NFL Bears will not re-sign Forte
Running back Matt Forte
announced on his Instagram account Friday the Chicago Bears informed him
earlier this week he was not in their plans moving forward. He will be an
unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any team beginning March 9.
The Bears met with Forte, 30, and let him know they plan to go in a different
direction. “Despite my wishes, my days as a member of the Chicago Bears have
sadly come to an end,” Forte wrote. “I was informed earlier this week from the
GM (Ryan Pace) that they will not be attempting to re-sign me in free agency.”
Forte rushed for 8,602
yards in eight seasons with the Bears. He missed three games last season with a
knee sprain but still led the team with 898 yards rushing.
• The contracts of defensive end Quinton Coples, 25,
and cornerback Brice McCain, 29, have been terminated by the Miami Dolphins,
saving the team about $10 million in salary-cap space.
• The Green Bay Packers re-signed defensive tackle
Letroy Guion, 28, who reportedly agreed to a three-year deal worth $11.25
million.
• The Detroit Lions signed tackle Lamar Holmes, 26,
who previously played for Atlanta but has not appeared in a game since the 2014
season.
• Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib’s taunting
and face-mask fouls proved costlier five days later than they did in Super Bowl
50.
Talib was fined a total
of $26,044 for the flags he incurred in the first half of Denver’s 24-10
victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Teammate Malik Jackson was docked
$8,681 for unnecessary roughness in the second quarter, and Carolina
third-string quarterback Joe Webb was fined $8,681 for unnecessary roughness in
the chaotic moments after the final play of the game.
Baseball Mets’ Mejia gets lifetime ban
Reliever Jenrry Mejia
of the New York Mets became the first player to receive a lifetime ban under
Major League Baseball’s drug agreement after testing positive for a
performance-enhancing substance for the third time. The commissioner’s office
said Mejia, 26, tested positive for the anabolic steroid Boldenone, which
athletes have used to increase muscle mass and once was popular for use in
horse racing under the trade name Equipoise. Mejia was suspended for 80 games
on April 11 and played in seven games before being banned for 162 games on June
28.
• The Milwaukee Brewers traded power-hitting
outfielder Khris Davis to the Oakland Athletics for two prospects. Milwaukee
acquired catcher Jacob Nottingham, 20, and right-handed pitcher Bubba Derby,
21. Davis, 28, hit 27 home runs last season.
• Closer Aroldis Chapman and the New York Yankees
agreed to a one-year contract worth $11.325 million, avoiding salary
arbitration. Chapman threw the 62 fastest pitches in the major leagues last
season. He was 4-4 with a 1.63 earned-run average and 33 saves in 36 chances
for Cincinnati, striking out 116 and walking 33 in 661/3 innings.
Soccer Valcke is banned for 12 years
Jerome Valcke, Sepp
Blatter’s longtime right-hand man, was banned from all soccer-related activity
for 12 years and fined $102,500 for misconduct during his term as FIFA
secretary-general. Valcke, a 55-year-old from France, was found guilty by
FIFA’s ethics committee of wide-ranging offenses, including taking private jets
for personal use, destroying evidence and trying to force through an
undervalued sale of 2018 and 2022 World Cup television rights for the Caribbean.
Valcke’s ban is four years longer than the eight-year sanctions handed down to
FIFA President Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini in December for a
financial conflict of interest.
Tennis Fritz, 18, reaches semifinals
Teenager Taylor Fritz
of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., beat Benjamin Becker of Germany 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5)
at the Memphis Open, becoming the youngest U.S. player to reach an ATP
semifinal since 1989. Fritz, who turned 18 on Oct. 28, used his big serve and
strong forehand to advance to his first career ATP semifinal as the youngest
U.S. man since Michael Chang won Wembley in 1989 at age 17. Top-seeded Venus
Williams of the United States beat Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 7-5, 6-2 to
advance to the semifinals of the Taiwan Open in Kaohsiung. Williams rallied
from 5-2 down in the first set.
ELSEWHERE
• The University of Iowa is facing a wide-ranging
federal civil-rights investigation into allegations its athletic department
does not provide equal opportunities for female athletes, correspondence
obtained by The Associated Press shows.
• In the NHL, Shane Doan had two goals and an assist to
become the Coyotes’ franchise leader with 931 career points and Arizona beat
visiting Calgary 4-1. Doan, 39, surpassed Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk’s record.
