Filipinas’ Angie Beard during a match against Uzbekistan in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. –PFF PHOTO

MANNILA, Philippines–The Philippine women’s football team will be missing one of its key players for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Angie Beard has pulled out of competing in the quadrennial meet after sustaining an injury, though coach Mark Torcaso assured that it’s more of a knock than a serious concern.

READ: Filipinas test young players at Asian Games with World Cup in mind

“She will unfortunately have to withdraw over the next couple of days. So we’re just working through that replacement process at the moment,” Torcaso said during Thursday’s open training at Mall of Asia Football Park.

Beard has been one of the team’s top defenders, though the initial squad announced for Asian Games listed her as a forward.

Torcaso is hoping Beard can be healthy enough to take part in the Filipinas’ Peru camp in October.

“She’s got a small injury and hopefully she’ll be available for the Peru Camp in a couple of weeks’ time,” he said. “It’s nothing severe; it’s just a short, cautious plan for Angie to make sure she’s okay.”

Beard is the latest Filipinas mainstay who won’t be at the Asian Games, joining Jessika Cowart, Chandler McDaniel and Sara Eggesvik.

The three players, however, are not available because of overseas club commitments. The Asian Games is not included in the Fifa calendar.

Edgar Grospiron has left his position as president of the organising committee for the 2030 French Alps Winter Olympics just 18 months after his appointment.

The departure of Grospiron, the 1992 Olympic moguls champion, was confirmed at a meeting of the committee’s executive board on Thursday, marking the latest setback in the event’s troubled governance.

In a statement, the organising committee said: “His decision to leave the presidency is part of a deliberate, organised and fully assumed transition, taken in the interests of the project and its governance.

“It reflects a shared desire with stakeholders to enable the organisation to quickly enter this new operational phase.”

Confirming his departure via a post on LinkedIn, Grospiron said his decision followed “months of tension”.

“I draw the conclusion that the conditions are not met for me to continue this,” he wrote.

Grospiron’s tenure, which began in February 2025, has been plagued by internal turmoil and logistical challenges.

In February 2026, chief executive officer Cyril Linette left the committee, citing “insurmountable disagreements” with Grospiron.

Linette’s departure followed a number of other high-profile resignations, including chief operating officer Anne Murac and communications director Arthur Richer.

Budget cuts have plagued the planning process, with Grospiron admitting in February they had “little time, little money”.

However, he remained confident he could “deliver a Games that will honour our vision and ambition” provided there was “serenity” and “continuity” from the organising committee.

In May, the committee was forced to shelve the Games’ ‘ice sports hub’ in Nice after the city’s mayor, Eric Ciotti, refused to allow OGC Nice’s Allianz Riviera Stadium to be converted into a temporary ice rink.

The ice events will now be hosted in Lyon, with the exception of speed skating, which will take place in Heerenveen in the Netherlands.

Two months later, following a tense board meeting in July, French Olympic Committee president Amelie Oudea-Castera told La Tribune Dimanche, external that they were “once again facing governance problems”.

Despite another departure from the organising committee, French sports minister Marina Ferrari says there is “no concern about what comes next”.

“The bid is continuing to move forward,” she told reporters. “Our teams are mobilised and working. We are confident about the future of the Alpes project.”

The International Olympic Committee praised Grospiron’s “crucial work in laying the foundations for the success” of the Games.

“The IOC will continue working in close collaboration with the organising committee to build on the solid foundations that Mr Grospiron has laid,” the statement added.

Entering the 2026 NFL Kickoff Game, Drake Maye argued the Patriots’ rematch with the Seahawks was nowhere near as significant as the Super Bowl in February.

A win wouldn’t level the playing field or erase the sting of losing on the big stage in San Francisco.

Maye didn’t say before the game what a full-blown collapse in the sequel could do for his confidence and the belief of the others in his huddle.

Well, we can make that read for you. It’s Maye Day in New England.

An unabashed disaster unfolded in the second half at Seattle where the Patriots allowed a win on a platter to plummet into doubts Maye isn’t the next Sam Darnold.

On the biggest stage and in the biggest games, Maye has a two-game streak of falling face first.

There was no offensive line or suspect play-calling to blame Wednesday night. Other than a Romeo Doubs drop the blame falls squarely on Maye. He was the culprit on each of the interceptions that ended New England’s final three drives and led to a 10-0 lead becoming a 13-10 letdown.

With Darnold on the sideline after five snaps due to a hip injury, Drew Lock rallied Seattle and had a chance to put New England away after a 9-yard scramble inside the 5 set up 2nd-and-1 with the game tied 10-all. Then Lock got caught looking at his playcall wristband for too long, pushing Seattle back five yards before missing on consecutive throws. Instead of a TD and a seven-point lead, the Seahawks had to settle for a 26-yard field goal and gave the ball back to Maye.

To be fair, Maye was exceptional on the final drive and converted a 4th-and-2 with his feet and a second fourth down with a sharp completion to Mack Hollins.

And he was very good for three quarters playing extremely safe, borderline conversative, with no gain of more than 15 yards until Rhamondre Stevenson turned a short completion into a 17-yard gain.

To be honest, Maye folded again under pressure. Seeing ghosts, perhaps.

His first pick was his first risky decision of the night, going long for Doubs down the left sideline into double coverage. Doubs was open two ticks earlier, but nickel cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett closed on the underthrow to corral the tipped ball. New England was instantly deflated from 10-0 and in position to force Lock into a two-minute offense type of situation to on their heels.

Mike Vrabel said many of the same things he shared after the Super Bowl defeat. He expects Maye to bounce back. The Patriots are looking ahead, not back, to the Sept. 20 home opener against the Steelers.

Maye can win beat Pittsburgh. Probably the next week at Jacksonville, too. We know he can win games. He has months before his next chance to prove capable of delivering in the clutch.

Irish Open, first round leaderboard

-5 J Niemann (Chile); -3 S Lowry (Ire), S Norris (SA), A Meronk (Pol, 15*), M Steinlechner (Austria, 13*), R Paratore (Ita, 12*); -2 K Kobori, (NZ), R Cabrera (Spa), T McKibbin (NI), P Reed (US), C Syme (Sco), N Noergaard (Den), F Lacroix (Fra), J Skov Olesen (Den, 17*), R Langasque (Fra, 16*), D Law (Sco, 12*)

Selected others: -1 E Ferguson (Sco), A Sullivan (Eng), N Hoejgaard (Den), R McIlroy (NI); Level J Rahm (Spa); +1 P Harrington (Ire); +2 R MacIntyre (Sco); +3 L Donald (Eng); +5 S Garcia (Spa), B Koepka (US); +8 T Hatton (Eng)

*denotes number of holes played in uncompleted rounds

Full leaderboard

Rory McIlroy sits four shots behind leader Joaquin Niemann after a blustery day one at the Irish Open at Doonbeg.

McIlroy carded a one-under-par 69 despite the high winds and sporadic showers which battered the Trump International Golf Links and Hotel in County Clare.

The world number two posted birdies at the second and fourth holes, double-bogeyed the 13th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker, but then picked up a shot at the 15th.

Back-to-back Masters champion McIlroy is aiming to defend the title he won at the K Club last year and secure a third Irish Open crown of his career, having triumphed at the same venue in 2016.

A victory this week would see him draw level with European greats Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie on three Irish Open successes.

A run of four consecutive birdies between the 14th and 17th helped Chilean Niemann assume his position at the top of the leaderboard.

The LIV golfer shot six birdies in total, with just a single dropped shot, to hold a two-shot lead over a group of five players, including Ireland’s Shane Lowry and South African Shaun Norris, who both completed their first rounds.

Italian Renato Panatore, Maximilian Steinlechner of Austria, and Pole Adrian Meronk are also on three under but are among a number of players who must return to finish their opening 18 holes on Friday morning after fading light brought a halt to proceedings on Thursday evening.

Play was slow throughout the day as the inclement weather posed significant challenges for the later starters in particular.

Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin, who was three under for his first four holes, Scot Conor Syme and Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed are among those on two under.

Two-time Irish Open champion Jon Rahm was left to rue an unproductive day on the greens as he shot a level-par 70.

Robert MacIntyre lies two over, with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka and Sergio Garcia three further back on five under, and European Ryder Cup player Tyrrell Hatton eight over.

Koepka’s cause was not aided by a triple bogey at the first, quickly followed by a dropped shot at the second and he will require an improved round on Friday if he is to avoid a second successive missed cut at the event.

Content warning: The following article contains depictions of alleged domestic violence.

Josh Jacobs pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property on Thursday, just ahead of Week 1, after moving his initial court date up from November. Jacobs told the court , “I fully understand the seriousness of the situation, and I take full responsibility.”

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He was fined $1,000 and has five conditions for his plea:

1. No further criminal acts;

2. No contact with the victim;

5. Pay restitution to the victim

Jacobs will reportedly not serve jail time, and the NFL is now likely to consider a suspension in the near future. He’s currently on the commissioner’s exempt list, and if he’s suspended later on, games missed on the exempt List will count toward his suspension. He’d likely be fined his salary for games missed while on the exempt List.

The NFL Personal Conduct Policy has a baseline suspension of six games for domestic violence. The State of Wisconsin did not count this as domestic violence because the victim was not living with Jacobs at the time, but the NFL will most likely consider this a domestic violence issue. There is some precedent of other battery charges being originally six games and then reduced to lower than that, but the most likely scenario is roughly six games, beginning in Week 1.

From the admittedly very awkward transition from the legal situation to fantasy football purposes, this is close to a best-case scenario for Jacobs. It’s easier to find replacements with most RBs healthy heading into Week 1 and without teams on bye. It also shortens the runway for MarShawn Lloyd, Kaleb Johnson and Chris Brooks to make noise and cut into his work. Jacobs was the RB12 last season as the Packers’ bellcow, and it’d be a surprise if he didn’t have close to that workload upon his return as an upside RB2. If drafts were held today, Jacobs would be a sixth-round pick to me. 

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That said, the criminal complaint still indicates that some of this altercation was on video. The criminal complaint, according to ESPN, stated that a woman was trying to leave Jacobs’ garage when he “grabbed her and threw her to the ground, and she struck her head, suffering an injury.”

If the video is leaked and it shows something the NFL does not feel comfortable with, then Jacobs’ could still end up missing more than the projected six games. For what it’s worth, the District Attorney’s office did drop the charges from five to two and reduce them from a felony to misdemeanors after seeing the video. The video was also at Jacobs’ residence, not in public like the leaked videos of Ray Rice, Alvin Kamara and others.

Lloyd would be closer to the 120th pick if drafts were held today, as a short-term RB2/FLEX candidate. Packers OC Adam Stenavich said the team will use a committee approach in Week 1 against the Vikings’ unique defense. Lloyd likely gets the start, but newly-acquired Kaleb Johnson should get carries in an offense built for his style. Meanwhile, Chris Brooks is the only proven pass protector, and with the Vikings’ blitz-heavy scheme on schedule, he could play more than many expect. 

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Lloyd is my RB27 in Week 1. He’s a very clear sell, as confidence around his value could tank with an opening clunker. It doesn’t appear he’ll be in the mix for starts for very long either.

Levanga Hokkaido’s Dwight Ramos during the Japan B.League Manila preseason games. –B.LEAGUE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Dwight Ramos once again felt the frenzy of the Filipino crowd during the Japan B.League Manila Games.

By now, though, the situation is hardly a surprise.

READ: Dwight Ramos ‘big piece’ in Levanga’s B.League bid, says Tominaga

After playing for Gilas Pilipinas around the world, Ramos said playing at home–even for a Japanese club–felt much the same.

“I play in Japan and there’s a lot of Filipinos there. I played in the Middle East, and there’s also a lot of Filipinos there. I play here and the gym’s packed,” he said. “I can’t even tell the difference. It’s the same everywhere I go.”

“No matter where I go, I get the same crowd where I play. I really appreciate it and I’m really grateful for it.”

Fans at Mall of Asia Arena during the Japan B.League Manila preseason games. –B.LEAGUE PHOTO

The rowdy home crowd fueled Ramos to drop 17 points, four assists and three rebounds.

His Levanga Hokkaido, however, fell to the Gunma Crane Thunders for the second straight night, this time a 101-91 loss in overtime Thursday at Mall of Asia Arena.

READ: Japan B.League coaches impressed by Manila crowd’s passion

On the other side, AJ Edu nearly tallied a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.

Like Ramos, Edu was ecstatic to feel the home crowd again, but he was happier to see his Gunma teammates experience the Filipino fans’ passion.

“It’s great that they also experienced how Filipino fans are,” said Edu. “This isn’t quite like Gilas but I always talk about their passion so I’m grateful that my team got to experience that firsthand.”

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The reigning champions are in fine form. After a poor start to their league campaign, PSG came alive on their return to European action, cruising to a 6-1 win over Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava. Ousmane Dembélé, who scored twice and provided two assists, and Ferran Torres, who hit a hat-trick, led PSG to victory. In the other matches, Liverpool edged past Atlético Madrid 2-1, while Barcelona cruised past Feyenoord 5-1. Last season’s runners-up Arsenal secured a 1-0 win over Napoli. In tennis, there will be a new world No. 1 on Monday. Elena Rybakina reached the US Open semi-finals, securing the top spot in the rankings. In cycling, Matthew Brennan claimed his fifth stage win of the Vuelta at just 21 years old, becoming the youngest-ever rider to achieve the feat.

Gunma Crane Thunders Filipino AJ Edu during the Japan B.League Manila preseason games. –B.LEAGUE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—AJ Edu is slowly making his mark with the Gunma Crane Thunders, and former NBA journeyman Stanley Johnson has taken notice.

Johnson is still finding his way with Gunma after leaving Nagasaki Velca, but he already likes what Edu brings to the Crane Thunders.

“He adds a lot of size to our lineup. He has his rebounding, versatility and finishing,” Johnson said after Gunma’s 101-91 overtime win over Levanga Hokkaido at Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday. “He’s good at screening angles, especially against teams who love to switch on us.”

Edu showed his impact in the win with a near double-double of nine points and nine rebounds.

He also helped make the job easier for Johnson, who won a title with Velca last season, as the forward finished with 17 points.

Gunma coach Kyle Milling also praised Edu, saying the Gilas Pilipinas big man brings more than just his physicality.

According to Milling, Edu’s court vision is not to be underestimated as well.

“Last night, he had four assists and at one point last season, he had six assists,” said the coach. “He’s a great passer as well.”