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FOOTBALL
Burrow restructures deal
The Cincinnati Bengals have restructured the contract of franchise quarterback Joe Burrow, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the move was not announced. The restructured deal was first reported by ESPN and NFL Network. Cincinnati gains around $10 million in cap space by spreading out some of his base salary over the final three years of the deal (2027 through 2029). Burrow signed a five-year, $275-million extension in 2023. The Bengals found themselves low on cap space after acquiring defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants before the NFL Draft and signing him to a one-year extension worth $28 million. Cincinnati is also trying to get some of its key players from its 2023 draft class still under rookie deal signed to extensions before the start of training camp. That group includes DE Myles Murphy, RB Chase Brown, and defensive backs Jordan Battle, DJ Turner and Dax Hill. Burrow, the top overall pick in the 2023 draft, is going into his seventh season. He led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2021 season and the AFC championship game the following year, but Cincinnati has missed the playoffs the last three seasons. Burrow played in only eight games last season.
Rams OT arrested
Los Angeles Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson was arrested Monday night on suspicion of felony domestic violence. The Los Angeles Police Department says Jackson, 27, was arrested after officers were called to his home in the West Hills neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley. NBC4 reported that Jackson allegedly attempted to take a phone away from a woman when he thought he was being recorded, and the woman had scratches on her arm. Jackson has been the Rams' starting left tackle for the past three seasons, starting 45 regular-season games and six playoff games. The former undrafted free agent re-signed with the Rams on a three-year, $57 million deal in February 2025. Jackson's bail was set at $50,000, and he was released on bond early Tuesday morning, according to Los Angeles jail records.
Browns' Bitonio retires
Joel Bitonio said he had a good idea in January that he would be retiring after 12 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. On Tuesday,the offensive lineman to make it official. "This place is so special that it was hard to truly say goodbye. I'm so glad I got to learn and be a Cleveland Brown my entire career," Bitonio said during a news conference after he announced his retirement via the team website earlier in the day. The announcement also came on the day the Browns opened their three-day mandatory minicamp. Bitonio, 34, played his entire career in Cleveland after he was selected in the second round (35th) of the 2014 draft. He was a stalwart at left guard and emerged as the leader of the offensive line when Hall of Fame left tackle Joe Thomas retired after the 2017 season. Bitonio's 178 games -- all starts -- are ninth in franchise history. He has made the most starts since the franchise's return to Cleveland in 1999. "He was a model of consistency. I hardly ever remember Joel having a bad game," owner Jimmy Haslam said.
Sneed returns to KC
The Kansas City Chiefs and L'Jarius Sneed are reuniting on a one-year, $5 million contract that gives the veteran cornerback a reset after an injury-plagued tenure in Tennessee while bringing some depth and stability to the Kansas City defensive backfield. need was a fourth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2020 who quickly earned a starting job and eventually helped the franchise win two Super Bowls. He was traded to the Titans in March 2024, when it became clear the Chiefs could not afford Sneed on a long-term deal, and he parlayed his success in Kansas City into a four-year deal that averaged $19.4 million per season.
HOCKEY
McCarron signs new deal
The Minnesota Wild signed center Michael McCarron to a six-year, $20 million contract Tuesday, taking one of their impending free agents off the market. The 31-year-old McCarron played in 20 regular-season games for the Wild after he was acquired from the Nashville Predators for a 2028 second-round draft pick on March 3. The 6-6 McCarron had his best NHL season between Nashville and Minnesota in 2025-26, setting career highs with 109 shots on goal, 205 hits and 77 blocked shots. He had 2 goals, 2 assists, 27 hits and a team-leading 14 blocked shots over 11 games for the Wild in the playoffs.
SOCCER
World Cup ref denied entry
The World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States after arriving in Miami and subsequently cut from the tournament by FIFA was set to make history for his country. Omar Artan was going to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA's final list for the tournament, which was announced two months ago. He is one of Africa's top referees and was named the continent's best male referee in 2025. He was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over "vetting concerns," U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement without giving details of those concerns. Artan was issued a visa to travel to the U.S. last week, according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya that processed it. Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said Tuesday the referee was denied admittance for "very good reason" Somalia is one of nearly 40 countries subjected to new travel restrictions under the Trump administration's strict crackdown on immigration. That raised concerns that fans, players and officials from those countries -- most of which are African -- might be caught up in the crackdown and denied entry for the World Cup despite having valid visas. but also declined to go into details. "I think that they have a problem with my country," Artan told The New York Times, adding he had the correct documents and visa, and he wasn't told why he was refused entry. The Somalia Youth and Sports Ministry said its embassy in the U.S. was trying to resolve the problem to allow Artan to referee at the World Cup, which opens Thursday.