Sports briefs
Wild Things decline options
The Washington Wild Things announced Friday that they have declined the 2024 contract options on nine players, including four who saw significant playing team this season.
Washington declined the options on shortstop Nick Gotta, pitchers Arisson Perez, Hayden Shenenfield, Trent Dewyer, Jan Figueroa and Robert Gonzalez, infielder Wes Darvill and outfielders Tomas Sanchez and Jack Cone.
Gotta was the team’s leadoff hitter until suffering a knee injury at midseason. He returned from the lineup before being put on the IL for the remainder of the season. He played in 45 games and batted .285 with 14 stolen bases.
Shenefield was a starting pitcher who had a 3-6 record and 5.06 ERA. Perez appeared in 31 games (four starts) with a 2-4 record and 4.52 ERA. Darvill was signed at midseason and played in 32 games, mostly at third base, and batted .244 with four home runs and 11 stolen bases.
In the NFL
Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Zay Jones won’t play at Pittsburgh on Sunday because of a lingering right knee injury.
Coach Doug Pederson ruled Jones out Friday, saying he will miss his fifth game in six weeks. Since the Jaguars (5-2) have a bye after facing the Steelers, Jones will have extra time to get healthy before the team’s Nov. 12 game against the 49ers.
• Ryan Tannehill has been ruled out for the Tennessee Titans’ home game Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons with an ankle injury.
But Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was not yet ready to announce who would start for Tennessee between rookie Will Levis and second-year pro Malik Willis.
Vrabel said early this week that both Levis and Willis would play against the Falcons if Tannehill was unavailable.
In golf
Women’s professional golf has picked up another big money event.
The LPGA Tour and FM Global announced Friday they will be stage a new tournament at TPC Boston that will feature a $3.5 million purse, the largest on the LPGA Tour outside of the majors and the tour championship.
The 72-hole event will be called the 2024 FM Global Championship, and it will be held at the Norton, Mass., club from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 with a field of 144 players.
• First-round leader Jasmine Suwannapura trailed on the leaderboard for most of the day Friday but emerged with a one-stroke lead going into the third round of the Maybank Championship on the LPGA Tour.
Suwannapura shot a second-round 3-under 69 for a two-round total of 12-under 132 on the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course.
Rose Zhang of the United States was in second place after a 68. She was followed by Celine Boutier of France, who had the round of the day with a 64 and was two strokes behind the leader.
In college basketball
Regular-season conference champions are no longer guaranteed spots in the National Invitation Tournament.
The NIT Board of Managers tweaked its qualifying rules for its postseason tournament Friday, saying regular-season champs who do not win their conference tournament and are not otherwise selected to the NCAA Tournament will not receive an automatic bid to the NIT.
Instead, the NIT will guarantee two teams – based on the NET rankings – from each of major six conferences, the Atlantic Coast, the Big East, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pac-12 and the SEC.
The top two teams in the NET rankings not qualifying for the NCAA Tournament from each conference, regardless of win-loss record, will be selected. Additionally, the 12 teams automatically selected will be guaranteed the opportunity to host a game in the first round of the NIT.