Sports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and other NASCAR drivers have signed on to race in an exhibition esports series while their cars are kept off the tracks amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Tom Brady made it clear to the world Tuesday that he’s leaving New England after two decades, three league MVPs and six Super Bowl rings.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Norwegian musher Thomas Waerner easily won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across Alaska, one of the few U.S. sporting events not canceled by concerns over the new coronavirus.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s teams have pledged $30 million for ballpark workers who will lose income because of the delay to the season caused by the new coronavirus.

TOKYO (AP) — The torch relay was not always a fixture of the modern Olympics, which began in 1896.

Tuesday’s Games Orlando at Detroit, ppd

NEW YORK (AP) — Four Brooklyn Nets players, including Kevin Durant, have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total to seven known players in the NBA.

Tom Brady, the centerpiece of the New England Patriots’ championship dynasty over the past two decades, says he is leaving the only professional football home he has ever had. The 42-year-old six-time Super Bowl winner posted Tuesday on social media “my football journey will take place elsewhere.” The comments were the first to indicate that the mostdecorated player in NFL history would leave New England. Statements later by Patriots owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick made it clear that Brady’s remarkable stint in New England is over. In a two-part message, Brady thanked the Patriots and the fans and said “FOREVER A PATRIOT.” “I don’t know what my football future holds, but it is time for me to open a new stage for my life and my career,” he wrote. “Although my football journey will take place elsewhere, I appreciate everything that we have achieved and am grateful for our incredible TEAM experiences.” The one-year contract Brady signed before last season expires Wednesday afternoon, and his agent could negotiate a deal with another team on Tuesday, though it can’t be official yet. He will count $13.5 million toward New England’s salary cap due to the signing bonus money he received in 2019. Kraft said of Brady: “I had hoped this day would never come, but rather that Tom would end his remarkable career in a Patriots uniform after yet another Super Bowl championship. Unfortunately, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement to allow that dream to become a reality. While sad today, the overwhelming feeling I

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Panthers announced they have given quarterback Cam Newton permission to seek a trade — although the former league MVP responded by saying he never requested one. Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said Tuesday via Twitter the team is moving on from Newton. “Every year difficult decisions are made and they are never easy,” Hurney said. “We have been working with Cam and his agent to find the best fit for him moving forward and he will always be a Carolina Panther in our hearts.” Newton was quick to respond to the Panthers on social media, saying he didn’t ask for the trade. “Stop the word play!!” Newton tweeted. “I never asked for it!! There is no dodging this one; I love the Panthers to death and will always love you guys!! “Please do not try and play me or manipulate the narrative and act like I wanted this: You forced me into this.”

more $1 billion last year, almost $867 million from the men’s Division I basketball tournament, and most of that from a massive television rights deal with CBS and Turner that runs through the 2032 tournament.