The New Orleans Saints parted ways with head coach Dennis Allen in November after a seven-game losing skid, and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi became the team's interim head coach.
The NFL franchise's search for its next head coach remains active, but the team now knows at least one candidate who will not land the job. Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady has withdrawn his name from consideration for the role, according to a report from NFL Media.
Brady prefers to continue guiding the Bills' offense despite New Orleans wanting "to interview Brady a second time," NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
Brady's name had also been linked to other head coaching openings.
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New Orleans' 2024 season got off to a promising start, with the team winning its first two games by 37 and 25 points. But a losing streak that followed prompted Saints ownership to make an in-season coaching change.
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"Dennis has been part of our organization for many years," team owner Gayle Benson said in a statement shortly after the franchise announced Allen's firing. "He is highly regarded within the NFL. He has been extremely loyal and professional and, most importantly, an excellent football coach for us. All of this makes today very tough for me and our organization.
"However, this decision is something that I felt we needed to make at this time. I wish nothing but the best in the future for Dennis and his family. He will always be considered in the highest regard by me and everyone within our organization."
Allen ended his head coaching tenure in New Orleans with an 18-25 record. Allen spent seven seasons as New Orleans' defensive coordinator before succeeding Sean Payton as the franchise's head coach. Allen is now a top candidate for the Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator role, ESPN reported.
Payton, who guided the Saints to the franchise's lone Super Bowl title, turned to broadcasting in 2022 after stepping down from the Saints. He returned to the sideline in 2023 as head coach of the Denver Broncos.
Rizzi, along with New York Giants defensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, have completed interviews with the Saints during the wide-ranging head coaching search. Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore had a virtual interview last week, the team announced.
In his second season as the Bills' play-caller, Brady guided star quarterback Josh Allen to arguably his best season. Allen, recently named an NFL MVP finalist, threw for 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions during the regular season. He did not throw an interception in the two postseason games he's played in thus far.
The Kansas City Chiefs host the Bills Sunday in the AFC championship game. On the NFC side, the Eagles will welcome the Washington Commanders to Lincoln Financial Field. The winners meet in the Super Bowl Feb. 9.
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Former NASCAR star Danica Patrick gave her seal of approval to President Donald Trump's decision to revoke Dr. Anthony Fauci's security detail.
In an Instagram story Friday night, Patrick shared a news story about Fauci losing the security detail with a quote from Trump, adding the caption "Damn right."
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requested security for Fauci in 2020 to protect him from threats he received as the top health official and public spokesperson during the COVID-19 pandemic. But that detail was pulled Thursday night.
"I think, you know, when you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off and, you know, you can't have them forever," Trump said of the decision. "We took some off other people, too, but you can't have a security detail for the rest of your life because you work for government."
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When asked if he would feel partially responsible if something were to happen to Fauci, Trump said he would not.
"No. You know, they all made a lot of money. They can hire their own security," Trump said. "Certainly, I would not take responsibility."
Patrick has been one of the more outspoken figures in her sport in support of Trump and Republicans over the last year. She most recently suggested it must be difficult for California residents to accept how their state is managed after the government response to the LA wildfires.
After Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) CEO and Chief Engineer Janisse Quiñones said Wednesday teams have struggled to maintain water pressure on the system, which allows water to be pushed into fire hydrants, Patrick responded with a post on X.
"California has 840 miles of coast line and 3,000 lakes and reservoirs. Why don’t they have enough water to fix any and all fires?" she wrote on X.
"At some point I have to imagine it’s getting difficult for hardcore Cali lovers to accept the state of their state and how it’s managed."
She then wrote that it's time for Gov. Gavin Newsom to resign, using the term "Newscum."
In October, Patrick confirmed in an interview on "Jesse Watters Primetime" she would be casting her first-ever vote for president in 2024, and it would be for Trump.
"It feels like voting for Donald Trump is like the vote of reason. It’s like the rational, reasonable choice," Patrick told Watters.
Patrick added she doesn't understand why "MAGA," or Trump's slogan of "Make America Great Again," is considered an "insult" to some.
"I feel like, most of all, though, what this country could be if he gets into office, with all the amazing, brilliant people who are supporting him, I feel like it can not only make America great again, but make America greater than it’s ever been," she said.
In that same interview, she expressed her belief that transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete in women's sports, which became a key campaign issue for Trump and Republicans in 2024.
"It’s completely wrong," Patrick said of transgender athletes being allowed to compete as women. "And this is coming from someone who was a woman who was basically in a man’s sport. A man is just different. Their hormones are different. Their body is different."
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Bronny James is NBA great LeBron James' son, placing a spotlight on the 20-year-old rookie.
In October, Bronny was part of history when he checked into the Los Angeles Lakers' season opener and played alongside his father.
They became the first active father-son duo to play in league history. Shortly after Bronny's NBA debut, the Lakers announced he would split time between the NBA franchise and their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.
Bronny does not travel with the team for road games, but he was on hand for South Bay's game against Rip City Remix, the Portland Trail Blazers' G League affiliate, in El Segundo, California, Jan. 24. James had a game to remember Friday, finishing South Bay's 122-110 win with a career-best 31 points.
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His strong performance on the offensive end was highlighted by a monster slam dunk. James also made five of eleven 3-point attempts.
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A screen from center Christian Koloko allowed James to pick up his dribble and throw down the highlight-reel dunk over Rip City’s Sterling Manley. The dunk also tied the game and sparked a 9-4 South Bay run.
"I’m just trying to get my confidence back," James told a reporter during an on-court interview. "I’m just trying to play my game. Learn from every game.
"While I’m not playing in the G League, learn from the Lakers, learning from my vets and just keep trying to be myself. That’s been working recently. I’m happy with my results.
"I am having fun," James added when asked about the spotlight that's been placed on him. "Any time I'm playing basketball, any time I'm out here breathing, any time I'm out here walking ... I'm grateful for everything."
The win improved South Bay's record to 2-7.
Bronny’s four-time NBA champion father took notice of his son’s heroics.
"GRATEFUL OF YOU KID!!" the elder James wrote on X after the game.
Bronny will probably not get the call to rejoin the NBA team until next month. The Lakers are on a road trip and return to Southern California for a game against the Los Angeles Clippers Feb. 4.
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WNBA player DiJonai Carrington invited a flurry of backlash for wearing a shirt that said "The F--- Donald Trump Tour," and conservative influencer Riley Gaines was quick to jump in.
Carrington showed off the shirt Friday, while walking into Wayfair Arena in Miami, Florida. Carrington is most known for her interactions with women's basketball phenom Caitlin Clark during Clark's rookie WNBA season in 2024.
Carrington infamously gave Clark a black eye by poking her with her fingernails during a game between Clark's Indiana Fever and Carrington's Connecticut Sun in the first round of the playoffs in September. Carrington laughed with Fever teammate Marina Mabrey after the incident.
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Gaines made light of this in her first critique of Carrington Saturday.
"So, you’re telling me the same girl who deliberately gouged Caitlin Clark in the eye then laughed about it also wore a hoodie that said, "The F--- Donald Trump Tour"?! I'm shocked," Gaines wrote in a post on X.
Carrington has said she didn't intentionally poke Clark in the eye and that she wasn't laughing about the incident. But Gaines felt no reservations about implying Carrington's poke at Clark was intentional and that she laughed about it afterward.
Gaines followed up with another critique of the Sun player and even brought LeBron James into the conversation.
"What has Donald Trump done to make your life worse? Keep LeBron off the court," Gaines wrote on X in response to a photo of Carrington wearing the shirt.
Carrington provoked Clark fans prior to the eye-poking incident with multiple statements berating Clark and her fan base.
During a game in June, Carrington fouled Clark after Clark received an inbound pass from teammate Kristy Wallace. Clark caught the pass and started toward the basket. Carrington was late getting to Clark due to a screen by Aliyah Boston, and she bumped into Clark.
Later that month, Carrington posted on X, saying Clark should do more to speak out about people using her name for "racism" and other forms of prejudice. She also called the Fever fans the "nastiest" in the league.
Carrington even made light of the controversy over Clark's black eye in an Instagram Live video in October. In the video, Carrington and her girlfriend, NaLyssa Smith, who plays on the Indiana Fever with Clark, were in their kitchen when Smith poked Carrington in the eye.
"Ow, you poked me in the eye," Carrington said. Smith apologized, and the two laughed.
"Did you do it on purpose?" Carrington asked.
Carrington isn't the first target of Gaines' wrath when it comes to conversations about Clark's presence in the WNBA either.
After Clark made a comment about benefiting from White privilege in the WNBA during her interview for Time magazine Athlete of The Year, Gaines got into a heated back-and-forth with journalist Jemele Hill.
After Gaines posted on X criticizing Clark for making the comments, Hill started the debate and even ended up making it personal.
"You holler all the time about supporting and ‘protecting’ women, and yet the moment that Caitlin Clark expresses appreciation and respect for the Black women in the WNBA (many of whom she grew up watching and idolizing), suddenly you’re acting like a disappointed parent," Hill wrote.
Gaines quickly clapped back, responding to Hill's post by mocking the idea of "White privilege" in the WNBA.
"'White privilege' in the WNBA is literally hilarious. Maybe you're like Sunny Hostin & think CC also has tall privilege, pretty privilege, and straight privilege," Gaines wrote. "Theres lots of Black players in the WNBA I love [and] respect too, but I don't admire them because they're Black. I admire them for their game. That's the difference."
Gaines then doubled down by sharing Hill's initial post with a screenshot of comments the journalist made in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in May. In that article, Hill insisted it was "naive" to say Clark's race and sexuality as a straight woman did not play into her popularity in the WNBA, where the majority of players are Black and many are lesbian.
"Being a long-standing professional race baiter must be SO exhausting," Gaines told Hill in response.
After Gaines' comment about Hill being a professional race baiter, Hill responded with a message mocking the former swimmer for an incident when she tied with trans athlete Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA women's swimming championships.
"Girl, you need to thank Lia Thomas every day of your life for helping you get famous, otherwise you would have been just a decent college swimmer that no one knew. You wrote the book on grifting — not me," Hill wrote.
Gaines responded by saying, "How deeply regressive [and] utterly misogynistic for Jemele Hill to tell me to thank a man for the platform I have. Thank him for what? Violating us in the locker room? Stealing a national title from a deserving woman? Indirectly stripping us of our 1A rights? Just say you hate women," Gaines wrote in her response.
That was the last message in the exchange.
Gaines has also picked online fights with other liberal figures, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban.
Each of Gaines' spats with the liberal figures has been met with roaring engagement from her followers.
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