Francesco Totti hung up his boots for good on Monday to become a director for Roma, ensuring he will go down in football lore as one of the sport’s greatest one-club men.

“The first part of my life as a football player is over, and now another more important one is about to begin,” the 40-year-old said.

The specifics of his new role with his childhood club – which he represented for 25 years and captained for 19 – have yet to be determined.

“We start from square one. I need time to figure out, step by step, in a calm and sensible way, what role suits me better,” he said. “For this reason, I’m putting myself at the disposal of this club, from the young players to the president.”

Totti came off the bench in the 2016-17 Serie A finale against Genoa to make the last of his 786 appearances for the Giallorossi. The way manager Luciano Spalletti handled Totti’s final spell in the Italian capital prompted waves of criticism, but in the end, Totti received a tearful and fulfilling send-off at the Stadio Olimpico.

Related: How Totti became bigger than Roma after 25 years of loyalty

Until Monday, no one knew for certain whether that was his final match.

Prior to his emotional farewell, the Rome native suggested he could continue to play elsewhere.

“I’m ready to go again,” he said. “I’m ready for a new challenge.”

Miami FC and Tokyo Verdy emerged as potential destinations, but neither move happened. Tokyo said it ended negotiations because the Rome native “was unable to get his family’s blessing.”

Totti began his fabled journey with Roma as a 13-year-old after his mother turned down advances from AC Milan. He also courted interest from Real Madrid during his days in the Italian capital. Nothing could draw him away.

In all, he won just a single Serie A title in 2001, along with Coppa Italia triumphs in 2007 and 2008.

But it was never about the trophies. It was about loyalty to his hometown.

Totti’s 250 Serie A goals rank second only to Silvio Piola’s 274 league tallies.

Related: The numbers behind Totti’s remarkable Roma career

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers have fired general manager Dave Gettleman effective immediately, the team announced Monday.

“After much thought and a long evaluation of our football operations, I have decided to relieve Dave Gettleman of his duties as general manager,” team owner Jerry Richardson said in a statement. “I want to thank Dave for the role he played in our success over the past four seasons. While the timing of this decision is not ideal, a change is needed.”

The move comes nine days before the Panthers are scheduled to report to training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The team offered no immediate reason for Gettleman’s dismissal.

The Panthers were 40-23-1 under Gettleman’s leadership, making the playoffs each season from 2013 to 2015, with the general manager being instrumental in the Panthers’ going 15-1 and reaching the Super Bowl during the 2015 season. But Carolina took a step back last season, going 6-10 and finishing last in the NFC South.

Gettleman has more than 30 years of NFL experience, mostly in scouting departments with the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos and New York Giants.

Lionel Messi can assure himself of no jail time if he pays a fine of €255,000 over the course of his 21-month sentence, according to reports from Spain gathered by BBC News.

The Barcelona forward and his father, Jorge, were deemed guilty in July 2016 of defrauding the Spanish tax system of €4.1 million between 2007 and 2009. An appeal against the sentence was thrown out by the Supreme Court last month, but it’s understood Messi can evade a spell behind bars by paying €400 for each day of the sentence.

He wasn’t expected to serve time inside anyway, as non-violent, first-time crimes incurring a term of less than two years are regularly suspended in Spain.

The court had adjudged Messi and his father to have used tax havens in Belize and Uruguay to hide earnings from image rights. The Argentinian international and Messi Sr. were fined a total of €3.5 million when the verdict was made, and also parted with a voluntary €5-million “corrective payment” to cover the €4.1-million taxes plus interest.

Messi is one of many noted footballers to have been discovered to be dodging taxes while plying their trade in Spain. Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo is apparently unsettled by a looming investigation into his alleged fraudulent activity, so is said to be seeking a transfer from the current Champions League and La Liga holder.

LOS ANGELES — Mike Thomas, the Los Angeles Rams’ second-year receiver, has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2017 season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, the league said Friday.

Thomas will be eligible to participate in all preseason practices and games, but won’t be eligible for the Rams’ 53-man roster until Oct. 2, after the team’s Week 4 road game against the Dallas Cowboys.

A sixth-round pick out of Southern Miss, Thomas barely played as a rookie and committed two notable mistakes when he received opportunities down the stretch — fumbling the opening kickoff against the Falcons, and then dropping a potential long touchdown against the Seahawks. But as one of few true deep threats on the roster, Thomas seemed to be carving out a role in head coach Sean McVay’s offense and appeared to have a chance to make the team out of training camp.

• 

  The Rams and the Chargers will each pay $645 million over nine years and the Raiders $378 million over 10 years in relocation fees that will be paid to the other 29 NFL teams, sources say.