#player-safety

#player-safety

Felix Wienand was playing for Rot-Weiss Essen against Waldhof Mannheim in the German third division when the firecracker exploded "in his immediate vicinity" after being thrown from an area of the stands containing Mannheim fans, Essen said.

FC Bayern II have been docked a point and fined €26k by the Bavarian Football Association (BFV) for repeatedly setting off pyrotechnics. According to the BFV, FCB II fans violated the rules for the tenth time this season during the match against Wacker Burghausen at the beginning of December by 'repeatedly setting off pyrotechnic devices, thereby also posing an acute danger to players on the pitch'

We both called it and I thought I got it and he thought he got it. It was a misunderstanding. I was just hoping he was OK, I was more worried about him than I was about me. I saw him in some pain and I don't like seeing my teammates in those types of situations.

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has described defender Wesley Fofana as a "tough guy" who is "absolutely fine" after the player was subjected to racist abuse online following Saturday's draw with Burnley. Fofana shared the hateful messages he received in the hours after being shown a red card during the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.

With 6:14 remaining in the second period, Protas collected a loose puck in neutral and dumped it into the offensive zone. As he did, Rocket forward Tyler Thorpe approached from Ilya's blind side, attempting to send Protas hard into the boards. Little Pro managed to sidestep most of the impact, but Thorpe connected hard with his left leg, sending him tumbling to the ice.

Our staff put a lot of effort into sending those reports but from now on there's no point. There's no acknowledgement of what we're saying, it's just ignored. We get a reply but the reply is always in agreement with what's happened. It's not good enough. We're not going to waste our time on it, we're going to focus on what we're doing for Cardiff city and try to give our supporters and players the protection they need.

MEXICO CITY -- American-born Aaliyah Farmer asked to be released from her team in Mexico's top women's soccer league after just one year because she was subjected to harassment in the country, UANL Tigres coach Pedro Losa said Wednesday. Losa did not provide details about the type of harassment Farmer said she faced. The 22-year-old was born in California but has Mexican descent and plays for the country's national team. She was released earlier this week and signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Stars of the National Women's Soccer League.

He was hopping on one foot after releasing the shot and hopped right off the platform, grabbing immediately for his left leg. When he hobbled to the locker room, Doncic could barely put any weight on his leg. "It is absolutely a safety hazard," Lakers coach JJ Redick said after Doncic was able to return later in the first quarter.

For me, I see an opportunity ahead of us tomorrow that we want to do everything we can to grab with both hands. I'm very happy that the team and the club we are in a position where, with a win tomorrow, we can finish top eight in the best club tournament in the world, and it's super, super competitive, as we know. We're very, very positive and looking forward to that. So, that's what we're focusing everything we can on.

It should have been a turning point many, many years ago when we learned the same thing with Jeff Astle and not much has happened between that time and now. Hopefully, my dad's legacy will not just be what he gave football on the pitch but what we can learn from this and make sure that this really horrible problem isn't a problem for future generations.

Australian Open organizers instituted their extreme heat policy as temperatures soared at Melbourne Park on Tuesday. It prompted the suspension of play on outer courts and the closure of roofs on the main showcourts. The protocol, introduced in 2019, was developed to minimize the risk of heat-related illness and provide consistency for all players. It considers air temperature, radiant heat, wind speed humidity to assess playing conditions, and sets thresholds for cooling interventions.

Football leans on tradition, providing convenient cover for the NFL's lenient stance on smelling salts, ammonia crystals that players believe enhance performance when inhaled. Does the olfactory exhilaration also enhance play-calling, amplifying one's grasp of X's and O's? Kyle Shanahan apparently believes so. The San Francisco 49ers coach was caught by a Fox television camera moments before a playoff game Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles taking several whiffs from a small packet before handing it to an assistant.

The Venezuelan winter league suspended play following the United States taking military action in Caracas, casting uncertainty on a couple of Los Angeles Dodgers players. Edgardo Henriquez, a Venezuelan native, had been pitching for La Tiburones de la Guaira, and Dodgers prospect Eduardo Quintero also briefly spent time with the team. With roughly five weeks until Spring Training begins, the Dodgers could face some challenges trying to get their players back to the United States.

I am all for playing for pride and letting the starters play last week, but this game Sunday is completely pointless for a guy like Dak Prescott to play. It is all speculation, but Prescott has had two major surgeries and just had his healthiest year in a long time, yet they are running him out there in a game that means 100% nothing. If something were to happen to him, how do you think the front office and head coach Brian Schottenhimer would feel answering to the media?

The NFL on Monday suspended Perryman without pay for two games for repeated violations of playing rules designed to protect player health and safety, including an incident during Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys. In the second quarter, Perryman was penalized for unnecessary roughness after delivering a forcible blow to the helmet of Ryan Flournoy while the Dallas Cowboys' receiver was on the ground following a catch.

Once Mermis was down on the ice in discomfort, a scrum ensued at centre ice with both teams going at it, as well as a fight between Dakota Joshua and Maxwell Crozier. While the scrum was happening, McMann and Bjorkstrand were shoving each other pretty aggressively. Bjorkstrand landed the first blow with a cross-check that came dangerously close to McMann's neck, to which McMann retaliated with a high-stick that grazed the side of Bjorkstrand's head and shoulder.

The International Ice Hockey Federation confirmed Monday that the ice surface to be used in Milan, Italy, for the 2026 Winter Olympics will be shorter than NHL-regulation size. Games at the two arenas will be played on rinks measuring 196.85 by 85.3 feet, while regular NHL dimensions are 200 by 85 feet. News of the size difference came as a surprise to participating players and, perhaps more importantly, to the NHL commissioner's office,

Fifa says it will include three-minute hydration breaks in each half of every game at next year's World Cup, not just those played in hot weather. The referee will stop the game 22 minutes into each half for players to take drinks, regardless of the temperature, the host country the United States, Canada or Mexico or whether the stadium has a roof and air conditioning.

Image source, Getty Images Fiorentina say they have taken security measures to protect players, staff and their families after they received "unacceptable and shameful" threats. The threats were received following the club's 3-1 loss at Sassuolo on Saturday, which left winless Fiorentina bottom of Serie A after 14 matches. The club condemned the threats in a statement and said it "expresses its full solidarity and support for the players and their families".

NHL rules state that players must go 41 games between ejections to avoid suspension. Rantanen's second ejection, for boarding Calgary Flames forward Matt Coronato, came four days after his first ejection on a play that earned Rantanen widespread derision from fans -- and one very angry coach. On Nov. 18, Rantanen skated through a check by New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield and shoved defenseman Alexander Romanov in the back, sending him violently into the end boards.

I hate the kickoff in football, Trump said in the interview aired last week. I think it's so terrible. I think it's so demeaning. I think it hurts the game, it hurts the pageantry. I've told that to Roger Goodell. And I don't think it's any safer. I mean, you still have guys crashing into each other. It's the opposite of what the game the ball is in the air, nobody's moving.

Teams can lose draft picks and pay a ton in luxury tax, but it doesn't seem to be a deterrent. So for overspending, I would allow a generous soft cap, as MLB has now. Then for every 20 million dollar increment of spending above the cap, you start the season with a loss. So sure, Dodgers, blow out the soft cap if you don't mind starting 0-4.

The Toronto Maple Leafs got a devastating break on Tuesday night. They lost captain Auston Matthews to a lower-body injury following a hit from Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov midway through the second period. Zadorov hammered Matthews into the boards with a check from behind. While Auston Matthews got up on his own, he eventually went to the Maple Leafs dressing room and did not return.

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe was forced to withdraw one of his key players against Brentford, with a modern trend blamed for the setback. The Magpies travelled to the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday afternoon looking to make amends for a shock 3-1 defeat to strugglers West Ham United in their previous Premier League outing. Their trip, however, got off to a difficult start when one of their key midfielders was withdrawn after just 24 minutes.

Federal authorities accused Rozier of conspiring with a childhood friend in a gambling scheme centered on prop bets on his statistics from a game on March 23, 2023, when he was with the Charlotte Hornets. Rozier, according to the indictment, told co-conspirator Deniro Laster that he would be leaving the game against the New Orleans Pelicans early. Laster sold the nonpublic information about Rozier's status to gamblers for approximately $100,000, according to the indictment.