Italy rugby investigates racist gift, club suspends a player

DUBLIN (AP) — Italy’s rugby federation has opened an investigation after a Black player at Benetton Treviso was given a rotten banana as a holiday gift. Benetton says it also suspended a player for the duration of the probe as a “precautionary” measure. The actions come a day after Cherif Traore aired his frustrations on social media. The 28-year-old prop who was born in Guinea described the anonymous gift from a Secret Santa event as an “offensive gesture” that later prompted apologies from teammates.