Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko expressed his disdain for a comment made by one of his players on Wednesday.
Defensive lineman D.J. Hicks was asked what the defensive line room's motto says.
Hicks said it was "C.B.O" and when asked what it stands for, "simple terms, ‘Choke woman out.’ Let’s just say it like that," Hicks said, via The Eagle.
"That mentality, it just stands for being aggressive. Every single time we step out on the field, we’re trying to put our hands through somebody’s face. We don’t want to be passive, ever. Every single time, we’re going to assert dominance when we come on the field."
Hicks tried to clean up the "B" part of the motto, but it backfired. Elko quickly addressed Hicks’ comments.
"It’s conveying something that shouldn’t be conveyed, so we’ll get that handled and addressed," Elko said, via The Eagle on Wednesday. "That’s absolutely ridiculous that was stated."
Last season was Elko’s first as head coach with the Aggies, and he led the team to an 8-5 record.
While last season was his first as head coach with Texas A&M, Elko was previously the team’s defensive coordinator before he left and took the head coaching job at Duke prior to the 2022-2023 season.
Elko returned to Texas A&M as head coach just two seasons after he departed for Duke after the Aggies fired Jimbo Fisher.
Elko is going to lean on Hicks and the rest of his defensive line next season to step up as they are going to have larger roles with Nic Scourton, Shemar Stewart and Shemar Turner headed to the NFL.
A New York Islanders minor leaguer has been suspended 10 games for abuse of an official after he sent a referee flying into the boards during a game over the weekend.
Bridgeport Islanders forward Adam Beckman, 23, will miss the remainder of the regular season with just five games remaining after he was suspended by the American Hockey League’s Player Safety Committee on Wednesday.
"Beckman was suspended under the provisions of AHL Rule 40.3 for physical abuse of an official (Category II)," the committee said in a press release. "Beckman will miss Bridgeport’s final five games of the 2024-25 regular season, as well as the next five games for which he is active on an AHL club roster."
The play happened during the third period of a game against the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday.
Beckman was in Charlotte’s zone when he appeared to skate into the official. He then appeared to shove the official backward, which sent him straight to the ice and into the boards. The incident drew a harsh reaction from fans in attendance.
Beckman stayed with the official as a team trainer came over to check on him. According to reports, the official was able to get back up and continue on.
The suspension comes less than a month after Beckman was acquired by the Islanders in a trade with the New Jersey Devils. He registered 33 points with the Devils’ affiliate team, the Utica Comets, before being traded.
Beckman made his NHL debut with the Minnesota Wild in October 2021.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark maintained that she has "privilege" and that she needs to recognize the Black WNBA players who helped shape the league into what it is today.
Clark made the initial comments in her interview in December with Time Magazine and refreshed those remarks in her interview with comedian David Letterman. The interview was filmed in December, around the same time the magazine named her Athlete of the Year, and was released earlier this week.
"I definitely have privilege," she said on Netflix’s "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction."." I’m obviously White but I think … I’m somebody that grew up a huge fan of this league. I grew up watching this league, going to games, supporting this league. So, I know where this league comes from.
"A lot of Black women that grew up making this league what it is. That’s kind of the shoulders that we stand on. So, I think that was something I’m very aware of and something I’m very thankful for. And they definitely deserve all the credit and the more we can give credit to them, the better. I’m very aware of that and I know that and I think there is responsibility in acknowledging that."
Clark responded to Letterman’s question about whether she felt like she was being targeted because she’s White.
"I don’t think I was being targeted," Clark said.
The WNBA Rookie of the Year spoke of having "privilege" in her interview with Time months after several of her league colleagues expressed their belief that race played a factor into her popularity.
"I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a White person, there is privilege," Clark told Time. "A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them.
"The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing."
Clark’s popularity has already become an issue entering the 2025 season as the Fever were put in 41 nationally televised games.
Four-time All-Star Napheesa Collier said last month it was "kind of crazy" the Fever had more TV time than the defending-champion New York Liberty.
"Obviously, people want to watch Caitlin play, and you have to put the people on TV that people want to see. But, at the same time, there are stars all over the league, and you want good basketball, as well," Collier said on ESPN. "Obviously, Indiana … will be a great team, but to not have the defending champs on TV more, I think it's kind of crazy."
Patton Kizzire found himself in a precarious position on the fifth hole during the first round of the Masters on Thursday.
Kizzire, 39, hit a wayward tee shot into the bushes off the right side of the fairway.
As he tried to figure out how he was going to get out of the shrubbery, Kizzire crouched down on all fours to try and find a window he could hit his second shot out of.
The expedition into the bushes proved fruitful, as Kizzire found a satisfactory hole within the branches. He punched his second shot out into the middle of the fairway without any issues.
His third shot on the par-4 fifth was 152 yards out. He hit his iron shot to five feet and gave himself a chance to somehow save par after his troublesome drive.
However, Kizzire blasted the five-foot par putt past the hole and had to settle for bogey.
At the time of this writing, Kizzire was 4-over par through eight holes.
This is Kizzire’s third Masters start and his first since 2019. This is the first major the Montgomery, Alabama, native has played in since the 2022 U.S. Open.
Kizzire played college golf at Auburn and turned pro in 2008, and he earned his PGA Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour in 2015, when he won Player of the Year with two wins and 12 top 10 finishes.
Kizzire joined the PGA Tour in 2016 and has three career tour wins. He won the 2017 OHL Classic at Mayakoba, the 2018 Sony Open in Hawaii and the 2024 Procore Championship in September.
Miami Heat star Tyler Herro tried to be just that against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night – a hero.
However, his efforts came up short, and he faced the wrath of social media.
The Heat were down five points in the final minute of the game against the Bulls. Herro stole the ball away from Bulls point guard Coby White and rather than go for the wide-open lay-up to cut the deficit to three points with the shot clock on their side, Herro pulled up for a 3-pointer.
The ball spun around the rim and out. Chicago won the game, 119-111.
The Miami guard scored 30 points, and the team’s loss put them in the 10th spot in the playoffs – at the edge of the play-in tournament. The Bulls’ win put them ahead of the Heat.
"I was feeling that shot," Herro said. "It's as simple as that. It's the shot I was feeling. Looking back on it now, obviously, after missing the shot, I should have laid the ball up."
Heat center Bam Adebayo defended Herro after the game.
"That kid has made a lot of tough buckets in his career," Adebayo said. "You tip your hat off when he shoots something like that. That's a killer mentality. To me, that's one of the best looks he got all night so you live with that. A hundred percent y'all wouldn't be talking about that if he made it."
Miami is 36-44 on the year. Chicago improved to 37-43. Each team has two games left in their regular seasons.
The Esports World Cup (EWC) will feature the best competitive gamers from across the globe, and the pressure got more intense on Thursday as a record-breaking prize pool was announced.
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced a prize pool of more than $70 million, which will make the event among the most prestigious in sports.
The event will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and run from July 7 to Aug. 24.
"The record-breaking $70+ million prize pool, along with our commitment to the Club Partner Program and our multi-year publisher agreements, is a privilege to announce and validation of our purpose to elevate the industry, by giving players, clubs, publishers and all other stakeholders the stability needed to invest for future success," Esports World Cup CEO Ralf Reichert said in a news release.
"While more than $70 million is an incredible, life-changing sum, it’s always aligned with a long-term vision rather than short-term impact. It’s not just to have more money at stake, but to create opportunities for everyone at every level of the ecosystem, and strengthen the industry for generations to come."
There are 25 tournaments taking place in 24 games so far.
Esports World Cup officials said the games include: Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Call of Duty: Warzone, Chess, Counter-Strike 2, Crossfire, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 25, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, Free Fire, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends Bang Bang, Overwatch 2, PUBG BATTLEGROUNDS, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow Six Siege, Rennsport, Rocket League, Starcraft II, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, and VALORANT.
There are also 40 clubs that have joined the EWCF Club Partner Program ahead of the Esports World Cup, including: 100 Thieves, All Gamers, Bilibili Gaming, Cloud9, Edward Gaming, EVOS, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, FURIA, G2 Esports, Gaimin Gladiators, Gen.G, Gentle Mates, HEROIC, JD Gaming, Karmine Corp., Movistar KOI, LEVIATAN, LOUD, MOUZ, NAVI, NIP.eStar, ONIC, POWR, REJECT, S8UL, Sentinels, T1, Team BDS, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Team RRQ, Team Secret, Team Spirit, Team Vitality, Twisted Minds, Virtus.pro, Weibo Gaming, Wolves Esports, ZETA DIVISION.
Team Falcons won the Club Championship and a $7 million prize in the inaugural event last year.
The remainder of the prize pool "will be divided into three distribution categories: Game Championships, MVP Awards, and Qualifiers on the Road to EWC. Each of the Game Championships will have its prize pool with a combined total exceeding $38 million. In addition, a $450,000 MVP Award pool will be allocated to standout participants across all competitions," organizers said. More than $5 million will be awarded to Road to EWC qualifiers.
"Winning the Club Championship crown and $7 million at the inaugural Esports World Cup was a defining moment for Team Falcons," Team Falcons CEO Mosaad Al-Dossary said in a news release. "The opportunity to compete in front of our home fans, where they made the arenas shake with every great play, motivated us like never before, and it was an honor to secure the victory for them.
"We’ve used the momentum and winnings from last year to build on our success and we look forward to continuing that legacy this summer."
John Cena has had plenty of battles inside the ring and is about to go through one more in pursuit of a record-breaking 17th WWE championship at WrestleMania 41 next week.
Cena opened up recently about one of the toughest battles he has faced in recent memory – a bout with skin cancer.
He revealed in an interview with People late last month that a checkup with the dermatologist led to the removal of a cancerous spot near his right pectoral muscle. He recalled to the magazine about "never" having to wear sunscreen while growing up in Massachusetts, but moving to Florida was different for him.
He said he "neglected" his skin and never thought about wearing sunscreen.
"I was stubborn," he told People. "I didn't want to have a routine and I also thought the problem would never reach me. And it's one of those things where I had a ton of exposure with minimal protection and it caught up with me.
"It wasn't until I went to a dermatologist and got a skin checkup and had a cancerous spot removed from my right pec."
He said he felt lucky to have an outstanding dermatologist who caught it and took care of it.
"I was very lucky to have a great dermatologist who kind of, I guess for lack of a better term, held me by the hand and let me know that I wasn't alone," he added. "The stats on this are overwhelming, but as much as I learn about them, those numbers don't mean anything. I think the best way to hammer home a point is human-to-human connection. And I, as a human, can tell you: Man, that phone call's not what you want to get because it is unpredictable, and you don't know how bad it's going to be.
"A year later I went back and had another spot removed close to my right shoulder. It shows up like a white polka dot on the side of my chest and on my shoulder. If you watch WWE, you'll be able to see them."
Cena has since partnered with Neutrogena to promote sunscreen advocacy.
The 47-year-old WWE star is set to take on Cody Rhodes in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium.
He won the men’s Elimination Chamber match to get the opportunity to go up against Rhodes, but he has been a thorn in Rhodes’ side since then. He shocked the world by turning on the "American Nightmare" and has since feuded with fans over the decision.
The St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers brought a playoff-like atmosphere to the rink on Wednesday, and the gloves were dropped early in their game.
Oilers right-winger Corey Perry was in front of Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington when the netminder took the forward down in front of the net. Binnington took a few swipes before the two players were separated.
Perry and Blues left-winger Jake Neighbours took over from there and started to throw punches at each other. It had only been about nine minutes into the game.
Connor Brown scored a late goal to put Edmonton up 4-3. St. Louis could not equalize in the final seconds, and the Oilers took home the close victory.
"That's what it's about. Guys stepping up," Oilers star Connor McDavid said after the game, via the team’s website. "We've had different guys step up throughout this kind of injury bug and sickness bug, and a lot of guys are stepping up and playing good hockey and contributing.
"It hasn't been easy, but I've thought the guys have battled hard."
Brown had two goals in the win – both on assists from McDavid.
Blues head coach Jim Montgomery lamented not being able to get coverage on McDavid.
"We didn’t do a good enough job covering McDavid, and we didn’t do a good enough job protecting our net front. The net-front battle was the difference tonight," he said, via NHL.com. "We’ve shown throughout here ever since 4 Nations that we’re a team that’s just going to keep coming. And I love that about our group.
"I thought the Thomas line was really dynamic, and they got all three goals for us. I thought ‘Buchey’ was really good, and I thought the line was really good."
The Oilers moved two points above the Blues in the playoffs. Edmonton is 45-28-5 on the season with 95 points. The Blues are 43-30-7 with 93 points. Edmonton has four games left on its schedule, and St. Louis has two.
Paulina Gretzky was all smiles on Wednesday as she hit the course to caddie for her husband, Dustin Johnson, as he participated in the Masters Par 3 Contest before the tournament began.
Gretzky was seen holding hands with Johnson on the course and walking along the fairways with their young son.
She has been by Johnson’s side through it all. When Johnson won the Masters in 2020, Gretzky was at Augusta National to support him. When Johnson ditched the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, Gretzky offered her full support as the golf star came under some scrutiny for her move.
Johnson has had success in LIV Golf since he joined the league. He has three wins on the tour.
It will be Johnson’s 15th Masters start, but he is not among the favorites to pick up his second green jacket. Johnson’s odds are as long as +8000 win the tournament.
Johnson is currently tied for 27th in the LIV Golf standings this season. His best finish of the season came in Singapore, where he finished tied for fifth. Last week in Miami, he was tied for 27th.
He missed the cut at the Masters last season and finished tied for 48th this year. The Masters victory in 2020 was his last major win.
After losing the most games in MLB history last season, the Southsiders lost a heartbreaker to their AL Central rivals Cleveland Guardians, 3-2, in a way only the White Sox could.
The game is almost guaranteed to be over when Emmanuel Clase comes in, but the All-Star closer did not have his best stuff.
Cleveland led, 3-1, going into the top of the night, but Clase loaded the bases, putting the tying run in Mike Tauchman on second base.
Miguel Vargas then put a dribbler through the left side of the infield, scoring one run. With two outs, the White Sox sent Tauchman in to try and tie the game.
However, in just his third game of the season following a return from the IL due to a right hamstring injury, Tauchman re-injured his leg.
Former U.S. gymnast and founder of the women's activist sportswear brand XX-XY Athletics Jennifer Sey participated in a debate with pro-transgender activist Kevin Bolling, executive director of the Secular Student Alliance, over the topic of trans athletes in women's sports on Wednesday.
The debate was sponsored by the Steamboat Institute and took place at the University of Colorado, Boulder's Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization.
Based on pre- and post-debate data collected from the audience, Sey's stance on opposing trans athletes in women's sports appeared to be the winning argument.
The pre-debate poll found that 85% of attendees disagreed with allowing trans athletes in women's sports, while 9% did agree with it, and 6% were undecided. In the post-debate poll, the percentage of those who disagreed with trans inclusion jumped to 90%, while those who agreed with it dropped to 6%, and the undecided dropped to 3%.
Sey's case, which she repeated throughout the debate, was "based on reality."
Early on, Sey insisted that she did not want to use the term "biological woman" in the debate.
"I won't use biological woman because it insists there is another type of woman. There is not. There is just a woman," Sey said. "There's been bullying in the culture around the language we can not use… I try to use terms that reflect biological reality."
Sey also cited multiple statistics throughout the night, relating to natural physical qualities that often give males physical advantages over females, and a United Nations study finding that nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of victories because they have been defeated by transgender athletes.
The study, "Violence against women and girls in sports," found more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.
Sey's argument was also based on the belief that sports, especially at a high level, are not meant to be "inclusive" to any particular group, and that sports are fundamentally supposed to be "exclusive" for the sake of competitiveness.
Meanwhile, Bolling's argument against Sey was based on the premise of advancing transgender rights as a whole.
During the debate, Bolling admitted that supporting trans inclusion in women's sports, at the moment, was not a "popular" stance. He then compared the issue of trans inclusion to past civil rights movements, including women's right to vote, racial segregation and even "ending slavery," claiming that advocating for those issues was also not popular in the past.
"Civil rights is not a popularity contest," Bolling said.
On Oct. 22, she was dropped from the varsity cross-country team down to the junior varsity squad at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California.
Her spot was taken by a trans athlete.
"I felt angry when I was removed from my varsity team because I knew the requirements were changed for him because he is transgender. I felt like my sacrifice, hard work, and dedication didn’t matter to my school administrators because I am a girl. It was easy for them to push me aside and that hurt," Starling told Fox News Digital.
"As far as coping with it, my family and friends have been very supportive. I also know that everything happens for a reason and God has a plan for me. I always try to find the good when things are hard and keep going."
Now, just five months and two weeks later, at 16 years old, she has much more on her plate than just practice and homework.
She spoke at the California Capitol building in Sacramento in support of two state bills to ban trans athletes from girls' sports, braving pro-trans protesters rallying against the bills.
Her lawsuit against her school district and California Attorney General Rob Bonta has its first court date of May 15. She is the centerpiece of a monthslong movement within her school and community in which students show up every Wednesday wearing "Save Girls Sports" T-shirts, overpowering administrative efforts to prevent it.
However, it has not been all wins for her and her family.
Her testimony could not convince the Democrat majority to support the two bills to ban trans athletes. Her mother, a local public school teacher, faces the uncertainty of her school and others across California potentially losing federal funding as the state refuses to comply with President Donald Trump's executive order to keep males out of girls' sports.
In March, Starling had to watch her sister, Abby Starling, lose a 200m race to the same trans athlete that took her varsity spot in the fall.
Additionally, the attention she has received for her activism over the last few months has come with some harder moments.
"Social media is pretty bad," her father, Ryan Starling, told Fox News Digital. "You have 99 positive comments, and then you get that one comment that has called her a bigot, has called her the ‘C’ word, has called her all kinds of names."
Her family was prepared for the backlash when they signed up for the fight, as they were warned by their attorney, Robert Tyler.
"When we took this case on, we had a real heart-to-heart," Tyler told Fox News Digital. "I asked Taylor and Kaitlyn ‘are you prepared to deal with this? Are you going to be able to walk through the hallways in her school and dislike you, call you names, and call you out?’ And they were."
The family entered the trans athlete culture war in November, when they filed a lawsuit against the Riverside Unified School District alongside her friend and teammate Kaitlyn Slavin. They later expanded the lawsuit to include Bonta in February, in protest of the current laws in California that enable trans inclusion.
It is a lawsuit that Tyler and the families involved hope sets a new precedent for gender eligibility in the state once it goes to trial on May 15, as the state legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom refuse to bring changes, risking federal funding cuts to the state.
In California, a law called AB 1266 has been in effect since 2014, giving California students at scholastic and collegiate levels the right to "participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records."
This law and the state's devotion to carrying it out has already prompted pushback from the Trump administration. Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a formal warning at the end of March to Newsom and the rest of the state, suggesting federal funding may be cut to the state if it continues to enable trans inclusion in girls' sports.
The Starlings and other California families are witnessing in real time a potential model for what could soon happen to them playing out across the country in Maine. That state has taken the stage as "ground zero" in the trans athlete conflict, as its reluctance to comply with Trump has already resulted in a funding freeze from the USDA last week, and more potential sanctions this week.
"Good," Ryan Starling said in response to seeing the situation in Maine, knowing the same could soon play out in his state. "That's the only thing they answer to, is when their funding is cut and when it actually affects their pocketbooks, that's the only thing that will get it to change.
"Unfortunately, it might have a little bit of a tough road on some of the teachers, but our teachers are resilient."
Taylor Starling did her part to help avoid this when she lobbied in Sacramento last week, delivering her story in support of the bills AB 89 and AB 844. Both bills would have banned trans athletes from girls' sports across the state and put California in compliance with Trump's executive order.
Instead, the bills failed to pass, and Democrat Assemblymember Rick Zbur compared them to Nazi Germany practices. For Taylor Starling, it was a comparison she was able to stomach more than the others in the room because, according to her lawsuit, the school administrators at Martin Luther King High compared her "Save Girls Sports" T-shirts to swastikas back in November.
"I've already been called that by the athletic director, so by now, I'm kind of used to it. But it was a shock to everyone else, because he was also calling everyone else Nazis. So I think that caused a big reaction from everybody and they were more willing to speak up against that," she said.
"It was very sad to see Democrat leadership in California was unable to stand up for us girls and the rights that we deserve."
So, Taylor and her father had to leave Sacramento and go back home to Riverside without any progress in significant legislative change.
Now they look ahead to their first court date.
Tyler said that in this case, they are seeking to have the court review the current California law that enables trans inclusion in girls' sports, and potentially rule that the law is a violation of Title IX.
"We want to challenge that and argue that it is simply a violation of Title IX, that it's unlawful, and we're hoping that the court will look at that and throw it out," Tyler said. "We want this case to stand for the proposition that it's time to take our schools back, it's time to take our girls' sports back, it's time to take back common sense."
The Starling family, the Slavin family and Tyler will look to take a step toward achieving a landmark ruling on the issue on May 15.
Augusta National will play host to 95 of the top golfers on the planet this weekend, and only one will don the famous green jacket early Sunday evening.
All eyes are on reigning champion Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and two-time major winners Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele and a couple of other household names.
But we're here to tell you about the nine golfers you may not be familiar with who may make some noise in Georgia this weekend.
Shane Lowry is no stranger to major tournament success. He has finished in the top four in each major, including a victory at the 2019 Open Championship and a second-place finish in the 2022 Masters.
Last year was up and down, but he managed sixth-place finishes in both the PGA Championship and Open Championship. This year, he’s off to a hot start.
In seven events, he has three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up behind his buddy Rory McIlroy at Pebble Beach. The only time he’s finished outside the top 20 was when he missed the cut as the Farmers Insurance, and he finished tied for 39th at The Genesis.
Since then, he’s finished tied for 11th, seventh, tied for 20th and tied for eighth. He ranks in several important analytics that are key for Augusta: fourth in shots gained tee-to-green, sixth in shots-gained approach the green and 24th in SG around the green.
Augusta National hasn’t typically been kind to Russell Henley. Outside of his fourth-place tie in 2023, he’s finished outside the top 20 in five of his other eight times at the course.
But he ended the majors hot last year, finishing tied for seventh at the U.S. Open and fifth at the Open Championship. His performance was good enough for a Presidents Cup appearance, and he carried it over with an incredible win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with the help of a hole-out eagle from the trap on 16.
Henley has made the cut in all seven of his tournaments this year and has four top-10 finishes. He ranks 16th in SG tee-to-green and around the green and 22nd in SG approach the green.
J.J. Spaun just went toe to toe with Rory McIlroy at the Players Championship, and although the playoff didn’t go his way, it was quite an effort.
Spaun has another runner-up this season as the Cognizant and tied for third at the Sony Open in Hawaii. His other events have not gone too well, but it’s no secret he can find himself near the top if he gets it going.
Spaun ranks second in SG approach the green (behind only Collin Morikawa) and seventh in SG tee-to-green. He’s a sneaky pick and one to keep an eye on.
Robert McIntyre is riding high. His last four finishes have gone tied for sixth, missed cut, tied for 11th and ninth. He ranks fifth in SG tee-to-green, with the top four of Morikawa, McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Lowry combining for nine major championships.
He also ranks eighth in SG off the tee, 21st in SG approach the green, and sixth in greens in regulation percentage.
It would be a stunner if he were to win it all because his putter isn’t too friendly, but his driver and iron game could get him hovering around moving day.
Should Zalatoris really be considered a sleeper if he’s competed three times at the Masters and finished in the top 10 in each of them?
At a course like Augusta National, which eats up some of the best golfers in the world, Zalatoris clearly knows how to tame it. However, he hasn’t had the best start to the 2025 season by his standards, though he’s been a top-50 finisher in each event he’s played thus far.
Conners is riding high heading into Masters week, finishing with three top-10 finishes in his recent events. And given the necessity to strike the ball well at Augusta, Conners is one of those players who could climb the leaderboard right away in this year’s first major.
Through his seven Masters, Conners has finished in the top 10 in three of them.
The sweet-swinging lefty is quickly becoming a superstar on the PGA Tour, and he could cement that title if he makes a run at the green jacket this week. Last year, Bhatia tied for 35th in his first Masters tournament, and given his top-10 finishes at The Players (tied for 3rd), Genesis Invitational (tied for 9th) and Mexico Open (9th), he’s playing great golf at the moment on a course that should be soft this week for easier scoring.
Making his fourth Masters start this week, Straka, the 13th-ranked golfer in the world, had his best finish last year when he came in 16th. But his last three tournaments have seen him finish 11th, fifth and 14th, respectively. He also won The American Express this year, so he’s playing great golf heading into the week.
Kim is not playing his best golf right now, missing the cut in two of his last four tournaments, including the Valero Texas Open. In the two cuts he did make, he finished tied for 36th and tied for 42nd.
However, Kim has done well at Augusta National in his two tournaments. He finished tied for 16th in his debut in 2023, and tied for 30th in 2024. And his final round last year saw a 66, which was the low score of the day by two strokes.
If he can cut down on approach mistakes, Kim has a chance to contend Sunday.
The New England Patriots have won six Super Bowl titles, but, in recent years, the Patriots have experienced more losses than wins.
New England has finished four of the past five seasons with a losing record. Mike Vrabel, who played linebacker for the Patriots for eight seasons and won three Super Bowls with the team, is now tasked with turning the once proud franchise around.
During his playing days, Vrabel learned what it took to reach great heights in the NFL. This week, the first-year Patriots coach laid out some of the expectations he has for players.
As the 2025 NFL Draft nears, the Patriots are kicking off their offseason program. Some key points from Vrabel's first formal address to the team earlier this week have since circulated on social media.
Players will be required to leave cellphones in their personal bags.
"We've all got cellphones," Vrabel said. "Most of you have more than one, as a matter of fact. Just leave the cellphone in your bag. Just put the phone away."
He also wants players to be on time. If a player is running late, Vrabel instructed them to communicate. But he also doesn't want it to become a habit.
Vrabel then asked players to resist pulling sweatshirt hoodies over their heads during meetings.
"We're building our own identity," Vrabel said. "We're building our own team. We're building our own program. There are going to be things within that that are different ... and it's all about how we make you guys as good as you can possibly be as an individual, as a player and as a team. That's our whole goal, and you have to start understanding that — why we're doing what we're doing."
Vrabel also stressed that employees who work at the team's headquarters are there to "help" players be successful, but they are not the athletes' "housekeepers."
"They are here to help you do your job," Vrabel said. "They aren't here to be your valet, to be your housekeeper, to be your butler. You get where I'm going? We're going to treat those people with the utmost respect."
The Patriots and Bill Belichick agreed to part ways in January 2024 after the Patriots only appeared in one playoff game in the four seasons after Tom Brady's exit.
Shortly after Belichick's departure, Jerrod Mayo was named the Patriots' head coach. Mayo was dismissed after the 2024 season finale, and Vrabel took over. Vrabel was the Tennessee Titans' head coach from 2018-23 and spent the 2024 season as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns.
Pat McAfee initially praised Travis Kelce for making a $3.3 million donation for the homeless, but the tight end admitted that the report was not true.
The Daily Mail recently issued that report, which led to McAfee telling his audience on his show last week that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end was "making the world a better place."
But on his own podcast, Kelce said the report was not true.
"I got to make a little statement in the ‘don’t believe everything you read, kids’ category realm that you see online," Kelce began. "Some false claims were thrown out there that I was doing something in the community that I was not. I’m not even going to talk about it specifically. I don’t want to bring any more attention to that whole nonsense and article and all that stuff."
"But if you ever want to know exactly what I’m doing in the community, just go to 87&running.org. We’re always trying to get out there, get in the Kansas City communities, in the Cleveland community, but this time, I wasn’t doing what was falsely claimed by the social channels or outlets posting all this AI stuff."
Kelce then gave a shout-out to McAfee himself for "always trying to look out for the guys and women in the sports world."
The charity, Foster Love, has since deleted a post that highlighted Kelce's supposed donation. It initially claimed that Kelce pitched in for a "6,500-foot property" that featured "six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a spacious kitchen, and plenty of outdoor space, including a garden, patio, and fire pit — all designed to offer a safe and supportive environment."
"Travis is offering housing, mentorship, and educational resources, giving these youth the tools they need to move toward independence and break the cycle of homelessness," the charity said. "It’s inspiring to see @killatrav use his platform to make a real difference for vulnerable youth."
It's widely speculated that Kelce broke the news of his return to the NFL to McAfee as the ESPN host said he got a text from somebody that he did not name that "I'm coming back for sure."
"Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle!!!!" McAfee read from his phone, insinuating the text was from Kelce.
McAfee then added in his own words, "I think you can say Travis Kelce is coming back to play football yet again."
Kelce did not further explain his McAfee comment on the podcast.
Luka Dončić returned to Dallas Wednesday for the first time since the blockbuster trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers, and it hit him hard.
Dončić was shockingly traded in February, and Anthony Davis was one of the players the Mavericks acquired.
Ever since then, Mavs general manager Nico Harrison has been public enemy No. 1 in Dallas. Fans have not forgiven him for trading a global superstar in the prime of his career.
That continued Wednesday with numerous "Fire Nico" signs as Dončić and the Lakers arrived in Dallas.
The arena was filled with white shirts that said "Thank you for everything" in his native Slovenian.
Just before the game, the franchise honored him with a video tribute, and Dončić became emotional.
Harrison said he made the trade to improve the team's defense fresh off an NBA Finals appearance. In Davis' Mavericks debut, he was injured (he has since returned), and Kyrie Irving later tore an ACL.
Since joining the Lakers, Dončić has put up his usual numbers, averaging 27.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists, and the Lakers are a serious contender.
Aside from the defense though, Dončić would have been in a contract battle with the Mavs. His $207 million extension expires this year, and he was due for a supermax DEAL worth over $340 million. Plus, he could have opted out of any other deals with Dallas. So, Harrison wanted security.
"We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract," Harrison said shortly after the deal was done. "And so we really felt like we got out in front of that. We know teams, they’ve had it out there, teams have been loading up to try to sign him once that comes available."
Entering Wednesday, the Lakers were 48-31, third in the Western Conference. It would be their best finish since winning the NBA title in 2020.
There are, however, four teams just one game behind them in the standings, which could drop them down to seventh and put them in the play-in tournament.
Keegan Bradley traveled to Augusta National Golf Club as the reigning America's Ryder Cup captain.
On Wednesday, the 38-year-old participated in one of the historic course's annual traditions — the Masters Par 3 Contest. The contest, which dates back to 1960, offers golf pros the opportunity to participate in a lighthearted session shortly before the real competition tees off.
Past Masters champions are also invited to play on a nine-hole course. Participants often include their caddies, relatives, and children to play alongside them on the shortened course.
Bradley had his two young sons with him this year. The trio enjoyed a special father-son moment when he made a hole-in-one. A few near misses early on couldn't keep Bradley off track, as he made the contest's first ace on Hole 6 on Wednesday.
Bradley's mustache also returned just in time for the first major tournament of the season.
Bradley jokingly suggested the facial hairstyle could bring him good luck.
"I shaved it off and I played two weeks and did not play well at all, so I had to bring it back," he said in jest during the broadcast of the contest.
Bradley's best finish at Augusta National happened last year and in 2015 when he tied for 22nd.
The Par 3 Contest has produced 112 holes-in-one over the past 65 years. Last year, five participants made an ace. Sam Snead won the inaugural Par 3 contest in 1960.
Fan support for Bradley has seemed to be steadily rising recently. Although he is the current Ryder Cup captain, he was snubbed in 2023. His reaction to being rebuffed was chronicled on the Netflix docuseries "Full Swing." Bradley's handling of the situation helped make him one of the most beloved golfers on the PGA Tour.
The first round of the 89th edition of the Masters begins on Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club.
Another star edge rusher in the NFC North may be disgruntled.
Pittsburgh Steelers four-time All-pro defensive end T.J. Watt had a cryptic post on his Instagram account that had the NFL world in a social media frenzy.
Watt posted a picture of him flashing a peace sign as he ran off the field. While it may just be Watt posting a nice picture in the offseason, Steelers fans are reading into it.
Watt has just one year left on his deal with the Steelers, and given his status as one of the best players in the league on either side of the ball, he's looking for his next big payday. Fans believe this post points to that.
And some of them are predicting frustration from No. 90.
"Doesn't look good," one X user said.
A big payday came for one of Watt's divisional rivals, Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett, who publicly asked for a trade after he and the team weren't seeing eye to eye on the contract front.
The Browns eventually compensated Garrett as the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league with a four-year, $160 million extension with $123.5 million guaranteed.
Garrett and Watt have nearly identical production. Watt, 30, has the most sacks in the NFL since the 2019 season with 88. Garrett, 29, is second with 82.
Watt has led the NFL in that category for three seasons, including his Defensive Player of the Year campaign in 2023 when he notched 19 in 17 games.
Watt has been nothing but a menace for the Steelers’ strong defense since entering the league in 2017, racking up 108 sacks in 121 career games. He also has a knack for the strip-sack and forcing fumbles, doing so a league-leading six times in 2024 and 33 for his career.
For now, the post is cryptic, but it seems inevitable Watt will get his payday.
The Justice Department’s investigation into Matt Weiss, the former Baltimore Ravens and Michigan assistant football coach accused of hacking into the personal accounts of more than 2,000 college athletes, uncovered that the ex-coach stole thousands of "candid and intimate" photos and videos.
The revelation came during a court filing in a lawsuit against Weiss and the university after lawyers representing the victims in this case shared an email from the Justice Department's Mega Victim Case Assistance Program.
"Thousands of candid, intimate photographs and videos have been seized from the defendant’s electronic devices and from his cloud storage accounts," the email read, via The Associated Press. "Many show victims naked. Some show victims engaged in explicit sexual acts."
The filing came weeks after Weiss pleaded not guilty to a 24-count federal indictment. The charges were announced last month — more than two years after Weiss, 42, was fired from his coaching position under Harbaugh after an investigation into the alleged crimes.
According to the indictment, Weiss "gained unauthorized access to student athlete databases of more than 100 colleges and universities that were maintained by a third-party vendor." He then allegedly downloaded personal information and data of more than 150,000 athletes and, from there, was able to access the information of more than 2,000 athletes, including access to their social media, email and cloud storage.
Weiss spent more than a decade coaching in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens in various roles before he left following the 2020 season to coach under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. He was fired in 2023 during an investigation into the alleged crimes.
Weiss is accused of committing the alleged crimes from 2015 to January 2023.
Weiss is facing 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft. He is facing a maximum of five years imprisonment for each of the unauthorized access charges and up to two years for each count of identity theft.
Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is expected to be taken early in the first round in the 2025 NFL Draft, but one NFL executive appears to believe he isn't worth a selection of that caliber.
ESPN did a round-up of what he's hearing ahead of the Draft, which will kick off in Green Bay in two weeks. And one "NFC personnel man" hasn't been impressed with Sanders, the son of NFL great Deion Sanders.
While he admits "good decisions" are made by the young signal caller, he doesn't feel Sanders will lift a franchise to the next level, which is the expectation for a high first-rounder.
"Fringe starter who makes good decisions and does some good things, but won't get you over the top," the personnel man told ESPN.
Throughout the draft process, Sanders has garnered mixed reviews from experts. While Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward appears to be the consensus top prosect at his position in this year's crop of prospects, Sanders' draft stock has fluctuated. It's the first round, but where exactly is a mystery.
The ESPN report also discusses Sanders' personality, a heavily-discussed subject as he has interests outside the game. Of course, in today's world of college athletes allowed to profit off their own brand, it's expected.
"I'm fine with Shedeur's personality – he's tough and works really hard," an AFC executive tells ESPN. "He needs to be in a timing offense – three-step drop, timing, throw."
Now, while his decision-making process appears to get checked boxes from most, Sanders' upside is something another AFC executive is wary of.
"If it was me, I couldn't do that," the executive told ESPN when asked if they would choose Sanders top-10. "Not [a] great athlete, not big, not strong, undisciplined game, comes with scrutiny. Is he going to be good enough?"
Teams and experts will say what they want, but Sanders won't be taking it to heart. Following his Colorado Pro Day, Sanders' confidence, which has been on display from day one, shined when he said he believed himself to be the best quarterback in the draft.
"All I need is an opportunity," he said, via ESPN "Simple. Whatever franchise wants to change their franchise, then there's no doubt who to go with. I've done it over and over and over. So you would be a fool not to pick me.
"What's the most important trait about a quarterback?… Consistency? Look at the last four years. That's how I know I'm the best quarterback in the draft.... What checks all boxes? It leads to one guy."
In Fox News Digital’s first mock draft, Sanders was slated to go No. 3 to the New York Giants. But the Colorado standout could be selected by any team in the top 10.
In his final year playing for his father and the Buffaloes, Sanders notched 4,134 passing yards with 37 touchdowns.
