SPORTS HEADLINES

Aaron Rodgers says the 2026 NFL season will be his last: ‘This is it’

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says his 22nd season in the NFL will be his last. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback said “this is it” when asked Wednesday if he will retire at the end of the 2026 season. The 42-year-old did not expand on why he came to that conclusion. Rodgers signed a one-year deal to return to the Steelers just before the start of organized team activities. The four-time NFL MVP says the hiring of Mike McCarthy as coach played a factor in his decision to return to the Steelers after helping lead the club to the AFC North title last season.

Cavaliers shrug off concerns about Harden as they try to even the East finals against the Knicks

GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — Jalen Brunson against Donovan Mitchell was the matchup splashed across the screens to hype the Eastern Conference finals. Unfortunately for the Cleveland Cavaliers, it turned into Brunson versus James Harden in the fourth quarter of Game 1. Brunson continuously attacked the matchup to spark one of the largest postseason comebacks on record, as the New York Knicks rallied from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 115-104 victory. As they prepare for Game 2 on Thursday, the Cavaliers are shrugging off concerns that one of the most accomplished offensive players in league history might be too poor of a defender to give them NBA Finals hopes.

Mavericks president Masai Ujiri says it was his decision to remove Jason Kidd as coach

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri says it was a difficult decision, and his alone, to remove Jason Kidd as the team’s coach after five seasons. A day after the Mavericks announced Kidd’s departure, Ujiri said Wednesday he felt like the organization needed a clean slate. The former Toronto Raptors executive took over as team president and governor of the Mavs two weeks ago. He says the decision to move on from Kidd had nothing to do with the February 2025 trade of Luka Doncic or anyone connected to that deal.

As CFP barrels toward 24 teams, the questions remain: Who’s paying for this, and how much?

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (AP) — The Big Ten is pushing to expand the College Football Playoff to 24 teams, but the question is who will televise it. Fox supports the idea, but concerns remain about how much networks will pay for games involving less popular teams. The current ESPN deal is worth $7.8 billion over six seasons. The Southeastern Conference prefers a 16-team playoff, while the Big Ten has support from the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences for 24 teams. A larger playoff could eliminate conference title games, affecting revenue. The NFL’s dominance in viewership is a factor in negotiations.

Congo cancels 3-day World Cup training camp and fan farewell in Kinshasa over Ebola fears

Congo’s soccer team has canceled a three-day World Cup preparation training camp and a planned farewell to fans in the capital Kinshasa because of an outbreak of Ebola in the east of the country. Preparations will take place elsewhere after an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola known as Bundibugyo, which is thought to have killed more than 130 people and caused nearly 600 suspected cases. Congo is scheduled to play World Cup-warmup games against Denmark in Liege, Belgium on June 3 and Chile in southern Spain on June 9. Both matches are going ahead as planned, team spokesman Jerry Kalemo has told The Associated Press. Congo faces Portugal in its first World Cup match in Houston on June 17.

NCAA infractions expert says Brendan Sorsby faces long odds challenging permanent ban for gambling

A former arbitrator of NCAA infractions cases says Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby faces an uphill fight trying to force the NCAA to stand down on enforcing the policy that permanently bans athletes who are found to have wagered on their own team. Sorsby filed a lawsuit in Lubbock, Texas, this week seeking an injunction allowing him to play for the Red Raiders this season. Balsam is director of the Sports Law Clinic at Brooklyn Law School. She said courts historically have sided with sports governing bodies when it comes to administering rules concerning integrity of the game.

Montreal Victoire win their first PWHL title, beating Ottawa 4-0 in Game 4

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Abby Roque scored twice, Ann-Renée Desbiens made 23 saves and the Montreal Victoire won their first PWHL title, beating the Ottawa Charge 4-0 on Wednesday night in Game 4 of the Walter Cup Finals. Maggie Flaherty and Lina Ljungblom also scored. Montreal opened the best-of-five series at home with two overtime victories, then fell 2-1 at Ottawa on Monday night. Home teams had won the last five finals games. The Minnesota Frost won the first two titles in league history, beating Ottawa in four games last year in the championship series. Montreal beat Minnesota in the semifinals this season.

Aston Villa and Prince William celebrate Europa League triumph ending team’s 30-year trophy drought

In front of the future king of England, Unai Emery reaffirmed his status as the king of the Europa League. Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul to secure Emery a record-extending fifth title in this competition. Celebrating wildly inside the Tupras Stadium was lifelong Villa fan Prince William, who traveled to watch his beloved team end a 30-year wait for a major trophy. Was the outcome ever in doubt with the ultimate Europa League specialist Emery on the sideline?

Southampton loses appeal in spying case that cost it a chance at promotion to Premier League

Southampton’s appeal against its expulsion from the Championship playoff final because of spying offenses was dismissed. An arbitration panel upheld the English Football League’s decision to remove Southampton from Saturday’s Wembley final, meaning Middlesbrough will take its place and play Hull for the chance to win promotion to the Premier League. The decision is final. Southampton was expelled on Tuesday after admitting to repeatedly spying on opponents. It was charged earlier this month for the unauthorized filming of Middlesbrough’s practice sessions ahead of their semifinal. The club subsequently admitted further breaches this season concerning games against Oxford and Ipswich. It was also deducted four points for next season.