Ever since Aaron Rodgers announced he was going into a darkness retreat during his weekly appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Feb. 7, questions have swirled about what that actually means and what it means for his NFL future.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback again spent a significant portion of his 40-minute chat with McAfee on Feb. 14 discussing the upcoming retreat and what he hopes to gain from the experience.

Here’s what we know about Rodgers’ upcoming darkness retreat based on his two interviews.

What is a darkness retreat?

A darkness retreat is a total isolation experience, often in secluded locations, where you are in complete darkness for a select number of days. Rodgers will spend four days in a one-room house at an unannounced location. No phones. No TV. No books. No music. Pitch dark in complete silence. It’s about ‘sensory deprivation,’ Rodgers said.

There is a toilet in the middle of the room and bathtub in his room. Rodgers said food will be delivered to him through a slot in the door once a day.

What are some examples of darkness retreats?

Darkness retreats date back centuries to the monks and lamas in Tibet to the ancient Egyptians.

A darkness retreat in Guatemala called The Hermitage can cost between $840 and $2,000 (depending on the number of days) and is described as ‘a very intense practice.’ No one speaks to the users unless necessary and support is given if needed, its website says. ‘Dark Retreat is a practice open to those who are called to dive deeply within themselves and rest in undisturbed meditation for many hours a day, for multiple days,’ its website says. The door is locked from the inside, and participants can leave if they desire. ‘Retreating in complete darkness is a practice common to many of the ancient and contemporary spiritual traditions across the world,’ The Hermitage’s website said.

When will Aaron Rodgers enter his darkness retreat?

Rodgers hasn’t given a specific day but said on Tuesday he will be going in at the end of the week. People typically enter dark retreats at night or sunset. They come out at sunrise to reintegrate their vision − something that can take around eight to 10 hours, Rodgers said.

Why is Aaron Rodgers going on a darkness retreat?

Rodgers said he’s been eyeing a darkness retreat for several years at the recommendation from friends and is excited about the experience. He knows someone who has done a 30-day darkness retreat.

He described their experiences as ‘profound’ and ‘magical’ with meaningful breakthroughs. He wants to take in the silence, self-reflect and slow his mind down.

‘I am looking forward to this as much as anything I’ve done in a long time,’ said Rodgers, who added he has done a lot of ‘research’ heading into the retreat.

How does Aaron Rodgers’ NFL future relate to the darkness retreat?

Rodgers, 39, hasn’t tied the conclusion of his retreat to his decision on whether he’ll want to continue his NFL career, but he did say the experience could provide him with some clarity.

‘I’m still in the art of contemplation about my future,’ Rodgers said, but after this ‘self-reflection I feel like I’ll be closer to a final, final decision.’

Rodgers has not committed to a 19th NFL season, despite being signed by the Packers and as trade rumors accelerate.

‘It’s a real thing, 100%,’ Rodgers said about playing again during his Feb. 7 interview. ‘That’s why it’s going to be important to get through this week and then to take my isolation retreat and just to be able to contemplate all things my future and then make a decision that is best for me moving forward in the highest interest of my happiness and move forward.’

Has Aaron Rodgers taken part in a darkness retreat before?

Rodgers has never done a darkness retreat before but on Tuesday he referenced his meditation and yoga retreats that have also helped stimulate his mind to get in ‘a better head space.’

Rodgers said he’s not scared (heights and sharks are his primary fears in life) of what could come from the experience.

‘There’s naturally some fear that comes up for any of this, fear of the unknown, but not really fear of the process,’ Rodgers said. ‘There’s a lot of trust in the medicine space. I don’t go into the medicine space blind at all … so that the experience can have the greatest chance to be a positive. There’s fears we always have to get through the unknown. The surrender allows you whatever needs to come through, can come through.’

Rodgers acknowledged being in the dark for four days could bring about hallucinations, which the Sky Cave Resorts recognized on its website. ‘Altered states of consciousness can naturally begin to arise as early as the third day of the retreat and continue to intensify as the retreat progresses,’ its website said.

Is Aaron Rodgers going to do another ayahuasca ritual again this offseason?

Rodgers has used ayahuasca, a plant-based hallucinogenic beverage, in recent offseasons, which generated many headlines last year as he talked about it on one podcast after another. He said he will likely be called to use the drug again but doesn’t know when. Rodgers takes part in ayahuasca rituals in Peru, a location known for the ceremonies, since the psychedelic is banned in the United States.

Rodgers, who calls ayahuasca ‘applied and planned medicine,’ explained he has used ayahuasca to improve his mental health and overcome his fear of death, and he credited it with his improved play on the football field in 2020 and 2021.

Why was Aaron Rodgers upset on Tuesday about a report over his darkness retreat?

When it comes to his life, insiders like Rapoport ‘don’t know (expletive),’ Rodgers said.

Tiger Woods surprised many by announcing last week that he would play at the 2023 Genesis Invitational and now his return is upon us.

The 15-time major winner will play at Riviera Country Club this weekend starting Thursday for his first full PGA Tour event since 2020. He has never won at the Los Angeles-based tournament, which is hosted by his TGR Foundation.

Woods made the announcement that he would play in the Genesis Invitational, ‘an actual PGA Tour event’ on Friday after hobbling through a few golf events last year. He missed the cut at the British Open in July and played the PNC Championship in December with his son Charlie. He’s been struggling with plantar fasciitis, which he said is especially affecting his ankle. 

‘The plan was to play, whether or not this body would listen to me or not, was the main question,’ Woods told reporters Tuesday. ‘… I can do the Ranger Rick thing, so I can hit golf balls and do all that stuff. It’s a matter of whether I have endurance in my leg and we’ve been pushing it pretty good and been able to recover each and every day, which is great. So I’m excited to be able to compete and play.’

Other stars playing at Riviera include Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas – who are in Woods’ group – as well as Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth and top-ranked Scottie Scheffler.

How to watch Tiger Woods’ PGA Tour return at Genesis Invitational

The 2023 Genesis Invitational will air on the Golf Channel from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday. Coverage will then be broadcast on CBS from 3 p.m. ET on Saturday and conclude at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.

How to stream the Genesis Invitational

The Genesis Invitational will be streamed on ESPN+.

What are the tee times for the Genesis Invitational?

First round

10:24 a.m. ET – Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland – 1010:35 a.m. ET – Tony Finau, Billy Horschel, Adam Scott – 1010:46 a.m. ET – Max Homa, Tom Kim, Xander Schauffele – 1010:57 a.m. ET – Will Zalatoris, Cameron Cham, J.B. Holmes – 103:04 p.m. ET – Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods – 13:15 p.m. ET – Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa – 13:26 p.m. ET – Justin Rose, Hideki Matsuyama, Shane Lowry – 13:37 p.m. ET – Sam Burns, K.H. Lee, Cameron Young – 1

Second Round

10:24 a.m. ET – Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods – 1010:35 a.m. ET – Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa – 1010:46 a.m. ET – Justin Rose, Hideki Matsuyama, Shane Lowry – 1010:57 a.m. ET – Sam Burns, K.H. Lee, Cameron Young – 103:04 p.m. ET – Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland – 13:15 p.m. ET – Tony Finau, Billy Horschel, Adam Scott – 13:26 p.m. ET – Max Homa, Tom Kim, Xander Schauffele – 13:37 p.m. ET – Will Zalatoris, Cameron Cham, J.B. Holmes – 1

When ESPN signed Joe Buck and Troy Aikman from FOX to headline ‘Monday Night Football’ starting in the 2022 season, it meant the previous crew was out of a high-profile gig.

While Steve Levy and Louis Riddick stayed with the network, Brian Griese joined the San Francisco 49ers as their quarterbacks coach. 

Levy spent two seasons as MNF’s play-by-play announcer and said it was a dream job. 

‘To achieve that was really remarkable. Imagine you get your dream gig, the theme music plays, and nobody is in the stadium. (Louis) Riddick and (Brian) Griese and I were looking at each other,’ Levy said Feb. 10 on the God Bless Football podcast. ‘There’s nobody here, Piped in fake crowd noise and all that stuff. It was a wild two years. I really wouldn’t change anything. I landed in a great spot as the second guy.

“I’m the luckiest guy in the business. I just stepped in it, tried to treat people the right way, do the right thing, and work as hard as I can.”

Levy, who has been at ESPN for nearly three decades, said the only thing that would have upset him is if he was replaced by someone who was on his level. 

‘Joe Buck is Joe Buck and I get that. My strength — honestly, and what’s really helped me in the business is — I know where I rank. I was never going to be that superstar,’ Levy said.  ‘When I was doing SportsCenter, Stuart Scott was a superstar. (Scott) Van Pelt has his own thing. I try hard, I work hard, but I know where I stand and I rank.

“If it wasn’t Joe, it was going to be Al Michaels. Someone told me I was third on the whiteboard. That’s a good spot to be in.”

Levy called the Super Bowl with Riddick and Dan Orlovsky for ESPN International.

A Nashville Predators prospect has been suspended for 10 games by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League following an incident in which he apparently shoved his stick at a fan while leaving the ice, the league announced Wednesday. 

Zachary L’Heureux, a 19-year-old winger who was taken No. 27 overall in the 2021 draft, was originally suspended indefinitely after the Feb. 8 incident that was captured on a video shared on social media. L’Heureux plays for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, and the incident occurred in Gatineau, Quebec.

‘The player’s gesture which occurred following the game simply cannot be tolerated by the QMJHL,’ said Eric Chouinard, the QMJHL’s director of player safety, in a press release. ‘Moreover, since the player has been suspended on several occasions, he is considered as a repeat offender.’

STAY UP-TO-DATE: Subscribe to our Sports newsletter now!

Chouinard also said the league reviewed video of the incident and spoke to  L’Heureux.

Holden Coulter, 16, told CBC he was the fan who was poked, and that the incident occurred after some heckling. 

‘I had to back away or else he would have probably gotten me better,’ Coulter said. 

L’Heureux has 18 goals and 37 points this season.

The first step for Calvin Ridley’s return to the football field could begin Wednesday. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver applied for reinstatement from his suspension that lasted through at least the 2022 season for gambling on NFL games during the 2021 season as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported. 

While announcing the suspension, the league said Ridley could apply for reinstatement on Feb. 15, 2023. 

Ridley acknowledged he bet on NFL games for a total of $1,500 and wrote on Twitter, ‘I don’t have a gambling problem.’ 

USA TODAY Sports’ messages to a representative for Ridley and the NFL for information and a timeline on reinstatement were not immediately returned. 

Why was Calvin Ridley suspended? 

Although the league has embraced legalized gambling and partnered with the largest operators in the business, the integrity of the game is an issue the NFL takes seriously. 

While on the non-football injury list, Ridley placed mobile wagers in Florida through Hard Rock Sportsbook in late November 2021. The company recognized Ridley’s betting activity and informed the NFL’s sports data provider, Genius Sports, which alerted the league. 

‘Your actions put the integrity of the game at risk, threatened to damage public confidence in professional football, and potentially undermined the reputations of your fellow players throughout the NFL,’ NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote to Ridley in a letter informing him of his indefinite suspension.   

How much did Calvin Ridley bet? 

Ridley made fewer than 10 bets and made three-, five- and eight-game parlay wagers. Ridley said he bet $1,500. 

The league investigation found that although some of those parlays included the Falcons, it ‘uncovered no evidence indicating any inside information was used or that any game was compromised in any way.’ Additionally, no coaches, staff, teammates, or other players were aware of his betting activity.

In December, New York Jets wide receivers coach Miles Austin was suspended indefinitely for violating the league’s gambling policy, although there was no indication he bet on NFL games. 

How does Calvin Ridley fit in Jaguars offense? 

On the day of the NFL trade deadline, a surprise name was on the move: Ridley. 

The former Alabama wide receiver had not played since Week 7 of the 2021 campaign, but that didn’t stop the Jaguars from acquiring him. In head coach Doug Pederson’s offense, Ridley — upon his return — will be another option for quarterback Trevor Lawrence alongside Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. 

Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.

Pity the ballclub that relies too heavily on spring training to evaluate its roster.

No, most teams have a strong idea what their regular season club will look like when pitchers and catchers report to Florida and Arizona; getting loose and avoiding disaster doesn’t make for a great marketing pitch, but it’s at least a realistic one.

Still, there are a few nagging issues that could gain greater clarity under spring’s high skies, and many of those involve a few of Major League Baseball’s most prosperous clubs. A look at five questions that the next six weeks of spring training should answer:

Braves: A smooth turn at shortstop?

They’re so good at turning over key positions, spending money wisely and making the right bets on young players and trade targets alike. With that track record in mind, the Atlanta Braves have earned the benefit of the doubt in setting free shortstop Dansby Swanson and targeting first-year player Vaughn Grissom to replace him.

Right?

Oh, one of these days GM Alex Anthopoulos’s fearlessness in letting high-priced veterans leave – and setting Freddie Freeman and Swanson loose in consecutive years is bold – but you can’t argue with results. And right now, Atlanta’s riding a wave of five consecutive NL East titles.

But Swanson was the quarterback for all of them, before signing a $177 million deal to join the Chicago Cubs. Grissom is an absolutely capable and potentially dynamic replacement who got his feet wet in 2022 when he started 40 games, 39 at second base for injured Ozzie Albies, and posted a .353 on-base percentage and 121 adjusted OPS.

He’ll also hit spring training after a winter at Camp Washington.

Grissom made several pilgrimages to the New Orleans home of coach Ron Washington, 70, who imparted his infield wizardry in concentrated doses. ‘That’s probably one of the most valuable pieces I have in my life right now, being able to bounce stuff off him,’ Grissom said last month at a fan event.

If it pays off, the Braves will have a daunting middle of the diamond locked in for three upcoming seasons: Catcher Sean Murphy, Grissom and Albies at short and second and reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Harris II patrolling center field.

This spring should tell us how close that is to reality.

Dodgers: Too much turnover?

They could have paid Trea Turner, given Cody Bellinger one more chance, retained Justin Turner at a reasonable rate, lived the good life of a 111-win team bringing most of its squad back.

But the Dodgers are choosing to do this the hard way.

Oh, we’re not writing off the near-perennial NL West champions. In fact, letting the stalwarts mentioned above walk away might make this more interesting. It’s just that the spring training jumble ahead could also seem simpler than jumping on the 710 to the 91 to the 110 to the 105 to get around a jackknifed big rig on the 405.

Let’s see: Trayce Thompson should be the center fielder, unless he doesn’t hit enough and they need Chris Taylor out there, but then again Taylor may be needed at second if rookie Miguel Vargas falters, or maybe third if Max Muncy’s defense gives them pause. David Peralta should get most of the at-bats in left, but he’s also 35, and Jason Heyward is 33 and hasn’t had a better than league average OPS in a full season in 2016 but now might get at-bats in center since Mookie Betts is locked into right field.

Whew. (And then there’s the pitching).

Not unlike Anthopoulos, Dodgers baseball guru Andrew Friedman has earned significant benefit of the doubt. There’s almost certainly a winning, perhaps dominant combination in the group he’s acquired (and oh yeah, Freeman and Betts still work here).

It’s just that the lazy days of March at Camelback Ranch will have a little more edge to them. And that’s not a bad thing.

White Sox: New voice, new vibes?

Meanwhile, across the complex, a new managerial era will dawn with little fanfare – which could be exactly what the Chicago White Sox need.

Tony La Russa’s first days were spent explaining away a DUI arrest that surfaced after Chicago hired him, at 76, to manage once again. The credibility deficit was always there, particularly after a division-winning season gave way to an uneven mess in 2022 that included La Russa issuing a pair of intentional walks in a two-strike count.

La Russa eventually retired due to health reasons, and the hiring of longtime Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol barely caused a ripple.

That’s fine. The AL Central remains eminently winnable, so long as a few matters fall into place.

Andrew Vaughn will need to carry much of Jose Abreu’s load at first base. Andrew Benintendi will need to show that a modest $75 million outlay that nonetheless was the largest free agent contract in club history was worth it.

And the club may have to pivot quickly if MLB’s domestic-violence investigation of new starter Mike Clevinger justifies a lengthy suspension.

Closer Liam Hendriks is also out as he battles non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a blow to both bullpen and clubhouse.

It is a relatively full spring load for a manager to take on. But the White Sox also shouldn’t have to worry about a manager causing ripples rather than calming them.

Red Sox: Smooth Sale-ing?

GM Chaim Bloom has shed franchise players in two of his three off-seasons, trading Mookie Betts in 2020 and then seeing cornerstone shortstop Xander Bogaerts leave with little resistance in December. Yet Bloom has proven once that he can produce a pennant-winning club taking an unexpected path.

Minus Bogaerts, the Red Sox will need a village to make up the difference. That effort might start with Chris Sale.

The 2018 postseason hero has not been in the Opening Day rotation since 2019, with Tommy John surgery and a host of ailments (his 2022 season ended after breaking his wrist in a biking mishap) limiting him to 11 starts the past three seasons. Bogaerts’ departure and Trevor Story’s elbow surgery will leave a gaping offensive void and a domino effect defensively (Kiké Hernandez to short, Adam Duvall to center, Adalberto Mondesi to second base) and greatly change the club’s identity.

It would help if they can pitch, and have a bona fide ace to follow.

Sale is backed by a bevy of starters – Corey Kluber, Nick Pivetta, James Paxton – who are mid-rotation types at this stage of their career, with Garrett Whitlock holding the promise of some upside. The assembled bullpen – Kenley Jansen joins old Dodgers pal Justin Turner in Boston – can be pretty good.

But it’s Sale who has the best career strikeouts per nine innings (11.1) and strikeout-walk ratios (5.33) among starters baseball history. He’d be a daunting sight on the Fenway Park mound come Opening Day against the Orioles, though the Red Sox have a more modest goal until then.

Get there.

Yankees: Short timer at shortstop?

It’s true: There’s only so much sense getting wrapped up in spring training performances and outcomes because things can change dozens of times, starting only moments after the lights come on in the regular season.

So it really doesn’t matter who wins the Yankees’ starting shortstop job – but how the trio of incumbent Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Oswald Peraza and super prospect Anthony Volpe come out of spring training will be fascinating to watch.

By season’s end, Yankee fans had seen enough of Kiner-Falefa, who brought a steadiness to the job that grew into more of a liability when his 84 OPS plus was paired with diminishing defensive performance; he was benched for four of the Yankees’ nine postseason games. Peraza touched the big leagues by September, started Game 2 of the ALCS and is likely the second baseman of the future.

It is Volpe who is ranked No. 14 among all prospects by Baseball America, who profiles as a future All-Star, who is the main reason owner Hal Steinbrenner bided his time as a half-dozen franchise shortstops came on and went off the market the past two winters. Everyone from Steinbrenner down to the dugout down to Lou from Staten Island, first-time, long-time, would be thrilled if he won the job out of camp.

More likely, it will be Peraza. In a pinch, it will be Kiner-Falefa.

Either way, fret not. It will make for compelling March competition – but everything is subject to change.