The Chicago Bears have released wide receiver Taylor Gabriel and cornerback Prince Amukamara, it was announced Friday.

These two moves will account for $13.5 million in salary-cap space for the Bears in 2020.

Gabriel, 29, had 29 receptions for 353 yards and four touchdowns for the Bears last season.

A six-year veteran, he spent two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, two with the Atlanta Falcons and the past two with the Bears.

Amukamara, 30, spent three seasons with the Bears. A first-round draft pick of the New York Giants in 2011, he was part of Super Bowl team there in his rookie year.

After a stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016, he signed with the Bears in 2017. In March 2018, he signed a three-year, $27 million extension.

The Detroit Pistons announced Friday that they have reached a buyout agreement with forward Markieff Morris.

Morris, 30, has appeared in 44 games for the Pistons this season, averaging 11 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

Morris had signed a two-year contract with Detroit in July that was to have paid him $3.2 million this season and included a $3.36 million player option for next season.

Morris is eligible to be claimed by a team with a trade exception. If that happened, the buyout in Detroit would be voided and the new team would be on the hook for his remaining salary this year and the $3.36 million player option in 2020-21, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.

Teams with a big enough trade exemption include Houston, according to Marks.

CAMDEN, N.J. -- In the wake of benching Al Horford in the final game before the All-Star break and playing him just 18 ineffective minutes in Thursday night's overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown declared Friday afternoon that he still has faith in the four-time All-Star big man, saying, "I want to help him help us."

"There's a human side of this I take a lot of pride in, and figuring that side out as best as I can," Brown said after a brief film session at the team's practice facility ahead of Saturday night's showdown in Milwaukee against the league-leading Bucks on ABC. "Relationships and communication rule our sort of world in many jobs, and certainly does in mine.

"He's a prideful man. He's got a history ... he has been rewarded with the contract that he has, and [I'm] just keeping it very straight, very clean, very quick ... 'This is how I see it. This is how I see it, this way.' And not being apologetic about it. I want to help him help us.

"Somewhere in the middle of that, I am aware of it all. He knows that I am aware of it all. And I believe that things will settle."

Horford was not one of the players made available to the media Friday afternoon by the Sixers.

When Philadelphia signed Horford away from the Boston Celtics this past summer as a free agent, bestowing upon him a four-year deal worth $100 million, the hope was that he could both buoy the team when Joel Embiid went to the bench and play alongside him for significant stretches. The first part of that -- despite the noise that has followed Horford all season -- has actually worked out rather well. Philadelphia is outscoring teams by three points per 100 possessions when Horford is on the court, and the Sixers are actually slightly outscoring teams when Embiid is out of the game this season -- after they were famously outscored by 12 points in the three minutes Embiid sat in a two-point Game 7 loss in Toronto in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

But playing alongside Embiid? That has been a disaster. The combination has been outscored by 2.1 points per 100 possessions in 487 minutes together this season. The 98.7 offensive rating the Sixers have when the two of them are on the court together is more than five points worse than the Golden State Warriors' league-worst 103.9 rating this season.

Thursday night's game, however, might have been the low point of Horford's tenure in Philadelphia. Although he was removed from the starting lineup for the first time since early in his rookie year in the final game before the break against the LA Clippers, he played well and the Sixers beat one of the league's best teams. Thursday night against the Nets, however, he struggled mightily, as Philadelphia was outscored by 30 points in his 10 first-half minutes and by 26 points in the 19 minutes Horford played in the game. He was booed repeatedly when he missed shots -- and not for the first time this season, either.

Meanwhile, he played just a little over two minutes in the middle of the fourth quarter in relief of Embiid and sat out the overtime period completely. Brown attempted to downplay those struggles, chalking them up to the Sixers going up against a Brooklyn team that was playing extremely small. He added that the Sixers still expect Horford to be a significant part of their postseason plans.

"We have seen the history of Al Horford, and all of us would be very naive to think some of his signing wasn't driven to where we want to be in April, May and, we hope, June," Brown said. "Just progress out ... look ahead to see the matchups."

One of the matchups Philadelphia specifically targeted in signing Horford was Milwaukee, which features Giannis Antetokounmpo at power forward and the combination of Brook and Robin Lopez at center. After Thursday's struggles, the Sixers will be hoping for a bounce-back performance from Horford -- and a win on the road, something that Philadelphia, which is 9-19 away from home this season, has struggled to accomplish.

But even if Horford plays well in that game, the questions will continue about Horford's fit. After spending the past decade serving as one of the NBA's most versatile big men, he told ESPN last month that the adjustment to playing alongside Embiid and adjusting to downsized opportunities when they share the floor -- specifically being used as a spot-up shooter to try to give Embiid more room to operate in the post -- has been a difficult one.

It is also why Horford has looked much more like his prior self with the Celtics and Atlanta Hawks when he has been paired with Ben Simmons in the minutes while spelling Embiid at center.

"Yeah, I mean, it is definitely different for me," Horford told ESPN. "It's almost like me continuing to reinvent myself, and trying to figure out other ways that I can be effective."

Horford's struggles led to calls in Philadelphia for him to be replaced in the starting lineup long before Brown actually did it last week. And, after doing so, Brown indicated that Horford won't be returning to the starting five anytime soon. But when he was asked whether he has talked to Horford about what his future in Philadelphia will look like -- given that the 34-year-old is in the first year of an expensive four-year contract -- Brown dismissed the question out of hand.

"No," he said. "And how foolish would that be, to talk about what's going to happen in three years. Like, it's not even close to being on my mind. I'm living in now. I'm very candid, very honest with the way that I see it, the way I just said, and he's been great."

Brown also tried to point back to his time in San Antonio and the way his old boss, Gregg Popovich, coaxed a young Manu Ginobili to agree to come off the bench for the betterment of the team.

There is a stark difference between the way Ginobili was used and the way Horford has been, however: Ginobili was always going to be on the court in the final moments when the game was on the line.

As Thursday night showed, Horford's role in such moments is far from assured. And, judging by how things have gone this season, it's hard to see many instances when it will be assured.

"As I remind everybody, we brought Ginobili off the bench for many years," Brown said. "That's my most personal example that I can share with him. And that wasn't smooth at the start, and there is pride involved. But you end up where you end up, and I think his human nature of being selfless, and a tremendous persona and teammate, is filtered into that competitive spirit and that pride. And so far, I feel like he's in an OK place.

"[Thursday night] wasn't a great night. But that's an outlier, in so many ways, to me."

Griffiths and James Hunt among those set to battle at Llanelli, while Mark McKinstry and Breege Connolly defend titles at NI & Ulster Senior Cross Country

The Welsh Cross Country Championships takes place at Pembrey Country Park once again on Saturday and the event is set to go ahead despite further inclement weather forecast for the region.

This may play into the hands of Swansea Harrier Dewi Griffiths, who will be looking to secure an eighth senior title. The event stalwart is notoriously hard to beat in difficult conditions.

He will however race here following a long lay-off from training at a time when 2018 champion James Hunt seems to be moving from strength to strength.

Hunt’s last outing was a sub-14 minute posting at the Brooks Armagh 5km International last week with Griffiths showing a return to fitness with a 14:24 clocking.

Track specialist Guy Smith and GB international triathlete Morgan Davies will support Griffiths in the Swansea men’s team.

North Walian Nathan Jones is a new addition to the Cardiff AC team, joined by the British record holder for 50km, Dan Nash.

Cardiff are the defending team champions and are possibly the strongest on paper.

Melanie Wilkins of Wycombe Phoenix Harriers and Lauren Cooper of Parc Bryn Bach Runners will start as the favourites for the women’s race. Wilkins was the runner-up last time and Cooper was the silver medallist at the BUCS Championships over 3000m last weekend.

Former Alabama University team mates Sarah Livett of Menai Track & Field and Rebecca Evans of Cardiff AC will also feature in the women’s race.

Andrea Whitcombe is a former multiple Welsh cross country champion who will return to the event in the W45 category, racing for the Swansea Harriers team.

The women’s title went to the Harriers in 2019 but is perhaps wide open this time.

Training partners Elliott Lawrence and Dominic Smith of Swansea Harriers will be worth looking out for in the U20 men’s race.

Osian Perrin of Menai Track & Field was the U17 champion 12 months ago but will contest the U20 men’s race this time.

Samuel Roberts of Sheffield and Derne AC warmed up for the weekend with a solid run in Armagh with a time of 14:41 and finishing ahead of Lawrence, Smith and Perrin.

Morgan James of Cardiff AC will lead his clubs hopes here.

Bridgend AC’s Katrin Higginson will defend her U20 women’s title with Deeside AAC’s Martha Owen the runner-up from 2019 also racing.

Ashleigh Willis will return to Pembrey in the U17 women’s race having won her age-group and the race outright last time.

Lloyd Sheppard of Cardiff AC was the highest placed athlete in 2019 that will remain in the U17 age-group this time.

NI & Ulster Senior Cross Country Championships

Meanwhile, NI & Ulster’s senior athletes will compete at the Ulster University Coleraine on Saturday.

Among the runners vying for the top spots will be UK masters champion Mark McKinstry and Rio Olympic marathoner Breege Connolly, who will be hoping to retain their titles.

After victory at last year’s 6km event, Breege will no doubt be set for a podium position again, with competition coming from last year’s runner-up Sarah Lavery of Beechmount Harriers, who will be hoping to lead her club to a victory in the team competition as well, over three-time winners North Down AC.

In the men’s 12km event, McKinstry will face competition from last year’s runner-up Declan Reed of City of Derry Spartans, who will be hoping for the club prize for the second year in a row. Other contenders for the podium will be Newcastle AC’s Patrick McNiff and Zak Hanna.

Venezuelan’s 15.43m at World Indoor Tour in Madrid beats Tatyana Lebedeva’s global mark

Yulmar Rojas leapt 15.43m to improve Tatyana Lebedeva’s 16-year-old world indoor record by 7cm and in doing so the Venezuelan athlete showed further proof that Inessa Kravets’ long-standing outdoor world record of 15.50m is on borrowed time.

The tall 24-year-old from South America took to the runway with her trademark short-cropped hair on Friday night (Feb 21) in the Spanish city of Madrid and jumped a big 15.29m in the fourth round before soaring out to 15.43m in the sixth.

It follows the world records by Mondo Duplantis in the pole vault during this indoor season – and is the second world record in 24 hours after the women’s half-marathon mark fell to Ababel Yeshaneh in Ras Al Khaimah – and it makes Rojas the red-hot favourite for Olympic gold in Tokyo given that her big rival, Caterine Ibargüen, is now 36.

“I’m over the moon,” said Rojas. “I can’t believe I’m the world record-holder. I want to get home and cry. I need to cry to release the adrenaline I have right now. When I managed 15.29m so easily in the fourth round, I thought the record was definitely in my legs.”

Here’s Rojas’ WR from Madrid. https://t.co/eqTwknZtM2 https://t.co/bIiB8AQf49

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) February 21, 2020

Last year Rojas jumped 15.41m outdoors – at the time the second best in history – in Spain and went on to successfully defend her world title in Doha.

Rojas was born in Caracas in 1995 – the same year Kravets set her 15.50m outdoor world record. She had humble beginnings as she grew up in a crudely built shack that did not keep out water when it rained, but she grew into a 6ft 4in woman who initially played basketball and then did high jump (jumping 1.81m aged 15) and also long jump before focusing on triple jump.

In her breakthrough year of 2013, she set two national junior records in one day – 1.87m and 6.17m in the high and long jump – but she soon switched to triple jump and managed 13.57m on her debut and apart from some injury-related blips since, such as the 2018 season, she has continued to improve under the coaching of Cuba’s nine-time world long jump champion Ivan Pedroso in Spain.

“Yuli is achieving all her goals I set out as a coach,” Pedroso said in 2016. “We are now focusing on her speed, run-up and take-off. She has no limits. When she is focused on a competition, she can be a very dangerous rival and exceed all expectations.”

She is certainly exceeding expectations. Rojas is now the world indoor record-holder and the outdoor record is within her reach. Although given that Kravets was given an anti-doping ban during her career, many will now feel Rojas is already the all-time world No.1.

Outside of track and field, her performances have also boosted the spirits of her fellow country men and women from Venezuela – a nation that has suffered political and economic turmoil in recent years.

Elsewhere at the Madrid meeting on Friday night, Andy Pozzi of Britain won the 60m hurdles in 7.48.

Filip Mihaljević took the shot put by one centimetre from Konrad Bukowiecki in a Croatian record of 21.74m, while Juan Miguel Echevarria of Cuba won the men’s long jump with 8.33m.

Ronnie Baker of the United States, meanwhile, took the men’s 60m in 6.44 and Poland’s Justyna Swiety-Ersetic won the women’s 400m in 51.93

‘My goal is the same as it was at the start of the season’
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

Egypt’s World No.5 Nour El Tayeb says that she is finding her form again as she prepares to kickstart her title defence at next week’s Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family, which takes place in the picturesque Cathedral Hall of the University Club of Chicago between February 27 – March 4.

The enigmatic 26-year-old began the 2019-20 season with victory at the China Open, and followed that up with two runner-up finishes at the Oracle NetSuite Open and U.S. Open.

A loss of form following a family bereavement shortly after October’s PSA World Championship led to a premature exit at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champion last month but, after beating England’s Sarah-Jane Perry to win the Cleveland Classic two weeks ago, El Tayeb says that her performances are getting back to the standard they were at the outset of the campaign.

“I’m getting back to a good level of squash,” said El Tayeb. “I still think i was playing better at the beginning of the season than I did in my last few events. However, going into the Windy City Open with a title is a definitely a good thing that makes me excited to go out there and hopefully play my best squash this season.

“My goal at the beginning of the season was to play better than last season which will automatically improve my ranking. I still have the same goal and I’m trying to play better, win more matches, and the ranking will take care of itself.”

El Tayeb’s victory at the 2018 Windy City Open was a remarkable one given she fought through four successive five-game battles to get her hands on the PSA Platinum title. She ousted Tesni Evans, then World No.1 Nour El Sherbini and Perry to reach the final, where Kiwi Joelle King awaited after upsetting current World No.1 Raneem El Welily.

Despite taking the opening game, El Tayeb soon found herself 2-1 down before facing two championship balls. However, the Egyptian came back from the brink to halt King and get her hands on only the second major title of her career.

“I think that week was the best performance of my squash career so far,” El Tayeb reflected.

“I reached new levels of perseverance and confidence in my physical ability. So I’m definitely very proud of that tournament and it always gives me a big boost knowing that I’ve done it.

“I’ve got the best memories here in Chicago. I think we all love the atmosphere here and the cosiness of the event. I definitely enjoy it very much and cant wait for it to start.”

El Tayeb came within a whisker of making it a Chicago double last year when she reached the final of the 2018-19 PSA Women’s World Championship – the sport’s first $1,000,000 event thanks to the support of Mark and Kimbra Walter – which replaced the Windy City Open on the PSA World Tour calendar.

El Tayeb ultimately fell to El Sherbini inside Union Station’s Great Hall, but is hoping that going back to the University Club of Chicago instead of Union Station will help her to look past that defeat.

She said: “The defeat in the final of a World Championship will always be on my mind. But it’s a different venue from last year, so hopefully i’ll only take the memory from the 2018 title.”

El Tayeb appears in a women’s draw containing El Welily, El Sherbini, King, Tournament of Champions winner Camille Serme and United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy.

Mo back to defend men’s title
Meanwhile, the men’s draw is headed up by World No.1 and defending champ Mohamed ElShorbagy, and he will be joined by younger brother and 2018 runner-up Marwan, compatriots Ali Farag, Tarek Momen and Karim Abdel Gawad, as well as two-time winner Gregory Gaultier, who makes only his second PSA appearance since returning from a 15-month spell on the sidelines.

The Windy City Open is the most lucrative tournament on the PSA World Tour outside of the World Championship, with $500,000 on offer split evenly across the men’s and women’s events. The winner will also qualify for June’s PSA World Tour Finals.

Tickets for the 2020 Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family are available for purchase at windycityopen.com.

Action from the glass court at the University Club of Chicago will be streamed live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (excluding Europe and Japan).

For more information on the 2020 Windy City Open, visit the tournament’s official website

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Luxembourg ladies learn and improve
By TONY GRIFFIN – Squash Mad Correspondent

I first meet Sandra Denis in September 2019 when Xavi Blasco, Bertrand Tissot and I started working together with the Luxembourg national teams. She has been the national champion 21 times, which must be one of the longest winning records in European squash.

Over these few months I have been slowly learning about and coming to appreciate her feats though the occasional comments from different people in the Lux squash community but never from her.

When we talked, she was always asking about things she could improve, the training she was doing or about something that had happened in a recent match…

Her interest in training hard impressed me. She often prefers to train with the men because they push her more.

At the end of January 2020 she lost in the final of the national champs for the first time since 1997. She had missed the tournament twice during that time because of injury.

I knew that it takes a special type of person to be on top for so many years but it was the words of new champion Iulia Bucur that motivated me to share her story.

Iulia told me: “Seven years ago when I met Sandra I was so impressed with the way she played I thought to myself – I want to play that well! My journey to try and become as good as Sandra has included many sports psychology sessions, improving myself physically and even understanding and changing my diet. So, over this time, I have made many changes in my life and I have learnt a lot, so I thank Sandra for inspiring me along this path.”

I asked Sandra few questions for Squash Mad:

How do you feel after not winning the title this year after so many years?

“Quite strange and it’s bit of shock to the system. The losing is not the shock, that could always happen, it’s the not being the champion that´s different. But I’m still training so who knows what the future will bring.”

How has squash in Luxembourg changed since you won your first title in 1997?

Back then we only had one club and one coach in the country. Now we have a few clubs and various coaches. This diversity is a good thing for wome’s squash

The federation in the last few years has also been working hard to bring in different coaches, which is also having a positive influence on squash here. The diversity of ideas is good for us all.

And Luxembourg?

We have a wonderful little country. I love representing it at the Europeans and just to be clear we have our own language – it is not German….

Picture courtesy of Tony Griffin