NFL DRAFT
The Latest: SEC breaks draft record with 15 1st-round picks
UNDATED (AP) — The first round of the NFL draft opened and closed with players from the Southeastern Conference. It was a fitting way to mark the league’s record-setting night.
The football powerhouse had 15 players selected in the first round. That smashed the previous mark of 12 set by the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2006 and matched by the SEC in 2013 and 2017.
The SEC's crop was flush with players from Alabama, which had four players selected, and LSU, with five. The league fell one short of having as many players drafted in the first round as the rest of college football combined.
For the third straight year, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner was taken first overall when the Cincinnati Bengals selected LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. Ohio State produced the second and third picks, with Washington taking defensive end Chase Young just before Detroit picked up All-America cornerback Jeff Okudah (oh-KOO’-duh).
The draft continues Friday and wraps up on Saturday.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DOCTOR
U. of Michigan facing more legal action over alleged abuse
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A legal team that says it represents more than 100 people who allege they were abused by a University of Michigan sports doctor on Friday announced the first step in filing a lawsuit against the school.
The Anderson Survivors Legal Team said it has filed 20-plus notices of intent to sue the Ann Arbor school, its board and Dr. Robert Anderson's estate. A lawsuit would be among a rising wave of legal action against the school, which is investigating allegations of decades of sexual abuse by Anderson.
The university has acknowledged some campus employees were aware of accusations against Anderson before a 2018 complaint that led to a police investigation.
The Anderson Survivors Legal Team says its clients include Robert Stone, the first to speak publicly about allegations of abuse against Anderson, and female accusers.
OBIT-DAK PRESCOTT'S BROTHER
Cowboys: QB Dak Prescott's older brother Jace dies at 31
DALLAS (AP) — Jace Prescott, the older brother of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, died Thursday, the team said. He was 31.
The Cowboys confirmed the older Prescott's death in a brief statement. There was no information on how or where Jace Prescott died.
The older Prescott was an offensive lineman a decade ago at Northwestern State in Louisiana, where the Prescott brothers Tad, Jace and Dak grew up. Jace Prescott played three seasons at Northwestern State, starting all 11 games in his final season in 2010.
Dak Prescott appeared in a Campbell’s Chunky Soup commercial with his two brothers that aired last season.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS
Miss watching sports? Cricket final going live in Vanuatu
UNDATED (AP) — A tropical island in the South Pacific is very likely to be the only venue in the world hosting a competitive cricket final on Saturday, as most international sport remains shuttered around the globe.
Vanuatu (vah-noo-AH'-too) Cricket Association chief executive Shane Deitz is inviting anyone missing live action to tune in to a live stream. Deitz told the Associated Press that bored sports fans “can see something a bit different.”
Vanuatu went into lock down late last month as a precaution during the coranavirus pandemic, and was then hit hit by a destructive cyclone on April 6. The lockdown and closed borders meant there were no reported cases of COVID-19 in Vanuatu.
Cricket is a serious sport in Vanuatu, which has roughly 80 islands and a population of nearly 300,000. It's located east of Australia, west of Fiji and north of New Zealand.
In other developments related to the pandemic:
— FIFA (FEE'-fuh) says advance payments of $500,000 are being sent to member associations to cover running costs during the coronavirus pandemic. Each of the 211 member associations is entitled to $6 million from FIFA spread over the four-year World Cup cycle. International soccer’s governing body says the next installment due in July will now be paid in the coming days along with other payments due from last year. FIFA president Gianni Infantino says the soccer body has a duty “to be there and support the ones that are facing acute needs.”
— The German Cup soccer final has been postponed indefinitely and will likely take place without fans. The German soccer federation says the final will no longer be played on May 23 in Berlin as planned but it’s still sticking to a June 30 deadline to finish the season. There are no dates for the postponed semifinals, which were originally scheduled to be played this week.
— The governing body of field hockey says it has extended the international Pro League seasons by one year to run through June 2021. The nine men’s and nine women’s national teams were scheduled to play January-to-June annually. Games in the 2020 season were stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic. Germany has yet to play in the women’s competition while leader Argentina has played eight of its 16 games. The International Hockey Federation says the new time frame gives it the best chance “to deliver on broadcast and commercial partner agreements.” The subsequent season will run from September 2021 to the following June.
— England will try to reschedule its test series with the West Indies after announcing there will be no professional cricket played in the country until July 1 at the earliest because of the coronavirus pandemic. The inaugural season of The Hundred is due to start on July 17 and has not yet been canceled. The England and Wales Cricket Board has arranged a meeting for next week to discuss whether it can go ahead. No domestic competitions have been scrapped for this year.