The Evening Brief: Makar's record resets NHL; Pogacar crashes out of Vuelta

The evening brought two decisive shifts: money resetting market value in hockey, and an injury altering cycling's Grand Tour landscape.

Cale Makar signed an eight-year, $163.2 million extension with the Colorado Avalanche at $20.4 million annual average value, the first player to surpass $20 million per season in NHL history. The deal represents a 126.7 percent increase from his previous $9 million AAV contract signed in 2021 and is 63.2 percent higher than the defenseman record Bowen Byram set at $12.5 million AAV earlier this summer with Chicago. Makar, 27, was entering the final season of his prior deal and would have reached unrestricted free agency after 2026-27 without the extension. The Avalanche move removes him from the open market and avoids a scenario like Mikko Rantanen's departure from Colorado. Makar has recorded 507 points in 470 regular-season games, averaging better than a point per game and joining Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey as the only defensemen to achieve that mark. He won the Norris Trophy in 2024, finished second in 2026, and was named to the First All-Star Team four times in his career.

The extension immediately sets expectations for pending negotiations across the league, particularly as the Minnesota Wild approach contract talks with Quinn Hughes. Any franchise defenseman now operates in Makar's shadow: his $20.4 million AAV becomes the floor for what elite defensemen at his level will demand.

In cycling, Tadej Pogacar crashed with approximately 33 kilometers remaining on stage eight of the Vuelta a Espana on Saturday and abandoned the race. Medical examination revealed a broken left collarbone requiring surgery, a concussion, a stable neck fracture, and multiple abrasions. Pogacar led the general classification by three minutes 50 seconds when the crash occurred. The withdrawal marks the first Grand Tour abandoned by Pogacar in his career and ends a bid to win all three Grand Tours in a single season. Enric Mas of Spain now leads the general classification by one minute 11 seconds from Felix Gall, per BBC Sport reporting. Mas declined to wear the red jersey when it was presented, instead holding it in front of him as he expressed hope for Pogacar's recovery. The Third Test of the series will be played next Saturday at altitude in Soweto, Johannesburg. Pogacar's collarbone surgery is delayed pending concussion clearance, leaving his timeline for recovery unclear and his participation at the Road World Championships in Canada next month uncertain.

Elsewhere, Tony Romo faces three citations from his July 23 arrest in Wisconsin: operating while intoxicated as a first offense, unsafe passing on the right side, and possessing open intoxicants in his vehicle. Romo remains indefinitely suspended from CBS's No. 1 booth, where J.J. Watt has taken his place. His long-term future at CBS remains uncertain despite a 10-year, $180 million contract signed in 2020. A spokesperson said Romo accepts full responsibility and is working with local authorities to resolve the civil matter while communicating with CBS about next steps.

WNBA reporter Roberta F. Rodrigues announced on August 27 that she would take a temporary break from women's basketball coverage, citing harassment and a hostile environment. In a social media post reported by Awful Announcing, Rodrigues stated she was "tired from the harassment, the gaslight and the countless attempts to discredit me and my work." She referenced the current state of WNBA coverage and said a specific fan base's influence had "completely taken away the joy of the game" for her. She plans to return after the World Cup break.

In baseball, the Atlanta Braves announced that starting pitchers Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach will both undergo season-ending elbow surgery. Robert Suárez, another member of the Braves' pitching contingent, is recovering from right elbow inflammation and will begin throwing off a mound again early the following week. Tarik Skubal pitched at Comerica Park on Friday night for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Detroit Tigers, his former team. It marked Skubal's 78th appearance at the ballpark but his first while wearing another team's uniform after Detroit parted ways with him at the deadline.

In boxing, Moses Itauma, 21 and unbeaten in 14 fights with 12 knockouts, faced 34-year-old Filip Hrgović for the vacant IBF heavyweight championship at the O2 Arena in London on August 29. Itauma has boxed only 31 professional rounds. Hrgović carries a 20-1 record with 15 knockouts. Itauma would become the second-youngest heavyweight champion in history behind Mike Tyson if he wins.

In rugby, South Africa defeated New Zealand 33-26 on August 29 at Cape Town Stadium to level the three-match series at 1-1. The Springboks scored three tries through Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, and Siya Kolisi, per BBC Sport. Cheslin Kolbe converted all three and added four penalty goals, accounting for 18 points and earning player-of-the-match honors. Ardie Savea's 77th-minute try brought the All Blacks within one score, but Cameron Hanekom won a turnover on the All Blacks' final attack to settle the closing stages. Head coach Rassie Erasmus made five squad changes from the team announced Monday, including a full front-row swap hours before kick-off. Nearly 40-year-old Deon Fourie appeared in the squad, standing as the oldest Springbok in history, per BBC Sport. The decider will be played next Saturday at altitude in Soweto, Johannesburg.

In other news, MLB has suspended a Dominican prospect from the Cleveland Guardians after an investigation uncovered an elaborate plot to conceal his actual age, involving falsified school and medical records, forged birth and death certificates, and a staged gravesite. The prospect posed as nearly two years younger than his actual age, and the scheme led the Guardians to cancel a 2.8 million pound agreement. The NFL and NFLPA are in active discussions to finalize terms for player participation in flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with more than 200 players expressing interest. Unresolved issues include injury protections via insurance, salary-cap credit for injured players, scheduling, and medical standards. The flag football competition is scheduled for July 15-22. UEFA filed legal discovery motions in three U.S. federal courts against FIFA, Gianni Infantino, Thrive Capital, and Greg Maffei, seeking documents about the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme with the stated goal of supporting criminal charges against Infantino in Switzerland.