Sports

Former Georgia Tech standout Demaryius Thomas had stage 2 CTE, a degenerative brain disease associated with hits to the head, when he died in December 2021, doctors from Boston University announced Tuesday.

• Thomas, who was 33, also suffered from seizures that began after a 2019 car crash. Doctors believe he most likely died after a seizure, the New York Times reported.

NBA free agency kicked off Thursday night. And if you're rooting for the Hawks to bring a championship to Atlanta, they took a major step toward doing that Wednesday.

What's happening: The Hawks traded for Dejounte Murray, an all-star guard from the San Antonio Spurs.

With the 16th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks selected Duke's AJ Griffin.

• This could be a great value pick as Axios' mock draft had Griffin being selected a few spots higher at 13.

Atlanta, we're getting the World Cup.

FIFA on Thursday announced that Atlanta was among the 16 cities across Canada, Mexico and the U.S. that will host the 2026 men's World Cup.

The Atlanta Braves are about a quarter through their World Series title defense season.

Catch up quick: Last year, the Braves won it all for the first time since 1995.

• This season is also the first time since 2010 that first baseman Freddie Freeman is not on the roster.

Reality check: It is notoriously hard to repeat as champions in professional sports, especially in the MLB.

The Georgia High School Association banned transgender students from playing on teams that match their current gender identities this week.

It begs a question: Why would Georgia Republicans lean right again on another issue in an election year, given Georgia’s battleground state status?

The Georgia High School Association voted unanimously Wednesday to effectively ban transgender students from playing on high school teams that reflect their gender identities.

Driving the news: The association, which governs athletics and activities for more than 450 public and private member high schools, voted to change its bylaws to limit a student's gender to the sex assigned on their birth certificates.

Last week, Matt Ryan’s 14-season reign as the Falcons quarterback came to an unceremonious end. Say hello to Marcus Mariota, who could be burdened with all our hopes, dreams and frustrations.

Driving the news: The Falcons last week signed the Hawaii native to a two-year deal after trading Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a third-round draft pick. Another signing could follow.