Your Must-See Sports Headlines for Today, August 17

New England Patriots WR Josh Gordon was reinstated on a conditional basis by the NFL on Friday.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images New England Patriots WR Josh Gordon was reinstated on a conditional basis by the NFL on Friday.

Welcome to the roundup of must-see sports news from Friday, highlighted by Josh Gordon being reinstated by the NFL and a combined no-hitter thrown at the Little League World Series.

We’ll also take a look at Tiger Woods in danger of missing the Tour Championship and the latest on the plane crash that involved Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family.

All this and more as we get you up to speed with the sports world on this Saturday!


New England Patriots WR Josh Gordon Reinstated by NFL, Eligible for Regular Season

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will be getting back a big weapon for their offensive arsenal this season.

On Friday, the NFL reinstated wide receiver Josh Gordon, who had been suspended on Dec. 20 for violating terms of his previous reinstatement under the league’s substance abuse policy.

Gordon, who had applied for reinstatement last week, was reinstated on a conditional basis and will be eligible to play in the regular season for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

The 28-year-old took the field for the Patriots in 11 games during the 2018 season, catching 40 passes for 720 yards and 3 touchdowns. He’ll be under contract with the Patriots in 2019 for $2.025 million.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says that he’s pulling for Gordon.

“We are all rooting for Josh to succeed, both personally and professionally,” said Goodell. “Everyone shares in that hope and will continue to support him to every extent possible. But as Josh acknowledged, ultimately his success is up to him.”

Gordon has been suspended multiple times by the NFL in the past for violations of its drug policies, including being banned for entire seasons in 2015 and 2016.

If he can stay out of trouble and remain on the field this season, Gordon will give Brady a big target in an offense that lost Rob Gronkowski to retirement.

More from Heavy.com: How the Patriots’ WR depth chart looks with Gordon


TOP PERFORMERS: South Riding, Va. Throws Combined No-Hitter at Little League World Series

The 11- and 12-year-olds from the Southeast Regional champion South Riding, Virginia little league team performed a magical feat at the Little League World Series on Friday.

The three aces of the team, Justin Lee, Liam Thyen and Chase Obstgarten, combined for a no-hitter in a 3-0 victory over New England Regional champion Barrington, Rhode Island.

Playing in their opening game of the LLWS, the three pitchers combined for nine strikeouts and only allowed two base runners on walks.

The no-hitter was the 52nd thrown in Little League World Series history and the first since Greenville, North Carolina combined for one in 2017.


DON’T MISS THESE STORIES: Rounding Up the Top Headlines


WHAT’S ON TAP IN THE SPORTS WORLD

Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns take on the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday in the second week of the NFL preseason.

Jason Miller/Getty ImagesBaker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns take on the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday in the second week of the NFL preseason.

NFL: Preseason Week 2
Saturday’s preseason slate features five games, highlighted by an NFL Network tripleheader.

Baker Mayfield and the Browns will take on the Colts in the first game at 4 p.m. ET, followed by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs facing the Steelers at 7:30 p.m. ET. The nightcap will feature the defending NFC champion Rams and the Cowboys playing in Hawaii at 10 p.m. ET.

The full slate of games for Saturday is listed below:

Matchup Time TV (National)
Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts 4 p.m. ET NFL Network
New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans 7 p.m. ET
Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers 7:30 p.m. ET NFL Network
Detroit Lions at Houston Texans 8 p.m. ET
Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams 10 p.m. ET NFL Network

PGA TOUR: FedExCup Playoffs – THE BMW Championship
Hideki Matsuyama shot a bogey-free 9-under par 63 on Friday to set the course record at Medinah Country Club. The Japanese star will take a one-shot lead over Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau into Saturday’s third round of the BMW Championship.

The top 30 in the FedExCup standings following this weekend’s tournament will advance to the TOUR Championship next week at East Lake in Atlanta to play for the PGA TOUR’s top prize.

WHEN: Today, 12-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3-6 p.m. ET (NBC)

Missed Yesterday’s Roundup? Click here for it.