FOOTBALL
Sooners extend Venables
Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables agreed Thursday to a two-year contract extension, after leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff last season. The deal adds two years to Venables' previous contract and runs through Jan. 31, 2032. The extension, announced by Athletic Director Roger Denny, is pending approval by the OU Board of Regents, which meets next month. Venables, 55, is entering his fifth season as Oklahoma's head coach. He led the Sooners to a 10-3 record and their first College Football Playoff appearance since 2019. They were the No. 8 seed and hosted a first-round game, which they lost to Alabama, 34-24. It marked OU's second 10-win regular season under Venables, who also won 10 games in 2023, and the 2026 team is ranked No. 10 in the preseason AP top 25. Oklahoma's 2025 defense, under the direction of Venables as play-caller, was one of the nation's best. The Sooners ranked sixth in the country in yards allowed per game (272.5) and seventh in points allowed per outing (15.5). They also led the nation in tackles for loss (9.4) and sacks (3.5) per game, and paced the SEC in seven defensive categories.
New deal for Vea
Vita Vea and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have agreed on a contract extension, ending the two-time Pro Bowl nose tackle's hold-in. Vita was entering the final season of a four-year, $71 million contract. His new deal reportedly is worth $48 million over the next two seasons. Vea has 256 tackles, including 48 for loss, 79 quarterback hits, 35 sacks, 9 pass breakups, 3 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries in eight seasons. General Manager Jason Licht said Vea is "exactly the type of player and person we want to build around in Tampa Bay."
Utah sues Whittingham
The University of Utah is suing former assistant coach Freddie Whittingham for breach of contract after he left to join his brother Kyle's staff at Michigan. The lawsuit filed in Utah's Third District Court is seeking more than $300,000 for breach of contract and at least $1 million for general and special damages. The lawsuit contends Whittingham abandoned his roll as Utah's tight ends coach to take the same job at Michigan despite being under contract through January 2027. It alleges Whittingham failed to provide written notice of resignation, get written consent from Utah to speak with Michigan and pay liquidation damages specified under terms of the contract. The lawsuit also claims Whittingham failed to devote full-time attention and energy to his duties at Utah and that he actively recruited Utah players to Michigan while still employed by the school. Utah and Arkansas face off at 9:15 p.m. Central on Sept. 12 in Salt Lake City.
BASKETBALL
Cavs re-sign Harden
James Harden agreed to a three-year, $97 million contract to remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers, two people close to the situation told the Associated Press on Thursday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced. It includes a player option for the 2028-29 season as well as a trade kicker. Harden declined his $42.3 million player option for the upcoming season, but he indicated after the Cavaliers were swept in four games by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals that he would like to return. He also wanted to wait until the Cavaliers were done making a couple moves before his new agreement was in place. The 36-year-old Harden will be going into his 18th NBA season. He averaged 20.5 points and 7.7 assists for the Cavaliers in 26 regular-season games after being acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers for Darius Garland on Feb. 4. He averaged 19.2 points and 5.5 assists in the playoffs.
TENNIS
Record purse for U.S. Open
The U.S. Open singles champions will earn $5.5 million, the highest winnings in Grand Slam tennis history. Overall compensation for the final major of the year is rising to a record $108 million, a 20% increase from last year and a 44% jump since 2024. The financial details were announced Thursday by the U.S. Tennis Association, with play set to begin next week. Players will earn $140,000, largest in tennis history, just for making it into the 128-player singles main draw. A quarterfinalist earns $780,000, a semifinalist $1.45 million and the runner-up $2.8 million. Also announced Thursday, the Grand Slam tennis tournaments have created a player council, giving players greater input into matters involving the biggest events in the sport. The Grand Slam Player Advisory Council was announced Thursday by the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. It will begin following the U.S. Open.
SOCCER
Fans protest Infantino
A collection of soccer fan groups from around the world launched a petition Thursday calling for Gianni Infantino to resign as FIFA president after he tried to sell future World Cup profits to private investors. The petition with the hashtag InfantinOut also calls for FIFA "to be rebuilt so that the current debacle can never happen again." The fan groups include Football Supporters Europe, Football Supporters Africa and, in North America, the Independent Supporters Council, plus about 40 national fan groups worldwide.