John Feinstein, an indefatigable sports writer for the Washington Post and the author of more than 40 books, including bestsellers “A Season on the Brink” (1986) and “A Good Walk Spoiled” (1996), died Thursday at his brother’s home in McLean, Virginia. He was 69.

His brother, Robert, said the cause was probably a heart attack.

Feinstein’s last column, about Michigan State men’s basketball coach, Tom Izzo, appeared in the Post on Thursday.

Feinstein became one of America’s best-known sports writers after “A Season on the Brink,” which focused on the 1985-86 Indiana basketball team led by mercurial coach Bobby Knight, became a bestseller. The book gave readers the kind of journalistic access to Knight — a brilliant tactician but a complicated personality — that sports books usually did not offer.

With astonishing speed, Feinstein wrote and reported books on basketball, baseball, tennis, football, golf and the Olympics. (“A Good Walk Spoiled” is about golfers on the PGA Tour.) He was especially well known for his insightful portraits of athletes and coaches.

His most recent books include two published last year: “Five Banners: Inside the Duke Dynasty” (he graduated from Duke University in 1977) and “The Ancient Eight: College Football’s Ivy League and the Game They Play Today.

Golf

Three tied for lead at Players Championship

Lucas Glover had nine birdies in his round of 6-under 66, leaving him tied with Camilo Villegas and J.J. Spaun, who managed to get around TPC Sawgrass without a bogey at the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Max McGreevy, who tied the tournament record for the highest score two years ago with an 89, had a chance to join them. He was at 5 under and faced a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole when play was suspended by darkness.

Rory McIlroy made four birdies from tee shots that found the rough or the pine straw, including the 18th hole when he punched a shot off the pine straw and out of the trees to 7 feet, putting him in the group at 67.

Baseball

Rays dropping plans for St. Petersburg stadium

The Tampa Bay Rays withdrew Thursday from a $1.3 billion project to construct a new ballpark adjacent to Tropicana Field, citing a hurricane and delays that likely drove up the proposal’s cost.

The team issued a statement by principal owner Stuart Sternberg saying “a series of events” in October, which included severe damage to the the Trop and financing delays, led to what he called “this difficult decision.”

“After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment,” Sternberg said.

Displaced from the Trop in St. Petersburg, the Rays are set to play their home games this season across Tampa Bay at the New York Yankees’ spring training home, 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field. Meanwhile, repairs are envisioned to the Trop, including replacing its roof shredded by Hurricane Milton, that would have it ready for the 2026 season.

Briefly

Olympics >> NBC will now be the champion of Olympic broadcasting in the United States through at least 2036. The International Olympic Committee said it signed its long-time United States broadcast partner to a $3 billion renewed deal for the 2034 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2036 Summer Games.

NBA >> San Antonio guard De’Aaron Fox will miss the rest of the season with a finger injury. The Spurs said Fox will have surgery on Tuesday to repair a tendon on his left hand.

NBA >> LeBron James flew back to California for treatment on his left groin strain and will miss the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers’ four-game trip, which concludes Friday at Denver.

NFL >> The Miami Dolphins added a power-running veteran to their running back roomy, agreeing to a deal with former Viking Alexander Mattison.

NFL >> The New England Patriots released longtime center David Andrews, the latest move in the remaking of the roster under coach Mike Vrabel. With the departure of Andrews there are now no remaining offensive starters from the Patriots’ 2018 Super Bowl LIII championship team.

NFL >> Noah Brown, the wide receiver who caught rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels’ desperation pass against the Chicago Bears for one of the signature moments for the Washington Commanders last season is returning to the team. He agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth up to $4.5 million.

NFL >> Cornerback Adoree Jackson and the Philadelphia Eagles have agreed on a one-year contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press. He spent the past four seasons with the New York Giants.

Baseball >> Texas Rangers right-hander Cody Bradford will start the season on the injured list because of soreness in his pitching elbow.

Baseball >> The Boston Red Sox will open the season with three starting pitchers on the injured list after Lucas Giolito strained his left hamstring.

Baseball >> New York Mets All-Star infielder Jeff McNeil will open the season on the injured list because of a strained right oblique.

NHL >> Calgary forward Connor Zary was suspended two games without pay for elbowing Vancouver defenseman Elias Pettersson during the Canucks’ 4-3 shootout victory vs. the Flames. The suspension will cost him $8,993 in salary.

NHL >> New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton is expected to miss the rest of the NHL regular season with an undisclosed lower-body injury.

WNBA >> New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart had arthroscopic surgery on her right meniscus, a person familiar with the procedure told the Associated Press.

Soccer >> Kylian Mbappé was recalled to the France squad for the Nations League quarterfinal against Croatia.

Tennis >> Madison Keys extended her winning streak to 16 matches, reaching the BNP Paribas Open semifinals with a 6-1, 6-1 wipeout of wild-card entry Belinda Bencic.

Skiing >> Federica Brignone closed the gap to leader Lara Gut-Behrami in the World Cup super-G standings to 45 points in a race on a shortened course won by German prodigy Emma Aicher in La Thuile, Italy.

— From news services