The Golden State Warriors began their pre-season with a 96-87 win against the Washington Wizards in Saitama, Japan thanks to an impressive showing from James Wiseman.
A sold-out Saitama Super Arena watched on as Wiseman top-scored with 20 points from almost 24 minutes on the court.
However, it was understandably Japan's own Rui Hachimura who garnered the most noise from an adoring crowd, registering 13 points for the Wizards and, like Wiseman, a game-high nine rebounds.
After the game, coach of the defending NBA champion Warriors Steve Kerr conceded it had not been the highest-quality contest due to it being so early in pre-season, but told reporters how pleased he was with Wiseman's performance.
"James has had a really good few days of practice," he said of the 21-year-old. "His understanding of spacing and defensive communication, being in the right place, he just has a much better sense of the NBA game now than he did a couple of years ago.
"He's been putting a ton of work in, last year despite injury, he was studying and watching tape and learning from our older guys, so I couldn't be happier for James."
Kerr referenced the "really good atmosphere" and also spoke about the adulation received by Washington's Hachimura, and the potential benefits for the NBA's global appeal as a result.
"You see how popular he is," he said. "When he spoke to the crowd they went crazy, and it was a great moment.
"The game has been a global one for a long time but the more international stars we can get, the more popular the game becomes in that particular player's country, so hopefully we'll have more and more players coming from Japan to the NBA.
"You can see it's a basketball-crazed country, people love it here and it's fun to be a part of."
A second game between the two teams in Saitama will be played on Sunday.
The NFL returns to London on Sunday with Tottenham Hotspur Stadium playing host to the Minnesota Vikings' clash with the New Orleans Saints.
Back-to-back defeats against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers have left the Saints looking for a response in their trip across the pond, with those losses coming despite impressive defensive performances. The Saints have held their opponents to fewer than 250 net passing yards and no more than one TD pass in nine straight games.
This season, the Saints have allowed a total of 551 passing yards (183.7 per game), which stands as the fifth-best record in the NFL. On the ground though, the story is far different – allowing 418 yards total (139.3 per game), the seventh-most.
Offensively, no team has lost more fumbles (4) than the Saints this season or thrown more interceptions (5), resulting in a turnover differential of minus 6 – again more than anyone else.
On the opposing side, the Vikings have allowed a total of 413.3 total yards per game, sitting behind only the Ravens (458) for the highest total of yards allowed per game. However, the Ravens have only allowed 18.3 points per game this season – enough to slot them into the top 10 for the fewest conceded this term.
Kirk Cousins will fancy his chances against the Saints, as he boasts a career passer rating of 126.7 against New Orleans in the regular season; the highest of any quarterback against a single opponent in the Super Bowl era (minimum 125 attempts).
In his four career matches against the Saints, Cousins has thrown 12 TD passes and just one interception, though he has lost each of his last three matchups against New Orleans.
Richard Mansell overcame tricky conditions to shoot a four-under-par 68 to ensure he goes into the weekend at the top of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship leaderboard.
Mansell carded the lowest score of the round to get to ten under par, helped by four birdies on the front nine as he battled through the wet and windy weather.
The Englishman now holds a two-shot lead over Sweden's Alex Noren in second, while Antoine Rozner and Niklas Norgaard Moller sit three shots behind the leader on seven under par.
Romain Langasque, who equalled the best-ever round at the Old Course at St Andrews with his opening round of 11-under-par on Thursday, endured a nightmare second day as he shot an eight-over-par 80 to fall to 19th.
Rory McIlroy was another to struggle with the conditions, with the world number two going round in 75 at Kingsbarns to drop to joint-43rd.
Scot Robert MacIntyre remains in contention after carding a second round of 70, while English pair Callum Shinkwin and Daniel Gavins are also in striking distance on five under par.
Premier League football returns in full fashion this weekend for the first time in four weeks, with the Manchester derby a highlight.
Free-scoring Manchester City have excelled so far this term, only dropping points in draws against Aston Villa and Newcastle United, while Manchester United have won their past four after starting the season with back-to-back losses.
United have already shown intent in key matches with victories against Arsenal and Liverpool, while City are yet to face one of the established 'top six' after their clash with Tottenham was postponed.
Ahead of the game, Stats Perform has dived into the Opta stats to highlight the key angles of the match.
City's pursuit of dominance
Victory for City would mark the third in a row in the Premier League against United for the first time since a streak of four wins between April 2013 and November 2014 – including a 4-1 triumph in this fixture last season.
Defeat for United would also be their 18th in the Premier League against their cross-city rivals, equalling Liverpool and Chelsea for the most losses they have suffered in the history of the competition.
City were last beaten at home against Tottenham in February and have lost only 15 of 117 Premier League matches at the Etihad Stadium with Pep Guardiola at the helm, though he has won only two of six in the league against United at the venue.
United's solid form
Four victories in a row in the Premier League for United, on the back of four consecutive defeats, has put Erik ten Hag's side in good form heading into a crucial stage of the season and the club have not won five league games on the spin since April 2021 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
While City have home advantage on Sunday, the away side in the Manchester derby have won 21 times in the Premier League, with no fixture being won by the visitors more times in the competition's history – three of those being for United against Guardiola's City.
United have also won two of their past three against City at the Etihad Stadium, with a 2-0 victory in March 2021 and a 2-1 triumph in December 2019.
Haaland's haunts
Hat-tricks in back-to-back Premier League home matches heading into the Manchester derby have put Erling Haaland in with an opportunity to secure further history, with no player in the competition's history netting a treble in three consecutive home games before.
City's dominance at home is not just down to the former Borussia Dortmund man, however, as they have won each of their past seven Premier League matches at home, scoring at least three goals on each occasion – a run that stretches back to last season.
No team have won eight straight matches in the top flight of English football while scoring at least three goals in each since Tottenham between March and September 1965.
Guardiola's free-scoring side have scored 10 goals in the first half of matches and 13 in the second half, both of which are more than the eight goals United have in total – while United have conceded 75 per cent of their goals in the opening half (6/8).
Ten Hag seeks to end sorry run
Ten Hag has never faced off against Guardiola during the pair's managerial career and he will be looking to end a sorry run for United managers in his first Manchester derby since taking over at the club.
Each of the five previous United managers to have taken charge of a Premier League match against City in the league have lost their first – with David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick all suffering defeats.
That leaves Alex Ferguson as the last United manager to win his first league match against City, which came way back in March 1987.
Casper Ruud stumbled to defeat against Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka as the French Open and US Open runner-up bowed out in the Korea Open quarter-finals.
World number two Ruud lost 6-2 3-6 6-2 in Seoul on Friday as the Norwegian found the going too tough in his first tournament in Asia for three years.
Ranked 56th before this week, Nishioka is one win away from vaulting back into the top 50, potentially going beyond his highest ranking of 48th if he reaches the final.
He said, quoted on the ATP website: "I feel great. My motivation is very high. I am playing very well, very smart."
Assessing top seed Ruud, Nishioka said: "I know he came from Europe and played at the Laver Cup, which is not easy matches. He wasn't settled on this court or this country yet, maybe. I was ready. I was focused on playing against him and I had a plan and it worked."
Nishioka had an outstanding run to the Washington final in August, before losing out to Nick Kyrgios in the title match. That was a major outlier in his season, which has consisted largely of early-round defeats.
His semi-final opponent will be American Aleksandar Kovacevic, a 24-year-old world number 222 who is enjoying the biggest week of his career. A 'lucky loser', handed his place in the draw when a spot opened up, Kovacevic has taken full advantage and beat compatriot Mackenzie McDonald 4-6 6-3 6-2 in their last-eight battle.
Canadian Denis Shapovalov, still seeking a first final appearance of the year, moved one step away by beating Moldova's Radu Albot 6-2 6-2, setting up a clash with American Jenson Brooksby, who was handed a bye due to Cameron Norrie pulling out with illness.
Fernando Alonso will make a record 351st start when he competes in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix – and his first Formula One boss believes there are many more to come.
Gian Carlo Minardi was managing director of the Minardi team when a young Alonso made his F1 debut in 2001, on the road to becoming a double world champion.
Those titles came in 2005 and 2006 at Renault, whom Alonso joined after only one year with Minardi, and he has missed only two seasons since, sitting out 2019 and 2020 when scratching an itch to compete in other motorsport events.
This weekend he will beat a record previously held by Kimi Raikkonen, who contested 350 grands prix, with Alonso competing for Alpine ahead of an end-of-season switch to Aston Martin.
Minardi told Stats Perform he is confident the 41-year-old Alonso will remain a strong presence on the grid for years to come.
"I recently met him in Monza, and he was very excited," Minardi said. "I would say he doesn't look 41 from an athletic point of view, so I guess he is very fit and keen to prove who he is, and with his new contract he will beat other records not easily reachable for other drivers."
Alonso can also beat the record of the most F1 races finished this weekend, another mark he shares with Raikkonen on 278.
Minardi recalled first getting to know Alonso in 1999, with F1 tests for the youngster soon following in Jerez, where his performance levels were "jaw-dropping".
According to Minardi, Alonso had the ability to win "more than five world titles" and ranks as "one of the drivers who made the difference in the last two generations".
Ahead of another move, as the drive with Aston Martin awaits, Minardi said: "Let's hope that this change – because one of Fernando's weaknesses is that he has always been unlucky when changing the team – is beneficial to him and Aston Martin can equip him with what Aston Martin had at their debut.
"Today, without a reason and despite their Mercedes engine, they struggle to get the results they did some years ago.
"So I wish him the best to watch him entertain us. That is what I told him... I still have fun watching you drive, so keep it up."
Week 4 of the NFL season promises plenty of excitement following a blistering start to the 2022 season.
The season has so far been defined by close finishes. Through three weeks, there have been 18 games decided by three points or fewer this season, the most such games through the first three weeks of a season in NFL history.
A packed crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will hope to see another tight game as the NFL returns to London with the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings facing off.
The Washington Commanders travel to face the Dallas Cowboys in a fierce rivalry and the Philadelphia Eagles will look to extend their winning streak against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With plenty more on the agenda, Stats Perform has used its data to preview this week's games.
Minnesota Vikings (1-2) @ New Orleans Saints (1-2)
A high-scoring affair should be on the cards in London, as the Vikings and Saints have put up 700 points (53.8 per game) over their last 13 regular season matchups dating back to 1995 – more than any other game with at least a dozen meetings.
The Vikings are in very capable hands with Kirk Cousins, who has a career passer rating of 126.7 against the Saints in the regular season, the highest by any QB against a single opponent in the Super Bowl era (minimum 125 attempts).
However, they face a Saints defense that has held opponents to fewer than 250 passing yards and one touchdown pass for nine straight games, a franchise record, while the only team in the last 10 years to enjoy a longer streak was the New England Patriots in 2019.
Chris Olave boasts 268 receiving yards in his first three career games but is yet to score a touchdown, a record which stands as the most since Charlie Wade's 315 yards without a TD in his first three games for the Chicago Bears in 1974.
Washington Commanders (1-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
The Cowboys host the Commanders having won both matchups last season, including a 56-14 triumph in Week 14 that stands as the highest margin of victory for either team in the all-time series.
With six sacks in the Week 2 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals and five sacks last weekend against the New York Giants, the Cowboys have recorded five or more sacks in consecutive games for the first time since a four-game streak in November/December 2008.
That will be of particular concern to Carson Wentz, who was sacked a career-high nine times in the Commanders' home loss to the Eagles last week – the most of any QB for the franchise since John Beck was sacked 10 times by the Buffalo Bills in 2011.
Fourth-quarter offense has been a highlight for Washington, though, totalling 455 scrimmage yards (342 passing, 113 rushing) and standing third in the NFL for the most fourth-quarter yards in 2022 behind the Saints (541) and the Indianapolis Colts (456).
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) @ Philadelphia Eagles (3-0)
The only 3-0 side to play on Sunday, the Eagles have held the Jaguars to under 20 points in the last four matchups between the two sides stretching back to 2006, tied for the second-longest active such run for Philadelphia behind the six-game streak against the Jets.
In the past two weeks, the Eagles have kept their opponents to under 10 points (8 vs Washington, 7 vs Minnesota) and are the only NFL team this season to achieve the feat in consecutive games, while Philadelphia last went three in a row in that regard in 1980.
The Jaguars are 2-1 at the start of the season for the first time since 2018 and have scored 84 points, the third-most by the team in the opening three games of the season in franchise history (98 in 1997 and 89 in 2017).
Both teams rank in the top five in the NFL for total first downs this season, with the Eagles (73) third and the Jaguars (70) fifth.
Elsewhere…
The Los Angeles Chargers travel to face the Houston Texans having being held to just 26 yards on the ground against the Jaguars last week and have 177 rushing yards in the NFL this season, the fewest in three games in team history.
A total of 572 rushing yards this season places the Cleveland Browns as the NFL's best on the ground this season and they visit the Atlanta Falcons having amassed their highest total through their first three games of a campaign since 1963.
The Seattle Seahawks tackle the Lions boasting seven wins in the last eight matchups against Detroit dating back to 2003, the third-best record by an NFC team against a conference opponent over the past 20 seasons.
The Titans have won each of the last three games against the Colts, including a 34-31 win in overtime last season. A victory this weekend would make this Tennessee's outright longest winning streak against Indianapolis (also three straight wins between 1988 and 1992).
The Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder have negotiated an eight-player trade, according to reports.
The deal will see center Derrick Favors head to the Rockets, along with Ty Jerome, Theo Maledon, Moe Harkless and a 2025 second-round draft pick.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Thunder will in turn receive David Nwaba, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke and Marquese Chriss from Houston.
It would mean the Thunder will have dropped roughly $10million below the luxury tax threshold, and both teams will have 18 guaranteed contracts on their rosters, which need to be reduced to 15 by October 17.
OKC only acquired Harkless and the 2025 draft pick in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks for Vit Krejci earlier this week, presumably with this deal in mind.
Of the players traded, only Maledon and Nwaba are under contract for the 2023-24 season, both with team options.
The Rockets get their pre-season under way on Sunday with a game against the San Antonio Spurs, while the Thunder face the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
Not satisfied with ending the longest playoff drought in American sports, Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais is now targeting World Series success.
The Mariners are set to return to the MLB postseason on Friday after moving just one win away with a typically chaotic 10-9 walk-off victory over the Texas Rangers in the 11th inning on Thursday.
Defeat for the Baltimore Orioles at the New York Yankees or a Mariners win against the Oakland Athletics would now clinch a Wild Card berth ahead of the final weekend of the regular season.
The city of Seattle has not seen playoff baseball since the 2001 season, with the subsequent 21 years representing the longest active drought in MLB or indeed any of the four major sports in the United States.
While ending that wait has consumed Servais and his players, they have already changed their focus.
The Mariners are the only team in the major leagues never to reach the World Series – the Washington Nationals in 2019 were the last franchise to make their World Series debut – but Servais believes this group of players are capable.
"We've got a really good team – that's why it's exciting," he said after the Rangers win.
"We can pitch, we have clutch hitting, we can defend, we can run the bases. We check a lot of the boxes that you need to have that team to get deep in the playoffs, into the World Series and win it.
"I know everybody is exhausted; we've got to end the drought, end the drought – I've heard it for seven years. Every day, when I get up in the morning and I drive to work, that's what's on my mind.
"But the goal is to win the World Series; it's not just to end the drought. We will end the drought tomorrow. We're going to."
India will stage a MotoGP race for the first time in 2023 as top-tier international motorsport returns to the Buddh International Circuit.
It was confirmed on Friday that the venue in Uttar Pradesh that staged three Formula One races from 2011 to 2013 would host the world's fastest riders on two wheels at the Grand Prix of Bharat.
According to organisers, India is a country where there are over 200 million motorcycles on the roads, making it a prime location to stage world-class racing.
India's sports minister Anurag Thakur said: "It's a historical day for sporting industry and tribute to 75th year of India's celebration."
The race weekend is provisionally scheduled for September 22-24 2023.
Dorna, the commercial rights holder for MotoGP, said it was "very proud" to be taking the sport to India, describing the country as "a key market for the motorcycle industry" and "the pinnacle of the two-wheeled world" for motorsport.
Speaking to Stats Perform, Dorna chief sporting officer Carlos Ezpeleta described India as "one of our key targets that we have had for quite some time".
He said the experience of other championships in India had been "quite challenging", with F1 having notably pulled out after its brief dalliance with holding races in the country.
Ezpeleta added: "We're now excited that this opportunity has come and it's a huge market for the motorcycle industry, and also for MotoGP as a sport, as a property with a huge potential to grow the fan base of the sport over there, which is already strong."
Although Formula One did not stay long, Ezpeleta sees MotoGP as having greater potential for sustained success.
He said: "I think that on the championship side, MotoGP is something which is probably a better fit for the Indian market, in terms of how the bigger part of the population can relate to itself and see the motorbike as something which is aspirational to them."
Zac Taylor was "just really proud" of the Cincinnati Bengals after they toppled the Miami Dolphins 27-15 – as he expressed concern for the injured Tua Tagovailoa.
The Bengals head coach saw opposition quarterback Tagovailoa taken away to hospital in the second quarter after sustaining what the Dolphins said were head and neck injuries.
Tagovailoa took a blow to the back of his head in a Josh Tupou sack and appeared to suffer a seizure upon initial contact with the pitch. It came after he also took a heavy hit in last week's win over the Buffalo Bills.
After tight losses to the Steelers and the Cowboys in the opening two weeks, there was relief in the Bengals camp that they had got back to 2-2 for the season, but concern too about the health of Tagovailoa.
Asked about how he handled talks with his players as Tagovailoa received medical attention, Taylor said: "It's a heavy moment. He's a guy with tremendous character, and you hate to see that happen.
"It's a tough moment for everybody, especially them, then to take it to third-and-long, and you've got to come out there and respond. I won't say that there's in-depth conversations going on, but certainly thinking about Tua, and that's a horrible thing to see."
It soon emerged Tagovailoa was to be discharged from hospital in what looked to be a positive update from the Dolphins.
Taylor said Thursday night's win for his Bengals players was "expected, just because we've got a great team", as a record home crowd of 67,260 watched on.
"I love this team. I love everything about them. They didn't hesitate for one second after those first two weeks when all the noise was getting out about expectations," Taylor added.
"They didn't let that affect them for one second. They just came out and answered the bell, and responded for two consecutive weeks. I'm just really proud of them on this stage, against that team. That's a really good football team – they're going to win a lot of games.
"I thought they handled every moment in this game exactly how they needed to, especially in the second half. Capitalising on turnovers, touchdowns, special teams stepping up big – that was just a great way to win a Thursday night game."
The coach rates his group as "championship calibre players" and saluted a "lights-out" performance from quarterback Joe Burrow, who completed 20 of 31 attempts for 287 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
When it comes to defense, Taylor is confident the Bengals are among the best in the business.
"I've got a lot of faith in our defense," he said. "It's like comparing your children, so I'm not comparing them to the other [units], but we know that when need them to step up, they're going to do it. Whether that's putting pressure on the quarterback, being tight in coverage, creating those turnovers they did – that's a really explosive team."
Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan is optimistic Lonzo Ball's latest knee surgery will address his ongoing discomfort but refused to put a timeframe on his return.
Bulls guard Ball on Wednesday underwent a second arthroscopic surgery on the knee which has seen him sidelined since January.
Ball revealed on Tuesday that he is still unable to run or jump due to the pain in his left knee.
Donovan said Ball's operation "went well", although he was cautious to commit to any timeline on a return to practice or playing.
"You always try to stay optimistic that this will get resolved and he'll be fine," he said.
"But until he gets back and gets into the situations that were causing him pain, to see how he responds in being back in those situations, we'll find out more.
"I don't know how long it will take before he can actually start the rehab process."
Prior to Wednesday's procedure, the Bulls had announced they would re-evaluate Ball's status in four to six weeks, meaning he is unlikely to play in the NBA until November at the earliest, given he has not played since January 14.
"You've also got a player that's been out for nine months," Donovan said. "It's not like in three weeks, the surgery is a success, you can just throw him back out there and play.
"We haven't even gotten to the point if this all goes well with the rhythm, timing, the flow, catching up.
"He's had no competitive play since [January]. So that's a whole other scenario of when he could actually get back."
The Bulls are due to open their NBA campaign against the Miami Heat on October 19.
Ball, who was taken with the second pick overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, moved to the Bulls from the New Orleans Pelicans in August last year, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists across 35 games in the 2021-22 season.
Shohei Ohtani's no-hit bid was spoiled in the eighth inning with two outs as the Los Angeles Angels won 4-2 over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.
The reigning American League (AL) MVP was four outs shy of a no-hitter, with Conner Capel managing a two-out single in the eighth inning to end his bid.
Ohtani finished the game with 10 strikeouts across eight scoreless innings allowing two hits and one walk. Dermis Garcia singled after Capel's hit but Ohtani got out of the jam with Shea Langeliers grounding out to third.
The Angels two-way superstar also went two-for-four at the plate with an RBI single in the first inning, meaning his hit streak to reach a career-high 14 games.
Ohtani's performance adds further intrigue to the AL MVP race with New York Yankees' history-making outfielder Aaron Judge who matched Roger Maris' franchise and AL record with his 61st home run this season on Wednesday.
Blue Jays clinch playoff spot despite not taking field
The Toronto Blue Jays secured their postseason berth despite not playing on Thursday, benefitting from the Baltimore Orioles' 5-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox as J.D. Martinez hit a two-run go-ahead home run in the eighth inning.
The result means the Jays (87-69) are assured of an American League (AL) Wild Card spot, with the Orioles back at 80-76 in fourth in the AL Wild Card race.
Toronto are second in the AL East behind the New York Yankees (96-59), with the Seattle Mariners (85-70) and the Tampa Bay Rays (85-71) in the box seats for the other AL Wild Cards.
The Mariners claimed a 10-9 walk-off win over the Texas Rangers in a game that included nine homers, including two each for Seattle's MItch Haniger and Jarred Kelenic.
Garcia grand slam dents Brewers' Wild Card hopes
The Philadelphia Phillies and the Milwaukee Brewers both lost crucial games in the National League (NL) Wild Card race.
The Phillies, who hold the third NL Wild Card spot with an 83-72 record, went down 2-0 to the Chicago Cubs with both runs scored by Seiya Suzuki.
The Brewers (83-73) looked on track to capitalise on the Phillies' loss before Avisail Garcia's eighth-inning grand slam earned the Miami Marlins a 4-2 win.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel described Tua Tagovailoa's injury in Thursday's 27-15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals as a "scary moment" but revealed he will be discharged from hospital with nothing more than a concussion.
Tagovailoa was stretchered off and taken to hospital after being sacked by nose tackle Josh Tupou, with the back of the Dolphins QB's head slamming into the ground with his arms appearing to seize immediately after the impact.
Play was halted for more than 10 minutes as medical staff attended to Tagovailoa, who remained on the ground with minimal movement. The entire Dolphins team gathered at midfield during the delay.
Miami initially said Tagovailoa had suffered "head and neck injuries" before being taken to hospital. McDaniel confirmed after the game that Tagovailoa had been cleared of any neck or back damage but had been diagnosed with concussion, although he would be discharged from hospital and travel back to Florida with the team.
"It was a scary moment," McDaniel said. "He was evaluated for concussion and he's in the concussion protocols. He was at the hospital. I believe he's about to get discharged.
"That was an emotional moment that's not part of the deal that anyone signs up for, even though you know it's a possibility in football to have something that you have to get taken off on a stretcher.
"All of his teammates, myself, were all very concerned. The best news we could get is that everything has checked out and he didn’t have anything more serious than a concussion. He'll be flying back with us on the plane."
The incident came on a short turnaround after Tagovailoa had a concussion scare in Sunday's 21-19 win over the Buffalo Bills, appearing dazed before his knees buckled after a heavy hit. He passed protocols at half-time and was able to play the game out.
Tagovailoa was limited at practice this week, although the Dolphins said that was due to back and ankle problems, rather than any head knock or concussion.
The NFL Players' Association had initiated an investigation into the process around the decision to permit Tagovailoa to play on against the Bills and reiterated that during Thursday's game.
"Player health and safety is at the core of the union's mission," the NFLPA said in a statement on Twitter. "Our concern tonight is for Tua and we hope for a full and speedy recovery. Our investigation into the potential protocol violation is ongoing."
The incident left both sets of players and staff along with the crowd in attendance at Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium shocked and emotional. McDaniel admitted it was hard to carry on afterwards.
"I think a lot of people struggled," he said. "I know me personally, if I didn’t have a job to do for the organization and the rest of the players, and didn’t have that obligation in my mind, I would have tapped it.
"It's not something that's comfortable for anybody. It was not a situation that you want for any of your players or your team in general. It's scary stuff. I'm just glad it worked out."
Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill reiterated that sentiment but insisted that the organization's main priority was player health.
"Our main concern as a team and as an organization is always safety and making sure Tua is feeling alright and he's straight," Hill said.
"That's scary. I know it's football and everyone is competitive, but for a moment inside the stadium I felt everyone's prayers, even the Bengals' side.
The Miami Dolphins' winning start to the season is over and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was stretchered off in a scary incident during their 27-15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday.
Joe Burrow threw two touchdown passes for the Bengals who claimed back-to-back wins to improve to 2-2, but the game will be remembered for Tagovailoa's injury where he was stretchered off and rushed to hospital with "head and neck injuries".
Tagovailoa went down during an eventful second quarter, slamming the back of his head into the turf in a Josh Tupou sack, where he appeared to suffer a seizure upon the initial contact. The Dolphins QB copped a heavy hit in last week's win over the Buffalo Bills but cleared protocols to play on despite fears of a concussion.
Teddy Bridgewater stepped in for Tagovailoa, shoveling a pass for Chase Edmonds' touchdown on half-time to reduce the margin to 14-12 at half-time.
Jason Sanders converted his third field-goal attempt of the game to have Miami up 15-14 at the final change, but the Bengals did all the scoring in the fourth quarter with Evan McPherson slotting two field goals before Burrow found a wide-open Hayden Hurst for a late TD after Vonn Bell's second interception.
Earlier, Bengals running back Joe Mixon opened the scoring, before both sides traded touchdowns in the second quarter, with Burrow connecting with Tee Higgins for a 59-yard TD deep down the left side.
Burrow completed 20 of 31 attempts for 287 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, while Mixon had 24 carries for 61 yards. Higgins starred with 124 yards from seven receptions and Ja'Marr Chase made 81 from four receptions, including a Tyler Boyd 23-yard pass.
Tagovailoa made eight of 14 passes for 110 yards with one interception before being taken off, with Bridgewater completing 14 of 23 passes for 193 yards with one TD and an interception after stepping in. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill had 160 yards on 10 receptions.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been rushed to hospital after suffering head and neck injuries in Thursday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Dolphins QB appeared seriously hurt in a scary incident after he was slung to the ground in a tackle from Josh Tupou with 5:46 remaining in the second quarter.
Tagovailoa seemed immediately dazed and awkwardly raised his hands with his fingers extended while on the ground.
There was a lengthy delay as medical staff attended to the 24-year-old who remained on his back on the ground with minimal movement before he was stretchered off the field. He was immediately taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital in Cincinnati.
The Dolphins confirmed he was out of the game with head and neck injuries and added: "Tagovailoa has been taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. He is conscious and has movement in all his extremities."
The incident comes after Tagovailoa was listed as "questionable" for the game due to back and ankle problems which limited his ability to practice this week.
Tagovailoa also took a heavy hit in last week's 21-19 win over the Buffalo Bills and stumbled to the ground in the aftermath, yet was cleared of concussion and permitted to play on.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel had insisted that the proper concussion protocols were followed and that the QB was cleared by the team and the independent neurologist.
Davis Riley produced a bogey-free opening round to claim a share of the lead alongside Will Gordon after the opening day of the Sanderson Farms Championship on Thursday.
Mississippi-native Riley carded a six-under-par 66 including four birdies in his first seven holes to set the pace at the Country Club of Jackson.
Riley he also holed an 18-foot putt for birdie on the 17th, backing up his birdie on the 16th for a strong opening round.
Gordon, who was among the last to finish on the opening day, came in strong with three birdies in his final five holes. He sunk a 23-foot birdie putt on the ninth.
Seven players are tied at five-under, including tour rookie Brandon Matthews who finished his round with back-to-back birdies to card 67.
Matthews is tied with Andrew Putnam, Kevin Yu, Mark Hubbard, Thomas Detry, Trevor Cone and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, the latter fresh from his Presidents Cup debut.
Among the day's highlights were aces on the fourth hole to Brandon Wu, who is three-under-overall, and M.J. Daffue, who had just double bogeyed the par-five third hole.
Reigning champion Sam Burns carded a bogey-free two-under-par 70, while one of the pre-tournament favourites Denny McCarthy is a further stroke behind after birdieing his final two holes.
Sahith Theegala (one over), Russell Henley (two over) and J.T. Poston (four over) struggled on the opening day, with the latter carding four bogeys and one double bogey in the par-four 12th.
George Russell has described Alex Albon's decision to return for the Singapore Grand Prix as "audacious", praising the Williams driver's determination to feature in what he feels is Formula One's "toughest race".
Albon spent a night in intensive care earlier in September after suffering respiratory failure following treatment for appendicitis.
The 26-year-old was then replaced by Nyck de Vries for the Italian Grand Prix, but is set to return to the grid this weekend.
The Singapore race is the longest of the F1 season, while the humid conditions at the Marina Bay Street Circuit are expected to test drivers' stamina.
Russell – whose move to Mercedes paved the way for Albon to assume his seat with Williams – has been impressed by his recovery, saying: "It's definitely audacious to come back for the toughest race of the season having only just recovered.
"But it just goes to show the sort of grit and determination he has. I was in contact with his family on the Saturday night because it was looking very scary at one point.
"But it's pretty impressive to see how he recovered so quickly. The human body is a scary thing.
"It just goes to show one minute everything is fine, and the next minute everything can change almost totally out of your control. It will be interesting to see how he gets on this weekend."
Asked about the difficult conditions drivers will face this weekend, Russell added: "It doesn't matter how much training you do, you will never be able to replicate what you go through on track.
"I have been training with at least three layers of clothes on every single gym session, every time I go out on the bike.
"It's pretty uncomfortable. It's quite impressive how difficult the body handles heat, even in the sauna for half an hour. That's what we will be experiencing in the car. And then there is the physical element and cognitive side of things."
Novak Djokovic cruised past Pablo Andujar to reach the quarter-finals of the Tel Aviv Open on Thursday, showing no signs of rustiness on his first Tour-level outing since July.
Djokovic had not featured in an ATP-level match since his final victory over Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon, having been forced to miss the US Open due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.
But the Serbian needed little time to find his feet in Israel, winning the first seven games of the match and breaking the Spaniard's serve four times en route to a 6-0 6-3 victory.
Speaking on court afterwards, Djokovic said: "Fantastic atmosphere here tonight, thank you very much. I like the court, it's very intimate and it's very loud.
"The crowd here is very passionate about the sport, about tennis and I'm really, really happy to be here and to perform here in front of you, so thank you for your support."
The 21-time grand slam winner will face Canada's Vasek Pospisil in the last eight after he beat home hopeful Edan Leshem 6-3 6-2.
Two of Djokovic's fellow seeds fared less well, however, with Diego Schwartzman and Botic van de Zandschulp both being ousted after three-set contests.
Third seed Schwartzman failed to capitalise on a third-set match point in his 6-3 2-6 7-6 (9-7) loss to Arthur Rinderknech, while Britain's Liam Broady teed up a clash with Marin Cilic by beating Van de Zandschulp 6-4 4-6 6-3.
The Sofia Open also saw a couple of seeds fall to surprise defeats on Thursday, although Jannik Sinner avoided any drama in his 6-3 6-4 win over Nuno Borges.
Sinner now has a perfect 10-0 record at the event, which he won in both 2020 and 2021, and will face Australia's Aleksandar Vukic for a place in the final four.
Holger Rune also progressed to the last eight, though he was forced to rally after losing the opener against Lorenzo Sonego, but Pablo Carreno Busta and Oscar Otte were both dumped out.
Second seed Carreno Busta fell to a 6-3 3-6 6-2 reverse against Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler, who will face Poland's Kamil Majchrzak in the quarter-finals after he came back to beat Otte 4-6 6-2 6-4.
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