New England Patriots

Morning sports update: Roger Goodell said the NFL is still gathering ‘all the facts’ about Robert Kraft’s prostitution case

Also: Goodell commented on Josh Gordon, Stephen A. Smith and the turkey vulture, and Red Sox trivia.

Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell in Mexico City in 2017.
Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell in Mexico City in 2017. The Associated Press

By Hayden Bird

3 minutes to read

The Celtics defeated the Cavaliers on Tuesday night, 116-106. Minus Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart led the way for Boston with 21 points each. The win formally clinches a playoff spot.

The Bruins host the Rangers tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Roger Goodell’s comments on Robert Kraft: At the NFL’s annual meetings on Tuesday, league commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about Robert Kraft being charged with soliciting a prostitute.

“I think we said several weeks ago the personal conduct policy applies to everybody: commissioners, owners, executives, players, coaches, and it will be applied to everybody, but it will be done after we get all the facts, we have all the information and we’ll be fair and smart about it,” Goodell told reporters.

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When asked a follow-up, Goodell reiterated that he wasn’t going to offer any speculation about possible punishments of the Patriots’ owner.

“As I just told you, when we get all the information we’ll make determinations,” said Goodell. “I’m not going to speculate on where we are or my views on anything. Until we get all the information, we’re not going to make any comments about that.”

Also on Tuesday, Kraft through his lawyers pleaded not guilty to two charges of soliciting a prostitute in the Florida case.

Trivia: In Red Sox history, four pitchers started on opening day at least five times. Who are those pitchers? (Answer at the bottom).

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Hint: Two of them pitched on opening days 100 years apart, and the other two were both members of the 1984 Red Sox.

More from Boston.com:

Brad Friedel’s take on MLS

: The Revolution have had a tough start to the 2019 season. Currently 0-3-1, New England is looking for answers. One issue that Revs coach Brad Friedel identified is the lack of a promotion/relegation system in Major League Soccer.

“The mentality of a player in this league, a lot of the players, when they lose, it doesn’t hurt enough,” said Friedel. “There’s not relegation, they don’t get fined, they don’t have fans waiting by their cars, they don’t have people beating them up. They don’t have the pressures they have in other leagues.” [The Boston Globe]

Roger Goodell’s latest on Josh Gordon:

Stephen A. and the turkey vulture: After a turkey vulture flew through the window of Stephen A. Smith’s ESPN office on Tuesday morning (the vulture reportedly survived), Smith responded on Twitter.

MLB.com’s bold prediction for the Red Sox: According to MLB.com writer Will Leitch, Jackie Bradley Jr. will be the second best outfielder on the Red Sox in 2019.

“It’s Bradley who can make the biggest leap forward,” Leitch predicted. [MLB.com]

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Apparently, Marcus Morris has some similar Associated Press photos:

Lance Stephenson made former Celtic Jeff Green look bad, and the Lakers bench lost it:

On this day: In 1969, Red Sox outfielder Tony Conigliaro hit his first home run in 603 days after returning from the horrible injury he sustained in 1967. Conigliaro, who was hit by a pitch in the cheekbone during the “Impossible Dream” season, didn’t play for all of 1968 due to the lasting effects of his injuries. But against the Reds during a spring training game, Conigliaro blasted a 400-foot home run. He would hit 20 home runs during the regular season in 1969, winning Sporting News’ Comeback Player of the Year.

Daily highlight: After an exquisite first touch and pass from Gyasi Zardes, Christian Pulisic fired the Americans to a 1-0 lead against Chile in a friendly on Tuesday night. The game ended in a 1-1 draw:

Trivia answers: Cy Young, Dennis Eckersley, Roger Clemens, and Pedro Martinez