Looks like New York Giants quarterback Eli Manningwill enter this season with long-term stability, after all.

NFL Network reported Thursday evening that Manning and the Giants are close to finalizing a four-year contract extension worth $84 million, which should be completed over the weekend.

When asked Wednesday if he would want negotiations to be halted during the regular season, Manning responded: “I haven’t thought about it.”

Manning had been set to enter the final season of six-year, $97.5 million deal Sunday night when the Giants open their 2015 campaign against the Dallas Cowboys.

“We’d like to have it done before the season is over, but if it doesn’t happen, then I ‘m still confident it’ll get done at some point,” Giants president and CEO John Mara said before training camp. “We want him to be here and finish his career as a Giant. I’m sure he wants the same thing.”

Playing in his first season under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo in 2014, Manning completed 63.1% of his passes for 4,410 yards, 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

After Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao first started to negotiate a super fight in 2009, the Filipino had enough.

He sued Mayweather for defamation after Mayweather suggested Pacquiao had used performance-enhancing drugs, and the case was eventually settled out of court in later that year.

They finally fought in May, of course, with Mayweather handily winning on the cards. Case closed, right? An SB Nation report emerged Wednesday, though, that cast a cloud of suspicion over the bout. According to the article, Mayweather received a intravenous mix of saline and vitamins. The substance is not banned, but such IV infusions are prohibited by international guidelines before competition.

MAYWEATHER: Reaction to report he used IV illegally

USADA, which oversaw drug testing for the bout, granted Mayweather a therapeutic-use exemption more than two weeks after the fight, a move that caught the ire of Top Rank promoter Bob Arum. Pacquiao, though, isn’t angry. He’s relieved.

“Truth finally came out and I was vindicated,” he told the Philippine Star. “Mayweather came used to accused (sic) me of using PED. Now, look at what happened. I hope Floyd Mayweather would learn a good lesson out of it.”

Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s longtime advisor, was none too pleased with what was detailed in the article, especially since his fighter was denied a Toradol injection for a torn rotator cuff.

IRATE ARUM: Promoted ‘outraged’ by Mayweather IV report

“Manny’s right, the truth came out, and I’m just surprised that the commission was so harsh on us when we thought we complied to have the shot and they denied it flatly and rudely and yet there’s this Mayweather incident,” Koncz told USA TODAY Sports during a phone interview Thursday.

“I don’t want to say too much because we have to still fight in Vegas, but it doesn’t seem fair and it doesn’t seem right that they would be so harsh on us when we told USADA with ample time. It’s very disheartening. We have fans in Vegas, the city of Vegas is good to us.”

Mayweather denied any wrongdoing in a statement released on Thursday:

“As already confirmed by the USADA Statement, I did not commit any violations of the Nevada or USADA drug testing guidelines.  I follow and have always followed the rules of Nevada and USADA, the gold standard of drug testing. Let’s not forget that I was the one six years ago who insisted on elevating the level of drug testing for all my fights.

“As a result, there is more drug testing and awareness of its importance in the sport of boxing today than ever before. I am very proud to be a clean athlete and will continue to champion the cause.”

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) is unhappy that it wasn’t informed of the IV infusion until weeks after it was administered, and executive director Bob Bennett expressed frustration with USADA.

“The TUE for Mayweather’s IV — and the IV was administered at Floyd’s house, not in a medical facility, and wasn’t brought to our attention at the time — was totally unacceptable,” Bennett told SB Nation. “I’ve made it clear to (USADA CEO) Travis Tygart that this should not happen again. We have the sole authority to grant any and all TUEs in the state of Nevada. USADA is a drug-testing agency. USADA should not be granting waivers and exemptions. Not in this state. We are less than pleased that USADA acted the way it did.”

There was also confusion with the Toradol injection Pacquiao requested the night of the fight. Pacquio’s camp maintains they informed USADA well in advance they would need the painkiller that Saturday, but the commission says it was never informed, and that all requests had to be go through the NSAC anyway.

One of NASCAR’s biggest nights used to happen atRichmond International Raceway, where the drama of which drivers would make the Chase for the Sprint Cup played out under an intense spotlight.

This year, though, there doesn’t seem to be much excitement. Yes, there are technically five of 16 playoff spots still up for grabs.

But barring a first-time winner such as Kasey Kahne or Tony Stewart, the chances of a current Chase driver falling out are slim (Clint Bowyer has a 29-point lead over Aric Almirola for the final spot). Something crazy would have to happen in order for the playoff field to change at Richmond – and this hasn’t exactly been the craziest ofNASCAR seasons when it comes to on-track action.

Heading into the Chase, the story of the year has been Kyle Busch’s comeback. He broke his leg and foot in a crash at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 21 in theXfinity Series opener, missed 11 races and then came back to win four races and make the playoff by getting himself into the top 30 in points.

Other than that, the hot topics have revolved around which aerodynamic package NASCAR should use at its races to offer fans a more exciting product and drivers a more challenging car, Austin Dillon’s scary crash into the catchfence at Daytona, Jeff Gordon’s upcoming retirement from Cup racing and NASCAR’s position on theConfederate flag.

But the storylines that have traditionally sparked conversation from race to race -- those that focus on the drivers battling each other – have been largely absent. Rivalries? Fights? Tempers? A summary of the whole season in that department could fit into a single tweet.

Coming off last year’s explosive Chase, this season figured to see more action – especially when NASCAR decided to have all cars stop on pit road this year (in order to remove a tapered spacer that reduces horsepower). Surely, being in close proximity after a race would spark something between drivers.

There was seemingly no one upset after the night race at Bristol Motor Speedway – often a breeding ground for outbursts – nor after last week’s event at Darlington Raceway, despite a track-record number of cautions.

Memphis president David Rudd said in a statement on Thursday the university would not be honoring former coach John Calipari, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.

Memphis was planning to honor the former coach at a dinner Dec. 28 but received an enormous amount of backlash from fans.

Rudd originally called it a "great homecoming" for Calipari, who piloted the Tigers from 2000-09 and led them to the 2008 national title game, although that season was vacated by the NCAA. Calipari took over Kentucky in 2009, led theWildcats to a national championship in 2012 and a nearly perfect record last season.