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“I used to be a big fan of the NBA until Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors,” he said in a Q&A with C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. Part of Votto’s reasoning was seeing Durant, like LeBron James, leave his original team. SMITH: Finals debut about more than basketball for Toronto fans Votto figured the Stephen Curry-Klay Thompson-Draymond Green core didn’t need to add an “all-time great,” as Votto described Durant....

On Tuesday, current kickers were given their own test of focus — 33-yard PATs beginning this year rather than the previous 19- or 20-yarders the league deemed too easy. They’re less than thrilled, but in Carney’s mind, the rule change will be good for them. MORE: Rule change brings something . . . extra | NFL’s worst PAT blunders “I think it’ll add value to the position,” he told Sporting News....

Although its timing forces many of golf’s big names to skip out on the tournament, it does attract many potential future stars, including Matthew Wolff, who won last week’s 3M Open in just his third career PGA start. The tournament also offers the final chance for those who aren’t already exempt to enter the Open Championship one final chance to do so by finishing in the top five. A first-time winner has emerged victorious in two consecutive PGA Tour events, with Nate Lashley accomplishing the feat at the Rocket Mortgage Classic a week prior to Wolff, so it will be interesting to see if that streak is extended to a third straight event....

It’s no secret the Broncos have struggled at the position in recent seasons, but general manager John Elway is confident that could all change in 2019. The team entered the offseason with a lot of uncertainty under center, but Denver traded for Ravens veteran Joe Flacco and further secured their future by selecting the former Missouri quarterback with the No. 42 pick in last week’s draft. “You’re always trying to find an answer to the quarterback position,” Elway told 9News Denver....

In a lawsuit filed against the NFL, the Dolphins, Broncos and Giants, the former Miami coach alleges that Elway and a few other Broncos front-office executives showed up to his head-coaching interview in 2019 an hour late and “disheveled,” per the lawsuit, claiming that “it was obvious that they had been drinking heavily the night before.” Flores’ attorneys also said in the filing that “it was clear from the substance of the interview that Mr....

The report, which was released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), found that the Earth will likely cross a crucial temperature threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by as soon as 2030, or a decade sooner than previously thought. Scientists warn that at the current speed of human-related warming, extreme weather events such as heat waves, storms, wildfires and floods will become increasingly more common, making the world a more volatile and dangerous place to live....

Amid a few projects he took on from home, Lithgow reflected on one of his most celebrated roles, Lord Farquaad, the ruler of Duloc from the 2001 blockbuster, Shrek. “It was a delightful film; the writing was so good and smart, and it appealed to very young kids and brainy grownups,” he said. Shrek turned 20 this year, and Lithgow said that seeing the franchise’s success over the years has been exciting, if not surprising....

“We all know [John Madden] as the Hall of Fame coach of the Oakland Raiders and broadcaster who worked for every major network, but more than anything, he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “Nobody loved football more than coach. He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many others,” Goodell continued. “There will never be another John Madden, and we will be forever indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today....

On Sunday’s episode of “Last Week Tonight,” host John Oliver managed to sneak in a few jokes at the franchise’s expense as part of a larger story on guardianship in the United States. Oliver used a specific example about a woman named Marie Long to illustrate the problems with allowing guardians to control the finances of their wards. As Oliver explains, Long’s guardians took her on a “weirdly expensive outing,” setting up an easy punchline....

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday and unsettled wide receiver Ross is eager to find an outcome that will allow him more game time. NFL TRADE DEADLINE 2020: 15 players most likely to be dealt He was drafted ninth overall by the Bengals in 2017 but has only started 20 games since then amid struggles with injuries. He is in the last year of his contract after the team declined his fifth-year option....

More than 6,000 pages of court documents from the former couple’s legal battle were unsealed over the weekend which have shed light on various aspects of the trial including Depp’s severed finger, his texts to Marilyn Manson, and even allegations that the actor manipulated photos of his injuries. Heard’s legal team argued in the files that metadata from photos and audio submitted by Depp as evidence in the case proved they were manipulated....

The Edward Scissorhands actor’s $50 million defamation against his ex-wife concerns an op-ed she wrote about domestic violence in The Washington Post in 2018. While Depp was not named in the article, his attorneys argue that Heard’s implication is obvious. Conversely, Aquaman star Heard is countersuing for $100 million for nuisance with her lawyers set to argue that her WaPo essay was a matter of public interest and she should therefore be protected from a defamation suit....

It’s been a surprising turn of events for the three rookie quarterbacks that were drafted in the first round. MORE: Browns can’t commit to Manziel if they want Hoyer | Which QB to keep? “I’m happy for those guys because they’re getting an early chance to play,” Manziel said Friday following practice. “That could have been my chance here, but it isn’t. Those are their situations and this is mine....

“I filed that one in the ridiculous category when it was brought to my attention,” Pettine said Tuesday, per NFL.com, when asked about an ESPN report that claimed the Browns had “90 percent moved on” from their troubled, second-year quarterback after his disastrous rookie debut. STEELE: Manziel receiving (and deserves) benefit of doubt after rehab stay “I use that number 90 percent, too, about the accuracy of reports that are out there, being 90 percent inaccurate,” Pettine said....

Donte Whitner, a teammate of Manziel, revealed Tuesday the quarterback is getting help from Maverick Carter, who is a longtime business partner of James and co-founder of LRMR, a management company that represents Manziel. MORE: Josh McCown No. 1 right now | Jameis Winston studies playbook…at Drake concert | PHOTOS: Classic Manziel photos “He’s taken a big responsibility in making sure that Johnny’s doing all the right things,’’ Whitner said about Carter, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer....

Former Browns and Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is vowing again to change his behavior. MORE: 2016 NFL Draft: Seven risky picks | Should Browns trade pick? “I’m hoping to take care of the issues in front of me right now so I can focus on what I have to do if I want to play in 2016,” Manziel said Tuesday in a statement provided to USA Today Sports. “I also continue to be thankful to those who really know me and support me....

Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick cling to that hope as Kenseth sits 28 points behind series points leader Jimmie Johnson while Harvick is 34 points behind as they enter the season finale Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. With the tiebreaker being best finish (typically who has the most wins), Kenseth owns the tiebreaker on both Johnson and Harvick. Johnson owns the tiebreaker on Harvick. "You can't make any mistakes and you can't have any failures," said Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, not ready yet to declare victory....

MORE: Raiders’ worst first-round draft picks Some, including Sporting News, expect Oakland in 2016 to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2002, the year after Gruden was traded to Tampa Bay for a handful of draft picks and cash. But despite the way he was treated by late Raiders owner Al Davis, Gruden, now an ESPN NFL analyst, “can’t tell you how happy (he is) to see that as an ex-Oakland Raider....

McGregor knocked out Aldo with a quick left hand to win the featherweight title at UFC 194. Despite Aldo losing in the fastest championship match in UFC history, Jones argues Aldo deserves the same respect Ronda Rousey received after she was knocked out by Holly Holm at UFC 193. MORE: Stunning photos from UFC 194 | Is 2015 UFC’s craziest year ever? Jones makes a fair comparison. Aldo had not lost in a decade prior to the fight against McGregor....