BASEBALL
CHICAGO (AP) - Major League Baseball is looking into a domestic violence accusation against Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell.
His wife, Melisa, posted a photo Wednesday on Instagram with a caption suggesting he was unfaithful to her. In another post, a user named @carlierreed - described by Melisa as a close friend - accused Russell of “mentally and physically abusing her.” The posts have been deleted.
Russell issued a statement that said: “Any allegation I have abused my wife is false and hurtful. For the well-being of my family, I’ll have no further comment.”
Spokesman Patrick Courtney says MLB is looking into the situation. Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says the department “does not have any current investigation” into Russell or allegations of domestic violence.
Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said he found out about the accusation during Wednesday’s game against the Miami Marlins. Epstein and manager Joe Maddon met with Russell afterward.
The Cubs told Russell not to come to the ballpark for Thursday’s game against the Colorado Rockies. Epstein said he’s not sure when Russell will rejoin the team, though the shortstop is not suspended.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Luke Heimlich, a standout pitcher for Oregon State’s top-ranked baseball team, pleaded guilty to a single count of molesting a 6-year-old girl when he was a teenager.
Heimlich’s criminal history was reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive a day or two before he’s slated to pitch in this weekend’s regional final against Vanderbilt. The winner advances to the College World Series.
The left-hander from Puyallup, Washington, is projected to be an early round pick in next week’s Major League Baseball draft. MLB spokesman Michael Teevan said the league had no comment.
In an editorial accompanying the article, the newspaper said it learned about Heimlich’s 2012 conviction while doing a routine background check before running a profile on him.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Pittsburgh has released guard Cameron Johnson to play immediately at North Carolina as a graduate transfer.
Johnson’s father, former Pitt player Gil Johnson, said the school notified the family that it has removed any restrictions for his son to play next year for the reigning national Tar Heels. Pittsburgh had cited an internal policy in trying to require the 6-foot-8 Johnson to sit out a year if he went to another Atlantic Coast Conference school instead of playing right away with two seasons of eligibility.
“It’s been a frustrating couple of months,” Gil Johnson told The Associated Press. “But I’m a true believer in generally people end up doing the right things more times than not, especially by a young man who has given the university everything he could over the past three years.”
Pitt issued a statement confirming Johnson’s release and wishing him “the very best as he pursues his graduate degree.”
Cameron Johnson graduated in three years, including a medical redshirt season in 2014-15, and will provide the Tar Heels with perimeter scoring to help replace departed AP All-American Justin Jackson. Johnson - whose hometown is Moon Township, Pennsylvania - averaged 11.9 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 42 percent on 3-pointers last season.
OLYMPICS
SYDNEY (AP) - Swimming Australia confirmed that freestyler Thomas Fraser-Holmes, a two-time Olympian, has been banned for 12 months by governing body FINA for missing three drug tests in one year.
Fraser-Holmes, formerly ranked No.1 over 200 meters and a Commonwealth Games gold medalist, will appeal his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a bid to make himself eligible for next April’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia.
Over a three-month period, athletes must nominate an hour-long time-slot when they can be tested by FINA and Australian drug testers unannounced. Missing a test counts as a “strike” and three strikes within 12 months can lead to a ban.
PRO FOOTBALL
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - Authorities say former NFL wide receiver James Hardy has been found dead in a river in northeast Indiana.
The Allen County Coroner’s Office says the 31-year-old’s body was identified, but that the cause and manner of death are still being investigated.
The coroner says the former Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens player was reported missing a few weeks ago by relatives. His body was discovered Wednesday in the Maumee River in Fort Wayne.
The former Indiana University star was drafted in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Bills. A series of injuries limited him to 16 games over two seasons in Buffalo. He also played for Baltimore before being released in 2011.
Police say an employee of Fort Wayne’s water filtration plant discovered his body.
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