7:50 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN The “diverse experience” of newly hired Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch is what intrigued president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas to make the move. During Monday’s introductory news conference, Rosas welcomed the former Toronto Raptors assistant to try to turn things around after firing Ryan Saunders following Sunday’s loss in
11:44 AM ET New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin is taking a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. The news comes after a Russian newspaper published allegations from Panarin’s former KHL coach, Andrei Nazarov, claiming the winger got into a physical altercation with an 18-year-old woman in Latvia in 2011. Nazarov’s interview
7:03 PM ET Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chip Ganassi was fined $30,000 and suspended one race for bringing a guest into the NASCAR pit area at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR said the team owner violated its COVID-19 guidelines by bringing a nonessential individual into the restricted competition area. Ganassi cannot return to competition
7:04 PM ET Associated Press UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe will miss the rest of the season after he injured his right knee during Saturday’s 3-2 victory at New Jersey. The 27-year-old McCabe was diagnosed Monday with ligament and meniscus damage, and the team said he will need six to eight months
2:36 PM ET PITTSBURGH — Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was recently diagnosed with COVID-19, sources told ESPN. Tomlin, 48, was diagnosed last week. The Steelers could not confirm the head coach’s diagnosis but said members of the coaching staff and personnel were sent home from the facility last week after a couple of positives came
1:15 PM ET One of the biggest brand names in college football isn’t yet sure if it wants to be included in the revitalized EA Sports college football video game when it returns to market. University of Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said his school will not provide its name, logos and other branding
2:25 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Over the course of a 45-minute chat to a local Rotary Club in early February, Seattle Mariners CEO Kevin Mather disparaged a Japanese player for not learning English, belittled a star prospect
2:20 PM ET The UFC has elected not to release Ottman Azaitar after all following a bizarre set of circumstances involving the undefeated lightweight last month on Fight Island. UFC president Dana White told ESPN he has decided to give Azaitar a “second chance” in the promotion. This development comes less than one month after
5:30 PM ET Travis Fulton, a record-holding mixed martial arts veteran, is facing federal child pornography charges. Fulton was indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday on three counts: sexual exploitation of a child, possession of child pornography and receipt of child pornography, per the indictment obtained by ESPN. The federal case is being tried
5:38 PM ET Former Oregon starting quarterback Tyler Shough is joining Texas Tech as a graduate transfer, he announced Monday. Shough, who started all seven games in 2020 as Oregon won its second consecutive Pac-12 championship, will have three years of eligibility remaining with the Red Raiders. He completed 63.5 percent of his passes for
5:18 PM ET Deciding who should be next to challenge UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is perhaps the hottest topic in MMA, and it involves some of the biggest names in the sport. Usman dispatched Gilbert Burns via second-round TKO at UFC 258 on Feb. 13, and he immediately called out Jorge Masvidal as his
12:29 PM ET What a weekend of action! Inter Milan took a decisive step towards the Serie A title, Liverpool lost again (this time to rivals Everton) at Anfield, La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid slipped up to give Real Madrid and Barcelona faint hope, and there was further joy for both Manchester City and Manchester
2:20 PM ET Fans are coming back to New Jersey sporting events beginning March 1, according to governor Phil Murphy. It will be the first time since COVID-19 shut down much of the country last March that fans will be at professional and major collegiate games taking place in the state. The governor announced during
3:47 PM ET Associated Press Naomi Osaka‘s Australian Open championship moved her up one spot to No. 2 in the WTA rankings Monday, while men’s finalist Daniil Medvedev rose to a career-best No. 3 behind winner Novak Djokovic on the ATP list. Jennifer Brady, the 25-year-old American who was the runner-up to Osaka, jumped 11
1:25 PM ET Former Nebraska quarterback Luke McCaffrey announced Monday he will transfer to Louisville. “Excited to continue my athletic and academic career at the University of Louisville,” McCaffrey tweeted. In 2020, McCaffrey completed his redshirt freshman season for the Cornhuskers, playing in seven of eight games — including two starts. He completed 48-of-76 passes
Sri Lanka on Monday announced the ODI and T20I squad for the upcoming tour of the West Indies. The squad was approved by the Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa. Suranga Lakmal was named as a replacement for pacer Lahiru Kumara, who tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday. Kumara will not travel with the
11:06 AM GMT Five more players from France’s Six Nations squad — including captain Charles Ollivon — have tested positive for COVID-19, the French rugby federation (FFR) said on Monday, bringing the number of infected players to 10. Cyril Baille, Peato Mauvaka, Romain Taofifenua, Brice Dulin and Ollivon were the players who returned positive tests
7:00 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Over the winter, when Fernando Tatis Jr. was not working on trying to fulfill his goal of becoming the best baseball player ever, he exhausted his free time working on his farms