Sports briefs
By NewsPress Now
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has a hamstring tear
FRISCO, Texas | Dak Prescott’s injured hamstring is partially torn away from the bone and surgery for the star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys is possible, a person with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.
The injury, known as a partial avulsion, is likely to lead to an absence longer than the minimum of four games that would be required by putting Prescott on injured reserve.
Potentially season-ending surgery is among the options being considered, the person told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t disclosed details of Prescott’s injury publicly. The NFL Network was the first to report the extent of Prescott’s injury.
In training camp two years ago, former Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith sustained what is called a full avulsion, a complete tear of the hamstring off the bone that requires surgery, and missed 13 games.
Prescott was injured in the second half of the Cowboys’ 27-21 loss to Atlanta on Sunday. Dallas (3-5) is preparing for Cooper Rush to start multiple games, beginning Sunday at home against NFC East rival Philadelphia.
Rush went 4-1 filling in two years ago after Prescott broke the thumb on his throwing hand in a season-opening loss. He also won a game in 2021 when Prescott was out with a strained calf.
The Cowboys have made the playoffs three consecutive years with a 12-5 record, but have already matched that loss total and are three games behind Washington and the Eagles in the loss column in the NFC East.
If Prescott doesn’t return, it will be the second time in five years the 2016 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year has been sidelined most of the season. He broke an ankle in Week 5 of the 2020 season and missed 11 games.
Following success
of MLB’s big-spenders, smaller market teams
try to counter
SAN ANTONIO | A remarkable era of parity in Major League Baseball hit a bit of a snag this October when the big-spending New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets finished as three of the top four teams in this year’s postseason.
Sometimes, all that money really is an advantage.
Now it’s time for the sport’s middle-sized and small-market franchises to look for ways to counter during this offseason. Given several factors — particularly cash flow uncertainty due to the collapse of the regional sports network model — that could prove difficult.
“It’s going to be a challenge for Major League Baseball leadership,” St. Louis Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said on Wednesday. “How do you remain with some level of competitive balance when there are so many teams that have so much higher revenues than the lower end?”
The fact that the Cardinals are worried about their financial future should be fairly alarming. This is a franchise that’s been among baseball’s most consistent over the past several decades, winning World Series titles in 2006 and 2011. They may not spend like the Dodgers, Yankees or Mets, but they’ve usually had reasonably deep pockets.
“We’ve always punched above our weight, so to speak,” Mozeliak said. “But now we’re having the realization that we’re going to be affected from our media package, our ticket sales, so our reality is changing.”
The Cardinals’ dilemma is one shared by several other teams. MLB announced in October it will produce and distribute local broadcasts for the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins next year. All three teams had contracts with Diamond Sports Group that expired at the end of the regular season.
The Texas Rangers, whose deal also expired last month, announced they will no longer be partnering with Diamond. They are assessing their options for next season.
The addition of the Guardians, Brewers and Twins means MLB will be handling the production and distribution of at least six teams going into 2025. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres were the first three to make the switch.
MLB could be taking over more teams as Diamond continues to go through bankruptcy proceedings.
The Cardinals reached a new media rights on Thursday, though financial terms were not disclosed. They are one of five teams that are part owners of their regional sports network, along with the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels and Miami Marlins. The stations are FanDuel Sports Network affiliates after Diamond reached a naming rights deal with FanDuel last month.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has remained bullish about the long-term financial prospects of all 30 teams, but has also acknowledged that there might be some short-term pain as the transition continues.
D-backs general manager Mike Hazen has always believed that a lower payroll is no excuse for poor performance. Arizona advanced to the World Series in 2023 despite having ranked No. 21 in the league in that category.
The team spent more last offseason thanks to postseason revenue, rising to the middle of the MLB pack. He said his team is ready to be active in free agency once again, even if he conceded that there are challenges.
“Obviously, it builds in some sort of uncertainty for us, but we get with (ownership) and figure out what we have to spend, what we can add and then we act accordingly,” Hazen said.
The Mets ($332 million), Yankees ($311 million) and Dodgers ($266 million) had the top three payrolls in baseball last season, though those numbers will change slightly this winter when bonuses are calculated. The Guardians ranked No. 23 at $109 million. Unlike the NFL, NBA and NHL, baseball does not have a salary cap.
As the Guardians showed, it’s not impossible to go deep into the playoffs with a modest payroll. But it’s not easy and it’s not getting any easier.
“You have to scratch and claw and match up and make moves, take shots and hope that it works,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said last month. “Whereas for the other three teams, for the majorities, they set their lineup and go play.”
Not everyone believes that MLB teams are suffering much financial hardship. Baseball super agent Scott Boras called the regional sports network uncertainty “last year’s news” and doesn’t believe it will have much affect on the free agent market this winter.
“Clubs have been offered contracts from RSNs and they’ve rejected them, they’re building their own platforms, they’re using different methods for streaming,” Boras said. “You’ve seen it with Texas, Milwaukee. They’re offered money but they feel they can do better with other elements.
“That should tell you about their evolution of thought — how they feel going forward with streaming.”
Woman asks that
charges be dropped against Colbie Young
The woman who told police she was the ex-girlfriend of Georgia wide receiver Colbie Young has retracted statements which led to his arrest on misdemeanor charges of battery and assault on Oct. 8.
Young was suspended by Georgia coach Kirby Smart following his arrest by Athens-Clarke County Police after the altercation with the 20-year-old woman.
Young’s attorney, Kim Stephens, on Thursday released an affidavit to The Associated Press provided by the woman who said she wanted “to make clear my desire to have all charges against Colbie Young dismissed.”
The woman said in the affidavit she first notified the Athens-Clarke County Solicitor’s Office on Oct 14 she wished to have the charges dismissed and repeated that request “on multiple occasions.” Stephens said the woman made the request public because the charges have not been dropped.
According to a police report following the arrest, the woman, who is pregnant, told police she went to Young’s apartment “to speak about their relationship.” She said the discussion became heated “after she found out he was on the phone with another woman.”
According to the police report, the woman told police she believed Young “was trying to harm her.” The arresting officer said Young denied being responsible for a bruise, discoloration and redness the officer found on the woman and denied grabbing her.
In the affidavit, the woman said “I expressly retract any statements attributed to me that imply or state that Colbie Young attempted to cause any injury to my unborn child or me.”
The woman also said in the affidavit “Colbie did not place his hands on me in any way during the conversation and argument that was inappropriate or unwanted. He did not hit me. He did not push me. He did not cause any bruising or marks on me. He did not injure me in any way. To be clear, Colbie Young did not commit any act of violence toward me or my unborn child, including but not limited to simple battery, battery or assault on an unborn child.”
No. 2 Georgia plays at No. 16 Mississippi on Saturday. With the charges still pending, there has no change in Young’s status with the team.
Stephens said in a statement he has provided the woman’s affidavit to the prosecuting attorney and to the University of Georgia. Stephens said the charges against Young “should be dismissed immediately” and his suspension from the team should be lifted.
Young, a senior from Binghamton, New York, transferred to Georgia following two seasons at Miami. He has 11 receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns in five games, including two starts.
Former top WR
recruit Johntay
Cook II leaves Texas
AUSTIN, Texas | Texas receiver Johntay Cook II, a top recruit in the 2023 class who has struggled for playing time this season, has left the Longhorns program, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.
Sarkisian called Cook’s departure “mutual between the two of us” but did not elaborate.
“We have nothing but respect for he (and) his family. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors,” Sarkisian said.
Cook was one of the top receivers nationally when he signed with Texas out of Dallas. He had eight receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns in six games this season, but has not had a catch since Texas played Mississippi State on Sept. 28. Cook had eight catches for 136 yards in 14 games last season in 2023.
He figured to be a bigger part of the Texas passing game this season but could not break through amid a packed receiving corps with transfers Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden and Silas Bolden, and the emergence of DeAndre Moore and freshman Trey Wingo.
Texas (7-1, 3-1), which is No. 5 in the College Football Playoff standings and among five teams with one loss in the Southeastern Conference, hosts Florida (4-4, 2-3) on Saturday.
—From AP reports
