Hull had CTE when he died two years ago, researchers confirmed

NEWS+NOTES

Hartford Whalers’ star Gordie Howe, left, and Bobby Hull, right, have a chat as Hartford Whalers practice before their game with the Washington Capitals in March of 1980. WILLIAM SMITH – THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

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Bobby Hull, the Hall of Fame forward and two-time NHL MVP who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 1961, had chronic traumatic encephalopathy when he died two years ago, his widow said in a statement.

Researchers at Boston University’s CTE Center found that Hull had stage 2 CTE when he died in 2023. He was 84.

Hull struggled with short-term memory loss and impaired judgment over his final decade. He chose to donate his brain after seeing former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Stan Mikita decline late in his life.

NFL

Salary Cap increases >> The NFL salary cap will be between $277.5 million and $281.5 million for the 2025 season, rising as much as $26 million from last year.

It’s significant for teams projected to be over the cap when the new league year begins in March: Atlanta, Seattle, Buffalo and Cleveland. It might not be enough to save New Orleans, which is more than $50 million over the projected cap and by far in the worst shape heading into 2025.

The salary cap was set at $255.4 million in 2024, up more than $30 million from the previous year.

LA Chargers season Opener in Brazil >> The Los Angeles Chargers will play their 2025 season opener in Brazil against an opponent to be announced this spring, making the franchise the first to play on five continents, the NFL announced.

The Chargers will be the home team for the Sept. 5 game at Neo Quimica Arena in São Paulo. The venue hosted a Week 1 matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers last season in the first game in South America.

Thefts

7 charged in athlete burglaries >> Seven men from Chile have been charged in Florida federal court with orchestrating burglaries at the homes of prominent professional athletes around the country, according to a criminal complaint.

The FBI complaint doesn’t name the athletes, but lists burglaries already made public involving the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, as well as players for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies.

According to the complaint, the defendants are part of a burglary ring that “is known to target high-profile professional athletes when they are known to be away from home.” The men allegedly stole about $2 million in watches, jewelry, cash and other valuables, including a safe they later cracked.

Soccer

Real Madrid, PSG, Dortmund and PSV advance in Champions league >> Kylian Mbappé scored a hat trick, Erling Haaland stayed on the bench injured and Real Madrid dumped Manchester City out of the Champions League.

Mbappé’s stellar trio of goals in the fourth, 33rd and 61st minutes in a 3-1 win padded Madrid’s lead to 6-3 on aggregate score over the 2023 champion in their two-leg knockout playoff.

Paris Saint-Germain beat French rival Brest 7-0, to run up a 10-0 aggregate score.

Borussia Dortmund started with a 3-0 lead at home to Sporting Lisbon and was barely stretched in a 0-0 draw.

PSV Eindhoven ousted Juventus in the only one of the eight playoffs this week that went to extra time.

Tennis

Alcaraz reaches Qatar Open quarterfinals >> Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz reached the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open by beating Luca Nardi 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

The 21-year-old Spaniard let his guard down in the second set, when his Italian opponent fought back from trailing 1-4 to force a decider.

“My energy levels probably went down a little bit, but credit to him,” said the third-ranked Alcaraz, who will next face Jiri Lehecka.

Also Wednesday, second-seeded Alex de Minaur beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-4 to set up a quarterfinal match against fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev.

No. 1 Sabalenka knocked out of Dubai Championships >> Clara Tauson didn’t get much sleep but still beat No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Dubai Championships.

The 22-year-old Dane got to bed late after outlasting Elina Svitolina in a three-set victory in the previous round.

Second-seeded Iga Swiatek beat Dayana Yastremska 7-5, 6-0 and next faces Mirra Andreeva, who overcame Peyton Sterns 6-1, 6-1.

Defending champion Jasmine Paolini was ousted by Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-0.

Baseball

Dodgers Sasaki has success in throwing live batting practice >> Even in practice, Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki draws a crowd.

The 23-year-old threw 27 pitches over two innings of live batting practice in front of hundreds of fans and several teammates. It also seemed like the entire Los Angeles Dodgers organization was watching behind home plate at Camelback Ranch. Sasaki wasn’t particularly fazed by the attention and looked much more comfortable than last week, when he was a little wild during a bullpen session in chilly weather. He recorded two strikeouts, including one on back-to-back splitters to Eddie Rosario.

Racing

NASCAR hands Briscoe major fines >> Daytona 500 pole-winner Chase Briscoe was dealt a major penalty when NASCAR said Joe Gibbs Racing had a modified spoiler on the No. 19 Toyota in time trials.

Joe Gibbs Racing was docked 100 driver/owner points and 10 playoff points. The spoiler base is a single-source part that cannot be modified and was discovered in NASCAR’s inspection process.

JGR also was fined $100,000 and crew chief James Small was suspended for four races. Briscoe now goes to Atlanta Motor Speedway with negative 67 points in the standings.