Sports

7:00 AM ET FLORIDA STATE DEFENSIVE end Jared Verse owes his future to the transfer portal. It is a simple but truthful statement, one that helps illustrate the positive impact the portal can have for players. “Honestly,” Verse said during a recent phone conversation, “it was life changing.” Verse is not exaggerating. In three short

7:23 AM ET The PGA Tour heads to its marquee event this week with The Players at TPC Sawgrass. Unofficially labeled “golf’s fifth major,” The Players doesn’t just boast prestige — but a huge payday. This year, the purse is up $20 million. The winner will be cashing in a $3.6 million check, the largest

9:45 PM ET Associated Press AVONDALE, Ariz. — Chase Briscoe jumped out of his car and was obviously emotional, kneeling by his No. 14 for a few seconds before a couple of voice cracks during his postrace television interview. The 27-year-old Briscoe took his lumps last season as a NASCAR Cup Series rookie. Now, he’s

1:20 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson walked down the hall from the court to the Golden State Warriors‘ locker room to the sound of fans shouting “Good game, Klay” and clapping their hands. “That one felt good,” Thompson said, as he high-fived a few of the people along the way. As

7:33 PM ET Nick Parkinson Close •Reports on boxing for ESPN.co.uk, as well as several national newspapers•Has been reporting on British boxing for over 15 years•Appears on BoxNation’s Boxing Matters show Leigh Wood produced a stunning comeback win to halt Michael Conlan with a brutal knockout in the 12th round and retain his WBA “regular”

5:17 PM ET FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys gave CeeDee Lamb the No. 88 for a reason. They better be right. With the Cowboys agreeing to trade wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, Lamb, their first-round pick in 2020, ascends to the clear-cut No. 1 receiver role. By trading Cooper, the Cowboys

7:00 AM ET The 2022 NHL trade deadline is scheduled for Monday, March 21, at 3 p.m. ET. It’s an annual event shrouded in uncertainty, whose preceding hype rarely matches its actual action. But there are a few teams and individuals that could really start the party this season. Are the Dallas Stars playoff contenders,

7:00 AM ET Welcome to Fast and Furious 10: Free Agent Frenzy. It’s going to be a wild rush to Opening Day as the remaining free agents find a place to play as spring training camps open — and while there was a wave of signings before the lockout began Dec. 10 of Kiley McDaniel’s

7:00 AM ET Pete ThamelESPN INDIANAPOLIS — The ballrooms that flank the hotel lobbies here at the NFL Scouting Combine have long marked the intersection of college football and the NFL, a collision of ambition and entrepreneurialism that comes at players’ professional crossroads. Last week, a trading card company had nightclub smoke and oversized televisions

7:11 PM ET MADRID — It was written in the stars that a Frenchman would shine at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night, when Real Madrid hosted Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League round-of-16 second leg. It just wasn’t the one we all expected. For his big audition in the Spanish capital ahead of a

12:41 PM GMT France duo Romain Taofifenua and Damian Penaud have tested positive for COVID-19, forcing coach Fabien Galthie to make changes from the team who beat Scotland for Friday’s Six Nations clash against Wales. “We were notified this morning that they were positive so we had to make last-minute changes,” Galthie told a news

9:18 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com The potential for a Rafael Nadal vs. Daniil Medvedev semifinal showdown. A blockbuster Naomi Osaka–Sloane Stephens first-round matchup. A full-capacity crowd. And a relaxed desert vibe to go with it all. It’s been three years (!) since the BNP Paribas Open has been played during its normally scheduled slot on

2:09 AM GMT Former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is poised to coach at a third straight Rugby World Cup, with the Australian set to be unveiled as Argentina boss by the end of the week. Argentine newspaper, La Nacion, was first to report news of Cheika’s looming appointment, with the current Stan Sport panelist set

10:09 PM ET Associated Press Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Alexander Zverev was put on probation for one year by the ATP on Monday for violently hitting the chair umpire’s stand repeatedly with his racket following a loss in doubles at the Mexico Open. If Zverev receives a code violation that results in a fine for

8:00 AM ET Which NBA teams are making the biggest moves after an action-packed weekend? On Saturday, the Miami Heat toppled the Philadelphia 76ers in a matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. James Harden didn’t suit up — he was held out in the second leg of a back-to-back — but

7:14 AM ET The Kansas City Chiefs are putting their franchise tag on offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., league sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Brown, who turns 26 on May 2, becomes the first free-agent-to-be this offseason known to be getting the franchise tag. The deadline for teams to designate franchise players is Tuesday at

8:23 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Alex Bowman beat NASCAR champion Kyle Larson in a door-to-door overtime battle at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that sent Hendrick Motorsports to victory lane for the second consecutive week. The win Sunday was the first of the year for Bowman and seventh of his career. It was

1:46 PM ET Associated Press LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky racing officials have denied trainer Bob Baffert’s request to stay his suspension for a failed postrace drug test by Medina Spirit that led to his disqualification as Kentucky Derby winner. Kentucky Horse Racing Commission board members on Friday voted 10-0 with three abstentions against the stay

7:00 AM ET The 2022 NHL trade deadline is March 21, and front offices are working overtime. It’s not just an influx of scouts at games — general managers and assistant general managers are populating the press boxes, too. Calls are picking up in frequency and discussions are intensifying. Here’s some scuttle I’ve been hearing

8:30 AM ET Hours before the negotiation teams of the players and owners met Thursday, one industry source lamented the state of the game. Each side is entrenched and angry, the source noted. “I don’t even know where we go from here,” he said. “I really don’t. Everybody is painted into a corner.” With the