In one of the “biggest breakthroughs to date,” researchers from the Boston Univ. School of Medicine have “discovered a key biomarker" for CTE that they "hope marks the first step toward being able to diagnose and ultimately treat the neurodegenerative disease in a living football player.” Dr. Ann McKee said it is “the first ray of hope" in a years-long effort to understand the disease. She “cautioned that a lot more research is needed.” Researchers are “hopeful that if an elevated biomarker in a living person might indicate the presence of CTE, research into prevention and treatment of the disease can begin to move forward” (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 9/26).

President Trump this afternoon said he has not been “preoccupied with the NFL” as Puerto Rico recovers from Hurricane Maria and relations with North Korea continue to worsen. Trump during a press conference alongside Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he was “ashamed of what was taking place” during the national anthem at NFL games. Trump: “I don’t think you can disrespect our country, our flag, our national anthem. To me, the NFL situation is a very important situation. … It’s called respect for our country.” He later called kneeling during the anthem “disgraceful” (CNBC, 9/26).

Trump over the past seven days has referenced the NFL, either directly or indirectly, in 18 tweets, while touching on sports teams visiting the White House twice. He has referenced Puerto Rico either directly or indirectly five times during that time span (THE DAILY).

LA ‘28 Chair Casey Wasserman today said a U.S. bid to host the ’26 Games would present “myriad” issues for ‘28 organizers, throwing cold water on the hopes of several cities. "2026 is complicated,” Wasserman said. “Obviously, there’s real challenges from a timing perspective, two years before us. There are issues that collide with the (joint venture) we have with the U.S. Olympic Committee." Salt Lake City, Denver and Reno/Tahoe have declared an interest in pursuing the ’26 Games, and the USOC considers hosting the Winter Olympics a long-term goal.

USOC CEO Scott Blackmun yesterday said a ’26 bid would only proceed if L.A. leaders think it "wasn’t going to impact their ability to market and promote the 2028 Games." LA ‘28 and the USOC have already created a joint venture to sell merged Olympic rights from ’21-28. Also, sponsorship experts question whether the sponsorship market would support two Olympics and a probable ’26 FIFA World Cup in a span of roughly 30 months. The USOC BOD will discuss winter bidding on Oct. 13.

Callaway Golf today extended its longtime relationship with Phil Mickelson, making it that he will play the equipment for the remainder of his competitive career. Mickelson first signed on with Callaway back in '04 (Callaway Golf). As a “loyal pitch man, there’s probably not anyone better in golf” than Mickelson, something “Callaway Golf knows” (SANDIEGOUNIONTRIBUNE.com, 9/26).

NFL Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson today was scheduled to meet with a group of players "upset that his strongly held beliefs do not allow them to join the growing protests around the NFL." Those players are "frustrated by restrictions implemented by Richardson and concerned about possible repercussions should they speak out on social issues." Sources said that coach Ron Rivera yesterday "had a dialogue with his players on the topic" during a team meeting (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 9/26).

Former NFLer and Nebraska alum Dave Rimington has been named the Huskers' interim AD, and he will "start in his new role immediately." Rimington, who replaces the fired Shawn Eichorst, "agreed to take a leave of absence from his position as president of the Boomer Esiason Foundation," and his appointment is "scheduled for up to 60 days." Nebraska officials said that they would "both use a search firm during the coming process" to find a permanent AD and "seek advice and input from former AD and head football coach Tom Osborne" (OMAHA.com, 9/26).

The Golden Knights will “drop the puck for the first time” at T-Mobile Arena tonight at 7:00pm PT against the Kings, “providing local fans the first chance to see the city’s initial major league sports team in action.” Fans have “shown up in droves for practices” at City National Arena. Team officials “expect similar support on game night -- even if it’s just an exhibition game” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 9/26).

Aramark and the NFL today officially signed a multiyear agreement that "makes the Philadelphia-based company the 'official retail merchandise concessionaire' for all special league events" in the U.S. (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/26). SportsBusiness Journal first reported the news in February.

The 76ers formally have renewed a multiyear partnership with Philadelphia-based WPEN-FM to serve as the team's flagship radio station (76ers).

The PGA Tour has renewed its agreement with Twitter for the company to be the exclusive global platform for PGA Tour Live across 31 tournaments next season (PGA Tour).

ABC's '18 Miami-LSU college weekend kickoff originally scheduled for Sept. 1 will now be played Sunday, Sept. 2 at 7:30pm ET (ESPN).

"There were no issues on our part. We had a good talk and we all realized that there are things going on in the world that aren’t right, but we wanted to show our support for the flag” -- U.S. Presidents Cup captain Steve Stricker, on the team not protesting during the national anthem (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 9/26).

“The more years you spend away from the league, you’re going to know less and less about the personnel that’s out on the field. So I’m blowing a ‘stop the hype’, OK, right now” -- Brent Musburger, on Tony Romo’s performance in the booth so far this NFL season (NYPOST.com, 9/26).

In a positive note, the US Attorney's office just called Auburn a "top tier basketball program."

— WarBlogle.com (@WarBlogle) September 26, 2017

Kobe Bryant figured prominently in @LA2028 promotional film shown at IOC selection meeting...watching now at #TeamUSAMediaSummit

— Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) September 26, 2017

Mark Cuban loaned the team plane to J.J. Barea to fly supplies to Puerto Rico. Barea will return tonight with his mother and grandmother.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) September 26, 2017

The one thing that you can't call Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is cheap. Cleveland has spent $593M in salary and tax since 2014.

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) September 26, 2017

Great week to celebrate Season #10 at the NYJ, capped off by the launch of JetGreen 2.0. Few in the #SportsBiz do it better than JetBlue... pic.twitter.com/R8BvDrI91h

— Andrew Agro (@AndrewRAgro) September 26, 2017

The MLB Rangers and FS Southwest will host a televised benefit for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. The telethon will run during the Rangers-Astros broadcast.

75,000 -- Attendance for the '17 PGA Tour Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, which is "slightly down for the typical 80,000-100,000 range (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/26).