D2 EZ M2 THE WASHINGTON POST.WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7 , 2019
BY SCOTT ALLENIn a first for the NFL, NBC Sports
Washington will air an augmented
broadcast with sports betting
information, real-time statistics and a
free “Predict the Game” contest on its
NBC Sports Washington Plus channel
during Thursday’s Redskins-Browns
preseason opener.
The contest, a preview of how
legalized sports betting might one day
be integrated in sports broadcasts and
the latest sign that the NFL is
embracing that future, will invite
viewers to answer predictive q uestions
about the game — such as, “How many
passes will Dwayne Haskins complete
on this drive?” — for the chance to win
a $1,000 prize at the end of each
quarter.
“We wanted to figure o ut a way to do
something different and unique for
the viewers in D.C.,” Damon Phillips,
NBC Sports Washington’s general
manager, said of the alternate
broadcast. “This is all about
engagement. How do you get someone
to enjoy the game even more, and how
do we get them to stay longer?”
NBC Sports Washington, which has
produced Redskins preseason games
since 2011, approached the team in the
spring about ways to enhance its
broadcasts going forward. The
Redskins were excited about the
possibility of integrating a predictive
gaming element, which NBC Sports
Washington introduced for eight
Wizards broadcasts last season, and
worked with the NFL to get the idea
approved.
The league, which long opposed any
association with sports gambling,
announced Caesars Entertainment
Corporation as its first official casino
sponsor this year and will have a team
in Las Vegas beginning in 2020.
The “Predict the Game” contest will
be available for all four Redskins
preseason games on NBC Sports
Washington Plus, the network’s
alternate local channel. Thepresentation will look and sound
similar to the regular broadcasts
airing simultaneously on NBC Sports
Washington and WRC-4, featuring
Kenny Albert and Joe Theismann on
the call, but with graphics displaying
statistics, betting odds and questions
throughout the game.
Fans will be prompted to create an
account and submit their answers to
these questions, most of which will be
multiple choice, on NBC Sports
Washington’s site.
The winner — or winners, based on
the number of correct answers — will
be announced at the end of each
quarter.
“We’re thrilled to partner with NBC
Sports Washington to bring the first
predictive, free-to-play live gametelecast to the NFL,” Redskins Senior
Vice President Scott Shepherd said in a
statement. “This partnership
strategically aligns with our
organization’s commitment to
constant innovation for our fans.”
Phillips said the Wizards’ predictive
gaming alternate broadcasts were “a
huge success,” led to greater
engagement across the network’s
digital properties and will return next
season. Unlike the Wizards’ “Predict
the Game” contest, which included
roughly 30 questions and a single cash
prize at the end of each game, the
contest for Redskins games will
feature more questions and a winner
every quarter.
“We realized that viewers want
instant gratification, and they also
want a lower barrier to entry,” Phillips
said.
“There’s going to be a higher
frequency of questions and we’re
introducing a leader board on the
screen and on the website, so fans
know where they stand at all times.”
[email protected]QUOTABLE“We have a racist
president who is
prejudiced and
misogynistic, who
doesn’t value anyone
outside of himself,
so we have a major
challenge in our country
to deal with as well.”
CARL LEWIS,
nine-time Olympic gold medalist,
during a news conference
at the Pan American Games.D.C. SPORTS BOGBetting that the future is now
PRO FOOTBALLBY CINDY BORENTo m Brady is moving on. Or,
more precisely, moving out.
After signing a contract exten-
sion, the New England Patriots
quarterback and his wife, super-
model Gisele Bündchen, placed
their Boston-area home on the
market, according to NBC Boston
and other outlets.
The house, which was built in
2013 and sits on five acres next to
the ninth hole of the Country Club
in Brookline, Mass., has five bed-
rooms, a three-car garage, a gym,
a spa and an organic herb and
vegetable garden. There’s also a
barn-inspired guesthouse with a
yoga studio complete with “walls
that open up for natural air circu-
lation” and “provide a Zen-like
experience,” according to Zillow.
It can be yours for $39.5 million,
and the Boston Herald reports
that prospective buyers already
have queued up.
Is there any significance to the
listing? Well, yes and no. Brady is
set for this season at a ge 4 2, and in
the NFL, that’s about all anyone
can say.
The news caps a significant
past few days for Brady, whose
birthday was Saturday, followed
by news of his contract extension
surfacing Sunday. He and the
Patriots agreed to a two-year ex-
tension that runs through the
2021 season. That increases his
2019 income by about $8 million,
to $23 million. It adds two addi-
tional seasons at p rospective sala-
ries of $30 million in 2020 and
$32 million in 2021, according to
the NFL Network.
To tal value? It could be
$70 million, although adjust-
ments are always possible and
Brady and the team usually are
just going year by year, especially
since Brady turned 40. The con-
tract, as ESPN noted, “paves the
way for the family roots in the
Boston area to loosen.”
That may be why Brady was
fairly cryptic Monday when talk-
ing with reporters, and he wasn’t
exactly giddy about entering what
he called “uncharted territory”
because of his advanced age.
“I mean, it’s really the reality
for most guys in the NFL,” Brady
said. “I don’t want to think that
I’m different than anyone else.
Football’s a tough business. It’s a
production business, and I’m
ready to go this year and that’s
really what matters.
“It’s a unique situation I’m in.
I’m [in the] 20th year with the
same team and I’ll be 42 years old,
so pretty much uncharted terri-
tory I think for everybody, and I’m
going to go out there and do the
best I can this year and see what
happens.”
That seemed to be his mantra.
“It is what it is,” he said. “That’s
a good line, so whoever said it, it’s
very pertinent. Like I said, there’s
a lot of guys who have one year left
on their contracts, so the situa-
tion — I’ve got one year to go, and
we’ll see what happens.”
[email protected]Up for sale:
Brady’s
house, for
$39 million
TELEVISION AND RADIO
MLB
1 p.m. Atlanta at Minnesota » MLB Network
3:45 p.m. Washington at San Francisco » MASN2, WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM)
4 p.m. Colorado at Houston (joined in progress) » MLB Network
7 p.m. Milwaukee at Pittsburgh » ESPN
7 p.m. New York Yankees at Baltimore » MASN, WTEM (980 AM)
10 p.m. Philadelphia at Arizona (joined in progress) » MLB Network
GOLF
4 p.m. U.S. Women’s Amateur, round of 64 » Fox Sports 1
SOCCER
11 p.m. USL Championship: Las Vegas at Sacramento » ESPNews
TENNIS
11 a.m. ATP/WTA: Rogers Cup, early rounds » Tennis Channel
ATHLETICS
9 a.m. Pan American Games: Day 16 » ESPNU
LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
9 a.m. Southeast Region, semifinal: Georgia vs. South Carolina » ESPNews
1 p.m. Southwest Region, final: Louisiana vs. Texas West » ESPN
3 p.m. Southeast Region, final: Virginia vs. Georgia or South Carolina » ESPN
BASKETBALL
6 p.m. Jr. NBA: Global Championship, pool play » Fox Sports 2
7:30 p.m. Jr. NBA: Global Championship, pool play » Fox Sports 1BY EMILY GIAMBALVOMaryland sophomore wide
receiver Jeshaun Jones tore his
ACL at practice Monday and will
miss the 2019 season, the school
announced Tuesday.
After a standout freshman
campaign, Jones entered this
season as part of the y oung group
of playmakers who provide
promise to Maryland’s offense in
the team’s first year under Coach
Michael Locksley. The Te rrapins
have a deep corps of wideouts,
but Jones probably would have
been a starter.
Jones will redshirt this season
and is likely to return in time for
spring practice.
“Obviously when you first hear
the news, it’s hard,” s aid running
back Jake Funk, who is back after
tearing his ACL in November.
“It’s hard for everybody. You can
ask anybody who’s ever gone
through it. But I can tell you right
now, Jeshaun’s the kind of guy
that’s going to come out and
attack rehab every single day and
have a positive attitude every day.
I have no doubt in my mind that
Jeshaun will come back better
than he was before.”
Jones recorded 288 receiving
yards last year, the second-high-
est mark on the team and the
most among returning players.
He also had 173 rushing yards,
averaging 9.6 per carry; he was a
go-to player for interim coach
Matt Canada’s jet sweeps.
Maryland’s passing game
struggled last year, but it was
poised to improve this season
with g raduate transfer Josh Jack-
son competing for the quarter-
back job and after a year of
development for a group of most-
ly young receivers.
Jones burst onto the college
scene in Maryland’s 2018 season
opener when he accounted for
three touchdowns on his first
three touches — one rushing, one
receiving and one passing. He
finished the year with five receiv-
ing touchdowns a nd two rushing.
[email protected]
MARYLAND FOOTBALL
Torn ACL
to sideline
WR Jones
for season
NBC SPORTS WASHINGTONRedskins’ preseason opener
will be the NFL’s latest step
toward embracing gamblingwashingtonpost.com/sports
PRO BASKETBALL
Haslem is set to return
for a 17th NBA season
Udonis Haslem m ade his
decision: He is returning t o the
Miami Heat.
Haslem, who was considering
retirement, a nnounced Tuesday
he is coming back for a 17th
season. The 39-year-old has s pent
his entire t ime in t he NBA with
the Heat, and he would become
the s ixth p layer in league history
to have such a long career while
playing f or just one franchise.
It’s a veteran’s m inimum
contract, worth just under
$2.6 million this season.
“We are proud to welcome our
captain b ack f or a 17 th s eason,”
Heat President Pat R iley said.
“[Haslem] is the heart and soul o f
Miami, and w e are proud to have
him h elp lead t his team once
again.”
Haslem appeared in only
40 games over the past three
seasons....
Rookie Napheesa Collier had
22 points, 1 1 rebounds and five
assists, and the Minnesota Lynx
beat the h ost Atlanta Dream,
85-69.
Collier, the WNBA rookie o f the
month f or July, scored 10 s traight
points during a decisive 15-0 r un
in the second h alf.GOLF
The European Tour s uspended
Thorbjorn Olesen p ending t he
investigation i nto h is arrest on
charges of b eing drunk on an
aircraft and assaulting a female
passenger while she s lept.
Olesen i s to appear in court
Aug. 21 on charges of sexual
assault, being drunk on an
aircraft and common assault,
according to Metropolitan Police
in London.
Olesen, 29, was a rrested at
Heathrow Airport on July 2 9
upon his r eturn from the World
Golf Championships event in
Te nnessee, where he tied f or 27 th.
He a llegedly got into an argument
with other passengers in first
class and u rinated in t he aisle.SOCCER
English Premier League club
Chelsea apologized for t he
“terrible past experiences” of
some former y outh players a fter
an investigation into c hild sexual
abuse.
Barrister Charles Geekie
found that Eddie Heath , who
coached C helsea’s youth teams
from 1968 t o 1979, was a
“dangerous and prolific childabuser. His conduct was beyond
reprehensible.”
Geekie said t he abuse by
Heath, who died in 1983, “was
able to occur unchallenged,” a nd
his report d ocumented “the life-
changing impact it had on t hose
affected.”
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck
has m et w ith 17 o f the abuse
survivors, with t he club s aying
compensation will b e paid....
Longtime Arsenal defender
Laurent Koscielny is leaving t he
Gunners to join French league
club Bordeaux.AUTO RACING
Two-time Indianapolis 500
winner Al Unser Jr. p leaded
guilty to operating a vehicle while
intoxicated but w ill spend no
time in jail.
Court r ecords show Unser, 57,
received a 363-day suspended
sentence and 363 days of
probation. He i s required t o
complete 480 h ours o f
community service.
An Avon, Ind., officer pulled
Unser o ver May 2 0 after clocking
his vehicle going 59 mph in a
45-mph zone and seeing him d rift
from his driving l ane.TENNIS
World No. 1 Ash Barty ’spreparation for t he U.S. O pen got
off to a rocky start when the
Australian lost, 6-7 (7-5), 6-3, 6-4,
to American Sofia Kenin in the
second round of t he Rogers C up
in To ronto.
Barty, the French Open
champion, c ould lose h er top
ranking i f Naomi Osaka wins her
second-round match Wednesday.
Seven-time Grand S lam
winner Venus Williams lost her
first-round m atch, 6-4, 6-2, to
Carla Suarez-Navarro.
American Sloane Stephens
was also e liminated with a 6-2, 7-5
loss to Marie Bouzkova....
Te enager Felix Auger-
Aliassime o utlasted c ountryman
Vasek Pospisil , 6 -2, 6-7 (7-3), 7-6
(7-3), in the first round of t he
Rogers Cup in Montreal t o set up
another a ll-Canadian m atchup
with Milos Raonic.
Britain’s Kyle Edmund picked
up a rain-delayed, 6-3, 6-4 victory
over Australia’s Nick Kyrgios ,
who was coming off a win at t he
Citi Open.HOCKEY
St. L ouis Blues defenseman
Joel Edmundson was awarded a
one-year, $ 3.1 million contract i n
arbitration.
Edmundson, 26, h ad 11 points
in 64 regular season games a ndseven points in 22 playoff games
during the B lues’ r un to their first
Stanley Cup....
The Nashville Predators signed
forward Rocco Grimaldi to a
one-year deal worth $1 million.
Grimaldi, 26, had five goals i n
53 games last season.EQUESTRIAN
Trainer George Morris
received a lifetime ban f or sexualmisconduct i nvolving a minor —
a case that he s aid has roots that
are more than 50 years old and
that he will appeal.
The U.S. Center for S afeSport
announced t he ban o n its w ebsite
Monday.
Morris, 8 1, w on the Olympic
silver medal i n 1960 a nd went o n
to coach the U.S. and B razilian
teams.
— F rom news servicesDIGESTNBC SPORTS WASHINGTON
TOP: Redskins preseason broadcasts on NBC Sports Washington Plus will
feature real-time statistics, betting information and questions on the screen.
ABOVE: NBCSW had a predictive element for eight Wizards games in 2018 -19.