Sports
Knicks owner James Dolan’s second apron comments raise big questions on team’s future roster
Let me introduce you to a concept I like to call “the sportswriter’s lament.” After the New York Knicks won the NBA championship on Saturday, I wrote an extensive offseason preview that largely operated under the premise that they would be willing to go above the second apron ahead of next season.
Doing so would have made sense. They have a championship roster. They are a high-revenue franchise playing in the NBA’s biggest market. Their contract structure, dating back to the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, even hinted at a four-year plan in which the Knicks ducked the second apron for two years, went above it for two years, and then ducked back down below it before the worst penalties (a first-round pick moving to No. 30) kicked in. It all made sense on paper.
But as so often happens in sports, plans can change on the word of one powerful figure.
And so it might be for the Knicks as they consider how to defend their 2026 championship, because team owner James Dolan appeared on The Carton Show on WFAN in New York on Wednesday, and he seemed to indicate that the Knicks do not, in fact, plan to go into the second apron.
“If we could bring back the whole team, exactly as it is, why wouldn’t you? But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to,” Dolan said. “We’re willing to stretch, but there’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do. One of them is called the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron. But that’s up to Leon [Rose].”
When host Craig Carton joked that Rose, the team president, makes the decisions and Dolan just signs the checks, Dolan responded with a chuckle, “I’m just telling him how big of a check I can write. I’ll write as big of a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron.”
Dolan’s comments suddenly make the notion of the Knicks running their entire roster from last season back far more complicated, though comments made by a team owner on a radio show are far from binding. It is entirely possible that Rose convinces Dolan that it does make sense to go above the second apron. Nonetheless, Dolan’s comments force us to prepare for a summer in which the Knicks duck the second apron.
So if the Knicks are indeed treating the second apron as a hard cap, and if we assume that none of their five expensive starters (Towns, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart) are going anywhere, what does that mean for New York’s ability to retain their key backups like Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet?
What is the second apron and what does it do?
The NBA’s salary structure includes four basic thresholds, and each mean different things. The lowest is the salary cap. If you’re below the cap, you can sign free agents or trade for players using the amount of space below the cap you have. The second is the luxury tax. It is much higher than the cap, and teams whose total salary exceeds it pay a tax that is partially distributed to non-taxpaying teams based on how far above that line they went and whether or not they are a repeat payer.
The next two, which get progressively higher, are the aprons. The first imposes minimal but notable team-building restrictions. The second imposes the following harsh restrictions:
- You cannot aggregate salary in trades, meaning, for example, you cannot trade two $5 million players for a $10 million player.
- You cannot use the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign a free agent.
- You cannot trade cash.
- You cannot acquire a player from another team by sign-and-trading them for your own player.
- You are also beholden to all of the restrictions that come with going above the first apron. Those include being unable to use the nontaxpayer mid-level exception, being unable to take in more money through a trade than you sent out, being unable to sign waived players if their previous salary was above that nontaxpayer mid-level exception, and being unable to use trade exceptions generated in the prior year.
These aprons are enormously restrictive and designed as a deterrent. Meaningfully altering your team from above those lines is difficult. Retaining your existing players is far easier, but there is another, harsher deterrent for doing so recklessly.
NBA offseason predictions: Experts pick landing spots for Giannis, LeBron, Kawhi and more
Sam Quinn
We still haven’t covered the second apron’s harshest restriction: If you finish a season above the second apron, your first-round pick seven years into the future gets “frozen.” This means it cannot be traded. If you stay below the second apron in three of the next four years, that pick is unfrozen and can be traded. If you remain above the second apron in two of the next four years, however, that pick automatically falls to No. 30.
Thus far, no team has been willing to stay above the second apron long enough to drop a pick to No. 30. Some teams have treated the second apron as an informal hard cap, effectively refusing to go above it for any reason. The Knicks may be one such team. Even after a championship, they may not be willing to make the necessary sacrifices in terms of flexibility to cross that line.
How close are the Knicks to the second apron?
The second apron for the 2026-27 season is currently projected at $221,737,000. The Knicks, as of this moment, have $208,776,828 in obligations to 10 players.
Eight of those players have guaranteed contracts: Towns, Anunoby, Brunson, Bridges, Hart, Miles McBride, Pacôme Dadiet and Tyler Kolek. Jose Alvarado has a $4.5 million player option, but he is extension eligible. If the Knicks want to keep his salary low for next season, they can still give him a long-term deal. And then there’s the No. 24 overall pick, which comes in at around $3.3 million.
Therefore, at least at the time of this writing, the Knicks have a bit less than $13 million in room beneath that second apron line. Teams need to have a minimum of 14 players on their roster, so this is not as simple as clearing out money to pay Robinson. The Knicks have to field an entire team. The rookie minimum is projected to be slightly below $1.4 million, while the veteran minimum is around $2.5 million. So if the Knicks want to keep Robinson or even Shamet, they have work to do.
Can the Knicks re-sign Robinson and stay below the second apron?
The immediate answer here would be that it is unlikely. The floor for Robinson would probably be the nontaxpayer mid-level exception, which is projected at around $15.1 million. Teams with cap space could offer him even more, but there will almost certainly be offers in that range. Say the Knicks want to fill out their roster with two veteran minimum contracts and one rookie minimum along with Robinson. They’d be looking at around $6.7 million in space for one last player, presumably Robinson. That’s not going to get it done.
Do they have ways of trimming more money? A few. Say they traded their No. 24 pick for future draft capital and replaced it on their balance sheet with another veteran minimum. That’s almost $900,000 in extra room created. Trading Dadiet into someone’s cap space or exception and replacing him with a minimum clears another $500,000 or so. Those savings get even bigger if you’re willing to sign rookie minimums instead of veterans, but this is a championship team that relied heavily on its depth. The Knicks are going to want real players, not just roster fillers.
There’s another trick the Knicks can potentially use to find savings later, but it’s a gamble. In theory, they could go above the second apron now and then find a way back below it later on. While you are subject to restrictions at any point while you are above the line, if the penalty the Knicks are most eager to duck is the frozen pick, that one only comes into effect once a team has finished a year above the second apron.
To that end, teams have developed a bit of a trick to avoid the luxury tax that might be applicable to the Knicks here. Take the Celtics. They were above the tax line last year, but at the trade deadline, they traded away several of their minimum-salary players: Xavier Tillman, Josh Minott and Chris Boucher. They did this because those players, signed before the season, counted on their cap sheets as full, minimum salaries. However, when you replace such players during the season with newly signed free agents, their salaries are prorated. Sign someone for half of the season, for instance, and only half of their minimum salary counts on your books.
The Celtics took this strategy to the extreme. Teams are technically allotted 28 days throughout the regular season in which they can have fewer than 14 players on their roster, and no more than 14 of those days can come consecutively. So the Celtics tap danced on the line: using those days in increments and separating them with 10-day contracts to sneak below the tax line.
This strategy is fraught, though. There is no guarantee that you’ll find teams willing to help you by taking on your contracts, though the Knicks keep a ready enough supply of second-round picks that they can incentivize teams. But there’s no guarantee that such suitors will even exist. Roster spots aren’t always easy to find during the season.
The Knicks have one of the NBA’s best cap strategists in Brock Aller. If any team could pull off starting the season above the line and getting below it in February, it’s probably them. But no version of this calculation guarantees Robinson’s return. At best, the Knicks could probably put forth a competitive (but not quite matching) offer for Robinson while retaining a path below the second apron. More likely, the gap is too big to bridge.
So if Robinson leaves, what does that mean for New York’s offseason?
If Robinson leaves, what does the Knicks’ offseason look like?
It should be noted that Robinson is not the only meaningful free agent here. Next on the docket is Shamet. All of those complicated paths to paying Robinson could theoretically apply to keeping him on his Early Bird Rights. However, if the Knicks do let Robinson go, I suspect Shamet would also get offered enough by another team that New York would let him walk. The Knicks have McBride and Alvarado in the building as backup guards. They found Shamet on the minimum. They likely feel confident in their ability to find the next Shamet on a similar bargain.
So let’s say that’s how this plays out. The Knicks lose two of their most important reserves, Robinson and Shamet, but remain around $13 million below the second apron. There is at least one notable silver lining: staying below the second apron makes it far, far easier to keep restricted free agent Mohamed Diawara. The No. 51 overall pick in last year’s draft may not have played much in the playoffs, but he is a big defensive wing who shot 37% on a small sample of 3s late in the season. He has a lot of upside, and the rest of the league knows it.
Diawara is headed for restricted free agency. The Knicks technically maintain the ability to match any offer sheet he gets, but they have to actually be able to pay whatever contract he signs. With only non-Bird Rights, they are extremely limited in what they can offer: $200,000 plus his minimum salary, for a total close to $2.4 million. If any team offered more than that, they’d be at risk of losing him. However, staying below the second apron would give them access to the $6 million taxpayer mid-level exception, a tool they could use to go higher if they wanted to. Losing Robinson and Shamet would hurt, but it would at least make it far likelier that the Knicks could retain one of their more promising younger players.
Still, they’d be shorter on guards than they were during their championship run and completely devoid of backup centers. The former is pretty solvable. Jordan Clarkson could come back at the minimum. There are always playable guards on the market. Ariel Hukporti could also come back at center, but the Knicks have only ever used him as a third-stringer. Maybe the Knicks could find their backup in the draft. They have the No. 24 and No. 31 picks, so maybe they could trade up for a specific target. Realistically, though, they’d probably want a veteran.
The good news for the Knicks? They’re a very desirable destination for backup centers. Towns is frequently in foul trouble, so minutes are available, and of course, they’re a big market coming off a championship. The bad news? It’s not a great year for backup centers in free agency. Most of the good ones are likely to re-sign with their existing teams. Their best bets would probably be younger players hoping to join a high-profile team to boost their value.
Moe Wagner probably returns to Orlando to stay with his brother, Franz, but he might be an option. Nick Richards has been linked to the Knicks at previous trade deadlines. Go a bit older and maybe Andre Drummond is available for the minimum if Philadelphia caps itself out by retaining Kelly Oubre and Quentin Grimes. The Knicks likely have minimum-level targets in mind for just this scenario. Maybe there’s a trade to be made on this front as well.
I’m going to throw out a pretty unlikely option, but the last few years of free agency have produced plenty of unexpected minimum contracts. What about Mark Williams? The Suns have to find minutes for No. 10 overall pick Khaman Maluach, and Oso Ighodaro passed him in the pecking order last season. The Suns have around $15 million in room below the luxury tax line, but also have to re-sign key guards Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin.
In order to make Williams a restricted free agent, the Suns have to make him a one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer. If they’re worried about him taking it and vaulting them into the tax, perhaps they cut him loose. He could get more money and minutes elsewhere, but a high-profile backup job on a big-market contender, even for an injury-prone center, can eventually lead to rich contract offers. We know that because it’s happening for Robinson now. So maybe Williams could bet on himself with a cheap, one-year Knicks contract.
Something to keep in mind, though, is that if the Knicks aren’t willing to go into the second apron now, after winning a championship, they may not be willing to do so under any circumstances. If that’s the case, it raises real questions about their ability to retain key depth pieces multiple years down the line. Are we sure they’d be willing to extend Alvarado at a fair number in that world? If the answer is no, he might use that player option to cash in elsewhere. Kolek is available to replace him in-house, but there are only so many losses any contender can sustain. McBride is a year away from free agency. Will the Knicks pay what it takes to keep him?
We don’t have good answers for these questions yet. The Knicks surely have a long-term vision for their balance sheet. If that vision involves ducking the second apron next season, well, there’s a good chance New York’s bench will look very different for its title defense.
Sports
Ben Stokes returns to action amid nightclub controversy as England await investigation outcome | Cricket News
England Test captain Ben Stokes is set to return to competitive action after being included in Durham’s 15-man squad for their upcoming County Championship clash against Northamptonshire at Chester-le-Street, which begins on Friday.The all-rounder has not featured since being left out of England’s ongoing second Test against New Zealand at The Oval. Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson were both omitted from the match while investigations continued into a nightclub incident in London following England’s victory in the opening Test at Lord’s.Despite the ongoing inquiries, both players have now been cleared to participate in domestic cricket. Stokes is expected to represent Durham in the Championship fixture, while Atkinson is likely to return for Surrey in their match against Glamorgan in Cardiff.The controversy stemmed from events after England’s 115-run win over New Zealand in the first Test. Stokes and Atkinson were found to have breached the team’s midnight curfew while celebrating the victory and were present at a nightclub when a member of England’s security staff was allegedly struck by a player from Saracens Rugby Club.Investigations into the incident are continuing, with both the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the independent Cricket Regulator conducting separate reviews.In the days following the controversy, speculation emerged regarding Stokes’ long-term future in international cricket, with some reports even linking the England skipper to a potential retirement. However, those concerns eased considerably after the 35-year-old resumed training with Durham.His appearance against Northamptonshire will mark only his third county outing of the season and could provide a timely boost ahead of England’s next international assignment.With Stokes unavailable for the second Test against New Zealand, Joe Root has stepped in as captain on a match-by-match basis.England’s third and final Test of the series begins at Trent Bridge next Thursday, meaning a decision on the availability of both Stokes and Atkinson is expected in the coming days. Clarity over the ongoing investigations will likely be required before the start of the match, with Monday shaping up as a key date in determining their involvement.
Manny Pacquiao has competed in 73 professional bouts to date, but there is one man who is thankful that his scheduled showdown with the Filipino icon did not take place, labelling his withdrawal as a ‘blessing in disguise’.
A true pound-for-pound legend of the sport, many fighters dream of sharing the ring with one of boxing’s most accomplished combatants; the only boxer to have held a world title in four different decades and the only eight-division world champion.
Pacquiao is now chasing another feat, hoping to break his own as the oldest welterweight champion of all time, having last held the WBA welterweight title at the age of 42 years old before losing it to Yordenis Ugas, who stepped in as a challenger when Errol Spence Jr pulled out.
Speaking on The Art of Ward Podcast, Spence admitted that he is glad the fight with ‘Pac-Man’ did not go ahead, fearing that the eye injury, which caused his withdrawal, could have seriously impacted both his career and life.
“All through camp I was feeling bad, I was feeling super bad, I was messed up. I’ll say this again, I don’t know if it is life, God or whatever it was; I got hit in my eye during sparring and I really was still sparring during that time and all of that.
“I went to Vegas and I had to do the eye test, it was cloudy, I was seeing clouds, it was messed up and I went to go to the eye doctor and I think he saw it, but he wanted me to tell him, so he was like, ‘do you see any clouds?’, and I was like ‘nah, I don’t see nothing’.
“He said, ‘you sure?’ And I said ‘nah, I don’t see nothing, it looks clear, I am good’. I was trying to get the approval, but he was like ‘man, your eye is messed up’.”
“I was trying to tell the doctor to let me fight and that I will be good, that I will sign whatever you want me to sign, I told him that I will make sure that he [Pacquiao] don’t hit me in my eye!
“He was like, ‘nah, man, if you get hit in your eye the right way, you could be blind in your eye. I can’t let you fight’.
“I think that was a blessing in disguise because, if I would have took that fight and something would have happened, I would be wearing a patch over my eye right now and I wouldn’t have had the fights that I have had and made the money that I have made.”
Spence returns to action against Tim Tszyu next month, ending a three-year stretch of inactivity with an intriguing test up at super-welterweight.
Sports
Newcastle Knights vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Tips, Odds, Teams & Predictions – NRL Round 16 2026
McDonald Jones Stadium will play host to Friday’s
Round 16 NRL game between Newcastle Knights and
St. George Illawarra Dragons. The game kicks off at 8:00 pm with Newcastle Knights heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Newcastle Knights vs.
St. George Illawarra Dragons
game and give you our free tips and bets.
When: Friday June 19, 2026 at 8:00 pm
Where: McDonald Jones Stadium
Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE
Newcastle Knights vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Odds
Newcastle Knights vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Preview
The Dragons will be aiming to build on the momentum they generated before the bye when they host a Newcastle side facing uncertainty around the availability of key personnel. St George Illawarra showed encouraging signs in recent outings, producing some of its most consistent football of the season to remain within touching distance of the top eight.
The Knights have demonstrated throughout the year that they can remain competitive despite injuries, with their defensive structures and game management helping them stay in contests. However, the potential absence of star fullback Kalyn Ponga would significantly reduce Newcastle’s attacking threat and place greater pressure on the rest of the spine to create opportunities.
Neither side has been among the competition’s highest scorers in recent weeks, suggesting this contest could develop into a physical, low-scoring battle. In those circumstances, the Dragons’ improving defence and ability to grind through tough periods may give them every chance of challenging a Knights side looking to overcome another key setback.
First Try Scorer
Newcastle Knights vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Teams
Knights team: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Dominic Young 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Fletcher Sharpe 7. Dylan Brown 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Trey Mooney 11. Dylan Lucas 12. Thomas Cant 13. Mathew Croker 14. Harrison Graham 15. Tyson Frizell 16. Pasami Saulo 17. Cody Hopwood 18. Fletcher Hunt 19. Francis Manuleleua 20. Sandon Smith 21. Tyson Gamble 22. James Schiller
Dragons team: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Setu Tu 3. Moses Suli 4. Valentine Holmes 5. Mathew Feagai 6. Daniel Atkinson 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga 9. Damien Cook 10. Toby Couchman 11. Dylan Egan 12. Hamish Stewart 13. Ryan Couchman 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Luciano Leilua 16. Josh Kerr 17. Blake Lawrie 18. Emre Guler 19. Tyrell Sloan 20. Hame Sele 21. Lyhkan King-Togia 22. Christian Tuipulotu
Patrice Bergeron will forever be remembered in Boston.
The Bruins made sure of it, announcing the forward’s No. 37 will be retired during the upcoming 2026-27 season.
“Throughout his 20 years with the Boston Bruins, Patrice Bergeron was the ultimate professional, demonstrating a unique blend of leadership, integrity, humility and class,” said Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs in a statement. “Patrice consistently set the standard on and off the ice, becoming one of the best players in the game while demonstrating for the next generation what it meant to be a Bruin. As one of the greatest to ever wear the Black and Gold, it is only fitting that his No. 37 makes its way to the Garden rafters.”
Bergeron spent his entire 19-season NHL career with the Bruins after being taken 45th overall in 2003. Before retiring in 2023, the L’Ancienne-Lorette, Que., native played in 1,294 regular-season games, posting 427 goals and 613 assists. He was the fourth player in franchise history to record at least 1,000 points.
The now 40-year-old also ranks third in franchise history in games played, goals and points while sitting fourth in assists. His 14 20-goal seasons are the second-most in franchise history, while he leads the Bruins all-time in shootout goals (25).
“To have my number retired by the Boston Bruins is an honour that is difficult to put into words,” said Bergeron in a statement. “When I arrived in Boston as an 18-year-old, I could never have imagined receiving this recognition one day. I have always believed that any success I had was only possible because of the people around me. I was fortunate to play alongside incredible teammates, learn from outstanding coaches and staff and be supported by an organization that believed in me from the very beginning. I am especially grateful to my family for the sacrifices they made that allowed me to pursue my dream. This honour belongs to all of them as much as it belongs to me.”
Throughout his NHL career, which included captaining the Bruins from 2020 to 2023, he took home the Selke Trophy a record six times (2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023) and was nominated for the award in 12 consecutive seasons. Bergeron also sits third all-time in league history for face-off wins (14,837).
The three-time all-star helped the Bruins take home the franchise’s sixth Stanley Cup in 2011, and made two more Final appearances with the team in 2013 and 2019. He shares the NHL record for most Game 7 appearances (14) with fellow Boston great Zdeno Chara, and ranks second in Bruins franchise history with 170 playoff appearances. Bergeron’s 128 points (50 goals, 78 assists) in the post-season are tied-third for Boston all-time.
In his final NHL season, Bergeron led the Bruins to the Presidents’ trophy as the team set an NHL single-season record for wins (65-12-5) and points (135). He finished that season with 27 goals and 31 assists for a plus-35 mark that led all Boston forwards.
His No. 37 will be the 14th number to be retired in franchise history, joining Chara (33), Willie O’Ree (22), Rick Middleton (16), Cam Neely (8), Terry O’Reilly (24), Ray Bourque (77), Phil Esposito (7), Johnny Bucyk (9), Bobby Orr (4), Milt Schmidt (15), Eddie Shore (2), Aubrey Clapper (5) and Lionel Hitchman (3).
“To Bruins fans across New England, thank you for welcoming a young French Canadian and making this place feel like home,” Bergerson added. “Every time I stepped onto the ice, I felt the privilege and responsibility that comes with wearing the Spoked-B, and I always tried to represent this organization and community the right way. I am deeply humbled and grateful to be connected to the history of the Boston Bruins. To know that No. 37 will forever be part of that history is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
Wilkinson says Wales have learned from their experience at Euro 2025, when they stuggled to make an impact against three of the world’s best teams – Netherlands, France and England.
“I think we all learned a lot through the Euros – myself, my staff, the players,” she said.
“Do I wish I’d coached differently? Parts of it, absolutely. I’m sure they (the players) look back on it and think like ‘what if, what if we could have…’
“But you don’t know until you’ve been to a major event what it’s going to be like, what the pressure feels like, what the stress feels like.
“We talked about it, we prepared for it, and it still blew us away, but there’s confidence that comes from having done it.
“I also look at our last Nations League A campaign – two draws against Sweden, but also keeping the scores really competitive against some top nations.”
Wales will have to improve their away form if they are to get through the play-offs and make it to Brazil.
Wilkinson’s side sailed through their home qualifiers, with a 6-1 mauling of Montenegro, a 4-0 romp past Albania and a 3-1 win over Czech Republic to wrap up the group.
On the road, however, they were fortunate to salvage a draw in the Czech Republic in their opening qualifier in March, then scraped a 1-0 victory in Albania before a shock 1-1 draw in Montenegro in the penultimate match.
“We were a bit frustrated when we played Albania away (in April), but this is a good opportunity to improve our performance against a challenging opposition,” said Wilkinson.
“I thought (Albania) played really well in that second leg, so they’ll be tough. It’ll be a good tactical battle between them and us, and who’s learnt the most.
“It was obvious from our campaign that our away form wasn’t what we wanted it to be. There’s definitely some work to be done away from home.
“It’s about showing up with the best version of ourselves.”
America 250: Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones was born on March 17, 1902, in Atlanta, Georgia, and became one of the greatest amateur golfers in history. As a teenager, he reached the third round of the U.S. Amateur at age 14, showing early promise. He went on to win 13 major championships, all as an amateur, a record that still stands. In 1930, Jones achieved the
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President Donald Trump has shared his opinion about the recent announcement regarding rolling back the golf ball, and as is often the case, his opinion on the topic at hand doesn’t necessarily align with the majority.
The USGA and R&A — two governing bodies of golf — originally shared a plan in 2023 that golf ball development would change, making balls travel up to 15 yards shorter at the professional level and up to five yards shorter for amateurs. This was a direct approach to combat distance, and the opinion that it has gotten out of hand with new technology.
The original announcement nearly three years ago involved a staggered start that would take effect at the professional level in 2028 and all other golfers in 2030.
U.S. President Donald Trump tees off at a new 18-hole course at Trump International Golf Links on July 29, 2025 in Balmedie, near Aberdeen, Scotland. President Trump is visiting Scotland in a trip that’s part-vacation, part-work, as he stayed at his Trump Turnberry golf course, followed by Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, between July 25 to 29. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
On the eve of the 2026 U.S. Open on Wednesday, the USGA and R&A announced that plans for a golf ball rollback have been paused until at least 2030.
Trump praised the decision to pause the efforts to roll back the golf ball in a Truth Social post on Wednesday evening.
“Congratulations to Commissioner Brian Rolapp, the PGA Tour, and the Governing Bodies, and also, the Great U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, for a BIG VICTORY where the USGA wanted to roll back the distance of a Golf Ball, for whatever reason, and now they are precluded from doing so, at least for a long number of years,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“It was a ridiculous idea, that nobody wanted, especially PGA Tour Players, and people that don’t want to go to a Course to be told that their drives will be going 20 yards shorter. What the USGA should do is agree that, far into the future, they will not allow the current ball to go further. In other words, they will keep the ball the same! The game of Golf is “hot as a pistol.” The last thing we should do is tell people that, for no reason whatsoever, you will not be able to hit a ball as far as you used to. Has anyone ever heard of anything so ridiculous?”
U.S. President Donald Trump tees off after opening his new golf course at his Trump International Golf links resort on July 29, 2025 in Balmedie, Scotland. U.S. President Donald Trump is visiting his Trump Turnberry golf course, as well as Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, during a brief visit to Scotland from July 25 to 29. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
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Trump’s suggestion that “nobody wanted” golf ball technology to change to combat distance isn’t true. The debate in golf, especially at the professional level, is completely divided.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 26, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. In his second term, Trump has attended several major sporting events (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Many, if not the majority, of folks involved with golf recognize that the technology in both golf balls and modern drivers has gotten out of hand. Several golf courses have become “too short” for elite and professional players.
As for the approach golf’s governing bodies have taken to address the issue, well, that’s where opinions differ even more. The “how” of effectively reining in the distance golf balls possess nowadays is the million-dollar question, and this delay proves the powers that be need time to tinker as well.
At about 6 p.m. on August 21, 2025, the former Belarusian diplomat and sports official Anatol Kotau boarded a private yacht in northeastern Turkey. He said he would be home in a few days.
The yacht was officially bound for Russia — one of two countries with a warrant out for his arrest — but it is unclear whether Kotau knew its intended destination. What is known is that three hours into his journey, he stopped responding to messages.
He never returned home.
Using information from sources, documents, satellite imagery and leaked databases, DW and its partners, the Belarusian Investigative Center(BIC) and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, have determined that Kotau was taken off the yacht by the Russian Coast Guard, a division of the FSB domestic intelligence agency, likely working in cooperation with Belarus. The monthslong investigation found that Kotau may have been lured to his fate by people he knew.
Kotau was wanted in Belarus
Kotau spent much of his early political career as a diplomat at the Belarusian Embassy in neighboring Poland. In 2015, he was appointed secretary-general of the Belarusian Olympic Committee, serving under Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Europe’s longest-ruling autocrat. Kotau was also deputy director of the organizing committee for the 2019 multisport European Games in Minsk, a prestige project for Lukashenko.
He quit his job as government forces suppressed protests after Lukashenko declared victory in the 2020 presidential election. He fled to Poland, where he registered as a refugee, and, from Warsaw, began pushing for change in Belarus.
Kotau was an outspoken critic and was widely believed by fellow dissidents to be among those behind the “Nick and Mike” Telegram channel, which exposed the regime’s secrets. He was a key part of the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation, a movement for athletes that actively lobbied to have Minsk stripped of the honor of co-hosting the 2021 Ice Hockey World Championship — in part on the grounds that Lukashenko could use the global spotlight on his favorite sport to rehabilitate his image following the bloody clampdown of 2020.
“He was a person who worked for many years in the state system,” said Ales Mikhalevich, a Belarusian human rights lawyer and former presidential candidate. “People like me, for example, are simply enemies for the regime, whereas people like him are traitors. And that is much more serious.”
In 2024, a Belarusian court sentenced Kotau in absentia to 12 years in prison after finding him guilty of conspiracy to seize power in an unconstitutional way and promotion of extremist activities. Arrest warrants were issued by the governments of Belarus and Russia.
“Without a doubt, this was a person the Belarusian authorities wanted to get back — legally or illegally,” Mikhalevich said.
Kotau’s travel tendencies
Friends said Kotau was often secretive about his travel plans. In April 2025, he traveled to Dubai, where he held at least two meetings. DW and its partners were unable to identify everyone he met on that trip.
Kotau had another visit to Dubai scheduled for July 2025, one month before he disappeared, but canceled the trip when he developed appendicitis, according to his wife.
“He usually didn’t say in advance where he was going or why,” Kotau’s friend and fellow opposition activist Ruslan Khazin said. “But we always knew that after he’d gone somewhere to meet someone, there would be some interesting news.”
Before Kotau disappeared in August, he told his wife that he was traveling to Turkey for business; his boss at a Polish events agency believed that he was going for personal reasons.
Several people told DW and its partners that, shortly before the trip to Turkey, Kotau indicated to various people that things were about to change in Belarus and that “soon we are all going home.”
“I just didn’t understand,” Khazin recalled. “I said: ‘What do you mean?’ He has this usual manner — he smiles and says: ‘Well, you’ll find out later.’ That’s it.”
A fellow Belarusian
After landing in Istanbul on August 21, Kotau flew to the northeastern port city of Trabzon, where the yacht awaited. The boat itself had departed from Istanbul earlier, carrying a small crew, two Russian passengers and Yuryy P., a Belarusian karate judge and instructor with connections to the Belarusian secret service, which still goes by its Soviet initials, KGB.
Social media photos indicate that Kotau could have met Yuryy P. at the Vozrozhdenie (Renaissance) sport club, which can be linked to the KGB during its four years in existence, from 2017 to 2021, according to information provided by the Belarusian civil society group Rabochy Ruch.
Yuryy P. was also employed by a company called Tres International, which is headquartered near Dubai but has a representative office in Minsk, according to leaked data from Cyber Partisans, a dissident hacker collective formed after the 2020 election in Belarus. Several people at Tres International were found to be affiliated with the KGB, according to more leaked documents. Yuryy P. did not reply to queries from DW and its partners.
Many of the company’s employees also work for BTS Global, which is in business and management consulting, according to the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, but also sells weapons, according to military documents provided by Rabochy Ruch. Tres International and BTS Global are both registered at the same address on Smolenskaya Street in Minsk.
It is not clear whether Kotau and Yuryy P. crossed paths in Trabzon. However, when the yacht left the port city with Kotau on it, Yuryy P. was not on board.
Details about the yacht Kotau boarded
The last known image of Kotau, 45 at the time, is a CCTV capture of him at the Trabzon port, unshaven and wearing a dark T-shirt. He then would have boarded the 30-meter (100-foot) yacht named Shells, a $2.8 million (€2.4 million) private vessel with two dining areas, a bar and a top-deck jacuzzi.
According to the passenger manifest, which DW has obtained, the yacht was bound for Sochi, on Russia’s Black Sea coast, although it is unclear whether Kotau knew that. He may have been told a different destination or thought that the ship would enter international waters and then return to Turkey.
The yacht’s movements are difficult to trace. There is no record of its location in the Marine Traffic database in August 2025 or in satellite imagery over its route. The yacht was last recorded months earlier, in March 2025, in Istanbul.
The owners on paper in August 2025, MGA Yachting Ltd., insist that they sold it at the end of 2024 and know nothing about Kotau’s disappearance. DW and its partners confirmed that the boat was up for sale in early 2025.
By January 2026, the boat had been renamed the YS Legacy and registered to SSL Yachting Group Ltd. In March 2026, BTS Global bought the trademark for the same name: YSLegacy.
A Belarusian businessman, Yuryy S., is listed as the head of two BTS Global companies — the one registered in Belarus and another in the United Kingdom — and lives in the United Arab Emirates, where the yacht last appeared on the Marine Traffic database in March 2026.
He knew Kotau personally. There are photos of the two at the Vozrozhdenie sports club in 2019, at what appears to be an event connected to the Minsk 2019 European Games. Yuryy S. is identified in leaks as having worked for the KGB’s Operational Analytical Center and at the Belarusian Olympic Committee during Kotau’s tenure as secretary-general. He is connected to the Dubai-based Tres International. He did not reply to queries by DW and its partners, nor did BTS Global or Tres International.
Kotau’s mysterious shipmates
When Kotau boarded Shells, he was accompanied by a woman named Qahira E., whose nationality is listed as Jordanian in the passenger manifest. Qahira E. lives in Dubai and is originally from Azerbaijan. She and Kotau had known each other since at least 2023, according to information obtained by the BIC. The two had messaged about meeting, and appeared in a cozy photo in what looks like a bar.
She did not answer questions sent by DW and its partners.
The other passengers were two Russians who had entered Turkey on the same flight from Moscow on August 5, according to leaked passport data, and traveled on the yacht from Istanbul.
According to leaked databases, one of the men, Pyotr G., is former military and now works as a private security specialist. DW and its partners gathered little information about the other, Yuriy G., but could confirm that the two men traveled together shortly before and after the yacht trip. Neither man replied to queries by DW and its partners.
According to the manifest, the only other people on the vessel were the four crew members — none of whom could speak Russian.
Yacht intercepted off Russia-occupied Abkhazia
DW and its partners have learned from sources and a letter obtained from the Sochi port authorities that the yacht never arrived there.
Sources familiar with the operation told DW and its partners that the yacht instead headed toward Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia. The government of Georgia — as well as the US, EU and several other governments — considers the region to be occupied by Russia, which maintains a heavy military presence there.
Abkhazia is a “well-known gray zone,” the Georgian political analyst Mamuka Komakhia said. “There’s a lack of control in Abkhazia from an international point of view.
“Abkhazia is a very good place to do any illegal activity because it’s open sea. You do not need to register anything. If you don’t want to register something, you can do it.”
There, around 1:30 p.m., in waters where no vessel-tracking signals appear, the yacht was intercepted by Russia’s Coast Guard, a division of the FSB. Sources familiar with the operation say agents boarded the vessel and conducted a search of the yacht, at which point Kotau was removed.
Although there are no images covering the area at the time when the yacht was likely intercepted, there are images from the nearby port of Ochamchire, a coal transportation hub where Russia has had an FSB base since 2009.
According to the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, also known as the Rondeli Foundation, the FSB has stationed up to 10 Sobol- and Mangust-class patrol boats at the Ochamchire port. Armed with machine guns and surface-to-air missiles, these vessels are tasked with securing Russia’s coastal borders.
In satellite images, a boat matching the size and shape of one of these Coast Guard vessels is seen leaving Ochamchire port and turning west toward Sukhumi about one hour before sources said Kotau was removed from the yacht.
“It is quite strange Belarusian opposition activists [would] visit Abkhazia,” Komakhia said. “It is quite clear [that] Abkhazia is in very good and close cooperation with Russian law enforcement. It is definitely not a safe place for such people.”
Neither the Russian FSB nor the Belarusian KGB replied to requests for comment.
About an hour after the time sources say Kotau was removed from the yacht on August 22, Pyotr G. and Yuriy G. also disembarked.
Although it is unclear exactly where and when they got off the yacht, the leaked passport data lists Pyotr G. as crossing the port border in Sukhumi at 2:42 p.m. and Yuriy G. four minutes later.
The boat returned to Turkey with only Qahira E. and the crew on board.
Did Russia and Belarus work together?
It would not be without precedent for Belarus, which has limited resources, to ask its primary ally for help securing Kotau’s return.
“Belarusian intelligence is not so well-developed, it’s not so skilled,” said Kamil Klysinski, a senior fellow at the Center for Eastern Studies in Poland. “They don’t have so many people, money [or] other assets to do such operations out of the region.”
Belarusian and Russian security agencies cooperate closely on intelligence sharing, border security and joint operations — including handing over political opponents.
“In case of more ambitious operations, as with Kotau, of course Russian support was needed, at least the support of FSB,” Klysinski said.
What authorities have said about Kotau’s disappearance
Kotau’s family and friends have sought answers for nearly 10 months.
Turkish authorities replied to DW, saying only that Kotau arrived in and left the country on August 21, 2025, and did not respond to questions about an investigation. The Polish authorities said they were not investigating Kotau’s disappearance.
“If the crime was committed in Poland, then the Polish prosecutor’s office would have jurisdiction,” a spokesperson wrote in an email.
Mikhalevich disagrees with that assessment: “The crime connected with his disappearance began on Polish territory.”
“The state system works the way it works,” Mikhalevich said. “No prosecutor, no civil servant, wants additional work. If there was the political will, initiating a criminal case on the disappearance of Anatol Kotau would be quite easy.”
For his part, Kotau’s friend Khazin says he thinks Kotau is still alive.
“If they wanted to eliminate him, it would have been much easier to do it here, in Warsaw, and stage an accident,” Khazin said. “The circumstances of his disappearance and those who could have carried out this operation … speaks to the fact that the forces who captured him needed him alive and well.”
Additional research by: Halil Taskin
Edited by: Carolyn Thompson
Copyedited by: Milan Gagnon
Fact-checked by: Esther Felden
Legal consultation: Florian Wagenknecht
Sports
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The ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 has counter-drone technology deployed at all matches held in the United States, according to Andrew Giuliani, who heads the White House World Cup Task Force, ABC News reported.
Notably, the move comes in the wake of an alleged drone attack plot targeting the UFC 250 event at the White House, with FIFA World Cup matches across the United States also identified as potential targets by law enforcement sources.
Giuliani said all 78 World Cup matches in the United States, along with fan festivals in every host city, will be protected by counter-drone systems throughout the tournament.
“All 78 of the matches in the United States of America have counter-drone mitigation protection, and every fan fest, one fan fest in every single city throughout the duration of the World Cup will have counter-drone mitigation coverage,” said Giuliani, according to ABC News.
The USA, along with Mexico and Canada, is hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup from June 11 to July 19.
USA played their campaign opener on June 12 and registered an emphatic 4-1 victory over Paraguay, powered by a standout performance from Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic.
Balogun scored twice, while Pulisic delivered a commanding display, constantly troubling the Paraguayan defence and playing a key role in multiple attacking moves as the hosts controlled proceedings from the start.
The USA took an early lead in the 7th minute when Pulisic split the defence with a brilliant pass to Weston McKennie, resulting in Damian Bobadilla turning the ball into his own net. Balogun then doubled the advantage in the 31st minute, finishing a precise cross from Pulisic.
The forward added his second goal deep into stoppage time (90+8′), dribbling past two defenders before sealing a comfortable win for the hosts, who were in full control throughout the match.
Paraguay briefly reduced the deficit in the 73rd minute through Mauricio Magalhães, but failed to mount a sustained comeback against a dominant US side.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino opted to rest Pulisic at half-time, replacing him with Sebastian Berhalter, as the USA managed their squad with an eye on a long tournament ahead.
Late in the match, Gio Reyna added further gloss to the scoreline with a stunning strike from distance, finding the top corner to cap off an emphatic opening win for the hosts.
Elevate Arena is underway at London’s Excel and the hot topic of AI was the first point of discussion on the Debate stage.
Chaired by Melinda Nicci, founder of Bella AI and digital lead at UK Active, the panel was made up of Tiffany Gould, consultant director at Leisure Labs; Jessie Shanahan, CTO at Vor Technologies as well as Suzanne Gabb, COO Good Boost – a social enterprise which provides a good example of AI being used in the industry to support with people with MSK issues via personalised digital programmes.
A poll of the audience uncovered the fact that there’s still some overwhelm and fear with AI, especially around trust and authenticity.
The conversation revolved around the potential of AI – for example to automate daily tasks, do the grunt work and the research – as well as its limitations, including it being constrained by historical data which may not accurately predict future scenarios – there is also a gap in data about women and older demographics.
Gould says the industry is currently collecting vast amounts of data without effectively using it for business insights. The panel stressed the importance of identifying the problem and working backwards to establish how AI could be leveraged.
Shanahan also raised the crucial point of keeping the human in the loop to avoid skill decay – if we outsource decision making or critical analysis then we will get worse at it. “No AI model even comes close to humans in making decisions,” she says. “It’s important not to blindly accept what the computer says. It’s tool that has been designed to sound convincing, but not always be accurate.”
The key takeaway was that it should augment human work, not replace it. The fitness sector is driven by relationships and trust is created by having a person involved.
“AI is part of the conversation but not the whole,” says Gould. “Take a step into the world and give it a go, don’t be perfectionist. You have to experiment and try, iterate and change it and it gets better as a consequence.”
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