Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker asks for release after planning to return for 11th season

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker asked the team to release him after saying late last month he plans to return for an 11th season rather than retire.

Decker posted Friday on Instagramthat he is "opting for a clean and amicable close" to a "beautiful 10 years" with the Lions.

"In the weeks since notifying the team of my return, there have been numerous discussions," Decker said. "Many of which were a surprise to me, and we could not find common ground. Therefore I decided to request my release."

The 32-year-old Decker has started 140 games for the Lions and made the Pro Bowl in 2024. He endured a shoulder injury for much of last year and acknowledged after the season that he was considering retirement. Detroit finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

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Decker signed a$60 million, three-year extension that put him under contract through the 2027 season as a key player inthe franchise's turnaround.

Detroit drafted Decker out of Ohio State with the No. 16 overall pick in 2016.

With the offensive line as a strength, the Lions won two playoff games in a season for the first time since 1957 when they reached the NFC championship after the 2023 season. The following year, they had a franchise-record 15 wins when they won a second straight division title before losing in the divisional round.

AP NFL:https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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March 06, 2026

Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker asks for release after planning to return for 11th season

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker asked the team to release him after saying late last month he...

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Winthrop survives in Big South tournament with 8 points in 13 seconds vs. Charleston Southern

Winthrop was facing a significant upset as the No. 2 seed of the Big South tournament. Then it locked in for the final minute.

Down 81-74 against No. 7 seed Charleston Southern, the Eagles scored eight points in the span of 13 seconds on their way toan 86-81 win in the quarterfinals.

The fun began with a 3-pointer from Josh Meo, which itself was scored only after an offensive rebound off a missed shot from deep. Charleston then went full-court press, got the trap, got the steal and scored an and-1 via Kody Clouet.

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Charleston Southern then again failed to get the ball across the halfcourt line, with Meo getting another steal and Logan Duncomb scoring the go-ahead lay-up.

The game went from an 81-74 Charleston Southern lead with 30 seconds left to an 82-81 Winthrop lead with 16 seconds left. The Buccaneers still got a couple chances to save the game, but nothing went their way before the clock hit zero.

Duncomb led the Eagles with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench, while, Charleston Southern's A'lahn Sumler led all scorers with 26 points.

Winthrop will face the winner of No. 3 Radford and No. 6 Presbyterian in the semifinals on Saturday.

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March 06, 2026

Winthrop survives in Big South tournament with 8 points in 13 seconds vs. Charleston Southern

Winthrop was facing a significant upset as the No. 2 seed of the Big South tournament. Then it locked in for the final mi...

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Bears release linebacker Tremaine Edmunds after granting him permission to seek trade

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears released linebacker Tremaine Edmunds on Friday aftergranting him permission last week to seek a trade.

The 27-year-old Edmunds was entering the final season of a four-year, $72 million contract he signed in 2023. The Bears saved $15 million in cap space by letting him go before the start of the league year next week.

Edmunds helped the Bears go from worst to first in the NFC North. He led the team with 112 tackles and had four interceptions despite missing four games with a groin injury.

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Chicago went 11-6 and won its first division title since 2018. The Bears advanced in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, rallying to beat Green Bay in a wild-card thriller before losing to the Los Angeles Rams in overtime in the divisional round.

AP NFL:https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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March 06, 2026

Bears release linebacker Tremaine Edmunds after granting him permission to seek trade

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears released linebacker Tremaine Edmunds on Friday aftergranting him permission la...

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Kerley receives 2-year whereabouts suspension, responds with social media flurry ripping regulators

Sprinter Fred Kerley received a two-year ban Friday for missing drug tests — a suspension that shouldn't impact the 30-year-old former world champion because he has signed to run in aleague that does not prohibit performance enhancers.

The Athletics Integrity Unit, which oversees doping cases for World Athletics, announced the suspension, quoting from a ruling that called the 100-meter champion in 2022 "'negligent and, to a certain extent, reckless'" in not adhering to anti-doping regulations."

The decision said Kerley's missed tests occurred from May through December of 2024. Last September, he became the biggest name in sprinting to announce he would run in the Enhanced Games, a start-up league that will not penalize athletes for using banned substances.

Shortly after the ban was announced, Kerley released aflurry of social media posts, one of which featured him and a picture of him bursting through a phalanx of men dressed like military police wearing uniforms with "AIU," "WADA" (World Anti-Doping Agency) and "USADA" (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency) on them.

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"I'm tired of holding everything in," it said. "You can't control me, and the truth is louder than silence."

Anotherpost, which could have been a reference to the doping-control officers that arrived on one of the days he missed a test, said "A random number from Mexico that looked like a scam call and I'm supposed to answer that? I live in USA why is a number calling my phone from Mexico."

Kerley's suspension will run through Aug. 11, 2027.

AP sports:https://apnews.com/sports

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March 06, 2026

Kerley receives 2-year whereabouts suspension, responds with social media flurry ripping regulators

Sprinter Fred Kerley received a two-year ban Friday for missing drug tests — a suspension that shouldn't impact the 3...

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Daniel Berger speeds in front by 5 at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Daniel Berger opened up a five-shot lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after a steady round Friday at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla.

Berger built on Thursday's 63 with a 4-under-par 68 to climb to 13 under at the halfway mark of the $20 million signature event. Akshay Bhatia posted a 66 to take sole possession of second at 8 under.

Also in striking distance are Sahith Theegala (67), Collin Morikawa (71) and Sweden's Ludvig Aberg (71), who are tied for third at 7 under, and Rickie Fowler, who's alone in sixth at 6 under after his second consecutive 69. Xander Schauffele (71) and defending champion Russell Henley (69) are tied at 5 under.

Berger, a former World No. 12 and 2021 Ryder Cup winner, hasn't won on the PGA Tour since the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He missed 18 months with a back injury and struggled to regain his old form once he returned.

On Friday, he rolled in five birdies while limiting himself to one bogey. He ranks second this week in strokes gained approaching the green and third in strokes gained putting.

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Bhatia is the closest to chasing him down after he poured in seven birdies on Friday and saved par from the bunker at the difficult par-4 18th.

Rory McIlroy improved on his opening round by four shots, the Northern Irishman's 68 vaulting him to 4 under and part of a tie for ninth. Scottie Scheffler (71) is at 3 under.

This is one of three signature events with a 36-hole cut. Only the top 50 and ties will make the weekend. U.S. Open winner J.J. Spaun (3 over), Irishman Shane Lowry (3 over), Australia's Jason Day (4 over), Patrick Cantlay (4 over) and Keegan Bradley (5 over) are among those in line to miss the cut, projected to be 2 over par.

Justin Thomas shot two straight rounds of 79 in his first start of the season following November back surgery. He finished in dead last among 72 players at 14 over.

--Field Level Media

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March 06, 2026

Daniel Berger speeds in front by 5 at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Daniel Berger opened up a five-shot lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after a steady round Friday at Bay Hill Clu...

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Jayson Tatum returns: Celtics star will make 2025-26 debut against Mavs after recovering from Achilles injury

Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum faced a lengthy recovery after he went down witha torn Achilleslast May. While there was some doubt about whether he would be able to play this season, Tatum always kept hope alive, sayinghe wasn't ruling himself outback in September.

That prediction turned out to be true, as Tatum will return to action Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks,the Celtics announced. The team initially listed Tatum as questionable on its injury report before upgrading him to available.

His comeback follows an up-and-down rehab. At times,Tatum showed off incredible progress, offering hope he could get back before the year was over. But in January, a report emerged suggesting the 27-year-old starcould shut it down and prepare for next season.

Shortly after that report, Tatum's return started to look more realistic. In February, it was reported that Tatum was taking part in controlled scrimmages. He was assigned to the team's G League affiliate to start taking part in practices. Eventually, Tatum found himself listed on the Celtics' injury report, a sign he was getting close to a return.

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That culminated in Friday's news ahead of Tatum's long-awaited but inspiring return from a devastating injury.

Despite being without Tatum — and trading away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday — the Celtics have performed much better than expected. The team sits near the top of the Eastern Conference, with forward Jaylen Brown in the midst of an MVP-caliber season.

While it's impossible to know whether Tatum will fully return to form upon his comeback, the forward should make an impact, even if he's not at full strength. Tatum has made the All-Star team in each of the past six seasons in which he was healthy, and while he hasn't won an MVP award just yet, he's been in contention for that honor multiple times over that period.

Last season, Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Those numbers earned him his fourth straight appearance on the first team All-NBA team.

The move comes at the perfect time. With the Celtics rapidly approaching the playoffs, Tatum should have enough time to work himself into form before the end of the regular season. If the team can get him back to full strength in time for the playoffs, the Celtics could be bound for a miraculous championship run during a year most wrote the team off.

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March 06, 2026

Jayson Tatum returns: Celtics star will make 2025-26 debut against Mavs after recovering from Achilles injury

Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum faced a lengthy recovery after he went down witha torn Achilleslast May. While ther...

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LeBron James injury update: Lakers star hurts elbow in hard fall

Anotherrecord-setting night for LeBron Jamesended painfully, as he hurt his elbow in a hard fall during the fourth quarter of theLos Angeles Lakers' game against theDenver Nuggets.

James drove and hit a layup with just over 4 minutes to go, but he came down hard and immediately grasped at his elbow. TheAmazon Prime cameras captured James saying"elbow" and using some NSFW language as he was checked on.

Jaxson Hayes subbed in for James after the ensuing timeout and James received treatment from trainers while sitting on the bench, working his elbow area.

James' basket had cut the Lakers' deficit to 110-106 late. He returned to the court about two minutes later, with 2:05 on the clock and the Lakers trailing 112-111. James was removed for good with 22.3 seconds left

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The Nuggets held on to win, 120-113.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin, relaying what Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the contest, reported that James was "icing his left elbow after the game and that he was experiencing enough discomfort that it caused him to be unable to finish the game."

Earlier in the contest, James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA record for most made field goals.

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:LeBron James injury update, why he left Lakers-Nuggets game in 4th

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March 06, 2026

LeBron James injury update: Lakers star hurts elbow in hard fall

Anotherrecord-setting night for LeBron Jamesended painfully, as he hurt his elbow in a hard fall during the fourth quarte...

Read More