Sports

10:59 AM BST The Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby have issued an apology to Luther Burrell after he said racism was “rife” in the sport. Burrell, 32, told the Daily Mail that racist “banter” was common among teammates, with the former England centre saying he was subjected to discriminatory language including comments about slavery.

8:00 AM ET LONDON — Much of Wimbledon is synonymous with tradition. There are the usual sounds of champagne corks popping, dress codes, sunburned patrons, strawberries and cream and excessive amounts of Pimm’s No. 1 being consumed. Then there are other traditions: The defending men’s champion opens play on Centre Court on Monday, while the

12:52 AM ET Dan HajduckyESPN Close Hajducky is a reporter/researcher for ESPN. He has an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University and played on the men’s soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities. The basketball card that rapper and NBA superfan Drake spent at least $200,000 trying to find — the 2020-21

6:00 AM ET FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL: 1. McMillan in middle: When the Patriots lined up in their nickel defense on the first day reporters were present for spring practices, Raekwon McMillan was a top linebacker. It was a reminder of significant personnel turnover. Dont’a

9:25 AM ET Mark Appel, the 2013 No. 1 overall pick whose baseball career included a three-season absence from the sport, is getting his first major league call-up Saturday at the age of 30. The Philadelphia Phillies are bringing in the right-handed Appel from Triple-A Lehigh Valley because reliever Connor Brogdon is on the COVID-19

11:43 PM ET The Stanley Cup was in the building. The fans were buzzing. The Colorado Avalanche were on the precipice of a third championship. Then the game started, and the Tampa Bay Lightning displayed the resilience that has carried them to back-to-back Cups, and on to Game 6 in their quest for a three-peat.

6:15 PM ET Associated Press LEBANON, Tenn. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. announced Friday that he has signed a multi-year contract extension to continue driving for JTG Daugherty Racing. He made the announcement at Nashville Superspeedway, a de facto home NASCAR track for the native of Olive Branch, Mississippi. Since taking over the No. 47 Chevrolet

6:10 PM ET Associated Press The New York Racing Association suspended trainer Bob Baffert for one year Thursday for repeated medication violations, A panel credited Baffert for time served from an initial suspension that makes the two-time Triple Crown-winner eligible to saddle horses in New York again Jan. 26. The final decision marks the end

9:18 AM ET The European soccer season ended in May, and there’s no major men’s international tournament on deck this summer. The NBA season just ended, and the NHL season is about to. Happily distracted by the Men’s and Women’s College World Series? The latter is over, and the former will be soon. Granted, the

1:45 AM BST Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan has doubled down on comments that his organisation could walk away from Super Rugby, saying it is a 50/50 call, while also describing the reaction stemming out of New Zealand as “hilarious”. McLennan dropped a huge bombshell last Thursday when he revealed that “all bets were off”

9:24 AM ET ATLANTA — Right now, there is an unmistakable buzz going on behind the scenes at the PFL. It’s a buzz that has nothing to do with the promotion’s most established, recognizable talent. It’s independent of anything to do with Kayla Harrison, Anthony Pettis, Rory MacDonald or fan favorite Clay Collard. And it

7:55 AM ET Artur Beterbiev’s demolition of Joe Smith Jr. on June 18 impressed most of our panelists on Saturday night. Now the unified light heavyweight champion sits comfortably at No. 7 in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings. Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KOs) is the only current champion with a perfect KO percentage. “He’s ‘The Terminator’. He showed

8:08 AM ET Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka is the latest golfer to defect from the PGA Tour to the LIV Golf Invitational Series, sources have confirmed to ESPN. Koepka, 32, is one of the highest-profile players to join the breakaway circuit, which is being funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and is fronted

7:00 AM ET The 2022 season is within sight, which means it’s time to put a bow on the annual crystal-balling exercise known as Future Power Rankings. The team list is here. If you’ve already digested top-25 rankings for quarterbacks, offenses and defenses, you have a decent idea of what will follow. The team rankings

9:16 AM ET Associated Press WIMBLEDON, England — This time, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be on opposite sides of the draw. The seedings for Wimbledon were announced Tuesday, with Djokovic and Nadal being Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the men’s draw because of the absence of Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev. The

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The NBA Finals wrapped up only a few days ago, but The Association’s calendar stops for no one. This week, the next generation of players will be welcomed into the league when the Orlando Magic begin the 2022 NBA draft Thursday night at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. From there, free agency

6:40 AM ET NFL Nation reporters With veteran participation often kept to a minimum during offseason practices in the NFL, it’s only natural for attention to turn to the new faces and the rookies in particular. Eight teams didn’t have a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. For the 24 that did (obviously some

11:25 PM ET Game 1 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final was a back-and-forth thriller, with the Colorado Avalanche winning a 4-3 contest in overtime over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Game 2 was … not nearly as thrilling, with the Avs jumping out to an early lead and then pouring it on en route to

3:49 PM ET Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain was designated for assignment on Saturday, the team announced before its game against the Cincinnati Reds. Cain, 36, was hitting .179 in 145 at-bats while the Brewers’ offense struggled throughout June. The veteran was 4-for-26 this month with no walks and seven strikeouts. As a team, the

12:24 PM ET Associated Press LAKE OZARK, Mo. — Former NASCAR driver and Fox Sports analyst Clint Bowyer struck and killed a pedestrian on a highway exit ramp in southwest Missouri earlier this month, police said. The crash occurred June 5 on a ramp off of U.S. 54 near Osage Beach, Missouri, according to a