Page 21 - ARUBA TODAY

A21
SPORTS Wednesday 24 May 2017
NFL cuts overtime to 10 minutes during regular season

JIM LITKE and Chargers. Those teams “I did,” he said. “I can’t tell the Super Bowl to Los An-
AP Sports Writer will now host the league’s you how.” geles by a year.
CHICAGO (AP) — National showcase event in 2022. The shorter overtime pe- “We want to be sure that
Football League owners Also approved at the riod will be used in the pre- we do everything right, 100
cut the overtime period meeting was the Oakland season and regular season. percent,” he said after the
from 15 minutes to 10 min- Raiders lease for a stadium Playoff games will also use meetings. “To have the Su-
utes during the regular sea- in Las Vegas, where the 10-minute time blocks in per Bowl, that’s the impor-
son, but also gave players team is expected to play overtime, but won’t end tant thing.”
plenty of leeway to cel- the 2020 season. in ties. Coaches’ concerns Unusually wet weather had
ebrate after a touchdown. For all the maneuvering, that too many players were already caused significant
The two moves are ex- end zone celebration talk exhausted and risking inju- construction delays at the
pected to result in more generated the most buzz. ries at the end of the extra $2.6 billion football stadium
tie games and much more After years of limiting how period was the key factor in Inglewood, California.
elaborate end zone dance — and how much — play- in the decision. Tampa originally finished
parties. ers could celebrate fol- Research suggests the as runner-up in the bidding
“I always planned all my lowing touchdowns, the number of games that will for 2020 — one reason why
celebrations,” said Den- league decided to loosen go into overtime and end owners backed the move Los Angeles Rams owner Stan
ver’s Emmanuel Sanders, up its rules, allowing players up tied will climb slightly. unanimously. The NFL also Kroenke checks his phone
already known for his flam- to again use the football Over the past five years, would have had to waive after an NFL owners meeting
boyant TD celebrations, as a prop, celebrate as a with the 15-minute period a rule that prohibits a Super Tuesday, May 23, 2017, in Chi-
including one that drew a group and roll around or in use, the league has aver- Bowl being played at a sta- cago.
fine last season. flap their arms like snow an- aged about one tie game dium before it has hosted Associated Press
“Now I can go a little over- gels on the ground again if each season. Projections two full regular seasons. If celebrations are deemed
board without getting they choose. show that could climb to Goodell said the moni- a violation by on-field of-
cussed out by the head Even Commissioner Roger three. ker “No Fun League” had ficials, players could still be
coach.” Goodell said he was look- “We don’t think it will lead been thrown around since penalized under existing
At their regularly scheduled ing forward to seeing what to more ties,” Goodell said. he was an intern in the unsportsmanlike conduct
spring meeting Tuesday, players would do with their He noted a number of league office. and taunting violations, as
the owners also decided new-found freedom of ex- coaches said they expect The league, however, will well as fined.
to shift the 2021 Super Bowl pression. a more aggressive ap- continue to penalize any “Everybody has a different
to Tampa from Los Ange- Asked whether he cele- proach to scoring with the celebration deemed of- idea where the line is,” the
les, where construction de- brated the new guidelines shorter extra period. fensive or in bad taste, in- commissioner said.
lays have pushed back the approved at Tuesday’s Rams owner Stan Kroenke cluding those that embar- There is no set time limit on
expected opening of the spring meetings, Goodell said he welcomed the de- rass opponents or mimic how long such celebrations
new home for the Rams just laughed. cision to delay awarding the use of weapons. can continue. q

Dumoulin keeps Giro lead despite

nature break in 16th stage

BORMIO, Italy (AP) — Tom Back on the bike I decided to Oropa.
Dumoulin’s overall lead in to fight and draw conclu- While Dumoulin ordered
the Giro d’Italia was drasti- sions after the finish. I’m still his team to slow down and
cally reduced in the race’s in the maglia rosa (leader’s wait when Quintana fell in
toughest stage Tuesday af- pink jersey) but I’m above the previous stage, Nibali
ter the Dutchman stopped all very disappointed.” and Quintana didn’t wait
to answer the call of nature Becoming the first Italian for him this time.
at the foot of the last of rider to win a stage in this While Dumoulin is consid-
three major climbs. year’s race, Nibali edged ered the sport’s faster rider
Defending champion Vin- Mikel Landa of Team Sky in in time trials, he still hasn’t
cenzo Nibali of the Bahrain- a two-man sprint, with 2014 proven himself as an elite Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali smiles as he crosses the finish line to win
Merida team won the 16th champion Nairo Quintana climber. His best Grand the 16th stage of Giro d’Italia, Tour of Italy cycling race, from
leg, which crossed the Mor- crossing third, 12 seconds Tour finish was sixth in the Rovetta to Bormio, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. Associated Press
tirolo and Stelvio passes. behind. 2015 Spanish Vuelta, a race
Just before the unprece- Dumoulin finished more he led until he cracked two over the Stelvio before (eight miles) at a gradient
dented ascent to the Um- than two minutes back stages from the end. concluding with the Um- between 9 and 12 percent.
brail pass in Switzerland, Du- but maintained a 31 sec- “This is not something I was brail pass on the Swiss side Then it was another long,
moulin stopped at the side ond lead over Quintana, hoping for and I also don’t of the Stelvio. high-speed descent of 19
of the road, stripped off his while Nibali moved up from think it shows my level at the Part of an early breakaway, kilometers (12 miles) into
pink jersey and hopped fourth to third overall, 1:12 moment,” Dumoulin said. “I Landa of Team Sky was first Bormio, an Alpine village
had good legs. But there’s over the snow-covered known for its thermal baths
behind.
down into a ditch to take Thibaut Pinot dropped from nothing to do about it. I’m Stelvio, which marked the and World Cup skiing rac-
care of business. By the third to fourth and Ilnur Za- disappointed about my- three-week race’s highest es.
time Dumoulin got back on karin remained fifth. self that I lost two minutes point at an altitude of 2,758 Nibali attacked up the
his bike, the Team Sunweb Dumoulin entered the while not having bad legs meters (9,049 feet). Umbrail and then showed
rider had already dropped stage 2:41 ahead of Quin- or anything but just having After a technical descent off his downhill skills on the
far behind his rivals. tana. He took the lead by a problem.” featuring nearly 50 hair- descent to catch Landa
“I just had some problems,” dominating an individual The 222-kilometer (138- pin turns, there was hardly and take his 13th individual
Dumoulin said. “I started to time trial in Stage 10 and mile) route from Rovetta to any flat ground before the stage win at a Grand Tour
feel it in the downhill of the then won Stage 14, which Bormio first ascended the final climb up the Umbrail, after a ride of nearly 6 1/2
Stelvio and I had to stop. finished with a serious climb narrow Mortirolo then went which lasted 13 kilometers hours.q