ESPN college football analyst Ryan Leaf was arrested Friday. Plus: the Liga MX Clausura season has been called off; Top Rank Boxing is planning for a June 9 return to ESPN; and more.
ESPN analyst Ryan Leaf arrested
ESPN college football analyst Ryan Leaf was arrested on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge Friday afternoon and released on bail that night. Leaf, a former #2 NFL draft pick whose past struggles with drug addiction and brushes with the law have been well documented, joined ESPN last year as a game and studio analyst.
Leaf has a court date scheduled for September 25. [ESPN.com 5.23]
Liga MX calls off Clausura season
The Liga MX Clausura season was officially called off on Friday, more than two months after it was halted on March 15. Unlike the vast majority of major leagues, Liga MX stages two seasons per year — the Clausura during the spring and the Apertura in the fall. No date has been determined for the start of the Apertura season.
In other international soccer news, Spain’s La Liga has been permitted by the Spanish government to restart its season after June 8. England’s Premier League was previously given the green light by its government to restart after June 1. [CBS Sports 5.22]
Arum: Top Rank returning to ESPN June 9
Top Rank Boxing will return to ESPN with three live fight cards in one week starting June 9, Top Rank Boxing CEO Bob Arum told Boxing Scene this week. The events will take place June 9, 11 and 13, kicking off a run of two-to-three cards per week in June and July. [Boxing Scene 5.20]
Plus: MLB, Tennis, “This is SportsCenter”
Major League Baseball will send its economic proposal for an abbreviated 2020 season to the MLB Players Association this week, ESPN reported Saturday. … Tennis Channel will broadcast a 16-player women’s tennis tournament from Charleston (S.C.) starting June 23. The field includes the reigning Australian and US Open champions. … ESPN will air three new specials focused on its “This is SportsCenter” ad campaign on Sunday. The campaign turns 25 this year. [ESPN.com 5.23, Reuters 5.22, ESPN PR 5.21]
