The National Lacrosse League can put together an NHL-style brawl every once in a while and Friday night two players dropped the gloves and threw fists during a game.
Toronto Rock defender Elijah Gash went punch-for-punch with Buffalo Bandits defender Zack Belter in the third quarter. Belter came after Gash following a big hit from the Rock star. It was full tilt after that.
Toronto led at that point, but Buffalo won the game 15-13.
"Great teams find a way to win at the end of the day," Buffalo’s Dhane Smith said, via the team’s website. "We’re a great team, and they’re trying to find out their identity.
"At the end of the day, we need to win games like that, and we were able to do that tonight, so we have to look forward to Philadelphia now."
The Bandits are 4-0 to start the year and the Rock are 0-5.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday night in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens, 28-14.
The Steelers came alive in the third quarter with two Russell Wilson touchdown passes to make the game interesting as Ravens running back Derrick Henry ran all over the Pittsburgh defense. Outside those two touchdowns, the Steelers couldn’t generate any offense.
Baltimore outgained Pittsburgh 464 yards to 280, with each team having nine drives in the game.
George Pickens, the Steelers wide receiver who has been very outspoken about his team’s performances in recent weeks, had one more jab for the offense.
"Yeah, I’ve seen signs of growth, for sure," Pickens said when asked about the offense, via Pro Football Talk. "From past – first year I’ve been here, just way more growth, for sure."
He didn’t elaborate on the comments. He led the team with five catches for 87 yards and caught one of Wilson’s touchdown passes.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin put the blame on his shoulders. The loss made it six straight in the postseason.
"I’m just assessing what transpired tonight," Tomlin said. "As I told you guys earlier in the week, those are my bags, not this collective’s bags. And so my energy is on that group in there and what they were willing to give and the journey that we’ve been on this year, and certainly it came to a disappointing end tonight."
As OutKick reported on Thursday, Vancouver Island University's women's basketball team refused to play against PACWEST conference opponent Columbia Bible College, alleging that the Christian school created an unsafe environment because VIU has a transgender player.
Vancouver Island released a statement saying that its players don't feel safe playing at Columbia Bible College.
"Intimidation, harassment, and discrimination have no place in athletics," the statement read, according to Fox News. "VIU stands in full support of our student-athletes and affirms the right of all athletes to compete in an environment that prioritizes their safety and well-being."
CBC immediately denied the allegations that they created an unsafe environment, and countered by saying that they had put measures in place for additional security for the games against VIU.
The "intimidation, harassment and discrimination" allegations stem from multiple incidents in late October when the two teams first played one another this season.
Vancouver Island transgender player, Harriette Mackenzie, said in an Instagram video that the CBC coach, Taylor Clagett, went on a "tirade" to a VIU staffer complaining about the team having a male on its women's basketball team.
Mackenzie, who leads VIU in points, rebounds and blocks and is the tallest player on the team, further said that CBC players attempted to injure the transgender athlete with purposeful flagrant fouls.
The players from the Christian school released a statement of their own, signed by every player, defending their head coach and denying the accusations made by Mackenzie and VIU.
"Coach Claggett has repeatedly shown respect for all athletes from many backgrounds throughout her career as a youth and college coach. We have the privilege of interacting with Coach Claggett on a daily basis and know that the concerns she has voiced are rooted in a care for the safety of her team," the statement, which was sent to OutKick, said.
"The attack on Coach Claggett’s character, and the character of our team, over the past three months has been based on misinformation and one side of a complicated scenario."
Normally, in this situation, those games would count as forfeit losses for Vancouver Island, the #5 team in the CCAA. However, the PACWEST decided to simply postpone those games for the time being, something that Columbia Bible College said represented a double-standard.
"In the past, when a team has refused to participate and travel to a scheduled game, they have received 0 points in the classification. By postponing the games this weekend, PacWest has contradicted the standard operating procedure. There has been no clear rationale provided to our team to justify this departure from normal procedures," the statement said.
It seems clear that Coach Claggett doesn't believe that biological men, like Mackenzie, should be competing in women's sports. That's the majority opinion of most American citizens, although Canada tends to lean more left than the United States, so perhaps there are fewer citizens who hold that common-sense belief in the neighboring country.
But the picture painted by the CBC players isn't unlike the one often seen in American sports when women stand up for themselves and their sports and demand that biological males compete against other males and not against females. They're faced with harassment and calls of "bigotry" for simply wanting fair competition.
It's unfortunate that the players and the coach have faced "derogatory messages" for their stance, but that's the reality. And, as CBC pointed out, the PACWEST appeared to show favoritism towards VIU, likely because the conference fears backlash from the trans mafia if they don't comply with their demands.
That's how these people often get their way. They use bullying tactics to force opponents into silence. But the players for Columbia Bible College decided not to be quiet. Good for them.
The Baltimore Ravens were built to run, and that's exactly what they did to win their first playoff game of the year.
Baltimore combined for 299 yards on the ground (they were at 300 before the final kneel), with Derrick Henry garnering the majority, in their 28-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday.
The Steelers offense was blanked the entire first half, punting on each of their four drives. The Ravens were a different story; the first time they had the ball, they drove 95 yards down the field, and Lamar Jackson found Rashod Bateman for a 15-yard touchdown. In the second quarter, it was another 13-play drive (all runs), and this time, it was Henry punching it in.
Then, with two seconds left until both teams went into the locker room, Jackson evaded pressure and found Justice Hill to make it 21-0 and give the Ravens over 300 yards of offense. The first half differential in the first half was 19-2 in favor of Baltimore.
The Steelers weren’t dead yet, though. Despite being pinned at their own 2-yard line, Russell Wilson dropped three third-down dimes to keep the drive alive, the final one being a 30-yard touchdown to Van Jefferson to get Pittsburgh on the board in the third. However, Baltimore answered right back, as Henry scampered for a 44-yard score.
Wilson, though, threw another touchdown in a bucket, this one to George Pickens, to again make it a two-score game with 3:24 left in the third.
Although the Ravens offense slowed down in the second half, Pittsburgh was unable to do much in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over on downs midway through the quarter in an effort to make it a one-score game, and Pickens' touchdown would wind up being the final score of the game.
In all, it was 186 yards on the ground for Henry on 26 carries, two of which found the end zone. Jackson added 81 rushing yards (while also going 16-for-21 for 175 yards through the air).
Baltimore now awaits their divisional round opponent, but in all likelihood, it will be the Buffalo Bills. With a surprising Buffalo loss to the Denver Broncos, though, they'd face the Houston Texans.
The New England Patriots are in talks to hire Mike Vrabel as the team's next head coach, according to The Boston Globe.
Vrabel is the favorite to get the job after former head coach Jerod Mayo was fired Sunday after just one season.
Vrabel is a member of the Patriots' Hall of Fame for his eight seasons with the team. He won three Super Bowls with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick during his New England career from 2001-08.
Vrabel was 54-45 in six seasons as head coach of the Tennessee Titans from 2018-2023, including three trips to the playoffs and one to the AFC title game.
Vrabel was fired by the Titans after the 2023 season, then spent 2024 in a part-time role as a coaching and personnel consultant with the Cleveland Browns.
Vrabel was projected to be a top head coaching candidate in 2025. He has also interviewed with the Jets and the Bears.
The Patriots have also interviewed Ben Johnson, Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton for their head coach opening.
Vrabel was born in Ohio and was an All-American during his standout playing career with the Ohio State Buckeyes in the mid-1990s.
Vrabel ended his pro career with 769 tackles, 57 sacks and 11 interceptions. He received All-Pro honors for his standout 2007 season with the New England Patriots.
The Patriots are 8-26 the past two seasons with Bill Belichick and then Mayo as their head coach.
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw four interceptions in his team's 32-12 playoff loss to the Houston Texans Saturday. Herbert threw just three interceptions during the regular season, joining Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers as the only quarterbacks to throw three or fewer in a season.
But Herbert didn't resemble Brady or Rodgers at any point during his calamitous day Saturday. With four interceptions and just 14 completions on 32 attempts, Herbert had, arguably, the worst performance of his career.
It also dropped him to 0-2 in the playoffs. His only other playoff game was the historic collapse against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 wild-card round.
Herbert was the target of intense criticism on social media during and after Saturday's game.
The play came after Ladd McConkey scored on an 86-yard reception early in the fourth quarter. Cameron Dicker’s extra point attempt was blocked by Denico Autry.
The ball flew high in the air on the deflection and Dicker tried to knock it down, but it bounced off his hands. Ross grabbed it and returned it for the score that pushed Houston’s lead to 25-12.
The NFL began awarding two points for an extra point returned to the end zone in 2015. Before that, a blocked extra point recovered by the defense was a dead ball.
It was the ninth extra point returned for a score since the rule change, according to Sportradar. It happened once in the 2024 regular season when the Eagles did it against Tampa Bay Sept. 29.
With the loss, the Chargers end their season without a playoff win for the sixth straight season. They haven't won a playoff game since Phillip Rivers' last postseason run with the team in 2018, when they beat the Baltimore Ravens in a wild-card game.
The Texans won a playoff game for the second straight year, led by quarterback C.J. Stroud and head coach DeMeco Ryans.
NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre made his stance clear on a bill being pushed through Congress that would keep transgender athletes out of women's and girls sports.
Favre posted on X Friday, resharing a Fox News interview with Sage Steele and Riley Gaines crediting Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., for introducing the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in an effort to keep transgender athletes out of women's sports nationwide.
"Good on those officials trying to fix this. There’s a clear biological difference between men and women," Favre said in his caption of the video.
Tuberville's measure would maintain that Title IX treats gender as "recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth" and does not adjust it to apply to gender identity. It would ban federal funding from athletic programs that allow biological men to participate in women's and girls sports.
This would apply to biological men and boys who identify as transgender and seek to participate in events and leagues for women and girls.
The measure is co-sponsored by 23 Republican senators.
It is not the first time Favre has weighed in on the issue of transgender athletes in women's sports. The former NFL quarterback spoke out against New Zealands's transgender weightlifter, Laurel Hubbard, who became the first transgender woman to qualify for the Olympics in 2021.
Hubbard competed in men's events before coming out as transgender in 2013.
"It's a man competing as a woman," Favre said in an episode of his podcast at the time, which is now discontinued. "That's unfair. It's not fair for a man, even if this person wants to be a woman or feels compelled. If you want to become the opposite sex, that's fine. I got no problem with it. But you can't compete against … males cannot compete against females.
"If I was a true female — I can't believe I'm saying that — and I was competing in weightlifting and lost to this person, I would be beside myself."
In that podcast episode, Favre also spoke out against transgender BMX rider Chelsea Wolfe, who was selected as an alternate to Team USA's BMX freestyle event. Wolfe was accused of talking about burning an American flag on the medal podium in a social media post, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Favre said Wolfe shouldn't be allowed to compete.
"I wouldn't have her participate in my Olympics. Go participate for somebody else," Favre said. "To say that is such a slap in our country's face. I can't believe this person can be allowed to participate for our country.
"She should be banned."
Favre has previously worked with members of the LGBTQ community, including gay former NFL player Esera Tuaolo. Favre appeared on Tuaolo's podcast in 2020 to discuss head trauma from playing football.
However, Favre was also accused by some of showing anti-transgender behavior during the 2015 ESPY Awards. During the show, Caitlyn Jenner took the stage to accept the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, and Favre was seen slowly clapping. The nature of Favre's slow clap drew backlash from some with pro-LGBTQ beliefs on social media.
But polls today show the majority of Americans oppose transgender inclusion in women's sports, which was a key campaign issue for Donald Trump and other Republicans in the recent cycle.
Nearly 70% of Americans say biological men should not be allowed to compete in women's sports, according to a Gallup poll last year.
In June, a survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago asked respondents to weigh in on whether transgender athletes of both sexes should be permitted to participate in sports leagues that correspond to their preferred gender identity instead of their biological sex.
Sixty-five percent answered that it should be never or rarely allowed. When those polled were asked specifically about adult transgender female athletes competing in women’s sports, 69% opposed it.
A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America (CWA) legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of "Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls and women’s bathrooms," as important to them.
And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important."
More than 12,000 homes have been destroyed by ferocious fires that have left at least 11 dead.
A flareup of the wildfire on the city's west side resulted in the latest evacuation order, prompting Santa Anita to cancel this weekend's scheduled horse racing event.
The track in Arcadia, near the smoldering Eaton Fire that decimated Altadena, said Friday it planned to go forward with racing Saturday, depending upon air quality conditions.
However, track officials said Saturday racing would be canceled due to new developments with the Palisades Fire.
Air quality standards at the track remain well within the limits set by the California Horse Racing Board and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, according to track officials. However, organizers were concerned about the growing impact of the fires throughout Los Angeles County.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection confirmed 11% of the Palisades Fire was contained as of Saturday morning, while the Eaton Fire was listed as 15% contained.
The 90-year-old track in Southern California is also being used to support various relief efforts.
A charity drop-off set up at the Rose Bowl was relocated to Santa Anita's south parking lot Friday. Southern California Edison is using the entire north parking lot as its base to restore power to those in affected areas. The track is working with other organizations requesting space.
Morning training will continue as scheduled Saturday and Sunday. The track has its own security staff and does not use local first responders for normal events.
Rescheduled dates for the postponed races are expected to be announced at a later date.
The sports world has felt the impact of the unprecedented wildfires this week. Malibu was one of several areas hit hard by the Palisades fire.
Pepperdine University, which has a main campus on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, postponed its men's and women's basketball doubleheader Saturday. School officials cited the Palisades Fire and travel conditions in Los Angeles.
However, Pepperdine's Malibu campus remains clear of any immediate threats posed by the fire. But access to campus is restricted to the north side. The Pacific Coast Highway south of campus is closed.
Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount are in communication with the West Coast Conference about rescheduling. Elsewhere, the fourth-ranked USC women's basketball team is scheduled to play a Big Ten Conference game against Penn State Sunday night. Officials are monitoring conditions, a spokesperson confirmed.
Colorado Buffaloes head football coach Deion Sanders addressed his former player Travis Hunter's decision to deactivate social media accounts in response to comments about Hunter's fiancée, Leanna Lenee.
Hunter and Lenee’s Instagram accounts were deactivated Dec. 23, days after Hunter won the Heisman Trophy. During the ceremony, social media discussion about the event included several harsh criticisms of Hunter and Lenee as a couple. Hunter's account has since been reactivated.
Sanders gave his reaction to Hunter's situation in an interview on the "Tamron Hall Show."
"It hurt me that he did," Sanders said of Hunter's deactivation. "What the enemy wants you to do is stop."
Sanders criticized Hunter for neglecting the business side of his decision. As a former college and future pro athlete with an NIL valuation of $5.2 million, according to On3.com, Hunter's social media account activity is likely directly tied to endorsements.
"You have endorsements, you have people that have sponsored you to talk about their product," Sanders said. "We have to activate right now."
Sanders was also critical of Hunter for backing down and suggested his response will make him vulnerable to "attacks."
"When somebody stays still, now you got a chance to attack, and I hate the stillness of that. Keep on moving. Don't let the enemy get you while you're still and you're having a pity party on yourself," Sanders said, adding that's what he told Hunter about the situation.
Hunter addressed the situation during a Twitch live stream, saying his fiancée cried herself to sleep and drank due to the backlash.
Lenee previously posted a video on her TikTok account in an effort to end the negativity Dec. 16.
"I’m tired, emotionally and mentally. I’ve seen people trying to make me out to be a person that I am not," Lenee said in the nearly eight-minute clip.
She also addressed the negativity about her response to Hunter winning the Heisman Trophy.
At least one social media video appeared to show Lenee remaining in her seat moments after Hunter was named the 2024 Heisman recipient. Deion Sanders then appeared to prompt Lenee to stand up. Lenee did eventually briefly embrace Hunter before quickly sitting back down during the audience's standing ovation.
Other video footage appeared to show Lenee remaining seated while Hunter greeted and posed for photos with fans at an event in New York City the day after the Heisman ceremony. Some fans attempted to analyze Lenee's demeanor during her time at the event and even suggested she was irritated.
"When his name was called, I instantly was going to get up. If you watch the video, his mom didn’t get up, so I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I don’t get up, I just sit here,’" she said. "As soon as I seen Travis get up, then I thought it was appropriate to stand up, greet him, congratulate him.
"But then there was a camera right in front of Coach Prime, and I knew they were going to film that moment and, because of how people are online, I was like, ‘I don’t want to be in that shot.’ So, I sat down.
"I got out of the camera, purposefully, so they can have their moment. That’s all it was. No one told me to stand up. No one had to tell me to celebrate with him. I was just sitting there crying. I wanted to take it in. I was super excited for him. But I wanted the moment to be about him and his family."
Hunter's teammate, quarterback Sheduer Sanders, has also addressed the controversy. The Buffaloes quarterback suggested critics should stop weighing in on Hunter's personal life.
"All y'all athletes, entertainers, artist etc. if y'all genuine trying to holla at Trav y'all know how to get in touch with him or someone around," Sanders wrote on X Sunday. "At this point y'all just posting for the algorithm trying to look cool."
Hunter and Lenee's engagement was publicly confirmed earlier this year.
Hunter is projected to be a top selection in the upcoming NFL Draft.
The Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce this week after a 4-13 season, his first full season on the job. Two days later, they let general manager Tom Telesco go after his first year.
It's been reported that Tom Brady, who bought a 5% stake in the franchise last year, will have a big say in who becomes the next head coach. And it's no secret Brady and Sanders have a relationship.
The Raiders also need a quarterback, and Sanders' son, Shedeur, is widely regarded as one of the top two QBs in the class. Some mock drafts have him going No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans.
But Coach Prime recently said there are teams in the league he would not let Shedeur play for.
The father-son duo joined Brady on his "Let's Go" podcast last year. Sanders also recently said the "only way" he would consider an NFL job is "to coach my sons."
The Pro Football Hall of Famer joined Colorado ahead of the 2023 season after spending three seasons at Jackson State. Several Jackson State players followed Sanders to Boulder, including his sons and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who could be a top five pick in April.
The Raiders have interviewed Aaron Glenn, Ben Johnson and Steve Spagnuolo for their open head coaching job, and they're scheduled to speak with Pete Carroll and Robert Saleh next week.
The Minnesota Vikings are tied for the second-best record in the NFC this year, but their first playoff game will be on the road.
That's because the one team ahead of them is the 15-2 Detroit Lions, who won the NFC North with a victory over Minnesota in Week 18.
The Lions earned a top seed and a bye, while the Vikings head to Arizona to face the Los Angeles Rams. The game was originally scheduled for LA, but it was moved due to wildfires.
It's not the first oddity in the NFL playoffs. In the past, seven-win teams have hosted wild-card round games.
However, that could change soon.
According to CBS Sports, the NFL will take another look this offseason at changing its playoff format.
Jonathan Jones of CBS said one proposal is to give the top four teams based on winning percentage home games, instead of automatically giving them to division winners.
If that system were in place this year, it would mean the Lions, Vikings, Eagles and Commanders would host games on the NFC side. For the AFC, it would be the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens and Chargers.
The Commanders and Chargers are on the road this weekend against the Buccaneers and Texans, respectively, because the latter two teams won the NFC and AFC South divisions.
Jones later added, though, that team owners have not shown "much of an appetite" to change the format.
Ahead of winning the division, Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown suggested change.
"Obviously, if you win the division, you should obviously make a playoff spot, but having a 14-win team having to go on the road is kind of crazy. But I guess I don't make the rules," he said at the time.
The last time the playoff format was changed was ahead of the 2020 season, when it was expanded from 12 to 14 teams. That resulted in just one team in each conference receiving a first-round bye as opposed to two. It also led to six wild-card round games, instead of four.
Jack Sawyer became an Ohio State legend Friday night with his scoop and score at the expense of his former roommate.
On 4th and goal, Sawyer evaded blockers and forced a Quinn Ewers fumble, which Sawyer picked up and took 82 yards to the end zone to help the Buckeyes to a 28-14 win over Texas and a spot in the national championship.
When Ewers spent his lone season in Columbus before transferring to Texas, Sawyer was his roommate.
So, Ewers couldn't help but jab Sawyer when they spoke on the field.
"He was walking off, he said ‘screw you’ and started laughing," Sawyer told ESPN.
"That's my boy. Obviously, we were roommates when he was here. Got a lot of respect for him and the rest of the Texas team."
The Longhorns had a chance to tie the game, but a nightmare ensued. After getting stuffed on first down at the goal line, Quintrevion Wisner lost seven yards on a second-down toss, putting Texas in trouble. A third down pass fell incomplete. And Sawyer's scoop and score happened on fourth down.
Hoping for a miracle, Ewers threw a pick on the next drive, and, just like that, it was all over.
Before the game, Ewers implied he expected to be playing in the NFL next season. So, it will be interesting to see if his plans change.
Now, the eighth-seeded Buckeyes will face No. 7 Notre Dame Jan. 20 in the national championship. Despite Ohio State's lower seed, sportsbooks have the Buckeyes as a favorite by over a touchdown.
Saturday's Lakers game was postponed, and James sent a message on X.
"I pray this nightmare ends soon! So many prayers," James posted with several praying hands and fingers-crossed emojis.
James joined the Lakers in 2018; his eldest son, Bronny, played high school and college basketball in the area before being drafted by the Lakers last year. His younger son, Bryce, who currently plays for Sierra Canyon, the same school as his older brother, has committed to play at Arizona.
An emotional Redick opened up about losing his home in the flames.
"We were renting for the year to try to figure out where to be long-term, and everything we own that was of importance to us — almost 20 years of being together and 10 years of parenting — was in that house," Redick told reporters on Friday. "There's certain things you can't replace. They'll never be replaced.
"The material stuff is whatever. My family and I, we're processing the self side, the individual side of losing your home. You don't ever want to wish that on anybody. It's an awful feeling to lose your home. . . . Not sure I've wept or wailed like that in several years."
Monday night's Vikings-Rams NFL playoff game was moved from Inglewood to Arizona because of the fires. Two Clippers games, a Kings game and the Rose Bowl half-marathon and 5K were also postponed.
Former NFL player Robert Quinn was arrested in South Carolina early Friday morning over his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run crash involving multiple vehicles, according to reports.
The former Rams’ defensive end was taken into custody by law enforcement in North Charleston at around 2 a.m. after police say he attempted to leave the scene of a crash that he is accused of causing, FOX 4 reported.
Online jail records show that Quinn, 34, was booked into the Charleston County Jail on one charge of leaving the scene and one charge of reckless driving.
According to reports, the incident took place at a car dealership. The North Charleston Fire Department arrived on the scene first and told police that the suspect, later identified as Quinn, appeared to be trying to leave the scene in a different vehicle.
FOX 4 reports that a pickup truck registered to Quinn crashed into a car, causing that vehicle to hit two more vehicles. Police said video evidence showed Quinn’s truck veering on the road before eventually driving onto the dealership property.
According to the report, Quinn had visible injuries to his face, and his speech was slurred. He was also allegedly uncooperative with law enforcement and was eventually removed from the car he was in before being arrested.
Friday’s arrest comes just 18 months after the former NFL player was arrested for a similar situation in August 2023 when he was accused of hitting four cars before fleeing the scene, WMBF reported.
Quinn last played in the NFL during the 2022 season.
A first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, he played the majority of his career with the Rams. In 2018, he was traded to Miami, where he led the team with 6.5 sacks. He was traded to the Cowboys the following season where he again led the team in sacks with (11.5).
Quinn also played for the Bears and Eagles, reaching the Super Bowl in 2023.
EXCLUSIVE: In October, players on the University of Nevada Reno women's volleyball team were engaged in a highly publicized dispute with its university and athletic department over whether to play a match against San Jose State University.
San Jose State, at the time, rostered a trans athlete.
The Nevada players approached university administrators privately to express their desire to forfeit the match and join four other programs that refused to play SJSU. But Nevada did not honor that request and instead released a statement insisting it would play the match. Nevada also insisted its players would be allowed to skip the contest without facing discipline.
The team ultimately forfeited the day before the match was scheduled to be played, due to not having enough players. However, the university has said it had discussions with the players about potential "legal issues" that would emerge if the match were not played.
"University administrators met with the Nevada volleyball team and discussed scenarios of what could happen if they chose not to play. One of the scenarios that was discussed revolved around possible legal issues for violating the Nevada Constitution," read a statement that was provided exclusively to Fox News Digital by the University of Nevada, Reno.
The state's constitution was revised in 2022, when Democrat lawmakers voted to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment, which added gender identity to its list of diversity classifications that are protected under state law.
"The University of Nevada was prohibited by laws and regulations to forfeit for reasons related to gender identity or expression. As a State university, a forfeiture for reasons involving gender identity or expression could constitute per se discrimination and violate the Nevada Constitution," Nevada's statement read.
Nevada's statement was in response to allegations made by co-founder of the Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS), Marshi Smith.
Smith met and spoke with multiple players on the Nevada team during ther dispute, and heads the legal advocacy group that has brought a lawsuit against San Jose State and the Mountain West conference for its handling of the situation involving the trans athlete.
"At UNR, school administrators warned athletes they could face legal action if they refused to compete against SJSU’s team, which included a male starter," Smith told Fox News Digital.
The dispute between the players escalated into a national controversy that even garnered mainstream political attention in the weeks leading up to November's election.
Nevada players, including captain Sia Liilii, spoke out publicly against the university multiple times for its refusal to forfeit the match. Trump's Director of National Intelligence presumptive nominee Tulsi Gabbard and former Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown even visited the team for a photo-op and interview.
The scale of the controversy only heightened as the Oct. 26 match date approached. On Oct. 22, Nevada and San Jose State announced that the match would be moved from Nevada's campus in Reno to San Jose State's campus in the Bay Area in California, claiming the location change was "in the best interest of both programs and the well-being of the student-athletes, coaches, athletic staff and spectators."
But then, the day before the match, Nevada announced that its team would forfeit, citing the fact that it didn't have enough players who were willing to participate. Nevada took a loss on its record, for the match, then went just 1-7 to finish the season.
Nevada players previously spoke about pressures they faced from the university to play the match in a press conference at their university. It was held the day of the originally scheduled match on Oct. 26.
Liilii broke down in tears from the minute she took the podium while she recounted her experience telling school officials she didn't want to compete against a transgender player.
"We felt unsafe and dismissed," Liilii said, sobbing. "We met with our school officials to give them our team's new statement, but they wouldn't even hear it. We were told that we weren't educated enough and that we didn't understand the science. We were told to reconsider our position."
Nevada sophomore Masyn Navarro alleged her teammates had been told to "stay quiet" about the controversy during the press conference.
"It should not be this difficult to stand up for women. However, we will now take this opportunity to stand up as a team, as some of us have been told to stay quiet," Navarro said.
Nevada athletic director Stephanie Rempe previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the allegations that were made at the press conference.
"I did not tell, and am unaware of any member of the athletics administrative team telling members of our women’s volleyball team that they ‘weren’t educated enough,’ that they ‘didn’t understand the science,’ that they should reconsider their position or that they should ‘stay quiet’ regarding their participation in an Oct. 26 match that was scheduled against San Jose State University."
Rempe said she had offered an apology to the players regarding how they were informed that the university planned to proceed with the game, even after the players had voted to forfeit.
"On Oct. 14 and Oct. 22, I spoke with the team for less than five minutes each time and those gatherings were operational in nature. At all three meetings, I shared our genuine apology for not sharing the statement released on Oct. 3 in advance of their match against UNLV. As has been stated on multiple occasions, we continue to support the rights of the volleyball players who choose and choose not to participate," Rempe said.
Article I, Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution provides that "Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by this state or any of its political subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin."
But Liilii is now one of 11 former or current Mountain West volleyball players engaged in the lawsuit against San Jose State and the Mountain West for its handling of the situation involving the trans athlete.
San Jose State co-captain Brooke Slusser leads the suit and is engaged in a separate lawsuit against the NCAA citing her experience of having to share a team, bedroom and changing spaces with the trans athlete while knowledge of the player's birth sex was actively withheld from her for an entire season by the school and conference.
The other players on the plaintiff list are Alyssa Sugai, Elle Patterson, Nicanora Clarke, Kaylie Ray, Macey Boggs, Sierra Grizzle, Jordan Sandy, Katelyn Van Kirk and Kiersten Van Kirk. Former SJSU Assistant volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose, who was suspended by San Jose State after filing a Title IX complaint alleging the university gave favorable treatment toward the trans player, is also a plaintiff.
Smith told Fox News Digital that some athletes have expressed fear of retaliation by their schools when deciding whether or not to seek their help.
"The most common first question we hear from NCAA female athletes seeking support is: 'What can my school or the NCAA do to retaliate against me if I speak out against allowing men in women’s sports?' They’re often terrified of losing scholarships or being kicked off their teams," Smith told Fox News Digital.
"The first reassurance we provide is that these athletes have a Constitutional right to free speech. They can speak out or forfeit in protest against discrimination, Title IX violations, or increased safety risks when competing against a male athlete—without fear of retaliation, regardless of the lies their schools may tell them."
The Hawks were greeted by a winter storm when they returned to Atlanta early Friday morning after a lengthy west coast road trip.
While the majority of the storm had moved out of the Atlanta area by Saturday morning, the hazardous icy conditions it left behind prompted NBA officials to postpone the Hawks' scheduled home game against the Houston Rockets.
The league said the decision had been made "to prioritize the safety of the players, fans and staff due to the severe weather and hazardous icy conditions in the Atlanta area." The Rockets' flight arrived in Atlanta before the postponement was announced.
Power outage numbers around Atlanta crept up Friday night as falling trees on power lines became a widespread issue. More than 110,000 customers were without electricity, mostly in the Atlanta area.
The hazardous icy conditions in the southeastern portion of the U.S. come amid a vastly different set of extremes on the west coast. Southern California continues to grapple with devastating wildfires that were sparked earlier this week in greater Los Angeles.
On Friday, the NBA announced the Lakers and Clippers home games scheduled for Jan. 11 would not go on as initially planned due to the ongoing wildfires.
"The NBA and the Clippers and Lakers organizations have been in communication with local officials in Los Angeles and Inglewood about the ongoing situation in the Los Angeles area and the game postponements ensure no resources will be diverted from the wildfire response efforts," the league said in a statement.
The Lakers' home game against the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 9 was previously postponed.
The NBA also announced that the National Basketball Players Association would donate $1 million to the American Red Cross and other organizations to assist in disaster relief efforts.
The Lakers have played home games in downtown Los Angeles for several decades. The Clippers stopped sharing an arena with the Lakers at the start of the 2024-25 NBA season, when the franchise moved to the $2 billion dollar Intuit Dome in nearby Inglewood, California.
It remains unclear whether conditions will result in the postponement of additional Lakers or Clippers home games. The rescheduled dates for the postponed Hawks, Lakers and Clippers games will be announced at a future date, the league said.
The Hawks are scheduled to host the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 14.
Legendary Colorado football coach Bill McCartney, who led the program to its only national championship, died Friday night after a long battle with dementia, his family confirmed in a statement. He was 84.
McCartney, the winningest coach in Colorado history, died "peacefully" surrounded by his family, the university said in a statement.
"Our father surrendered his life to Jesus at 33 years old, setting a trajectory for our family and many others. We share his faith in Jesus and truly believe our Dad has been reunited in Heaven with his beloved bride and our Mother, Lynne Marie," the family’s statement said.
"Coach Mac touched countless lives with his unwavering faith, boundless compassion, and enduring legacy as a leader, mentor, and advocate for family, community, and faith. As a trailblazer and visionary, his impact was felt both on and off the field, and his spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those he inspired.
"While we mourn his loss, we also celebrate the extraordinary life he lived and the love he shared with everyone around him. We are grateful for the outpouring of prayers and support during this time and ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult moment."
McCartney coached at Colorado from 1982-94, leading the Buffaloes to three Big Eight titles, 10 consecutive winning seasons and a national championship in 1990.
Decades later, his 93-55-5 record as the winningest college football coach in Buffaloes history still stands. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
"I am very saddened at the passing of Coach Mac," said CU athletic director Rick George, who McCartney hired as a recruiting coordinator in 1987.
"I was fortunate to be able to say goodbye to Coach in person last week. Coach Mac was an incredible man who taught me about the importance of faith, family and being a good husband, father and grandfather. He instilled discipline and accountability to all of us who worked and played under his leadership. The mark that he left on CU football and our athletic department will be hard to replicate."
McCartney is most remembered for the 1990 season, when he led Colorado to an 11-1-1 record and a win over Notre Dame to claim the program's only national title.
Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning shared a text he got from his father, Archie Manning, on social media on Saturday.
"FYI – (Notre Dame quarterback) Riley Leonard and (Ohio State quarterback) Will Howard were roommates at (the) Manning Passing Academy last summer! Archie," Archie sent to Eli.
Eli captioned his post highlighting his Dad’s funny texting habit.
"Thank goodness my Dad writes his name after he sends me a text. – Eli," Manning posted to X.
While exposing his dad’s text habits to the world, Manning also provided Archie’s anecdote about the upcoming national championship game.
Will Howard’s Buckeyes took down Archie’s grandson, Arch Manning, in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Friday.
The Buckeyes beat the Longhorns 28-14, with the Longhorn’s comeback attempt thwarted by defensive end Jack Sawyer when he stripped Quinn Ewers and picked up the fumble for an 83-yard touchdown, sealing the game.
Arch had one run for eight yards, converting on fourth down in the second quarter, but that was all the action he saw in the loss.
With starting quarterback Quinn Ewers potentially going to the NFL, Manning could end up starting for the Longhorns next season.
As for Leonard and Notre Dame, they took down Penn State 27-24 after an eventful fourth quarter.
The Manning Passing Academy has clearly helped both Leonard and Howard.
While Leonard threw two interceptions in the win, he did enough to take down Penn State as he threw for 235 yards and a touchdown, while rushing the ball for 35 yards and a touchdown as well.
For Ohio State, Howard threw for 289 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the win that included a big fourth down conversion on a quarterback run in the fourth quarter.
The two roommates from the Manning Passing Academy will face off against each other on Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard says his non-throwing hand is "fine" after fans on social media couldn’t help but notice a rather unusual-looking lump on his hand during the Buckeyes' win over Texas in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night.
Howard, 23, appeared to sustain an injury to his left hand during the first half of the game.
CBS Sports reported that the knot on his hand formed after he appeared to hit his hand on the helmet of a Longhorns player.
Social media erupted over the bizarre-looking injury as the lump seemed to grow larger.
ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe said during the broadcast that Howard did not receive any treatment for the lump during that game. After Ohio State’s victory, ESPN’s Jake Trotter reported that Howard told him his hand is "just fine."
Howard was 24-of-33 passing for 289 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Now in his first season with the Buckeyes after entering the transfer portal last season, Howard has given Ohio State a chance to win its first national title in over a decade.
The Buckeyes will take on Notre Dame in the national championship game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.
