Update on the latest sports
TIGER-WOODS-CRASH
Los Angeles sheriff will reveal cause of Tiger Woods crash
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The sheriff for Los Angeles County plans to announce Wednesday what caused Tiger Woods to crash an SUV in Southern California earlier this year. The golf icon was seriously injured in the wreck.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva will talk about the crash and what caused it during a news conference at 10 a.m., Pacific time, according to a statement from his office.
Villanueva had previously said detectives had determined the cause of the crash but he would not release it, citing privacy concerns and a purported need for Woods’ permission to divulge information. It was not immediately clear whether Woods had any involvement in the expected announcement.
Woods had been in the Los Angeles area to host his PGA tournament, the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, when the crash happened on Feb. 23. He was driving an SUV loaned to him by the tournament when he struck a raised median in Rolling Hills Estates, just outside Los Angeles. The SUV crossed through two oncoming lanes and uprooted a tree on a downhill stretch that police said is known for wrecks.
Woods is in Florida recovering from multiple surgeries.
NFL-NEWS
Bengals show another veteran the door, release RB Bernard
UNDATED (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals parted with another veteran Wednesday when they released running back Giovani Bernard.
Bernard, a free agent, played his entire eight-year NFL career in Cincinnati and established himself as a reliable blocking back and receiver. The 29-year-old Bernard became a starter for the last 10 games of 2020 after Joe Mixon suffered a foot injury.
A 2013 second-round draft pick by the Bengals, he played in 115 games with 30 starts, rushing for 3,697 yards and 22 touchdowns. His 342 receptions are the most by a running back in Bengals history, and his 2,867 receiving yards are the second most.
The Bengals had already traded defensive end Carlos Dunlap in midseason last year and released defensive tackle Geno Atkins last month. Both had been with the Bengals for 11 seasons. Receiver A.J. Green, who had spent his entire 10-year career with the team, signed with Arizona as a free agent.
In other NFL news:
— After facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady had no problem taking a lightsaber to Star Wars’ Kylo Ren and a unit of storm troopers. A mask-wearing Brady visited the Star Wars-themed section of Walt Disney World with his family and friends on Monday, two months after he led the Bucs to a Super Bowl win against the Chiefs. Since 1987, heroes from Super Bowl games have filmed ads during post-game celebrations, saying “I’m Going to Disney World.” Brady has been featured in these ads more times than any other NFL player.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS
Osaka issues virus spike warning, wants torch relay rerouted
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Osaka prefecture issued a special warning Wednesday that a rapid surge in coronavirus cases is placing medical systems in the region at the verge of collapse and requested the cancellation of the Olympic torch relay along all public roads in the prefecture.
Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura declared a “medial emergency” in the western Japanese prefecture, where daily cases have reached new highs, and asked hospitals to urgently prepare additional beds.
Yoshimura, who previously asked for a cancellation of the torch relay only in Osaka city, said all segments on public roads should be canceled. The Olympic organizing committee said later Wednesday that it will hold the Osaka leg of the Olympic torch run, scheduled for April 13-14, at the 1970 Osaka Expo commemorative park.
The Tokyo Olympics are to start in just over three months with Japan’s vaccination drive still in its initial stages.
In other pandemic-related developments:
— The LPGA Tour says the final event of its three-tournament Asia swing has been canceled. The Blue Bay LPGA on Hainan Island in China was scheduled for May 13-16, following tournaments in Singapore and Thailand. The LPGA said the cancellation was due to current health concerns and travel restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the decision was guided by the China Golf Association, which oversees all golf events in China. It is expected to return to the schedule in 2022.
— The European Tour says the French Open golf tournament has been postponed because of COVID-19 restrictions the government announced last week. The tour says it will work with the French golf federation to try to reschedule it. The French Open was scheduled for May 6-9 at Le Golf National, which hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup. The tour said given the travel of players, caddie and TV production personnel coming from an average of 25 countries, it was best to postpone.
