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NFL owners “will convene this week" for their annual spring meeting with "overtime at the top of their agenda." Public outcry “swept through the league” when the overtime rule “reared its ugly head again” in the Chiefs-Bills AFC Divisional playoff game. Falcons President & CEO Rich McKay, who chairs the NFL Competition Committee, said, “It is time to talk about it. But 24 votes is usually a big hill to climb.” Owners have “made only two major changes” to the league’s OT rules since ‘74. Two proposals to “amend the current format have been approved for discussion” by the competition committee and “submitted to the owners for approval” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 3/26).

The owners “will only vote on five rules changes” at their annual meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., which get underway today. McKay: “This is the fewest number of proposals I’ve seen in a while, and that’s a good thing.” For the "first time maybe ever," there are “no proposed changes to instant replay, or penalty rules, or player-safety issues” (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/27).

The Bills "cleared a major hurdle" in securing "private financing to help construct" a $1.4B stadium in Orchard Park. A source said that the NFL's joint stadium and finance committee on Friday voted to "recommend the league approve a maximum $200 million loan to Bills owners Kim and Terry Pegula." All 32 teams will "vote on the proposal" at the league’s annual owners meeting Monday in Palm Beach, Fla. At least three-quarters of owners -- 24 of 32 -- "must vote in favor of the deal," which is "considered a formality." New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Erie County Exec Mark Poloncarz have "indicated that negotiations for public funding are in the final stretch," but until a memorandum of understanding is signed by all parties, the NFL owners are "voting on a proposed deal -- not an actual one" (BUFFALO NEWS, 3/26).

The four contenders vying to buy EPL club Chelsea “will submit final bids” on April 11, “paving the way for a prospective new owner to seek government permission to take over" from Owner Roman Abramovich by the end of next month. Bidders “will have the opportunity to improve their offers from the indicative proposals,” which saw them make it through to the final stages of "one of the most extraordinary corporate auctions of recent times.” The quartet of contenders had been told by Raine Group yesterday that they “must commit at least [US$1.3B] to future investment in the club.”

The contenders:

• Former British Airways and Liverpool Chair Martin Broughton, with former British Olympian Seb Coe, are "fronting a bid that has the financial firepower" of HBSE co-Managing Partners Josh Harris and Dave Blitzer. That consortium also includes NBA Kings Owner Vivek Ranadive.

• Dodgers co-Owner Todd Boehly, London-based property developer Jonathan Goldstein and investment firm Clearlake Capital.

• Cubs Owners the Ricketts family and hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, with U.S. investment bank Lazard "in talks to advise it."

• Celtics and Serie A club Atalanta Owner Stephen Pagliuca.

Sources said that Liberty Media Acquisition Corp (LMAC) was among the parties “eliminated from the auction," largely because of the “complexity of finalising a deal on a timetable which was truncated by Abramovich's sanctioning” (SKY NEWS, 3/27).

The Blue Jays will "begin a significant renovation of Rogers Centre next off-season, overhauling the 33-year-old stadium’s lower bowl and concourses" in a project that is "expected to be completed in time" for the '24 MLB season. The final cost of the privately funded project is "not yet known," as planning, design and budgeting processes are "ongoing." But the club anticipates "revealing more complete plans for the renovation in May." The "largest and most noticeable impact" will be the ballpark's lower bowl being "completely replaced." Rogers Centre’s exterior will "remain mostly untouched." The project is "intended to buy the Blue Jays 10-15 years" to envision a "longer-term solution for the outdated building," which opened in '89 and is MLB’s seventh-oldest ballpark (TSN.ca, 3/25).

St. Peters plays North Carolina this afternoon with a spot in the Final Four at stake, and it is “safe to estimate” that St. Peter's three wins in the NCAA Tournament “will mean a windfall of at least $6 million in additional money from the three extra NCAA units." That money is "distributed to the MAAC over the next six years," and the league "has autonomy as to how to distribute the money.” St. Peter's AD Rachelle Paul: "I would like to see however it's distributed among the members of the MAAC, I'd like to see Saint Peter's get a little bit more. We're the ones doing this, quite frankly."

MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor acknowledges this but said that there is "unlikely to be a windfall" for St. Peter's. Ensor also said that there is “already a distribution system in place that allows for a ‘modest’ slice of money” for teams that have won in the tournament. The rest of the excess money is “expected to be dedicated toward improving basketball in the league” (ESPN.com, 3/26).

MLS Next Pro's inaugural game saw St. Louis City2 beat Rochester New York FC 2-0 in front of a "sellout crowd of 6,012" at Saint Louis Univ.'s Hermann Stadium, as City’s "fledgling faithful came out in force." The "bulk of the fans" had "some form of City gear." The developmental league's debut match "brought out an array" of MLS execs, including MLS Commissioner Don Garber and MLS Next Pro President Charles Altchek. The league chose City to host the first game because it was "expecting a situation just like this." Altchek: "In my short tenure as president of MLS Next Pro, it was the easiest decision I’ve made because we knew they would deliver with the rich soccer history here" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 3/26).

Saturday's Pacers-Raptors game at Scotiabank Arena was "delayed for about 70 minutes" because of an electrical fire that “forced the evacuation of about 20,000 fans.” The game was completed with the stands empty. The orderly evacuation of the arena came with 4:05 left in the second quarter, after two sections were “originally emptied when flames were spotted coming from a speaker.” The fire began in a speaker hanging “far above the court at the east end” of the 23-year-old arena (TORONTO STAR, 3/27). There were "fears" the speaker “would fall.” According to the Raptors, ticket holders “will be reimbursed at point of purchase within seven to 30 days” (TORONTO SUN, 3/27).

Kyrie Irving is set to play at Barclays Center for the first time this season when the Nets host the Hornets tonight, and Nets F Kevin Durant "knows it is no coincidence" that the vaccine mandate, which had prevented Irving from playing in home games, was "lifted just two weeks before Opening Day at Yankee Stadium." Durant said, "I’m not naïve to the fact that the Mets and the Yankees have a lot of power in our city. And I’m sure when they all helped and had conversations with whoever they needed to talk to, they were able to push it over the top." Durant: "Sports is a huge factor in a lot of these major cities. And I’m glad we can get it done for everybody to move forward. I know New York City fans are excited about it" (NEWSDAY, 3/26).

Outback Steakhouse "dropped its title sponsorship deal" with the Outback Bowl, ending its "streak as the longest-running college bowl game title sponsor in history." The Tampa Bay Bowl Association on Friday evening revealed that the game would "be played as the Tampa Bay Bowl." Outback had been title sponsor of the game since '95. In '19, Outback "extended its title sponsorship deal" through '26. Neither Outback parent company Bloomin' Brands nor the bowl association "acknowledged a reason for the split" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 3/25). The game was "first called" the Hall of Fame Bowl and "dates back" to the '86 season (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 3/26).

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The Hawks "hope to bring a full-fledged All-Star weekend" to Atlanta in '27, after "hosting and doing much of the heavy lifting for the NBA All-Star game in 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic." The Hawks picked that year because they "hope it will overlap" with when the Centennial Yards project will be "substantially done." Hawks Principal Owner Tony Ressler is an investor and the Hawks a partner in that project. The timeline of when the Hawks plan to "enter a formal bid and potentially get approval is unclear," since the date is "still far in the future." All-Star '27 in Atlanta, if the NBA approves, would be a "much grander affair" than in '21, when the game "wasn’t open to the general public" (ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION, 3/25).

Black News Channel, the TV news service that launched in early ‘20 to “be a voice for people of color,” is “ceasing operations.” Jaguars Owner Shad Khan is the majority stakeholder. The company is “filing for bankruptcy,” and live programming ended at 5:00pm ET on Friday. The Tallahassee-based outlet “failed to meet payroll” on Friday, a day after “telling employees that paychecks would be delayed.” According to sources, Khan was "no longer willing to invest further.” The channel has “been shopped to a number of media companies,” including Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios, but “there were no takers” (L.A. TIMES, 3/26).

Construction is underway at Gillette Stadium, and pictures shared on Friday showed the “lighthouse has been knocked down.” There will be a “new and enhanced lighthouse, which has been the stadium’s signature feature since its opening” (BOSTON.CBSLOCAL.com, 3/25).

Former Cavaliers Owner Gordon Gund and former players Lenny Wilkens, World B. Free and Campy Russell joined the team’s Wall of Honor last night. They received “newly-designed rings … and were celebrated with individual highlight videos” (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 3/27).

LeBron James received the "Worst Actor" distinction Saturday during the 42nd annual Golden Raspberry Awards -- better known as the "Razzies" -- for his work in "Space Jam: The Legacy." The "Space Jam" sequel also got the nod for "Worst Screen Couple" and "Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel" at the awards "celebrating the worst in movies" (TMZ.com, 3/26).

"We kind of made the decision all together, that was kind of made there, I’m fine with it. We drivers, we were all concerned if it’s safe for all of us to be here racing, we got decent explanation on things, and also we went through all the options like, ‘What if we don’t race?’" -- F1 driver Valtteri Bottas, on the decision to go ahead with today's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix despite a nearby missile attack (RACER.com, 3/27).

“I throw out one post in the car on the way to practice and all of a sudden it’s ‘I don’t focus on tennis.’ I think that it is unfair but it’s something I have learned to deal with and become a bit more insensitive to the outside noise” -- Tennis player Emma Raducanu, on critics claiming off-court interests are hurting her on-court play (THE GUARDIAN, 3/26).

Under the header, "Two teams, one market but disparity between Giants, A’s has never been so lopsided," the S.F. CHRONICLE's John Shea writes, "What sets the A’s apart is their inability to keep up with the Joneses. In this case, the Giants. The A’s are the only secondary team in a two-team market that has failed to keep up. They’re by far the unhealthiest No. 2 team in any two-team market. The Yankees, Cubs and Dodgers dominate their turf on most every front, over the Mets, White Sox and Angels, respectively, but the inequality isn’t nearly as drastic as what we see in the Bay Area."

Also:

• Roger Penske's son, Jay Penske, is a "quiet Hollywood power broker."

• NIT provided "countless memories" at iconic MSG home.

• Creighton coach balances NCAA tourney run with being new mom.

• Erin Jackson morphs from "a super nerd" to Gold Medalist speed skater.

As the music world mourns the loss of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, we look back fondly on this "The Longest Yard"-themed promotional spot the band created in January '19 for a live-streamed concert in Atlanta. Hawkins portrays QB heartthrob Bret Rogers, whose presence is announced by none other than Fox NFL studio personalities Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw and Michael Strahan.