Sports briefs
By Associated Press
49ers running back McCaffrey headed to IR with an injured right knee
SANTA CLARA, Calif. | San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey will not need surgery on his injured right knee but he will miss the rest of the regular season.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that McCaffrey will be out at least six weeks after injuring his posterior cruciate ligament in a loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. McCaffrey will be placed on injured reserve for the second time this season after previously missing the first eight games with Achilles tendinitis.
“I just feel for him,” Shanahan said. “It was a real frustrating year for him. He worked his ass off to get back to this point and I think he was really feeling good and about to take off and just had that real unfortunate injury last night. I know he’s as crushed as anyone, but he’ll get through this. He’s a hell of a player, a hell of a person and an unbelievable 49er. He’ll be back stronger than ever next year to help us.”
San Francisco (5-7) sits alone in last place in the NFC West standings, two wins behind division-leading Seattle, and in jeopardy of missing the playoffs a year after losing to Kansas City in the Super Bowl.
The 49ers also lost McCaffrey’s backup to an injury with Jordan Mason also set to go on injured reserve after suffering a high ankle sprain in the game against the Bills.
It has been a frustrating season for McCaffrey, who won the 2023 AP Offensive Player of the Year then signed a lucrative contract extension in the offseason.
McCaffrey injured his Achilles tendon early in training camp and missed the first eight games of the season. He rushed for just 149 yards on 43 carries in his first three games back as he struggled to get back to form.
He looked much better early Sunday night with seven carries for 53 yards, including a 19-yarder that was his longest of the season. He appeared to hurt his knee on an 18-yard run in the second quarter. He then went down immediately on his next carry on a sweep to the left on a snow-slicked field for a 5-yard loss.
Mason had played well as McCaffrey’s replacement, rushing for 789 yards and averaging 5.2 yards per carry this season.
San Francisco will now turn to rookie Isaac Guerendo and promote Patrick Taylor from the practice squad. Shanahan said the team will also look to add another running back to the mix.
In other injury news from the game, defensive lineman Kevin Givens tore his pectoral muscle and will be out for the rest of the season.
Shanahan said cornerback Deommodore Lenoir should be back at practice Wednesday after missing the game with a knee injury and that stars Nick Bosa (hip, oblique) and Trent Williams (ankle) will be evaluated as the week goes on.
Bosa and Williams have both missed the last two games. Williams has also been dealing with family tragedy as his wife announced on Instagram that she gave birth to stillborn Trenton O’Brien Williams Jr. on Nov. 24. Sondra Williams also wrote that she was initially pregnant with twins and lost the other child earlier in the pregnancy.
Shanahan said Williams spent time with his family last week but is trying to get back to play.
“He was there at the hospital with her and got to meet him and say bye,” Shanahan said. “Then he had to cremate him on Friday. So he’s been dealing with that and he’s working through it. We’re all just trying to be there for him through it all.”
NOTES: OL Aaron Banks and DT Jordan Elliott remain in the concussion protocol. … LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (knee) is day to day. … LB Dre Greenlaw will get more work this week after his practice window was opened last week for the first time since he tore his Achilles in the Super Bowl. … S Talanoa Hufanga (wrist) will have his IR practice window opened this week.
WNBA season to tip May 16 with expansion Golden State Valkyries opening at home that night
NEW YORK | An expanded WNBA with more games and a new franchise will tip off on May 16.
The league extended its schedule to 44 games this year, up from 40, with the addition of the expansion Golden State Valkyries. The new team, which has over 20,000 season ticket deposits, will play its inaugural game at home on opening night against Los Angeles.
The WNBA is coming off a record season with its most-watched regular season in 24 years and playoffs in 25 years. Fans were also flocking to games with the highest attendance in over two decades. Last season’s rookie class, led by Indiana’s Caitlin Clark and Chicago’s Angel Reese, were a big reason.
Their two teams will face off five times with the first coming on the opening Saturday. Clark’s Fever will host the league’s All-Star Game on July 19.
“We look forward to tipping off the WNBA’s 29th season in May of 2025 and continuing to build on the success of last season, when the WNBA delivered its most-watched Draft and All-Star Game, and set records for viewership, attendance, digital consumption and merchandise sales,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “The upcoming free agency period and the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm will create a tremendous level of excitement, and we are also looking forward to the expansion Golden State Valkyries taking the court for the first time.”
The New York Liberty will celebrate their first title with a ring and banner ceremony on May 17 when they host Las Vegas. The Liberty, who beat Minnesota in a decisive fifth game in last season’s championship, will face the Lynx four times with the first meeting coming July 30.
All 13 teams will play the opening weekend.
The WNBA Commissioner’s Cup will be played from June 1-17 with each team in the Eastern Conference having five games and Western Conference teams playing six. The top team from each conference will play on July 1 in the Cup Final.
The regular season ends on Sept. 11 with the expanded playoffs to take place after that. The league switched its format to a best-of-seven finals this year and the opening round will go to a 1-1-1 format with the worse seeded team hosting Game 2. In the past, the better seeded team would get the first two games on their home court.
The league will hold its draft on April 14 with UConn star Paige Bueckers expected to go first to the Dallas Wings. The television and streaming broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date.
Marcoux Samaan stepping down as LPGA commissioner after 3½ years of record prize money
Mollie Marcoux Samaan is resigning in January as LPGA commissioner, a surprise announcement Monday after record growth in prize money along with criticism the LPGA wasn’t gaining in popularity during the surge in women’s sports.
Marcoux Samaan is leaving on Jan. 9, three weeks before the LPGA begins its 75th season. Liz Moore, the chief legal and technology officer, will be interim commissioner until a search committee hires a new one.
Marcoux Samaan did not cite a specific reason for resigning except to mention spending more time with her three children. She will serve the third-shortest stint among nine LPGA commissioners dating to 1975, behind only Jim Ritts (1996-99) and Bill Blue (1988-90).
“With the LPGA positioned for continued growth, it’s time for me to have more time to cheer on our three amazing children as they live their dreams while I continue to pursue my passion for building leaders, uniting communities and creating value through sports, particularly women’s sports,” Marcoux Samaan said in a statement.
The LPGA said prize money increased by more than 90% under Marcoux Samaan, a big part of that the major championships. The five majors had a combined prize fund of $23.4 million in 2021. Next year, the majors combine to offer at least $47.8 million in prize money.
She announced the end of her tenure a week after the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship awarded $4 million to the winner, Jeeno Thitikul, form an $11 million purse.
“Since joining the LPGA in 2021, Mollie has been instrumental in solidifying our position as the global leader in women’s professional golf, realizing record growth in player earnings and fan engagement,” said John B. Veihmeyer, chairman of the LPGA board. “Mollie has been a steadfast advocate for equity in the sport and has worked tirelessly to expand opportunities for women and girls through the game.”
The LPGA said the average earnings for the top 100 players topped $1 million this year, compared with an average of just over $570,000 in 2021.
Women’s sports across the landscape has seen a spike in money and interest, though Marcoux Samaan was criticized for the LPGA not getting enough attention behind remarkable story lines this year. Nelly Korda tied an LPGA record with five straight wins, and Lydia Ko won Olympic gold to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame, and then won another major at the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews.
The Americans also won the Solheim Cup, but not without a transportation mess on the opening day at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia when there were not enough buses for spectators and many of them waited hours before they could get in, missing the opening tee shots that typically feature packed grandstands and raucous cheering.
Marcoux Samaan pointed to growth in defending her job when some of the criticism was raised at the season-ending tournament.
“I focus every day on trying to support the athletes, to try to grow the tour, and to try to make this the best place in the world to play and to give additional opportunities to girls and women. So I feel like the statistics really speak for themselves,” she said at the Tour Championship.
“I think we’re experiencing enormous growth. That’s really what my job is.”
Along with huge increases in earnings, Marcoux Samaan announced full subsidized health care for the LPGA for the first time in its history. She also was behind stipends for missing the cut and domestic travel in a bid to make sure players were adequately compensated.
Official prize money for the LPGA in 2025 is $127.5 million.
Terry Duffy, the chairman and CEO of CME Group, signed a two-year extension of the LPGA deal. In an interview with Golfweek, he gave Marcoux Samaan high marks.
“I don’t know how you could not give A++ to where the tour is at today under her leadership,” Duffy said. “I run markets. I don’t care if you’re running a business at a hardware store or an exchange or professional golf, there’s ebbs and flows to everything in life and everything in business. … If you’re worth more today than you were 10 years ago or three years ago, you’re doing the right things.”
Marcoux Samaan was the ninth commissioner — and second female commissioner — when she left her role as athletic director at Princeton. Marcoux Samaan replaced Mike Whan, who took over in 2010 when players revolted and ousted Carolyn Bivens.
Whan brought high energy and a big personality during his 11 years, making him the longest-serving LPGA commissioner in history.
The LPGA board will work with an executive search firm to conduct a global search for the organization’s next commissioner.
Big Ten fines Michigan, Ohio State $100,000 each for postgame melee
ROSEMONT, Ill. | The Big Ten Conference announced it fined Michigan and Ohio State $100,000 each for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy for the on-field melee at the end of the Wolverines’ win in Columbus on Saturday.
“Not only did the actions of both teams violate fundamental elements of sportsmanship such as respect and civility, the nature of the incident also jeopardized the safety of participants and bystanders,” the Big Ten said in a statement Sunday.
A fight broke out at midfield after the Wolverines’ 13-10 victory when Michigan players attempted to plant their flag on the OSU logo and were confronted by the Buckeyes.
Police used pepper spray to break up the players, who threw punches and shoves. One officer suffered a head injury when he was “knocked down and trampled while trying to separate players fighting,” a police union official said. The officer was taken to a hospital and has since been released.
After the Ohio State players confronted their rivals at midfield, defensive end Jack Sawyer grabbed the top of the Wolverines’ flag and ripped it off the pole as the brawl moved toward the Michigan bench.
“We respect the Big Ten Conference’s decision in this matter,” Ohio State said in a statement. “What happened post-game yesterday was unfortunate. Good sportsmanship is always important in everything we do at Ohio State. Moving forward, we will continue to examine and address our post-game protocols to ensure our student-athletes, coaches, visiting teams and staff safely exit the field.”
Ohio State police said in a statement that “multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray.” Michigan players could be seen rubbing their eyes after exposure to the chemical irritant.
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said after the game both teams could have handled the situation differently.
“So much emotions on both sides,” he said. “Rivalry games get heated, especially this one. It’s the biggest one in the country, so we got to handle that better.”
A Michigan athletic department spokesman said Sunday night the football program would have no comment beyond the team’s remarks Saturday.
The scuffle was one of many that broke out Saturday in rivalry games across the country.
—From AP reports
