FOOTBALL
Garoppolo out for year
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will need season-ending surgery on his injured left knee. The 49ers said Monday that an MRI confirmed the team's fears that Garoppolo tore his ACL while making a cut late in a loss at Kansas City. The injury deals a serious blow to the 49ers (1-2), who had planned their rebuild around Garoppolo. Now San Francisco must go through the season with C.J. Beathard at quarterback. The Niners struggled with Beathard and Brian Hoyer last season before the midseason addition of Garoppolo changed their fortunes. San Francisco won the final five games last year after Garoppolo took over as starter, and the team rewarded him with a $137.5 million, five-year contract. Garoppolo got hurt in the fourth quarter of a 38-27 loss Sunday when he was scrambling toward the sideline and decided to cut up field instead of going out of bounds. His left knee buckled just before Kansas City cornerback Steven Nelson delivered a big hit. Garoppolo had completed 59.6 percent of his passes with 5 TDs, 3 interceptions and an average of 8.1 yards per attempt for a 90 passer rating.
Surgery likely for Talib
Los Angeles Rams cornerback Aqib Talib could miss a significant amount of time because of an ankle injury. Rams Coach Sean McVay said Monday that Talib will likely need surgery to repair the injury he suffered in the second half of the Rams' 35-23 victory over the Chargers on Sunday. Talib, who was acquired in a trade with Denver for a fifth-round pick in the offseason, will get a second opinion Tuesday before finalizing plans to address the injury. A 2016 All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler, Talib has six tackles and two passes defended for a Rams defense that has allowed a league-low 12 points per game and two touchdown passes through its first three games. McVay said a decision whether to place Talib on injured reserve would come once there is more information available and a course of treatment is determined.
Rookie QBs get nods
The Baker Mayfield era in Cleveland and Josh Rosen's time in Arizona are here. Mayfield was named the Browns' new starting quarterback Monday, and the No. 1 pick will make his first start Sunday at Oakland. Rosen will take over as the Cardinals' starting quarterback Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Browns Coach Hue Jackson made the move to replace Tyrod Taylor with Mayfield after the rookie led the Browns to a 21-17 come-from-behind victory Thursday night over the New York Jets -- Cleveland's first victory since 2016. Taylor, who suffered a concussion Thursday, was starting because the Browns' plan was to have Mayfield watch and learn as a backup until he was ready. Rosen replaced veteran Sam Bradford in Sunday's 16-14 loss to the Chicago Bears with 4:31 left to play after three Arizona second-half possessions ended in turnovers.
McDonald, 84, dies
Hall of Fame receiver Tommy McDonald has died at 84. His death was announced Monday by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Details were not disclosed. McDonald was the small, speedy and sure-handed receiver who teamed with quarterback Norm Van Brocklin to help the Philadelphia Eagles win the 1960 NFL championship. McDonald was a two-time All-American for Oklahoma. He played 12 seasons for five NFL teams and was a six-time Pro Bowl selection. When he retired in 1968, he ranked second in league history in touchdown catches, fourth in yards receiving and sixth in receptions. The 5-7, 175-pound McDonald had to wait 30 years before becoming the smallest player inducted into the Hall. When that day came in 1998 in Canton, Ohio, McDonald shouted: "Do I look excited, like I just won the lottery or the jackpot? Yes! I'm in the Hall of Fame!"
Hokies lose QB
Virginia Tech quarterback Josh Jackson has a broken left fibula and will have surgery. Coach Justin Fuente made the announcement Monday. The coach said the surgery will take place today, but he gave no timetable for how long Jackson will be sidelined. Jackson, in his second season as the starter, was injured in the third quarter of the Hokies' 49-35 loss at Old Dominion on Saturday night. Redshirt junior Ryan Willis replaced him and was 9 for 18 for 131 yards with a touchdown pass. He also ran four times for 30 yards. Jackson set Hokies freshman records last season by throwing for 2,991 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was 36 for 58 for 575 yards with 5 touchdowns and 1 interception when he got injured at the end of a 19-yard run. He was carted off the field and returned to the sideline later on crutches and with his leg in a protective boot. Willis started eight games as a freshman and two as a sophomore at Kansas before transferring.
BASKETBALL
LeBron talks in LA
LeBron James realizes the size of the challenge he accepted when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. After eight consecutive NBA Finals appearances, he knows his new team isn't a true contender with Golden State and the NBA's elite just yet. The superstar welcomed every step in the process Monday as he began his next chapter in purple and gold. James made his first formal appearance as a member of the Lakers at their media day, nearly three months after he left Cleveland for a four-year, $153.3 million free-agent deal. The burgeoning entertainment mogul also politely scoffed at the notion his numerous interests in film and television production would be any distraction from his day job. Moving to Hollywood was not his motivation for going West, he insisted. "My decision was based solely on my family and the Lakers," James said. "I'm a basketball player. I play ball. That's what I do."
SOCCER
Modric takes FIFA honor
Luka Modric broke a decade of award dominance by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after being crowned world footballer of the year by FIFA on Monday in London. Modric was voted FIFA's best player in the 2017-18 season after winning the Champions League for a fourth time in five seasons with Real Madrid and leading Croatia to its first World Cup final where it lost to France. Messi and Ronaldo were the only winners of world soccer's main individual award from FIFA in various guises since 2008, both winning five titles each. Messi didn't make the three-man short list and skipped the trip to London. And as a new dawn in FIFA's awards history broke inside London's Royal Festival Hall, Ronaldo also didn't turn up at the ceremony to finish runner-up to his former Real Madrid teammate. Third in the voting was Mohamed Salah, who scored a record 32 goals in a 38-game English Premier League and helped Liverpool reach its first Champions League final in 11 years.
HOCKEY
Gionta ends career
Brian Gionta has retired after 16 NHL seasons, two Olympic appearances and a Stanley Cup title with the New Jersey Devils in 2003. The 39-year-old forward once captained the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens. He said at a news conference Monday he wants to stay involved in hockey and spend more time with his family. Gionta has agreed to a part-time job as a player-development assistant with the Sabres. He is from nearby Rochester, N.Y., and lives in Buffalo. Gionta spent most of last season out of the NHL while preparing to play at the Pyeongchang Winter Games. He then signed with Boston, where he had two goals and seven assists in 21 games, including one in the playoffs. Gionta had 291 goals and 595 points in 1,026 career games.
Sports on 09/25/2018