Brittney Griner has been released from Russian prison and the two-time basketball Olympic gold medallist will be back in America in the next 24 hours, US president Joe Biden said.
At the White House, President Biden confirmed he had spoken to 32-year-old Griner, who was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport on February 17 for bringing under a gram of cannabis oil into Russia in vape cartridges.
That was shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine, weakening diplomatic relations with the US, and eight-time WNBA All-Star Griner was jailed for nine years in August for drug possession and drug smuggling with criminal intent.
Griner said she made an "honest mistake", and her lawyers argued she was using cannabis for medicinal purposes to treat chronic pain sustained over the course of her career.
They said she was not aware cannabis oil was outlawed in Russia.
Reports in the United States said Griner had been freed in a prisoner exchange that has seen arms dealer Viktor Bout released into Russian hands.
President Biden said Griner had been "unjustly detained in Russia", describing circumstances she endured as "intolerable".
"Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along," Biden said. "This is a day we've worked towards for a long time."
Biden said there had been "painstaking and intense negotiations". He said recent months had been "hell for Brittney" and stressed efforts were ongoing to free former US Marine Paul Whelan, who is in a Russian jail after being convicted in 2020 on espionage charges.
Biden said Phoenix Mercury player Griner was "in good spirits" and "relieved to be heading home" after enduring "needless trauma".
She was "wrongfully detained" in the first place, Biden said, and he added: "She endured mistreatment and a show trial in Russia with characteristic grit and incredible dignity.
"She wrote to me back in July, she didn't ask for special treatment, even though we'd been working on her release since day one."
Griner's wife Cherelle appeared alongside Biden and said: "Over the last nine months y'all have been so privy to one of the darkest moments of my life."
She said news of Griner's release left her "overwhelmed with emotions", and she offered "sincere gratitude" to Biden and his administration.
"Today it's just a happy day for me and my family," she added.
Nick Kyrgios made an "easy" decision to snub participation in the Davis Cup with Australia but take up the chance to earn a seven-figure sum in Saudi Arabia.
The 27-year-old is competing at the Diriyah Tennis Cup exhibition event in Riyadh, with the three-day, 12-man event coming with a prize of $1million for the winner.
Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt and Australia number one Alex de Minaur have both revealed they tried to persuade Kyrgios to compete in Malaga last month, with their attempts ultimately being in vain.
The Wimbledon finalist referenced the negativity he has endured in his career from his homeland as a reason for his snub, saying participation in the Davis Cup "doesn't really make sense".
Australia ended up finishing as runners-up to Canada.
"Maybe if Australia embraced me a little bit more, I would play it and bring home the trophy. But who knows? At this point of my career, I'll always do what's best for me," Kyrgios told AAP News.
"I can travel around the world playing exhibitions around this time of year for six figures - you know I feel I put myself in that position - so it's an easy one for me.
"I'll easily take time with my family and my girlfriend and enjoy experiences around the world and earn that type of money rather than play a week away in something where I wouldn't be able to be with my girlfriend and I'm not getting paid that well.
"[That] doesn't really make sense to me and my progression as an athlete."
Asked whether he could envisage himself playing in the Davis Cup again, he added: "Maybe, who knows?
"Adding another week in Europe in Malaga wasn't really what was on my wish list. If it was in Australia, maybe it would have been a different story. But who knows?
"It's not always easy for me to erase everything in Australia that's said negatively about me or my family, you don't need that - so it's interesting that they really want me to play, but are always criticising.
"Look, I've always been one of the best players in the world - I’ve always held up my fair share of the bargain towards Australia.
"I feel like this is the first year I've earned respect when it should have been given when I first came on tour.
"I've represented them, put them on the map, and having produced one of the most successful male years in the last decade for Australia, and am only just getting embraced [now] - I don't think that's my fault."
Klay Thompson admitted he "fell asleep" as the Utah Jazz produced a stunning finish to snatch a dramatic 124-123 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
The Warriors roared back from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to lead by four with only 13.3 seconds to play at Vivint Arena.
Golden State paid the price for switching off in the closing stages, though, leaving Malik Beasley on his own in the right corner to give him the chance to land a three-pointer.
Simone Fontecchio then came up with a decisive dunk with 1.4 seconds to go after Utah forced a turnover from Jordan Poole.
Thompson held his hands up for not paying close attention to Beasley.
"I just fell asleep," Thompson said. "I watched the ball handler get to the rim rather than sticking on the three-point shooter. That was a dreadful mistake by myself."
Poole, who scored 36 points and provided eight assists, was at a loss to explain what happened late on.
"I heard on the catch, 'Look for the foul on the ball'," Poole said. "I don't really know [what happened], to be honest."
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr expects his team to learn from a shattering defeat.
"I feel terrible for our guys because they fought and they did a lot of great things, but we have to close the door," Kerr said.
"I thought [we] really fought and earned the right to win the game, and then we didn't close. And you've got to close.
"You've got to be rock solid with the ball. You've got to be smart defensively. We were neither of those things the last 13 seconds."
Golden State are 10th in the Western Conference at 13-13 after back-to-back losses, with the 15-12 Jazz four places above them.
Desmond Bane faces longer than expected on the sidelines after it was revealed the Memphis Grizzlies guard may not play again until January.
Struck down by a toe injury, it had been announced on November 15 that the Grizzlies would be without Bane for up to three weeks, but the wait goes on for his return.
An update from the team on Tuesday disclosed he faces up to a further four weeks out of action, and that is provided the toe reacts as the Grizzles hope it will to a gradual recovery process.
Bane has a big toe sprain and a sesamoid injury, which refers to a bone embedded within a tendon or muscle.
He sustained the toe sprain during a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 11.
In a statement, the Grizzlies said: "Upon re-evaluation, Desmond Bane is progressing in his rehabilitation from a right big toe sprain and sesamoid injury and has been cleared to begin a gradual re-loading protocol.
"If the toe responds positively to the re-loading protocol, a return to play is projected in 3-4 weeks."
Bane is averaging a career-high 24.7 points, 4.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game for Memphis in an impressive season to date. The team sit third in the Western Conference with a 16-9 record.
Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar refused to use injury as an excuse after his side were routed 4-0 by the NHL-leading Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
The short-handed Avs slumped to their third straight loss amid a swathe of injuries that have hit the squad, forcing them to call up Cal Burke, Ben Meyers, Sampo Ranta and Andreas Englund from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.
Colorado, who won last season's Stanley Cup, have used a league-high 34 players this season.
"Listen, if you're quitting, you shouldn't be in the league," Bednar told reporters. "It's a privilege to play in this league.
"It's not always going to be easy. It's a hard game. That's one. Moral victories? We’re going to take it, and we’re going to teach it.
"If this group stays the exact same moving forward for the next one game, two games, five games, I expect us to be better the next game.
"They're going to learn as a group, what it takes to be able to play in this league, what it takes to be able to have success in this league."
For the Bruins, the win improved their overall record to 21-3-1, with Taylor Hall scoring twice along with David Pastrnak and Trent Frederic adding goals. Goaltender Linus Ullmark stopped 23 shots.
Boston's 14-game NHL-record home win streak had come to an end on Monday with a 4-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, with coach Jim Montgomery delighted with Wednesday's response at altitude in Denver.
"Just the response we had after losing the game and ending our [winning] streak at home, we come back and get on the road, and it was a great start to our road trip," Montgomery said.
"We made some big blocks. I thought Brandon Carlo was outstanding on the penalty kill and made some really smart offensive zone plays, too."
The Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics had a statement win over the Western Conference-leading Phoenix Suns with a 125-98 blowout victory on Wednesday.
The Celtics led by as much as 45 points and benched MVP candidate Jayson Tatum in the fourth quarter, in a game where the Suns welcomed back All-Star Chris Paul from a heel injury.
Tatum finished with 25 points with five rebounds, two assists and two steals. The 24-year-old is the first player in Celtics history to average 30 points per game in his first 25 games of any season.
Jaylen Brown also scored 25 points with seven rebounds, while Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points off the bench.
Boston led 69-42 at half-time in the blowout win, which was the Celtics' second-biggest margin this season.
Devin Booker struggled with four fouls and three field-goals made in the first half, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists. Paul had four points and four assists in 24 minutes on his return.
The result means the Celtics improved to an NBA-best 21-5 record after three straight wins, while the Suns fall to 16-9.
Giannis powers Bucks to another win
Giannis Antetokounmpo matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the second-longest streak of consecutive 30-point games (eight) in franchise history as the Milwaukee Bucks downed the Sacramento Kings 126-113.
The Greek forward finished with 35 points on 12-of-19 field-goal shooting, with six rebounds and six assists as the Bucks improved to 18-6 with their third straight win. The victory extended the Bucks' win streak against the Kings to 13.
Bucks guard Jrue Holiday made an excellent contribution with 31 points, five rebounds and six assists, while Kings forward Domantas Sabonis added 23 points with 12 rebounds.
Banchero clutch in Magic OT win
Top overall NBA Draft pick Pablo Banchero showcased his potential to help the Orlando Magic snap their nine-game losing streak with a 116-111 overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 20-year-old power forward scored 23 points for the game, including making all six of his free-throws in the final seven seconds of overtime to overturn a 111-110 deficit. The Clippers gave up two turnovers down the stretch.
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard made another rare appearance together again, combining for 17 first-quarter points. George finished with 11 for the game with seven rebounds and five assists, while Leonard added 14 points with seven rebounds and three assists.
The Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics had a statement win over the Western Conference-leading Phoenix Suns with a 125-98 blowout victory on Wednesday.
The Celtics led by as much as 45 points and benched MVP candidate Jayson Tatum in the fourth quarter, in a game where the Suns welcomed back All-Star Chris Paul from a heel injury.
Tatum finished with 25 points with five rebounds, two assists and two steals. The 24-year-old is the first player in Celtics history to average 30 points per game in his first 25 games of any season.
Jaylen Brown also scored 25 points with seven rebounds, while Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points off the bench.
Boston led 69-42 at half-time in the blowout win, which was the Celtics' second-biggest margin this season.
Devin Booker struggled with four fouls and three field-goals made in the first half, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists. Paul had four points and four assists in 24 minutes on his return.
The result means the Celtics improved to an NBA-best 21-5 record after three straight wins, while the Suns fall to 16-9.
Giannis powers Bucks to another win
Giannis Antetokounmpo matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the second-longest streak of consecutive 30-point games (eight) in franchise history as the Milwaukee Bucks downed the Sacramento Kings 126-113.
The Greek forward finished with 35 points on 12-of-19 field-goal shooting, with six rebounds and six assists as the Bucks improved to 18-6 with their third straight win. The victory extended the Bucks' win streak against the Kings to 13.
Bucks guard Jrue Holiday made an excellent contribution with 31 points, five rebounds and six assists, while Kings forward Domantas Sabonis added 23 points with 12 rebounds.
Banchero clutch in Magic OT win
Top overall NBA Draft pick Pablo Banchero showcased his potential to help the Orlando Magic snap their nine-game losing streak with a 116-111 overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 20-year-old power forward scored 23 points for the game, including making all six of his free-throws in the final seven seconds of overtime to overturn a 111-110 deficit. The Clippers gave up two turnovers down the stretch.
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard made another rare appearance together again, combining for 17 first-quarter points. George finished with 11 for the game with seven rebounds and five assists, while Leonard added 14 points with seven rebounds and three assists.
After the Washington Nationals selected right-hander Thad Ward from the Boston Red Sox with the top pick in the Rule 5 draft, the Philadelphia Phillies turned heads by taking pitcher Noah Song, who has spent the past three years in active military service.
The Red Sox drafted Song in the fourth round out of the Naval Academy in 2019 and hoped the right-hander would be able to get out of his military commitment, but that hasn’t happened.
Song has remained on the military reserve list, where the Phillies will keep him, so he won’t take up a spot on the 40-man roster.
“There’s some uncertainty surrounding the pick for sure,” Phillies general manager Sam Fuld said. “But we feel like the upside of the player is enough to take a chance.”
In November 2019, Defense Secretary Mark Esper signed a memo clearing the way for athletes at the nation's military academies to delay their service commitments and play pro sports after graduation. Song's request to have those new rules retroactively applied to his case was denied.
The 25-year-old impressed in seven starts and 17 innings for Boston’s Class Lowell affiliate in 2019, with a 1.06 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 17 innings. That came after he was 11-1 with a 1.44 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 94 innings as a senior for the U.S. Naval Academy.
Song began school as a flight officer in the summer of 2020 and finished that phase last April. He started additional aviation training in May.
Of the 15 players selected in the major league phase of the draft, three each were taken from the Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Besides Ward and Song, Boston also lost pitcher Andrew Politi to the Baltimore Orioles.
The Oakland Athletics took first baseman Ryan Noda second overall from the Dodgers, the Pittsburgh Pirates grabbed left-hander Jose Hernandez and the Milwaukee Brewers nabbed right-hander Gus Varland, also from the Dodgers.
The Boston Red Sox have agreed to a five-year, $90 million contract with Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida.
Yoshida, who is a four-time Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) All-Star, joined the Red Sox the day after he was posted by his Japanese team, the Orix Buffaloes, making him available to MLB franchises.
The Buffaloes are the reigning Japanese champions with Yoshida hitting .335/.441/.561 with 21 home runs, 80 walks and only 41 strikeouts from 508 plate appearances.
The Red Sox will also pay an additional $15.4m posting fee to the Buffaloes, rounding out the bumper deal at $105.4m.
Boston also agreed to a two-year, $32 million contract with former Atlanta Braves closer Kenley Jansen on Wednesday to add depth to their bullpen.
The Red Sox finished bottom of the AL East division with a 78-84 record in 2022.
All-Star guard Dejounte Murray exited the Atlanta Hawks' game with the New York Knicks on Wednesday with a left ankle sprain.
Murray, who was traded to the Hawks from the San Antonio Spurs in the offseason, limped off in the first quarter after only four minutes on court.
The 26-year-old landed awkwardly on R.J. Barrett's foot as came down from a mid-range jump shot and was slow to get to his feet.
The guard had initially been listed as questionable, before the Hawks later ruled him out for the game.
Murray is averaging a career-high 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists through 24 games this season for the Hawks, who came into Wednesday's game with a 13-11 record.
Chris Paul is expected to play for the Phoenix Suns for the first time in a month when they take on the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
Paul has been absent since November 7 after injuring his heel in the 100-88 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Suns have gone 9-5 without Paul on the court and will head into the match-up with the Celtics in first place in the Western Conference.
Paul's return comes as the Suns prepare to take on Boston, who are top of the Eastern Conference and boast the NBA's best record at 20-5.
"I feel pretty good," Paul told reporters. "I'm going to see how I feel after this and go from there."
Injury aside, 37-year-old Paul has had his struggles this season, averaging just 9.5 points-per-game and shooting at just 36.8 per cent, both career-lows.
Kyle Shanahan is not counting on seeing Jimmy Garoppolo back on the field for the San Francisco 49ers this season.
Quarterback Garoppolo broke his foot in the first quarter of Sunday's 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins and head coach Shanahan confirmed a report from Tuesday that he did not suffer a Lisfranc injury that would require surgery.
Without the need for surgery and without any ligament damage, the timeline to recover from a fractured foot is in the seven-to-eight week range.
It was then being reported that he could be able to return for a Divisional Round game or the NFC Championship game, should the 49ers make it that far.
While his foot may be healed by the middle of January, Shanahan said he is not going to be ready to get back on the field from such an injury.
'"There's that way outside chance late in the playoffs or something like that,'' Shanahan said on Wednesday.
"'But it's just an outside chance. I'm not really real optimistic about that. But they didn't rule it out.
"'I know it's a serious injury that will likely keep him out for the year. It's really good news that there's no ligament damage or anything so he'll be fine once the broken bone heals.''
There is also the fact to consider if the 49ers are still alive in the second or third week of the playoffs, that Garoppolo’s replacement, Brock Purdy, is more than likely playing well enough.
After Garoppolo was injured against the Dolphins, Purdy capped his first drive with a three-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Juszczyk to put the 49ers ahead.
He threw another three-yard TD pass to Christian McCaffrey, and finished the day 25 of 37 for 210 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against a defense that attempted to unsettle him with blitzes.
Purdy, who was the last pick of this year's draft, had just attempted nine passes in his career prior to facing the Dolphins, and now gets a full week of preparation in practice with San Francisco's deep group of playmakers led by McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk.
''We're trying not to make a drastic change,'' Shanahan said. ''They have a similar skill set. We got a lot of confidence in Brock. We've seen him in practice. That's why we were confident enough.
"He hasn't played a ton football, so there is some unknown out there. But we know he's got the ability to do it. We know he's got the mentality to do it.''
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis announced on Wednesday he will forgo his final season of eligibility and declare for the 2023 NFL draft, where the fifth-year senior is viewed as a possible top-10 pick.
Levis said in a social media post that he will also miss the Wildcat'’ matchup with Iowa in the Music City Bowl on New Year's Eve to begin preparations for a pro career.
"After much thought, I have decided to forgo my final college football game, look to that next step, and declare for the NFL draft," Levis wrote.
"To my team-mates, UK staff members, Wildcat community, and (Big Blue Nation), I cannot thank you enough. I'll forever be indebted to all those I had the pleasure to cross paths with here, and my immense love for you will remain strong in my heart, forever."
Levis is considered one of three potential franchise quarterbacks eligible for next year's draft, along with Alabama's Bryce Young and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud.
Young has yet to announce a decision on his future plans, while Stroud is preparing for the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff clash with No. 1 Georgia in the December 31 Peach Bowl.
The 23-year-old Levis established himself as an elite prospect with two outstanding seasons at Kentucky after transferring from Penn State.
He helped the Wildcats to only the fourth 10-win season in program history by throwing for 2,826 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2021, and threw for 2,406 yards and 19 touchdowns in 11 games this season for a Kentucky program that was ranked as high as No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25.
"Because of Kentucky, I found belief and confidence in myself that had not been reached beforehand and most importantly, we won some incredibly memorable ball games in my college career," Levis said. "It has been a great move forward."
It's crunch time in the fantasy football season.
For many leagues, this is the final week of the regular-season campaign.
By this point, the contenders have been firmly separated from the pretenders and, if you're lucky enough to be in the former category and still in the hunt for the playoffs, you need to nail your lineup every week.
Stats Perform is here to offer a helping hand, with a look at four offensive players and a defense that are excellent bets for success in Week 14 of the NFL season.
Quarterback: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins @ Los Angeles Chargers
It would be understandable to be somewhat deterred by Tagovailoa's four-turnover performance in the Dolphins' defeat to the San Francisco 49ers last week.
But even in one of his worst performances of the season, Tagovailoa still threw two long touchdown passes and, on another day, several of the potential big plays he missed would have resulted in game-shifting completions.
Having faced the NFL's top defense in Week 13, Tagovailoa gets a more favourable opponent in Week 14, with a Chargers defense allowing the eighth-most yards per play (6.59) in the league sure to present plenty of opportunities for him to bounce back.
Running Back: Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens
It's tough to trust the Steelers offense, but things are lining up well for Harris to excel in this AFC North rivalry game.
Harris has at least 86 rushing yards in three of his last four games, which have seen him score three touchdowns.
With Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson injured, a defensive struggle in which the Steelers can lean on the run game appears likely in Pittsburgh, potentially setting Harris up for his best game of the year, if he can shake off an oblique issue.
Wide Receiver: Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Rams
Adams has returned to his Green Bay Packers form as the Raiders have surged back to somewhere near playoff contention.
Since Week 9, Adams leads the NFL in receiving yards per game (132.8) and receiving touchdowns (7).
On Thursday, he faces a Rams defense that is a shadow of its 2021 self without Aaron Donald. Look for his hot streak to continue in primetime.
Tight End: T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions
How about a little tight end revenge game?!
Okay, so Hockenson might not have much against the Lions after they dealt him to a Vikings team destined for the playoffs, but he is in a great spot to do significant damage against his former employers.
Hockenson has averaged eight targets per game since his Vikings debut in Week 9. Against a Lions defense allowing 402.2 total yards per game, that kind of target share could result in a huge day for the former first-round pick.
Defense/Special Teams: Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos
The Kansas City defense is vulnerable to the run and last week gave up 431 yards to the Cincinnati Bengals.
But the Broncos' offense is not close to the standard of the Bengals and is averaging just 13.6 points per game. There is no concern for Kansas City's defense here.
The in-form Los Angeles Lakers will have to face the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday without star duo LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
James has been ruled out with left ankle soreness, while Davis remains sidelined after showing flu-like symptoms during Tuesday's defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers, though the Lakers have said it is not COVID-19-related.
After a poor start to the season in which they lost 10 of their first 12 games, the Lakers went on a run of 8-2 from their next 10, before going down to the Cavs last time out.
Davis (27.3) and James (25.8) are comfortably their team's top point-scorers this season, with Davis in particular thriving of late, scoring a combined 99 points in recent wins at the Milwaukee Bucks (44) and Washington Wizards (55).
James has been his usual influential self recently, making 17 rebounds against the Cavaliers, tied for the third-most in his career in a single game and the most in any road game.
In a further blow to coach Darvin Ham, Patrick Beverley has also been listed as doubtful for the game against the Raptors due to right knee soreness.
Injured Buffalo Bills pass-rusher Von Miller has been ruled out for the remainder of the NFL season.
Two-time Super Bowl champion Miller had initially hoped for a swift return after suffering a knee injury in Week 12 against the Detroit Lions.
He missed the Week 13 triumph against the New England Patriots and was placed on injured reserve as the Bills hoped to ease him back into the fold.
However, exploratory surgery was conducted on Tuesday and confirmed a torn ACL, ruling him out for the rest of the campaign in a huge blow for the Bills, with Miller leading the team on eight sacks.
Speaking to reporters, head coach Sean McDermott said: "It's a very unfortunate situation for Von and for our team.
"We care for him, like we do with any player, we know how much this means, in terms of playing and being with the team.
"We look forward to getting him back, off the field, for the rest of the season for his leadership.
"You care about every player and it affects you when guys go down, it's the business we are in, it's a physical game.
"We care for everyone, we care for Von in this case, and we will certainly miss him. But as I said last week, it's a time and an opportunity for one of the other guys to step up."
The Bills sit top of the AFC East with a 9-3 record and host the New York Jets in Week 14 on the back of a three-game win streak.
They are tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the conference and started the season as Super Bowl favourites.
England's decision to sack head coach Eddie Jones nine months before the Rugby World Cup is "utter madness", according to former back-row James Haskell.
Jones' fate was confirmed on Tuesday following a review by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) into recent results.
England have endured their worst calendar year since 2008 in terms of results, having won just five of their 12 Tests in 2022, most recently going down 27-13 to South Africa.
Despite a disappointing year, however, Jones bows out with the best win rate (73 per cent) of any head coach in England's history, having won 59 of his 81 Tests at the helm.
Haskell, who played under Jones prior to retiring in 2019, believes the Australian should have remained in the position until his contract expired after next year's World Cup.
"Personally, I think it's utter madness," he told Sky Sports. "You've literally taken the most successful World Cup coach and binned him nine months before a World Cup.
"He's been to three World Cup finals [two as head coach, one as a technical adviser], he's won one [with South Africa as technical adviser, 2007] and lost two."
Jones led England to their first Six Nations Grand Slam in 13 years in 2016, then won the Six Nations tournament again in 2017 and 2020, while also reaching the 2019 World Cup final.
He won his first 17 games with England, which was part of an 18-game win streak overall, the joint longest of any Tier 1 nation.
The 62-year-old will be replaced by forwards coach Richard Cockerill on an interim basis, with Leicester Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick the favourite to take over permanently.
"The best thing is, the person [the RFU] want to replace Jones with at this point in time, and obviously it's an ever-movable feast, is not available," Haskell added.
"So you're going to put someone else in charge for the Six Nations who hasn't been an international coach.
"All because of some grumpy old journalists, and miserable fans, who decided to gang up to get rid of him. It's pretty much the story of the modern world."
Borthwick worked alongside Jones with Japan and England before taking over at Leicester in 2020 and guiding them to the Premiership title last season.
While Haskell questioned the decision to replace Jones, fellow former England player Ugo Monye has backed Borthwick to succeed if he is appointed.
"If he is the man, I think it is a great appointment," Monye told Rugby Union Weekly. "We don't have nine months to experiment, we have nine months to nail our identity.
"He gets it. He understands the personality of the game at the domestic level, what the players want, what the fans want, it feels like a necessity to connect all that together."
Aaron Judge has reportedly agreed a nine-year, $360million deal to stay with the New York Yankees.
The contract surpasses the $330m deal signed by Bryce Harper with the Philadelphia Phillies, making it the largest free-agent agreement in MLB history.
The slugger, who last season broke the American League record for home runs in a single season with 62, was the top prize on the market in MLB this offseason.
Chatter at MLB's winter meetings had indicated on Tuesday that Judge could be headed to the San Francisco Giants.
Judge was born in Northern California in Sacramento and grew up a Giants fan.
However, the four-time All-Star has eschewed the chance to play for his boyhood team and will now instead remain in the Bronx.
MLB Network's Jon Morosi and The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal each reported the terms of the deal, which is pending a physical.
A first-round pick of the Yankees in 2013, Judge has 220 home runs since making his MLB debut in 2016.
Only Nolan Arenado (229) has more home runs in that span.
His incredible efforts last season propelled the Yankees to a 99-63 record, the second-best in the American League.
However, they were swept by the team with the league's best record, the Houston Astros (106-56), in the ALCS. The Astros went on to beat the Phillies in the World Series.
The Lawn Tennis Association has been hit with an £820,000 fine by the ATP for banning Russian and Belarusian male players from its 2022 grass-court events, including Wimbledon.
The ban was imposed upon players from those nations following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, supported by Belarus, but has been deemed to have breached ATP rules.
In a statement, the LTA expressed its disappointment with the decision and accused the ATP of not recognising "exceptional circumstances".
"The LTA is deeply disappointed with this outcome," the statement read. "The ATP, in its finding, has shown no recognition of the exceptional circumstances created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, or the international sporting community and UK Government's response to that invasion.
"The ATP appear to regard this matter as a straightforward breach of their rules – with a surprising lack of empathy shown for the situation in Ukraine, and a clear lack of understanding of the unique circumstances the LTA faced."
The LTA said the fine will prevent the organisation from holding smaller events to give opportunities to lower-ranked players, and announced that plans for ATP Challenger level events will be scrapped.
A previous fine was issued by the WTA for the banning of female Russian and Belarusian players, which has been appealed by the LTA.
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