Despite everything that’s transpired over the past several years, Deshaun Watson will be the Browns’ starting quarterback to open the 2026 season.

Head coach Todd Monken addressed his decision to name Watson as QB1 in his Monday press conference, noting that the club feels Watson gives Cleveland its best chance to win over second-year QB Shedeur Sanders.

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“Deshaun is going to start against Jacksonville,” Monken said. “Took in the full body of work over the course of offseason to training camp, to the games, to joint practice. And ultimately felt like, to start the season on the road, Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points. I mean, that’s what it’s really about. Felt that way going into the last game, but wasn’t sure. And after we talked as a staff, and after we re-looked at everything, we’re going to go that direction.

“[W]e’re not anticipating this being a week-by-week thing,” Monken added. “Again, I think Shedeur has done a great job, come a long ways, and we’re excited about his future. But this is not a week-to-week decision.”

While Watson has been the apparent leader in the clubhouse throughout the offseason, the quarterback’s comments following his poor performance in Saturday’s preseason game may have changed the equation — particularly as Watson railed against fans booing him. But Monken said Watson’s words had no effect on his decision.

“I mean, ultimately, the fans want us to win,” Monken said. “Ultimately, put a good product on the field. That’s really what they want, OK? And so, that’s our job as coaches, why we’re hired, to try to put the best product on the field. And when we don’t, then I understand the frustration. But ultimately, they don’t decide who plays. I mean, who would I be if I let someone outside the building decide who plays?

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“I said it yesterday, he bleeds like we bleed — 22 months of working to get back, giving himself another opportunity for the Browns, OK? So that, I respect. And, sure, was he hurt? Yes. But I also said yesterday, OK, I don’t like being boo’d either. I don’t like when we jump offside three times at the end of the game. But we earn that. We earn our respect by how we play. We earn our fans, in terms of appreciation, by the product we put on the field. And that’s our job. So, on one side, I 100 percent understand where Deshaun is coming from. But, ultimately, we’re pros. We’ve got to put on a good product. And we’ve got to play. You’ve got to pull your big boy pants up and let’s go play.”

Monken noted he did speak with Watson about those postgame comments.

“I’ll keep most of what we talked about private,” Monken said. “But the conversation was, the way we make this go away is to play good football. We’ve got to own that. If you think I asked him, hey do you feel like you got that off your chest? Because you’ve got to feel like you got that off your chest. And now what do we do? Let’s move forward and work our rear end off at playing winning football. That’s it. And you guys will get a chance to talk to him. And, again, it was in the moment. We all have those moments. And we’re going to see moving forward.

“I have gotten no indication over the six months I’ve been here that he doesn’t have the ability to bounce back as a player, and compete his rear end off. I have no indication of that.”

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Though Monken emphasized throughout his press conference that he wanted Watson to start in part because the Browns are on the road, he noted he doesn’t anticipate having to change QBs anytime soon. But that is also dependent in part on performance.

“Every single week, we have to prove it. That’s what we do,” Monken said. “As pros, we have to prove it every week — it doesn’t matter what position.

“Ultimately, we expect him to play well, or we wouldn’t be starting him.”

Former Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose speaks to the audience during a ceremony retiring his #1 Chicago Bulls jersey at the United Center on January 24, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images/AFP

MANILA, Philippines–Derrick Rose made his return to the country this week, where he traveled to Cebu for the first time to take part in a two-day event.

The NBA legend will take part in activities on Tuesday and Wednesday for the trip dubbed “Rose Meets the Queen.”

“This is a new spot for me,” Rose said. “Coming here, finding out what the island is all about, see what the people are about so I can’t wait to enjoy all of it.”

READ: Derrick Rose: 2011 Manila stint ‘best All-Star Game I’ve played in’

It’s Rose’s fifth visit to the Philippines, the last three carrying the role of brand ambassador.

Rose will kick off his tour on Tuesday with a Champion’s Circle Appreciation Dinner, which is a private event with some of Cebu’s best players.

His only public appearance is set Wednesday at SM Seaside Cebu.

Rose retired in 2024 after a career highlighted by his celebrated stint with the hometown Chicago Bulls while also suiting up for the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies.

He became the NBA’s youngest MVP in 2010-11 while playing for the Bulls.

Lewd and libidinous practices refer to any sexual crimes against children committed prior to 1 December 2010.

The offence was abolished in 2009, but is still used for crimes carried out before then.

During the trial, the court heard how Dott had “caressed” the girl’s bottom while giving her a piggyback and that, on another occasion, he had exposed himself to her.

On another occasion, she said Dott suggested she “take her trousers down” and lifted her top and began kissing her stomach after asking if she wanted to “play a guessing game”.

The girl, now a woman in her 40s, said Dott would kiss her, touch her inappropriately and carried out a sexual act that would, if committed now, amount to rape.

She said she recalled the “smell” of creams Dott used for a skin condition after he kissed her and that the actions left her “shocked and scared”.

Prabath Jayasuriya was dismissed on the final ball on Day 2 against India© AFP

High-profile current and former players – including a representative from a Fifa advisory body – believe that “change is necessary” in the governing body’s leadership as pressure builds on its president Gianni Infantino.

Mikael Silvestre, the former Manchester United defender who forms part of Fifa’s Players’ Voice Panel, published a statement calling for reform at the top of Fifa on his X account on Monday, writing above it: “Enough is enough!”

The identical message was shared on social media platforms by other high-profile players, including England’s double European champion Lucy Bronze and France’s 1998 World Cup-winning midfielder Emmanuel Petit.

Infantino is facing calls to resign from his Uefa counterpart Aleksander Ceferin following a controversial proposal to sell stakes in a company created to run the World Cup to private investors.

Players have now started contributing their voices to the ongoing debate. The widely-shared statement declared that players “share the exact same concerns as the millions of fans around the world”.

It added: “Like them, we have watched the game we love drift away from its core values under Fifa’s current leadership.

“For too long we’ve seen major decisions taken without players being consulted or considered, and without any regard for the fans who sustain the sport.

“Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership’s ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football.”

Silvestre’s intervention is notable as it effectively comes from inside the Fifa structure, with the Players’ Voice Panel operating as a 16-member committee established by the governing body to monitor and advise on anti-racism initiatives.

The statement continued: “Recent events have made silence impossible. Enough is enough.

“We call on all stakeholders to step forward and help reshape the future of our sport.”

Uefa president Ceferin has ruled himself out of standing against Infantino for the Fifa role, but told The Rest Is Politics podcast that the Swiss official has two options.

“One option is that he realises that he doesn’t have the support, and that’s not only a political support of the ones who vote, but the political support of football community, the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players, coaches.

“And the second option that he goes to to the elections in March, but in that case, I think he will have a candidate against him. I don’t know yet who.”

The current president of Concacaf, Victor Montagliani, has been highlighted by some commentators as a potential opposition candidate. Concacaf is the regional confederation representing member nations from North and Central America plus the Caribbean. Montagliani is also a Fifa vice-president.

Concacaf joined Uefa and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in opposing Infantino’s private investor proposal, with its presidents describing it as a “deception” in an open letter published earlier this month.

Infantino was present in the Caribbean over the weekend to attend a youth football tournament taking place in the Dominican Republic.

The Houston Texans reportedly signed wide receivers Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones on Friday. 

The addition of both veterans comes on the day Houston placed second-year WR Jayden Higgins on season-ending injured reserve after tearing his ACL in Tuesday’s practice. 

Shepard and Jones will provide a boost to what was already a thin receiving corps even before the Higgins injury. Shepard is entering his 10th NFL season, and will be joining his third team. He spent the last two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the eight before that with the New York Giants. 

Shepard peaked in his third NFL season when he hauled in 66 catches for 872 yards and four touchdowns. 

Jones, on the other hand, is entering his ninth NFL season for his fifth team. He suited up for the Arizona Cardinals for the last two seasons. Jones also had his best season for the Texans’ AFC South rival, the Jacksonville Jaguars, when he had 82 catches for 823 yards and five touchdowns in 2022.

Shepard and Jones join Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Jaylin Noel and Xavier Hutchinson in the Texans’ receiving room. 

Higgins, though, was primed for a second-year breakout. After being selected with the second pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Higgins had 525 yards and six touchdowns in his rookie season. He had received praise from Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley. 

Texans WR Jayden Higgins had 32 catches for 404 yards and five touchdowns over the last 10 games of 2025. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

“He’s put in work. He’s so much more comfortable — I thought he was comfortable last year by season’s end. The familiarity with the details and nuances of the offense, he’s playing clean. He can play all over,” Caley said last week. “He doesn’t have any limitations, he really doesn’t.”

Instead, it will be a lost season for Higgins. As he recovers, the Texans will try to make up for his loss with the help of Shepard and Jones. 

A group of FIFA legends, including Robert Pires and Juan Sebastian Veron, have declared that “enough is enough,” citing how soccer has abandoned its core values under Gianni Infantino’s leadership in an explosive statement. The Swiss FIFA President has faced intense scrutiny following a contentious World Cup in North America, compounded by plans to auction shares of the tournament to the highest bidder.

Just weeks ago, Infantino unveiled a scheme dubbed the FIFA Forward Enterprise, which was swiftly condemned by fans of the beautiful game, as well as continental governing bodies. UEFA even threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments should Infantino’s vision come to fruition.

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Consequently, the FFE was scrapped entirely, with Infantino scrambling to repair fractured relationships across the globe. Now, a collection of soccer greats have pledged to make a difference, refusing to remain silent as the game loses its meaning, as per The Mirror.

In a statement shared across social media, a group of players wrote: “As players, football has given us everything, and we have given our lives to it. Between us, we have played on its greatest stages and worn our national shirts with pride.

“But we know that none of our achievements would’ve been possible without the fans, whose passion and commitment is the foundation of this game. We share the exact same concerns as the millions of fans around the world.

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“Like them, we have watched the game we love drift away from its core values under FIFA’s current leadership. For too long, we’ve seen major decisions taken without players being consulted or considered, and without any regard for the fans who sustain the sport.

“Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership’s ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football. Recent events have made silence impossible. Enough is enough.

“We call on all stakeholders to step forward and help reshape the future of our sport. This is a call that unites us all, from the grassroots to the top of the game.

To listen to the latest episode of ‘All Out Soccer’ – CLICK HERE

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“There are good people within FIFA who want to rebuild trust, but a new era requires a structural change: a real, direct say for players and fans in how football is run. Those who step onto the pitch and those who sit in the stands deserve a genuine voice to help reshape football’s future together.

“The football community has been quiet for too long. For the fans, for the players, and for the good of the game, we will be silent no more.”

This comes as FIFA prepares for a presidential election scheduled for March 2027. While UEFA has emerged as one of Infantino’s most vocal critics in recent times, their President, Aleksander Ceferin, has confirmed he will not be putting his name forward for the position.

Speaking on The Rest is Politics, he said: “I’m not interested because of two reasons. One reason is that I love UEFA and I love working here, and I think that at a certain point, it’s time to also enjoy life a bit.

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“The second point is, my credibility is much, much higher if I’m not interested in the position.”

A display of superior staying prowess saw the mare Foire De Trone emerge victorious at Royal Randwick on Saturday, potentially earning her a spot in the upcoming The Metropolitan.

Foire De Trone finished with more vigour than the favoured Le Troisir to claim the Andrew Wisemantel Handicap, a 2400-metre contest.

The Ciaron Maher-trained galloper was competing in its sixth run of the winter campaign, and while the $750,000 Group 1 The Metropolitan is slated for Royal Randwick on October 3, the mare has been given a chance to progress towards the major spring staying event.

“We have been spacing her runs but it is a long way to the ‘Metrop’,” Maher’s assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord said. “But we will see how she comes through today’s race but her coat is still ‘wintry’ so there is improvement to come.”

Foire De Trone ($8.50), whose moniker originates from a historic French travelling fair, was guided by jockey Ethan Brown to a narrow victory by a long head over Le Troisir ($2.30 favourite). Golden Century ($17) secured third place, a further two lengths behind.

Gerard-Dubord mentioned that Foire De Trone was coming off a win on a very heavy track at Sandown at her last start and she once again showcased her exceptional stamina to get the better of Le Troisir.

“She does hit a flat spot and Ethan was very mindful of that,” Gerard-Dubord stated. “That is why he got her moving a bit sooner rather than later and I think that was the difference between winning and losing.”

Earlier in the Randwick race card, punters who supported the favourite were successful when Clear Proof won the Midway Handicap (1200m).

Clear Proof ($3.60 favourite), despite a slow start and covering extra ground without cover for a significant part of the race, proved too strong for Isawyou ($3.90), winning by a half neck margin. Call Me Sassy ($11) finished third, just over a length off the winner.

Trainer John Thompson noted that Clear Proof possessed ability but needed gelding to improve his race-day resolve.

“He has to be ridden up on pace, if he gets back in the field he loses concentration,” Thompson explained. “The plan was to lead today but that went out the window when he missed the kick so he has done a good job to win.”

The mare’s performance was a highlight for those following the Australian betting sites.

Get the latest racing betting markets for The Metropolitan.

FILE – South Africa’s boxer Zolani Tete celebrates his victory over Omar Andres Narvaez after their WBO Bantamweight Championship of the World bout in Belfast, Northern Ireland, April 21, 2018. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP, File)

JOHANNESBURG — Four suspects in the killing of former world champion boxer Zolani Tete were arrested, South African police said Monday.

Tete was in his car outside his home last week when men wearing balaclavas opened fire, police said. A woman who was in the vehicle was injured and has since been hospitalized.

READ: After taking Zolani Tete’s WBO title, Casimero eyes sweep of bantam belts

The shooting took place at Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, according to the police. Tete was arriving at his residence and waiting for the gate to open when he was ambushed by two armed suspects.

Police said one of the suspects arrested two days ago was expected to appear in court on Monday, while the other three would appear on a later date.

Tete held the World Boxing Federation flyweight title from 2007 to 2008 and the World Boxing Organization bantamweight title in 2017 and 2019.