UNCASVILLE, Conn. — With four minutes left in what would become the last game in one of the most remarkable 11½ months any athlete has ever had, Caitlin Clark nailed one last exquisite 3-pointer. The furious rally she had orchestrated had arrived at a most unexpected place: her Indiana Fever had taken the lead, 71-70, over the Connecticut Sun in Game 2 of their WNBA playoff series.

Caitlin Clark’s first professional season is over and already, people are imagining what she’ll do in her second.

Clark had a sensational, record-setting year in the WNBA, and is the heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year.

After helping lead Indiana to its first playoff appearance since 2016, Clark and the Fever ran into a veteran, experienced Connecticut Sun team. The Sun swept the Fever on Wednesday, winning Game 2, 87-81. Now Clark will pack her bags and head back to Indiana for what might be her longest break from organized basketball. But that doesn’t mean Clark won’t be working. What’s scary for her opposition is, she’s probably going to get better.

“I feel like basketball has really consumed my life for a year,” Clark said after Wednesday’s loss, a nod to the fact that last October, the Iowa women were in the Crossover at Kinnick, a basketball game played in the football stadium to meet the demand to watch Clark. 

“It’ll definitely be a little weird for me over the course of the first couple weeks (off),” she said. “And then I’m sure I’ll get bored and pick up a basketball again.”

So how much better can she get? Let’s break it down in terms of the three stats that always generate the most conversation around Clark: scoring, passing and turnovers.

Because New York guard Sabrina Ionescu, now in her fifth season, is the best comparison in terms of position, size and skill, it makes sense to reference Ionescu’s stats, too, particularly when it comes to shooting.

Another thing to remember is that as the WNBA continues to grow — teams will play a record 44 regular-season games in 2025 — Clark will have more opportunities to smash various records. 

Caitlin Clark will probably shoot better in 2025

Celebrated for her logo 3s and ability to pull up as soon as she crosses half court, Clark had a pretty good shooting season in 2024. Connecting on 41.7% of her field goal attempts, Clark finished as the 20th best shooter among WNBA guards this season.

While Clark’s field goal percentage seesawed at Iowa — going from 47.2% as a freshman to 45.2%, then up to 47.3% and finally 45.5% as a senior — it’s almost a sure bet that it will improve in her second professional season, particularly from 3, where she shot 34.4% this season. Clark’s senior year at Iowa, she shot 37.8% from long distance. 

By comparison, Ionescu’s field goal percentage increased steadily over her first few seasons in the league, jumping from 37.9% her first full year, in 2021, to 42.3% in 2023. (She shot 39.4% in 38 regular-season games this year.) After shooting in the low 30s her first two years, Ionescu’s 3-point percentage jumped to 44.8% in 2023. (Ionescu played just three games in 2020 due to a season-ending ankle injury.)

While Clark will surely become an even better, and more efficient, scorer at the pro level, defenders will better learn how to guard her, too. 

“When you get into this league, it’s like having all the valedictorians at one school,” said Seattle guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, one of the best perimeter defenders in the WNBA. “Everyone is in this league for a reason and everyone can hurt you. (With scorers) you’ve gotta make them take tough shots, make them uncomfortable. You’re always trying to take away their first option.” 

Really, she said with a laugh, “you’re also hoping that they just miss.” 

For guards in particular, Diggins-Smith emphasized, the first few seasons in the WNBA involve “a lot of on-the-job training, because you don’t get a lot of training camp or practice. You really just have to go through it, and then the game slows down eventually.” 

Bottom line: Expect these numbers to improve for Clark, particularly from 3. The stat to really keep an eye on is how many shots per game she takes. She ranked 11th in that category this season (among all 144 players) but could creep up, especially as Indiana continues to play at a faster pace. 

Caitlin Clark’s turnovers will go down

Clark led the league in turnovers as a rookie (5.6 per game) but really, what did you expect?  The reality of having the ball in your hands more than anyone means you’re probably going to lose it a lot more than anyone, too.

Comparison here is tough. Clark is the definition of a high risk, high reward player and when she’s in her groove, she plays at a breakneck pace. Many of her turnovers come from risks she takes.

Meanwhile the other best passers in the league — Ionescu, Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas, New York’s Courtney Vandersloot — don’t have to shoot as much because they have more talent around them. This helps them cut down on turnovers.

But, as all those veteran passers can attest from personal experience, the more Clark plays with her teammates and develops chemistry and timing with them, the fewer turnovers she’ll have. She’ll also get a better feel for which defenders she can pass through and which she can’t. 

Passing is what will separate Caitlin Clark

Diehard fans and casual WNBA viewers might love Clark for her shooting, but true basketball junkies know the separator when it comes to Clark is her passing. 

“You can’t guard somebody’s vision and you can’t guard somebody’s unselfishness,” said Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon, who played 16 years in the league. “There are certain things that are within people, and she has an innate way of passing the ball. Her passing is her best part of her game. Her shooting, people want to talk all about the logo 3s or whatever but — that girl will slice and dice your defense.”

Put another way: Clark’s vision of the other nine players on the floor is a unique gift. It’s hard to anticipate the gaps she’ll see and the passes she can thread through those gaps. 

Clark also mirrors one of the GOATs of women’s basketball when it comes to being a multi-tool player. Diana Taurasi, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, has always been known as a tough assignment because of her ability to do everything. That’s the way her teammates tell it, at least.

‘Playing against DT was a pain in the (butt),’ said current Mercury guard and Taurasi teammate Natasha Cloud, who spent eight seasons with the Washington Mystics. ‘I would leave games with bruises all over my arm. She’s one of the hardest people to guard because she just has so many weapons. And what makes her super dangerous is she can pass the (crap) out of the ball, too.’

According to Diggins-Smith, there’s nothing like guarding a terrific passer to remind you of the importance of team defense. 

“With great point guards who can see, you try to trap their vision, show them difference schemes,” said Diggins-Smith, explaining that everyone getting hands in passing lanes is crucial. “We don’t talk about that as a one-on-one matchup, that’s got to be one-on-five. It takes discipline, too.” 

Hammon agreed. 

“You’ve gotta mix up looks on people who dissect the game like that,” she said. “You gotta make them uncomfortable … once you learn how to weaponize passing it makes you basically impossible to guard.” 

That’s good news for Clark and the Fever, and sobering news for everyone tasked with guarding her. 

The running game still seems to be ahead of the passing game for many NFL teams as workhorse backs such as Saquon Barkley and Alvin Kamara lead all fantasy scorers through the first three games of the season. Could this be the week that quarterbacks and receivers step up their games?

Fantasy football rankings for Week 4 are based on the point-per-reception (PPR) scoring used in most seasonal and daily fantasy football formats. One point is awarded for every 10 rushing and receiving yards and one point for every 20 passing yards. Six points are awarded for touchdowns scored, four points for passing TDs and one point for receptions.

Rankings are compiled by Daniel Dobish, TheHuddle.com. 

(*-check status before kickoff)

Fantasy football Week 4 quarterback rankings

Jordan Love (knee) will be a limited participant in practice, a little more than two weeks after suffering a sprained MCL in the season opener. It appears possible he could return to action on the early end of his projected timeline.
Brock Purdy is dealing with back soreness, but it doesn’t appear it will impact his availability for Sunday.
X-rays on Justin Herbert‘s ankle were negative after he was forced out of Sunday’s game. Taylor Heinicke would be back under center if Herbert can’t go.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Fantasy football Week 4 running back rankings

Kenneth Walker (oblique) and Joe Mixon (ankle) are both optimistic that a week off will help them get back on the field. Both were listed as doubtful during the week and ended up being inactive for Sunday’s games. Keep an eye on their practice involvement.
Jaylen Warren (knee) was forced out of last Sunday’s game early. He’ll be limited in practice to start the week.

Fantasy football Week 4 wide receiver rankings

A.J. Brown (hamstring) has missed two consecutive games, but could be ready to return in Week 4. Meanwhile, teammate DeVonta Smith is going through the concussion protocol after taking a hard hit to the helmet and leaving Sunday’s game against the Saints.

Fantasy football Week 4 tight end rankings

Sam LaPorta has been diagnosed with a low-ankle sprain, which could allow him to play this week. LaPorta left Sunday’s game twice, but returned both times — though his production was minimal (two receptions, 36 yards).
Trey McBride left his game on Sunday after taking a blow to the head. He will have to clear the concussion protocol before he’s able to suit up against the Commanders.

Fantasy football Week 4 kicker rankings

Fantasy football Week 4 defense/special teams rankings

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The first version of the story – his version – is that a UNLV assistant coach verbally promised him a $100,000 name, image and likeness payment after transferring from Holy Cross and that the money never materialized when he got on campus. 

The second version – the narrative being spun by people friendlier to UNLV – is that Sluka demanded a raise, so to speak, after becoming the starting quarterback for a 3-0 team that is well-positioned to make a run at the College Football Playoff. 

In NIL’s “Wild West” era, both scenarios are plausible because they have happened dozens of times before at schools across college sports. The difference now is that we heard about it through a statement in which Sluka said he’s walking away from the team and preserving the rest of this year’s eligibility as a redshirt. 

This unusual situation is like rocket fuel for debates around NIL the last three years. The lack of oversight around NIL in general, the bad-faith grifters and incompetent agents trying to make an easy buck, the fundamental economic rights of college athletes and the delicate locker-room dynamics around money are all featured characters here. Depending on how you view college athletes being paid, and given the lack of clear evidence about how this went awry, you can choose your own narrative on this one. 

But it should be a wake-up call for everyone who has twisted themselves into a pretzel trying to avoid an employment model for college athletes. Until schools take responsibility for being an employer – just like every other multi-billion dollar sports league – the challenges around building and maintaining rosters are going to continue resulting in chaos and consequences that make the entire operation look unserious at best and a breeding ground for malevolent actors at worst. 

Some will argue that all of these hiccups are just part of the growing pains as college sports transitions out of an era where it was taboo to pick up the tab for a college athlete’s pizza to one where assistant coaches wear T-shirts during practice bragging about paying players. Just good old American capitalism at work, baby. 

But there’s really no industry in this country right now where capitalism operates as unfettered as college sports and NIL, with nary an enforceable regulation to be found. And the result? 

It’s been mostly great for the players, who have the opportunity if they so choose to shop themselves on the open market every year for a better deal and a new team. It has been miserable for coaches and administrators, whose rosters have to start almost from scratch every year and are operating in a silo of misinformation with every decision about what a player’s actual value is on the open market. And it has proven to be an endless treadmill for collectives, these semi-independent booster entities who can never stop raising money, lest the kitty runs out to cover the next batch of recruits and transfers. 

Did UNLV’s collective not have enough money to make this go away? Did the school want to draw a red line about the consequences of trying to ask for $100,000 in the middle of the season? We may never really know. 

UNLV’s official statement is that Sluka made “financial demands … in order to continue playing,” which the school interpreted as a violation of NCAA rules. 

“UNLV does not engage in such activity, nor does it respond to implied threats,” the statement said.

UNLV’s collective put out a statement denying it had ever made a $100,000 offer and insisting that it has upheld all of its contract and financial commitments this season. 

No matter whom you believe, though, the fallout is going to be real for UNLV, whose football team and remaining players were left in the lurch by a teammate, and for head coach Barry Odom, who will have to do some reputational cleanup on behalf of his staff.

Though there’s no reasonable way to determine how often this kind of thing has happened behind the scenes, the coaching community in football and men’s basketball particularly has an endless supply of anecdotes from the last three years – ranging from misunderstandings about what was offered, collectives hanging on by their fingernails to make payroll and agents threatening to pull players out of otherwise good situations due to financial disputes.

Sure, college sports is booming. Seats are full, television ratings are up, interest continues to explode despite how chaotic the sport seems. 

But no business with stakes and dollar figures this significant should be run so haphazardly and with so little oversight of financial transactions that essentially function as a salary. 

There’s one major hurdle, though, to getting control of the NIL environment: Any attempt by schools or the NCAA to restrict how the collectives operate is going to get legal pushback and be subjected to scrutiny over antitrust violations.

Even the House v. NCAA settlement, which carves the pathway for schools to directly share revenue with players for the first time, has been held up by concerns from Northern District of California Judge Claudia Wilken over some limits on NIL/collective activity. 

The only answer that solves it is to make college athletes employees and have the rules of the road standardized and agreed to through a collective bargaining process – just like in every professional sport.

University presidents and NCAA officials have spent tens of millions in legal fees and lobbying in Washington, D.C., over the last few years to avoid that outcome. They will seemingly make any concession possible to avoid athletes becoming employees.

But as long as NIL collectives exist in their current form, with practically no rules, standards, oversight or transparency on the deals they make with players, the UNLV-Sluka dispute is undoubtedly going to be the first of many that blows up publicly in the middle of a season. 

If schools are comfortable with that trend, by all means they should continue on the current path. If they want some control back and to bring order to athlete compensation, making them employees is really the only solution. 

Nov. 15 is the date for the highly anticipated fight between Jake ‘The Problem Child’ Paul and ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson. The fight, titled ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet,’ will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and will be streamed exclusively on Netflix.

Most recently, Jake Paul’s belly has been making the rounds on social media, with many believing Paul’s recent weight gain could throw him off once he gets in the ring with Tyson. While the weight gain was made in effort to get to heavyweight status, at which Paul does not normally compete, the departure from his comfort zone could prove difficult to overcome.

Outside of Paul’s new look, Tyson also took to Jimmy Kimmel Live to express his lack of concern facing someone more than 30 years younger than him. Tyson told Kimmel that he started Jake Paul’s boxing journey after he allowed Paul to partake in his first televised fight during his exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. Tyson added, ‘I started him. And I’m going to finish him.’

The two have been jawing online for quite some time in anticipation of this fight, and fans are giddy with less than two months left.

Here is the latest information concerning the Tyson-Paul fight.

When is Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson?

The fight is set for Friday, Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys will host the Houston Texans on ‘Monday Night Football’ on Monday, Nov. 18, just three days later.

Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson: How to watch

Date: Friday, Nov. 15
Time: Not yet announced
TV: N/A
Streaming: Netflix

Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson official fight rules

This fight will consist of eight two-minute rounds. Both boxers will also wear heavier 14-ounce gloves in order to promote safety.

Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Netflix details

The fight will be streamed exclusively on Netflix. A Netflix account/plan will be required in order to watch the fight live. Prices for accounts start at $6.99/month for standard streaming, which includes advertisements.

Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson: Latest fight odds

As of Sep. 25, odds from DraftKings give Paul the edge.

Moneyline: Paul (-320), Tyson (+240)

Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering sports betting promo

Jake Paul’s last fight

After the original date for the Tyson-Paul fight, July 20, was postponed, Paul still used that original date to showcase his fighting prowess, taking on Michael Perry. Paul won by TKO. Paul’s career record in the ring is 10-1 with 7 KO’s. His only loss came by split-decision against Tommy Fury on Feb. 26, 2023.

Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight card

The full Nov. 15 card has not been announced.

Katie Taylor vs. Amando Serrano, super lightweight title fight
Neeraj Goyat vs. Whindersson Nunes, middleweight fight (four rounds)
Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos, WBC welterweight title fight

Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson ticket prices

Tale of the tape: Jake Paul height, weight

Paul is listed at 6-foot-1 and reportedly weighs 230 pounds, up from his usual fighting weight of 200 pounds. Paul had said previously that he planned to gain weight for the fight, and it appears he has kept his promise.

Tale of the tape: Mike Tyson height, weight

Tyson is listed at 5-foot-10 and fought at 220 pounds in his most recent exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr.

How old is Jake Paul?

Jake Paul is 27 years old. He will turn 28 on Jan. 17, 2025.

How old is Mike Tyson?

Mike Tyson turned 58 years old on June 30 this year.

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Taurasi posted 10 points, including two 3-pointers, and was given a standing ovation as she walked off the court with 2:34 left in the first-round elimination game. Taurasi also received a technical foul early in the fourth quarter.

The Mercury made a statement early in the first half but trailed 49-47 at the break against the Lynx. Minnesota led by nine points during the second quarter, but the Mercury outscored them 10-4 in the final few minutes before halftime.

At the beginning of the third quarter, the Mercury stayed close with the Lynx and were ahead by one point at 8:38. But Minnesota pulled ahead after Sophie Cunningham was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul on Bridget Carleton at 7:43, sparking a 12-4 run for the Lynx.

The Lynx, boosted by star Napheesa Collier’s record performance, were unstoppable down the stretch. Collier finished with 42 points on 14-of-20 shooting, tying the WNBA’s single-game scoring record in the playoffs.

Brittney Griner led the Mercury with 24 points and tied with three other players for the lead in rebounds at five. The Mercury worked harder on the boards, outrebounding Minnesota, 31-25.

Phoenix’s Natasha Cloud recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists.

The Mercury finished the regular season with a 19-21 record and made the playoffs one season after finishing last in the league.

The 2024 Presidents Cup is nearly here.

The four-day, men’s match play event that pits a team of U.S. golfers against a team of International ones — excluding Europe — will begin Thursday at Royal Montreal Golf Club, and will be the 15th playing of the biennial event. The United States has dominated the Presidents Cup, with a record of 12-1-1, after winning the 2022 event at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Some of golf’s biggest names will be represented, with World Golf Ranking No. 1 player Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele (No. 2) and Collin Morikawa (No. 4) leading the U.S. squad and Hideki Matsuyama (No. 7) and Adam Scott (No. 18) leading the International team.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 Presidents Cup:

How can I watch the Presidents Cup?

Coverage of the 2024 Presidents Cup will be broadcast on NBC and Golf Channel. Golf Channel will cover the first two days, beginning Thursday at 11:30 a.m. ET. NBC will broadcast the final two days.

How can I stream the Presidents Cup?

The Presidents Cup will also be available for streaming on Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

Presidents Cup preview

The Presidents Cup is an event that pits a team of golfers from the United States against an International squad from around the world, excluding Europe. The U.S. faces golfers from Europe in another biennial competition, the Ryder Cup.

The Presidents Cup first began in 1994 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Prince William County, Virginia. The venue of competition alternates between U.S. locations and foreign ones.

The Presidents Cup is unique in that there’s no purse or prize money, and players are not paid for their participation. Rather, each golfer allocates a portion of revenue generated to support the charities of their choosing. More than 475 charities across 18 different countries have benefitted from the Presidents Cup, with more than $56.4 million generated.

When does the Presidents Cup begin?

The 2024 Presidents Cup begins Thursday, Sept. 26, with the opening ceremony and first round matches (four-ball). Barring weather disruptions, the event will conclude Sunday, Sept. 29, with final round matches (singles).

Where is the Presidents Cup being played this year?

The Presidents Cup is taking place in Canada at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Île Bizard, Quebec, which is about 20 miles west of downtown Montreal.

Presidents Cup captains

The captain of the United States team is Jim Furyk, and the captain of the International team is Mike Weir.

Presidents Cup rosters

OAKLAND, Calif. — Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay entered his office Tuesday night after a walk-off victory over the Texas Rangers, ripped his lineup sheet in half and was just about to drop it in the trash can when sheer panic set in.

“The thought immediately came, ‘What if this is the last win in the Coliseum for us as a club?” Kotsay said. “So it’s still sitting in my office, torn in half. It didn’t make the trash can. So that’s something you just don’t think about, but I should be careful about right now.’’

A’s players, fans and employees all are sharing the same sentiments with the final baseball game at the Oakland Coliseum scheduled for Thursday afternoon (3:37 p.m. ET) against the Texas Rangers.

Fans have seemingly already begun sneaking wrenches and tools into the Oakland Coliseum to steal seats as private souvenirs, evidenced by a group of fans shown on video proudly thrusting a cluster of seats high into the air.

San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman, who played the first five years of his career for the A’s, grabbed the third-base bag on his way out of the stadium last month.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien, who came up as a shortstop in the A’s organization, says he plans to scoop up some infield dirt.

So, just what are the A’s planning to grab, swipe or steal on their way out of town?

“We’ve been talking and eyeballing what we’re going to take as far as memorabilia or a memento,’’ Athletics veteran reliever T.J. McFarland tells USA TODAY Sports. “I think everyone would love to have the pitching rubber from the mound, or at least from the bullpen.’’

Says All-Star closer Mason Miller: “I’ll get some jars of dirt, knowing I made my debut here less than two years ago. Having the opportunity to come back to the place where it all started kind of weighs a little heavy. It’s the closest I can be to kind of understanding what the fans are going through.’’

While everyone in the A’s clubhouse is trying to come up with something different besides taking home the nameplates atop their lockers, they pointed towards the upper right field corner of the stadium, high atop Mt. Davis, where Dave Stewart’s retired number covers the entire section.

Someone suggested that perhaps Stewart should take home the tarp.

“Come on, man,’’ Stewart said. “What am I going to do with that thing? Cover my house with it? People will think I’m tarping my house for termites.’’

Tyler Nevin says he’ll grab dirt from the batter’s box before leaving the stadium, calling it a cool gift to himself that will preserve the memories.

Why not a urinal?

“Uh, I don’t think I could sneak a urinal out of here,’’ Nevin said. “I’ll have to settle for dirt.’’

Athletics right fielder Lawrence Butler wants to tear off one of the Athletics logos that adorns the wall in the tunnel on the way to the field.

“I know a lot of guys are grabbing dirt,’’ Butler says, “but I don’t want that. I’ll just lose it. The sign would be cool. I’d have a lot of memories with that.’’

Jacob Wilson, a shortstop for the A’s, says it would be full circle to grab some dirt from that spot, taking it back to his Arizona home.

“To have that from the same spot I stepped on the field for the first time as a big leaguer, that would be pretty special. That’s the one thing I’ll look for,’ he said.

Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers says he wants to dig up home plate to keep forever, but if he’s stopped by A’s officials, well, he’ll have to settle for dirt from behind the plate.

“It would be really cool to have home plate, if they let me,’’ Langeliers says. “If not, I’ll have to settle on a jar of dirt. No matter what it is, I know it’s going to be emotional. There’s a lot of emotions and feelings colliding together now.

“I can’t help but think about all of the great Hall of Famers and World Series played here, knowing they had so many historic moments.’’

The souvenirs and keepsakes certainly will be nice, A’s players say, but the memories of playing in the Coliseum will last forever.

The A’s are opening their parking lot at 8 a.m. Thursday, and an estimated 46,000 fans are expected to fill the stadium. It will be the largest home crowd any of the current A’s players have ever seen.

The average ticket price of $121 is the highest on record at an A’s home game, according to TickPick, 146% more expensive than the average purchase price of A’s games this season.

“I think the players are excited about playing in front of a sellout,’’ Kotsay says. “I think the largest crowd we played in front of the last three seasons has been the reverse boycott crowd, which was 33,000. It will be a special day. I don’t think fans are going to want to leave the stadium.

“This is an opportunity for the fans to come in and see it for the last time, to take it in for the last time, to share it with their families, the history and what it means.’’

The A’s are taking precautions with the large crowd and the wave of emotions they’ll be feeling. There will be 500 security officials, including 200 police officers, on hand to discourage overzealous fans from trying to grab their own souvenirs.

“I don’t anticipate there being any problems,’’ Nevin says. “Like most end of seasons, it’s just saying goodbye to the fans, giving a little send-off with a wave. But obviously, this carries a little more weight.

“The team is pretty aware of what this team means to the city.’’

Kotsay believes that fans will peacefully show their sorrow without storming the field or showing rage by throwing objects. The A’s are handing out miniature Coliseum replicas to 25,000 fans, but they’ll be distributed only as they leave the ballpark after the seventh inning, curbing any thoughts of the giveaways being thrown onto the field, while also inciting fans to leave before the final pitch.

Kotsay, who played for the A’s from 2004-2007, is not planning to grab a microphone and address the fans after the game. But whether he speaks or not, he vows that the team will acknowledge the crowd.

“I think the anger has passed,’’ Kotsay says. “We’re going to go out and honor the fanbase. In terms of speaking to the crowd, I think our game is going to represent about just saying goodbye, really. So, I don’t think words can make it any easier for them.

“In fact, I think the acknowledgement is a final goodbye.’’

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This story was updated to add new information.

Former Chicago Red Stars coach Rory Dames, who was mentioned almost 400 times in Sally Yates’ damning report on abuse in women’s soccer, is no longer listed in the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s disciplinary database.

SafeSport declined to offer any explanations Wednesday, saying, “the Center does not comment on matters to protect the integrity of its investigations.” The office of Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who mentioned Dames in a letter last month to SafeSport CEO Ju’Riese Colon that raised questions about the Center’s effectiveness, said it had not received any information about a resolution in the case.

U.S. Soccer, which took the rare step of going public with its concerns that predators were going unchecked because of the way SafeSport handles cases, said it was ‘disappointed’ to learn of Dames’ disappearance from the disciplinary list. Dames’ coaching license remains suspended by U.S. Soccer, but he could coach without one, particularly at the youth level.

‘At U.S. Soccer, the safety of all participants in the sport, from grassroots to the professional levels, is our utmost priority,’ the federation said in a statement. ‘This inaction underscores the urgent need for reform. That is why we are continuing to work with Congress and our fellow national governing bodies to address these deficiencies and ensure the protection of all athletes.’

Paul Riley, another prominent NWSL coach mentioned often in the Yates report, was suspended Tuesday for proactive policy violation and emotional misconduct, according to the SafeSport database. The decision is subject to appeal and is not yet final.

The Dames case highlighted some of the oft mentioned shortcomings of SafeSport, which Congress created to serve as an independent body to handle abuse complaints in the Olympic movement. They include lengthy delays in investigations, a lack of transparency and, if SafeSport closes a case without discipline, the inability of national governing bodies to impose their own.

Dames was once one of the most prominent coaches in the NWSL, leading the Red Stars to the championship game in 2021 and top-five finishes in all but one other season. He resigned in late November 2021, almost two months after U.S. Soccer hired Yates to conduct a wide-reaching investigation into abuse in women’s soccer, and complaints about his treatment of players soon became public.

When Yates released her report in October 2022, the complaints against Dames took up 38 of the 172 pages. Multiple Red Stars players spoke of verbal abuse, emotional abuse and manipulation, as well as a sexualized environment at Dames’ youth clubs that included talking to teenage girls about oral sex.

“All current and former (Red Stars) players that we interviewed reported that Dames engaged in … excessive shouting, belittling, threatening, humiliating, scapegoating, rejecting, isolating or ignoring players,” Yates wrote in her report. “As (Red Stars) player Samantha Johnson put it, at the Chicago Red Stars, ‘abuse was part of the culture.’”

In response to Yates’ investigation, U.S. Soccer suspended Dames and stripped him of his coaching license in January 2022. It also, as law requires, reported him to SafeSport.

But SafeSport lifted Dames’ suspension and modified the restrictions on him so he could, in theory, still coach while he was being investigated. He remained under investigation for more than two years. It’s not clear when he was removed — Grassley’s office said Dames was still in the database when Grassley sent his letter to Colon on Aug. 1 — or why.

“Congress established SafeSport in 2017 with the mission of protecting athletes from abuse. Yet long after SafeSport’s formation, several habitual abusers remain in positions of trust, despite public scrutiny spotlighting their misconduct. Rory Dames is one of those alleged abusers,” Grassley wrote in his Aug. 1 letter to Colon.

The NWSL, which is not under SafeSport’s jurisdiction, along with its players union conducted their own investigation of abuse complaints. The league banned both Dames and Riley for life in January 2023 as a result.