Baseball
Portland Sea Dogs outfielder Matthew Lugo was named the Eastern League Player of the Week after a standout performance. Lugo batted .438 in five games, contributing three doubles, a triple, a home run, three runs scored, and 10 RBI to help the Sea Dogs secure five victories out of six against New Hampshire.
Football
Matt Ryan, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, announced his retirement from the NFL. Ryan’s departure was not unexpected, as he had not played since a disappointing season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. Notably, he worked as a CBS analyst last season, receiving a warm reception when covering a game in Atlanta.
Furthermore, the New York Jets have traded quarterback Zach Wilson to the Denver Broncos, according to a source. The Jets are sending Wilson and a seventh-round pick in the upcoming draft to the Broncos in exchange for a sixth-round pick. Wilson, who was the second overall pick in the 2021 draft, endured three underwhelming seasons with the Jets. The team is also expected to contribute a portion of Wilson’s $5.5 million salary for the current season.
Separately, the Washington Commanders released defensive end Shaka Toney four days after his reinstatement by the NFL following a gambling suspension. Toney, along with two other players, was banned last April for at least the 2023 season for betting on games during the 2022 season. A league review concluded that insider information was not used, and no games were compromised.
Basketball
In the NBA, Jordi Fernandez was hired as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, who aim to rebound from missing the playoffs for the first time in six years. The Nets ended the season with a 32-50 record and parted ways with coach Jacque Vaughn at the All-Star break. Kevin Ollie filled in as the interim coach until the end of the season. Fernandez comes to Brooklyn after serving as associate head coach of the Sacramento Kings for the past two seasons, contributing to their Pacific Division title win last year and their playoff berth, their first since 2006.
Olympics
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) maintained its decision to clear 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned heart medication ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after reviewing media reports. WADA addressed concerns at a press conference, acknowledging skepticism about the case’s details following a Sunday documentary by German broadcaster ARD. In a prior statement, WADA explained its agreement with Chinese authorities, ruling that the swimmers’ samples were contaminated, possibly from spice containers in the hotel kitchen where some of the Chinese team stayed during a national meet in January 2021.
