Rodgers insists no role in firing

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 06: Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty walks off the court after the Liberty defeated the Las Vegas Aces 76-62 in Game Four of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs semifinals to win the series three games to one at Michelob ULTRA Arena on October 06, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) answers questions after playing against the Denver Broncos in an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

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Co-Owner Michael Jordan of 23XII Racing sits in his pit box during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Talladega, Ala. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)

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Rodgers insists no role in firing

Aaron Rodgers insisted he played no role in the firing of Robert Saleh as the New York Jets coach and called such allegations “patently false.” The star quarterback made his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, a day after Jets owner Woody Johnson fired Saleh after the team got off to a 2-3 start in the coach’s fourth season. There was speculation by some media and fans that Rodgers might have had a hand in influencing Johnson. “As far as any of the ridiculous allegations out there, I’m not going to spend more than one sentence in response to it,” Rodgers said. “And that is I resent any of those accusations because they’re patently false. And it’s interesting the amount of power that people think that I have, which I don’t.” Rodgers confirmed he spoke to Johnson on Monday night during a “nice call,” but said the owner simply asked him how he was feeling after spraining his left ankle in the Jets’ loss to Minnesota in London on Sunday. Both Johnson and Rodgers said there was no talk of Saleh’s future.

Liberty, Lynx face off for WNBA title

Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty are back in the Finals, looking for the first championship in franchise history. They’ll have to beat the Minnesota Lynx to do it. The Liberty advanced to the WNBA Finals for the second straight year after knocking off the two-time defending Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals. They’ve made the championship round five times and lost each one. The Lynx made it this far for the first time since 2017 when they won the last of their four championships during a seven-year span. Minnesota needed five games to advance to the Finals, beating Connecticut at home Tuesday night in the decisive game. Game 1 of the best-of-5 Finals is Thursday night. These two teams faced off for a title already this year when Minnesota won the Commissioner’s Cup championship back in June. New York is hungry for a championship after falling just short against Las Vegas last season. The Liberty went to the finals in three of the league’s first four years and lost each time to the Houston Comets. Then they lost two years later to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Two teams ask court for injunction

The two teams suing NASCAR asked a judge for a preliminary injunction so they can compete next season under the charter system they are challenging as their antitrust case moves through federal court. 23XI Racing, which is owned by Michael Jordan, veteran driver Denny Hamlin and Curtis Polk, and Front Row Motorsports, owned by Bob Jenkins, sued NASCAR and chairman Jim France last week in the Western District of North Carolina. The two teams accused NASCAR of being “monopolistic bullies” after refusing to sign new charters proposed by the stock car series. The charter system is a revenue-sharing model that is similar to a franchise in other professional sports. Although charters can be sold and leased, the charters have contractually binding terms, expiration dates and can be revoked by NASCAR. 23XI and Front Row were the only two organizations out of 15 that refused to sign; almost every other team has said they signed on deadline only because NASCAR threatened to do away with the charter system entirely. — Associated Press