Sports briefs
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Browns RB Chubb makes full circle comeback
CLEVELAND | With every game, every carry, Nick Chubb puts a little distance between himself and a moment that changed him.
On Sunday, he’ll return to where it happened. The full circle.
More than a year since the Cleveland running back’s left knee was obliterated on a trap play near the goal line in Pittsburgh, Chubb will be back in Acrisure Stadium for the first time since suffering an injury that could have ended his career.
Reserved and reticent, Chubb rarely shows emotion, let alone open up about his feelings during interview sessions. However, he said this week that going back to the Steelers’ home field had extra significance.
“It’s a divisional game, so for me that’s enough for me to get excited about, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about it, going back to that place where it happened last year,” he said on a Zoom call. “But besides that, I’m always excited to play the Steelers.”
In Week 2 last season, Chubb’s knee and career nearly collapsed at the same time.
On what began as a routine inside handoff, Chubb was cutting when his left knee was hit from the side on a low tackle by Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The damage was extensive: torn ligaments, meniscus and medial capsule tears.
After undergoing two surgeries, Chubb, who injured the same knee in college at Georgia, attacked his rehab and returned to Cleveland’s lineup in Week 7. He scored a touchdown in his first game back against Cincinnati on Oct. 20.
Then, two weeks ago, Chubb played against the Steelers for the first time in what became almost storybook.
With falling snow providing a scenic backdrop, Chubb ran inside on a play that looked eerily like the one on which he got hurt, darting two yards for his second TD with 57 seconds left to give the Browns a 24-19 win.
Chubb didn’t speak to reporters after the game, perhaps downplaying his comeback so as not to steal the spotlight after the rivalry win.
Whatever the case, his teammates said the performance lifted Chubb and everyone around him.
“I know it means a lot to him. He won’t say it, but it’s true,” defensive end Myles Garrett said. “I’ll say it, because at this time last year we were sick to our stomachs and it hurt to have his family hurting and have to see that.
“For him to come back and be pivotal in this game just speaks to the kind of resilience and the man that he is, and we absolutely love him.”
Chubb feels that warmth everywhere he goes in Cleveland. He’s the team’s most popular player, his status reflected in the thousands of No. 24 jerseys in the stands each week and the resounding chants of “Chubb! Chubb!” before and after every rush.
He even heard them last year in Pittsburgh while being driven off on a cart following his devastating injury.
And as he gets ready to walk back on to that field, Chubb is overwhelmed by thanks.
“Just going back there and knowing how it was last year, last time I played there, everything that happened and just being grateful that I’m able to run and play football again and move around,” he said. “And I think more just the gratitude aspect of me being back there and being healthy.”
Chubb’s inspiring comeback has given the Browns something to embrace in an otherwise disappointing season.
“Nick is the true definition of being a Cleveland Brown,” wide receiver Elijah Moore said. “The city embraces him, and even when I first got traded over here, that’s the first player that I thought of when I thought of the team.
“So to have him back and to respond the way that he’s responding has been nothing but super motivating to all the players. Just a high level of respect. We already had that towards him, but I guess it just raised a whole another bar.”
Chubb turns 29 later this month. The four-time Pro Bowler hasn’t had the same burst that made him so dangerous before getting hurt 14 months ago. However, that had to be expected since his offseason priority was healing.
He’s rushed for just 243 yards (a 3.0 yard per carry average) and three TDs in six games, and Chubb hasn’t been able to break into the secondary on one of those long scoring runs that thrill Browns fans.
Not yet. Maybe not again.
Chubb knows better than anyone that he’s not quite himself, and attributed some of that to inactivity.
“I think it’s just time, the rust and just not playing football for a while,” he said. “Maybe that’s the biggest thing.”
So how close is he to being all the way back?
“I have no idea,” he said. “When it happens, you’ll see it.”
Manny Pacquiao elected to Boxing Hall of Fame
Manny Pacquiao, who won titles in a record eight weight classes from flyweight to super welterweight while becoming one of boxing’s biggest draws, was elected Thursday to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Pacquiao, who fought in some of the blockbuster bouts of the 2000s before returning home to the Philippines to serve in its government, will be enshrined June 8 as the headline name in the 2025 class.
Vinny Paz, who overcame a broken neck sustained in a car crash to resume his career, and two-division champion Michael Nunn were the other fighters elected from the men’s modern category.
In all, 14 people were selected for the museum in Canastota, New York, through voting by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America and a panel of international boxing historians.
Pacquiao was an easy choice in his first year of eligibility after compiling a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during a pro career that began in 1995 and lasted until 2021.
“This certainly is a wonderful Christmas gift. Throughout my career, as a professional fighter and a public servant, it has been my goal to bring honor to my country, the Philippines, and my fellow Filipinos around the world,” Pacquiao said. “Today, I am humbled knowing that in June, I will receive boxing’s highest honor, joining our national hero, Flash Elorde, as well as my trainer and friend Freddie Roach.”
A 106-pounder when he debuted, Pacquiao rose all the way to win a title at the 154-pound limit, yet never lost his speed as he put on more pounds and overwhelmed naturally bigger fighters with a dizzying flurry of power punches.
That led to wins over Mexican rivals such as Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, along with Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley. He ended Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya’s career with an eight-round pummeling in 2008, one of three years in which he was voted “Fighter of the Year” by the BBWA, which also voted him “Boxer of the Decade” for 2000-09.
Pacquiao becomes the fourth Filipino Hall of Famer, joining Elorde, Pancho Villa and Lope “Papa” Sarreal.
Paz went 50-10 with 30 KOs in a career that seemed over soon after he stopped Gilbert Dele to win the WBA light middleweight title in 1991. He broke his neck six weeks later in the crash, but returned to the ring just over a year later.
The Rhode Island native who was born Vincenzo Pazienza went on to score two wins over Roberto Duran and win multiple super middleweight titles while fighting until 2004.
Nunn won titles at middleweight and super middleweight and compiled a 58-4 record with 38 KOs from 1984-2002.
“As a small-town guy from Iowa to reach the highest achievement in boxing makes me proud,” Nunn said.
The remainder of the class includes former women’s champions Yessica Chavez, Anne Sophie Mathis and Mary Jo Sanders; referees Kenny Bayless and Harry Gibbs; and cut man Al Gavin.
Broadcaster Randy Gordon and HBO producer Ross Greenburg were elected from the Observer category, along with Cathy “Cat” Davis (women’s trailblazer), Rodrigo Valdez (old-timer) and Owen Swift (pioneer).
Toronto Tempo is the WNBA’s first expansion team in Canada
The Toronto WNBA expansion team has a name — Tempo.
The Tempo will begin play in 2026 as the league’s 14th team and is the WNBA’s first franchise outside the United States. An expansion franchise in Portland will also begin play that year as well.
“Tempo is pace. It’s speed. It’s a heartbeat. And it’s what you feel when you step into the streets of this city, and in the energy of the people who call Canada home,” Tempo President Teresa Resch said. “As Canada’s WNBA team, I know the Tempo will set our own pace, move at a championship cadence, and inspire people across this country.”
The team’s name was chosen from thousands of submissions from fans across the nation and in 98 countries. It was purposefully designed to work in both French and English, creating an inclusive brand for fans across the country.
Resch said that there were a lot of good choices from the fans, including some that played off the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. One that she said probably wouldn’t have worked because of the team playing in the summer was the Polar Bears.
“It was really a fun process,” she said. “We want to be a team for all Canadian people.”
The logo’s sharp angles and curves are representative of “the dynamic nature of the team and the game.” The six lines of the logo are a nod to the five players on the court, “and the sixth player in the game: the fans.”
The name initially leaked out Tuesday night, when fans noticed the “Toronto Tempo” as part of a dropdown menu on the league’s website. It was removed from the menu within minutes.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Resch said. “Sports is unpredictable. We were able to launch this name in the way we wanted. It has incredible story. Although the date and time was not exactly how we planned.”
Merchandise for the team will be available soon.
Resch said that the next steps will come with hiring a general manager.
“That’s the next big thing to come,” she said. “Especially on the hiring side. Bringing on a great basketball mind.”
The team will initially use the 8,000-seat Coca-Cola Coliseum and the franchise already has 7,000 season ticket deposits. The franchise will eventually have its own practice facility, but will train at the University of Toronto’s Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport until it is ready.
Zack Martin of the Cowboys opts for season-ending ankle surgery
FRISCO, Texas | Dallas Cowboys right guard Zack Martin is set for ankle surgery that will end an injury-filled season for the seven-time All-Pro.
Martin missed the past two games after injuring an ankle late in a 34-10 loss to the Houston Texans on Nov. 18. Martin also battled shoulder, back and knee issues this season, but didn’t miss any games until after injuring the ankle against the Texans.
It’s the second season-ending injury for the Dallas offense. Star quarterback Dak Prescott played eight games before tearing a hamstring and eventually deciding to have surgery.
Third-year player Brock Hoffman started in place of Martin in victories over Washington and the New York Giants. The Cowboys (5-7) are going for a third consecutive win in a visit from Cincinnati on Monday night. Dallas lost its previous five games.
The 34-year-old Martin has been a mainstay at right guard since the Cowboys drafted him 16th overall in 2014. The former Notre Dame standout played all 16 games in each of his first four seasons.
Martin missed two games in 2018, and a calf injury sidelined him the final five games in 2020. He is in the final year of his contract and has suggested he would consider retiring after this season.
Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said the conversation right now is focused on Martin’s surgery, not his longer-term future.
“Clearly a Hall of Famer,” said McCarthy, who joined the Cowboys in 2020. “Not only for the way he plays but just first class. He just commands a lot of respect. Hard-working. True team guy. He’s been a joy to work with and I can’t say enough great things about him.”
As a rookie, Martin joined an offensive line considered one of the NFL’s best and helped DeMarco Murray set the franchise record with 1,845 yards rushing. Dallas lost in the divisional round of the 2014 playoffs.
It didn’t take long for Martin to become the anchor for Dallas’ offensive front, but the unit has struggled in recent years with injuries and a drop-off in productivity. The Cowboys have the second-worst rushing attack in the NFL this season.
—From AP reports
