Fourth-season quarterback Trace McSorley will make his first career start when the Arizona Cardinals take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury confirmed that the third-string quarterback would start after McCoy suffered a concussion in their Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos after Murray tore his ACL in their Week 14 defeat to the New England Patriots.

McSorley, 27, was taken by the Baltimore Ravens with a sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft before moving to the Cardinals in 2021.

"He's one of those guys, I hate to use the term 'gamer,' but he's got a lot of moxie, plays with a lot of confidence," Kingsbury told reporters about McSorley. "Teammates respond to that.

"He's mobile, can move around. He had a couple of throws you'd like to have back, but he had a couple of scoring drives.

"I just want to see how he does with some reps. It's not easy to go in there without any reps, basically throughout the entire season, with the first-team offense, so excited to see how he can perform with some reps this week."

Kingsbury said that McCoy was "feeling a lot better" in concussion protocol, making "encouraging" progress which may mean McSorley's stint as starter is brief.

But McSorley was excited about the chance to play on Christmas evening against Tom Brady.

"It's an exciting opportunity," McSorley said. "I always want to let myself feel that excitement and feel that a little bit just so I can enjoy the moment but at the same time just being focused and ready to go."

Former NFL All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown will no longer face charges for domestic battery after Tampa prosecutors decided to drop the case.

The 34-year-old former Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver had been involved in an incident on November 29 involving a woman.

Brown had been accused of throwing a shoe at the woman and trying to evict her from the home by locking her out, leading to an arrest warrant being issued.

The prosecutors, however, have decided against pursuing the case after reviewing the charges contained in the affidavit and notice to appear, after new investigation from the woman who recanted her previous allegations.

Brown has not been on an NFL roster since being released by the Bucs in early January after he jogged off the field mid-game against the New York Jets. He removed his jersey and pads and left the field, jumping in the endzone and waving to fans before running down the tunnel and subsequently leaving the stadium in an Uber.

Miguel Almiron holds no grudges towards Jack Grealish and "would shake his hand" despite the Manchester City man's disparaging jibe.

Grealish suggested team-mate Riyad Mahrez had "played like Almiron" after being substituted in City's victory over Aston Villa to secure the Premier League title on the final day of last season.

The England international has since acknowledged he regrets the comments in a clip that went viral on social media – referencing Almiron's previously underwhelming performances for Newcastle United.

Almiron's form has since upturned, with the Paraguay international scoring seven goals in eight games for Newcastle before the World Cup break, and he insists he has no issues with Grealish.

"I didn't pay a lot of attention, I was on holiday with my family," Almiron told The Daily Mail. "And I didn't have a mobile phone signal! So no, I didn't watch the video. I wasn't bothered.

"I'm not interested in that. Jack's a great player and I will always wish him all the best. He's at Manchester City for good reason. I just avoid making any comparisons.

"It's about me focusing on what I do. It's no big deal."

Almiron believes Grealish's apology highlights the character of the 27-year-old.

He added: "I saw the interview and heard that he spoke positively about me. I've never had anything against Jack and have maintained all along that I think he's a great player and a good guy.

"There's never been any issue for me. It was a nice interview and the fact he spoke the way he did reinforces the type of person he is. I would shake his hand, no problem."

Almiron returns to Premier League action with Newcastle at Leicester City on Monday.

Marcus Rashford declared "there is no time to feel sorry for yourself" after scoring on his Manchester United return after World Cup heartbreak with England.

Christian Eriksen and Rashford were on target as United breezed to a 2-0 win over Vincent Kompany's Burnley to reach the EFL Cup quarter-finals at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Rashford scored three goals in Qatar before England were eliminated by France in the last eight after Harry Kane missed a late penalty in a 2-1 defeat.

The forward has been involved in 13 goals in 12 EFL Cup appearances, scoring nine and assisting four, and assured his focus remains on United and not on the disappointment in the Middle East.

"It is good to play again but it was a tough game and it was good to get a win to take into the next game," he told Sky Sports.

"[The World Cup loss affects you] more emotions-wise because it was such a disappointing feeling to be knocked out and you have to pick yourselves up.

"There is no time to feel sorry for yourself. You need to pick up results and thankfully we did that. It was fun to be out there."

The 25-year-old believes the EFL Cup can propel sides to success in the Premier League, with United sitting three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham – who have played a game more.

He added: "We are in every tournament to go on and try and win it. This one is a good one to win. 

"Winning this early in the season, in February, can push you on to go and achieve things for the rest of the campaign – we are going to try and do that."

United manager Erik ten Hag hailed the versatility of Rashford, who will be expected to play a vital role in the second half of the season after Cristiano Ronaldo's exit.

The Dutchman told Sky Sports: "He was a constant threat. Playing on the backline of them, he is so dangerous, with his movement with and without the ball, he creates so much and then you see the benefits."

Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez were both unavailable after Argentina defeated France to lift the World Cup on Sunday.

Ten Hag does not expect to have Martinez back for the time being as the celebrations in Argentina continue, while he refused to offer an update on the return of Jadon Sancho, who was not named among United's substitutes.

"In Argentina, I think they are still celebrating," he added. "We will see, the Premier League is going to restart and we have to be ready for that."

Ten Hag's side return to Premier League action at home to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

Dansby Swanson has detailed his decision to join the Chicago Cubs, explaining the sentimental reasons behind the move.

The shortstop left his hometown team, the Atlanta Braves, to pen a seven-year, $177million contract that stands as the second-richest deal in franchise history.

That ended a six-year stint with Atlanta and Swanson revealed a sentimental motive to making the move to Chicago. Indeed, he used to watch the Cubs' games with his grandfather, who died a week ago.

"Every time I walked in, he would have the Cubs game on," he said in his introductory press conference on Wednesday.

"He just loved baseball so much. Being a Cub means more to me than people will realise. It's no secret I left my hometown team to be here."

Swanson did concede that his first choice was to remain with the Braves, though it was a feeling he believes was not reciprocated.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope that I would be back home," he admitted. "Atlanta is where I always envisioned myself, especially after I got traded. I'm a homebody, my family is there.

"There are deep roots there, but at the end of the day, I reached out [to the Braves] plenty in the offseason, and got the pretty clear sense that they were going to move on.

"We were on our honeymoon, and we felt this is where we were supposed to be regardless."

Swanson married professional soccer player Mallory Pugh, who plays for Chicago Red Stars, just a day before the death of his grandfather, and thinks the cards fell exactly how they should have.

"I walked down to the field today and looked at my wife and said: this is where we're supposed to be," he added.

Gregg Popovich and Dirk Nowitzki have been named among the eligible candidates for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2023.

Legendary coach Popovich has won five NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs, and is one of a number of people named as a contender in their first year of eligibility.

Popovich is a perhaps surprise inclusion, with it previously unknown when he would qualify to be recommended for the honour.

Other potential inductees include Pau Gasol, Tony Parker and Dwyane Wade, while the 1976 U.S. Olympic women's basketball team also made the list.

The finalists for the class of 2023 will be announced on February 17 during All-Star weekend, before the final nominees are named on April 1 during the NCAA Final Four.

The players will then be enshrined on August 11 in historic Springfield, Massachusetts, where the sport of basketball was invented.

Christian Eriksen and Marcus Rashford were on target as Manchester United eased into the EFL Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Burnley on Vincent Kompany's return to Old Trafford.

Manchester City great Kompany enjoyed numerous derby victories over United but his Red Devils reunion as Burnley manager ended in a fourth-round defeat on Wednesday.

Eriksen opened the scoring with a 27th-minute strike before Rashford doubled the advantage in the second half of United's first game since the World Cup.

Championship leaders Burnley impressed in parts but were punished for wasteful finishing as Erik Ten Hag's side booked their place in Thursday's last-eight draw.

Alejandro Garnacho squandered a glorious eighth-minute chance as Bailey Peacock-Farrell raced out to keep out a tame finish after Bruno Fernandes' incisive pass.

Fernandes provided another defence-splitting diagonal ball for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who acrobatically hooked across for Eriksen to tap home a deserved opener.

A curled Manuel Benson strike forced a smart save from Martin Dubravka, who almost turned into his own goal from the resulting corner, before Peacock-Farrell pushed away to deny Antony Martial at the other end.

Scott McTominay whipped a presentable opening over after the interval, but Rashford extended United's lead when his powerful run ended with a drilled finish into the bottom-left corner.

Darko Churlinov wastefully prodded wide on the counter-attack and Ashley Barnes blazed over as a profligate Burnley showing ensured there was no way back for the Clarets.

What does it mean? United back firing after World Cup

United ended the first half of the Premier League season positively to sit three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, who have played a game more, before the World Cup break.

Ten Hag's side picked up where they left off, albeit they were unconvincing at times in the first half, as United progressed from a sixth straight EFL Cup clash against Burnley.

United had lost three of four home ties in the competition before this victory, though Ten Hag will still demand improvements with tougher tests to follow when the Premier League returns.

Fernandes shines after Ronaldo departure

Questions were often posed as to Fernandes' influence alongside Portugal team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo at United before the latter had his contract terminated in November.

Playmaker Fernandes shone in his first game without Ronaldo as he created a game-leading three chances, including a pinpoint pass for Wan Bissaka's assist in the first half.

Deputy Dubravka unconvincing

David de Gea remains Ten Hag's first-choice goalkeeper and the Spain goalkeeper may have little concern over his position after an unconvincing performance from Dubravka.

The Slovakia international almost punched into his own net before a poor touch nearly gifted Burnley an equaliser and was caught out again in stoppage time, though those errors proved to be irrelevant.

What's next?

United return to Premier League action at home to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, when Burnley host Birmingham City in the Championship.

David Trezeguet believes "world-class" Adrien Rabiot can be an "important player" for Juventus with the midfielder's future uncertain.

Rabiot has just returned from an impressive World Cup, where he helped France reach a final they lost to Argentina on penalties at Lusail Stadium last Sunday.

There are reports that Juve could sell the midfielder in January to avoid him departing on a free transfer when his existing contract expires at the end of the season.

Former Juve and France striker Trezeguet feels the ball is in his former club's court.

"[With Rabiot] we are talking about a problem for Juventus because in Italy, he may have been targeted for criticism, but in France, it's completely different," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"He is world class, an extraordinary player. Now, he will evaluate his options and will go back to being the important player he always was.

"Juve will have to be a protagonist, that is what their history commands, and the players shouldn't worry about what is happening off the field.

"They'll have [Angel] di Maria back and fired up as a world champion with Argentina, while [Paul] Pogba and many others can give something extra."

Trezeguet also gave his thoughts on former team-mate Didier Deschamps, whose future as France head coach is uncertain with Zinedine Zidane reportedly a potential replacement.

"Didier has a very good rapport with the president of the federation, so he will take his time and come to a decision," said Trezeguet, who won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 alongside Deschamps.

"If he decides to leave, then he'll see what to do in future."

The 2024 edition of the Tour de France will start in Italy for the first time in the race's history, organisers The Amaury Sport Organisation has confirmed.

Florence will mark the starting point of the 111th edition of the famous competition, to commemorate 100 years since Ottavio Bottecchia became the first Italian won Le Tour.

After racing to Rimini, further stages from Cesenatico to Bologna and Piacenza to Turin will follow, with the event also set to finish away from Paris for the first time.

The iconic Champs-Elysees finale will be replaced by a closing stage in Nice due to the 2024 Olympic ceremony occurring in the capital just days later.

It will also be the first time since 1989 the event has concluded with a time-trial finish, as opposed to the usual procession through the streets of Paris.

"The Tour has started from all the countries bordering France," said Le Tour director Christian Prudhomme.

"It has even started six times from the Netherlands, which has no common border with France. But it has never started from Italy.

"It's an incongruity that will disappear."

The 2023 edition will begin in Bilbao, Spain on July 1 and finish in Paris 22 days later, with Jonas Vingegaard out to defend his crown.

Benetton Treviso apologised for "absurd stupidity" after a banana was given to Cherif Traore in the team's Secret Santa.

Traore, who is an Italy international having made his debut in 2018, was given a rotten banana during the United Rugby Championship side's Christmas dinner.

The prop was born in Guinea but moved to Italy aged seven, and has lived in the country ever since.

Traore spoke out against the act on social media, saying he had not "slept all night" and had "decided not to keep quiet this time to ensure that episodes like this do not happen again".

Benetton responded with a statement, which said that Traore had "accepted his comrades' apologies".

President Amerino Zatta declared: "What happened against Cherif does not in any way reflect our identity and the values that the Benetton family has been carrying forward for years.

"I'm glad Cherif accepted the apology, understanding the absurd stupidity committed by one of his teammates.

"I am sure that this will strengthen the sense of cohesion within the group and that such a gesture will never again find fertile ground within our family.

"On behalf of the entire team, I reiterate that we condemn any expression of racism and that no form of discrimination is accepted in our dressing room."

Traore was involved in the team's statement, adding: "This afternoon's meeting was an opportunity to discuss and understand how what one of my companions did on the occasion of exchanging Christmas presents is purely the result of idiocy and nothing other.

"I appreciated and accepted his apologies and those of the entire team. I'm happy with the gesture and I'm sure what happened will make the group even more solid.

"We are a family and as such we will continue to commit ourselves on and off the pitch, fighting, as we always have, against all forms of discrimination."

Carlos Correa's proposed deal to join the San Francisco Giants collapsed due to a "difference of opinion", a team statement said on Wednesday.

Having agreed a 13-year, $350 million contract last week, the Giants cancelled a proposed press conference on Tuesday to announce the signing – with reports stating this was due to a medical issue.

While it was suggested the deal would still be finalised, the delay allowed the New York Mets to swoop and a slightly shorter 12-year, $315 million agreement was reached to bring Correa to New York, according to the New York Post.

The Giants have now had their say in the remarkable sequence of events in a brief statement, where President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi confirmed the deal ended due to a "difference of opinion" that arose following a physical evaluation.

"While we are prohibited from disclosing confidential medical information, as Scott Boras stated publicly, there was a difference of opinion over the results of Carlos’ physical examination. We wish Carlos the best," the statement read.

With seven trips to the injured list since 2015, Correa has dealt with durability issues in his eight-year career and has played at least 150 games in a season just once.

However, Correa played 58 games in the shortened 60-game season in 2020, followed by 148 in 2021 and 136 last season.

Boras, Correa's agent, spoke to The Athletic on Wednesday and dubbed the medical concerns "speculative dynamics": "You're talking about a player who has played eight major-league seasons. There are things in his medical record that happened decades ago. These are all speculative dynamics.

"Every team has a right to go through things and evaluate things. The key thing is, we gave them [the Giants] medical reports at the time. They still wanted to sign the player and negotiate with the player."

Sloane Stephens has confirmed Francis Roig as her new coach, less than a week after the Spaniard departed Rafael Nadal's team.

The 54-year-old, who had worked with his fellow countryman since 2005, parted ways with the 22-time grand slam winner earlier this month.

At the time, Nadal confirmed Roig was leaving his set-up for "a new project," which has now been confirmed as a role with Stephens.

The 2017 US Open winner announced the news in a post to her social media accounts, welcoming him aboard ahead of the 2023 season.

"Happy to have Francis Roig join my team as my new coach!" she wrote. "Here's to a successful journey together. Let's get to work."

Stephens, who achieved a career-high WTA ranking of third in 2018, has returned to the top 50 over the past year following a series of struggles with form.

She claimed her first title in four years at the Abierto Zapopan in Mexico in February, and reached a first grand slam quarter-final since 2019 at the French Open.

Nadal, meanwhile, announced Gustavo Marcaccio would replace Roig earlier this week, adding the Argentine to a team that contains Carlos Moya and Marc Lopez.

The Spaniard was effusive in his tribute to his outgoing coach last week, stating: "I only have words of gratitude and I wish him all the luck in the world."

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be down two defensive starters for Thursday’s game against the New York Jets after ruling out rookie pass rusher Travon Walker and defensive lineman Foley Fatukasi.

Walker, the number one overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft, will miss a second straight game with a high ankle sprain he suffered in the Jaguars’ win over AFC South rival Tennessee on December 11.

Fatukasi is also dealing with an ankle injury he sustained in Jacksonville’s upset victory over Dallas on Sunday.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is listed as questionable but is expected to start for Jacksonville. The 2021 number one overall pick has been playing through a sprained left big toe he sustained in Week 13.

Walker has started 13 games as a rookie and as compiled 45 tackles and 3.5 sacks. The ex-Jet Fatukasi has made 11 starts this season and is considered one of the Jaguars’ top run defenders.

Jacksonville enters Thursday’s game off two straight wins and are 4-2 over their last six contests to move within one game of the slumping Titans for first place in the AFC South.

Lawrence has been a major factor in the surge with back-to-back games of over 300 passing yards and a combined seven touchdown passes during that stretch.

The game is expected to feature the top two selections of the 2021 draft with Zach Wilson slated to start at quarterback for the Jets, who at 7-7 are one game back of the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami for the AFC’s final two wild card spots.

Wilson will make a second straight start after New York ruled out quarterback Mike White earlier in the week as he recovers from reported fractured ribs.