Beane and McDermott discuss the release of Araiza...Yankees fall to Oakland in wild extra-innings game...and an impasse over wages for Section VI sports officials. Greg Larson has more details on today's Sunday Sports Update...
Sunday Sports Update
Top: The player known as "The Punt God" has been cast down by the Buffalo Bills. On Saturday, General Manager Brandon Beane (left, foreground) and head coach Sean McDermott (left, background) held a press conference at One Bills Drive to announce the release of rookie punter Matt Araiza (right), who stands accused of raping a 17-year-old female at a party last October. In announcing the decision, Beane stated, "Our culture in Buffalo is more important than winning football games." McDermott indicated that in a meeting earlier in the day, the agreed that letting him go would be the best move. Photos by the Buffalo Bills
Bottom left: A contest that was a pitcher's duel got away from the New York Yankees on Saturday. In the bottom of the 11th inning, the Yankees tried to turn a double play that would have sent the game to a 12th inning, but Anthony Rizzo could not scoop an errant throw by second baseman D.J. LeMahieu, which allowed the Oakland Athletics to score the winning run. The Yankees managed only one hit in a 3-2 loss that snapped a five-game winning streak. Photo by USA Today
Bottom right: A brand new high school football season is scheduled to kick off on Thursday in Section VI, but will there be any regular officials on hand for the games? The Section VI contract with the High School Sports Officials of Western New York is set to expire on Wednesday, and officials for football are prepared to be "unavailable" through September 10th as wage negotiations for officials remain at an impasse. A meeting is scheduled for Monday in Buffalo in an attempt at resolving the issue. File photo
