John Terry’s old number had been vacant at Stamford Bridge since the club’s former captain left in 2017. Koulibaly wore the number at his previous club Napoli, and felt he needed to contact Terry to ask him about taking the number. However, Koulibaly was quite uncertain about asking Chelsea’s ex-captain about taking the number. The Senegalese international revealed that Terry initially didn’t believe it was him and thought it to be a prank call....

Six weeks into this season, they’re still trying to get off the ground. MORE: Charles Barkley’s most recent head-shaking quotes | Bench indispensable to Warriors The Wizards fell 107-105 to the lowly Pelicans on the road Friday, dropping to 9-12 on the season. They’ve lost eight of their last 11 games and have failed to put a winning streak together during that span. So what has been the problem? John Wall got off to a poor start early in the season, but he’s been coming around as of late....

If you have a pulse and have used the Internet before, you’ve already seen it. John Wall, recovering from a stress fracture, sitting on the Wizards bench during a 2012 game against the Hawks. One of his teammates makes a mistake, and Wall can hardly contain himself. MORE: Top PGs for 2015 | Top SGs for 2015 | Players under the most pressure The photo of Wall has become one of the most widely used sports memes on the Internet....

Playoff games have a tendency of getting a bit chippy, and playoff games between division rivals even more so. In the third quarter of Saturday’s Seahawks-49ers wild card matchup, Seattle safety Johnathan Abram once again put his less-than stellar reputation at the forefront with a questionable tackle. Following a third-down catch and run by 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel, Abram put a little bit extra on the tackle, appearing to grab and twist Samuel’s ankle while getting up, much to the displeasure of the receiver....

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor, 57, attempted to sue the publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN) and its executive editor Dan Wootton, over a 2018 article which alleged he was violent to his ex-wife Amber Heard, referring to him as a “wife-beater.” Depp repeatedly denied ever having been violent to Heard and the two gave evidence during a three-week trial at the Royal Courts of Justice in London earlier this year, where claims of brutal violence and intimate details of their rocky relationship were publicly aired....

Manziel is attending the NFL rookie symposium this week at the Browns’ headquarters near Cleveland, and on Friday he said that the hype over his off-field activities has becoming extreme. “I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong,’’ he said at a Play 60 youth clinic. MORE: Ross Tucker’s warning | Owner not happy, but stuck with Manziel “I’m not going to change for anybody,’’ he added. “I’m going to enjoy my time off....

His West Coast roots are obvious at places such as Phoenix, Las Vegas, Sonoma and California. Fans flood the stands in their 48 gear. They probably will have more gear to buy after this weekend. With a 28-point lead on Matt Kenseth and a 34-point edge on Kevin Harvick going into the season finale, Johnson appears destined to win his sixth Cup title. There will be fans who turn off their televisions because they don’t like Johnson or crew chief Chad Knaus or team owner Rick Hendrick....

The NFL regular season kicks off on Thursday with the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos. Join Sporting News' Ross Tucker and Rayven Tirado for another Google+ Hangout to get things started. Tucker will appear on Google+ from 3-3:30 p.m. ET every Tuesday during the NFL season, so make sure to leave us a question in the comments below, on Google+ or tweet at us on Twitter @sportingnews or @RossTuckerNFL. ROSS TUCKER’S LATEST: Opening week unlike any other regular season game...

Several topical creams have been shown to provide temporary pain relief and comfort in osteoarthritis, with a low risk of side effects. Currently, topical creams are among the first-line recommendations for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain, especially among the elderly or those who may be otherwise susceptible to developing side effects of the oral (by mouth) medications. Indications Although JointFlex is recommended for pain relief in osteoarthritis, it does not slow down or cure the disease itself....

Super Bowl-winning coach and Monday Night Football announcer Jon Gruden has made that mistake before, and he does not plan to repeat it. PHOTOS: Best of Brady’s career | Blame Pats’ shady past for silly suspension “They’ve lost just about everyone in the organization except for (Bill) Belichick and Brady,” Gruden told Sporting News after serving as the MC for the announcement of a partnership between Dick’s Sporting Goods and DonorsChoose....

The Cubs ace, who left Monday’s home opener against the Pirates in the top of the third inning with left hamstring tightness, is headed the 10-day injured list, ESPN.com reported Tuesday, citing an unidentified source. Cubs manager Joe Maddon said that Lester will miss one or two starts but didn’t confirm a trip to the IL in an appearance Tuesday on 670 The Score radio in Chicago. MORE: Watch ‘ChangeUp,’ a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZN...

Playing in the NFL is a mental grind just as much as it is a physical grind, and I can recall several players choosing to walk away from the game during my seven seasons in the NFL. Now, for Martin to do it during the middle of the season as a starter is a little unusual, to be sure, but the reasons why guys may need to step away are many....

Wednesday, Alabama welcomed eight early enrollees. MORE: Why Alabama isn’t going away | SN recruiting coverage | HAYES: First-and-10 That group included 5-star QB Blake Barnett, 5-star safety Deionte Thompson, four more 4-star prospects, an elite athlete from the 2014 class and one name that is drawing plenty of attention today. Jonathan Taylor. That’s former Georgia defensive tackle Jonathan Taylor. Yes, the one who was kicked out of school at Georgia last summer after being arrested for aggravated assault....

The Cowboys team owner and general manager told KRLD-FM late last week (via NFL.com) that he would consider trading the team’s 2016 first-round pick to acquire a game-changing running back or blue-chip defensive talent. MORE: Aaron Rodgers’ mad Jeopardy! skills | Cowboys’ Gregory vs. Collins “I’d be reluctant to, but certainly if the right situation came along that could improve us now, with where we are with (35-year-old quarterback) Tony Romo, his career and where we are with what we’ve put together, it’s a good time to go for it,” Jones said....

The $44 million investment is led by Revolution Growth, a private equity firm founded by Leonsis, who owns the NBA’s Wizards and NHL’s Capitals. Sportsradar, whose U.S. operations are based in Minneapolis, counts Yahoo and Google among its clients. Tech Crunch adds, “The fast-growing sports technology company is developing various applications for its data and has secured partnerships with the NFL, NASCAR and the NHL in recent months. Sportsradar expects that its data will be used for fantasy sports and social media....

Coming off two straight losses, USA managed to avoid defeat as Morris canceled out Brian Rodriguez’s 50th-minute opener at Busch Stadium. It was a fortunate equalizer for USA, who had squandered their best opportunities during the first half before falling behind. Brian Rodriguez’s first international goal had Uruguay — without the likes of Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin — on track, but Morris leveled for Gregg Berhalter’s men....

During a clinic Tuesday, Spieth placed a marshmallow on top of a golf ball, which he hit to send the marshmallow high into the air before catching it in his mouth. Seriously. Spieth didn’t exactly stick the landing, but the crowd still loved it. It’s nice to see his recent struggles aren’t hurting his spirit.

So much so that AT&T created a giant mural of Spieth using 24,152 golf balls in Dallas’ Main Street Gardens. According to golf.com, the mosaic will be close to 1,700 square feet. Spieth is coming off a spectacular season, becoming the world No. 1 and winning the Masters, U.S. Open and FedEx Cup.

Thursday, the opening day of the FedEx Cup event outside Chicago, Spieth sank a hole-in-one, acing the par-3 second hole. MORE: Images from the 2015 PGA Championship | Spieth misses two straight cuts And to think, he didn’t think he put enough on it. Even his mistakes are correct. At least for now; Spieth missed the cut in the first two FedEx Cup tournaments. He won’t this week — because there is no cut....

Guevera would be happy to know that President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela recently created a commission to draw up the “Che Guevara Mission Extraordinary Plan,” which, among other lofty aims, seeks to create “new men and women” along the lines of the internationalist prophet’s “Socialism and Man in Cuba.” He would be pleasantly surprised to find that just where he died, surrounded by a ragged, exhausted and tiny group of mainly Cuban comrades, there are today countless Cuban doctors....