Sports News

Report: Steelers “Very Intrigued” by Jimmy Garopolo

This is Combine’s season, so reporting at this time of year should be distrusted, but Jordan Schultz’s tweet port shows that the Pittsburgh Steelers are in Jimmy Garopolo’s lottery. Here is what Schultz tweeted a while ago.

His tweet shows that the Steelers, along with the Washington commanders, are two teams interested in trading for Garopolo (whose name Schultz spells incorrectly in the tweet). Rumors of Steelers / Garoppolo have been circulating for weeks, with an author of 49ers’ Beat predicting he will be in Pittsburgh by the end of February.

This, of course, did not happen, but a report by Adam Schefter earlier Tuesday noted that Garopolo must undergo shoulder surgery, which will remove him by the summer. Although Schaeffer says it has no effect on his trading market, it could slow the pace of Garoppolo’s pace.

It is unclear what the 49ers would charge for it. Garopolo himself seems to have understood that he will be exchanged during this off-season, as Trey Lance, elected in the first round of 2021, replaced him.

Last season, Garopolo made it 9-6 as a starter, making 68% of his passes for more than 3,800 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Trading for him will also require taking on his tough contract.

The NFL may be on hold while waiting for the quarterback’s big names to fall. Aaron Rodgers has not decided whether to stay in Green Bay, retire or request a change. Russell Wilson’s situation with Seattle is also uncertain. Pittsburgh certainly seems destined to add a quarterback before the April draft. Now it’s just a question of who this person will be.

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USMNT, USWNT football games move to WarnerMedia with $ 200 million deal

WarnerMedia will be the new home of men’s and women’s football games in the United States next year.

In an eight-year deal, which sources say is worth about $ 200 million, all games outside the World Cup and CONCACAF will be streaming to WarnerMedia, HBO Max, while the biggest games will also be broadcast on TNT.

ESPN and Fox used to have these games, but both networks decided not to bid to keep them, according to sources.

The rights to future MLS games are sold separately. Earlier, The Post reported that MLS had held talks with Apple about these matches. MLS’s current agreement with ESPN, Fox and Univision expires after this season.

Fox holds the rights to the Men’s and Women’s World Cups, as well as to the CONCACAF competitions.

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Christian Pulisic (№ 10) during the match of the US men’s national team against Honduras on February 2, 2022.
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For Turner Sports, this is the first deal after Jeff Zucker. Zucker resigned as head of CNN and Turner Sports after opening a consensus relationship with fellow WarnerMedia CEO Alison Golust. Zucker failed to reveal the connection, which is contrary to the company’s policy.

With the merger of WarnerMedia, the parent company of TNT and Discovery, the company now has rights to the NBA, MLB, the men’s basketball tournament NCAA, NHL and football. He is expected to continue negotiating live sports rights.

“It’s more than we always do,” said Lenny Daniels, president of Turner Sports.

American football
Alex Morgan (№ 13) during the match of the US women’s national team against the Republic of Korea on October 21, 2021.
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Turner held the rights to the Champions League for two years before ceding them to CBS. For football fans, there are various game rights for Peacock, Paramount +, ESPN + and now HBO Max.

During this agreement, Turner will host more than 20 American women’s and men’s football games on HBO Max and TNT. Each game will be in the streaming service, and the biggest ones will be broadcast on TNT.

He will host the qualifications for the World Cup for men and women, but for the 2026 World Cup the men’s team will have an automatic place because he will be one of the hosts of the tournament. These matches are expected to be filled with friendly matches. The deal will also feature matches against Mexico.

The agreement includes the SheBelieves Cup, as well as sending and subsequent matches around the World Cup and the Olympic Games. WarnerMedia is also home to Bleacher Report and believes it can further develop women’s play in the United States. Doug Pearlman of Sports Media Advisors consulted US Soccer about the deal.

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The Lakers give up center DeAndre Jordan, DJ Augustine; 76ers are expected to pursue the big man, according to the report

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The Los Angeles Lakers made some changes to their list before the last period of the season. In Tuesday, announced the team the addition of DJ Augustin, as well as striker Wenyen Gabriel, with whom they signed a two-way contract. To make room for veteran points, the Lakers gave up reserve big man DeAndre Jordan. By replacing Jordan with Augustine, the Lakers are clearly focusing on the guard’s game and shooting, as opposed to the game after.

Jordan has played in 32 games for the Lakers this season and played 12.8 minutes. Augustine played in 34 games for the Houston Rockets, but the team turned him down earlier this month. Given the fact that he is a 38 percent scorer in his career from long distances, it is not surprising to see a team like the Lakers take him for their playoff boost.

In the same way, Jordan is likely to be signed elsewhere to provide some strengthening of the front field for the playoff team. The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to pursue him and may be a favorite for his services, according to Adrian Voynarovski of ESPN. The Sixers lost their other reserve center, Andre Drummond, in an exchange that brought James Harden to Philadelphia.

The Lakers need to hope that these moves will give them a little boost, because they need everything they can get right now. The Lakers have won just three of their last 10 games and are currently ninth overall in the Western Conference standings with a record of 27-33. To make matters worse, Anthony Davis has been suspended for the foreseeable future due to an ankle injury, so he is not even available to help the team make a big leap in the standings.

As an experienced veteran, Augustine will provide the Lakers with a steady hand when needed, but it’s hard to imagine that adding him will have a significant impact on what was an overwhelming campaign for the purple and gold.

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“The door never closes” if Tom Brady wants to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Bruce Arians, Jason Licht have prepared to move on

INDIANAPOLIS – Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians and general manager Jason Licht said Tuesday that while leaving the door open for the possible return of quarterback Tom Brady, who will remain under contract, they will retire as they retire. without him. out of season.

“This door never closes. When Tom wants to come back, he comes back. If Tom wants to come back, we’ll have a lot of money for him, “Arians told reporters at the NFL Scout Factory, adding that the two continue to keep in touch, as Brady and Licht do.

“I think with Tom Brady, I personally never want to close the door completely,” Licht said. “Now I have no information to suggest that he will return. I am very good friends with him. We are talking, [but] we haven’t talked about it. I do not want to put any pressure on this at the moment. But he’s Tom Brady. If Tom Brady wants to come back, we’ll welcome him again. “

Arians have expressed less optimism than Licht about a possible return, although Brady did not close the door publicly on his return and even discussed it on his Sirius XM “Let’s Go!” Podcast for the reasons Brady is retiring – mostly to spends more time with his family.

“He slammed the door when I talked to him,” Arians said with a smile. “I think, like many of these guys, he likes to have his name there.”

Arians admitted he was surprised when Brady announced his retirement, despite reports that it could happen.

“Every time I met him, he felt fantastic,” Arians said. I kept asking him, “How are you feeling? How are you feeling? ”He said,“ This is the best I’ve felt in 10 years. ”After the 16th week, the way he played, I was convinced he would come back. Then, when we talked, I understood everything about it. “

Did Licht, who met Brady in 2002 when he was assistant director of staff for New England Patriots players, see that coming?

“When Tom and I signed two years ago, neither of us knew how long it would take,” Licht said. “If it was one year, two years. I hoped he was 50. But no one really knew. So, it’s not really a shocking surprise when he’s the type who values ​​everything. [He] continues to appreciate everything. He literally came out on top if he was actually retiring. We have always benefited and we have never taken it for granted. “

Arians described his relationship with Brady as “fantastic”, although there have been reports in recent weeks that friction is beginning to develop. The Arians even joked that he intended to challenge Brady to a game of golf.

“Hey, let’s play golf. If I hit you in the ass, you’re back! ”Arians said with a laugh. But jokes aside, Arians said that if Brady retires, they will not consider other teams in his acquisition. “No,” Arians said. Bad business.

Since Brady is still under contract with the Buccaneers, they still hold his rights, which happened to the New England Patriots and ultimately Rob Gronkowski when he retired to join Brady. The Bucs exchanged a choice of a fourth-round draft in exchange for Gronkowski and a choice of a seventh-round draft to win it.

But in this case it will require a significant capital project. “Five number 1. Maybe,” Arians said.

Don’t expect other teams to help the Buccaneers. Although the team said earlier that it would look to add a quarterback through a free agency or draft, the options are small. Arians said there are only two quarterbacks in the free agency that Bucs would consider signing, while there are eight under contract with other teams and he sees no more than one or two of them potentially to be traded because most teams do not have viable backup options. for a year when supply does not meet demand.

“I don’t think it’s about trade. You have to have a partner, “Arians said. “These guys don’t just want to say, ‘Hey, do you want my man?’ Who’s behind door number two for them?” I don’t see many of these guys being exchanged. There may be one, a maximum of two, guys who we think can take us to the Super Bowl. “

The plan is to have four quarterbacks, and Kyle Trask, selected for the second round draft last year, will be given the opportunity to compete for the starting lineup, although he saw no action in the regular season last year, as Blaine Gabert intervened when Brady came out at the games last year.

“Kyle is going to get a great, great kick. I mean, he deserved the chance,” Arians said. “I’m really impressed with the way he improved the things he needed when he was leading the scout team, his presence in his pocket, the movement in his pocket – all those things on and off the field that Tom taught him, he bends down. , gets a little faster – he can throw it. Now it’s a question of “Does he turn it?” If it’s Blaine, does he turn it around? “

Can Trask surprise people the way McJones did with the Patriots last year as a rookie?

“I definitely think so,” Licht said. “I definitely think there is a chance. He showed all the signs that this points to his intelligence, his ability to catch the offense, his work ethic, the way he absorbs information and retains information, and the way he throws the ball. He has changed his body a little. He is surprisingly athletic there – even more so after his last year in Florida. “

Arians said the organization will not oppose the return of James Winston, whom Licht first selected overall in the 2015 NFL Draft before signing as a reserve agent with a free agent with the New Orleans Saints in 2020. Winston is ready to become a free agent again. But the Arians said, “I don’t think so [returning to Tampa Bay] the best thing for him. “

Another quarterback with whom the Bucs are linked is Deshon Watson, but he is currently facing charges of sexual abuse by 22 different women. Licht declined to discuss Watson because his personal policy is not to discuss players under contract with other teams, while Arians said the property will have to call.

“That would be a strictly organizational sign,” Arians said. “I’ve known the boy for a long time. I’m shocked he’s in this situation. But that would be a strictly organizational sign.”

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WNBA fines record $ 500,000 in New York League Liberty for charter flights last season, according to report

Last season, during the WNBA 2021 finals, the league announced it would pay for charter flights to Sky and Mercury when both teams have to travel from Phoenix to Chicago between Games 2 and 3. Such advantages are rare due to price, but the league recently made exceptions during the playoffs under new Commissioner Katie Engelbert.

But while the league has occasionally been inclined to take the bill under certain circumstances, homeowners are not allowed to do the same for their teams during the season. Under the current CBA, charter flights are prohibited in order to maintain a competitive balance; some owners may be willing and able to pay for them, but other owners may not.

Last season, New York Liberty, led by new owners Joe and Clara Tsai, decided to push those boundaries by paying for charter flights anyway, according to Sports Illustratedis Howard Megdal. After they were captured, a furious league office offered massive fines, including a $ 1 million fine, significant draft losses and possibly even a “franchise termination.”

In the end, after Liberty agreed and did not fly for their first-round playoff match, they were fined $ 500,000 – still the biggest fine in the history of the league – and will not face another penalty. For Megdal, Engelbert told the WNBA’s board of directors during a conversation in November that she had “made a deal” with Tsais.

During a previous call to the WNBA’s board of governors in September, Liberty reportedly suggested that charter flights be the standard for all teams and said there was a way to offset costs for three years. The plan did not materialize because there was no majority support, according to Megdal.

In a statement to CBS Sports, a WNBA spokesman challenged this aspect of the report: “At no time has there been a proposal from the New York Liberty WNBA Board of Governors to consider offering three-year charter flights to WNBA teams. It was agreed that Liberty would explore the possibility of charter flights and present it on board. That has not happened to date. “

In all, Liberty paid for charter flights for five road games in the second half of the season, as well as a trip to the Napa Valley over Labor Day weekend for a teamwork experience – a benefit that also violates the CBA. In the end, the team lost all five of those matches on the road in the second half of the season, so it’s hard to say that a better trip gave them a big lead. However, this was a deliberate violation of current rules, and it is no surprise that the league has fallen sharply.

The bigger question that is moving forward will be how this affects the league’s approach to issues such as travel accommodation and the growing mismatch between property groups. Should richer and more invested owners use their resources to improve conditions for their players? Can old school owners who either don’t want to or can’t meet growing expectations continue to keep the rest of the league? How is enlargement, which seems increasingly likely in the next few years, affecting all this?

In February, the WNBA announced a $ 75 million fundraiser from investors to help solve some of these problems. “It’s really important for players to know that it’s an investment in them, even though it’s in the league, not in a specific team or just specific players,” Engelbert said. “This is to help increase our revenue streams and create sustainable long-term growth.”

But even with a significant increase in funding, it is clear that the league is facing some serious existential issues as it plans for the next five, 10, 25 years.

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MLB extends game cancellation deadline

JUPITER, Florida – Major League Baseball will cancel the first two series of the 2022 regular season on Tuesday after failing to reach a new collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union by a self-imposed deadline, Commissioner Rob Manfred told a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

After Monday’s negotiating day was extended to Tuesday and finally ended at 2:30 a.m., the league canceled its previous self-imposed deadline on Monday to reach a deal with the union to start the regular season, scheduled for March 31. Instead of canceling matches as threatened, the league said the new deadline would be 5pm on Tuesday.

Reason for extension: A league spokesman, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the countries have made progress and want to exhaust every possibility of reaching an agreement. But an employee of the players’ union, who spoke on condition of anonymity, given the sensitive nature of the negotiations, expressed caution against muted optimism about the significant gaps that remain.

And after several meetings and a counter-proposal by the union on Tuesday afternoon, hostility between the parties intensified in the last hours before the MLB deadline.

As a result, the league will have its first canceled matches of the regular season due to work stoppages following the 1994-95 players’ strike, which resulted in the loss of more than 900 matches, including the 1994 World Series. is the second longest work stoppage in baseball history, although it occurs mostly in the off-season.

After hearing the union’s proposal on Tuesday, a league spokesman said, MLB believes the union’s tone has changed and that it has made proposals that are inconsistent with previous discussions. He therefore issued another ultimatum on behalf of the league: MLB will present its “best and final” offer before the 17:00 deadline.

However, the union employee did not agree. The union’s concerns about differences in countries’ views on issues such as the luxury tax system, minimum wages and the bonus fund for young players were the same. He believed that MLB wanted to shift both the pressure and the blame on the players in case the matches were missed.

And when MLB’s so-called best and final offer came around 3:30 p.m., a few more increases were not enough for the union. The bonus pool for top players who do not yet qualify for salary arbitrage has increased by $ 5 million to the proposed $ 30 million, without annual increases. (The union reduced its claim from $ 115 million to $ 85 million, an annual increase of $ 5 million.)

The countries also remained close to $ 20 million to $ 30 million each in terms of luxury tax thresholds and $ 25,000 separately for minimum starting wages ($ 700,000 vs. $ 725,000). The league estimates its offer as providing several hundred million dollars to players, while players do not think it sufficiently meets their concerns.

In the last iteration of the package, the countries focused on expanding the playoffs to 12 of the current 10. MLB was looking for a post-season team with 14 teams, a leap that players thought would reduce competition in the 30-man squad and the value of the regular season.

So after talking to players’ representatives before the 5 pm deadline, they decided to reject the offer. Leading negotiator Bruce Meyer called his MLB colleague Dan Hallem with the news. The union’s negotiating team planned to return home the next day, with talks expected to resume elsewhere at a time to be determined.

The attempt to save the scheduled start of the 2022 season with nine days of negotiations here failed. After making little progress with the union during talks in Florida last week, the league has doubled its position with the threat of canceling matches. If that happens, the league’s players’ union has warned, players will not be paid for missed matches and will not be rescheduled.

The union rejected the deadline – there was no demand to cancel the games and thought the games could be rescheduled – but the initial 11 a.m. threat seemed to prompt action. The parties negotiated for 16 hours on Monday – although most of the time was spent in personal meetings and preparing proposals. But two top players, drinking veterans Andrew Miller and Max Scherzer, and one of the best property representatives, Dick Montfort of Colorado Rockies, remained at the stadium until early Tuesday morning.

The players have been without a contract for three months. When the parties failed to achieve a new five-year CBA before the expiration of the old one on December 1, Manfred blocked the players the next day, bringing the sport to a standstill and halting all transactions and interactions with players. He then said he was doing so to stimulate negotiations and defend the 2022 season.

When the countries remained strong in early February, Manfred said the loss of regular season matches would be “catastrophic” for the industry. Weeks later, however, baseball issued a threat to cancel the games.

The current labor negotiations were not expected to be easy. The last two collective agreements were seen as further tilting the balance of power and the economy in favor of the owners. Realizing that significant changes in the system would be tense and full of margins, the union spent years building a black day fund just to fight MLB owners who ran $ 11 billion a year before the coronavirus pandemic.

Initially, MLB chose Monday as the deadline because it believed that the minimum duration of spring training of four weeks – two weeks shorter than normal – makes sense to avoid a jump in injuries like the one before the pandemic regular season of 60 games in 2020 As it became clear – despite some progress and an exchange of proposals – that the deal was not nearing completion, MLB told the union it was extending its term.

But on Tuesday, any semblance of progress – depending on the point of view – was replaced by the reality that the games would be lost.

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Jimmy Garopolo trade rumors: 49ers QB draws “significant interest”

It seems that Jimmy Garopolo’s term in the 49ers is coming to an end … and probably soon.

ESPN’s Adam Scheffer said on Tuesday afternoon, citing sources, that Garopolo would soon undergo shoulder surgery to remove him by the summer and that it would not affect his fast-growing commercial market.

Garopolo played with both shoulder and thumb injuries during the 49ers’ postseason series, earning three huge wins against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18, the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round and the Green Bay Packers in Lambo Field in the Divisional Round.

After saying goodbye to a press conference immediately after the loss of the NFC Championship Game in San Francisco by Rams, it became clear that Garopolo’s term in the team is coming to an end, although coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch did not confirm the team’s intentions. out of season.

It remains unclear what the 49ers will be able to gain from the deal with Garoppolo, but if its market is as competitive as Schaeter says, San Francisco should be able to move fast.

If the 49ers do exchange Garopolo, as expected, they have already committed to doing the right thing for the veteran quarterback by informing him of their plans.

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New York Giants want to take calls to RB Saquon Barkley, says GM Joe Schoen

INDIANAPOLIS – Sakuon Barkley is not untouchable. The New York Giants are at least ready to have fun talking to the talented quarterback, new general manager Joe Schoen said at the NFL plant on Tuesday.

With a new regime in place, a difficult pay ceiling situation and three seasons full of injuries for Barkley, Schoen said he was open to hearing what offers he had. The Giants are currently valued at more than $ 11 million above the limit, according to ESPN’s list management system. They will have to lose weight by reducing or exchanging some quality players.

Among the possibilities seems to be the relocation of Barkley, who is guaranteed $ 7.217 million for the fifth year of his 2022 rookie contract.

“We’re still working on it, but I’m open to everything,” Schoen said. “Such as whether a player is exchanged for a player; I will listen to everyone. If several players are exchanged – I will not say the whole list, [that] we are open to work throughout the list. But if someone will call and is interested in any of our players. I will definitely listen.

“We are again in a situation where, unfortunately, we have to go below the pay ceiling. I will definitely listen and be open to the situations that are best for the New York Giants. “

Schoen had a much different tone when asked specifically about quarterback Daniel Jones and broadcaster Kadarius Tony, last year’s first-round pick from the University of Florida who struggled to stay on the field due to injuries.

Their future looks more secure with the Giants, even if the team points out that a decision has not yet been made on Jones’ fifth year. This is due this spring.

“We will be competing everywhere, but Daniel Jones is our starting quarterback at the moment,” said Schoen.

This echoed the comments of Schoen and new coach Brian Dabol during their inaugural press conferences, when they indicated that the violation would be built around Jones’ skill set.

Tony, 23, was the 20th overall pick last year alone. He had 39 assists on 420 yards in 10 games (four starts) as a rookie. They are also looking forward to becoming part of the new offense.

“I don’t think Kadarius is a changeable figure,” Schoen told the young playmaker. “Again, if someone calls, we will listen to him. He is a good, young player that our coaches really like. We are in constant contact with him and we are excited to see what he can do.”

Nevertheless, there will be some remarkable moves. Schoen wants to release about $ 40 million in restraint space over the next few weeks.

Cornerback James Bradbury ($ 21.8 million per cap), title and Kyle Rudolph ($ 7.4 million) and player Riley Dixon ($ 3.12 million) are among the players who can be transferred. Wide successor Sterling Shepard ($ 12.5 million), who is recovering from an Achilles’ injury, is another contract that can be adjusted or addressed.

“Soon,” Schoen said, when asked when the reduction of the ceiling would begin, noting that it would begin before the free agency opens in just over two weeks.

Meanwhile, the giants have many contingency plans. There are several ways in which Schoen’s goal can be achieved.

Barkley may be the biggest name to fall victim to the victims of the cap. He had a total of 2,028 yards as a rookie. He had 2,391 in the three seasons since then, largely due to injuries. It was a sprain of his right ankle in 2019, a torn ACL the following year and a problem with his left ankle last season. This greatly affected its production and value.

But the Giants still think Barkley is a great player … when he’s healthy. If he stays on the team, he will be a big part of the attack.

“I think if you have good players, you try to take the ball in their hands as much as possible. Whoever it is – running back, tight end, successor, “Dabol said. “Sakuon is a good player for us. We will do our best to try to put him in a good position.”

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