Aug 17, 2023 4 min read

In the NFL

The Tennessee Titans have avoided a major injury for wide receiver Treylon Burks’ left knee.

Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Thursday after the second day of joint practice with the Minnesota Vikings that Burks suffered no structural damage.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a long-term thing,” Vrabel said. “I’m not putting a timetable on it, but I think it was a best-case scenario.”

NFL Network, citing unidentified sources, reported that Burks sprained his lateral collateral ligament and will be sidelined for at least two weeks.

In auto racing

Former Formula One driver Felipe Massa has accused auto racing’s governing body of conspiring to prevent him from winning the 2008 title, and the Brazilian claimed he is the “rightful” champion.

Massa, who was the runner-up to Lewis Hamilton in the 2008 season, made his claim in a letter sent to the FIA in the first step of a legal battle to take place in Britain.

A member of Massa’s management team told The Associated Press the letter was also sent to Formula One Management, alleging the two bodies failed to act after learning that same year that Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr. had deliberately crashed at the Singapore Grand Prix to help then-teammate Fernando Alonso win the race.

The crash caused a safety car to come in with Massa in the lead and squandered his advantage. A calamitous pit stop at the Ferrari boxes soon after cost the Brazilian the race, where he finished 13th.

McLaren’s Hamilton finished third in Singapore. The British driver went on to lift the first of his seven titles that year with a dramatic fifth-place finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix, which was won by Massa. The difference between the two drivers was one point.

“Simply put, Mr. Massa is the rightful 2008 champion, and F1 and the FIA deliberately ignored the misconduct that stripped him of that title,” the letter states.

In college sports

Approximately 1,000 former Northwestern University athletes sent a letter condemning hazing while defending the school’s culture, saying allegations of abuse within the football program and other men’s and women’s teams do not reflect their experiences.

“We strongly condemn hazing in any form and firmly believe it has no place in collegiate sports or, for that matter, in university life, period,” the letter obtained by the Associated Press on Thursday reads. “The allegations being made are troubling and we support the University’s efforts to fully investigate these claims. However, these allegations do not represent or define the overall athletics culture at Northwestern.”

Northwestern is facing more than a dozen lawsuits across multiple sports with allegations including sexual abuse of players by teammates as well as racist comments by coaches and race-based assaults.

Football coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired last month after 17 seasons. Baseball coach Jim Foster was also let go after one year amid allegations that he created a toxic environment.

In tennis

Men and women will use the same tennis ball this year at the U.S. Open, satisfying some women who complained last year they were hitting an inferior product.

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek – who eventually won the tournament – was among the women who felt their lighter ball didn’t hold its strength as long as the one that was used by men.

The U.S. Open had been the only one of the four Grand Slam tournaments that used a different ball for men and women.