In Brief: Brady drops Deflategate appeal
NFL: Tom Brady is giving up the legal fight on Deflategate, meaning the New England Patriots quarterback will miss the first four games of the season.
Brady announced the decision Friday on his Facebook page, two days after a federal appeals court rejected his bid to get a new hearing in the matter.
“I’m very grateful for the overwhelming support I’ve received from (Patriots Chairman and CEO) Mr. (Robert) Kraft, the Kraft family, Coach (Bill) Belichick, my coaches and teammates, the NFLPA, my agents, my loving family and most of all, our fans,” Brady wrote. “I have made the difficult decision to no longer proceed with the legal process. I’m going to work hard to be the best player I can be for the New England Patriots and I look forward to having the opportunity to return to the field this fall.”
The NFL Players Association, while acknowledging the decision not to continue the case, did leave the door cracked for another attempt.
“We will continue to review all of our options and we reserve our rights to petition for cert to the Supreme Court,” the union wrote.
Sock, Isner give US 2-0 lead over Croatia
Tennis: Jack Sock and John Isner gave the United States a 2-0 lead over Croatia in the best-of-five Davis Cup quarterfinal in Portland, Oregon.
Sock overcame a two-set deficit to beat Marin Cilic 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, and the 6-foot-10 Isner topped Borna Coric 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the second match on the Tualatin Hills hard court.
The U.S. can wrap up the Davis Cup tie Saturday with a win in the doubles match between twins Bob and Mike Bryan and Ivan Dodig and Marin Draganja.
Raonic, Halep withdraw from Olympics: Two top-10 tennis players withdrew from the Rio Olympics, citing concerns about the Zika virus. Fifth-ranked Simona Halep on the women’s side and No. 7 Milos Raonic for the men announced their decisions after their names were listed on the International Tennis Federation’s roster for next month’s Summer Games.
“I concluded that the risks are too high for my career and for my health, especially as a woman,” the 24-year-old Halep, the 2014 French Open runner-up from Romania, posted on Facebook.
Ko takes share of Marathon Classic lead
Golf: Lydia Ko shot a 5-under 66 in windy conditions in Sylvania, Ohio, for a share of the Marathon Classic lead with Hyo Joo Kim.
The top-ranked Ko, the 2014 tournament winner, had six birdies and one bogey at Highland Meadows to match Kim at 8-under 134. Kim, tied for the first-round lead with Mirim Lee and Haru Nomura, had a 68.
Ko won in consecutive weeks in Southern California this year, the second the major ANA Inspiration. The 19-year-old New Zealander tied for third last week in the U.S. Women’s Open in California.
Vegas shoots 60 in Barbasol Championship: Jhonattan Vegas shot a course-record 11-under 60, making a hole-in-one, another eagle and two closing birdies to take a six-stroke lead in the Barbasol Championship in Opelika, Alabama.
The Venezuelan Olympic qualifier pumped his first after finishing with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-4 ninth on Grand National’s Lake Course. Tied for the first-round lead with Angel Cabrera after a 65, Vegas had a 17-under 125 total – a shot off the PGA Tour record for strokes in the first two rounds.
Retired Gordon may race for Earnhardt
Nascar: Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon could come out of retirement next weekend and drive the No. 88 Chevrolet if Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not cleared to race.
Earnhardt will sit out this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway because he shows symptoms of a concussion. Alex Bowman will drive in his place.
Gordon has not raced since last season’s finale at Homestead.
Johnson wins 1st pole of the season: Jimmie Johnson turned a lap of 133.971 mph and won his first pole of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.
Johnson could use a boost after a five-race slump where he hasn’t finished better than 13th. He has crashed out of his last two races, finishing 35th at Daytona International Speedway and 32nd last weekend at Kentucky Speedway.
Blues sign Schwartz to contract extension
nhl: The St. Louis Blues and forward Jaden Schwartz, a restricted free agent, agreed on a five-year contract extension worth $26.75 million.
Re-signing the 24-year-old Schwartz was a top priority for the team, which lost in the Western Conference finals to San Jose.
In 240 games with St. Louis, the former first-round draft pick has 70 goals and 157 points.
Benn signs 8-year, $76 million extension: Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn has signed an eight-year, $76 million contract extension.
The team announced the deal a day after Benn had surgery to repair an abdominal muscle injury.
The 26-year-old Benn had a career-high 89 points on 41 goals and 48 assists last season. He also had five goals and 10 assists in 13 playoff games.
Lesnar flagged after potential violation
Miscellany: Brock Lesnar’s UFC comeback could stall after one fight after the former heavyweight champion was flagged for a potential anti-doping violation.
The UFC said it was notified by the USADA of a potential anti-doping policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on June 28.
The USADA did not announce what substance may have caused the failure.
Orozco out of the Olympics: American gymnast, John Orozco tore the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee during training this week and will not compete in Rio de Janeiro next month.
The 23-year-old from New York, a star four years ago when he won the national championship and qualified for the Olympic all-around finals, injured the same knee late in 2012.
Magic acquire Wilcox: The Orlando Magic acquired third-year guard C.J. Wilcox and cash from the Los Angeles Clippers for Devyn Marble and a 2020 second-round draft pick. The Clippers promptly waived Marble.
Wilcox averaged 3.0 points while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range, while Marble averaged 2.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists.
Storm rout Mystics: Jewell Loyd scored 26 points, and Breanna Stewart had 10 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and two blocked shots to help the Seattle Storm beat the Washington Mystics 80-51 in Seattle.
Sue Bird and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis added 12 points apiece for the Storm (8-13).