Australia and Melbourne Renegades women's allrounder Sophie Molineux has become the latest cricketer to step away from the game for mental health issues.

Molineux has played all 10 of the Renegades WBBL games so far this season, as she was pushing to return to the national side ahead of the T20 World Cup. But she has withdrawn from Saturday's Melbourne derby against the Stars at Eastern Oval in Ballarat in order to focus on her mental health and wellbeing.

This follows on from Victorian male trio Glenn Maxwell, Nic Maddinson and Will Pucovski all withdrawing from Australia and Australia A commitments for mental health reasons, although it is understood all three men were suffering from different mental health challenges.

Australia and Perth Scorchers women's batter Nicole Bolton stepped away from cricket last summer due to mental health issues.

Renegades WBBL Head Coach Tim Coyle said they will give Molineux as much time as she needs away from the game.

"Sophie knows her teammates and the Renegades coaches and support staff are always there for her," Coyle said. "We'll give Sophie the time, space and any support she needs."

Pip Inge, Australia Women's Team Doctor, said that Cricket Australia will monitor Molineux closely.

"Sophie has made the decision to take a break from cricket and we are providing her with the support she needs," Inge said. "The welfare of our players is a priority and we are proud of the brave decision by Sophie to step away from the game."

CA's head of national teams Ben Oliver told ESPNCricinfo earlier this month that CA is working hard with both the men's and women's national squads to gain a better understanding of mental health issues.

Australia's male players spoke on the eve of first Test against Pakistan about the importance of monitoring their own wellbeing.

Makinley Blows has been brought into the Renegades squad.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Christian McCaffrey's acrobatic and lightning-quick moves have been compared by opponents to those seen on video games, so it should come as no surprise the Carolina Panthers running back now is a member of the exclusive Madden 99 club.

The 23-year-old McCaffrey, on pace to break Chris Johnson's single-season record for total yards from scrimmage, on Thursday was presented a plaque for becoming the youngest player to obtain the 99 rating.

The only other running backs to achieve that rating were Johnson, Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson.

Top 2 and he ain't number 2 ?

Welcome to the #99Club @run__cmc!!! pic.twitter.com/b33VC8GnMf

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 21, 2019

That McCaffrey grew up playing Madden and remains a big fan of video games made the award that much more special for the eighth pick of the 2017 draft.

"This means a lot,'' McCaffrey told the team website. "It's really cool. I played Madden my whole life. Getting a 99, to be in that company means a lot. It's definitely very humbling."

McCaffrey, who had a 91 overall rating at the start of the season, has a chance to join some of the legends of the real NFL if he keeps up his current pace. He joined Herschel Walker in last weekend's loss to Atlanta as the only player in NFL history with 2,500-plus yards rushing and 2,000-plus receiving yards in his first three NFL seasons.

Earlier this year, he joined Hall of Famer Jim Brown as the only players in NFL history with 150-plus total yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in six of their first eight games of a season.

With 1,578 yards from scrimmage -- a league-best 1,059 yards rushing and 517 receiving -- McCaffrey is on pace for 2,524 yards. That would break Johnson's 2009 mark of 2,509 yards.

McCaffrey last weekend became the first player in NFL history to rush for at least 1,000 yards and have at least 500 yards receiving in the first 10 games of a season.

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Thankful??! #9️⃣9️⃣

A post shared by Christian McCaffrey (@christianmccaffrey) on Nov 21, 2019 at 1:05pm PST

He's trying to become the third player in NFL history to have 1,000 yards receiving and rushing in the same season. The other two were Roger Craig and Faulk.

"It's in his DNA to make that happen,'' Craig told ESPN earlier this year. "He's built for it. His day will come."

Asked after the 29-3 loss to Atlanta how it felt to be mentioned in the same breath with so many NFL legends, McCaffrey simply said, "I just want to win."

The Panthers (5-5) travel to New Orleans (8-2) on Sunday needing a win to stop a two-game skid and get back in the running for a wild card spot with only six games remaining.

HOUSTON -- Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has two home run-hitting wide receivers in Will Fuller and Kenny Stills, so star receiver DeAndre Hopkins' role has been a little different this season. But it was a throwback night in the Houston Texans’ 20-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday.

Entering the game, Hopkins was averaging 9.9 yards per reception this season, well below his 14.1 average over his first six NFL seasons. But against the Colts, Hopkins had two huge plays that put the Texans into first place in the AFC South.

Earlier in the week, Hopkins called this a “must-win” game for Houston, given the Colts’ position in the standings. The teams had the same 6-4 record coming into the game, but Indianapolis held the tiebreaker because the Colts beat the Texans in Week 7. With Thursday's victory, the Texans now have a 74% chance to win the division, per ESPN's Football Power Index; that number would have fallen to 20% with a loss.

Hopkins finished with six catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He had two touchdown catches in his previous nine games entering Thursday. He and Watson have combined for 24 touchdowns since Watson’s rookie season of 2017, which trails only Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown (26) for the most in that span.

Hopkins has caught a touchdown in his past five games against the Colts. He didn't have any in his first eight career games against Indianapolis.

Buy a breakout performance: Fuller had seven catches for 140 yards, and it wasn’t even his best game of the season -- he had three touchdowns and 217 receiving yards against the Falcons -- but it was his first game back since he injured his hamstring in Week 7 in Indianapolis, and his return was a huge factor. It was the most receiving yards by any player against the Colts this season. If Fuller can stay healthy -- something he has struggled with during his NFL career -- he will continue to play an important part in this offense, particularly deep down the field.

QB breakdown: Watson completed 19 of 30 passes for 298 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He earned most of those yards downfield Thursday, completing all four of his passes on throws of 30-plus yards. Both of his touchdown passes came on those plays. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, that’s the most deep-ball attempts without an incompletion in a game since 2006, when the data became available.

Eye-popping NextGen Stat: According to NFL Next Gen Stats data, there was 5.2 yards of separation on Hopkins’ second-quarter touchdown catch, which is the most separation for a Texans wide receiver on a touchdown reception this season. The pass had an air distance of 49.5 yards. That was the second-longest touchdown pass to a wide open receiver in the NFL this season (five-plus yards of separation) behind a Tom Brady touchdown pass (50.9 yards) to Phillip Dorsett.

Troubling trend: A game after the Texans allowed 256 rushing yards at Baltimore, they gave up 175 yards on 39 carries to the Colts. Indianapolis had two rushing touchdowns on Thursday, its first game against Houston with multiple rushing touchdowns since Week 16 of the 2007 season, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. On the Colts’ first touchdown drive, they ran on all seven plays for 42 yards. On their second touchdown drive, Indianapolis ran on 10 of the 11 plays for 59 yards. The Colts did this without starting running back Marlon Mack, who suffered a broken hand in Week 11.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Wataru "Wat" Misaka, the first player of Japanese descent to play in the league that was the predecessor to the NBA, has died. He was 95.

The University of Utah athletic department said in a news release Thursday that Misaka died Wednesday in Salt Lake City. He grew up in Ogden, Utah.

"We are saddened to learn of the passing of Wat Misaka," Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said. "He was a part of the Utah teams that won national championships in the 1940s, but Wat was bigger than the game of basketball, blazing trails into places nobody of his descent had gone before. He was such a kind and thoughtful man and will be missed by so many. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and Utah fans, who all mourn his passing."

Misaka was the point guard on the Utah team that won the NCAA tournament in 1944 and the NIT in 1947.

Misaka played three games for the New York Knicks during the 1947-48 season in the Basketball Association of America.

A 2008 documentary called "Transcending: The Wat Misaka Story" told the story of what Misaka went through as a trailblazing athlete.

Misaka attended a 2013 Utah Jazz game to watch Jeremy Lin play.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CONCORD, N.C. – Veteran NASCAR and sports car competitor Justin Marks has decided to retire as a driver.

Marks, 38, made the announcement Thursday in a post on his personal Twitter account.

After 20 years, 400+ professional starts, 20+ wins, and the experience of a lifetime, I’m hanging up the helmet. Deeply appreciative of the amazing friendships I’ve made. I have not deserved this journey. Onwards and upwards. Time to reinvent. pic.twitter.com/vpTybtt5Pz

— Justin Marks (@JustinMarksDG) November 21, 2019

Marks began his career in sports cars, competing in SCCA events before transitioning to the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. By 2005 began to make the transition from sports car racing to stock cars

He started by making his ARCA Menards Series in 2005, eventually running two full seasons in ARCA over the next six seasons. He earned one ARCA victory, which came in 2010 at Florida’s Palm Beach Int’l Raceway.

Eventually Marks began competing in NASCAR, making starts across all three of NASCAR’s National divisions beginning in 2007. He made 38 Truck Series, 35 Xfinity Series and six Cup Series starts from 2007 to 2018.

His lone victory in NASCAR came in 2016 when he won a rain soaked NASCAR Xfinity Series event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. His best finish in the Cup Series was a 12th-place finish in 2018 Daytona 500.

In 2018 he contested the full IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule for Michael Shank Racing, but scaled back his involvement to include just endurance races this year. He was part of the race-winning GT Daytona team during the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen Int’l earlier this year alongside with Mario Farnbacher and Trent Hindman.

In addition to his career as a driver, Marks has also been involved as a car owner. He was co-owner of Larson-Marks Racing, which fielded sprint cars in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, before being bought out by team co-owner Kyle Larson.

Marks has also been involved as a car owner in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and also owns the GoPro Motorplex karting facility in Mooresville, N.C.

LOS ANGELES — Volkswagen will return to the SCORE Baja 1,000 next season with the  Atlas Cross Sport R race truck, which will be entered in the in Class 7 Open Production Unlimited division.

The truck was unveiled Thursday at the LA Auto Show. The prototype race truck is the first look at the vehicle that will compete in the SCORE Baja 1,000 next November.

“Racing as a sport has historically been limited to a very privileged group,” said Saad Chehab, Senior Vice President, VW Brand Marketing. “However, Volkswagens competed at the very beginning of Baja racing, and we’re excited to help keep the fun, youthful spirit of the competition alive by way of our Atlas Cross Sport R.”

Developed in conjunction with Volkswagen driver Tanner Foust and Baja race veteran Rhys Millen, the Atlas Cross Sport R will be the first four-wheel-drive vehicle to enter Baja Class 7 competition. Power will be distributed to the wheels from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, first developed by Volkswagen Motorsport for use in its WRC and Rallycross programs. Capable of running up to 600 horsepower — or 300 hp per liter — the engine will be detuned to roughly 480 horsepower for an optimized balance of performance and reliability. Currently in concept form, the vehicle is being tested for further development and finalization before the 2020 race.

Fresh off his ARX Rallycross championship, Foust helped introduce the Atlas Cross Sport R during Volkswagen’s LA Auto Show press conference. Foust will be one of the drivers sharing the wheel of the truck during the 2020 Baja 1,000.

“I know what this combination of engine and drivetrain is capable of,” Foust said. “I’m really excited to see this bit of Beetle DNA live on in the Atlas Cross Sport R and am itching to get behind the wheel.”

Volkswagen will invite designers from schools and colleges nationwide to participate in the design of the Atlas Cross Sport R’s race livery. Full details on the competition will be released in early 2020.

CONCORD, N.C. – Throughout Jimmie Johnson’s nearly hour-long press conference Thursday detailing his decision to retire at the end of next season, there was a prevailing theme throughout: family.

It began when Johnson’s two daughters – nine-year-old Genevieve and six-year-old Lydia – were called to the stage by NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley to introduce their father and his team owner, Rick Hendrick.

It came full-circle at the end of the media availability, when Johnson choked up talking about his racing family and the emotions he has going into his final full-time year of NASCAR Cup Series competition.

In between were a myriad of touching moments, all cementing Johnson’s character, class and commitment as he prepares to chase a record eighth Cup championship one final time in 2020.

Johnson opened the presser by noting that while his decision to retire from full-time racing after 2020 is one that he’s been thinking over for some time, he didn’t actually tell his team about the decision until Wednesday morning, shortly before the news broke to the general public on social media.

That aspect – Johnson’s racing family – was another variation of the word that intertwined itself into Thursday’s proceedings.

“It’s been interesting, because I worked through my headspace before I came to see Rick and spend some time with Jeff (Gordon) … that was all three weeks to a month ago, if not a little longer,” he explained. “Now I’m a little further down the road and so excited to be where I am today and talking about what my plans are. At the end of it all, I’m just very excited and ready to get 2020 started.

“The process has been interesting, telling friends, telling my team and sitting all of them down … people that have worked on the 48 from the beginning,” Johnson noted. “That was probably one of the harder moments I think that I had. When I went to dinner the other night, Cliff (Daniels, crew chief) … I’m not sure he completely thought it was coming out of left field, but I did catch his attention when I mentioned it to him. But it’s been an interesting process and a day that you never really plan for, but it’s here and I’m just thankful to be with family and friends and this man right here (Hendrick) and all that he’s done for my life.

“We’re gonna have a good time this next year, I’m already sure of that.”

Johnson was quick to note that there wasn’t a specific reason that he made this decision to retire at the end of 2020, but that it just “felt right” for him to step back and prepare to spend more time with his family.

“It was just a strong feeling in my stomach, like, ‘wow, this is what I want to do,’” he explained. “So I, of course, talked to (wife) Chandra about it and then some time went on there before I spoke to Rick and Jeff, and then I just thought it through a bit more. But I feel very, very good about my decision and it’s just … it’s time and it showed up, and I feel so fortunate that it showed up to me in that way.

“I’ve talked to greats like Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Jeff, Dale (Earnhardt) Jr., and everyone’s had their own journey, and some of those guys set a date and left before their heart really wanted to leave, or with a lot of other athletes, their time is called and they don’t have that opportunity to pick their moment,” he added. “And you know, I feel very blessed and fortunate to have this opportunity.

“When you roll that all up, it just feels right and I’m ready (for that step).”

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