Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic tested positive for COVID-19 and entered the NBA's health and safety protocols on Thursday, sources told ESPN.

The Bulls listed Vucevic in the protocols, but the positive test means the two-time All-Star selection will be sidelined for 10 days or until he has two negative PCR tests in a 24-hour period.

Chicago (8-3) begins a five-game West Coast road trip on Friday against the league-leading Golden State Warriors (TV: ESPN, 10 p.m. ET).

Vucevic guarded Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid in successive games prior to Embiid testing positive last week. NBC Sports Chicago has reported that the Bulls are fully vaccinated.

Vucevic, 31, has had five double-doubles over his last six games, including an 18-point, 10-rebound performance in Wednesday's 117-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

In 11 games this season, Vucevic has averaged 13.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists for the Bulls, who are tied with the Washington Wizards for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Colby Cave left an indelible mark on the NHL community, which is continuing to honor his legacy.

The Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins announced that Thursday's game will be a celebration of Cave's life, cut tragically short in April 2020 by a brain bleed. Cave was just 25 years old.

Before the game, there's a planned video tribute containing highlights from Cave's time with both teams. His wife, Emily, will then perform the ceremonial puck drop.

"He's in your mind all the time," Oilers coach Dave Tippett said this week. "He was a fine young man that we lost too early."

Undrafted to the NHL but determined to make his way, Cave spent five years in the Bruins' farm system before debuting with the big club on Dec. 21, 2017. Cave had appeared in 23 NHL games for Boston when Edmonton claimed him off waivers in January 2019. He was with the Oilers for two seasons, right up to the NHL's shutdown due to COVID-19 in March 2020.

In total, Cave played 67 career NHL games, tallying four goals and nine points.

Cave was in Toronto when he began complaining of headaches on April 6, 2020. His condition worsened overnight, and he was airlifted to Sunnybrook Hospital for emergency surgery to remove a colloid cyst that was found to be causing a brain bleed.

After spending four days in a medically induced coma, Cave died on April 11.

The news was met with an outpouring of love and support for the Cave family, including by the Oilers and Bruins, who will once again pay tribute to a player gone too soon.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni insists his national team has the right to call up Lionel Messi but "completely understands" Paris Saint-Germain's frustrations over the player's busy calendar.

Messi missed PSG's last two encounters, a 2-2 Champions League draw at RB Leipzig and a 3-2 league win at Bordeaux, due to knee and hamstring pains. PSG sporting director Leonardo was unhappy that Messi was named in Scaloni's squad for Argentina's World Cup qualifiers at Uruguay on Friday and against Brazil on Nov. 16 if the player "isn't fit to play for us [PSG]."

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"We have a good rapport with [PSG sporting director] Leonardo," Scaloni said on Thursday. "It's understandable because of what has happened with the September, October, November FIFA windows as well as the Copa America. It's completely understandable. He has been a lot with the national team. Nor can it be doubted that we have a right to call him up and that if he is available, he plays. Historically it was a problem for European clubs."

Leonardo and Scaloni agree that this is a FIFA issue.

"It is an issue that must be resolved at calendar level," Scaloni said. "It cannot be resolved by a national team. Leonardo's were not good or bad remarks. He just said what was happening."

Messi captained Argentina to Copa America glory in July. He has started in all five World Cup qualifiers since, scoring four goals for the Albiceleste.

Since his move to PSG from Barcelona on a free transfer, Messi has played only eight games in all competitions for PSG with his three goals coming in the Champions League.

Messi, 34, is expected to start in Friday's World Cup qualifier at Uruguay.

"Messi is well, he has been working progressively and yesterday he intensified his training," Scaloni said. "As it is right now, he is available and if he is well, you know what I think and how important he is for the team.

"This afternoon we will make a decision, but I reiterate that for the time being, he is well. Living with Leo is easy because he always wants to play and I also want him always to play. His attitude is worthy of pride."

Should Messi not start against Uruguay in Montevideo, Scaloni says that Juventus forward Paulo Dybala or Inter Milan's Joaquin Correa could replace the PSG star.

Argentina are second in the standings with 25 points after 11 games played, six points adrift of Tuesday's rivals Brazil, who lead the standings.

The Premier League has said there will be just an eight-day break between the 2022 World Cup final and the resumption of English football's top-flight during the 2022-23 season.

A statement released on Thursday confirmed the adjustments to the schedule for next year arising from the first winter World Cup, awarded to Qatar in a 2010 vote but later moved to November and December due to the country's extreme summer temperatures.

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Negotiations have continued for some time over how domestic leagues would accommodate the unprecedented change, and the Premier League has sought to absorb the upheaval in one season by starting a week earlier -- on Aug. 6, 2022 -- and finishing on 28 May 2023.

The Premier League will run for 16 gameweeks until the weekend of Nov. 12-13, after which it will pause for the international tournament.

But, perhaps most significantly, following the World Cup final on Dec. 18, the Premier League will resume just eight days later on Boxing Day.

In previous years, players could expect to be given a minimum of three weeks off to recover, but the timing of next year's World Cup in the middle of the season has forced a rethink.

The World Cup is due to start on Nov. 21, meaning national teams will have just a week to work with their players before the tournament begins as opposed to the usual three-to-four week period.

It will be seen as a necessary compromise, but the Premier League pushed back on proposals for a biennial World Cup in a subsequent statement released later on Thursday.

FIFA head of global development Arsene Wenger has been advocating for such a move, which could also include re-organising the calendar so there is one qualifying window per year, potentially in October, rather than smaller international breaks at regular intervals throughout the season.

"All 20 Premier League clubs have discussed the post-2024 International Match Calendar reform process and are unanimously opposed to FIFA's proposal for biennial men's World Cups, along with any plans involving significantly extended international windows," it read.

"Clubs raised concerns about the negative impacts FIFA's current proposals would have on player welfare, the fan experience, pre-season preparations and the quality of competitions."

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: "The Premier League is committed to preventing any radical changes to the post-2024 FIFA International Match Calendar that would adversely affect player welfare and threaten the competitiveness, calendar, structures and traditions of domestic football.

"We are open to reforms and new ideas, but they must enhance the complementary balance between domestic and international football in order to improve the game at all levels.

"This process should also involve meaningful agreements with the leagues that provide the foundations for the game. We will continue to work with supporter groups, players, domestic and international stakeholders to find solutions that are in the best interests of football's long-term future."

FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys will be without defensive end Randy Gregory for "multiple weeks" after he suffered a calf injury in Wednesday's practice, according to coach Mike McCarthy.

It is possible Gregory could go on injured reserve, which would cost him at least the next three games. Right now, the Cowboys plan to replace Gregory from within their roster and not look for free-agent help.

The timing of the injury hurts with the Cowboys set to face Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, followed by Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Gregory is tied with Micah Parsons for the team lead in sacks with five and leads the team with 20 quarterback pressures. He also has forced two fumbles and recovered one as he has emerged as a key player on defense after suspensions marred the early part of his career.

"I think he was probably one of our best players. You could make the argument probably one of clearly our best players on defense," McCarthy said. "Yeah, very disruptive. Our team and our defensive players feed off his activity and yeah, definitely feel for him. He's having a heck of a year. But he's back in there this morning and he'll attack his rehab just like he has attacked everything else."

The Cowboys have not had DeMarcus Lawrence since the season opener after he broke his foot in practice. He is likely a few weeks from returning. The rest of the full-time defensive line has accounted for 4.5 sacks this season; however, Parsons, a rookie linebacker who also has five sacks, has been used as an edge rusher at times this season.

Dallas can look to use Parsons more on the edge Sunday against Atlanta, however, it has only five linebackers on the 53-man roster.

"The game starts at noon on Sunday," McCarthy said when asked whether Parsons could see more time as a defensive end.

The Cowboys have Tarell Basham, Dorance Armstrong, Chauncey Golston and Azur Kamara on the 53-man roster, with Bradlee Anae, who was on the active roster earlier in the season, and Breeland Speaks on the practice squad.

"Right now I'm focused on the players that are here," McCarthy said. "We made some adjustments once learning the news after practice yesterday. So we feel good about our plan and we'll stay the course."

McCarthy said the injury occurred during one-on-one pass rush drills. Gregory is the third Cowboy to suffer a calf injury this season. Wide receiver Michael Gallup has missed the past seven games with a calf strain but will make his return this week. Quarterback Dak Prescott missed one game (two weeks with the bye week) with a calf strain.

McCarthy said Gregory's injury is similar to the one Prescott suffered.

"There's no pattern between the multiple players because you always look at how and where it happens," McCarthy said.

There are teams talking to Odell Beckham Jr. that believe the free-agent wide receiver will wait until the games are complete on Sunday before he makes his final decision, league sources told ESPN's Dianna Russini on Thursday.

Beckham, who cleared waivers Tuesday after being released by the Cleveland Browns on Monday, was still sorting through several offers Wednesday night, with as many as eight teams making their plays for him this week, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots are among the teams pursuing him, sources have told ESPN.

Two of those teams -- the Packers and Seahawks -- are scheduled to play against each other on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Beckham wants to spend the rest of this season with a playoff contender and in a winning environment, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter earlier in the week.

Green Bay receiver Davante Adams, who is friends with Beckham, told reporters Wednesday that he has been in communication with the veteran wideout and is cautiously optimistic.

"Hopes are up there pretty high. Been talking to him a little bit, so we'll see what happens," Adams said. "But like I've said previously, I don't expect anything to happen. But if it does, that would be great."

Adams also noted he's not concerned about sharing the wide receiver limelight in Green Bay.

"I'm pretty secure in what I bring to this offense and to this team," he said. "And I know what his mindset is: Based off what he just came from, he'd be happy to deal with whatever at this point."

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that general manager Brett Veach is "always going to keep his eyes and ears open," and quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he hadn't been in contact with Beckham.

The Browns excused Beckham from practice last week while the sides negotiated his exit. He asked to be traded and never developed an on-field connection with Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, and Beckham essentially forced his release last week when his father shared an 11-minute video on social media -- hours before the trade deadline -- of plays in which Mayfield didn't pass him the ball.

The three-time Pro Bowl selection has 17 catches for 232 yards and zero touchdowns in six games this season.

ESPN's Rob Demovsky and Adam Teicher contributed to this report.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Quarterback Cam Newton has agreed to a deal with the Carolina Panthers that will bring him back to the team that he helped reach the Super Bowl in 2015, it was announced Thursday.

The deal, which is pending a physical, is worth up to $10 million for the remainder of the season, including $4.5 million guaranteed and a $1.5 million roster bonus, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Panthers, who selected Newton with the first overall pick in the 2011 draft, released him following the 2019 season after he'd struggled for several years with shoulder and foot injuries. They began a new regime with coach Matt Rhule at that time.

The Panthers (4-5) began searching for options at quarterback after starter Sam Darnold suffered a shoulder injury Sunday that will sideline him four to six weeks.

P.J. Walker is set to start Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals (8-1). Matt Barkley is also on the roster.

Rhule said the team was considering any and all options, but he wouldn't get into "hypotheticals'' when asked specifically about Newton.

"My job is to try to win right now," Rhule said Wednesday. "Our fans aren't paying money to watch us win in two years. At the same time, you're trying to build a Super Bowl-caliber team. So it's a balancing act of doing what's right long-term and trying to win at the same time. Many times those are the same thing.

"There are four teams in the NFC with more than six wins. Everyone else is about like us. Lots of teams right now in the NFL are trying to figure out how to get past .500, and have a good year and win in the second half of the year. ... My job is to try to win."

Newton, the 2015 NFL MVP, started 15 games for the New England Patriots in 2020 before being released in training camp this year after the team decided to go with rookie Mac Jones as the starter.

Newton missed three practices before the season thanks to what the Patriots called a COVID-19 protocol "misunderstanding," but Bill Belichick said the quarterback's vaccination status didn't factor into the decision to release him.

The 32-year-old Newton, in a video published to his YouTube channel last month, said he's been vaccinated and wants to continue playing.

"Hell yeah, I still want to play football," Newton said in the video. "I still get that urge to go out and perform and do something that I've been doing since I was 7 years old."

Newton last played for Carolina in the second game of the 2019 season before being sidelined with a Lisfranc injury suffered in the third preseason game.

In nine seasons with Carolina, Newton passed for 29,041 yards and 182 touchdowns, and rushed for 4,806 yards and 58 touchdowns. He threw for 35 touchdowns and ran for 10 more during his MVP season.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Longtime baseball scout Art Stewart, who began his career with the New York Yankees in the 1950s before becoming the longest-tenured member of the Kansas City Royals organization, died Thursday. He was 94.

The Royals announced the death of Stewart, who just completed his 52nd year with them. No cause was given.

Stewart scouted more than 70 players who reached the big leagues, including Bo Jackson, Kevin Appier, Mike Sweeney, Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran. He was instrumental in helping sign the talent that led the Royals to the 1985 World Series title, and Stewart was still part of the front office when they won their second title 30 years later.

"Art was truly an extraordinary human being, whom we all loved and admired for many reasons," Royals president Dayton Moore said in a statement. "His unmatched love and appreciation for the game of baseball, recollection of players and events, combined with his special ability to tell stories will be forever cherished by all."

Stewart began his career as a territorial scout for the Yankees in 1953, when they were in the midst of their dynasty years led by Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford and manager Casey Stengel. Stewart soon became their Midwest scouting supervisor, a position he held until joining the expansion Royals franchise in 1969.

Stewart spent the next 16 years crisscrossing the heartland in search of talent, eventually becoming the director of scouting and helping the Royals organization become a model small-market franchise throughout the 1980s.

He moved to the front office as a special assistant to the general manager in 1997, then became a senior adviser to the GM in 2002. He was given the Roland Hemond Award for long-time service in scouting and player development in 2007, and the following year he was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame and the Professional Scouts Hall of Fame.

Stewart took on many special projects late in his career, including work establishing one of the first academies run by a big league club in the Dominican Republic. It eventually was renamed in Stewart's honor.

Ulster lock Iain Henderson replaces Tadhg Beirne in Ireland's only change from the win over Japan for Saturday's game against New Zealand in Dublin.

Ulster hooker Rob Herring replaces Leinster youngster Dan Sheehan on a bench which includes Lion Beirne.

New Zealand include the Barrett brothers Beauden and Jordie.

Gibson-Park will be one of three Ireland players facing their native country with wing James Lowe and centre Bundee Aki also starting.

The returning Henderson has made just one appearance for Ulster following his summer involvement with Warren Gatland's Lions and played the final 23 minutes against Japan from the bench.

Henderson will be the sole non-Leinster player in the Irish pack as he lines up in the second row alongside vice-captain James Ryan.

Beauden Barrett starts at fly-half for the All Blacks with brother Jordie returning at full-back as head coach Ian Foster names a full-strength side for the Aviva Stadium encounter.

The fly-half takes over from Richie Mo'unga who drops to the bench in a side which shows 14 changes from weekend's 47-9 victory over Italy, with wing Sevu Reece the only player to retain his starting role.

Reece's inclusion is the sole alternation to the team which started in the 54-16 win over Wales two weeks ago.

Reiko Ioane switches from the wing to partner Anton Lienert-Brown in the centres as David Havili drops out of the XV which started in Cardiff.

Nepo Laulala, Joe Moody and Codie Taylor again form the front row with second row Sam Whitelock captaining the side.

Ireland clinched a first victory over the All Blacks when they won in Chicago in 2016 and repeated that feat in Dublin two years later but the last meeting between the countries saw New Zealand earn a thumping 46-14 World Cup quarter-final win in 2019.

Ireland: Keenan; Conway, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe; Sexton (capt), Gibson-Park; Porter, Kelleher, Furlong; Henderson, Ryan; Doris, van der Flier, Conan.

Replacements: Herring, Healy, Bealham, Beirne, O'Mahony, Murray, Carbery, Earls

New Zealand: J Barrett; Jordan, Ioane, Lienert-Brown, Reece; B Barrett, Perenara; Savea, Papali, Blackadder; Whitelock (capt), Retallick; Laulala, Taylor, Moody.

Replacements: Coles, Tu'inukuafe, Lomax, Vaa'i, Ioane, Christie, Mo'unga, Havili.