Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
NFL NEWS
FedEx asks Redskins to change their name
WASHINGTON (AP) — FedEx has told the Washington Redskins it wants the NFL team to change its name.
Pressure has been mounting on the organization to abandon the name amid the national debate over race. Advocates call a “dictionary-defined racial slur.”
Investors this week wrote to FedEx, PepsiCo and other sponsors asking them to request a change. FedEx is believed to be the first to take action.
The company paid the team $205 million in 1999 for the naming rights to FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, where the team plays. In addition, FedEx CEO Frederik Smith is a minority owner.
On Thursday night, Nike appeared to remove all Redskins gear from its online store. The other 31 NFL teams were listed and a search for “Redskins” came up with no results. Nike did not immediately respond to an email message seeking comment.
Washington, D.C., mayor Muriel Bowser has called the name an “obstacle” to the team returning to the District. The team’s lease at FedEx Field expires in 2027, and it is still talking to Washington, Virginia and Maryland about building a new stadium.
DOPING-KIPSANG
Kenyan runner Wilson Kipsang banned for missing doping tests
MONACO (AP) — Former marathon world record holder Wilson Kipsang has been banned for four years after a series of missed doping tests.
A ruling published by the Athletics Integrity Unit states that the Kenyan runner was found to have missed three tests and failed to provide timely information on his whereabouts on a fourth occasion in 2018 and 2019.
Kipsang was also found to have tampered with the doping control process by making false claims in relation to two of the missed tests.
Kipsang won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2012 London Olympics and broke the world record the following year in Berlin.
F1-FERRARI’S ENGINE
Rival teams still want answers about Ferrari’s 2019 engine
SPIELBERG, Austria (AP) — Rival teams still want answers about whether Ferrari’s engine last season was legal or not, after an investigation was closed following a private settlement with governing body FIA.
Questions were raised as to whether Ferrari’s fuel-flow exceeded its maximum permitted amount of 100 kilograms per hour. Teams argued that this may have been a key reason for Ferrari’s notably superior speed on long straights and its remarkable run of six straight pole positions.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says “it does nothing but promote suspicion when there are private agreements.”
The FIA is now prepared to share its conclusions but needs Ferrari’s permission and the Italian manufacturer is refusing.
SOCCER_FIFA INVESTIGATION
Prosecutor to probe attorney general-FIFA president meetings
GENEVA (AP) — A special prosecutor has been appointed in Switzerland to assess complaints about alleged criminal conduct when attorney general Michael Lauber had undisclosed meetings with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
A Swiss government panel overseeing the federal prosecution office says it appointed Stefan Keller to evaluate four complaints filed by unidentified people. The statement gave no timetable for Keller to either dismiss the complaints as unfounded or recommend further investigations.
Lauber and Infantino met twice in 2016 and again in June 2017 while the attorney general controlled a sprawling investigation into corruption linked to the governing body of soccer and officials worldwide.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
