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NFL teams actually care about kickoffs in practice again after rule change

FRISCO, Texas — The Kansas City Chiefs are considering the possibility of safety Justin Reid handling some kickoffs. The Dallas Cowboys are hoping tiny return man KaVontae Turpin might finally break a big one two years after he basically made the team doing exactly that in the preseason. Mostly, coaches and players in the NFL are wondering what they’re getting into with radical changes to the kickoff rule. It’s no longer a “ dead, ceremonial play,” as league executive and former player Troy Vincent so flatly described it late last season, about three months before owners ...

Scottie Scheffler says he’s still trying to move past arrest

DUBLIN, Ohio — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler said he knew five days in advance that charges related to his arrest during the PGA Championship were going to be dismissed. In his mind, that wasn’t the end of the saga but rather the beginning of trying to put it behind him. Criminal charges were dismissed on May 29, nearly two weeks after images emerged of the world’s No. 1 golfer being arrested and handcuffed outside Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Scheffler said his attorney told him on May 24 that dropping the charges had become a formality because “we had a ...

Djokovic withdraws from the French Open; will lose his No. 1 ranking

PARIS — Novak Djokovic pulled out of the the French Open with an injured knee on Tuesday, an abrupt end to his title defense and to his current stay at No. 1 in the rankings. “I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from #rolandgarros,” Djokovic posted on social media. “I played with my heart and gave my all in yesterday’s match and unfortunately, due to a medial meniscus tear in my right knee, my team and I had to make a tough decision after careful consideration and consultation.” The tournament said the extent of the injury was found during an MRI exam ...

The Teeny, Tiny Conviction of Donald J. Trump

I suppose we should talk about Donald Trump. I really don’t want to, though. Not that there’s nothing newsworthy about a former president and current presidential candidate being found guilty of a passel of felonies related to falsifying his business records to hide a hush money payment. No, that’s important, I guess. It’s just that so little has changed as a result of it. You either believe justice was served or you don’t. And the verdict, polls have shown, is highly unlikely to alter your vote for president. You’re either with Trump or you’re against him, and the ...

Kidd passes on vindication, leads Mavs to NBA Finals a year after chaotic finish

DALLAS — Jason Kidd isn’t big on personal vindication. Leading the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals as their coach 13 years after he was the point guard on the franchise’s only championship team means more to Kidd than proving he was right about Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving needing time to grow into a title-seeking tandem. There’s part of the 51-year-old, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame player, who believes he doesn’t have much to prove at all. “I know how to win,” Kidd said. “Done that since elementary school, to the highest level. I’ve won gold medals. ...

Celtics have followed Mazzulla title series

BOSTON — When Celtics guard Derrick White stood in the corner behind the 3-point line late in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals as teammate Jaylen Brown drove into the lane, drew defenders and flipped a pass toward him, White felt prepared for the moment. That’s because Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had simulated scenarios just like it throughout the season. “It starts in practice with them championship stations that Joe loves to do,” White recalled. “It starts there and then just continue to trust one another.” White trusted that Brown would make the correct ...