Sports briefs
Yanks bomb Bucs
Aaron Judge homered in New York’s six-run second inning and the Yankees defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-2 in a spring training game Monday night in Tampa, Fla.
Pirates starting pitcher Luis Oritz faced 10 batters, giving up seven hits and a walk.
Ortiz was replaced in the second inning with two on and no outs. Colin Selby relieved and gave up the home run to Judge.
Pittsburgh reliever Johan Oviedo walked four over 2/3 of an inning but allowed only one run.
The Pirates were held to four hits by six Yankees pitchers. Chavez Young hit a solo home run for Pittsburgh in the ninth inning.
Iowa settles race bias lawsuit
Iowa taxpayers will pay $2 million to help the University of Iowa athletic department settle a lawsuit brought by former football players who alleged racial discrimination existed in coach Kirk Ferentz’s program, a state board decided in a vote Monday.
The state’s Appeal Board voted 2-1 to approve the use of taxpayer funds for half of the $4.175 million settlement over the objection of State Auditor Rob Sand, a board member who said athletic director Gary Barta should be fired for a series of lawsuits ending in settlements under his watch.
The lawsuit filed in November 2020 involved former players including former star running back Akrum Wadley and career receptions leader Kevonte Martin-Manley. They alleged they were demeaned with racial slurs, forced to abandon Black hairstyles, fashion and culture to fit the “Iowa Way” promoted by Ferentz, and retaliated against for speaking out.
In the NFL
The Dallas Cowboys have placed their franchise tag on Tony Pollard and still hope to work out a long-term deal with the running back coming off a breakout season.
If Pollard signs it, the one-year contract would be worth about $10.1 million.
- Evan Engram will be back in Jacksonville for another season, probably longer if the Jaguars get their way.
The Jaguars placed the franchise tag on the veteran tight end, guaranteeing him a one-year, $11.345 million contract in 2023.
- Josh Jacobs, who led the NFL in rushing last season, has received the franchise tag from the Las Vegas Raiders.
- The NFL reinstated suspended wide receiver Calvin Ridley, clearing the way for him to join his new team in Jacksonville.
The league said Ridley, who had been suspended indefinitely since March 2022 for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, is eligible to participate in all team activities beginning immediately. He is expected to join the Jaguars for offseason workouts beginning April 17.
The Jaguars gave up a fifth-round pick in 2023 and a conditional fourth-rounder in 2024 to get Ridley from Atlanta at the trading deadline in November. He was suspended after the league determined he bet on NFL games in 2021 while away from the Falcons to address mental health concerns.
In baseball
Boston Red Sox infielder Justin Turner needed 16 stitches, but appeared to avoid any broken bones, after he was hit in the face by a pitch during Monday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.
The 38-year-old Turner fell to the ground after getting drilled by right-hander Matt Manning. Medical personnel rushed to the plate, and Turner was bleeding and had a towel on his face as he walked off the field.
Turner’s wife, Kourtney, posted to Instagram that the infielder had “16 stitches and a lot of swelling but we are thanking God for no fractures & clear scans.”