NFL owners set to discuss tush push again, along with playoff and flag football proposals
The fate of the tush push will be up for discussion again along with the NFL’s history of giving division champions with mediocre records home field in the playoffs. There will be a new topic as well when NFL owners gather Tuesday and Wednesday at the headquarters of the Minnesota Vikings. The league has proposed allowing its players to participate in flag football when the sport makes its Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028. Owners were set to vote on Philadelphia’s famous tush push last month, but tabled the issue. The league also is discussing using records for playoff seeding rather than guaranteeing higher seeds for division champions.
Eagles give coach Nick Sirianni contract extension following Super Bowl win
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles have signed Super Bowl championship coach Nick Sirianni to a multi-year extension. Terms of the contract announced Monday were not revealed. Sirianni had one year left on his existing contract. Sirianni is 48-20 and has made the playoffs in all four seasons with the Eagles. He led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in the 2022 season where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. Sirianni and the Eagles won the rematch against Kansas City in this past season’s Super Bowl.
White Sox unveil a graphic installation honoring Pope Leo XIV and his World Series appearance
CHICAGO (AP) — There is a new landmark at the home of the Chicago White Sox — Section 140, Row 19, Seat 2. That’s where Father Bob — the future Pope Leo XIV — sat for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. The White Sox have unveiled a graphic installation that pays tribute to the new pontiff and that moment during their last championship run. The pillar artwork features a waving Pope Leo XIV, along with a picture from the TV broadcast of the future pope sitting with good friend Ed Schmit and his grandson, Eddie. The team also is planning to do something to commemorate the Rate Field seat the pope occupied during the 2005 World Series opener.
Klopp to Roma could be a rumor created by amateur sleuths
ROME (AP) — Roma fans have been driven into a frenzy by Italian media reports that Jürgen Klopp has agreed to be the team coach from next season. But the rumor stems from a social media post that some may be reading far too much into. Roma owner the Friedkin Group posted a video on Friday celebrating the capital club and its legacy. The video included images of iconic Rome sites: Colosseum (Kolosseum in German), Lupa Capitolina, Olimpico, (St.) Peter’s and Pantheon in that order. Someone pointed out the starting letters of those words spell Klopp. And it spiralled from there.
US rugby star Alev Kelter gets 3-match ban for stamping on opponent’s head
United States women’s rugby star Alev Kelter has been handed a three-match ban for stamping on the head of an opponent in a test match against Australia. Kelter is a three-time U.S. Olympic representative in rugby sevens. She was sent off in the 79th minute of the Pacific Four Series match on Saturday after the referee reviewed footage showing Kelter stamping forcefully on the head of Australia center Georgie Friedrichs. World Rugby says Kelter appeared at a disciplinary committee hearing and accepted she committed an act of foul play. The committee accepted evidence provided by Kelter that she did not intend to contact the head of Friedrichs.
Tour de France’s new Montmartre climb could be a game changer. It sparks controversy
PARIS (AP) — The Tour de France is set for a dramatic finale in July after organizers announced a climb up Montmartre in Paris on the final day. Traditionally, the Tour final stage is largely processional until a sprint decides the day’s winner on the Champs-Élysées. The inclusion of the steep Montmartre climb could dramatically change the dynamics of the stage. If the hill features just a few kilometers from the finish line, or is climbed several times, pure sprinters will likely be dropped before they can compete for the stage win. And if the general classification remains tight ahead of the final stage, the yellow jersey itself could be decided in Paris. Top riders like Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel have expressed concerns over safety, stress, and the loss of a key opportunity for sprinters.
Mets will talk to Juan Soto about hustle after line drive off Green Monster ends up a single
BOSTON (AP) — New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said he will talk to Juan Soto about hustling out of the batter’s box after the slugger watched his would-be home run bounce off the Green Monster for a single Monday night against the Boston Red Sox. Leading off the sixth inning on a chilly night at Fenway Park with a 15 mph wind blowing in from left field, Soto hit a 102 mph line drive to left and stood watching as it sailed toward the Green Monster. The ball hit about two-thirds of the way up the 37-foot wall. Soto denied lollygagging on the basepaths.
Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen is forced into a draw in a showdown against ‘the world’
BERLIN (AP) — Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen was forced into a draw Monday by more than 143,000 people worldwide playing against him in a single, record-setting game. The online match was billed as “Magnus Carlsen vs. The World” and began April 4 on Chess.com. It was the first-ever online freestyle game to feature a world champion. The mega-match ended after Team World checked Carlsen’s king a third time. It was a stunning outcome after Chess.com had predicted Carlsen would win by a wide margin. In the Chess.com chat, players appeared split on whether to force the draw or to keep playing against Carlsen.
Canada coach Jesse Marsch understands why some fans may not want to travel to US for Gold Cup
Canada coach Jesse Marsch understands some of his team’s supporters might not want to travel to the CONCACAF Gold Cup for fear of difficulty at the U.S. border. Marsch say he can see trepidation for anyone looking to travel to the U.S. in the current political climate. There have been reports of tourists being stopped at U.S. border crossings and held at immigration detention facilities before being allowed to fly home at their own expense since President Donald Trump started his second term in January. Canada opens the Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean, on June 17 against Honduras at Vancouver, British Columbia, then plays its next two matches in Houston.