Just ahead of Major League Baseball’s lockout on Wednesday night, the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers conducted a trade. Boston sent outfielder Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee in exchange for Jackie Bradley Jr. and two prospect infielders: David Hamilton and Alex Binelas.

This deal benefits the Brewers by giving them a replacement for outfielder Avisail Garcia, who signed with the Miami Marlins this offseason. It also lets them shed the remainder of Bradley’s contract.

The Red Sox also reap the benefits since they are bringing Bradley back to Boston.  Bradley spent the first eight years of his MLB career with the Red Sox before he was previously traded to the Brewers before the 2021 season.

Bradley was a 2016 All-Star when he was with Boston. He also won the World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018 and won a Gold Glove that same year. If that weren’t enough, the 31-year old was the ALCS MVP in 2018.

During his time in Milwaukee, center fielder Bradley slashed .163/.236/.261 with six homers in 134 games. This is far from his career-best, which came in 2020 when he hit .283 before Boston traded him to Milwaukee. However, bringing Bradley back to Boston will probably do him well, and he is expected to see better numbers.

Renfroe, 29, had a bounce-back 2021 season with the Red Sox. Renfroe slashed .259/.315/.501 with 31 home runs in 144 games. He has two years of team control left on his contract and will earn around $8 million in arbitration.

Renfroe had a much better 2021 season than Bradley did, and the right-handed power hitter could easily provide much-needed offense to the Brewers in 2022 than Bradley did last season. Both Hamilton and Binelas are recent draft picks of the Brewers who will not see the big leagues for at least a few years.

The San Diego Padres reportedly have agreed to a four-year, $20 million contract with righty Nick Martinez ahead of the league’s work stoppage. The deal includes opt-outs after both his first and second years.

Because Martinez and the Padres did not get the deal done before the beginning of the lockout, Martinez will technically remain a free agent until the new collective bargaining agreement is put in place.

Martinez, 31, is going to return to Major League Baseball after playing with Japan’s Nippon Ham Fighters and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks for four seasons. During his time with the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization, Martinez posted a 3.02 ERA in 63 appearances.

Notably, in 2021, Martinez posted a 1.62 ERA and won a silver medal last summer while playing for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics.

Both San Diego Padres GM A.J. Preller and Nick Martinez shared time together with the Texas Rangers. Before playing for Japan, Martinez appeared in 88 games for the Rangers between 2014 and 2017. In those games, he went 17-30 and posted a 4.77 ERA.

The Padres went into this offseason with the desire to add to their starting rotation. Despite high expectations going into the 2021 season, the Padres had a disappointing second half and missed the postseason. Besides Matinez, the Padres added Luis Garcia and Robert Suarez. Like Martinez, Suarez will also come from the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization.

In addition to Martinez and Suarez, other pitchers, including Chris Flexen, John Lindblom, Merrill Kelly and Miles Mikolas, have also enhanced their careers in NPB, or the Korean Baseball Organization in recent years and went on to return to MLB.

UFC president Dana White said that he tested positive for Covid-19 this week and is currently quarantining and isolating in his Las Vegas home.

White, 52, said that he and his immediate family tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving home from a Thanksgiving gathering at his northeastern estate in Maine.

On “The Jim Rome Podcast,” talking to legendary sportscaster Jim Rome, White confirmed his vaccination status and consulted in UFC commentator and host of popular Spotify podcast of his own, Joe Rogan, for advice.

Rogan has been known to spread misinformation about Covi-19 and vaccines via his podcast. Besides advising White, Rogan also advised Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers on how to go about treatment when he came down with the coronavirus.

White decided to call Rogan after realizing that he had no sense of smell last Sunday. White said he feels like “a million bucks” and continues to exercise multiple times a day. He also relayed his desire to attend a UFC Fight Night event this Saturday in Las Vegas if he tests negative.

The UFC has three remaining live events this year. Besides Saturday’s fight in Las Vegas, the company has a UFC 269 pay-per-view set at T-Mobile Arena the following week, and in Las Vegas and another UFC Fight Night on December 18 at Vegas’s Apex.

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that Chris Taylor will be returning to the Dodgers on a four-year $60 million contract, keeping him with the team until 2025. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the deal includes a fifth-year option, which would increase Taylor’s pay to $72 million.

Entering his seventh season with Los Angeles, Taylor is known for his versatility. He is the literal definition of a utility player and has been one for the Dodgers since he was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016. Taylor broke into the major league with the Seattle Mariners in 2014 and was with Seattle until being traded to Los Angeles.

Since coming to the Dodgers in 2016, Taylor has played at least 30 games at center field, second base. shortstop, and third base. Most notably, Taylor was the MVP of the National League Championship Series in 2017 and was part of the Dodgers World Series Championship team in 2020, following the COVID-19 abbreviated 2020 season.

Not only that, In 2021, he made his first All-Star appearance, and he had great offensive success. Last season, Taylor slashed .254/.344/.438 with 20 home runs, 73 runs batted in and 13 stolen bases. Throughout the 2021 season, Taylor saw the most playing time at second base and in center field.

Taylor showed the world how hot his bat was in the postseason in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves. Though the Dodgers lost that series, Taylor gave it his all, hitting three home runs in just that won game.

Taylor, 31, is the fourth Dodger free agent to sign this season and the first to return since veteran Max Scherzer, shortstop Corey Seager and Corey Knebel all signed with other clubs. To make room for Taylor on the 40-man roster, Los Angeles designated infielder Sheldon Neuse for assignment.

On Wednesday, the Miami Heat announced that their superstar center, Bam Adebayo, will undergo thumb surgery. The announcement was made following Adebayo suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right thumb during Monday night’s 120-111 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

The team said he will have the procedure this weekend. The timetable for his return is not expected to be finalized until after the surgery is complete. However, the initial prognosis from the team calls for him to miss between four and six weeks. If Adebayo is out for this time interval, he will miss 20 to 25 games.

Adebayo, 24, has become one of the NBA’s top centers across his five seasons with the league. Unfortunately, this torn UCL happens to be the first injury he sustained throughout his NBA career so far.

Adebayo has had a successful season so far, leading Miami in rebounds with 10.2 rebounds. He also leads in scoring with 23.6 points and steals with 2.1. With that being said, the Miami Heat will miss Adebayo and have already struggled since they are also missing superstar Jimmy Butler and guard Tyler Herro.

While Adebayo is injured, veteran Dewayne Dedmon will take his place in Miami’s starting lineup. Across three starts this season, Dedmon is averaging 5.3 points and 4.9 rebounds in 21 games.

Miami has lost two straight home games and is about to hit the road to face off against the Pacers on Friday night in Indiana. Just as Miami is slumping, so is the Indiana Pacers. Indiana has lost three straight home games and is just 6-5 at home this season.

On Wednesday evening, Marcus Stroman broke the news himself via Twitter that he signed a three-year, $71 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. Stroman, 30, will make $25 million in 2022, $25 million in 2023 and $21 million in 2024. The deal also included $2 million escalators for 160 innings pitched in 2022 and 2023 and an opt-out after the 2023 season.

During the 2021 season with the New York Mets, Marcus Stroman posted a 3.02 ERA across 179 innings and 33 starts. Throughout his career with both the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Mets, Stroman accumulated a career 3.63 ERA. In 2017, Stroman won a Gold Glove in 2017 and was an All-Star in 2019.

Stroman was one of the top starters available in free agency this past winter. However, the market picked up this past week ahead of baseball’s work stoppage, which will freeze all things baseball until further notice. As a result, many pitchers flew off the free-agent market, especially starters.

In addition to Stroman, Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman, southpaw Steven Matz, superstar Max Scherzer and Jon Gray are among the starting pitchers that reached deals before the lockout began.

Stroman will be joining a Chicago Cubs team that, back in July, seemed to have been heading towards a rebuild. After trading their superstars Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, it was hard to see the Cubs going in any other direction. However, the moves they have made so far this winter, including the signings of Marcus Stroman and the addition of starter Wade Miley off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds, have proven otherwise.

Both Stroman and Miley help the north side of Chicago address their most significant offseason need: starting pitching. These moves and the signings of outfielder Clint Frazier and veteran catcher Yan Gomes give off the sense that the Chicago Cubs are looking to be a competitive ball club in 2022.

On Wednesday, the Chicago White Sox announced that 1983 American League Cy Young Award winner and former White Sox hurler LaMarr Hoyt passed away. After battling cancer, the pitcher died Monday in his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina. He was 66 years old.

Over his eight-year career in the major leagues, Hoyt posted a 98-68 record and a 3.99 ERA. Not only that, he accumulated 48 career-complete games, which included eight shutouts and ten saves.

In addition, Hoyt, who stood at 6-foot-3, was named MVP of the 1985 MLB All-Star Game. He pitched a stellar three innings in this game and gave up a lone run to the American League. During that time, Hoyt was with the San Diego Padres. It was the only All-Star selection of his career.

Hoyt’s major league career began in 1973 when the New York Yankees selected him in the fifth round of the 1973 amateur draft. He never ended up playing for New York and was traded to the Chicago White Sox in April of 1977.

Two years later, Hoyt made his MLB debut and pitched two scoreless relief innings for the south side of Chicago. By 1982, he moved out of the bullpen and became an essential piece of the White Sox starting rotation. That year, he led the AL in wins, as he posted a 19-15 record and a 3.53 ERA across a total of 39 games, 32 of which he started.

After the 1982 season, Hoyt went on to have the best year of his entire career in 1983. That season he went 24-10 and posted a 3.66 ERA in over 36 starts with the south side. He also guided the team to the division title and won the prestigious AL Cy Young award.

After the 1984 season, Hoyt was traded to the San Diego Padres in a multiplayer deal that brought Ozzie Guillen to the White Sox. Hoyt played two seasons with the Padres, 1985 and 1986, before retiring.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that superstar forward LeBron James entered the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Currently, LeBron has missed Tuesday night’s 117-92 win over the Kings in Sacramento and is likely to miss at least ten days if he is protocols because of a positive coronavirus test.

While the Lakers only place twice in the first eight days of December, the team also has three games lined up between Dec. 9 and 12. So if James is sidelined for ten days, he will miss a minimum of four games. However, there is always the chance he could return earlier with two negative tests.

So far, the Lakers have not confirmed if James has tested positive or not, but after the game, his teammate Anthony Davis hinted that this could, in fact, be the case.

“He said he’s good,” Davis, who led the team with 25 points on Tuesday, told ESPN. “I think he’s asymptomatic, which is a good sign, but we want to make sure that he gets back. Health is most important. This is bigger than basketball. He has a family. We want to make sure that he’s good no matter what.”

Another teammate, Russell Westbrook, who contributed 23 points with six assists in the win, had plans to call James after the game.

Tuesday’s game was the 12th game that James had missed this season. He missed ten games due to various injuries. He also missed the Lakers’ game against the Knicks earlier this month after being suspended for the first time in his career.

This season, the Lakers are 7-4 with James and 5-7 without him. So far this season, James is averaging 25.8 points, 6.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds in his 19th season.

During the last few seconds of Wednesday night’s tie between the Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Hornets, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo won the nailbiter of a game for Milwaukee. Reflecting on his game-winning layup, Antetokounmpo had some jokes about his part in the Bucks’ exciting 127-125 victory.

Sneaky does not typically describe Antetokounmp’s game since he usually asserts his talent and dominance on the court. However, in this case, Giannis did what he believed was necessary to lead the team to their eighth straight victory and capped an enormous personal performance while doing so.

On Wednesday, Giannis scored 40 points with 12 rebounds and nine assists. Antetokounmp also made nine of 13 free throws he shot. In addition, Wednesday marked the fourth time in Giannis’ career he made the go-ahead field goal inside the final five seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime, and the first time since 10’8, per ESPN Stats & Information research.

The Bucks got off to a bumpy start to the season, which led to questions about the future of the reigning championship team. Yet, Wednesday’s win contributed to a winning streak, and their 14-8 record currently has the team tied for second place of the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.

Twenty-six-year-old Giannis Antetokounmp, who is turning 27, on December 6, is a big part of the team’s ongoing success. Already a nine-year veteran, Giannis has two NBA MVP awards to his name and an NBA Finals MVP award under his belt.

So far this season, he is averaging 27.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. With statistics like that, who knows? Antetokounmpo could be MVP once again this season.

Unfortunately for baseball fans, Major League Baseball’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with the MLB Players’ Association expired at midnight on Wednesday evening. As a result, the league’s 30 owners voted to lock the players out for the first time since 1994-95, creating a work stoppage.

Earlier this week, MLB officials met with their union counterparts and players on the MLBPA’s executive council in Irving, Texas, to try come to an agreement. However, both sides did tweak their proposals but were still unable to agree, bringing on the lockout. From the looks of it, a new deal probably will not come until 2022. This raises the question: what does a lockout entail?

What is a lockout?

The lockout will freeze signings, cancellation of the annual winter meetings in Orlando, Florida and stop players from team workout facilities.

Essentially, a lockout means no trades, no free-agent signings and no players allowed inside club facilities. Not only that, contact between free agents and teams or players on their 40-man rosters is prohibited. Team personnel is also not allowed to speak publicly about players in any manner.

Naturally, this news is disappointing for players and fans alike, especially considering how exciting the offseason has been thus far in terms of free-agent signings. On the player’s side, a lockout conducted during the offseason is less risky than an in-season work stoppage would be since players won’t lose their paychecks until the regular season begins. This begs the question: when will baseball return?

When will baseball return?

There are a total of 11 weeks remaining until pitchers and catchers are set to report to their respective Spring Training sites on February 16. This leaves 70 days for the two sides to reach a deal so the regular season can begin on time. Baseball’s Opening Day is set for Match 31, and a minimum of three weeks of organized workouts may be required as they were in the past. Only time will tell if the season will be able to start on time.

On Tuesday, the State Department said the Biden Administration is consulting with allies about a joint approach to China, its human rights record, and how to handle the Bejing Winter Olympics.

At first, the department suggested an Olympic boycott protest was one way to go about it, but later a senior official said that it has not yet been discussed. Said official told ESPN that the United States’ position has not changed, but the administration has been consistently speaking with allies about common concerns about China. Department spokesperson Ned Price said the consultations were being held to present a united front.

Price also declined to comment on when a decision on the Olympics might be made but noted there is still almost a year until it is set to begin. The Bejing Winter Olympics opens on February 4, 2022, and China has denied all charges of human rights abuses. It says “political motives” underlie the boycott effort.

Rights groups have gathered at the International Olympic Committee and have been told the Olympic body must stay politically “neutral.” The IOC has told them that China has given “assurances” about human rights conditions. In the past, both the IOC and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have said they oppose boycotts.

IOC president Thomas Bach said in March that history shows boycotts never achieve anything. “It also has no logic,” he said. “Why would you punish the athletes from your own country if you have a dispute with a government from another country. This just makes no sense.”

The USOPC also commented, “We oppose Game boycotts because they have been shown to negatively impact athletes while not effectively addressing global issues.”

Since there is so much time until the 2022 Bejing Winter Olympics are set to commence, it will be interesting to see how things play out.

On Tuesday, LSU football coach Ed Orgeron released a written statement to a Louisiana state Senate committee. His statement explained that he considered former running back Derrius Guice’s alleged sexual harassment of Gloria Scott that took place in 2017 “utterly unacceptable” but denied ever discussing the matter with Scott directly.

“Clarifying on deleted tweets: Ed Orgeron sent the Louisiana senate comittee this letter, which says he spoke to a man whose name he didn’t know about Gloria Scott. He also learned later a man demanded compensation from LSU. Cleavon Williams told me he did not speak to Orgeron,” read a tweet about this situation.

Orgeron submitted his statement following a request from the Louisiana Senate Select Committee on Women & Children. This was done to achieve the committee’s goal of providing policy recommendations to address sexual assault allegations at Louisiana colleges.

In a letter to Orgeron, Senator Regina Barrow (R), a chair on the committee, wrote, “As the leader of the LSU football team, it is critically important that your office take these matters into serious consideration and act accordingly to ensure the safety and well-being of the students of which it serves.”

The statement Orgeron wrote goes against some of what Scott previously told the committee on March 26 when she recalled how she was working as a security worker at the Superdome in New Orleans in 2017. Scott said that Guice approached her and told her in front of his friends, “I like having sex with older women like you” and “I want your body.”

Orgeron, who wrote to the committee instead of appearing in person, said that whether he spoke to Scott directly “does not change the fact that what happened to Ms. Scott in 2017 is unequivocally wrong.”

“As a leader, and as a father, son, and grandson, I want to emphasize that it is heartbreaking Ms. Scott was subjected to such crude remarks by Mr. Guice, and she should be respected for her bravery and resolve to provide her statements to the Committee. She, along with this Committee, has my word that I will continue to be vigilant in ensuring that the LSU football program maintains a culture of integrity and compliance,” Orgeron added.

While Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden will miss at least 10 days with a right hamstring sprain, his teammate Kevin Durant is set to return Wednesday night just in time for Brooklyn’s game against the Pelicans.

Harden played four minutes before he was taken out of Brooklyn’s 114-112 victory against the Knicks on Monday night. Before Monday, he missed two games. Superstar Harden is in the race for league MVP, averaging 25.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 10.9 assists per game for Brooklyn.

According to the team, while Harden will be out, Durant will be available for Wednesday’s game. Durant, 32, missed the last 23 games after spraining his right hamstring on February 13. He has only played a total of seven games alongside fellow superstars Kyrie Irving and Harden. Since Durant’s exit, the Nets have acquired Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge.

At first, Durant was only ruled out for two games, but his strain was more severe than he thought, and KD has been sidelined much longer than anticipated. Durant has only played in 19 of Brooklyn’s 51 total games this season. Besides injuries, he was placed on the NBA’s health, and safety procedures list twice after coming in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

Over the course of this season, Durant is averaging 29.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Harden will be missed, but on the bright side, at least Durant will be returning to bolster the already stacked Brooklyn team.

The Master’s Tournament begins tomorrow!

While the 2020 edition of the Masters was just played five months ago, much has changed since then. Jordan Spieth is in peak form and Jon Rahm just became a father. Rory Mcllroy is still searching for greatness and Dustin Johnson is attempting to go back-to-back. Bryson DeChambeau is still using his hulk-smash approach and Brooks Koepka is attempting to play after knee surgery. All of these happenings are sure to keep everyone on their toes.

As of Monday morning, The Masters has 88 golfers lined up to start the week. After 36 holes, the top 50 and ties proceed. Historically, anyone within 10 shots of the lead was included but this rule has since been removed with no indication of its return. With that being said, the tournament is more competitive now than ever before.

The Masters will take place at Augusta National, which is one of the most famous courses in the world. The course is par 72 setting up 7,475 yards on the scorecard. There are many routes to success at Augusta National Golf Course and it will set the elite well-rounded golfers apart from the rest. When it comes to turf, the golfers will see overseeded Bermuda from tee-to-green and bentgrass on putting surfaces. All in all, this is an event that golf lovers surely will not want to miss.

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On Monday, ESPN fired former NBA star and current NBA analyst Paul Pierce after an Instagram Live video surfaced on Friday night that showed women who may have been exotic dancers. There was also apparent marijuana smoking, according to The Associated Press. The news was first reported by Barett Sports Media.

ESPN declined to comment on the reports, but a source familiar with the situation confirmed that Pierce and the network had “parted ways.” Following this news, Pierce, also known as “The Truth,” tweeted about his prospects but did not mention the video or the firing.

“Big Things coming soon stay tuned make sure u smile #Truthshallsetufree,” read Pierce’s tweet.

Most notably, Pierce was a 10-time All-Star and was the MVP of the 2008 NBA Finals with the Celtics. He played 19 seasons in the NBA. He has worked for ESPN since 2017 and appeared on shows including NBA Countdown and The Jump. Before being hired, Pierce appeared as a guest on the network before being hired to help cover the NBA finals.

It is unclear if anyone will replace Pierce on ESPN’s NBA programming or if the network will rotate other personalities to fill his role.

San Diego Padres superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. suffered another injury to his left shoulder on a hard swing during Monday night’s loss to the San Francisco Giants. After leaving the game, the Padres announced that the 22-year old suffered a shoulder subluxation or partial dislocation of the joint. He underwent an MRI on Tuesday.

Tatis has been placed on the 10-day injured list but will not require surgery. General manager A.J. Preller said Tuesday that further exams showed a slight labrum tear consistent with a subluxation. He said the injury is “nonsurgical.”

Padres manager Jayce Tingler told reporters that Tatis had experienced dislocations in the past, but he had never seen Tatis in as much pain as he was in on Monday. During Monday’s game. Tatis fell to the ground in pain after swinging and missing on a 2-2 pitch from Giants’ starter Anthony DeSclafani in the third inning. Tatis walked off the field with assistance from Tingler and a trainer.

Tingler said he believes Tatis’ shoulder popped out on the field and was put back in place in the training room. Monday’s incident is not the first that Tatis has had concerning his left shoulder. Back in spring training, Tatis left a game with left shoulder discomfort after making a backhand play. However, he was back on the field two days later. According to manager Tingler, Tatis has dealt with left shoulder issues since his rookie days, and Tatis has publicly said he’s dealt with it since rookie ball.

So far, Tatis has struggled in 2021. Through his first five games, he has hit .167 and committed an atrocious five errors. On February 22, Tatis signed the longest contract in big league history, coming in at 14 years, $340 million. Tingler said rookie Ha-Seong Kim, who replaced Tatis on Monday, will take over at shortstop if Tatis is out long term. Other possibilities include Jake Croneworth, Jorge Mateo and Tucupita Marcano.

On Monday, the New York Jets traded quarterback Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers just three years after hailing him as a franchise player. This trade ended months of speculations about their quarterback plans, with the 2021 NFL Draft looming in the distance.

In return for Darnold, the Jets received three picks: a sixth-rounder in the 2021 draft and a second-rounder along with a fourth-rounder in 2022. Since the Jets are left without a proven quarterback on their roster, they are expected to look toward’s this year’s April 29 draft set to take place in Cleveland.

The Jets’ leading candidate to replace Darnold is BYU’s Zach Wilson, who has met virtually with the Jets multiple times. According to ESPN Stats and Information research, if the Jets do select a quarterback No. 2 overall, they would become the first team since 1967, to select two quarterbacks within the top three overall picks in a four-year span.

Sources told ESPN that the Jets were conflicted by the decision to part ways with Darnold, and they even considered the idea of keeping him and pairing him with a rookie. However, they ultimately liked the idea of a fresh start and felt that any potential quarterback controversy might become too distracting.

Another factor that went into this decision was that resetting with a rookie contract will bring a fixed cost of a projected $35 million over four years. Keeping quarterback Darnold would have created financial uncertainty beyond 2021 if the Jets did not exercise his fifth-year option for 2022.

Darnold has one year remaining on his rookie contract, with guaranteed salary and bonuses totaling $4.6 million. The Panthers must decide on Darnlold’s fifth-year option for 2022 by May 3 and the predetermined amount is $18.8 million. The Carolina Panthers plan to discuss this with Darnold’s agent soon.

On Monday night, Baylor captured its first men’s basketball national title as they beat Gonzaga  86-70 at Lucus Oil Stadium.

Before the contest, the Gonzaga Bulldogs were favored to win the national title and complete the first perfect season since 1976. However, things went differently as Baylor reigned victorious. Throughout the game, the Baylor Bears dominated and never fell behind Gonzaga. There weren’t questionable calls, and it wasn’t a buzzer-beater. Simply put, Baylor played incredibly well, they were the better team, and their win was one of the most impressive runs in recent NCAA history.

On Monday, Jared Butler, McCio Teague, Adam Flager and Davion Mitchell combined to finish with 69 points. Butler, who scored 22 points and drained four 3-pointers, won the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award. The Bulldogs shot 51% from the field but couldn’t overcome its 14 turnovers or Baylor’s 16 offensive rebounds and 16 second-chance points. Not only that, but the Bears also made 44% of their threes and won every individual matchup.

Though the Baylor Bears were not expected to win, they had their historic moment with confetti, the camera, the fans, and the city. Last year, Baylor won 23 games in a row and was likely to enter as the top seed in the NCAA tournament if it had not been canceled. Since that cancelation, Baylor brought back the key players that contributed to that run and went for it all this season.

While the Bears started strong winning their first 18 games of the season, they were overshadowed by Gonzaga which seemed capable of completing a perfect season. Additionally, Baylor’s return from the three-week pause attributed to COVID-19 health and safety protocols did not seem promising. However, their losses after returning helped the team refocus for their playoff run.

Baylor ended the 2020-21 season as the best team in America, and as champions and have a great underdog story that will be told for years to come.

On Tuesday evening, two more lawsuits accusing Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior were filed, including one that states that Watson “unsent” Instagram direct messages and has contacted the women who had previously massaged him “through intermediaries.”

The statement in the lawsuit clarified the contents of a lawsuit filed on Sunday night by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee. It said that Watson was deleting Instagram messages and contacting women “who formally provided him massages, in an attempt to settle” those cases.

On Monday, Waston’s lawyer Rusty Hardin released a statement that Watson has not deleted any Instagram messages over the past two weeks and “categorically” denied that Watson contacted any of these women directly.

The two most recent lawsuits appeared on the Harris County District Clerk’s website on Wednesday, bringing the total number of lawsuits filed against Watson to 21. Rusty Hardin released statements from 18 women who said that they worked with Watson and that he “never made them feel uncomfortable or demanded anything outside the score of a professional massage.”

In addition to the two newest lawsuits, Buzbee took it to Instagram on Tuesday night to say that he feels uncomfortable going to the Houston Police Department with any information and that he and his clients “will go elsewhere to provide our evidence to investigate authorities.”

One of the lawsuits alleges that Watson “made obscene sexual gestures,” and the second says that over a total of four sessions, Watson “purposefully” exposed himself to the massage therapist and ultimately groped her, and coerced her into oral sex before ejaculating on her.

Watson has publicly denied any wrongdoing, and Hardin said last week he believes, “any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false.”

According to what a source told ESPN‘s Adam Schefter on Wednesday, the Seattle Seahawks are giving wide receiver Tyler Lockett a $69.2 million contract extension over four years, including $37 million guaranteed.

Lockett, 28, was a third-round pick by Seattle in 2015. He made the Pro Bowl and was a first-team All-Pro as a returner in his rookie season. After returning from a compound leg fracture late in 2016, he earned the starting wide receiver role in 2017. Since then, he has been a staple of Seattle’s aerial attack.

Last season, Lockett and D.K. Metcalf became only the second pair of Seahawks receivers in team history to each top 1,000 yards in the same year. Since 23-year old Metcalf is one year away from being eligible for his next payday, there was no guarantee that Seattle would pay Lockett with a third contract.

Lockett was set to have the third-largest cap hit of any Seahawks player in 2021 with $14.95 million. However, his extension lowered that number to around $7 million, according to ESPN’s source.

Lockett was entering the final season of a three-year, $31.8 million extension signed in 2018. Since then, he has had the best three seasons of his career and has 28 receiving touchdowns and 3,076 yards.

Lockett is also known for improbable catches. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, among players with at least 200 targets, he has the second-highest catch percentage over expectation since 2018 at plus-12%. This was clear during an overtime loss against the Cardinals last season, as Lockett turned in the most productive game of his career. He showed his best stuff with 15 catches for 200 yards and three touchdowns.

Lockett will continue to be one of the go-to offensive weapons at quarterback Russell Wilson’s disposal in 2021 and beyond.