The NFL suspended former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker for the first 10 weeks of the season on Thursday for violating its personal conduct policy.

The suspension takes effect on Aug. 26, which is roster cutdown day, and Tucker is eligible for reinstatement on Nov. 11. Tucker remains free to try out with and sign with a team. If he is signed, he can attend training camp and participate in preseason games. If he remains without a team, he can still serve the suspension and return in November.

The 35-year-old became a free agent after the Ravens released him last month in the aftermath of reports that he was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by massage therapists. Tucker has maintained he did not act inappropriately while receiving professional treatment.

A five-time All-Pro, Tucker has played his entire 13-year career with Baltimore. He is considered one of the best kickers in NFL history, although 2024 was his worst season.

The Baltimore Banner since January has reported that more than a dozen massage therapists have accused Tucker of inappropriate sexual behavior.

Tucker’s ban was similar to the one received by Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was suspended by the NFL for the first 11 games of the 2022 season. He was accused by more than two dozen women of sexually assaulting and harassing them during massage therapy sessions in Houston, when he played for the Texans. Two grand juries declined to indict him.

Watson initially was suspended for six games by a disciplinary officer. The NFL sought a minimum one-year suspension. A settlement was reached after the league appealed the initial ruling.

The Buccaneers signed general manager Jason Licht and coach Todd Bowles to multi-year contract extensions.

Bucs owner and co-chairman Joel Glazer said in the team’s announcement the two have been critical to the team’s recent success.

“The winning culture they have established has us well positioned for the future,” Glazer said in a statement.

The team did not provide terms of the extensions.

NHL

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association are on the verge of extending the collective bargaining agreement more than a year before it expires and expanding the regular season to 84 games.

The league and union have been in talks since April and are closing in on a memorandum of understanding addressing a number of high-profile topics long before the current agreement runs out in September 2026. The extension that could be announced as soon as today at the draft in Los Angeles would provide extended labor peace in a sport that has had multiple work stoppages, including the 2004-05 lockout that wiped out an entire season.

The league and union closing in on a deal was confirmed Thursday by three people familiar with the negotiations who spoke with The Associated Press on condition on anonymity because the deal had not yet been finalized. It was first reported by Daily Faceoff.

Two of the people said the new CBA will increase the regular season to 84 games from 82, shorten the maximum length of contracts and add a playoff salary cap for the first time. Extending the regular season from a total of 1,312 games to 1,344 would also come with curtailing exhibition play.

Since 2013, players have been able to re-sign with their own team for up to eight years and sign with another for up to seven years. Under the new CBA terms, each would be reduced by a year, to seven for re-signing and six for changing teams.

The back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers acquired goaltender Daniil Tarasov from the Columbus Blue Jackets, sending a fifth-round draft pick in exchange for Sergei Bobrovsky’s new backup and potential future successor.

Tarasov, 26, is a restricted free agent who is 10 years younger than Bobrovsky, who has backstopped the Panthers to consecutive championships. They come from the same Siberian town of Novokuznetsk, and Tarasov’s father, Vadim, was Bobrovsky’s idol.

The Blue Jackets are getting the 160th pick in this weekend’s draft.

Among other moves around the NHL, the Minnesota Wild traded veteran center Freddy Gaudreau to the Seattle Kraken for a fourth-round pick.

Gaudreau, 32, has three years remaining on his contract with an annual average value of $2.1 million. He had 18 goals and 19 assists while playing in all 82 regular-season games in 2024-25 before going without a point in six playoff games for Minnesota.

The pick from the Kraken is the 102nd in the draft and gives the Wild five selections this weekend. They have only one, No. 52 in the second round, in the top 100.

Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn has signed a one-year contract to stay with the only team he has played for in his 16 NHL seasons.

“Jamie embodies everything it means to be a Dallas Star, and has since he was drafted 18 years ago,” general manager Jim Nill said.

The deal has a base salary of $1 million, plus an additional $3 million in potential performance bonuses.

The San Jose Sharks placed longtime defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic on unconditional waivers for the purpose of buying out the final year of his contract.

Vlasic, 38 has been a staple in the Bay Area for the better part of the past two decades. He has played all 1,465 games of his career for the Sharks since debuting in 2006.

Running

Three-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon failed in her bid to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes.

Kipyegon, the Olympic 1,500-meter gold medalist from Kenya, ran in 4 minutes, 6.42 seconds — the fastest mile in history by a woman — at Stade Charléty in Paris.

Her time was better than her world record of 4:07.64 but won’t be recognized by the international federation because the Nike-sponsored event dubbed “Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile” was unofficial. She was supported by pacemakers and equipped with Nike’s latest innovations, from her aerodynamic track suit to her spikes.

“I gave everything today to try, it was not about running a tactical race,” Kipyegon said. “It was the first trial. I have proven that it’s possible and it’s only a matter of time. I think it will come to our way. If it’s not me, it will be somebody else. I know one day, one time a woman will run under 4:00. I will not lose hope. I will still go for it.”

The 31-year-old Kipyegon looked exhausted as she reached the finish and fell on her back as she was surrounded by photographers.

Soccer

With the words “Al Nassr forever” Cristiano Ronaldo ended uncertainty about his future and signed a two-year contract extension with the Saudi Arabian club.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s latest deal means he will play on until at least the age of 42 and gives him the chance to add to his record-breaking career.

The contract sees Ronaldo extend his time in Saudi Arabia, having joined Al Nassr at the end of 2022 in one of the most shocking transfers in soccer history after leaving Manchester United.