Johnny Manziel Released By Cleveland Browns Amid Domestic Violence Allegations

The quarterback’s career in Cleveland is over after two seasons.

Stephen Brashear / Getty Images

Quarterback Johnny Manziel has been dropped by the Cleveland Browns, the team announced Friday.

The move was expected. The Browns issued a statement hinting at it after Manziel was accused by his girlfriend of assaulting her in Texas in January.

"We've been clear about expectations for our players on and off the field. Johnny's continual involvement in incidents that run counter to those expectations undermines the hard work of his teammates and the reputation of our organization. His status with our team will be addressed when permitted by league rules," Browns Executive VP Sashi Brown said on February 2.

Manziel was dropped by his agent later that week.

The quarterback was accused by his girlfriend of hitting her at a hotel in Dallas, then forcing her to get into a car with him. Manziel then drove back to her apartment, where she says he continued to attack her. Manziel was not arrested at the time, but the Dallas Police Department has sent the results of its investigation to a grand jury.

Manziel was pulled over by police in Ohio in October for reckless driving and was accused by his girlfriend of attacking her in the car. They were sent home together by police; there were no arrests made and no charges filed.

Manziel entered rehab for alcohol abuse in early 2015. In early February 2016, Manziel's father, Paul, told the Dallas Morning News that he "truly believe[s] if they can't get him help, he won't live to see his 24th birthday."

The Browns drafted Manziel in the first round of the 2014 draft. In two seasons with the Browns, Manziel appeared in 15 games.

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Tennis Racket Company Continues To Sponsor Sharapova Despite Failed Drug Test

The CEO of Head, an Australian sport brand, said Thursday that he did not believe Sharapova took meldonium in order to enhance her performance.

Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

Australian tennis racket company Head announced Thursday that it would continue to sponsor Maria Sharapova, despite her admission on March 7 that she had failed a drug test and would temporarily halt her competition.

Head is the first of Sharapova's major sponsors to continue to back her in light of her announcement.

The company's CEO Johan Eliasch told the Associated Press that he believed she had not intended to use the drug meldonium after it had been banned in January.

He called her mistake a "manifest error," and contended that there was no "evidence of any intent by Maria of enhancing her performance or trying to gain an unfair advantage."

Shortly after Sharapova said on Monday that she had failed a drug test at the Australian Open for her use of meldonium, Nike, Porsche, and watch brand TAG Heuer all announced that they had either suspended their contracts with her, or would not renew them.

In June 2014, cosmetic brand Avon named Sharapova the face of its Luck perfume line. BuzzFeed News has reached out to the company to determine the status of their affiliation with her.

Having earned a reported $29.5 million last year, the 28-year-old from Russia is the highest-paid female athlete in the world.

Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Jan. 26, 2016.

William West / Getty Images

She contended on Monday that she had unknowingly continued to take meldonium despite its January placement on the banned drug list.

Sharapova said that she had been prescribed the drug in 2006 to treat her flu-like symptoms, magnesium deficiency, irregular EKG results, and signs of early diabetes. Initially, the drug was designed to treat heart conditions.

She neglected to open an email in December announcing that it would be banned in January, and continued to take it.

"I've let my fans down, I let the sport down that I've been playing since the age of 4 that I love so deeply," she said during her Monday press conference.

The repercussions for the failed drug test remain unclear, but they could affect her ability to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Eliasch cited Sharapova's integrity in admitting to wrongdoing as a reason why his company would continue to sponsor her.

"The honesty and courage she displayed in announcing and acknowledging her mistake was admirable," he said. "Maria may have made a mistake, but she has earned the benefit of the doubt and we are extending it to her."

BuzzFeed News has reached out to Head representatives for more information.

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Tennis Star Maria Sharapova Announces She Failed A Drug Test

The five-time Grand Slam champion said she is not retiring.

In a press conference Monday, Russian tennis champion Maria Sharapova made a surprise announcement that she failed a drug test and will take a hiatus from the sport.

Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

"A few days ago I got a letter from the [International Tennis Federation] that I had failed a drug test at the Australian Open," Sharapova said.

She said she had been taking a medication called Mildronate for 10 years before it was put on the federation's ban list in January. She said she didn't realize it was placed on the list.

"I was given this medicine by my doctor for several health issues I was having back in 2006," Sharapova said.

She described the issues as repeatedly catching the flu, magnesium deficiency, irregular EKG results, and the first signs of diabetes, which she is genetically predisposed to, she said.

"It made me healthy and that's why I continued to take it," she said.

The five-time Grand Slam champion has suffered numerous shoulder injuries and has played only four events in the past eight months: three WTA tournaments and the 2015 Fed Cup final. She withdrew from this week’s' BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

When she called the press conference, many assumed the 28-year-old was to announce her retirement.

"I don't want to end my career this way and I really hope I will be given another chance to play this game," Sharapova said in a somber tone. "If I was ever going to announce a retirement it would not be in a downtown LA hotel with a fairly ugly carpet."

Sharapova said on December 22 she received an email including a link to a list of new prohibited items. "I did not click that link," she said.

Mildronate, or "meldonium," was one of numerous medications her doctor prescribed for her symptoms, she said. She added that she did not know the alternative name for the medicine, preventing her further her from understanding it had been banned by the federation.

Sharapova does not yet know the consequences of the test failure, she said, but she said she will be taking a hiatus from competing and will work with the federation to discuss the next steps.

"I've let my fans down I let the sport down that I've been playing since the age of four that I love so deeply," Sharapova said.

Sharapova is currently the 7th ranked player on the WTA tour and has been the highest-paid female athlete for over a decade.

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Peyton Manning Announces Retirement: "After 18 Years, It’s Time"

Chris Carlson / AP

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning announced his retirement from professional football Monday, telling fans that after 18 years, "it's time."

Between tears, Manning thanked his coaches and teammates on his two NFL teams, the Indiana Colts and the Denver Broncos. He went on to read a long list of things he will miss about a career in football.

"I’ll miss picking out the game balls with my equipment guys. I'll miss checking to see if the Giants won and calling Eli," he said, referring to his brother.

Manning spent a large part of his speech thanking fans for their near decade of support.

Paul Sancya / AP

"Football fans don’t even know how much they meant to me over the years," Manning said. "Fans you are at the core of what makes this game remarkable. The many letters you have sent me over the years that have moved me ... [You have] given me a voice that can echo well beyond the game."

Team executives and coach Gary Kubiak took turns commending Manning on his career, mourning his retirement, and telling celebratory stories about the football great.

"Every athlete out there should look at Peyton Manning and what he’s about," Broncos Executive Vice President John Elway said, growing visibly emotional. "He utilized every aspect to be the best athlete he could be, we got every ounce of ability that he has."

The 39-year-old quarterback is a five-time NFL MVP and was named Super Bowl MVL after Super Bowl XLI. He holds numerous records in passing yards and touchdowns, including for most career passing touchdowns (539) and most career passing yards (71,940).

Toward the end of the speech, Manning said he believes the end of his football career is "the beginning of something I haven't even begun to imagine yet," though he did not address exactly what that might be.

"After 18 years it’s time," Manning concluded to enthusiastic applause. "God bless all of you and God bless football."

Manning at the conference.

Doug Pensinger / Getty Images

During a follow up news conference, one reporter brought up allegations of sexual assault against Manning by female football trainer Jamie Ann Naughright. Asked if the allegations that Manning exposed himself to Naughright in 1996 had any negative affect on the day's celebrations, the quarterback said nothing could take away from the moment.

"It is sad that some people don't understand the truth," Manning said. "This is a happy day and nothing...can take away from this day."

"And as Forrest Gump said, 'That's all I'm gonna' say about that," he added.

The 2015-2016 NFL season was Manning’s 18th. He was drafted first overall in Tennessee in 1998. At the beginning of the 2015 season, Manning was one of three remaining players drafted in 1998 who were still active in the NFL. Among them, only quarterback Matt Hasselbeck remains.

Manning began his career with the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent 14 seasons before joining the Denver Broncos. Ahead of the 2011 season, Manning underwent neck surgery, but later needed spinal fusion surgery. Manning missed the entire 2011 season with the Colts and was cut at the end of the season.

LINK: Denver Broncos Confirm Star Peyton Manning's Retirement

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Here's Why You Should Never Look At Your Phone During A Ballgame

THIS. KID. IS. LUCKY.

Photographer Christopher Horner snapped these incredible pics at a spring training game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Atlanta Braves in Florida on Saturday.

Christopher Horner / Via Twitter: @Hornerfoto1

Just look how the hero in the sunglasses bravely deflects the flying bat as it makes it way towards the oblivious kid. WE ARE NOT WORTHY OF YOUR REFLEXES, SIR.

Christopher Horner / Via Twitter: @Hornerfoto1

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Denver Broncos Star Peyton Manning Announces Retirement

After 18 seasons, The Sheriff is done.

Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning will retire after 18 seasons, the team confirmed Sunday.

The Denver Broncos released a statement early Sunday morning in which they confirmed Manning was retiring.

"When you look at everything Peyton has accomplished as a player and person, it's easy to see how fortunate we've been to have him on our team," said Broncos General Manager John Elway said in the statement.

"Peyton was everything that we thought he was and even more — not only for the football team but in the community. I'm very thankful Peyton chose to play for the Denver Broncos, and I congratulate him on his Hall of Fame career."

The Denver Post reported Manning had told both Elway and coach Gary Kubiak about his decision to retire Saturday night.

"It was a blessing to coach Peyton Manning. Nobody worked harder at the game and nobody prepared harder than Peyton," Kubiak said in the statement.

"His preparation was the best I've ever seen with how he went about his business. There was nothing like his work habits. Each and every week, he did everything he could to get ready to play not only against the defense but even against the coordinator,"

"Being with him this season, going through what we went through and accomplishing what we accomplished — that was special. He and I battled together and along the way we talked about dreaming that it could end the way it ended. And I'll be damned, it did."

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Soccer Star Brandi Chastain Pledges To Donate Brain To Concussion Research

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Brandi Chastain told her nine-year-old son, Jaden, on Monday morning that she intends to donate her brain to science to benefit concussion research.

“Mom, that’s weird,” Jaden said. “Don’t you need your brain?”

Chastain — a two-time Olympic Gold medalist who won the World Cup with the 1999 U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team — explained to Jaden that her brain donation will happen “long after” she will be using it, and with the intention of helping others.

Chastain announced Wednesday that she will donate her brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation after her death, a non-profit organization that works with brain researchers at Boston University.

Chastain met Concussion Legacy Foundation founder and former professional wrestler Chris Nowinski, along with Boston University researchers Ann McKee and Robert Cantu, in March 2014, when they received an award from Santa Clara University’s Institute of Sports Law and Ethics (ISLE). Chastain is a board member there.

Cantu and McKee at Boston University lead research into Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy — also called CTE, the neurodegenerative disease linked to sub-concussive trauma in athletes and military members.

Chastain was inspired by the researchers’ work and told her fellow ISLE board members she’d “like to change the rules of soccer and take heading out of youth soccer to protect our young players.” By June 2014, Chastain teamed up with the Concussion Legacy Foundation to launch an initiative called Safer Soccer that aims to reduce the practice of headers in youth soccer.

“It’s not about taking headers out of soccer forever,” Chastain told BuzzFeed News Tuesday. “It’s about protecting the players when they’re their most vulnerable so they can continue to play well into adulthood.”

“There’s so many skills that our kids will learn in the game if given a chance at longevity,” she said. “I want as many kids playing soccer in their adult lives as possible.”

Chastain was never diagnosed with a concussion during her career, though she recalls at least two instances that today she believes would have been diagnosed as mild concussions. “I’ve definitely headed the ball multiple times after the ball was punted very high. I never shied away from the ball and I definitely had my bell rung a few times.”

Chastain’s 1999 Women’s World Cup teammates Michelle Akers’ and Cindy Parlow’s careers were cut short in part due to concussions, but Chastain said she never discussed them with teammates. “It was absolutely never a conversation,” Chastain said, pointing out the enormous gap in cultural awareness about the effects of concussions on long term cognitive health between the late-1990s and today.

Immediately after Chastain famously made a penalty kick that led to the Women’s World Cup victory, she dropped to her knees and pulled her jersey over her head in victory. The image of her celebration is one of the most famous sports photos of all time.

Hector Mata / AFP / Getty Images

“Now as a parent, coach, and ambassador of the game of soccer — even though I feel like my legacy and our 1999 Women’s World Cup victory are important — leaving soccer in a better place than when we got here would be an even more impactful legacy,” Chastain said.

CTE is a neurodegenerative disease mostly associated with former NFL players and soldiers with symptoms similar to dementia. It can only be diagnosed after death, and it has not been diagnosed in the brain of a female athlete. There are records of CTE being found in two women in the 1990s: One a victim of domestic violence, and the other had a developmental disorder that led her to bang her head repeatedly.

The Concussion Legacy Foundation on Wednesday said that of 307 brains donated to Boston University for research, only 7 were from women. In an interview with BuzzFeed News in 2015, Dr. McKee said she believes there are various factors that account for the disproportionate donation rates between genders.

McKee believes families might be more reluctant to donate their daughters’ and wives’ brains, but she believes the risks to women athletes and ability to have their brains examined post-mortem are just less publicized than with male athletes.

Chastain said her intent to donate her brain to research aims to “raise awareness for the need for brain donation among athletes, especially women.”

“I’m not on a crusade to get other people to donate their brains,” Chastain said Tuesday when asked if she’d discussed donation with other members of the 1999 Women’s World Cup team. “I think it’s a very personal decision. But the brain is such a mysterious part of the human anatomy and we can’t really study it while it’s in its functioning form.”

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