#player-safety

#player-safety

For me, I see an opportunity ahead of us tomorrow that we want to do everything we can to grab with both hands. I'm very happy that the team and the club we are in a position where, with a win tomorrow, we can finish top eight in the best club tournament in the world, and it's super, super competitive, as we know. We're very, very positive and looking forward to that. So, that's what we're focusing everything we can on.

It should have been a turning point many, many years ago when we learned the same thing with Jeff Astle and not much has happened between that time and now. Hopefully, my dad's legacy will not just be what he gave football on the pitch but what we can learn from this and make sure that this really horrible problem isn't a problem for future generations.

Australian Open organizers instituted their extreme heat policy as temperatures soared at Melbourne Park on Tuesday. It prompted the suspension of play on outer courts and the closure of roofs on the main showcourts. The protocol, introduced in 2019, was developed to minimize the risk of heat-related illness and provide consistency for all players. It considers air temperature, radiant heat, wind speed humidity to assess playing conditions, and sets thresholds for cooling interventions.

Football leans on tradition, providing convenient cover for the NFL's lenient stance on smelling salts, ammonia crystals that players believe enhance performance when inhaled. Does the olfactory exhilaration also enhance play-calling, amplifying one's grasp of X's and O's? Kyle Shanahan apparently believes so. The San Francisco 49ers coach was caught by a Fox television camera moments before a playoff game Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles taking several whiffs from a small packet before handing it to an assistant.

The Venezuelan winter league suspended play following the United States taking military action in Caracas, casting uncertainty on a couple of Los Angeles Dodgers players. Edgardo Henriquez, a Venezuelan native, had been pitching for La Tiburones de la Guaira, and Dodgers prospect Eduardo Quintero also briefly spent time with the team. With roughly five weeks until Spring Training begins, the Dodgers could face some challenges trying to get their players back to the United States.

The NFL on Monday suspended Perryman without pay for two games for repeated violations of playing rules designed to protect player health and safety, including an incident during Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys. In the second quarter, Perryman was penalized for unnecessary roughness after delivering a forcible blow to the helmet of Ryan Flournoy while the Dallas Cowboys' receiver was on the ground following a catch.

Once Mermis was down on the ice in discomfort, a scrum ensued at centre ice with both teams going at it, as well as a fight between Dakota Joshua and Maxwell Crozier. While the scrum was happening, McMann and Bjorkstrand were shoving each other pretty aggressively. Bjorkstrand landed the first blow with a cross-check that came dangerously close to McMann's neck, to which McMann retaliated with a high-stick that grazed the side of Bjorkstrand's head and shoulder.

The International Ice Hockey Federation confirmed Monday that the ice surface to be used in Milan, Italy, for the 2026 Winter Olympics will be shorter than NHL-regulation size. Games at the two arenas will be played on rinks measuring 196.85 by 85.3 feet, while regular NHL dimensions are 200 by 85 feet. News of the size difference came as a surprise to participating players and, perhaps more importantly, to the NHL commissioner's office,

Fifa says it will include three-minute hydration breaks in each half of every game at next year's World Cup, not just those played in hot weather. The referee will stop the game 22 minutes into each half for players to take drinks, regardless of the temperature, the host country the United States, Canada or Mexico or whether the stadium has a roof and air conditioning.

Image source, Getty Images Fiorentina say they have taken security measures to protect players, staff and their families after they received "unacceptable and shameful" threats. The threats were received following the club's 3-1 loss at Sassuolo on Saturday, which left winless Fiorentina bottom of Serie A after 14 matches. The club condemned the threats in a statement and said it "expresses its full solidarity and support for the players and their families".

NHL rules state that players must go 41 games between ejections to avoid suspension. Rantanen's second ejection, for boarding Calgary Flames forward Matt Coronato, came four days after his first ejection on a play that earned Rantanen widespread derision from fans -- and one very angry coach. On Nov. 18, Rantanen skated through a check by New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield and shoved defenseman Alexander Romanov in the back, sending him violently into the end boards.

I hate the kickoff in football, Trump said in the interview aired last week. I think it's so terrible. I think it's so demeaning. I think it hurts the game, it hurts the pageantry. I've told that to Roger Goodell. And I don't think it's any safer. I mean, you still have guys crashing into each other. It's the opposite of what the game the ball is in the air, nobody's moving.

Teams can lose draft picks and pay a ton in luxury tax, but it doesn't seem to be a deterrent. So for overspending, I would allow a generous soft cap, as MLB has now. Then for every 20 million dollar increment of spending above the cap, you start the season with a loss. So sure, Dodgers, blow out the soft cap if you don't mind starting 0-4.

The Toronto Maple Leafs got a devastating break on Tuesday night. They lost captain Auston Matthews to a lower-body injury following a hit from Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov midway through the second period. Zadorov hammered Matthews into the boards with a check from behind. While Auston Matthews got up on his own, he eventually went to the Maple Leafs dressing room and did not return.

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe was forced to withdraw one of his key players against Brentford, with a modern trend blamed for the setback. The Magpies travelled to the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday afternoon looking to make amends for a shock 3-1 defeat to strugglers West Ham United in their previous Premier League outing. Their trip, however, got off to a difficult start when one of their key midfielders was withdrawn after just 24 minutes.

Federal authorities accused Rozier of conspiring with a childhood friend in a gambling scheme centered on prop bets on his statistics from a game on March 23, 2023, when he was with the Charlotte Hornets. Rozier, according to the indictment, told co-conspirator Deniro Laster that he would be leaving the game against the New Orleans Pelicans early. Laster sold the nonpublic information about Rozier's status to gamblers for approximately $100,000, according to the indictment.

They're like, 'You make X amount of money or X, Y and Z, you should be able to deal with all the extra negativity, the people approaching you about the parlays,' Brown said Friday at Madison Square Garden before the Celtics face the New York Knicks. 'It creates a negative discourse around the game and players when people have money involved. ... It's leading to situations that we can avoid if more conversations were had right now.'

I mean, I am not happy. Guys are going to run me. I am going to try to stand up for myself. I heard the ref say we got a power play, and there really isn't much I can do to him on the ground. Kudos to the guys who were there and got down with him, but like I said, we have to start going to the cage a little harder and make it harder for their goalies.

When it came into force in April 2025, the mandatory levy superseded the existing voluntary approach, ensuring that operators contribute equitably to research, treatment, and protection programs for gambling harm. Along with the tax, the UK government is increasing its oversight of the gambling industry to ensure player safety and promote openness. This new set of regulations, enacted in 2024, affected operators' game design, player safety monitoring, and marketing practices.

The simple answer is that players can choose what size shin pads they want to wear. The International Football Association Board (Ifab), responsible for the laws of the game, say that shin pads are a mandatory piece of equipment players must wear while playing. Law 4.2 states that shin pads must: Be made of a suitable material Be of an appropriate size to provide reasonable protection and be covered by the socks And players are responsible for the size and suitability of their shin pads

New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe has earned a reputation as one of the most dangerous hitters in the NHL. The six-foot-nine, 255-pound winger has already injured multiple players with illegal hits, earning him suspensions totaling 12 games over the past two seasons. Given his history in just 59 career games, it's no surprise that the New York Islanders did everything in their power to prevent the controversial winger

Kenneth Gainwell ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns and the Pittsburgh Steelers held on to beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-21 on Sunday in Ireland's first regular-season NFL game. DK Metcalf had five catches for 126 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown for the Steelers, who improved to 3-1 going into their bye week. The Steelers' victory gave quarterback Aaron Rodgers his first international win in front of a decidedly pro-Steelers crowd of 74,512 at Croke Park.