While his regular-season debut as a Cleveland Brown will not come until at least October, Deshaun Watson's first game with his new team is now just days away.

The Browns announced Wednesday that Watson will start Friday's preseason opener against the Jaguars in Jacksonville, though it is unclear how much the embattled quarterback will play in his first appearance since being acquired from the Houston Texans in March.

Watson is facing a suspension of at least six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy but is eligible to play in the preseason. The three-time Pro Bowler had been facing 24 civil lawsuits filed by female message therapists alleging sexual misconduct between 2020 and 2021 during his time with the Texans.

He was not charged by two grand juries and has strenuously denied any wrongdoing. Watson settled 20 of the lawsuits in June, with a further three settlements reported at the start of August ahead of the verdict of his NFL hearing.

The NFL announced last week it will appeal arbiter Judge Sue L. Robinson's ruling in hopes of extending the ban. The league was seeking a minimum one-year suspension as well as a fine of at least $5million.

"We decided it was the right thing to do," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday at the league's owners meetings in Bloomington, Minnesota.

"We've seen the evidence. [Judge Robinson] was very clear about the evidence. She reinforced the evidence, that there was multiple violations here and they were egregious, and it was predatory behavior. Those are things that we always felt were important for us to address in a way that's responsible."

The Browns signed Watson to a five-year, $230m fully guaranteed extension following the trade and structured the deal so he would face lesser financial penalties in the event of a suspension. He is due a base salary of only $690,000 in 2022.

Watson has not appeared in an NFL game of any kind since the 2020 season finale. The Texans held him out of all of their 2021 games while a criminal investigation into the allegations was conducted.

A grand jury ultimately dropped all criminal charges in March, and Watson's attorneys have since settled all but one of the civil cases.

Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski did not reveal his quarterback plans for the preseason when speaking to reporters Tuesday. The Browns held a closed practice Wednesday and were set to fly to Jacksonville later in the evening.

"We have a framework for how we are going to handle this preseason," Stefanski said Tuesday. "As you know, you always reserve the right to change your mind based on how practice goes and those types of things, but we are pretty confident in the plan we have."

Veteran Jacoby Brissett, who is 14-23 in 37 career starts, will serve as the Browns' quarterback during Watson's suspension. The journeyman started five games for the Miami Dolphins last season and finished the campaign with 1,283 passing yards, five touchdown passes, four interceptions and a 78.1 passer rating. 

Rory McIlroy considered Tuesday "a good day" for members of the PGA Tour, as he felt the attempts of LIV Golf rebels to enter the FedEx Cup had made the dispute around the breakaway series "personal".

A judge ruled ahead of the FedEx St. Jude Championship that LIV Golf players were not eligible to compete in the play-offs.

Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford had filed a restraining order to allow them to play this week's tournament, while 11 LIV Golf stars put together an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour.

McIlroy, who said he was following the proceedings live on Tuesday, was delighted the trio had not been granted access after abandoning the Tour for the lucrative new Saudi-backed league.

"From my vantage point, common sense prevailed, and I thought it was the right decision," McIlroy said.

"And now that that has happened, I think it just lets us focus on the important stuff, which is the golf, and we can all move forward and not have that sideshow going on for the next few weeks, which is nice."

The four-time major winner, who finished third as Cameron Smith – reported to be the next LIV Golf signing – won The Open last month, was asked if the struggle between players on either tour had become "personal".

"Yeah – and it was when that lawsuit was filed last week or whenever it was," McIlroy replied.

"The thing that I would say [is that] I certainly have a little more respect for the guys that haven't put their names to the suit. Yeah, it's become a little more personal because of that."

And while delighted with the outcome on Tuesday, McIlroy knows there will be plenty more battles ahead.

Explaining his outlook, the Northern Irishman said: "Guys are going to make their own decisions that they feel is best for them, and that's totally fine.

"I don't begrudge anyone for going over to play LIV or taking guaranteed money. If that's your prerogative and what you want to do, totally fine.

"But I think where the resentment comes from, from the membership of this tour, is the fact that they want to try to get their way back in here with no consequences.

"Anyone that's read that PGA Tour handbook or abided by the rules and regulations, that would feel very unfair to them.

"That's sort of how it played out, and I think everyone that has abided by the rules was... There's such a long way to go – it's like you've birdied the first hole, but you've still got 17 holes to go – but it was a good day for the Tour and for the majority of the membership yesterday."

McIlroy has been prominent in his opposition to LIV Golf, and he revealed on Wednesday he had received an offer from the Premier Golf League, but not from the latest threat to the PGA Tour.

The 33-year-old was therefore asked if he enjoyed his role as an unofficial spokesperson for the PGA Tour.

"Not really," McIlroy replied, but he does feel his game has somehow benefited from his being at the centre of a storm when off the course.

"I don't feel like it's my job to be up here and stick up for the Tour or be a spokesperson," he said.

"It's just sort of the role that I've found myself in, especially coming on the PGA Tour [policy] board this year. It was a great time to agree to do that...

"I've said this to a few people: I feel when I then get myself inside the ropes, it's like no one can get to me, and it's really nice.

"So, it's actually made the golf part of it way more enjoyable. And I sort of appreciate it a little bit more, because of all the other stuff that's going on.

"If anything, it's probably helped my golf, just because I can get out there and I can not think about it and compartmentalise everything and maybe enjoy competing a little bit more – or at least appreciate it a little bit more with everything else that's going on."

Cleveland Browns standout return specialist Jakeem Grant will miss the 2022 season with a torn left Achilles tendon, head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Wednesday. 

Grant, a second team All-Pro as a punt returner in each of the last two seasons, was hurt during Tuesday's practice and underwent an MRI that confirmed the injury. 

"I really feel awful for Jakeem," Stefanski said in a statement. "We've witnessed how hard the young man has worked since he got to our team. 

"We all realise injuries are a part of our game, but that doesn't make it any easier to accept, especially for someone that works as hard and carries himself like Jakeem."

The Browns signed Grant to a three-year contract worth up to $13.8million in March to be their primary return man and compete for snaps at slot receiver after the team released Jarvis Landry. 

One of the game's premier returners, Grant has averaged 10.3 yards per punt return with four touchdowns and 24.5 yards per kick return with two touchdowns over six NFL seasons. His six combined touchdowns on kick and punt returns since 2016 are tied with Jacksonville Jaguars' Jamal Agnew for the most in the league over that period. 

As a receiver, Grant has totaled 100 catches for 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns for his career. The 29-year-old had career highs of 36 receptions and 373 receiving yards with the Miami Dolphins in 2020. 

A sixth-round pick of the Dolphins in 2016, Grant had spent his entire career with Miami before being traded to the Chicago Bears in October.  

Grant's injury gives rookie David Bell, a third-round pick in this year's draft, the inside track to be Cleveland's No. 3 receiver behind Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones. Second-year pro Demetric Felton will likely take over on returns barring any additional roster moves.  

Cameron Smith has vowed he will come forward when he has any announcement to make on his future, although the world number two is reported to have already agreed to join the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

Smith is the Open champion and would represent another major coup for the breakaway golf league.

Fellow Australian Cameron Percy indicated Smith would be joining LIV Golf this week, telling RSN Radio that the 28-year-old and Marc Leishman were "gone".

Smith subsequently responded to these claims in a news conference ahead of the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Tuesday.

"My goal here is to win the FedEx Cup play-offs," he said. "That's all I'm here for.

"If there's something I need to say regarding the PGA Tour or LIV, it will come from Cameron Smith, not Cameron Percy.

"I'm a man of my word, and whenever you guys need to know anything, it will be said by me.

"Like I said, I'm here to play the FedEx Cup play-offs. That's been my focus the last week and a half, that's what I'm here to do. I'm here to win the FedEx Cup play-offs."

However, Wednesday brought an exclusive report from The Telegraph claiming Smith had signed a $100million-plus deal with LIV Golf.

The report says an initial offer of around $100m was made to Smith ahead of The Open, but he is set to be boosted by his new status as a major winner.

An announcement, The Telegraph said, would likely follow the FedEx Cup play-offs, with Smith second in the standings.

Chris Eubank Jr will face Conor Benn and renew the two families' rivalry 29 years on from their fathers' second fight.

Chris Eubank twice faced Nigel Benn, beating him in their first bout in November 1990 before the pair drew the rematch three years later.

The latter meeting took place on October 9, 1993, and their sons will now take to the ring on October 8, 2022.

Benn's son Conor is still undefeated, with a 21-0 record that he will put on the line against Eubank Jr (32-2) at the O2 Arena in London.

"It's definitely a legacy fight," he said. "There was obviously a great rivalry between Eubank Sr and my dad, Nigel Benn.

"It's a fight that's even still spoken about now. It was one of the greatest British rivalries.

"So, the legacy lives on. It really is for the legacy, this fight. For me, it feels like the stars are aligned for this moment, to be honest."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has explained the league appealed the advised six-game ban for Deshaun Watson because a disciplinary hearing found "egregious" violations and "predatory behaviour".

Watson faced 24 civil lawsuits following sexual assault and misconduct allegations. He was not charged by two grand juries and has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

The Cleveland Browns quarterback settled 20 of the lawsuits in June, with a further three settlements reported at the start of August ahead of the verdict of his NFL hearing.

Former US district judge Sue L. Robinson oversaw those proceedings and concluded Watson should miss six games with no additional fine.

But the NFL felt, having reviewed that decision, the evidence uncovered by Robinson required a harsher punishment, and it has used its right to appeal.

It is widely reported the league believes Watson should be suspended for the entire 2022 season, and Goodell outlined why this is the case.

"We've seen the evidence," he said. "[Robinson] was very clear about the evidence, should we enforce the evidence – that there were multiple violations here, and they were egregious, and it was predatory behaviour.

"Those are things that we always felt were important for us to address in a way that's responsible."

A single run in the 13th inning gave the Seattle Mariners a memorable win over the New York Yankees late on Tuesday in "one of the best games I've ever seen", according to Scott Servais.

The Mariners held their own in a pitching battle with the Yankees, as new signing Luis Castillo marked his first home start by giving up just three hits through eight scoreless innings.

Seattle's relief pitching was similarly effective, while there were a series of stunning defensive plays as the two teams repeatedly failed to bat in runners in scoring positions.

Eventually, after more than four hours of play, a pinch-hit single from Luis Torrens scored Eugenio Suarez to the delight of a raucous Seattle crowd.

"Baseball's not a boring game," Mariners manager Servais said after the 1-0 victory.

"I've been at a lot of major league games, I've been in a lot of major league games, and that was one of the best games I've ever seen.

"The electricity in our ballpark tonight, the fans were incredible. As we sit here in early August, we've got big things ahead of us."

The Mariners occupy the second AL wild card place at 60-52 as they bid to end a 21-year playoff drought.

"I don't know, because we haven't been to the postseason in a while, but I'm assuming it would be like this and maybe a little bit better," Servais added.

"Our fan base is starved for this type of baseball. We have a team that can provide it. We're fun to watch. We can be frustrating to watch.

"I get all that as a fan and what it means to hang on the edge of your seat for every pitch. That's what baseball is about, and our team embodies that."

Coco Gauff described Serena Williams as "the reason why I play tennis" as she paid tribute to the soon-to-retire great, declaring: "There will never be another Serena."

Williams, a 23-time grand slam champion, announced in a piece in Vogue on Tuesday that she would soon retire.

The 40-year-old did not provide a firm date for the end of her career, but hinted that she could bow out after the US Open, which begins at the end of August.

Williams had won her first singles match in over a year on Monday at the Canadian Open, yet she wrote of the need to now prioritise her family.

And Gauff, playing at the same event in Toronto, was not short of praise for a legend of the sport.

"She's just been playing forever, my whole life," Gauff said after beating Madison Brengle.

"The legacy that she's left throughout her tennis career is something that I don't think any other player can probably touch.

"I think that the legacy that she'll continue to leave throughout her life is something that can inspire many more generations."

Gauff, a highly talented 18-year-old, has no interest in any tag as the 'next Serena', although she can take inspiration from Williams in dealing with such pressure.

"I've learned a lot from them [Serena and sister Venus]," Gauff said.

"People always tell me that you're going to be 'next whatever', blah, blah, blah, and Serena has been considered the GOAT [greatest of all time] for at least the second half of her career, and she never succumbed to that pressure.

"I think she overcame it, and I think that's something I take from her and try to learn from it. Not that I'm at her level and experiencing the same pressure she is, but in the moment I try to emulate that.

"For me, I grew up watching her. That's the reason why I play tennis, and tennis being a predominantly white sport, it definitely helped a lot, because I saw somebody who looked like me dominating the game, and it made me believe I could dominate, too.

"She's the GOAT. And undisputed, too, in my opinion. But I don't think that's an opinion, it's a fact.

"Serena, for me, is the GOAT. The GOAT of all GOATs. There will never be another Serena."

Sean McVay has announced he signed a contract extension with the Los Angeles Rams over the offseason, but talks are ongoing with general manager Les Snead.

Head coach McVay guided the Rams to a Super Bowl win last season, and tying down his long-term future represents a major boost for the franchise.

Yet McVay revealed he and Snead were waiting until both men were committed to the team before formally confirming the deals.

"We are in a good place," McVay said at training camp. "I feel really good about the direction that's going in, and I think it'll be something where it'll be me and Les, and you guys will know when that is finalised for us.

"We wanted to be able to announce that when both of us got it done.

"It is something that we've been taking care of, but it is very important for Les and I to kind of have that represented as we're a partnership and a pair."

McVay has been Rams coach since 2017, with this his first head coaching role after holding various assistant positions in Washington.

Earning his first title against the Cincinnati Bengals at Super Bowl LVI earlier this year, McVay, 36, became the youngest coach to win the Super Bowl.

McVay has a 55-26 career record, with his winning percentage of 67.9 the seventh-best of all time among coaches to oversee 80 or more games.

Snead was the man who brought McVay to Los Angeles, having been the Rams GM since 2012, when the team were in St. Louis.

The Denver Broncos are looking forward to a new era after the team's record-breaking sale to the Walton-Penner family ownership group was confirmed.

The deal, worth $4.65billion, a record for any American sports franchise, was unanimously approved by NFL owners on Tuesday.

And the group, fronted by Walmart heir Rob Walton, could not wait to get started.

"We are just so excited to become officially a part of the Broncos," Walton said. "It's a big, big day for us. Really, really exciting.

"It's been a great process and I want to extend a thanks with all the owners we've been involved with. Their warm greeting and support as we've met them along the way – haven't met all of them yet, but we're getting close – has just been good.

"It's a very wonderful group to become associated with.

"We want to acknowledge [former owner] Pat Bowlen's outstanding legacy, also, as well as the family. Pat's leadership and commitment to build a successful team and business, and we'll continue to build on that.

"Putting a winning team on the field is our number one priority. We can't wait to get to Denver, join our new colleagues and get to work."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell added: "This is a group that is going to be great for the Denver community.

"Their commitment to winning, but more importantly their commitment to making sure the Broncos franchise is an important part of the Denver community. We're thrilled about that."

The Atlanta Braves received an MVP-level performance from Austin Riley as they went into Fenway Park and left with a 9-7 extra-innings win on the road against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

Riley – who is the second-favourite for National League MVP, trailing only Paul Goldschmidt from the St Louis Cardinals – got things going for the Braves in the opening inning, with an RBI triple scoring the first run of the game.

After Red Sox second-baseman Christian Arroyo connected on a two-run home run an inning later, travelling 403 feet, Riley answered back in the third frame with his own two-run shot, with his sailing 426 feet for the longest hit of the game.

The Red Sox rallied back in the middle stages, with home runs to Tommy Pham and Jarren Duran, as well as another RBI double from Arroyo, to jump ahead 5-4 in the fifth inning.

National League Rookie of the Year contender Michael Harris II tied the game with a double in the sixth frame, and Dansby Swanson gave the Braves a 6-5 lead as his double brought home Ronald Acuna Jr for his second run of the game.

That lead would be short-lived, with Boston tying things up at 6-6 in the bottom of the eighth through a J.D. Martinez base hit, and that score would hold through the end of regulation to force extra innings.

Both teams tallied a single run in the 10th, before Riley came through again in the 11th, driving in his fourth and fifth runs of the day with a single as Acuna crossed home plate for the third time to snatch a 9-7 lead.

Tyler Matzek made no mistakes on the mound, finishing things off and collecting his first save of the season, striking out two.

Riley finished three-for-five at the plate with five RBIs, and he now sits third in the league in home runs (30), eighth in RBIs (74) and second in total bases (255), trailing only New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge (273).

Ohtani delivers with bat and ball

It was another starring performance for baseball's most unique player as Shohei Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings and hit his 25th home run of the season to carry the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-1 victory away against the Oakland Athletics.

Only 11 players have hit more home runs this season than Ohtani, while only five pitchers have struck out more batters than his 157 in 19 starts. Everyone ahead of him on the strikeout list has started at least two more games, and he trails only Braves rookie Spencer Strider in strikeouts-per-nine-innings among starters.

He struck out five batters against the Athletics while giving up four hits and three walks in his six innings, and finished two-for-three at the plate, with two runs and one RBI.

Padres get mixed results from new recruits

The San Diego Padres needed some late heroics when newly acquired closer Josh Hader blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning, before Manny Machado came through in the clutch for a 7-4 win.

While Hader was the Padres' big pitching recruit, Juan Soto was the prize of their trade deadline dealings, and he was terrific as he finished with two hits and two walks from his five plate appearances, including his first home run since arriving in San Diego.

Leading 4-1 in the ninth inning, Hader failed to secure the save, giving up three runs to tie the game. But the Padres would get away with it, with a single to Jurickson Profar and a walk to Soto bringing Machado to the plate for the walk-off home run.

Coco Gauff shined on the opening day of the Canadian Open on Tuesday, defeating American compatriot Madison Brengle 6-1 6-3 to move to a record of 14-4 from her past 18 matches.

Gauff, who has not lost to anyone ranked lower than world number 22 Amanda Anisimova since the Australian Open, continued that impressive record by cruising past world number 62 Brengle, winning 58 per cent (34-of-59) of her return points in a dominant showing.

Anisimova, who eliminated Gauff from Wimbledon, also made it through her first match unscathed as she defeated hometown Canadian Carol Zhao 6-1 6-3.

China's Qinweng Zheng put another dagger into the Canadians with her 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 win over Rebecca Marino, but Bianca Andreescu gave the fans something to cheer for as she upset world number nine and winner of this past week's Silicon Valley Classic Daria Kasatkina 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.

Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo prevailed against American Claire Liu 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 7-6 (7-5) in a three-and-a-half-hour battle of attrition, while Australian qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic upset world number 16 Veronika Kudermetova 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-4) in two-and-a-half hours.

It was a disappointing showing from world number 10 Emma Raducanu as she went down 7-6 (7-0) 6-2 to the reigning champion of this event, Italy's Camila Giorgi.

Naomi Osaka also will need an early flight home after being forced to retire against Estonia's Kaia Kanepi, pulling the plug due to a persistent back injury while trailing 7-6 (7-4) 3-0.

In the late session, Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic successfully navigated the challenge of Tereza Martincova 6-4 6-2 to book a second round fixture against Serena Williams, and world number four Maria Sakkari survived a scare to finish strong and defeat Sloane Stephens 6-2 4-6 6-2.