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Chip Kelly spoke quietly at the podium Sunday after his first loss as the 49ers coach, mulling over the “self-inflicted wounds” that spurred a 46-27 defeat in the Carolina Panthers’ home opener.

Star running back Ezekiel Elliott has apparently played his final home game for No. 3 Ohio State, and he wasn't pleased with the way it went down. After starting the week in the hospital with a previously undisclosed infection in his leg, the junior returned to the lineup Saturday afternoon, declared himself fully fit and then ripped the play calling in a 17-14 upset loss to No. 9 Michigan State at the Horseshoe. "How we lost, I just feel like we weren't put in the right opportunity to win this game, we weren't put in the right situations to win...

Quarterback Will Grier helped lead Florida to a 6-0 start this season. Florida's undefeated run through the first half of the college football season will be a lot more difficult to match in the second half, as redshirt freshman quarterback Will Grier has been suspended. Florida coach Jim McElwain confirmed the suspension Monday, saying Grier failed an NCAA test for banned substances, and that the school will appeal the NCAA decision. Grier will practice with the team during the suspension, per McElwain. Grier addressed the media Monday, saying he took an over-the-counter supplement that had "something" in it and that...

The U.S. Women's National Team won its first Women's World Cup title since 1999, beating Japan 5-2 Sunday. The USA is the only country to ever win three Women's World Cup titles. Check out a summary of updates from the game in the comments thread below.

Sepp Blatter has resigned as Fifa president amid growing pressure following widespread allegations of corruption at football's world governing body. A new election will be held on May 13th.

Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals for the first time in 40 years.

NCAA National Championship Wisconsin v Duke (+1, 140 o/u) CBS TV 9:18pm EDT thread

He is arrogant. He is a trash talker. He is an exceptional athlete. But he may not be quite the horrible person some think his is. WATCH

It's a twirl that now has some heads spinning. Just moments after seventh-ranked Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard crushed her opponent in 54 minutes to advance to the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday, Australian commentator, Ian Cohen, asked her to “twirl” to show off her hot-pink outfit. The interviewer’s request has now sparked a flood of criticism and cries of sexism. In a video of the incident, Bouchard can be seen on the tennis court following her easy defeat of Kiki Bertens in the second round of the competition. Cohen then tells the 20-year-old: “Now yesterday, or...

Marcus Mariota, widely considered the favorite over co-finalists Melvin Gordon and Amari Cooper, won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night in New York. College football's top honor punctuates the Oregon junior quarterback's list of 2014 accolades, which include the Walter Camp, Davey O'Brien, Maxwell and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm awards. Mariota's banner season included 3,783 passing yards and 38 touchdown passes against two interceptions. The dual-threat quarterback also racked up 669 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Bo Pelini was fired on Sunday, ending the seven-year run of the polarizing figure as Nebraska's football coach. "We weren't good enough in the games that mattered," athletic director Shawn Eichorst said in his meeting with the media that lasted nearly 35 minutes. "I didn't see that changing at the end of the day." Eichorst said he will not use a search firm to assist him in finding the next coach. "This isn't a day of celebration for me," he said. "We've got a lot of good, young people in our program who are hurting." Eichorst said...

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — The fireworks began at dawn. All around this city, loud pops and bangs rang out as men and women and children, so many dressed in yellow, set off flares and beeped car horns. It was supposed to be a magical day. The Brazilian national soccer team, playing at home, was one game away from a World Cup final. No one could have guessed the tears would come before halftime. No one could have imagined there would be flags burning in the streets before dinner. Certainly no one could have envisioned that any Brazilian fans, watching their...

The Los Angeles Clippers are not yet for sale, but two former NBA All-Stars are among the various parties assembling ownership groups to potentially buy the franchise, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Once competitors on the court, Grant Hill and Yao Ming now will be among those vying to purchase the Clippers. Sources told ESPN.com on Friday that Grant Hill and Yao Ming are working separately to line up investors to lodge bids for the Clippers when the team is ultimately made available. Donald Sterling has agreed to allow his wife, Shelly, to negotiate a sale of...

The NFL draft — the league’s Radio City-staged, nationally televised, endlessly hyped off-season spectacle — opens Thursday night, and for the first time an openly gay player will be waiting for a phone call. But it could be a long wait for Michael Sam, the University of Missouri defender and all-American who came out in February. Draft analysts say he might not be selected until the last picks are made on Saturday — and perhaps not at all. If that happens, Sam could still sign with a team as an undrafted free agent and play on Sundays this fall. But...

Renée Fleming has hit some important pop-culture markers in the past few months. In September, she went on David Letterman’s show to sing the Top Ten list. Now, she’s going to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl. Musical attention at the Super Bowl usually focuses on the halftime show, but since this kind of attention is so rare in classical music these days, and since Fleming is the first opera singer ever to be accorded this, well, honor, the announcement has caused quite a stir.

Thu Oct 24 Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sun Oct 27 Buffalo Bills @ New Orleans Saints Cleveland Browns @ Kansas City Chiefs Dallas Cowboys @ Detroit Lions Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles San Francisco 49ers @ Jacksonville Jaguars New York Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals Pittsburgh Steelers @ Oakland Raiders Atlanta Falcons @ Arizona Cardinals Washington Redskins @ Denver Broncos Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings Mon Oct 28 Seattle Seahawks @ St. Louis Rams Bye: Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, San Diego, Tennessee

Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig, who changed the face of Major League Baseball while leading the sport into an era of unprecedented popularity and prosperity, will formally step down from the office when his current term expires on January 24, 2015. The announcement was made Thursday. "It remains my great privilege to serve the game I have loved throughout my life," Selig said. "Baseball is the greatest game ever invented, and I look forward to continuing its extraordinary growth and addressing several significant issues during the remainder of my term. "I am grateful to the owners throughout Major League Baseball...

For as long as I can remember it has been a tradition that the Tour de France begins with a prologue held on the first Saturday of July. Something changed this year, but the race goes on with a new and exciting route beginning with a specially staged prologue on the French island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea.

In last night’s Athletics-Indians game, the A’s trailed by one run with two outs in the ninth inning. Up came shortstop Adam Rosales to face Indians closer Chris Perez. On a 1-1 pitch, Rosales blasted a 93 mile per hour fastball to left center field for a game tying home run. Only the umps didn’t see it that way. They ruled the ball had hit the outfield wall, giving Rosales a double. After a brief protest from A’s manager Bob Melvin, the umpire crew headed for the replay room to make sure of their call. Replays definitively showed the ball...

NFL owners have passed a player safety rule barring ball carriers from using the crown of their helmets to make contact with a defender in the open field. Several coaches and team executives expressed concern about officiating the new rule, but Commissioner Roger Goodell championed it and it passed Wednesday as the owners meetings concluded.