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The class-action lawsuit alleging racial discrimination against the NFL filed by former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores, later joined by former Arizona Cardinals coach Steve Wilks and longtime assistant Ray Horton, can be tried in open court, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled on Friday.

The rulingupheld previous decisionsby the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan and U.S. District Court Judge Valerie Caproni that stated Flores would be able to take his lawsuit to court, rather than go through arbitration that would have been overseen by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

"The court's decision recognizes that an arbitration forum in which the defendant's own chief executive gets to decide the case would strip employees of their rights under the law," Flores' attorneys, Douglas H. Wigdor and David E. Gottlieb,said in a statement. "It is long overdue for the NFL to recognize this and finally provide a fair, neutral and transparent forum for these issues to be addressed."

Flores' lawsuit against the NFL, Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Houston Texans alleges racial discrimination in the league's hiring process for coaches.

An assistant for 11 years before being hired as the Dolphins' head coach, Flores was fired after the 2021-22 season. While pursuing other head-coaching opportunities as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he alleged that the Giants and Broncos only interviewed him to accommodate the league's Rooney Rule that mandates teams consider minority candidates for head-coach openings. The suit claims that those teams did not view him as a legitimate candidate for those jobs.

"The significance of the Second Circuit's decision cannot be overstated," Wigdor and Gottlieb added. "For too long, the NFL has relied on a fundamentally biased and unfair arbitration process—even in cases involving serious claims of discrimination.

"This ruling sends a clear message: that practice must end. This is a victory not only for NFL employees, but for workers across the country—and for anyone who believes in transparency, accountability and justice."

Flores provided evidence in his filing showing text messages from former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick congratulating him for getting the Giants' head-coaching job. However, Flores told Belichick that he had not yet interviewed for the position. Belichick believed his messages were going to Brian Daboll, who was hired by the Giants.

Wilks joined the class-action suit with claims against the Cardinals. He was fired as Arizona's head coach after only one season, after which the team hired Kliff Kingsbury. Wilks alleges he was only viewed as a one-year "bridge" during the 2018 season.

Horton named the Titans in his claims, alleging that the team had already decided to hire Mike Mularkey in 2016 when interviewing him, then the defensive coordinator, for its head-coaching position.

Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine will undergo season-ending surgery on his right hand after the All-Star break, longtime NBA insiderChris Haynes reported Friday.

LaVine, a two-time All-Star, was averaging a team-leading 19.2 points per game and shooting 47.9% from the field, including 39% from 3, this season, his second with Sacramento afterhe was traded midseason from the Chicago Bulls last yearin the three-team deal that sent now-two-time All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs.

The Kings have been riddled by injuries this season. Notably, center Domantas Sabonis missed extensive time earlier in the 2025-26 campaignwith a partially torn meniscus.

A three-time All-Star himself, Sabonis returned before the trade deadline. He had been the subject of trade talks this season, and so had LaVine and fellow veteran DeMar DeRozan.

The Kings, currently an NBA-worst 12-44 at the break and losers of 14 consecutive games, didn't deal any of them, although general manager Scott Perry did send Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder to the Cleveland Cavaliersin a three-team trade that brought them back De'Andre Hunterand also moved Dario Šarić to the Chicago Bulls.

Šarić has since been traded again and waived.

As for the soon-to-be-31-year-old LaVine, he sat out the past three games with what the team described as a "right fifth finger tendon injury."

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That shooting-hand issue is reportedly requiring a procedure that will end LaVine's 12th season in the league.

Earlier this season, he sustained a left ankle injury when he landed awkwardly on a drive into the paint against his old team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, on Dec. 14.

He missed nine games in a row as a result.

LaVine has a $48.9 million player option for next season. He's expected to pick that up, but the trade rumors likely will resume in the offseason.

Although he led an imbalanced Kings roster in scoring this season, his 2.3 assists per game were the fewest he's averaged in his career. Plus, he was reeling in under three rebounds a contest for just the third time, and the first since the 2015-16 campaign.

Known for his uber athleticism, LaVine made a name for himself as a two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion with the Timberwolves, who took him No. 13 overall in the 2014 draft.

Perhaps ironically, Friday marked the 10-year anniversary ofLaVine's high-flying showdown versus Aaron Gordonin the memorable 2016 dunk contest.

A day after the US announced it took the unusual step of shuttering it's Drug Enforcement Administration office in the Dominican Republic — a key site in the agency's effort to combatdrug traffickingin the Caribbean — a top agent there was charged with running a visa fraud scheme.

US Ambassador Leah F. Campos announced on social media Thursday that she had closed the DEA's office, writing "It is a disgusting and disgraceful violation of public trust to use one's official capacity for personal gain."

"I will not tolerate even the perception of corruption anywhere in the Embassy I lead," Campos added.

The Justice Department announced Friday the charges against supervisory special agent Meliton Cordero, who the DOJ said in a press release was assigned to the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic for six years. Cordero was arrested Thursday.

Cordero is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and visa fraud, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors didn't ask that he be detained, but he was ordered to surrender his passport.

Prosecutors say Cordero accepted thousands of dollars in exchange for assisting foreign nationals with securing nonimmigrant visas that would allow them to visit the US for a temporary period.

"During his assignment at the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, Cordero expedited at least 119 visa applications, at least one of which is alleged to have been fraudulent, often coaching individuals in preparation for their visa interview with U.S. Consular Officers," the Justice Department said.

Charging documents against Cordero have not yet been unsealed in court records.

The US ambassador made the extraordinary move to shut down the DEA's office in the Dominican Republic in recent days, in response to the corruption probe,

The decision could hamper US anti-narcotics efforts in the region, which the Trump administration has cited as a high priority.

The office is a major base of operations for monitoring and cutting off traffickers using the Caribbean as a route to traffic cocaine from South America to Europe and the US.

The Dominican government has allowed the Defense Department to use its military facilities as part of a broader effort that includes military strikes on purported trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

"The temporary closure of the DEA office in Santo Domingo is to allow time for an investigation internal to this Embassy. The Dominican Republic remains a critical partner in our work to combat narco-terrorism throughout the region," the US embassy in the Dominican Republic said in a statement on X. "That work will continue at the same robust pace between the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo and our Dominican partners even as our internal investigation ensues."

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A gynecologist at Ohio State University whose name appeared in the Epstein files as having received thousands of dollars in payments from the convicted sex offender for consulting work is being investigated by the university, an official there confirmed Friday.

Dr. Mark Landon is cooperating with the investigation, Serena Smith, a spokesperson for OSU's Wexner Medical Center, said in an email.

Landon "has stated he had no knowledge of any criminal activities and his consulting work did not involve any patient care," Smith said.

"We continue to review the situation and have received no information to date that contradicts Dr. Landon's statement," Smith said.

Landon, who chairs OSU's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and specializes in high-risk pregnancies, released a statement on Monday after his name was found in the files.

"I did not provide any clinical care for Jeffrey Epstein or any of his victims," it said. "I was a paid consultant for the New York Strategy Group regarding potential biotech investments from 2001 to 2005. I had no knowledge of any criminal activities; I find them reprehensible and I feel terrible for Epstein's victims."

The New York Strategy Group was Epstein's money management firm, records show.

Landon's consulting work for Epstein's firm was before the financier was branded a registered sex offender in 2008, following a conviction in Florida for procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute.

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In the files, the doctor's name appears in a 2006 email written to Epstein by Darren Indyke, an attorney who worked for him.

"Are we still paying Mark Landon?" it began.

Indyke wrote that "Landon's agreement requires quarterly payments of $30k to be made to Landon on the 15th of January, April, July and October."

"The previous payment made to Landon was for $25,000 and not $30,000. The contract is terminable at will on 15 days' prior notice. Is NYSG to make payment to Landon by January 15th and if so for $25K or $30K? Please advise."

"75 per year," Epstein responded.

The email did not specify what work Landon was paid for.

There are also multiple FedEx receipts in the files for packages sent to Landon at the Wexner Medical Center between 2001 and 2004. They do not indicate what was sent in the packages.

NBC News has reached out to Indyke for comment.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — When Mike Tyson was developing as a young fighter in New York in 1980s, he had plenty of chances to test the skills that would one day make him the world's best and fiercest heavyweight.

Now Tyson looks at the state of boxing in the United States and doesn't like what he sees. The title of heavyweight champion has gone from among the most prestigious in sports to one that's nearly anonymous.

That's what drove the 59-year-old Hall-of-Famer to help launch the Mike Tyson Invitational on March 12–14 in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas. Tyson's team sought out the nation's top amateur boxers to give them this forum to go against each other with the long-range goal of elevating boxing to where it used to stand as a conversation-driving sport.

"I was watching some of the amateur fights and I was wondering, 'We don't have enough boxing clubs,'" Tyson said Friday. "Before, when I was fighting, we could fight at the Ohio state fair. Then I'd go to Colorado the next two weeks and fight in the national tournament. That's what we need to be able to compete with the other countries. We need more competition."

He is particularly concerned about boxing's future in the Olympics. Until the International Olympic Committee announced last March that boxing would be included in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, there was doubt whether the sport's longtime presence in the quadrennial event would end.

Tyson's main focus is making boxing big again in the U.S. There is the occasional major event, such as theCanelo Alvarez-Terence Crawfordunified super middleweight title fight Sept. 13 before 70,482 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

But those attention-grabbing bouts only temporarily push back on the notion that boxing is in trouble at the grassroots level.

"Listen, boxing is dying, and that is what's driving me," Tyson said. "If I can be involved in any way in the uplifting and development of boxing, I'll be happy with that."

That would include working with UFC CEO and President Dana White, who grew up loving boxing before building his mixed-martial arts empire. Through TKO, the company at that owns the UFC and WWE, White is in amultiyear agreementwith the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, and Sela, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

The Alvarez-Crawford card was their first under this partnership. Tyson was among a number of former boxing greats and celebrities in attendance.

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While the UFC is a one-man show, boxing is much more splintered with different sponsoring organizations and promoters competing against each other.

"I kind of like that organization," Tyson said of the UFC. "It's just one guy and we deal with everything. That might not work for boxing, but I like the idea. In the UFC, if they have one bad fight, the guy might not be in the fold. It's for entertainment. That's what it's about. In (boxing), if the guy stinks up the joint, they keep using him. So that has to be the criteria. Either you make exciting fights or you're not able to participate."

There was no lack of excitement when Tyson was putting together his career that resulted in a 50-7 record with 44 knockouts. The self-proclaimed "baddest man on the planet" came as advertised, winning his first 19 professional bouts by knockout, 12 in the first round.

His fights became a must-watch event, and Tyson was all business entering the ring, once declaring, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched."

"We're all entertainers, trust me, especially fighters," Tyson said. "If you don't perform well, people give their opinion about you. You may not like it. My job was always to make the people happy as a fighter."

Now he's searching for the next Mike Tyson — or, rather, Mike Tysons — who can bring spark to the sport.

His invitational won't be a cure-all, but it could be a start.

"I was taught as a kid, boxing is about putting asses in seats," Tyson said. "That's where greatness comes from."

AP boxing:https://apnews.com/hub/boxing

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Steve Jones and Nekias Duncan give you the latest news and updates surrounding the 2026 All-Star Weekend. They dive into their predictions for Team USA vs. World, who will come out victorious in the skills competitions and what to expect with the new format.

Next, they dive into the news of the NBA fining the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers hefty amounts for tanking. Does the league have a tanking problem? What are possible solutions?

Plus, Angel Reese is back in Unrivaled! They give their takeaways, recap the 1v1 tournament and preview the latest matchups.

All that and more!

1:03 Rising Stars showcase preview9:29 3-point contest preview14:35 Shooting Stars competition preview18:07 Dunk contest preview22:14 New format expectations27:26 All-Star replacements32:16 Lineup predictions35:26 Key players to watch38:25 Team USA vs. World predictions39:02 Jazz & Pacers fined47:40 Unrivaled takeaways & thoughts

🖥️Watch thisfull episodeon theYahoo Sports NBA YouTube channel

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CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Turns out, the Philadelphia Phillies were ale-ing last year.

Deciding their relationship ruptured when Nick Castellanos angrily brought a beer into the dugout after he was pulled from a game, the Phillies released the outfielder even though they owe him $20 million for the final season of a$100 million, five-year contract.

Draught was an issue in a season that extended the team's title drought.

In afour-page handwritten letter posted Thursday, Castellanos admitted he broke a team rule by bringing a Presidente beer into the dugout last June "after being taken out of a close ball game in front of my friends and family." Phillies manager Rob Thomson made the move for defense with a 3-1 eighth-inning lead during a 5-2 win at Miami on June 16.

"I'm proud of him because he owned up to what he did and, hey, we all make mistakes," Thomson said Friday. "Nick had helped us out in a lot of ways here. He's had some big hits and big plays and helped us win a lot ballgames. So I do, I wish him all the best."

During a season that ended with a Division Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Castellanos hit .250 — his lowest in a non-shortened season — with 17 homers and 72 RBIs.

Any team can sign Castellanos for the $780,000 major league minimum. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski had decided Castellanos wouldn't report to the team for spring training — the 33-year-old did not have a locker assigned and two photos of him in the corridor of player images already had been removed.

"A lot of times when a good player has their role change with the club, it can cause some friction, and his role changed last year from where it was," Dombrowski said. "I mean you played every single day for a lot years in a row, and so sometimes that can contribute to it. Sometimes then people have debates between themselves where they're not all on the same page. But when you put all that together, sometimes you just need to make sure that you have a change of scenery."

Castellanos' minus-12 outs above average — how many outs they gain defensively over the average fielder at their position, according to MLB Statcast — tied the New York Mets' Juan Soto and the Los Angeles Angels' Jo Adell for 108th and last among 110 qualified outfielders.

Castellanos was removed for Johan Rojas, who took over in center as Brandon Marsh moved from center to left and Max Kepler from left to right.

"I then sat right next to Rob and let him know that too much Slack in some areas and too tight of restrictions in others and not (conducive) to us winning," Castellanos wrote. "Shoutout to my teammates and Howie (Phillies special assistant Howie Kendrick) for taking the beer out of my hands before I could take a sip.

Castellanos said he "aired out our differences" after the game during a meeting with Thomson and Dombrowski.

"The conversation ended with me apologizing for letting my emotions get the best of me," Castellanos wrote.

Castellanos was benched the next day for whatThomson said then was "an inappropriate comment."Castellanos wrote the Phillies told him not to divulge details to reporters.

"I was surprised that a lot of people didn't see what was taking place at the time," Dombrowski said.

Thomson doesn't regret the messy details didn't become public at the time.

"I thought it was appropriate what we did," he said.

Castellanos appeared in 75 of the team's final 90 regular season games and hit .133 with three RBIs in the four-game Division Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His production decline led to the decision as much as the beer beef.

"That wasn't the final or determining factor, because if that was, we would have done that at that particular time," Dombrowski said.

Philadelphia secured a replacement in December, agreeing to a$10 million, one-year contract with Adolis García.

Reporting for the new season and hoping to win Philadelphia's first title since 2008, Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber wished Castellanos the best.

"We've had a lot of really good memories here over the last four years and he's had some really big moments with us," Schwarber said. "Hopefully wherever he goes next, he's able to keep going out there and keep doing his thing and keep having those big moments."

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb