Wednesday's Sports In Brief
SOCCER
BERLIN (AP) FIFA President Sepp Blatter has said in a magazine interview that he is not corrupt and that he has a ''clear conscience'' despite corruption investigations into world soccer's governing body.
''Whoever accuses me of being corrupt has to prove it to me first. But nobody can do that because I'm not corrupt,'' Blatter told Thursday's edition of German weekly Bunte, extracts of which were released Wednesday.
Four days after being re-elected for a fifth term, Blatter said on June 2 that he would step down amid a crisis provoked by American and Swiss federal investigations of corruption linked to FIFA.
American law enforcement officials have confirmed that Blatter is a target of their investigation into widespread bribery and racketeering linked to broadcast rights and hosting votes for international tournaments.
NEW YORK (AP) - The United States' win over Germany is the most-watched men's or women's World Cup semifinal ever on American television.
The 2-0 victory by the second-ranked U.S. over the No. 1 Germans on Tuesday night averaged 8.4 million viewers on Fox. The network said the previous high was 5.9 million for the 2006 men's semifinal between Germany and Italy.
The audience was up 47 percent from the 5.7 million for the Americans' quarterfinal against China on Friday night. And it was more than double the 3.4 million for the Americans' semifinal in 2011, which was played during the day in the U.S. with the tournament in Germany.
HOUSTON (AP) - Mexico's Gold Cup chances could take a hit after Tuesday's tuneup game with Honduras. Star forward Javier `'Chicharito'' Hernandez left the scoreless draw with a collarbone injury.
''We still don't have a report,'' Mexico head coach Miguel Herrera said through a translator. ''Yes, there's an impact, but we're just thinking about what's ahead. This is an unfortunate situation we cannot fix. With Chicharito he was going through a great moment in his career and the injury came; but we're just moving on.''
Chicharito left in the 41st minute after a collision with Brayan Beckeles and was taken to a hospital to evaluate the injury. Hernandez has 40 goals for the Mexican national team in 75 appearances.
If ruled out, Hernandez would join defender Hector Moreno, who broke his left leg in a 2-2 draw Costa Rica on June 27, as injury scratches for the Gold Cup.
NFL
PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to turn the 2023 Super Bowl into a home game.
The franchise submitted an application at the owner's meetings in May for the right to bid on the 2023 Super Bowl. It's the first time the Steelers - whose six Super Bowl victories are the most in the NFL - and city have sent in an application to host the title game. The NFL will not open up the actual bidding for the game until 2018. The vote on who will host the 2023 Super Bowl won't come until 2019.
Team president Art Rooney II met with Pittsburgh leaders on Wednesday to provide an update and also caution that things remain in the exploratory stage.
City and team officials will visit previous Super Bowl host cities as part of their due diligence, including cold weather hosts like New Jersey.
NHL
GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) - Glen Sather didn't get a chance to raise the Stanley Cup as general manager of the New York Rangers, so he'll just have to settle for making them a lot better in his 15 seasons in charge.
Sather announced that he was stepping down as the Rangers general manager and being replaced by longtime assistant Jeff Gorton.
The past four years have been the best part of the run, with the Rangers making the Eastern Conference finals three times and playing for the Stanley Cup in 2014 against the Los Angeles Kings.
New York had the NHL's best regular-season record this past season, but lost the conference finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.
The 71-year-old Sather, who will remain as the team's president, said he has been thinking about leaving the GM post for two or three years after spending more than three decades as a player, coach and front office executive with the Edmonton Oilers and Rangers.
COLLEGE SPORTS
URBANA, Ill. (AP) - Seven former University of Illinois women's basketball players sued the university Wednesday, accusing coach Matt Bollant and a former assistant of violating their civil rights by using race to divide the team and try to force some players out.
The lawsuit adds to this year's stream of accusations against the school's sports programs over player treatment. Some of the plaintiffs' parents made similar complaints to the school in May, claims that are being investigated by a university-hired law firm along with one from a former football player who says his injuries weren't properly handled. A former soccer player has sued the school over the handling of her concussions.
The university, athletic director Mike Thomas, Bollant, former assistant Mike Divilbiss and university trustees are named in the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Champaign. The ex-players seek at least $10 million in damages.
Bollant and Divilbiss are accused of holding segregated practices, using more severe discipline for black players and taking other steps that the players believe were designed to pressure black players and white players who supported them to leave the team, according to the lawsuit. Some of the accusations date to Bollant's hiring in 2012, while others address the two most recent seasons.
GOLF
FLOURTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Matt Dobyns won the PGA Professional National Championship for the second time in four years to top the 20 qualifiers for the PGA Championship.
Dobyns, the 37-year-old head pro at Fresh Meadow in Lake Success, New York, took advantage of playing partner Ben Polland's closing double bogey for a three-stroke swing and a one-shot victory at windy Philadelphia Cricket Club.
After Polland missed a 10-foot bogey putt on the par-4 18th, Dobyns holed a 4-footer for birdie for an even-par 70 and a 3-under 279 total. In 2012 in Seaside, California, the former University of Texas player won by a record eight strokes.
Dobyns earned $75,000. The PGA Championship is next month at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
AUTO RACING
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Graham Rahal's team has been fined $10,000 because the Fontana winner left the pits with a fuel hose attached to his car Saturday.
Half of the fine issued Wednesday was suspended and one of the crew members was put on probation for three races.
Defending series champ Will Power was fined $25,000 and placed on probation for the rest of the season for directing improper language or gestures at a series official.
Five other teams were fined for pit violations including Tristan Vautier, who was docked $10,000 for hitting a crew member in pit lane. He was placed on probation the rest of this season.
Chevrolet received a 60-point bonus and Honda, a 30-point bonus, for meeting the engine life cycle but each was docked 60 points for engines that fell short.