NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Aaron Rodgers injured his left Achilles tendon on his fourth snap in his debut with the New York Jets. Coach Robert Saleh said the team believes the injury could be serious after the Jets' 22-16 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills. Saleh said the 39-year-old quarterback would have an MRI, and what the team expects to hear from the exam is “not good.” Rodgers was hurt when he was sacked by Buffalo's Leonard Floyd. The Jets acquired the four-time MVP in a trade from Green Bay that sent fans' expectations sky-high. Now they face an unsettled season with backup Zach Wilson taking over.
Aaron Rodgers was knocked out of the game with an Achilles tendon injury just four plays into his debut for the New York Jets, who rallied behind their defense and stunned the Buffalo Bills 22-16 in overtime on when rookie Xavier Gipson returned a punt 65 yards for the winning score. New York’s aggressive defense forced four turnovers from Buffalo’s Josh Allen, including three interceptions by Jordan Whitehead, in a wild and often ugly season opener. While the Jets concluded their night with coach Robert Saleh joining a celebratory mob in the end zone, the injury to Rodgers cast a pall over their season.
Sports betting company DraftKings has apologized after using the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks to entice people to bet on baseball and football games. The Boston-based company offered users a 9/11-themed promotion titled “Never Forget.” It required the Yankees, Mets and Jets to win their games Monday. That is the 22nd anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the downing of a passenger jet in a field in Pennsylvania. The tragedy killed nearly 3,000 people. An outcry on social media from people offended by the promotion followed. DraftKings later took it down and apologized.
The Kansas City Chiefs signed Chris Jones to a new one-year contract Monday, which should end the All-Pro defensive tackle’s holdout. It also means he could be on the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. Jones was entering the final year of a four-year, $80 million deal. He gave up a $500,000 workout bonus, was fined $50,000 each day for missing mandatory minicamp and all of training camp, and forfeited nearly $1.1 million in his first game check for holding out through Week 1. It’s unclear whether the provisions in his new deal will allow Jones to recoup the millions he already lost.
NBA
Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested Monday and charged with assault and strangulation after allegedly attacking his girlfriend at a New York City hotel. Porter, 23, is accused of hitting the woman several times and putting his hands around her neck. The woman, 26, was taken to a hospital with a cut to the right side of her face. Police said the incident happened around 6:45 a.m. at the Millennium Hilton near the United Nations in Manhattan. Porter remained in police custody as of Monday afternoon. It wasn’t immediately known if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. A message seeking comment was left for his agent.
MLB
Tommy Pham hit a tying home run in the eighth inning to finish a triple short of the cycle in his return to Citi Field, Ketel Marte had a go-ahead double in the ninth and the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied to beat the Mets 4-3 for just their fourth win in 20 games against New York. Pham, dealt by the Mets in their trade-deadline purge of veterans, doubled to start a two-run fourth against José Quintana and singled in the fifth. He greeted Trevor Gott by driving a slider to the opposite field in right-center for his 16th home run this season, sixth with the Diamondbacks.
Brandon Marsh homered, Jake Cave hit an RBI triple and the Philadelphia Phillies spoiled Matt Olson’s 50th homer and salvaged a doubleheader split with a 7-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.
Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. went deep for the Braves in a 10-8, 10-inning win in the opener. Harris also homered in the nightcap.
Monday’s Red Sox-Yankees game in Boston was postponed due to inclement weather and has been rescheduled for at 1:35p.m. today. Tickets for the Sept. 11 game will be good for admission to the rescheduled contest. The originally scheduled game for tonight will be played at 7:10.
Juan Soto hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the ninth inning, and the San Diego Padres rallied from an early five-run deficit for an 11-8 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manny Machado homered twice for the Padres, who beat their playoff-bound rivals for only the third time in 11 meetings this season. Mookie Betts hit another leadoff homer and added a three-run double in the third inning while burnishing his NL MVP credentials for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who have lost seven of 11. Max Muncy also hit his 35th homer, but Los Angeles’ weary pitching staff squandered a 7-2 lead.
TENNIS
Novak Djokovic is back at No. 1 in the ATP rankings and is the owner of 24 Grand Slam championships after winning the U.S. Open. He is still at the top of tennis at age 36. He was asked before facing Daniil Medvedev in the final whether it is surprising that he is still doing what he is doing, against the new generation. The answer, essentially, was “No.” And, frankly, no one else should be shocked by it either. If the assumption was that Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer would cede the stage in men’s tennis by now, Djokovic is still going strong.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Suspended Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker says allegations of sexual harassment against him are completely false. He also says the intimate phone call he had with activist and rape survivor Brenda Tracy was consensual and outside the scope of Title IX and school policy. Tucker responded to Tracy's allegations in an 885-word response a day after he was suspended by Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller. Tucker is in the third year of a $95 million, 10-year contract. If he is fired for cause, the school won't have to pay him what’s remaining on his deal.
WNBA
A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart head into the playoffs this week as the top contenders to win the WNBA’s most valuable player award. That’s no surprise. They are the two superstars on the league's “super teams” — the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty. But there is a third contender for MVP as well. Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas has played her way into the conversation. She has recorded a league-record six triple-doubles in leading the Sun to the No. 3 seed. Thomas is the first player in league history to record at least 600 points, 400 rebounds and 300 assists in a single season.
The WNBA playoffs begin tomorrow, with the first game between the Connecticut Sun and the Minnesota Lynx at 8 p.m. in Uncasville, Connecticut.
UEFA
European soccer body UEFA has hosted a storied group of women players and coaches for a conference to help shape a brighter future for their game. It was held one day after Spanish official Luis Rubiales resigned from his leadership jobs on Sunday including as a UEFA vice president. And when the event was over UEFA thanked the now-former vice president “for his many years of service.” It was UEFA's first major public statement since Rubiales’ conduct at the Women’s World Cup final three weeks ago that is now under criminal investigation in Spain. Rubiales denies any wrongdoing.
© 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
