Packers' Rodgers well after knee surgery - reports
Agence France-Presse
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers underwent left knee surgery after the team's NFL playoff run, according to reports Saturday that said he is recovering well and probable for off-season workouts.
The NFL's website and ESPN reported unnamed sources as saying Rodgers underwent a minor operation on the knee, the same one he underwent reconstructive surgery on in 2004 for a torn ligament.
Rodgers, an 11-year NFL veteran, played all but 10 snaps for the Packers this season. He struggled late in the campaign and had career lows of 238.8 passing yards a game and a 60.7 completion percentage. His eight intercepted passes were his most since 2012.
Rodgers, 32, told ESPN he was "doing well" and "recovering on schedule" but he pulled out of Sunday's NFL Pro Bowl all-star game in Hawaii as a result of the surgery.
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Giants defender Bromley accused of rape attempt - reports
Agence France-Presse
Police are reportedly investigating an attempted rape accusation against New York Giants defensive tackle Jay Bromley stemming from an incident early Saturday morning.
The New York Daily News and New York Post said Bromley, a 23-year-old defensive tackle who made 36 tackles in 16 games for the Giants this past season, is accused of trying to rape a 26-year-old woman and hitting her with his car while fleeing a hotel room.
Reports said the two met online and Bromley picked up the woman at her home and took her to a Manhattan hotel, where Bromley is accused of trying to rape her when she did not want to have sex.
The Giants said they were monitoring the case and had reported it to NFL officials.
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NFL: Concussions remain common even as awareness improves
Andrew Both, Reuters
Two decades after the NFL brushed off concussion concerns as being of interest only to journalists, the issue is at the forefront of any discussion about player safety and unlikely to go away anytime soon.
From the 2015 film "Concussion" about a doctor who fought the NFL's campaign to conceal his research on the brain damage suffered by players, to a lawsuit over brain injuries that could cost America's most popular sports league $1 billion, it is an issue that has the league playing defense.
And while some experts say there has been a sea change in the league's attitude over the past few years, concussions still occur with alarming regularity.
There were 182 concussions reported in the 2015 regular season, up sharply from 115 in 2014, according to figures released by the league, and reversing a downward trend from the previous three years.
Dr. Thom Mayer, the medical director of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), warned not to jump to conclusions about the 2015 number, saying it did not necessarily mean there were more concussions but rather could reflect better expertise at diagnosing the condition.
Under the NFL's concussion protocol started in 2013, each team is assigned an independent neurotrauma specialist who is not on the team's payroll. There is also a "spotter" who can stop a game if they see a player showing concussion-like symptoms.
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Zou Shiming recaptures WBO International Flyweight Championship
Agence France-Presse
Former WBO International Flyweight Champion Zou Shiming recaptured the title by defeating Brazilian Natan Santana Coutinho by TKO in the eighth round in front of a raucous Shanghai Oriental Sports Center crowd.
A three-time Olympic medallist who won China’s first ever boxing gold medal in 2008, Zou was fighting his first professional match in Mainland China after his seven previous matches were held in Macau.
“The homecoming was great,” he said. “I really fed off the energy of the crowd.”
The fight marked Zou’s return to the ring since losing an IBF Flyweight title match to Thailand's Amnat Ruenroeng last March.
“I’ve taken ten months off to rest, spend time with my family and even found a little reality TV fame, but my heart never left the ring,” Zou said after the fight.
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South Korea's Choi clings to share of PGA lead
Agence France-Presse
KJ Choi, chasing his first US PGA victory in nearly five years, closed with a birdie to share the lead after Saturday's third round of the $6.5 million Farmers Insurance Open.
The 45-year-old South Korean shot an even par 72 to match American Scott Brown on nine-under 207 after 54 holes at Torrey Pines near San Diego.
Choi, the most successful Asian male golfer in PGA history, has won eight titles on the US tour, the most recent of them at the 2011 Players Championship when he won a playoff over David Toms.
Jimmy Walker fired a 68 to share third with fellow American Gary Woodland on 208 to pace 21 rivals with four strokes of the co-leaders entering the final round, when wet and windy conditions are predicted.
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Spluttering Spieth three off the pace in Singapore
Patrick Johnston, Reuters
World number one Jordan Spieth struggled again with his putting as he ended a long 28-hole Saturday three shots off the pace at the Singapore Open.
The American was on the course at 07:30 (2330 GMT) to finish 12 holes of his weather-delayed second round, signing for a one-under-par 71 before returning in the afternoon to shoot one-under for 16 holes of his third round before dusk fell.
The six-under-total left him tied fifth, three shots behind overnight leader Song Young-han of South Korea who was level through 13 holes of his third round before play was called off.
Spieth, the headline act of the Asian and Japan Golf Tour's season opening event, had begun Saturday five adrift of Song but felt the gap should have been closed further.
"I made all my putts inside six feet yesterday but missed five or six today. I've just got to get comfortable on the shorter length putts," the American said after his second round.
FINA 'temporarily suspends' Mexico federation
Agence France-Presse
Swimming's world governing body FINA announced on Saturday at its bureau meeting in Budapest that it had temporarily suspended the Mexican federation over Guadalajara's withdrawal as host of the 2017 World Championships.
It was not immediately clear how FINA's action would affect Mexican swimmers' hopes of competing in the Rio Olympics this year.
"In accordance with FINA Rule C 12.1.1, FINA temporarily suspended the Mexican Swimming Federation for not fulfilling contractual obligations concerning the cancellation of the 2017 FINA World Championships in Guadalajara," the governing body said in a statement.
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Los Angeles named site for 2017 All-Star Game
Agence France-Presse
Los Angeles was named Saturday as the host city for the 2017 National Hockey League All-Star Game, with two days of events set to be staged at the Staples Center next January.
The home arena of the Los Angeles Kings, winners of the Stanley Cup twice in the past four years, will host a skills contest on January 28 on the eve of the NHL's 62nd mid-season showcase of elite talent.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
