Los Angeles Rams

Tuesday's Sports Brief

Published Sep. 18, 2018 12:06 p.m. ET

FOOTBALL

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Carson Wentz has been cleared to return and is slated to start for the Philadelphia Eagles against Indianapolis in Week 3.

Wentz tore his left ACL and LCL on Dec. 10, 2017 in a game against the Los Angeles Rams and had surgery three days later. Backup quarterback Nick Foles led the Eagles to their first NFL title since 1960 and was Super Bowl MVP in the 41-33 victory over New England.

Wentz set a single-season franchise record with 33 touchdown passes last season. The final one came a few plays after he suffered his injury.

The Eagles (1-1) lost 27-21 at Tampa Bay (2-0) on Sunday.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- Aaron Neary, a center on the Los Angeles Rams' practice squad, has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and damaging property.

The Simi Valley Police Department said it received several calls about an erratic driver who had hit a bus stop sign, mailboxes and trash cans on Sunday night, about two hours after the Rams' victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

The police say they stopped Neary in the described car, and he had a blood-alcohol level of .17 percent, more than double the legal limit. Neary was arrested and booked at the Ventura County Sheriff's Office's East County Jail.

Neary informed the Rams about his arrest early Monday morning, coach Sean McVay said. Neary had attended the Rams' win at the Coliseum, standing on the sideline.

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Josh Gordon's strange, stuttering career will start anew in New England.

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have a new offensive toy.

The Browns severed ties for good with the problematic wide receiver by trading him to the Patriots for a fifth-round draft pick on Monday, ending a relationship the team did all it could to save.

The deal came together two days after the Browns reached a breaking point with Gordon, who has been suspended numerous times by the NFL for drug violations since Cleveland drafted him in 2012.

Gordon played in the Browns' season opener against Pittsburgh, but he reported to the team on Saturday with an unexplained hamstring injury after practicing all week. The Browns decided to leave him behind when they traveled to New Orleans, and later said they intended to release him.

CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Bears presented longtime linebacker Brian Urlacher with his Ring of Excellence for being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Urlacher was recognized at halftime of the Bears' game against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night. Lance Briggs, Matt Forte, Mike Brown and Adewale Ogunleye were among a group of Urlacher's former teammates on hand for the ceremony.

Urlacher was selected by Chicago with the No. 9 pick in the 2000 draft and helped lead the Bears to four division titles while spending his entire 13-year career with the franchise. He remains the Bears' all-time leading tackler.

ATLANTA (AP) -- Lawyers for LeSean McCoy have asked a judge in Georgia to throw out a lawsuit in which the former girlfriend of the Buffalo Bills running back accuses him of failing to protect her from a violent home invasion.

The lawsuit filed last month by Delicia Cordon alleges that McCoy failed to protect her after she was bloodied, beaten and had $133,000 worth of jewelry stolen by an intruder at a home McCoy owns in Milton, just outside Atlanta. Cordon also alleged that McCoy would "often brutally beat his dog," and would also "aggressively, physically discipline and beat his young son."

Lawyers for McCoy responded to the lawsuit in court filings Thursday. They said there is no basis to hold McCoy responsible for harm Cordon suffered in the home invasion. They also said the lawsuit is filled with unrelated false, salacious allegations that are meant only to embarrass McCoy and cast him in a bad light.

A lawyer for Cordon did not respond Monday to an email seeking comment on the court filings.

SPORTS BUSINESS

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- A Rhode Island town council has voted to ask its departments to refrain from purchasing Nike products, one of a handful of local governments or agencies that have called for boycotts in recent weeks.

The North Smithfield Town Council passed the resolution on a 3-2 vote Monday evening, Council President John Beauregard said. The resolution is nonbinding.

Beauregard, a former state trooper, is upset with Nike's decision to use former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in an ad campaign. The town's administrator didn't know of any specific Nike products that municipal departments are currently using.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island said the town could be held legally and financially liable for violating the First Amendment and told members of the council: "Just don't do it."

ANTI-DOPING

The potential reinstatement of Russia's anti-doping agency drew further outcry Monday, this time from a worldwide group of drug-fighting organizations that portrayed it as the result of an eleventh-hour deal designed to appease a powerful nation.

The Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations lashed out at a recommendation to end the nearly three-year suspension of RUSADA. In a news release, iNADO said World Anti-Doping Agency officials had told European government representatives as recently as last week that the issue would not be decided at Thursday's meeting of the WADA executive committee.

Last Friday, however, WADA released a statement saying that its compliance review committee had recommended RUSADA's reinstatement and that the issue would, in fact, be decided at the upcoming meeting.

A day after the compliance committee's recommendation, a key member of the panel, Olympic champion cross-country skier Beckie Scott, resigned.

COLLEGES

BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakota State head football coach John Stiegelmeier says he regrets allowing his team to pile up 90 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

SDSU set a school record for points in its 90-6 victory Saturday night. The Jackrabbits had 926 yards of total offense -- just shy of a Football Championship Subdivision record.

Stiegelmeier in remarks after the game said he was excited about the win but disappointed in how he managed the game. He said he should have slowed his team down earlier and taken out all passing plays.

Stiegelmeier said he should have been more respectful toward Arkansas Pine-Bluff and apologized.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Duke and North Carolina will collect donations starting Tuesday for areas of the state affected by Hurricane Florence.

UNC will collect requested items such as nonperishable food, water and cleaning supplies in a parking lot near the Smith Center from Tuesday through noon Friday. UNC football coach Larry Fedora said Monday the program's equipment truck would deliver donations.

Duke will allow fans to buy a $5 general admission ticket for next month's game against Virginia for every three items donated from the list of requested contributions by Sept. 29. Donations can be brought to Duke's ticket office or to designated gates at Wallace Wade Stadium on game days.

SOCCER

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- The San Jose Earthquakes have fired first-year head coach Mikael Stahre with the team sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

San Jose named Steve Ralston interim head coach Monday for the team's remaining six matches while making the announcement of the coaching change. The team also dismissed assistant coach Alex de Crook.

The Quakes, with forward Chris Wondolowski closing in on Landon Donovan's MLS goals record, are 2-9-3 as the season nears its final month.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Hawaii will host its first major mixed martial arts event in 10 years when the Bellator promotion stages a show in Honolulu on Dec. 15.

Bellator announced a partial lineup of fighters Monday for the card at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena.

Unbeaten Honolulu native Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will defend her Bellator flyweight title against No. 1 contender Valerie Letourneau in the main event.

The card also will feature the Bellator debut of Lyoto Machida, the Brazilian veteran who briefly held the UFC light heavyweight title. Machida will fight former heavyweight champion Rafael Carvalho.

VOLLEYBALL

MADRID (AP) -- A Brazilian volleyball player has been found dead at his home in Spain.

The Spanish volleyball federation says the body of 26-year-old Vinicius Noronha da Silva was found in the eastern city of Teruel after he failed to report for his club's trip for a preseason match.

Club president Carlos Ranera told daily Marca on Monday that one of Silva's teammates found him dead after going to his home to check on him.

The club said Silva had successfully undergone a preseason physical.