The Blackhawks were dealt another major setback Tuesday with the announcement that team captain Jonathan Toews is out indefinitely while he deals with a “medical issue.” There’s no word on the severity or the specific issue that Toews is facing, but he won’t be with the team when they report on Jan. 3. “Jonathan’s health is our top priority as he deals with this medical issue,” Chicago GM Stan Bowman said in a statement....

On Twitter, Peterson shared scenes from the Volume 9 #28 comic, which was published last week, and said Coates had used “a parody of [Peterson’s] ideas as part of the philosophy of the arch-villain Red Skull.” Peterson was made aware of the Red Skull scene on Twitter when earlier this week, sociologist Nicholas A. Christakis quoted an article from The Atlantic that said: “Certain elements of our community are threatening to get people fired....

Down 23-9 in the third quarter, the Washington tight end got tangled up — read as “mandhandled” — with Panthers safety Kurt Coleman and bopped him right on the helmet with a right cross. MORE: Updated playoff picture Reed looked ready to square up with just about everyone on the Panthers after decking Coleman, but the officials sent him off to an early shower before he got a chance to get a few more punches in....

The surgery was a cleanup procedure on his hip and took place after the Pro Bowl. McCarthy said the recovery time was expected to be six to eight weeks. According to ESPN’s Jason Wilde, the Packers’ leading receiver last season was seen on crutches while attending a Bucks game. STEELE: Coaches still ready to gamble on risky players — if they’re good enough Given the timetable for recovery, Nelson should be good to go by the time training camp rolls around in late July....

Host Mark Strassmann asked if Posada resented the players who didn’t play clean and achieved the records he didn’t. MORE: Bonds could have helped your team in 2008 | Posada ‘hurt’ by Yankees | A-Rod act of kindness “Yeah,” he said. “You know, the only thing that I can think is 2003. You know, I was close to the MVP. Didn’t happen. Alex [Rodriguez] won the MVP and, you know, I think second was either Carlos Delgado or David Ortiz, I don’t remember....

But not this one. MORE: Notable sports deaths of 2016 Jose Fernandez was a great ballplayer and a better man. He had an electric arm, but what I remember most about him is his big heart. He was passionate about the game and he was a bigtime competitor, as we saw when he hit his first big league home run in 2013, as he watched the ball clear the fences, because he knew it was gone....

A Sunday afternoon crowd that was still filing into the ballpark at Coney Island offered a quiet reaction, mostly for a lack of attention to the lineup being read. Those who did make noise offered warm applause for the player who was beloved in New York from the time he debuted with the Mets a day before his 20th birthday in 2003 until he won the National League batting title in 2011....

Blue Jays slugger Josh Donaldson went off on the Twins in Sunday’s 9-6 home win. MORE: Mike Trout makes a kid’s day Donaldson, nicknamed “Bringer of Rain,” lived up to the billing by blasting three home runs and driving in four runs to help the Blue Jays stay ahead in the tight American League East race. The reigning AL MVP got off to a bit of a slow start this season, but he has made up for lost time and now has 33 home runs and 91 RBIs....

The first report surfaced on NBC, from Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, minutes before the San Diego Chargers met the Oakland Raiders. Freeman had indicated to at least two news outlets on Saturday that he planned to make a decision sometime Sunday night, after talking to several teams over the weekend. MORE: Best images | Who has brighter future – Freeman or Schiano? | Bucs release Freeman Minnesota, 1-3, had a bye this week after winning its first game in London last week over Pittsburgh....

The five-time All-Star made his first rehab start with Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday in his first official game since being sidelined with a shoulder injury in October. Hamilton was placed on the 15-day disabled list after undergoing surgery to repair the AC joint in his right shoulder on Feb. 4. He rejoined the Rangers on April 27 in a trade from the Angels following reports of an offseason drug relapse....

Hamilton arrived at the team’s Suprise, Ariz., training facility Tuesday, and after 10 days there he’ll move on to Triple-A Round Rock with his return to the majors expected sometime during the Rangers’ homestand May 11-17. Keeping Hamilton with the team — at least in terms of his alcohol and drug rehab program — is where things get much more complicated, according to the Morning News. Hamilton, an addict going through a divorce, will again need a support help, as he did in his first go-round in Texas from 2008-12 — and possibly didn’t get to the necessary level in his disappointing two-season stint with the Angels that basically ended when, after undergoing shoulder surgery in February, he relapsed in his battle with substance abuse....

Hawley criticized Wray during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing and described the Trump-appointed FBI Director’s behavior as “absolutely unbelievable” and “indefensible.” “Why did FBI Director Chris Wray refuse to answer Senators’ questions & run out of an oversight hearing early? Because he had to get to vacation in the Adirondacks. On a government jet,” Hawley wrote in a tweet in which he shared a clip of Thursday’s hearing....

While speaking at the event, Hawley said, “On January 6, I objected during the Electoral College certification, maybe you heard about it.” “I did. I stood up,” Hawley said just before pausing as the crowd applauded and cheered for him. After the audience’s cheering subsided, Hawley continued, “I said, I said, we ought to have a debate about election integrity. I said, it is the right of the people to be heard and my constituents in Missouri want to be heard on this issue....

The journeyman quarterback has played for a record 14 NFL teams — an incredible 43.75 percent of the league’s franchises. The signal-caller, who began his career with the Buccaneers in 2008, has since gone on to carve a longstanding niche role throughout the league. Johnson’s latest stop is with the 49ers, who signed him to a one-year deal off the Broncos’ practice squad following the injury to Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13....

Former Jags kicker Josh Lambo is suing the team for his $3.5 million 2021 salary, in addition to compensation for emotional distress. Lambo was a whistleblower of sorts last season, telling the Tampa Bay Times that Meyer kicked him during a preseason practice last August, and he is continuing to ensure that Jacksonville doesn’t forget about its failed experiment with Meyer. Lambo made 76 of 80 field goal kicks with the Jaguars from 2017-20....

After the Panthers kicked a field goal following a Winston fumble, the No. 1 overall pick threw directly to Josh Norman, who just so happens to play for the Panthers. Norman then took the interception to the house to make it 10-0. MORE: Week 4 photos | NFL rookie rankings | Top senior draft prospects The touchdown marks Norman’s second trip to the end zone this season, becoming the first defensive player to score two touchdowns in 2015....

The two stars didn’t make those fans wait long. Well … Norman didn’t. MORE: Live Giants-Redskins updates As Shane Vereen ran into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter, Norman on the outside picked up Beckham and, for whatever reason, carried his opponent for a few seconds before setting him down. It was as weird as it was pointless. Neither Norman nor Beckham was called for a penalty on the play....

The Carolina cornerback has turned heads as one of the best lockdown defenders in the league, seemingly overnight. Which draws inevitable comparisons, from pundits and fans alike, to the league’s best. MORE: Week 6 NFL picks | Power Rankings | NFL’s Top 10 corners in 2015 But, as flattering as they are, Norman won’t buy such comparisons. “Whenever I get that question, it’s the same thing: ‘I’m Josh Norman,’” he told Sporting News....

Memphis announced Friday that Pastner will return for an eighth season despite missing out on an NCAA bid the last two years. MORE: 10 coaches who survived the hot seat A joint statement Friday from school president M. David Rudd and athletic director Tom Bowen noted that the team “has fallen short in our on-court performance the last two years” and pledged to make “investments and changes” to compete at the highest level going forward “with Josh Pastner as our coach....

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