National Sports

LOS ANGELES — A witness to the deadly crash of a helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant and eight others said it sounded normal just before slamming into a hillside and wreckage examined by experts at the scene showed no sign of engine failure, federal inve

TORONTO — S.J. Green is getting a head start on CFL free agency. The Toronto Argonauts granted the veteran American receiver's request to be released Friday. He was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday.

Toronto FC has signed Argentine winger Pablo Piatti as its new designated player. The 30-year-old Piatti leaves Barcelona-based Espanyol for Major League Soccer on a free transfer.

WAYCOBAH, N.S. — An investigation into allegations an Indigenous hockey player faced racist taunts during a recent game in Cape Breton concluded the verbal abuse did occur but that it was not based on race.

MONTPELLIER, France — Canada's Vasek Pospisil defeated Richard Gasquet of France 6-1, 1-0 on Friday to reach the semifinals at the Open Sud de France. Pospisil, from Vancouver, advanced when Gasquet retired due to injury.

BIEL, Switzerland — Switzerland won the first two rubbers Friday in its best-of-five Fed Cup qualifier against Canada at the Swiss Tennis Arena. Jil Teichmann opened with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over Leylah Annie Fernandez of Laval, Que.

Marc Trestman heads into the start of the XFL season looking for answers. The eight-team XFL begins its reincarnation Saturday with two games (D.C. Defenders vs. Seattle Dragons, LA Wildcats vs. Houston Roughnecks).

Major League Rugby kicks off its third season this weekend with three new teams and some big-name additions in South Africa's Tendai (The Beast) Mtawarira and former All Blacks Ma'a Nonu and Rene Ranger.

LOS ANGELES — Jessica Mendoza will no longer be on ESPN's “Sunday Night Baseball” or work for the New York Mets front office after signing a contract extension with the network.

MAMARONECK, N.Y. — Roger Kahn, the writer who wove memoir and baseball and touched millions of readers through his romantic account of the Brooklyn Dodgers in "The Boys of Summer," has died. He was 92.