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American long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad was closing in on her long time quest to cross the Florida Straits on Monday, attempting to become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. Nyad was "really hurting" as she neared her destination of Key West some 48 hours after she set off from Havana, according to blog updates on her website.

Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad became the first person to swim the treacherous waters from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage on Monday, arriving in Key West two days after starting her 110-mile trek. Nyad, 64, unsuccessfully tried to swim the Florida Strait four times, mostly recently in 2012. The New York City native’s latest journey began Saturday morning when she jumped from the seawall of the Hemingway Marina into the warm waters off Havana. As she closed in on the Key West shores, a couple of hundred people gathered on the beach to watch her make the final leg...

Tim Tebow has been released by the New England Patriots, according to multiple reports. Tebow played in three of the Patriots four preseason games this season, finishing 11-for-30 (36.7 percent) for 145 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked four times for a loss of 48 yards, and rushed for 91 yards on 16 carries for a 5.7-yard average.

A person familiar with the situation says Tim Tebow has been cut by the New England Patriots. After being let go by his third team in 18 months—and with the regular season just five days away—the quarterback’s chances of immediately catching on with another team seem slim. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Saturday because the Patriots had not announced the move. It was first reported by ESPN. Tebow’s stay with the Patriots lasted just under 12 weeks and could be the end of his NFL career. …

The New England Patriots have released quarterback Tim Tebow, according to an ESPN report, however, Tebow assured earlier this week that because of his faith he didn't "have to worry about the future." (Photo: Reuters) With quarterback Ryan Mallett's position as backup to franchise player Tom Brady already secure, Tebow's position on the team had been tentative throughout the preseason.In the Patriots' final preseason game against the New York Giants on Thursday night, Tebow threw two touchdown passes and one interception.After the game, Tebow told reporters his faith helped the anxiety he may have otherwise felt about his football future."I'm blessed,...

Johnny Football will start the season on the bench. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel of No. 7 Texas A&M has been suspended for the first half of Saturday's season opener against the Rice Owls, a source told ESPN's Brett McMurphy on Wednesday afternoon. An agreement has been reached between the NCAA and Texas A&M that a source told McMurphy closes the book on Manziel's recent issues. The NCAA had been investigating whether Manziel was paid for autographs, a potential violation of amateurism rules that could threaten his eligibility.

Three members of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins decided not to attend an event Tuesday honoring the team at the White House due to political differences with the president. The Sun-Sentinel reported that Hall of Fame center Jim Langer, defensive tackle Manny Fernandez and guard Bob Kuechenberg skipped the event, which made up for the time the team did not get the chance to go to the White House because, in part, President Richard Nixon was embroiled in the Watergate scandal. The three players spoke with the paper and kept their comments brief, but direct.

The possibility of an active NFL player coming out as gay remains a hot topic. Speaking on the subject, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III believes there are gay players in the league right now and thinks there's a window of opportunity for them to make it known.

It's like 1980 all over again. There's a war in Afghanistan, the economy is lousy, Paul McCartney has a new record coming out, and some people are calling for the United States to stay away from the upcoming Olympics in Russia. When the first talk of another Olympic boycott arose, no one took it very seriously. It came from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who enjoys far more face time on Sunday morning talk shows than influence over U.S. policy, and who is upset about Edward Snowden. But the idea could be gaining traction. Some gay rights advocates, from both the...

Johnny Logan, a four-time All-Star shortstop who helped the Milwaukee Braves win the 1957 World Series, has died. He was 86.

All Out is an organization that takes action against gay rights violations across the world by creating petitions and organizing protests. All Out, along with Olympic athletes and ambassadors from Athlete Ally, created this petition in light of Russia’s recent human rights violations and anti-gay laws. Some have called for a boycott or move of the Olympics, but this petition calls for a complete reform of Russia’s laws.The petition received more than 300,000 signatures from all over the world. All Out traveled to Switzerland to personally deliver the petition along with a letter from Stephen Fry that condemns the current...

“What do you mean, there’s gambling going on here; I didn’t know there was gambling going on; round up the usual suspects,” said the “Casablanca” police chief to Humphrey Bogart. This paraphrase of bewilderment on steroids comes to mind in the A-Rod debacle. The 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal is no longer MLB’s most famous outrage, and the news boys will have to ask that iconic “Say It Ain’t So, Joe,” question all over again. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson’s written confession still is gone missing, and the Windy City is no longer numero uno in baseball’s wall of shame. The A-Rod,...

After weeks of waiting, MLB has finally announced its Biogenesis suspensions. Twelve players have been hit with 50-game suspensions, and Alex Rodriguez has been issued a suspension through the 2014 season for a total 211 games. Because A-Rod’s suspension will come under the Joint Drug Agreement, he can still play while he appeals the punishment and will be in the New York Yankees’ lineup tonight for the first time this season. Many have questioned how the suspension will impact Rodriguez’s “legacy” (see here, here and here), and it’s a subject that will undoubtedly be debated for years to come. What’s...

Major League Baseball came down heavy Monday on the players it found to have been involved with the South Florida clinic Biogenesis, suspending Alex Rodriguez through the end of the 2014 season and banning 12 others for 50 games, including three All-Stars: Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers, Everth Cabrera of the San Diego Padres and Jhonny Peralta of the Detroit Tigers. MLB commissioner Bud Selig, in two statements addressing Rodriguez's discipline and a more general one on the state of baseball's ant-drug program, said he was "proud of the comprehensive nature of our efforts – not only with regard...

The muckrakers at MediaTakeOut have done it again, this time uncovering a very odd legal document that was drawn up in 2007 by lawyers representing NBA player J.J. Redick and his then-pregnant ex-girlfriend, model Vanessa Lopez. The document is essentially a contract that seems to be the result of Redick and Lopez negotiating how the latter's impending abortion should be handled.

NY Giants WR Sends Threatening Tweet: 'Zimmerman Doesn't Last a Year Before the Hood Catches Up to Him'

Atlanta Falcons receiver Roddy White responded to the George Zimmerman not guilty verdict Saturday night by tweeting: “All them jurors should go home tonight and kill themselves for letting a grown man get away with killing a kid.”

Don't know if I need to apologize for this vanity but I do nevertheless.The issue...Alex Fernandez,late of the New England Patriots,is suspected of three murders now.Given that he's worth some big $$$ and there's the possibility of him having unlawfully killed one or more persons can the family of any of those victims file an immediate civil lawsuit for millions,put a lien on his assets/income until the suits are resolved,which would deny him access to his funds for the use to pay defense lawyers? Just curious.Too much free time,I guess.

Not many players walk away from football as abruptly as Glen Coffee did. The former Alabama star running back played a season with the 49ers and even started two games. Then the former third-round pick simply told the team he was done with football during training camp before what would have been his second season, in 2010. Most football players will stay in the NFL until they're told they can no longer come back, but Coffee admitted he just didn't like football anymore. And it turns out, he had bigger goals. AL.com reported Coffee enlisted in the U.S. Army in...

Super Bowl champion and retired NFL center Matt Birk is helping women by bravely speaking the truth. Birk won the Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens last year and six-time Pro Bowl honoree. Birk is also a former Minnesota Viking and St. Paul, Minnesota, native so he is close to my heart. As a Super Bowl champion, Birk had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to join his team at the White House. Birk declined the invitation because he disagrees with President Obama’s recent statements to Planned Parenthood: “I love you!” an audience member shouted out on April 26 as Obama prepared to...