Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

MLB roundup: Braves, Astros clinch division titles

The Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros kept alive their division dominance with clinching victories Thursday. The Braves got six strong innings from starter Ian Anderson and home runs from Jorge Soler and Austin Riley to beat the visiting Philadelphia Phillies 5-3, clinching their fourth consecutive National League East championship.

ATP roundup: Top-seeded Andrey Rublev makes San Diego semis

Top-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia beat sixth-seeded Diego Schwartzman of Argentina for the second time in two weeks, prevailing 6-1, 7-5 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the San Diego Open. Rublev edged Schwartzman last week in the Laver Cup at Boston, winning 11-9 in an extended tiebreaker that stood in for the third set after the players split the first two sets. Rublev helped Team Europe win the Laver Cup.

For rookie QBs, struggle is real

No wobbly pass, stare-down interception, busted assignment or coughed-up fumble underscores the sad state of the NFL’s underwhelming rookie quarterback class more than these ugly statistics. Between towering Jacksonville Jaguars starter Trevor Lawrence, New York Jets signal caller Zach Wilson and New England Patriots quarterback and Cam Newton replacement Mac Jones, they’ve combined for a 1-8 record, 17 interceptions and only nine touchdown passes.

Boxing-Britain’s Joyce wants 2016 Olympic gold if fight manipulation is proven

British heavyweight Joe Joyce said on Friday that he should be handed the 2016 Olympic gold medal if his Rio de Janeiro final with Frenchman Tony Yoka was found to have been manipulated by corrupt boxing officials. The fight was one of 11 called into question by an independent report, commissioned by the sport’s governing body, the AIBA, and published on Thursday, that found evidence of corruption and manipulation.

NBA-Warriors’ Green says not his place to tell team mate to get vaccinated

Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green said it is not his place to convince team mate Andrew Wiggins to take a COVID-19 shot and described the debate surrounding vaccinated and unvaccinated players as a “political war”. Reports in the U.S. media said 95% of players in the league have had at least one shot. Unvaccinated players must comply with a lengthy list of restrictions to play this season.

Soccer-Former England defender Butcher wants heading phased out of the game

Former England defender Terry Butcher wants heading to be gradually phased out of the sport to reduce the risk of brain trauma and neurodegenerative diseases. Butcher, 62, was a no-nonsense centre back who was strong in the air and famously suffered a head wound playing for England in a World Cup qualifier in 1989, but stayed on the pitch and ended the game covered in blood.

Soccer-United’s Rashford returns to full training after shoulder operation

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford returned to full training after a recent shoulder operation and should be available after the international break, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said. Rashford said in August he had undergone surgery https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-england-mun-idUKKBN2FB1LX on a shoulder injury, which he picked up during the latter part of the 2020-21 season.

Soccer-NWSL commissioner ousted after accusations against fired coach

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has fired commissioner Lisa Baird in the wake of a report detailing allegations of misconduct against former North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley. The Athletic on Thursday https://theathletic.com/2857633/2021/09/30/this-guy-has-a-pattern-amid-institutional-failure-former-nwsl-players-accuse-prominent-coach-of-sexual-coercion had outlined allegations of sexual coercion and misconduct by Riley, who led the Courage to back-to-back NWSL championships in 2018 and 2019, after speaking to more than a dozen players he coached since 2010.

Ice hockey-Targeted with racist behaviour, Smereck says change is overdue

Ukrainian Hockey League (UHL) player Jalen Smereck told Reuters on Friday he would return to the ice despite an opponent targeting him with racist behavior, but the American said reform was long overdue for the sport. A video showing HC Kremenchuk forward Andriy Deniskin peeling and eating a banana in a gesture directed toward the HC Donbass defenceman, who is Black, during a game shocked the global hockey community this week and prompted outcry over racism in the sport.

Soccer-‘Stop attacking our children’: Sparta Prague condemn reports of Kamara abuse

Sparta Prague have hit out at media reports that Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara was targeted by sections of a crowd comprising mainly schoolchildren during Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League home win. In March, Finland’s Kamara had complained of being racially abused by Slavia Prague’s Ondrej Kudela during a Europa League tie and the continent’s soccer governing body UEFA banned the Czech defender for 10 games.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)