Sports briefs 8/14
Steelers reunite with linebacker Roberts
Elandon Roberts is back in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers signed the veteran linebacker to a one-year deal on Thursday, reuniting him with the club he spent two seasons with in 2023 and 2024.
The 32-year-old Roberts had been a free agent after playing for the Las Vegas Raiders last season.
Roberts has 694 tackles, with 14 1/2 sacks and one interception during his 10-year career. He won a pair of Super Bowls with New England in 2016 and 2018 before moving on to Miami and then Pittsburgh.
Roberts, whom former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin described as a “tooth chipper” for his physical style of play against the run, started 29 games across his two seasons in Pittsburgh. He joins an inside linebacker group that includes Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson and Cole Holcomb.
Auto racing
Ty Gibbs’ car will be adorned in the multicolored M&M’s paint scheme made famous by former teammate Kyle Busch during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway next month, Busch’s widow announced Thursday.
“Bristol was always one of Kyle’s favorite tracks,” Samantha Busch wrote on X. “He loved racing under the lights, found so much success there, and the iconic M&M’S car holds some of the best memories of his career and our life together.”
Busch, 41, died May 21 after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming complications.
Busch and the No. 18 Toyota M&M’s car were synonymous when he drove for Joe Gibbs Racing from 2008-22. He moved to Richard Childress Racing in 2023.
Busch won nine Cup Series races and a total of 23 NASCAR races at Bristol.
Tennis
Seventh-seeded Iga Swiatek beat second-seeded Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday in the National Bank Open for her first WTA Tour title of the year and 26th overall.
Swiatek broke Rybakina’s serve early in the match and went on to take the opening set in 29 minutes.
The hard-serving Rybakina — who leads the tour in aces — struggled to find her rhythm. Swiatek kept her on her heels with a consistent attack, few errors and excellent range on court.
A six-time Grand Slam champion, Swiatek is projected to move up two spots to sixth in the new world ranking.
Golf
Logan Reilly and Carter Loflin each lost 2-up leads with two holes to play and atoned by winning their matches in extra holes Thursday at Merion, sending them to the quarterfinals of a U.S. Amateur that no longer has anyone from the top 10 in the world amateur ranking.
Joining them will be Michael Lugiano, the Pennsylvania native who has won all three of his matches on the 18th hole to be among the final eight players.
College football
LSU coach Lane Kiffin said that he is standing by his initial stance on allowing cornerback D.J. Pickett to wear the No. 5 jersey previously worn by 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels — even in the face of objections and legal threats from the former Tigers quarterback.
“I commented a week ago on that,” Kiffin said after practice in Baton Rouge. “That’s the comment that I had and we’re moving forward.”
LSU’s official online store has removed replica Daniels jerseys from the menu of those for sale, which include the No. 9 of 2019 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow and the No. 3 of former star receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Meanwhile, Pickett showed no interest in relinquishing the No. 5 when he spoke with reporters after Thursday’s practice.
“I’ve been wearing the number my whole life, since I was 4 years old,” Pickett said. “That was the number I was promised. I wish Jayden the best. Good player — he did real good here.”