The Sacramento Kings have locked up one of their young cornerstones.

The team and Keegan Murray reached agreement Wednesday, Oct. 15 on a five-year, $140 million rookie contract extension, per ESPN. The deal is set to keep Murray in the capital of California through the 2030-31 season.

Murray is entering his fourth season with the Kings after the team selected him fourth overall in the 2022 draft out of Iowa. He’d been durable for the team, appearing in 80 games his rookie year, 77 in his second and 76 last season. He’s started 231 of his 233 career games.

In those contests, the 6-foot-8 forward has averaged 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

He is slated to start the 2025-26 season on the shelf, however, due to a thumb injury.

It’s the second notable transaction the Kings completed Wednesday, as they also inked Russell Westbrook to a deal.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

The people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect the ongoing process, said embattled Florida coach Billy Napier could be fired as soon as this weekend. One thing is certain: Napier won’t survive another loss.

Stricklin declined comment for this story.

This, unlike other speculation about Napier’s job status, is an important and direct connection to last year’s near firing of Napier. It was then that the same Florida boosters were ready to pay Napier’s large buyout, but were held off by Stricklin and convinced to use that money in NIL space to help Napier’s buildout.

The boosters agreed, and the result was a significantly upgraded and talented team. Florida flipped five-star wide receiver Dallas Wilson – the most talented player on the team – from Oregon late in the recruiting process with the infusion of NIL cash.

That money also was used to keep numerous impact players already on the roster from leaving for other schools. The results on the field, however, have been the same.

Napier’s buyout, according to a document obtained by USA TODAY Sports, is approximately $21 million, to be paid in installments: 50% of the money within 30 days of separation, and then equal payments of 12.5% annually over the next four years.    

The hope is that Napier, who has a close relationship with a talented roster he built, will finish the season while Florida looks for its fifth coach since Urban Meyer resigned after the 2010 season. 

If Napier doesn’t choose to finish the season, the only coach on staff with head coaching experience is defensive coordinator Ron Roberts, who led two programs in the NCAA lower divisions (Delta State, Southeastern Louisiana).

The inevitable end for Napier began last month, when Florida lost at home as an 18-point favorite to Group of Five school South Florida. The Gators have since lost ugly road games to LSU, Miami and Texas A&M, sandwiched around an upset of Texas in Gainesville.

Napier was nearly fired last year when Florida began the season with blowout home losses to Miami and Texas A&M, on the heels two dysfunctional seasons to begin his tenure. It was then that USA TODAY Sports reported a group of Florida boosters were ready to pay Napier’s $28 million buyout.

But Stricklin held firm with Napier, a likable, organized coach who the university desperately wanted to succeed. The Gators then went on a second half run that included wins over LSU and Ole Miss — and Stricklin then convinced boosters to use the potential buyout money on NIL deals to help support player procurement.

The group of boosters, three people told USA Today Sports, agreed, but with one stipulation: that Napier relinquish control of the offense, and hire an experienced coordinator and play caller. He never did. 

Napier tried to hire Ole Miss offensive coordinator and play caller Charlie Weis Jr., before the 2024 season, two different people with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. But Weis decided to stay with Rebels coach Lane Kiffin, and Napier never made another serious run at an offensive coordinator. 

Now Napier is 21-23 into his fourth season, and has the worst coaching record at Florida since the 1940s. He has lost every way imaginable, and is winless against bitter rival Georgia — with the program falling further behind in the ever-strengthening SEC with each passing week.

Florida still has difficult games remaining against three teams ranked in the Top 11 of the US LBM coaches poll: Georgia (in Jacksonville, Fla.), at Ole Miss and Tennessee in Gainesville.  

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. 

Steve Berkowitz, sports projects reporter for USA TODAY Sports Network, contributed to this report. 

Malcolm Brogdon, 32, is calling it a career after nine seasons in the NBA. The veteran guard had a rather successful career, winning Rookie of the Year in 2017 with the Milwaukee Bucks and Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 as a member of the Boston Celtics. Despite that success, though, Brogdon will retire sooner than anticipated.

After spending the 2024-25 season with Washington, Brogdon was on track to make the New York Knicks’ final roster. Instead, he decided to retire, a decision that he’d supposedly been contemplating for a while. Brogdon informed Knicks officials on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

‘Today, I officially begin my transition out of my basketball career,’ Brogdon told ESPN. ‘I am deeply grateful to have arrived to this point on my own terms and now to be able to reap the benefits of my career with my family and friends. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all who have had a place in my journey.’

Malcolm Brogdon career

Brogdon was drafted 36th overall in the 2016 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He would go on to win Rookie of the Year in 2016-17 and looked to be a promising addition to a budding Bucks team. However, after just three years with the team, he was traded to Indiana.

Brogdon would play a feature role with the Pacers, even averaging over 21 points with the Pacers during the 2020-21 season. He’d only stay with them for three years as well, though. From there, he’d join the Boston Celtics, where he was named Sixth Man of the Year following a terrific 2022-23 campaign. That award made Brogdon just the second player in league history to win both Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year (Mike Miller the other).

Brogdon averaged 15.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game throughout his nine seasons in the league.

How does this affect the Knicks?

Although Brogdon certainly would’ve been a great presence in the Knicks’ locker room, he likely wouldn’t have had a massive role on the team. The Knicks made an effort to bolster their backcourt depth this offseason, signing both Jordan Clarkson and Landry Shamet — though Shamet was only given a training camp deal and was expecting to compete for a roster spot, just like Brogdon.

While Brogdon could have certainly provided some scoring off the bench, the Knicks are in no need of such skills from a depth guard. After all, Jordan Clarkson leads the NBA in points off the bench since 2020.

Brogdon would have been a valuable depth piece on a Knicks’ team that lacks in that department, but it is unclear how Brogdon would have exactly fit into the Knicks’ rotation, if at all.

A man in Utah has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of threats of violence and obstruction of justice after he allegedly made threats on social media concerning this upcoming weekend’s college football rivalry game between No. 14 BYU and No. 22 Utah.

The arrest comes three days before the Cougars and Utes meet at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah in one of five top 25 matchups in Week 8. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, the man in custody is 28 years old and is being held Emery County Jail.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the man in custody tweeted out several alarming posts on X (formerly Twitter), which were brought to the attention of local law enforcement. One post included a reply to a user on X of ‘anyone wearing red on Saturday is getting shot.’ Another post wrote, ‘come to [LaVell Edwards Stadium] and enjoy a bullet in your head. Bring your… kids too.’

The former of the two posts was prefaced by a post from the same person, who wrote, ‘I’ll be in LES (LaVell Edwards Stadium) Saturday. Any Ute fan I see is dead. Mark my words,’ according to KUTV, a CBS affiliate in Salt Lake City.

Utah and BYU are set to face each other at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 18 for the 103rd time in history, and the second time as members of the Big 12 Conference.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

The Big 12 has fined Texas Tech and Kansas $25,000 each, stemming from the Red Raiders’ traditional tortilla throwing during their game on Oct. 11.

Texas Tech was fined for ‘repeated instances of objects being thrown onto the playing surface’ while Kansas was fined for comments from coach Lance Leipold about the conference, a member and ‘an inaccurate statement regarding a pocketknife.’

‘After a formal review, Texas Tech did not take sufficient steps to prevent and deter the repeated throwing of objects onto the field and team bench areas,’ Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement. ‘Coach Leipold’s comments questioned the integrity and professionalism of both the Conference and a member institution. Both actions warranted a financial penalty.’

What happened with Texas Tech and Kansas?

The fines stem from Texas Tech’s 42-17 win over the Jayhawks in Week 7. Texas Tech has a decadeslong tradition of fans throwing tortillas in the air at the opening kickoff and on subsequent kickoffs.

However, prior to the season, Big 12 athletic directors voted voted 15-1 to strengthen the conference’s policy on throwing objects onto the field. The new rules state teams receive warnings for the first two violations, but then 15-yard personal foul penalties would be assessed for each subsequent violation.

Texas Tech has stood strong in keeping the tradition going for opening kickoffs, but has pleaded with fans to not toss tortillas afterward. They didn’t oblige, and it resulted in two 15-yard penalties for the Red Raiders in the contest.

After the game, Leipold and Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire appeared to have a small argument, and McGuire later said it stemmed from the tortillas thrown on the field. Leipold alleged a pocketknife was thrown and hit one of the staff members, calling it ‘ridiculous.’

‘Our conference office and (Big 12 chief football and competition officer) Scott Draper and them were very poor in handling it,’ Leipold said. ‘One of the officials almost got hit and tried to throw a flag, and it got picked up. So that was disappointing. We have a policy put in that wasn’t followed through, so I was very disappointed with how that was.’

Texas Tech coach pleads with fans to change tortilla toss

McGuire pleaded with fans to follow the rules and avoid penalties being assessed to Texas Tech ‘because it’s going to catch up to us’ if the game is close and gives opponents better field position.

‘It’s frustrating because, it’s like whenever I talk to the guys, ‘Make it about the football.’ If you get any kind of extracurricular penalties, like we had a 15-yarder late in the game, ‘Hey, you made it about you,” McGuire said. ‘If you’re throwing tortillas more than once, now it becomes all about you.

‘Is that a Red Raider? If you came to the game and you love this team and you’re passionate about this team but yet you’re going to throw another tortilla and you know it’s against the rules?’

The Texas Tech coach added they have two weeks to come up with a better plan of how to address the rules with fans. The Red Raiders host Oklahoma State on Oct. 25.

Colorado avoided a fine because the conference determined the university properly executed its field storm management procedures.
During the field storm, an Iowa State player had his helmet pulled by a fan, and another fan was temporarily pinned under a goal post.
Coach Deion Sanders expressed support for controlled field storming and suggested fans could help pay a potential fine.

The Big 12 Conference has decided not to fine the University of Colorado after Colorado fans stormed the field at the end of a 24-17 victory Saturday against Iowa State.

The prospect of a fine prompted the dismay of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, who suggested after the game that fans should “chip in” to pay for it if it happened.

But the Big 12 reviewed the situation and decided otherwise.

“The conference is not fining us for Saturday’s field storm,” CU athletics spokesman Steve Hurlbert said Wednesday, Oct. 15. “The conference said that we executed our field storm management procedures and would therefore not be fined.”

The Big 12 and other leagues can fine schools whose fans rush the field because of safety and security issues. They want the teams to be able to exit the field without being rushed by a mob. The potential penalties push schools to put security measures in place to ensure that.

Videos after Saturday’s game in Boulder showed Iowa State players were still on the field when fans poured onto the turf, with some attempt by stadium security to cordon off the Iowa State sideline.

But one video circulated on social media showed a Colorado fan pulling on the helmet of Iowa State receiver Chase Sowell. On Thursday, Sowell said on social media site X that he is “fine.”

“Both Athletic Directors have reached out and checked on me with an apology for the incident while also getting it all figured out,” said Sowell, a former Colorado player.

Another video showed a fan getting temporarily pinned under a goal post.

Last year, the Big 12 also fined Colorado $25,000 after fans stormed the field at the end of a 38-31 overtime win against Baylor.

Extra security at the Colorado-Iowa State game

After Colorado’s previous home game Sept. 27, the Big 12 reprimanded and fined Colorado $50,000 for “hateful and discriminatory language” after Colorado fans made profane anti-Mormon chants against BYU, which won the game 24-21.

Colorado then announced Oct. 6 “new procedures around fan behavior at Folsom Field.”

This included increased security personnel at the stadium and undercover police “embedded in various sections throughout the stadium for immediate removals.”

What did Deion Sanders say about it?

He previously wasn’t aware of any Big 12 policy against rushing the field and expressed surprise it could result in a fine. Colorado officials suggested after the game a $50,000 penalty might be on the way.

But Sanders viewed fans storming the field as a good thing if it’s controlled, noting that “we don’t want to do nothing stupid.”

“I want to see the kids rush the field,” Sanders said Saturday. “I absolutely love it.”

Sanders himself was protected by security personnel surrounding him as he left the game.

“Hats off to our security team,” Sanders said. “They do a good job ushering me in. But I love to see it. I really do.”

Colorado has an off weekend this week before returning to play Oct. 25 at Utah.

Kansas, Texas Tech were fined by Big 12, though

The Big 12 did fine Texas Tech and Kansas $25,000 each, stemming from the Red Raiders’ traditional tortilla throwing during their game on Oct. 11.

Texas Tech was fined for ‘repeated instances of objects being thrown onto the playing surface’ while Kansas was fined for comments from coach Lance Leipold about the conference, a member and ‘an inaccurate statement regarding a pocketknife.’

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

The Pittsburgh Steelers made life difficult on the Cleveland Browns’ offense in Week 6. Pittsburgh’s defense held the Browns to just nine points – all on field goals – and sacked rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel six times over the game.

Gabriel, who made his second start of the season as Cleveland transitions away from veteran Joe Flacco, made light of that performance today. When asked how he was feeling after Pittsburgh tallied 16 hits on him during the game, Gabriel wasn’t fazed.

‘My mom used to beat my a– as a kid so I don’t think anything will live up to it,’ he said. After a pause, he added that he was ‘just playing around.’

That quarterback hit total was a season-high for the Pittsburgh defense after they notched 14 against Minnesota in Week 4 before their bye.

‘I’m good,’ Gabriel said. ‘It’s part of football. That’s why you play it, we’re good.’

As a unit, Cleveland’s offensive line has struggled in pass protection this season. The Browns rank 27th in ESPN’s pass block win rate metric but are closer to league average in run block win rate at 14th.

Things may not get easier for Gabriel in the pocket in Week 7. The Browns face a Miami Dolphins defense whose strength is pass rush so he may be handing the ball off more than usual.

Gabriel attempted 52 passes in the Browns’ loss to the Steelers. That tied for the second-most in a single game this season. Only Bryce Young’s 55 attempts for Carolina against Arizona in Week 2 ranks higher.

He completed 29 of those 52 attempts for 221 yards. His first career start a week earlier against Minnesota saw him complete 19 of 33 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov will be out for five months after having surgery for an upper-body injury.
New Jersey Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom is out two weeks with a lower-body injury.
Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper and captain Anze Kopitar are day-to-day. The Kings traded for goalie Pheonix Copley.

The injuries keep piling up for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov will be out for five months after having surgery for an upper-body injury. He was hurt in the second game of this season and had averaged 19 minutes a game last season.

‘We’re not allowing any short-term injuries this year,’ coach Paul Maurice quipped.

The Panthers are already without captain Aleksander Barkov, who had surgery during training camp to repair his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament and is expected to miss seven to nine months.

Winger Matthew Tkachuk is still recovering from offseason surgery for a torn adductor muscle. He is expected to be out until at least December. Fourth-liner Tomas Nosek has yet to play and is also out long-term.

Kulikov’s injury gives more opportunity to defenseman Uvis Balinskis, who played 76 games last season but sat out the first two games of 2025-26.

The Panthers also claimed defenseman Donovan Sebrango off waivers from the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

Despite the injuries, the Panthers opened 3-0 before losing on Monday, Oct. 13, to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Other injury updates and roster news from around the NHL on Wednesday:

Jacob Markstrom injury update

The New Jersey Devils No. 1 goaltender is out two weeks with a lower-body injury. He was hurt near the end of Monday’s game but finished up. He had entered in the third period because starter Jake Allen was cramping.

The team called up goalie Nico Daws. Allen is good to go.

Darcy Kuemper, Anze Kopitar injury update

Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper and captain Anze Kopitar are day-to-day with lower body injuries, coach Jim Hiller told reporters.

The Kings traded for goalie Pheonix Copley later in the day, bringing him back to the team after they had lost him on waivers. The Tampa Bay Lightning receive future considerations.

Lucas Raymond injury update

The Detroit Red Wings top-line forward will sit out Wednesday’s game with an upper-body injury. He’s day-to-day. He was checked into the boards by Toronto’s Chris Tanev on Monday.

Raymond, who had missed only eight games in his career, had two goals and an assist in three games this season.

Blachawks’ Nick Foligno goes on leave

The team and their captain announced that Nick Foligno will take a brief leave of absence as his daughter ‘undergoes follow-up surgery related to her congenital heart disease.’ Milana, 12, had her first heart procedure when she was three weeks old, per NHL.com.

Former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook is entering his 18th season. He’s spent the last eight years traveling from team to team, and now joins his seventh team in eight years after signing a deal with the Sacramento Kings.

Westbrook spent the 2024-25 NBA season with the Denver Nuggets, helping the team to an appearance in the Western Conference semifinals before falling to the eventual NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Although he is not the dominant triple-double machine he used to be, Westbrook has played a vital role on several teams since leaving Oklahoma City. In fact, despite playing on six different teams the last seven years, Westbrook’s teams have reached the playoffs six times in those seven years, only failing in the 2021-22 season, when Westbrook was with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The past two years, Westbrook has played a vital role coming off the bench for both the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers, even receiving Sixth Man of the Year votes in both campaigns.

Russell Westbrook stats

Last year, Westbrook started 36 games for the Nuggets, averaging 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds off the bench.

His 32.3% three-point percentage was his highest since his MVP season in 2017.

Sacramento Kings outlook

The Sacramento Kings needed an upgrade at point guard this offseason and did just that by acquiring both Dennis Schroder and now Russell Westbrook.

The team has finished ninth in the Western Conference each of the last two seasons and is looking to break out of the play-in bubble they’ve been stuck in.

While the team is considerably top-heavy, mostly relying on the skills of DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, and Zach LaVine, the depth they have added in Westbrook should take a considerable load off their top-three.