NFL

When Tom Bradys appeal hearing kicks off Tuesday, key arguments will be about who ordered his four-game suspension and whether science supports the leagues findings about deflated footballs.

The NFL says Commissioner Roger Goodell authorized the discipline that was imposed by league executive Troy Vincent, who signed the letters sent to Brady and the New England Patriots informing them of the penalties. The NFL Players Association challenged Vincents power to issue punishment, citing Article 46 of the leagues collective bargaining agreement.

You have no authority to impose discipline on Mr. Brady under the CBA, and such discipline must therefore be set aside, union attorney Tom DePaso wrote to Vincent on May 14. The CBA grants the Commissioner – and only the Commissioner – the authority to impose conduct detrimental discipline on players.

Goodell dismissed the unions claim when he declined to recuse himself from hearing the appeal on June 23.

Brady was suspended four games and the Patriots were fined $1 million and docked a pair of draft picks after investigator Ted Wells found that the Super Bowl champions illegally used under-inflated footballs in the AFC title game.

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COLLEGE

LOS ANGELES (AP) Hip-hop music mogul Diddy has been released on bail from a Los Angeles County jail after an alleged assault at UCLA, where his son plays football.

Diddy, 45, whose real name is Sean Combs, was arrested at UCLAs Acosta Athletic Training Complex on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon shortly after 12:30 pm, according to a statement from campus police.

The deadly weapon was a kettlebell, which is used by athletes in weight training.

No one was seriously injured and campus police are investigating. Officials did not identify the victim of the assault, or say what led to it.

Combs son Justin Combs is a redshirt junior defensive back on the UCLA football team, which has been practicing on campus. He has played in just a handful of games in his three years with the team.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Missouri defensive lineman Harold Brantley has improved to good condition after undergoing surgery on his left leg following a car accident on Sunday.

Rex Sharp is the associate athletic director for sports medicine at Missouri. Sharp said in a news release Monday that Brantley will undergo knee surgery in three to four weeks to repair ligament damage. Brantley also suffered several rib fractures.

Madeleine Stock, a Missouri womens basketball player, was treated and released for minor injuries she suffered in the accident.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Brantleys car went off US 63 in Columbia after he overcorrected. The car then hit a guardrail and overturned.

The university says Brantleys long-term prognosis is good but its too early to say when he will return to the football team.

LATROBE, Pa. (AP) – A Pennsylvania brewery is raising a glass to Joe Paterno.

The Duquesne Brewing Company says Monday its rolling out a brew honoring the late Penn State football coach.

The Vienna-style lager available in mid-August will come in 12-oz. cans featuring Paternos image and accomplishments.

The brewery says its working with Paternos family on the beer. A portion of proceeds will go to charities they support.

The beer is being brewed and bottled at Duquesnes brewery in Latrobe, hometown of Paternos widow, Sue.

Penn State fired Paterno in November 2011 amid fallout from the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

He died two months later while battling lung cancer.

The NCAA in January restored 111 wins negated as punishment for the scandal, making Paterno again the games winningest coach with 409 victories

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BASEBALL

NEW YORK (AP) – Some later-voting fans arent on the Kansas City Royals All-Star bandwagon.

Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera has overtaken Kansas Citys Eric Hosmer in the latest results of All-Star fan voting, leaving seven Royals on track to start the game next month.

The leads of Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas and designated hitter Kendrys Morales narrowed in numbers released Monday.

The game is July 14 at Cincinnati. Major League Baseball says the record for the most starters from one team is held by the 1939 New York Yankees with six, including Joe DiMaggio.

Cabrera, a nine-time All-Star, has 9.3 million votes and leads Hosmer by 1.38 million. A week ago, Hosmer was head by by 470,000. Cabreras vote total of 9.3 million is second overall in the AL to Royals catcher Salvador Perezs 10.2 million.

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GOLF

With Tiger Woods missing the cut, the US Opens TV viewership for the final round was down 30 percent from the last time the tournament was on the West Coast.

Sundays coverage on Fox averaged 6.7 million viewers. That was down from 9.6 million when the US Open was last played on the West Coast in 2012, which allows for the final holes to be played in prime time in much of the country. Woods still had an outside chance to contend going into the fourth round that year, though he got off to a slow Sunday start and was never a factor on the last day.

This was the first Open of Foxs 12-year contract with the USGA to take over coverage from NBC.

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WNBA

NEW YORK (AP) – The WNBA and New York Liberty have agreed to suspend Isiah Thomas ownership application indefinitely.

After further discussion and with the season underway, the WNBA and the New York Liberty have agreed to suspend consideration of Isiah Thomas application for an ownership interest in the Liberty until further notice, the statement from the WNBA said Monday.

Thomas is still the president of the team, and he said in an interview with The Associated Press at the start of the season that the two positions werent directly connected.

WNBA President Laurel J. Richie said when Thomas was first hired as president in early May that it was first and foremost a team decision.

A former Knicks team president, Thomas was the subject of a lawsuit by former Madison Square Garden employee Anucha Browne Sanders that he sexually harassed her. The suit cost MSG $11.5 million, but the Hall of Fame player maintained his innocence and said he was never found personally liable. Even after the settlement, Knicks and Liberty owner James Dolan kept Thomas on in an unspecified role with the NBA team.

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