The NFL suspends 49ers owner Jed York for six games and fines him $500,000, the same punishment it gave the Colts' owner in 2014

The rest of the day

38 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   Manchester City lodge their appeal

   Manchester City, the Premier League club owned by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi, lodged its appeal at 7pm on Thursday against the verdict on its finances. [19] An independent panel found City broke Premier League money rules on all but one of 114 charges, covering 2009 to 2018. [19] It found City disguised more than 830m pounds of funding, partly through sponsorship deals the panel called sham contracts. [20][19] City says the ruling contains clear errors and is unsafe. [12] The Football Association, which runs English football as a whole, said the case has serious implications for the game. [12]

   Why it matters — City is expected to argue that Abu Dhabi's government, not its owner, paid for the sponsorship deals. [21] Its main sponsor, the airline Etihad, told the US government in 2015 that this was false. [21]

2. 03

   The City leaker loses his protection

   Rui Pinto, the Portuguese hacker whose leaked files started the investigations into Manchester City, will lose Portugal's witness protection on 10 October. [22] He got into City's computers in 2017 with a fake email that looked like it came from UEFA, European football's governing body. [20] Pinto has been under protection since 2020 and says he has received several death threats. [22][23] He was given a four-year suspended sentence in 2023 for computer crimes and attempted extortion. [23]

   Why it matters — His lawyers say he will lose his safe house within days and was assaulted in Lisbon in April. [23] Portuguese officials judged his risk to be low. [23]

3. 04

   College football's play-off talks reach their deadline

   American college football's play-off may double from 12 teams to 24, possibly from 2027. [24] Its leaders can talk about the price only with ESPN, the sports TV channel that holds the rights, until 9 October. [25] After that, other networks and streaming services can bid. [25] ESPN's current deal covers a play-off of up to 14 teams, so a 24-team field would create new games to sell. [9] The play-off's director, Rich Clark, said the TV value is the main missing piece, and the deadline to decide is 1 December. [9][24]

   Why it matters — The vote belongs to university presidents and conference bosses, and the coaches have no formal vote. [25] A bigger play-off would probably end conference championship games, worth more than $200m. [25]

4. 05

   The NFL presses Illinois over the Bears

   Roger Goodell, the NFL's commissioner, met Illinois governor JB Pritzker and state lawmakers on Thursday about a new stadium for the Chicago Bears. [26][15] The Bears said in August that Hammond, Indiana, was their sole focus. [26] Indiana has already approved money for a stadium there. [15] The NFL said quick action is essential if the team is to stay in Illinois. [15]

   Why it matters — Illinois lawmakers would have to pass a stadium bill in a six-day session in late November and early December. [15] That needs an agreement that was missing in the spring. [15]

5. 06

   NFL admits a game-deciding call was wrong

   The NFL told the Los Angeles Rams that a late pass interference penalty, a foul for blocking a player trying to catch the ball, should not have been called in Sunday's loss to Denver. [8][27] The flag cancelled a Rams interception with 75 seconds left. [27] The Denver Broncos scored the winning touchdown six plays later. [27] The Denver receiver later told a TV interviewer he had sold the contact to win the flag. [8]

   Why it matters — The NFL's rulebook says these talks between clubs and its referees are confidential, and it can punish clubs that reveal them. [28] Rams coach Sean McVay revealed it anyway, and it is not clear whether he had permission. [28]

6. 07

   No talks yet on more NFL games abroad

   The NFL wants to play more games outside the United States, perhaps one per team each season. [10] Its deal with the players' union caps the number at 10 a season unless the two sides talk first. [10] Two sources told Front Office Sports those talks have not really begun. [10] This season has nine games abroad, from Melbourne and Rio to London, Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City. [10]

   Why it matters — One agent said the union should ask for something in return, because long trips are an extra burden on players. [10] Another said it should simply agree, to grow the game and its income. [10]

7. 08

   Tony Romo leaves CBS

   Tony Romo, a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, will not return as the lead NFL commentator for the CBS television network. [29] He had been on leave since his arrest for drink-driving in Wisconsin on 23 July. [29] He pleaded no contest and was banned from driving for six months. [29] Romo said last month he had been struggling with dependence on painkillers and alcohol after many surgeries. [30]

   Why it matters — CBS called the split mutual and will keep J.J. Watt alongside Jim Nantz in its top commentary box. [30][29] Romo said he will take a break to focus on his health and family. [30]

8. 09

   A court ends college players' extra season

   A Kentucky appeals court on Friday ended a temporary court order that had let several college players compete for a fifth season. [13] Under the NCAA's normal rules, which govern US college sport, they were out of eligibility when last season ended. [13] Missouri basketball player Mark Mitchell is one of those affected. [13] Two football players already playing this season, Kentucky's Alex Afari and Texas Tech's Thomas Castellanos, are covered by the ruling too. [13]

   Why it matters — The basketball season starts in about a month. [13] Many of the players are now expected to sue separately in their home states. [13]

9. 10

   The Big East is open to private equity

   Tim Brosnan, the new commissioner of the Big East, a US college conference built around basketball, said he is open to money from private equity firms, which buy stakes in businesses. [31][32] Brosnan, a former Major League Baseball executive, took over in September. [31] He said several firms have approached the conference. [31] Only one conference, the Big 12, has signed such a deal. [31]

   Why it matters — Brosnan said the decision belongs to the member schools, because he reports to them. [31] He said he has not yet seen a use for the money worth taking. [33]

10. 11

    Leclerc fastest as F1 races in Malaysia

    Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in second practice at Sepang, Malaysia, on Friday. [34] The race is officially the Bahrain Grand Prix, moved there after the war in the Middle East cancelled the race in Bahrain. [35][36] Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli leads the championship by 66 points over his teammate George Russell with eight races left. [36] Both Mercedes cars were only seventh and eighth fastest on Friday. [34]

    Why it matters — Sepang last held a race in 2017, after Malaysia's organiser refused hosting fees above $40m a year. [11] It is back only because Bahrain's organiser paid to stage its cancelled race there. [11]

11. 12

    Williams boss says F1's spending cap traps small teams

    James Vowles, who runs the Williams Formula 1 team, says the sport's spending cap has created a two-tier championship. [37] The cap, brought in in 2021, limits how much each team may spend in a year. [37] Vowles says Williams must spend tens of millions inside the cap on basic factory systems that richer teams already have. [37] That money cannot go into making the car faster. [37]

    Why it matters — Vowles says the cap has met its first goal, keeping teams in business, but not its goal of closer racing. [37] Williams and the other midfield teams sit far behind Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren. [37]

12. 13

    Wakefield reach their first Grand Final

    Wakefield Trinity play Warrington Wolves on Saturday in rugby league's Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford in Manchester. [38] Only five clubs have won the Grand Final, so either way there will be a new champion. [38] Wakefield were relegated in 2023, then bought by a lifelong fan, Matt Ellis, who has put in about 10m pounds. [39] Their average crowd has grown from under 5,000 three years ago to over 9,000. [39]

    Why it matters — Wakefield last won a league title 58 years ago. [39] About 20,000 of their fans are expected among more than 70,000 at the final. [39]

13. 14

    Northern Ireland's young team beat Ukraine

    Northern Ireland beat Ukraine 3-0 in football's Nations League on Friday, in a match played in Trnava, Slovakia. [40] The starting team's average age was 22, the youngest for Northern Ireland since the Second World War. [40] Ciaron Brown scored twice and Isaac Price once. [40] In Paris, France drew 1-1 with Italy in coach Zinedine Zidane's first home game in charge. [41]

    Why it matters — France finished with 10 men after Dayot Upamecano was sent off late on. [41] Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a string of saves to keep the draw. [41]

14. 15

    Carse charged over a night out

    England fast bowler Brydon Carse has been charged with improper conduct by the Cricket Regulator. [7] He was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly on a night out in Derby in August. [7] Police closed their case without charging him a fortnight ago. [7] An independent panel, the Cricket Discipline Committee, will hear the case in the next few weeks. [7]

    Why it matters — The England and Wales Cricket Board, which pays Carse, is not taking action of its own. [7] The hearing may not finish before England pick their squad for December's tour of South Africa. [7]

15. 16

    Rugby's brain injury claimants face a 2.8m-pound bill

    Former rugby players suing the sport's governing bodies over brain injuries must pay 2.8m pounds of the other side's legal costs to keep their case going. [14] A judge said on Friday the costs came from delays caused by the players' previous lawyers. [14] Hundreds of claimants are struck off the case for failing to hand over their medical test records. [14] Most of the money is due by the end of October. [14]

    Why it matters — The bodies being sued are World Rugby and the English and Welsh unions and rugby league's governing body. [14] The case can continue only if the money is paid and the records are handed over. [14]

16. 17

    Valkyries win their first play-off series

    The Golden State Valkyries came back from 16 points down to beat the Dallas Wings 77-73 in the deciding game of their WNBA play-off series on Friday. [42] The WNBA is the top US women's basketball league, and the Valkyries joined it only last season. [42] Gabby Williams scored 17 of her 19 points after half-time. [43] They now play the champions, the Las Vegas Aces, in a best-of-five semi-final starting on Sunday. [43]

    Why it matters — It is the first play-off series the Valkyries have won. [42] The other semi-final is the Atlanta Dream against the New York Liberty. [43]

17. 18

    Northwestern win in their new stadium

    Northwestern University opened its new $875m Ryan Field on Friday night and beat Penn State 34-13. [17][18] The college had played in temporary homes for two seasons while it was built. [17] Northwestern ran for 413 yards, the most anyone has run against Penn State since 2022. [18] Penn State has now lost two games in a row under its new coach, Matt Campbell. [18]

    Why it matters — Penn State came in as a small favourite. [17] It has now lost both of its Big Ten conference games. [18]

18. 19

    Pitt win after a disputed last kick

    The University of Pittsburgh, known as Pitt, beat Virginia Tech 35-33 in college football on Friday when the Hokies' kicker missed a 36-yard field goal on the final play. [44] Replays left it unclear whether the kick went in. [45] Virginia Tech gained 499 yards to Pitt's 295 but lost two fumbles and threw two interceptions. [45] Pitt are now unbeaten in five games. [44]

    Why it matters — Pitt's coach Pat Narduzzi attacked the journalists who vote in the national poll for leaving his team out. [44] The win puts Pitt on track for the ACC conference's title game. [44]

19. 20

    Baseball's last eight start on Saturday

    Major League Baseball's division series, the round of the last eight, start on Saturday. [46] The Los Angeles Dodgers open against the Atlanta Braves with Tarik Skubal, the pitcher they traded for in August. [46] Three clubs still in are chasing their first World Series: the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays. [47] The Brewers won 103 games with only the 19th-biggest payroll. [48]

    Why it matters — Major League Baseball has proposed a salary cap, a limit on what each club can spend on players, before the labour deal expires on 1 December. [48] The players' union points to the Brewers and the Rays as proof that low spenders can already compete. [48]

20. 21

    Djokovic stays unbeaten in Beijing

    Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat China's Bu Yunchaokete 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 at the China Open on Friday. [49][50] He has now won all 31 matches he has played at the Beijing tournament, which he has won six times. [49] Djokovic, 39, needed medical treatment on court for the second match running. [49] In the women's event, Aryna Sabalenka won 6-1, 6-3 in her first match since losing the world number one ranking. [51]

    Why it matters — Djokovic next plays either the top seed, Alexander Zverev, or China's Juncheng Shang. [49] Sabalenka has not won a title since March. [51]

21. 22

    Pretorius breaks Gayle's T20 record

    Lhuan-dre Pretorius, 20, scored 188 not out in a domestic match in South Africa, the highest score ever in a men's T20 game, cricket's shortest format. [52] The old record was Chris Gayle's 175 in India's IPL in 2013. [52] Pretorius hit 13 sixes and 15 fours from 79 balls. [52] His team, Titans, won by 124 runs. [52]

    Pretorius, 2026188 runs

    Gayle, 2013175 runs

    Why it matters — Pretorius has already played two Tests and 17 T20 matches for South Africa. [52]

22. 23

    Germany's champions who cannot go up

    Germany's fourth tier is split into five regional leagues, but only four clubs a year can go up to the national third division. [53] Two champions go up automatically, a third place rotates, and two champions play off for the last one. [53] Lokomotive Leipzig have now won their league three times in seven seasons without going up. [53] Their Northeast league drew average crowds of 3,125 last season, about twice the other leagues. [53]

    4 of 5

    regional champions promoted each year

    Why it matters — The automatic places go to the West and Southwest because more teams are registered there. [53] Clubs in the former East Germany want four leagues instead of five. [53]

23. 24

    Arsenal drop a bigger stadium

    Arsenal, the Premier League champions, have shelved plans for a major expansion of the 60,704-seat Emirates Stadium in London. [16] The club will make smaller changes instead, mostly to hospitality, shops and the matchday experience. [16] A study group had looked at the idea since 2024, with reports the team might play at Wembley during the building. [16] Arsenal's owner has hired the consultants Boston Consulting Group to review parts of the club. [16]

    Why it matters — Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta was believed to be worried about a temporary move. [16] The owner, Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, agreed last month to buy baseball's Los Angeles Angels for a record $4bn. [16]

24. 25

    UNC coaches signed their own exit papers early

    Almost every member of Bill Belichick's football staff at the University of North Carolina signed a termination release on the same day as their contract. [54] The release is a form meant to be signed only if the university lets a coach go early. [54] Of 13 staff contracts the university has published, only one is without a same-day release. [54] UNC told Sportico this is not normal and called it a mistake by the football staff. [54]

    Why it matters — The paperwork for the staff's departures is already in order while their future at the university is uncertain. [54]

25. 26

    Brisbane's Olympic logo leaks early

    The emblems for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics were leaked by the Games' own YouTube channel, three days before their official reveal. [55] A short explainer video showed a pink cockatoo for the Olympics and a sulphur-crested cockatoo for the Paralympics. [55] Organisers confirmed the logo was genuine. [55] On Saturday they posted both in full, calling it the official reveal. [55]

    Why it matters — Pieces of the design had been shown across Queensland all week ahead of a planned unveiling on Monday. [55]

26. 27

    Judo fighter disqualified for a bite

    China's Tang Jing was disqualified from a quarter-final at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, after appearing to bite her opponent's arm. [56] Japan's Rin Maeda showed the referee a mark on her forearm, and officials checked the video. [56] Tang, 31, has won three Asian Games medals. [56] Maeda, 21, went on to win the gold medal. [56]

    Why it matters — Maeda said nothing like it had happened to her before. [56]

27. 28

    Hendriks retires after beating cancer

    Liam Hendriks, an Australian pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, has retired at 37. [57][58] That is the most seasons in the majors by any Australian-born player. [58] He was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer, in December 2022. [57] He was back pitching by May 2023 and won the American League's Comeback Player of the Year award. [57]

    Why it matters — He was a three-time All-Star, picked for the league's best players' game. [57] He said his arm has no fastballs left. [57]

28. 29

    Maddinson recalled after cancer

    Nic Maddinson has been called into Australia's cricket squad for the Test series in South Africa. [59][60] His only three Tests came in 2016. [59] He was treated for testicular cancer, which spread to his lung and lymph nodes, in 2025. [59] He made 126 for New South Wales last week. [60] He and wicketkeeper Sam Harper are cover for the injured Josh Inglis. [60]

    Why it matters — Maddinson has not played a first-class game, cricket's long form, for 19 months. [61] Some in state cricket were surprised by the pick, and the selectors' chair defended it. [61]

29. 30

    A young cyclist in a coma after a crash

    French cyclist Ronan Auge, 22, has been placed in a medically induced coma after a crash at the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia. [62] His team, Unibet Rose Rockets, said he is stable and his life is not in danger. [62] Six riders have died in road races in the past three years. [62] They include British cyclist Fin Tarling, killed in a crash with a vehicle in Portugal in August. [62]

    Why it matters — The crash is the latest in a run of serious incidents in road racing in recent months. [62]

30. 31

    Ray Close dies at 57

    Ray Close, a boxer from Belfast who drew with the unbeaten world champion Chris Eubank in 1993, has died aged 57. [63] He lost their rematch in 1994 on a split decision. [63] A third fight never happened, because a brain scan showed two lesions and the British Boxing Board of Control took away his licence. [63]

    Why it matters — Close later fought again in the US with an American licence and won all five of those fights. [63]

31. 32

    Former Yale coach Tony Reno dies

    Tony Reno, Yale University's football coach for 14 years, has died aged 52. [64] He stepped down in February because of illness. [64] Yale's athletic director, Victoria Chun, said he devoted his life to serving others. [64] His son Dante plays quarterback for Yale. [64]

    Why it matters — Yale announced his death on Friday. [64]

32. 33

    One of the NFL's top executives leaves

    Dasha Smith, the NFL's chief administrative officer since 2019, is leaving the league. [65] She ran its human resources, technology and data teams. [65] She also oversaw the committee that sets the commissioner Roger Goodell's pay. [65] She was the only woman of colour among the league's top executives. [65]

    Why it matters — Goodell agreed a four-year contract extension last month. [65] Smith also helped build the league's programme for coaches and executives from minority groups. [65]

33. 34

    Uzbekistan win the chess Olympiad

    Uzbekistan, the host nation, won the open gold medals at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand last week, the main team tournament in chess. [66] India, the defending champions, came second and Germany third. [66] The top-seeded United States finished fourth. [66] Uzbekistan's government gave each of its five players $200,000, a house and a car. [66]

    Why it matters — Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov will challenge for the world title. [66]

34. 35

    Bath beat Exeter in an 11-try game

    Bath beat Exeter Chiefs in rugby union's Premiership on Friday, a game in which the two sides scored 11 tries between them. [67] Bath led 26-10 at half-time. [67] Exeter's Immanuel Feyi-Waboso scored twice to turn the game, before Bath won it late. [67] It is Bath's second win in two games of the new season. [67]

    Why it matters — Exeter knocked Bath out in last season's semi-final. [67]

35. 36

    MacIntyre climbs at the Dunhill Links

    Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, the defending champion, shot a 65 to move into a tie for ninth at golf's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. [68] The event is played on more than one Scottish course, including Kingsbarns and Carnoustie. [68] South Africa's Casey Jarvis leads at 11 under par, three shots ahead of MacIntyre. [68]

    Why it matters — MacIntyre said calm weather helped. [68]

36. 37

    Humphries reaches the darts semi-finals

    England's Luke Humphries, the world number two in darts, beat Niels Zonneveld 3-0 to reach the World Grand Prix semi-finals in Leicester. [69] He has not lost a set all week. [69] He plays James Wade, who knocked out the third seed Gian van Veen. [69]

    Why it matters — Humphries is trying to reach the final for a fourth year running. [69]

37. 38

    An Arc chance for an unusual owner

    The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Europe's most valuable horse race, is run in Paris on Sunday. [70] Maltese Cross, the second favourite, belongs to George Waud. [70] Waud spent 23 years working his way up in the film business in Los Angeles. [70] His horse takes on runners from racing's biggest stables. [70]

    Why it matters — Waud says he is not a typical owner of an Arc favourite, and is making the most of it. [70]

38. 39

    The Miami Heat team up with GTA 6

    Basketball's Miami Heat have teamed up with Rockstar Games to promote its video game Grand Theft Auto 6, which is set in a version of Miami. [71] The Heat will play the Milwaukee Bucks in Vice City-themed kit on 18 November. [71] The club shop already sells Vice City clothing. [71]

    Why it matters — The Bucks side will include former Heat players who were traded to Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo. [71]