Elkington makes tweet critical of Sam
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Former PGA champion Steve Elkington caused more outrage on Twitter when he made a disparaging remark about Missouri defensive end Michael Sam while trying to criticize coverage of him.
Sam announced two weeks ago that he is gay. He worked out this week at the NFL combine in Indianapolis and is projected as a mid- to late-round pick in the draft.
Elkington first tweeted that ESPN’s coverage of Sam was embarrassing. He followed with this tweet: “ESPN reporting Michael Sam is leading the handbag throw at NFL combine … No one else expected to throw today.”
Elkington later deleted his tweet and said he supported Sam.
The PGA Tour said Tuesday in a statement that public commentary that is clearly inappropriate falls under its regulations of conduct unbecoming a professional.
Ukraine-US friendly moved to Cyprus
CHICAGO — An international friendly between Ukraine and the United States next week has been moved from Kharkiv to Cyprus following weeks of violence in the Eastern European nation.
The U.S. Soccer Federation announced the change in venue on Tuesday. The March 5 match is the only game before the start of the Americans’ pre-World Cup training camp in mid-May in which the full player pool is available.
At No. 18, Ukraine is the highest-ranked team that failed to qualify for the World Cup. In three previous meetings, all in the early 1990s, Ukraine beat the U.S. twice and tied once.
Brazil upset with Adidas’ World Cup T-shirts
SAO PAULO — Brazil’s tourism board says it has asked Adidas to stop selling World Cup products that use sex appeal to promote the host country.
The government agency released a statement Tuesday condemning some T-shirts that were being sold on Adidas’ website, including one which said “Lookin’ to Score,” with a woman in bikini in front of the word “Brazil” and an image of the Sugar Loaf mountain in the background.
The statement said the government is “vehemently” against anything that “links Brazil’s image to sex appeal,” and said officials are working hard to repress “sexual tourism” during the World Cup.
President Dilma Rousseff tweeted on Tuesday that Brazil is “ready to fight against sexual tourism.”
Adidas’ press office in Brazil said the company’s headquarters would later issue a statement.
Olympiakos beats Man United in Champions League
PIRAEUS, Greece — Manchester United’s terrible season got even worse Tuesday when the English power lost 2-0 at Olympiakos in its second-round Champions League opener.
Alejandro Dominguez deflected Yiannis Maniatis’ shot past David de Gea in the 38th minute, and Joel Campbell caught the goalkeeper off guard with a well-placed strike in the 55th minute at Karaiskaki Stadium.
United is just sixth in the Premier League at 13-8-6 and trails Liverpool by 11 points for fourth place, the final berth in next season’s lucrative Champions League.
The second leg of the total-goals series is in Manchester on March 19.
In the day’s other game, Robert Lewandowski scored twice and led Borussia Dortmund to a 4-2 victory at Zenit St. Petersburg.
Ex-TV analyst Craig James files complaint against Fox
DALLAS — Former television college football analyst Craig James is complaining to the state that his firing by Fox Sports Southwest was an act of religious discrimination.
In a statement issued Tuesday by the Plano, Texas-based Liberty Institute, James alleges a national Fox Sports spokesman told The Dallas Morning News that James was terminated from Fox Sports Southwest for religious beliefs against same-sex marriage.
Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal group that promotes religious rights.
A Fox Sports statement said James was hired without proper vetting and that he’s “a polarizing figure in the college sports community.” He was let go “based on the perception that he abused a previous on-air position to further a personal agenda.”
In 2009, Texas Tech fired football coach Mike Leach after James accused him of mistreating his son Adam, a member of Leach’s team. In 2012, the ex-NFL running back resigned as an ESPN analyst to run unsuccessfully in the Texas Republican U.S. Senate primary.
By wire sources