The Cleveland Indians are moving away from a name considered racist for decades. It’s not known when the name change will take effect or if the team has settled on a new moniker. Cleveland’s decision follows a similar move earlier this year by the NFL’s Washington Football Team who were formally The Redskins.
Illinois has fired coach Lovie Smith with one game left in its ninth consecutive losing season. Smith became Illinois’ first Black head football coach when he was hired by athletic director Josh Whitman in March 2016. The longtime NFL coach went 17-39 in five seasons at the school. Smith’s original deal was for six years, but he received a two-year extension through 2023 after Illinois went 4-8 in his third season.
The Illini were beaten by Northwestern 28-10 on Saturday. The Wildcats’ focus now shifts toward the Ohio State Buckeyes. The schools will meet in the Big Ten Championship for the second time in three years. Illinois will face Penn State on Saturday.
Eastern Michigan held off Northern Illinois 41-33 in the season finale on Saturday. The Huskies ended the season winless with a 0-6 record.
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Missouri held off a late charge from No. 6 Illinois and overcame 36 points from Fighting Illini star Ayo Dosunmu for an 81-78 victory in the annual “Braggin’ Rights” rivalry game. Dosunmu set a career high in scoring on 13-of-20 shooting, and Kofi Cockburn had 19 points with six rebounds for Illinois. The Illini will face Minnesota tomorrow at the State Farm center.
No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes beat Northern Illinois 106-53 in Iowa on Sunday. The 0-5 Huskies look for the first win when they host Chicago State on Friday.
The Chicago Bears snapped a six-game losing streak with a 36-7 victory over the Houston Texans. Mitch Trubisky threw for three touchdowns and David Montgomery ran for an 80-yard touchdown on Chicago’s first play from scrimmage. Texan’s Deshaun Watson was sacked a career-high seven times including a safety by Khalil Mack. The Bears are now 6-7 with three games left in the season.
Elsewhere in the NFC North, Green Bay Packers beat the Detroit Lions 31-24 and clinched the NFC North title and Minnesota lost to the Buccaneers in Tampa 26-14. The Vikings Kicker Dan Bailey missed an extra point and all three attempted field goals in loss.
The U.S. Women’s Open champion won’t be decided until today. The final round was stopped just over an hour after play began Sunday because of heavy rain at Champions Golf Club