point ended it. Osaka, who won this year's U.S. Open, finished the match with 50 unforced errors and 42 winners, while Kerber had 30 unforced errors and 24 winners.
Zverev gets win No. 50
Alexander Zverev became the first man to reach 50 victories on the ATP Tour this season by beating Robin Haase 6-4, 7-5 Wednesday in the first round of the Swiss Indoors at Basel, Switzerland. The second-seeded German moved to 50-16 in a season that has brought three titles, including the Madrid Masters. Zverev converted all four of his break points while saving eight of the 10 held by the 47th-ranked Dutchman. Haase used a between-the-legs lob to force a break in the second set that Zverev retrieved with his own 'tweener into the net. Fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the 40-win mark in beating Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 7-6 (3). Jack Sock, the fifth-seeded American, was eliminated by Ernests Gulbis, 7-5, 6-4. Gulbis also beat Sock in Stockholm last week.
FOOTBALL
Broncos cut QB Kelly after trespassing arrest
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos have waived backup quarterback Chad Kelly a day after he was arrested on suspicion of criminal trespass after a couple reported he came into their suburban home uninvited and sat down on their couch “mumbling incoherently.”
General Manager John Elway huddled with Coach Vance Joseph and team President Joe Ellis and “we agreed that releasing Chad was the right thing to do,” Elway said in a statement. Elway added: “Even though Chad’s no longer part of our team, we’ve offered to help him however we can and are supportive of him in every possible way.”
The Broncos’ move leaves third-year pro Kevin Hogan as QB Case Keenum’s backup.
About half an hour before the Broncos released him, Kelly appeared in Arapahoe County Court, where a court date of Nov. 8 was set for filing charges. Kelly declined to comment outside the courthouse.
Police and court records do not address Kelly’s physical state at the time of his arrest, and there is no mention of testing for alcohol or substance use. Police said officers made the arrest “without incident.” Kelly was released from jail Tuesday on $2,500 bond.
Sports on 10/25/2018