NFL owners on Thursday accepted the negotiated terms of a new proposed collective bargaining agreement, sending the vote to players ahead of a potential agreement between the sides.

All 32 owners met Thursday in New York City for an update on the current proposal.

Three-fourths of the owners had to approve the CBA for it to be ratified. While owners were not unanimous in their approval, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter, the proposal still garnered enough support to pass.

"Following more than ten months of intensive and thorough negotiations the NFL Players and clubs have jointly developed a comprehensive set of new and revised terms that will transform the future of the game, provide for players -- past, present, and future -- both on and off the field, and ensure that the NFL's second century is even better and more exciting for the fans," the league said in a statement.

"The membership voted today to accept the negotiated terms on the principal elements of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Players Association would also need to vote to approve the same terms for there to be a new agreement. Since the clubs and players need to have a system in place and know the rules that they will operate under by next week, the membership also approved moving forward under the final year of the 2011 CBA if the players decide not to approve the negotiated terms. Out of respect for the process and our partners at the NFLPA, we will have no further comment at this time."

NFLPA team player reps and the NFLPA's executive council, which had been planning a Friday meeting in Washington, D.C., on the topic, are now planning to hold a conference call Friday instead of meeting face-to-face. That call could result in a vote on whether to approve the owners' offer or reject it.

If two-thirds of the NFLPA's player reps approve the deal, it would move on to the next stage, in which all NFL players would vote and a simple majority would be required to approve it.

Sources previously told ESPN that the proposed CBA would allow the league to expand the regular season from 16 games to 17 games at some point in the next four years (although no sooner than 2021) in exchange for financial and other concessions the players have sought in negotiations. One concession is that the preseason will be shortened, sources said.

In addition, sources said that starting in 2020, the playoff field would be expanded to seven teams from each conference, and only one team from each conference would receive a first-round bye as opposed to the two that currently do.

The league's desire to expand the regular season has been met with harsh opposition from many players, who view an expanded season as an unnecessary increase in the risk to players' health and safety. But union leaders have touted to players the benefits of the proposed new deal, which includes a higher percentage of league revenue going to players, improvements in the drug policy and discipline policy, higher minimum salaries, higher per-team spending floors and relaxed offseason work rules.

In addition, players with existing contracts that stretch into 17-game seasons would have their deals amended to account for it, a source close to the negotiations said. Each payer in such a situation would receive a raise commensurate with one game check based on their negotiated per-game rate, but that amount would not exceed $250,000 per season.

Information from ESPN's Dan Graziano and Adam Schefter was used in this report.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jake Layman was finally cleared Thursday to return to practice, with his absence at 39 straight games and counting because of a sprained left toe.

Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, however, does not have that clearance as he continues to sit out with a sprained left wrist.

The Timberwolves will play Friday against Boston without Towns, who missed the last game prior to the All-Star break on Feb. 12.

Coach Ryan Saunders has only said Towns will miss multiple games.

"We're obviously still looking, getting opinions that are out there," Saunders said Thursday. "You want to make the best decisions possible for himself, and also for the organization."

Towns missed 15 games earlier this season with a left knee injury. His latest setback came in the aftermath of the whirlwind week leading up the trade deadline that landed guard D'Angelo Russell, a good friend of Towns. The Russell-Towns pairing energized a downtrodden fan base, but the duo has only been on the court for one game together.

Layman, who's in his first season with Minnesota, was hurt Nov. 18 at Utah. The Timberwolves said Layman will be reevaluated in one week, meaning he'll sit out at least four more games. He sounded optimistic about being ready to play after that.

"The toe feels great. It's just that conditioning part that I need to get back," Layman said.

The 6-foot-8 Layman was averaging a career-best 10.5 points over the first 14 games, on a career-high 35.2% shooting from 3-point range.

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is considering treatment options on his right shoulder impingement, including the possibility of surgery, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews. Irving is expected to reach a decision in the next few days, per sources.

Irving missed 26 consecutive games earlier this season with the right shoulder impingement. He said that the pain started during the Nets' Nov. 4 game against the Pelicans.

On Tuesday, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said Irving continued to struggle with shoulder discomfort after returning from his extended absence, which stretched from mid-November to mid-January.

Irving saw an Arizona-based specialist in December and received a cortisone shot on Dec. 24. Irving said at the time that he hoped the cortisone would eliminate an immediate need for surgery.

"You either continue to get cortisone shots, which is obviously detrimental to your health and your muscles, or you go get arthroscopic surgery," Irving said in December. "For me, it's just about being able to go back out there after the right amount of rehab, the right amount of rest and recovery and see what we can do for the rest of the season and then reevaluate after a few months."

Irving also missed one game for hamstring tightness, one game after Kobe Bryant's death, and the five games before the All-Star break with a sprained knee.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard will not play Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans and told reporters that he could miss three or four games due to his right groin strain.

Lillard suffered the injury on a drive to the basket during a Feb. 12 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He attempted a tough shot around Memphis big man Jonas Valanciunas, then landed awkwardly with about 3:22 left and didn't return.

The injury kept Lillard out of this past weekend's All-Star Game and 3-point shootout.

Lillard did not practice Thursday as the team prepares for its first game after the All-Star break. Portland has three home games before starting a three-game road trip Feb. 27.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The New York Yankees seem to have picked up where they left off last season on the injury front, with pitcher Luis Severino joining the list of players dealing with ailments this spring training.

Severino became the second pitcher shut down by the Yankees this spring after reporting right forearm discomfort, which apparently dates to last October.

The Yankees will already be without pitcher James Paxton through at least April after the lefty underwent a procedure to remove a cyst as well as a microscopic lumbar surgery. Outfielder Aaron Judge has also been dealing with shoulder discomfort and has not taken batting practice yet this spring.

Severino was scratched from throwing his second bullpen session in camp and didn't take part in pitchers' fielding drills Thursday. After the workout, manager Aaron Boone said Severino had been dealing with forearm discomfort that started after Game 3 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Severino had two MRIs -- one in December and another in January -- and a CT scan after complaining of discomfort, and all tests have been negative.

After the MRI in December, Boone said that Severino returned to the Dominican Republic and was cleared to start his throwing program.

"Whenever he's on flat ground when he throws a changeup, he was just feeling that discomfort in his forearm," Boone said.

In January, Severino was treated with anti-inflammatories and said he felt fine, Boone said. Testing revealed a "loose body" near his elbow, which the team believes is an incidental unrelated finding. Once Severino ramped up his throwing program this spring, he stayed away from his changeup.

"It's just been fastball, slider; everything's good," Boone said. "We reintroduced [the] changeup the last couple of days on flat ground, no issues with that. And then last night, just sitting at home, he started to feel that soreness again; came in sore this morning. So we'll shut him down here for a couple days and hopefully try and get to what exactly is going on in there."

Cashman did not rule out that Severino might have to start the season on the injured list.

Severino, who is taking a new anti-inflammatory, will see team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad on Friday, though no further tests are scheduled at this time.

"Injuries are part of the game; dealing with injuries is part of the game. Assessing what a particular injury is and the level of that injury is obviously very difficult," Cashman said. "Until we determine what's really going on here, there's an unknown part of this. We've run him through a whole bunch of tests, so far all negative. No new tests are currently scheduled, but I'm not going to rule out in the next 48 hours that won't change."

Cashman said he doesn't think Severino's current discomfort is related to his 2019 injuries. Severino, who turned 26 on Thursday, didn't pitch in the majors until September of last year after spending most of the season on the IL because of injuries to his right rotator cuff and lat muscle.

"It just kind of creeps in and it sounds like he feels it mostly really on the changeup because of how he pronates the arm," Cashman said. "... We'll see."

The Yankees, who set a major league record by sending 30 players to the injured list last season, are bracing for the possibility of losing two key members of the rotation ahead of their season opener at Baltimore on March 26.

"We're obviously going to roll out a five-man rotation with names to be determined," Cashman said. "Again, I'm not saying we're not going to have Sevy, but I can't represent we will yet because right now we're going to back off completely and take the doctor's orders.

"Obviously, you'd prefer to run your 'A' team out there, but I think we have a pretty strong 'B,' 'C' and 'D' team as well. So we'll see."

England head coach Eddie Jones has apologised for joking that a reporter must be thinking of "another half-Asian person" in response to a question at his news conference on Thursday.

Jones was asked about his meditation practises, having revealed in June last year that he engages in mindfulness as part of his early morning routine.

"I don't think I've ever spoken about meditation," said the Australian.

"You must be thinking about someone else. Maybe another half-Asian person."

Smiling, Jones added: "Maybe we all look the same."

Jones later issued an apology to the reporter.

A Rugby Football Union spokesman said: "Eddie made an off-the-cuff comment during the press conference which was not intended to cause any offence.

"He has subsequently spoken to the journalist privately explaining this and apologised, which was accepted."

The question followed Jones being asked about what steps are taken to look after the mental health of his players.

GLENDORA, Calif. – Officials from the National Hot Rod Ass’n announced Thursday that Sebring Int’l Raceway has become an NHRA member track.

Sebring will join Division 2, the Southwest division of NHRA member tracks.

Sebring (Fla.) Int’l Raceway is one of the oldest continuously operating racetracks in the United States, having held its first race in 1950. The track partially sits on Hendricks Army Airfield, which was used as a training base for B-17 pilots during World War ll.

“We have worked hard to create a fun and friendly environment that allows competitors to feel like family when visiting Sebring International Raceway,” said Elizabeth Worley, Marketing Coordinator and Drag Racing Series Manager at Sebring International Raceway. “We strongly believe that having the backing of NHRA will allow us to continue to grow the program we have built. We look forward to the future of drag racing and competition at our track.

The track currently hosts Big Tire and Small Tire race events that take place on the front stretch of the famed track, best known for the Twelve Hours of Sebring. All future drag racing events will now be sanctioned by NHRA, the primary sanctioning body for drag racing in the United States.

“We are thrilled to welcome another track into the NHRA member track family,” said Rich Schaefer, Division 2 Director. “Sebring International Raceway has such a rich motorsports history and they could not be a more perfect addition to the Division 2 track lineup.”

The 2020 Air & Electric Services Sebring Drag Racing schedule will include 12 events, most of which will take place on Thursday nights. There will also be two high-prize-money weekends, the Sebring Battle at the Bridge and the Sebring Summer Showdown.