BASEBALL
ATLANTA (AP) Braves left-hander Sean Newcomb apologized to his teammates for racist, homophobic and sexist tweets he sent as a teenager.
Newcomb's apology was delivered in a meeting attended by players, coaches, manager Brian Snitker and Atlanta staff.
Ender Inciarte and Dansby Swanson said players accepted the apology. Each said tweets made public on Sunday did not represent Newcomb's actions on the team.
''I think Newcomb is one of the best teammates I've ever had,'' Inciarte said. ''He's such a good person and a great example and role model for this organization, I'm more than proud to talk about the kind of person he is.''
Swanson, the shortstop who played with Newcomb in the Braves' minor league system before their time together in Atlanta, said he doesn't expect the incident to cause problems in the clubhouse.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Before Roberto Osuna steps onto the mound as Houston's new closer, the Astros want him to stand in the clubhouse and explain himself.
Swapping a closer with on-field problems for one with off-field troubles, the defending World Series champion Astros traded Ken Giles to the Toronto Blue Jays along with a pair of pitching prospects for Osuna.
The 23-year-old Osuna is eligible to pitch in the big leagues starting Sunday after a 75-game suspension under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy. He has made six scoreless one-inning appearances in the minors since July 14, the last three at Triple-A.
''It's a tough situation. I think the thing for us to remember here is that the details haven't come to light,'' Houston pitcher Justin Verlander said. ''We don't know the whole story. Obviously, I've said some pretty inflammatory things about stuff like this in the past, and I stand by my words.
''But I think with an ongoing case as is this one, just see what happens. But it will be interesting. I think he plans to talk to us when he gets here and we'll go from there and see what happens.''
BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Red Sox acquired Ian Kinsler from the Los Angeles Angels, replacing the injured Dustin Pedroia at second base even as the AL East leaders distance themselves from the New York Yankees - and the rest of baseball, too.
Boston will send Triple-A pitchers Ty Buttrey and Williams Jerez to Los Angeles, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in the Red Sox clubhouse after they beat Philadelphia 2-1 in 13 innings. The Angels and Red Sox will split the remaining $3,666,667 on Kinsler's $11 million contract that expires at the end of the season.
''He's the closest teammate that I've ever had to Dustin Pedroia,'' said Red Sox left-hander David Price, who was Kinsler's teammate with the Tigers when Dombrowski also traded for him there. ''He brings that intensity, that fire every single day. He's a gamer. He'll make any team better. I'm very happy we got him.''
PRO BASKETBALL
AKRON, Ohio (AP) - LeBron James won't rule out a second homecoming in Cleveland.
The NBA superstar, who earlier this month ended his second stint with the Cavaliers by signing a four-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, told The Associated Press there could be a day when he plays in his home state again.
Asked if he could end his career in Cleveland, James says he doesn't ''close the chapter on anything or close the book on anything.''
The NBA great is opening a public school for challenged children in his hometown of Akron. The I Promise School will initially house 240 third- and fourth-graders before expanding. James admitted to having ''jitters'' before the school's opening. James was at the school Monday to welcome students.
PRO FOOTBALL
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) - The New York Jets have signed Sam Darnold to a four-year, $30.25 million deal, ending the rookie quarterback's contract holdout.
Darnold missed the first three days of training camp practice while his representatives and the team worked out the details of his contract.
The Jets announced the signing with a post on Twitter featuring a short video of Darnold saying he's happy to be signed and calling it a ''very special moment.''
The 21-year-old quarterback was the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft in April. He is expected to compete with Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater for the Jets' starting job.
While the amount of Darnold's contract was already clear under the NFL's wage slotting system, the hang-up appeared to be over contract language.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - More than $500 million in claims were approved as of Monday under the NFL's concussion settlement, nearly a decade earlier than league officials estimated they would reach that amount.
Claims administrators in the settlement released an updated report on the concussion settlement information website saying about $502 million had been approved in less than two years of the settlement. The original actuarial estimates from the NFL estimated a little more than $400 million would be paid out in the first decade.
Attorneys for the retired players adjusted their estimates on the total payout of expected claims earlier this month, saying the settlement would likely reach $1.4 billion- almost a half billion more than the NFL originally estimated.
