Brittney Griner pleads guilty, D-backs' Bumgarner beats former team: top sports stories
Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges months after she was detained at a Russian airport for allegedly carrying vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage, and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Madison Bumgarner beat his old team on the Fourth of July – these are the top stories in the world of sports from July 4-10.
1. WNBA star Brittney Griner pleads guilty to drug charges in Russia: Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession and smuggling charges in court. Griner was detained in February at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters with cannabis oil allegedly were found in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of large-scale transportation of drugs.
US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on July 7, 2022. (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
2. Madison Bumgarner, D-backs send Giants to 5th straight loss: Madison Bumgarner beat his former team, the San Francisco Giants, on the Fourth of July. Bumgarner, now in his third season with the Diamondbacks after helping the Giants win three World Series championships, allowed three runs in five innings. The 32-year-old lefty struck out four and walked three.
Madison Bumgarner #40 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field on July 4, 2022. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
3. Browns trade QB Baker Mayfield to Panthers: Baker Mayfield's rocky run with Cleveland officially ended when the Browns traded the divisive quarterback and former No. 1 overall draft pick to the Carolina Panthers. Mayfield, pushed out of his starting job by the Browns' pursuit of Deshaun Watson, was sent to Carolina for a conditional draft pick.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) leaves the field following the National Football League game between the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns on December 12, 2021, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon
4. Rafael Nadal withdraws from Wimbledon before semifinal with injury: Rafael Nadal withdrew from Wimbledon because of a torn abdominal muscle, announcing his decision a day before he was supposed to play in the semifinals.
Spain's Rafael Nadal returns the ball to Italy's Lorenzo Sonego during their men's singles tennis match on the sixth day of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. (SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images)
5. Raiders’ Sandra Morgan is NFL’s 1st Black female team president: The Las Vegas Raiders introduced Sandra Morgan, a former Nevada gambling regulator, as the franchise’s new president, the first Black woman to hold the title with an NFL team.
Sandra Douglass Morgan is the Raider's first Black woman to be the president of an NFL team. July 7, 2022
The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.
More sports week-in-review stories
- Britney Griner trial, a homeowner gets the Stanley Cup, a shakeup in collegiate athletics: top sports stories
- Swimmer pulled from pool in dramatic rescue, Kyler Murray comments on Roe v. Wade: top sports stories
- Coyotes one step closer to new Tempe arena, Kyler Murray still waiting on contract: top sports stories
- Cardinals player dies in car crash, ex-Arizona football player accused of murder: top sports stories
(Photos by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images; Norm Hall/Getty Images; Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)