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Sports

Ravens outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson dies at age 26

Ravens outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson has died, the team announced Wednesday. He was 26.“We are profoundly saddened by the tragic passing of Jaylon Ferguson,” the Ravens said in a statement, which did not list a cause of death. “He was a kind, respectful young man with a big smile and infectious personality. We express our heartfelt condolences to Jaylon’s family and friends as we mourn a life lost much too soon.”AdvertisementFerguson was entering the fourth season of his career in Baltimore. A third-round draft pick in 2018, Ferguson set the Football Bowl Subdivision record for career sacks (45) at Louisiana Tech, where he earned the nickname “Sack Daddy.”Ferguson was a full participant for the first two days of the Ravens’ three-day mandatory minicamp last week before suffering what coach John Harbaugh called a sprained ankle. He was set to report to training camp in late July.AdvertisementBaltimore Police said officers arrived about 11:25 p.m. Tuesday night to a home in the 400 block of Waverly’s Ilchester Avenue, where Ferguson’s body was found. Police said there were no signs of trauma or foul play.The cause of his death is still being determined.This story will be updated. Baltimore Sun reporter Matt Cohen contributed to this article.

Sports

Chicago Bears Q&A: Is there a realistic move Ryan Poles could make for a notable WR? Who will be the best addition to the roster?

The Chicago Bears are off for summer break until late July when training camp begins. Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions in this final mailbag until camp.AdvertisementI find it curious national media lambasts the talent level of the Bears’ WR corps while continually urging the organization to trade away draft capital to acquire another team’s disgruntled and/or underperforming wideout. Kenny Golladay is the latest example. Is there a realistic trade option at wide receiver that would actually elevate the current roster or is Ryan Poles being prudent by staying the course? — David D., Arlington HeightsWell, the Bears don’t have a lot of proven talent at the position outside of Darnell Mooney, and I don’t believe a lot of folks around the league view him as a No. 1 receiver at this point. Could he ascend into that role? No doubt. The jump he made from his rookie season to last year was impressive and with a new coaching staff, new playbook and some familiarity with quarterback Justin Fields, there’s no reason Mooney cannot make significant gains again in 2022. AdvertisementThe Bears are hopeful Byron Pringle is ready to spread his wings now that he’s out of Kansas City and in a position to get more opportunities. Equanimeous St. Brown is an interesting player but he was never consistent enough to get on the field regularly in Green Bay. Rookie Velus Jones Jr. is a player the Bears are really excited about but he has yet to play a down in the NFL. The vast majority of teams have depth with more proven experience and, in many cases, more known talent.ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 30Quarterback Justin Fields works out June 16, 2022, during Bears minicamp at Halas Hall. The Bears all wore No. 41 on Thursday to honor former player Brian Piccolo on the anniversary of his death. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Do I think the Bears will trade for Golladay? No, I don’t. I haven’t heard any rumors in that regard but why would Poles want to pay big money — Golladay is due $13 million this season — for a player that has a track record of injuries, especially last season? You have to think the Bears believe they can get similar production out of one of the players already on the roster. Plus, Golladay is 28.I get repeated questions about the position and nearly all are valid. I don’t see the Bears making a blockbuster move for a game breaker at the position. Who thinks Poles wants to trade away his 2023 first-round draft pick for a player that is going to require a massive contract? Not me. I think the Bears are curious to see how the crop of receivers they have pans out. Not everyone is going to excel or meet expectations, but if one or two are solid it’s a step in the right direction. Maybe an unknown will step forward. I thought former Notre Dame wide receiver Chris Finke made some nice plays this spring. He’s undersized at 5-foot-9, 186 pounds, but maybe he can compete for a look in the slot. Finke entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2020 with the San Francisco 49ers. We’ll see what he and the others look like when training camp gets rolling.I feel the Bears are getting dumped on nationally and picked to be worse than the Jacksonville Jaguars. I believe Matt Eberflus will get them playing hard and Justin Fields can win more games than people think. Cincinnati Bengals-type season? — @dpeak1313The Bengals reached the Super Bowl last season. I do not believe the Bears are going to enjoy a similar resurgence in 2022 and ultimately be crowned NFC champions. There’s a heck of a lot of space in the middle, though, between being worse than Jacksonville and being as good as Cincinnati was in 2021. I agree Eberflus likely will get the team playing hard and that can create the kind of energy needed in the building to power through some rough spots in the schedule. The coaching staff has been really positive about Fields this spring and he has nowhere to go but up. I understand Bears fans, at least a good portion of them, are tired of hearing that this may be a season full of growing pains. From a national perspective, why would there be a different quick take on the team? They won six games last season. Statistically, Fields struggled as much as about any rookie quarterback has in the last decade. Some marquee defensive players departed and there are significant questions about an offensive line that struggled last season. The only additions to the O-line have been center Lucas Patrick, signed to a two-year, $8 million contract, and a quartet of Day 3 draft picks. If Fields takes some steps forward this season, the Bears can be competitive nearly every week and be close into the fourth quarter. Then, it’s about making plays.Are the Bears heading into a really bad season as all experts predict? — @jcadengo1Can you rattle off three or four compelling reasons why this could be a playoff season for Matt Eberflus in Year 1? Yes, it happened for Matt Nagy in 2018, but he walked through the doors of Halas Hall and talked defensive coordinator Vic Fangio into staying put. The Bears had a playoff-ready defense when Nagy was hired and that unit only got better when Khalil Mack was acquired via trade. I don’t see a Mack-type player being added to the roster before the start of this season. Advertisement[ Bears 2022 schedule: Here’s who they’ll play — and our predictions for each matchup ]The Bears are starting from scratch on offense and defense. Obviously, you need to keep a close eye on Fields and his developmental track this season. There are many other compelling storylines to keep an eye on. The roster that has gotten younger and will continue to turn over in the next 12 months. Let me ask you this: If Fields steps up and shows improvement this season while a good bunch of younger players gain experience and show promise and the final record is 7-10, is that really bad? Let’s see what happens. I think GM Ryan Poles presented a long-term plan to Chairman George McCaskey, a plan he knew would take multiple seasons to come together. Poles hasn’t said as much but as I have written before, this roster wasn’t a weekend DIY project when he took it over. I think people need to have open minds and shape their expectations accordingly.Do you think that Trestan Ebner will play a big role in the offense and if so, how does that fit in with Monty and Khalil Herbert? — @sambiinooA big role? That might be asking a bit much from a rookie sixth-round pick. Right now, he projects as a change-of-pace back when he’s fully up to speed. Injuries to players ahead of him on the depth chart could create more opportunities. When I think “big role,” I am envisioning something over one-third of the snaps on offense and that seems a bit ambitious considering the presence of David Montgomery and Herbert, who you referenced, as well as Darrynton Evans. The Bears appear to have decent depth and competition beginning in training camp. Maybe Ebner can carve out a role for himself early in the season and he is smooth catching the ball out of the backfield. I certainly think he can step in immediately as a multi-phase contributor on special teams. He will be an interesting rookie to track during camp and preseason.With spots open at linebacker, right guard and defensive tackle, and salary cap space, do the Bears make more free-agent moves before camp? — @pilcher2700Who are they going to sign? With 32 teams having 90-man rosters right now, it’s not as if there are a bunch of guys on the street that look like Week 1 starters once they have a contract and a uniform. Yes, I expect this roster to be constantly evolving and that could mean players added because of injuries or other reasons. No, I don’t envision the Bears in 2022 adding a difference maker off the street right now. Maybe they get a player or two that can fit their system during roster cuts but it’s not as if the Bears are just biding their time waiting to pounce on potential free agents. Most of the moves at this point in the calendar are for camp depth.AdvertisementExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 57Receiver Velus Jones Jr. warms up, May 24, 2022, during OTAs at Halas Hall. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Who is your prediction for the MVPA (most valuable player added) for this roster? — @gentleindifThat is an interesting question and you can make a case for a handful of players because there are so many new faces. It certainly appears the Bears plan on starting cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker right away, and the rookies could help solidify a secondary that had issues at times last season. Linebacker Nicholas Morrow appears to be a really good fit for this scheme because of his range and athleticism. If one of the wide receivers steps up — Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown or rookie Velus Jones Jr. — that would go a long way toward helping quarterback Justin Fields. The Bears believe Lucas Patrick, the new center, can be a tone setter for the offensive line and that is certainly needed. Justin Jones and Al-Quadin Muhammad are new additions to the defensive line. Like I said, there are a lot of choices among several new faces. If I had to pick one, I’d go with Gordon. He was their highest draft pick and it looks like he could be the starting left cornerback. Brisker has a nice combination of size and athleticism and could be a really exciting young player as well.Given the hole at right guard, is the possibility of starting Braxton Jones at left tackle more about getting the best five O-linemen on the field and maybe means Larry Borom or Teven Jenkins plays guard? — @jtbcubsI see where you are going here but I don’t think you make a decision at left tackle, of all positions, because of a question you have at right guard. Left tackle is the premier position on the offensive line and you can make a case right guard is at the bottom of the list. I say this because some coaches really value an athletic player at left guard, making it more of a priority than the right guard position. [ Column: Chicago Bears gave Braxton Jones a look at left tackle — and the rookie is ready to battle for a job in camp ]Yes, the Bears need to find their five best linemen and get them on the field. They’ve yet to look at Borom or Jenkins at guard this spring, at least as far as I saw. Could that change on Day 1 of minicamp? Sure. Some I talked to when the Bears drafted Jenkins last year thought he might be best playing inside. But I don’t think you put a rookie fifth-round pick at left tackle unless you believe he’s your best option at that position, no matter what else you have going on along the line. Questions at left tackle trump questions at right guard. Maybe Jones excels when pads going on next month.AdvertisementWhich player is more likely to be starting in Week 1: Robert Quinn or Braxton Jones? — @gucasliogitoI have to say Quinn. He’s a starter for this defense until he isn’t on the roster. Jones has a lot of ground to cover before he can really be in the mix to nail down that job.What are the Bears doing with Teven Jenkins? — @joeymalabarbaJenkins got what amounted to half the snaps with the starters at right tackle this spring. It should be noted he was the first player to get a look there too. I imagine he remains in the mix to win that job with an outside chance of the team taking a peek at him inside at right guard. Jenkins is a big, physical player who should look better when pads go on in training camp. It would be premature to write him off at this point. There are a lot of moving parts on the offensive line right now and we’ll have to see how things shake out in the first couple weeks of training camp.Given Ndamukong Suh’s production last year (compared to Akiem Hicks and including health), wouldn’t Suh be a great one- or two-year plug-in veteran option on the D-line? — @basucallyThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers effectively replaced Suh by signing Hicks to a one-year deal. The 35-year-old Suh has indicated a desire to continue playing but at his age, and after winning a Super Bowl ring in Tampa, do you think he’d be interested in joining a team that is in the beginning stages of a complete rebuild? My guess is no. AdvertisementAdding Suh would not fit the profile of the players GM Ryan Poles has brought on board so far. You don’t see a lot of big-name players who are on the back side of their careers. In fact, you really don’t see any. What he has done is shop for available players in their 20s with the idea some or most of them have their best football ahead of them. It doesn’t look like a match for either party. That’s just my take.ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 18Bears inside linebacker C.J. Avery (47) and other defensive players warm up during rookie minicamp at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, May 6, 2022. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

Sports

After a tennis career as ‘the only one,’ Katrina Adams is now on a mission to open doors for women in sports

When Katrina Adams recently spoke on stage at a TEDxBoston event, the topic was generally about her tennis career that began on Chicago’s West Side.But the theme was about learning how to succeed as “the only one” — something Adams experienced at various points in her journey from Whitney Young High School to Northwestern to the WTA Tour to leading the United States Tennis Association.AdvertisementAfter winning the Illinois High School Association state singles titles in 1983 and 1984, she was the first Black player to win an NCAA doubles national championship in 1987 at Northwestern. After a playing career on the WTA Tour that included 20 doubles titles, she became the first Black woman and former pro player to be elected USTA president.[ [Don’t miss] Title IX turns 50: Meet 50 women in Illinois who have impacted sports on — and off — the field of play ]Adams literally wrote a book on the topic last year: “Own the Arena: Getting Ahead, Making a Difference, and Succeeding as the Only One.”Advertisement“There are a lot of times I (was) the first of a lot of things,” Adams told the Boston crowd. “But in that process I wanted to make sure I’m not the last or the only one, that I opened the door and that I led the way and that I represented myself well so that others would have that opportunity to come behind me.Tennis champions Venus Williams, left, and Serena Williams, right, pose with Katrina Adams, incoming chairman of the USTA, during a renovation gala at the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center, Nov. 7, 2014, in Washington. (Alex Brandon / AP)“I had to work twice as hard to make sure I did things right, that I did things well so that I could represent. And that’s hard. That’s not easy to do when you’re the only one because you know that you’re not just there for yourself or your family or your company or organization, whoever it is, but also for a culture and a whole race of people.”She apparently was born for such a role.Adams’ mother, Yvonne, who along with her father was a teacher and principal in Chicago Public Schools, used to tell Adams she came out of the womb a leader.Adams always had an air of confidence about her. She was instinctive, nosy and able to duplicate almost anything she watched, especially as an athlete.[ [Don’t miss] Commentary: 50 years later, Title IX gains are fragile. And there’s much more work to do in the next 50 years. ]“(My mom) used to tease me. She used to say, ‘You’ve been here before,’” Adams told the Tribune in May. “Like, ‘How do you just naturally know certain things?’”Those traits helped as Adams became a standout tennis player, starting when she was 6 years old and begged to play with her older brothers at a summer program near her Garfield Park home. They also served her as she embarked on a post-playing career that has been perhaps even more impactful than her time on the court, even if it wasn’t part of her original plan.Whitney Young High School tennis player Katrina Adams on her way to winning the Illinois state tennis championship against Glenbrook South’s Beth Sierks on Oct. 29, 1983. (Chuck Berman / Chicago Tribune)“When you’re playing, you’re hoping to win Grand Slams, you’re hoping to become a multimillionaire and perhaps never having to work again,” Adams said. “That didn’t happen for me.”AdvertisementWhile Adams was still playing, she became involved with the WTA players association board, giving her a glimpse into the “political” side of the sport. She later rose the ranks in tennis leadership before serving two terms as USTA president, an unpaid position, from 2015-18.“Katrina had great social skills and she always liked the politics part of it,” her former doubles partner Zina Garrison told the Tribune in 2015. “What she has done is not surprising to any of us who knew her as a player.”During her tenure as president, Adams said she was proud of the projects she helped complete: the transformation of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, the opening of the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., and the unveiling of the Althea Gibson statue at the national tennis center that celebrates the first Black woman to win the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals singles titles.“For me, it’s been about making a difference and giving back to a sport that has given me so much,” Adams told the Tribune. “When I started at the tender age of 6, (I had) no idea what the sport was, what it could offer and where it would take me. But the opportunities continue to be endless for me and I’m very grateful, and it’s my obligation to make sure I give back to the next generation.”[ [Sign up now] Get the latest Chicago sports news in your inbox each morning ]After her second term as USTA president expired, Adams has remained busy as the executive director of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program, where she has been for 16 years. She is a vice president of the International Tennis Federation, with which she is the chairman of the Billie Jean King Cup Committee and the Gender Equality in Tennis Committee.She is also a co-host on CBS Sports’ all-women sports analysis show “We Need to Talk” and on the advisory board of Athletes Unlimited, a network of women’s professional sports leagues in volleyball, softball, basketball and lacrosse.AdvertisementHer book, which came out in 2021, talks about her time with the USTA and the U.S. Open.“It wasn’t my idea. It was other people pushing me to write the book,” Adams said. “I’m glad they did because it’s important to be able to share my story and (encourage) others to believe in themselves and know that they can be successful if they push themselves and understand that they do need to own their voice and courage and identity to get anywhere in life.”Adams shared those ideas in her TEDxBoston speech, noting her career started with owning her choice to play tennis and knowing it was what she wanted to do even when she was the only Black player at a tournament.As she considered what’s next in her busy career, Adams hopes more opportunities arise to share her ideas and leadership.“When I hear the younger ladies who may come up and say they admire me or they appreciate me, I’m kind of in awe initially because I’m like, ‘Wow, you recognize me or you recognize what I do or what I’ve done,’” she said. “It makes me feel really good because it makes me realize that things I’ve done and continued to do serve a purpose, and they serve a purpose for the betterment of the next generation.”