Scott signs with Bethel University

Denver Broncos rookie running back Audric Estime sustained a knee injury and is not expected to return until training camp, coach Sean Payton said Thursday. Estime, a fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame, had left practice a week ago because of the injury. He had a "small scope procedure" to make sure there wasn't serious damage, Payton said. "He'll be available at the start of training camp," Payton said after the conclusion of the Broncos' second week of OTA sessions. "So we won't see him through the rest of these OTAs, but on the conservative side, he's going to be just fine. It was all good news. And he'll stay and rehab, but he'll be full go at the start of training camp." Estime, listed by the Broncos as 5-foot-11 and 227 pounds, played three seasons at Notre Dame and had 373 carries for 2,321 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and 29 touchdowns in 37 games. Last season, he rushed 210 times for 1,341 yards and 18 touchdowns, and also caught 17 passes for 142 yards in 12 games. --Field Level Media

The Chicago Bears, with the top overall draft pick in Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams, will be the subject of the long-running "Hard Knocks" documentary series for the first time, HBO, NFL Films and the team announced Thursday. The franchise had not been interested in being the subject of "Hard Knocks," which since 2001 has chronicled NFL teams at training camp with behind-the-scenes access. "We're told there is some interest in other teams being on the program and we welcome that interest," Bears chairman George McCaskey said at the NFL team owners meetings in March. The organization does not appear to have changed its tune since then, judging by coach Matt Eberflus' brief statement in a press release. "Our players, coaches and staff are excited to continue the process of building for the 2024 season," Eberflus said. The five-episode series will premiere Aug. 6 on HBO and will stream on Max. New episodes run each Tuesday through Sept. 3. "We are honored to feature such an iconic NFL franchise on ‘Hard Knocks,'" Shannon Furman, NFL Films senior director and supervising producer, said in a statement. "The Chicago Bears have a talented roster, coaching staff and front office all determined to match the expectations of a hungry fanbase. We are thankful to the entire organization for opening their doors to us for what is sure to be an exciting training camp this summer." "‘Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears" will provide our passionate fans across the world the ability to experience this unique and critical time in the history of our franchise," team president & CEO Kevin Warren said in a statement. The Bears improved after an 0-4 start last season in finishing 7-10. Quarterback Justin Fields was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, opening a clear path for former Southern California star Williams to be the new starter. Chicago also drafted wide receiver Rome Odunze of Washington to join veterans DJ Moore and Keenan Allen -- the latter a notable new edition along with running back D'Andre Swift as the Bears bolstered the offensive side of the ball to complement a solid defense. The Bears play four preseason games, including the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against the Houston Texans on Aug. 1. Chicago also has the Bills, Bengals and Chiefs on its exhibition schedule. The series has expanded to three versions this season. The training camp coverage will follow a five-week run of a new spinoff endeavor, "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants," which was announced earlier this month. The in-season version will follow all four teams in a division for the first time. The specific division has yet to be chosen. --Field Level Media

Report: G Jaxson Robinson following Mark Pope to Kentucky

Transfer guard Jaxson Robinson, who played for Mark Pope at BYU, is following his coach to Kentucky and withdrawing from the NBA draft pool. Robinson, a four-star high school prospect from Oklahoma, began his college career in the Southeastern Conference at Texas A&M before moving on to Arkansas and then to BYU the last two seasons. He will play his final collegiate season in the SEC with the Wildcats. Last season, the 6-foot-7 guard was the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and received All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors after averaging a career-high 14.2 points along with 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 33 games (six starts) for the Cougars. Robinson scored 20 or more points in five games last season, including 25 in BYU's first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Duquesne. In four college seasons, Robinson has averaged 8.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 96 games (44 starts). Robinson is the ninth transfer and sixth player with four years of college basketball experience to join Kentucky after Pope arrived to an empty roster. --Field Level Media

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton participated in voluntary organized team activities this week after his contract was adjusted. Slayton had been away from the team while seeking a revised deal or a new one with the team. Per ESPN, Slayton has an opportunity to earn an additional $650,000 in incentives in addition to the $1.5 million already included in his contract. It was not known what he needed to accomplish in order to collect on the new incentives. "I'm satisfied. We got done what we needed to get done and just looking forward to playing ball," said Slayton, who will compete in the final season of his two-year, $12 million deal. "We just adjusted my contract this year a little bit. Just tried to make it a little bit more lucrative. Business is business and I'm here." Giants coach Brian Daboll was all business as well on Thursday. "It's good for him to be back," Daboll said when asked about Slayton. "Again, it's voluntary, so glad he decided to come." Slayton, 27, recorded 50 catches for 770 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games (13 starts) last season. He has 220 catches for 3,324 yards and 19 scores in 76 career games (53 starts) since being selected by the Giants in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Auburn. --Field Level Media

Penn State Health is weighing its options after being slapped with a $5.25 million verdict in the case of a doctor who was fired amid a clash with football coach James Franklin. On Wednesday, a jury in Dauphin County, Pa., ruled in favor of Dr. Scott Lynch, who sued Penn State Health after being fired in 2019 as medical director for Penn State athletics and as an orthopedic consultant to the team. "We are extremely disappointed to learn of the jury's decision, as we continue to believe that the claims in the complaint have no merit," Penn State Health said in a statement issued Thursday morning. "Penn State Health will soon determine whether it will appeal the decision. Penn State Health and the University remain dedicated to the health and well-being of our student-athletes." The jury awarded Lynch $250,000 in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Also named in the lawsuit was Lynch's supervisor, Dr. Kevin Black. During the trial, Lynch said he was terminated from both jobs after repeated disagreements with Franklin about the status of injured players. PennLive reported Lynch contended he was fired because he would not "allow a coach to interfere with his medical treatment and return to play decisions," referring to Franklin. Penn State Athletics and Franklin initially were named in the lawsuit but were dropped on a technicality. The jury came to its verdict after a seven-day trial. Franklin, hired in 2014, did not testify. --Field Level Media

The annual Peach State clash between Georgia and Georgia Tech will move to Black Friday this year, Yahoo Sports reported Thursday. The Nov. 29 game in Athens, Ga., is set for a primetime slot and will be televised by ABC. Georgia has beaten Georgia Tech six straight seasons, including a 31-23 win in 2023. Also moving from Thanksgiving to Black Friday will be the Egg Bowl, the yearly clash between Mississippi State and Ole Miss, per the report. It is set for a 3:30 p.m. ET start. The game, on Ole Miss' home field in Oxford, will be the fifth of Lane Kiffin's tenure with the Rebels. His team has beaten Mississippi State three times, including last year's 17-7 win. --Field Level Media

Reports: Dolphins sign WR Jaylen Waddle to $84.75M deal

Jaylen Waddle and the Miami Dolphins agreed to a three-year, $84.75 million contract extension through the 2028 season, according to multiple reports Thursday. Waddle, 25, would become one of the NFL's highest-paid receivers with a reported guarantee of $76 million, rating behind only 2024 contract agreements for Eagles wideout A.J. Brown ($84 million) and Lions All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown ($77 million). In his first three seasons in the NFL, Waddle set a team record by posting three straight 1,000-yard seasons. He has gained 3,385 receiving yards since being drafted sixth overall in 2021 from Alabama. He caught 72 passes for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games last season serving as the No. 2 wide receiver for Miami behind Tyreek Hill. Hill caught 119 passes for 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023. In 47 career regular-season games, Waddle has 251 receptions and 18 touchdowns. The deal raises the bar for a handful of players angling for new contracts at the same position. Justin Jefferson (Vikings), CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys) and Brandon Aiyuk (49ers) are among those looking for long-term deals from their current clubs. --Field Level Media

Two-time defending champion UConn will have one starter returning after forward Alex Karaban announced Wednesday afternoon that he is withdrawing from the NBA draft and staying with the Huskies. Others to reverse course on Wednesday included second-team All-America guard Mark Sears, who is staying at Alabama, and Pac-12 Player of the Year Caleb Love, a third-team All-America guard who is returning to Arizona. Karaban, a rising junior, made the announcement on social media before the deadline of 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday for draft prospects to decide whether to stay in the draft or return to school. "While I've enjoyed the draft process, Storrs is home. Let's run it back," Karaban announced on his X account. Karaban started 77 of 78 games in his two seasons at UConn and averaged 11.3 points and 4.8 rebounds. Last season, he averaged 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds and shot 37.9 percent from 3-point range. In the 2024 Final Four, Karaban posted 14 points and eight rebounds against Alabama to help UConn reach the national championship game against Purdue. He had five points, six boards and four assists as the Huskies topped the Boilermakers for the national title. Selected to the 2022-23 Big East All-Freshman team, the 6-foot-9 Karaban returns to a roster without four starters from last season: senior guards Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer, who exhausted their eligibility; and Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan, who left early for the NBA draft and are projected to be lottery picks. Sears ran one of the nation's most potent offenses and averaged a career-best 21.5 points along with 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. The All-Southeastern Conference first-team selection helped the Crimson Tide reach the Final Four last season. The 6-1 Sears also was All-SEC second team in 2022-23 at Alabama after transferring from Ohio, where he was first-team All-MAC in 2021-22. Love, who played his first three seasons at North Carolina, will have one year of eligibility remaining at Arizona, which he led to the Pac-12 regular-season title in his first season. He set career highs by averaging 18.0 points and 4.8 rebounds along with 3.4 assists. He also shot a career-best 41.3 percent from the field. Other players withdrawing from the 2024 NBA Draft, according to media reports: --Wake Forest guard Hunter Sallis, an All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team honoree after averaging 18 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals in his first season with the Demon Deacons. Sallis played the previous two years at Gonzaga. --Former Florida Atlantic standout guard Johnell Davis, who will play his final college season as a transfer to Arkansas and new coach John Calipari. Davis averaged career best of 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists last season -- his fourth at FAU. --Iowa forward Payton Sandfort, who had career-best averages of 16.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists last season, said he is returning for a fourth season at the school. --Forward Coleman Hawkins, who played four seasons at Illinois, withdrew and will reportedly transfer to another school. He averaged 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds last season. --Former Kansas State standout Arthur Kaluma, who is in the transfer portal. The forward averaged 14.4 points and 7.0 rebounds in his lone season at Kansas State after transferring from Creighton, where he played two seasons. --Former Miami guard Wooga Poplar, who is in the transfer portal. He averaged 13.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season for the Hurricanes. --Former Florida State forward Baba Miller, who is transferring to Florida Atlantic. He averaged 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks for the Seminoles in 2023-24. --Northwestern guard Brooks Barnhizer, who has averaged 9.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists over three seasons. --Butler guard Jahmyl Telfort, who averaged 13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists last season after transferring from Northeastern, where he played three seasons. --Oklahoma forward Jalon Moore, who averaged career highs of 11.2 points and 6.7 rebounds after transferring from Georgia Tech, where he played two seasons. --Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell, an All-SEC second-team selection last season after averaging 16.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. --Forward Malik Dia, who is transferring to Ole Miss after playing at Belmont (2023-24) and Vanderbilt (2022-23). He averaged 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds for Belmont last season. --Guard Koby Brea, who is transferring to Kentucky after four seasons at Dayton. He led the nation with a 49.8 percent from 3-point range last season and averaged 11.1 points and 3.8 rebounds. --Clemson guard Chase Hunter, who has played parts of five seasons and last campaign averaged 12.9 points, 3.2 assists and 2.6 rebounds. --Guard Chibuzo Agbo, who is transferring to Southern California after two seasons at Boise State (2022-24) and Texas Tech (2020-22). He averaged 13.7 points and 5.1 points last season. --Forward Achor Achor, who is transferring to Kansas State after two seasons at Samford, where he averaged 16.1 points and 6.1 rebounds last season. Among those that were staying in the draft in Wednesday media reports: --Kansas guard Johnny Furphy, a 6-9 Australian who was selected to the Big 12 All-Freshman team last season after averaging 9.0 points and 4.9 rebounds. --Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II, a consensus second-team All-America selection after averaging 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks last season. --Field Level Media