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With solid proof from last season, Tampa Bay still has one of the league’s best backups in Ryan Fitzpatrick. Unfortunately, it also has one of the league’s toughest early schedules. Tampa Bay opens at New Orleans, the reigning NFC South champion and heavy favorite to repeat. Then the Bucs host the Super Bowl-champion Eagles and AFC North-champion Steelers in back-to-back games. Ouch, ouch and ouch. The Bucs’ biggest problem against those teams — coming off a season in which they finished dead last in the league in total defense — will be facing three of the league’s most balanced, explosive and prolific offenses....

Winston was tarred by sexual assault allegations during his first year at FSU. A disciplinary hearing was held earlier this month, and the results began trickling out Sunday. MORE: Shame of Florida State | Comedian to Winston: Stop doing dumb s— According to information posted on Twitter, Winston lawyer David Cromwell said his client was not found “responsible for any of the charged violations of the code.” According to NBC Sports, Cromwell said the comment came from the Winston ruling....

Blake was “body-slammed” to the ground and handcuffed by New York City police officers in the middle of the day. He told GMA that he’s not treating this as a race issue and that his frustration comes with the excessive force used by the officers. MORE: Images from the U.S. Open | The latest in Thabo Sefolosha/NYPD case A day later, Blake said he was “a little shaken up” and had some “bumps and bruises” resulting from the incident outside a Manhattan hotel....

While the most senior Black lawmaker in Congress welcomed the selection of Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a Black diplomat who served in the Obama administration, to serve as ambassador to the United Nations, Clyburn also said that Biden is falling short when it comes to naming Black people to cabinet seats and other top slots. “From all I hear, Black people have been given fair consideration,” Clyburn told The Hill on Wednesday....

“After shutting our doors more than a year ago, today we must share the difficult and sad news that Pacific will not be reopening its ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres locations,” the company said in a statement. “This was not the outcome anyone wanted, but despite a huge effort that exhausted all potential options, the company does not have a viable way forward.” With the closure comes the shuttering of several individual theatres, beloved by many, in the heart of Hollywood, including the iconic Cinerama Dome, home to many famous premiers such as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood....

James Harden (27 points, 10 rebounds) was up to his usual tricks, but Eric Gordon (27 points), PJ Tucker (22 points) and Trevor Ariza (19 points) had a major impact in the victory. Kevin Durant finished with 38 points on 13-of-22 shooting, but Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson struggled, combining to go 10 of 30 (3 of 12 from 3-point range). Check out all of the best highlights from Game 2 below ....

Wednesday’s ensemble prior to the Rockets’ game against the Lakers featured a shirt that looks like an acid trip. MORE: Raptors’ tribute to Vince Carter | Hilarious new Foot Locker commercials “I fell down the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ rabbit hole and all I got for it was this silly sweater.”

Now, the two will face off again during the show’s Tournament of Champions finals on Thursday, which is sure to be high-powered television. The rematch hasn’t come without jabs on social media from Holzhauer, though. First, the quick back story on this game show saga in 2019. Holzhauer blitzed his way to approach the regular-season winnings set by Ken Jennings during the 2003-04 seasons when Jennings won $2.52 million. Jennings set the mark through 74 games, and Holzhauer was poised to break the money-earnings mark this year in less than half the time to do it....

In the movie, James and Hart will be brothers. Hart will step out of James' shadow when he gets to attend a fantasy basketball camp. Sports movies are generally hit-or-miss affairs, but the most interesting aspect of this project is when it was shot. The film was originally scheduled to be filmed in the summer of 2011 but was pushed back after James' Miami Heat were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals....

Running back James White, who scored the game-winning touchdown in New England’s 34-28 overtime victory over Atlanta, told me Tuesday night on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he is still mulling whether to take the trip. “I’ll wait ’til the time comes and decide then,” White said. DIAMOND: Why Patriots can repeat in 2017 Bennett and McCourty have already said they wouldn’t attend if the Patriots are invited to Washington D....

That trio is by far the most significant in the Patriots’ front-seven, and Bill Belichick’s defense really sings with Collins’ versatility in coverage, pass rush and stopping the run. New England went full pads at Thursday’s practice, and fulcrum Collins attended for a second straight day after exiting early third quarter in the divisional round. AFC TITLE PICKS: Against the spread | Straight up | Vegas’ favorites Collins and Hightower form arguably the league’s best LB combo and is the only duo to finish top 10 in Pro Football Focus’ 4-3 OLB grades each of the past two seasons....

Those were the words Jamie Dixon shared with KDKA’s Bob Pompeani after accepting the head coaching position at TCU on Monday. Dixon leaves Pittsburgh with 328 wins over 13 years, second on the all-time list to the legendary H.C. “Doc” Carlson, who won 367 games in 31 seasons. Dixon did not meet his departure with sadness, anger or disappointment. He was at peace. MORE: 10 NCAA Tourney coaches who survived the hot seat...

Rodden is the most likely candidate to take over as crew chief for Kasey Kahne, with whom Rodden worked as an engineer for several years. Hendrick hasn’t announced any crew chief changes, but Kahne crew chief Kenny Francis declined to say what he would be doing in 2015 when asked Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. MORE: Final Chase Power Rankings | Winners & Losers from Homestead Kahne struggled this year, barely making the Chase thanks to a win in the next-to-last regular-season race at Atlanta....

The Oscar-nominated, multi-award-winning director of The Power of the Dog caused uproar when she named the tennis champions in her acceptance speech and said that they “do not play against the guys like I have to.” Campion, 67, has been heavily criticized for her remarks which have been labeled “stupid and insulting” on social media. The filmmaker issued an apology on Monday and urged that she did not intend to “devalue” the Williams sisters in her speech....

From her controversial involvement with the G.I. movement during the Vietnam War to her longtime activism for women’s rights, Fonda has become a symbol for social change. Now she’s partnered with Greenpeace to take on climate change. Late last year, Fonda temporarily relocated to Washington, D.C. to lead Greenpeace’s “Fire Drill Fridays,” a weekly protest in the nation’s capital urging lawmakers to combat climate change and pass the Green New Deal....

In a statement published on her social media accounts, Hubert commended Smith for his decision to slap Rock during the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday. She cited Rock’s joke being “mean-spirited” as the reason for her support of Smith, whom she famously feuded with during their time together on Bel-Air. “I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to slap the mess out of so many folks who have disrespected me,” wrote Hubert....

Jose Mourinho is a keen admirer of the England Under-19 international and is willing to sell Luke Shaw to help finance a move. Tottenham, Liverpool and Real Madrid are also monitoring Sessegnon’s progress, and thus United are eager to make a January bid. ARSENAL TARGET SERIE B WINGER Arsenal have entered the race to sign Netherlands winger Alessio Da Cruz from Serie B side Novara, according to Sky Italia....

Sasaki is doing his bit to set the record straight. Without fanfare last week, he opened Tokyo’s first postwar exhibition dedicated to Japanese war art. Set in Gallery Kawafune, a basement space just outside Tokyo’s neon-lit Ginza district, the show includes paintings, posters, books and magazines produced mostly between 1931 and 1945 to glorify Japan’s land grabs across Asia. It’s wartime propaganda that Japan’s leaders would rather keep hidden. The moment the war ended, the government began censoring books, shredding files and otherwise conspiring to whitewash Japan’s bloodiest secrets....

Japan produced a shock during the first round of matches at the World Cup, sinking 2014 champions Germany to give themselves a fighting chance of survival in this tournament’s group of death. Costa Rica were thrashed 7-0 in their opening game by Spain. If Luis Enrique’s side inflict that kind of form on Germany, it’s looking very good for Japan. MORE: World Cup 2022 Group E: Match schedule, fixtures, times and dates for Spain, Germany, Japan, Costa Rica in Qatar...

During a party meeting on Thursday local time, Yana, 42, a third-term member of the Japanese House of Representatives, reportedly told members that LGBT people run counter to the basis of biology, according to Japan Times. Participants of the meeting quoted Yana as saying that his remarks aren’t meant to discriminate against LGBT people but same sex relationships “resist the preservation of the species.” Asked for comment, Yana told Kyodo News, “I will refrain from commenting about the [LGBT] remark as it was a closed meeting....