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NFL

Bears rookie makes history with long TDs on D

CHICAGO — Bears rookie safety Eddie Jackson had a historic performance in Sunday’s first half against the Carolina Panthers.

Jackson became the first player in league history to score multiple 75-plus-yard defensive touchdowns in one game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

A fourth-round pick out of Alabama, Jackson scooped up a live ball that bounced off the hands of Carolina’s Curtis Samuel — officially scored as a fumble by Panthers quarterback Cam Newton — and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown on the game’s opening drive.

Bears rookie Eddie Jackson made history on Sunday with this 75-yard fumble return touchdown and a 76-yard interception return for a touchdown on Sunday. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

Jackson struck again in the second quarter, when he intercepted a deflected Newton pass intended for Kelvin Benjamin and took it back 76 yards for a score.

Jackson is the first player with two defensive touchdowns in a game since Tennessee’s Zach Brown in Week 17 of 2012. He’s also the first player to return both a fumble and an interception for a touchdown in the same game since former Chargers defensive back Antonio Cromartie accomplished the feat in Week 8 of 2007.

Largely thanks to Jackson’s heroics, the Bears led Carolina 17-3 at halftime — the first time the Bears had been up by 14 points at halftime since the 2015 season versus the Rams. Chicago won that game 37-13.

Soccer

Roma charged with racist behaviour after monkey chants at Chelsea

AS Roma is in trouble after monkey chants echoed around Stamford Bridge.

On Friday, disciplinary proceedings were opened following the game between Chelsea and Roma in the Champions League group stage, as the Giallorossi were charged with racist behaviour involving monkey chants.

According the Press Association, the monkey chants were directed at Antonio Rudiger, who played 13 minutes and previously represented Roma for two seasons. UEFA was reportedly made aware of the alleged chants on social media, and while Chelsea didn’t report them, the Blues are willing to assist if required. The case will be dealt with by the UEFA Control, Ethics, and Disciplinary Body on Nov. 16.

In March, Rudiger, still with Roma, was racially abused by SS Lazio’s supporters in the first leg of a tie between the two clubs in the Coppa Italia semi-finals. The German centre-back subsequently demanded a response from FIFA and told Sport Bild: “I take this very seriously because I cannot and must not ignore something like this. I am part of this too. Racism is a serious issue here.

“Incidents like the ones with (Medhi) Benatia and me simply happen too often in this country and this is why something must happen now. When the Italian FA is not doing anything then FIFA must act. It is easy to come up with the ‘No to Racism’ campaign but when you don’t do anything concrete then that does not help.”

Chelsea and Roma played out a 3-3 draw on Wednesday as Eden Hazard and Edin Dzeko each scored two goals.