Manny Pacquiao’s latest disparaging comments about gays have cost him a contract with Nike. It may not be the only endorsement Pacquiao loses, even as he and promoter Bob Arum scramble to contain the damage done by a television interview in the Philippines in which the boxer said gay people ‘‘are worse than animals.’’ Nike issued a brief statement saying it was severing its ties with the boxer over his comments about gays. Pacquiao, a congressman who is now running for Senate in the Philippines, made the comments to a television station that was asking candidates about their views on same-sex marriage. Animals, he said, were better because they recognize gender differences, and ‘‘if you have male-to-male or female-to-female [relationships], then people are worse than animals.’’ Pacquiao has not fought since losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last May in the richest fight ever.
NFL
Patriots cut DB JohnsonThe Patriots released defensive back Leonard Johnson on Wednesday, ending his brief stint with the team. Johnson, 25, was signed to the 53-man roster on Dec. 9 after being released from Tampa Bay’s injured reserve list. Johnson appeared in four regular-season games with three starts for the Patriots and registered seven tackles and three passes defensed. Johnson was active but did not play in either postseason contest . . . The Giants re-signed long-snapper Zak DeOssie. The nine-year veteran and captain of New York’s special teams ended last season on injured reserve with a wrist problem that required surgery . . . Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown will be honored with a statue outside FirstEnergy Stadium. The team announced the tribute on Wednesday, Brown’s 80th birthday. The sculpture of Brown will be unveiled later this year.
NHL
Wideman’s ban is upheldCommissioner Gary Bettman upheld Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman’s 20-game suspension for cross-checking a linesman. Wideman knocked down linesman Don Henderson during a game on Jan. 27. The suspension is the second-longest in NHL history for abusing an official. Bettman added that he was troubled by Wideman’s “total failure to accept any responsibility for his actions.’’ He noted that while Wideman made much at the appeal hearing about apologizing to Henderson, “The sincerity of those apologies rings somewhat hollow, given the text message he sent to a teammate on Feb. 2 — after the conclusion of the hearing before [vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell] — that ‘the only problem and the only reason I’m here is cause the stupid refs and stupid media.’ ’’ The NHL Players’ Association said later that it would appeal to neutral arbitrator James Oldham.
BASEBALL
Rockies, LeMahieu OK dealAll-Star second baseman DJ LeMahieu and the Colorado Rockies agreed to a $7.8 million, two-year contract ahead of their scheduled salary arbitration hearing, leaving players with a final record of 3-1 this year. LeMahieu gets $3 million this year and $4.8 million in 2017. Players had their first winning record in arbitration since they went 2-1 in 2011.
MISCELLANY
Kim’s 63 leads Australian
South Korean SooBin Kim shot a 9-under 63 on Thursday to leave defending champion and top-ranked Lydia Ko seven strokes behind at the Women’s Australian Open in Adelaide. Kim had a three-stroke clubhouse lead over American Casey Grice with most of the afternoon groups, including five-time champion Karrie Webb, on the course . . . Genzebe Dibaba set a world record in the indoor mile in Stockholm, beating a mark that had stood for 26 years. The Ethiopian’s time of 4 minutes, 13.31 seconds beat Doina Melinte’s 1990 mark by four seconds . . . Defending champion and top-seeded Simona Halep was ousted by Ana Ivanovic, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Halep is the sixth seeded player to lose her opening match in Dubai this year . . . Third-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was beaten, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, by Thiago Monteiro in the first round of the Rio Open in Brazil . . . Obafemi Martins announced on Twitter that he has decided to leave the MLS’s Seattle Sounders and join a Chinese club in Shanghai. He had 15 goals in 21 games in 2015.
