PHOENIX (AP) — The NFL is moving forward with plans to begin hiring and training replacement officials in the next several weeks because negotiations with the referees’ union have been unsuccessful, two people with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the conversations are private. The league and the NFL Referees Association have been negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement since the summer of 2024. The current CBA expires on May 31. The NFL has increased its offer to a 6.45% annual growth rate in compensation over a six-year labor deal, but the NFLRA wants 10% plus $2.5 million for marketing fees, the people said.
PHOENIX (AP) — Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo and Russell Wilson are still unsigned for the 2026 season. Options vary for the four accomplished veteran quarterbacks. The 42-year-old Rodgers can return to Pittsburgh and play for new coach Mike McCarthy if he doesn’t choose to retire. Cousins will likely have to settle for a backup role somewhere unless Rodgers retires or another starter gets hurt in the offseason. Garoppolo has an opportunity to go back to the Rams for a third season to play behind NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.
PHOENIX (AP) — First-year Atlanta Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham said he’ll continue to push for more diversity in the NFL’s leadership positions, even after Florida’s attorney general wrote that the league’s minority hiring guidelines violate Florida state law. Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying the league’s 23-year-old Rooney Rule amounts to “blatant race and sex discrimination.” Cunningham said there's still “work to be done” in the realm of minority hiring. The NFL will have only three Black head coaches next season. There were 10 head coach openings this season and none of them were filled by a Black coach.
The NFL’s last foray into replacement officials ended in embarrassment for the league when a botched call and comic confusion in a prime-time game led to the end of a lockout that marred the first three weeks of the 2012 season. The play known as the Fail Mary proved to be the final straw that helped end that labor dispute, drawing such widespread criticism that even the two major presidential candidates weighed in on it. But it was far from the only instance of a blown call, a lack of understanding of rules and procedures, or question of impartiality.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Joyce Edwards scored 24 points and Agot Makeer added 18 to help South Carolina beat TCU 78-52 to advance to the Final Four. The top-seeded Gamecocks will face UConn in the Final Four in Phoenix on Friday night in a rematch of last season’s national championship game. South Carolina (34-3) has now reached the Final Four in six straight years and won two national championships during that stretch. Staley has been at the helm for all of them, including the undefeated 2023-24 season.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Madison Booker had 19 points and seven rebounds, fifth-year senior guard Rori Harmon has 13 assists and Texas is going to the women’s Final Four for the second year in a row. Justice Carlton added 15 points in the Longhorns' 77-41 rout over Michigan in the Fort Worth Regional 3 championship game Monday night. The Longhorns led by as many as 40 points in the only regional final matching the top two seeds. Top-seeded Texas is 35-3 and going to its fifth Final Four overall. The Horns play 35-1 UCLA on Friday in Phoenix. Olivia Olson and Mila Holloway had 11 points for 28-7 Michigan.
Salvador Perez and the Kansas City Royals have been baseball’s best at utilizing their robot challenges through the first weekend of the Automated Ball-Strike System. Perez topped all catchers by going 4-0 on challenges, while San Francisco’s Heliot Ramos and Cincinnati’s Eugenio Suárez were the only batters who went 2-0 — Suárez won his appeals on consecutive pitches. Three-time MVP Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels is 3-1 on challenges. Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. was the only batter who went 0-2. Kansas City and Arizona were the only perfect teams, with the Royals 4-0 and Arizona 3-0. Houston was 0-6 and St. Louis was 0-3.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A couple of days ago, Braylon Mullins was a UConn freshman whose name carried weight mostly among the true diehards. Now he’s a part of NCAA Tournament lore. That’s what can happen at this time of year. Mullins’ 35-footer with 0.4 seconds remaining lifted UConn over Duke 73-72 in the Elite Eight on Sunday. Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to evaluate just how legendary this shot was. The factors to consider are time and score, the importance of the game, the degree of difficulty and the shot's long-term legacy.
NBA awards voting is ramping up, and Coach of the Year looks wide open. Boston coach Joe Mazzulla, however, pours cold water on his own case. He calls the award “stupid” and says he does not need it. The comments come as Boston stays strong despite playing much of the season without Jayson Tatum. Other coaches also build strong cases. J.B. Bickerstaff has Detroit near the top of the East. Mitch Johnson has San Antonio near the top of the West. Teams also keep lobbying in other races as ballots near.
The NBA stretch run has arrived. Entering Monday, only 9% of the regular season remains to be played. The five teams in each conference that won't be going to the play-in or the playoffs are already known, so the focus shifts to seeding for the 20 teams still alive. Monday’s slate includes games with tiebreaker and play-in implications, plus a Lakers game without Luka Doncic because of a suspension. Detroit, Boston, Oklahoma City and San Antonio have playoff spots secured.
Finals
INTERLEAGUE
Final Chicago White Sox 9 Miami 4
Final Atlanta 4 Athletics 0
Final Chicago Cubs 7 L.A. Angels 2
Final Tampa Bay 3 Milwaukee 2
Final Colorado 14 Toronto 5
Final Cleveland 4 L.A. Dodgers 2
Final Arizona 9 Detroit 6
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Kansas City 3 Minnesota 1
Final Texas 5 Baltimore 2
Final Houston 8 Boston 1
Final Seattle 2 N.Y. Yankees 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Cincinnati 2 Pittsburgh 0
Final Washington 13 Philadelphia 2
Final N.Y. Mets 4 St. Louis 2
Final San Francisco 3 San Diego 2
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Pittsburgh 8 N-Y Islanders 3
Final Colorado 9 Calgary 2
Final San Jose 5 St. Louis 4
Final Vegas 4 Vancouver 2
Final OT Toronto 5 Anaheim 4