Aaron Rodgers has finally addressed his NFL future as Steelers OTAs begin. The veteran quarterback confirmed the upcoming season will be his last, ending months of retirement speculation and adding fresh attention to Pittsburghs offseason plans.

Rising quarterbacks and falling receivers impact Superflex Dynasty values

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Jarren Durans opposite-field two-run homer in the seventh inning rallied the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.With one on and one out in the seventh, Duran sent reliever Steven Cruzs fastball 366 feet into the bullpen in left for his sixth homer, helping the Red Sox complete a series sweep of the faltering Royals. Boston's three-game winning streak matched its season high.Connelly Early (4-2) allowed three runs on two swings Salvador Perezs solo homer in the first and Elias Dazs two-run shot in the fifth. The 24-year-old left-hander allowed six hits and struck out five in 6 1/3 innings.Willson Contreras had three of Bostons 11 hits, including his second triple in four years. In the second inning, Contreras tripled into the right field corner before scoring on Nick Sogards single.Aroldis Chapman recorded his 12th save and converted his 26th consecutive save chance.Perez had three hits, including his 135th career home run at Kauffman Stadium. He is one shy of the record held by George Brett.Dazs 405-foot homer to left center in the fifth inning gave the Royals a 3-2 lead.Michael Wacha allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in six innings. It was his fourth straight quality start and his American League-leading eighth of the season.Cruz (0-2) faced four batters and allowed two runs on two hits. They were his first runs allowed in six appearances since being recalled from Triple-A Omaha on May 8.The Royals (20-30) lost for the ninth time in 10 games and slipped a season-worst 10 games below .500. Kansas City was swept in a series for the fourth time this season, tied for most in the MLB.Up nextBoston begins a homestand Friday with LHP Payton Tolle (2-2, 2.05 ERA) opposing Twins LHP Connor Prielipp (1-2, 2.88).The Royals have not named a starter to face Mariners RHP Logan Gilbert (2-4, 4.45 ERA) Friday in Kansas City.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

By scouring the juco ranks, Kansas baseball has turned itself into one of the sport's top programs.

The 2026 AFLW fixture has been unveiled, featuring multiple double-headers with AFL games and a mega schedule in AFL Grand Final week.

Seven seasons after he won a national championship at Louisiana State University (LSU), football coach Ed Orgeron is making a return to Baton Rouge.

Alex Palou senses a change among IndyCar fans these days.Instead of hearing the warm, roaring cheers like other great IndyCar champions and popular personalities, Palou has started hearing a different chorus from the crowd, boos. No, it's not an overwhelming sentiment, yet, but the Spaniard got a first-hand glimpse of what could lie ahead during the parade lap of this month's Indianapolis Grand Prix.Of course, the four-time series champion understands why it's happening fans are weary of seeing him reach victory lane race after race even though Palou isn't tired of winning.It was the first time I heard the boos like from multiple sections and I was like, 'All right, he said during practice for the sold-out Indianapolis 500. I think till now, it's been very friendly and now it's getting like more toward boos. But I think it's good, you need to have that. We're getting booed for being successful and for doing the right thing.The quick transition from champion to villain is nothing new in sports.Dynasty teams or even top athletes such as Tom Brady, LeBron James, Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson have all experienced and embraced the boos reserved for only the best of the best. Right now, Palou certainly fits the definition.But in the relatively friendly confines of IndyCar racing, he's a rarity.Palou has won three straight series titles and holds a 27-point lead in this year's standings thanks to three win in the season's first six races. He owns 11 wins in IndyCar's last 23 events, and just when it appeared Palou's success may finally be waning with an unlucky decision relegating him to fifth place in the Indianapolis GP, Palou's pole-winning qualifying run has made him the betting favorite to win the 500 again.For Palou, it's a strange place to be. Here, in Indianapolis, he's a big hit on the defending winner's appearance circuit and many fans clamor for photos with the 2025 Indy champ. At the same time, many others want to see someone else win if only to add some intrigue to the championship chase.Yet in many ways, it appears Palou can do no wrong.Despite drawing a late spot in the qualifying line on a hot, windy Pole Day and nearly missing the 12-car pole shootout on his first four-lap attempt, Palou somehow surprised himself by delivering on the bold pre-qualifying prediction of Chip Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull by putting his car at the front of Indy's first row. Palou's teammates, six-time series champ Scott Dixon and 21-year-old Kyffin Simpson, couldn't pull that off.Dixon, the 2008 Indy winner, is starting 10th. Simpson qualified seventh, the inside of Row 3 and now they, like everyone else are find themselves chasing Palou.Its something Im absolutely, like, How is he doing that week in, week out? 2018 Indy champ Will Power said recently. "Well, its one, hes qualifying well. Two is he executes in the race and three is the pit stops, you know, top notch, theres no mistakes in there. And hes fast. So thats what it takes when youre driving out there.Just how dominant has Palou been lately?He has two top-five finishes to his three wins this year, bringing his three-year totals to 14 victories and an additional 17 top fives in 41 races. His remarkable run of success is even more surprising because he's doing it in a spec series that is supposed to be relatively even.Palou didn't reach this place by happenstance.They (the three drivers' teams) work so well together, Hull said. They help each other. Were able to map the racetrack pretty quickly as well as collectively. Thats been a big deal for us. Thats always what our culture has emphasized.Hull's comment may explain why Palou and Dixon have combined to win seven of the last 11 series crowns for Ganassi.But it doesn't explain why Palou is so far ahead of teammates such as Dixon, who has spent 5 1/2 seasons pursuing a record-tying seventh series title only to watch Palou take the crown four times. Only A.J. Foyt has more all-time series championships than Dixon.Palou has a difficult time explaining the secret of his success, too.I just try to prepare as much as I can before going out on the track, he said. Then you have a list of things you need to do as a driver, like hitting references or just following the workload the engineer and mechanic have and that keeps you focused.In Palou's case, it's all about being first in practice, qualifying or on race day.He's less concerned with what fans think though he certainly reveled in the warm, post-qualifying celebration fans gave him after winning the pole with a four-lap average of 232.248 mph. Or whether he'll hear more cheers or jeers on Sunday if he becomes the seventh driver in race history to win back-to-back 500s.You need to win again. Obviously, that's what they pay us to do as drivers, Palou said. We all need to be fighting for wins and winning things. Getting the first (500 win) is probably the toughest or the thing you chase the most, so I feel a little bit of a relief there. But I still want to win more.___AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

The Texans worked out five wide receivers Wednesday as they explore depth-building at the position, per league sources.The audition included former Miami Dolphins wide receiver River Cracraft, former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DWayne Eskridge, former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Samori Toure, JhaQuan Jackson and former Marshall wide receiver Demarcus Lacey.Cracraft has 32 career catches for 374 yards and three touchdowns. He has played for the Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, Dolphins and Washington Commanders.Eskridge has 24 career receptions for 228 yards and one touchdown. Hes a former second-round draft pick from Western Michigan who played the Dolphins the past two seasons.Toure has 14 career receptions for 163 yards and one touchdown in two seasons for the Packers.Jackson played in 12 games last season for the Tennessee Titans in 2024, catching one pass for eight yards He returned 28 punts for a 7.7 average and 16 kickoff returns for a 25.8 average.Lacey went undrafted this year. A Jacksonville State transfer, Lacey began his career at North Alabama. He has also played running back.Lacey led the team with 65 catches for 769 yards and five touchdowns last season.Lacey rushed for 162 yards last season and averaged 6.1 yards per Cary.Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com

The EFL has rejected Southampton's appeal against their removal from the Championship Play-off final, confirming the independent disciplinary commission's original ruling will stand.The Saints will now be absent from Wembley on Saturday after the expedited appeal process concluded on Wednesday.Middlesbrough, who lost to Southampton 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals last week, have been restored to the showpiece match.Boro will now take on Hull City for a place in the Premier League.Southampton were expelled from the fixture on Tuesday and handed a four-point penalty for the upcoming campaign following their admission of multiple EFL regulation breaches.The scandal erupted when a club intern named Will Salt was discovered recording a Middlesbrough training session ahead of the play-off semi-final clash.Staff at the Teesside club confronted the individual, who subsequently departed the scene, sparking what has been labelled "Spygate 2.0."The disciplinary commission heard that Southampton had violated EFL rules prohibiting surveillance of opponents within 72 hours of a fixture.Beyond the Middlesbrough incident, the club under manager Tonda Eckert confessed to two separate spying breaches earlier in the season.These additional violations occurred before matches against Oxford United and Ipswich Town.Southampton chief executive Phil Parsons issued an open letter to supporters on Wednesday, acknowledging the club's misconduct whilst maintaining the sanction was excessive."What happened was wrong. The club has admitted breaches of EFL Regulations 3.4 and 127," Parsons wrote."We are sorry to the other clubs involved, and most of all to the Southampton supporters whose extraordinary loyalty and support this season deserved better from the club."However, the CEO argued the penalty was grossly disproportionate, noting that Leeds United received a 200,000 fine for a comparable offence.Southampton, by contrast, have been denied participation in a match Parsons valued at more than 200 million, which he described as "by a very considerable distance, the largest penalty ever imposed on an English football club."Former Southampton star Matt LeTissier criticised the severity of the ruling, comparing it to being "put on trial for murder when all you've done is stolen a Mars bar from the corner shop."The appeal was fast-tracked to reach a conclusion on Wednesday to avoid disrupting preparations for the weekend fixture.In addition to their expulsion, Southampton face a four-point deduction when the new Championship season begins.The EFL confirmed that Saturday's final at Wembley will now kick off at 3.30pm with Middlesbrough in the fixture, rather than the originally scheduled 4.30pm start time.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is to reveal a 100m fare-free bus scheme designed to relieve cost-of-living pressures.