College football players and coaches have spoken openly and on the biggest platforms this season about their faith, and on Monday, two teams that have led that conversation will face off in the national championship.
Ohio State is the favorite heading into the title game, but for many players it's their faith, not stats and analytics, that’s the driving factor behind their confidence on the field.
In a series of interviews with Sports Spectrum this season, several Buckeyes players spoke about turning to their faith and how doing so has impacted their performance on the field.
"I would say for the past couple years we’ve kinda been – there’s kinda been a number of players on the football team who have restored their faith in Jesus Christ. And that was something that was big for me my freshman year," star receiver Emeka Egbuka told the outlet in November.
Egbuka, a graduate student, recalled in his interview the turning point for him. He was invited to attend a mass by his fellow teammates and said it was the first time he had felt a true connection to his faith.
"Ever since then, my life has been changed. A complete 180, and I have a similar testimony to a lot of players on the team. We’ve been praying for a type of revival like this on our team, and we decided to share with everybody what God has been doing on our football team."
Egbuka said he opted against going into the NFL Draft last season because he felt a calling that was "bigger" than football.
"I felt the Lord was leading me back to Ohio State for another year. I felt the Lord asking me a question, testing my heart: ‘If you do come back for this next year, you’re going to have this massive platform, you’re going to have tons of following, you are going to have these accolades – this name to live up to, and you can do one of two things with that moment. You can either use it to glorify me or to glorify yourself,’ so I saw it as somewhat of a challenge and something that I had to do."
Star running back TreVeyon Henderson told the outlet in a separate interview that despite his standout rookie season, which included success and NIL deals, he had turned to his faith following an injury.
"He saved my life from going down that road of destruction. He saved me. He put me on this path of everlasting life . . . you see so many people go down that large path of destruction, but I’m so thankful that Jesus, He rescued me from that path and put me on His path."
And just last month, tight end Gee Scott Jr. said that this season has been highlighted by massive change spiritually.
"I would just say there’s been a mass herd of people who are making the public declaration to yield their life to Christ, which I commend so much, because, especially at this age and in 2024, the world that we live in right now, there’s so many things that you could allude or surrender your life to, there’s so many things that you can give your life to."
Just this week, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard praised both teams for speaking so openly about their faith, and he believes that it's a big reason as to why they are the two teams battling it out for college football’s biggest prize.
One of the preeminent voices in college basketball is returning to the air after a nearly two-year absence. Dick Vitale's most recent television assignment for ESPN was April 3, 2023.
Vitale was on the call for the international broadcast of that season's men's basketball national championship game between the UConn Huskies and San Diego State Aztecs.
The Hall of Fame broadcaster is scheduled to resume his analyst duties when Duke goes up against Wake Forest Jan. 25 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The 85-year-old's return comes after he faced four different types of cancer over 3½ years.
Vitale had his most recent medical procedure last summer after a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer. Earlier this month, the legendary broadcaster declared he was cancer-free.
In 2021, months after undergoing a handful of surgeries to remove melanoma, Vitale was diagnosed with lymphoma. The next year, he announced he was cancer-free. In 2023, Vitale learned of his vocal cord cancer diagnosis, and he underwent radiation treatment.
"I am absolutely ecstatic, and I can’t believe this is happening after going through five major vocal cord surgeries, 65 radiation treatments and chemotherapy for six months," Vitale said in a statement.
"It’s been a very tough journey, but all of the prayers and messages from the beautiful fans have inspired me. I can’t thank Jimmy Pitaro and all of my ESPN colleagues who I consider my second family enough for the love they showed me through such a tough time. I just hope that I can offer the people some basketball insights that can bring even more excitement to the game."
Pitaro, ESPN's chairman, said Vitale "is one-of-a-kind."
"There is no better ambassador for the sport of college basketball than Dick Vitale. Even while navigating his own health challenges, Dick continued to look for ways to give back and help others, inspiring us all," Pitaro said in a statement. "Dick is one-of-a-kind, and we can’t wait to have him back doing what he loves most on ESPN on Jan. 25."
Vitale has been with ESPN for more than four decades, joining the network during the 1979-80 college basketball season. He has since called more than 1,000 games.
Vitale was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in September.
The Dallas Cowboys are looking for new leaders to save them from disarray. One of their old leaders thinks he has some solutions.
Former Dallas linebacker and Hall of Famer Demarcus Ware told Fox News Digital he may look to join the next Cowboys coaching staff under a specific condition. He wants his former teammate Jason Witten to be the team's head coach.
"I'm vouching for him right now to be head coach, he might vouch for me to come over and some kind of defensive coach," Ware said in an exclusive interview. "There is a 94% chance that if Jason Witten becomes head coach, that Demarcus is very interested in coming over there as well."
Witten has been a head coach at the high school level since 2021, when he took over Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, Texas. Witten reportedly turned down multiple assistant coach openings at NFL and college programs to take the Liberty Christian job, per ESPN.
Meanwhile, Ware served as a pass-rush consultant on the Denver Broncos coaching staff in 2018.
If Ware were to join a hypothetical coaching staff led by Witten, Ware says he would prioritize the handling of current star linebacker Micah Parsons. Ware says the Cowboys' defense has lacked the "lightning bolt" from Parsons that it needs to compete for a Super Bowl.
"If he can become consistently on the field and play like he plays at the beginning of the season, he's like the electricity that the team needs to just wake up," Ware said. "If we can get him consistently playing on defense, they would win more football games and take the pressure off [quarterback] Dak Prescott."
If a staff led by Witten and Ware materializes, Ware suggests that Parsons won't be doing a podcast every week during the NFL season, as Parsons has done since the start of the 2023 season when "The Edge With Micah Parsons" launched on Bleacher Report.
"He probably won't be doing it during the season, I know he won't be," Ware said "Because he'll be too focused on getting to the quarterback and just wreaking havoc in the backfield."
Ware says having a weekly podcast during the season isn't something he would have done in his career, especially early in it. Ware believes it is a "hard" balancing act for Parsons.
"That's very hard," Ware said of Parsons' overlapping football and media obligations. "There's some things that you probably can't say and questions that will be asked to sort of press you to make press."
During one episode of Parsons' podcast in November 2023, following a game against the Carolina Panthers in which he threw up on the sidelines, Parsons revealed that his teammates had pressured him into overdosing on C4 Energy powder before the game, which caused him chest pain and eventual nausea. He ended the story by suggesting he caved to "peer pressure."
In an episode in September of that year, while discussing the relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Parsons encouraged other NFL players to pursue relationships with high-status celebrity women, and specifically named Zendaya as someone they should pursue. He said this despite the fact that Zendaya has been in a long-term relationship with Spider-Man actor Tom Holland since 2021.
Parsons has since faced pushback from his own teammate over his decision to do an in-season podcast. That criticism came during a separate podcast appearance by Cowboys safety Malik Hooker.
"My advice would be for Micah, it would be: Just make sure we’re all right, and being where your feet are," Hooker said in a June 27 interview on the "All Facts No Brakes" podcast. "Because if we’re out working, and the run game’s terrible, but you’re doing a podcast every week — and you know the run game is terrible — then what are you really caring about? Are you caring about the crowd that’s watching your podcast, or are you caring about the success of our team, and the Super Bowl that we’re trying to reach?"
When Parsons was pressed by reporters about the distraction his podcast might pose during training camp on Aug. 21, the star pass rusher became passionately defensive.
"I don't think no one really cares about what I'm doing on a Monday afternoon when I'm at home with my kids," he said. "So why would they care if I'm on Xbox? I think we all get our own free time. When y'all away from here are y'all thinking about me at home? I would hope not.
"I try not to say (anything) controversial but everyone always is gonna be drawn to something. They're going to try to take one thing. We all have opinions. We're not going to agree to what everyone says. That's life."
Parsons went on to have his worst season as a pro in the months that followed. He put up career-lows with 12 sacks, 43 tackles and 23 QB hits, while playing in a career-low 13 games. He missed games to injury for the first time in his NFL career. The team had its worst season since he joined in 2021, finishing with a 7-10 record, resulting in the departure of head coach Mike McCarthy.
Now Parsons goes into the offseason bracing for a coaching change for his first time as a pro. He is also seeking a contract extension that some experts have projected could exceed the largest for a defensive player in league history. That record is currently held by San Francisco 49ers star pass rusher Nick Bosa, who signed a five-year, $170 million deal in 2023.
Parsons' current salary with Bleacher Report is currently unknown. However much it is, it is supplementing a base NFL salary of just $2.2 million in 2023 and $2.9 million in 2024. However, that number will jump to $24 million in 2025 under the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. Then he'll be a free agent, and could get paid far north of that number.
If Ware ends up on the Cowboys' coaching staff, Parsons may end up having to sacrifice his Bleacher Report salary while his NFL base pay increases.
Still, Ware suggests he would have no problem with Parsons doing a podcast in the offseason.
"Having a podcast, doing those types of things, I just won't do them during the season. Because I'm focused all on football and winning football games and making the championships, but afterwards, we can talk all we want to about whatever sports, whatever it is we're doing," Ware said.
"When I win a lot, I can talk a lot."
Ware's approach with Parsons is just one part of his greater outlook on the Cowboys defense and what he would try to bring as a coach on staff.
"Staying focused at the end of the season when it matters," Ware answered when asked what the Cowboys' defense has lacked in recent years. "Because usually most of the distractions happen at the end of the season because you're balling… everyone has their hand out to you."
Ware learned the consequences of a lack of focus ahead of the playoffs during his playing career with the Cowboys. For him, he says the most difficult playoff moments he experienced were consequential losses to the New York Giants.
"The most difficult playoff losses? You kidding me? Both the losses to the Giants!" Ware said. Then they went on to win the Super Bowl, and that was probably one of the hardest things."
The Cowboys lost to the Giants in the 2007 NFC Divisional round, when the Cowboys were 13-3 and favorites to make the Super Bowl, while the Giants were a 10-6 Wild Card team. The Giants won 21-17, en-route to a historic Super Bowl XLII win over Tom Brady and the undefeated New England Patriots.
Former Dallas quarterback Tony Romo threw a game-ending interception in the final seconds to seal the game, and was heavily scrutinized for failing to deliver a win after he was seen on a vacation in Cabo, Mexico with his then-girlfriend Jessica Simpson, during the team's first-round bye week. Witten was on the vacation with them.
But Ware believes that the by time off was detrimental to the entire team, not just Romo and Witten.
"I don't think it was about the trip, it was about the break," Ware said. "We have what we call mojo, and no matter what teams do, you have that "it" factor. We had that. But when you take time off, sometimes a team can lose that… we should have practiced each and every day just to keep our minds and bodies sharp, but something really light instead of sitting or taking a vacation. Because when we went back I could tell something was missing and that was the edge that we had.
In 2011, the Giants and Cowboys met in the final week of the regular season with a division title on the line. The Giants won that game 31-14, en-route to another Super Bowl championship against the Brady and the Patriots.
Ware went on to leave the Cowboys for the Denver Broncos in 2014, and won the first and only ring of his career in Super Bowl L a year later.
The Cowboys have not been to a Super Bowl since the 1995 season.
But Ware might get the chance to help break that drought if the Cowboys hire Witten as their next head coach.
Los Angeles Rams rookie Jared Verse is making his feelings about Philadelphia Eagles’ fans abundantly clear.
Speaking with the Los Angeles Times ahead of Sunday's NFC Divisional Round matchup, Verse spoke bluntly about his feelings towards the Philadelphia fan base.
"I hate Eagles fans," Verse, who attended three years of high school in Pennsylvania, told the outlet.
"They’re so annoying. I hate Eagles fans," he continued.
Even seeing the Eagles team colors will draw a reaction out of the Rams star rookie.
"When I see that green and white, I hate it. I actually get upset. Like, I actually get genuinely hot."
The Rams are hoping Verse will channel his anger towards the Eagles fans when he is on the field, as the team is traveling to Philadelphia to try and upset the Eagles.
The two teams faced off in Week 12 in Los Angeles, where the Eagles, and running back Saquon Barkley, dominated.
The Eagles won that matchup 37-20, and Barkley ran wild, amassing 302 scrimmage yards, including 255 rushing yards with two touchdowns.
Verse said even though the game was in Los Angeles, he heard heckling Eagles fans, despite wearing headphones.
"I didn’t even do nothing to ‘em. It was my first time playing. Oh, I hate Eagles fans," Verse said.
Eagles’ fans might reciprocate their hate for Verse if he plays as well as he did in the Rams 27-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.
Verse recovered a fumble from Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold and took it to the house for a 57-yard touchdown.
Verse’s play in the regular season has him on the shorttlist to potentially win defensive rookie of the year, as Verse had 4.5 sacks with 66 total tackles and was named to the Pro Bowl.
The Rams are playing the Eagles at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, where the rookie is sure to hear the noise from Eagles fans.
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN football analyst Dan Orlovsky offered his thoughts about whether Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce could retire sooner rather than later.
Kelce, 35, recently wrapped up his 12th season in the league. He finished the regular season with 823 receiving yards, which marked the second consecutive year the star tight end did not reach the 1,000-yard receiving mark.
While Kelce did receive Pro Bowl honors for a tenth straight year and remains a productive player, he is certainly closer to the end of his football career than he is to the beginning. All of this comes as the Chiefs pursue an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl championship. Should the Chiefs ultimately hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy next month, Orlovsky believes that calling it quits could become "a very real thing" for the seven-time All-Pro.
"Kelce is fully capable of being the difference-maker. I think he’s got one great run left," Orlovsky said on ESPN's long-running daytime program "First Take."
"I think if he goes and has that vintage Kelce performance, which I fully, one, think he’s capable of, and two, will do, and they go on and three-peat, I think retirement becomes a very real thing for Travis Kelce.
"There would be nothing else to accomplish. He’d be arguably the greatest tight end of all time. He would be the tight end that was part of [Chiefs] only three-peat in the history of the NFL. He’s obviously later in his career. I don’t think there would be anything left. And I think he’s got one, elite, great, difference-maker, vintage, ‘Oh my Gosh, he did it again’ run left in him."
Kelce has contended with questions about when he will decide to bring his NFL career to a close. During a recent appearance on "The Stephen A. Smith Show," he admitted that his thoughts on retirement tend to fluctuate, but he plans to "re-evaluate" things once he heads into the offseason.
"I love everything that I’m doing … but at the end of the day, I’m not having that extreme success on the field," Kelce said. "I’m excited for these next couple of games … to finish this season off. I’ll re-evaluate it like I always do, [and] I’ll probably tell myself how much I love this thing, and I’ll come back next year."
The NFL veteran added that pop star Taylor Swift continues to offer her full support as it relates to his playing career. "She’s fully encouraging me to enjoy playing this game," Kelce told Smith.
"I got all the support in the world to keep chasing these dreams," the three-time Super Bowl winner said, before noting that the "Anti-Hero" singer "loves coming" to games to watch him and the Chiefs play.
The Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens face off in the most anticipated game of the NFL’s divisional round matchups this weekend. But Sunday’s contest will have an added layer of difficulty due to frigid temps and winter weather conditions expected around kickoff.
The Bills host the Ravens in Buffalo at 6:30 p.m., and players can expect a not-so-warm welcome when they arrive at Highmark Stadium.
FOX Weather reports freezing temperatures in the mid-teens with snow expected throughout the game. An arctic blast is expected to hit the area early Sunday morning and last throughout next week.
According to the National Weather Service Buffalo, the wind chill could reach single digits by kickoff, the beginning of a cold front that is expected to get significantly colder in the days that follow.
While the Bills are no stranger to the winter conditions, the Ravens seem optimistic about their chances.
"You have to operate under duress. The duress of the opponent, it's also the duress of the environment. And it’s really the noise as much as anything, especially for the offense," Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh said this week.
"But that’s a two-way street. We have it at our stadium — our defense has to operate that way, too. Both groups have to deal with communication, with noise."
Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said he’s looking forward to the snow, adding, "It gets cold enough in Baltimore, so I don’t think it will be much different."
Sunday’s game will have an additional layer of interest because Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are considered the favorites for this year’s league MVP.
Earlier this season, the Bills struggled to stop Derrick Henry, who ran for 199 yards, including an explosive 87-yard touchdown run in the Ravens' 35-10 win. But the Ravens are not far removed from the heartbreak of a 2020 divisional round loss to Buffalo.
A Green Bay Packers fan that shared a video of his fiancée getting berated by a Philadelphia Eagles fan during the NFC wild-card game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday has now found himself at the center of controversy over accusations that he sought out the interaction in order to record content for social media.
Alexander Basara and his fiancée, Ally Keller, attended Sunday’s game in Philadelphia, but their experience supporting their team was soured when an Eagles fan, identified as Ryan Caldwell, lashed out at Keller and Basara in a vile tirade.
Caldwell was heard calling the woman an "ugly dumb c---" while Basara recorded the interaction. He also taunted Basara with other disgusting gestures as Basara attempted to defend Keller.
The interaction led Caldwell to being fired from his job at a New Jersey consulting firm. He was also reportedly banned from attending games at Lincoln Financial Field.
Social media praised the move by Caldwell’s former employer and sympathized with Basara and Keller. However, as the story continued to unfold this week, several people on social media began to accuse Basara of seeking out such an interaction in order to record content.
In a GoFundMe campaign set up by Basara, he asks supporters to help send him to the game.
"If you didn't know, I'm born and raised in PA, and actually 1 hour from the Eagles stadium. So I ask of you, the fans... send me to Philly. Send me into the belly of the beast. I've done it multiple times repping the Packers proud, and I am fully ready to do it again," he wrote.
"I've been cursed at, stuff thrown at me, and even my first ever cheesehead ripped off my head and thrown into a fire bin while supporting my team in Philly. But I'm sure as hell not scared to do it again."
According to Basara’s account on X, he describes himself as a "daily Packers content creator" and runs a YouTube account.
In response to the video and GoFundMe campaign, social media users called Basara out.
"Influencers do things on purpose to go viral," former "America's Next Top Model" winner Adrianne Curry said in a post on X. "He knew this would happen so allowed his girl to be a piñata for aggressive drunk men at a sporting event to film....all to go viral for clicks and likes. Read the last paragraph."
Basara responded to Curry’s post denying the allegation, saying he was vlogging a normal game-day experience.
"You should maybe try and not speak on things you have no idea about. I was there and making a NORMAL GameDay vlog, just as I did in Green Bay last month. I wanted to showcase the NORMAL banter of Eagles fans, which 99% of the time, we got," his post read. "Then this guy wouldn't stop, and it only got worse and worse. Way to defend a PoS for whatever your point here is…"
The two exchanged in a back-and-forth, and Basara accused Curry of "victim blaming."
However, Curry was not alone.
"Grow up bro YOU KNEW what it was going to be like," one person wrote on X.
"You’re a packers ‘Content Creator’ who went into the stadium with a full body cam. Me thinks you were looking for something like this to happen," another posted. "Your wife didn’t deserve this and didn’t deserve not being stuck up for either."
Basara denied the accusation on social media. He did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
American tennis star Taylor Fritz is the latest athlete to contribute to the relief funds for the wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area.
Fritz, 27, said on Thursday that he is donating the prize money he earned for his first-round victory at the Australian Open – about $82,000 – toward the relief funds.
"I mean, I feel like it’s really the least I can do," Fritz said.
Fritz was born in Rancho Santa Fe, California, and is still based in the state.
"Obviously, ‘SoCal’ has been my home forever. I still spend a lot of time in LA, but I lived in LA for quite a while. I have friends impacted, family not so much. I had some family have to evacuate. The house that my brothers grew up in burnt down. Obviously, they’re not living there anymore," Fritz said after reaching the third round at Melbourne Park with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 victory over qualifier Cristian Garín of Chile.
"A lot of people are affected by it. I feel like if you’re in a place to help, then you should."
Authorities have not determined a cause for the major blazes in what is on track to become the nation’s costliest fire disaster, with at least 27 people dead and thousands of homes destroyed.
Fritz is not the only tennis player with connections to the Los Angeles area who is competing at the Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka, a four-time major champion, said she sent someone to retrieve her 1 ½ year-old daughter’s birth certificate from their California home in case it got caught up in the fires.
Tristan Boyer, a 23-year-old from California, who had a first-round win but lost Thursday, said his father had to evacuate their house in Altadena.
"We have friends and family who are homeless now. It’s really, really devastating to see," Boyer said. "Obviously, trying to do what I need to do to prep and play tennis, but control what I can control in this moment. But it’s hard for sure."
Fritz, the No. 4 ranked player in the tournament, will take on Gaël Monfils on Saturday for a berth in the fourth round, but his mind will still be on what is happening back home.
"I just want everyone to obviously stay safe," Fritz said.
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh met with first responders in California this week to personally thank them as they continue to battle devastating wildfires burning in Los Angeles that have claimed the lives of at least 27 people.
In a video shared by the team on social media Thursday, Harbaugh is seen greeting firefighters and law enforcement on the ground.
The former Michigan coach shook hands and spoke with several first responders, and even stopped to take a few pictures.
Before the Chargers’ Wild Card game against the Houston Texans, Harbaugh told the media that the situation in California was at the forefront of his mind, adding that he was "inspired" by the dedication of first responders and the selflessness of neighbors.
"Heart goes out, prayers, abundant prayers for all those that have been affected by this tragedy," he said, according to the team’s website. "Also just been inspired greatly by the first responders, the firefighters and the residents that have pulled together, had each other's back.
"It's been tremendously inspiring," he continued. "Abundant prayers and thoughts to all that are in this fight. You see neighbors on top of houses, helping fellow neighbors, it's truly inspiring."
Last week, the Chargers pledged $200,000 in targeted funding to the American Red Cross, LA Fire Department Foundation, Team Rubicon and pet rescue organizations sheltering animals that have been displaced by the wildfires.
"While we're currently experiencing unprecedented conditions that seemingly cannot get any worse as we deal with multiple fires across our region, we're also witnessing our community at its very best," Chargers owner Dean Spanos said in a statement. "The bravery, selflessness, courage, sacrifice and compassion on display over the past 24 hours by first responders, good Samaritans, friends, family and neighbors alike has been remarkable."
Officials in California say over 30 people are still missing as the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire continue to burn. Those two fires have collectively burned nearly 38,000 acres. The Palisades fire is at 27% containment, while the Eaton Fire is at 55%.
After knocking Tennessee out in the first round, the Buckeyes blew out the top-seeded Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinals. Ohio State then defeated the Texas Longhorns in the semifinal to advance to Monday's championship game.
Quarterback Will Howard will be under center when Ohio State meets Notre Dame in the highly-anticipated title game.
Howard spent four seasons at Kansas State. However, he entered the transfer portal in 2023. In Jan. 2024, he revealed his intentions to make the move to Ohio State. Howard went on to have the best regular season of his college career in Columbus, Ohio.
The 23-year-old has thrown for a career-high 3,779 yards and 33 touchdowns against 10 interceptions during his first year at Ohio State. Howard has also used his legs this season, rushing for seven scores.
This year's Buckeyes roster features multiple players, including Howard, who are outspoken about their personal faith. Howard's on-field interview after Ohio State's aforementioned commanding win over Oregon at the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day was one of many moments in which the quarterback put his beliefs on full display.
"First and foremost, I gotta thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me this opportunity to be on this stage in the Rose Bowl," Howard said. "Younger me would be in awe right now."
Shortly after the Buckeyes were upset by their top rival Michigan in late November, Howard referenced his faith as he was asked to share his reaction to the defeat.
"I sat back and thought the opportunity that I have here and what I’ve gone through this year, the ups and the downs, everything has been for my own good," he said via Columbus news station WCMH, before reaffirming his unwavering faith. "I know that God is putting those obstacles in front of us to grow us and there’s a reason for it. I’m going to just trust the plan."
He added that having an unshakable "trust in the Lord" has proven to be beneficial in his life.
"We got to trust in the Lord and lean on Him no matter what, through the ups and the downs," he told NBC4. "I tried to just get into my Bible and pray a little bit. Just come back to the Lord and say, ‘I need You.’"
"When you come to Him in a humble way, it changes your perspective. I lay it down for Him and say, ‘God, I trust You. I don’t know why this happened but it happened for a reason. I’m going to trust it.'"
Howard and several of his Buckeyes teammates arrived at preseason workouts wearing "Jesus Won" T-shirts.
The College Football Playoff National Championship game kicks off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Jackson Mahomes, the brother of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, posted a farewell video on his TikTok account on Tuesday.
TikTok appeared to be set for a Sunday shutdown barring any last-minute action from the Supreme Court. The High Court is set to weigh the TikTok ban on Friday. It is unclear if the ban will be implemented or put on hold until President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Mahomes, who has more than 1.1 million followers on the app, had a few more mirror-dancing videos ready to go for his supporters.
"Since the app is getting banned I thought yall would miss your favorite (creator) on the platform!" he captioned one of the videos.
Mahomes has mostly kept his nose out of trouble during the 2024 season. However, prior to the start of the NFL season, he had been under the spotlight and in trouble with the law.
Mahomes was accused of grabbing a woman by her neck and forcibly kissing a woman at the restaurant in February 2023.
He pleaded no contest to a single count of misdemeanor battery in March 2024. He was then sentenced to six months of probation.
The Chiefs are in pursuit of a third straight Super Bowl title and there’s little doubt that Mahomes will be there, along with his sister-in-law, to support the quarterback and the team.
Aaron Rodgers on Thursday condemned the arsonists responsible for some of the wildfires that started the deadly Los Angeles wildfires and lamented the immense loss in the area,
Rodgers spoke about the destructive infernos that hit the county last week that left more than two dozen dead with thousands of structures burned to the ground in an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show." He said residents in the area are going through a "tough time."
The New York Jets superstar curtailed himself from criticizing leaders and lawmakers and focused his attention on those who allegedly started the blazes.
"There’s a lot of arson, and people have been caught doing it, people have been caught walking around blow torches and different s--- which is crazy, and it’s inhumane is what it is, and it’s sickening and then the looting that’s gone on," he said. "People impersonating firefighters, people starting fires and to loot the same areas. There’s a lot of things that really make you question humanity in general, and it’s a bad look because have people have lost their lives, people have lost their houses, their homes, their memories, everything, the pets. And then you have people who are legitimately starting fires in areas.
"The Runyon Canyon fire, that was an arson. There was a fire that was actually started real close to my house that was arson that thankfully got put away really quick, so that’s the s---ty part about all this."
Rodgers relished the fact that residents have come together to help each other out in trying times.
"The beautiful part is the way that so many people have come together and have gotten meals together and supplies together for these incredible men and women fighting these fires," he said. "The people who are flying these planes, I saw this incredible video probably about a week ago of the f---ing most beautiful drop from a plane that absolutely doused this fire.
"There’s a lot of really talented people who have been working on this, putting in crazy freaking hours, so my heart and my hat is tipped to the incredible men and women who are putting in crazy hours, not just from Southern California, but the people that came down from Northern California and other states and supplies have been given in for those people has been amazing."
Rodgers did mention that he knew a lot of people who lost their houses and possessions, including actor Miles Teller. He said when he arrived back in Los Angeles, the first thing he did was to call him as they have been friends for nearly 20 years.
"… I called to just check on him and that’s when it really hit home," Rodgers said. "Like this is legitimate, they didn’t have a chance. They had a short amount of time, they got everything they could, they got Buggsy (their dog) and what little they could fill in a car and got out, so that’s the reality.
"But the reality is there’s thousands of people like that who’ve been dealing with that, got displaced, lost everything, and like you said there’s some people that somehow won the lottery and their house got missed."
Former NFL head coach Jon Gruden took the state of college sports to task Thursday.
Gruden, the former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, appeared on OutKick’s "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich" and lamented the lack of relationships being built between college athletes and coaches.
He said those types of relationships can’t be built in a short amount of time.
"The repetition is the mother of learning," Gruden said. "Right now you’re just seeing a bunch of rental clubs. You ever play golf and get a set of rental clubs? It’s like, ‘I don’t know how to hit this club. I never putted with this putter.’ You make a lot of excuses.
"That’s what I’m seeing in college sports right now. Everybody is looking out for the transfer portal and how much NIL money we deserve. It’s kinda sickening really."
The name, image and likeness era coupled with the transfer portal grinds the gears of some coaches in college football.
Duke men’s basketball coaching legend Mike Krzyzewski acknowledged to Fox News Digital in October he didn’t have an answer for how to tame the NIL era despite believing in the good that comes with it.
Former Alabama Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban ripped NIL in February.
The controversy surrounding Philadelphia Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell for berating a female Packers fan during a game is just the latest incident of scandalously unruly fan behavior in sports.
Other deranged fans have engaged in physical altercations with athletes, with one incident even resulting in the stabbing of an athlete.
Fox News Digital recounts the five most infamous fan moments in the history of sports.
During Game 6 of the 2003 National League Division vs. the then-Florida Marlins, Chicago Cubs fan Steve Bartman reached out and grabbed a ball that could have been caught.
At the time, Chicago had a 3-0 lead and could have clinched a trip to the World Series with a win. Bartman interfered with a foul ball hit by Marlins hitter Luis Castillo that Cubs outfielder Moisés Alou was trying to catch for an out. But by snagging the ball out of the air before Alou could catch it, Bartman cost his own team a chance at a precious out. It would have been the second out of the inning.
But instead, the very next pitch to Castillo was wild, and the Cubs defense suffered a collapse that resulted in eight runs. The Cubs then lost the series in Game 7, and the franchise's nearly century-long World Series title drought extended. Bartman's incident became an infamous moment in what is considered to be one of the great curses in sports history.
The franchise's lack of championships from 1909 up until 2016 was associated with the superstition known as "The Curse of the Billy Goat," which stems from a 1945 incident when a fan was denied entry to a game because he had a goat with him.
Bartman's actions were not rooted in malice, but the consequences, aftermath and imagery of him at that game is what has made the incident so infamous.
Details of Bartman's personal life were made public, and he actively avoided any public attention for years after the incident. He declined multiple offers for interviews and opportunities to appear in documentaries.
Caldwell is far from the first Eagles fan to exhibit questionable behavior at a game.
In 1997, during a Monday night game against the San Francisco 49ers, one mischievous Eagles fan shot a flare gun into the stands full of other fans, endangering multiple lives.
After the flare was shot, multiple fistfights broke out around the stadium as most of the violence was directed at 49ers fans by Eagles fans.
"There were a large number of fights and acts of intimidation, many directed at fans in 49ers jerseys," the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote at the time.
After the game, Eagles owner Jeffrie Lurie was forced to condemn his own fans.
"In spite of the fact that we feel we have made significant strides in recent years with regard to fan conduct at Veterans Stadium, what we witnessed this past Monday was undoubtedly a step backward," Lurie told reporters at the time.
The franchise's former home, Veterans Stadium, had an on-site judicial court and jail cells to deal with law-breaking fans.
A 2004 game between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers devolved into one of the ugliest moments in NBA history when a player started attacking fans.
There were just seconds left of the game when the fight began, but the conditions got so hostile that the game was never finished.
The fighting all began with a foul. After the players started battling it out on the court, it wasn't long before the fight escalated up to the stands as spectators began throwing drinks and trash at players. Pacers forward Ron Artest was at the center of the chaos as imagery of him swinging his fists at the Detroit fans became a disturbing staple of NBA lore.
As the Pacers made their way back to the locker room, they had to cover their heads to be shielded from the liquid and trash being thrown their way.
Several fans were banned from Pistons games for life because of the incident. Nine players were suspended without pay for a total of 146 games, according to the source. The five players were charged with assault.
In 1974, the Cleveland Indians (now the Guardians) held an event known only now as "10-Cent Beer Night." The team sold beers for $0.10 each for a game against the Texas Rangers on
The promotion drew a crowd of 25,134 fans to Cleveland Stadium, and many of those fans ended up on the field in a riot in the ninth inning.
After eight previous innings that saw drunken fans set off firecrackers and streak nakedly across the field, a game-tying rally by Cleveland in the final inning unleashed chaos. After the game was tied, a fan ran onto the field to try and steal Rangers player Jeff Burroughs' cap right off his head.
In response, Texas manager Billy Martin and his players ran onto the field to protect Burroughs, but that only provoked even more drunken Cleveland fans to get involved. A horde of attendees armed with knives, chains and clubs made out of torn-up pieces of seats rushed the Texas players.
Some fans even threw steel folding chairs at players, and Cleveland relief pitcher Tom Hilgendorf was hit in the head by one.
The Cleveland players wielded their bats to help defend the Texas players from their own drunken fans.
The teams fled the field through the dugouts in groups, then locked themselves in their clubhouses. But rioting on the field continued for at least another 20 minutes as police and security tried to subdue the rioters. Only nine fans ended up getting arrested.
Chief umpire Nestor Chylak eventually declared the game to be forfeited by Cleveland, granting Texas the win.
Yugoslavian women's tennis star Monica Seles was stabbed by a fan of one of her biggest rivals at the 1993 Citizen Cup in Hamburg, Germany.
During a break after winning a game in the quarterfinal match against Magdalena Maleeva, who was the world No. 1 at the time, a fan of German player Steffi Graf ran onto the court and stabbed Seles in the back while she sat courtside.
The man was named Günter Parche, and police determined that he intended to injure Seles so that Graf could reclaim the No. 1 spot. Parche was eventually sentenced to two years' probation and psychological treatment.
Seles, meanwhile, was rushed to the hospital and required several weeks for her injuries to heal. However, it would be two years before she returned to tennis. She also vowed to never play in Germany again due to the fact that Parche was given minimal punishment.
"What people seem to be forgetting is that this man stabbed me intentionally, and he did not serve any sort of punishment for it. ... I would not feel comfortable going back. I don't foresee that happening," she told the BBC.
The Caitlin Clark effect has paid off in a big way for the Indiana Fever and women’s basketball.
Pacers Sports & Entertainment unveiled its $78 million plan to build a "world-class" performance center in downtown Indianapolis exclusively for its WNBA team, which is expected to open before the start of the 2027 season.
"We are excited to partner with Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett to identify the perfect location for the Indiana Fever Sports Performance Center," PS&E Owner Herb Simon said in a statement. "The city of Indianapolis continues to be a tremendous partner as we elevate our team, players and community."
The 108,000-square-foot practice center will be connected to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where both the Fever and the Indiana Pacers play, and construction is expected to begin in August 2025.
According to a press release from the team, the design of the center will be geared toward "the specific needs of female athletes competing at the highest level, including performance and conditioning, recovery and rehabilitation, mental health and wellness and lifestyle support."
"This elite training center is a reflection of our organization’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that our players have the highest level of resources to be successful," Indiana Fever president of basketball and business operations Kelly Krauskopf said in a statement provided by the team.
"As we look to the future, the focus of creating a first-class player experience designed exclusively for women athletes will set us apart."
The new center will have two regulation courts, a full-service kitchen and areas dedicated to yoga and Pilates. In addition, the team said other features incorporated into the design include "a hair and nail salon, child care space and podcast and content production studio to support player lifestyles."
The Fever have their own standalone training center at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which was last renovated in 2020.
Clark’s historic rookie season generated record numbers for the WNBA, both in viewership and attendance. For the first time in league history, the league announced full-time charter flights for all its teams in May, which were projected to cost around $25 million per year for the next two seasons.
Las Vegas, Seattle and Phoenix have all opened new training centers in the last few years, and Chicago has one under construction.
A conference matchup between the Radford men’s basketball team and Gardner-Webb was briefly delayed Wednesday night when a young fan stormed the court and had to be escorted off by one of the Highlanders.
With just a minute remaining in the second half and Radford leading by three, a young fan burst out onto the court and began running around as players and coaches watched in confusion.
"And we have a kid on the floor," the game’s broadcasters said in shock. "The sixth man is on the floor here. I don’t know whose child that is. Do we have parents?"
The young fan continued to run around before Radford guard Truth Harris, a redshirt senior, stepped in and lifted the small child up before handing him over to a staffer near the court.
The distraction did not derail the Highlanders, who won the game 79-75 to improve to 3-1 in Big South Conference play and tie for the top spot in the standings alongside High Point and UNC Asheville.
The Big South released a statement after the game about the "pint-sized" interruption, adding the child was safely reunited with his parents.
"In an unprecedented and truly pint-sized moment of excitement, a young ‘fan’ stormed the court with one minute left in last night's thrilling Gardner-Webb vs. Radford basketball game," the statement said.
"The fan, estimated to be about three feet tall and just shy of kindergarten eligibility, showcased impressive agility as he dodged staff and bewildered players. Thanks to the quick thinking of a Radford player (and apparent aspiring babysitter), the situation was safely resolved when the child was carried off the court."
Radford coach Darris Nichols joked after the game that he pleaded with officials not to penalize the team for the young fan’s excitement.
"It was a huge part of the game," he said laughing. "When the kid ran onto the court, I just told the ref, 'Please don't give me a technical for this.'"
The wildfires that continue to wreak havoc on the Los Angeles region forced LeBron James and his family to leave their home.
The four-time NBA champion confirmed to reporters he has taken up temporary residence in a hotel that has left him feeling "off." James also opened up about his emotional state as he learned that some of his friends lost their homes.
"There’s been a lot of emotions," James said during a news conference. "I have a couple of dear friends that have lost their homes in the Palisades. Obviously, my heart goes out to all of the families all across not only the (Pacific) Palisades, but all across LA County and all the surrounding areas because of the fire and things of that nature. It’s been a lot of emotions.
"Personally, I’ve been off," he added. "Personally, my family, we’ve been evacuated since Thursday night. So, I’ve been in a hotel since pretty much when we got back from Dallas. So, just figuring it out. But staying strong for one another. Obviously, that’s most important."
This is not the first time the James family has evacuated due to fires. In 2019, the family left their home after brush fires broke out near the Getty Center in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. James lives in Brentwood.
James provided updates on his social media feed at the time. He spoke about some of the differences between what his family experienced more than five years ago and what they are contending with now.
"We had that experience and was able to lean on that a little bit," James said. "The difference between ’19 and today, the one in ’19 was in the middle of the night so we had to get going right away. We had a little bit more time before we had to evacuate, so we were able to get some things, get some belongings or whatever the case may be, get some things that meant things to us.
"But our home has definitely not been touched since the moment we left, but it’s still standing and we’re grateful for that. Hopefully, it continues to stand. Just waiting patiently when we’ll be granted to possibly go back to it and be as one under our home."
James said his position as a pro athlete comes with the responsibility of providing fans and the community with at least a brief break from the situation people across the region are facing.
"It’s definitely our job to know that we still have a job to do," James said. "We got to focus on our job but also still be human beings and understanding what real life is all about, too. I hope that by us going on the floor and (by) us playing the way we played tonight — not the way we played against San Antonio — but the way we played tonight and hopefully the next few months or whatever it is, years, until the city is back up, that we as a Lakers franchise and the players that are playing for the Lakers give a sense of hope and pride and excitement and things of that nature.
"Sports has always given people an opportunity to kind of just temporarily forget about whatever they may have been going through. And us being such a big part of the LA community — along with a lot of other sports teams, but we know how important the Lakers is to the community — hopefully we can provide that to a lot of families."
The NBA postponed the Lakers' home games on Jan. 9 and Jan. 11 due to the wildfires. The Lakers were idle on Thursday but return to action Friday when they host the Brooklyn Nets.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released guidance on Thursday regarding name, image and likeness (NIL) pay and its compliance under federal Title IX rules.
The office put out its guidelines in a nine-page memo stating that athletic programs must offer equal opportunity regardless of sex.
The memo stated that compensation by a school for student-athletes NIL is considered to be "athletic financial assistance" under Title IX "because athletic financial assistance includes any financial assistance and other aid provided by the school to a student-athlete that is connected to a student’s athletic participation; it is not limited to scholarships or grants."
"However, OCR has long recognized that a school has Title IX obligations when funding from private sources, including private donations and funds raised by booster clubs, creates disparities based on sex in a school’s athletic program or a program component," the memo stated. "The fact that funds are provided by a private source does not relieve a school of its responsibility to treat all of its student-athletes in a nondiscriminatory manner.
"It is possible that NIL agreements between student-athletes and third parties will create similar disparities and therefore trigger a school’s Title IX obligations. Because these NIL agreements vary widely and continue to evolve and because the application of Title IX’s equal athletic opportunity requirements is a fact-specific inquiry, this Fact Sheet does not offer specific guidance on Title IX’s application in the context of compensation provided for the use of a student athlete’s NIL by a third party, including an NIL collective."
Miguel Cardona is the education secretary in President Biden’s administration, but he will be out once President-elect Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
The guidance could change during Trump’s administration.
Colin Hurley, a freshman quarterback at LSU, sustained injuries in an on-campus car crash early Thursday morning, according to a police report.
The Baton Rouge Fire Department and LSU police found an unresponsive but breathing Hurley, 17, shortly before 3 a.m. near the gates at one of the campus entrances, per the report.
Hurley is believed to have been driving a Dodge Charger at the time of the wreck and crashed into a tree at South Quad Drive and Highland Road, WBRZ reported.
Hurley is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. He did not see any action during his true freshman season.
Colin's family released a statement on Thursday thanking medical personnel and LSU football fans for supporting the player as he continues to recover.
"Colin would like to thank the first responders, the incredible doctors and nurse at Our Lady of the Lake Heath and the many Tiger Fans for their care and compassion," the statement read. "Colin is resting and is stable while more tests and care are being administered. We are confident that Colin will make a full recovery from this terrible accident."
The cause of the crash was not immediately made public, but officials said impairment was not believed to have been a factor. University officials did not provide further comment on the situation because Hurley is a minor.
Aaron Rodgers admitted Thursday he was eager to watch Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearing with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
President-elect Trump has nominated Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, and a confirmation hearing with senators has yet to be scheduled.
Rodgers, who considered Kennedy’s offer to become his running mate during the 2024 presidential election, said on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he wanted to watch the hearing to "just see who tried to f--- with him."
"Like, please, somebody try and get after him and just watch him absolutely mop the floor with any of these senators," Rodgers said. "You better come ready senators, come ready and try and see if you can pull one over on my boy, Bobby, because Bobby’s f------ smart, dude. And no notes, off the cuff, can handle his own pretty well, so excited for him to – and honestly so should everybody."
Rodgers touched on Kennedy’s initiative to "Make America Healthy Again." The movement appeared to be kick-started this week when the FDA banned red food dye due to potential cancer risk.
"Like, if you spend a minute researching ingredients in products in the states compared to overseas, it’s disgusting," the star quarterback said. "It’s disgusting what they allow here, the levels that they allow here, products that are terrible for you, products they know are carcinogenic. So it’s going to [be] as he’s doing a service to everybody if you just let him and get the hell out of the way and stop trying to label him as whatever the f--- they want to label him these days.
"He just wants to make sure that everything that’s being given to our kids is safe, everything that we’re ingesting on a day-to-day basis is safe, and he’s going to ‘Make America Healthy Again’ or is going to freaking die trying."
Kennedy has faced waves of support and criticism from both sides of the aisle with the confirmation process looming.
