In recent weeks, officials within the NBA and NBPA have been collaborating in assessing the viability of multiple blood-testing devices for the coronavirus that could provide accurate results within a matter of minutes, a process that would hopefully enable the league to track the virus in what is considered a critical first step toward resuming play in the near future.

During these past couple of weeks, many league sources have stated the NBA and players’ union have been looking at different blood tests such as “diabetes-like” test. These tests can take only 15 minutes from just a prick of a finger. The Illinois-based Abbott Laboratories began shipping its rapid-response tests across the U.S. last week. The tests, which have been approved by the FDA, are said to deliver results in five to 13 minutes.

Based on more than a dozen interviews with general managers and athletic training officials around the league in recent days, there is a collective sense that, in general, discovering effective methods for rapid-result testing is the critical hurdle that must be cleared for games of any type to take place in the coming weeks and months.

“Rapid-testing results are key to return to work, return to sports, everything,” one NBA general manager told ESPN, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Whatever job you have and the environment you work in, if you’re interacting with people, we’re all going to have to feel safe doing that. Sports aren’t any different.”

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“While our foremost priority remains everyone’s health and well-being, the league office continues to evaluate all options for a return to play,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN. “Any decision on a date to restart the season is likely weeks away and will be made in consultation with public health experts and in line with governmental directives and guidance.”

On Sunday morning, a man unlawfully entered the Nebraska home of UFC fighter Anthony Smith. 

The man charged with a first-degree criminal trespass is Luke Haberman. His charge is considered a misdemeanor. Smith said in an interview with ESPN on Monday that he woke up just after 4 a.m. local time Sunday to a stranger in his Omaha-area home. The UFC light heavyweight said he tried to subdue Haberman for more than five minutes while waiting for police to arrive. According to Smith, Haberman did not steal anything and it was still unclear why he was in the house. However, he and his family – his wife, mother-in-law and three daughters – were not hurt during the break-in.

SLIDESHOW: 50 GREAT SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019

Smith said his wife woke him and told him there was a man in the house. Smith said he could hear a “man’s voice screaming at the top of his lungs.” Smith left the bedroom, turned a corner and saw Haberman in a computer room. Smith said Haberman walked toward him and it seemed as if he was trying to scare him. Smith was concerned the man had a weapon. Smith said he tried to take him down and the two began fighting.

“I didn’t know what he had,” Smith said. “Typically people don’t break into your house in the middle of the night for any good reasons. I’m expecting that I’m gonna hear a gunshot or he’s gonna stab me. Like he’s got something. I figure I’ve got about two minutes before whatever he’s got takes me out.”

Smith fights at 205 pounds. The intruder weighed around 170 pounds.

“No normal human is able to fight like that,” Smith said. “I’m by no means the baddest dude on the planet. But he’s a regular Joe and I had a hard time dealing with him. And he took everything that I gave him – every punch, every knee, every elbow. He took every single one of them and kept fighting me.”

When the police arrived, officers were able to subdue Haberman, Smith said. He said there was blood all over the computer room and Haberman was cut and had swelling on his face. Haberman was issued a citation and released to the hospital. He was not taken into police custody but must report to court at a later date.

According to Smith, Haberman told him, “Hey man, I’m sorry” as he walked by after things calmed down.

“You always just think you’re such a badass,” Smith said. “I just don’t feel like one. I feel … insufficient a little bit. I didn’t know it was possible to be that terrified.”

Smith is scheduled to fight Glover Teixeira in the main event of UFC Lincoln on April 25 in Nebraska. The event is likely to be moved to another location due to the coronavirus pandemic. Smith said he would still compete despite the break-in Sunday morning.

The MLB and MLBPA are hoping to start the baseball season and play in May or June with games in Arizona.

The MLB is looking at all 30 teams playing the entire season in Arizona at ballparks around the greater area of Phoenix. The plan has reportedly been discussed over the past two weeks, and the MLB is trying to get something on the field while also keeping fans safe.

“MLB has been actively considering numerous contingency plans that would allow play to commence once the public health situation has improved to the point that it is safe to do so,” the MLB statement said. “While we have discussed the idea of staging games at one location as one potential option, we have not settled on that option or developed a detailed plan. While we continue to interact regularly with governmental and public health officials, we have not sought or received approval of any plan from federal, state and local officials, or the Players Association.

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Although Arizona has had just over 2,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state, one of the less-afflicted areas in the country, the plan has been supported by federal officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, there are specific guidelines that have to be followed. These guidelines include team officials and essential personnel would be “sequestered” at local hospitals, and the only permitted travel would be between the ballpark and hotels, keeping with the CDC’s self-isolation and social-distancing guidelines. The umpire would also stand 6 feet behind the catcher, practicing social-distancing. An electronic strike zone would be implemented, and players would sit apart in the stands as opposed to in the dugout with one another.

The availability of coronavirus tests with a quick turnaround would be needed for the plan. That method of testing is expected to come in early May, which means a June start date is a likelier option.

Among the major sports, arguably none will have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic more than baseball. The start of the season has been delayed indefinitely with no guarantee that games will be played this season, even with this contingency plan in place.

On Monday night, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that he is bracing for several more weeks of uncertainty as to the future of the NBA season

The commissioner spoke on the league’s Twitter account as part of the league’s new NBATogether initiative. Silver touched on many topics, including how the league is looking at numerous scenarios for a return, but in all the cases, the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic makes it impossible right now to move too far forward.

“Essentially, what I’ve told my folks over the last week is that we just should just accept that, at least for the month of April, we won’t be in a position to make any decisions,” Silver said. “And I don’t think that necessarily means on May 1 we will be.”

The NBA’s regular-season was to end April 15, and the playoffs were to begin April 18. With the current situation, that will not happen. Fans hope this season can be salvaged if the NBA resumes where the season was or goes straight into the playoffs.

“We miss it badly,” Silver said. “To all the families watching this, I know the NBA is a big part of their lives. We just want to assure everybody that while we’re putting the health and safety of everyone first, we’re looking at every possibility to get our players back on the floor and to play NBA basketball again.”

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President of the UFC Dana White is insisting that UFC 249 will continue and will not be a one-time event. The upcoming event will be held at a still-undisclosed location and that the promotion for the fight will be hosted on a private island.

White stated that UFC249 will not be the only event that will be coming up. The fight schedule will be back up and running on April 18. The same venue that is hosting UFC 249 will be hosting other events for the coming two months, according to the UFC President.

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White told TMZ on Monday, “I have this venue for two months, and we’re setting up shop here. We’re going to be pumping out fights every week. I’m also a day or two away from securing a private island. I have a private island that I’ve secured. We’re getting the infrastructure put in now, so I’m going to start doing the international fights, too, with the international fighters.”

“I’m not going to be able to get the international fighters, all of them into the U.S., so I have a private island. I’m going to start flying them all into the private island and start doing international fights from there. So as of April 18, the UFC is back up and running. … We have all our own planes and everything we’re going to fly into the island with the fighters.”

UFC 249 was originally scheduled to be headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson for the lightweight title.  Since Nurmagoedov is on lockdown in Russia, Ferguson will fight Justin Gaethje for the interim 155-pound belt.

The UFC already has been forced to postpone three events, which followed the trend of nearly every major sports league and event globally over the coming months. These fights will also be taking place behind closed doors with no fans. White said precautions will be in place for the U.S. destination, as well as the island location.

“Everyone is going to be tested and tested and tested,” White said. “We’re going to make sure healthy athletes, healthy athletic commission people, healthy judges, referees, my production people, and everyone there is going to be healthy. We’re going to make sure everybody is going to be safe before, during and after the fights.”

Ex-Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and former Astros manager AJ Hinch will fulfill their one-season suspensions for the team’s sign-stealing scandal even if no baseball is played in 2020.

One-year bans were given to Hinch and Luhnow and subsequently fired in January following an investigation by Major League Baseball that confirmed the Astros had cheated by using a camera-based sign-stealing system during the regular season and playoffs of their World Series-winning 2017 season and during part of the 2018 regular season. Then MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s decision stated that both punishments end “following the completion of the 2020 World Series.” MLB said in January that further violations by Hinch and Luhnow would result in them being placed on MLB’s permanently ineligible list.

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Due to the actions of both Luhnow and Hinch, the Astros organization will be punished as well. Along with the punishments for Hinch and Luhnow, the Astros also lost their first- and second-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021 and were fined $5 million. The only upside is that Manfred said in January that he would not strip the Astros of their World Series title.

Last month, MLB announced that Opening Day had been pushed back to mid-May at the earliest because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The league and players’ union also negotiated terms in March for the conditions needed for a return to play, with both sides expressing a willingness to stretch the season late into the 2020 calendar year if needed.

The New England Patriots‘ team plane was used to transport 1.2 million N95 masks from Shenzhen, China, to the United States.

The transfer was the result of multiple global negotiations and the Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R), calling on Patriots team president Jonathan Kraft for his help in acquiring the masks. The Patriots’ plane had to be upgraded for international travel and a waiver to avoid a 14-day quarantine in China was granted if the crew did not leave the aircraft.

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The Kraft family paid $2 million, about half the cost, to acquire the masks, according to the newspaper. The initial order was for 1.7 million masks, but only 1.2 million could fit on the plane. The remainder of the masks are set to be delivered in another shipment.

“I’ve never seen so much red tape in so many ways and obstacles that we had to overcome,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. “In today’s world, those of us who are fortunate to make a difference have a significant responsibility to do so with all the assets we have available to us.”

N95 masks are medical-grade equipment that have been in short supply for health care workers and first responders in the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic. A number of sports stars, including former New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury and Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel have offered ways to acquire medical masks, while several sports gear manufacturers have pivoted to making medical equipment during the outbreak.

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov made an announcement Wednesday that he will not leave quarantine in Russia to fight in UFC 249.

Nurmagomedov (28-0) was scheduled to fight top contender Tony Ferguson (25-3) in the main event of UFC 249 in two weeks. The show was initially slated for Barclays Center in Brooklyn before the pandemic threw the UFC’s schedule into upheaval. His announcement Wednesday on Instagram, telling the mixed martial arts world to “take care of yourself and put yourself in my shoes.”

“I understand everything and I’m definitely more upset than you to cancel the fight,” Nurmagomedov said. “Probably like all others, I had many plans after the fight, but I can’t control it all.”

Dana White and the UFC didn’t immediately comment on Nurmagomedov’s decision, which had been expected for several days since the MMA world learned Nurmagomedov wasn’t in California, where he typically finishes his training for his fights. Nurmagomedov is in his native Dagestan, and his Instagram post made it clear he isn’t leaving for the fight even if White is able to find a location to stage it. Nurmagomedov left California to return home when the UFC had tentative plans to stage UFC 249 in the United Arab Emirates, but the champion first revealed Monday that he probably wouldn’t be allowed to leave the country due to travel restrictions.

“It turns out that the whole world should be in quarantine,” Nurmagomedov said. “Governments of all countries, famous people around the world urge people to follow all safety requirements in order to limit the spread of the disease, to save people, and Khabib is the only one relieved of all obligations and must demonstrate free will and train flying around the world, for the sake of fight?”

Ferguson still wants to fight on April 18, and  White has repeatedly vowed to find a safe way to hold UFC 249, the biggest pay-per-view event on the promotion’s spring calendar. White has claimed to have a venue selected where he will hold the show without fans, although he hasn’t disclosed the location.

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The former prolific pass rusher, Aldon Smith, whose off-the-field issues sidelined him the last four seasons agreed Wednesday to a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

The deal between Smith and the Cowboys is worth up to $4 million between a $2 million base salary and $2 million in potential incentives. It includes no guaranteed money, representing a high-reward lottery ticket.

The 30-year-old pass rusher was drafted in 2011 at the No. 7 overall draft pick. He recorded 33 1/2 combined sacks in 2011 and 2012, an NFL record for most sacks in the first two seasons of a career since the statistic was first tracked in 1982. However, His struggles with mental health, substance abuse and legal troubles, however, derailed his career and resulted in an indefinite suspension. Smith has received several months of “clean tests,” a person close to him said Wednesday evening. Alcohol has been considered his greatest substance issue. Smith is hopped to be reinstated before the 2020 season. His contract with Dallas will begin only upon re-entrance into the league.

In order to make sure Smith continues to make off-field strides with his mental health, the Cowboys and Smith’s agent Ron Slavin, who is based in Dallas, have made arrangements to ensure Smith will receive the proper resources to allow him a chance to maintain these off-the-field strides upon returning to football.

SLIDESHOW: 50 GREAT SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019

If everything stays in check, Smith will be a new vital asset to the Cowboys. Dallas is in much of a need for a defensive end, especially after defensive end Robert Quinn’s departure last month to the Chicago Bears. New Cowboys defensive line coach Jim Tomsula was the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive line coach for the entirety of Smith’s four-year tenure with the organization. Tomsula’s history with Smith is believed to have played a vital influence on the decision.

The All England Club has canceled the Wimbledon Championships due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The decision came Wednesday when the leaders of Wimbledon, the oldest Grand Slam tournament and a cultural institution in Britain, announced that the event would not be held in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Wimbledon had been scheduled to run from June 29 to July 12.

This is the first time Wimbledon has been canceled since World War II in 1945. It is also the first time since the tournament began in 1877 that the event will not be played during peacetime.

In addition, the ATP and WTA made a joint announcement that all events at all levels of both professional tours have been canceled through July 13, covering the entire grass-court season. The same decision was made by the International Tennis Federation. Though the All England Club considered a number of alternatives, including postponement, it decided that cancellation was the best option.

“It is with great regret that the Main Board of the All England Club (AELTC) and the Committee of Management of The Championships have today decided that The Championships 2020 will be canceled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic,” Wimbledon said in a statement on its website. “Uppermost in our mind has been the health and safety of all of those who come together to make Wimbledon happen — the public in the UK and visitors from around the world, our players, guests, members, staff, volunteers, partners, contractors, and local residents — as well as our broader responsibility to society’s efforts to tackle this global challenge to our way of life.”

Many of the athletes spoke out about their surprise about the cancelation of Wimbledon.  The seven-time Wimbledon women singles champion, Serena Williams tweeted, “I’m Shocked.” The eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer also tweeted: “Devastated.”

As of right now, next year’s Wimbledon will be held from June 28 to July 11, 2021.

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The long-awaiting look at the Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan’s last championship with the Bulls is finally set for release on April 19.

ESPN and Netflix announced on Tuesday that the 10-part documentary series, The Last Dance, will run in the U.S. over five consecutive Sunday nights starting April 19 through May 17. There will be two-hour episodes on each of those nights, airing back-to-back at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern Time. The series will include never-before-seen footage from that season, one where the team chased its sixth championship in a span of eight years.

“April 19th can’t come fast enough. I CAN NOT WAIT!!” Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James tweeted upon hearing news of the series’ long-awaited release. “As society navigates this time without live sports, viewers are still looking to the sports world to escape and enjoy a collective experience,” ESPN said in a statement. “We’ve heard the calls from fans asking us to move up the release date for this series, and we’re happy to announce that we’ve been able to accelerate the production schedule to do just that.”

ESPN was originally planning to release the documentary in June when this season’s NBA Finals were to be played. Without sports to air right now because of the global coronavirus pandemic, those plans were accelerated.

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“As society navigates this time without live sports, viewers are still looking to the sports world to escape and enjoy a collective experience,” ESPN said in a statement. “We’ve heard the calls from fans asking us to move up the release date for this series, and we’re happy to announce that we’ve been able to accelerate the production schedule to do just that.”

The documentary is nearly a quarter-century in the making. It was born in the fall of 1997 when Jordan, Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and coach Phil Jackson allowed an NBA Entertainment film crew permission to follow the team all season.

Free-agent safety Eric Reid wants the NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement invalidated over language added after the ratification of the pact earlier this month. The defensive back is calling for an investigation and a revote.

On Monday Reid’s lawyers wrote in a letter to the NFLPA that said, the CBA posted on the players’ association’s website after the passage of the agreement by a 1,019-959 vote on March 15 contains language different from the one that the players signed off on. The letter from attorneys Ben Meiselas and Ray Genco highlights a difference in wording in the section about the league’s disability plan that affects hundreds, and potentially thousands, of ex-players who applied for Social Security disability insurance payments before Jan. 1, 2015. In the version the players received and approved, those offsets applied only to players who applied after Jan. 1, 2015.

On Monday, the defensive back wrote in a series of tweets as a vocal opponent of the agreement and provided screenshots of the CBA agreement that showed the language added after players approved the deal.

The NFL denied the comment and the NFLPA told the ESPN it is withholding the comment until their attorneys review the current information. Meiselas told reporters Monday that the discrepancy was discovered when lawyers were “working with families of disabled players to guide them through the process.”

“We’ve been obviously critical of the CBA from the outset because it takes from disabled players. And so in advising them, we were looking at it and pointing out where they had issues and where they were going to be likely getting less money,” Meiselas said. “And then we saw it, and we go, ‘I don’t remember seeing this in Paragraph B.'”

Reid thinks that a revote seems like the “only logical answer.”

“When there’s a potential manipulation of the language to an agreement, what’s the alternative?” Meiselas said, adding, “We’re waiting on an explanation at this point.”

Last week, in a case of sexual assault and rape of a woman involving Michigan State University sophomore Brock Washington, the alleged victim asked Michigan State attorney general to reopen the case after her local prosecutors declined to pursue any charges.

Michigan State University police told prosecutors that they had probable cause that Spartans sophomore raped the woman on Jan. 19 while she was too intoxicated to consent, according to a police report. The police referred the case to the county prosecutors, who declined to file charges this month. The initial charge was recommended to be a first-degree sexual conduct charge against Washington. On Monday, a spokesman for Michigan State University Police told ESPN that the attorney general’s office is cooperating with the department and has requested the case file.

Police interviewed the woman, her roommate, Washington and an Uber driver who took the woman home.

“If she [the woman] would have been by herself, there was no way I was gonna take her. Or I would have taken her to the hospital. I thought she was that drunk,” the Uber driver told police.

During questioning by police in the most recent case, Washington changed his story about the night in question several times, acknowledged that the woman was so drunk that she was incapacitated and admitted to police that he had sexual contact with her, according to the police report. Although all of these charges were dropped, the guard was suspended by the team and remained out for the rest of the 2019-2020 season.

“It’s my understanding he’s not going to be charged, and he doesn’t wish to speak,” Washington’s previous attorney, Peter Samouris, said. “He’s maintained his innocence 100 percent of the time.”

The woman, who spoke to ESPN on the condition of anonymity, said that on March 11 she met with assistant prosecuting attorney Sarah Pulda and was told that she had been “too intoxicated to prove that it [sexual contact] was forced.”

The statement shocked and angered the woman: “That was the whole point of the charge, that I was too drunk to consent to what happened,” she said. “The prosecutor failed me completely. I have to take it into my own hands … and hopefully get justice in the long run.”

Michigan law states that someone can be charged and found guilty of criminal sexual conduct if the alleged perpetrator “engages in sexual penetration with another person” and “causes personal injury to the victim, and the actor knows or has reason to know that the victim is mentally incapable, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless.”

A spokeswoman for the attorney general said she could not confirm that a letter had been received from the woman about reopening her case.

Washington had also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in 2018 resulting from a different sex crime investigation and a 2018 report by Lavigne and Noren showed there was “a pattern of widespread denial, inaction and information suppression” from the Michigan State athletic department and others on campus regarding sexual assault, violence, and gender discrimination complaints.

Former Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers was stuck in a dangerous situation in Peru while trying to escape the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The coronavirus pandemic has society as a whole on pause as health experts both look for a cure and do all they can to try and slow the spread of the disease, and NFL teams haven’t been immune to the effects of it all.

Rodgers found himself moving through the chaos, in an attempt to escape the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback was recently in Peru with a small travel party and was desperately trying to return to the United States amid the outbreak, making it out only minutes before the airport was completely shut down. And in the process, the former Super Bowl MVP found himself trapped dangerously squeezed inside a facility with barely any room to move.

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“Have you seen the movie Argo?,” Rodgers told a radio show with Pat McAfee and former Packers teammate A.J. Hawk. “The scene at the end where they’re racing to the airport. Nobody was chasing us, thankfully, or holding us. We didn’t have to speak Farsi to get back into the country, but there were some moments where we worried we were not going to get out…It was absolute pandemonium at the airport. … When we rolled up to the airport at, like, seven in the morning, it was wall-to-wall people, and you couldn’t move. I was thinking, ‘This isn’t very safe.’ Not many masks on, and there was definitely a panic in the air.”

Health experts warn that individuals stay away from large groups of people and at least six feet away from others when there is a need to leave home, so you can easily understand Rodgers’ fears. The good news is there have been no reports of either the 36-year-old himself or anyone he was with having contracted the virus, and Rodgers has been practicing self-quarantine at home in Malibu, California since his return on March 18.

University of Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has the green light for the 2020 NFL Draft this summer.

Tagovailoa is one of the biggest wild cards at the top of the 2020 NFL Draft. The Alabama quarterback suffered a dislocation and fracture in his hip in the midst of the Crimson Tide’s season last year. If that had not happened, we’d probably be discussing whether or not it should be him or LSU phenom Joe Burrow who is worthy of the top overall pick. Now, Tagovailoa could prove to provide some value to a team even if he still lands within the Top 5.

Health is still a key factor when trying to his future as a quarterback in the NFL, but he has recently been getting some good news on that front. 22-year-old’s representation providing positive updates on his health, but Dr. Lyle Cain, an Orthopaedic Surgeon & Sports Medicine Specialist at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, has also seen tremendous progress.

SLIDESHOW: 50 GREAT SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019

“I am extremely pleased,” Cain said of Tagovailoa’s recovery. “If you told me four, almost five, months ago now that he’d be where he is now, I think I would have been very happy. I think he’s done extremely well for where he started out.”

While he is trending in the right direction, it seems unlikely that he’ll be pushing for that No. 1 spot. Not only has Burrow solidified himself for that top selection by checking off seemingly every box imaginable with one of the greatest single collegiate seasons college football has ever seen, but, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tagovailoa cannot physically meet with teams and cannot perform at a pro day to further bolster his draft stock.

Still, the quarterback is looked at as a concrete Top 5 selection and could possibly come off the board at No. 3 overall if the Detroit Lions sell that selection to the highest bidder.

The Cincinnati Bengals have released veteran cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick. 

Kirkpatrick’s release comes on the heels of Cincinnati’s massive spending spree during free agency. Releasing Kirkpatrick, whose contract expired in 2021, will give the Bengals $8.3 million in cap savings in 2020.

“Dre was a part of the Bengals’ organization for many years, and displayed passion, energy and competitiveness both on and off the field,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said in a statement. “We appreciate his many contributions to our team and community over the years, and wish him the best moving forward.”

After the Bengals wrapped up their two-win 2019 season, the defensive back was asked about the possibility of being released this offseason. The 30-year-old believed such a move stemmed from his age instead of his performance.

“I don’t feel like I’ve done anything for them to remove me,” Kirkpatrick said on Dec. 30. “I feel like I’ve done everything right. I feel like I was one of the top guys when I was on the field.”

SLIDESHOW: 50 GREAT SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019

The former 2012 first-rounder spent eight years with the Bengals. The defensive back played and started six games for Cincinnati this past season before he suffered a season-ending knee injury on Nov. 10. During his time in Cincinnati, he started 67 games and made 99 appearances. He tallied 10 interceptions and 65 pass deflections. When he was the nearest defender in 2019, Kirkpatrick had a minus-2.7% catch rate allowed against expectation, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He allowed 6.9 yards per target.

Replacing a star veteran cornerback such as Kirkpatrick is going to be hard for the Bengals. Especially since Cincinnati was 31st in the league in yards allowed per pass attempt. However, the Bengals might have found a replacement during free agency. Cincinnati agreed to terms with former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes, a first-round pick in the 2015 draft. Waynes received a three-year deal worth $42 million, an expensive contract for a franchise that does not typically spend that type of money on the open market.

Florida State forward Patrick Williams announced Thursday he will forgo his sophomore season to enter the NBA draft.

“Words can’t describe how blessed I am to be in this position,” Williams wrote as part of his post. “To my teammates, thank you for being more than just teammates. The love, support, and authenticity we show one another has honestly made this season a dream come true. The entire year has been filled with moments I will truly never forget.”

The 6-foot-8, 225-pound Williams averaged 9.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in his freshman season. The forward is the 20th-ranked prospect in ESPN’s draft prospect rankings.

Williams isn’t the only Seminole to declare for the 2020 NBA draft. Williams the second FSU player to declare his eligibility for the draft. Sophomore guard Devin Vassell, who led the Seminoles with 12.7 points per game this season, also has said he’d enter the draft.

The NBA draft is still scheduled for June 25. However, with the following worldwide suspensions of basketball activities and other sports due to the coronavirus outbreak, NBA front-office executives and others in the industry told ESPN they are bracing for the potential impact of a delayed 2020 draft with a heavily reduced pre-draft process

Former Buffalo Bills linebacker Mike Stratton, best known for the “hit heard ’round the world’ in the 1964 AFL championship game, has died at the age of 78.

The longtime Bills linebacker, a Wall of Fame inductee and a member of the Bills’ 25th and 50th-anniversary teams, died on Tuesday of heart complications following a recent fall according to the team.

General manager Dick Gallagher selected Stratton in the 13th round of the 1962 AFL draft. He came in as a rookie and immediately locked down an outside linebacker position. He stayed there for 11 years. Stratton helped lead the Bills to two AFL championships while playing in the AFL all-star game six times. He finished his career with 21 interceptions, 18 as a Bill, before making three in his last season while playing for the Chargers in 1973.

Stratton authored one of the most famous plays in team history during the 1964 AFL championship game. His picture-perfect tackle of San Diego running back Keith Lincoln was called “the hit heard ’round the world,” which not only broke a couple of Lincoln’s ribs and knocked him out of the game but turned the tide that day at War Memorial Stadium. Down 7-0 at the time, the Bills rallied after Stratton’s tackle to win their first title, 20-7 over the Chargers.

“You can always tell when you get a good lick; I just didn’t know it would have that kind of effect,” Stratton said in 1994. “Thirty-five years later, I’m proud that people remember it. They’ve got a better memory than I do.”

What set him apart from so many linebackers of his era was his speed. Very few had the ability to go sideline to sideline to make plays the way the 6-foot-3, 230-pound did.

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Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana said that the New England Patriots made a mistake by letting their former quarterback Tom Brady leave in free agency.

The 63-year-old Montana stirred up the NFL a generation ago in a similar way when he was traded to Kansas City from the 49ers in the end stage of his career. Montana knows the backstory. Brady obviously wanted out of New England or at least the option to go and forced his way onto the market with a clause in his final New England contract that prevented the team from using a franchise tag to keep him.

“I don’t know what’s going on inside there, but somebody made a mistake,” Montana told USA Today Sports.

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“I think when you look at the whole situation, you try to figure out how you want to get away from things that are there,” Montana said. “I had a different story, where they had made a decision. He, obviously, they never would have gotten rid of. I still don’t understand how New England let him get away. I don’t understand that.”

Montana finished his career with the Kansas City Chiefs after 14 seasons and four Super Bowl victories with the San Francisco 49ers. Brady played 20 seasons with the Patriots and six Super Bowls before choosing to leave.

“He wants control. I mean, he wants a lot of control. I don’t know what Tampa Bay gave him, but at some point in time, you’re just a player,” Montana said. “You can try to get what you can and do what you want, but in the end, you’re still not in the hierarchy when it comes to hiring people, firing people and all that.”

As the New England Patriots go head-on into a new era without their long-time quarterback Tom Brady, Patriots defensive back, Devin McCourty has spoken out on Brady’s departure.

In a Players’ Tribune piece published on Tuesday, the longtime Patriot opened up about Brady’s departure and noted that he found out on social media like everyone else. McCourty did, however, have a gut feeling that this would ultimately be Brady’s fate once free agency was drawing closer.

“I kind of knew when we got closer to free agency and he didn’t have a deal done that he wasn’t coming back,” he wrote. “It’s still a little surreal because … it’s TOM, you know? He’s been here 20 years. He’s won six rings. He’s the greatest to ever do it. So it definitely won’t be the same now that he’s gone. But honestly, I’m happy for him. He’s earned the right to finish his career wherever he wants and chase whatever he feels like he needs to chase. I’m just glad he’s doing it in the NFC.”

McCourty’s decade-long tenure with the Patriots almost came to an end as well this offseason. In the same piece, the veteran safety revealed that he thought he would need to leave New England to find a new challenge in his NFL career. Instead, he was able to resign with New England for two more years at a total of $23 million. As for that new challenge, McCourty stated that he wants to help lead “this Patriots team into a new era and helping ensure that this next wave of players can continue our legacy and build on what we’ve already achieved as a franchise.”

One of the first orders of business for New England in their rebuild is finding Brady’s successor. When it comes to options currently on the roster, second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham is an intriguing option who has already received high praise from McCourty.