MON SIX

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA football oversight committee is recommending emergency legislation to protect the transfer portal window by issuing penalties for schools and coaches who circumvent the rules.

NCAA Transfer Penalties Football

The committee on Wednesday proposed the legislation to penalize schools who add players who did not make public their interest in transferring during the January transfer portal window.

The proposed legislation would become effective immediately if approved at the Division I cabinet meeting in April.

Among the proposed penalties, the head coach who accepts a transfer who did not properly enter the January portal would be prohibited from all recruiting, on-field coaching and team meetings for six games.

The school accepting the transfer would be fined 20% of its football budget. Also, the school would lose five roster spots for the following season, even if the coach who accepted the transfer is no longer employed.

Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said it is important to enforce the transfer portal window rule.

"Attempts to circumvent the transfer window process is an issue for the sport," Brooks said in a statement released by the NCAA. "We want to let everyone know that this is not going to be allowed, and the committee wants to protect the transfer window that has been established."

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Buffalo athletic director Mark Alnutt, the chair of the oversight committee, said "significant penalties" are needed to enforce the transfer rule.

"We felt this was appropriate to place an emphasis on this rule with where we are in Division I football," Alnutt said. "We have a window for student-athletes to notify their school when they would like to enter the transfer portal. If there is movement without going through the process as it is legislated, the committee felt there needed to be significant penalties."

The committee also voted to eliminate the annual limit on official recruiting visits.

The transfer rule and compensation for players through name, image and likeness contracts have created other issues. The University of Cincinnati issuing its former quarterback, Brendan Sorsby, following his transfer to Texas Tech. Cincinnati is accusing Sorsby of breaching his NIL contract, which the school says was signed in July 2025 to cover the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Cincinnati says the contract included a $1 million buyout if Sorsby transferred.

Sorsby received the most lucrative deal of the portal period — a reported $5 million — to return to his home state for his final season.

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MIAMI — The wave of violence that rocked Mexico and led the U.S. State Department to advise U.S. citizens to shelter in place has caught the attention ofFIFA President Gianni Infantinoin the buildup to the2026 World Cup, although Infantino said he remains confident matches hosted in Mexico this summer will be a celebration of the sport.

Following the killing of drug-cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera by Mexican security forces, violence broke out in multiple cities including Guadalajara, leading to flight cancellations, roadblocks and the shelter in place order. With the disturbances appearing to wane, normalcy is beginning to return, but only after dozens were reported dead.

Infantino, speaking at an event Feb. 25 to celebrate the opening of a FIFA museum at Miami's Freedom Tower, said FIFA has been in constant contact with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

More World Cup:World Cup host cities warn of 'unacceptable' funding shortfall

"We monitor the situation, we look at the situation, and things happen in the world," Infantino said. "We don't live on the moon; we live in the world. And when things happen, we have to trust the situation, authorities, the state, the police. We have to trust them with all our confidence and support Mexico, support a country that has suffered, that deserves the World Cup to be a party. And it will be a party."

Mexico is co-hosting the World Cup with the United States and Canada. Mexico City's historic Estadio Azteca is scheduled to stage the tournament's opening match, Mexico vs. South Africa, on June 11.

But Infantino has more pressing concerns before that. Guadalajara, which also will host World Cup matches, is scheduled to host two matches March 26 to help to determine the survivor of a six-team playoff.

"Nobody has to move anything," Infantino said.

Multiple league matches over the past several days, however, have been postponed.

Infantino spoke on a panel that included Miami Host City Co-Chair Rodney Barreto, Inter Miami owner Jorge Más and Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega.

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World Cup in Miami updates

Here are some key takeaways from the gathering:

• Barreto said the early returns he's receiving from the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau show a 200 percent increase in hotel bookings during the World Cup. After the recent killings of Reneé Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by ICE officers, there were calls for a boycott of World Cup matches in the United States.

• Seven World Cup matches will be staged at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, including a quarterfinal and the consolation match. All eyes are on the June 27 match featuring Colombia vs. Portugal. FIFA officials said that match drew more than 30 million ticket requests — the most of any match in the 48-team tournament, including even the Cup final. The least-expensive tickets for Colombia-Portugal start at more than $2,200 on the secondary market.

• England's national team, ranked fourth by FIFA, is close to finalizing plans for two World Cup tune-up matches at Inter Miami's soon-to-open Freedom Park near Miami International Airport.

• Barreto said the Fan Fest scheduled for Bayfront Park in downtown Miami will go on as planned. Ray Martinez, COO of the Miami Host Committee, told The New York Times this week that the festival could be scrapped unless the committee receives funding from the federal government. Last week, New York scrapped a festival that had been planned for Liberty State Park.

• Barreto said plans will be announced to handle traffic, public transportation and security. The transportation plan will include Brightline, Tri-Rail and ride-sharing, he said.

• The FIFA museum, a first in the United States celebrating the history of the sport, is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entry is $18 per person, with discounts available to students. It's a permanent exhibit at the Freedom Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd.

Regarding the Fan Fest, Barreto said, "Our Fan Fest is happening. We're committed to it. It's all being staged. We have an agreement with the City of Miami, with Bayfront Park."

Barreto, longtime head of South Florida's Super Bowl Host Committees, added, "We've done this with numerous Super Bowls."

Martinez had expressed reservations because unlike Super Bowl festivals, which last about a week, the FIFA event is planned to stretch over 23 days.

Barreto said, "We're hitting all our marks internally with respect to fundraising and cooperation between city, county, state government and federal government, so we feel good. Thank God I'm not the chairman of the Guadalajara Host Committee. But Miami is ready."

Más expressed confidence that Miami Freedom Park will be ready for its debut April 4. Más saidLionel Messi, who led Inter Miami to the MLS Cup last season, is focused on assuring Argentina retains the World Cup.

Más couldn't help but reflect on how far his group and the region have come since Major League Soccer granted him a franchise seven years ago.

"We were sitting in a conference room in our office with a blank board and sort of saying, 'Oh, what do we do next?' to today, having a club that's considered really a giant in global football. Our visibility is global. We're the best-selling jersey on the planet (Messi's No. 10). We have the world's best player here. We're the MLS Cup champions. We have the World Cup in our city. We live in the best city in the world.

"I mean, things can't get better. It's a pinch-me moment."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post:World Cup 2026: Gianni Infantino weighs in on violence in Mexico

The Indianapolis Colts have granted quarterback Anthony Richardson permission to seek a trade, multiple media outlets reported on Thursday.

Richardson lost the starting role to Daniel Jones in 2025 before later sustaining a season-ending injury in which he broke his orbital bone. ESPN reported that Richardson's vision has been restored.

The Colts appear intent to re-sign Jones, who performed well in his first season with Indianapolis after inconsistent play and multiple injuries (neck, ACL) with the New York Giants (2019-24).

That leaves Richardson on the outside looking in, nearly three years removed from being selected by Indianapolis with the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Richardson, 23, is 8-7 as a starter in parts of three seasons, completing 50.6% of his passes for 2,400 yards, 11 TDs and 13 interceptions in 17 games (15 starts). He also has rushed for 634 yards and 10 TDs on 115 carries.

After losing the starting job to Jones, Richardson went on injured reserve following an accident during pregame warmups in Week 6.

Jones passed for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading Indianapolis to an 8-2 start. He played through a fractured left fibula and went 8-5 as the starter before his season ended with the Achilles injury on Dec. 7 in a loss in Jacksonville.

For his career, Jones has completed 64.7% of his passes for 17,683 yards, 89 touchdowns and 55 interceptions in 83 regular-season games (82 starts) for the Giants and Colts. He has a 32-49-1 record as a starter. Jones also has rushed 444 times for 2,343 yards and 20 TDs.

--Field Level Media

NBA Hall of Famer Chris Bosh revealed on social media Wednesday that he dealt with a recent health scare, which has left him with a different outlook on life.

The 41-year-old Bosh didn't provide many details on the scare, only that it was "instant," that he woke up covered in blood while preparing for a date with his wife and that he has no memory of the incident. The area around his eyes was also noticeably darker.

Bosh's recollection:

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"So I woke up covered in my own blood. It was crazy. It was fast. It was instant. There was no warning. I didn't have any time to prepare for it. I was getting ready to go on a date with my wife and the next thing you know, I was, I was on the ground.

"I won't get into specifics, but you can kind of see I'm still recovering [points to face]. I'm not gonna try to hide that one in case I look different, but it was a scary thing and it came fast ... I'm lucky I came back. It was just darkness, it wasn't anything else. I went to the darkness, I came back. I have no recollection. I have no memory other than coming back here. So, don't wait."

While Bosh didn't specify what he dealt with, his history of blood clot issues is notable. His 2014-15 season ended due to a blood clot in his lungs and he never played a full season again,with the NBA ruling in 2017 he was unsafe to continue playing due to the condition. He kept trying to return to the league until his retirement in 2019.

Bosh did not say whether that clotting issue was a factor in this recent scare.

What he did say was he is no longer taking life for granted after coming so close to death:

"It made me really have a different outlook on life and how things go, what we do for ourselves, what we do for our family, how we live our lives. And no matter what it is, make sure you don't wait. That's the thing that I get from this. Don't wait to take action, because it could come fast, it could come quick. I'm lucky to be alive and I feel great about that. And now I'm thinking about how I live my day to day life. That's really it, but don't wait.

"Don't wait to take action. You might be wanting to get a promotion, you might want to try out for the team, you might want to go on that vacation. It might be so many different things that people want to do, that we want to do that we never do. So that's what I get from all this. Don't wait for it. You might want to start a business, don't wait. Just do it. You might hit the deck, I don't know."

Bosh was an 11-time NBA All-Star in his career with the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat and won two titles with the Heat alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. He remains the Raptors' all-time leader in rebounds and blocks and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

Tony Dungy's time at NBC is reportedly on the verge of ending.

The Hall of Fame coach is likely out as a regular on the network's "Football Night in America" Sunday pregame show, according toThe Athletic's Andrew Marchand. While NBC could reverse course, the move would be part of a revamp for the show.

There's also reportedly a possibility NBC gives him an emeritus role like it did with Bob Costas and Al Michaels, where he officially remains with the network but in a reduced role.

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The 70-year-old Dungy has been an analyst for NBC since 2009, the year after his retirement as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. He is reportedly one of several NBC studio analysts whose contracts ended after the Super Bowl.

There are few details on how the reworked "Football Night in America" could operate, but Marchand reports the show could slim down its cast and take the whole operation on the road alongside "Sunday Night Football." Dungy had previously been part of a traveling component for the show, alongside Rodney Harrison and Jac Collinsworth.

Dungy was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016 and held a 139-69 record in 13 seasons as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Colts, winning Super Bowl XLI in 2007 with the Colts and Peyton Manning.

His time with NBC hasn't been without incident, with examples includinghis comments painting Michael Sam as a locker room distraction after he came out as gayanddrawing a rebuke from NBC for sharing the "litter boxes in schools" myth on social media. There was alsohis involvement in the snub of Bill Belichick from the Hall of Fame, as he has refused to say whether he wasone of at least 11 voters who voted against his former coaching rival.

JERUSALEM (AP) — As U.S. forces mass in the Middle East, Iran facesthe threat of major strikesby the world's most powerful military, potentially targeting its leaders, military, nuclear sites and critical infrastructure.

Iran

Iran has nowhere near the same capabilities, and is even more vulnerable after last year'swar launched by Israeland recent anti-government protests. But it could still inflict pain onAmerican forcesand allies, and may feel it has to if the Islamic Republic's survival is at stake.

While Iran suffered major losses last June, it still has hundreds of missiles capable of hitting Israel. While Iran suffered major losses last June, it still has hundreds of missiles capable of hitting Israel, according to Israel's estimates. Iran boasts a much larger arsenal of shorter-range missiles capable of hitting U.S. bases in Gulf countries and offshore American forces, soon to be joined bya second aircraft carrier.

Iran has previously threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz,a vital waterway for the global oil trade, and claimed to have done so partially during military drills last week.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneiwarned that Iran could sink American warships, and top officials have said a U.S. attack would spark regional war. Iran's U.N. ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said "all bases, facilities and assets of the hostile force in the region" would be legitimate targets.

Lingering capabilities

Israel carried out heavy strikes on Iran's longer range missile arsenals — as well asits military leadershipand nuclear program — during the 12-day war in June. The U.S. struck Iran's main nuclear sites, and President Donald Trump said at the time that they had been "obliterated."

But the extent of the damage — andhow much has been rebuilt— is still unknown. Iran continued to strike Israel with missiles and drones until the fighting stopped,increasingly eluding its vaunted air defenses.

Iran's shorter-range missile arsenal was largely untouched, said Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies. That could make Iran more inclined to retaliate against tens of thousands of U.S. forces based in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere.

"Iran may be weak. But it still has ways to inflict real pain on the United States — and much more incentive to try than it did before," Nate Swanson, head of the Atlantic Council's Iran Strategy Project, wrote in Foreign Affairs. "Iranian officials feel they need to give Trump a bloody nose or they will perpetually be at risk."

Iran launched missiles at a U.S. base in Iraq afterthe killing of its top generalin 2020 and targeted a U.S. base in Qatarnear the end of last year's war. Those strikes, which appeared to have been telegraphed in advance, caused damage but no fatalities, as early warning systems and missile defenses swung into action.

Iran could also carry out attacks farther afield. The country has been accused of using criminal gangs and armed groups to plan or carry out attacks around the world, including ondissidents,IsraelisandJewish targets.

Learning curve

Last year's Israeli strikes killed several top generals and nuclear scientists, revealing major vulnerabilities. At one point, Trump said the U.S. knew where Khamenei was hiding, calling him an "easy target."

Fresh offthe capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, Trump may consider decapitation strikes aimed at bringing down Iran's decades-old Shiite theocracy, which he recently said "would be the best thing that could happen."

The Iranians have had eight months to learn from their mistakes and firm up internal security. Citrinowicz said there are likely contingency plans if Khamenei were to be killed. Rather than naming a single successor, power would probably shift to a small committee until hostilities subsided.

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Experts say the death of the 86-year-old Khamenei, who has ruled Iran for over three decades, would not in itself spell the end of the Islamic Republic. Power might eventually pass to a member of his inner circle,as it did in Venezuela, or to Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

US allies could be targets

American allies are clearly concerned about a regional war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of a heavy response to any Iranian attack on Israel.

Arab Gulf states have long viewed Iran with concern and leaned on the U.S. for defense, but do not want to be drawn into war. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which host thousands of American troops, have said theywould not allow their airspace to be used.

An Arab Gulf diplomat said regional leaders were talking to Iran and the United States to avert war, warning that it could have severe consequences, including a spike in oil prices. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive, closed-door talks.

Iran has its own allies, including Houthi rebels in Yemen, armed groups in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories. But its self-described Axis of Resistancesuffered major lossesin the fighting that rippled across the region after Hamas' October 2023 attack from Gaza.

A global pressure point

Another close-in target could allow Iran to inflict wider pain.

Around one-fifth of all traded oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, just off Iran's shore. The U.S. Navy is committed to keeping it open, but Iranian attacks could disrupt trade, as the far-weaker Houthismanaged to do in the Red Seafor much of the past two years.

Iranian officials have not explicitly threatened to target the strait in the current standoff, but Iranian forcespartially closedit last week during military drills, signaling it could be vulnerable if war breaks out.

Other critical oil assets would also be within range. In 2019,strikes on oil infrastructuretemporarily halved Saudi Arabia's production. Yemen's Houthisclaimed responsibility,but U.S. officialslater blamed Iran.

The nuclear question

After initially threatening military action over Iran'skilling of protesters,Trump shifted attention to its nuclear program, warning that "bad things" would happen if Iran doesn't agree to a deal. The two sides are set to holdanother round of indirect talksin Geneva on Thursday.

Iran has always said its nuclear program is peaceful, while the U.S. and others have long suspected that Tehran intends to eventually develop weapons. After Trump scrapped a 2015 nuclear agreement, Iran ramped up its enrichment of uranium, building up a stockpile of near-weapons grade material.

Iran's biggest sites were hit by U.S. and Israeli strikes, causing significant damage above ground. But it's unclear whether enriched uranium was spirited away before they were hit or buried underground. Iran says it has been unable to enrich since then, but it has also barred inspections.

Iran is still believed to be a long ways from developing a usable nuclear weapon, but radioactive material could pose a risk in the event of widespread strikes.

Associated Press writer Samy Magdy contributed reporting from Cairo.

By James Pomfret and Jessie Pang

HONG KONG, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai's fraud conviction and prison sentence were overturned by a Hong Kong court on Thursday, in a surprise legal decision that comes soon after Lai was jailed for 20 years on a separate national security ‌charge.

Judges Jeremy Poon, Anthea Pang, and Derek Pang said in the judgement that they allowed the appeal from Lai, and another defendant in the case, ‌to proceed, as a lower court judge had "erred".

"The Court of Appeal gave them leave to appeal against their conviction, allowed their appeals, quashed the convictions and set aside the sentences," the judges wrote in a ​press summary of their judgement.

Even with the quashing of the fraud conviction and sentence, Lai will still remain imprisoned for 20 years in a separate national security case over two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one for publishing seditious materials.

That case has drawn global criticism from rights groups and countries including the U.S. and Britain and served as one of the most high-profile events in a years-long crackdown under a national security law imposed by Beijing after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Thursday's legal victory was a ‌rare one for the prominent China critic who has faced ⁠multiple prosecutions in recent years, and described himself in court as a "political prisoner".

His son Sebastien said, however, the ruling did not change anything for his 78-year-old father.

"He still has a sentence of 20 years in prison and has spent the last half a decade ⁠in solitary confinement in maximum security. The right thing is to release him immediately before it is too late," Sebastien Lai told Reuters.

Also on Thursday, a court sentenced the father of a wanted pro-democracy activist to eight months in prison under a homegrown national security law after he attempted to terminate her insurance policy and withdraw funds.

'THE JUDGE ERRED'

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Lai was sentenced in December ​2022 ​to five years and nine months in jail after being found guilty of breaching the lease ​terms of Apple Daily's headquarters by concealing the operation of a ‌private company, Dico Consultants Ltd, in the building.

Another Next Digital executive, Wong Wai-keung, 61, was found guilty of fraud and jailed for 21 months.

"In conclusion, we hold that Apple Daily Printing did not owe a duty to the Corporation to disclose its breach of the user restrictions or the non-alienation clauses occasioned by Dico's occupation and use of the said Premises. With respect, the Judge erred," the judgement read.

"His reasoning in concluding that the applicants were liable for the concealment as the prosecution contended is unsupportable. He erred in making those findings."

In the earlier ruling, Judge Stanley Chan wrote that Lai was aware of the need to apply for a license from the Hong ‌Kong Industrial Estates Corporation for Dico to operate at the headquarters and had "acted under the protective ​umbrella of a media organization".

During the appeal hearing, Lai's lawyer Derek Chan said that Dico, a company ​owned by Lai, supported the publishing and printing of the newspapers apart from ​handling the tycoon's private affairs.

He noted that at the start of the charge period on April 1, 1998, Dico held a 49% stake ‌in Apple Daily and was linked to Next Animation, the studio ​that produced animations for the newspaper's online ​news reports.

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong government said the Department of Justice will study the judgement to consider whether to appeal the court's decision.

DETERIORATING HEALTH

Lai's son and daughter have warned he might die in prison given his deteriorating health from over five years in solitary confinement. Lai has suffered from retinal ​vein occlusion in his right eye, high blood pressure, heart ‌palpitations and progressive hearing loss.

Rights groups and numerous democratic countries have called for Lai's release. U.S. President Donald Trump raised the matter with his Chinese ​counterpart, Xi Jinping, and is expected to follow up again in a closely anticipated visit to Beijing at the end of March.

(Reporting by Jessie ​Pang and James Pomfret; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree, Jacqueline Wong and Saad Sayeed)