Seattle's Michael Bennett reaches 3-year contract extension (Yahoo Sports)

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett is helped off the field with an injury in the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Michael Bennett and the Seattle Seahawks reached agreement on a three-year contract extension on Friday that will keep the defensive end under contract through the 2020 season. Bennett’s agent Doug Hendrickson told The Associated Press that discussions about the extension started six months ago and finally reached their conclusion just before the end of the regular season. Bennett’s deal begins with the 2018 season and is worth up to $31.5 million, including $16 million in the first year of the new deal.


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Premier League Ref Wants In On The Chinese Soccer Gravy Train

With all of the gargantuan contracts the Chinese Super League has handed out to star(ish) soccer players over the last year or so, it was only a matter of time before those on the sport’s periphery started batting their eyes eastward, hoping to secure some of those seemingly infinite riches for themselves. Enter star referee Mark Clattenburg, who has made it clear that his mind and phone lines are definitely open to any potential Chinese suitors.

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Mathis not saying much about future as Colts' finale looms (Yahoo Sports)

FILE - In this Nov. 29, 2015, file photo, Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Robert Mathis (98) lines up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during an NFL football game in Indianapolis. The Colts play the Jacksonville Jaguars in the season finale Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Jeff Haynes, File)

When Robert Mathis speaks, the Indianapolis Colts listen. ”If you don’t do your job and make plays, they will answer the question for you,” Mathis said when asked recently if he wants to return in 2017. Of course, Mathis would prefer to leave the game on his own terms, but he’s been around long to know how fickle the football business can be.


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UConn's Women's Basketball Still Hasn't Lost A Game Since 2014

We need a word that multiplies the impact of the word “juggernaut” to describe the UConn women’s basketball team. Last night, the Huskies won their 87th consecutive game with a 87-81 win over fourth-ranked Maryland. That puts the team only three wins away from breaking their previous win streak record of 90 games between 2008 and 2010, teams led by Maya Moore.

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The Blue Jackets Are On Fire

The Columbus Blue Jackets came out of the gate hot this season, but it didn’t feel totally real. The team’s possession stats were weak, and their PDO—a combination of shooting percentage and save percentage that tends to flatten out over time, and can indicate a team that’s just plain lucky—pointed toward them cooling off. All of this, plus the franchise’s unspectacular history, and a roster that’s just not laden with elite scorers, had observers unconvinced. And just about the only thing Columbus could do to convince people would be to keep winning. They haven’t lost since Thanksgiving weekend.

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