SPORTS DIGEST || Crestview soccer team sets fund-raiser

Crestview soccer team sets fund-raiser

EAST FAIRFIELD

The Crestview High School girls soccer team will show “Zootopia” during its Outdoor Movie Night fund-raiser on Friday.

The fields open at 8 p.m., with the movie beginning at 9 p.m.

Gordon to replace Earnhardt at Indy

indianapolis

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not race again this month because of concussion-like symptoms and the No. 88 car will be turned over to trusted former teammate Jeff Gordon for the next two weeks.

Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday that Earnhardt has not yet been cleared to drive by doctors and will miss Sunday’s Brickyard 400 as well as next weekend’s race at Pocono. NASCAR’s most popular driver has been battling balance issues and nausea since a July 2 crash at Daytona.

Earnhardt pulled himself out of the car last weekend in New Hampshire and was replaced by Alex Bowman. After another medical evaluation Tuesday in Pittsburgh, doctors told Earnhardt to take more time off.

Ivy League moving kickoffs up to 40

princeton, n.j.

The Ivy League will use an experimental rule this season to move kickoffs to the 40-yard line and touchbacks to the 20-yard line in an effort to reduce concussions and further promote the safety and welfare of its student-athletes.

The league announced the rule change Wednesday.

The goal of the experimental rule is to limit kickoff returns, which account for 23.4 percent of concussions during games despite representing only 5.8 percent of overall plays. The Ivy League will evaluate the concussion and kickoff return data after the season.

The request was made to the NCAA as a part of The Ivy League’s overall review of concussions, which began with football in 2010 and has included eight other sports to date (men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, wrestling, rugby).

It will only be used in conference games.

“This experimental rule change is another example of The Ivy League leading the nation in concussion prevention,” Robin Harris, the league’s executive director, said in a statement. “Our data showed us that kickoffs result in a disproportionate number of concussions and this rule will allow us to assess whether limiting kickoff returns will reduce the incidence of concussions.”

Rangers’ Fielder may need neck surgery

Texas Rangers slugger Prince Fielder is facing the prospect of season-ending neck surgery after an MRI revealed a herniated disk just above an area that was repaired two years ago.

Fielder was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday by the slumping AL West leaders, who had lost 12 of 16 games going into their game at the Los Angeles Angels.

General manager Jon Daniels said Fielder on Monday reported having similar symptoms to those he felt before the 2014 surgery that limited him to 42 games his first season with the Rangers. Fielder was feeling weakness and discomfort in his neck and left arm.

Dr. Robert Watkins recommended surgery for Fielder after seeing the herniation between the C4 and C5 disks.

Judge dismisses OSU band director lawsuit

columbus

A state court has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by a fired Ohio State University marching band director who claimed that negative statements surrounding his dismissal were slanderous, defamatory and an invasion of his privacy.

In a Tuesday ruling, an Ohio Court of Claims judge found Jonathan Waters became a limited-purpose public figure once an internal investigation uncovered a “sexualized culture” within the celebrated band. That gave President Michael Drake and the university’s press office more leeway in what could be said.

Staff/wire report