DAYTON, Ohio -- Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green was carted off the field with an apparent left foot injury during the team's first practice of the season on Saturday.

The ninth-year player sustained the injury toward the end of Cincinnati's practice at Welcome Stadium, after making contact with cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick.

First-year coach Zac Taylor was hesitant to give any indication on the severity of the injury.

"We'll find out a little bit more about him later on," Taylor said. "I don't want to speculate on anything. We'll find out more."

Green's left shoe was removed before he departed the field. Last season, he missed seven games with a right toe injury.

That campaign marked only the second time Green did not have at least 1,000 receiving yards in a season during his career. The 30-year-old participated in Bengals minicamp in June.

Green is entering the final year of his current contract.

"I felt like he had a good summer," Taylor said. "Sometimes, today, freak things happen."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- In yet another blow to the New York Giants' receiving corps, Golden Tate has been suspended for four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, he confirmed Saturday.

Tate, who said the banned substance was a prescribed fertility medication, has scheduled an appeal for Aug. 6 and a resolution is expected before the start of the regular season, league sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In a statement, Tate said he believes he has a legitimate case to win his appeal.

"This past April, during the off-season, my wife and I decided to see a specialist for fertility planning. I started the treatment prescribed to me and just days later I discovered it contained an ingredient that is on the league's banned substance list," Tate said in a statement. "I immediately discontinued use, I reported the situation to the Independent Administrator of the NFL Policy on Performance-Enhancing Substances, and I spoke with my coaches and general manager. I did all of this well before a failed test was even confirmed.

"Per NFL protocol, an initial suspension was imminent, but myself and the Giants organization are confident in the facts, and eagerly await my appeal to put this behind us."

However, according to the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, it might not be that easy. It states, "Players are responsible for what is in their bodies and a positive test will not be excused because a Player was unaware that he was taking a Prohibited Substance."

The Giants were already down two receivers after Corey Coleman (torn ACL) and Sterling Shepard (fractured thumb) suffered injuries on the first day of training camp on Thursday.

Coleman is likely to miss the entire 2019 season, while Shepard will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis with a possibility of returning in time for the season opener in six weeks.

The Giants have known about Tate's possible suspension for quite some time and haven't made any significant moves at the position over the past few weeks.

"We'll just wait and see what happens with Golden and his appeal," Giants coach Pat Shurmur said Saturday. "You guys saw [Shepard] running around yesterday out there. He's going to be fine. We have other guys that are competing to make our team. So just keep moving."

Tate was the Giants' big offseason acquisition following the trade of Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns. Tate signed a four-year, $37.5 million deal in March after finishing last season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The veteran wide receiver has spent the bulk of his career with the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions. He has caught 611 career passes for 7,214 yards with 38 touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl his first season with the Lions in 2014.

Tate's transition to the Giants had been rather seamless. He is expected to play a major part in filling the production left behind by Beckham.

Shurmur said Tate's statement spoke for itself, adding, "when this situation arose, he's been very honest with us. It's just getting to the point now where I think he's going to have his appeal."

During the suspension, Tate can continue to practice with the Giants and can play in preseason games.

With the suspension and injuries, the Giants' receiving corps currently is comprised of Cody Latimer, Russell Shepard, Bennie Fowler, Reggie White Jr., Alonzo Russell and rookie Darius Slayton, among others.

Slayton, a fifth-round pick this year, is dealing with a hamstring injury.

The Giants signed Amba Etta-Tawo following a workout Saturday morning, according to his agent David Canter. Etta-Tawo spent last summer with the Giants, and he was on the Giants and Texans' practice squads for parts of last season.

The Giants also signed receiver T.J. Jones, sources told ESPN. He spent the past four seasons with the Lions.

"We'll let the transactions speak for themselves," Shurmur said.

Serious questions still remain about the Giants receiving corps heading into the season.

"That's how we like it. We have nothing to lose," veteran wide receiver Russell Shepard said. "That's what you want. You want people to doubt you at times so you can prove them wrong. You want people to kind of give up on you. That is what this group of guys is going to do. We're going to go out and show why we deserve to be here, why we're going to be here and why we're going to help this team win games come Sunday."

On Friday, Tate had said the wide receivers' room was "deflated" by news of Coleman's injury.

While with the Seattle Seahawks in 2013, Tate was critical of two teammates who received suspensions for substance abuse violations, calling them "selfish."

"You are affecting way more than yourself," Tate told 710 ESPN Radio at the time. "I feel like that was kind of a selfish move on both those guys' part. But it is what it is. The show must go on and that's what we're gonna do."

On Saturday, Tate said the prescribed medication did not provide any "competitive advantage" and that he prided himself for following the league's protocol throughout his 10 seasons.

"During the entirety of my 10 year career, I have taken great pride in playing this game the right way, have been an ambassador for the NFL and have never had any issues with the league's policy," Tate said. "The treatment this past April had no effect on the upcoming season, and I did not, and could not have undergone this treatment in April for any competitive advantage.

"I deeply appreciate the support from the New York Giants Organization, and will continue to hold the highest level of character and integrity, while being a leader in the locker room."

When the NBA's board of governors convened earlier this month in Las Vegas, the owners' heads were spinning from a league-shaking flurry of deals that reshaped their realities in a matter of days.

The powerful men and women, some through clenched teeth and others with open arms, asked themselves two basic but important questions: What the hell just happened? And what should we do about it?

What followed was a potentially pivotal discussion that exposed fears, examined inner workings and authored fixes aimed at trying to level an offseason playing field that has gone full tilt.

Within days, the league opened an investigation centered on the timing of some of the earliest reported free-agency deals on June 30, sources familiar with the matter told ESPN.com. The scope of that investigation is developing. It is expected to include interviews with players and possibly agents and team employees, sources say. It will also touch on other questions that were raised in the Board of Governors meeting outlined below -- including methods of circumventing the salary cap to provide stars extra benefits, sources told ESPN.com.

The league has the power to punish teams it finds to be guilty of tampering ahead of June 30 at 6 p.m. Eastern Time -- the first minute that teams are allowed to speak with representatives of free agents. It also might seek information on the timing of negotiations so that any revised free-agency calendar might better align with what is actually happening.

The investigation followed a tense owners meeting, which multiple sources described to ESPN. Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan, speaking as the head of the labor committee, discussed the possible need to revisit free-agency rules in the next collective bargaining agreement, sources said.

Marc Lasry, co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, spoke of his concern of the gray areas of tampering rules; it was lost on no one in the room that Milwaukee's franchise player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, could be the most sought-after star in free agency in 2021 if he does not sign an extension with the team before then. Other owners expressed frustration that some deals had apparently been agreed to well before the official start of free agency.

Commissioner Adam Silver encouraged the open airing of grievances in Las Vegas, sources said, when it became clear during the two-day meeting at the Wynn Hotel that frustrations were simmering below the surface. There have been more intense sessions over the years -- hashing out revenue-sharing rules earlier this decade is remembered as one of the spiciest -- but this was not a routine summer agenda.

In the midst of it, Rick Buchanan, the NBA's longtime general counsel, issued an evenhanded but sobering message to the room, multiple sources said.

Buchanan told the governors that as partners they were entitled to expect all teams to abide by a common set of enforceable rules for free agency -- and that the league office would come back with a proposal for a revised set of rules that would then be strictly enforced. He asked the group if they were comfortable with the league "seizing servers and cellphones," a line that stuck with many in attendance, according to sources who recounted the scene later.

Buchanan's tone was not threatening, or aggressive, sources say. He appeared to be offering guidance: This is what strict enforcement might look like.

In the past, when the NBA has cracked down on deals that fell outside of the league's rules -- Juwan Howard's voided contract with the Miami Heat in 1996 and Joe Smith's under-the-table agreement with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1999 were referenced in the room -- it was as a result of limited-scope investigations.

That was then, and this could be now. With star players of immense value moving liberally from team to team, the circumstances around those moves have never been more important.

Among the specific issues discussed during the Las Vegas meetings and since:

• The possibility of allowing teams to talk to free agents and their representatives immediately after the end of the NBA Finals or a few days later, even if there is still some moratorium on striking official deals until some set time after the draft.

Team executives and agents report that free agency now unofficially begins at the draft combine in May, when those days of meetings with agents over draft picks often expand to their coming free-agent clients, despite the rules.

So if some teams are talking to players days or weeks before June 30, then just let everyone do that openly, the thinking goes. Of course, some teams might then be tempted to start even earlier than the end of the Finals.

• A more extreme version of this same general change: conduct free agency, signings and all, before the NBA draft. But this change, while practical, may not be in the immediate offing.

The Houston Rockets formally proposed this change last year. When the league polled the 30 teams on Houston's proposal this month, only 10 supported it, though several responded that they did not care either way, sources familiar with the poll results say.

• Failing more extreme change, there is support among lots of teams for reducing the current moratorium on official signings -- which extends from June 30 through July 6. The primary obstacle to any shortening of the moratorium has been the league's need to account for all the income from the previous fiscal year -- including the full NBA Finals -- and accurately set the salary cap for the next season.

• If players can continue to recruit each other freely and at all times, the general sense was that teams should have more time and methods of communicating with impending free agents.

The league's constitution grants Silver the authority to fine and suspend any player who "induces, persuades, or attempts to entice" any player under contract with another team "to enter into negotiations for his services" -- i.e., player-to-player tampering. The league has essentially punted on enforcing those rules. Some league and team officials find the prospect of such enforcement almost an invasion of privacy. LeBron James and Anthony Davis should be able to get dinner and talk shop. Draymond Green has admitted to contacting Kevin Durant while Durant was still technically a member of the Thunder. Monitoring such talk is impractical to the point of being impossible. Cracking down on it raises a ton of uncomfortable questions.

Governors in Las Vegas (and since) discussed ways to close the communication gap. Perhaps teams should be more free to talk earlier to their own impending free agents, and their representatives, without cloaking such discussion under the guise of negotiating an extension to the player's current contract. One issue there: The same agent might represent that player and other players on other teams set to hit unrestricted free agency. Discussions of the first might naturally lead to informal chitchat about the second. Can the league really expect teams and agents to silo such discussions? Does it want to be in the business of monitoring chatter to make sure they do?

Perhaps general managers should be able to talk to upcoming free agents from rival teams (and their representatives) once those teams' seasons end -- at the end of the regular season, or whenever the free agent's team is eliminated from the playoffs.

That could disadvantage teams that advance to the conference finals and NBA Finals -- and are preoccupied with things other than free agency. Two of this summer's biggest free agents, Kawhi Leonard and Durant, played in the Finals.

Some such talk surely happens now, including all that intel gathering at the draft combine. Some teams are more wary than others of engaging in it. No one -- or at least almost no one -- wants to live in a world where teams can freely recruit superstars on expiring contracts (through their representatives) all season. That is pernicious. It can ruin teams. But teams are searching for wiggle room.

• It isn't just teams complaining, by the way. Even powerful agents have registered concerns about the timing of free agency to both the players' union and league office, per several sources. Agents and players benefit from a known and concrete starting point to free agency, too. If some deals are done early, that means cap room vanishes before those acting at the agreed-upon kickoff time even initiate talks.

• One item discussed openly and explicitly: frustration that family members of players were almost acting as agents and asking for benefits outside the scope of the collective bargaining agreement. Vague reports in the local Toronto media that Leonard's uncle and adviser, Dennis Robertson, asked for such benefits clearly sparked the discussion, but it was pointed out that he would not have been the first family member to do so -- and would not be the last.

Silver appeared to reference this in his remarks to the media after the meeting when he mentioned that "frankly, things are being discussed that don't fall squarely within the collective bargaining agreement."

Some suggested that any family member acting as a player's de facto representative should have to pass through the union's certification process for player agents, sources said.

Buchanan, sources say, distinguished any situation in which a team were to circumvent the salary cap to provide star players with extra benefits: The league would use all investigative tools at its disposal and use its immense power to punish any team caught doing that. He reminded the governors of this, even though there are no credible allegations of circumvention at this time, sources say.

• There was confusion about the tendency for players to turn down the extra year(s) and connected salary that incumbent teams can offer.

In any case, it's important to remember the league is just coming down from a period of intense activity and drama. Teams and league officials are still grappling with it. For many of them, the emotions are raw. The end result may be a minor change to the calendar, phased in down the line, or no change at all.

But the events of the first week of July have stakeholders across the league discussing the underpinnings of how the NBA does business with a new urgency.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis has been diagnosed with a fractured left wrist after he was hit by a pitch during Friday's game.

The Braves announced Markakis' injury Saturday while placing him on the 10-day IL.

Markakis was hit on the left wrist by a pitch from the Philadelphia Phillies' Cole Irvin in the sixth inning of Atlanta's 9-2 win over Philadelphia. Markakis wore a splint on his arm after the victory.

This is the veteran right fielder's first time on the injured list in his five seasons with the Braves. Markakis has played at least 155 games in 11 of his first 13 seasons in the majors. He is hitting .284 with nine home runs and 55 RBIs this season.

Markakis has been one of the most consistent hitters since entering the league in 2006. In the last 14 seasons, Markakis is the only player to have 100-plus hits in every season, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Infielder Dansby Swanson also was placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Wednesday, with a right foot contusion. Swanson is hitting .265 with 17 home runs and 57 RBIs.

To fill the open roster spots, the Braves reinstated left-hander Max Fried from the injured list and recalled outfielder Adam Duvall from Triple-A Gwinnett.

Fried had been on the IL since July 16 with a blister on his left index finger. At the time, manager Brian Snitker said he didn't want Fried pitching through the injury.

Duvall has played in 33 games for the Braves this season, hitting .132 in 53 at-bats.

Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was released from Massachusetts General Hospital on Friday, a source told ESPN's Enrique Rojas.

Ortiz had been in the Boston hospital since June 10, one day after he was shot in the Dominican Republic.

"David has been home since Friday," a family source told Rojas. "At home he will be assisted by full-time nurses and will be visited regularly by his personal physician. He will continue to undergo all the treatment and rehabilitation necessary to recuperate from his recent procedures."

Ortiz, 43, has undergone three surgeries related to the gunshot wound and ensuing complications. The most recent surgery was performed two weeks ago.

After Ortiz was shot June 9 in Santo Domingo, doctors in the Dominican Republic removed his gallbladder and part of his intestine before he was flown to Boston in an air ambulance sent by the Red Sox.

Police have arrested 14 people in the case and are searching for others. Last month, police said a suspected drug trafficker offered to pay $30,000 for the shooting of another man and that Ortiz had been an unintended target.

Information from ESPN's Marly Rivera and The Associated Press was used in this report.

BOSTON -- American League batting leader DJ LeMahieu is out of the New York Yankees' lineup for Saturday's game against the Boston Red Sox.

Manager Aaron Boone says "he's got a little tightness in his groin," which the infielder felt during Friday's loss to the Red Sox.

The Yankees signed LeMahieu to a $24 million, two-year contract as a free agent during the offseason. He is batting .332 with 15 homers and 71 RBIs and has been a pleasant surprise to a team that's been besieged by injuries.

LeMahieu played the entire game Friday.

Boone said he had an MRI on Saturday and the club is awaiting the results before making any decision regarding a trip to the injured list.

LeMahieu, who turned 31 this month, spent the previous eight seasons with Colorado at hitter-friendly Coors Field and won the NL batting title in 2016 with a .348 average.

Last season, he hit .276 with 15 homers and 62 RBIs, winning his second straight Gold Glove at second base and third overall.

The Oakland Athletics acquired left-handed reliever Jake Diekman from the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, bolstering a bullpen already considered among the most talented in baseball.

The well-traveled Diekman, 32, joined the Royals as a free agent this winter and had been one of the most popular players on the trade market leading up to the July 31 deadline because of his coveted fastball-slider mix.

Oakland pounced and will send prospects Dairon Blanco, an outfielder, and right-handed pitcher Ismael Aquino to Kansas City.

Entering Saturday's games, Oakland (58-47) is eight games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West. The Athletics, however, are tied with the Boston Red Sox for third place in a heated wild-card chase -- just a half-game behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the final spot.

While Diekman's 4.75 ERA is below league average, his 13.6 strikeouts per nine rank 11th among relievers and he also ranks in the top 25 in lowest home run rate. Diekman's biggest bugaboo has been control, as he is walking nearly five batters per nine, in line with his career numbers.

With Diekman, Blake Treinen, Liam Hendriks and Lou Trivino, the A's are assembling one of the hardest-throwing bullpens in the major leagues, hoping to ride it to the postseason as they did last year.

Oakland's 3.94 bullpen ERA ranks seventh in the majors.

This is the second trade this month between Kansas City and Oakland. The A's acquired starter Homer Bailey for infielder Kevin Merrell on July 14.

Diekman signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract, which included a mutual option for 2020, with the Royals in the offseason. He has also pitched for the Phillies, Rangers and Diamondbacks and has a career 3.87 ERA.

Blanco, 26, who was signed as an international free agent in 2017, was batting .276 with 44 RBIs and 27 stolen bases for Double-A Midland this season. Aquino, 20, was 1-1 with a 4.58 ERA over 10 appearances in the Arizona League.

In a corresponding move, the Royals recalled right-hander Kyle Zimmer from Triple-A Omaha.

Organisers celebrate three-years-to-go milestone, with Alexander Stadium refurbishment said to be “progressing on budget and on schedule”

With three years to go until the opening ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, organisers have unveiled the new brand and vision for the Games and held a free community festival of sport, culture and food in the West Midlands city.

Birmingham 2022 has announced its commitment to organising a ‘Games for Everyone’, that enables the city and the West Midlands to take advantage of the opportunity to showcase the region to a global audience.

It's three years to go!

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put this vibrant city and region firmly on the map! https://t.co/wCy5LrBEuY
#B2022 #Birmingham2022 #CommonwealthGames #CommonwealthSocial #3YTG #WestMids pic.twitter.com/Mmy7AcSXTe

— Birmingham 2022 (@birminghamcg22) July 27, 2019

Saturday’s ‘Commonwealth Social’ community festival has been held to give residents the chance to come together with Team England athletes, local business and community leaders and Games representatives and celebrate the countdown to the event.

The event was also seen as an ideal opportunity to introduce the new Birmingham 2022 brand, which connects key West Midlands destinations – many of which will host events during the Games – and brings the locations together to create a ‘B’ shaped design.

Speaking on the three-years-to-go milestone, Cllr Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council, explained how refurbishment of the Alexander Stadium, which will host the athletics plus the opening and closing ceremonies at the Games, is “progressing on budget and on schedule”.

READ MORE: Alexander Stadium redevelopment plans published

“With just three years to go, we are at the point when everything about the Commonwealth Games is becoming much more tangible,” he said.

“The council-led projects that are enabling the Games, including the development of the Commonwealth Games Village and refurbishment of the Alexander Stadium, are progressing on budget and on schedule, with activity set to significantly increase in the coming months.

“Enthusiasm and interest in Birmingham 2022 is bubbling and will continue to grow as we get even closer to the staging of the biggest event in the city’s history and the long-term benefits the city and its people will gain in the years to come.”

Commonwealth Games Federation president, Dame Louise Martin, said: “With three years to go to the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the excitement is already palpable.

“Preparations are well under way for the delivery of a spectacular multi-sport event for the people of Birmingham, the West Midlands, England and the Commonwealth.

“Launching the new brand on this special day will also ensure the identity of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games lasts forever.”

Saturday’s Commonwealth Social event, held in Birmingham’s newly-redeveloped Centenary Square, includes a series of live performances from regional dance and musical groups and the chance to try Commonwealth cuisine.

Budding young sports stars have the opportunity to take part in demonstrations, receiving advice and encouragement from 15 Team England athletes including para athlete Katrina Hart.

In his latest BBC Sport column, Jamie Murray discusses his upcoming partnership with brother Andy in Washington, the hard-court season in the US and his recent holiday back home in Scotland.

My brother Andy and I will be teaming up in the doubles at the Citi Open in Washington next week and I am really looking forward to it.

I couldn't play in Washington with my partner Neal Skupski because he is playing the World Team Tennis season in the US, which is a three-week commitment after Wimbledon.

I was always looking for someone to play with in Washington so it's great that Andy is able to do it. I had asked Andy what his plans were for the summer while he was waiting to get some of the feedback from the physical testing he had been doing for his hip. Once he got the all clear, he was able to make a plan.

It's been a while since we last played together at the Davis Cup in 2016 and a lot of our tennis together around that time was in tournaments like the Davis Cup and the Olympics, so I can't remember the last time we played together in a normal tournament.

We practised together on Wednesday and we will do more when we get out to Washington - we'll have a few days in which we can prepare and get ready for the tournament.

During practice, we tend to go through a few strategies and positioning, mainly for Andy's benefit because he's not as used to playing doubles. Recently, he's obviously become more committed to it and he's a great player who reads the game so well, so I have to just let him be him and play the game that he knows best.

We complement each other well on the court. His return is amazing and that can give me a lot of action up at the net, and when I'm there I can also help him out on his serve.

We know each other's games and I guess, because we are brothers, we are able to communicate that bit better and have more honesty than other partnerships. At the end of the day, partners can fall out but the difference with us being brothers is that we will always make up, so it makes it a lot easier.

That's probably the reason the Bryan brothers, who have won 16 Grand Slam titles together, have been so successful over the years, because of that family bond and the natural communication they are able to have.

It's all fun, I'm really looking forward to it and hopefully we can have a good week there.

'Neal and I will be successful' - preparing for the US

I'm really looking forward to the hard-court season starting in the US. I always like this season and I feel like I've played good tennis in the last few years.

There are a lot of big tournaments; the Washington doubles field is probably the toughest of the whole year. It's like a mini ATP Finals in terms of the field because the best 8-10 teams compete plus a few others.

You've then got the two Masters tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati and then it's all preparation for the US Open, which starts at the end of August.

Once Neal and I hook up in Montreal, it will be full steam ahead for us. It has been a bit stop-start so far but I'm looking forward to getting back on court with him.

Wimbledon was obviously a big disappointment for us when we lost in the first round but I don't doubt that we will be a successful team, but whether that is in the immediate future or the long term, I'm not sure.

'It was nice to put the racquets away' - on taking a break

After Wimbledon, I went up to the west coast of Scotland for five days with my wife Alejandra. We flew to Glasgow and then hired a car to drive up to Oban, Glencoe, then up to Skye and the Outer Hebrides, which was amazing. The scenery was incredible and while there was a lot of driving, we crammed a lot in.

It was good to get away. It was disappointing how Wimbledon finished for me and the first half of the year has been pretty intense, so it was nice to put the racquets away for a while and get away from tennis, and just enjoy a bit of Scotland.

It was nice to spend some quality time with my wife because she works full-time in communications and marketing and so doesn't travel with me that much. She maybe comes to four or five tournaments a year. I always find that for players' partners, it's not that exciting because it's a lot of hanging around while we train and prepare.

We went back to Dunblane for about a day and a half so it was nice to see some of the family. It's always good to get home because I don't get much opportunity to do so during the year.

Jamie Murray was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Falkingham