Her face crestfallen and twitching with emotion, Brittney Griner on Thursday issued this final plea for leniency inside the “defendant’s cage” of a courtroom in Khimki, Russia. Griner was facing a maximum of 10 years in a Russian prison for bringing vape cartridges containing hashish oil through Sheremetyevo International Airport on Feb. 17. Griner’s legal team presented evidence that Griner had a prescription for cannabis to help manage the pain of chronic injury....

Sunday night’s “RAW”-branded No Mercy event featured two huge matches that instantly elevated the show from throwaway PPV to legitimate, must-watch programming: John Cena vs. Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar defending his Universal Championship against the red-hot Braun Strowman. What a disappointment both were. MORE: WWE No Mercy as it happened After Lesnar’s wet fart of a victory over Strowman, it seems all but certain that Reigns — WWE’s golden boy — and Lesnar are on a collision course for next year’s WrestleMania and a showdown to determine the WWE Universal Champion....

Causes Fractures commonly occur from a high impact or trauma to the bone, although some diseases can weaken bones and cause them to break. Very small cracks in the bone called stress fractures can be caused by overuse. The most common causes include: High-impact sports injuries Traumatic, forceful and unnatural movements Overuse - prolonged long-distance walking or running Falls Accidents Osteoporosis Tumors growing near the bone Symptoms Out-of-place or misshapen limb or jointSwelling, bruising or bleedingIntense painNumbness and tinglingLimited mobility or inability to move a limb...

Denver news station K-USA reports Chubb’s court date stemmed from a May 6 misdemeanor charge of driving under restraint, and also of driving with plates that had been expired for 60-plus days. In Colorado, DUR is defined as “operating a motor vehicle with a license that has been revoked or suspended.” According to court records obtained by K-USA, Chubb was also ticketed for driving 10-19 mph over the speed limit on April 1, 2019; that charge was dropped....

The rookie Broncos quarterback completed 7 of 11 pass attempts for 34 yards in Denver’s 14-10 victory over the Falcons and was unable to contribute to a score. Denver traded up to select Lock in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He views his Thursday showing as something he can use to grow. “I’ll rate it as a learning game,” Lock said after the win, (via DenverBroncos.com). “There’s definitely things I’ll learn there, but I’m excited that I’m sitting here and that was the first time ever stepping out on the field....

The move comes as the Super Bowl winners begin their effort to keep intact as much of the NFL’s No. 1 defense as the salary cap will allow. Like Jackson, linebackers Von Miller and Danny Trevathan, among others, can become unrestricted free agents. MORE: Top 25 free agents for 2015 | Best franchise tag candidates The Post notes that should Jackson hit the free-agent market, which opens March 7, he likely will hear from teams such as the Bears, Raiders, Texans and 49ers that can offer him more because they have more cap space....

According to NFL Media, the Broncos told the 49ers they believe the veteran quarterback is worth a fourth-round pick. However, Denver’s fourth-round selection is a compensatory pick that cannot be traded. The Broncos don’t possess a fourth-round selection to be swapped following a trade last year that sent that pick to the Ravens for guard Gino Gradkowski. Denver does hold the final selection in the third round, though, and the Browns have the first pick in the fourth round....

The Vatican has closed its investigation into the accusations, said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, on Wednesday. It concluded the men’s charges do “not have the semblance of truth.” Both men have filed civil claims against the bishop, the AP said. DiMarzio said in a statement that the sexual abuse allegations are false and that he “fully cooperated” with the investigation. “I remain focused on leading the Diocese of Brooklyn as we are emerging from the darkness of the Coronavirus pandemic,” he said....

On Monday night in Pebble Beach, Calif., at the NHL general manager meetings, Pens GM Ray Shero had this to say: MORE: Fleury nearly scores an empty netter Initially, that didn't quite jibe with with what Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said on Monday morning, which was this: "I've seen (Orpik) yesterday and today. He's going quite well. He's up (and) moving around just fine." After Pittsburgh's 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, Bylsma said "quite well" was relative....

The cats were believed to have been trapped by the men before they were shot to death, according to Sheriff Rick Meyer with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, who detailed the arrests in a Facebook post on Monday. The men accused in the cats’ deaths were identified by Meyer as Gavin and Garth Goens, 28-year-old brothers from Vallonia, Indiana. The Goens brothers were arrested on January 13 following a report received from an unidentified neighbor four days earlier....

In 2009, when James turned 25, his birthday was the source of a Wall Street Journal story that pointed toward players reaching their peaks at the mid-20s range and going downhill from there. Four years later, the Miami Heat star is still improving, and Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, who coached James in Cleveland, doesn't believe that James is done. “He is an extremely hard worker, one of the hardest I’ve been around,” Brown told the Miami Herald....

“The so-called systems of justice and support at Brown, as well as the faculty, staff and administrators who implement them, actively perpetuate and exacerbate the injustices and harm they claim to remedy. Survivors at Brown are silenced, harmed, dismissed and discouraged from seeking justice by the university,” the women mentioned in the lawsuit said in a joint statement. If granted by a judge, the lawsuit would cover all women who attended the university in 2018 and were survivors of sexual violence, which the women’ lawyers said could be in the thousands....

Cleveland has reached an agreement with free-agent receiver Dwayne Bowe, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. Contract terms were not immediately disclosed. MORE: Josh McCown wants to help Johnny Manziel The Chiefs released Bowe last week after his eighth season in Kansas City. The 30-year-old leaves the franchise as its second all-time leading receiver with 532 catches (fifth with 44 touchdown receptions). Bowe caught 60 passes for 754 yards with no touchdowns last season....

Manziel was involved in a roadside argument with his girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, on Oct. 12, and his interaction with responding officers was captured by a police dashboard camera. Pettine said Monday that his backup quarterback has “made strides” in his public life, but it’s still “a process.” MORE: Classic photos of Johnny Manziel | New details emerge in Manziel roadside incident | Opinion: Manziel needs more rehab “I know that everything with him is magnified times 1,000,” Pettine said during his weekly press conference....

While Cleveland faithful can revel in the franchise’s first playoff appearance since Kelly Holcomb donned the brown and orange in 2003, the team faces a steep, uphill climb as they take on the Steelers on Sunday night. Not only because Cleveland faces off against division-rival Pittsburgh for a third time this season, but because they’ll be without several coaches and players heading into the wild-card matchup. Earlier last week, head coach Kevin Stefanski was one among several Browns players and personnel to test positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19), leaving them out...

That’s because, for once, Cleveland is not chasing a franchise quarterback. With Baker Mayfield on board with first-year coach Freddie Kitchens, the Browns now might be a desirable destination for free agents. 2019 NFL FREE AGENTS:Ranking top players by position Dorsey recently made headlines with the controversial decision to sign former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt. Cleveland also recently re-signed tackle Greg Robinson. The tone of aggressive roster-building that was set last year appears to be continuing....

The Browns will honor the Hall of Fame running back by erecting a statue in his honor at FirstEnergy Stadium, the team announced Wednesday. MORE: Mock Draft 2016 | Brown’s leadership stays with team “Everyone admires the incredible impact that Jim Brown has made for Cleveland, the Browns and the NFL throughout his lifetime, and we have had the special opportunity to know and learn from his contributions to our team on a personal level, as well,” owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam said....

The Browns said the running back’s Instagram photo of a hooded man cutting a police officer’s neck requires more than just an apology. “We have spoken to Isaiah regarding his extremely disturbing and unacceptable social media decision," the Browns said in a news release. “It was completely inappropriate and we have made him aware of our high level of disappointment. Isaiah has apologized but also knows that just an apology is insufficient and that he must take steps to make a positive difference after a very negative and impactful post....

Matt Anderson of Cleveland television station WKYC was first to report the story on Twitter. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and the NFL Network’s Albert Breer confirmed the report after speaking to the Raleigh police. “DWI in Raleigh is driving subject to an impairing substance. Police captain Tommy Klein added, ‘appreciably impaired,’” Schefter Tweeted. “When asked for comment, Josh Gordon’s agent Drew Rosenhaus texted, ‘Nothing at this time,” Breer Tweeted. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports added more detail on Gordon’s arrest when he Tweeted, “Josh Gordon’s arrest for suspicion of DWI came after he was pulled over for going 50 in a 35 zone, per Raleigh PD spokesman....

Irvin took to Twitter Monday morning to apologize for his actions to his fans in Seattle and at his alma mater, West Virginia. MORE: Super Bowl XLIX ends in brawl | Russell Wilson: ‘We thought we had ’em’ | Seahawks favorite for Super Bowl 50