The world’s top anti-doping regulator said after reviewing a television documentary and newspaper reports that it stands by its decision to clear 23 Chinese swimmers to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 despite testing positive for a banned heart medication.

The World Anti-Doping Agency issued a statement following the release Sunday of a documentary on the cases by German broadcaster ARD.

In an earlier statement following initial newspaper reports, WADA said it agreed with Chinese authorities and ruled the swimmers’ samples had been contaminated. The contamination was accepted to have been in the kitchen of a hotel where the Chinese team stayed.

The New York Times reported Chinese anti-doping authorities found the results of the tests were Adverse Analytical Findings, but cleared the swimmers without any penalties.

Chinese swimmers went on to win three gold medals in Tokyo, where the United States took silver in two of those races and Britain was second in the other.

"Following WADA's review of the documentary, the agency still stands firmly by the results of its scientific investigation and legal decision concerning the case," WADA said in the statement Sunday. "We are equally confident that WADA's independent Intelligence and Investigations Department followed up on all allegations received, which were not corroborated by any evidence; and thus, did not meet WADA threshold to open an investigation."

WADA said based on available scientific evidence and intelligence, "which was gathered, assessed and tested by experts in the pharmacology of trimetazidine (TMZ); and, by anti-doping experts," it had no basis under the global anti-doping code to challenge the Chinese agency's findings of environmental contamination.

The drug at the center of this case was also the medication that led to the suspension of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva at the Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022.

In that case, WADA moved quickly to sanction Valieva upon learning about her positive test.

SEE MORE: Doping-friendly 'Enhanced Games' seeks to rival the Olympics

China's star swimmer Sun Yang also tested positive for TMZ and served a three-month ban in 2014. That case also was kept quiet by Chinese and swim authorities and provoked criticism from opponents when he won at the world championships the next year. Sun was later banned for breaking doping rules in a high-profile case WADA did pursue.

WADA said its position in the latest Chinese case was also accepted by World Aquatics, which governs international swimming.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Monday described the media reports as "disinformation and a misrepresentation," and affirmed WADA's decision.

Wang said China's anti-doping authorities investigated the incident and found the positive results were due to "the ingestion of contaminated food by the relevant athletes without knowledge of the contaminated food, and the Chinese swimmers involved were not at fault or negligent, which did not constitute a doping violation."

However, anti-doping rules in Olympic sports do require a provisional suspension — which the Chinese swimmers avoided — when athletes test positive for TMZ.

"I want to emphasize," Wang said, "that the Chinese government has maintained a firm stance of zero tolerance towards doping, strictly abides by the WADA Code, resolutely safeguards the physical and mental health of athletes, maintains fair play in sports competitions, and contributes positively to the global efforts in the crackdown on doping."

WADA scheduled a news conference in Montreal for later Monday, saying its president, Witold Banka, and director general Olivier Niggli would be among the officials on hand to answer questions, also its top prosecuting lawyer and head of investigations.

The 30-member Chinese swim team won six medals in Tokyo, including three golds. Zhang Yufei won the women's 200 meters butterfly title ahead of Regan Smith of the United States, and silver in the 100 butterfly where American Torri Huske was out of the medals in fourth.

Zhang and Yang Junxuan were part of the 4x200 freestyle relay team that took gold, edging the Americans including seven-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky. Canada was fourth.

"Doping can deprive clean athletes of hard-earned moments they deserve such as standing on the podium and the life-changing opportunities that may follow," Swimming Canada said Sunday in a statement.

In the men's 200 medley in Tokyo, Wang Shun beat silver medalist Duncan Scott, the British star who refused to share a medal podium with Sun Yang at the 2019 world championships.

Many of the athletes still compete for China and are expected to swim at the Paris Olympics that start in July.

In its initial statement, WADA responded to what it called "some misleading and potentially defamatory media coverage this week" and explained the process it undertook upon learning about the positive tests.

The global drug-fighting organization said it also had been given a tip by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency as early as 2020 — before this case arose — about allegations of doping cover-ups in China but that USADA never followed up with evidence.

USADA CEO Travis Tygart called the news of the Chinese positive tests "crushing."

"It's even more devastating to learn the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency secretly, until now, swept these positives under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world," Tygart said.

The case underscores what many view as a flaw in the global anti-doping system — that a country's own anti-doping organization is often the first line of defense in catching drug cheats and those organizations have different levels of motivation to fulfill that role.

At age 15, Miles Russell became the youngest golfer ever to make the cut of a Korn Ferry Tour event as he went toe-to-toe with dozens of golfers vying to earn a spot on the PGA Tour. 

Russell finished in the top 25 of last weekend's LECOM Suncoast Classic in Florida. He was among 10 golfers who finished at 14 under, six strokes behind the winner Tim Widing. The nine others who finished 14 under earned a paycheck of over $10,000. 

But because Russell is an amateur, his payday was $0. 

Although he is ineligible to join the Korn Ferry Tour until he is 18, his performance will allow him to gain entry into another event. Russell qualifies for next week's Veritex Bank Championship in the Dallas area. 

SEE MORE: The history of the famous Masters green jacket

"It was an awesome week. It was a blast," Russell told reporters. "Especially for my first one, you may get a couple weird looks, like, 'Who's the little kid on the range?' But, you know, everybody was so nice and so helpful with everything."

The Korn Ferry Tour feeds into the PGA Tour. The top 30 golfers on the Korn Ferry Tour each year gain entry into the PGA Tour the following season. Golfers who win three tournaments in the same season can get automatically promoted to the PGA Tour that year. 

Russell's performance garnered attention from one of golf's top luminaries. 

"This is an amazing accomplishment. It’s great to see a young lefty playing such incredible golf," six-time major champion Phil Mickelson wrote on X.

Russell entered the tournament as ranked No. 1 by the American Junior Golf Association. He won such tournaments last year as the Junior PGA Championship and the Junior Players Championship. 

Rev up the Zamboni, the NHL is officially coming to Salt Lake City!

The NHL's Board of Governors approved the relocation of the Arizona Coyotes to northern Utah Thursday, with the team set to take the ice next season. The move was the final step in a process that began making headlines last week.

Team owner Ryan Smith used just 7 words to welcome the NHL to Utah, posting, "The NHL is here! Utah let's go!" to social media.

The @NHL is here! Utah let’s go! https://t.co/VwfWS2mkS9

— Ryan Smith (@RyanQualtrics) April 18, 2024

While expected, especially after the league's executive committee approved the move Tuesday, the stamp of approval by NHL owners opens a new era for hockey in the Beehive State as Utah welcomes another professional sports franchise.

“As everyone knows, Utah is a vibrant and thriving state, and we are thrilled to be a part of it,” said NHL Commissioner.

The Smith Entertainment Group will take the reins of a Coyotes team that continually had trouble finding a permanent home in Arizona, and ended its season Wednesday without making the playoffs.

“We are committed to building a Stanley Cup-contending team and are thrilled to welcome incredible players, coaches, staff, and their families to Utah," said Ryan and Ashley Smith. "Today is a great day for Utah, for hockey, and for building a legacy that will have a lasting impact for generations to come."

With a possible new arena in downtown Salt Lake City still a few years away, the NHL team will initially share the Delta Center with the Utah Jazz, also owned by the Smiths.

As with most Utahns, Gov. Spencer Cox was enthusiastic about the announcement on bringing the highest level of pro hockey to the state.

“Utah is once again at the center of the sports world as we welcome the NHL to Utah," he said in a statement. "Thanks to Ryan and Ashley Smith, Salt Lake City just keeps getting better and better. The whole state will benefit from this new franchise and we couldn’t be more excited by this announcement.”

The Coyotes brand will remain with now-former Arizona owner Alex Meruelo, with the Utah team set for a complete rebrand encompassing a nickname and franchise colors.

This story was originally published by Jeff Tavss at Scripps News Salt Lake City.

Just days after being selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft, Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark is reportedly on the brink of closing a massive, eight-figure endorsement deal with Nike.

Industry sources did not disclose the exact amount the lucrative deal could be worth, but told The Athletic that it's expected to include a signature Caitlin Clark shoe line. 

Clark was already endorsed by Nike in college, but the deal expired at the conclusion of her record-breaking senior year season with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Now it appears Nike moved quickly to keep Clark on board after she also reportedly received offers from Adidas and Under Armour.

SEE MORE: Caitlin Clark offered $5M to join Ice Cube's BIG3 basketball league

This all comes on the heels of controversy surrounding Clark's WNBA salary. According to the league's collective bargaining agreement, the basketball phenom is slated to earn about $338,000 over the course of her four-year rookie contract — just pennies on the dollar compared to the $55 million contract given to last year's No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. 

But beyond salary discrepancies, there's no denying the indelible impact Clark has that's transforming women's sports as a whole. 

From drawing the largest women's basketball regular season television audience of the past 25 years, to seeing her rookie jersey fly off store shelves, Clark has made it difficult to ignore the girls. And sponsors are finally starting to catch on, in hopes of profiting from this growing fandom.

More than 2.4 million viewers tuned in to Monday's WNBA draft. Viewership was up more than 300% from last year, with more people watching the WNBA draft than this year's NHL and MLB drafts combined. 

Despite the surge in viewership, the WNBA still lags far behind the NBA in terms of revenue and player compensation.

Iowa's Caitlin Clark, who went first overall to the Indiana fever, will make north of $76,000 in her first year, with incremental increases over 4 years.

For comparison, last year's No. 1 NBA draft Victor Wembanyama is bringing in $12 million for his rookie year. 

On Wednesday, Scripps News spoke with Terri Carmichael Jackson, Executive Director of the WNBA Players Association, about compensation, comparison with the NBA and the near future of the WNBA as it reaches a new audience.

Player salaries

"To everybody who's been paying attention to professional women's basketball, to everybody who's been paying attention to the [WNBA] and the high level of talent there knows that it has always been an issue — not just now," Jackson said. "But because we have these rock stars that are coming in that are so well known from their collegiate play, people are paying attention again, or paying attention still. Whatever it is, I'm happy. I'm here for it."

How WNBA revenue is shared

"Previously revenue share was tied to ticket sales, and the teams weren't really incentivized to make ticket sales happen," Jackson said. "And they didn't really have the staff. Many teams didn't really have the staff that they needed to sell those ticket packages. So now we have in our 2020 [collective bargaining agreement], a revenue-share provision that ties it to the success of this league at the league level, at the highest level. And so when we see the league doing well and we see them bringing in additional corporate partners — which this commissioner has done and done well — when we see them bring in additional broadcast deals, the opportunity to trigger that revenue share becomes that much closer, and we're very close."

Collective bargaining

"This 2020 CBA doesn't expire until 2027. However, there's an opportunity for the players or the league to opt out. And that decision has to be made this year after this season by November 1st. If the players vote to opt out after our review of the state of the business and our recommendation to them, they must do so in writing. If the league looks to opt out, they must do so in writing. Either side has inform the other side of its decision by November 1st. So a lot goes into that decision-making. There's a lot of review, there's a lot of discussion. We've convened our CBA committee already to have those conversations going into that vote at the end of the season."

Player travel accommodations

"As I have said every year since we went into negotiations for the 2020 CBA and coming out of those negotiations every year, every offseason, we look to engage the league in a conversation that is thoughtful, that talks about phasing in chartered travel in a reasonable way." Jackson said. "Never — and I want to say this to your audience and to everybody to kind of spread this word and clear up this misconception — never have these players asked for a full season of travel. We know how expensive it is. We're mindful of the business. They are responsible and they are mindful of this legacy that they're looking to protect and to build on. But what they want is for their employers, for the league and for the teams to pay attention to their health and safety. That's what the travel issue is always all about: Their safety, their health, their ability to recover."

SEE MORE: Serena Williams says she's 'super interested' in owning a WNBA team

In a bout of what he called "unfortunateness," former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce recalled losing his Super Bowl LII ring during the "New Heights" live show in Cincinnati. 

Kelce said the ring was used during the "Lombaby Games" portion of the show, which was held at the University of Cincinnati's Fifth Third Arena. The "Lombaby Games" consisted of college athletes facing off against academics in a series of games, including one in which contestants searched in pools filled with Skyline Chili 3-ways for Jason's Super Bowl ring, along with other decoy rings.

"I legitimately lost my Super Bowl ring in this event," Kelce said during Wednesday's episode of "New Heights." "They could not find it."

The 36-year-old said he had one of the podcast's interns search the pool of chili with a shovel the following day, but the ring was never located. They also tried a metal detector, but unbeknownst to them, Skyline Chili has trace amounts of iron in it, meaning the metal detector was worthless. 

Kelce assumes the ring is "now in a landfill somewhere in the Cincinnati Tri-State area" after they ended up throwing away the remnants. 

SEE MORE: Jason Kelce announces official retirement after 13-year Eagles career

Travis Kelce, who co-hosts the podcast with his brother, sarcastically asked Jason what he expected to happen

"I thought that we'd just go in the pool and get the ring afterwards," Jason responded. 

Travis didn't have many words for his brother other than calling him an "imbecile."

"It's just a hunk of metal, I'll just have another one made I think," Jason said. "They can do that right?" 

Jason and Travis also reminisced on just how disgusting — and smelly — the challenge, aptly titled "Jason Lost His Ring," was, with Jason saying videos don't do it justice. 

"I love Skyline Chili," Jason said after admitting to having it twice over the weekend. "This chili had been sitting out for like some time period." 

"It smelled so bad in that part of the arena," Travis added. "It was disgusting." 

This story was originally published by Molly Schramm at Scripps News Cincinnati.

SEE MORE: Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes are opening a restaurant together

The NBA announced that Jontay Porter, a center who signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors, has been permanently banned from the league after an investigation found he was involved in a gambling scheme, which included him placing a bet on the Raptors. 

The league alleged that Porter provided confidential information to sports bettors, limited his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and bet on NBA games. The NBA claimed Porter disclosed confidential information about his own health status prior to the Raptors' March 20 game to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor. The league said the bettor placed an $80,000 bet that he would underperform March 20, which ended up having an over $1 million payout. 

The league said that Porter claimed that he was feeling ill, which caused him to only play three minutes that night. The NBA said that due to "unusual betting activity," the payout was not given. 

The league said the unusual gambling activity involving Porter was brought to the NBA's attention following the March 20 game. 

SEE MORE: Shohei Ohtani's interpreter charged with bank fraud in betting case

The league also said that Porter placed 13 bets involving the NBA using an "associate's online betting account." None of the bets involved games Porter played in, but one of the bets did involve the Raptors. The league said Porter made $54,094 in bets and after $76,059 of winnings, he netted $21,965.

"There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter's blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players. Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game."

Porter's suspension comes as sports betting becomes more prevalent in the U.S. According to the American Gaming Association, there was a 32.1% increase in sports betting revenue in the first two months of the year compared to 2023. 

Team USA has unveiled its men's basketball roster that will represent the red, white and blue at the Paris Olympics this summer. Some are already comparing it to the "Dream Team" that won gold in 1992. 

Here's a look at the star-studded group, as well as the NBA team they play for:

LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)

Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)

Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns)

Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)

Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)

Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)

Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)

Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)

Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers)

Jrue Holiday (Boston Celtics)

Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers)

SEE MORE: Nike US women's Olympic uniforms slammed for being revealing, sexist

James and Durant have the most experience of anyone on the team as they will be representing the U.S. for a fourth time. However, it's Durant who is looking to make history as the first basketball player to win a fourth gold medal. 

Durant also made the team in 2012, 2016 and 2020, bringing home gold all three times. James, meanwhile, won a bronze medal with Team USA in 2004 and gold in 2008 and 2012.

Five other players also have previous Olympics experience: Booker, Tatum, Holiday and Adebayo, who won gold for Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; and Davis, who was on the 2012 team that also brought home the gold.

Meanwhile, this will mark the first Olympics appearance for five others on the roster, including Curry — a four-time NBA Champion and two-time MVP award winner. But he'll have a close ally with him this summer as Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will lead the squad into Paris.

Team USA is looking to win a fifth straight Olympic gold medal, but a tough road lies ahead for a group that could face some of its toughest competition ever. The U.S. will tip off group stage play against Serbia on July 28, followed by a match against South Sudan on July 31. 

The knockout phase of the men's tournament is currently slated to begin on Aug. 6 with the gold medal game set for Aug. 10. All of the games will be broadcast by NBC and streamed live on Peacock.

An Arizona woman who accused former major league pitcher Trevor Bauer of sexual assault has been charged with defrauding the baseball player.

An indictment unsealed Monday in Maricopa County Superior Court charges the woman with fraud and theft by extortion, both felonies, but doesn't provide specific details about the alleged crimes. It says Bauer and one other person were defrauded in a scheme that potentially spanned several years.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they have been victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly.

The woman sued Bauer in December 2022, accusing him of rape two years earlier that she said resulted in pregnancy in late 2020.

Court records on Tuesday afternoon didn’t list an attorney for the woman in the fraud case, and the lawyer representing her in her lawsuit didn’t immediately respond to a phone message seeking additional comment.

Bauer was never arrested or charged. He countersued, saying he had one consensual sexual encounter with the woman in 2020 and then accused her of faking the pregnancy to extort money from him.

His attorneys have said that the woman made several million-dollar demands against him.

Bauer said he ultimately paid $8,761 for expenses he believed to be related to the woman’s reported pregnancy and its subsequent termination.

The woman later said that she ultimately decided not to terminate the pregnancy, but had a miscarriage.

She is scheduled to be arraigned on the criminal charges next Friday.

In a recorded video statement released Tuesday, Bauer said he is innocent.

“What else do I have to do to prove that this entire situation has been a massive lie? This is insane,” he said. “At what point do I get to go back to work and continue earning a living?”

Bauer has been trying to revive his major league career after serving a suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. He was suspended after another woman accused him of beating and sexually abusing her — an accusation the pitcher also denied.

He was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers in January 2023 and played last year with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan’s Pacific League. He signed a deal this spring to pitch five games for Mexico’s Diablos Rojos and made his first appearance in a spring exhibition against the New York Yankees.

SEE MORE: LA pitcher on administrative leave after sexual assault accusation

 Professional sports teams from across the country have brought forth a series of new sports stadium proposals and requests for renovations. Some plans have faced pushback — but in Utah, support for plans to construct a new hockey arena is enticing the Arizona Coyotes to move to Utah from the desert state.   

The Coyotes arrived in Arizona in 1996 and called three arenas home, with the latest being the Arizona State University Mullet Stadium, the National Hockey League’s smallest arena. In 2023, the team lacked voter support to build an entertainment district in Tempe, leaving the team unsure about their future in the Grand Canyon State.  

Marc Ganis, the President of Sportscorp Limited, said it’s rare for a professional sports team to move from its existing market, but adds that the Coyotes have been a franchise with deep rooted problems and over the years they’ve struggled to find a permanent home.  

“I would expect that team to relocate, they've been at this for a very long time,” Ganis said. 

The news of the potential relocation announcement marked a dreadful reality for hockey fans and the growth of the sport among youth.  

“I think it would hurt hockey immensely here if they leave,” Steve Wright said. “I think it would still grow and thrive to a certain extent, but I think that growths going to be stifled.” 

 In late March, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, signed into law SB 272 and HB 562. 

SB 272 helps build an NHL arena by allowing the city to raise sales tax to help provide funding towards the downtown sports facility.

The owner of the Utah Jazz has been trying to lure an NHL team. 

HB 562 would help revitalize Utah State Fairpark and provide $900 million for a new baseball stadium. The city does not currently have a Major League Baseball team.  

SEE MORE: Oakland A's to play in Sacramento before final move to Las Vegas

In the last ten years, at least 24 sports stadiums were built or renovated.  

“I think we're in, in the middle of a potential construction boom,” Smith College Economics Professor Andrew Zimbalist said.  

He said the first sports stadium wave happened in the 1950s, followed by the 1990s, and now the 2020s.  

“It should go on probably for the for the rest of this decade,” Zimbalist said. “All this is about is maximizing revenue for the team owner.” 

The Arizona Diamondbacks are seeking funding to repair Chase Field. The Major League Baseball team opened its doors in 1998 and is the fourth oldest park in the national league. 

The team released a statement to Scripps News.  

"Approaching its 30th year, Chase Field requires extensive upgrades for a modernized fan and player experience, encompassing renovations to infrastructure, public areas, and facilities to accommodate Major League Baseball as well as growing global events and concerts," the team wrote. "Our fans' affinity for Chase Field is one driving factor behind ownership’s willingness to invest hundreds of millions in stadium renovations and our dedication to continuing to work together with state, city, and county officials to secure a sustainable public/private solution well before our lease ends in 2027."

Last year, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed off on a $500 million spending plan to repair and upgrade the Milwaukee Brewers stadium.  

In June of 2023, the Buffalo Bills broke ground on a new stadium and the Tennessee Titans followed in February of this year.

SEE MORE: Sale of Baltimore Orioles unanimously approved by MLB owners

In December of 2023, voters approved a 1% sales tax over the next six years to build a new arena for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s estimated to cost at least $900 million.   

In New York City, officials approved a plan for a $780 million soccer stadium. 

The Chicago Bears and the Chicago White Sox have proposed plans for a new stadium but have faced resistance. 

In Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin introduced a $2 billion plan for a “world class entertainment district” to lure the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals. The proposal was killed by opposition.  

In Missouri, voters rejected a sales tax to help build a stadium for the Kansas City Royals and a renovation for the Chiefs. 

Whether the stadium is publicly or privately funded, Zimbalist said tax payers nearly always help foot the enormous construction tab.  

“Always it's the case that taxpayers are going to be paying for something, some part of it, but sometimes they pay for the lion's share and sometimes they pay a fairly modest proportion,” Zimbalist said.  

Several of the proposals brought forth by teams include futuristic designs, VIP sections, tech savvy stadiums, entertainment districts with shopping, restaurants, hotels, and gambling areas. While the designs can create excitement, Zimbalist highlights the importance of remaining realistic and ensuring the plans are possible, adding that the devil is in the details.  

“The plan itself could just be a wild dream,” Zimbalist said.   

The undertaking of stadium construction combined with recent trends of inflated construction costs can lead to additional expenses that exceed the estimated cost of the plan.  

“It used to be a lot cheaper to build sports facilities, you could build a really terrific sports facility 20, 25 years ago for $300 million, now that number is frankly closer to $3 billion,” Ganis said.  

While some sports fans support helping pay for a new stadium or arena some believe the owners should pay for the entire cost of a new sports facility.  

“I think it should be shared,” Wright said.  

“Leave the taxpayers out of this, owners, you guys got to figure this out,” Jake Jessup said.  

Sports teams pitching new proposals often tout the plan will help create jobs and attract new tourists, but Zimbalist warns that the economic impacts are limited.  

“Economic Research on the impact of stadiums and teams coming to a city suggests that the city should not count on there being increased revenues; it simply doesn't happen very often," he said.

According to Ganis and Zimbalist, the major winner of a new stadium are the players and the owners when scrutinizing finances.   

Michael MacCambridge, the author of The Big Time: How the 1970s Transformed Sports in America, argues that sometimes the value a team brings to a city and its fans is difficult to quantify.  

“I think that there is always an argument about what sort of value a baseball team or a football team brings to a community and the fact that it's hard to quantify financially doesn't mean that it isn't real,” MacCambridge, said.  

In Arizona, as Coyotes fans grapple with the new reality, many are chalking up the loss as one that’s going to hurt the growth of the sport.  

“A lot of the hockey programs out here are supported by the Coyotes to the extent that some of them are ex-players or even coaches,” Wright said.  

The Coyotes may be playing their last game on Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers.  

Serena Williams said she would be “super interested” in owning a WNBA team, adding that the sport of women’s basketball is having its moment while speaking with CNN on Monday.

The 23-time grand slam tennis champion said because of the infectious excitement surrounding women's sports, and especially women’s basketball, "it's an overly safe bet" for her to invest.

“I absolutely would be [interested]. With the right market, I would definitely be super-interested in that,” she said to CNN. 

Williams had been working on her investment portfolio before she started to venture from her tennis career. She’s one of the main investors in Angel City FC, a National Women’s Soccer League team, and she's part-owner of the Los Angeles Golf Club team in the Tomorrow Golf League. 

According to CNN, her company Serena Ventures has invested in 66 startups, and 78% of them were formed by women and people of color — something she specifically sought. 

Now is as good of a time as ever to invest in the WNBA. The resurgence of women’s basketball is credited partly to its stars like Caitlin Clark, who was selected as the first pick in the WNBA draft Monday night by the Indiana Fever. 

It was the first time fans were present for the draft in eight years. 

Clark just finished her senior year at Iowa, where she led the women’s basketball team to runner-up in the NCAA tournament after losing to South Carolina in the final and became the all-time leading scorer. It was the first time in history that the women’s NCAA final drew more TV viewers than the men's, marking a pivotal moment in a season that broke viewing records with each game. 

The WNBA and the Indiana Fever are hoping Clark’s captivation effect carries into her professional career. It’s seemingly already made a mark since 36 of the Fever’s 40 regular-season games will now be nationally televised.

But social media is already stirred up about the salaries that Clark and the other top four draft picks — Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso and Rickea Jackson — will be making during their first few years in the WNBA. 

According to the league’s collective bargaining agreement, Clark will receive a four-year contract worth $338,056. In her first year, she will be paid $76,535. 

In comparison, the minimum salary for a first-year player in the men’s league is $1.12 million, according to Yahoo Sports. 

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, who was once the highest-paid NFL player, wrote on X in reference to Clark’s potential contract, “These ladies deserve so much more… Praying for the day!”

These ladies deserve so much more…
Praying for the day 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 l https://t.co/mIZmaXwPVi

— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) April 16, 2024

The pay gaps between the WNBA and NBA have been a subject of passionate discussion over the last few years, particularly since WNBA star Brittney Griner was infamously detained in Russia for nearly a year after she went to the country to play for another league during the WNBA offseason. It’s something many WNBA stars do to supplement income since their maximum base salary is $228,000 a year.

SEE MORE: Brittney Griner and wife Cherelle expecting first baby

It appears the National Hockey League has moved yet another step closer to relocating the Arizona Coyotes to northern Utah.

On Monday, Sportico reported the NHL's executive committee approved the team's move to Salt Lake City, which will now be voted on by the league's board of governors, which includes all team owners. It's expected that the Board will vote to approve the relocation before the end of the week to avoid competing against the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which begin Saturday.

SEE MORE: NHL's Coyotes, Scripps Sports land multi-year broadcast agreement

The proposed move would have Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo selling the team to the NHL for $1 billion, which in turn would then sell the franchise to Ryan Smith and the Smith Entertainment Group. The franchise, whatever it will be named, will begin play next season at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong informed the team Friday that the franchise will be moving; however, an official announcement has not yet been made. In a now deleted social media post Friday night, Utah Governor Spencer Cox wrote, "Welcome to Utah — the State of Sport — Coyotes."

The NHL's executive board, which has several responsibilities, including vetting potential league owners, is made up of ten current league owners.

This story was originally published by Jeff Tavss at Scripps News Salt Lake City.

Blake Griffin announced his retirement Tuesday after a 14-year career that included six All-Star selections, Rookie of the Year honors and a dunk contest victory.

Griffin said in a social media post that he's “thankful for every single moment” of his career. He was the No. 1 overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers out of Oklahoma in 2009. He missed his first season with a knee injury, but rebounded to earn Rookie of the Year honors in 2011, when he won the All-Star Game dunk contest.

Alongside Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, Griffin's high-flying plays rejuvenated the Clippers franchise and earned it the nickname “Lob City.” He was traded to the Detroit Pistons during the 2018 season as his ability to soar dwindled and injuries piled up.

Griffin was able to reinvent his game in Detroit with a reliable 3-point shot and was selected for his sixth All-Star Game in the 2018-19 season. He averaged 24.5 points and 7.5 rebounds that season.

Griffin, 35, also had stints in Brooklyn and Boston. He averaged 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in his career. He finished third in MVP voting behind Kevin Durant and LeBron James in the 2013-14 season.

“I’m thankful for every single moment — not just the good ones: the wins, the awards, the dunks, and the memorable times spent with family, friends, fans, teammates and coaches,” Griffin said in his Instagram post, thanking his family and agent, Sam Goldfeder. “I am equally thankful for the not-so-good moments: the losses, the injuries, the wayyyy too many surgeries, the lessons, the heartbreaks, and it wouldn’t be sports retirement letter without acknowledging the ‘haters.’

"All of these experiences made my 14 years in the league truly unforgettable, and I can’t help but just feel thankful.”

SEE MORE: Kobe Bryant's dad auctioning off late NBA star's 1st championship ring

Nike has come under fire after unveiling its uniforms for a U.S. women's Olympic team, with many claiming the outfits are too revealing and sexist.

The designs were made public last week as part of a kit launch for the Paris Olympics in July. The outfit being criticized — for women's track and field — was shown on a mannequin next to the uniform for men.

The women's uniform resembles a one-piece bathing suit cut high in the front crotch area. The men's design featured far longer biker-style shorts.

Citius Mag, which reports on track and field news, posted an image of the outfits on Instagram — and comments poured in slamming the women's suit.

"If the labia are hanging out on a still mannequin, what do we expect to happen to a moving person?" wrote an Instagram user named Alison in the comments.

Another Instagram user, Jessa Hanson, wrote, "tell me it was male designers without telling me it was male designers." 

Commenters also questioned how the outfit would suit a woman with unshaved pubic hair or on her period.

Even a former track and field athlete, Lauren Fleshman, spoke out against the suits in an Instagram post of her own.

"Professional athletes should be able to compete without dedicating brain space to constant pube vigilance or the mental gymnastics of having every vulnerable piece of your body on display," Fleshman wrote.

"Women's kits should be in service to performance, mentally and physically. If this outfit was truly beneficial to physical performance, men would wear it. This is not an elite athletic kit for track and field. This is a costume born of patriarchal forces that are no longer welcome or needed to get eyes on women's sports," she continued.

Responding to the backlash, a spokesperson for Nike told Scripps News that "in addition to offering athletes a range of styles to choose from, we will also have tailoring options available for Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the games."

The Nike spokesperson also pointed out that the outlets were developed in collaboration with athletes, who were the driving forces behind the designs.

In a press release last week, Nike Chief Innovation Officer John Hoke said "working directly with athletes throughout every stage of the design process, Nike designed garments to ensure fit across a range of body types and style preferences and infused real-time feedback throughout the entire product-development cycle."

Hurdler Anna Cockrel was one of the athletes who provided input to Nike.

"I've had the opportunity to share feedback and insights that helped inform the new USATF Kit," Cockrell said in a press release. "During testing, this fit allowed me to move freely and without distraction, and I love how the look represents Team USA."

The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris take place from July 26 to Aug. 11.

SEE MORE: Paris Olympics flame is lit at the Greek cradle of ancient games

Whitey Herzog, the gruff and ingenious Hall of Fame manager who guided the St. Louis Cardinals to three pennants and a World Series title in the 1980s and perfected an intricate, nail-biting strategy known as "Whiteyball," has died. He was 92.

Cardinals spokesman Brian Bartow said Tuesday the team had been informed of his death by Herzog's family. The team was not yet sure whether it happened Monday night or Tuesday. Herzog had been at Busch Stadium on April 4 for the Cardinals' home opener.

A crew-cut, pot-bellied tobacco chewer who had no patience for the "buddy-buddy" school of management, Herzog joined the Cardinals in 1980 and helped end the team's decade-plus pennant drought by adapting it to the artificial surface and distant fences of Busch Memorial Stadium. A typical Cardinals victory under Herzog was a low-scoring, 1-run game, sealed in the final innings by a “bullpen by committee,” relievers who might be replaced after a single pitch, or temporarily shifted to the outfield, then brought back to the mound.

The Cardinals had power hitters in George Hendrick and Jack Clark, but they mostly relied on the speed and resourcefulness of switch-hitters Vince Coleman and Willie McGee, the acrobat fielding of shortstop and future Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith and the effective pitching of starters such as John Tudor and Danny Cox and relievers Todd Worrell, Ken Dayley and Jeff Lahti. For the '82 champions, Herzog didn't bother rotating relievers, but simply brought in future Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter to finish the job.

"They (the media) seemed to think there was something wrong with the way we played baseball, with speed and defense and line-drive hitters," Herzog wrote in his memoir "White Rat: A Life in Baseball," published in 1987. "They called it 'Whiteyball' and said it couldn't last."

Under Herzog, the Cards won pennants in 1982, 1985 and 1987, and the World Series in 1982, when they edged the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games. Herzog managed the Kansas City Royals to division titles in 1976-78, but they lost each time in the league championship to the New York Yankees.

Overall, Herzog was a manager for 18 seasons, compiling a record of 1,281 wins and 1,125 losses. He was named Manager of the Year in 1985 and voted into the Hall by the Veterans Committee in 2010, his plaque noting his "stern, yet good-natured style," and his emphasis on speed, pitching and defense. Just before he formally entered the Hall, the Cardinals retired his uniform number, 24.

When asked about the secrets of managing, he would reply: a sense of humor and a good bullpen.

Dorrel Norman Elvert Herzog was born in New Athens, Illinois, a blue-collar community that would shape him long after he left. He excelled in baseball and basketball and was open to skipping the occasional class to take in a Cardinals game. Signed up by the Yankees, he was a center fielder who discovered that he had competition from a prospect born just weeks before him, Mickey Mantle.

Herzog never played for the Yankees, but he did get to know manager Casey Stengel, another master shuffler of players who became a key influence. The light-haired Herzog was named "The White Rat" because of his resemblance to Yankees pitcher Bob "The White Rat" Kuzava.

Like so many successful managers, Herzog was a mediocre player, batting just .257 over eight seasons and playing several positions. His best year was with Baltimore in 1961, when he hit .291. He also played for the Washington Senators, Kansas City Athletics and Detroit Tigers, with whom he ended his playing career, in 1963.

"Baseball has been good to me since I quit trying to play it," he liked to say.

After working as a scout and coach, Herzog was hired in 1967 by the New York Mets as director of player development, with Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan among the future stars he helped bring along. The Mets liked him well enough to designate him the successor to Gil Hodges, but when the manager died suddenly in 1972 the job went to Yogi Berra. Herzog instead debuted with the Texas Rangers the following season, finishing just 47-91 before being replaced by Billy Martin. He managed the Angels for a few games in 1974 and joined the Royals the following season, his time with Kansas City peaking in 1977 when the team finished 102-60.

Many players spoke warmly of Herzog, but he didn’t hesitate to rid his teams of those he no longer wanted, dumping such Cardinals stars as outfielder Lonnie Smith and starting pitcher Joaquin Andujar. One trade worked out brilliantly: Before the 1982 season, he exchanged .300 hitting shortstop Garry Templeton, whom Herzog had chastised for not hustling, for the Padres' light-hitting Ozzie Smith, now widely regarded as the best defensive shortstop in history. Another deal was less far successful: Gold Glove first baseman Keith Hernandez, with whom Herzog had feuded, to the Mets in the middle of 1983 for pitchers Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey. Hernandez led New York to the World Series title in 1986, while Allen and Ownbey were soon forgotten.

Herzog was just as tough on himself, resigning in the middle of 1990 because he was “embarrassed” by the team’s 33-47 record. He served as a consultant and general manager for the Angels in the early '90s and briefly considered managing the Red Sox before the 1997 season.

If the '82 championship was the highlight of his career, his greatest blow was the '85 series. The Cardinals were up 3 games to 2 against his former team, the Royals, and in Game 6 led 1-0 going into the bottom of the ninth, with Worrell brought in to finish the job.

Jorge Orta led off and grounded a 0-2 pitch between the mound and first base. In one of the most famous blown calls in baseball history, he was ruled safe by umpire Don Denkinger, even though replays showed first baseman Jack Clark's toss to Worrell was in time. The Cardinals never recovered. Kansas City rallied for two runs to tie the series and crushed the Cards 11-0 in Game 7.

"No, I'm not bitter at Denkinger," Herzog told the AP years later. "He's a good guy, he knows he made a mistake, and he's a human being. It happened at an inopportune time but I do think they ought to have instant replay in the playoffs and World Series."

As if testing Herzog's humor, the Hall inducted him alongside an umpire, Doug Harvey.

"I don't know why he should get in," Herzog joked at the time. "Doug kicked me out of more games than any other umpire."

West Virginia's transgender sports ban violates the rights of a teen athlete under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools, an appeals court ruled Tuesday.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the law cannot be applied to a 13-year-old who has been taking puberty-blocking medication and publicly identified as a girl since she was in the third grade.

In February 2023, the court blocked the state's bid to kick Becky Pepper Jackson off her middle school cross country and track and field teams if the law were enforced.

Judge Toby Heytens wrote that offering her a "choice" between not participating in sports and participating only on boys teams "is no real choice at all."

"The defendants cannot expect that B.P.J. will countermand her social transition, her medical treatment, and all the work she has done with her schools, teachers, and coaches for nearly half her life by introducing herself to teammates, coaches, and even opponents as a boy," Heytens wrote.

The court ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union, its West Virginia chapter and LGBTQ interest group Lambda Legal. They sued the state, county boards of education and their superintendents in 2021 after Republican Gov. Jim Justice signed the bill into law.

"This is a tremendous victory for our client, transgender West Virginians, and the freedom of all youth to play as who they are," ACLU West Virginia attorney Joshua Block said in a statement.

The court noted that Jackson has been living as a girl for over five years and changed her name, and the state of West Virginia has issued her a birth certificate listing her as female. The court said she takes puberty-blocking medication and estrogen hormone therapy. Starting in elementary school, she has participated only on girls' athletic teams.

"B.P.J. has shown that applying the act to her would treat her worse than people to whom she is similarly situated, deprive her of any meaningful athletic opportunities, and do so on the basis of sex. That is all Title IX requires," Heytens wrote.

While the ruling makes clear that the law is discriminatory, ACLU-West Virginia spokesperson Billy Wolfe said in a statement, "as far as we know, our client is the only child currently impacted by this law. If others find themselves in this situation, we encourage them to contact the ACLU-WV legal team."

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey was "deeply disappointed" in the decision, the Republican said. His office said except for the specific case decided Tuesday, the ban remains in place.

"I will keep fighting to safeguard Title IX. We must keep working to protect women's sports so that women's safety is secured and girls have a truly fair playing field," Morrisey said. "We know the law is correct and will use every available tool to defend it."

SEE MORE: NAIA bans transgender athletes from women's sports

In January 2023, a federal judge dissolved a preliminary injunction that was granted in July 2021. The judge also ruled the state's transgender law did not violate Title IX.

The appeals court noted it did not find that government officials are barred from establishing separate sports teams for boys and girls or that they lacked authority to police the line drawn between those teams.

"We also do not hold that Title IX requires schools to allow every transgender girl to play on girls teams, regardless of whether they have gone through puberty and experienced elevated levels of circulating testosterone," the court wrote. "We hold only that the district court erred in granting these defendants' motions for summary judgment in this particular case and in failing to grant summary judgment to B.P.J. on her specific Title IX claim."

Dissenting Judge G. Steven Agee wrote that the state can separate teams by gender assigned at birth "without running afoul of either the Equal Protection Clause or Title IX."

Sports participation is one of the main fronts in legislative and legal battles in recent years over the role of transgender people in U.S. public life. Most Republican-controlled states have passed restrictions on participation, as well as bans on gender-affirming health care for minors. Several have also restricted which bathrooms and locker rooms transgender people can use, particularly in schools.

West Virginia is one of at least 24 states with a law on the books barring transgender women and girls from competing in certain women's or girls' sports competitions.

The bans are in effect in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.

In addition to West Virginia, judges have temporarily put enforcement of the bans on hold in Arizona, Idaho and Utah. But the 2nd Circuit revived a challenge last year to Connecticut's policy of letting transgender girls compete in girls' sports, sending it back to a lower court without ruling on its merits.

A ban in Ohio is to take effect later this month.

The Biden administration originally planned to release a new federal Title IX rule addressing both campus sexual assault and transgender athletes. Earlier this year, the department decided to split them into separate rules, and the athletics rule now remains in limbo.

This story has been corrected to show that the court found the ban discriminated against a teen athlete, but did not overturn it.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is being sued for over $1 million after last month's high-speed multi-vehicle injury collision in Dallas.

Rice, 23, also faces eight criminal charges related to the crash — one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious injury and six counts of a collision involving injury. Theodore Knox, 21, the driver in the second car, faces the same charges.

The suit was filed on April 11 by Edvard Petrovskiy and Irina Gromova. It claims negligence of Rice, who was driving a Lamborghini Urus, and Knox, who was allegedly driving a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray that was leased to Rice.

SEE MORE: Lawyer: Chiefs' Rashee Rice was driving Lamborghini involved in crash

When Rice and Knox lost control of their vehicles, causing the multi-vehicle collision, Petrovskiy and Gromova said their 2022 white Lexus 350 SUV rotated into the middle of the road at a high speed before it crashed to a standstill.

Petrovskiy and Gromova seek damages for injuries incurred in the crash including brain trauma, stitches for face lacerations, multiple contusions, internal bleeding, disfigurement, multiple contusions and other injuries that “may only be fully revealed over the course of medical treatment,” per the suit.

The Plaintiffs also noted the likelihood of future loss of earnings and mental anguish in addition to the property damage they sustained, which the suit concluded was equal to $71,122.69.

In the suit, Petrovskiy and Gromova claim Rice and Knox fleeing the crash made it “abundantly evident that no goodwill was displayed at the scene" after the pair raced "at extreme speeds well over the speed limit."

SEE MORE: Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice surrenders to authorities after car crash

Despite Rice later apologizing on social media, which the lawsuit referred to as a “moral awakening,” the plaintiffs said by leaving the scene “the opportunity to gather evidence about Rice’s and Knox’s mental state and level of intoxication from any intoxicating substances would be forever diminished or lost.”

“The Defendants’ flight from the scene creates circumstances that could only be motivated by collusion to conceal the whole truth and evade full accountability," per the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs are demanding a trial by jury.

Monday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said he’s been in contact with Rice and is monitoring how the law enforcement aspect of the case plays out.

This story was originally published by Addi Weakley at Scripps News Kansas City.

Even without the help of Apollo, the flame that is to burn at the Paris Olympics was kindled Tuesday at the site of the ancient games in southern Greece.

Cloudy skies prevented the traditional lighting, when an actress dressed as an ancient Greek priestess uses the sun to ignite a silver torch — after offering up a symbolic prayer to Apollo, the ancient Greek sun god.

Instead, a backup flame was used that had been lit on the same spot Monday, during the final rehearsal.

Normally, the foremost of a group of priestesses in long, pleated dresses dips the fuel-filled torch into a parabolic mirror which focuses the sun's rays on it, and fire spurts forth.

But this time she didn't even try, going straight for the backup, kept in a copy of an ancient Greek pot. Ironically, a few minutes later the sun shone forth.

From the ancient stadium in Olympia, a relay of torchbearers will carry the flame more than 3,100 miles through Greece until the handover to Paris Games organizers in Athens on April 26.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said the flame lighting combined “a pilgrimage to our past in ancient Olympia, and an act of faith in our future.”

“In these difficult times ... with wars and conflicts on the rise, people are fed up with all the hate, the aggression and negative news,” he said. “We are longing for something which brings us together; something that is unifying; something that gives us hope.”

Thousands of spectators from all over the world packed Olympia for Tuesday's event amid the ruined temples and sports grounds where the ancient games were held from 776 B.C.-393 A.D.

The sprawling site, in a lush valley by the confluence of two rivers, is at its prettiest in the spring, teeming with pink-flowering Judas trees, small blue irises and the occasional red anemone.

The first torchbearer was Greek rower Stefanos Douskos, a gold medalist in 2021 in Tokyo. He ran to a nearby monument that contains the heart of French Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the driving force behind the modern revival of the games.

The next runner was Laure Manaudou, a French swimmer who won three medals at Athens in 2004. She handed over to senior European Union official Margaritis Schinas, a Greek.

The flame will travel from Athens' port of Piraeus on the Belem, a French three-masted sailing ship built in 1896 — the year of the first modern games in Athens.

According to Captain Aymeric Gibet, it's due on May 8 in the southern French port of Marseille, a city founded by Greek colonists some 2,600 years ago.

The Belem arrived in Katakolo, near Olympia, on Monday. Lookers-on included a small, enthusiastic group of tourists from the northwestern French region of Brittany, where the ship's homeport of Nantes is, waving French and Breton flags.

“We thought it would be a unique opportunity to see the flame lighting at the historic site of Olympia,” said Jean-Michel Pasquet from Lorient, near Nantes. “And when we also learnt the Belem would carry the flame ... we said we must do this.”

But Pasquet said he'd have to watch the Paris Games from home.

“For us, it would be really very expensive, unaffordable,” to go to the venues, he said. “So we'll watch them on television ... from our armchairs.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France is ready to keep its opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics safe — even if that means moving to an alternate stadium location.

France expects to hold the games' opening ceremony on July 26 in an unusual open-air setting on the River Seine, involving a parade of more than 10,000 athletes riding on boats stretching for miles.

Security will be exceptionally tight around the event, Macron told reporters. He did not identify any known threat, but characterized the possibility of taking the ceremony to a stadium instead as a "fallback scenario" in case of trouble. 

"There are plan Bs and plan Cs," Macron said.

Other options include shortening the waterborne parade route.

The ceremony was originally intended to entertain as many as 600,000 spectators, but the French government has repeatedly pared down its plans, first by reducing the expected audience and then by limiting admission from free to all members of the public to invitation-only.

France currently stands at its highest level of public security.

Macron said physical barriers, traffic management and other security preparations will become more apparent in the weeks leading up to the unique opening ceremony. 

"It’s a world first," Macron said. "We can do it and we will do it."

SEE MORE: Track and field is first sport to introduce prize money at Olympics

Trigger Warning: This story includes details of alleged sexual abuse, rape and eating disorders.

Two former members of the University of Kentucky swim team have accused former head coach Lars Jorgensen of emotional and sexual abuse, harassment and repeated rape and claimed the school “purposefully disregarded multiple credible reports” of his alleged sexual assaults and “aggressively discouraged students and employees from filing reports with the Title IX Office,” according to a lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court. 

The plaintiffs in the case are both former collegiate swimmers and assistant coaches who worked under Jorgensen at Kentucky, including a woman identified as Jane Doe II and Briggs Alexander, previously known as Bridgette Alexander and who, according to the lawsuit, now identifies as male. 

The lawsuit states Kentucky allowed Jorgensen to “foster a toxic, sexually hostile environment within the swim program and to prey on, sexually harass and commit horrific sexual assaults and violent rapes against young female coaches and collegiate athletes who were reliant on him” for a decade as head coach before he resigned last year. 

Before taking over the program at Kentucky in 2012, Jorgensen was a competitive swimmer who represented the United States in the 1988 Summer Olympics and coached at his alma mater, the University of Tennessee, Louisiana State University and the University of Toledo in Ohio. 

According to the lawsuit, Kentucky was warned about Jorgensen’s alleged sexual misconduct in an email from a former assistant swim team coach at Toledo, Mark Howard, right after it was announced that Kentucky had hired him to their coaching staff. 

Howard had reportedly discovered a video captured on a university camera that allegedly showed Jorgensen having intercourse with a swimmer, who appeared to be incapacitated, while he was a coach at Toledo. 

The same day the news broke about Kentucky hiring Jorgensen, Howard sent an email to then-head swim coach at Kentucky, Gary Conelly, about Jorgensen’s alleged inappropriate sexual behavior stating in part, “I wish you the best and hope he does not bring down your university. This is no joke at all and I cannot stomach the fact that he will be coaching women again.”

Conelly replied to Howard’s email saying they would look into the “disturbing allegation” and asked if he could provide more information. The lawsuit said despite Howard providing his phone number for Conelly to reach out, he never heard from him again. 

Howard claimed to have forwarded his email with the allegations and concerns about Jorgensen to Kentucky’s athletic director, Mitch Barnhart, and the swim team’s associate head coach at the time, Derek Perkins, the lawsuit stated. But neither Barnhart nor Perkins replied. 

The lawsuit, which additionally names Conelly and Barnhart as defendants, said Conelly obtained the contact information for the Toledo swimmer seen in the video with Jorgensen so he could confirm if their sexual relationship was consensual — even though most institutions prohibited sexual relationships between students and coaches — and “intentionally concealed the allegations.” 

The lawsuit alleged the university prioritized the potential success of its swimming program by hiring Jorgensen, given his track record at previous jobs, instead of taking action to investigate the reports of inappropriate sexual behavior or to protect its team and staff.

The next year, Jorgensen was promoted to head coach of Kentucky’s swim and diving program following Conelly’s retirement. 

According to the university’s website, Jorgensen was named Coach of the Year by the athletic department in 2017 and guided the swim team to eight Top 25 team finishes at the NCAA Championships and the women’s team to its first SEC Championship title, after which he was named 2021 SEC Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year. 

Jorgensen recruited a 22-year-old recent graduate, Jane Doe II, for the assistant coach position not long after he was promoted to head coach in 2013, according to the lawsuit. 

In December of the same year, Jorgensen hosted the coaching staff at his home for a Christmas party. The lawsuit said he isolated Jane Doe II by asking her to stay back and help clean up, then he allegedly dragged her to his bedroom and raped her. 

The lawsuit claimed an almost identical series of events resulted in Alexander allegedly being raped by Jorgensen following Christmas parties at his home in 2019 and again in 2021. 

Throughout his tenure at Kentucky, Jorgensen allegedly sexually assaulted and harassed Jane Doe II and Alexander relentlessly. The lawsuit details numerous occasions in which other staff members allegedly witnessed the assaults and either ignored them or were ignored when they voiced concerns. 

The lawsuit claimed that whenever Jorgensen heard of concerns about his behavior, he would then threaten Jane Doe II or Alexander, telling them he’d ruin their careers if they reported him and that no one would believe them. 

“Throughout his tenure at the University of Kentucky, Jorgensen exploited his position of power, fostering an unhealthy, sexualized environment for the women’s swim team, grooming female athletes with the intention of committing future sexual abuse and sexually assaulting and violently raping members of his female coaching staff that he directly supervised,” the lawsuit stated. 

In addition to the sexual abuse, Alexander and a third victim in the lawsuit, identified as Jane Doe, claimed Jorgensen kept tabs on the team’s menstrual cycles, routinely asking swimmers about their periods and controlling the swimmers' weight and diets by asking them to keep detailed food logs for him to review. The lawsuit stated this behavior resulted in many team members developing eating disorders. 

Jorgensen was placed on a leave of absence in May 2023 after a swimmer’s parent contacted the NCAA and Kentucky about his “inhumane coaching tactics,” the lawsuit stated. 

It was around this same time Alexander and Jane Doe II contacted the university’s Title IX office separately about the alleged abuse and assaults. However, according to the lawsuit, former Title IX Officer Meredith Reeves discouraged them from formally reporting their abuse and “suggested they probably didn’t want to tell their story.”

Jane Doe was also allegedly discouraged by the Title IX office from reporting her alleged abuse in October 2023. 

According to the lawsuit, the Title IX office staff told the victims their complaints could not be investigated if Jorgensen no longer worked for the university. 

Jorgensen resigned from Kentucky on June 28, 2023. 

In a statement provided to Scripps News, a spokesperson for the University of Kentucky said, “We take concerns that are raised about the conduct of an employee or potential employee very seriously. We review any such concerns before a hire is made or an employee is retained.”

The statement continued, “When issues between employees (or any members of our community) involve concerns over allegations of harassment or misconduct it is the policy and expectation of the institution that such activity be immediately reported to the appropriate officials for review, such as our Office for Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity.”

“Our Athletics Department takes those issues and those policies very seriously as the welfare and well-being of all of our employees and students is a priority,” the statement said.

“In such cases, a victim or complainant is reached out to a number of times during the course of a review. It is entirely up to the victim or complainant to decide whether they want to participate in such a review or not. Part of ensuring the well-being of our people is giving them the opportunity to decide whether they want to participate in an investigation of this kind.”

The anticipated relocation of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes appears to be a step closer to reality, with the team's players reportedly being told to prepare for a move.

Elliotte Friedman with "Hockey Night in Canada" reported Coyotes players were informed Friday of the move before the team's game against the Edmonton Oilers. Friedman added that the players were also told they would have an "opportunity" to check out Salt Lake City. ESPN reported the visit would come after the team's regular season finale next week.

SEE MORE: NHL's Coyotes, Scripps Sports land multi-year broadcast agreement

On Saturday, Coyotes officials spoke for the first time, though in vague terms, about the possible move. In a statement, team chairman Alex Meruelo said he hoped to talk about the franchise's future when he is able.

"We are focused on a myriad of issues that are unresolved, and therefore we are unable to make any official public comments at this time," he said. "However, you have my commitment that I am going to speak on all of these issues and publicly address all of your concerns as promptly as possible."

Arizona General Manager Bill Armstrong flew to Edmonton to speak with the team Friday, according to Friedman's sources, but did not make an official statement.

In a social media post Friday night, Utah Governor Spencer Cox wrote, "Welcome to Utah — the State of Sport — Coyotes." However, the post has since been deleted.

The pace of a possible relocation to Utah quickened this week, with reports saying the NHL will purchase the Coyotes and then sell them to Ryan Smith and the Smith Entertainment Group to begin play in Salt Lake City next season.

This story was originally published by Jeff Tavss at Scripps News Salt Lake City.

WNBA star Brittney Griner and her wife Cherelle Griner are expecting their first baby.

The pair shared the news in a joint Instagram post on Sunday.

"Can't believe we're less than three months away from meeting our favorite human being," the couple said in their post. 

The caption appeared alongside an image of Brittney and Cherelle holding hands over a string of sonogram photos.

The couple got married in 2019.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cherelle T. Griner (@cherelletgriner)

The baby news comes a month before Brittney Griner's book, "Coming Home," is set to drop on May 7. In her memoir, the Phoenix Mercury center recounts her nearly yearlong detainment in Russia after being jailed for drug charges two years ago. As the nation campaigned for her freedom, President Joe Biden had deemed her "wrongfully detained" by the Russian government.

Griner, who for years played basketball in Russia, said the book will also cover the time before her nightmare detainment, in a place she once called her "second home." Last year, Griner told reporters she plans to never play overseas again. She was held in Russia from February 2022 to December 2022.

Cherelle Griner helped bring attention to her wife's detainment at the time, speaking out to the media and with the White House in her fight to bring Brittney home.

The couple's exciting news comes ahead of an important day for women's basketball, with the WNBA Draft happening Monday night.

SEE MORE: Griner's detention shines light on other Americans wrongfully detained

It was a wire-to-wire win at the Boston Marathon for Ethiopian runner Sisay Lemma, who threatened to set the marathon's all-time course record for much of Monday's Patriots' Day run. 

Lemma finished first in the men's division with a time of 2:06:17, coming in 41 seconds ahead of Mohamed Esa. Last year's champion Evans Chabet finished third, 1:05 behind Lemma. 

Meanwhile, last year's women's champion Hellen Obiri defended her title in Boston, completing Monday's race in 2:22:37, which was about 59 seconds slower than her 2023 race. She held off 2022 New York City Marathon winner Sharon Lokedi, who made her Boston debut, by nine seconds.

The men's and women's races had little in common.

Lemma finished the first half of Monday's Boston Marathon in 1:00:19, which put him on pace to come more than two minutes under the course record of 2:03:02 set in 2011.

He was nearly two minutes ahead of the nearest competition at the halfway point.

The women's field was tight for nearly the entire duration of Monday's race. There were 15 runners within a second of the lead at Mile 20, including American Emma Bates. But around Mile 23, the field started to fall back, and by Mile 24, the race came down to Obiri, Lokedi and Edna Kiplagat. 

After Kiplagat faded, it became a two-woman battle, with Obiri nosing ahead of Lokedi in the final mile. 

SEE MORE: Marathon runner banned for 12 months after using a car during race

Lemma and Obiri led a field of 30,000 runners from over 100 countries. Many runners entered Boston by participating in Boston qualifying races around the world, while others gained entrance by raising large sums for charity. 

Lemma last took on Boston in 2022, but failed to cross the finish line. He placed 30th at the 2019 Boston Marathon. 

Lemma established himself as a top marathoner in 2021 by winning the London Marathon, marking his first World Major win. He then posted one of the fastest marathon times ever in Valencia in December 2023, completing the race in 2:01:48. His win in Valencia was the fourth-fastest official marathon ever recorded. 

Obiri's win in Boston marked her third consecutive World Major she has won. She also was victorious in New York City last fall.

The Indiana Fever picked Iowa's Caitlin Clark on Monday first overall in the 2024 WNBA draft, marking a widely-expected next step in Clark's meteoric career.

Clark, who was a senior in Iowa's program this year, has broken record after record, most recently becoming the highest scorer in major women's college basketball history and shortly afterward becoming the all-time NCAA scoring leader when she broke a record of 3,617 career points that Pete Maravich held for 54 years.

Women's college basketball as a whole has also seen a resurgence, in which the women's final drew more TV viewers than the men's final for the first time ever.

Los Angeles picked Cameron Brink from Stanford at No. 2.

Chicago selected South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso at No. 3.

Other notable players made headlines, such as UConn's Aaliyah Edwards and LSU's Angel Reese, who went 6th and 7th in the first round, respectively. Clark's Iowa teammate Kate Martin was also picked by the Las Vegas Aces in the 2nd round, 18th overall.

While Clark's entry into the WNBA will give the league a boost, so too will the other college stars entering the professional ranks.

"Certainly we have a star coming into this draft kind of unlike anyone we’ve seen coming into the draft, in terms of popularity and how many people are excited about watching her play in the WNBA and watching on television in terms of Caitlin Clark, but of course there are some other players that people are really excited about thinking they could be long-term pros and potential long-term All-Stars in this league," said former league All-Star and current ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo.

While these players have drawn attention to their play on the court, they have also developed brands off the court thanks to social media and the fact college players can now profit off their name, image and likeness.

"Caitlin is kind of in a world of her own, but I don’t know that we have seen this kind of excitement across the board," Lobo said. "Angel Reese has a massive following. Cameron Brink has a large following of people, whether it’s following them on social media or following them throughout the course of their college career.

"We have women coming into the draft this year who people are very much aware of and eager to see how their game is going to translate at this level, and I don’t know if we have — even Caitlin aside because of how NIL has changed things, I don’t know that we’ve ever seen an entire class that has this much attention off the floor that they are also going to bring to their on-court performance here in the W."

This year's WNBA Draft marks the first in eight years where fans were present in person.

SEE MORE: University of Iowa to retire Caitlin Clark's No. 22 jersey

Scottie Scheffler had no doubts about this Masters, and neither did anyone watching. He pulled ahead with magnificent shots Sunday and poured it on along the back nine at Augusta National for a 4-under 68 to claim his second green jacket in three years.

Scheffler is simply unstoppable at the moment, and he had help from a faltering cast of contenders to make it look easier than it was.

He won by three shots in 2022 with a meaningless four-putt on the final hole. He won by four this time, allowing for the most enjoyable uphill climb in golf toward the 18th green.

SEE MORE: Tiger Woods finishes Masters with his highest score as a pro

Masters newcomer Ludvig Aberg of Sweden gave him his stiffest challenge, losing ground with an approach into the water on the 11th hole for a double bogey. Against a player like Scheffler, those mistakes are not easy to overcome.

Aberg close with a 69 and was the runner-up.

The 27-year-old Scheffler is the fourth-youngest player to have two green jackets. And he stretches his lead at No. 1 in the world to levels not seen since the prime of Tiger Woods. Scheffler now has three victories against the strongest fields in his last four starts. The other was a runner-up finish in Houston.

Woods closed with a 77 and finished at 16-over 304, the highest 72-hole of his career.

Scheffler said he was in tears before the final round in 2022 when he had a three-shot lead going for his first major. His wife, Meredith, gave him the assuring words and he sailed to victory. His wife had to watch this one from home in Dallas, where she is expecting the couple's first child at the end of the month.

Tiger Woods finished the Masters on Sunday with a record he could do without, walking off the course with a 16-over 304, his highest 72-hole score in a career that spans three decades.

Woods' previous high was 302 at the Memorial in 2015. He has only failed to break 300 one other time at the Masters two years ago when he shot 78-78 on the weekend and finished at 301.

Despite the score, Woods called it a "good week" and said he's going to begin preparing for the other three majors including the PGA Championship in May, the U.S. Open in June and the British Open in July.

"This is a golf course I knew going into it, so I'm going to do my homework going forward at Pinehurst, Valhalla and Troon," Woods said. "But that's kind of the game plan."

Overall, he wasn't unhappy with how he played.

"Coming in here, not having played a full tournament in a very long time, it was a good fight on Thursday and Friday," Woods said. "Unfortunately (Saturday) didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to."

It hardly mattered to the crowd.

The 48-year-old Woods, who is still dealing with the effects of numerous surgeries that have impacted his body and limited his playing time on the PGA Tour, received a huge roar from the crowd as he pitched close to the hole on No. 18 and made par.

Wearing his traditional Sunday red, Woods tipped his hat the crowd.

Woods has played only 24 holes in one tournament going into the Masters

"I'm just going to keep lifting, keep the motor going, keep the body moving, keep getting stronger, keep progressing," Woods said. "Hopefully the practice sessions will keep getting longer."

Woods was in last place among the 60 players who made the cut when he finished. The previous time he finished in last place was in the 2020 Genesis Invitational at Riviera.

Still, the patrons flocked to see the man who took golf's popularity to new heights, even if he isn't been the dominant player he once was at Augusta National.

Woods hasn't really been competitive here since 2020 when he finished tied for 38th one year after his stunning fifth victory at age 43.

He finished 13 over two years ago, then was forced to withdraw in 2023 in the third round due to injuries that weren't helped by the cold, rainy weather that had taken an obvious physical toll on his body.

For a short time this week Woods showed glimpses of past greatness, relying mostly on his knowledge of the course.

SEE MORE: The history of the famous Masters green jacket

He played the first two rounds in 1 over to make the cut for a record 24th time. But the final two rounds were a struggle for Woods, who posted his worst round of his career at a major with an 82 on Saturday.

"It's always nice coming back here because I know the golf course, I know how to play it," Woods said. "I can kind of simulate shots. Granted, it's never quite the same as getting out here and doing it."

He played the final 36 holes in 15 over, shooting 77 on Sunday in his 100th career round at the Masters.

Before the round Woods appeared to receive some swing tips from his 15-year-old son Charlie on the practice range.

Things started off well enough, but that didn't last long.

After playing the first two holes in 1 under, Woods made a bogey on No. 3 before things started to unravel on the par-4 fifth hole when he took an unplayable lie and had to be driven back to the tee box in a golf cart to hit again. He wound up with a triple-bogey 7.

He added another bogey on the 6th.

He nearly chipped in from the sand on No. 16, giving fans a thrill and bringing back fond memories of his iconic chip in in 2005 en route to the fourth of his five championships at Augusta.

Woods said the toughest part of the week for him was battling the wind, which reached 45 mph at times with gusts.

"What it was doing out here to the golf shots and the balls and putting, how difficult the course was playing," Woods said. "It doesn't take much to get out of position here. Unfortunately, I got out of position a lot (Saturday) and a couple times today."

The once-dominant Woods played with Neal Shipley, the only amateur to make the cut at the Masters.

It was a stark reminder of just how long Woods has been around.

Woods' streak of cuts made at the Masters began in 1997, before the 23-year-old Shipley was born.

Even with Woods being out of contention he still attracting the usual huge throng of fans eager just to get a glimpse of the player that became the face of the sport. Fans applaud after every Woods' shot — good or bad — and continue to shout encouragement his way.

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and others make this one of the most anticipated WNBA drafts in recent years. There are several impact players up for grabs, but their talent is nearly eclipsed by their popularity among basketball fans.

"Caitlin is kind of in a world of her own, but I don't know that we have seen this kind of excitement across the board," ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said. "You know, Angel Reese has a massive following. Cameron Brink has a large following of people, whether it's following them on social media or following them throughout the course of their college career.

"We have women coming into the draft this year, who people are very much aware of and eager to see how their game is going to translate at this level."

Clark has helped bring millions of new fans to the game with her signature logo shots and dazzling passing ability. The Iowa star was a big reason why a record 18.9 million viewers tuned in to the NCAA championship game where South Carolina beat the Hawkeyes.

The NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader will go first to the Indiana Fever on Monday night when the draft takes place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in front of 1,000 fans.

"This is the first time we're going to have fans at the draft, so I think that's going to be special," ESPN analyst Andraya Carter said. "For people watching at home to see and hear a crowd and fans and people there, I think it'll be really exciting."

While Clark is a lock to go first, Brink, Tennessee's Rickea Jackson and South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso have all been in the discussion to be taken at No. 2 by Los Angeles. The Sparks also own the No. 4 pick with Chicago choosing third.

"They are foundational. They're an incredible opportunity for our organization," Sparks GM Raegan Pebley said. "We definitely want to see two players that not only have the skill set to make an impact early, but also a long runway ahead of them, opportunities to develop, opportunities to, not only be excellent in what they do, but how they impact the other pieces around them as we continue to build this team."

Dallas is fifth and Washington sixth. Minnesota, Chicago, Dallas, Connecticut, New York and Atlanta close out the first round. In all, there are three rounds and 36 picks in total.

SEE MORE: University of Iowa to retire Caitlin Clark's No. 22 jersey

All-Americans Mackenzie Holmes of Indiana and Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech won't be able to play in the WNBA this season because of knee injuries. Holmes said on social media that she is having surgery next month.

"At this time to ensure my body is healthy and my playing career is as long and successful as possible, I have decided to get the necessary surgery in May to prevent further issues and alleviate the pain it has caused," she said. "I have declared for the 2024 WNBA draft and pray that a team honors me with a selection knowing I will be ready for the start of 2025 training camp."

Kitley tore the ACL in her left knee in Virginia Tech's final regular season game and missed the entire postseason.

"Whenever you see any player go through an injury at any point in their career, but especially at that point, this special season that Virginia Tech was having. But I think she's a player that has, I'll use this word 'track' again," Pebley said. "Just a lot of runway ahead of her. She's going to, I think, have a great career with her versatility, her footwork abilities. And I think her impact around the rim."

The WNBA invited 15 players to the draft Monday, including Clark, Reese, Brink, Jackson, Cardoso and Kitley. The others are Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Muhl of UConn; Charisma Osborne of UCLA; Celeste Taylor and Jacy Sheldon of Ohio State; Alissa Pili of Utah; Marquesha Davis of Mississippi; Dyaisha Fair of Syracuse; and Nyadiew Puoch of Australia.

A federal judge on Friday ordered the former longtime interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to undergo gambling addiction treatment in a sports betting case stemming from allegations he stole $16 million from the Japanese baseball player's bank account to pay off debts.

Ippei Mizuhara exploited his personal and professional relationship with Ohtani to plunder millions from the two-way player’s account for years, prosecutors said, at times impersonating Ohtani to bankers.

Mizuhara only spoke on Friday to answer the judge’s questions, saying “yes” when the judge asked if he understood several parts of the case and his bond conditions.

Hours after court, his attorney Michael G. Freedman issued a statement saying Mizuhara hopes to “reach an agreement with the government to resolve this case as quickly as possible so that he can take responsibility.” He further added Mizuhara “wishes to apologize to Mr. Ohtani, the Dodgers, Major League Baseball, and his family.”

Ohtani told the Los Angeles Times on Friday he was “very grateful for the Department of Justice’s investigation.”

“For me personally, this marks a break from this, and I’d like to focus on baseball," he said from the field at Dodger Stadium ahead of the team’s game against the San Diego Padres.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he was happy that Ohtani was exonerated and that everyone can move forward.

Roberts also said he had not seen the investigation affect Ohtani or anyone on the Dodgers.

“He’s handled it with flying colors. He’s done a great job of just focusing on playing baseball and not letting it be a distraction for him,” Roberts said. “Our guys, as well, have handled it really well as far as that noise and not letting it affect play.

“I think for us, we’ve already moved past it, to be quite honest with you. He addressed us earlier, we felt good about it and supported him. Nothing has changed.”

United States Magistrate Judge Maria A. Audero also ordered Mizuhara to be released on an unsecured $25,000 bond, colloquially known as a signature bond. That means that Mizuhara does not have to put up any cash or collateral to be released. If he violates the conditions of his bond, then he will be on the hook for $25,000.

Mizuhara turned himself in Friday ahead of his initial court appearance. He is charged with one count of bank fraud and faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted. Wearing a dark suit and a white collared shirt, he entered the courtroom with his ankles shackled, but was not handcuffed. The judge approved his attorney’s request to remove the shackles.

Freedman and the prosecutors declined to answer questions from the media outside the courthouse after the hearing concluded.

SEE MORE: Shohei Ohtani's interpreter charged with bank fraud in betting case

Other bond conditions stipulate that Mizuhara cannot gamble, either electronically or in-person, or go inside any gambling establishments, or associate with any known bookmakers.

Mizuhara is also prohibited from contacting any victim or witness in the case in any form. He is scheduled to be arraigned on May 9.

Freedman told the judge that his client already planned to undergo gambling addiction treatment.

The hearing lasted about 10 minutes inside a courtroom packed with press, much of it Japanese media.

The judge told Mizuhara to let her know if he did not understand any of the bond conditions as she read them.

Mizuhara was ordered to submit to drug testing and surrender his passport and remain within the Central District of California’s jurisdiction. The judge noted his family ties to the area, his longtime residency here and his self-surrender Friday morning when she approved the bond.

The judge also noted that Mizuhara does not have a criminal history.

Ohtani was not identified by name in the proceeding. Prosecutor Jeff Mitchell, in response to a question from the judge, only said “the victim has been notified.”

Prosecutors said there was no evidence that Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara's gambling, and authorities said Ohtani is cooperating with investigators.

Mizuhara was not asked to enter a plea during Friday's brief court appearance in downtown Los Angeles. A criminal complaint, filed Thursday, detailed the alleged scheme through evidence that included text messages, financial records and recordings of phone calls.

While Mizuhara’s winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited in his own bank account and not Ohtani’s, his losing bets were around $183 million — a net loss of nearly $41 million.

In a message to his illegal bookmaker on March 20, the day the Los Angeles Times and ESPN broke the news of the federal investigation, Mizuhara wrote: “Technically I did steal from him. it’s all over for me.”

Major League Baseball opened its own investigation after the controversy surfaced, and the Dodgers immediately fired Mizuhara.

Just a year after legendary quarterback Tom Brady announced he was retiring from the NFL "for good," he's now admitting that he hasn't closed the door entirely on a potential return to professional football.

Appearing on an episode of the "DeepCut with VicBlends" podcast, the 46-year-old future Hall of Famer said he's "not opposed" to at least answering a phone call from an NFL team in need of a quarterback this upcoming season.

"I don't know if they're gonna let me if I become an owner of an NFL team, but I don't know," Brady said. "I'm always going to be in good shape, always be able to throw the ball. "

Brady compared the scenario to NBA legend Michael Jordan coming out of retirement in 2001 to join the Washington Wizards following a historic career with the Chicago Bulls.

"To come in for a little bit, like MJ coming back, I don't know if they'd let me," he said. "But I wouldn't be opposed to it."

SEE MORE: Tom Brady is flying high with a new gig as Delta's strategic adviser

However, a few other ventures seem to be standing in the way of Brady strapping on the pads next season. 

For one, he is currently in the process of finalizing a deal to become a part-owner of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders, and NFL players are prohibited from owning any equity in NFL teams. Additionally, Brady has a reported $375 million deal to become the lead color commentator for Fox Sports this upcoming NFL season.

 So the odds of Brady coming out of retirement may be slim. But it's not like he hasn't done it before.

In 2022, Brady returned to play quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just 40 days after announcing his first retirement. He would go on to lead them to the playoffs that season before hanging up the cleats "for good" last February.

During his 23-year NFL career, Brady won seven Super Bowls, five Super Bowl MVP awards, three NFL MVP awards, and was a 15-time Pro Bowler. He also set all-time NFL records for games won by a quarterback, career passing yards, passing touchdowns and completions.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice turned himself in to authorities Thursday on an arrest warrant in connection to an injury car crash last month.

Rice's attorney confirmed his client was released on bond after being booked into a jail in Glenn Heights, Texas, a city in the southern part of the Dallas metroplex. A warrant for Rice's arrest was issued by police Wednesday in connection to a six-vehicle injury crash on March 30 in Dallas.

"I want to re-emphasis Mr. Rice’s continued cooperation with law enforcement," attorney Royce West said in a statement. "Mr. Rice acknowledges his actions and feels deeply for those injured as a result of this accident. Our legal team is now tasked with reviewing all legal documents."

SEE MORE: Lawyer: Chiefs' Rashee Rice was driving Lamborghini involved in crash

Rice is charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious injury and six counts of collision involving injury.

Last week, West announced in a press conference that Rice admitted to driving a Lamborghini SUV that was involved in the crash. The Lamborghini, along with a Chevrolet Corvette, lost control while driving at high speeds and caused a chain reaction collision. Four people were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries.

An arrest warrant was also issued Wednesday for 21-year-old Theodore Knox, the driver of the Corvette. Knox faces the same charges as Rice. Authorities said nobody else involved in the crash is expected to be charged in connection to the incident.

"I take full responsibility for my part in this matter and will continue to cooperate with the necessary authorities," Rice said in a social media statement last week. "I sincerely apologize to everyone impacted in Saturday's accident."

The Kansas City Chiefs had no comment after the arrest warrant was issued Wednesday.

This story was originally published by Steve Kaut and Jack Anstine at Scripps News Kansas City.

Elite-level sports really nailed their symbols of triumph: The Stanley Cup. The Heisman Trophy. The enormous pewter plate at women’s Wimbledon.

Each one is instantly recognizable for what it is — a token that marks the highest achievements in sport. But you can’t exactly tote them around town, now, can you?

The Masters golf tournament, held every spring at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, boasts a wearable trophy — the famous green jacket awarded to the winner. It’s an iconic trophy and a fashion statement. But if you think winners can just tool around town, bragging about their wins forever, it’s not quite that simple. With this year’s tourney going on right now, read on for a little more on the history — and the strict protocol — behind that beautiful blazer.

Augusta National was founded in 1932 by financier Clifford Roberts and golf hero Bobby Jones. Later that decade, the club began presenting members with the exclusive green jacket.

According to Augusta National’s Masters 101, each jacket is made to the same specifications: Three buttons, a notched lapel, a single vent, made of tropical-weight wool in its own Pantone shade, Masters Green. The Masters logo appears on the left breast pocket and each button. Though a few tailoring changes have come and gone — lapels growing and shrinking, for example — it’s stayed basically the same since the 1930s. All of the jacket components are made in the United States.

In 1949, golf legend Sam Snead was the first Masters winner to be awarded a green jacket. Every year since, the Masters winner gets a stand-in jacket in a ceremony after the match. Later, the winner receives a custom-made green jacket as their prize.

SEE MORE: Masters underway after delayed start due to storms

The list of Masters winners is a list of all-time greats including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and loads of other luminaries. But since the Masters is a men’s-only tournament, no women champions have donned the jacket. (Augusta National only began admitting women to the club in 2012, making green jackets in women’s sizes quite rare.)

In fact, becoming a member at Augusta National is a mysterious process. There is no application form. No one’s totally sure how much it costs, though some estimate the initiation fee to be about $40,000 plus monthly dues and other charges.

Nonmembers may only visit the club with an invitation from a member, who must accompany them at all times. The only way to become a member is to be invited by a current member, undergo a rigorous vetting process and pony up the cash — or win the Masters tournament.

But even Masters champions must abide by the rules of the jacket. The big one: You may not wear your green jacket outside of the club. Ever. It stays at Augusta National in your personal locker.

The one exception? The current Masters champion may wear their coat in public, but only for the year after they win. After that, the regular rules apply — sort of. Masters winners, when they’ve been deposed by the next champ, must store their jacket at the club in a special Champions Locker Room until their next visit to the tournament.

Probably for the best as Masters Green doesn’t look as good with globs of mustard dried on a lapel.

We’re being silly, but it’s true — all that pomp and exclusivity is what makes the Masters so special. Whoever wears the jacket next will go down in history as one of golf’s greatest. And that person will be crowned this weekend — this year’s Masters tournament started April 8 with three days of pre-tournament play, and begins in earnest April 11 with Round 1, concluding on April 14 with Round 4. You can watch live coverage on ESPN from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST, catch the replays on ESPN from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST and watch highlights from the tournament on CBS from 11:35 p.m. to 11:50 p.m. EST. Or, you can listen to the action on the radio via SiriusXM from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Wherever you watch, keep an eye out for this year’s winner — they’ll be wearing green!

This story was originally published by Kathleen St. John at Simplemost.

The former longtime interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is being charged with federal bank fraud for crimes involving gambling debts and theft of millions of dollars from the Japanese sensation, federal authorities said Thursday.

U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada announced the charges Thursday.

Ippei Mizuhara served as Ohtani's interpreter after Ohtani came to the U.S. to play baseball. Estrada says Mizhuara "acted as Mr. Ohtani's de facto manager."

Estrada says Mizuhara helped Ohtani set up a bank account for Ohtani's baseball salary. Estrada says Mizuhara stole more than $16 million from Ohtani's bank accounts to pay for his own sports betting and lied to the bank to access the account.

"Due to the position of trust he occupied with Mr. Ohtanti" he was able to "use and abuse" that trust "in order to plunder Mr. Ohtani's bank account," Estrada said, also confirming that when Ippei would win on sports bets, he did not deposit the money into Ohtani's account.

"Mr. Mizuhara did all this to feed his insatiable appetite for illegal sports betting," Estrada said, adding the complaint alleges he committed fraud "on a massive scale."

SEE MORE: Ohtani 'beyond shocked' at allegations of gambling by his interpreter

Estrada says there is no evidence that Ohtani was aware of his interpreter's actions, adding that Ohtani has cooperated fully and completely with investigators.

"I want to emphasize this point: Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case," he said.

Mizuhara is expected to appear in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles for his initial appearance in the near future, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office press release.

An email seeking comment on the allegations against Mizuhara was sent to his attorney, Michael G. Freedman.

The maximum penalty for the bank fraud charge Mizuhara faces is 30 years in prison.

Mizuhara was abruptly fired by the team after the scandal surfaced last month, catalyzed by an IRS Criminal Investigation of an alleged illegal bookmaker. Major League Baseball opened a separate investigation.

Ohtani subsequently laid out a version of events that placed responsibility entirely on Mizuhara, who had given conflicting accounts of whether Ohtani had paid off Mizuhara's gambling debts.

Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels in December to sign a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers. Ohtani and Mizuhara had been daily companions since Ohtani joined the Angels in 2018.

Mizuhara told ESPN on March 19 that Ohtani paid his gambling debts at the interpreter's request, saying the bets were on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football. But ESPN said Mizuhara changed his story the next day, saying Ohtani had no knowledge of the gambling debts and had not transferred any money to bookmakers.

SEE MORE: Is baseball star Shohei Ohtani a victim of theft, or is he in trouble?

On March 25, Ohtani told a Dodger Stadium press conference that he never bet on sports or knowingly paid any gambling debts accumulated by his interpreter.

"I am very saddened and shocked someone whom I trusted has done this," the Japanese star said through a new interpreter.

"Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has been telling lies," Ohtani said. "I never bet on sports or have willfully sent money to the bookmaker."

Ohtani said he first became aware of Mizuhara's gambling problem during a team meeting after a season-opening victory over the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea.

The investigation moved at a quick speed, with the charges coming about three weeks after news of the scandal broke.

"We understood there was a significant amount of public interest in this case," Estrada said. "While we were able to work on this case rapidly, it was a very thorough investigation."

There has been no information about the status of baseball's separate investigation. MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering — even legally — on baseball. They also ban betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.

Ohtani earned around $40 million in salary from the Los Angeles Angels before becoming a free agent and getting his $700 million deal, although it's also expected he earns tens of millions at least in endorsements each year, too.

Former NFL star Terrell Suggs was arrested Tuesday in Arizona, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's office, in relation to an incident earlier this year in a Starbucks drive-thru.

Scottsdale police say Suggs, 41, was taken into custody and booked on charges of threatening and intimidating and disorderly conduct with a weapon. They add that the incident took place on March 10, but he was just arrested for the incident this week.

SEE MORE: Chiefs' Rashee Rice to surrender after warrant issued by Dallas police

According to police documents, Suggs brandished a firearm during a verbal altercation in which he threatened to kill another driver after a minor collision in a Starbucks drive-thru. The incident was reportedly captured on a camera within the victim’s vehicle. 

"I was getting coffee. I was not looking for any trouble," Suggs said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. "When the man in the other vehicle escalated the situation, I feared for my safety not knowing what his intentions were. Throughout the incident, I was the one who felt in danger, while fearing I would be followed home and for the safety of my family nearby at my residence."

Suggs has since been released from custody and is expected to appear in court later this month. 

The seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker played 17 seasons in the NFL after being drafted 10th overall by the Baltimore Ravens in 2003. He spent almost all of his career in Baltimore before splitting his final season between the Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs.

This story was originally published by Scripps News Phoenix.

Fans of Caitlin Clark got a final chance to bid farewell to the basketball superstar Wednesday night when the University of Iowa held its end-of-year celebration.

Some 8,000 screaming fans packed into Iowa's home arena to commemorate the Hawkeyes' season. During the festivities, Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz announced that Iowa will be retiring Clark's No. 22 jersey, making it just the third in program history to be memorialized. 

"There's been a lot of really good 22s to come before me and play for this program, whether it's Kathleen Doyle or Sam Logic," Clark said after the announcement. "So, that number holds a lot of weight, far beyond my name, and I guess I'm just really grateful."

SEE MORE: Caitlin Clark offered $5M to join Ice Cube's BIG3 basketball league

Despite falling one game short of a national title for a second consecutive year, it was a storybook season for Clark. From breaking the all-time college basketball scoring record to drawing the largest women's basketball regular season television audience of the past 25 years, there's no denying Clark's indelible impact on not only college basketball, but women's sports as a whole. 

Next up for Clark is the WNBA draft on April 15, when she is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick. The Indiana Fever have the first selection for the second year in a row, meaning Clark may find herself staying in the Midwest. 

The Masters is underway at Augusta National Golf Club after a two-and-a-half hour weather delay Thursday.

The original tee time was set for 8 a.m. local time, but organizers postponed the start amid heavy rain and gusty winds. The first round eventually began at 10:30 a.m.

Initially, gates and parking had been closed to attendees, but opened up an hour before the tournament's new start time.

Prior to the first round, the 88th Master Tournament kicked off with ceremonial tee shots from Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. The "Honorary Starters" tradition dates back to 1963, where golf legends kick off the tournament with swings of their own.

Players in the first round include Erik van Rooyen of South Africa and Jake Knapp of the U.S.

When the tournament was originally set to start, the Weather Channel's forecast for Augusta, Georgia, showed rain and thunderstorms, but a partly cloudy outlook for the afternoon. A wind advisory had been in effect.

Texas police issued an arrest warrant on Wednesday for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice in connection to an injury crash last month in Dallas.

A representative from attorney Royce West's office, who represents Rice in the case, confirmed to Scripps News Kansas City that he planned to turn himself in.

West would Rice during the surrender, though more details weren't immediately available.

SEE MORE: Lawyer: Chiefs' Rashee Rice was driving Lamborghini involved in crash

Rice, 23, faces one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious injury and six counts of a collision involving injury.

In a press conference last week, Royce West, an attorney representing Rice, said Rice admitted to driving a Lamborghini SUV—one of two cars that lost control, the other being a Chevrolet Corvette—that caused a chain reaction crash involving multiple vehicles.

Dallas police, on Wednesday evening, also issued an arrest warrant for the driver of the Corvette, Theodore Knox, 21. 

Knox faces the same charges that Rice does.

Police said they do not plan to charge any of the passengers involved in the crash.

Scripps News Kansas City spoke to an assistant of Rice’s attorney who said his office was working to learn more about the charges.

In the aftermath of the crash, Dallas police said they were attempting to make contact with Rice, who had left the scene of the crash. West said he and Rice made contact with police by that Sunday evening. Rice took to Instagram earlier this month to express his apologies.

"I take full responsibility for my part in this matter and will continue to cooperate with the necessary authorities," Rice said on Instagram. "I sincerely apologize to everyone impacted in Saturday's accident."

The Kansas City Chiefs had no comment on the arrest warrant.

This story was originally published by Sam Hartle at Scripps News Kansas City. 

The WNBA and makers of the over-the-counter birth control pill Opill announced a multi-year agreement on Tuesday "that focuses on building confidence, strength and health equity, all of which closely align with both organizations' core priorities."

The WNBA said that it enters the season with two main social justice priorities: civic engagement and reproductive health advocacy.

Opill's maker Perrigo recently began marketing the pill to those without a prescription. The pill has recently become available at major pharmacy chains, such as CVS and Walmart. Last year, government regulators allowed Opill to be distributed without a prescription.

"At the WNBA, we are committed to addressing issues that matter to the players, and expanding access to reproductive healthcare is one of those key issues," said Colie Edison, WNBA chief growth officer. "It's great to be working with a partner whose values align and authentically integrates into the health equity work our players are dedicated to."

SEE MORE: What to know about Opill, the 1st over-the-counter birth control pill

The WNBA said it plans to educate millions of fans about Opill being available over-the-counter, making contraception more accessible in the U.S. 

As part of those education efforts, the league and Perrigo said they plan to engage college students on campuses nationwide. 

The WNBA will hold its draft April 15, with the regular season starting May 14. 

Track and field is set to become the first sport to introduce prize money at the Olympics, with World Athletics saying Wednesday it will pay $50,000 to gold medalists in Paris.

The governing body of athletics said it was setting aside $2.4 million to pay the gold medalists across the 48 events on the track and field program for this year's Paris Olympics. Relay teams will split the $50,000 between their members. Payments for silver and bronze medalists are planned to start from the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

"While it is impossible to put a marketable value on winning an Olympic medal, or on the commitment and focus it takes to even represent your country at an Olympic Games, I think it is important we start somewhere and make sure some of the revenues generated by our athletes at the Olympic Games are directly returned to those who make the Games the global spectacle that it is," World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said in a statement.

The prize money will come out of the share of Olympic revenue that that the IOC distributes to World Athletics and other governing bodies of individual sports.

Athletes will have to pass "the usual anti-doping procedures" at the event before they receive the money, World Athletics added.

The modern Olympics originated as an amateur sports event and the International Olympic Committee does not award prize money. However, many medalists receive payments from their countries' governments, national sports bodies or from sponsors.

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee awarded $37,500 to gold medalists at the last Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021. Singapore's National Olympic Council promises $1 million for Olympic gold, a feat only achieved once so far by a Singaporean competitor.

The move by World Athletics could be seen as an indicator of Coe's intentions for the Olympics as a whole if he makes a run for the IOC presidency.

"I haven't ruled it in, and I certainly haven't ruled it out," Coe said last year when asked whether he would consider running for the IOC's top post when Thomas Bach's term ends in 2025. The IOC typically disapproves of any public campaigning for the presidency.

More than 18 million Americans tuned in to watch South Carolina defeat Iowa in Sunday's NCAA Women's Basketball championship game, according to preliminary numbers released by ESPN. 

ESPN said the estimated audience of 18.7 million television viewers on ABC marked the largest television audience for any basketball game, including men's, women's and NBA, since 2019. Besides the Olympics and football, it also got more viewers than any other sporting event in the last five years. 

ESPN noted that viewership was up 85% from last year's championship tilt between Iowa and LSU, and there were nearly four times the number of TV viewers than those who watched South Carolina win its previous title in 2022. 

At its peak, Sunday's game had 24 million viewers. 

SEE MORE: South Carolina beats Iowa 87-75 to win NCAA women's championship

Sunday was a battle between a team — South Carolina — seeking to become the first undefeated national champion since UConn in 2015-16 and an Iowa team that has the most transcendent star — Caitlin Clark — women's college basketball has ever seen. Despite a late rally by Iowa, South Carolina held off the Hawkeyes to win 87-75. 

Sunday's championship game was among many viewership records broken during the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Last Friday's Final Four matchup between Iowa and UConn drew 14.2 million TV viewers, marking the largest TV audience for a women's college basketball game. 

It was also the most-watched basketball game ever aired by ESPN. 

In January, ESPN and the NCAA announced an eight-year agreement starting with the 2024-25 season to carry most NCAA championships, including women's basketball. 

"With a record-setting audience of 18.7 million viewers, Sunday's Iowa-South Carolina title game was a fitting finale to the most-viewed ever NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament," said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. "These exceptional athletes, coaches and teams captured our attention in unprecedented ways and it's incumbent on all of us to keep the incredible momentum going."

UConn delivered the latest of its suffocating basketball beatdowns Monday night, smothering Purdue for a 75-60 victory to become the first team since 2007 to capture back-to-back national championships.

Tristen Newton scored 20 points for the Huskies, who won their 12th straight March Madness game — not a single one of them decided by fewer than 13 points.

UConn was efficient on offense but won this with defense. The Huskies (37-3) limited the country’s second-best 3-point shooting team to a mere seven shots behind the arc — Purdue only made one — while happily allowing 7-foot-4 AP Player of the Year Zach Edey to go for 37 points on 25 shot attempts.

UConn joined the 2006-07 Florida Gators and the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils as just the third team to repeat since John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty of the 1960s and ’70s.

SEE MORE: South Carolina beats Iowa 87-75 to win NCAA women's championship

Purdue made it this far a year after becoming just the second No. 1 seed in the history of March Madness to fall in the first round. But the Boilermakers (34-5) left the same way they came — still looking for the program’s first NCAA title.

In what was supposed to be a free-for-all in this new age of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness deals, UConn has figured out how to dominate.

The 2024 Huskies are the sixth team to win all six tournament games by double-digit margins. They won those games by a grand total of 140 points, blowing past the previous high of 121 by the 2009 North Carolina team for the highest margin among that exclusive club.

Cam Spencer, a transfer from Rutgers, Stephon Castle, a blue-chip freshman, and Alex Karaban, a sophomore from last year’s team, spent the night guarding the 3-point line and making life miserable for Purdue’s guards.

This was only the second time this season Purdue didn’t put up 10 3-point attempts, and how ’bout this final score: Edey 37, the rest of the Boilermakers 23.

It was a swing that broke a baseball record — making history on the field and off.

"When a friend of mine asked me a couple of weeks ago, 'Do you realize how long it's been?' And I'm thinking, without going into much thought, I said, '25 years? He said, "Charlie, it's been 50 years!'" recalled baseball fan Charlie Russo.

On April 8, 1974 in Atlanta, Henry "Hank" Aaron broke the major league home run record that had stood for nearly 40 years.

Russo was one of 53,000 fans at Atlanta-Fulton county stadium that night. He captured "Hammerin' Hank's" 715th homer with his home movie camera.

"Oh my goodness. I started filming and the first one was a ball and then a second one. 'Oh, my lord, he hit it out.' And now I'm thinking, 'Oh goodness, I got all this on my camera,'" said Russo.

Aaron was relieved, saying, "The average person can't realize what a nightmare this has been."

As he got closer to beating Babe Ruth's record, he received nearly 1 million pieces of mail, about a third of it racist or threatening.

Author Michael MacCambridge writes in "The Big Time," his recent book about sports in the 1970s, "The chase for the record exposed the deep fault lines of America's long reckoning with race."

"He got something like 930,000 letters in 1973. Most of them were very positive and encouraging," said MacCambridge. "But a dark minority of those were very negative and very hateful with the worst and most profane language. And that shined a little bit of a mirror for American sports fans on what some of their cohort were like."

MacCambridge added, "I think because Aaron was Black and because Ruth was White. It sort of gave Americans some inkling of what African American athletes and people in general had been dealing with for generations," the author said.

Aaron would later say the threatening letters "carved a piece of my heart away."

"I think 50 years on, we can see more clearly what Henry Aaron was up against what he soldiered through and what he accomplished in the face of a different time at a time when there was a clear double-standard for Black athletes and what he endured to break that record," said MacCambridge.

After Aaron retired in 1976, President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

"By steadily pursuing his calling in the face of unreasoning hatred, Hank Aaron has proven himself a great human being, as well as a great athlete," said Bush.

When Aaron died in 2021, Bush described him as a joyful man, adding, "Hank never let the hatred he faced consume him."

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the governing body for mostly small colleges, announced a policy Monday that essentially bans transgender athletes from women's sports.

The NAIA’s Council of Presidents approved the policy in a 20-0 vote Monday, according to CBS Sports. The NAIA, which oversees some 83,000 athletes at schools across the country, is believed to be the first college sports organization to take such a step.

According to the transgender participation policy, all athletes may participate in NAIA-sponsored male sports but only athletes whose biological sex is female and have not begun hormone therapy will be allowed to participate in women’s sports.

A student who has begun hormone therapy may participate in activities such as workouts, practices and team activities, but not in interscholastic competition.

SEE MORE: Scripps News poll: Americans largely support restricting trans rights

“With the exception of competitive cheer and competitive dance, the NAIA created separate categories for male and female participants,” the NAIA said. "Each NAIA sport includes some combination of strength, speed and stamina, providing competitive advantages for male student-athletes. As a result, the NAIA policy for transgender student-athletes applies to all sports except for competitive cheer and competitive dance, which are open to all students."

The topic has become a hot-button issue among conservative groups and others who believe transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete on girls’ and women’s sports teams. Last month, more than a dozen current and former women’s college athletes filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA, accusing the college sports governing body of violating their rights by allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sports.

Dawn Staley and South Carolina completed their perfect season, ending Caitlin Clark's historic college career with an 87-75 win over Iowa in the NCAA championship game Sunday.

With Staley directing a relentless attack from the sideline, the Gamecocks (38-0) became the 10th Division I team to go through a season without a loss. And they accomplished the feat after they lost all five starters from last season's team that lost to Clark's squad in the national semifinals.

"It doesn't always end like you want it to end, much like last year. But my freshies are at the top of my heart because they wanted this. It's awesome. .... It's awesome. It's awesome. It's unbelievable," Staley said. "When young people lock in and have a belief, and have a trust, and their parents have that same trust, this is what can happen. They made history. They etched their names in the history books."

Clark did all she could to lead the Hawkeyes to their first championship. She scored 30 points, including a championship-record 18 in the first quarter. She will go down as one of the greatest players in NCAA history. She rewrote the record book at Iowa (34-5), finishing as the career leading scorer in NCAA Division I history with 3,951 career points.

She hopes her legacy isn't defined by falling short in two NCAA championship games, but more by the millions of new fans she helped bring into the game and the countless young girls and boys that she inspired.

"I think the biggest thing is it's really hard to win these things, I think I know that better than most people by now, to be so close twice really hurts," Clark said.

As the final buzzer sounded, a stoic Clark walked off the court, through the confetti, and into the tunnel heading to the locker room.

"I personally want to thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport. She carried a heavy load for our sport," Staley said. "She's going to lift that league (WNBA) up as well. Caitlin Clark if you're out there you're one of the GOATs of our game. We appreciate you."

South Carolina has won three titles in the last eight years, including two of the past three, to lay claim to being the latest dynasty in women's basketball. Staley became the fifth coach to win at least three national championships, joining Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt, Kim Mulkey and Tara VanDerveer.

The Gamecocks, who have won 109 of their last 112 games, became the first team since UConn in 2016 to go undefeated. South Carolina had a couple scares throughout the season, but always found a way to win.

SEE MORE: UConn will play Purdue in bid for repeat NCAA championship title

With most of the team returning next year — except for star center Kamilla Cardoso — Staley's team is in a good position to keep this run going.

Tessa Johnson led South Carolina with 19 points. Cardoso, the NCAA tourney's Most Outstanding Player, had 15 points and 17 rebounds.

"Kamilla Cardoso was not going to let us lose a game in the NCAA Tournament," Staley said. "She played through an injury, she played like one of the top picks in the WNBA draft, and her teammates did something that no teammates have done for somebody who went to the WNBA in our program. They send her off as a national champion. So this is history for us."

Led by the 6-foot-7 Cardoso and Ashlyn Watkins, South Carolina enjoyed a 51-29 rebounding advantage. It also finished with 30 second-chance points.

The Gamecocks also showed off their impressive depth. Johnson helped the team to a 37-0 difference in points by reserves.

South Carolina trailed 46-44 late in the second quarter before going on an 11-0 run spanning halftime to open a 55-46 advantage early in the third quarter. Clark finally ended the run with a layup.

The Hawkeyes closed to 59-55 and had a chance to get even closer, but Hannah Stuelke missed a wide-open layup on a brilliant pass from Clark.

South Carolina responded with the next eight points, including two 3-pointers. The Gamecocks, who were 4 for 20 from behind the 3-point line during last season's Final Four loss to Iowa, went 8 for 19 from deep against the Hawkeyes this time around.

The Gamecocks were up 68-59 after the third. They led 76-64 early in the fourth before back-to-back 3s by Clark and Gabbie Marshall got Iowa within six.

Iowa was down 80-75 after a three-point play by Sydney Affolter with 4:12 left. That would be the last point the Hawkeyes would score as South Carolina got the last seven of the game.

Clark checked out with 20 seconds left when Iowa coach Lisa Bluder subbed in fellow senior Molly Davis, who hadn't played since she got hurt in the regular-season finale against Ohio State.

Unlike the semifinals, when Clark struggled against UConn's defense, she got going early against South Carolina. Clark scored 13 straight points for Iowa after the Hawkeyes jumped out to a 7-0 lead, including another logo 3-pointer, to help her school to a 20-9 advantage by the first media timeout.

South Carolina cut it to 22-20 with 1:30 left in the period before Clark scored the final five points, including a 3-pointer over Cardoso. Clark's 18 points in the opening quarter set a championship game record, surpassing the 16 that Jasmine Carson of LSU had last year against the Hawkeyes.

She only had three points in the second quarter, hitting a 3-pointer with 1:53 left in the period. Meanwhile the Gamecocks used their depth and inside dominance to get back in the game. Cardoso had 11 points and seven rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.

The Gamecocks trailed 46-44 in the final minute when Te-Hina PaoPao hit a 3-pointer and Raven Johnson stole the ball from Clark near midcourt and went in for a layup. South Carolina led 49-46 at the half.

UConn has blown through the NCAA Tournament again to reach college basketball's final night, this time with a chance to claim the first repeat championship in 17 years.

The final test is facing a Purdue team that spent an entire season proving it had recovered from one of the rarest of NCAA Tournament upsets.

The Huskies and Boilermakers are ready for Monday night's championship game, a matchup set when Purdue ended North Carolina State's wild March Madness run, followed by UConn pushing past Alabama in Saturday night's second semifinal.

"It speaks to the credit of what the coaching staff does — they've constructed a beautiful team, as we see," forward Alex Karaban said.

"They made sure the returners, we weren't complacent, that we wanted to leave a legacy," Karaban added. "And for the new guys, they're hungrier than ever. ... To be one win away against a really good Purdue team, it's going to be a battle and we know that. And it's going to take everything to make sure that we make history."

In addition to that history on the line, there's a pairing of marquee big men in Purdue's 7-foot-4 Zach Edey — the two-time AP national player of the year — and UConn's 7-2 Donovan Clingan.

UConn entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency by averaging 126.6 points per 100 possessions, while its defense ranked 11th at 94.4 points allowed per 100 possessions. Purdue was ranked fourth offensively (125.0) and 21st defensively (95.9).

The Huskies (36-3) won their fifth championship last season, winning six straight games by at least 13 points each time. And in a been-here-before moment, UConn earned its title-game ticket by beating the Crimson Tide 86-72 for its closest margin thus far in this year's tournament and its 11th straight tournament win dating back to last year.

SEE MORE: Iowa's Caitlin Clark gets shot at championship against South Carolina

One more win would put this year's No. 1 overall tournament seed in rare company, becoming the first team to win a repeat NCAA title since Florida did it in 2006 and 2007. It would also make the Huskies only the third to do so since UCLA's run of seven straight championships under John Wooden from 1967-73, the other being Duke in 1991 and 1992 under Mike Krzyzewski.

"It's a great feeling," AP All-America guard Tristen Newton said. "Like you said, not many teams can do this. But we feel like we can make history and win the whole thing."

For Purdue, the story isn't one of sustained dominance, but a massive turnaround from a humiliating moment that has the Boilermakers within reach of the program's first title.

Last March, the Boilermakers became only the second No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed by falling to Fairleigh Dickinson. That loss dogged the Boilermakers all year, even as they won the Big Ten regular-season race and spent the entire season looking like a title favorite, with redshirt freshman Cameron Heide noting the team heard chants of "FDU! FDU!" from opposing fans during the year.

Only one other team had faced that challenge: Virginia, which lost to UMBC in 2018. That team went on to win the program's first NCAA title a year later as a No. 1 seed.

Now Purdue (34-4) can follow that path to redemption, down to winning a first NCAA title.

"It's everything we've worked for, everything we thought about," guard Fletcher Loyer said. "A lot of late nights, can't even sleep because you're thinking about it.

"It's been tough. But we fought. We're going to keep fighting. We've got 40 more minutes until we're national champs. We're going to push everybody as far as we can, and we're going to play as hard as we can."

Purdue's first Final Four since 1980 now includes a trip to the program's first title game since falling to UCLA in 1969.

"Everybody wants to talk about winning it," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "I said, man, you got to get yourself in position before you can win one. It's like winning a national championship, you can talk all you want, but if you're not going to play on Monday, you don't have a chance.

"Obviously we put ourselves in a position to win one. Got to give our guys credit. They've been able to battle back. They've also been able to handle a lot of adversity."

The perfect player vs. the perfect team. A perfect ending.

This women's college basketball season, which has pushed the sport to unprecedented popularity, will conclude Sunday with a dream NCAA title game matchup — Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark against unbeaten South Carolina.

Clark, who has become something of a national treasure while shattering scoring records, will play for the NCAA title that eluded her last season with a loss to LSU.

For the Gamecocks, it's a chance to avenge their only defeat last season — 77-73 to Clark in the semifinals. Clark scored a Final Four-record 41 points as Iowa ended South Carolina's 42-game winning streak.

TV ratings are expected to soar for this year's finale, which has seemed inevitable as Clark knocked down 3-pointers at a never-seen-before rate and the Gamecocks rampaged through the Southeastern Conference and now this tourney.

Iowa's win last week over Angel Reese and LSU — a rematch of last year's championship — set a record with 12.3 million viewers.

“It feels like every time we’re going into a game in this NCAA Tournament it’s like everybody wanted to see this, just one after the next,” said Clark, who had to get through LSU and UConn to get back to the final. ”It's good for women’s basketball. Being in this moment before gives our group a good understanding of what to expect.

“We know what South Carolina brings to the table. We know we’re going to have our hands full.”

Not on her game in the first half, Clark scored 15 of her 21 points after halftime as the Hawkeyes (33-4) advanced with a 71-69 win over UConn in Friday's second semifinal — a game that lived up to its billing and had the fans inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse roaring from the opening tip to the final horn.

SEE MORE: LSU star Angel Reese declares for WNBA draft via Vogue photo shoot

The Gamecocks (37-0) had it much easier.

Leading by just one point at halftime, they overwhelmed North Carolina State in the third quarter, outscoring the Wolfpack 29-6, and rolled to a 78-59 win in the first semifinal.

Fresh off the emotional win over UConn, Clark wasn't quite ready to consider what lies ahead for the Hawkeyes.

They'll have to deal with 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso, a swarming defense, lethal outside shooters, unmatched depth and coach Dawn Staley, who's seeking her second title in three years and third since 2017.

“We’ll have a bunch of different things up our sleeves,” Clark said. “We’ll try a bunch of different things. South Carolina has been the top of the top. They’re in a different league. We’re going to do everything we can to try to be right there with them.”

A year ago, Clark's performance in the Final Four against South Carolina raised her national profile.

She was already well known, but when she took down a loaded Gamecocks team led by Aliyah Boston, who went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft, even casual hoops fans took notice.

Of course, these Gamecocks are a very different team with five new starters, while Iowa's group is mostly intact with title game experience.

And the Hawkeyes have the sensational Clark, who has spent the season hoping for one last shot and is getting it.

“The way that they played tonight was incredible,” she said. “But it’s the national championship. It’s the last game of my career. It’s the last game for five people on this team. I don’t think motivation will be hard to come by.”

As many of you may already know, Monday will provide millions of Americans with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness a total solar eclipse as the path of totality streaks across several U.S. states. One of those states is New York, and it's already prompted one of the state's professional baseball teams to make some changes to their schedule.

The New York Yankees were originally scheduled to face the Miami Marlins Monday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. local time. But the team announced it has pushed back that start time by four hours because the eclipse is slated to begin just minutes before first pitch.

"After reconsidering the challenges of playing through Monday’s solar eclipse, including potential in-game delays, Major League Baseball and the Yankees have rescheduled the start time of the Yankees-Marlins game on April 8 at Yankee Stadium from 2:05 p.m. to 6:05 p.m.," the team said in a statement Thursday.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, temporarily blocking all or part of the sun's light from reaching Earth and resulting in a shadow that dramatically darkens the sky. Total solar eclipses — when 100% of the sun is blocked — are pretty rare, but deemed a once-in-a-lifetime experience if you happen to find yourself in the path of totality.

In terms of when New Yorkers will be able to experience the eclipse, NASA explains that the event will start at around 2 p.m. and last about 2.5 hours. But the ideal viewing time will be at 2:25 p.m., when the moon will cover about 90% of the sun and be nearest to totality. 

Meanwhile, the Yankees said they will still be holding their special promotional event as previously planned, with the first 15,000 fans in the stadium receiving a team-branded Solar Eclipse T-shirt. The MLB also has two other games slated Monday in cities along the path of totality, but neither are expected to be impacted by the eclipse.

Bronny James will enter the NBA draft after one season at Southern California that was shortened by his recovery from cardiac arrest.

The 19-year-old son of LeBron James announced Friday on his Instagram account that he also plans to retain his college eligibility and will enter the transfer portal.

“I've had a year with some ups and downs but all added to growth for me as a man, student and athlete,” James wrote.

James posted his decision hours before USC was set to introduce Eric Musselman as its new coach. He replaces Andy Enfield, who left on Monday to become coach at SMU.

“Bronny is his own man,” the elder James said this week. “He has some tough decisions to make. When he's ready to make those decisions, he'll let us all know. But as his family, we're going to support whatever he does.”

James averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds while starting six of 25 games for the Trojans. He shot 37% from the field, 27% from 3-point range and 68% from the free throw line.

The elder James, his wife and their 9-year-old daughter were frequent courtside spectators at the Galen Center this season.

The 39-year-old James has been vocal about wanting to play with his son in the NBA.

Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, who represents father and son, said recently that he doesn't “value a young player getting into the lottery as much as I do getting him on the right team in the right developmental situation.”

James, a 6-foot-4 combo guard, didn't make his college debut until Dec. 10. Afterward, James appeared in front of the media for less than a minute to thank the doctors, athletic trainers and support system that helped him return to play.

Despite numerous requests, James never spoke to reporters during the season.

He suffered cardiac arrest on July 20 during a workout at the Galen Center. He was found to have a congenital heart defect that was treatable.

SEE MORE: Bronny James returns to basketball after cardiac arrest incident

An attorney representing Kansas City Chiefs player Rashee Rice told reporters Thursday that the wide receiver was driving a Lamborghini SUV that was involved in an injury crash last Saturday in Dallas.

Speaking from Dallas, Royce West said that Rice is fully cooperating with Dallas police in their investigation of the crash Saturday night.

SEE MORE: Chiefs player Rashee Rice cooperating with police after car crash

Dash cam video captured by another driver shows two cars — the Lamborghini SUV and a Chevrolet Corvette — lose control during an alleged street racing incident. Earlier this week, an attorney representing the company that owned the Lamborghini told the Associated Press they had rented the SUV out to Rice.

Dallas police said last Sunday morning they were attempting to locate Rice for questions regarding the crash. Rice and others allegedly left the scene of the crash. On Thursday, West said Rice had sought legal counsel and that he and his attorneys had been in contact with police by Sunday night.

“He’s a young man who made a mistake,” West said, adding that he anticipates the case eventually going to prosecutors for consideration of charges.

West added that Rice will continue to cooperate with police in their investigation, as well as do “everything in his power” to help other motorists involved in the multi-vehicle crash recover from any injuries or damage to property.

Rice took to Instagram Wednesday to express his apologies.

"I take full responsibility for my part in this matter and will continue to cooperate with the necessary authorities," Rice said in a story post. "I sincerely apologize to everyone impacted in Saturday's accident."

An NFL spokesperson told Scripps News Kansas City Thursday afternoon the league continues to "monitor all developments in the matter."

This story was originally published by Sam Hartle at Scripps News Kansas City.

The MLB's Oakland Athletics will spend the next three  seasons playing in Sacramento, California, ahead of the team's official relocation to its new permanent home in Las Vegas.

The franchise announced Thursday that Sutter Health Park — home of the minor league River Cats — will host A's games for the 2025-2027 MLB seasons, with an option to stay for the 2028 season while the team awaits construction of its new Vegas ballpark. The A's current lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires at the end of this season.

"Even with the long-standing relationship and good intentions on all sides in the negotiations with Oakland, the conditions to achieve an agreement seemed out of reach," A's owner John Fisher said in a statement. "We understand the disappointment this news brings to our fans, as this season marks our final one in Oakland. Throughout this season, we will honor and celebrate our time in Oakland, and will share additional details soon."

SEE MORE: Las Vegas mayor criticizes A's relocation plan: 'Does not make sense'

Despite protests from fans, the A's announced plans to move the club to Las Vegas last spring after failed negotiations with the city of Oakland to secure funding for a new Bay Area ballpark. MLB owners voted unanimously to approve the relocation plan in November, paving the way for Oakland to lose its only remaining professional sports franchise.

The NBA's Golden State Warriors relocated to San Francisco in 2019 and the NFL's Oakland Raiders left the city — for a second time — in 2020 to also settle in Las Vegas. It remains unclear whether the A's will keep its current team name or temporarily brand themselves as the "Sacramento Athletics." 

Construction on the team's new $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat stadium on the Las Vegas Strip is slated to begin next year and expected to be completed in time for the 2028 MLB season. The new ballpark will replace the historic Tropicana casino and resort, which has already shuttered its doors and is set to be demolished later this year.

SEE MORE: You can now buy items from the shuttered Tropicana Las Vegas

Disney CEO Bob Iger told investors on Wednesday that ESPN will launch a standalone app in the fall of 2025, allowing customers an opportunity to purchase the channel without needing cable. 

The announcement comes months after Disney formed a partnership with Fox and Warner Bros. to bring a direct-to-consumer product that bundles their sports programming into one app. The joint venture is set to launch in the fall of 2024 and will include sports programming from ESPN, Fox Sports, TNT and TBS, among others. 

While ESPN currently has a paid app, many major live sporting events are not included on ESPN Plus. For instance, basketball fans have been unable to watch the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament without a cable subscription. 

"In the fall of 2025, we will make the full suite of ESPN's channels available as a standalone and highly interactive digital destination," Iger said. "This will give consumers the ability to stream their favorite live games and studio programming and take advantage of an immersive customizable sports experience that includes betting, fantasy sports, e-commerce and more."

SEE MORE: LSU-Iowa game garners largest NCAA women's basketball TV audience ever

Iger said that this standalone service will be available as a bundle with Disney Plus and Hulu. 

Iger noted that ESPN has a long-term agreement now in place with the College Football Playoff, in addition to its rights to the NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL. ESPN has also seen astronomical viewership for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament with more than 12 million people tuned into Monday's Elite Eight game between Iowa and LSU. 

With its streaming platforms, Iger said he is confident Disney has created a "strong and sustainable streaming business." 

"We like our hand with Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus, and with their combined power, I think Disney has a real chance to become the ultimate streaming destination for consumers," he said.

South African footballer and Olympian Luke Fleurs has been killed in a carjacking in Johannesburg, his Kaizer Chiefs club said on Thursday.

The 24-year-old defender was shot while waiting to be attended to at a gas station in the Honeydew suburb in Johannesburg, according to police.

“Luke Fleurs tragically lost his life last night during a hijacking incident in Johannesburg. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time,” Kaizer Chiefs said in a statement.

The team's statement said that Fleurs died from a gunshot wound.

He had signed a two-year deal with the Chiefs in October 2023, but had not made an on-field appearance with the club. 

According to police spokesperson Mavela Masondo, the attackers fled with Fleur's vehicle and police were investigating a case of murder and carjacking.

SEE MORE: Ukrainian athletes want Russians excluded from 2024 Olympics

Fleurs previously played for the national under-23 side, representing South Africa at the Tokyo Olympics.

Fleurs is the latest among thousands of people who are victims to fatal carjackings in South Africa, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world.

The latest official crime statistics from October-December last year showed 5,973 carjacking cases reported.

Defending national champion UConn men's basketball team finally touched down in Arizona for the Final Four at 3:15 a.m. on Thursday after a long delay and a red-eye flight.

After the plane they were supposed to depart on at around 6 p.m. Wednesday had mechanical issues getting to the East Coast, the Huskies took off in a smaller Allegiant Air plane from Bradley International Airport near Hartford at about 1:30 a.m. for the flight to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

No. 1 seed UConn is scheduled to play fourth-seeded Alabama on Saturday night in the semifinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. The championship game is Monday night.

Alabama and Purdue arrived in Arizona on Tuesday night, and North Carolina State came in Wednesday afternoon.

The NCAA said in a statement that it worked with UConn and a charter company to develop several alternatives.

“We are very disappointed that UConn will arrive later than anticipated and it's unfortunate the team's travel experience has been impacted,” the NCAA said.

SEE MORE: LSU-Iowa game garners largest NCAA women's basketball TV audience ever

The Huskies had not been on a plane since just after their March 6 game with Marquette, when they had to spend an extra day in Milwaukee because of a canceled flight. They took buses to the Big East Tournament and first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, both in New York, and the East Regional in Boston.

The travel problems were first reported by CBS Sports, which was told of the issue by coach Dan Hurley.

The average price paid for a ticket on the resale market this week was twice as high for the NCAA women's Final Four compared with that for the men's semifinals, according to a technology company that analyzes prices across multiple platforms.

The average price of a ticket sold to the women's semifinals was $2,323; the average sale price for the men's was $1,001.21, Logitix reported Wednesday.

The women's games Friday match Iowa against Connecticut and South Carolina against North Carolina State at 19,432-seat Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland. Including data from sales made a month ago and longer, the average price for the women's semifinals is $1,131.78, compared with $400.29 for the same period in 2023.

The men's games Saturday pit Purdue against North Carolina State and Connecticut against Alabama at 63,400-seat State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Overall average ticket price for the men's semifinals is $993.70, compared with $636.43 in 2023.

SEE MORE: LSU-Iowa game garners largest NCAA women's basketball TV audience ever

A ticket to the women's championship game on Sunday was selling for an average of $1,110.63 this week. The average ticket to the men's title game Monday was selling for $646.45.

The higher price for the women's games is partially due to ticket supply for the men's games being greater because seating capacity at its venue is three times larger, a Logitix spokesman said. He added that demand for women's tickets is unprecedented and driven by fanfare for Iowa's Caitlin Clark, the all-time leading scorer in Division I. The Hawkeyes have played before sellout crowds — at home, on the road and at neutral sites — for all but two games this season.

The NCAA sells ticket packages — now sold out — that include all three games of the Final Four. Face value ranges from $200 to $400 for the women's semfinals and final and $250 to $900 for the men's semifinals and final.

Tickets on the resale market can be sold separately for the semifinals (both games) and final because they are held on different days and require different digital entry QR codes.

Bayou Barbie is WNBA bound.

LSU star Angel Reese, who is known for her eyelash extensions, painted nails and ferocious play in the paint, formally declared for the WNBA draft two days after the Tigers' season ended with a loss to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Elite Eight round of the women's NCAA Tournament.

Reese, who has expressed an interest in working in fashion and modeling, made her announcement Wednesday via a photo shoot in Vogue, saying she was inspired by tennis great Serena Williams announcing her retirement in 2022 in a similar manner.

Reese, who publicly had left open the option of returning for another year at LSU, acknowledged having made up her mind to turn pro before March Madness began.

"Of course, I like to do everything big," Reese told the magazine. "I didn't want anything to be basic."

"I've done everything I wanted to in college," added Reese, who also has expressed interest in playing professionally in Europe during the WNBA offseason. "I've won a national championship, I've gotten (Southeastern Conference) Player of the Year, I've been an All-American. My ultimate goal is to be a pro — and to be one of the greatest basketball players to play, ever. I feel like I’m ready."

SEE MORE: LSU's Angel Reese: 'I've been sexualized, I've been threatened'

Reese, a dynamic, 6-foot-3 forward who can run the floor, guard the perimeter and block shots anywhere, likely will join Clark, the expected No. 1 pick by Indiana, as one of the top players drafted on April 15. Draft analysts have projected Reese as a seventh or eighth overall choice. An undeveloped outside shot is among the few questions about her game as she leaves college.

Reese grew up in Baltimore and began her college career at Maryland, where her brother, Julian, plays for the men's team. She transferred to LSU in 2022 and the Tigers won the program's only national title in Reese's first season.

"She helped transform our program," LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. "We are all indebted to Angel Reese for the contributions she has given to this program, helping us win our first National Championship, and the contributions she made on our university as a whole."

Reese registered 61 double-doubles for the Tigers in two seasons. Only Sylvia Fowles had more double-doubles at LSU.

Reese averaged 20.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game at LSU, including seven games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. Reese became the first SEC player since Vanderbilt's Wendy Scholtens in 1989 and 1990 to lead the league in both scoring and rebounding in consecutive seasons.

This season, Reese was named the SEC Player of the Year. Reese has played four college seasons but was among those athletes granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA because their careers overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"When she came here, she said she wanted to be here for two seasons and she has lived up to that," Mukley said. "What a remarkable two years it has been."

"She not only helped grow our program but had an impact on growing the game of women’s basketball across the country," Mulkey added. "We wish her good luck as she moves to the WNBA and look forward to see all that she accomplishes."

Reese burst onto the scene during LSU’s championship run last year as an extremely talented basketball player and dynamic personality — accessible and engaging with fans and media off the court, and trash talking in the faces of her opponents on it. Reese grew up playing basketball with her brother and other boys in Baltimore, and she has said that forced her to become physically and mentally tough on the court.

She is known as "the Queen" among teammates, and she would be crowned by a teammate with a tiara during pregame introductions.

Since winning the title, Reese said there has been increased scrutiny of her, but she maintained that she would continue to be "unapologetically me."

Her teammates defended her leadership and what she’s been through, including a time earlier this season when she was suspended by Mulkey for four games right before Thanksgiving — time that she used to take a self-described mental health break.

"Everybody can have their opinion on Angel Reese, but y’all don’t know her," Flau’jae Johnson said. "I know the real Angel Reese, and the person I see every day is a strong person, is a caring, loving person. But the crown she wears is heavy. She’s the type of teammate that’s going to make you believe in yourself."

Players not competing in the Elite Eight had until Monday to renounce their remaining eligibility. Players like Reese, who were competing in the Elite Eight or beyond, had about 48 hours after their final game to make their decision.

In what was her final college game, Reese injured her ankle in the second quarter against Iowa and still finished with 17 points and 20 rebounds before fouling out in the final two minutes of the game.

Reese was one of the top NIL earners in college with a valuation of $1.8 million according toOn3.com. Many of those deals could now become the type of endorsements on which professional athletes typically cash in.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry wrote on X that players on scholarships should be required to be present for the national anthem at sporting events. Landry's comments come after LSU's women's basketball team was not on the court when "The Star-Spangled Banner" was played before Monday's Elite Eight basketball game. 

"It is time that all college boards, including Regent, put a policy in place that student athletes be present for the national anthem or risk their athletic scholarship! This is a matter of respect that all collegiate coaches should instill," Landry wrote. 

The NCAA generally allows teams the option to be on the court during the pregame national anthem. The timing of when the anthem is performed varies based on television windows and other factors. 

SEE MORE: LSU-Iowa game garners largest NCAA women's basketball TV audience ever

LSU coach Kim Mulkey was asked why her team wasn't on the court during the national anthem. 

"Honestly, I don't even know when the anthem was played," Mulkey said. "We kind of have a routine when they're on the floor and they come off at the 12-minute mark. I don't know, we come in and we do our pregame stuff. I'm sorry, listen, that's nothing intentionally done."

But the issue of athlete participation in the national anthem garnered national attention after 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee before NFL games in 2016. After his contract expired, Kaepernick was not signed to another NFL contract. He later won a settlement with the NFL after he alleged that NFL franchises colluded against him. 

The NFL began mandating in 2018 that players on the sidelines stand for the national anthem. The league said that players not wanting to stand must remain in the locker room during the national anthem. 

In what has already been a banner year for women in basketball, former National Player of the Year Lindsey Harding earned another honor. 

Harding was named on Tuesday as the NBA G League Coach of the Year, becoming the first woman to win the award. The G League serves as the NBA's developmental league.

G League head coaches and general managers vote on the yearly award.

Harding led the Stockton Kings to the G League's best overall record with a 24-10 ledger. Her squad is set to take on Santa Cruz on Thursday in the league playoffs. 

Stockton is the G League affiliate of the NBA's Sacramento Kings. While it's nice for G League teams to pick up wins, a measure of success is how players develop while in the minors. Only time will tell how well players will blossom, but by all accounts, Harding has done a wonderful job developing players in the minor league.

SEE MORE: LSU-Iowa game garners largest NCAA women's basketball TV audience ever

Her efforts as Stockton's head coach earned the praise of Sacramento coach Mike Brown, a longtime NBA coach. 

"It's a heck of a job by those guys," Brown said about Stockton's coaching staff. "I mean, just a whale of a job that she and her staff have done throughout the course of the year. We talked about the No. 1 seeding throughout the playoffs. For her and her staff, led by her, to get Coach of the Year, that's well deserving and just great things continue to happen to the Kings organization."

"Way to go, girl," Brown added. 

As a player, Harding had a nine-year career in the WNBA, playing for six different teams. Prior to her stint in the WNBA, she was the Naismith College Player of the Year while with Duke. She was on two Duke squads that made the Final Four. 

Several former G League Coaches of the Year have become NBA head coaches, including Quin Snyder and Nick Nurse. 

The German soccer federation and Adidas have stopped the sale of Germany jerseys with the number 44 because of a resemblance to the logo of the Nazi Party's notorious SS paramilitary units.

Adidas on Monday stopped offering the personalization of jerseys with names and numbers, and the federation halted the delivery of jerseys with the number 44 from its own online shop.

The federation said it was looking for an alternative design for the number 4 with its partner, 11teamsports.

"None of the parties involved saw any proximity to Nazi symbolism in the development process of the jersey design," the federation said on X, formerly Twitter.

The moves to withdraw jerseys with number 44 came after it was pointed out that the two fours together resembled the stylized SS used by the Nazi Party's Schutzstaffel group. Commonly known as the SS, it included police units, combat forces and others who ran the concentration camps that carried out the mass killings of civilians during World War II.

The stylized SS symbol is banned in Germany today.

Adidas spokesman Oliver Brüggen told news agency dpa that the federation and 11teamsports were responsible for the design of the names and numbers on the shirts.

"People from around 100 countries work at Adidas. Our company stands for the promotion of diversity and inclusion, and as a company we actively campaign against xenophobia, antisemitism, violence and hatred in all forms," Brüggen said. "Any attempts to promote divisive or exclusionary views are not part of our values as a brand."

Brüggen said Adidas "strongly rejects any suggestions that this was our intention."

Germany is hosting the European Championship from June 14 to July 14.

SEE MORE: USWNT's Korbin Albert apologizes after Megan Rapinoe decries 'hate'

In the highly anticipated rematch of last year's championship game, Monday's Elite Eight battle between LSU and Iowa was the most-watched women's college basketball game on TV ever, ESPN said. 

According to the network, 12.3 million people tuned in to watch the game that featured LSU star Angel Reese going up against Iowa phenom Caitlin Clark. At its peak, it garnered 16.1 million viewers. 

ESPN said that it also marked the network's most-watched basketball game since 2012. 

The LSU-Iowa game was not the only one getting big ratings for ESPN. The network said this year's Elite Eight games garnered four of the five largest television audiences ever for the round. 

Monday's late matchup between UConn and Southern California, which followed LSU-Iowa, had an audience of 6.7 million. On Sunday, a matchup between Oregon State and South Carolina had 3.1 million viewers, while the N.C. State vs. Texas game had 2.5 million viewers. 

This year's Final Four will have Iowa vs. UConn and N.C. State against South Carolina. 

"You got four great programs coming to the Final Four," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder told reporters on Tuesday. "I think there was a lot of attention on both games last night, but certainly there was a lot of attention on our game just because it was a rematch of the national championship last year.

"Again, we didn't look at it like that, but a lot of people outside of our program did. So I'm sure the viewership was high. I think everybody that was here in the arena seemed to have a really good time and enjoyed the game. Anytime that we have the chance to elevate women's basketball and to showcase just how great our game is, we're going to take full advantage of that."

SEE MORE: LSU's Angel Reese: 'I've been sexualized, I've been threatened'

Television viewership was also up for the men's Elite Eight, the NCAA said. Sunday's matchup between Duke and N.C. State had over 15 million viewers, marking the largest television audience for an Elite Eight game in five years. 

The NCAA said men's March Madness games have averaged 9.4 million viewers across CBS, TNT, TBS and TruTV, which is up 4% from a year ago. 

Although the men's game showed some growth this year, Bluder believes there is a reason the women's game is catching up in terms of popularity. 

"I think the rise has happened largely due to we're getting more media coverage," Bluder said. "I mean, when nobody knows about you, it's hard to get fan support, it's hard to get enthusiasm behind your program. But because we are on national television now, because we are in the spotlight more as a sport, as women's basketball, people are talking about it. People are recognizing how good of a game it is. People get to know these stars.

"In the men's game, they're there for one year and then they leave, the best players. In the women's game, they're staying for four years. I think that's really good for them because they can really develop their brand, but it's also good for our sport because the best players are still around as seniors and not playing in the league right away."

LSU star forward Angel Reese was in tears after her team's Elite Eight loss to Iowa on Monday. While reflecting on the game during a press conference, Reese didn't hold back when also responding to criticism she and her teammates have faced during the Tigers' deep tournament run.

"I don't really get to stand up for myself. I mean, I have great teammates. I have a great support system. I've got my hometown. I've got my family that stands up for me. I don't really get to speak out on things because I just ignore. I just try to stand strong," Reese said. "I've been through so much. I've seen so much. I've been attacked so many times, death threats, I've been sexualized, I've been threatened, I've been so many things, and I've stood strong every single time."

Over the weekend, a highly publicized story profiling LSU coach Kim Mulkey was published in the Washington Post. Mulkey said prior to the story's publication that she would sue if the story contained false information. 

The Washington Post story came out just as a column in the Los Angeles Times contained sexualized language the paper later admitted "was inappropriate and offensive." Columnist Ben Bolch apologized for the column as the paper edited the story.

SEE MORE: Shorthanded UConn returns to Women's Final Four, will face Iowa

"As a journalist, no one should know this more than me. Yet I have failed miserably in my choice of words. In my column previewing the LSU-UCLA women's basketball game, I tried to be clever in my phrasing about one team's attitude, using alliteration while not understanding the deeply offensive connotation or associations. I also used metaphors that were not appropriate," Bolch said. "Our society has had to deal with so many layers of misogyny, racism and negativity that I can now see why the words I used were wrong. It was not my intent to be hurtful, but I now understand that I terribly missed the mark."

Reese's teammates came to her defense following Monday's game. 

"I think Angel is one of the toughest people I've been around. People speak hate into her life. I've never seen people wish bad things on someone as much as her, and it does not affect her. She comes to practice every day. She lives her life every day. She lives how she wants to live, and she don't let nobody change that," LSU's Hailey Van Lith said. 

Reese said despite all of the negative press and attention she and her team have gotten, she "wouldn't change anything."

"I would still sit here and say I'm unapologetically me," Reese said.  I'm going to always leave that mark and be who I am and stand on that. And hopefully the little girls that look up to me, and hopefully I give them some type of inspiration that know hopefully it's not this hard and all the things that come at you, but keep being who you are, keep waking up every day, keep being motivated, staying who you are, stand ten toes, don't back down, and just be confident."

Reese now has to decide what to do with her career. Despite being a college senior, she could come back for a fifth year as the NCAA granted an additional year of eligibility during the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19. 

If Reese declares for the WNBA Draft, she would likely be one of the top picks. But with players now able to profit off their name, image and likeness in the NCAA, she may return and take advantage of endorsement deals. 

The NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament's Final Four is set after No. 3-seed UConn defeated top-seeded Southern California 80-73. UConn returns to the Final Four after having its 14-year streak of Final Four appearances snapped in 2023. 

USC was seeking its Final Four berth since 1986 after making the Elite Eight for the first time in 30 years. 

UConn is incredibly shorthanded, going with a lineup of eight players on Monday. That meant the Huskies relied heavily on star players Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards. The two did not disappoint. 

Bueckers contributed a game-high 28 points, while Edwards had 24 points. 

UConn built a double-digit lead in the third quarter, but USC came back to tie the game at 59 with 7:32 left. That was as close as USC would get. 

SEE MORE: Caitlin Clark leads Iowa back to Final Four after win over LSU

UConn then went on a 17-5 run, putting the game out of reach. 

UConn has a tough task ahead. The Huskies face Iowa on Friday, and will have the challenge of trying to stop star Caitlin Clark, who scored 41 points in Iowa's Elite Eight win over LSU earlier on Monday. 

In Friday's other Final Four game, South Carolina will face North Carolina State. 

This year's NCAA Tournament has provided ESPN with unprecedented TV ratings. ESPN said ratings for the opening weekend of the tournament were up 121% over 2023. 

Ratings for Monday's games have not been reported yet, but were expected to be among the most-watched women's basketball games on record. 

Caitlin Clark put up another sensational performance to carry Iowa to its second straight Final Four.

The Hawkeyes' superstar guard, whose record-breaking exploits have brought unprecedented attention to women's basketball, made nine 3-pointers and finished with 41 points and 12 assists as Iowa knocked defending national champion LSU out of the NCAA Tournament with a 94-87 victory on Monday night.

“It's amazing to be back in the Final Four. It's so hard to get back there,” Clark said. “This region was really hard, but we told ourselves we are the one seed for a reason.”

Top-seeded Iowa (33-4) will play Paige Bueckers and UConn in the national semifinals Friday night in Cleveland. UConn defeated the University of Southern California Monday night. 

Monday's highly anticipated matchup was a rematch of last year’s national championship game won by LSU, which drew a record 9.9 million viewers.

Both teams wished that this meeting had come later in the tournament instead of with a Final Four berth at stake, but that was out of their control.

Clark, who also scored 41 points in the regional final last year, and Angel Reese of LSU put on a memorable show for the sold-out crowd and the millions watching.

“I think it’s just great for the sport, just being able to be a part of history. Like I said, no matter which way it went tonight, I know this was going to be a night for the ages,” said Reese, who had 17 points and 20 rebounds before fouling out with 1:45 left. “And just being able to be a part of history is great. Playing against another great player, of course, is always amazing."

Clark has already declared for this year’s WNBA draft. Reese, too, will have a decision to make about whether to turn pro or come back for one more season.

SEE MORE: NCAA's Charles McClelland talks March Madness with Scripps News

With the game tied at 45 after an entertaining first half, Clark took over in the third quarter. The NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader hit four 3-pointers, each deeper than the previous one. Her fourth of the quarter, from her signature logo range, made it 61-52. It also was the 538th of her career, which made her the all-time leader in that category among NCAA Division I players, passing Oklahoma's Taylor Robertson.

“There’s not a lot of strategy. You’ve got to guard her. Nobody else seems to be able to guard her,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “We didn’t even guard her last year when we beat them. She’s just a generational player, and she just makes everybody around her better.”

Flau'jae Johnson scored 23 points for No. 3 seed LSU (31-6), which fell short of becoming the first repeat champion since UConn in 2016.

Kate Martin scored 21 points for Iowa and Sydney Affolter added 16.

Iowa's lead ballooned to 65-52 before LSU scored six straight points. The Tigers trailed 69-58 heading into the fourth quarter before scoring the first five points to get within 69-63.

But they got no closer as Clark wouldn’t let the Hawkeyes lose. Her ninth 3-pointer, which tied the March Madness single-game record, made it 80-69 with 5:05 left. She pumped her chest as she ran back down the court and yelled to the adoring crowd.

“I got hyped for a second,” Clark said. “When you are playing a team like LSU, they are never out of the game. No matter what the time or score is. Do not start celebrating or get too emotional. They are going to fight until the end.”

The game got off to a quick start and the first quarter was an offensive clinic by both teams. Clark got the scoring going early, much to the delight of a pro-Iowa crowd. She hit a 3 to start the game, breaking a tie with Diana Taurasi for most 3-pointers in women's NCAA Tournament history.

Iowa led 17-9 before Mulkey called timeout. That seemed to settle her team down as the Tigers outscored the Hawkeyes 22-9 the rest of the quarter behind Reese, who finished the opening 10 minutes with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists to go along with two steals.

The Tigers got a scare in the second quarter when Reese went down trying to block Clark’s shot. She rolled her right ankle on a TV camera on the baseline and hopped off the court. The trainers looked at it and she rode a stationary bike for a few minutes before returning to the game. Reese was a little slower getting up the court but otherwise appeared unaffected.

Johnson made an acrobatic shot just before the halftime buzzer to tie the game. Clark had 19 points in the first half.

UP NEXT

The Hawkeyes will take on UConn on Friday in the FInal Four. 

In the other semifinal, undefeated South Carolina will take on North Carolina State. 

An attorney for Kansas City Chiefs player Rashee Rice said Monday that the wide receiver is cooperating with authorities after a speeding Corvette and Lamborghini sport utility vehicle caused a chain-reaction crash on a busy Dallas highway over the weekend.

A total of six vehicles were involved in the crash shortly before 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the northbound lanes of North Central Expressway, Dallas police said Monday. The people in the Lamborghini and Corvette left the scene without determining if anyone needed medical attention or providing their information, police said. Two of the drivers in the other vehicles were treated at the scene for minor injuries, and two occupants of another vehicle were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

Dallas television station WFAA, citing unnamed sources, reported that one of the speeding vehicles was registered to Rice. Police said Monday morning that they were working to identify the occupants of the Corvette and Lamborghini but did not release any information about the people they were seeking and would not confirm reports that Rice was among them.

Police spokesperson Kristin Lowman said early Monday evening that she could confirm that police had "spoken with members of legal counsel but have not conducted interviews with potentially involved individuals in Saturday's crash."

State Sen. Royce West, an attorney for Rice, said in a statement Monday that his client's thoughts were with everyone impacted by the accident and that he was cooperating with local authorities.

West said in the statement that Rice "will take all necessary steps to address this situation responsibly."

Police said the drivers of the Corvette and Lamborghini were speeding in the far left lane when they lost control and the Lamborghini traveled onto the shoulder and hit the center median wall, causing the chain collision.

Rice, a member of the Super Bowl-winning Chiefs team, is from the Dallas area. He played for Southern Methodist University and grew up in the Fort Worth suburb of North Richland Hills.

Chiefs President Mark Donovan said in an interview Monday with KCMO Talk Radio's "Mundo in the Morning" that the team will "react accordingly" once more is known about what happened.

"In all these situations, you have to wait until you have all the facts, and frankly, we don't have all the facts at this point," Donovan said.

Lowman said law enforcement is asking anyone with information on the crash to contact police.

SEE MORE: Chiefs player reportedly linked to 'major' Dallas car crash

Scripps News spoke with Charles McClelland, chair of the NCAA Division I men's basketball selection committee and the first person to represent historically Black colleges and universities in the position.

How is the NCAA men's tournament going so far?

"I think we did relatively well," McClelland said. "There could be some that would disagree with that, but we have two of our No. 1 seeds going. Obviously, NC State has had a magical run ... But when you look at the tournament, we've broken records as far as viewership is concerned. Attendance has been at capacity. So the student athletes are having a great experience. The nation, as usual, they're loving the tournament. So far so good, knock on wood. We still have four teams, two games left. "

What's it like to watch this tournament as a person who played such a major role in picking the teams?

"To be on site, to be able to watch these teams perform at such a high level each year, and to be a part of such a magnificent event is humbling," McClelland said. "But again, a lot of good work that's done throughout all of these institutions: the presidents, the athletic directors, the student athletes. And this is what March is all about, March Madness. This is America and this is what we do for three weeks in March and one week in April."

SEE MORE: Poll: Caitlin Clark is biggest name in NCAA basketball, male or female

What was it like to see the reaction play out after you released the bracket on Selection Sunday?

"Ninety-nice percent good, as you can imagine," McClelland said. "One of the big controversies was there were three Big East teams that got in, and obviously the Big East are accustomed to more teams. So we've definitely heard it from their fans.

"Fans are passionate. And we know that. That's what makes this tournament great. So with a lot of good, there comes some bad. Nothing over the top, but we definitely heard from both sides."

How have you seen the NCAA's new name, image and likeness rules change the landscape, especially for HBCUs?

"Part of the issue that we had, the issue with selections, was that we had five bid-stealers," McClelland said. "Those are teams that are in their conference tournament but were not already in our tournament. So the fact that they won those games actually took a slot away from a bubble team. We've never had five in one year. To put it in perspective, over the last three years, we've only had two bid-stealers. That is a result of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness."

"It has opened up the opportunity for institutions such as those in the Southwestern Athletic Conference to be able to go in the portal, create some knowledge through name, image and likeness, and be able to kind of even the playing field," McClelland said. "So ultimately what you're seeing in the sport of college basketball is a more evening of those teams. Yes, the blue bloods are still blue bloods, but there are those that are up and coming and it makes it a much better opportunity for mid-majors such as schools in the Southwestern Athletic Conference get that type of talent."

There's been some criticism of the timing of the transfer portal opening up during March Madness. What is the future of the transfer portal in the sport?

"The future has been solidified. Once you open up that bottle and let that genie out, it's going to be difficult to put it back in," McClelland said. "I think that we will constantly look at those dates. We were constantly look at when the portal opens, when you'll be able to sign your national letter of intent, those conversations are ongoing. And I think now that the NCAA has kind of recognized that they needed to be a little bit more nimble, they're starting to do that. The NCAA is made up of the membership. So we have a lot to say about that process. There was debate from the basketball coaches as to when the transfer portal was to open. Some wanted it earlier, some wanted it later. There's not a perfect answer, but we will continue to strive to make it as good a process as it could possibly be."

"Giving student athletes the opportunity to transfer is something that not only the NCAA supports, but the membership supports," McClelland said. "And again, when those days open and when those days close, we will continue to work with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee along with the commissioners, athletic directors, coaches to make sure that we on top of all of the ongoing issues, the timing changes, to try to ensure that occurs when everybody wants it to occur."

SEE MORE: Iowa's Caitlin Clark to battle LSU's Angel Reese in Elite Eight

What is it about the women's game right now that's making it so popular?

"It's exciting! And I think ultimately when you look at the opportunity for our women's teams to be broadcast on a national basis, that's always the precipice of being able to grow," McClelland said. "And more people are now being able to watch women's basketball in prime time. And then you have the Angel Reeses and the Caitlin Clarks that have been able to bring that level of excitement. That game tonight is going to be where everybody will be to watch."

"You have those superstars. You have the ability to be in prime time on national television that is creating that buzz. And everybody's been able to see what we knew all along: The brand of women's basketball is just as exciting as the men," said McClelland.

Cameron Sutton has turned himself in, ending a weekslong search for the former NFL defensive back who was wanted on a domestic violence warrant.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced the 29-year-old Sutton arrived at a jail in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday night, nearly a week after it said his attorney informed authorities that the former Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers standout would turn himself in.

"After weeks of evading law enforcement, this man has finally made the right choice to turn himself in," Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said. "Domestic violence has no place in our community, and no one is above the law here in Hillsborough County. My thoughts are with this woman as she continues to heal from this man's gruesome actions."

Sutton's initial arrest warrant charged him with a felony, but prosecutors said Monday he was being formally charged with misdemeanor battery, which carries a maximum one-year jail sentence. Sutton was released from jail Monday on his own recognizance, the state attorney's office said.

SEE MORE: Detroit Lions release Cameron Sutton as police search continues

The sheriff's department responded to a call about domestic violence in progress involving Sutton and a female around 5 a.m. on March 7. Nearly two weeks ago, the sheriff's office asked for help in finding Sutton.

Soon thereafter, Lions President Rod Wood said Sutton had been at the team's training facility just outside of Detroit.

"We learned about the warrant at the same time everybody else did on social media," Wood told WJBK-TV Fox 2 last Monday. "We were able to speak to Cam because he was actually in our building. We found him. He was down with our strength staff. He kind of showed up unexpectedly to work out."

The Lions released Sutton on March 21 after news of the warrant surfaced.

Detroit signed Sutton to a $33 million, three-year contract a year ago. He helped the franchise win a division title for the first time in three decades along with two playoff games in one postseason for the first time since 1957.

He started in all 17 regular-season games, making a career-high 65 tackles and one interception, and in each of Detroit's three playoff games.

Sutton started 31 games for the Steelers during the 2021 and '22 seasons with five interceptions with 95 tackles. Pittsburgh drafted the former Tennessee star, who is from Jonesboro, Georgia, in the third round in 2017. He has nine interceptions in 101 games over his career.

College basketball superstars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will face off again Monday night in a highly anticipated rematch of the 2023 NCAA championship when Iowa takes on Louisiana State University in the Elite Eight round of this year's March Madness tournament.

The storylines surrounding Iowa's Clark and LSU's Reece are prolific. 

Clark is undeniably the biggest name in college basketball — male or female — and has been selling out arenas across the United States all season long with fans shelling out big bucks just to catch a glimpse of the all-time NCAA scoring leader. Fans of Reese, meanwhile, just have to say "scoreboard," as LSU is 4-0 in head-to-head matchups when both team's superstars are on the court.

SEE MORE: Caitlin Clark offered $5M to join Ice Cube's BIG3 basketball league

Last year's NCAA Championship was the most-watched game in women's tournament history, averaging nearly 10 million viewers, according to CBS Sports. And while Reese's LSU may have emerged victorious to win their first ever national championship, Clark and Iowa are hoping to settle some bad blood that came with the defeat.

Who can forget the viral photo of Reese pointing to her ring finger in the face of Clark as LSU put the finishing touches on their 102-85 championship victory?

Reese said the taunt was in response to some of Clark's past gestures that can also be deemed disrespectful. Clark said she "had no idea" what it was about.

Nonetheless, it was a provocative moment that left fans on all sides yearning for a rematch — one they'll finally get Monday night. And while the names Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese alone are widely expected to bring in another record-breaking number of viewers, these are two very different teams than they were one year ago.

SEE MORE: Most US adults follow women's sports, study finds

For one, Iowa was a No. 2 seed when they lost to No. 3 LSU in last year's championship game. This year, the Tigers remain a 3-seed, but the Hawkeyes have improved to No. 1. 

Meanwhile, both Iowa and LSU have lost some key contributors since they last met, with new faces stepping in to take on larger roles. But both teams' anchors — Clark and Reese — remain, and they now have an additional year of experience under their belts.

The two college basketball heavyweights will face off one more time Monday night at 7:15 p.m. ET when LSU and Iowa each compete for a spot in the Final Four. 

Clark's Hawkeyes are slight betting favorites to win, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. But while games like this do trickle into the month of April, we don't call it March Madness for nothing, and anything is possible.

Vontae Davis, who played in the NFL for more than 10 years, has died. 

Police in Davie, Florida, said a person who worked at Davis' home called police Monday morning to report that they found the former NFL cornerback dead. 

"Preliminary information suggests that foul play is not involved," the police department said in a statement. 

No other details about how Davis may have died were released. 

Davis began his NFL career in 2009 with the Miami Dolphins. He would play with the team through the 2011 season. In 2012, he was picked up by the Indianapolis Colts, where he would spend five years.

Colts owner Jim Isray said he was saddened to hear about Davis' passing. 

"A great guy, teammate, player. My prayers to Vontae's family," he said. 

Davis finished his career with the Buffalo Bills in 2018, abruptly retiring in the middle of a game against the Los Angeles Chargers. 

The two-time Pro Bowler showed no signs of distress on social media prior to his death. Last week, he promoted his new children's book, "The Middle School Rules of Vontae Davis." He said the book was full of "invaluable life lessons" that he experienced growing up in poverty.

Davis was 35 years old. 

SEE MORE: NFL to hold Christmas Day games despite holiday falling on a Wednesday

The Dallas Police Department is searching for Rashee Rice after a vehicle believed to be connected to the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver was involved in a six-vehicle collision, according to the Dallas Morning News.

The newspaper reports a vehicle involved in the crash is believed to be registered or leased to Rice. Four people suffered minor injuries in the collision, which took place around 6:25 p.m. Saturday night.

The Dallas Police Department confirmed to Scripps News Kansas City that a Corvette and Lamborghini were speeding in the far-left lane of the expressway, near University Boulevard. The drivers lost control of the vehicles and the Lamborghini struck the center median wall after traveling into the shoulder of the roadway.

Police say the crash caused a chain reaction, involving four additional vehicles in the crash.

The occupants of the Lamborghini and Corvette left the scene "without stopping to determine if anyone needed medical help or providing their information," the Dallas Police Department told Scripps News Kansas City in a release. Two drivers and two occupants were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries.

Rice's involvement in the crash is not known at this time, but the Dallas Morning News reports that officers are searching for Rice as they conduct their investigation. The identity of the drivers of the Corvette and Lamborghini are not known at this time.

This story was originally published by Jack Anstine at Scripps News Kansas City.

The 3-point line for the women's NCAA Tournament at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, had a discrepancy in distance at each end of the court that went unnoticed through four games over two days before Texas and North Carolina State were informed of the problem ahead of their Elite Eight matchup on Sunday.

The teams' coaches agreed to play Sunday's game as scheduled with the mismatched 3-point lines rather than delay it, the NCAA said in a statement. N.C. State beat Texas 76-66 to advance to the Final Four.

“The NCAA was notified (Sunday) that the 3-point lines on the court at Moda Center in Portland are not the same distance. The NCAA staff and women’s basketball committee members on site consulted with the two head coaches who were made aware of the discrepancy. All parties elected to play a complete game on the court as is, rather than correcting the court and delaying the game,” Lynn Holzman, the NCAA's vice president of women's basketball, said in a statement.

Holzman said all lines would be measured after practices concluded on Sunday evening and the correct markings would be on the floor ahead of Monday's game between Southern California and UConn.

SEE MORE: Caitlin Clark offered $5M to join Ice Cube's BIG3 basketball league

“While the NCAA’s vendor has apologized for the error, we will investigate how this happened in the first place. The NCAA is working now to ensure the accuracy of all court markings for future games,” Holzman said. “We are not aware of any other issues at any of the prior sites for men’s or women’s tournament games.”

Connor Sports makes the March Madness floors for both men and women.

“We apologize for the error that was found and have technicians on site at the Moda Center in Portland who were instructed to make the necessary corrections immediately following (Sunday's) game,” the company said in a statement.

The court issue was another distraction for the NCAA during a women's tournament in which the play has been exceptional but other issues have taken the spotlight.

There was a referee pulled out of a game at halftime in the first round. Utah faced racist harassment before its first-round game. Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo was forced to remove a nose ring and missed time in a Sweet 16 loss to Oregon State. LSU coach Kim Mulkey threatened to sue The Washington Post over a then-unpublished profile of her and later called out a Los Angeles Times columnist for what she said was sexist criticism of her team. The Times edited the column in response.

And now, the court issue in Portland.

“I hate to say this, but I have a lot of colleagues that would say, ‘Only in women’s basketball,’” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. “I mean, it’s a shame, really, that it even happened. But it is what it is.”

Four Sweet 16 games on Friday and Saturday were played without any of the participating teams saying anything publicly about a problem with the court.

During pregame warmups, Schaefer and N.C. State coach Wes Moore were informed that the 3-point line distance at the top of the key was different on both ends of the floor. The distance between the top of the key and the 3-point line was too short at the end in front of the N.C. State bench, while the line at the Texas end was correct, Moore said.

NCAA officials were asked to measure the distance and brought out a tape measure about 15 minutes before tip-off. After discussions between NCAA representatives, the coaches and officials, the game went on as scheduled.

A delay would have taken at least an hour, both coaches said, because someone from the outside would have to be brought in to remark the floor and could have forced the game to be bumped from being broadcast on ABC.

“That’s a big deal to be on ABC,” Moore said. “We’ve been fortunate to be on it a couple of times the last couple of years. But it’s a big deal.”

Both coaches said their players were not aware of the discrepancy, and N.C. State's Aziaha James in particular had no trouble, making a career-high seven 3s on nine attempts. The NCAA said the court would be corrected before Monday's Elite Eight matchup between Southern California and UConn.

“At the end of the day we had already played a game on it and we both won, so we just decided to play,” Schaefer said.

While the NCAA did not provide details, one 3-point line near the top of the key appeared to be about 6 inches closer to the basket than at the opposite end of the floor. The NCAA 3-point line is at 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches for both women and men.

The numbers showed that players struggled with the line that was too close to the basket.

Through five games, teams shooting on the end with the closer 3-point arc were 25.8% (23 of 89) on 3s. At the end of the floor that was correct, teams shot 33.3% (29 of 87).

“These kids, they shoot so far behind it sometimes nowadays, who knows where the line is?” Moore said. “It is an unusual situation. But, like I said, I don’t know that it was an advantage or disadvantage, either way.”

Baylor coach Nicki Collen, whose team lost to USC in the Sweet 16, posted on social media that with eight teams at one site, the focus was on game plan, not what the court looked like.

Baylor was 6 of 14 on 3-pointers in the second half while shooting at the end of the floor with the correct arc.

“Guess that’s why we shot it better in the 2nd half,” Collen posted.

Bruising big man DJ Burns Jr. scored a season-high 29 points, DJ Horne had 20 and 11th-seeded North Carolina State reached its first Final Four in four decades, beating Atlantic Coast Conference rival Duke 76-64 in the South Region final Sunday.

N.C. State (26-14) is back in the national semifinals for the first time since the late Jim Valvano was sprinting around the court looking for someone to hug after winning the 1983 national title with an upset over Houston and Phi Slama Jama.

These Wolfpack head to Glendale, Arizona, next weekend with a nine-game winning streak. After losing their last four regular-season games, and seven of nine, they had to win five games in five days in the ACC Tournament, including a win over Duke in the quarterfinal round, just to get into the 68-team NCAA Tournament field. Now they will play Zach Edey and Purdue in the first national semifinal game, before defending champion UConn takes on Alabama.

"I'll say like I've been saying the whole tournament. When I stop having fun with basketball, I'll stop playing," said Burns, who was voted the South Region's most outstanding player. "There's just been a total switch in our commitment. Nobody's being late to things. Nobody's being a problem on the court. Everybody's come together."

Fourth-seeded Duke (27-9), which ousted top seed Houston in the Sweet 16 two nights earlier, missed out on its second Final Four in three seasons after leading by six at halftime and maintaining that margin with 16 1/2 minutes left.

SEE MORE: Caitlin Clark offered $5M to join Ice Cube's BIG3 basketball league

But soon after Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts was called for a technical foul with 8 minutes left, his team had a double-digit lead and was well on its way to becoming the seventh double-digit seed to make the Final Four since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

Jared McCain made both free throws for the technical that Keatts got after officials ruled a missed shot by Duke's Kyle Filipowski that went over the backboard and off the shot clock went off one of his players. Replays showed that while maybe there should have been a foul since Burns made contact with Filipowski's arm, the hand of the Wolfpack's 6-foot-9, 275-pound forward wasn't even close to the ball.

A minute later, Ben Middlebrooks had a steal that lead to a fast-break 3-pointer by Michael O'Connell. There was a foul called while the ball was in the air, so the Wolfpack kept possession and Burns made another nifty basket for a 53-42 lead.

O'Connell had six points, but finished with 11 rebounds and six assists.

McCain led Duke with 32 points, the freshman guard hitting 8 of 20 shots and making all 11 of his free throws. Jeremy Roach had 13 points while 7-foot center Filipowski had 11 points and nine rebounds before fouling out with 4:52 left and the Blue Devils already down eight.

None of the double-digit seeds have even made it to the national championship game, but the raucous Wolfpack fans chanted "Why not us, why not us?" before their team cut down the nets in Big D — about 1,200 miles from Tobacco Road where the N.C. State and Duke campuses are only about a half-hour drive from each other.

During the game's first media timeout, they even got to watch on the big video boards in the arena as the N.C. State women dribbled out the final 26 seconds of their regional final victory over Texas to also advance to the Final Four.

Burns hit short jumpers on the first two shots of the game by the Wolfpack, but those were their only consecutive makes before halftime while shooting 26.5% (9 of 34) and trailing 27-21.

They certainly turned that around with a 55-point second half in which they made 19 of 26 shots (73.1%). Burns went 9 of 11 after halftime.

Duke made only 19 field goals the entire game, shooting a season-worst 32.2% on its 59 attempts. The Blue Devils became the sixth consecutive opponent held under 40% shooting by N.C. State.

"We never had any rhythm on offense," Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. "They started to score more and our offense, it was probably the most disjointed game that we've played all year."

UP NEXT

N.C. State and Purdue are meeting in the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

A single elbow bump built a long-lasting bond between Racing Louisville FC Defender Carson Pickett and 6-year-old Joseph “JoJo” Tidd. 

A photo of the pair’s bump went viral when they met in 2019, raising awareness about their shared limb difference and the importance of having heroes who are just like us all.

JoJo and Carson originally met when she played for another team in Orlando. Now, she makes a point to say hi to JoJo and his family whenever Racing Louisville plays in Orlando. 

But this recent reunion was a surprise for Carson, arranged by ION producer Dave Trager. 

He arranged for the Tidds to fly from Florida to Kentucky and set Carson up to think she was going to be interviewed. Instead of a reporter, JoJo walked in. 

“She was completely surprised,” said Trager. “She had no idea he was going to come in. It was like a reconnection.”

Carson’s face lit up with delight. “Hi! Come here,” Carson said as she brought JoJo in for a hug. 

“This relationship with JoJo has definitely meant the world to me,” said Carson. “The first time I met you, you were so young; I think you were like three, but the second you saw my arm, you knew we were the same.”

Children with limb differences are born with arms, legs, fingers, or toes that are missing, not fully formed, or formed differently. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in every 1,900 babies is born with a limb reduction defect in the United States. 

Carson and JoJo did some catching up before hanging out in Lynn Family Stadium and racing to see who was faster. 

“I just want you to know that you can do anything that you want to do, and you're not any different than anyone else,” Carson told JoJo. “You can dream as big as anyone else with two hands.”

JoJo told Carson that when he looks at his “lucky fin,” it reminds him of her. 

“We can always be lucky fin friends for life,” Carson said. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Carson Pickett (@carson.pickett)

Korbin Albert, a midfielder for the U.S. women's national soccer team, is apologizing for her social media activity that reportedly involved anti-LGBTQ content and a post making light of the injury Megan Rapinoe suffered in her final professional game.

"Liking and sharing posts that are offensive, insensitive and hurtful was immature and disrespectful which was never my intent," the 20-year-old said on Instagram Thursday. "I'm really disappointed in myself and am deeply sorry for the hurt that I have caused to my teammates, other players, fans, friends and anyone who was offended."

Albert, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, came under fire after reposting a TikTok video of a Christian sermon that said being gay and "feeling transgender" was wrong, according to The Athletic and ESPN. 

The player, who wears No. 15, also was seen via screengrab liking a post that said, "God taking time off performing miracles to make sure Megan Rapinoe sprains her ankle in her final ever game." Rapinoe, who also played as a midfielder wearing No. 15, tore her Achilles during her final match: the NWSL championship game on Nov. 11. Her team, OL Reign, went on to lose 1-2 to Gotham FC.

SEE MORE: National Women's Soccer League lands major TV rights deal

"I truly believe that everyone should feel safe and respected everywhere and on all playing fields," Albert continued in her apology. "I know my actions have not lived up to that and for that I sincerely apologize. It's an honor and a privilege to get to play this sport on the world stage and I promise to do better."

Hours before Albert's apology, Rapinoe posted to her Instagram story calling out hateful rhetoric. Though it didn't mention Albert, the 38-year-old former U.S. captain said in a comment to The Athletic that her statement was in response to the new player's activity but that "her focus is on the queer lives at stake, whether they be at risk through anti-trans commentary online or targeted legislation."

"For people who want to hide behind 'my beliefs,' I would just ask one question, are you making any type of space safer, more inclusive, more whole, any semblance of better, bringing the best out of anyone?" Rapinoe wrote on Instagram. "Because if you aren't, all you believe in is hate. And kids are literally killing themselves because of this hate. Wake TF up! Yours truly, #15."

Rapinoe played her final game with the USWNT in September, wrapping a 17-year career that included two World Cup wins and made her one of the most decorated players in the team's history. But she's also become known for her advocacy work, namely for LGBTQ rights.

Albert, who started playing with the USWNT in December, is seen as a rising star in the sport. She's scheduled to be on the team's roster for the SheBelieves Cup, which kicks off April 6.

Four current and former minor league baseball players have been charged with insider trading of Del Taco stocks.

Jordan Qsar, Austin Bernard, Grant Witherspoon and Chase Lambert are accused of illegally trading shares of the restaurant chain based off information they learned before the company was bought by Jack in the Box in 2021. The group allegedly made nearly $190,000 in profits off the merger, according to a complaint filed by the U.S.Securities and Exchange Commission.

Court documents claim that Qsar — who was a minor league baseball player at the time — learned about the acquisition deal before it was formally announced from a friend who worked in finance at Jack in the Box. The complaint alleges the employee — who was not charged or identified in court documents — believed Qsar would keep the information private. 

SEE MORE: Man makes $1.7M from stocks by eavesdropping on wife's work call

Instead, prosecutors say Qsar purchased call options at the time and tipped off other current or former teammates about the deal. They also reportedly purchased call options. After news of the merger was made public, shares in Del Taco jumped from $7.53 to $12.51 per share, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors allege that Qsar made about $56,500, Witherspoon made about $42,800, Bernard made about $64,700, and Lambert made about $25,100 in illegal profits.  All four men face hefty fines and time behind bars on charges of conspiracy, securities fraud, aiding and abetting in wire fraud, and criminal forfeiture, according to court documents. 

"Insider trading directly affects the integrity of our economy," FBI Special Agent Stacey Moy said in a statement. "We will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure people who intentionally undermine and threaten our economy will be brought to justice." 

Iowa women's basketball superstar Caitlin Clark has been offered a $5 million contract to join Ice Cube's BIG3 basketball league, the rapper confirmed Wednesday.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media, linking to an article from TMZ. "But I won’t deny what’s now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

Clark is still currently competing in the NCAA women's March Madness tournament, but has said she plans to declare for the WNBA draft at the end of this season — and is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick. However, the lucrative offer from the BIG3 could sway the 22-year-old star in a different direction — both professionally and financially.

SEE MORE: Caitlin Clark attracts largest regular-season TV audience in 25 years

The average annual salary of a WNBA player was about $116,000 last year, according to Statista, with the highest-earning players making about $242,000 annually. This leads many WNBA players — like Brittney Griner — to seek out more fruitful deals overseas in countries like China and Russia during the offseason. 

"America's women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet," Ice Cube said. "And they should have more than just one professional option in the US. ...Our pathbreaking offer to Caitlin Clark demonstrates that BIG3 now offers another choice for athletes." 

The WNBA season consists of 36 regular season games — compared to just 10 in the BIG3. Hypothetically, that means the WNBA's best and highest-paid players made about $6,700 per regular season game last year, whereas Clark now has the option to go make half a million dollars per game in the BIG3.  

SEE MORE: Poll: Caitlin Clark is biggest name in NCAA basketball, male or female

Clark has not yet publicly commented on the job offer, but as the most popular college basketball player in the country — male or female — it doesn't all come down to salary differences. She'll also have to consider endorsement deals as well. 

According to ESPN, the WNBA said Clark stands to make more than $3 million in endorsements and partnerships if she signs with a team next season. That's in addition to deals she already has with big brands like Nike, State Farm, and Gatorade. 

The WNBA season tips off on May 13, about a month before the start of BIG3. Therefore, it's unlikely that Clark can participate in both leagues at the same time. But it's an option Ice Cube is still considering a possibility. 

"We've thought about it, it's definitely doable," he said on an episode of The Pat McAfee Show. "You know, both leagues play on CBS, so of course they love it if we can make it happen. So, it's up to the player. As a league we'll make it happen. We've always wanted to work with the WNBA."

The BIG3 is a professional 3-on-3 basketball league that was co-founded in 2017 by Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league features some former NBA players competing in a half-court format, with unique rules — including a four-point shot — and seeks to offer basketball fans competitive entertainment during the NBA offseason. 

It's the one day on the baseball calendar where fans of even the most hapless clubs have hope. Thursday marks the start of MLB's 2024 season. 

All 30 MLB teams were scheduled to play today, but some of those games will not occur. The Mets opener with the Brewers and the Phillies premiere versus the Braves were both pushed to Friday due to a persistent rain storm on the East Coast. 

For two MLB teams — the Padres and Dodgers — they already have a win and a loss in the standings. MLB sent the two California clubs to Korea for a two-game regular season series. The games marked the ninth time in MLB history the season kicked off outside the U.S. and Canada. 

Eight of the 30 clubs will take the field with new managers at the helm. Those teams include the Astros, Angels, Guardians, Padres, Brewers, Mets, Cubs and Giants. 

The Texas Rangers enter the 2024 season as defending champs, but it's hard to consider them favorites to repeat this season. Starting pitchers Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle are all on the disabled list to start the season, and all three are not expected to return until close to the second half of the year. 

SEE MORE: Ohtani 'beyond shocked' at allegations of gambling by his interpreter

The Atlanta Braves had the best record in the regular season last year, winning 104 games. Their pitching staff, which was led last year by Spencer Strider, appears even stronger this year. The Braves picked up veteran starter Chris Sale from the White Sox. Atlanta also picked up Reynaldo Lopez to strengthen its bullpen. 

The Baltimore Orioles had the best record in 2023 among American League clubs. A big part of Baltimore's success in 2023 was because of the emerging performance of starting pitcher Kyle Bradish. The young pitcher, however, begins the season on the disabled list and will likely miss at least the first month. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers also come in as one of the favorites this year after winning 103 games a season ago. They also have gotten stronger in some respects, picking up Shohei Ohtani from the Angels. Although Ohtani is not expected to pitch this year, his bat could provide yet another spark to the middle of Los Angeles' lineup. 

The Dodgers pitching staff looks to get a major lift from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who made his MLB debut during the Korea Series against the Padres. Yamamoto's debut was cut short after one inning, however, after an ineffective outing for the 25-year-old. 

The Athletics' season opener against the Guardians today might be the last Opening Day for Oakland. The franchise is weighing its options as it awaits a new ballpark in Las Vegas to be completed. The A's may remain in Oakland for several more years as construction on a new ballpark goes on, but the club and MLB have been looking at other sites to host the team. 

Major League Baseball owners have unanimously approved the sale of the Baltimore Orioles to a group led by private-equity billionaire David Rubenstein. 

The vote to approve took place Wednesday during a conference call and will give Rubenstein's group a 70% share of the team, ESPN reported.  

In January, the Angelos family, the team's owners, agreed to sell the team to Rubenstein for $1.725 billion, Scripps News Baltimore reported. 

"On behalf of Major League Baseball, I thank the Angelos family for their many years of service to the game and the communities of Baltimore. Peter Angelos loved baseball, loved Baltimore, and was an important part of MLB for more than three decades," Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred Jr. said. 

Peter Angelos, the team's former owner, died at 94 this year. 

SEE MORE: Ohtani 'beyond shocked' at allegations of gambling by his interpreter

For sale of the team, approval had to come from the Maryland Stadium Authority. Once that was secured, the MLB owners' approval was the final hurdle. 

"To own the Orioles is a great civic duty," Rubenstein said. "On behalf of my fellow owners, I want the Baltimore community and Orioles fans everywhere to know that we will work our hardest to deliver for you with professionalism, integrity, excellence and a fierce desire to win games." 

He said, "I thank John Angelos and his family for all they have done to bring us to this point. John led a dramatic overhaul of the team's management, roster, recruitment strategy, and farm system in recent years. Our job is to build on these accomplishments to advance a world-class professional sports agenda — with eyes on returning a World Series trophy to Baltimore."

Included in Rubenstein's group are various people with ties to the team including Cal Ripken, Jr. who is an Orioles legend and a National Baseball Hall of Fame Member; Michele Kang, an entrepreneur and owner of the Washington Spirit; Kurt Schmoke, a former Baltimore mayor; Mike Bloomberg, a business leader and philanthropist; and Bill Miller, an investor, philanthropist and a lifelong Orioles fan.

The scheduled closing for the sale was scheduled for this week. 

This story was originally published by Dominick Philippe-Auguste at Scripps News Baltimore with additional reporting from Scripps News. 

A longtime Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader who had a passion for women’s health and wellness died at 40 shortly after giving birth. 

According to an obituary and a GoFundMe page created to help with medical expenses and a legacy fund, Krystal Cunningham Anderson died on March 20 after a battle with sepsis shortly after she gave birth to her daughter, Charlotte Willow, who was stillborn. 

Anderson experienced organ failure and was placed on life support after giving birth, the GoFundMe page said. She underwent three surgeries "but the source of infection remained elusive.”

The obituary stated she was preceded in death by her infant son, James Charles, and is survived by her parents, brother and her husband of nearly three years, Clayton. 

Anderson was part of the Kansas City Chiefs cheerleading team from 2006 to 2011 and again from 2013 to 2016. The team posted on social media stating they were “deeply saddened” to hear of her passing. 

The post said Anderson had cheered with the team for over 100 games, served as a captain and represented the team in the 2015 Pro Bowl. 

“She was loved and adored by her teammates, fans, and strangers who were never strangers for long,” the team said. “We will miss her kind spirit, joyful energy, and her sparkle.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chiefs Cheer (@chiefscheer)

Anderson worked as a software engineer at Oracle Health where her passion for improving health care led to her being awarded a patent for developing software that assesses the risk of postpartum hemorrhaging, according to the obituary. She was also a yoga instructor, worked with various philanthropic organizations and advocated for Black women in STEM and women’s health. 

Anderson was originally from Texas but had made Leawood, Kansas her home with her husband, according to the GoFundMe. She graduated from the University of Richmond in Virginia, where she was a member of the Rho Mu chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 

The Rho Mu chapter has joined several other organizations to host a summit on April 24 at Virginia Union University to discuss maternal and reproductive health and infertility in the Black community. In a post on the chapter’s social media, it encouraged people to attend in memory of Anderson. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sepsis is the body’s “extreme reaction” to an infection that can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death. 

Maternal sepsis causes at least 261,000 maternal deaths globally every year, according to the nonprofit Sepsis Alliance. 

Recent studies have shown that maternal deaths across the U.S. more than doubled over two decades, with Black women having the highest maternal mortality rate in the country. 

Black women are 3.3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women, which some experts say is a systemic issue duplicated in all areas of health care. 

SEE MORE: Why do Black women have the highest maternal mortality rates?

The NFL is bringing back Christmas Day games this upcoming season despite the holiday falling on a Wednesday. 

The league announced Tuesday at its annual meeting that it will hold two rare midweek regular season games on December 25, 2024. Matchups have yet to be determined, but NFL.com reports that both games will feature teams that played the previous Saturday in order to allow players and coaches ample time to recover and prepare.

"When we saw the viewership from this past year, really our fans spoke," said Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution, according NFL.com.

SEE MORE: Amazon debuts NFL's first-ever Black Friday game exclusively on Prime

Christmas Day has traditionally been a holiday associated with NBA basketball, but the NFL has hijacked it in recent years by drawing massive television ratings. Last year's NFL triple-header on Christmas Day generated an average of more than 27 million viewers per game, according to Sports Media Watch, far outpacing the NBA average of just 2.85 million viewers over a five-game slate. 

The NFL has played 30 games on Christmas Day dating back to 1971, and this will be the fifth straight season the league plays on the holiday. However, it will be the first time Christmas Day games will fall on a Wednesday.

The NFL schedule typically holds Sunday, Monday and Thursday night games, with some occasional Saturday contests later in the season. So it will be a quick turnaround this year for teams playing the Saturday before Christmas — giving players just three days to recover before they're back on the gridiron.

Amid concerns about the health of players, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appeared confident that the players would be ready for the Christmas Day games, adding Wednesday football won't be a new league tradition. 

"It will be when Christmas falls on a Wednesday," he said, according to NFL.com. "But the time period between games has been done before. We have not seen any elevation of injuries."

Members of the Utah women’s basketball team said they are “deeply troubled and shaken” after alleged incidents near their hotel in Idaho last week that subjected the team to racist slurs and hateful harassment. 

The team had accommodations in Coeur d’Alene on Thursday to participate in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament’s First and Second Rounds hosted by Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, which is approximately 30 minutes away, over the state line. 

According to a joint statement from University of Utah Athletics Director Mark Harlan, Deputy Athletics Director Charmelle Green and Women’s Basketball Head Coach Lynne Roberts, the team was walking to a nearby restaurant from their hotel when a vehicle drove by and the people inside the vehicle shouted racist language at them. 

The same vehicle returned when the team was walking back from dinner, this time passing by slowly, revving the engine, and continuing to shout racist words and threats, according to Utah and Coeur d’Alene officials. 

“Out of concern for their well-being and safety, we worked with Gonzaga and the NCAA to move to alternate accommodations in Spokane,” the joint statement from Utah said. 

Several teams were staying in hotels in Idaho because of the lack of available hotel space in the Spokane area after it was announced the city would be the host site for the first rounds of both the men’s and women’s tournaments. 

The university contacted Coeur d’Alene police and filed a report the same night of the incidents. Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said they haven’t located the suspects and are working to speak with the victims. 

White said it was estimated that there were about 100 potential witnesses to the incidents that officers are working to gather accounts from. The department has also partnered with the FBI in its investigation. . 

SEE MORE: NAACP encouraging Black student-athletes to leave Florida schools

Leaders in the city of Coeur d’Alene held a press conference the following Tuesday morning to discuss the ongoing investigation and condemn the alleged actions. 

“To the young women who endured racial slurs while visiting, I offer my most sincere apology,” said Coeur d’Alene Mayor Jim Hammond. “We, all of us, stand with you, we embrace you, we celebrate your accomplishments and strongly denounce any malicious treatment towards you.”

“I want to make it very clear and very loud that we condemn in the strongest terms those horrendous acts of hatred, and if the perpetrators can be found, we call upon them to be prosecuted," said Tony Stewart, the director of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. 

Both Idaho Governor Brad Little and Lt. Governor Scott Bedke condemned the incidents, stating, “Idaho does not tolerate racism, hate, or bigotry in any form.”

The NCAA said, in part, “We are devastated about the Utah team’s experience while traveling to compete on what should have been a weekend competing on the brightest stage and creating some of the fondest memories of their lives.” 

Utah expressed gratitude to Gonzaga for their care and efforts in helping the team find new accommodations that made them feel safe. But Utah added that it was “disappointed” by the decision to house their team so far away from the competition site to begin with. 

The joint statement from Utah said, “We will work with NCAA leadership to make it clear that being so far removed from the site was unacceptable and a contributing factor to the impact of this incident.”

Expect to see more kickoff returns in the NFL.

Team owners on Tuesday approved a new rule that will take what essentially had become “a dead play” and make it an integral part of the game again, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the league hasn't announced the change.

The major overhaul to special teams — which has been in the works for years — takes elements of the kickoff rules used in the XFL and tweaks them for use in the NFL beginning in 2024. The rule will be in play for one season on a trial basis and then be subject to renewal in 2025.

NFL Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay said Monday there was urgency to vote on this rule before the draft because it could impact the way teams structure rosters. There were 1,970 touchbacks on kickoffs last season that now could be returns.

“I think it’s good for the game,” said Rams coach Sean McVay, who is one of three coaches on the eight-member committee. “I think all the intentions are in the right direction, and I’m really appreciative of the time and effort that the special teams coordinators have put in to try to be able to keep this play relevant in our game.”

SEE MORE: NFL report cards: Players rank the best and worst teams to work for

For a standard kickoff, the ball would be kicked from the 35-yard line with the 10 kick coverage players lined up at the opposing 40, with five on each side of the field.

The return team would have at least nine blockers lined up in the “set up zone” between the 30- and 35-yard line, with at least seven of those players touching the 35. There would be up to two returners allowed inside the 20.

Only the kicker and two returners would be allowed to move until the ball hits the ground or was touched by a returner inside the 20.

Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air can be returned, or the receiving team can opt for a touchback and possession at the 30. Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air and goes out of bounds or out of the end zone also would result in a touchback at the 30.

If a ball hits a returner or the ground before the end zone and goes into the end zone, a touchback would be at the 20 or the play could be returned. Any kick received in the field of play would have to be returned.

“It’s a drastic kind of move that’s going to be way different,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh, a former special teams coordinator. “Is that the right move at this time? I don’t know. I think that’s to be determined."

Under current rules, any touchback — or if a returner calls for a fair catch in the field of play — results in the receiving team getting the ball at its 25.

The proposal needed 24 of 32 votes to pass.

“I’m all for it,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “You have 2,000 dead plays. Nobody wants to see that. It’ll add excitement and newness.”

LSU coach Kim Mulkey lashed out at and threatened legal action against The Washington Post on Saturday, saying the paper has spent two years pursuing a “hit piece” about her and that it gave her a deadline to answer questions this past week while the defending national champion Tigers were preparing for the women's NCAA Tournament.

“The lengths he has gone to try to put a hit piece together,” Mulkey said of award-winning Post reporter Kent Babb, whom she did not mention by name. “After two years of trying to get me to sit with him for an interview, he contacts LSU on Tuesday as we were getting ready for the first-round game of this tournament with more than a dozen questions, demanding a response by Thursday, right before we’re scheduled to tip off. Are you kidding me?

“This was a ridiculous deadline that LSU and I could not possibly meet, and the reporter knew it,” Mulkey continued. “It was just an attempt to prevent me from commenting and an attempt to distract us from this tournament. It ain’t going to work, buddy.”

Babb confirmed to The Associated Press that he is working on a profile of Mulkey, but declined further comment. The Post also declined comment.

SEE MORE: Poll: Caitlin Clark is biggest name in NCAA basketball, male or female

Babb has been working for The Washington Post for 14 years. Three times, his features have been named best in the nation by The Associated Press Sports Editors. Babb also has written two books: “Across the River: Life, Death, and Football in an American City,” and “Not A Game: The Incredible Rise and Unthinkable Fall of Allen Iverson.”

Mulkey is in her third season at LSU, which signed her to a 10-year, $36 million extension after she won her fourth national title as a coach last season. She also won three with Baylor, along with two as a player at Louisiana Tech and a gold medal as a player for Team USA at the 1984 Olympic Games.

Mulkey said she told Babb two years ago that she wouldn't be interviewed by him because she “didn’t appreciate the hit job he wrote on Brian Kelly,” the current LSU and former Notre Dame football coach.

“I’m fed up, and I’m not going to let The Washington Post attack this university, this awesome team of young women I have, or me without a fight,” Mulkey added. “I’ve hired the best defamation law firm in the country, and I will sue The Washington Post if they publish a false story about me.

“Not many people are in a position to hold these kinds of journalists accountable, but I am, and I’ll do it,” Mulkey said.

Mulkey accused Babb of trying to trick her former assistant coaches into speaking with him by giving them the false impression that Mulkey had acquiesced to being interviewed.

“When my former coaches spoke to him and found out that I wasn’t talking with the reporter, they were just distraught, and they felt completely misled,” Mulkey said.

Mulkey added that former players have told her that the Post “contacted them and offered to let them be anonymous in a story if they’ll say negative things about me.”

“The Washington Post has called former disgruntled players to get negative quotes to include in their story," Mulkey said. “They’re ignoring the 40-plus years of positive stories.

“But you see, reporters who give a megaphone to a one-sided, embellished version of things aren’t trying to tell the truth. They’re trying to sell newspapers and feed the click machine,” Mukley continued. “This is exactly why people don’t trust journalists and the media anymore. It’s these kinds of sleazy tactics and hatchet jobs that people are just tired of.”

Shohei Ohtani spoke to the media Monday for the first time since the illegal gambling and theft allegations involving the Los Angeles Dodgers star and his interpreter emerged during the team’s trip to South Korea.

The interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired by the Dodgers last week when the team opened the season with two games against the San Diego Padres in Seoul.

Manager Dave Roberts endorsed Ohtani addressing the matter publicly. He said it was the two-way superstar's decision to do so.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Roberts said. “I’m happy he’s going to speak, and speak to what he knows and give his thoughts on the whole situation. I think it will give us all a little bit more clarity.”

Speaking with the assistance of an interpreter, Ohtani gave a prepared statement.

"I never bet on baseball or any other sports, never asked anyone to do that on my behalf, and never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports," Ohtani said. "Up until a couple days ago, I didn’t know that this was happening."

"Ippei has been stealing money from my account, and has told lies," Ohtani said.

Ohtani said Mizuhara told the media that Ohtani had paid off debts on a friend’s behalf. Ohtani called this a "complete lie."

Ohtani said Mizuhara spoke with him in a one-on-one meeting, at which point Ohtani contacted his lawyers and officials with the Dodgers organization. He said this was the first time those officials learned of Mizuhara’s claims.

"I’m beyond shocked. It’s hard to verbalize how I’m feeling at this point," Ohtani said. "The season’s going to start, so I’m obviously going to let my lawyers handle matters from here on out."

Ohtani said he would fully cooperate with all investigations going forward.

SEE MORE: Is baseball star Shohei Ohtani a victim of theft, or is he in trouble?

Mizuhara was let go from the team following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and claims from Ohtani’s attorneys that the Japanese star had been the victim of a “massive theft.”

Major League Baseball has opened an investigation of the matter. The Internal Revenue Service has confirmed that Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker in Orange County, California, are under criminal investigation.

Will Ireton, the team's performance operations manager, has taken over translation duties for Ohtani. He previously did the same for then-Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda, who is Japanese.

Ohtani made only a brief appearance in the Dodgers clubhouse before Sunday's Freeway Series opener against his former team, the Los Angeles Angels. The teams are playing three exhibition games before the Dodgers host St. Louis in their home opener on Thursday.

Ohtani was cheered loudly by the crowd of 42,607 each time he came to the plate for his first game as a Dodger in his home stadium. As the designated hitter, he went 0 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout before leaving.

He's also expected to play Monday in Los Angeles and Tuesday in Anaheim, where he was a two-time AL MVP before leaving the Angels as a free agent to sign a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December.

SEE MORE: Shohei Ohtani's interpreter fired after allegations of theft, gambling

Roberts said Ohtani has not addressed his teammates as a group.

“I think that he’s had one-off conversations with players,” Roberts said.

The manager said he checked in with Ohtani to see how he's doing.

“He's kind of business as usual,” Roberts said.

Ohtani has a double locker in the Dodgers clubhouse located between the shower room and fellow Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is slated to make his second start of the season on Saturday against St. Louis.

Extra security was posted in the jammed clubhouse on Sunday. Besides the players and a horde of media, eight temporary lockers were set up at one end for minor leaguers brought over from Arizona for the Freeway Series.

Overhead televisions were tuned to men's NCAA Tournament games, baseball and horse racing, with former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Paul Lo Duca offering TV handicapping tips on the day's races.

The MLB gambling policy is posted in every clubhouse. Betting on baseball — legally or not — is punishable with a one-year ban from the sport. The penalty for betting on other sports illegally is at the commissioner’s discretion. Sports gambling is illegal in California, even as 38 states and the District of Columbia allow some form of it.

Sports’ highest-paid player in history is finding himself in hot water as MLB announced Friday it is launching a formal investigation into Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. The move comes from claims that Ohtani used money to pay down gambling debts for his interpreter.

No charges have been filed in the case, but it comes in a sport that has had its fair share of controversy surrounding sports betting.

In December, Ohtani made international headlines for money going into his account — a reported $700 million for a 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, allegedly used $4.5 million of Ohtani’s money to pay off gambling debts to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. According to ESPN, Ohtani had learned of the debts and agreed to bail him out by wiring funds to an associate of Mizuhara’s alleged bookmaker. Soon after that, Mizuhara retracted that version of events, according to ESPN, and said Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling debts and had not transferred money on his behalf.

“Professional athletes don’t monitor their bank accounts, especially someone who’s got up to a $700 million contract over the next couple of years,” said Jeff Ifrah, a former federal prosecutor who now represents professional athletes as an attorney.

As federal prosecutors look into what might have happened, Ifrah says Ohtani’s camp distanced themselves from his interpreter due to optics, saying the money was stolen from his account. There have been no allegations that betting occurred on baseball games.

 “I think they were a little too quick to react to this and they really underestimated what the media and public’s response would be to it, and it only gets worse when you leave it fester,” said Ifrah.

Baseball has come under intense scrutiny for betting after would-be Hall of Famer Pete Rose was banished from the game for allegedly betting on games he had played in — one of the reasons this case has gotten so much attention, says Ifrah.

According to the Los Angeles Times, evidence on what really happened has been slow to materialize and Ohtani’s camp has not responded to questions about the alleged nature of the theft.

“As it becomes more common in the U.S. to have regulated sports betting, I think the reaction to someone being involved in gambling might be a little less shocking,” said Ifrah.

SEE MORE: Shohei Ohtani's interpreter fired after allegations of theft, gambling

The most common time for men to get vasectomies is around March Madness.

But why?

“We certainly see an influx of guys coming in to get vasectomies this time of year, and if you're going to have to talk a few days on the couch icing and recovering, you might as well do it when you can watch the NCAA tournament and catch some March Madness,” aid Dr. Jeff Morrison, a men’s health urologist with CU Urology and assistant professor of urology at the University of Colorado Department of Surgery.

The male birth control procedure only takes 15 to 20 minutes in a clinical setting, but the recovery time can take a few days.

The marketing behind it has also helped increase popularity.

For example, the Advanced Urology Associates refer to it as "vas-madness season” on its website. Different medical groups use it as a reason to market the procedure and schedule consultations.

“We see an influx of guys every spring trying to get vasectomies. And we actually carve out separate appointments and separate procedure slots to accommodate these men as they’re trying to fill in urology clinics,” Dr. Morrison said.

@scrippsnews Did you know the most common time for men to schedule vasectomies is around #MarchMadness? Urologists explain why. #healthtok ♬ original sound - Scripps News

But March Madness may not be the only reason there is more interest in vasectomies. One study found a rise in procedures and interest after federal protections for abortion rights were reversed in 2022.

“Vasectomy is the most effective and the only long-term option for male birth control. It’s a simple procedure,” Dr. Morrison said.

Who can get a vasectomy? Dr. Morrison said there’s no real age range.

“Anyone can have a vasectomy who wants one, typically it's men who have already fathered a pregnancy, have a few kids. Sometimes there’s other guys, younger guys, or guys without any kids who just have made up their mind,” he said.

Vasectomies are 99.99% effective, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The procedure is reversible, but reversals are not guaranteed to work.

Dr. Morrison said it’s important to know that the procedure does not work right away. It’s also cost effective and covered by the majority of insurance plans.

Other times of the year vasectomies are common? Urologists say around the Masters Tournament and toward the end of the year before insurance runs out.

SEE MORE: Poll: Caitlin Clark is biggest name in NCAA basketball, male or female

An NBA Championship ring that was once owned by the late Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has hit the auction block.

According to Goldin, the 14-karat gold ring is decorated with a whopping 40 diamonds and was given to Kobe's father, Joe Bryant, after the athlete won his first championship with the Lakers during the 2000 NBA season. While it's not the same ring given to players and team personnel, it is listed as an exact replica that Kobe had ordered as a gift for his 69-year-old father.

Goldin says the ring comes in Kobe's ring size of 11.5, weighs nearly 60 grams, and comes with a letter of authenticity from the Hall of Famer's mother, Pam Bryant.

"Obtained directly from the Bryant family, this ring is a true one-of-a-kind," the item description reads. "And we can confirm that it is the only championship ring ever given by Kobe to his father."

Bidding on the ring began at $30,000. But as of Friday afternoon, the highest bid had already reached $141,000, with the auction set to conclude on March 30.

Bryant was just 41 years old when he died alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020. The group was on their way to a youth basketball game in which Kobe was set to coach and his daughter was scheduled to play. An investigation found that the helicopter encountered dense fog and poor visibility, before crashing into a mountain in Calabasas, California. 

Over the course of his 20-year career — all with the Lakers — Bryant went on to win five NBA Championships, was named Finals Most Valuable Player twice, and won two gold medals while representing Team USA in the Olympics. He was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

Believe it or not, more than 2,000 known brackets remained perfect at the end of the day Thursday as most participants in various NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament challenges took their first loss early in the day.

The NCAA said that after the first day last year, fewer than 800 brackets remained perfect. 

The NCAA is tracking brackets completed through the Men's Bracket Challenge Game, ESPN, CBS and Yahoo. In order for the brackets to survive the day, they would have needed to correctly pick five upsets. 

The NCAA said there are approximately 29 million known brackets. Of the known perfect brackets, 1,825 remained through ESPN. ESPN said it had 22 million brackets filled out through its website. 

ESPN noted that 18 of its 22 million brackets lost all 16 games on Thursday. 

Over 18.5 million of ESPN's 22 million brackets had at least one loss after just two games yesterday when Mississippi State and BYU both lost in the early afternoon. 

The most prominent of Thursday's upsets came early in the evening when the Oakland Golden Grizzlies advanced to the second round for the first time in program history by defeating the Kentucky Wildcats. Oakland entered as the No. 14 seed, and toppled the No. 3-seed Wildcats. Only about 5% of brackets had Oakland defeating Kentucky, and among the few who picked Oakland was Vice President Kamala Harris. 

SEE MORE: Poll: Caitlin Clark is biggest name in NCAA basketball, male or female

According to the NCAA, 6.5% of all brackets had Kentucky winning it all. 

Last year, no brackets remained perfect through the second day; the last perfect bracket was eliminated during the evening when No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson defeated No. 1 seed Purdue. 

The last time a known bracket survived the entire first round was in 2019. According to the NCAA, Gregg Nigl had his perfect bracket intact all the way to the start of the Sweet 16. He had predicted the first 49 games correctly.

The NCAA notes that it is unable to track all brackets, as some participate in local challenges with friends and social groups. 

The Detroit Lions released Cameron Sutton on Thursday as authorities continue to search for the defensive back to serve a domestic violence warrant in Florida.

The team announced the move on the X social media platform without offering any other details.

#Lions have released CB Cam Sutton.

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) March 21, 2024

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Florida, which includes Tampa, has asked for help in finding Sutton, a seven-year pro who just finished his first season with the Lions and helped them reach the NFC championship game for the first time in 32 years.

The warrant is for domestic battery by strangulation, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Sutton may be driving a Jeep Grand Wagoneer with a Florida license plate, the sheriff's office has said.

Correction: Sutton Charge Update

Cameron Sutton is wanted for Domestic Battery by Strangulation. It was originally relayed as Aggravated Battery - Domestic Violence. https://t.co/80WQsmQYwj

— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) March 20, 2024

The department responded to a call about domestic violence in progress involving the 29-year-old Sutton and a female around 5 a.m. on March 7, according to a Detroit Free Press report.

Authorities issued the warrant based on the evidence they found and suspect that Sutton has fled Tampa, the newspaper reported.

It wasn't clear if Sutton has a lawyer to speak for him. A text message sent to Sutton's agent, David Canter, was not immediately returned.

The warrant provided by the sheriff's department was almost entirely blacked out; it did list a home belonging to him in Dunedin, Florida, along the Gulf Coast, and property records show him as the owner.

The Lions signed Sutton to a $33 million, three-year contract a little more than a year ago, targeting him as a key player to acquire last offseason. He helped the franchise win a division title for the first time in three decades along with two playoff games in one postseason for the first time since 1957.

Sutton started all 17 regular season games, making a career-high 65 tackles and one interception. He also started all three playoff games.

Sutton started 31 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2021-22 seasons, making five interceptions with 95 tackles. The Steelers drafted the former Tennessee star, who is from Jonesboro, Georgia, in the third round in 2017. He has nine interceptions in 101 games over his career.

A new poll is declaring Iowa star Caitlin Clark the biggest name in college basketball — regardless of gender.

According to the 2024 Seton Hall Sports Poll, more than 4 in 10 (44%)  Americans said they've heard of Clark before. That number increased to 58% for people who described themselves as sports fans, and 68% among avid sports fans.

Additionally, when respondents were given the names of five male and five female NCAA basketball players, Clark ranked first in name recognition — more than two times greater than any other athlete on the list. Another woman, Louisiana State University's Angel Reese, came in second with 18% of Americans saying they recognize her name.

SEE MORE: Most US adults follow women's sports, study finds

From breaking the all-time college basketball scoring record, to drawing the largest women's basketball regular season television audience of the past 25 years, there's no denying Clark's indelible impact on college basketball. And with the NCAA men's and women's March Madness tournaments tipping off Thursday, Clark's name alone is expected to attract record viewership for this year's women's tournament.

According to the poll, nearly two-thirds of sports fans agreed that women's college basketball is now more popular than ever, with nearly half (48%) of the general population and 74% of avid sports fans saying they will tune in to this year's women's March Madness tournament. Those figures are up more than 8% and 7% respectively since last year. 

“Caitlin Clark is carrying the March Madness brand this year,” the poll's chief methodologist Daniel Ladik said in a blog post. “It’s likely that viewer numbers for the Women’s tournament will surpass all previous records and her presence alone is a logo shot for the NCAA.”

The Seton Hall Sports Poll surveyed more than 1,500 U.S. adults between March 15-18. It was conducted in partnership with Seton Hall University's Stillman School of Business and YouGov, a global public opinion and data company.

The President of the United States has spiced things up this week by filling out his NCAA March Madness brackets for both the men's and women's tournaments, sharing his winning picks.

"Folks, it's time for college basketball’s biggest tournament. I wish the best of luck to all the teams competing," President Joe Biden said in a social media post sharing his predictions. 

He locked in his Final Four picks for the women's tournament: South Carolina, Stanford, UConn, and UCLA. For the men's tournament, he also went with powerhouse selections: UConn, Houston, North Carolina, and Kansas. His bet for the winners? Riding on South Carolina's unbeatable momentum for the Women's National Championship, and banking on top-seeded UConn to triumph over North Carolina in the Men's National Championship.

"I’m picking South Carolina Women's Basketball to win it all, and in the Men’s bracket the Huskies to go back-to-back," President Biden said in a tweet.

Folks, it's time for college basketball’s biggest tournament. I wish the best of luck to all the teams competing.

I’m picking South Carolina Women's Basketball to win it all, and in the Men’s bracket the Huskies to go back-to-back. pic.twitter.com/3Bf8xGuSTy

— President Biden (@POTUS) March 20, 2024

Sharing college basketball brackets is a tradition former President Barack Obama started in 2009. Back then, he put all his marbles on North Carolina to win the Men's NCAA Tournament, and they did just that. 

"My bracket was beautiful, and people were pretty impressed. They thought, 'Look at the President of the United States; he's in the top 4% of all the people who enter in their brackets.' And I was kind of feeling it, and I thought, 'You know what? I think this is what's going to happen every year,'" Obama said on the "Ways to Win" podcast. "And I'm pretty sure each year I've lost since then. So I have not necessarily picked a winner. And I'm a little sad about that."

So, of course, he had to share his picks this year to try to snatch another win.

In his men's tournament bracket, the 44th president selected UConn, Baylor, Kentucky, and Purdue as his Final Four contenders, and just like his bestie Biden, he chose top-seeded UConn to take the W. 

In the women's tournament, Obama chose South Carolina, Southern California, Iowa, and Stanford as his Final Four, predicting — again matching his best bud's vibes — that the Gamecocks would take home the championship trophy.

Obama did ask for a favor, though: "Please don’t rub it in when my bracket gets busted."

My picks are in! I sat down to talk about them with @CraigMalRob and @UKCoachCalipari on their podcast Ways To Win from @HGMedia. Check out our conversation wherever you get your podcasts. And please don’t rub it in when my bracket gets busted. https://t.co/pVLfuHjYmo pic.twitter.com/la2NTDh1z7

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 19, 2024

Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend has been fired from the Los Angeles Dodgers following allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese baseball star.

Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from The Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker.

“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” law firm Berk Brettler LLP said in a statement Wednesday.

Mizuhara has worked with Ohtani for years and been a constant presence with him in major league clubhouses. When Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels to sign a $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December, the club also hired Mizuhara.

The team did not have an immediate comment Wednesday. His firing was confirmed by Major League Baseball.

SEE MORE: Dodgers prepare to welcome 2-way star Shohei Ohtani to Hollywood

Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be allowed to take part in the traditional parade at the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics, the IOC said Tuesday.

The opening ceremony on July 26 will see thousands of athletes travel on boats down the River Seine for several miles toward the Eiffel Tower, instead of the normal parade of teams inside a stadium.

The International Olympic Committee said athletes from Russia and Belarus who are approved to compete at the Olympics as neutrals will have a chance only "to experience the event" — likely watching from near the river.

The IOC decision follows the International Paralympic Committee which two weeks ago announced a ban for its Paris opening ceremony on Aug. 28.

Russia and Belarus are barred from team sports at the Olympics because of the war in Ukraine and the IOC has laid out a two-step vetting procedure for individual athletes from those countries to be granted neutral status. Those athletes must first be approved by the governing body of their individual sport and then by an IOC-appointed review panel.

Neutral athletes must not have publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine, or be affiliated with military or state security agencies. It is unclear if membership in a Russian military sports club, such as CSKA, will be a reason for denying neutral status.

The IOC said Tuesday it expects about 36 neutral athletes with Russian passports and 22 with Belarusian passports to qualify for the Paris Games.

A decision on whether those athletes will be allowed to take part in the Aug. 11 closing ceremony will be taken "at a later stage," the IOC said.

Any medals won by neutral athletes will not be counted as a collective group in the overall medals table.

The IOC also revealed details of the replacement flag in jade green that will be used for neutral athletes at medal ceremonies, where a specially written anthem without lyrics will be played.

SEE MORE: IOC pushes back on $90M plan to rebuild Olympics bobsled track

In another source of tension between Olympic leaders and Russian sport, the IOC decided Tuesday that the International Boxing Association led by Kremlin-backed Umar Kremlev will not be involved in organizing bouts for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The IOC also threatened to remove boxing from the Los Angeles program in what seemed like a challenge to national federations worldwide to distance themselves from the IBA and Kremlev.

The IOC withdrew its recognition of the IBA last year and the body was not allowed to take part in organizing boxing at the previous Tokyo Olympics or in Paris. But Kremlev has further riled the IOC with confrontational comments and support for the rival Friendship Games scheduled in Russia in September.

"If we do not have a new boxing body to work in partnership with the IOC, we will not be in a position to have boxing at the program of (Los Angeles)," the Olympic body said.

Two Russian athletes who have changed national-team eligibility to different countries got those moves approved by the IOC.

Swimmer Anastasiia Kirpichnikova, a two-time European silver medalist in distance freestyle events, is eligible to represent France at the Olympics, and Greco-Roman wrestler Aleksandr Komarov can compete for Serbia. He won the European championship this year.

The IOC eased a suspension imposed 18 months ago on the national Olympic body of Guatemala because of alleged government interference.

The IOC cited "the interest of the athletes" as a reason for provisionally lifting the ban, which should clear the way for Guatemalan athletes to compete in Paris with their flag, anthem and team name.

The president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, came to Switzerland for talks with the IOC last month.

Greg Gumbel has been a fixture on TVs in March, hosting the CBS coverage of the men's NCAA basketball tournament for 25 years. But this year, he is skipping the event. 

Host Adam Zucker announced on Sunday that Gumbel is taking time off due to a family medical issue. 

“Greg, of course, has been a fixture of our March Madness coverage for the past quarter century and we look forward to having him back, right here, next year," Zucker said. 

Zucker will take over the main hosting duties this year, alongside the likes of analysts Wally Szczerbiak and Chris Walker. 

CBS will kick off its coverage of the tournament on Thursday — with the game between Michigan State and Mississippi State. Games will also be featured on TBS, TruTV and TNT. 

This year's tournament is led by the University of Connecticut, which earned the overall No. 1 seed. The University of North Carolina, Purdue and Houston are the other No. 1 seeds in the tournament. 

As people begin filling out their brackets, there will be a lot of eyes on teams that "stole" bids from other teams by winning their conference tournaments. Oregon, Duquesne and North Carolina were not expected to make the tournament, but earned automatic bids by winning their respective conference tournaments. The automatic bids bumped out other teams, like St. John's, which were on the "bubble."

Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect that the University of Connecticut was named the No. 1 overall seed, not the University of North Carolina. 

SEE MORE: Caitlin Clark attracts largest regular-season TV audience in 25 years

From California in the 1960’s to the Paris Olympics in 2024 — BMX is riding high. The USA is sending two BMX teams to the Olympics — a racing team and a freestyle team led by head coach Ryan Nyquist who has more medals and accolades in BMX than a wheel has spokes. He also coaches up-and-coming riders.

Since getting its start six decades ago, BMX has only gotten more popular. There's now more places to ride, relatively low cost and the pandemic helping pedal more bike sales. The market is projected to grow from about $303 million in 2022 to $420 million by the end of the decade.

BMX freestyle debuted at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Riders in an urban park perform as many tricks as possible in 60 seconds.

And with new riders jumping into the ranks every day, BMX freestylers are jumping to new heights.

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is closing the book on his decorated NFL career. 

The 32-year-old announced the surprising news in a post on X Friday, saying, "Cheers to what's next," alongside a post giving thanks to his team and the two cities it's called home in his career.

Cheers to what’s next. Extending a big thank you to the Rams and all of the fans for your support over these last 10 years. Much love. 🍾🙏🏽💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/edGxkUYdLz

— AD_99 (@AaronDonald97) March 15, 2024

In his 10 seasons with the Rams, Donald became one of the most dominant defensive players in the league. He's only the third player in its history to be crowned Defensive Player of the Year three times and is one of just two defensive players since the AFL-NFL merger to snag a Pro Bowl selection in each of his first 10 seasons. 

Donald racked up double-digit sacks in six of his seasons, now adding up to a career-end of 111 sacks — the second-highest for a primary defensive tackle's career and the franchise record for the Rams. 

It's a title Donald was destined for when he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year after being the 13th overall 2014 draft pick of the then-St. Louis Rams. He finished that season with his first first-team All-Pro selection and garnered one for the next six seasons, getting his eighth in the 2023 season.

Despite the Rams going through widespread changes in his playing years, including their relocation to Los Angeles, Donald has become a mainstay for the team. He expressed his gratitude for his ability to round out his career with his starting team in his statement Friday. 

"I respected this game like no other and I'm blessed to be able to conclude my NFL career with the same franchise that drafted me," Donald said. "Not many people get drafted to a team, win a World Championship with that team and retire with that team. I do not, and will not, take that for granted."

SEE MORE: Jason Kelce announces official retirement after 13-year Eagles career

That World Championship came in 2021, when the Rams triumphed in the Super Bowl over the Cincinnati Bengals. After, Donald began to flirt with the idea of retirement but walked away with contract negotiations that ended with him becoming the then-highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. 

His contract was set to expire with the upcoming 2024 season, so he won't see the end of the lucrative deal. But NBC Sports reports he's only giving up the $30 million he would've gotten to play that year; he won't have to give up any of the $65 million he's gotten in the last two.

But money or the sport itself aren't the reasons for Donald's retirement, according to his statement. The future Pro Football Hall of Famer said he's looking forward to spending more time with his wife and three kids. 

"The greatest reward was being able to play this game with them by my side, and I can't wait to watch them live out their dreams just as they watched me live out mine," Donald said.

If the Kansas City Chiefs pull off a threepeat and win another NFL championship next year, fans may have a new place to celebrate. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce have been collaborating with restaurant group Noble 33 to open a steakhouse in downtown Kansas City.

The eatery will be called 1587 Prime, and Noble 33 hopes to open sometime in early 2025 at a space inside the Loews Kansas City Hotel in the heart of downtown. By all reports, this isn’t some simple sports bar and grill. The modern steakhouse is being billed as an “upscale dining experience,” so adjust your wardrobe accordingly if you plan to visit. Check out a rendering of the bar area below.

1587 Prime will reportedly take up two floors and 10,000 square feet of the hotel, with a menu to match the posh surroundings. The press release boasts of a “jaw-dropping meat display” and a wine collection that will be “one of the largest in the state.”

Noble 33 founders Tosh Berman and Mikey Tanha have told “Good Morning America” that the decor will feature “hyper-subtle nods to Patrick and Travis’ on-field accomplishments,” and there will be multiple private rooms for high-rollers and large bookings. Their restaurant group comes into the partnership with plenty of experience, having opened restaurants in London, New York City, Miami and Las Vegas, just to name a few.

Berman and Tanha note that their celebrity backers contributed more than star power. Kelce and Mahomes are apparently fans of other K.C. restaurants, and Noble 33 worked to incorporate their “favorite elements of those experiences.” The name itself is a call out to their Chiefs jerseys: 15 (Mahomes) and 87 (Kelce).

“We’re excited to be a part of this journey with Noble 33 to create a one-of-a-kind dining experience, and what better place to start than our very own Kansas City?” said Kelce. Sounds like he may have a new place worthy of a date night with his famous sweetheart Taylor Swift.

This story originally appeared on Simplemost.

The Kobe Bryant statue unveiled last month in Los Angeles is littered with spelling errors and mistakes.

The statue memorializing the legendary Los Angeles Lakers player sits outside the Crypto.com Arena, where hundreds of people gather daily.

At the marble base of the statue is a rendering of the box score from Bryant’s 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. In that box score, the name of former NBA player Jose Calderon is misspelled as “Jose Calderson,” and former player Von Wafer’s name appears as “Vom Wafer.” 

The phrase "Coach’s Decision" is misspelled as “Coach’s Decicion” in one instance.

There are also a number of formatting errors on another section of the statue, where Bryant’s accomplishments are listed. 

The Lakers said they were working to correct the mistakes. 

"We have been aware of this for a few weeks and are already working to get it corrected soon," the team said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press.

The misspellings and mistakes went viral after international journalist Andre Voigt posted photos of the errors on X.

The statue stands 19 feet tall and is one of three set to honor Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash with his daughter Gianna and seven others in January 2020.

SEE MORE: Kobe Bryant statue honoring the icon unveiled in Los Angeles

The NAACP is actively encouraging Black student-athletes not to attend public colleges and universities in Florida due to the state's new diversity, equity and inclusion policies. 

The announcement comes as reports surfaced that the University of Florida is closing its DEI office after the passage of the Individual Freedom Act, commonly known as the "Stop WOKE Act." State officials say the act prohibits institutions from using state or federal funds to administer programs that "categorize individuals based on race or sex for the purpose of differential or preferential treatment."

"In Florida, we will build off of our higher education reforms by aligning core curriculum to the values of liberty and the Western tradition, eliminating politicized bureaucracies like DEI, increasing the amount of research dollars for programs that will feed key industries with talented Florida students, and empowering presidents and boards of trustees to recruit and hire new faculty, including by dedicating record resources for faculty salaries,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said last year. 

The NAACP called the policy "anti-Black."

"Florida's rampant anti-Black policies are a direct threat to the advancement of our young people and their ability to compete in a global economy," NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement. "Diversity, equity, and inclusion are paramount ensuring equitable and effective educational outcomes. The value Black, and other college athletes bring to large universities is unmatched. If these institutions are unable to completely invest in those athletes, it's time they take their talents elsewhere. The NAACP will remain unwavering in our efforts to hold Governor Ron DeSantis, and all oppressive elected officials accountable for their attempts to unravel our democracy." 

SEE MORE: Sexual orientation, gender identity can be discussed in Fla. schools

The NAACP said it sent letters to current and prospective Black student-athletes of the NCAA dissuading them from attending public universities in Florida. 

"To all current and prospective college student-athletes — the NAACP urges you to reconsider any potential decision to attend, and compete at a predominantly white institution in the state of Florida," the letter reads. "This is not about politics. It’s about the protection of our community, the progression of our culture, and most of all, it’s about your education, and your future."

The University of Florida's athletic budget is among the largest in the U.S. This year, the university has budgeted over $167 million for its athletics department. 

Kirk Cousins is heading to the Falcons. Saquon Barkley is joining the Eagles. Brian Burns is going to the Giants.

The first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period was a free-for-all frenzy with teams making one big move after another, highlighted by Cousins’ decision to leave Minnesota for Atlanta.

The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback and the Falcons agreed on a $180 million, four-year deal with $100 million guaranteed and a $50 million signing bonus, according to a person with knowledge of the terms who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be signed until the new league year begins on Wednesday.

Barkley bolted New York for NFC East rival Philadelphia, agreeing on a three-year, $37.75 million deal with $26 million guaranteed, a person familiar with the contract told the AP.

Hours after losing Barkley, the Giants made a splash on the defensive side. They’re sending a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder to Carolina for Burns, who is getting a five-year contract worth up to $150 million with $87.5 million in guarantees, according to a person with knowledge of the terms.

Barkley, a two-time Pro Bowl running back, joins an all-star offensive cast in Philly and replaces D’Andre Swift, who is heading to the Chicago Bears.

It was a busy day for running backs, who have been undervalued by NFL teams in recent years.

Josh Jacobs, a 2022 All-Pro, is leaving Las Vegas for Green Bay. Tony Pollard is going from Dallas to Tennessee, Austin Ekeler from the Los Angeles Chargers to Washington, Devin Singletary from Houston to the Giants, Gus Edwards from Baltimore to the Chargers and Antonio Gibson from the Commanders to New England.

SEE MORE: Released quarterback Russell Wilson to sign with Steelers

Like the Giants, the Raiders made a major splash on defense after losing their starting running back. Las Vegas and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins agreed to a four-year, $110 contract with $84.75 million guaranteed, agent David Mulugheta said.

The Raiders also are bringing in quarterback Gardner Minshew, who went 7-6 filling in for Anthony Richardson in Indianapolis last season.

Detroit is getting edge rusher Marcus Davenport and acquiring cornerback Carlton Davis from Tampa Bay in a trade. The Lions also are re-signing guard Graham Glasgow.

The Vikings are adding edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel and inside linebacker Blake Cashman.

In addition to Pollard, the Titans are getting cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and center Lloyd Cushenberry.

The Packers bolstered their defense by agreeing on a deal with safety Xavier McKinney. Green Bay released Aaron Jones to make way for Jacobs.

Jacksonville, which is acquiring quarterback Mac Jones to back up Trevor Lawrence, is adding wide receiver Gabe Davis, safety Darnell Savage, kick returner Devin Duvernay and cornerback Ronald Darby.

The Commanders, who have the most salary cap space in the league, raided division rival Dallas for defensive end Dorance Armstrong and center Tyler Biadasz. Washington also is bringing in linebacker Frankie Luvu.

Several teams kept some of their top players.

The Browns have agreed to re-sign defensive end Za’Darius Smith and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst. The Eagles extended Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson’s contract and are signing edge rusher Bryce Huff away from the Jets.

The Seahawks are bringing back tight end Noah Fant. The Jets are re-signing kicker Greg Zuerlein and announced they signed cornerback Isaiah Oliver, who was released by San Francisco last month.

The Patriots are re-signing receiver Kendrick Bourne while bringing quarterback Jacoby Brissett back to the team that drafted him to play behind Tom Brady several years ago. The Bengals are adding safety Geno Stone and they announced they’re re-signing tight end Drew Sample and running back Trayveon Williams.

The Bills are bringing back left tackle Dion Dawkins, edge rusher A.J. Epenesa and defensive back Cam Lewis.

The Colts are giving wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. a new deal and re-signing defensive tackle Grover Stewart and linebacker Zaire Franklin.

The brother of LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson was arrested and charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct by the Greenville Police Department for his role in a fight after his sister was shoved to the court by South Carolina forward Kamilla Cardoso during a Southeastern Conference Tournament game.

Trayron Milton, 24, jumped over the scorer's table to reach the court. Police say Milton made his way to the court Sunday by pushing down an SEC employee and stepping on her shoulders to get past.

Milton briefly made contact with Cardoso before he was led away by police.

Milton was released from jail Monday on bonds of $1,087.50 for each charge. Both charges are considered misdemeanors under South Carolina law. Each carries a potential penalty of 30 days in jail, a fine or both.

SEE MORE: Caitlin Clark attracts largest regular-season TV audience in 25 years

College basketball has come under fire, both the men's and women's games, for court-storming incidents in which fans rush the court to celebrate their team's success — even before the opposing team's players, coaches and personnel can exit to the locker room.

NCAA all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark of Iowa was knocked down after colliding with a fan after the Hawkeyes fell at Ohio State in January. Duke forward Kyle Filipowski had to be helped off the court after getting caught in a swarm of Wake Forest fans celebrating the Demon Deacons 83-79 victory last month.

Calls for change and tighter security for opposing teams have come after each of those incidents. Duke coach Jon Scheyer wanted immediate action after Filipowski was hurt.

“You can try to do a zero tolerance policy but how are you going to enforce that?” said Brandon Allen, director of research for the National Center for Sports Safety and Security. “And what does that look like?”

Of the six major basketball conferences, four fine host schools for a first offense of failure to keep fans off the court. The ACC does not levy fines and the Big Ten waits until a third offense.

In Greenville, police and security worked quickly to deescalate the situation. Milton made it over the barrier and scorer's table and shoved Cardoso's back before the officer stepped in to lead him away.

The police statement said two other people made it over from the stands to the scorer's table, but were quickly confronted by authorities and prevented from going further.

Cardoso was ejected for fighting and three of her teammates were thrown out for leaving the bench area. Two LSU players who logged minutes in the game were also sent off. South Carolina finished the game with six players and LSU five.

Afterward, the six Gamecocks celebrated their eighth championship in the past 10 years without the four sent to the locker room.

According to NCAA rules, Cardoso will miss South Carolina's next game, which will be its opener in the NCAA Tournament.

SEE MORE: More girls are playing sports, but access becoming segregated

Nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson is headed to Pittsburgh, where he is expected to sign with the Steelers. Wilson posted on X late Sunday a hype video tagging the Steelers. 

"Year 13. Grateful. @Steelers," Wilson wrote. 

As of Monday morning, the signing has not been made official. ESPN reported late Sunday that Wilson is expected to sign a one-year contract with Pittsburgh, citing league sources. 

ESPN said the Steelers would pay Wilson the veteran's minimum of $1.2 million this season. The Broncos, who released Wilson earlier this month, are expected to pay the rest of his $37.8 million salary. 

Because Wilson is still under contract with Denver, an agreement also had to be reached between the Broncos and Steelers. 

In his two seasons in Denver, Wilson failed to perform like he did in his 10 prior seasons in Seattle. After only one losing season in Seattle, Wilson had back-to-back years where his team failed to reach .500. Between 2022 and 2023, Wilson compiled an 11-19 record as his efficiency tumbled. 

SEE MORE: Jason Kelce announces official retirement after 13-year Eagles career

Currently, Pittsburgh has only one quarterback under contract, but Kenny Pickett is coming off two surprisingly successful seasons, including a 2023 season that saw the Steelers make the NFL postseason. 

Whether a nine-time Pro Bowler would have to compete for the starting job against a 25-year-old up-and-comer remains to be seen. Late last month, Steelers General Manager Omar Khan told reporters he had "full faith" in Pickett heading into the 2024 season. 

"I'm excited about the impact that [new offensive coordinator] Arthur Smith's going to have on him. Arthur's very optimistic about Kenny and they communicated, and like I said, we will have some strong competition there and we'll see where it goes. Feel really good about him," Khan told reporters.  

Some of the people who attended the near-record cold Kansas City Chiefs playoff game in January had to undergo amputations after suffering frostbite, a Missouri hospital said Friday.

Research Medical Center didn't provide exact numbers but said in a statement that it treated dozens of people who had experienced frostbite during an 11-day cold snap in January. Twelve of those people — including some who were at the Jan. 13 game — had to undergo amputations involving mostly fingers and toes. And the hospital said more surgeries are expected over the next two to four weeks as "injuries evolve."

The University of Kansas hospital said it also treated frostbite victims after the game but didn't report any amputations.

The temperature for the Dolphins-Chiefs wild-card playoff game was minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit, and wind gusts made for a windchill of minus 27 degrees F. That shattered the record for the coldest game in Arrowhead Stadium history, which had been 1 degree F, set in a 1983 game against Denver and matched in 2016 against Tennessee.

The wild-card game was played the same day the Buffalo Bills were supposed to host the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that game was pushed back a day because a blizzard dumped up to 2 feet of snow in New York and made traveling to the game too dangerous.

The game in Kansas City went on as scheduled because the frigid weather didn't present similar problems getting to Arrowhead Stadium, even though the National Weather Service warned of "dangerously cold" windchills.

Frostbite can occur on exposed skin within 30 minutes, Dr. Megan Garcia, the medical director of the Grossman Burn Center at Research, said in a statement that answered one of the top questions she is asked. The timing can be even shorter if there is a windchill, she said.

Fans were allowed to bring heated blankets into the stadium and small pieces of cardboard to place under their feet on the cold concrete.

The coldest game in NFL history remains minus 13 F for the 1967 NFL championship when the Packers beat the Cowboys at Lambeau Field in a game that came to be known as the Ice Bowl. The windchill that day was minus 48 F.

The Chiefs didn't immediately respond to email messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

SEE MORE: Jason Kelce announces official retirement after 13-year Eagles career