Sports Round-up: Schumer backs Kaepernick, Hamilton on pole, Gronk's chances

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was downgraded to doubtful for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears, the team announced Saturday evening.

 

Comic Amy Schumer backs Kaepernick, says she won't do Super Bowl ads

U.S. comedian and actress Amy Schumer has said she will not appear in any commercials during the 2019 Super Bowl in support of National Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick's protests against racial injustice. "I personally told my reps I wouldn't do a Super Bowl commercial this year," Schumer wrote in an Instagram post on Friday. "Hitting the NFL with the advertisers is the only way to really hurt them."

NFL notebook: Gronk's chances of playing Sunday look grim

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was downgraded to doubtful for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears, the team announced Saturday evening. ESPN reported earlier in the day that Gronkowski did not travel with his teammates to Chicago and was "highly unlikely" to play.

NHL roundup: Skinner's hat trick leads Sabres in a rout

Jeff Skinner earned a hat trick, and goaltender Linus Ullmark made 19 saves as the visiting Buffalo Sabres cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday afternoon. Skinner scored his first goal at 3:31 of the second period. He tallied again at 15:52 of the period before his final goal came on an empty net with less than a minute to play in the third.

MLB notebook: Sale blames belly ring for illness

If you believe Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale, he already has a ring. A bellybutton ring. The sale raised eyebrows and prompted more than a few sceptics Saturday when he blamed his recent stomach illness on a rash caused by his bellybutton ring. The eccentric southpaw has a history of teasing reporters, and the veracity of his latest explanation remained up for debate.

Hamilton on pole in Austin, Vettel starts fifth

Lewis Hamilton took a big step toward clinching his fifth Formula One world championship after putting his Mercedes on pole position at the U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday with Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel starting fifth. The Briton, who will take the title if he scores eight points more than Vettel, will share the front row with the German's Finnish teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

ATP roundup: Gulbis stuns Isner in Sweden

Latvia's Ernests Gulbis stunned top-seeded American John Isner 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday to reach the final of the Intrum Stockholm Open in Sweden. "I was fighting for every point," said Gulbis, who will try for his sixth title and first since 2014. "I think I returned a lot smarter in the second and third set."

NHL roundup: Panthers top Caps in shootout

Jonathan Huberdeau scored the deciding goal in the fourth round of a shootout as the visiting Florida Panthers defeated the Washington Capitals 6-5 on Friday night. Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trocheck also scored for Florida in the shootout. The game would have gone down as a Panthers loss had Trocheck missed in the third round, but instead, it was the first win of the season for Florida.

NASCAR notebook: Ford leaving Toyota in dust so far at Kansas

Playoff driver Joey Logano bucked conventional wisdom with his pole-winning run in Friday's knockout qualifying session for Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford was fourth fastest in the first round and third in the second round. In the final round, however, with the Busch Pole Award on the line, Logano ran the fastest lap of the day (191.646 mph) on tires that had already completed two hot laps.

Top 25 roundup: No. 6 Michigan tops No. 24 MSU in testy affair

Shea Patterson threw two touchdown passes, including a 79-yard, go-ahead strike to Donovan Peoples-Jones, and No. 6 Michigan downed rival No. 24 Michigan State 21-7 on Saturday at East Lansing, Mich. The Wolverines (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) snapped a 17-game road losing streak against ranked opponents.

Bowlen's daughter eyes Broncos ownership one day

Brittany Bowlen, daughter of Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, told attendees at a fundraiser Saturday that she indeed has aspirations to one day take over the team her family has run for more than three decades. "I do have ambitions and goals to one day become the controlling owner of the Denver Broncos, and I'll keep working toward those goals," Brittany Bowlen told reporters while co-hosting the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show in Denver to benefit the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. "I'm not there yet, but I really believe I can get there."

(With inputs from agencies.)