Patriots give Hernandez 5-year extension
FOXBOROUGH, Mass., Aug. 27 (UPI) -- The New England Patriots have worked out a five-year contract extension with tight end Aaron Hernandez worth up to $40 million.
Masslive.com reported the 22-year-old's contact through the 2018 season includes a $12.5 million signing bonus and $16 million guaranteed.
Hernandez had 70 catches for 910 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games last season.
Coach Bill Belichick said the team was "happy with the deal."
"Aaron's worked hard and improved a lot in all phases of the game," Belichick said. "Passing game, running game, protection, his overall versatility -- he's done a good job for us. ... He's a hard guy to cover."
Hernandez's extension follows the six-year $54 million extension the team gave tight end Rob Gronkowski in June that runs through the 2019 season.
Gabby Douglas tells Oprah of bullying
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas told Oprah Winfrey she felt bullied while training in Virginia Beach, Va., and demanded a switch to a coach in Iowa.
Her comments are a part of the television program "Oprah's Next Chapter," to be presented on the OWN Network Sunday evening, in which Winfrey interviews the 16-year-old gymnast, an OWN press release said.
In the interview, the winner of two gold medals at the London Games said of some other students, "They treated me not how they would their other teammates."
Douglas' mother, Natalie Hawkins, told Winfrey her daughter wanted the family to leave Virginia Beach, and when Douglas was 14, she threatened to abandon gymnastics if she could not move to West Des Moines, Iowa, to train with another coach. Douglas, her mother and three siblings moved to Iowa two years ago to enable Douglas to train with coach Liang Chow.
Penn State drops 'Sweet Caroline' song
STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Neil Diamond's song "Sweet Caroline" -- which speaks of "touching" -- will no longer be played at Penn State football games, school officials said Monday.
The song, a popular staple at sporting events around the country, has lyrics that include a chorus of "touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching you."
School officials confirmed the song will no longer be played at Penn State, which is about to begin its first football season since the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal rocked the school.
But PSU spokesman Gregory Myford insisted the song hasn't been "banned" because of the lyrics, the Philadelphia Daily News reported.
"Although the lyrics were brought up and discussed, to say the song was 'banned' because of the lyrics would not be accurate," he said.
Myford added school officials "hear from fans each year on whether or not we should continue it, given that it happens to be played in so many other professional and collegiate venues and has no real origination here at Penn State."
Diamond has said he wrote the song in the late 1960s after being inspired by a photo he saw of an 11-year-old Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John F. Kennedy.
Ortiz returned to disabled list
BOSTON, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Boston put designated hitter David Ortiz on the 15-day disabled list Monday and activated Daisuke Matsuzaka, who then pitched a winning game against Kansas City
Ortiz has been hobbled by a right Achilles strain. The move to the Red Sox disabled list is retroactive to Aug. 25. He was on the DL from July 17-Aug. 23 for the same injury.
Ortiz is hitting .318 with 23 home runs and 60 runs batted in over 90 games this season.
Matsuzaka, who hadn't pitched since July 2 because of a muscle strain in his right shoulder, got the start Monday against the Royals and pitched seven innings in a 5-1 victory.
