Sports Retirements, Upsets and Headline Making Moves

The latest sports updates include Martin Truex Jr. planning retirement from NASCAR, the San Jose Sharks promoting Ryan Warsofsky to head coach, and other notable events such as ATP and WTA roundups, NFL contract extensions, and penalties, alongside golf and NBA finals news.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Martin Truex Jr. expected to announce retirement

Martin Truex Jr. is planning to retire at the end of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, The Athletic reported Thursday. Truex, 43, is expected to announce his retirement Friday at his pre-race news conference at Iowa Speedway ahead of this weekend's Iowa Corn 350.

Sharks promote Ryan Warsofsky to head coach

The San Jose Sharks promoted Ryan Warsofsky to be their new head coach on Thursday. Warsofsky, 36, spent the past two seasons as an assistant under David Quinn, who was fired in April.

Utah NHL franchise to go by Utah Hockey Club in '24-'25

The team formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes will be called the Utah Hockey Club for its first season in Salt Lake City. The sale of the team closed Thursday, transferring ownership from Alex Meruelo to Utah Jazz owners Smith Entertainment Group.

ATP roundup: No. 2 seed Ben Shelton falls in Stuttgart

Australian qualifier James Duckworth pulled off a three-set upset of American No. 2 seed Ben Shelton, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3, on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Boss Open in Stuttgart, Germany. Shelton fired 21 aces but committed eight double faults along the way. In a close match, Duckworth capitalized on Shelton's second serves, winning 18 of 30 second-return points (60 percent).

Reports: Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence signs 5-year, $275M extension

The Jacksonville Jaguars and quarterback Trevor Lawrence agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $275 million with $200 million guaranteed, NFL Network and ESPN reported Thursday. The deal would give Lawrence $55 million per year, tying Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals for the highest average annual value among NFL quarterbacks.

Tennis-'Life's great' Federer says as he launches retirement documentary

Tennis great Roger Federer says he is enjoying dedicating his time to his family and not rushing into any big projects following his retirement nearly two years ago. Premiering a new documentary film in London on Thursday that tracks the final days of his sporting career, the 20-times Grand Slam champion said he was very happy with his life.

Celtics vow to maintain fight even with commanding Finals lead

Although the Celtics hold a commanding 3-0 lead over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla realizes the fight is far from over. Mazzulla has been showing the Celtics UFC highlights during the team's film sessions in an attempt to show them that there's a very fine line between victory and defeat, regardless of the circumstances.

Golf-McIlroy joins Cantlay atop U.S. Open leaderboard, Scheffler struggles

Rory McIlroy, looking to snap a 10-year major drought, capped a flawless outing with a birdie to join Patrick Cantlay atop the first-round U.S. Open leaderboard on Thursday at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. World number three McIlroy, in hot pursuit of an elusive fifth major title, closed his bogey-free round with a 19-foot birdie putt for a five-under-par 65 that left him and Cantlay one shot clear of Swedish sensation Ludvig Aberg.

WTA roundup: Top seed Jessica Pegula upset in Netherlands

Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia outlasted No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 6-4 in a Round of 16 upset at the Libema Open on Thursday in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. Krunic, who won the tournament in 2018, is ranked No. 400 in the world but took advantage of a rusty Pegula, who wass playing in her first tournament since April due to neck and back injuries. Krunic saved 5 of 7 break points and won 56 of her 69 first-service points (81.2 percent) in a two-hour, 44-minute match.

NFL punishes Falcons for tampering; Eagles cleared

The Atlanta Falcons were stripped of their fifth-round pick in next year's draft for violating the NFL's anti-tampering policy, the league announced Thursday. The Falcons also were fined $250,000 and general manager Terry Fontenot $50,000 for the team's improper contact with prospective unrestricted free agents Kirk Cousins, Darnell Mooney and Charlie Woerner prior to the start of the 2024 league year.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)