Players being cryptic on social media is nothing new. In fact, a bio change is one of the more definitive moves a player has made. But it’s entirely possible Donald had a change of heart shortly after making the change. Fueling the fire is that Donald reportedly nearly retired last year, going as far as submitting his retirement paperwork to the team. Donald’s affirmation he plans on playing came to Chris Long, who said on a podcast with Peter Schrager he doesn’t believe Donald will retire....

Unfortunately, the decision-makers decided defense would remain on hold, again. Although wide receiver Cooper Kupp was a worthy choice on the strength of 8 catches on 10 targets for 92 yards and two TDs, including the game-winning points, Donald was robbed of history. He should have joined Miller as the 11th defensive player to win MVP of the Super Bowl. With one co-MVP situation, that’s happened only 16 percent of the time in 56 games....

Gordon earned that stripe for his MVP performance in the FIBA U19 World Championship, where he averaged a team-high 12.6 points and 6.2 rebounds coming off the bench, and for his participation in the Nike Hoop Summit. “Aaron is a great player, and the thing I really give him and the rest of the players credit for is that every single one of those guys is a high-profile player and they all knew going in that there was going to be some form of sacrifice that was going to have to take place for us to win,” said Florida coach Billy Donovan, who also coached the U19 team this past year....

Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd took his latest swing at Rodgers on Tuesday, and it focused on the usual points. Rodgers plays on a talented roster, holds the ball too long, has questionable leadership, etc. Why does he get a free pass? That’s how this conversation got started. Cowherd then compared Rodgers to Dallas’ Tony Romo based on fourth-quarter comebacks. Romo has 25 fourth-quarter comebacks for his career, and Rodgers has 10....

Annie lost her younger brother, Jack, to pediatric cancer, which led to Annie creating the Gold in September (G9). Her goal is to raise awareness of pediatric cancer and help unite hospitals, organizations, foundations and more. Earlier this year, Rodgers surprised Annie when she thought she was being interviewed about her cause. Her reaction is priceless. They also went on to go door-to-door through her neighborhood to spread her cause....

The former Super Bowl MVP discussed Denver’s quarterback situation at MLB’s celebrity softball All-Star Game on Sunday. On one hand, he’s comfortable with Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater, the top two passers the team has on the roster. On the other hand, if Aaron Rodgers becomes available, he believes that Denver’s front office will be well-positioned to make a run at the reigning NFL MVP. “First and foremost, I’m comfortable with Drew, I’m comfortable with Teddy....

Announced on Thursday, Abbott’s executive order is the latest in a year of controversial high-profile border policies meant to blunt what he and other Republicans say is the failure of the Biden administration to stem a growing border crisis. The order authorizes the Texas National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to apprehend undocumented immigrants who cross the border between ports of entry and return them to the border....

The problem wasn’t nerves for the 35-year-old, who knows how to handle pressure. The problem was China. A young, rebuilding national team, the Steel Roses decided they were going to get in the way of Wambach’s gamboling retirement party Wednesday night. MORE: Relive the USWNT’s World Cup win | Wambach says Klinsmann must go After a slew of cupcake opponents and easy wins for the U.S. national team over the course of its victory tour, China provided the best defensive opponent the U....

“This isn’t something that just snuck up on me when I retired from soccer,” the U.S. women’s soccer legend told The Associated Press. “This is something I’ve been dealing with for years now.” MORE: Childhood photos of USWNT stars Wambach retired from the U.S. women’s national team in 2015 and was arrested in April for DUI. During that process, reports suggested she had used weed and cocaine in the past, though the extent was not known....

When Simeone yearned for Real Madrid Leonardo Jardim’s men have seen off Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund on their way to the last four and are now just a two-legged tie against the Italian giants away from June’s final in Cardiff. Former Monaco defender Abidal thinks his former club, who have profited from five goals apiece from Kylian Mbappe and Radamel Falcao during this year’s competition, could benefit from heading into Wednesday’s home leg as underdogs....

Last week, the world’s attention has turned toward the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). Leaders, representatives, and climate activists from 120 countries are in Glasgow, Scotland, for the annual summit. However, members of the disabled community felt like they were left out of the discussion. The conference was plagued with allegations of ableism after Israel’s Energy Minister Karine Elharrar, who has muscular dystrophy, was unable to enter the events compound in her wheelchair-accessible vehicle....

Olivia Julianna, a 20-year-old Texas abortion-rights advocate, joined the likes of entertainer JoJo Siwa and Black-ish actress Marsai Martin in making the list. Seventeen’s honorees were chosen for their dedication to some of the country’s most pressing issues such as LGBTQ and reproductive rights, as well as racial and climate justice. Seventeen highlighted Julianna’s work with Texas Democrats, including Beto O’Rourke, and her abortion-rights activism. Still, Julianna’s dedication apparently hasn’t come without costs....

Reproductive Freedom for All created the petition to affirm the right for women to make pregnancy-related decisions without interference. These decisions include abortion and birth control. There are multiple advocacy groups working with Reproductive Freedom for All. Among these groups are Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and Michigan Voices. The petition arrived as the U.S. Supreme Court considers weakening or overturning the landmark Roe v....

Belotti was one of the most sought-after forwards in Europe after starring in Serie A with 26 goals last season, but he has struggled to repeat that form, netting only nine league goals this term and failing to fire Italy to the World Cup. But ahead of going up against Belotti as AC Milan boss, Gattuso - who briefly coached the forward at Palermo - has highlighted his “desire to improve” as key in the years to come....

ACC commissioner John Swofford said at the conclusion of the conference’s annual spring meetings that football championship games already scheduled to be played in Charlotte — where the game has been held since 2010 — are safe through 2019. Anything beyond that is in doubt. GENTILLE: NBA’s response to law could help spur change in N.C. “Obviously, it’s playing out in ways that I guess none of us have envisioned,” Swofford told reporters, via The Charlotte Observer, “so I think a lot of us are dealing with something we’ve never dealt with before....

NBA Pick of the Day - Los Angeles Lakers (1-5) at Memphis Grizzlies (6-1) Thanks to a 65-point second half Sunday night, the Lakers found a way to get their first win of the season, defeating the Hornets 107-92. They’ll look to extend that streak to two games Tuesday night in Memphis against a Grizzlies team that started the season with six straight victories. AccuScore has the Grizzlies as overwhelming 87 percent favorites to win....

AccuScore has LSU as slight 52 percent favorites to win. The average score after 10,000-plus simulations is 68.5 - 68. There’s about a 55 percent chance LSU covers a +2 spread. LSU went 6-4 SU and 7-3 ATS over its last 10 games of the season. NC State went 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS over their final nine games of the season in ACC play. Line: NC State -2, Total: 140....

Point spreads and totals are current as of Tuesday morning. Check The Linemakers on Sporting News’ odds page for updated Las Vegas lines. AccuScore Best Bet No. 1: There’s a 64 percent chance the Clippers cover a -2 spread at home against the Spurs in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series. The average score after AccuScore ran its 10,000-plus simulations is 103-97, in favor of L.A. AccuScore Best Bet No....

The elbow in your side pulls you back to the here and now. ““If you’re not going to watch this, then let me turn on “Savannah’,’’ your wife says. Alarmed, you fumble for the remote. ““But I want to watch this. It’s a pivotal game,’’ you protest while you wriggle back into an alert, upright position and try to reconstruct what just happened in your ball game. And you are embarrassed: you wonder why she never drops off during her shows....

The gunfire continued even after Israel withdrew from the villages-without having accomplished much. Rushing back into the front lines, the Shiites fired a barrage of Katyusha rockets into Israel; one landed in a collective farm, killing a 5-year-old girl. It seemed safe to predict more strikes back and forth across Israel’s “security zone” in southern Lebanon. To the south, meanwhile, a Palestinian stabbed four Israelis, killing one of them, a woman immigrant from Russia....