7:00 AM ET ESPN staff Week 18 of the 2021 NFL season is upon us. The playoff picture is quite a bit clearer than it was even one week ago — with a number of spots clinched in Week 17 — but there are many questions to be answered as the postseason bracket is filled
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12:16 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant said he hasn’t had any extra conversations with teammate Kyrie Irving about getting a COVID-19 vaccination that would allow him to play in every game this season, not just most of the road games. Irving, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, returned to the
10:46 PM ET Associated Press KAPALUA, Hawaii — The scenery off Kapalua suggests a chill vibe. The scoreboard at the Sentry Tournament of Champions delivered a clear message to get a move on it. Cameron Smith took that to heart Friday. Smith opened with two straight bogeys to not only lose his one-shot lead, but
7:29 PM ET Associated Press CALGARY, Alberta — The Western Hockey League suspended activities for 15 teams Friday and postponed eight games because of COVID-19 concerns. The major junior league said Friday that the affected teams — the Calgary Hitmen, Edmonton Oil Kings, Everett Silvertips, Kamloops Blazers, Medicine Hat Tigers, Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert
4:57 PM ET Premier League leaders Manchester City made light work of fourth-tier Swindon Town in a 4-1 away victory in the opening salvo of a busy weekend of FA Cup third round action on Friday. A full house at the County Ground had their hopes of a famous upset crushed inside the opening half
2:24 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez are set to battle one more time. The future Hall of Famers have signed contracts for a unified 115-pound championship fight on March 5 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, multiple sources told ESPN. Estrada-Gonzalez 3 will headline a Matchroom Boxing on DAZN
4:52 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Joe Smith Jr. will defend his light heavyweight title on Jan. 15 after all as unheralded fighter Steven Geffrard signed Friday to replace Callum Johnson on eight days’ notice. Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and was forced to withdraw from the ESPN main event in Verona, New York.
12:35 PM ET INDIANAPOLIS — The College Football Playoff is considering Las Vegas and Miami as future host cities for the national championship, sources told ESPN on Friday. The CFP is currently finishing its eighth season of a 12-year contract, which runs through the 2025 season, and hasn’t yet finalized where the national championship game
6:57 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Julius Randle apologized in a statement on his Instagram account on Friday, saying that his thumbs-down gesture to Knicks fans during Thursday’s win over the Boston Celtics as well as his postgame remarks were “an example of how sometimes you say things you regret to people you
1:00 PM ET Nick Parkinson Close •Reports on boxing for ESPN.co.uk, as well as several national newspapers•Has been reporting on British boxing for over 15 years•Appears on BoxNation’s Boxing Matters show WBA-IBF-WBO world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Anthony Joshua is likely to take place in the United Kingdom in April, according to Matchroom
6:04 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Fresh off his release from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, wide receiver Antonio Brown had a lot to say Friday, airing out his frustrations on everything from how the Buccaneers handled his ankle injury last Sunday to his relationship with Tom Brady not being one he felt was genuine, but
5:05 PM GMT The 2025 Rugby League World Cup will take place in France, the French Rugby League federation confirmed on Friday. French prime minister Jean Castex will hold a full launch of the event on Jan. 11 in Paris. The tournament will be the 17th edition, and returns to France, where the first World
9:46 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Ralf Rangnick has said there are “unhappy” players at Manchester United but has urged the squad to be professional as they look to bounce back from the demoralising defeat to Wolves. Rangnick said the bloated squad he inherited from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has led to some players being left out
4:17 PM ET Bellator has penned a deal with a controversial former college wrestling standout. Earlier this week, Bellator signed Pat Downey III, a former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, to a contract, the promotion confirmed with ESPN on Friday. Downey, 29, has yet to make his MMA debut. He will compete in Bellator’s middleweight
2:09 PM ET The UFC is finalizing a five-round main event between former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos and rising contender Rafael Fiziev for Feb. 19, multiple sources told ESPN. Contracts have not been signed, but both sides have agreed to the matchup. The 155-pound contest will headline the UFC Fight Night event in Las
1:13 PM ET The UFC is booking a heavyweight contest between Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa for its pay-per-view event next month, officials confirmed to ESPN. Contracts have not been signed, but the promotion is close to finalizing the matchup for UFC 271 on Feb. 12 in Houston. Lewis (26-8) is a former two-time title
1:30 PM ET Former UFC champion Max Holloway will not be able to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title in March after aggravating a prior injury Thursday, sources told ESPN. The setback occurred just days after Holloway, 30, accepted a trilogy bout against Volkanovski that was slated to headline UFC 272 on March 5
12:17 PM ET Associated Press Long considered the biggest event in women’s golf, the U.S. Women’s Open now has prize money and future sites to match. The U.S. Golf Association announced Friday the purse will nearly double this year to $10 million, by far the richest in women’s golf and challenging top prizes in women’s