LSU coach Will Wade expressed regret Tuesday for the actions that led to his suspension during the SEC and NCAA tournaments while categorically denying allegations levied by Emanuel "Book" Richardson during the college basketball corruption trial in federal court in New York City.

Speaking at the SEC spring meetings -- where he addressed reporters for the first time since March -- Wade said he was "here to start the process of rebuilding trust."

"As I've had time to reflect since I was out for 40 days or so -- there were some mistakes that I made," Wade said Tuesday. "But ever since that, since I was able to sit down and talk to LSU and the NCAA, I was fully cooperative."

Wade's regret, he said, was getting lawyers involved rather than sitting down with LSU immediately. Acting "in haste" and involving lawyers drew out the timeline and led to his 40-day suspension, he said.

"I wish, looking back on things, we could have gotten into a room together a lot quicker than we did," Wade said. "That was my mistake. I respect LSU's decision based on that."

Wade would not comment on what was said during those meetings with LSU and NCAA officials, citing them as "private and confidential," but he reiterated that he was forthright in conversations of which "there was no limit of scope."

In March, ESPN and Yahoo Sports reported prosecutors were trying to enter as evidence a wiretap that they said included Wade describing his frustration with his inability to close a "strong-ass offer" for a recruit. ESPN reported that Wade's frustration was with the handler of former top-50 recruit Javonte Smart, who ultimately signed with the Tigers.

Wade was suspended indefinitely by the university the following day. He did not coach the team through the SEC and NCAA tournaments and was not reinstated until after he met with school and NCAA officials in mid-April.

Wade would not address the allegations but did take time to dispute the allegations of Richardson, who said during the trial that Wade had told him there was a $300,000 deal in place to land Naz Reid.

"It was absolutely false and did not happen," Wade said.

Asked whether any exchange of money has ever taken place with a student-athlete or their family, Wade would not comment. He also sidestepped a question about the reports of an offer to Smart.

"It's a good question," Wade said. "I can't get into the specifics of everything, like I was saying earlier. I can assure you in my meetings with LSU and the NCAA, I've addressed all the media reports and what was said and I was reinstated."

Asked whether he ever said the words "strong-ass offer," Wade told reporters, "I've not heard the recording so I don't know."

The coach said he hoped to one day get to the point of full disclosure, "but we're not at that place right now."

Wade, who has gone 43-20 in two seasons at LSU, was bolstered by news recently that Smart, Skylar Mays and Marlon Taylor would withdraw from the NBA draft and return to school.

TORONTO -- Eric Lewis and Kane Fitzgerald are heading to the NBA Finals for the first time, as they were among the 12 referees picked to work the Toronto-Golden State title series.

Lewis and Fitzgerald are the two rookies on this year's Finals officiating roster. Mike Callahan was picked to work the Finals for the 16th time, and Scott Foster for the 12th time.

Other referees selected in the 12-man pool are Tony Brothers, James Capers, Marc Davis, John Goble, David Guthrie, Ed Malloy, Jason Phillips and Zach Zarba.

Finals officials are chosen based on evaluations made of their performance during the first three rounds of the playoffs. All 12 referees are slated to work at least once in the series.

TORONTO -- Stopping the Golden State Warriors isn't easy. What does make it easier, though, is having tried to do it before.

"As easy as it looks and seems," Toronto Raptors guard Danny Green said Tuesday afternoon, "it's a lot tougher when you actually get out there."

The Raptors went through their final light practice before the bright lights of NBA Finals media day shine on them Wednesday; Game 1 of the league's championship round takes place at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night. And as they prepare for the challenge of trying to stop Golden State in this series, they have the added benefit of four key players -- Green, Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka -- who have played against the Warriors in the playoffs.

That institutional knowledge is something the Raptors will hope to use to their advantage as they attempt to construct a game plan that will slow down the two-time defending NBA champions.

"It helps, in terms of knowing how great they are as an offensive team," Ibaka said. "Sometimes it's tough when you don't know, and you just go out there and play with the flow of the game. [Then] they are going to beat you so bad.

"The fact we already know how great they are -- not good, great -- that helps. That helps us to be prepared mentally, and then watch tape to try to figure out what to do."

It's one thing to try to figure out what to do on tape. It's something else entirely to go out on the court and do it. Even when Golden State is playing at less than its best -- like it did for large stretches of the Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers -- the Warriors still can ramp up their intensity level in an instant and go on a double-digit run in what seems like a blink of an eye.

It is that ability to overwhelm an opponent that makes them so difficult to stop. Well, that and a collection of superstars, from Stephen Curry to Klay Thompson to Draymond Green, being on the court at the same time -- even as another, Kevin Durant, waits in reserve as he continues to recover from a calf strain.

According to Gasol, stopping the Warriors will come down to patience and adjustments.

"They do a great job with their positioning on the floor, their passing, their counteractions, the second, third counter." Gasol said, "They see the scheme and they have a counter for that scheme. It's a multiple-effort game.

"You know Steph and Klay are gonna make shots. You can count on that. The other guys, you have to keep them under control."

Ibaka's explanation was even simpler.

"Just don't be lazy against them," Ibaka said. "The way they play, they try to make you fall asleep out there -- and then you see Steph out there and he's going to keep going and then you fall asleep and then he keeps going and gets a wide-open 3.

"They just keep moving. It's nonstop. [Steph] and Klay and Draymond, the way they push the ball out there, it's one of those teams where you have to be focused for 48 minutes. You can't relax, because if you relax, and they get hot, it's going to be a long night."

Toronto's defense has been outstanding throughout the playoffs, flummoxing both the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks in series that often resembled rock fights more than basketball games. If the Raptors hope to shock the world and beat the Warriors and claim the first championship in franchise history, they're going to need to remain at the level defensively -- if not jump up another one.

To do so, they'll be leaning heavily on the institutional knowledge of their core players who have been on the playoff stage against Golden State.

"It's going to be a tough challenge for us," Ibaka said. "But we are here for a reason.

"We proved we are a good defensive team, and now it's a new challenge for us and we are going to figure it out and go out here and play."

Warriors star Kevin Durant traveled on the team's charter to Toronto on Tuesday for Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals against the Raptors, even though he has been officially ruled out of Game 1 with a strained right calf.

Game 1 is Thursday (9 p.m. ET, ABC), but the Warriors then have a couple of days off before Game 2 on Sunday.

Durant injured his calf in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets and has not played since.

He was not in Portland when the Warriors swept the Trail Blazers to win the Western Conference finals.

The All-Star forward has been shooting on his own but has yet to do any on-court work with his teammates as he continues the rehab process, coach Steve Kerr said.

The Warriors said Friday that they were hopeful that Durant could return at some point in the series.

The Warriors have gone 5-0 in Durant's absence, but the two-time NBA Finals MVP would be a valuable counter to Raptors star Kawhi Leonard on both ends of the floor.

The Oakland Athletics have released veteran relief pitcher Fernando Rodney, three days after he was designated for assignment.

The A's made the move Tuesday.

Rodney, 42, had seen his ERA balloon to a career-worst 9.42 this season, posting an 0-2 record with 15 hits allowed in 20 innings. He had returned to Oakland for 2019 after the A's exercised a $5.25 million club option.

Rodney has pitched for 10 teams in a 17-year career and ranks 18th in MLB history with 325 saves.

The A's also reinstated outfielder Nick Martini (sprained right knee) from the injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Las Vegas.

The Houston Astros' All-Star double-play combination was being evaluated by team doctors on Tuesday.

Second baseman Jose Altuve, who had been on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock because of a hamstring injury this week, returned to Houston because of "fatigue and soreness" in his right leg, and shortstop Carlos Correa was removed from Tuesday's lineup against the Chicago Cubs because of soreness in his ribs.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Altuve's left hamstring is "fine." Hinch noted that Altuve's soreness is to the same leg on which he had surgery -- the second baseman underwent surgery on his right knee last October.

Altuve has been out since May 11 because of his strained left hamstring.

"Injuries suck, no matter what time it happens during the year," Hinch said. "It happens to everybody; this has been a bad week for us. We're going to be fine. We have good players who can win games."

The Astros, who also are currently without All-Star outfielder George Springer (hamstring), led the American League West with a 36-19 record entering Tuesday's games.

Saracens captain Brad Barritt could yet feature in Saturday's Premiership final against Exeter, and will face a fitness test on his hamstring on Thursday.

The 32-year-old centre was forced off after 27 minutes of the semi-final win over Gloucester at the weekend and was expected to miss the Twickenham final.

"To be fair to Brad we want to give him until the end of the week," said director of rugby Mark McCall.

"With a hamstring injury he obviously can't train. He does have a chance."

The Irishman added: "He'll be tested on Thursday to see where he's at and he could be ruled out then, but we might have to wait until we warm up on Saturday to see how it is."

Nick Tompkins scored a hat-trick as Barritt's replacement in the 44-19 win over the Cherry and Whites last Saturday and will start against the Chiefs if Barritt fails to recover from his injury.

However, McCall intends to give the former England international until the last minute to prove his fitness.

"We'll see, but we won't do something foolish that means Brad has to go off after one minute," he said. "That's not the situation we want to be in."

"But given who he is and the efforts he's made this year, it's fair to give him a few more days. It would be a lift to have him available."

Barritt has a history of overcoming injury rapidly, having featured against Leinster last season just days after having a titanium plate inserted following a cheekbone injury, while last month he recovered from ankle ligament damage to face Munster in the European Champions Cup semi-finals.

"Brad does have this habit of coming back from operations - on his eye socket normally - before these kinds of games," added McCall.

"A hamstring's a bit different because even the bravest people can't do anything about that.

"If it's a grade one it's normally seven-to-10 days. That's always pushing it. His is probably a 1.2 rather than a one, so we'll see."

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Roush Fenway Racing unveiled its No. 6 Oscar Mayer Throwback paint scheme during a Tuesday morning event at the famed Darlington Raceway.

The scheme pays homage to Mark Martin’s 1993 scheme that scored Jack Roush’s first Southern 500 win in 1993. Reimagined in Oscar Mayer colors, the iconic Wienermobile was also on hand for the event, proudly wrapped in the same throwback scheme.

“It think the scheme looks great,” said Ryan Newman, who will pilot the Ford Mustang during September’s throwback weekend at the 1.366-mile oval affectionately termed the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame.’ “Darlington is my favorite track on the circuit and the Southern 500 is one of the best events on our schedule. I can’t wait to come back here in September and see if we can put this No. 6 back in victory lane.”

Newman has led 334 laps in his career at Darlington, scoring 13 top-10 finishes; including a runner-up finish in 2002. Roush Fenway Fords have won 20 times at Darlington, leading over 4,500 laps and winning five times in NASCAR’s premier Cup Series.

This will be the 70th running of the famed Southern 500. This season’s throwback weekend at Darlington pays tribute to the years 1990-94. Martin led 178 laps in route to his 1993 Southern 500 win. He also drove the scheme to a second-place finish in the spring event at Darlington that same season, leading 123 laps. Martin led 301 laps during the 1993 season at Darlington.

This will be the fifth season Darlington has hosted the throwback weekend, with the event having grown into one of the most popular races on the NASCAR circuit.

“The Throwback platform has been an exceptional way for Darlington Raceway to connect the past, present and future of the sport, and no better place to do it in my mind than here at Darlington, which I think is the most historic and iconic race track on the circuit,” said Kerry Tharp, President of Darlington Raceway. “This will be year five for us and it’s an opportunity for the people to come back that have been a part of the sport for a long time and reconnect with family and friends. It’s a reunion, and we want that reunion to continue to build.”

Oscar Mayer, who first appeared on the No. 6 back in 2003, was featured on the No. 6 during last year’s race at Darlington.

“We at Oscar Mayer have a rich tradition of making quality meats, and we’re excited to celebrate that tradition this September as part of NASCAR’s Throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway,” said Matt Riezman, Associate Director of Marketing, Oscar Mayer. “We’re even more excited to throw back to one of NASCAR’s most iconic drivers, Mark Martin, in a fun way by wrapping our famed Wienermobile to match our throwback No. 6.”

CHICAGO – The Chicago White Sox will team up with the Straightline Strategy Group to serve as a major sponsor on Clay Millican’s Parts Plus Top Fuel Dragster at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals on May 30–June 2.

“Anytime we can cross-market two iconic brands like the Chicago White Sox and NHRA drag racing, it brings another level of passion and excitement to the fans of both sports,” says Steven Cole, SVP Marketing and Sales for SSG. “From Clay throwing out the first pitch to driving his Parts Plus/Chicago White Sox sponsored Top Fuel Dragster, this program is destined to be a home run!”

The White Sox have an incredible history as they are one of eight charter members of the American League, having played in Chicago since the inaugural 1901 season. Additionally, they have won six American League pennants and three World Series Titles.

This will be the second time Clay has piloted a Chicago White Sox Dragster as his last was back in 1998 during his first ever start at an NHRA event in Chicago. Millican has plenty of history of his own, winning six IHRA World Titles before moving to the NHRA where he currently holds the Top Fuel E.T. record at 3.628 seconds and has three NHRA career wins. Finishing third in the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Points Series, Millican has his sight set on winning the 2019 NHRA Championship.

“Starting my top fuel career in the White Sox sponsored car at Route 66 Raceway was incredible,” says Millican. “Then winning the event in 2018 on the 20th anniversary of my start and of the opening of Route 66 Raceway was unbelievable. Now we are coming full circle with having the White Sox back with us on the Parts Plus dragster. It’s going to be a special weekend.”

Millican will also have the honors of throwing out the first pitch at the White Sox game against the Cleveland Indians on Thursday, May 30. The Chicago White Sox bannered Top Fuel Dragster will be on display at Guaranteed Rate Field (known as Comiskey Park).

Liam Plunkett knows he can't bowl consistently as fast as he used to but he is determined to turn what could be seen as a shortcoming into a weapon.

After all, there is a World Cup on his doorstep and Plunkett admits he turns into a green-eyed monster if he is not on the big stage.

Even during England's last warm-up, a nine-wicket win against Afghanistan on Monday, he couldn't help himself. Plunkett was officially rested for the match but came on as a substitute fielder, took a catch and was involved in a run-out.

While Plunkett's ability to frustrate opposition teams during the middle overs was his big selling point for World Cup selection, a drop in pace - inevitable at the age of 34 - was also noted as pundits weighed up the possibilities ahead of England naming their final squad last week.

"I find it harder to bowl as quick as I used to consistently," Plunkett said. "But I feel that's something that helps me. I'll try and bowl the same speed and sometimes it will come out at late 80s and sometimes it will come out at 81. So I feel I've got to use that as my variation. If I don't know what speed it's going to come out, the batters won't either."

Plunkett's role is also helped by England's formidable batting line-up which is threatening to become the first team to reach a total of 500.

"I've gone through patches since I came back when I was bowling consistently quick," Plunkett said. "We call our bowlers the ants as they just do the job, go home and let the batters get the glory. We'll take that.

"I just try and go about my business and do the hard yards with the boys in the middle and make it as boring and difficult as possible for the batters.

"Obviously it's been harder now for people as we can score at eight and nine an over so you know the batters will come after you. Maybe that's helped with wickets because people know they need to score and that gives you a chance to get wickets."

Plunkett returns to England's World Cup fold ahead of Thursday's tournament opener against South Africa having last featured in 2007, when he took four wickets in three matches. He has secured his place with 85 wickets at 28.43 from 53 matches since 2015.

He can't remember exactly where he was during the last World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, but he was watching, sometimes.

"I was watching," he said. "When I'm not in the squad I get a bit bitter. I don't like watching England because you're always jealous because you want to be there. So I didn't watch too match to be honest with you.

"At that point I wasn't sure I was going to play in the white-ball team so much. So, to be a couple of years down the line and be on the brink of playing on Thursday is exciting."

Plunkett can empathise with fellow fast bowler David Willey, who missed out when England opted for back-up spinner Liam Dawson for the World Cup. It is a feeling compounded by the squad's closeness, developed under captain Eoin Morgan.

"Even though people were thinking about the World Cup squad and the Pakistan series, the bowlers who didn't play were helping each other out," Plunkett said. "Me down at fine leg, one of the other bowlers would come and say, 'what do you think about this?' which is something that can be hard to do in a team, especially when you know the squad is coming up.

"Do you want to give that guy extra credit or something you know about the batter? So the guys have been really good, because we all get on with each other. But at the end of the day it is international sport.

"You want people to do well. I've never been a person who wanted someone to go out there and fail because I feel that can come round and bite you on the backside. This team, the support we have as a unit, is the best I've ever played in."

Meanwhile, Jofra Archer, whose inclusion also contributed to Willey missing out, wished he could have bowled double the amount of overs he had in preparation for the tournament since making his international debut against Ireland last month.

"I've bowled about 20 overs in the last month in a match situation which isn't really ideal," Archer said. "The flip side of that is you get to rest and I've had a long six months going back to October.

"I was 100 percent fit but I guess they were just trying to rest me. I didn't have any niggles or anything like that. I can get by, but personally I've not played a lot of 50-over cricket in the last year so I just wanted to top up."