THE HOT CORNER

1 PRO FOOTBALL: Cleveland announced David Njoku’s fouryear, $56.75 million contract extension Wednesday, a deal that could take the tight end through the 2027 season. A first-round draft pick in 2017, Njoku will be among the NFL’S highest-paid tight ends without putting up elite statistics. He caught 36 passes for 475 yards and a team-high four touchdowns last season.

2 PRO FOOTBALL: Veteran defensive tackle Akiem Hicks has signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs announced the move Wednesday, with the 32-yearold Hicks likely to become a replacement for free agent Ndamukong Suh, who spent the past three seasons on one-year deals with Tampa Bay.

3 PRO FOOTBALL: Steelers defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt announced his retirement on Wednesday, saying he feels called to move on from the game following the death of his brother in June 2021 and Tuitt’s recent graduation from Notre Dame. Tuitt, who starred at Monroe Area High School, had 34½ sacks with the Steelers, who selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft.

4 PRO GOLF: Professional golfer Bart Bryant was killed and his wife was injured when a truck slammed into their SUV while they were stopped in a line of vehicles on a central Florida roadway for a construction crew, authorities said Wednesday. Bryant, 59, a threetime winner on the PGA Tour, was unresponsive when emergency responders in Polk City found him Tuesday afternoon. He was taken to a hospital where he died. His wife, Donna, 49, was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, the Polk County Sheriff ’s Office said.

5 SOCCER: Ukraine’s emotion-filled quest to qualify for the World Cup amid an ongoing war moved a step closer with a 3-1 win over Scotland in a pulsating playoff semifinal on Wednesday.