Edoardo Padovani scored a last-gasp try as Wales' Six Nations campaign ended with a shock 22-21 defeat against Italy at the Principality Stadium.
Josh Adams had appeared to spare the blushes of the lacklustre when he crossed 11 minutes from time to put Wales ahead.
Kieran Crowley's Italy looked set for a 37th successive defeat in the competition at that stage, but there was to be one final twist in Cardiff.
Ange Capuozzo burst away from the tiring Welsh defence and offloaded to Padovani, who went in under the posts before Paolo Garbisi converted to complete a remarkable victory.
Patrick Mahomes welcomed the arrival of a new Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver to target after JuJu Smith-Schuster secured a one-year, $10.75million deal.
Smith-Schuster announced his departure from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday.
The one-time Pro Bowler had spent his entire NFL career to date with the Steelers, with 323 catches for 3,855 receiving yards and 26 receiving touchdowns across 63 games in five seasons.
Taken in the second round in the 2017 NFL Draft, Smith-Schuster was an instant hit with seven receiving TDs in each of his first two seasons, including a pair of 97-yard scores – becoming the first player in NFL history to have multiple offensive TDs of that distance or more.
There were 1,426 receiving yards in 2018, before a step back in 2019 was followed by a career-high nine receiving TDs in 2020.
Limited to five games by a shoulder injury while the Steelers toiled on offense with the retiring Ben Roethlisberger still at quarterback, Smith-Schuster's only score last season was his first career rushing TD.
Paired with Mahomes, though, the 25-year-old can feel confident he will get his career back on track in Kansas City.
Wideout Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce will remain Mahomes' primary weapons, targeted on 28 per cent and 25 per cent of their routes respectively last season, but there is room for another option after Sammy Watkins left following the 2020 campaign. Byron Pringle departed this offseason in free agency and Mecole Hardman has yet to live up to his second-round draft status.
Superstar Mahomes certainly appears eager to link up with Smith-Schuster, quickly welcoming his signing on social media after the new man posted: "#ChiefsKingdom Let's Go!"
"Turn me up brotha!!!" Mahomes replied, to which Smith-Schuster said: "Can't wait to get after it my boy!"
Smith-Schuster had earlier posted a message thanking the Steelers fans, saying: "To all of Steelers Nation. Thank you for taking me in and making me a part of the family from the moment that I was drafted. You all took me in so quickly, and I really needed it.
"I was a wide-eyed 20-year-old who was sent to the east coast away from my family for the first time in my life, and you made me feel right at home, despite all of the loneliness I should have felt.
"These have been the best five years in my life. I owe so much to the fans who embraced me and who made playing on Sundays in Pittsburgh so special.
"It was an honour to wear the black and gold for you all! I love you! JuJu."
Michigan edge rusher David Ojabo suffered a torn Achilles at his pro day on Friday, according to reports, likely ending his hopes of selection in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Ojabo had been widely viewed as a first-round prospect having enjoyed a breakout junior season with the Wolverines.
He recorded 11 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and forced five fumbles in 2021 as Michigan reached the College Football Playoff.
However, Ojabo now faces the prospect of potentially falling to day two of the draft, after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the nature of his injury on Saturday.
While doctors expect a full recovery, Ojabo is set to face around six months out of action.
That means he would miss all of his prospective NFL team's preparations for the 2022 season and likely the start of the new campaign, which begins on September 8.
The next date of Mike Krzyzewski's Duke farewell tour sees him face a familiar foe in Michigan State coach Tom Izzo on Sunday.
A record-breaking sixth NCAA Tournament encounter between the pair was secured after both Duke and Michigan State won their first-round matchups on Friday – Krzyzewski's second seed beating Cal State Fullerton 78-61 while Izzo's number seven outfit scraped past Davidson 74-73.
It is fitting that the final March Madness of Krzyzewski's 42-year Duke career should see him again take on Izzo, with their sixth coaching clash passing the previous benchmark of five.
Until now, that record was held jointly with two other coaching duos: Roy Williams and Bill Self, and Eddie Sutton and Denny Crum.
'Coach K' and the Blue Devils are 12-3 against Izzo's Spartans and 3-2 in the NCAA Tournament, with Duke's most recent March Madness victory in the series coming en route to the 2015 championship.
However, another win for Izzo – himself 27 years in at Michigan State – would conclude both Krzyzewski's bid for a sixth national title and his career, stopping him just short of 100 NCAA Tournament wins; his 98 as of Friday are already a record.
Either way, Izzo is delighted just to get the chance to test himself against one of basketball's greatest names one last time.
"I like the game, I just don't like the record in that matchup over the years," Izzo said. "I've got to be his favourite coach because he's beaten us like a drum.
"I didn't want to look ahead and dream of the matchup, because you get a chance, one more time, to play against maybe the all-time great, as they say about LeBron [James] or they say about Michael [Jordan].
"In the coaching world, the 'GOAT' is the team we'll play, and it's been earned. It's not been given. It's been earned.
"And you know, I'm going to try my hardest to see if we can get one more on the positive side of that thing, but every time we've played it's been a game I looked forward to."
Michael Masi acted in "good faith" in how he handled the controversial end of last season's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with "human error" leading to the rules surrounding lapped cars not being applied properly, the FIA has said.
Masi was last month removed as Formula One race director following a "detailed analysis" of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen dramatically beat Lewis Hamilton to the drivers' championship last season.
Verstappen overtook Hamilton on the final lap of the final race, denying his rival a record-breaking eighth title.
However, the Red Bull star was only able to stage that late recovery after Masi let the cars between the pair – running first and second but separated by a series of lapped rivals – pass a safety car and allow one lap of racing.
Verstappen, on fresher tyres, prevailed, prompting a protest from Hamilton and Mercedes.
While that bid failed, there has remained a great deal of discussion around the decision-making of Masi, who was replaced by two men in Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas.
But, in confirming the result of the race and 2021 F1 world championship as final, the FIA insisted Masi had not acted with any malice.
In a summary of the findings of its report into the race, an FIA statement read in part: "In combination with the objective to finish under green flag racing conditions applied throughout the 2021 season, the report finds that the race director was acting in good faith and to the best of his knowledge given the difficult circumstances, particularly acknowledging the significant time constraints for decisions to be made and the immense pressure being applied by the teams.
"The results of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the FIA Formula One World Championship are valid, final and cannot now be changed. In accordance with the rules, Mercedes made a protest to the stewards after the race, seeking to change the race classification.
"The stewards dismissed the protest and Mercedes then had an opportunity to appeal that decision to the FIA International Court of Appeal, but did not do so. There are no other available mechanisms in the rules for amending the race classification.
"The process of identifying lapped cars has up until now been a manual one and human error lead to the fact that not all cars were allowed to un-lap themselves.
"Due to the fact that manual interventions generally carry a higher risk of human error, software has been developed that will, from now on, automate the communication of the list of cars that must un-lap themselves. In addition, the 2022 Formula One Sporting Regulations have been recently updated to clarify that “all” and not “any” cars must be permitted to un-lap themselves.
"This process of identifying lapped cars has been reviewed as part of the recommendations previously announced by the FIA President in his statement of 17 February 2022, which also includes the creation of FIA Remote Operations Centre, the integration of a new and extended team to run trackside operations as well as a review of the interactions between teams and Race Control during track running."
Joel Embiid will keep playing through the pain as the Philadelphia 76ers push towards the NBA playoffs.
The five-time All-Star scored 32 points as the Sixers scored a 111-101 win against the Dallas Mavericks in their latest assignment, complementing 24 from James Harden.
A back problem is causing Embiid to feel the strain as he leads the team towards the postseason, but coach Doc Rivers believes the 28-year-old can stand the physical toll for now.
At 43-26 following Friday night's win, the Sixers are three games behind the Miami Heat, who lead the Eastern Conference, while the Mavericks are fifth in the Western Conference at 43-27.
Embiid added eight rebounds and tied a career-high with five steals, then offered some insight into his fitness state.
"I'm OK," he said. "I've just got to keep pushing. What, 13 more games? We're almost there. Then we will figure out the rest later. I'm fine. We've just got to keep pushing."
He added: "We did a really good job tonight. I think the activity we all had, especially the guys at the top of the zone, was huge, recovering, doing what they do best. It was good to see."
Despite the back bothering him of late, Embiid has played 19 consecutive games, only once dipping under 22 points in that stretch (19 points against Boston Celtics on February 15).
"He's just playing through everything," coach Rivers said, quoted in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"I go back to the same thing. He's in great shape. Conditioning allows you to play through injury, allows you to play through pain, and he's doing that."
Russell Westbrook was hailed a "big-time player" by LeBron James after sinking a clutch three-pointer to force overtime in the Los Angeles' Lakers win over the Toronto Raptors.
The much-maligned Westbrook forced a turnover off a Raptors inbound with 0.4 seconds remaining at Scotiabank Arena and drained a triple to tie the game at 116-116.
Inspired by 36-point James, who scored 19 of those points in the fourth quarter and overtime, the Lakers claimed a 128-123 victory to snap a three-game losing streak.
Westbrook has endured a frustrating first season in Los Angeles, who lost 12 of their previous 15 games, with Friday proving to be a rare highlight for the one-time MVP.
"I was actually looking at his feet when he was getting close to the three-point line," James said of Westbrook's key intervention.
"I saw him step on the three-point line and then slide his foot back before he released it. It was big-time IQ there on his part and a big-time shot by a big-time player."
Westbrook registered his 10th triple-double of the season with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Lakers picked up a first road win in 12 attempts.
The 33-year-old now has 1,241 points for the season, which is second only to James (1,542) among Lakers players.
He has 23,098 across his career, meanwhile, and the former Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards point guard has never lost faith in his own ability.
Asked how he has managed to cope with criticism aimed his way this season, Westbrook told reporters: "I got 23,000 points... How about that?
"Throughout this whole process, throughout the year, ups and downs, the good and the bad, I lean so much on my faith.
"It's very important that I stay faithful and truthful to that because eventually it will all work out, and nights like tonight was the reason why I stay just true to my faith."
With his 36 points on Friday, James is 20 away from passing Karl Malone as the second-highest points scorer in NBA history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leads the way with 38,387.
Iga Swiatek defeated Simona Halep 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 at the Indian Wells Open on Friday, progressing to the final and extending her winning streak to 10.
The Polish world number four came back from a break down in each set - as well as saving two set points in the first-set tiebreak - to level her head-to-head record with Halep at 2-2.
After taking out the WTA 1000 tournament in Doha last month, Swiatek has not had it all her way this week in California. Aside from a 6-1 6-0 trouncing of Madison Keys, the 20-year-old had to fight from a set down in her opening three matches.
Following a tight first set, Halep won three games in a row to take a 4-2 lead, but it was here Swiatek started to open up on return of serve.
She was ultimately able to capitalise on Halep's second serve, winning 14 of a total 21 points when given a second look, to earn five service breaks for the match.
Swiatek is now at least guaranteed to reach a career-high world number three ranking with, and a win in the final would move her to number two, only behind Ashleigh Barty.
She will meet Maria Sakkari in the final on Sunday, who broke down in tears after her hectic 6-2 4-6 6-1 win over Paula Badosa in the late match.
Despite Badosa having a higher first-serve rate than her opponent in the first set at 53.9 per cent, Sakkari was all over the second serve, winning nine out of a total 12 points.
After powering through the first set with flat hitting, the Greek world number six lost momentum in the second and forced play with rushed shot selection after getting broken early.
She still managed one of the shots of the match in trying to save that break of serve, scrambling across court to hit an underarm pass down the line.
Badosa kept her composure on serve to take the second set, winning 21 out of 29 points at an improved 72.9 per cent. Sakkari regrouped and exhibited her unique court coverage, however, taking the win after getting an early break.
Sakkari immediately broke down in tears afterwards, upon making her first WTA 1000 final and defeating the defending champion at Indian Wells.
Joel Embiid and James Harden scored a combined 56 points as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Dallas Mavericks 111-101 on Friday.
Going 11-for-20 from the floor, Embiid scored 21 of his 32 points in the first half, including a fadeaway three on the buzzer to give the Sixers a 58-53 lead at the interval.
Luka Doncic put up a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists but was held to 25 per cent from the floor and 20 per cent from the perimeter, in a poor shooting night.
At 43-26, the Sixers are now three games behind the Miami Heat, the Eastern Conference leaders, while the Mavericks are fifth in the Western Conference at 43-27.
Westbrook lifts Lakers to overtime win in Toronto
Russell Westbrook's three-pointer at the end of regulation propelled the Los Angeles Lakers to a 128-123 road win over the Toronto Raptors in overtime.
With 10.3 seconds remaining, the much-maligned Westbrook forced a turnover off a Raptors inbound before draining a contested triple from the wing, to tie the game at 116-116.
Both sides remain firmly placed in play-in calculations, though, with the Lakers ninth in the Western Conference at 30-40, while the Raptors are seventh in the East on 39-31.
Short-handed Hawks snap Memphis win streak
Without their two scoring leaders, the Atlanta Hawks secured an important win at home to the Memphis Grizzlies, emerging 120-105 victors.
In John Collins and Trae Young's absence, Bogdan Bogdanovic came up big with a season-high 30 points, while Delon Wright and Clint Capela also added 18 each.
Despite 29 points from Ja Morant on 11-for-23 shooting, the Grizzlies had a four-game win streak snapped, but still hold the NBA's second best record at 48-23.
Joel Embiid and James Harden scored a combined 56 points as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Dallas Mavericks 111-101 on Friday.
Going 11-for-20 from the floor, Embiid scored 21 of his 32 points in the first half, including a fadeaway three on the buzzer to give the Sixers a 58-53 lead at the interval.
Luka Doncic put up a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists but was held to 25 per cent from the floor and 20 per cent from the perimeter, in a poor shooting night.
At 43-26, the Sixers are now three games behind the Miami Heat, the Eastern Conference leaders, while the Mavericks are fifth in the Western Conference at 43-27.
Westbrook lifts Lakers to overtime win in Toronto
Russell Westbrook's three-pointer at the end of regulation propelled the Los Angeles Lakers to a 128-123 road win over the Toronto Raptors in overtime.
With 10.3 seconds remaining, the much-maligned Westbrook forced a turnover off a Raptors inbound before draining a contested triple from the wing, to tie the game at 116-116.
Both sides remain firmly placed in play-in calculations, though, with the Lakers ninth in the Western Conference at 30-40, while the Raptors are seventh in the East on 39-31.
Short-handed Hawks snap Memphis win streak
Without their two scoring leaders, the Atlanta Hawks secured an important win at home to the Memphis Grizzlies, emerging 120-105 victors.
In John Collins and Trae Young's absence, Bogdan Bogdanovic came up big with a season-high 30 points, while Delon Wright and Clint Capela also added 18 each.
Despite 29 points from Ja Morant on 11-for-23 shooting, the Grizzlies had a four-game win streak snapped, but still hold the NBA's second best record at 48-23.
The Houston Texans confirmed the trade of Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns on Friday.
For Watson and their 2024 fifth-round pick, the Texans will receive a haul of draft picks in return, consisting of the Browns' three future first-round picks, the 2023 third-round and 2024 fourth-round picks.
After consecutive four-win seasons in 2020 and 2021, Texans general manager Nick Caserio asserted the trade is one that will solidify roster foundations.
"I felt it was the right move for our organisation as we head into the new league year focused on building our roster for the 2022 season," he said in a statement.
"Our priority right now is adding to the foundation we have already put in place over the last 15 months and this trade supports that plan."
According to ESPN's Ian Rapaport, Watson and the Browns have agreed to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230million contract, smashing the previous record for guaranteed money in the NFL by $80m.
The bidding war for Watson came upon the news he was not charged by a United States grand jury, after considering evidence of sexual assault and misconduct against him.
Watson still faces 22 civil lawsuits, but the grand jury ruled there was insufficient evidence for criminal proceedings.
Texans CEO Cal McNair was full of praise for his GM on his handling of the trade amid the scandal.
"I'm extremely proud of the way Nick Caserio navigated us through this challenging situation," he said.
"He remained patient before ultimately making the decision that is best for us in the long and short term."
Matthew NeSmith tied the Copperhead course record at Innisbrook with a 10-under 61, setting up a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Valspar Championship.
NeSmith finished on 14-under-par after rolling through the opening nine at Copperhead, notching up six birdies.
The highlight, however, was his eagle on the par-five 14th hole, before closing out the round. His 61 tied the course record set by Padraig Harrington in 2012.
He also broke the 36-hole record at the Valspar Championship that Sam Burns and Keegan Bradley set a year ago.
Defending champion Burns remains in contention, recovering from a bogey on the par-five 11th to also post an eagle on the 14th, and finish on four-under-par for the day.
He and Scott Stallings are three strokes behind NeSmith on 11-under-par.
Adam Hadwin sits alone on 12-under-par after he finished Friday with a five-under-par 66. The Canadian's lone victory on the PGA Tour came at Innisbrook in 2017.
Meanwhile, Justin Thomas sits at 10-under-par, bouncing back from a double bogey on the par-four seventh to post an eventual five-under-par 66.
Following wild weather in Florida, which caused scheduling havoc at The Players Championship at Sawgrass last weekend, the greens at Innisbrook have responded well.
According to Thomas, it influenced him taking needless risk on that seventh hole.
"I should have just tried to hit it in the front bunker and it was a pretty easy up-and-down," he said.
"As good as I felt with my putter, I felt like if I got it on the green, I could make a three. But it wasn't necessary. It just didn't really need to happen."
Andrey Rublev made his fourth ATP Masters semi-final on Friday, dispatching Grigor Dimitrov in under 90 minutes at Indian Wells in a 7-5 6-2 win.
Dimitrov had only faced two break points for the tournament until this quarter-final, and Rublev capitalised when his opponent’s serve evaded him. Rublev was returning with particular focus, getting 85 per cent of points back across the court on Dimitrov's first serve alone.
Rublev broke in the fifth game of the first set on the back of two double faults, but Dimitrov secured one of his own with a trademark backhand pass. The 24-year-old Russian answered right back to regain breathing room and close out a tight first set.
Securing the break in the third game of the second, that consistent pressure on Dimitrov's serve again forced two double faults in the fifth game. From there at 4-1, Rublev saw the finish line.
The win was the seventh seed’s 13th in a row, adding Indian Wells to semi-final appearances at Miami, Monte Carlo and Cincinnati. A win in the final would equal a career-high 15 matches in a row undefeated.
"I think I played really well. In the beginning, it was more about who will be the first to dictate and play more aggressive, because both of us like to dictate with our forehand," Rublev said afterwards.
"The return [of serve] was one of the most important things. If you can bring as many returns as possible [into the court], and then here with these conditions, in some moments it's tough to serve."
In Friday's other quarter-final, Taylor Fritz did it tough against the unseeded Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, winning 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-1.
While Kecmanovic was content playing defence and grinding from the baseline, Fritz was the more active and it was most apparent at 5-5 in the first set.
Down 0-30, Fritz stood and delivered from the middle of the baseline with a booming forehand, before securing a critical hold.
The difference in tactics showed in the eventual winner differential, with Fritz's 35 in comparison to Kecmanovic's 15. Despite Fritz's relatively low unforced error count, he still gifted Kecmanovic the second set, serving three consecutive double faults to surrender the break at 3-4.
He regrouped and reeled off the opening five games of the third set, setting up his semi-final with Rublev. The other semi-final will see Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz meet in an all-Spanish duel.
JuJu Smith-Schuster is leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers to join the Kansas City Chiefs, the wide receiver appeared to confirm.
The 25-year-old was expected to leave the Steelers and used his official Twitter account to post a goodbye message to the fans, before adding in a later post: "#ChiefsKingdom Let's Go!"
Smith-Schuster will receive a one-year, $10.75M deal in Kansas, according to reports.
He spent five years in Pittsburgh after being drafted from the University of Southern California, playing 63 games and making just one touchdown, which came against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 of last season.
Smith-Schuster posted a screenshot on Twitter that read: "To all of Steelers Nation. Thank you for taking me in and making me a part of the family from the moment that I was drafted. You all took me in so quickly, and I really needed it.
"I was a wide-eyed 20-year-old who was sent to the east coast away from my family for the first time in my life, and you made me feel right at home, despite all of the loneliness I should have felt.
"These have been the best five years in my life. I owe so much to the fans who embraced me and who made playing on Sundays in Pittsburgh so special.
"It was an honor to wear the black and gold for you all! I love you! JuJu."
Stephen Curry's foot injury will be "re-evaluated in two weeks", the Golden State Warriors have revealed.
Curry sustained the injury in Wednesday's 110-88 defeat to the Boston Celtics, leaving the court in the second quarter after contesting a loose ball with guard Marcus Smart.
Reports on Thursday said the 34-year-old would be out "indefinitely", and the Warriors confirmed on Friday that the player has suffered a sprained ligament in his left foot after undergoing an MRI.
"Stephen Curry, who exited Wednesday's game vs. Boston with 4:09 remaining in the second quarter due to a left foot injury, underwent an MRI on Wednesday night," a tweet from the Warriors read.
"The MRI indicated that Curry suffered a sprained left foot ligament. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks."
Curry scored 47 points in his previous game against the Washington Wizards on Monday, and has averaged 25.5 points per game this season for the Warriors.
He broke Ray Allen's record for most career three-pointers in December, though this season his percentage from beyond the arc sits at 38.0, slightly down on his career average of 42.8.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr criticised Smart for "dangerous play" in the incident, and the duo exchanged words on the sidelines shortly after.
Smart defended himself from Kerr's claims, stating that Curry's injury was "unfortunate" and that he was "not a dirty player".
Deshaun Watson has agreed to waive his no-trade clause to allow the Houston Texans to deal him to the Cleveland Browns.
Watson had appeared to have narrowed his choices down to the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints in his search to find a new team as his time with the Texans comes to an end.
The Browns who, along with the Falcons, Saints and Carolina Panthers, had met with Watson, had previously been reported to be out of the running.
However, on Friday ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network each reported that Watson had changed his mind, instead electing to join the Browns, from whom he will receive a record-breaking new contract.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Browns have agreed to give Watson a fully guaranteed five-year, $230million contract. That figure is $80m more than the previous record for fully guaranteed money at signing.
The Texans, meanwhile, are set to receive five draft picks, including three first-rounders, in exchange for Watson.
Watson's arrival will clear the way for the Browns to move former first-round pick Baker Mayfield, the quarterback who himself this week requested a trade.
The NFL offseason is as exciting as it has ever been in 2022 – and several of the biggest moves have centred on the AFC West.
This was already one of the deepest divisions in football, headlined by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs but also featuring the 2021 fifth seed Las Vegas Raiders and gunslinging Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in its supporting cast.
But the lineup for next season promises to be even more enticing.
The Raiders have worked to make sure they have not been left behind by the big-spending Chargers, while the Denver Broncos have also made a significant move to climb into contention.
In fact, over the past two weeks, the Chiefs have perhaps been among the big losers – watching on while the rest of their division have been getting busy...
March 8: Russell Wilson (Seahawks to Broncos)
The NFC West was previously the standard-bearer for hugely competitive divisions, but the power shifted as its fourth-placed Seattle Seahawks traded superstar quarterback Wilson to the AFC West's fourth-placed Broncos. With Aaron Rodgers staying with the Green Bay Packers, when a move to Denver had been mooted, a big play for Wilson was vital if the Broncos were to make up a significant gap. The Super Bowl XLVIII champion has ranked fourth for both pass yards per attempt (7.83) and touchdown percentage (6.2) across his NFL career – a significant upgrade on the Broncos' 2021 QBs Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock.
March 10: Khalil Mack (Bears to Chargers)
With Herbert running the offense, the Chargers have moved to improve the other side of the ball – first by trading for edge rusher Mack. A second-round pick in this year's draft was the primary compensation for a six-time Pro Bowler, immediately boosting a unit that ranked 23rd in total defense (360.1 yards per game) and 30th in run defense (138.9) last year. Mack struggled with injuries in his final year with the Chicago Bears but comes in opposite Joey Bosa, who ranks third in the NFL for QB pressures (389) and sixth for sacks (58) since his 2016 debut; Mack is fourth (388) and seventh (57.5) over that same period.
March 14: J.C. Jackson (free agent to Chargers)
As well as draft collateral, the Chargers had salary cap to work with and sent a large chunk of it to cornerback Jackson, allowed to leave by the New England Patriots. Jackson had certainly earned his pay day, leading the NFL in interceptions (25) since debuting in New England in 2018. This playmaking ability was also illustrated by the 26-year-old giving up big plays on only 18.9 per cent of his targets last season, the eighth-best rate among corners with at least 50 targets.
March 15: Randy Gregory (free agent to Broncos)
The Chargers' edge-rushing duo will take some beating, but the Broncos upgraded in that position, too, by giving up to $70million to Gregory, who had been set to re-sign with the Dallas Cowboys. Gregory, who missed almost three full seasons due to violations of the NFL's substance abuse policy, had finally established himself as a starter in 2021 with career highs in sacks (six) and QB hits (17) playing opposite DeMarcus Lawrence. The 29-year-old linebacker will now be paired with Bradley Chubb, despite a return to Denver for Von Miller being floated earlier in the month.
March 16: Chandler Jones (free agent to Raiders)
Having seen their division rivals make big moves, the Raiders responded with a $51m offer to Jones, while trading Yannick Ngakoue to the Indianapolis Colts for corner Rock Ya-Sin. Ngakoue had 10 sacks and forced two fumbles in his sole season in Las Vegas, but Jones (10.5 and six) topped both figures for the Arizona Cardinals in 2021. In fact, since Jones came into the league with the Patriots in 2012, he leads both categories, with 107.5 sacks and 33 fumbles forced. Although now 32, he shows few signs of slowing.
March 17: Davante Adams (Packers to Raiders)
The most stunning move of the lot followed on Thursday, when Adams' refusal to play for the Packers on the franchise tag led to his trade to the Raiders for a first and a second-round pick in 2022 (22 and 53 overall). The deal suddenly gives Raiders QB Derek Carr arguably the best offensive weapon in the NFL – and one he can go to time and time again, given Adams was targeted on a league-leading 35.4 per cent of his routes in 2021, which yielded career highs in catches (123) and receiving yards (1,553). Fellow wideout Hunter Renfrow may now see less of the ball than in his first 1,000-yard season (1,038), but he should also benefit from the attention Adams inevitably draws. The Raiders already ranked sixth in passing offense (268.6 yards per game).
Nick Kyrgios should face "severe" disciplinary action after a ball boy was almost struck by the Australian's smashed racket, one of the best-known coaches in tennis has said.
American Brad Gilbert, a former tour player who has worked with stars including Andre Agassi and Andy Murray, was taken aback by the tantrum from Kyrgios after a three-set defeat to Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells.
Kyrgios went to the net to shake hands with Nadal, who won 7-6 (7-0) 5-7 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
But moments later he thrashed his racket against the ground. It bounced up high, travelling half the length of the court and causing a ball boy to take evasive action, stepping out of the way to avoid being hit and potentially hurt.
Kyrgios scornfully answered reporters' questions about the incident after the match, describing it as "a complete accident".
However, the 26-year-old unmistakably lost control in front of a full stadium and could face punishment as a result.
Gilbert wrote on Twitter: "Ridiculous to do that after such a good match, the penalty should be severe."
Gilbert questioned whether that would happen, given the ATP, which runs the men's tour, only handed a suspended eight-week ban to Alexander Zverev, plus a fine, after the world number three violently hit his racket against an umpire's chair.
"Unfortunately ATP lost the plot with Zverev situation and not a good look for kids and our sport," Gilbert wrote.
The 60-year-old Gilbert, who also coached Andy Roddick, said there was "absolutely no reason to snap on court after the match".
He added: "The stick could have easily gone anywhere like the stands and hit someone, seriously awful to see that in front of great crowd."
Kyrgios posted an exchange of text messages with the ball boy, and said he would give him a racket as a token of apology.
Saying sorry for the incident, Kyrgios wrote: "Didn't want it going anywhere near you to be honest."
Sergio Perez believes "it makes sense to have a discussion" around the idea of Formula One drivers being allowed to race with coronavirus.
The 2022 season will be the third affected by COVID-19, already impacting the grid for Sunday's opener at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel has contracted the virus, meaning he will be absent for Aston Martin, while Daniel Ricciardo missed the end of pre-season testing but has recovered to take up his McLaren seat.
Red Bull's Perez missed two races in 2020 due to COVID-19 and suggests drivers – already isolated within their cars during races – should not be ruled out if they are otherwise fit and healthy.
"Going forward, we should discuss whether we allow the drivers to race if the symptoms are mild," the Mexican said.
"The drivers can obviously be the judge, but I think it makes sense to have a discussion.
"There is only so much you can do. I think it's just luck-dependent. It is difficult to not do anything. I'm just very sorry for Seb and for Daniel, but it can happen to anyone."
Nico Hulkenberg, Aston Martin's reserve driver, has replaced four-time world champion Vettel this week.
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