Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman has decided to opt out of his three-year, $120 million contract with Boston and enter as a free agent this offseason. The move was widely anticipated, though Boston remains a strong candidate to bring him back.

Bregman signed the three-year deal with the Red Sox last February after remaining unsigned until spring training. The contract included opt-outs after both the 2025 and 2026 seasons, giving him flexibility if he wanted to test his value again. At 31, Bregman is once more a free agent, hoping to find a long-term fit after a productive first year in Boston.

His 2025 campaign started hot, with Bregman hitting .299 and driving in 35 runs before a quad injury sidelined him for nearly seven weeks. He finished the season batting .273 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs. Even as the team fell to the Yankees in the Wild Card Series, Bregman’s impact was clear both on and off the field.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow called Bregman, “a tremendous presence” and said, “the team won’t rule out further talks with his agent, Scott Boras.” Breslow went on to highlight how Bregman’s influence extended beyond his stats, praising the veteran’s leadership and grounding presence in the clubhouse.

With Bregman now part of a strong free agent class, he’s expected to draw interest from several contenders, that include the Tigers, Blue Jays and Mariners. Whether he returns to Boston or moves on, his decision marks another key moment in what promises to be an active MLB offseason.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially awarded the 2034 Winter Games to Salt Lake City, Utah, marking a return of the event to the city that last hosted in 2002. The decision was announced during the IOC’s 142nd session in Paris.

Salt Lake City was the sole candidate for the 2034 Winter Games after the IOC granted the city exclusive negotiating rights last year. This accelerated process led to the formal award of the Games to the United States.

Salt Lake City’s journey to securing the 2034 Winter Olympics began last year when the IOC granted the city exclusive negotiating rights.

Utah’s delegation, which included Gov. Spencer Cox, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, and renowned Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, celebrated the announcement alongside IOC President Thomas Bach.

The announcement was met with a crowd in Utah, where a public watch party gathered at 3 a.m. local time to witness the broadcast from Paris. Crowds at Washington Square cheered as the news broke, celebrating the return of the Winter Games to their city.

This decision brings the Winter Olympics back to Salt Lake City 32 years after its first hosting in 2002. The 2002 Games were widely regarded as a success, showcasing Utah’s capability to host large-scale international events.

The city’s existing infrastructure, experience from the 2002 Games, and strong support from local and state officials played a significant role in securing the bid.

The announcement has sparked excitement and anticipation among Utah residents and sports fans worldwide. As preparations begin, the 2034 Winter Games are expected to bring significant economic and cultural benefits to the region, further solidifying Salt Lake City’s reputation as a premier destination for winter sports.

LeBron James told reporters after a game this week that he intends to play for as long as he believes that he can still contend for an NBA Championship. The press conference took place after a 112-98 defeat for the Lakers at the hands of the Miami Heat.

“I know as long as my mind stays in it, I can play at this level for a minute,” James said. “Now, that’s up to my mind. My body is going to be OK because if my mind is into it, I will make sure my body is taken care of and I’ll continue to put in the work.”

James’ optimistic outlook about his limited NBA future has been reinforced by his play in recent weeks. Though the Lakers have continued to struggle and are now 14-21 on the season, James averaged 30 points per game in December. At age 37, he is clearly still capable of competing at the NBA level.

James’ main issues right now are more team-related than personal, as the Lakers still lag behind Western Conference rivals and have had to compete without Anthony Davis, who suffered an injury earlier this month. Even when Davis returns, however, Los Angeles has not demonstrated an ability to make the most of the star power on its roster.

For the first time since his earliest days as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, James is playing superbly well on a team that is not in contention to win a championship. It’s unclear how this will affect his long-term mindset in seasons to come, but for now, he seems content with his personal success.

“I know it takes steps to get there, but once you get there and know how to get there, playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball is not in my DNA. It’s not in my DNA anymore,” James said. “So we’ll see what happens and see how fresh my mind stays over the next couple years.”

Sexual abuse allegations against members of the USA Gymnastics coaching staff, spanning decades, were not reported to authorities, according an investigative report from the Indianapolis Star.

USA Gymnastics, which oversees the Olympic team and boasts more than 120,000 gymnasts at over 3,000 gyms across the country, employed a policy of dismissing  accusations that were not reported directly from the alleged victim or the victim’s parents, shrugging all other allegations off as hearsay, according to the report.

USA Gymnastics Fails To Report Sexual Abuse Allegations

The Star’s report discovered multiple instances where children were subject to further abuse as a result of this policy, including a case in Georgia where a coach “preyed on young female athletes for seven years after USA Gymnastics dismissed the first of four warnings about him.”

Nearly all 50 states have laws that require sexual or child abuse allegations must be reported to the property authorities, but each state’s statute varies.

In the Georgia case, USA Gymnastics broke the state’s law requiring professionals to report allegations of abuse, according to article 19-7-5 of the Georgia State Statutes.

“The following persons are required to report: … Child service organization personnel (includes any organization—whether public, private, for-profit, not-for-profit, or voluntary—that provides care, treatment, education, training, supervision, coaching, counseling, recreational programs, or shelter to children).”

Two former executives for USA Gymnastics testified to the prevalent use of the “hearsay” policy in a 2013 lawsuit levied by a coach’s victim.

The suit, filed in Georgia by the daughter of Lisa Ganser, involved a coach named William McCabe, whom Ganser’s daughter had begun to work with in 2002.

In court documents obtained by the Star, USA Gymnastics characterized complaints against McCabe from two different gym owners as “third-hand hearsay,” stating that the organization had not received a complaint from any athlete, or athlete’s parent.

More than a year after her daughter began training with McCabe, Ganser received an anonymous packet that included multiple complaints that were sent to USA Gymnastics.

When Ganser contacted the organization she was told that there was never a complaint against McCabe.

In 2006, Ganser discovered some inappropriate emails being sent to her daughter by an individual claiming to be an Olympian and reported them to the FBI.

FBI investigators learned that it was McCabe sending the emails, according to the Indianapolis newspaper.

The same year, McCabe was convicted “sexual exploitation of children,” including girls as young as fifth grade. He is currently serving a 30-year sentence in prison.

USA Gymnastics was unwilling to disclose the total number of sexual abuse allegations, but the report revealed the organization filed complaint dossiers on more than 50 coaches.

Even without access to those files, the Star found four instances where complaints of abuse were brought to USA Gymnastics and were not pursued until later.

Marvin Sharp was named the 2010 National Women’s Coach of the Year by USA Gymnastics. In 2011, the organization received a detailed complaint about Sharp, that alleged he engaged in inappropriate touching of minors.

Four years later, USA Gymnastics reported Sharp to police after new allegations surfaced that accused the coach of “touching a gymnast’s vagina,  trimming her pubic hair and taking sexually explicit pictures of her beginning when she was 12 years old,” according to the Star.

Shortly after his conviction, Sharp committed suicide in prison.

USA Gymnastics released a statement Thursday in response to the Star’s report:

“Addressing issues of sexual misconduct has been important to USA Gymnastics for many years, and the organization is committed to promoting a safe environment for its athletes,” the statement said, in part. “We find it appalling that anyone would exploit a young athlete or child in this manner, and recognize the effect this behavior can have on a person’s life. USA Gymnastics has been proactive in helping to educate the gymnastics community over the years, and will continue to take every punitive action available within our jurisdiction, and cooperate fully with law enforcement.”

Itching for the opportunity to remain in football after being forced out as New York Giants head coach, Tom Coughlin was granted his wish Wednesday.

Coughling, 70, will remain in the NFL and in New York after taking a position with the NFL’s football operations department, according to NFL insider, Jim Trotter.

NFL Hires New York Giants’ Ring of Honor Inductee Tom Coughlin

The department is headed up by former Philadelphia Eagle Troy Vincent, the league’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations.

Vincent’s department deals with rules, officiating and communications with players and coaches about the game on the field.

Known for his stringently regimented schedule, Coughlin should be a good fit for his new role.

TOM COUGHLIN ON GIANTS CHRONICLES

Coughlin made it clear to Peter KIng he was still interested in coaching when he announced his resignation from the GIants. King and the two-time Super Bowl champ discussed the possibility of a return to the sidelines for Coughlin on TheMMQB.com back in May.

“I’ve coached 47 years of my life. You take that away and that’s not an easy thing to duplicate,” Coughlin told King. “It’ll take two to tango. The 70-year-old-man stuff will be a factor, and I’m sure they’ll know this would be a three- or four-year thing.”

When one door closes, another opens.

Los Angeles Clippers star forward Blake Griffin has publicly apologized following a weekend incident that has forced him to remain out for an additional four to six weeks.

Merely hours after the team confirmed that Griffin had broken a bone in his right hand while punching Clippers assistant equipment manager Matias Testi Saturday night in Toronto, Griffin apologized for his behavior on Twitter on Tuesday night:

“A situation among friends escalated and I regret the way I handled myself towards someone I care about,” Griffin wrote. “I want to apologize to the Clippers organization, my teammates and the fans for creating a distraction. I am working with the team on a resolution and getting back in the game as soon as possible.”

The Clippers were playing in Toronto as part of a five-game road trip. The day after the incident, they lost to the Raptors 112-94.

Sources told ESPN’s Michael Eaves that Griffin and Testi were at a restaurant when they got into a heated argument and traded insults. Griffin hit Testi, who then left the restaurant, and Griffin followed him and punched him again in the face, leaving Testi with visible injuries.

Following the incident, both men were sent home. Sources said the two are good friends and have vacationed together.

“You don’t want it to happen to anyone, and you obviously don’t want it to happen during the season or even when the season is not going on,” Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said. “This type of stuff shouldn’t happen, but it did, and it’s real life, and you have to deal with real life sometimes in our make-believe world.”

The Clippers said Griffin had X-rays on the hand he used Monday in Los Angeles and underwent a procedure to repair “a spiral fracture of the fourth metacarpal” on Tuesday.

Griffin had been out since Christmas Day due to a quadriceps injury, which he suffered during the Clippers’ win that day over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Griffin was previously charged with one count of misdemeanor battery in November 2014 after allegedly getting into an altercation with a man at a Las Vegas nightclub. According to reports at the time of this incident, Griffin got upset after cameras began flashing in his face, so he grabbed the man’s phone. The case was dropped in March of last year, after prosecutors stated they couldn’t prove the allegations.

Caption: LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 30: Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers dunks past Allen Crabbe #23 and Meyers Leonard #11 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half at Staples Center on November 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.