Jim Irsay, Indianapolis Colts owner, dies at 65

Jim Irsay, Indianapolis Colts owner, dies at 65

Jim Irsay, who grew up around the NFL's Colts before assuming control of the team himself, died in his sleep Wednesday at 65, the team announced. No cause of death was given, but Irsay had battled health issues in recent years. When he appeared at the Colts' training camp last summer, it was his first public appearance since the previous season, theIndianapolis Star reported, and the owner told the outlet that he had been recuperating after undergoing several surgeries following a fall at his home. Irsay was 13 when his father, Robert, purchased the Baltimore Colts in 1972. When the franchise relocated to Indianapolis in 1984, the younger Irsay was named the team's vice president and general manager, then became its chief operating officer in 1996. Upon his father's death in 1997, Irsay took over his family's business as the team's owner and chief executive. "Jim's love and appreciation for the NFL, in addition to its history, tradition and principles influenced him to become a steward of the game throughout his 50-plus years in the League," the Colts said in a statement. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement that he was "deeply saddened" over Irsay's death. "He spent his life and career in the National Football League," Goodell said. "Starting as a teenager as a Colts' ballboy, he learned every position in the organization before assuming leadership of the Colts approximately 30 years ago. Jim's Colts won the Super Bowl, hosted another and built Lucas Oil Stadium." Beyond football, Irsay was known for his collection of pop-culture, historic and music artifacts, including guitars played by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Prince; a first edition of Allen Ginsberg's poem, Howl;" and items used by American presidents. He had also spoken candidly about his history of addiction. In 2023, he toldHBO's Real Sportsthat he had been in rehab at least 15 times. Irsay is survived by daughters Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson.

byKevin Jones

in

May 21, 2025

Jim Irsay, Indianapolis Colts owner, dies at 65

Jim Irsay, Indianapolis Colts owner, dies at 65 Jim Irsay, who grew up around the NFL's Colts before assuming control of the team himsel...

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Brock Purdy avoided offseason drama before signing 5-year, $265 million extension with the 49ers

Brock Purdy avoided offseason drama before signing 5-year, $265 million extension with the 49ers

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — After watching drama-filled offseasons when it came to contract negotiations the past two years with his San Francisco 49ers teammates, Brock Purdy was intent on doing his best to avoid a repeat in his situation. Purdy and the 49ers managed to do just that when they agreed on a five-year extension worth $265 million following talks that had had no public acrimony. Purdy described said the initial offer from the 49ers as "respectful" and made a point of showing up to the start of the offseason program last month as a sign of good faith. That all led to the deal getting finalized before the 49ers begin on-field practices this spring with an extension that makes Purdy one of the top 10 paid quarterbacks in the NFL but doesn't handcuff the team from building a strong roster around him. "I think where we ended up was exactly where we needed to be," Purdy said Wednesday. "I'm extremely happy with where we ended and I know the Niners are too. With that being said, for me it's all about football now. However they use the cap space and all that kind of stuff, that's not my job. My job is to now go and win games and lead this team. But I'm extremely happy and grateful for where we ended." It's been quite a journey for Purdy, who was lightly recruited out of high school and then picked last in 2022 after a strong college career at Iowa State. But the player once known as "Mr. Irrelevant" because of his draft status has proved himself worthy of a contract on par with quarterbacks who entered the league with higher pedigree after helping the Niners reach the Super Bowl in his first full season as a starter in 2023. "There's 32 starting quarterbacks and those guys, like it's not the easiest job in the world," he said. "For me, with what I've done and everything, I could hang my hat on the fact that I've had success in this league and I'm capable of leading an organization all the way to the end, the Super Bowl. I proved that. I know who I am and I'm going to obviously want to get what I deserve, but also surround myself, like I said, with guys around me and not just try to take every penny for myself. But that's the whole point of negotiating, you go throughout that you try to meet in the middle ground." Purdy has made less than $1 million a year for his first three seasons and was set to get a small raise in 2025 to about $5.2 million under the league's proven performance escalator for making the Pro Bowl last season. Purdy's success helped rescue the Niners from a potentially catastrophic mistake after they traded three first-round picks to draft Trey Lance third overall in 2021, only to watch him struggle before getting traded away in 2023. He took over as starter late in his rookie season. He won the final five starts of the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs before suffering a serious injury to his throwing elbow early in an NFC title game loss to Philadelphia that season. Purdy had one of the most prolific passing seasons in team history in 2023 when he finished fourth in the NFL in MVP voting and helped the team reach the Super Bowl before losing in overtime to Kansas City. He set a franchise record for yards passing (4,280) and became the first Niners QB in more than two decades to throw at least 30 TD passes (31). Purdy led the NFL with a 113 passer rating and his 9.6 yards per attempt were the most in the NFL for a qualifying QB since Kurt Warner had 9.9 in 2000. That success was harder to come by in 2024 as Purdy was hampered by injuries to key offensive players like Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk. His passer rating dropped nearly 17 points to 96.1, he had only 20 TD passes and 12 interceptions on the season, and also came up short in several late-game scenarios when the 49ers had a chance for a comeback win. Purdy's play was part of a team-wide downturn that led to a 6-11 record and the first missed playoff appearance for San Francisco since 2020. That was one reason why he wanted to make sure he was part of the entire offseason program to help engineer a rebound. "Everybody's bought in right now and we're excited, obviously, to do more team activities and stuff as we move along the offseason," he said. "It's hard to explain, but the young guys, the older guys, everybody is bringing it right now and I think it's just so important that we're just around each other a lot doing little different activities and continuing to build chemistry." ___ AP NFL:https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

byKevin Jones

in

May 21, 2025

Brock Purdy avoided offseason drama before signing 5-year, $265 million extension with the 49ers

Brock Purdy avoided offseason drama before signing 5-year, $265 million extension with the 49ers SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — After watching d...

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Rangers catcher Jonah Heim leaves game versus Yankees with nerve injury in throwing hand

Rangers catcher Jonah Heim leaves game versus Yankees with nerve injury in throwing hand

NEW YORK (AP) — Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim left Wednesday night's game against the Yankees in the second inning due to a right hand injury after making two errant warmup throws. The Rangers said Heim had a compressed nerve in his throwing hand. Heim singled in the top of the second, the Rangers' first hit on a chilly night at Yankee Stadium. He was forced out at second base for the final out on a grounder by Jake Burger. Designated hitter Kyle Higashioka warmed up Rangers starter Jacob deGrom while Heim seemed to take an unusually long time to emerge from the dugout in his gear. Heim took one pitch from deGrom and airmailed a throw into centerfield. He was visited by manager Bruce Bochy and a trainer before he motioned to deGrom to throw him the ball. Heim's return throw sailed over deGrom's head before the catcher exited. The 29-year-old Heim is batting .262 with six homers and 17 RBIs in 37 games this season. Tucker Barnhart, the Rangers' No. 3 catcher, took Heim's place in the lineup. ___ More AP baseball:https://apnews.com/MLB

byKevin Jones

in

May 21, 2025

Rangers catcher Jonah Heim leaves game versus Yankees with nerve injury in throwing hand

Rangers catcher Jonah Heim leaves game versus Yankees with nerve injury in throwing hand NEW YORK (AP) — Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim le...

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After NFL approval, LA28's Wasserman is optimistic MLB players will also find a path to the Olympics

After NFL approval, LA28's Wasserman is optimistic MLB players will also find a path to the Olympics

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The organizers of the Los Angeles Olympics remain optimistic that Major League Baseball will find a way to join the NFL in sending the world's best athletes in their respective sports to the 2028 Games. LA28 president and chairman Casey Wasserman said he has been in close contact with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred about the decision that must be made by both the league and the players' union on whether to send players to the Olympics in the middle of the 2028 baseball season. There's no current timetable for the decision. "I'm optimistic because it's the right thing for the sport of baseball, it's the right thing for the players and it's certainly the right thing for the Olympics," Wasserman told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I think when things make sense for everybody, you can usually find a way to get things done." LA28 was buoyed last week bythe NFL owners' unanimous decisionto approve the players' participation in the inaugural Olympic flag football event, with Wasserman calling it "an awesome day." The Los Angeles organizing committee is hoping for similar news on baseball, whenever the decision is made. "We're very engaged with the commissioner," Wasserman said. "I talked to him in anticipation of the NFL announcement so they knew what was coming. They have a different challenge because it's in the middle of their season, but we are very engaged in ongoing discussions with the hope to get to a good result." Players' union head Tony Clark has said his players want to vie for Olympic gold — particularly those who got a taste of international competition in previous World Baseball Classics. Several superstars have expressed public interest in playing in the Los Angeles Olympic tournament, including reigning league MVPs Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. But the decision is much tougher for baseball because the Olympics fall in the heart of the regular season, necessitating major scheduling changes similar to the quadrennial disruption of the NHL season when the league participates in the Winter Olympics. Baseball also isn't a pillar of the Olympic program like ice hockey, being only intermittently included in the Summer Games for decades. The NFL players who make their nations' 10-man flag football teams are unlikely to miss more than a few days of training camp in July 2028, but MLB would have to make a dramatic adjustment to its normal competition schedule. Manfred spoke about the decision last month in New York at a meeting of the Associated Press Sports Editors.Wasserman has been pitching Manfredfor over a year on the benefits of putting his sport under the Olympic spotlight. "It's a complicated issue for us," Manfred said at the APSE event. "Lots of major league players would be involved because of the different countries that would likely be involved, massively disruptive to our season given the timing, and we're trying to sort through all that. ... We do see LA28 as a real opportunity from a marketing perspective." The sport long known as America's Pastime was played only as one-game Olympic exhibitions until 1984, when it joined the Los Angeles program as a demonstration sport. Baseball became an official Olympic sport in Barcelona in 1992, but U.S. professionals weren't allowed to compete until 2000, when minor leaguers were allowed to play. The absence of the world's players was one reason cited when baseball was subsequently dropped from the London and Rio de Janeiro Games. The sport returned in baseball-mad Tokyo in 2021 — but only for MLB players not on a 40-man roster. Japan's top league shut down its season, and Japan won gold. Baseball was dropped once again in Paris, but restored for LA28. The tournament will be played at historic Dodger Stadium, the same venue that hosted the 1984 Olympic tournament. Wasserman spoke about his baseball aspirations after an event that should remind MLB of the Olympics' unmatched marketing power. NBCUniversal has taken over a large soundstage complex in suburban Sun Valley to create extensive multimedia content to be used in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics broadcasts in nine months, feeding the broadcast machine that boosts winter stars including Chloe Kim, Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn to international celebrity. ___ AP sports:https://apnews.com/sports

byKevin Jones

in

May 21, 2025

After NFL approval, LA28's Wasserman is optimistic MLB players will also find a path to the Olympics

After NFL approval, LA28's Wasserman is optimistic MLB players will also find a path to the Olympics LOS ANGELES (AP) — The organizers o...

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WNBA Star Sophie Cunningham Calls Accusation She Had Affair with Married Phoenix Mercury CEO 'Untrue and Extremely Hurtful'

WNBA Star Sophie Cunningham Calls Accusation She Had Affair with Married Phoenix Mercury CEO 'Untrue and Extremely Hurtful'

Justin Casterline/Getty Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham denied accusation she had an affair with the CEO of her former team, calling the allegation "hurtful" In a recent, unrelated lawsuit against the Phoenix Mercury, a team employee accuses a coworker of spreading a rumor that had claimed Cunningham and the team's CEO Josh Bartelstein were having an affair In addition to Cunningham, the Suns organization denied the alleged affair in a statement to PEOPLE Sophie Cunningham says the alleged rumor that she had an affair with the married CEO of her formerPhoenix Mercuryteam is "hurtful" and has left her "deeply saddened," denying the allegation. Cunningham, 28, made her statement Wednesday, May 21 after a new lawsuit against her former team and their NBA counterpart the Phoenix Suns, filed last week by current Suns employee Gene Traylor, claimed another employee had spread a rumor that the WNBA star had an affair with Josh Bartelstein, the married CEO of her former team. Several outlets then reported on the unsubstantiated rumor. "I am deeply saddened by the recent false accusations made against me by Gene Traylor, someone I do not know and have never met," Cunningham, who now plays for the Indiana Fever, wrote ina statementshared on Instagram. "Let me be clear his statements are untrue and extremely hurtful." Cunningham added, "I hold myself to the highest integrity and my values are what guide me on and off the court," while noting the extra pressure on WNBA players to not just be world class athletes but also role models in the growing landscape of women's sports. "To the media who reported on this, I have always spoken the truth and been transparent with any press inquiry," the Fever guard continued. "In this instance it feels irresponsible that I was never asked for a comment about the accusation before several clickbait stories went to print. I will not let untrue gossip take my focus away from what is most important to me which is basketball, my supportive team and my fans." Sophie Cunningham/Instagram In a legal complaint filed in Arizona District Court on May 13, Traylor alleges the Suns and Mercury demoted him from his role as director of security and risk management because of discrimination. Within the lawsuit, Traylor claimed that Cornelius Craig, the vice president of security and risk management, had been telling people that Bartelstein, 35, and Cunningham were having an affair. From that, multiple media outlets published reports about the allegation against Cunningham and her boss. On May 20, Stacey Mitch, Phoenix Suns Senior Vice President of Communications, issued a statement to PEOPLE vehemently denying the alleged affair. "The recent reports concerning Josh Bartelstein and Sophie Cunningham are entirely false and morally reprehensible. Let's be absolutely clear about the origin of these claims." Mitch continued, denouncing Traylor's attorney: "Attorney Sheree Wright, a personal injury and immigration lawyer, currently serving a two year probation with the Arizona State Bar for violating the rules of professional conduct, sees an opportunity because of the reports about previous ownership." "Ms. Wright has now filed four separate lawsuits against the organization, seeking over $140 million dollars in compensation," Mitch claims. "To date, her cases have been dismissed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Arizona Civil Rights Division or voluntarily withdrawn." Mitch further accuses Wright of adding falsehoods to her lawsuits to drive media attention. "She continues to insert salacious lies and fabrications into her complaints — knowing that the media may report them as fact, as happened yesterday — she hopes to coerce the Phoenix Suns into settling. Sheree Wright will not extort our organization and never see a single dollar. We will pursue all available legal avenues and hold those accountable for participating in the spread of misleading and false narratives." Liv Lyons/NBAE via Getty Cunningham was drafted by the Mercury in 2019 and played in Phoenix until last season. In January, she was traded to the Indiana Fever. Bartelstein oversees both the Phoenix Mercury and their NBA counterpart in the Phoenix Suns. He married his wife Sydney Cox in August 2022. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The lawsuit against Suns Legacy Partners, LLC accuses the company of racial discrimination and security lapses. Traylor alleges in the complaint that, "Craig had been spreading damaging information that could jeopardize the organization." Elsewhere, the filing states, "When Bartelstein asked Plaintiff to reveal what Craig was saying, Plaintiff explained that Craig had been telling others, 'Josh Bartelstein is f---ing Sophie Cunningham.' " PEOPLE has additionally reached out to the Fever to ask if Cunningham has further comment, but a team spokesperson did not respond Wednesday as of press time. Cunningham has missed the Fever's first two games of the season while out with an ankle injury. Read the original article onPeople

byKevin Jones

in

May 21, 2025

WNBA Star Sophie Cunningham Calls Accusation She Had Affair with Married Phoenix Mercury CEO 'Untrue and Extremely Hurtful'

WNBA Star Sophie Cunningham Calls Accusation She Had Affair with Married Phoenix Mercury CEO 'Untrue and Extremely Hurtful' Justin C...

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