Monday Morning Sports Update

kevin-harvick

 

Kevin Harvick is a winner at the site of his first NASCAR Cup victory.
Harvick turned in another dominating run at Atlanta Motor Speedway, cruising to victory over Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. Harvick won for the second time since NASCAR returned from the shutdown, adding to his emotional victory at Darlington in the first race back.
Harvick came into the day having led 1,138 laps on the 1.54-mile Atlanta trioval, far more than any other driver in the 40-car field.
He now has 51 wins — breaking a tie with Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson for the 12th spot on the career list. Three of those triumphs have come at Atlanta Motor Speedway, including in 2001 and 2018.
Busch ended up second, followed by Truex, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin. Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was seventh in what may have been his final Atlanta appearance. Johnson plans to retire as a driver after the season.

 

The Chicago Bulls’ new top basketball executive isn’t ready to make any announcements about the coaching staff. Arturas Karnisovas still has not met in person with head coach Jim Boylen. And that’s something he would like to do before going public with any decisions. Boylen’s future is the biggest issue hanging over the Bulls, whose season ended when the NBA’s Board of Governors approved a 22-team format to restart the pandemic-interrupted season next month in Orlando. The Bulls have missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons. Boylen has a 39-84 record in just under two years.

 

Iowa football strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle denies any “unethical behavior or bias” based on race.
Several black former players posted on social media Friday night about issues they saw in the football program, attributing many of them to Doyle. He was placed on administrative leave Saturday, part of a decision made by coach Kirk Ferentz in what he called “a defining moment” for Iowa’s football program.

 

The wife of New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees has now apologized for comments her husband made regarding his opposition to Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during the national anthem. Her Instagram post says “we are the problem.” Brittany Brees shared those words Saturday along with a Bible verse and two quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr. She wrote: “To say ‘I don’t agree with disrespecting the flag,’ I now understand was also saying I don’t understand what the problem really is.” Her husband has apologized several times for his original comments after he received criticism from high-profile athletes and some of his teammates.