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LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw says he disagrees with the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ decision to welcome an LGBTQIA+ group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at the team’s annual Pride Night.

Kershaw told The Los Angeles Times on Monday that the team’s decision to honor the group after it rescinded its original invitation prompted him to approach the Dodgers about expediting the announcement that the team was bringing back Christian Faith and Family Day later this season.

“I think we were always going to do Christian Faith Day this year, but I think the timing of our announcement was sped up,” Kershaw said. “Picking a date and doing those different things was part of it as well. Yes, it was in response to the highlighting of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence [by the Dodgers].”

Kershaw announced via Twitter last Friday that Christian Faith and Family Day will be held July 30 when the Dodgers face the Cincinnati Reds. The last time the Dodgers held it was 2019.

Kershaw, who has been with the organization since being drafted in 2006, said his issues were with the Sisters and not the LGBTQIA+ community. He also added that he will not boycott Pride Night on June 16 when the Dodgers host the San Francisco Giants.

“This has nothing to do with the LGBTQ community or Pride or anything like that,” said Kershaw, who held a players-only meeting in the clubhouse before Monday’s game. “This is simply a group that was making fun of a religion, that I don’t agree with.”

The Dodgers declined to comment on the situation, according to The Times.

The Dodgers rescinded their original invitation to the Sisters on May 17 after receiving backlash from some conservative Roman Catholics and politicians, including Florida’s Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who accused the group of mocking nuns and the Christian faith.

However, the Dodgers’ decision sparked its own backlash from LGBTQIA+ groups around the country, with some deciding to pull out of Pride Night. The Dodgers reversed their decision five days later and welcomed them back.

The Sisters, a group of mainly men who dress as nuns, is a charity, protest and performance group founded in 1979 in San Francisco. Its Los Angeles chapter will receive the Community Hero Award.

The group denied it was anti-Catholic. On its website, the group said it uses “humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit.”

Trevor Williams, a pitcher for the Washington Nationals, also criticized the Dodgers on Tuesday, posting a statement on Twitter saying he was “deeply troubled” by the decision.

The Nationals are in Los Angeles this week to face the Dodgers.

“To invite and honor a group that makes a blatant and deeply offensive mockery of my religion, and the religion of over 4 million people in Los Angeles county alone, undermines the values of respect and inclusivity that should be upheld by any organization,” Williams wrote on his account to his more than 43,000 followers.

“Creating an environment in which one group feels celebrated and honored at the expense of another is counterproductive and wrong. It is a clear violation of the Dodgers’ Discrimination Policy, which explicitly states that any conduct or attire at the ballpark that is deemed to be indecent or prejudice against any particular group (or religion) is not tolerated.”

A handful of athletes have objected to Pride Nights in recent years. Last season, five pitchers with the Tampa Bay Rays cited their Christian faith in refusing to wear Pride jerseys.

Also on Tuesday, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass apologized for expressing support on social media for anti-LGBTQIA+ boycotts of Target and Bud Light.

During the recent NHL regular season, seven players opted out of wearing rainbow-colored jerseys on their teams’ Pride nights. The Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild did not wear rainbow warmup jerseys after doing so in previous seasons.

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Toledo beats Pittsburgh in bowl-record six OTs

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Toledo beats Pittsburgh in bowl-record six OTs

DETROIT — Tucker Gleason ran for one overtime score and threw for four more as Toledo beat Pittsburgh 48-46 in a bowl-record six overtimes at the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field on Thursday.

The game surpassed the previous mark set 48 hours earlier when South Florida beat San Jose State 41-39 in five overtimes in the Hawai’i Bowl on Tuesday.

This is the third bowl game to go to multiple overtimes this season, already the most in a single bowl season since OT was established in 1996. Northern Illinois beat Fresno State 28-20 in double overtime in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Monday. There had never been a bowl game to go to four overtimes before this week.

This also is the first season with multiple games to go to at least six overtimes, after Georgia beat Georgia Tech 44-42 in eight overtimes last month. Toledo’s last multi-OT game was a win in double overtime against Iowa State in September 2015.

Pitt freshman Julian Dugger, making his college debut, ran for two overtime scores and threw for two more, but his incomplete pass in the sixth overtime ended the game. The Panthers, who started the season 7-0, became just the second team in FBS history to end a season on a losing streak of six or more games, including a bowl game.

After Gleason and Dugger traded rushing touchdowns in the first overtime, each team got a field goal in the second. Each threw two-point passes in the third overtime, and Gleason got another in the fourth to make it 44-42.

Dugger was sacked, apparently ending the game, but the Rockets were called for holding. Dugger was ruled short on a sneak attempt, sending Toledo rushing onto the field for a second time, but replay ruled he crossed the plane.

In the fifth overtime, Dugger made it 46-44 with a scoring pass to Gavin Bartholomew, but Gleason tied it with his fifth scoring pass of the game. The sixth put Toledo back in front, and Dugger was pressured into a bad throw to end the game.

The Panthers played without starting quarterback Eli Holstein (leg) and backup Nate Yarnell (transfer portal). David Lynch, a redshirt freshman walk-on, started his first game but was pulled in the third quarter after throwing two interceptions.

Dugger led the Panthers to two touchdowns and a field goal on his first three drives, turning a 20-12 deficit into a 30-20 lead.

However, Toledo got its second pick-six of the game when Darius Alexander returned Dugger’s interception 58 yards for a touchdown. The extra point made it 30-27 with 7:49 left, and the Rockets kicked a tying field goal with 1:45 to play.

Toledo started quickly, driving for a Gleason touchdown pass on the game’s opening drive, but Kyle Louis blocked the extra point and returned it for Pitt’s first defensive two-point conversion since 1990.

Desmond Reid‘s 3-yard run and Ben Sauls‘ 57-yard field goal gave Pittsburgh a 12-6 lead, but Gleason’s 67-yard touchdown pass to Junior Vandeross III put the Rockets up 13-12 midway through the second quarter.

On the next play from scrimmage, Braden Awls picked off Lynch’s pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown and a 20-12 halftime lead.

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Raging Torrent storms to victory in Malibu Stakes

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Raging Torrent storms to victory in Malibu Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. — Raging Torrent won the $200,000 Malibu Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths on Thursday at Santa Anita, with Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan finishing last in the final Grade 1 stakes of the year in the United States.

Ridden by Frankie Dettori, Raging Torrent ran seven furlongs in 1:21.54 and paid $7.20 to win as the 5-2 favorite in the field of six on opening day of Santa Anita’s 90th winter meet.

“We really thought going into it we were the best horse,” winning trainer Doug O’Neill said. “Just watching him day in, day out, he was training out of this world.”

Mystik Dan, a nose winner of the 150th Kentucky Derby in the closest three-horse finish since 1947, was last. The 3-year-old colt raced for the first time since finishing eighth in the Belmont Stakes in June.

Stronghold , seventh in the Kentucky Derby, was second. A trio of Bob Baffert trainees were third, fourth and fifth: Imagination, Pilot Commander and Winterfell.

There was a stewards’ inquiry involving the stretch run between Imagination and Pilot Commander. The stewards ruled that Imagination did lug out and make contact with Pilot Commander, but it didn’t affect the order of finish and no changes were made.

Dettori celebrated with his trademark flying dismount in a crowded winner’s circle.

“Of course, I was afraid of Mystik Dan, but I thought the day to beat him was today,” Dettori said. “At seven-eighths, my horse was very sharp and he proved it.”

Mystik Dan was sprinting for the first time in over a year. He was the first current Kentucky Derby winner to race at Santa Anita since California Chrome in 2015. After his narrow Derby win, Mystik Dan finished second in the Preakness.

“He broke good, but it just seemed like we were always chasing,” jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. said. “I think shortening up took away from him. After running a mile and a quarter, it is tough to go back to seven-eighths. The horse is fine.”

Other races – Johannes, the 1-5 favorite, rallied down the stretch to win the $200,000 San Gabriel Stakes by three-quarters of a length. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, the 4-year-old colt ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:46.50 and paid $2.60 to win for trainer Tim Yakteen.

– 16-1 shot J B Strikes Back won the newly renamed $200,000 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths. Ridden by Antonio Fresu, the 3-year-old gelding ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.80 and paid $34.80 to win. Trained by Doug O’Neill, J B Strikes Back is owned by Purple Rein Racing, the stable of Janie Buss. Her late father, Jerry Buss, owned the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, which are now controlled by her sister, Jeanie Buss. O’Neill’s other horse, 3-2 favorite Katonah, finished sixth.

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Sources: DeSean Jackson near deal to coach DSU

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Sources: DeSean Jackson near deal to coach DSU

Former Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver DeSean Jackson and Delaware State are finalizing an agreement for him to become the program’s next head coach, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Thursday.

Jackson did an on-campus interview in recent days, and the sides are expected to come together to complete the deal in the near future. According to a source, it has always been a dream of Jackson’s to coach at a historically Black college or university (HBCU). That dream could be a reality in the near future.

The 38-year-old would replace Lee Hull, who was dismissed earlier this month after two disappointing seasons, including a 1-11 showing this year.

The news was first reported by Victory Formation Media.

Jackson, who officially retired as a member of the Eagles after the 2023 season, made the Pro Bowl in three of his eight seasons with the team. He became the first player in NFL history to earn Pro Bowl honors at two positions — kick returner and wide receiver. He played 15 years overall and had stints with the Los Angeles Rams, Washington, Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Las Vegas, but he is best known for the six-year run in Philadelphia at the start of his pro career.

In 95 career games with the Eagles, he ranks third all time in receiving yards (6,512), sixth in receptions (379) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (35). As a punt returner, he finished second in punt returns (132), third in punt return yards (1,296) and is tied for the team’s all-time lead in punt return touchdowns with four.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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