Andy Reid insists there is no rift between him and Tyreek Hill after the Kansas City Chiefs traded their star wide receiver to the Miami Dolphins.
In the latest blockbuster move of an incredible offseason in the NFL, Hill was traded to Miami for five draft picks last week.
The Dolphins then handed Hill, a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, a four-year, $120million contract extension with $72.2m guaranteed, making him the highest-paid player at his position.
Hill was a pivotal part of a Chiefs team that has reached the AFC Championship Game for four straight years and won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2019 season.
Chiefs coach Reid stressed that his departure was directly related to contract negotiations and the Chiefs' situation with the salary cap.
"I love Tyreek Hill," said Reid, per ESPN. "There's no rift between Tyreek Hill and myself.
"I thought he deserved an opportunity if that's where he wanted to go.
"He's a family man that has a few kids and he's got to be able to support them now and down the road, and this gives him an opportunity to do that.
"At the same time, it gives us great compensation."
Speaking publicly for the first time since the trade, Reid made it clear the Chiefs' initial intention was to find a way to keep Hill.
He added: "We came in aggressive [with a contract offer], and after we got to a point, we just said, 'Listen, in this day and age you have issues you have to deal with, with the cap'.
"So we felt like it was better to allow him to go ahead and be traded. You can go different routes with a player. You can play hardball or you can go about it the way I did, or we did.
"You've got to be able to manage that the right way.
"If you're paying all of your money to a quarterback and you can't surround him with players, that can be a problem.
"So you have to find a way with a Tyreek Hill maybe that you have to get rid of so you can replenish. That's offense and defense. I'm not just talking about the offensive side."
The departure of Hill is a huge blow for quarterback Patrick Mahomes, though Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster are two free agent pass-catchers who have been brought in so far.
"You want to surround him with great players," added Reid when he was asked about Mahomes.
"We did try to sign Tyreek at a certain cost. Once it gets past that, now you can see what we're doing here with the players we brought in and we feel they're very good football players.
"[General manager Brett Veach] is building this thing to where we feel comfortable that we can go win on Sundays."
The Chiefs have won the AFC West division for six straight seasons but face fierce competition this year.
Seattle Seahawks great Russell Wilson has been signed by the Denver Broncos to play QB, while the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders have also strengthened with big moves.
North Macedonia have already pulled off perhaps the greatest shock in World Cup qualifying history, so they are entering Tuesday's play-off against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal with no fear.
An incredible qualification campaign – in which they won away in Germany in Group J – continued for North Macedonia when they defeated Italy in last week's play-off semi-final.
That set up yet another away trip against an elite side, with the relative minnows now visiting Portugal for a place at Qatar 2022.
As Selecao talisman Ronaldo, now 37, is potentially bidding to play at his last World Cup – although he insists he will make that call – there is far more pressure on the hosts than on North Macedonia.
Coach Blagoja Milevski explained: "I don't think anyone would ever have expected that North Macedonia, as a country, as a national team, [would make it this far].
"Compared to the other participants in our group in this play-off, we are very small and that's why nobody expected North Macedonia to be in this position of being able to play in the final of this play-off and go to the World Cup.
"So, let's not run away from this opportunity. We are in a good position and I have only one message: to enjoy the moment and make the most of this opportunity to play against a great team."
Milevski knows Portugal are still the favourites, but that does not concern him.
"Of course we know who the favourites are. We know that according to everything that has happened, Portugal are the favourites," he said.
"But North Macedonia are not here by coincidence, we have our qualities and it was precisely these qualities that put us in the group of the best 20 at the European level. And so I think we have to see what happens."
Portugal required a play-off to qualify in both 2010 and 2014 – the latter seeing Ronaldo score all four goals of a 4-2 aggregate win over Sweden.
Those goals contribute to a world-record international tally of 115, but Milevski suggests North Macedonia cannot afford to focus on Ronaldo alone.
"Regarding Cristiano Ronaldo, I think we are talking about someone who has been the best player in the world for several years," the coach said.
"But we will not just play against him. There are 10 other players who play with him. Portugal is not just Ronaldo.
"Although he is sensational, there are other extraordinary players. And therefore, we will focus on the team as a whole and not just on an individual."
All NFL teams must hire a minority offensive assistant coach from next season, the league has said.
It was also agreed among owners at Monday's annual general meeting to add women to the Rooney Rule, as well as encouraging more diversity in ownership groups and announcing the creation of a Diversity Advisory Committee.
There are currently just five minority head coaches in the NFL, and it is hoped that by increasing the talent pool among offensive coaches – which is often from where head coaches are hired – that number will increase over time.
Chairman of the NFL Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee Art Rooney II, who is also owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and whose father the 'Rooney Rule' is named after, said: "It's a recognition that at the moment, when you look at stepping stones for a head coach, they are the coordinator positions.
"We clearly have a trend where coaches are coming from the offensive side of the ball in recent years, and we clearly do not have as many minorities in the offensive coordinator [job].
"So, without oversimplifying it, it's really an effort to try to bring more talented minority coaches to the offensive side of the ball. Both within the league and hopefully attract those talented individuals from the college ranks."
Minority coaches now make up 39 per cent of the NFL total according to league data, which is a rise from 35 per cent at the start of the 2021 season, while there are 12 women in coaching positions.
The addition of women to the Rooney Rule means they are now included as a "minority" of which at least two must be interviewed, but this does not necessarily mean a woman and a person of colour will always be part of the process as a hiring team could in theory interview two women, or two people of colour.
"The truth of the matter is that as of today, at least, there aren't many women in the pool in terms of head coach," Rooney added. "We hope that is going to change over the years, but for that reason we didn't see it as inhibiting the number of interviews for racial minorities at this point in time.
"Obviously, we can address that as time goes on, but for now we didn't see that as an issue.
"Really, we are looking at probably the early stages of women entering the coaching ranks, so we may be a little ways away before that becomes a problem."
Albert Pujols looks to be preparing for his final MLB season after returning to the St. Louis Cardinals, who hope he can help take them back to the World Series.
Future Hall of Famer Pujols has signed a one-year, $2.5million contract back in St. Louis, where he started his career in 2001.
In 11 seasons with the Cardinals, the 42-year-old won three National League MVPs, made nine All-Star Game appearances and claimed two World Series titles.
Now, after nine and a half seasons with the Los Angeles Angels before ending last year on the Los Angeles Dodgers, he is ready for one final push.
"This is it for me," Pujols said. "This is my last run."
Pujols appears set to play in a part-time role, as a designated hitter against left-handed pitchers and as a late-game pinch-hitter.
He added: "I think I am here for a reason. They believe I can still play this game."
Pujols may no longer be the difference-maker he was in those two title runs, but the Cardinals have not added to their 11 World Series wins since then, losing to the Boston Red Sox in 2013.
Yadier Molina, the 39-year-old catcher who was a team-mate for both championships and has spent his entire career in St. Louis, is delighted to be reunited with Pujols.
"I'm happy for him to be here," he said. "It's going to be a fun year. We've only got one thing in mind – winning another championship."
Will Smith has apologised to Serena and Venus Williams and their family, as well as Chris Rock, after his on-stage slap aimed at the comedian marred an Academy Award win.
The Williams sisters were at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Sunday to see Smith win Best Actor for his portrayal of their father Richard in the biopic King Richard.
However, before Smith took to the stage to collect his award, he was involved in the major flashpoint of the night and one of the most remarkable incidents in Academy Awards history.
Smith stormed the stage when Rock, while presenting Best Documentary Feature, made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rock appeared to make a comment on Pinkett Smith's hair, which prompted Smith – after originally smiling at the joke – to take to the stage and strike the comedian before telling him to "keep my wife's name out your f***ing mouth".
Smith returned to his seat and was allowed to remain in attendance for the rest of the ceremony, giving a lengthy and emotional acceptance speech in which he apologised to The Academy.
Almost 24 hours past before Smith took to his Instagram page to address the issue again, explaining he took offence to a remark apparently related to his wife's alopecia but also again apologising – including to the Williams family.
"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," he wrote. "My behaviour at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.
"Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.
"I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.
"I would also like to apologise to The Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world.
"I would like to apologise to the Williams family and my King Richard family. I deeply regret that my behaviour has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.
"I am a work in progress."
In her own post on Sunday, Serena Williams had seemingly sought only to address Smith's success at the Oscars.
"This night has been surreal," she wrote. "To spend it sitting next to my sisters meant more than anything.
"I am so grateful to The Academy for making this an unforgettable night, and to Will Smith for bringing this story to the big screen and honouring my family. This will always be a night to remember."
Coming off four straight losses heading into Monday's game against the Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra knew something needed to change.
Ultimately, that change would be Markieff Morris and Victor Oladipo falling out of the rotation entirely, playing zero combined minutes.
The Heat looked great with their new line-ups, which featured Max Strus slotting into a starting role, winning each of the first three quarters comfortably on the way to a 123-100 victory.
Speaking to post-game media, Spoelstra made a point of protecting his benched players' feelings, and stressed that more tinkering would be ahead.
"These are tough decisions, and there are a lot of different things that could work, but we just felt like at this particular time that these moves may clean up some things with the rotation," he said.
"Those aren't easy decisions, and I think we all just have to have empathy and grace for some of these changes for the guys that didn't necessarily play tonight.
"It's about understanding that we have a roster full of proven, capable guys, and we're going to need everybody, particularly in this final push and in the playoffs.
"A lot of it will be matchup-based… we'll just keep an open mind about what we may need to do moving forward."
Spoelstra went on to say that the difference in this game was about far more than simply benching two solid players.
"This wasn't a 'one move' thing – we were very disappointed about the past four games, and this has been trending, really, even before that, when we were winning," he said.
"It's not an indictment on anybody – sometimes these things can be chemistry things, sometimes it's just the flow of certain guys playing off of each other.
"The ball and body movement was better – less holding [the ball], we're moving the ball, guys were able to play to their strengths. It was less stagnant for sure.
"We've seen what Jimmy [Butler] can do when he has open spaces to be able to be creative, and be able to attack, and be able to make plays. I know he hit three three-pointers tonight – I love that – but he was in a lot of places where he can be successful and effective.
"There were a lot of different layers to [today's moves] – again, it's just one game. Our roster is deep, and our roster checks a lot of different boxes, which we feel you need in the playoffs.
"Each series – if we're fortunate enough to play multiple series – they have totally different needs and complexions, and we feel like versatility and our depth is really one of the greatest strengths of this team."
Miami regained the Eastern Conference one seed with the result, but it will switch hands once again if they cannot defeat the surging Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
With the league MVP seemingly down to a two-horse race between Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets big man dominated yet again as his side beat the Charlotte Hornets 113-109.
Jokic, who is following up his MVP win last season with the greatest playmaking season of any centre in the 21st century, finished the contest with 26 points (nine-of-17 shooting), 19 rebounds and 11 assists.
All five Nuggets starters scored at least 14 points, with Jokic and Aaron Gordon both finishing with a plus-minus of at least plus 20, indicating that it was Denver's mediocre bench unit that struggled enough to keep things close.
Reigning Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball was terrific for the Hornets, scoring 22 points (eight-of-21 shooting) with 11 assists and six rebounds.
Playing without star duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Boston Celtics pushed fellow Eastern Conference contenders Toronto Raptors all the way before ultimately losing 115-112 in overtime.
The star of the show was Raptor Pascal Siakam, who hit two clutch free throws to send the game to overtime on his way to final tallies of 40 points (17-of-29 shooting) and 13 rebounds to go with three steals and two blocks.
Despite the loss, which sent the Celtics from the one seed toppling down to the four seed, they are now 22-4 in their past 26 games dating back to the end of January.
Miami regain top spot, Barrett beats Bulls
With Boston falling out of the Eastern Conference's top seed, the Miami Heat have reclaimed it, beating the Sacramento Kings 123-100 after a recent rough stretch.
Jimmy Butler (27 points on 10-of-14 shooting) and Bam Adebayo (22 points on 10-of-16 shooting) starred for Miami, while Sixth Man of the Year lock Tyler Herro chipped in with 20 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, the flailing Chicago Bulls have now lost six of their past eight after another disappointing defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks 109-104.
R.J. Barrett continued his ascension, scoring 28 points on 10-of-24 shooting in 43 minutes.
World number two Iga Swiatek showed why she is next in line to occupy the top ranking as she comfortably handled the challenge of 14 seed Cori Gauff 6-3 6-1 to earn a spot in the quarter-finals at the Miami Open.
Swiatek, 20, will become the first Polish-born man or woman to earn the number one singles ranking when it is next updated on April 4, after Ash Barty's retirement, and she never gave Gauff a chance.
She won all eight of her service games in the match, and broke Gauff's serve four times in eight chances to rattle off five consecutive games to close the match.
After a walkover in her last fixture, Naomi Osaka was strong on her way to a 6-3 6-4 win against Alison Riske.
Both women produced break points throughout the match, but while Osaka saved seven out of eight, coming back to double-break after her slip-up in the second set, Riske could only save nine of 12.
In a clash between top-10 seeds, Danielle Collins was terrific in her 6-2 6-4 win against Ons Jabeur.
The match was decided by each woman's success on their second serve, as Jabeur had the better first serve, but could only win 31 per cent of her second serves (8-26), while Collins was an even 73 per cent on both her first and second attempts.
Daria Saville continued her march back up the rankings with a 5-7 6-4 7-5 win against Lucia Bronzetti, making it nine wins from her past 10 matches for the Australian ranked 249 in the world after recently returning from a long-term achilles injury.
Saville will play Switzerland's Belinda Bencic after she breezed past Belarus' Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2 6-3, while Petra Kvitova got the better of higher-ranked Veronika Kudermetova 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.
American Jessica Pegula was nearly flawless on her way to a 6-0 first set before Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina retired due to injury, while world number six Paula Badosa beat wildcard Linda Fruhvirtova 6-2 6-3.
The Miami Masters' top seed, Daniil Medvedev, had no problems making his way past Spain's Pedro Martinez 6-3 6-4 to earn his spot in the fourth round.
Serving was the story of the match as the world number two tallied up 14 aces to his unseeded opponent's zero, and only allowed Martinez to see five second serves in the opening set, with Zverev winning all five. Overall, Zverev won 20 of 24 points on serve in the first set.
The second set was more competitive, with Martinez even breaking back after Zverev jumped ahead and looked to coast to victory, but he could not hold off the Russian down the stretch.
Medvedev will play American Jenson Brooksby in his fourth-round matchup after he won a hard-fought 6-3 5-7 6-4 struggle against 15 seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
In a razor-close contest, Brooksby was just slightly better throughout, winning 60 per cent of his service points compared to the Spaniard's 59 per cent, as well as winning 41 per cent of return points compared to Bautista Agut's 40 per cent.
Fresh off his Indian Wells Masters triumph over Rafael Nadal, Taylor Fritz kept his good form going with a 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 win against American compatriot Tommy Paul.
Fritz, who is now up to world number 13, did not have his serve broken all day, winning 81 per cent of his successful first serves (30-37), while also capitalising on the only two break points he saw.
14 seed Carlos Alcaraz only needed two sets to get past 21 seed Marin Cilic 6-4 6-4, creating nine break point opportunities to Cilic's one, which was saved.
In the late session, and in a meeting of rapidly rising prospects, 22-year-old Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic pulled off an upset 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win over 21-year-old American Sebastian Korda.
Meanwhile, three seed Stefano Tsitsipas was too much for Australian Alex de Minaur, winning 6-4 6-3 after allowing no break point opportunities in the opening set, and saving all three in the second.
The San Francisco 49ers have no plans to release Jimmy Garoppolo despite their inability to trade him, general manager John Lynch has insisted.
No secret has been made of the Niners' plans to trade Garoppolo since their 2021 season came to an end with defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
San Francisco selected quarterback Trey Lance with the third overall pick in last year's draft, having traded the 12th overall pick and their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 to move up to that spot.
Lance is set to take over as the starting quarterback in 2022, but Lynch did not rule out Garoppolo still being on the depth chart, having received no trade offers for the former New England Patriot.
"I don't foresee that," Lynch said when asked about releasing Garoppolo at the NFL owners' meetings on Monday.
"He's too good of a player. I don't foresee that, and I think Jimmy will be playing for us or he'll be playing for somebody else. He's too good of a player not to be."
Garoppolo remains on the Niners' roster as host of potential suitors have filled their quarterback need via other means. The Denver Broncos pulled off a spectacular trade for Russell Wilson, the Indianapolis Colts shipped Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders and then dealt for Matt Ryan, while the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Mitchell Trubisky.
There had previously been talk of the Niners having an offer of two second-round picks in hand for Garoppolo, but Lynch dismissed such speculation.
"Not true. No," Lynch said. "Nobody ever said, 'OK, here’s our offer'. We never got to that point."
While Garoppolo's future with San Francisco remains in question, Lynch assured that All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel and Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa will be on the roster for a long time as the Niners negotiate likely lucrative contract extensions with the pair.
"We've had good communication with Tory [Dandy] who represents Deebo and Bryan Ayrault who represents Nick,” Lynch said. "We have a plan for each of those guys. We will keep those discussions private but like I've long said, those guys are going to be a part of us for a long, long time.
"They're fantastic players. They are very much at the core of who we are and they are fabulous players, fabulous people and a big part of who we are.”
The recent Jamaica Gun Club Sporting Clays tournament turned out to be a good one for the McMaster family. The tournament attracted 148 shooters from across the island to its Salt Island facility in Clarendon where the McMasters demonstrated their mastery.
In extreme heat, Ray McMaster shot a score of 92 to take the top spot by long run ahead of Chad Ziadie and Brett Thwaites, who also had scores of 92.
McMaster’s wife Wendy shot a 78 to win the Ladies' competition while their in-form daughter Aliana was second with a score of 69. Aliana’s sister Abigail finished with a score of 62 to finish in fourth place.
McMaster, who for the second time walked away with the trophy for the Highest Overall score, was thrilled at the outcome.
"Awesome, awesome, awesome! I actually didn't think the 92 would prevail," he said, revealing that he was unable to say exactly what made him victorious.
"I don't know but I just come out and do the same exact thing, come out and execute. For one, the breeze wasn't blowing too much and I think that helped with the course. Shooting is like that, you just come out and everything happens for you on the day. I must say I am happy that I prevailed but the score could have been better but I am very happy."
Wendy, meanwhile, was equally chuffed at her triumph.
"I feel really good. My confidence level is going back to where it was. I was struggling back in several shoots before and I worked on my weakness and I have discovered how to correct it so right now I am in a good place, just to work on it a little bit more so I can always be on top," she said.
The top three shooters in the various classes were as follows:
A Class: Brett Thwaites 92, Shaun Barnes 91 (LR) and Jordan Thwaites 91 (LR);
B Class: Najeeb Haber 79, Craig Davis 77 and Evan Thwaites 76;
C Class: Nathan Chin 90, Paul Burke 82 (LR) and Ricky DuQuesdnay 82 (LR);
D Class: Gordon Bucknor 87, Justin Samuda 83 and Richard Todd 80;
E Class: Noah Vaughn 81, Matthew Grant 77 (LR) and Carlton Davis 77 (LR);
Hunters or Beginners: Kashka Jones 72 (LR), Lucas Thomson 72 (LR) and Anthony Ayoub 72 (LR);
Ladies: Wendy McMaster 78, Aliana McMaster 69 and Tara Brown 67;
Juniors: Nathan Chin 90, David Wong 87 and Mark Desnoes 82;
Sub Juniors: Christopher Lee 50.
Two shooters, Noah Vaughn and Kashka Jones were promoted to D Class and E Class respectively after winning their respective classes on the day.
Erik Spoelstra returned to the Miami Heat ahead of their game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
Head coach Spoelstra missed Saturday's 110-95 loss to the Brooklyn Nets for personal reasons, with assistant coach Chris Quinn filling in.
However, Miami confirmed that the 60-year-old was back with the team for the meeting with the Kings at FTX Arena.
Ahead of Monday's game, the Heat (47-28) had the second-best record in the Eastern Conference but sat below the Boston Celtics. The Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers were half a game back in a tight top four.
Ivory Coast boss Patrice Beaumelle is hopeful he can convince England defender Marc Guehi to switch his international allegiance.
Guehi, who was born in Ivory Coast, made his senior debut in the Three Lions’ victory over Switzerland at Wembley on Saturday.
The Crystal Palace defender has now represented England at every level from Under 16 upwards, and could make his second appearance in Tuesday’s clash with the Elephants.
However, the 21-year-old is still eligible to switch to the country of his birth, having yet to appear in a competitive match under Gareth Southgate.
Guehi, who spent the 2020-21 season on loan at Championship side Swansea City, has made 28 Premier League appearances since leaving Chelsea for Selhurst Park in July.
The Eagles have kept eight league clean sheets along the way, a tally bettered by just seven sides in the English top-flight this term.
And Ivory Coast head coach Beaumelle hopes Guehi will follow in the footsteps of Wilfried Zaha by swapping the Three Lions for the Elephants.
"I have been following Marc for two years, since he was playing at Swansea," he said.
"I know he can still choose Ivory Coast, so we are working on that. I tried to contact him several weeks ago.
"But when I saw him in the English lists, I understood that at the moment, he wants to try with the Three Lions.
"The choice has to come from the heart. He will make his own decision. He did well in his first cap for England.
"Maybe, we will try for the orange jersey of Ivory Coast – you never know.
"I will wait a few weeks and try to contact him to know if he is interested."
Playing a role in managing LeBron James' legacy has contributed to this being the toughest season Frank Vogel has experienced as an NBA coach.
The Los Angeles Lakers have significantly underperformed in 2021-22 and sit 10th in the Western Conference – the final play-in spot – with eight regular season games to play.
Injuries have limited Anthony Davis to just 37 appearances, while LeBron James has missed 19 games and they have only played together 21 times. Russell Westbrook has also struggled to show why LA paid such a high price to acquire him from the Washington Wizards.
The Lakers were considered one of the favourites to win the championship this season but are in very real danger of missing out on the playoffs entirely.
Although Davis, who has been out with a foot injury since February 16, was a full participant in Monday's practice, James sat out due to an ankle injury sustained in Sunday's defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans – a game in which the Lakers blew a 23-point lead.
Vogel felt the injury situation was typical of the team's season and cited having a part to play in ensuring James enjoys a strong finish to his career as a factor in making it so tough for him to navigate.
Asked if it had been his hardest year as a coach, Vogel replied: "I would say probably, just because of the expectations we've had.
"We've had too many really difficult nights and I think there's an element of being a part of managing LeBron's legacy in these final years of his career.
"You wanna just give him the best opportunity to have team success throughout that, so when we haven't won at the level that we wanted to it's been challenging. And the losses have been heavier. But we've been able to continue to mend and rebuild our team psyche and keep a belief in what we can be. Obviously this last injury [to James] hurts that.
"But we had a good day today. We came in and we got really positive feedback and work on our film session, had a live practice session which we haven't had in quite some time, and hopefully we can still get a W tomorrow [Tuesday, against the Dallas Mavericks] and finish strong."
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