Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts divided fans when he chose to skip the team's celebratory White House visit in April.
Hurts was one of several Eagles players who chose not to go, alongside AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jalen Carter and Brandon Graham. But as the quarterback, Hurts' absence garnered particular scrutiny. Hurts told reporters on May 20 that he didn't go because he "wasn't available."
Former Eagles star quarterback Donovan McNabb, who says he's mentored Hurts since coming to Philadelphia, gave his reaction to his protégé's absence in an interview with Fox News Digital. McNabb also suggested that Hurts' absence was based on a decision.
"I don't have a problem with it at all. I agree, I totally agree with him and the decision that he made, it's a grown man decision, and he stuck with it," McNabb said. "And for him, his focus again is to get himself ready to possibly get back to another Super Bowl."
McNabb added that he would have made the same decision as Hurts.
Hurts also raised eyebrows again when he attended the Met Gala the following week after missing the White House.
Still, the vast majority of the Eagles' roster and coaching staff did attend the White House and celebrated with Trump, as well as the president's daughter, Ivanka. Those players included star running back Saquon Barkley.
"It's everybody's choice," McNabb said of the players who went. "You don't harp on anybody else's decision of what they made, it's a decision. It's a personal decision that he made, for both, for Jalen and for Saquon," McNabb said.
"And again, after you do your visit or whatever it may be, you get right back to focusing on the task at hand and seeing if you can have that opportunity to be invited back to the White House."
When the Eagles won the Super Bowl back in 2018, the team decided not to attend the White House. Trump rescinded the invitation to host the Eagles after several players said they would not participate in the visit because of his previous criticisms of national anthem protests.
The Los Angeles Dodgers visited the White House several weeks before the Eagles did, to commemorate their World Series title. Mookie Betts, who skipped a visit in 2019 with the Boston Red Sox, attended this year.
Kierston Russell, the twin sister of University of Alabama freshman quarterback Keelon Russell, has died just days after the siblings graduated from high school, police confirmed in a statement on Thursday. She was 18.
The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office confirmed Kierston’s passing in a statement, adding that the investigation into her death is "ongoing."
"There has been considerable media attention concerning a death investigation that occurred (in Tuscaloosa) on June 4, 2025," Capt. Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office Violent Crimes Unit said in a statement obtained by Tuscaloosa News.
"After speaking with the family, and in an attempt to quell media inquiries, they have given permission to confirm the death of Kierston Russell... The investigation is ongoing pursuant to the procedures mentioned above, and at this time appears to be non-criminal in nature. Therefore, at this time no other information will be released."
Kierston played basketball at Duncanville High School in Texas. According to ESPN, she was due to join her brother at Alabama in August. The twins graduated last month.
Keelon, a five-star recruit who enrolled early and attended Alabama’s spring training, shared photos of the two together and shared a prayer to his Instagram Stories on Thursday.
"Dear god, Thank You that every good and pleasant gift is from above. You are the source of every blessing in my life-my health, my work, my relationships, and the strength to face each day. Even my ability to work and create comes from You. I acknowledge that all I have is a gift from Your generous hand," he post read.
"As James 1:17 says, ‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.’ You are faithful, and I am grateful."
Kierston’s basketball team also shared a statement on X following the news of her death.
"With shattered hearts, we mourn the loss of our sister & teammate, Kierston Russell. A fierce competitor with a heart of gold – her light, love & legacy will live on. We love you, KRuss. Always."
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has already dubbed the Pacers the "greatest comeback team" of her lifetime. They proved that point again with another comeback victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.
Clark, who has been sidelined for weeks with a quad injury, celebrated on social media as the Pacers took their first lead of the game in the final second of the fourth quarter when Tyrese Haliburton’s jump shot gave Indiana a one-point lead and secured the 111-110 victory over the Thunder.
Her reference to the Pacers’ unwavering ability to rally followed her previous post on May 21 when Indiana came back from a 14-point deficit with under three minutes remaining in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks.
It was another jumper from Haliburton that sent that game to overtime and would give the Pacers Game 1 with a 138-135 overtime win.
"PACERS ARE THE GREATEST COMEBACK TEAM IVE EVER SEEN," Clark said at the time.
The Thunder’s collapse was only half the story on Thursday night. Indiana committed 19 turnovers in the first half but returned in the second with just five turnovers and outscored Oklahoma City 32-16 in the final 10 minutes.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points. Obi Toppin scored 17, Myles Turner had 15, and Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard each had 14.
"I don’t know what you say about it, but I know that this group is a resilient group, and we don’t give up until it’s 0.0 on the clock," Haliburton said of the win.
The Thunder will attempt to even the series when they host the Pacers for Game 2 on Sunday night. After that, the series heads to Indiana.
They simply go by the Athletics now, as the team formerly stationed in Oakland will soon plant their roots in Las Vegas.
For now, the team plays their games at Sutter Health Park, a minor league field in Sacramento, while the transition to Las Vegas continues to run its course. As a result, there is a large portion of the team’s fanbase that remains disgruntled at ownership for moving to Sin City instead of continuing to play in Oakland.
Well, one fan decided to make his presence known during the team’s pregame show on Thursday ahead of the match-up with the Minnesota Twins. He wore a t-shirt that read, "SELL."
While the pregame show was going on, that fan was quickly confronted by a Sutter Health Park security guard, and more team and field officials quickly followed suit.
The whole thing was captured on the live broadcast.
Joe Horton identified himself on social media as the man in question, and he noted that security allowed him to remain in his seat for the game after speaking with them. He told Awful Announcing, who posted the pregame clips on X, that this was "not my first rodeo."
"When they show up I think the whole time – you know this too is on TV right?" Horton replied on X.
Horton even had some fun on X posting a screenshot of himself in the background of the pregame show desk surrounded by security and white-polo-wearing officials.
"Look how many friends I made today," he captioned the screenshot.
Fans like Horton remain ticked off by A’s owner John Fisher, who is leading the move to Las Vegas. Similar t-shirts, signs, and flags were seen at the Oakland Coliseum last season when the team’s home games started to dwindle as the schedule came to a close.
The Athletics will be playing in Sacramento for at least the next couple of seasons, as the team’s new ballpark in Las Vegas won’t be ready until 2028 at the earliest.
So, fans like Horton continue to voice their opinion on Fisher’s moves, and it’s clear a good portion of the fan base wishes him out of baseball. He doesn’t seem inclined to do so.
The Athletics remain a very young team with some budding talent, including Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson and Lawrence Butler, among others. They are 24-40 entering Thursday, which is last in the AL West division.
WWE star The Miz may be one of the biggest Cleveland Browns fans in sports.
The Ohio native has been seen supporting the Browns at games in Cleveland and on NFL shows talking about the team he loves.
Cleveland was once again the talk of the NFL world in April when the team traded the No. 2 overall pick in the draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who eventually selected Travis Hunter. The Browns received the No. 5 pick and drafted Mason Graham.
It took until the later rounds, but the Browns added to their quarterback room with the selections of Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Cleveland took Sanders after Gabriel as the former Colorado quarterback slid, sparking the attention of the sports world, including President Donald Trump.
The Miz, whose real name is Mike Mizanin, told Fox News Digital in recent interview that Sanders is in a great spot to learn the ropes as a professional quarterback with Joe Flacco on the roster.
"I’m not really a professional football player, and I’m not a quarterback, and I’m not in a quarterback room with Joe Flacco," he prefaced. "But if you are in a quarterback room with Joe Flacco who has been to the Super Bowl, won the Super Bowl, has done incredible things in the NFL, I would just put my head down and learn and listen, because he has a great coach and Kevin Stefanski and I think just be the player that he was in Colorado.
"I wouldn’t want him to change. Like, I always feel like … the best person is a person that can’t help being themselves, right? That’s the best, in my opinion, and I think he can’t help being himself, and think he’s a born leader. And I think, in the end … I know it’s gonna be a little circus here and there, but if he can play to the caliber that I feel like he could be, he could be a franchise quarterback."
Sanders will compete with Gabriel and Kenny Pickett for the few spots on the roster. Flacco may have the advantage going in as he was on the team in 2023 and took over for an injured Deshaun Watson to keep the Browns on a playoff pace.
Watson suffered a torn Achilles in 2024 and re-ruptured the Achilles as he recovered. It’s unclear whether he’ll be healthy and ready to return to the field anytime soon.
For now, the Browns will have a few things to weigh when it comes to their quarterbacks in 2025.
The Indiana Pacers are starting to look like a team of destiny, if they didn't look like one already.
Trailing by 15 in the fourth quarter, the Pacers erased that deficit and pulled off a huge upset in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 15-point lead early in the fourth quarter was OKC's largest of the game. But after the Pacers called a timeout, they went on a 15-4 run of their own to get back to within four. The Thunder wound up pulling away a bit to lead by nine, but they responded with another run, this one 10-2, to suddenly trail by one with 48.1 seconds left.
Gilgeous-Alexander missed a shot with 11.0 seconds left, and Tyrese Haliburton responded with the game-winner with 0.3 seconds left. It was Indiana’s first lead of the entire game, as most of the game had been all Thunder.
Indiana came in as double-digit underdogs, and that looked to cover for the majority of the contest. Instead, it's a 111-110 win for the Pacers, their first in the NBA Finals since 2000.
In the final 9:27, the Pacers outscored the Thunder, 32-16, and it was a 12-2 run in the final 2:38.
It's yet another insane comeback for the Pacers this postseason – in nearly 1,500 playoff games since 1997, only four times has a team come back to win after trailing by seven-plus points in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime – the Pacers have won three of those games this season alone. This one did not fit that criteria, but nonetheless, it's chalked up as an incredible comeback.
"It ain't over til it's over," Haliburton, doing his best Yogi Berra impression, said after the game. "It ain't over until the clock hits zero."
Amazingly enough, no Pacer had 20 points in the game, while MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 38 for the Thunder. But, six Pacers scored in double-digits, and five had at least 14.
Police have launched an investigation after vandals targeted murals of baseball legends Jackie Robinson and Minnie Miñoso.
The paintings, located along a fence in Miami's Dorsey Park, are part of a collection of artwork honoring multiple legendary baseball stars.
Negro League teams once played games at the historic park.
Prominent members of the community held a news conference and said the vandalism was initially discovered by a 7-year-old boy. The marks left on the murals were identified as Nazi symbols, speakers at the news conference said.
Plywood has since been placed over the murals of Robinson and Miñoso.
"I know you may not be able to show it on television, but we need the community to uncover the hurt and the hatred that is existing," said Terrance Cribbs-Lorrant, executive director of the City of Miami Black Police Precinct. "The reason why this keeps being perpetuated is because we keep covering it up."
On Wednesday, Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick described the vandalism as a "vile act of hatred."
"We must treat this for what it is: a hate crime meant to instill fear and division. But we will not be intimidated. We will respond with unity, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to truth, justice, and the preservation of our history," she said.
Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947 when he became the first Black player, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Miñoso became MLB's first Afro-Latino player and the first Black player for the Chicago White Sox.
The murals have been displayed in the park since 2011.
Police have yet to make any arrests for the vandalism. Fox News Digital contacted the Miami Police Department for more information.
Anthony Richardson heads into his third season with a real quarterback battle, but his pursuit to win the starting job for the 2025 season will be harder after suffering an injury.
Richardson is dealing with a shoulder injury in his throwing arm, and he won’t be participating in the Colts’ minicamp next week, per head coach Shane Steichen.
Steichen added that Richardson suffered the injury last week during organized team activities.
"Doctors, trainers checked it out," Steichen said, per NFL.com. "He's got some aggravation in his AC joint. So, we're going to sit him out this week. Obviously, he'll sit out for minicamp. We'll see when he comes back. Not going to put a timetable for training camp on it, but when he does come back, we'll ease him into throwing, and then we'll go from there. The good thing is he's not going to need a procedure right now."
While Steichen noted the injury not being serious enough for surgery, a procedure wasn’t ruled out down the line.
Richardson has dealt with numerous injuries in his first two NFL seasons, which included a season-ending shoulder injury after four games in his rookie year. An oblique injury in 2024 kept him out two games.
Richardson, the team’s fourth overall pick in 2023 out of Florida, struggled in his return to the Colts last year, throwing for just 1,814 yards in 11 games with a 47.7% completion rate.
Steichen made the move to bench Richardson last season as he struggled, with backup Joe Flacco replacing him under center.
This year, the Colts brought in Daniel Jones, who the New York Giants cut ties with midway through the 2024 campaign due to his own struggles, to compete with Richardson in training camp.
While Jones didn’t pan out under his four-year extension in New York, he does have years of starting in the NFL under his belt. His addition to the quarterbacks room led many to believe Richardson’s job wasn’t safe.
Richardson now has to battle another injury before battling Jones.
"It’s frustrating, but he is in good spirits," Steichen said of Richardson. "So we’re working through it right now."
With Richardson sidelined, Jones will be getting the lion’s share of minicamp reps.
Saquon Barkley is the first Philadelphia Eagle to appear on the cover of the Madden NFL video game since former quarterback Donovan McNabb in 2005.
Unlike McNabb, Barkley is not a homegrown Eagle drafted and brought up by the organization. To some, Barkley is a defector, as a former member of the rival New York Giants.
The decision by the Giants to let Barkley leave the organization has been criticized as one of the worst mistakes in recent history after the running back led the Eagles to the Super Bowl and broke the franchise rushing record.
"They made a real big mistake, and I think it's going to cost them a little bit," McNabb told Fox News Digital of the Giants.
To McNabb, the Giants' decision to let Barkley go may not be as bad a decision made by the Eagles over a decade earlier.
McNabb, who played his entire Eagles career under former Philadelphia head coach and current Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, believes his former team made a mistake by firing Reid after the 2012 season. The Eagles traded McNabb to the rival Washington Redskins (now the Commanders) three years before that.
"There's a couple mistakes they made. I was first and Andy followed," McNabb said. "Now you sit back, and you start to watch, and you see how [Reid's] career has gone to a different level."
Reid has won three Super Bowls with the Chiefs and gone to two more after reaching one and losing it with the Eagles. Reid is also credited with drafting and developing Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
To McNabb, the "mistake" of the Eagles firing Reid was bigger than that of the Giants letting go of Barkley.
"To be honest with you, I'll say the Eagles losing Andy," McNabb said when asked the bigger mistake between the two.
"With Saquon, it's new, it's fresh. But I go back years ago with the success that I had with Andy, and I'd say, after I left, things were a little up and down. It wasn't as consistent as it was, and he was to blame for it. And you look at what Andy has done now and what possibly he could have done if he was still in Philadelphia. I'd think that Andy would rank first in that decision that they made."
Despite a successful 14-year coaching career in Philadelphia, Reid has already accomplished more since taking over the Chiefs in 2013.
Reid led the Eagles to a 273-146 (.583) record in Philadelphia with a 10-9 (.526) record in the playoffs but never won a Super Bowl there.
In 12 years leading the Chiefs, Reid has a 143-53 (.730) record with an 18-8 (.692) playoff record.
Still, the Eagles beat Reid's Chiefs in this year's Super Bowl, avenging their 2023 Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs.
And Barkley played a big role in that championship season.
"That's why we just say, 'Hey, we appreciate you. And good luck to you guys going forward,’" McNabb said of the Giants.
President Donald Trump and billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s feud exploded on social media, and one potential 2028 presidential contender added his two cents into the mix.
ESPN star Stephen A. Smith fired off a post on X in the midst of the president and Musk’s extremely public break-up in front of millions of social media users. Musk asked his X user base whether it was time to "create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle."
The "First Take" pundit fired off another take, expressing interest in what Musk asked.
"Mr. @elonmusk I’m all for moving America to the CENTER. I’m definitely down for that cause! Sign me up!!!" he wrote.
Smith has expressed his dissatisfaction with both sides of the political aisle, criticizing how Democrats handled governing the country over the last four years, particularly with open borders, high spending, identity politics and cancel culture. He’s also had his criticisms of Trump, pointing to the administration’s dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
He’s also maintained that he may have "no choice" but to consider a presidential run.
As Smith has toyed with a presidential run, Trump and Musk have gone toe-to-toe after months of cozying up with one another. The main issue appeared to be opposite ideas about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was drafted and for which Trump has expressed support.
Musk then made a jab over Trump’s former relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. The White House said earlier on Thursday that a source familiar with the Epstein matter said it is widely known that Trump kicked Epstein out of his Palm Beach Golf Club. The source also pointed out that the administration released the Epstein files, which included Trump’s name, and nothing was new about Musk’s revelation.
Shortly after Musk posted about Trump being in the Epstein file, Trump posted his response to Truth Social.
"I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress," Trump said, turning his attention to the "big, beautiful bill" that is before the Senate. "It’s a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn’t pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that."
"I didn’t create this mess, I’m just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" the president added.
He's also a prolific scorer, winning the Art Ross Trophy five times as the player leading the NHL in regular-season points.
McDavid also shares similarities with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. McDavid and Gretzky are the only two players to be named the NHL MVP by unanimous vote. While Gretzky is often referred to as "The Great One," he believes McDavid is the greatest active NHL player.
"No question, he's the best player in hockey," Gretzky said during a guest appearance on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show."
"Unselfish young man. He loves playing in Edmonton, loves being the captain of the Oilers. Desperately wants a Stanley Cup, that's what he wants, cares about the most. Great for our game, great for the city of Edmonton. What a year. Scored the winning goal in the Four Nations Cup in overtime."
For the second consecutive year, the Oilers and Florida Panthers meet in the Stanley Cup Final. McDavid and the Oilers took Game 1 of the series Wednesday night.
The 4-3 victory was a come-from-behind win for Edmonton, which was down 3-1 at one point in the game. But the Oilers scored three unanswered goals for a statement victory on their home ice.
After tying the game in the third period at three, an overtime period was needed to determine the winner of Game 1.
When the Oilers held a man advantage, McDavid capitalized by making a nifty saucer pass to teammate Leon Draisaitl, who flew in front of the net to get the puck past Panthers' goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
Gretzky, who works as an NHL analyst for TNT broadcasts, predicted how McDavid's assist would set up teammate Mattias Ekholm to make what ended up being the game-tying goal in the third period of Wednesday's matchup with the Panthers.
"They're smothering them. They're playing really smart. They're playing the Rick Tocchet defense. They've got that forward in the middle," Gretzky said during the second intermission. "They've given them the outside. Connor's going to have to take it around the net or stop up and hit the late guy, because they're cutting everything off going to the net."
Gretzky then admitted his prediction was "luck," before praising McDavid.
"He's the best player in the world," Gretzky said. "He knows what he's doing. I just got lucky with that statement."
Game 2 is scheduled for Friday at Rogers Place in Edmonton. The series shifts to South Florida for Games 3 and 4.
Fox News' Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
It’s a new look in the ACC for college football as Bill Belichick becoming the North Carolina Tar Heels new head coach shakes things up in one of the country’s top conferences.
Dabo Swinney, the longtime Clemson Tigers head coach, described the conference as playing the "New England Patriots," which includes former Patriots coach Bill O’Brien coming on as Boston College’s new leader on the sidelines.
Swinney and Belichick had a joint interview with ESPN’s Rece Davis, where he admitted not being too worried about the accomplished NFL coach joining the college ranks.
"We’re going to lean on him heavy to figure out how to defeat y’all’s punt block team or whatever else," Swinney said of Allen.
After the Tigers take on the Tar Heels, they will have to see O’Brien’s Eagles the following week.
"We play the New England Patriots this year," Swinney said. "We go to North Carolina, and then we go to Boston College to play Bill O’Brien. So, I feel like I’m playing the whole Patriots organization in about a two-week span there."
While a Belichick-led UNC squad poses a new challenge for the ACC, Clemson has handled them nicely since Swinney took over in 2018. The Tigers have beaten the Tar Heels 14 times over that span, including their last matchup in 2023 – a 31-20 victory for Clemson.
Meanwhile, Belichick is hoping to snap UNC’s losing streak against Clemson, which sits at six games. In their last 10 matchups, the Tar Heels are 1-9.
Clemson went 10-4 last season in Swinney’s 16th season as head coach, reaching the expanded College Football Playoff. They ended up losing to Texas, 38-24, in the first round to end their season.
The Tigers return quarterback Cade Klubnik, who had a career year under Swinney in 2024. They also added Tom Allen from Penn State on defense in the transfer portal.
ESPN has Clemson ranked 11th overall in their preseason poll.
Boxer and influencer Jake Paul weighed in on the highly-publicized feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on Thursday.
In a post on X, Paul suggested that the spat between Trump and Musk was symptomatic of a broader problem within the Republican party.
"One of the problems with the Republican Party is on display today (As a current Republican) We unfortunately have these Alpha male egos and leaders who aren’t mature enough sometimes. They’re 50+ years old and diss tweeting each other Elon and Trump are great but they need to work together and not make America look bad," Paul wrote.
Paul has been a vocal supporter of Trump over the last year, endorsing the president prior to the election in a lengthy YouTube video in late October. Paul pointed to several statistics about the economy under the Biden-Harris administration in comparison to Trump’s presidency and called on voters to vote for change.
"Democrats have been in power for 12 of the last 16 years. So, if we aren’t happy with the current political state, economic state, environmental state, then who is to blame?"
Paul also addressed women’s reproductive rights, transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, and protecting women’s spaces in the video.
"As a future father, you will find me dead before I send my daughter to a school where men can go into her bathroom and where men can compete against her in sports. It’s bulls---. That’s taking away a woman’s rights."
Paul celebrated Trump's November victory and even attended the president's inauguration on January 20. That day the boxer event criticized those who opposed Trump after the president's inaugural speech.
"Any American who isn’t in support of Trump after this speech simply hates America and doesn’t want what’s best for this country and the world," Paul wrote on X.
But now, Paul has proven willing to be critical of the Republican party as well.
Caitlin Clark was given a two-week timeline with her quad injury, and there will be no early return.
In a much-anticipated matchup between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky, Clark will miss a fourth consecutive game.
"I'll miss this weekend's game, but after that, it's day-by-day and see how I feel, and just turn to the medical staff and what they think," Clark told reporters on Thursday, via ESPN. I feel like I've made a lot of progress and I feel good, and I'm not going to rush coming back. It's just not worth it. But after this weekend, I'll be reevaluated and we'll have a better idea of when I'll return."
The first matchup between Indiana and Chicago had some fireworks, as Clark hit Angel Reese with a flagrant foul. Reese took exception and had to be separated while jawing at Clark.
And while Clark surely wants to be on the floor for this one, the injury is too tricky to further risk anything.
"It's the type of injury like, you don't know, when I wake up, I'll feel different than the day before," Clark said.
She added that she could return on Tuesday against the Atlanta Dream - their next opponent would be the reigning champion New York Liberty, whom Clark got injured against, on Saturday.
Clark admitted that being injured is "testing [her patience] a little bit," but she's trying to use the injury to her advantage by learning on the sidelines - something head coach Stephanie White wanted her to do.
"It's taught me a lot," Clark said. "I've never been in that position before of actually getting to watch from the bench for an extended period of time… It's the same as you turn on the TV and watch the NBA or you watch other WNBA games -- that's the best way to learn basketball, is just watch and absorb it, and it's the same when I'm not active, too."
In her four games this season, Clark is averaging 19.0 points, 9.3 assists, and 6.0 rebounds. She already has a triple-double and double-double on the season.
Team USA women's soccer great Megan Rapinoe is standing by what she said in 2019.
"You cannot win championships without the gays," she said to her wife, Sue Bird during their "A Touch More" podcast.
Rapinoe said something to the same effect during Team USA's Women's World Cup title run in 2019 after a quarterfinal victory over France, the host country of that year's tournament.
"Go gays!" Rapinoe said at the time, per The Guardian. "You can't win a championship without gays on your team – it's never been done before, ever. That's science, right there!
"I'm motivated by people who like me, who are fighting for the same things. I take more energy from that than from trying to prove anything wrong. That's draining on yourself. But for me, to be gay and fabulous, during Pride month at the World Cup, is nice."
It's Pride Month now, which brought about the question from Bird to Rapinoe about what it means to play during it.
"Our team was super gay in 2019," Rapinoe responded. "A lot of us were out, a lot of our fans were gay, a lot of the other players were gay. First and easiest thing to ensure you have is gay players on our team."
In 2019, Team USA had five players who were publicly LGBTQ players. Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris, two of the team’s stars, were engaged at the time, while coach Jillian Ellis was also out.
That year, Outsports also reported that around 40 lesbian and bisexual players participated in the Women’s World Cup compared to less than 20 in 2015.
Rapinoe aided Team USA's efforts in winning back-to-back World Cups in 2019, taking down the Netherlands, 2-0, where Rapinoe scored a penalty kick in the 61st minute to take the lead.
Rapinoe had six goals and two assists during five matches in that Women's World Cup, while scoring two goals and dishing out two assists in the 2015 victory.
Team USA wasn't able to make it three straight in 2023, as they were eliminated by Sweden in penalty kicks. Rapinoe made it known that the 2023 tournament would be her last World Cup, and while she wished it ended differently, she noted feeling "so lucky and so grateful to play as long as I have."
Off the pitch, Rapinoe has been outspoken, including after the 2019 victory where she said "I'm not going to the f---ing White House," while President Donald Trump was in his first term. She also told her Team USA peers to "think hard" about going to the White House before facing France in the quarterfinal, prompting Trump to tweet out "Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job! We haven't yet…"
"Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team. Be proud of the Flag that you wear. The USA is doing GREAT!" Trump added in his tweets at the time.
Rapinoe also commented on an earlier episode of her podcast with Bird after Trump beat former vice president Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, saying she felt "overwhelmed" that he would be back in office.
"I think that I feel – not so much personally scared, because I think that we live in very progressive places, we’re unbelievably privileged in our place in the world and life and financially and all of these things, but I think that fear extends to just people in general that will be really affected," Rapinoe explained to Bird. "I’m thinking of all my trans friends and people that I know and trans kids. I’m thinking about the potential of mass deportations if that is going to happen, and just like the general chaos that’s going to be sown is really overwhelming."
In 2023 appearances with Team USA in her career, Rapinoe scored 63 goals and had 73 assists with her two World Cup titles. She also had 56 goals and 34 assists in her 13-year professional league in the WPS and NWSL.
Thursday marked exactly four months since President Donald Trump signed the "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order. But incidents of trans inclusion in girls' and women's sports continue to persist across the country.
Democrat-stronghold states like California, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington have openly defied the order and deferred instead to their state laws on the issue, resulting in national controversies involving biological males competing in and often dominating high school girls' sports in recent months.
The Trump administration has launched investigations and even filed lawsuits to counter this wave of incidents. But press secretary Karoline Leavitt has suggested the administration could go a step further.
In an April 18 press conference, while discussing Maine's defiance on the issue, Leavitt asserted Trump's order and Title IX as federal law, noting that violators could be "prosecuted."
Since then, many Democrat-controlled states like Maine and California have refused to acquiesce to Trump's demands.
Former NCAA swimmer and conservative influencer Riley Gaines, the leading figure in the national movement to keep males out of women's sports, told Fox News Digital that she would support prosecution as a response to the issue.
"I would love to see prosecution because I believe what is happening is criminal," Gaines said. "The way that we have been told that a man's feelings matter more than our physical safety, than our rights to participate, to call ourselves champions, I believe that is a criminal action, therefore I believe it is a criminal offense.
"Someone somewhere has to be made an example of, otherwise you will have the woman-hating Democratic Party continue with full steam ahead.
Gaines, who infamously tied with trans swimmer Lia Thomas in the 2022 NCAA women's championships, was only one of many women who were impacted by Thomas' participation. The event was hosted at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Gaines said she believes that the school's president, Angel Cabrera, is one of the first that should be in line for prosecution over the issue.
"I believe university officials should be charged. I believe certainly that in the state of Georgia, that the Georgia Tech president, who has continued to be very smug, who has continued to not attest or answer to any of the claims that we are making that happened on his pool deck," Gaines said of those who should be prosecuted.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Georgia Tech for comment.
Gaines leads a lawsuit against the NCAA over her experience with Thomas alongside several other women's swimmers who competed in the 2022 championships. Those plaintiffs include former University of Kentucky swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler and former University of North Carolina swimmer Kylee Alons.
Wheeler and Alons both agree with Gaines in supporting criminal prosecution against officials who have allowed trans athletes to compete in women's sports.
"I think that if schools, official states, whatever it is, are knowingly defying the law and violating Title IX especially by forcing girls to share locker rooms, change in front of boys, lose out on their opportunities, everything Title IX is supposed to stand for, I think there should be serious consequences," Wheeler told Fox News Digital.
"We're not just talking about policy disagreements, this is about knowingly stripping rights away from women and girls. If you break federal law there should be consequences like Riley said, and if that means prosecution in some of these states, then yeah, bring it on."
Alons questioned how one could not be in favor of prosecution against those officials.
"When you see the harm that this is causing women and girls, how could younot want to support prosecuting defying this?" Alons told Fox News Digital. "There's just so much harm being done and obviously there is a law for a reason, because it is causing harm so I would definetely support more action than just empty threats."
The attorney representing Gaines, Wheeler, Alons and other women in their lawsuit against the NCAA, William Bock of the Independent Council on Women's Sports, not only supports the notion of prosecuting officials letting the issue continue, but believes it's "necessary."
"At this point there's no excuse, the executive order has been in place since February 5," Bock told Fox News Digital. "People have known for four months now, and if three-four months later, you're still knowingly defying federal law, then of course a prosecution makes sense, and it's evidently necessary to protect women."
So far, Trump's enforcement of his executive order has only extended to a funding freeze to the University of Pennsylvania, where Thomas competed, temporary funding pauses against Maine that have since ended, and a Department of Justice lawsuit against Maine too.
Trump's administration has launched investigations against three other state high school sports leagues (California, Minnesota and Massachusetts) and the DOJ has given California a deadline of this upcoming Monday to amend its policies that allow trans athletes in girls' sports.
Gaines, Wheeler and Alons all find Trump's stance on the issue "refreshing" but would generally like to see more action.
"Hopefully we'll see enough with the warnings, that's how I feel," Gaines said. "We're ready to see some action."
Wheeler added, "The executive order is a good start, but we need more than that signature, we need really enforceable protection that will supersede his presidency… it's a step in the right direction, but we're not satisfied."
At the college level, Trump's executive order resulted in a change to the NCAA's gender eligibility policy just one day after the order was signed. Unlike the old policy, the new policy asserts that only females can compete in the women's category in official competition.
However, the new policy has come under heavy criticism by women's rights activists since it was signed for offering no tangible outline of how it will enforce the policy, and a lack of enforcing gender testing.
In late March, Ithaca College in New York admitted to letting a trans athlete compete in a Division III rowing competition, telling Fox News Digital that the participation of the trans athlete was due to a "misunderstanding" by the coaching staff about what was considered an official NCAA event, and referenced the policy's allowing of male practice players.
The NCAA has provided a statement to Fox News Digital, saying the competition the Ithaca trans athlete competed in "will be considered a mixed team and not eligible to compete against women’s teams. Ithaca stated their intent to adhere to the policy which allows for practice opportunities and the NCAA appreciates Ithaca’s responsiveness."
But the NCAA did not indicate that the results of the event would be voided or that Ithaca would face any consequences.
The initial goal of the Gaines vs. NCAA lawsuit was to force the governing body to keep biological males out of women's college sports entirely. In the wake of the policy change, the lawsuit's goal remains intact but also expanded.
"We've reached out to the NCAA and their attorneys and we've given them the opportunity to resolve this matter at least, if we can't reach an agreement on accountability for the past, to put in place a policy that actually protects women and has some enforceability behind it and ensures that only women participate in college women's sports," Bock said.
"We put that in writing and they haven't gone down that route with us… their policy is toothless and ineffective and doesn't protect the rights of women."
Bock added that their lawsuit will also be seeking monetary damages for all the female athletes who have been affected.
"These are significant damages and there were several hundred women were harmed and we think that a jury in Georgia is going to find that damage amount very significant."
Belichick's girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, was present for the interview, and Belichick was asked how they met. Hudson interrupted the CBS interview to shut down that question, and, according to reports, she interrupted several times and even stormed off at one point, delaying the interview by around 30 minutes.
But Kass reportedly wrote to Belichick, "This is a book segment that looks at your life in football and what people can learn from you to achieve success in their own lives."
After Belichick reportedly wanted to turn down the interview, another text Kass wrote reportedly said, "I wouldn't be this insistent if this wasn't so important to book sales and without risk."
Kass is also said to have told Belichick he spoke to a CBS producer "about sticking to the book and shared that if they do, they'll get a great interview, and he was really open, saying he's not interested in going beyond the book."
Belichick released a statement saying he was "surprised" about getting the questions about his relationship and that when Hudson had stepped in, she was doing her job. He also accused CBS of creating a "false narrative" with "selectively edited clips."
"I agreed to speak with ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ to promote my new book, ‘The Art of Winning — Lessons from My Life in Football.’ Prior to this interview, I clearly communicated with my publicist at Simon & Schuster that any promotional interviews I participated in would agree to focus solely on the contents of the book," he said at the time.
"Unfortunately, that expectation was not honored during the interview. I was surprised when unrelated topics were introduced, and I repeatedly expressed to the reporter, Tony Dokoupil, and the producers that I preferred to keep the conversation centered on the book."
"After this occurred several times, Jordon, with whom I share both a personal and professional relationship, stepped in to reiterate that point to help focus the discussion. She was not deflecting any specific question or topic but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track. Some of the clips make it appear as though we were avoiding the question of how we met, but we have been open about the fact that Jordon and I met on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021.
"The final eight-minute segment does not reflect the productive 35-minute conversation we had, which covered a wide range of topics related to my career. Instead, it presents selectively edited clips and stills from just a few minutes of the interview to suggest a false narrative — that Jordon was attempting to control the conversation — which is simply not true."
CBS responded, disagreeing with Belichick’s version of events.
"When we agreed to speak with Mr. Belichick, it was for a wide-ranging interview," the company said. "There were no preconditions or limitations to this conversation. This was confirmed repeatedly with his publisher before the interview took place and after it was completed."
In a request for comment regarding Kass' text messages, CBS sent the same statement. Kass did not immediately respond.
Belichick, 73, and Hudson, 24, have been linked since last year. She has attended several events with him, including February’s NFL Honors.
Most 2025 preseason MLB rankings had the Atlanta Braves slotted somewhere in the top 5.
Many baseball analysts cited the talent the Braves had on their roster entering the season.
So far, though, the team's 2025 campaign has been a disappointment. Atlanta entered Thursday's matinée affair against the Arizona Diamondbacks on a three-game losing streak.
The Braves built a 6-0 lead in the early innings, but the D-Backs plated seven runs in the ninth to complete the comeback. The 11-10 victory also secured a series sweep for Arizona and pushed Atlanta's losing streak to four games.
Relief pitcher Scott Blewett gave up five runs, four of which he surrendered in the final inning. Braves closer Raisel Iglesias entered in the ninth with one out and gave up three earned runs. Iglesias was the losing pitcher, while Kendall Graveman earned the win for the D-Backs.
Baseball Hall of Famer and Braves analyst Tom Glavine weighed in on the team's collapse.
"If you were looking for a rock bottom, this might be it," the former Braves pitcher said Thursday.
While some key players such as pitcher Max Fried and others departed after last season, the Braves' core group remained largely intact.
Stellar defensive outfielder Michael Harris, the 2022 MLB rookie of the year; three-time All-Star Ozzie Albies; power-hitting third baseman Austin Riley; slugging first baseman Matt Olson; Gold Glove catcher Sean Murphy; and Cy Young winner Chris Sale all returned to the Braves and were expected to continue to produce.
All of those players, except for Sale, have had a disappointing season so far.
Ronald Acuna Jr., the 2023 MLB MVP, recently returned to the lineup after he missed the start of the season while recovering from a 2024 knee injury.
Acuna seems to have quickly returned to his MVP form, hitting four home runs and batting .333 through 12 games. In late May, he crushed a home run to deep left field off the first pitch he saw in his first game back with the Braves.
Brian Snitker has worked in the Braves organization in some capacity for nearly half a century.
He is credited with helping the Braves win the World Series in 2021. But the Braves manager's decision-making has been scrutinized this season. Snitker's contract with the Braves expires at the end of the 2025 season. He has not publicly revealed whether he wants to retire after this year.
The Braves travel cross country to open a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants Friday.
Tensions flared during the New York Giants' offseason workouts Thursday with a pair of skirmishes that prompted head coach Brian Daboll to end the session early.
Giants edge rusher Brian Burns, who was involved in one of the fights, downplayed the incident when speaking to reporters, admitting the "heat got to us."
"It’s a violent sport we play. Guys trying to get better … tensions raised a little high, heat is getting a little hotter. So, guys are getting a little more agitated. But it ain’t that deep. We squashed it."
Burns and left tackle James Hudson got into a shoving match as temperatures reached around 90 degrees. The two players removed their helmets and appeared to square up for a fight, but the situation deescalated when teammates eventually separated the two, The Associated Press reported.
Both players were sent to the sidelines, but, on the next play, another fight erupted.
This time Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor got into a spat that turned physical when Thibodeaux threw a punch. Hudson then reportedly emerged from the sideline and tackled Thibodeaux. Burns also joined in.
"I feel like it’s healthy at times," Burns said of the fighting. "I feel like it’s healthy to a certain extent. You still want to get your work done at the end of the day."
But the brawls eventually prompted Daboll to end the practice.
Quarterback Russell Wilson downplayed the incident, saying it's "nothing to worry about."
"A lot of times when you have a long practice, like the way we did, the way we're working, things happen," Wilson said. "Every great team I've been on, there's been a couple of those."
Imane Khelif, the boxer at the center of the Olympic gender controversy, is skipping a boxing tournament in the Netherlands after World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes.
The Algerian boxer, who won gold at the Paris Games last summer amid scrutiny over her eligibility, did not register in time for the event before applications closed on Thursday.
Khelif had intended to return to international competition at the tournament in Hotel Eindhoven before World Boxing announced its new sex testing policy last Friday.
Eindhoven Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem criticized World Boxing’s decision.
"As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. Excluding athletes based on controversial ‘gender tests’ certainly does not fit in with that," Dijsselbloem wrote in a letter addressed to the Dutch Boxing Federation and International Boxing Federation. "We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organization to admit Imane Khelif after all."
3 Wire Sports, citing medical documents from chromosome tests given by the International Boxing Association (IBA) before the 2022 and 2023 world championships, reported that Khelif’s DNA showed "markers with male karyotypes." The International Olympic Committee (IOC) derecognized the IBA amid concerns about the organization's governance, financial reliance on Russian state energy firm Gazprom and integrity of the bouts.
"Chromosome analysis reveals Male karyotype. No numerical or chromosomal anomalies detected at 450-550 banding resolution," a screenshot of the document on 3 Wire Sports read. The test was at an accredited lab in New Delhi, called Dr. Lal PathLabs, before the boxing championships, according to 3 Wire Sports.
Fox News Digital reached out to World Boxing, the Algerian Olympic Committee and reps for Khelif for comment.
The IOC issued a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning.
"The IOC has always made it clear that eligibility criteria are the responsibility of the respective International Federation," the IOC said. "The factors that matter to sports performance are unique to each sport, discipline, and/or event. We await the full details how sex testing will be implemented in a safe, fair and legally enforceable way."
Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 championships before a gold medal bout over gender eligibility issues.
The boxer was thrust into the global spotlight after qualifying for the Olympics, with the gender controversy coming to light. Khelif defeated Angela Carini in the initial fight during the Paris Olympics, and the IOC defended Khelif. As the controversy grew, Khelif kept on winning and eventually was awarded a gold medal.
But the IBA doubled down, saying Khelif – along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-thing – were disqualified from the world championships due to "a result of their failure to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition, as set and laid out in the IBA Regulations. This decision, made after a meticulous review, was extremely important and necessary to uphold the level of fairness and utmost integrity of the competition."
The IBA added that Khelif underwent two tests: one in 2022 and the other in 2023. The IBA said Khelif appealed the decision to the Court for Arbitration of Sport but withdrew during the process, making the "IBA decision legally binding."
Throughout the controversy, Khelif has maintained that their gender is female. Khelif even filed a lawsuit against detractors and critics on social media.
Before World Boxing made its decision, Khelif was planning on participating in the 2028 Olympics despite President Donald Trump's "No Men in Women’s Sports" executive order – the 2028 games take place in Los Angeles.
Khelif told ITV that the policies do not apply to the boxer.
"I will give you a straightforward answer: the U.S. president issued a decision related to transgender policies in America. I am not transgender. This does not concern me, and it does not intimidate me. That is my response," Khelif told the outlet.
"For me, I see myself as a girl, just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one."
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos, Jackson Thompson, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
