FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Inter Miami will host FC Cincinnati without two of its biggest stars on Saturday, July 26. 

Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba won’t play for Inter Miami, both serving a mandatory one-game absence for skipping the MLS All-Star Game earlier this week. 

It’s a battle between two of the best clubs in the MLS Eastern Conference: Cincinnati sits atop the MLS Supporters’ Shield standings with 48 points, while Inter Miami is fifth place in the East with 41 points. 

While Inter Miami has three games in hand to play this season due to their congested schedule, losing twice in two weeks to Cincinnati could hurt their chance to win the conference and contest for their second consecutive Supporters’ Shield title. Cincinnati won the regular-season title in 2023, while Inter Miami won it in 2024.

Cincinnati beat Inter Miami 3-0 on July 16, led by MVP candidate Evander, who scored two goals in the matchup. 

Here’s what you need to know and stay tuned for live updates from USA TODAY Sports: 

Inter Miami lineup vs. FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati starting lineup vs. Inter Miami

What time is the Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati match? 

The match begins at 7:15 p.m. ET.

How to watch Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati on TV? 

The match will be broadcast on FS1. 

How to watch Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati on live stream? 

The match will also be available to stream on AppleTV+ and MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Is Lionel Messi playing tonight? 

No, Messi is not playing against FC Cincinnati. 

Why is Lionel Messi not playing tonight? 

Messi was disciplined with a one-game absence by MLS commissioner Don Garber for skipping the MLS All-Star Game earlier this week in Austin, Texas.

Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati betting odds

Inter Miami still favored to win vs. Cincinnati, even without Messi, according to BETMGM.

Inter Miami: +130
Tie: +270
Cincinnati: +175
Over/under: 3.5 goals

When is Messi’s next game? Inter Miami upcoming schedule

Inter Miami will begin the 2025 Leagues Cup tournament after facing FC Cincinnati. 

July 30: Inter Miami vs. Atlas FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
Aug. 2: Inter Miami vs. Club Necaxa, 7 p.m. ET
Aug. 6: Inter Miami vs. Pumas UNAM, 7:30 p.m. 

Lionel Messi, Inter Miami and Major League Soccer experienced the worst week in their two years together, collectively mishandling his 2025 All-Star Game absence. 

Messi and Jordi Alba were disciplined by MLS commissioner Don Garber for skipping the All-Star Game, causing them to miss a marquee matchup against first-place FC Cincinnati on Saturday, July 26. 

Soccer fans won’t see Messi, the 2024 MLS MVP, on a grand stage against Cincinnati’s Evander, a rising Brazilian who captained the MLS All-Stars in Messi’s place and is in the conversation with him for 2025 MVP.  

Instead, there will be numerous shots of Messi stewing in an on-field suite, likely sitting next to Inter Miami’s newest signee, Argentina World Cup-winning teammate Rodrigo De Paul.  

The situation marks the lowest point of the Messi era in this the league’s 30th season – all while he’s been in ongoing contract negotiations to continue his career with Inter Miami. 

“He’s very upset,” Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas said of Messi during a Zoom press conference. “I’m hopeful it doesn’t have an impact long term.” 

Messi, Inter Miami and MLS should have collectively agreed on him missing the All-Star Game. Garber could have granted Messi an excused absence. And Messi should be on the pitch Saturday doing what he does best. 

This matter should have been resolved before All-Star Week, offering the spotlight to the MLS players who played in the showcase instead of the shadow cast by Messi’s whereabouts and whether he would be disciplined. 

“I hope they respect the decision I made, and I understand they’re going to be disappointed by that decision,” Garber told USA TODAY Sports. “I hope that Leo’s commitment to our league, and the journey he’s been on and we’ve been on growing Major League Soccer is as important to him going forward as it has been in the past.” 

What went wrong? 

There was miscommunication from a series of phone calls exchanged between Inter Miami and MLS. There was no formal meeting on the matter, or a request from the club for Messi to miss the All-Star Game in Austin, Texas. 

Mas spoke to the league on July 21 and 22, while some around the league expected Messi and Alba to show the day of the All-Star Game on July 23. Mas believed Messi would be exempt from attending – and the one-game suspension – because of his workload. 

Messi played every minute in 22 of 23 matches since April 2, logging more than 2,000 minutes during the span. His last game off was April 27. He recently set an MLS record scoring two goals in five straight matches, and six of his last seven in the regular season. 

“Load management is on Lionel Messi,” Mas said. “When he steps on the pitch, he will step off when the final whistle blows.” 

The All-Star Game fell four days after Messi completed nine matches in 35 days, which included representing MLS on a global stage in the FIFA Club World Cup.  

Inter Miami didn’t want Messi and Alba to travel to Texas, following road trips to face Cincinnati and the New York Red Bulls in New Jersey, with their second match with Cincinnati starting another stretch of 10 games in 34 days.  

“He’s played more games than any player this year, and their schedule has him wanting to take a break. It was based on his commitment to his club, and I understand and respect his decision,” Garber said. “But we have a long-standing policy that is related to All-Star participation for all players. And unfortunately, I had to enforce the policy. It was a difficult decision to make.” 

The MLS All-Star policy was first initiated in 2015 after players used “phantom injuries” to avoid the exhibition in previous years.  

Zlatan Ibrahimović was suspended when he played for the LA Galaxy for skipping the event in 2018, criticizing the rule at the time for being “ridiculous.”  

Messi missing the All-Star Game, however, is a different story. 

“From the league’s perspective, this is really frustrating,” analyst and former U.S. men’s national team star Landon Donovan said on social media. “You have your best player. Your partners want him there. The owners want him there. The sponsors want him there. The fans want him there. The other guys on the MLS All-Star team want the chance to play with Messi. That’s a dream for them. So, this becomes a really challenging situation.” 

Lionel Messi is ‘different’ for MLS

Messi isn’t entirely blameless in this, either. He could have jumped on a plane for the day, signed autographs and posed for photos with fellow players, waved at the fans, and even played a half so MLS could have a moment to celebrate having him in the league.  

But Messi has done everything asked of him since he joined MLS in July 2023 – outside of playing in this All-Star Game, of course.  

“Obviously, Lionel Messi is Lionel Messi. He is different. He has completely changed the economics of this league for every single club, every team, every sponsor, the league, media, etc.,” Mas said. “He’s important … But at the end of the day, league corporate sponsors are already taking advantage of Lionel Messi’s presence in the league.” 

Messi has the best-selling jersey around the world and brought international attention to MLS. He’s provided awe-inspiring highlight plays and historic moments that make you wonder ‘how is this guy still doing this at 38 years old?’

Mas said Inter Miami’s Club World Cup loss to UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain was viewed globally by more than 30 million people.  

“I know Leo Messi loves this league. I don’t think there’s been a player, or frankly just about anyone, who has done for MLS than Leo Messi has,” Garber said. “His games are special moments. Every one of them is a must-see match, and it’s that commitment what he does on the field that makes this decision so complicated.” 

Messi stayed in Miami this week while his wife and three sons went to Italy on vacation. He practiced Friday, thinking he would be able to play against Cincinnati. 

After practice, Messi reunited with De Paul on Inter Miami’s training fields. Then, he signed hundreds of autographs and posed for photos with kids attending Inter Miami’s summer camp before he received Garber’s decision.  

“This whole Messi MLS All-Star game mess was avoidable,” analyst and former U.S. men’s national team standout Alexi Lalas said on social media. “Now, he can have a rest.” 

The undisputed women’s heavyweight champion wore high heels, a fur coat, an eye-catching swimsuit and a G.W.O.A.T. chain around her neck.

Before Shields stepped on the scale, someone brushed her long blond hair and she flexed her biceps. Her official weight: 174.6 pounds.

Shields’ opponent, New Zealander Lani Daniels, showed up at the weigh-in wearing a bucket hat and a fishing vest while paying tribute to the indigenous Maori. She is of Maori descent.

With Shields’ undisputed heavyweight world title on the line, promoter Dmitriy Salitas said he expects Shields (16-0, 3 KOs) will be fighting Daniels (11-2-2, 1 KO) in front of a sellout crowd of 19,000 at Little Caesars Arena.

Daniels, 37, is the current IBF light heavyweight champion and held the IBF world heavyweight title in 2023.

“She’s not as big as Danielle Perkins,’’ Shields said, referring to her last opponent, “but she’s very elusive. She’s fast, she’s aggressive, she’s very awkward and I look forward to figuring it out and fighting her on Saturday.

“I am very great at being very strategic and figuring out how about putting my opponent through the most pain and beat ’em up in here. And that’s my own goal is just to beat her up. I want to beat Lani Daniels up. I want to put her on an entertaining fight. I want to collect some more belts and I want to continue to let everybody know I’m the greatest woman of all time because the things that I do these other girls can’t do.’’

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Inter Miami will host FC Cincinnati without two of its biggest stars on Saturday, July 26. 

Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba won’t play for Inter Miami, both serving a mandatory one-game absence for skipping the MLS All-Star Game earlier this week. 

It’s a battle between two of the best clubs in the MLS Eastern Conference. Cincinnati sits atop the MLS Supporters’ Shield standings with 48 points, while Inter Miami is fifth place in the East with 41 points. 

While Inter Miami has three games in hand to play this season due to their congested schedule, losing twice in two weeks to Cincinnati could hurt their chance to win the conference and contest for their second consecutive Supporters’ Shield title.

Cincinnati beat Inter Miami 3-0 on July 16, led by MVP candidate Evander, who scored two goals in the matchup. 

Here’s what you need to know and stay tuned for live updates from USA TODAY Sports: 

What time is the Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati match? 

The match begins at 7:15 p.m. ET.

How to watch Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati on TV? 

The match will be broadcast on FS1. 

How to watch Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati on live stream? 

The match will also be available to stream on AppleTV+ and MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Is Lionel Messi playing tonight? 

No, Messi is not playing against FC Cincinnati. 

Why is Lionel Messi not playing tonight? 

Messi was disciplined with a one-game absence by MLS commissioner Don Garber for skipping the MLS All-Star Game earlier this week in Austin, Texas.

When is Messi’s next game? Inter Miami upcoming schedule

Inter Miami will begin the 2025 Leagues Cup tournament after facing FC Cincinnati. 

July 30: Inter Miami vs. Atlas FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
Aug. 2: Inter Miami vs. Club Necaxa, 7 p.m. ET
Aug. 6: Inter Miami vs. Pumas UNAM, 7:30 p.m. 

Athletics designated hitter Nick Kurtz made MLB history Friday night, becoming the first rookie to hit four home runs in a single game, according to the league.

Kurtz accomplished the feat against the Houston Astros, sending the ball into the stands at Daikin Park in the second, sixth, eighth and ninth innings. The 22-year-old, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, went 6-for-6 overall on Friday night with eight RBIs and six runs scored.

All four pitchers the Astros used Friday yielded a home run to Kurtz: Starter Ryan Gusto, relievers Nick Hernandez and Kaleb Ort, and outfielder Cooper Hummel, who was called on to throw the ninth inning with the home team down 11-2. Kurtz’s three-run homer off Hummel ended the scoring for the A’s in an eventual 15-3 win.

It marks just the 20th time overall a player has hit four home runs in a single game. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suarez was the last to accomplish the feat, hitting four homers against the Atlanta Braves this past April.

Check out some other wild stats from Kurtz’s incredible game:

Nick Kurtz stats vs. Astros

Per MLB’s Sarah Langs, Kurtz is the youngest player ever to hit four homers in a game … by nearly 3 years. Kurtz, at 22 years and 135 days old, eclipses Pat Seerey, who was 25 years and 123 days old when he hit four homers for the Chicago White Sox during a game against the Philadelphia Athletics in 1948.

But it wasn’t just home runs. Per Langs, Kurtz’s 6-for-6 performance at the plate helped him tie Shawn Green’s modern record (since 1900) for most total bases in a game with 19. And he had just the ninth six-run game since 1900.

Kurtz told reporters his performance was the kind of ‘Stuff that you don’t even dream about, because it doesn’t really happen.’

Watch: Nick Kurtz hits four homers

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.

Another member of the Tennessee Titans’ offense has been injured before the start of preseason action.

Wide receiver and former first-round pick Treylon Burks suffered a fractured collarbone during practice on Saturday, July 26, according to multiple reports. The news comes less than a week after the Titans announced quarterback Will Levis will miss the 2025 season with a shoulder injury.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on social media that Burks suffered the injury while making ‘a sick, diving catch on the sidelines.’

Burks was set to enter his fourth season with Tennessee in 2025. He missed the final 12 games of last year after tearing his ACL during practice before a Week 7 game with the Buffalo Bills.

Now, Burks will miss more time with another injury suffered during a practice session.

Titans WR depth chart

Tennessee made some significant moves this offseason to invest in its wide receivers corps and build around quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.

The Titans have signed a total of six free agent receivers this offseason – including one, Matt Landers, earlier this week, as well as UDFA wideout and Ward’s former Miami teammate Xavier Restrepo. They also selected two wide receivers in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft: Stanford product Elic Ayomanor and Florida’s Chimere Dike.

After Burks’ injury Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Titans also signed former Raiders wideout Ramel Keyton.

Here’s the full list of the Titans’ currently rostered wide receivers:

Calvin Ridley
Van Jefferson
Tyler Lockett
Treylon Burks
Elic Ayomanor
Chimere Dike
Xavier Restrepo
Bryce Oliver
Mason Kinsey
Jha’Quan Jackson
James Proche II
Matt Landers
TJ Sheffield
Ramel Keyton

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has returned to campus in Boulder after recovering from an undisclosed health issue at his ranch in east Texas this summer.

Sanders, 57, announced it on social media July 25, just a couple of days before his team is due to report for preseason training camp. A school spokesman confirmed he is in Boulder. He also is scheduled to hold a news conference with his medical team in Boulder on Monday.

“Back and Feeling Great!” he said on social media site X.

Sanders has a history of blood circulation issues in his legs that led to surgeries in 2023 and the amputation of two toes before that. But he hasn’t revealed what ailed him since suffering the health setback in May and then missing several events in May and June, including a speaking engagement in Florida and Colorado’s annual high school and youth football camps.

Football recruits who visited in June were told he was out sick. He did appear at a Big 12 Conference media days event July 9 but declined to talk about his health.

He then recently left his ranch to visit his son Shilo at preseason camp for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on July 23.  

His eldest son Deion Jr. talked about the ordeal in a video he posted from the ranch on YouTube on July 22.

“I’m kind of sad,” Deion Jr. said of his last day at the ranch. “I’m not gonna lie to you. I learned to really actually love this place. I really never stayed out here much. … It’s not even just about being here. It was like the battle that was fought here. The battle that was fought and won here. That’s like the main important thing. Boys didn’t left the house for two months.”

He called it a blessing and said details would be coming soon, as documented on video, much in the spirit of the “Coach Prime” marketing machine.

“He’s gonna tell y’all whatever he went through very soon, and I’ve got a lot of it recorded on video,” Deion Jr. said. “So you’ll be able to see what he went through.”

Colorado opens the season at home against Georgia Tech on Aug. 29. It will be Deion Sanders’ third season at Colorado after finishing 4-8 in 2023 and 9-4 in 2024. But it will be a challenge after several top players left for the NFL, including his quarterback son Shedeur, safety son Shilo and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.

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

Australian Kaden Groves skillfully navigated a slippery route that resulted in a crash and demonstrated he was more than just a sprinter by winning the 182.4 km from Nantua to Pontarlier Stage 20 of the Tour de France.

Originally part of a 13-man breakaway, Groves gained momentum and took the solo lead in the final stretch of Stage 20, ultimately claiming victory over Frank van den Broek and Pascal Eenkhoorn. As Groves inched closer to the finish line, he burst into tears, glancing over his shoulder to ensure he was in the clear before raising his hands in celebration as he crossed the line.

The 26-year-old cyclist has increased his tally to nine stage wins, comprising seven from the Vuelta and two from the Giro d’Italia.

Stage 20 results

Here are the final results of the 184.2-kilometer course on hilly terrain from Nantua to Pantarlier at the 2025 Tour de France, Saturday, July 26 (with position, rider, team, time):

Kaden Groves, Alpecin-Deceuninck (4:06.09)
Frank Van Den Broek, Team Picnic Postnl (04: 07.03)
Pascal Eenkhoorn, SOUDAL QUICK-STEP/bel (04:07.08)
Simone Velasco, XDS ASTANA TEAM/kaz (04:07.13)
Romain Gregoire, GROUPAMA-FDJ/fra (04:07.13)
Jake Steward, ISRAEL – PREMIER TECH/isr (04:07.13)
Jordan Jegat, TOTALENERGIES/fra (04:07.13)
Tim Wellens, UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG/uae (04:07.13)
Matteo Jorgenson, TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE/ned (04:07.13)
Harrison Sweeny, EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST/usa (04:07.13)

Tour de France 2025 standings

Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia: 73 hours, 54 minutes, 59 seconds
Jonas Vingegaard, Denmark: 73:59.23 (4 minutes, 24 seconds behind)
Florian Lipowitz, Germany: 74:07.11 (12 minutes, 12 seconds)
Oscar Onley, Great Britain: 74:07.11 (12 minutes, 12 seconds)
Felix Gall, Austria: 74:12.11 (17 minutes, 12 seconds)
Tobias Johannessen, Norway: 74:15.13 (20 minutes, 14 seconds)
Kevin Vauquelin, France: 74:17.34 (22 minutes, 35 seconds)
Primoz Roglic, Slovenia: 74:20.29 (25 minutes, 30 seconds)
Ben Healy, Ireland: 74:23.01 (28 minutes, 2 seconds)
Jordan Jegat, France: 74:27.41 (32 minutes, 42 seconds)

2025 Tour de France jersey leaders

Yellow (overall race leader): Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia
Green (points): Jonathan Milan, Italy
Polka dot (mountains): Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia
White (young rider): Florian Lipowitz, Germany

Who’s wearing the rainbow jersey at 2025 Tour de France?

In addition to the four traditional colored jerseys at the Tour de France, the reigning world road race champion wears a rainbow-colored jersey. It’s white with five colored stripes – blue, red, black, yellow and green (same as the colors of the Olympic rings) – and is currently worn by Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia.

2025 Tour de France next stage

Stage 21 of the 2025 Tour de France is a 132.3-kilometer course on flat terrain from Mantes-La-Ville to Paris Champs-Elysees on Sunday, July 27.

The New York Yankees’ two-year nightmare at the hot corner is finally over. And that comes at the expense of the Colorado Rockies, whose bid to avoid the worst record in modern major league history just got a lot more difficult.

The Yankees acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Rockies on Friday, July 25, galvanizing a position that’s haunted them even as they advanced to the 2024 World Series and positioned themselves for another playoff run this season.

In McMahon, 30, the Yankees get a 2024 All-Star with significant power, but also a propensity to strike out. He leads the National League with 127 strikeouts this season and was punched out a career-high 198 times in 2023.

Yet he’s also heading toward his sixth season of at least 20 home runs and has averaged 22 homers and 27 doubles per 162 games in his career. McMahon has two more seasons remaining on the six-year, $70 million extension he signed with Colorado.

And he will provide a name that manager Aaron Boone can write confidently in the lineup every night after a revolving door at third.

Yankees: Ryan McMahon solves third base problem

Yankees third basemen rank 22nd in the major leagues in OPS, despite trying a slew of them this year: Oswald Peraza, Oswaldo Cabrera, miscast second baseman Jazz Chisholm, Jorbit Vivas and Pablo Reyes have all earned starts there this season, and that doesn’t include DJ LeMahieu, who was released with $22 million left on his contract this year after flailing at second base with All-Star Chisholm at third.

That alignment wasn’t great for the Yankees in 2024, even as Chisholm’s midseason acquisition provided punch to the lineup. But he was never fully comfortable at third, contributing to a defensive incontinuity that dogged the Yankees in the World Series against the Dodgers and lingered through this year.

That won’t be a problem now. McMahon ranks fourth among all major leaguers with four outs above average, and the left-handed hitter will now be able to pepper Yankee Stadium’s short right field with his elite power.

And the Yankees will have to pay less of a premium for McMahon than they would have for Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suarez, whose market just got a lot more expensive for clubs hoping to acquire him.

Rockies: On pace for worst record in modern MLB history

The Rockies received minor league pitchers Griffin Herring and Ryan Grosz in exchange for McMahon. Herring, a left-hander, was ranked No. 17 among Yankee prospects, according to Baseball America. Largely a reliever at LSU, Herring, 22, has moved to the rotation in the minors and has a 1.71 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 89 innings at three levels.

The Rockies figure to assign him to high A or Class AA.

Grosz, 22, reached Class AA with the Yankees and struck out 131 2/3 batters in 121 innings at three levels this season.

But they’re of no help to the big league Rockies, who entered Friday 26-76 and with a .255 winning percentage, putting them exactly on pace to equal the Chicago White Sox’s 41-121 record last season – worst in the modern major league era.

Avoiding that history will be harder with McMahon gone – and likely a few more players to ship out before the July 31 trade deadline. McMahon was replaced in Friday’s lineup at Baltimore by journeyman infielder Orlando Arcia, who has a .177 average and .473 OPS.

Welcome to the NFL, Shemar Stewart. Officially.

Despite being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals with the No. 17 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the rookie has been living life without an NFL contract. It’s been a long, winding road of uncertainty and frustration for Stewart and the Bengals as their relationship got off to a rocky start.

Both sides can put that behind them now.

On July 25, Stewart and the Bengals officially agreed to a fully-guaranteed, four-year, $18.97 million deal that includes a $10.4 million signing bonus, a person with knowledge of the contractual details confirmed to USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon.

Whether Trey Hendrickson remains in the building or not, the hope is that Cincinnati found a star pass rusher in the draft. Now that Stewart’s under contract, they’ll have a chance to see what he can do on the field.

Here’s what to know about Stewart’s first NFL contract:

Shemar Stewart contract details

Stewart is signing a four-year, $18.97 million deal with the Bengals.

It carries an average annual value (AAV) of around $4.7 million and a signing bonus of $10.4 million, according to Spotrac. The total value of the deal is about $8 million less than what No. 10 pick Colston Loveland received from the Chicago Bears. However, it’s about $4 million in total value more than the No. 32 pick, Josh Simmons, received from the Kansas City Chiefs.

That is because NFL rookie contracts are slotted, meaning the player’s draft position determines their contract. They are fixed and designed to limit haggling in negotiations to things like offset language.

Of course, Stewart was a rare exception and experienced plenty of roadblocks along the way to a deal.

Shemar Stewart holdout

The Bengals usually limit their contract disputes to veteran players seeking big extensions, but Stewart became the exception this offseason.

It became clear this would be a problem when he arrived at rookie minicamp only to observe and not practice. From that point on, the alarms had been going off in Cincinnati as the season inched closer. Stewart vowed he wouldn’t practice before his contract was finalized, a negotiating tactic to avoid injury and apply pressure to the organization.

The standoff reached its boiling point during mandatory minicamp, the last step in the offseason before training camp. Stewart, similar to Hendrickson, took his story to the media as minicamp began on June 10.

‘I’ve been doing this for most of my whole life, and then all of a sudden it’s gone over something very simple to fix,’ Stewart told reporters. ‘It’s kind of disappointing.’

The 21-year-old was frustrated with the lack of progress in negotiations, which stemmed from Cincinnati’s interest in inserting a new contract clause. That change in contract language would’ve allowed the Bengals to void future guarantees in Stewart’s contract, according to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Despite trying to stay ready, Stewart acknowledged at the time that he was missing valuable practices reps. The rookie ended up leaving minicamp on June 12.

Regardless, those issues are now in the past. It’s back to football for Stewart and the Bengals.