The Afternoon Brief: Judge back, Belichick questioned, SEC perfect, LSU facing expulsion

Aaron Judge was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Monday and is expected to play Tuesday against the Rockies, ending a three-month absence from a right rib stress fracture sustained April 26. The Yankees ranked 26th in the Majors in runs scored during the period Judge spent sidelined; the team was 36-23 when he last played and 45-39 without him through Sunday. Manager Aaron Boone has indicated Judge may play five to seven innings initially, with the team discouraging diving to prevent re-injury. Judge declined a Minor League rehab assignment, saying he saw no point in wasting at-bats.

The larger story of Tuesday, however, centers on three institutional conflicts playing out simultaneously. Bill Belichick addressed the press Monday for the first time since the UNC investigation deepened, denying he has lost control of the program despite mounting evidence of internal dysfunction. The investigation has now widened to include allegations of drug use and inappropriate relationships involving coaching staff and recruiting personnel. General manager Michael Lombardi, whom Belichick personally hired, resigned September 3 after being placed on paid administrative leave in late July following an HR complaint. Defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, the head coach's son, remains on medical leave. When asked whether the university had asked him to change how he runs the program, Belichick said no and emphasized the program maintains compliance standards. His contract explicitly requires him to promote an atmosphere of compliance. The university issued a statement affirming it continues to support both Belichick and the program, though the investigation remains open with no announced conclusion timeline.

In a separate institutional battle, the SEC filed an amended federal complaint Tuesday and scheduled a vote of conference presidents for Thursday, September 10, on whether to expel LSU from the conference. The filing escalates a months-long dispute over LSU's recruitment of former NFL players. SEC bylaws require a two-thirds majority to expel a member. The filing adds LSU Board of Supervisors members and Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill as defendants and requests a temporary restraining order to prevent LSU from blocking the meeting. A Louisiana state court previously issued an injunction against SEC enforcement of penalties, creating legal uncertainty about whether the conference can carry out an expulsion even if the vote passes.

On the NFL side, the Patriots signed cornerback Christian Gonzalez to a four-year, $135 million extension with $102 million guaranteed on Monday, making him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history at $33.75 million average annual value. The deal surpasses Devon Witherspoon's four-year, $132 million contract with the Seahawks signed in August. Both players are represented by the same agent. The timing is stark: the Patriots face Seattle in Wednesday's season opener, meaning Gonzalez will compete against the player whose record his deal just broke. The commitment comes despite Gonzalez having only 34 regular-season games of seasoning and a history of significant injuries, including a lower leg injury sustained in August.

College football delivered mixed results on opening weekend. All 16 SEC teams won their season openers on September 3-5, the conference's first perfect Week 1 since 1997 when it carried only 12 teams. No. 17 Washington defeated Washington State 24-10 in the Apple Cup on September 6, but the Huskies' offense struggled until the fourth quarter and the team lost both starting running back Quaid Carr and backup Jayden Limar to significant injuries. Carr underwent hand surgery; Limar sustained an elbow injury. Coach Jedd Fisch declined to rule out season-ending status for either but indicated both will miss several weeks. No. 4 Notre Dame routed Wisconsin 41-13 at Lambeau Field on September 6 but lost two defensive starters to lower left leg injuries in the third quarter: safety Brauntae Johnson and defensive tackle Jason Onye. Both appeared on the sideline wearing protective boots. Coach Marcus Freeman provided no diagnosis or return timeline and said he would meet with medical staff Monday to assess their status for next Saturday's game against Rice. SMU defeated Florida State on Monday night under conditions not seen in modern college football: a two-hour power outage at Doak Campbell Stadium forced the game to proceed without stadium lights, coach-to-player helmet communication, iPads, instant replay, or a PA announcer. The game kicked off at 9:15 p.m. ET after originally being scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Referees kept the official game clock on the field while ESPN's broadcast clock remained unofficial.

In tennis, Zheng Qinwen defeated Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 in the US Open fourth round on September 7, advancing to the quarterfinals after erasing a 5-0 first-set deficit. The comeback marks the second consecutive match in which Zheng has won seven games in a row from 0-5 down, the second against a Grand Slam champion. Zheng will face second seed Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals. In cricket, Cricket Australia approved privatization of the Big Bash League, with the Melbourne Renegades entering a sales process targeting new ownership by the 2027-28 season. Rather than pursue league-wide privatization, the board adopted a self-determination model allowing individual states to choose whether and when to sell stakes in their franchises, retreating from an earlier uniform proposal. The decision passed despite opposition from New South Wales and Queensland. In England cricket, Joe Root endorsed Kevin Pietersen's appointment as specialist mentor to the white-ball squad ahead of the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. Root, 31, is the only surviving England Test player from Pietersen's playing era. Pietersen, 46, will join Brendon McCullum's staff for the Sri Lanka series next week. Pietersen's 2014 exit over a trust issue with then-captain Andrew Strauss has never been formally resolved by the organization, though BBC Sport reported in 2015 that he was informed he would not be recalled due to a trust issue.