In brief: NFLPA settles lawsuit with retired players
FOOTBALL: Hall of Fame cornerback Herb Adderley is encouraged that the NFL Players Association has taken “an historic first step” in reconciling its long-standing rift with the old guard by settling a lawsuit with its retired players Thursday.
In a surprise move, the NFLPA reversed course by dropping its appeal and reaching a $26.25 million settlement with Adderley and thousands of other retired players who had successfully sued the union for cutting them out of lucrative marketing deals.
“I’m elated that this thing is coming to a close,” Adderley told the Associated Press. “It’s a great feeling and I’m happy to be a small part of it.”
NFLPA official George Atallah confirmed the settlement and said more details would be released during a press conference today in Washington.
The settlement amount is close to the $28.1 million the NFLPA was ordered to pay after a federal jury in San Francisco ruled in favor of the players in November. The jury determined the union failed to include retired NFL players in deals with Electronic Arts Inc., the maker of the “Madden NFL” video game, and other companies.
Adderley filed the lawsuit in 2007 on behalf of 2,056 retired players who contended the union failed to actively pursue marketing deals on their behalf with video games, trading cards and others sports products.
The NFLPA appealed the ruling in February, a move that further angered retired players, who already felt disenfranchised by the union and its previous executive director, Gene Upshaw, who died in August.
Wilson picks Berman as presenter at Hall
FOOTBALL: Buffalo Bills founder Ralph Wilson Jr. has chosen ESPN personality Chris Berman as his presenter when he goes into the Pro Football Hall of Fame later this summer.
The Bills owner announced he had chosen his longtime friend.
Other presenters include Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach for former wide receiver Bob Hayes; former Bills defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell for Bruce Smith; and former Chiefs president Carl Peterson for Derrick Thomas.
Randall McDaniel has picked his high school athletic director O.K. Fulton as his presenter, and Rod Woodson will be presented by business associate Tracy Foster.
The enshrinement ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio.
Donald putts to lead in the Memorial
GOLF: Tiger Woods hardly missed a fairway, a big improvement. Luke Donald hardly missed a putt, and that was far more rewarding at the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio.
Donald set a tournament record by taking only 20 putts, which allowed him to tie a tournament record by opening with an 8-under-par 64 and a three-shot lead over a group that included Jim Furyk and Jason Day, who bogeyed his last two holes.
What seemed like a normal round at Muirfield Village turned extraordinary for Donald when he rapped in a 12-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the par-3 eighth hole, starting a streak of six consecutive birdies. He one-putted nine straight holes until a routine par on the 18th hole to match the lowest opening round at the Memorial.
“That doesn’t happen very often,” Donald said.
Even rarer is the sight of Woods spending so much time in the middle of the fairway.
Woods went with a slightly higher loft in his driver (10 degrees) and continued to make strides with his swing. He didn’t miss a fairway until his 3-wood on the 18th hole deflected off a tree and landed in a bunker.
Scoring starts with the putter, however. Woods missed an 8-foot par putt on the final hole, and his other bogey came on a three-putt at the 13th. He had to settle for a 69, and few complaints.
“Everything felt pretty good to some degree,” Woods said. “My swing felt good. Even my putting stroke felt good. A couple of bad pitches here and there, but overall, I felt like I controlled the ball well all day.”
Pak head of pack in LPGA event
GOLF: Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 on for a share of the first-round lead with fellow South Korean Jee Young Lee in the State Farm Classic in Springfield, Ill.
A five-time major winner, the 31-year-old Pak is seeking her first top-10 finish in 10 starts this year.
Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., opened with a 74.
Curry curries favor with Knicks
Basketball: Stephen Curry was back in his hometown, in the practice gym where he’s hoisted hundreds of shots. His father was sitting courtside and his brother watched from the balcony.
Curry was only a few miles from the house he grew up in and a 30-minute drive from where he became a college star at Davidson.
Yet Curry was about 650 miles from where he’d like to start his NBA career.
Shortly after finishing his first predraft workout for the Charlotte Bobcats, Curry made it clear that playing for New York in Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense is his top choice.
“If I could be picky, yeah, it would be nice to have that kind of setting: Madison Square Garden,” Curry said. “I wouldn’t mind being home here in Charlotte or anywhere else. New York would be fun with the legacy up there, trying to turn that team around.”
The Knicks, picking eighth in the June 25 draft, could be where the sweet-shooting point guard ends up.
Bosh prepares to become free agent
Basketball: Chris Bosh doesn’t plan to sign a contract extension with the Toronto Raptors this summer and is preparing to become a free agent at the end of next season.
Bosh is in the final year of a deal that will pay him $15.7 million. While Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo has spoken optimistically in the past about signing Bosh to an extension this summer, Bosh said that isn’t his intention.