The International Olympic Committee issued a set of guidelines on Thursday to strengthen a rule that bars athletes from certain forms of political protest at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.
What they're saying... The Committee warns: "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas."
Driven by rule changes and schematic innovations, as well as a correlation between pass-happy offenses and winning, the NFL is in the midst of an aerial revolution. And yet — most of the remaining playoff teams love to run the ball.
By the numbers: For the first time since 1970, the top four passing teams by yards (Buccaneers, Cowboys, Falcons, Rams) missed the playoffs, while the top four rushing teams (Ravens, 49ers, Titans, Seahawks) made it, per FiveThirtyEight.
The Cleveland Browns are the lone remaining NFL team with a head coaching vacancy following the recent hires of Joe Judge in New York, Matt Rhule in Carolina and Mike McCarthy in Dallas.
The state of play: The Browns have already interviewed Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, Ravens OC Greg Roman and 49ers DC Robert Saleh. Eagles DC Jim Schwartz, Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski and Patriots OC Josh McDaniels will be interviewed later this week. There's an announcement expected by Saturday.
With MLB nearing a decision on the Astros front, the sign-stealing controversy has broadened, with anonymous team sources telling The Athletic that the Red Sox "cheated" during their 2018 World Series championship season.
How it worked: Players allegedly visited the video replay room — a room near the dugout meant to help managers decide whether to challenge a call — to steal signs and relay them to the dugout. That information was then shared with a baserunner, who would use body movements to communicate with the batter.
