Sports
Commanders activate WR McLaurin off PUP list
ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders have activated Terry McLaurin off the physically unable to perform list, the team announced Saturday.
The move is the next step in his progression and is unrelated to contract negotiations, coach Dan Quinn said.
“Definitely separate,” Quinn said. “This is about his getting ready.”
McLaurin is now eligible to practice, though the Commanders typically have players activated off PUP work with trainers on a separate field first.
Washington likes to run a lot of no-huddle and hurry-up on offense — it was the second-fastest offense in terms of time between snaps last season, according to ESPN Research — so it wants to give McLaurin three weeks of conditioning before the opener.
Quinn pointed out that PUP is focused on rehab; the Commanders can now focus on McLaurin’s return to the field. It’s doubtful that he would play in the third and final preseason game a week from today vs. Baltimore. The goal has been to get McLaurin ready for the Sept. 7 season opener vs. the New York Giants.
Quinn said that it was “important” to activate McLaurin and that this begins the process of getting him work in walk-throughs, then continuing to hit markers that suggest he’s ready for a full workload. McLaurin has been at the facility since July 27, rehabbing an ankle issue that has plagued him at various times in his career — including at the end of last season.
Quinn, when asked whether it was a mutual decision by both sides for McLaurin to come off PUP, said they were just following the guidelines.
“He’s on the same trajectory as everybody else, [receiving treatments] doing workouts and making good strides,” Quinn said.
McLaurin has served as a captain for most of his Washington tenure and remains highly respected in the locker room.
“I can’t say enough great things,” center Tyler Biadasz said. “Hopefully he comes back on the field and we get him back. We’re always excited for it.”
The Commanders placed McLaurin on the PUP list, citing an ankle injury that bothered him late in the season, when he reported to camp July 27 following a four-day holdout. McLaurin was fined $200,000 for missing that time. By reporting, he could no longer be fined.
If he were to sit out games, McLaurin would lose a game check for each week missed, including the bye week. McLaurin would forfeit $861,111 for each week missed. There’s not yet any indication McLaurin would sit out.
The two sides have been far apart in negotiations since they started discussing a deal earlier in the offseason, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. McLaurin had said in an interview a week before camp opened that he would not return to the field until there was “progression” in the talks.
McLaurin has one year remaining on a three-year, $68 million extension he signed in 2022. According to multiple reports and league sources, McLaurin has targeted the deal DK Metcalf received from the Pittsburgh Steelers — four years at $33 million per season with $60 million guaranteed.
Washington has not come close to that per year figure, sources said. Some in the league believe the Commanders could eventually get to $28 million per year.
McLaurin requested a trade July 31, but team sources have said over the past several months that they have no intention of trading him.
Though he was at the facility, McLaurin would only emerge after practice to sign autographs for fans. But he did watch from the sideline during the team’s burgundy-and-gold intrasquad scrimmage Tuesday, along with other injured players. Before that session, he spoke with general manager Adam Peters on the sideline.
McLaurin, coming off his second Pro Bowl appearance, was second in the NFL with a career-best 13 touchdown receptions — as well as 10 red zone scoring catches — in 2024. He has topped 1,000 yards for five consecutive seasons, although he has not yet surpassed 1,200 yards.
Last month, in a 30-minute interview with reporters, McLaurin expressed deep frustration with the lack of progress in their talks.
“I want to continue my career here. I’ve created my life here. My wife and I bought our first home here. So this has been somewhere I’ve always wanted to be. Just to see how things have played out has been disappointing,” he said. “I understand everything’s a business. But at the same time, I want to put myself in a position where I’m valued, I feel appreciated and things like that. Unfortunately, that hasn’t transpired the way I want it to.”
Sports
Jayson Tatum, 10 months after Achilles injury, expected to return to Celtics Friday vs Mavericks: report
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Jayson Tatum’s return to an NBA court appears to be coming much sooner than anyone expected.
The Boston Celtics superstar could be suiting up as early as Friday, which marks nearly 10 months since he tore an Achilles against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, per ESPN.
The Celtics will face Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks Friday at TD Garden, and Tatum is expected to be out there with his teammates for the first time since his injury.
Tatum was officially listed as questionable on the Celtics’ injury report.
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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum applauds from the bench in the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden March 4, 2026. (Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe)
Brad Stevens, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, noted that his star guard wouldn’t be cleared until he was definitely ready to play, both physically and mentally.
That’s especially the case considering the Celtics don’t need Tatum to rush back. They’re 41-21, which gives them the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Tatum also noted he would want to return for a home game.
Boston has had players stepping up in the absence of Tatum, including his counterpart Jaylen Brown. Brown has taken on the scoring load, averaging 28.9 points per game with 7.2 rebounds and five assists.
Derrick White has added 17.3 points per game, while doing work on the defensive end with 1.2 steals.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum walks off the court after Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. (Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe)
And the Celtics have had Payton Pritchard (16.8 points, 5.3 assists) and Anfernee Simons (14.2 points) helping the team every night.
The 28-year-old Tatum returning is nothing short of remarkable considering the average window for Achilles rehab is 9-12 months, and it’s usually on the later end of the timeline.
As Tatum looks to return, he was well aware of how good his team has been in his absence. He has been spotted on the bench cheering his teammates on all season, and he wants to seamlessly work his way back into the rotation.
Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena Jan. 19, 2026, in Detroit. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
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“I’m just hyper aware of what’s going on. I think it would just stem from that,” he said, according to NBA.com. “Obviously, I know what I bring to the table and bring to the team. But I’m also aware that these guys have been playing extremely well.”
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SAO PAULO — A Brazilian sports court said on Thursday it suspended a defender of top-flight club Red Bull Bragantino for 12 matches because of sexist remarks he made about a female referee after a Sao Paulo state league game.
Defender Gustavo Marques was also fined in 30,000 Brazilian reais ($5,700) for his comments about referee Daiane Muniz after Bragantino lost 2-1 to Sao Paulo in a Feb. 21 quarterfinal of a state-level tournament.
The suspension is valid for all competitions organized by the Sao Paulo state soccer federation, but does not stop Marques from playing national-level competitions like the Brazilian league or the Brazilian Cup.
“It was our dream to reach the semifinal or even the final, but she killed our game. I think the Sao Paulo state’s soccer federation has to look at matches of this importance and not give it to a woman,” Marques had said in a post-match interview to TNT Brazil. “It is no good for us to play against Sao Paulo, Palmeiras, Corinthians, and they put a woman to referee a match of this importance.”
Later he apologized on his social media channels.
“I was nervous and I said things I shouldn’t have. I talked to Daiane, apologized to her too. She had an assistant with her, I asked her for her forgiveness too for she is also a woman. I was wrong for saying it,” the 24-year-old defender said.
“My wife criticized what I said, my mom did too. I am being a man and a human being by coming here to ask forgiveness for what I said,” he added.
Neither Marques nor Bragantino commented on the ruling. Local media reported the club fined the defender 50% of his wages this month.
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President Donald Trump paid respects to late legendary football coach Lou Holtz Thursday after Holtz’s death Wednesday at the age of 89.
Trump shared a tribute to Holtz in a Truth Social post.
Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz listens before being presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in Washington, D.C., Dec, 3, 2020. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The wonderful Lou Holtz passed away yesterday, so sad. Lou was an absolute WINNER both on and off the field. Not only did he spearhead Notre Dame’s HISTORIC undefeated season in 1988 (including the legendary 31-30 ‘Catholics v. Convicts’ Victory against Miami), he raised Millions upon Millions for struggling student-athletes, and the AMAZING University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!),” Trump wrote.
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“He was also a true American Patriot, supporting me through thick and thin, and consistently speaking out against Democrat Insanity, including ‘Transgender for Everybody,’ and the Illegal Alien Invasion.
“It is for all this incredible work that I gave Lou Holtz our Nation’s Highest Civilian Honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Rest in Peace, Lou. Because of Patriots like you, we have made America GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Holtz was a known supporter of Trump, even saying in February 2024 that Trump needed to “coach America back to greatness!”
Near the end of Trump’s first term, shortly after former President Joe Biden defeated him in the 2020 election, Trump awarded Holtz with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States. Holtz, who also spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention, was humbled by the honor.
“It’s the highest honor or award you could possibly receive, and I receive it with mixed emotions. First of all, I’m humbled,” Holtz told “Fox & Friends” afterward. “There are many more people far worthy than me, I can assure you.
“Nobody is more appreciative than me. So, I’m excited to have this opportunity and, at the same time, I’m excited to receive it from President Trump. The president I admire and respect. I think he did a tremendous job.”
At the time, Holtz also called Trump “one of the great presidents of my lifetime.”
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President Donald Trump presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz at the White House in Washington, D.C. Dec. 3, 2020. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Holtz was the first coach in NCAA history to take six different football programs to bowl games, including William & Mary (1969-71), N.C. State (1972-75), Arkansas (1977-83) and South Carolina (1999-2004). The only team he wasn’t able to accomplish the feat with was Minnesota, which he led from 1984-85.
Holtz finished his coaching career with a 249-132-7 record in 388 games. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
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