❌

Normal view

There are new articles available, click to refresh the page.
Today β€” 15 January 2025Sport News

Vikings legend says Sam Darnold 'should be the guy' moving forward despite poor ending to season

15 January 2025 at 13:33

It could be argued Sam Darnold cost himself a lot of money over his last couple games, but one Minnesota Vikings legend says Darnold's done enough to remain the team's quarterback.

In his first 16 games, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft rewrote his story, throwing for 4,153 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing 68.1% of his passes. All of those numbers were, by far, career highs.

But in his final two games β€” one in which he could have clinched the top seed and the other a playoff game β€” he threw for just one touchdown pass and 411 yards and led his offense to just 18 points.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Darnold looked in those final two games like what he was known for before arriving in Minnesota, and there are now calls for the team to move on to J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback they selected with the 10th pick last year.

But former Vikings running back Chuck Foreman thinks Darnold did enough to remain the starter.

"The guy comes into the league, he's drafted by a team that has no talent, he gets labeled. Goes to another team with no talent, gets labeled more. Then he goes to San Francisco, a winning team to get behind the coach that shows him the way … and then he comes here with Kevin, and he takes them to another level," Foreman told Outkick's "The Ricky Cobb Show."Β 

PATRIOTS LEGEND VINCE WILFORK SAYS 'BS' JEROD MAYO FIRING WAS A 'SETUP'

Foreman shifted blame for the two losses to Minnesota's offensive line rather than Darnold, who, he said, was helpless against the Lions and Rams.Β 

"The pressure he was under, I only see one or two other quarterbacks that could have any kind of escapability with that, and that's Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen," Foreman added.

"I'm signing him, I'm hoping they can both come together in the middle. I understand the money part, but I hope Sam understands his career has been revived right here. And he's got a following here. Make adjustments next season, but I think he should be the guy."

Darnold is a free agent after the season and is a candidate for a franchise tag. His previous highs in yards and touchdowns were 3,024 and 19, respectively, in 2019 with the team that drafted him, the New York Jets.

Follow Fox News Digital’sΒ sports coverage on X,Β and subscribe toΒ the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell breaks silence on vile video, apologizes for actions that β€˜were not without provocation’

Ryan Caldwell, the disgraced Eagles fan who wasΒ captured on video heckling a female Packers fan, issued an apology on Wednesday after he was fired from his job at a DEI-focused company.

Ex-Notre Dame coach opens up on Caitlin Clark backing out of commitment: 'I may still be coaching if she came'

15 January 2025 at 12:53

Former Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw has revealed the details of Caitlin Clark's decommitment from her program during the star's recruiting process in 2019.Β 

McGraw appeared on the "Good Game With Sarah Spain" podcast on Tuesday, and said that if Clark followed through on her commitment to Notre Dame, then McGraw might still be the coach there. McGraw retired from coaching in April 2020, just months ahead of Clark's freshman year.Β 

"I may still be coaching if Caitlin Clark came to Notre Dame," McGraw said.

McGraw says she received a verbal commitment from Clark to play at Notre Dame, but it never felt certain.Β 

"She committed to us, but I had a feeling it was kind of a soft commitment when she did, because she couldn't decide, couldn't decide," McGraw said. "And then finally she said, 'I want to come.' But it wasn't like 'I'm coming!' It was kind of like β€˜I made the decision.’"

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Then, after a tense and dramatic wait, McGraw found out she would miss out on Clark, who announced her commitment to Iowa on Nov. 12, 2019.Β 

"After that, we waited and waited for her to announce it, because as you know, we're not allowed to announce anything. The players have to do that themselves," McGraw said. "So she made the announcement a long time after that, I kept saying 'When is it coming out?' And then when she made the announcement, she was going to Iowa. But of course she called me to tell me."Β 

McGraw's retirement came shortly after the end of the 2019-20 season, five months after finding out she wouldn't be coaching Clark, ending a 33-year run that included two national championships in 2001 and 2018.Β 

McGraw went on to call Clark's decommitment from her program in favor of Iowa, "probably a pretty good decision."Β 

Clark previously told ESPN that her own family wanted her to play for the Fighting Irish.Β 

"My family wanted me to go to Notre Dame," Caitlin said. "At the end of the day they were like, you make the decision for yourself. But it's Notre Dame! 'Rudy' was one of my favorite movies. How could you not pick Notre Dame?"

USC'S JUJU WATKINS OPENS UP ON CAITLIN CLARK'S WHITE PRIVILEGE COMMENTS AND EMBRACING CONTROVERSIAL NEW FANS

Clark then spoke about her experience visiting Notre Dame and her consideration of playing for the Fighting Irish during an interview on the "New Heights" podcast on Jan. 2. She said she ultimately made the decision not to play there because of a feeling in her gut.Β 

"I could feel it in my gut, I was like β€˜Ahh, I’m not supposed to go there,'" Clark said.Β 

"I basically narrowed it down pretty early on when I was going through my college recruitment that I wanted to be like in the Midwest, just kind of a homebody. Family person. Just wanted to stay fairly close to home. So that narrowed a lot of stuff down."

Clark then played her entire four-year college career for the Hawkeyes, where she broke multiple program and NCAA records, including the all-time leading scoring record among all college basketball players, men or women, in history.Β 

Clark also met her current boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, while at Iowa. McCaffery played on Iowa's men's basketball team for his father, head coach Fran McCaffery.Β 

Meanwhile, without Clark, Notre Dame fared OK, but not nearly as well as Iowa. Under the leadership of current head coach Niele Ivey, the Fighting Irish made the NCAA tournament three years in a row from 2021-24, but they lost in the regional semifinal all three times, while Clark led much deeper tournament runs in 2023 and 2024.Β 

Clark led Iowa to two straight national championship game appearances, en route to becoming the No. 1 overall selection by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft. McCaffery was already in Indiana working on the Pacers' coaching staff, and they are still in the city together as he now works on Butler's men's basketball coaching staff.Β 

Clark was named WNBA Rookie of the Year, was selected to the All-Star team, led the WNBA in assists, and helped lead the Fever to the playoffs in her rookie season.Β 

Clark was also named Time magazine’s Athlete of the Year for 2024.Β 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Tubi will exclusively stream Super Bowl LIX for free on its platform

15 January 2025 at 12:45

Tubi will stream Super Bowl LIX in February for free on its platform using FOX’s feed of the game, the company announced.

Viewers will be able to watch the game on Feb. 9 when they sign up via email registration. There will be no Multichannel Video Programming Distributor authentication or credit card sign-up needed to be able to watch it.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The FOX Sports pregame show will also be available for fans tuning in to watch the game. A second stream on Tubi will also include the Tubi Red Carpet event, hosted by Olivia Culpo at 3:30 p.m. ET, and the FOX Deportes Spanish language feed.

The Super Bowl's kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.

The ability to have a free and easy way to watch the Super Bowl would try to cut into the illegal streams that are set up for the game. About 17 million people watched the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory over the San Francisco 49ers illegally last year.

REGISTER FOR TUBI HERE

Additionally, those who have to work on game day will be able to watch from their mobile phones or tablets. About 28 million will be working on Super Bowl Sunday when the game kicks off at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.Β 

Those who have cut cable out of their lives will also have a new avenue to watch the game as well without committing to another subscription.

It’s unknown which two teams will be playing in the game, but it’s sure to draw a large audience as it does every year. The NFL said last year that 123.4 million viewers tuned in for the game across all platforms.

Follow Fox News Digital’sΒ sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Canadiens rookie Emil Heineman hit by car walking in Utah, expected to miss 3-4 weeks with injury

15 January 2025 at 12:38

Montreal Canadiens rookie Emil Heineman was hit by a car while walking downtown in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday.

Heineman, 23, is expected to miss three to four weeks with an upper-body injury suffered from the incident.

The Canadiens were in town to play the Utah Hockey Club, who they beat 5-3 on Tuesday.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Salt Lake City police said in a news release they received a 911 call around 3 p.m. Monday, and officers were dispatched to the scene and checked the area but could not find the pedestrian or the passerby who reported the incident.

Police said officers received information later in the evening from a nearby business, which said it had info likely associated with the crash.

After discovering that Heineman was the pedestrian, police said the Swedish hockey player did not show any signs of serious injuries and was being attended to by team doctors.

PENGUINS STAR EVGENI MALKIN HAS 3 STANLEY CUP RINGS STOLEN IN HOME BURGLARY

It was not immediately clear what Heineman’s injury was.Β 

Police identified all parties involved and said they could not release any additional details. The Utah Highway Patrol is investigating.

Heineman played four games last season with the Canadiens, and has become a regular this season, playing 41 games this season.

Heineman is third among rookies in goals scored with 10 this season, along with having seven assists.Β 

The left-winger was a second-round pick by the Florida Panthers in 2020 who was traded to Calgary Flames in 2021 and to Montreal in '22.

The Canadiens' next game is on the road against the Dallas Stars on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.Β 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Β 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Republican to propose resolution calling on NCAA to ban trans athletes from women's sports

15 January 2025 at 11:54

FIRST ON FOX: Just one day after Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., got the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act passed in the House of Representatives, he already has plans to introduce a resolution to further tackle the issue of trans athletes in women's sports.

Steube will be introducing a joint resolution alongside Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., that will call on the NCAA to revoke eligibility of trans athletes who compete as women. It would also call on the NCAA to create new policies that would forbid any future trans-identifying males from competing as women, and push all their member conferences to do the same, according to a draft of the legislation obtained by Fox News Digital.

Unlike the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, this resolution would directly address the issue of trans inclusion at the college level and would also affect schools that aren't federally funded.Β 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Steube's earlier bill only provides that it is a violation of Title IX for federally funded education programs or activities to operate, sponsor or facilitate athletic programs or activities that allow individuals of the male sex to participate in programs or activities that are designated for women or girls.Β 

But this resolution could extend to private institutions that compete in the NCAA. The issue of trans inclusion at the women's college level has been a mainstream political issue during the Biden administration, highlighted by controversies involving trans swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022 and trans volleyball player Blaire Fleming in 2024.Β 

The NCAA has enabled and protected trans athletes in women's sports with its current policies.Β 

NCAA President Charlie Baker faced questions and criticism from Republican lawmakers for these policies during a congressional hearing on Dec. 17. He repeatedly cited federal law and recent rulings of federal courts that have enabled it.Β 

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

On President Biden's first day in office, he issued an executive order to allow and protect trans inclusion in women's sports. And during December's hearing, Baker referenced "five lawsuits in the last 18 months" that have enabled trans athletes to compete against biological females. However, there have not been any rulings that have explicitly instructed the NCAA to allow trans athletes to compete against females or share women's locker rooms.

If Steube's bill becomes law, Baker and the NCAA will be tasked with enforcing the new mandates, just as he claimed to be enforcing the previous ones under Biden.

One of the groups that lobbied heavily for this resolution was the Concerned Women for America (CWA), which has taken up the issue of trans athletes competing against women at the NCAA level as a core mission throughout Biden's term.Β 

Current CWA legislative strategist and former NCAA women's athlete Macy Petty told Fox News Digital that she attempted to deliver a letter on this issue to NCAA Board of Governors Chair Dr. Linda Livingstone last year, but was dismissed and that Livingstone "didn't even look me in the eye."Β 

"The NCAA continues to fail their responsibility to protect female athletes and are the foremost leader facilitating this discrimination. They’ve proven an utter disregard for the safety and dignity of their athletes they govern," Petty said.Β 

The NCAA may soon have to answer to a new set of rules once the Trump administration begins.Β 

President-elect Trump himself vowed to ban trans athletes in women's sports as president during his 2024 campaign, and it became one of the key issues for him and other Republicans in their sweeping November victory.Β 

The issue became so prominent that the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act was the first priority of the 119th Congress and passed the House with unanimous support from Republicans and even two Democrats.Β 

With a Republican majority in the Senate as well, both of Steube's proposals could be approved during Trump's first year in office.Β 

Follow Fox News Digital’sΒ sports coverage on X, and subscribe toΒ the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

❌
❌