The NFL approved a new owner for the Carolina Panthers, passed a rule to eject players who hit with their helmets, and took steps to spice up the kickoff.
Still to be resolved: a much more contentious issue.
What to do, if anything, about players who kneel during the national anthem?
At their annual spring meeting, league owners welcomed David Tepper to their ranks by signing off on his record $2.2 billion deal to purchase the Panthers from disgraced team founder Jerry Richardson. During a brief news conference in which he took only a handful of questions, Tepper immediately made a bit of news by seeming to imply he would be willing to listen to offers for a new stadium from other cities in North and South Carolina. The team has made no secret of its desire to replace 22-year-old Bank of America Stadium, and its lease runs only through the upcoming season.
Christian Hackenberg spent his final day with the New York Jets much as he did in his first two seasons. As a spectator. The Jets traded the 23-year-old quarterback to the Oakland Raiders for a conditional seventh-round draft pick next year, ending Hackenberg’s tenure with the team before he ever took a regular-season snap. Hackenberg was a second-round pick out of Penn State in 2016, but never played a regular-season snap for the Jets.
Retired quarterback Brett Favre says he made three trips to rehabilitation centers during his Hall of Fame career to fight his dependence on painkillers and alcohol. Favre told Sports Illustrated he took as many as 14 Vicodin at one time during the 1995 season in Green Bay. Favre won the first of his three consecutive Most Valuable Player awards that season.
PRO HOCKEY
Sharks close to deal with Kane
The San Jose Sharks are closing in on a seven-year contract with Evander Kane that will keep the high-scoring forward off the free-agent market. A person familiar with the negotiations says the contract is expected to be finalized on Wednesday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have taken another step in shuffling their front office. Following the elevation of Kyle Dubas to general manager this month, assistant general manager Mark Hunter and senior adviser Lou Lamoriello are now gone. Toronto announced that Hunter and the club had agreed to part. Less than an hour later, the New York Islanders confirmed Lamoriello as their president of hockey operations.
