I Dig Sports
Panthers re-sign QB Dalton to two-year contract
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton has been instrumental in the development of Bryce Young, and Tuesday the Carolina Panthers made sure that relationship will continue.
Carolina re-signed Dalton, 37, to a two-year contract, the team announced. Terms were not disclosed, but a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter the contract is worth $8 million, includes $6 million guaranteed and has a max value of $10 million.
Dalton was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next month. He made it clear after the season that his preference was to return to Carolina, and Young, the top pick of the 2023 draft, made it clear that he wanted Dalton back.
"Me and Andy are super close,'' Young, the Panthers' starting quarterback, said late this past season. "From when I first got here, just being able to talk with him through things, him having perspective on a situation that I had never been a part of. I was always leaning on him, always having conversations.
"You can't add up the hours we spent here. ... And just being able to have someone that you can bounce stuff off of, ask how you see things, whether it's X's and O's or it's a philosophical thing or stuff outside of football somewhere nuanced in between. He is always there just trying to help me out.''
Dalton signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the Panthers in 2023 to help develop Young.
The veteran became the starter in Week 3 this past season after Young was benched due to bad numbers during an 0-2 start following a 2-14 rookie season.
Dalton threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns in his first start, a 36-22 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Despite losing the next four games, he remained the starter until suffering a thumb injury to his throwing (right) hand in a multicar accident the week before the team's Week 8 game at the Denver Broncos.
He never got the job back as Young, after losing to the Broncos, led Carolina to consecutive wins and showed steady improvement the rest of the season. Dalton finished the season with 989 yards passing, 7 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while completing 66.3% of his passes.
A second-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2011 draft, Dalton has thrown for 39,500 yards with 253 touchdowns and 150 interceptions in 14 seasons. He has been selected to three Pro Bowls.
GM credits Trump for USA-Canada's 'political flair'
BOSTON -- The general manager of the U.S. team in the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament said he would welcome a visit from President Donald Trump to the championship game between the United States and Canada on Thursday night.
Bill Guerin, who played 18 years in the NHL for eight teams, said on Fox News that Trump's presence would give a boost to the rivalry between the North American hockey powers. He credited Trump's tariff threats and talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state with ratcheting up the intensity in their fight-filled matchup in the preliminary round.
"We would love it if President Trump was in attendance," Guerin said in the interview broadcast Monday. "We have a room full of proud American players and coaches and staff. Listen, we're just trying to represent our country the best way we can."
The tournament marks the return of the top hockey stars to international play after they sat out the past two Olympics.
The United States beat Canada 3-1 on Saturday in a game that began with three fights in the first nine seconds. The quality of play, intensity of emotions and geopolitical backdrop have drawn comparisons to the Americans' "Miracle on Ice" victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.
"I think there was a little bit of a political flair to it. It's just the time that we're in," Guerin said. "If you let it get the better of you, then you're in trouble. But I do think the players used it as inspiration."
Since his Jan. 20 inauguration, Trump has attended the Super Bowl and NASCAR's Daytona 500.
Walker returns to NBA on 2-year deal with Sixers
Lonnie Walker IV has agreed to a two-year, $3.7 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, his agent George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group told ESPN on Tuesday.
Walker has played for Zalgiris Kaunas in the Euroleague this season and had an NBA-out in his deal. He now enters his seventh NBA season after attending training camp with the Boston Celtics in October.
Walker, 26, averaged nearly 10 points and 38.4% shooting from 3-point range in 17.4 minutes per game for the Brooklyn Nets last season.
Walker will give the 76ers some additional athleticism and scoring punch on the wings -- both of which could be useful for a Philadelphia team that enters the stretch run ranked 22nd in offensive rating and has dealt with a series of injuries across its roster.
The 76ers, in the middle of one of the league's most disappointing seasons, sits in a tie with the Nets for 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings heading into the post All-Star Break schedule, which begins Thursday at home against the Celtics.
Philadelphia is 1.5 games behind the 10th place Chicago Bulls for the final spot in East's play-in picture and a full 8.5 games back of the Detroit Pistons for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot.
Walker spent the first four years of his career with the San Antonio Spurs after being selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.
Red Sox, reliever Ottavino reach minor league deal
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino agreed to a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox and will report to big league spring training.
Ottavino, 39, pitched for the New York Mets the past three seasons, making a career-high 12 saves in 2023 to go with a 3.21 ERA. He went 2-2 with a save and a 4.34 ERA last season.
This is his second stint in Boston. Ottavino went 7-3 with 11 saves and a 4.21 ERA in 2021 with the Red Sox.
Boulter and Raducanu headline historic Queen's return
British number one Katie Boulter and former US Open champion Emma Raducanu will compete in a historic women's tournament at Queen's Club in June.
Australian Open champion Madison Keys, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and last year's Eastbourne champion Daria Kasatkina have also committed to the event, which runs between 7-15 June.
It will be the first women's competition at Queen's Club since 1973 when Olga Morozova claimed the singles title.
"I used to watch the [men's] tournament every year growing up so to be able to compete at such a wonderful, historic, and iconic event to commence the grass court season is an honour," Boulter said.
"We have some of the best women's players in the world competing at Queen's, and it takes the British grass court swing to a whole new level.
"To win that title as a British player would be an absolute dream and I will do everything I can to get myself in that position. Let's make more history this summer."
Organisers announced that a women's tournament would return to the historic venue in May 2024 following discussions with the ATP about the impact on the men's event the week after.
Boulter has reigned as Britain's number one ranked women's player since June 2023 and has won three WTA titles, including taking the crown at her home tournament on grass in Nottingham in 2023 and 2024.
Raducanu, who won the US Open in 2021, made a strong return from long-term injury last year when reaching the semi-finals at Nottingham, quarter-finals at Eastbourne and making it through to the last 16 at Wimbledon.
"I'm thrilled to confirm Katie, Emma, Madison and Naomi will be headlining the HSBC Championships in June," Laura Robson, WTA HSBC Championships tournament director said.
"Fans will see some of the best female players on the planet, and with three Grand Slam champions and the British number one in the mix, it promises to be a spectacular return to The Queen's Club for women's tennis."
Robson 'honoured' to bring women's game back to Queen's
The women's event at Queen's ceased in 1973, with the Eastbourne tournament founded the following year and becoming a fixture of the women's grass court season.
The revived Queen's will run as a WTA 500 tournament and as part of a two-week event with the traditional men's competition.
Unlike Wimbledon, which has awarded prize money equally between its men's and women's draws since 2007, the men's tournament will have a substantially higher prize pot of $2.5m (2.1m), than the $1.1m (0.9m) available to the women.
This is set by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tours and applies to all their 500 level events.
"The LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) definitely would love to hit that marker well before the WTA Tour but to do that we need a successful event, we need people to come and watch and to get excited about it," Robson, who has also worked as tournament director at Nottingham, said.
"It doesn't start at all or nothing. We have to build the way that the tournament's run and eventually get to that marker of equal prize money but it's something I'm all for as a former player."
Djokovic loses in Qatar after Murray coaching announcement
Novak Djokovic confirmed the partnership with Andy Murray as his coach will continue "indefinitely".
Three-time major winner Murray started working with his long-time playing rival on a trial basis at January's Australian Open, where Djokovic reached the semi-finals but was was forced to retire with a hamstring injury.
After his Melbourne exit, the 24-time Grand Slam champion said he and Murray would need to "cool off" before discussing the future.
However, speaking before his defeat by Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the Qatar Open, Djokovic confirmed Murray will return to his coaching team.
"I expressed my desire to continue the collaboration with him so I am really glad he did accept," Djokovic, 37, told the ATP Tour's in-house media channel, external.
"It's indefinite in terms of how long we are going to work together but we agreed we are going to work most likely in the [United] States and then some clay-court tournaments and see how it goes after that."
Murray, who retired in August last year, took a surprise coaching role with Djokovic's team in late November.
Ireland will play New Zealand at Soldier Field in Chicago in November, nine years on from the historic victory which was one of Irish rugby's greatest days.
The match on 1 November is a repeat of the 2016 fixture at the same venue when Ireland ended an 111-year wait for a first men's Test win over the All Blacks.
Ireland have also played Italy at the home of the National Football League's Chicago Bears, winning 54-7 in 2018.
Ireland will play the remainder of their autumn fixtures back in Dublin starting with a visit from Japan on 8 November.
They will welcome Australia to the Aviva Stadium a week later, before finishing off the four-game slate by hosting back-to-back world champions South Africa.
"We are delighted to see international rugby return to Chicago for this historic 'rematch' between Ireland and New Zealand," said Kevin Potts, chief executive of the Irish Rugby Football Union.
"The 2016 encounter at Soldier Field is one of the greatest moments in Irish rugby history, and the rivalry that has grown between our two teams since then is a testament to the quality, passion, and the respect that Ireland and New Zealand have for each other."
The All Blacks fixture will provide a return to the Ireland coaching box for Andy Farrell after he leads the British and Irish Lions in a three-Test tour of Australia this summer.
Assistant coach Simon Easterby is currently in charge of the team for the Six Nations and will be interim head coach again for Test matches in July.
Ireland have not yet confirmed opposition or dates for those games
Saturday, 1 November: Ireland v New Zealand, Soldier Field, Chicago, 20:10 GMT
Saturday, 8 November: Ireland v Japan, Aviva Stadium, 12:40 GMT
Saturday, 15 November: Ireland v Australia, Aviva Stadium, 20:10 GMT
Saturday, 22 November: Ireland v South Africa, Aviva Stadium, 17:40 GMT.
England to face Wallabies and All Blacks in autumn
England will aim to avenge last year's agonising narrow defeats by Australia and New Zealand when they take on both sides in the 2025 Autumn Nations Series.
Steve Borthwick's team led each match before falling to defeat late on during a miserable autumn campaign in 2024, which yielded three defeats by tier-one nations, including world champions South Africa, and a victory over Japan.
George Ford missed a last-gasp drop goal against the All Blacks, who held on to win 24-22, before Australia's Max Jorgensen scored a late try to clinch a 42-37 victory with the final act.
England will begin the Autumn Nations Series against the Wallabies on Saturday, 1 November at Allianz Stadium.
Fiji, who beat England for the first time on their last visit to Twickenham in 2023, return to the home of English rugby the following weekend, before Borthwick's side renew their rivalry with the All Blacks on 15 November.
England have not beaten New Zealand at home since their thrilling 38-21 win over the then world champions in 2012.
The hosts will conclude their four-game campaign at Allianz Stadium against Argentina the following Sunday.
"These four matches offer a valuable opportunity for our squad to face different styles of rugby as we continue to develop," said England head coach Borthwick.
"The atmosphere at Allianz Stadium is always electric, and I know the players truly love every opportunity to represent our country at such a fantastic venue."
BBC News
Getty ImagesFormer rugby union player Alix Popham has said jerseys and medals are the only reminders he has of playing in big matches he has "no recollection of".
The ex-Wales flanker, who had a 14-year professional career, was diagnosed with early onset dementia at the age of 40.
He told Newsnight he believed this diagnosis was due to head injuries he had sustained during his rugby career.
"My neurologist, when he diagnosed me, they worked out I had over 100,000 sub-concussive hits in my brain," he said.
Popham described sub-concussive hits as any contact "when your brain rattles around inside against your skull on every hit", including hits to the body as well as to the head.
He is one of two former rugby professionals diagnosed with early onset dementia who are calling on the sport's governing bodies to end their legal fight with ex-players in the courts.
More than 560 former players are suing the sport's governing bodies for the impact of head collisions during their career.
Popham said that he had jerseys on the wall and medals to show from big games, "but memories, vivid memories of the scoreline, the weather, the stadium, I've got no recollection of that".
He also said he could not recall meeting Nelson Mandela before one game in South Africa in 2003 after suffering a traumatic brain injury and ending up in hospital.
"I've got no recollection of being in that stadium or being in that game and, unfortunately, most of my career is the same," said the former forward.
'Two or three week bans really isn't enough'
Popham is the founder of the Head for Change charity, whose aim is to support those who suffer from sports-related brain injuries.
The Six Nations tournament returns this weekend and a new 20-minute red card punishment is being trialled during the tournament, where a player is removed from the game but the team returns to its full complement once that period is over.
But Dr Willie Stewart, a world-leading expert on brain injury, told Newsnight the new rule "places the spectacle of the game ahead of player's brains".
He said he did not think sending a player off for 20 minutes was sufficient punishment for a potentially dangerous tackle which could cause brain damage.
Popham called for a six-to-eight week punishment for a red card "so you learn and you don't make that same mistake".
"These players are getting two or three week bans which really isn't enough to make them change their habits and, to me, that just shows player welfare isn't their number one priority," he added.
Popham, who played in two World Cups for Wales, told Newsnight his initial symptoms of early onset dementia included "losing my temper over, really, nothing" and being unable to recall "important conversations" with his wife shortly after.
He also suffered from severe headaches and would lose his train of thought in conversations.
Mel Popham said she and her husband had to take the difficult decision not to try for a second baby when he received his diagnosis.
"That was really hard, particularly hard for me, trying to be strong for Al at the time and my stepdaughters and Darcy and the wider family and that was a really difficult personal decision," said Mel.
'It was really frightening'
Reflecting on Popham's diagnosis, Mel said: "We had everything going for us. We'd recently got married, had Darcy, living in a house we loved and our world was just changing.
"It was really frightening."
The couple said they wanted action rather than "empty words" when it came to player welfare.
Reflecting on the impact of injuries sustained during his career, Popham said: "I wish I knew then what I know now because when you were seeing stars you wouldn't carry on.
"You would take yourself off. You would be honest to the coaches, the physios."
Former Wales rugby international Ian Buckett died with dementia last year at the age of 56.
He was found to have had a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which is linked with repeated blows to the head but can only be diagnosed after death.
Researchers from a number of academic institutions includes Oxford Brookes University said they had found "conclusive evidence" that repetitive head impacts cause CTE.
Former England youth international Chris Simpson-Daniel was diagnosed with early onset dementia at the age of 43 in 2022.
Simpson-Daniel told Newsnight he had attempted to take his own life on two occasions.
The dad-of-six said he "started falling apart", with bouts of depression and memory loss and "suicidal tendencies that would just whack you out of nowhere".
'Player welfare is our number one priority'
World Rugby told the BBC that player welfare was their number one priority, with the 20-minute red card punishment being implemented as a trial.
It asked anyone with concerns to send them evidence as to why they believe it is not safe.
A World Rugby spokesperson said that if the trial were proven to have negative player welfare consequences then they would have no hesitation in halting it and they had done so with other trials in the past.
In a joint statement regarding the legal action, World Rugby, the RFU and WRU said: "Whilst ongoing legal actions prevents us from engaging directly, we are always saddened to hear Alix, Mel and Chris's stories.
"Player welfare has long been World Rugby's number one priority."
It added its medical protocols had always followed scientific consensus.
"We are always continuing to evolve and adapt the game, to make it as safe to play as possible," it added.
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
