With Cowboys training camp less than two weeks away, reports started surfacing yesterday that running back Zeke Elliott said privately he will not report to training camp if he doesn’t have a contract extension. Elliott is heading into year four of his five-year rookie contract and he has led the league in rushing two of his first three years.
The NBA has fined Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban $50,000 for leaking information from inside last week’s Board of Governors meeting. During the meeting, the Board of Governors voted to allow NFL-style challenges from head coaches in games next season. The NBA has fined Cuban more than $2 million since he took ownership of the Mavericks in 2000.
At Big 12 media days Monday, Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said graduate transfer Jalen Hurts will have to win the starting quarterback job. Hurts joined the program from Alabama in January. Hurts will go up against redshirt freshman Tanner Mordecai and true freshman Spencer Rattler for the job.
The Texas Rangers had the night off before opening a brief two-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight on 1490am and 96.3fm KPLT. Pregame is at 6:30. First pitch at 7:05.
The Atlanta Falcons and star defensive tackle Grady Jarrett has agreed to a four-year, $68 million contract extension. The sides had until 4:00 pm yesterday to agree to the deal with Jarrett, who initially received the $15.209 million franchise tag. Jarrett signed the tag in April, which was a precursor to the long-term deal. Now with Jarrett signed, the Falcons can focus their attention on getting new deals done for top wide receiver Julio Jones and linebacker Deion Jones.
Beating Monday’s deadline for franchised players to sign long-term extensions, the San Francisco 49ers and kicker Robbie Gould reached agreement on a two-year, $10.5 million fully guaranteed deal that, including an option clause, could turn into a four-year, $19 million deal with $15 million guaranteed.
The Philadelphia 76ers and star Ben Simmons have agreed to a five-year, $170 million maximum extension. The sides had until mid-October to finalize the extension of Simmons’ rookie deal, but Sixers general manager Elton Brand completed the deal significantly sooner.
Bill Rasmussen, who founded ESPN in 1979, announced Monday he is battling Parkinson’s disease. Rasmussen, 86, in a first-person story on ESPN’s Front Row website, said he was diagnosed with the disease in 2014, but is sharing his diagnosis now, hoping to help others struggling with the disease and those looking for a cure.
Pernell Whitaker, a longtime pound-for-pound king and one of the greatest boxers in history, was killed Sunday night when he was hit by a car in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was 55. The Virginia Beach Police Department said the incident remains an active investigation but that Whitaker was apparently hit by a vehicle at around 10 p.m. Sunday when he was walking at an intersection. Known as “Sweet Pea,” Whitaker, a southpaw from Norfolk, Virginia, was revered as perhaps the best defensive fighter in history as his slick moves confounded opponent after opponent.