Floyd Mayweather balked at Jake Paul’s claim that he’s dodging their fight, insisting he’s eager to get in the ring with the social media superstar.
“We offered Jake Paul the fight probably 10 or 20 times and he turned us down,” said Mayweather, who spoke exclusively to Us Weekly while promoting his 101 (ONE OF ONE) line of premium natural supplements. “So that’s bulls—.”
Rumors about a boxing match between Mayweather, 48, and Paul, 28, have circulated for years. The speculation picked up further steam during Mayweather’s appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last month, when the undefeated boxer said a fight against Paul would be “easy.”
Days later, Paul released a YouTube vlog alleging Mayweather “wouldn’t sign” their fight contract, but Mayweather insists that it’s actually been Paul who has refused to put ink on the dotted line.
When asked about the claim that Mayweather and his team wanted Paul to cut weight down to 160, which Paul called “physically impossible,” Mayweather had a solution for that.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
“Well, we can do an exhibition,” he offered to Us. “We know we can’t do a real fight because it’s not going to be sanctioned because of the weight difference. But we could do an exhibition. That’s easy work, super easy.”
Mayweather previously fought Paul’s older brother, Logan Paul, in an exhibition boxing match in 2021. The non-scored bout went all eight rounds and no winner was announced.
Jake, meanwhile, last entered the ring against legendary boxer Mike Tyson, a fight that streamed live on Netflix in November 2024. Jake ultimately defeated Tyson, 58, by unanimous decision — but Mayweather was less than impressed.
“Mike Tyson was a 60-year-old man,” Mayweather told Us. “He’s an old man. Mike Tyson is enjoying his life. It is what it is.”
Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix
Despite his beef with some of the Paul brothers’ gamesmanship and tactics, Mayweather credited them for their work ethic.
“One thing about Jake Paul and Logan Paul, we can’t knock their hustle,” Mayweather said. “I take my hat off. I like how they hustle.”
On the topic of hustling, Mayweather recently unveiled his 101 (ONE OF ONE) line of products, which includes whey protein powder, pre-workout, hydration stick packs and more.
“You always want to be better each time you go out and perform,” Mayweather explained. “You always want to be better each and every day. Our supplements give you everything you need. The greens, the proteins, the boost, the rehydration.”
Mayweather added, “This didn’t just happen overnight. This took a lot of years, four or five years of doing research and making sure that we give people a great product.”
101 is available at youare101.com, as well as supplement and sports nutrition retailers nationwide.
Three months after securing his new gig as head football coach at the University of West Virginia, Rich Rodriguez is laying down the law like the town council in Footloose.
Rodriguez, 61, announced on Monday, March 10 that players would not be permitted to dance on TikTok while members of his roster.
“They’re going to be on it, so I’m not banning them from it,” Rodriguez told reporters of the popular social media platform. “I’m just banning them from dancing on it. It’s like, look, we try to have a hard edge or whatever, and you’re in there in your tights dancing on TikTok, ain’t quite the image of our program that I want.”
He added, “I’m allowed to do that. I can have rules. Twenty years from now, if they want to be sitting in their pajamas in the basement eating Cheetos and watching TikTok or whatever the hell, they can go at it, smoking cannabis, whatever. Knock yourself out.”
Instead, Rodriguez said he hopes his players can remain concentrated on their gridiron goals instead of the latest social media dance trends.
“I hope our focus can be on winning football games,” he concluded. “How about let’s win the football game and not worry about winning the TikTok?”
Rodriguez’s TikTok dancing ban earned plenty of criticism on social media for a variety of reasons.
“Rich Rod is antiquated, but he isn’t obtuse,” one person wrote via X. “So he delegitimizes a pathway for his athletes to carve out a brand for their own financial futures. He creates a chilling effect on self-determination and remains undoubtedly in control.”
Another wrote, “Not only is RichRod banning his players from dancing on TikTok (a string of words I never thought I’d write together) a potential employment issue but it also likely violates the athletes’ First Amendment rights.”
TikTok has become an increasingly popular space for college athletes, including former Colorado superstar Travis Hunter.
Hunter, 21, has amassed 1.9 million followers on TikTok, with a video from June 2024 showing him dancing to GloRilla and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Wanna Be” while wearing a series of onesies earning 12.9 million views.
Despite his presence on TikTok, Hunter won the Heisman Trophy in December 2024, awarded annually to the best college football player in the country.
A native of West Virginia, Rodriguez was previously head coach of the Mountaineers from 2001 to 2007.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be the head football coach at West Virginia University,” Rodriguez said in a statement after his hiring in December. “My family and I are filled with gratitude to lead the Mountaineer football program again and look forward to working with the many supporters, fans, and friends to build the best football program in America! Take Me Home!”
A cheating scandal has rocked the world of ski jumping, and it’s all centered around the ski suits of two Olympic gold medalists.
Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang, who have both won ski jumping gold medals for Norway, were suspended on Wednesday, March 12, as part of an ongoing investigation into whether their suits had been manipulated in order to create extra lift.
Lindvik, 26, and Forfang, 29, were both disqualified from the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway, which concluded on Sunday, March 9. The disqualifications came days after Lindvik finished 2nd in the men’s large hill event on Saturday, March 8. The two skiers combined to win a total of five medals at the Championships.
Three members of the Norwegian ski team’s staff — coach Magnus Brevik, assistant coach Thomas Lobben and service staff member Adrian Livelten — were also suspended by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) on Wednesday, after video of the suits being tampered with went public.
An official from the Federation said the illegal alterations were made by tearing apart the seams of the crotch area on the team’s ski suits.
The Norwegian Ski Federation admitted to the allegations after the video evidence made the claim irrefutable.
Marius LindvikMega
“The way I consider this, we have cheated,” said Jan-Erik Aalbu, the general manager of the Norwegian Ski Federation, during a press conference on Sunday. “We have tried to cheat the system. That is unacceptable.”
While admitting guilt, the Norwegian Ski Federation maintains Lindvik and Forfang were unaware of the alterations.
Lindvik won gold in men’s large hill individual at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. At the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Forfang won gold and silver medals in the men’s large hill team event and the men’s normal hill individual, respectively.
Johann Andre ForfangMega
Both Lindvik and Forfang professed their innocence via social media after the manipulations were uncovered, according to Powder.com.
“This has been a nightmare. I’m broken and sad,” Lindvik posted via his Instagram Story.
Forfang wrote via his Story, “I have always had great trust in the staff, who have worked tirelessly to develop competitive equipment. But this time, a clear line was crossed.”
“The situation is obviously extremely disturbing and disappointing,” said Michael Vion, Secretary General of the FIS. “Since the weekend, both the FIS Independent Ethics and Compliance Office and the FIS administration have been working steadily to proceed with a broad and thorough investigation as swiftly as possible while also ensuring fairness and due process.”
He added, “By its nature, Ski Jumping is a discipline grounded in precision, in which equipment plays an important role. This is why, year after year, we have a strong focus on reviewing equipment regulations and controls: to ensure that competitors are on a level playing field.”
The World Cup season continues on Thursday, March 13 in Oslo, Norway. Neither Forfang or Lindvik will be allowed to compete.
Tensions are running high in San Francisco after the 49ers announced plans to release long-tenured fullback Kyle Juszczyk — just ask Claire Kittle.
After it was reported on Monday, March 10 that the Niners intend to cut Juszczyk, 33, Claire, the wife of 49ers tight end George Kittle, voiced her displeasure on social media.
“It will never make sense,” Claire, 30, wrote, via her Instagram Story alongside a photo of her, George, 31, Kyle and his wife, Kristin Juszczyk, from the premiere of Netflix’s Receiver in July 2024. “I thank the Lord for bringing us together in 2017. You boys are everything an organization could dream of, on and off the field. I’m so proud of you.”
George and Claire KittleMichael Loccisano/Getty Images
Kyle and George both joined the 49ers in 2017 — Kyle after signing with the team after spending the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens, George after being selected by San Francisco in the 5th round of the NFL Draft.
In a separate post via her Instagram Story, Claire shared a picture of the couples on the field after the 49ers won the NFC Championship Game in 2024.
Kristin Juszczyk and Claire KittleBrooke Sutton/Getty Images
“Just rip our hearts out why don’t you ,” she wrote. “8 years a Niner, 12 year vet, 9 consecutive Pro Bowls, 2x All Pro, 2024 49ers Captain.”
George responded to the news of Kyle’s release by sharing a series of photos from throughout their friendship via his Instagram Story.
“Day one juice ,” George wrote alongside a picture of the pair from their first year together with the 49ers. In another post, George called Kyle his “family.”
Kristin and Kyle JuszczykKaitlyn Morris/WireImage
Kristin, meanwhile, also responded to the news about her husband via her Instagram Story. The fashion mogul, 31, shared a picture of one of the couple’s dogs looking annoyed, while wearing a baseball hat. “Mood,” she captioned the image.
The day after Kyle’s release was announced, Kristin shared a photo of her legs sprawled out across an entire row of empty seats on a plane. “The world knew,” she wrote.
Kyle has yet to respond directly to his release, but after the 49ers’ season ended in disappointing fashion earlier this year — the team failed to make the playoffs after taking the Kansas City Chiefs to overtime in Super Bowl LVIII in 2024 — Kyle hinted his time in San Francisco might be over but said he had no plans on retiring.
“I know I’m not done,” Kyle told ESPN. “I’m definitely not done playing. I’ve seen zero regression. I think especially, I mean, you can turn on the last two games and please show me where I’ve regressed, so I have no plans of stopping.”
One month after he helped the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl, C.J. Gardner-Johnson was traded — much to the delight of Taylor Swift fans.
Gardner-Johnson, 27, a cornerback, was shipped to the Houston Texans on Tuesday, March 11, in exchange for left guard Kenyon Green.
The move came on the heels of Gardner-Johnson, who signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Eagles in March 2024, wearing a vulgar sweatshirt referencing the pop star, 35, to the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory parade on February 14.
“Swifties Can LIX My Balls,” the sweatshirt read, referencing Philadelphia’s victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on February 9.
“Taylor Swift somehow worked her magic to get CJ Gardner-Johnson traded out of Philly after that parade shirt,” one fan wrote via X.
Another wrote, “See you f— around and Karma AKA Tayvoodoo gets you . Well deserved hope they win another superbowl without you. Grow up and be a man and father.”
For the non-Swifties, Tayvoodoo is a popular phrase used to describe the often seemingly cosmic way Swift’s career seems to karmically impact the world at large. Following the Gardner-Johnson trade, the word “Tayvoodoo” trended amongst Swift fan accounts on social media.
Swift, of course, is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Gardner-Johnson took his first shot at Swift directly after the Eagles’ Super Bowl win when Gardner-Johnson posted about Kelce, 35, via his Instagram Story.
“Should’ve Stayed with that thick s—’, Gardner-Johnson wrote alongside a photo of him taunting Kelce during the game. The post was a reference to Kelce’s ex, Kayla Nicole, who he dated prior to Swift.
“I have friends who were sending me the screenshots,” Johnson said in an interview with TMZ on Tuesday, February 11. “They were going, ‘Oh my God, look at this!’ And the first thing everyone said was, ‘The Swifties have attacked.’”
Brian and Del explained that, despite their best attempts, the restaurant Swift fans bombarded with negativity had been closed since January 2025.
Gardner-Johnson responded to the trade himself on Tuesday, saying the decision “wasn’t mine.”
“But I walk away proud of what we built together,” he wrote via X. “To my teammates: Brothers, we bled, cursed, and laughed through it all. To the coaches and front office: Thank you for trusting a kid from Florida with a chip on his shoulder to lead this defense. And to the Philly Faithful — you’re unmatched. You embraced my edge and fire, for this game even when I got too hot.”
Tiger Woods is on the mend after undergoing surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon.
“As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured,” Woods, 49, posted via Instagram on Tuesday, March 11.
Woods has not competed professionally since The Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club in July 2024, where he missed the cut.
The 15-time major champion had surgery on Tuesday morning performed by Dr. Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida. Woods underwent a minimally-invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon.
“I planned to tee it up this week, but I’m just not ready,” Tiger posted via Instagram on February 10. “I did my best to prepare, knowing it’s what my Mom would have wanted, but I’m still processing her loss.”
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He continued, “Thanks to everyone who has reached out. I hope to be at Torrey [Pines] later in the week and appreciate the continued kindness since my Mom’s passing.”
“It is with heartfelt sadness that I want to share that my dear mother, Kultida Woods, passed away early this morning,” he wrote. “My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable. She was quick with the needle and a laugh. She was my biggest fan, greatest supporter, without her none of my personal achievements would have been possible.”
Tiger added, “She was loved by so many, but especially by her two grandchildren, Sam and Charlie. Thank you all for your support, prayers and privacy at this difficult time for me and my family. Love you Mom.”
The golfer shares daughter Sam, 17, and son Charlie, 15, with his ex-wife, Elin Nordegren.
Tiger did not reveal a cause of death for his mother, who was 78 years old.
Kristin Juszczyk found comfort in the little things after her husband, Kyle Juszczyk, was released by the San Francisco 49ers.
News of Kyle’s release was reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday, March 10. Kyle spent the last eight years of his NFL career with the franchise.
In response, Kristin — who married Kyle, 33, in 2019 — posted a photo of one of the couple’s dogs looking unenthused via her Instagram Story on Monday night.
“Mood,” she captioned the image, which showed the pooch being forced to wear a baseball hat.
Kristin, 31, and Kyle share two Samoyeds, named Mozzarella and Pierogi, though it’s not clear which dog was featured in Kristin’s post.
On Tuesday, March 11, Kristin posted another photo to her Story, showing the fashion designer sprawled out with an airplane row all to herself.
“The world knew,” she wrote.
49ers tight end George Kittle, who has become great friends with Kyle since they both joined the organization in 2017, posted a series of images via his Instagram Story to commemorate the end of an era.
Courtesy of Kristin Juszczyk/Instagram
“Day one juice ,” Kittle, 31, wrote alongside a picture of the pair from their first year together in San Francisco.
Kittle posted another photo of him and Kyle together on his Story, calling the departed fullback his “family.”
In addition, Claire Kittle — who got married to George in April 2019 and has become very close with Kyle and Kristin — posted her own heartfelt message via her Instagram Story.
“Just rip our hearts out why don’t you ,” Claire, 30, wrote alongside a picture of both couples on the field after winning the NFC Championship Game in 2024. “8 years a Niner, 12 year vet, 9 consecutive Pro Bowls, 2x All Pro, 2024 49ers Captain.”
In a separate post, Claire said Kyle’s release will “never make sense.”
Kyle, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, acknowledged his time in San Francisco might have been up at the end of last season — but vowed he didn’t think his career was over.
“I know I’m not done,” Juszczyk told ESPN in January. “I’m definitely not done playing. I’ve seen zero regression. I think especially, I mean, you can turn on the last two games and please show me where I’ve regressed, so I have no plans of stopping.”
Celebrity siblings Macaulay and Rory Culkin made a rare public appearance together at WWE Raw at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Monday, March 10.
Macaulay, 44, was caught by Netflix cameras sitting ringside and playfully covering his face with a WWE championship belt. The actor then stood up and revealed himself to a huge pop from the capacity crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, best known as Kevin McAllister in Home Alone, the whole world knows Macaulay Culkin,” Raw color commentator, Pat McAfee, said.
McAfee, 37, called Macaulay an “absolutely legendary individual who loves the WWE” as Macaulay rubbed Rory’s head, who refused to smile or get out of his seat for his brother’s warm welcome.
During his time on camera, Macaulay used American Sign Language to spell out, “NYC I love you.”
The fact that Rory, 35, didn’t get the same introduction as his brother didn’t sit well with some wrestling fans watching at home.
Rory Culkin and Macaulay Culkin attend WWE RAW LIVE ON NETFLIX at Madison Square Garden on March 10, 2025 in New York City.Netflix
“I can’t believe they showed Macaulay Culkin and didn’t recognize SCREAM 4 LEGEND Rory Culkin,” one viewer wrote.
Another wrote, “I know they didn’t just forget rory like that THE CULKINS.”
In addition to his work in the Scream franchise, Rory is best known for his roles in movies like You Can Count On Me and Signs, and TV shows like Under the Banner of Heaven and the 2023 Black Mirror episode, “Under the Sea.”
Pro wrestling has been a throughline for many of the Culkin siblings, including Macaulay and Rory’s brother, Kieran. (The siblings also share brothers Shane, 48, and Christian, 37, and sister Quinn, 40. Their sister Dakota died in 2008 after being hit by a car. Their half-sister, Jennifer, died of a drug overdose in 2000.)
Macaulay Culkin attends WWE RAW LIVE ON NETFLIX at Madison Square Garden on March 10, 2025 in New York City.Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images For Netflix
The day after Kieran, 42, won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Performance – Motion Picture for his work in A Real Pain, he and his wife, Jazz Charton, hit up the Netflix premiere of WWE Raw at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome on January 6.
In a video shared by WWE via Instagram, Kieran was seen ringside meeting wrestler CM Punk, who had just defeated Seth Rollins in the main event.
“Did you just, like, win an award?” Punk, 46, asked Kieran.
Kieran responded, “Last night I won a Golden Globe. This is how I celebrate.”
After Kieran eventually won the Oscar on March 2 for his performance in A Real Pain, Macaulay said he was overcome with emotion while watching Kieran’s acceptance speech.
“I cried,” Macaulay told interviewer Tan France at the Vanity Fair Oscar party, shortly after Kieran’s victory.
Stephen A. Smith was so distraught after Tim Tebow’s playoff heroics in 2012 that his sex drive got put in neutral.
During a Monday, March 10 interview with his former First Take cohost Skip Bayless — the first time the ex colleagues have chatted in public since the dissolution of their working relationship in 2016 — Smith, 57, recalled the fateful day in January 2012, when Tebow led the Denver Broncos to an upset victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Round.
Tebow threw an 80-yard touchdown to Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime to pull off the dramatic win.
“I’ve been single all my life and had a very, very beautiful, sexy woman in my life at that time and I was having a really, really, really good time most evenings with her,” Smith told Bayless, 73. “I would always make sure there was a little action going on. And Tim Tebow threw that damn touchdown to Demaryius Thomas…Literally, I collapsed on the floor and I laid there for over two hours. I didn’t move, I was so damn depressed.”
Calling it “one of the most awful feelings I had in my career,” Smith recalled how he struggled to function properly after the game.
“After I finally got up from that living room floor, I couldn’t eat, couldn’t have sex, couldn’t do nothing,” he said.
Much of Smith’s agony stemmed from the fact that Bayless was an ardent supporter of Tebow — the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner who played his final NFL game in 2012 — and Smith did not want to have to face his cohost at the anchor desk.
“I remember spending a legitimate two to three hours trying to conspire to come up with a way that I wouldn’t have to come into work the next morning,” Smith said. “Maybe I can get a flat tire. I don’t want to get into a vicious car accident, but if I’m not going at a high speed, I could show the picture of the car and delay going into the office.”
Smith ultimately made it into work and faced the music, calling it “without question, the worst day of my First Take career.”
As for their years-in-the-making reunion, Bayless effused praise on Smith during his introduction on the podcast, saying, “Nobody in my lengthy career has meant as much to me as this man.”
Bayless and Smith cohosted ESPN’s First Take from 2012 to 2016, before Bayless left the network and launched FS1’s Undisputed alongside cohost Shannon Sharpe.
Last week, Smith signed a five-year contract extension with ESPN worth at least $100 million, according to The Athletic.
Thirty years after her name was linked to the orchestrated assault of Nancy Kerrigan, Tonya Harding trended all over social media after a wild high school track attack.
The bizarre incident happened at the Virginia High School League Class 3 State Indoor Championships at Liberty University last week, when a runner named Alaia Everett appeared to hit another runner over the head with a baton during the 4x200m relay.
Kaelen Tucker, the athlete who was hit, reportedly suffered a concussion and a potential skull fracture.
Video of the alleged attack went viral, which caused Harding’s name to be invoked by some individuals drawing a line between the incident in Virginia and the 1994 attack of Kerrigan, during which Kerrigan was struck in the knee with a baton by a hitman hired by Harding’s then-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and Harding’s then-bodyguard, Shawn Eckardt.
“This is Tonya Harding 2.0, imo,” one person wrote via X. “She should, at a minimum, be charged with assault and the intent to injure!”
Another person called Everett the “Tonya Harding of track and field!”
“I hope they ban her for life,” the individual added.
In an interview with WAVY TV 10 (an ABC affiliate in Norfolk, Virginia) on Sunday, March 9, alleged assailant Everett attempted to explain that the entire ordeal was one big misunderstanding.
GMA/YouTube
“After a couple times of hitting her with my baton, I got stuck behind her back and (the baton) rolled up her back,” Everett said. “I lost my balance, and when I pumped my arms again, she got hit.”
Everett added, “I know my intentions and I would never hit somebody on purpose.”
The aftermath and social media backlash has taken a toll on Everett, a senior at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth, Virginia.
“They’re assaulting my character, calling me ghetto, racist slurs, death threats, all of this, just because of a nine second video,” she said.
The Everett family has been served court papers saying Tucker and her family are seeking a protective order against them.
“It doesn’t seem right that this would happen and now we have to go to a city three hours away that everyone hates our guts already,” Everett’s father, Genoa, told WAVY TV 10.
As for Harding, now 54, she pleaded guilty in March 1994 to a charge of “conspiracy to hinder prosecution” in relation to the assault on Kerrigan. She received three years probation and was issued a $160,000 fine.
Three months later, Harding was banned from U.S. Figure Skating for life. She has yet to comment on the recent incident.
PGA Tour veteran Tony Finau has built quite the life for himself away from the golf course with his wife, Alayna Galea’i-Finau.
The couple, who got married in May 2012, have welcomed six children: son Jraice, daughter Leilene “Neenee,” son Tony Jr., son Sage, daughter Sienna-Vee and daughter Layton, the last of whom was born in January 2025.
“I honestly can say before COVID, I don’t think my wife and I spent more than two weeks together,” Tony told Skratch in an interview published in March 2025. “We went into it and we were like, ‘We’re about to fall more in love or get a divorce.’ This is only going to end in one of those two ways. And luckily, it was the first.”
“She’s so beautiful inside and out,” he wrote. “My life is everything it is because I get to share it with you. Thank you for loving me and letting me love you. I love you Alayna!”
Alayna returned the favor when Tony turned 35 in September 2024.
“Happy birthday, my Love!” she wrote via Instagram. “35 never looked so good SO grateful for every single day that I get w/ your beautiful soul!”
Jraice
Courtesy of Tony Finau/Instagram
Tony and Alayna welcomed their first child, son Jraice, in 2011.
In 2018, Tony celebrated Jraice’s 7th birthday with a moment of sincere reflection.
“I’m filled with so much joy when I think about this kid,” he wrote via Instagram. “He’s a great older brother and an incredible son. I’ve really learned how talented he is this past year. He can flat out dance – he loves flag football, he’s got great coordination and he loves to eat!! .”
Tony added, “Thanks for being my best bud and my side kick you’ve taught me patience and you teach me how to be a better dad every day. I love you son!! .”
Jraice is busy following in his father’s footsteps as a member of Team Utah in the PGA Junior League.
“He’s very natural when he plays,” Tony told reporters in October 2024. “But I told him, ‘If you’re ever going to be great, like talent takes you to the doorsteps, to ever go through, your work ethic is what’s going to get you there.’”
Tony added, “I had to work hard and do those things because I was in a different situation. I felt the pressure as a kid, my parents giving up everything they had for me to perform. My kids don’t feel that pressure. So teaching grit, I don’t know if there is such a thing. But I try to apply enough pressure as a parent to keep him accountable for what he wants to accomplish.”
Leilene ‘Neenee’
Courtesy of Tony Finau/Instagram
In 2012, Tony and Alayna welcomed their first daughter, Leilene, who goes by the nickname “Neenee.”
When Neenee turned 12 in October 2024, Alayna posted a “birthday vlog,” which included a day of gifts, food and fun — and dad Tony was along for the ride, too.
Neenee was by her father’s side in November 2024 at an event hosted by the Tony Finau Foundation.
“We’re so grateful for the sponsors, donors, and community members that rally around this event each year to help us feed 2000+ families for Thanksgiving,” Tony wrote alongside photos from the event, including one of him with Neenee and Jraice. “You truly help us #InspireSomone and make a difference in our own backyard.”
Tony Jr.
Courtesy of Tony Finau/Instagram
The couple’s second son, Tony Jr., was born in 2015 and almost immediately began accompanying his dad to work.
“Grateful and excited to be here! Me n my dawg Baby Tony enjoying Sheboygan, Wisconsin,” Tony shared via Instagram in August 2015, showing baby Tony sitting in a carrier next to his dad’s golf bag.
“It’s been a LONG week to say the least but I’m grateful for family and friends and their support throughout the week,” Tony posted via Instagram. “I’m grateful for the power of prayer which is something I believe strongly in. I’m grateful to my heavenly father for blessing us with this special spirit. I’m humbled by the love from all our family and friends.”
He added, “This Thanksgiving has been a humbling experience for me and a reminder to me of all the blessings and gifts I’m grateful for, I’m especially grateful for the gift of life.”
Sage went on to have a full recovery.
Sienna-Vee
Courtesy of Tony Finau/Instagram
Alayna gave birth to the couple’s fifth child, daughter Sienna-Vee, in July 2021.
“I’m a Proud father of 5 ,” Tony shared via Instagram. “@alaynagaleai you are a strong woman and I’m so blessed to have you bring our children into this world Grateful to my heavenly father for our new bundle of joy #blessedbeyondmeasure.”
Layton
Courtesy of Alayna Galea'i-Finau/Instagram
Tony and Alayna welcomed daughter Layton in January 2025, calling her their “3rd princess.”
“We wanted to do a surprise gender at birth this time around,” Alayna explained via Instagram. “Our family was so sure she was a boy based off of my pregnancy (cravings, emotions, sickness, my skin, the way I carried, etc) pregnancy was identical to my pregnancies with our 3 boys. & boy were we in for a big surprise! .”
She added, “My favorite parts were when Dr Jones delivered her & immediately turned her to Tony asking him, ‘what’s the gender, Dad?’ & Tony pauses & looks like doing a double, triple take lol…& ofc surprising our kids, the best ever! We are so blessed & in love all over again. Thank you to everyone reaching out & sending well wishes. We feel the love! .”
The couple made a “surprise gender reveal” video in the delivery room featuring their five other kids, which was also posted via Instagram.
“That’s so crazy,” Neenee said upon learning she had another sister.
Former ESPN host David Pollack asked for support as his wife, Lindsey Pollack, prepares for brain cancer surgery.
“I do not share much of my personal life on social media but today is gonna be different,” David, 42, wrote via X on Monday, March 10. “If you are the praying type please lift up my wife Lindsey. She has brain cancer and surgery is Wednesday at Duke.”
He added, “So thankful to serve a loving God that meets us in our struggles!”
David and Lindsey share son Nicholas, currently a junior in high school, and daughter Leah, a sophomore.
Following a celebrated collegiate career at the University of Georgia, David was selected with the No. 17 overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2005 NFL Draft.
During the second game of his second season with the Bengals, David suffered a career-ending neck injury.
In 2009, David joined ESPN as a college football analyst. He would appear on a variety of the network’s programming, including College Gameday, before being laid off in June 2023.
ESPN announced David had been fired to achieve “some additional cost savings,” but David later theorized there was more beneath the surface.
Courtesy of Pollack Family Foundation/Instagram
“I’ve been very thankful that I’ve been fired,” David told Jason Whitlock on his “Fearless” podcast in October 2024. “It’s opened up me to be able to talk about whatever the subject is in a truthful manner.”
David, who cohosts a faith-focused podcast called “Family Goals” with his pastor, said he was “100 percent” concerned about how ESPN would respond to him saying anything they deemed controversial.
“I’m not saying they always said that to me, but it was very clear like, ‘Your opinions you post on social media, while they are yours, they also represent us. So, we are taking that into account,” David told Whitlock.
He added, “I was absolutely worried about what I said so I didn’t get fired. I think that’s a bad thing. I think that’s a bad job by me, a really bad job by me.”
Since leaving ESPN, David has taken on a larger role at The Pollack Family Foundation, which he helped launch with Lindsey.
According to its website, the organization initially aimed to “educate and encourage individuals, families and communities on the benefits of nutrition and exercise with a focus of raising awareness about childhood obesity,” but it has since shifted to a religious-based goal of “empowering families” in the greater Atlanta area.
Even thousands of miles away from home, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was still public enemy No. 1 for passionate Philadelphia Eagles fans.
Prescott, 31, was heckled by a bachelorette party full of Eagles fans who traveled to the Baha Mar resort in Nassau, Bahamas, where the quarterback and his fiancee, Sarah James Ramos, were vacationing.
In a video shared by Barstool Philly on Sunday, March 9, Prescott and Ramos can be seen getting serenaded with a chant of “E-A-G-L-E-S!” while walking by a restaurant inside the resort.
Neither Prescott or Ramos acknowledged the bachelorette party’s jeering as they passed.
The Eagles — who defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX last month — are bitter, longtime rivals with the Cowboys, who haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1996.
“Hahahahhahaha I just know he was siiiiick go birds great work ladies ,” one Eagles fan commented on the video.
Another wrote, “Get them ladies a drink!!!!! Bird Gang baby.”
It’s been a busy offseason for the Cowboys, who hired new head coach Brian Schottenheimer in January after firing Mike McCarthy, who had coached Dallas for the past five seasons.
When asked about his expectations for the Cowboys moving forward, Prescott insisted there isn’t much distance between Dallas and the reigning Super Bowl champions.
“I feel like we’ve competed with the Eagles and beat them for the most part when we’ve played them,” Prescott said in February. “I don’t want to say, ‘Check the record,’ when the other guy is holding the trophy right now. So credit to them. They’ve earned it, and they deserved it by all means. But, yeah, [we’re] very close.”
Prescott and Ramos — who got engaged in October 2024 — are awaiting the arrival of their second baby together this offseason. The couple welcomed their first daughter, Margaret Jane (MJ, for short), in February 2024.
In December 2024, Prescott and Ramos revealed they are expecting another baby girl in May. According to Sports Illustrated, the couple “have always planned to have their children close in age,” and plan on the baby’s middle name being Rayne, which is Prescott’s legal first name.
Prescott and Ramos announced their first daughter’s birth in March 2024, a few weeks after she arrived.
“MJ Rose, Being your parents is the biggest blessing life has to offer and we are so fortunate that you are ours!” the couple wrote in a joint Instagram post. “Welcome into this world, baby girl, you will always be loved and protected! We are so IN LOVE with you Love, Mom & Dad. ”
Prescott proposed to Ramos during a golf outing in October 2024, which he posted about via Instagram.
“Mine Forever!!!!” he shared. “The Best Friend, Partner, Teammate, Mother, and Now Fiancé I could Ask or Pray for! Thank you God for this Blessing and Family! I Love you @sarahjane 4EVER!”
Bill Maher used his latest late night monologue to take another jab at Taylor Swift’s dating history.
The comedian, 69, managed to link President Donald Trump’s recent string of international controversies back to the pop star’s relationship with Travis Kelce on the Friday, March 7 episode of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher.
“This world is so upside down now,” Maher said. “It took Trump three weeks to break up with Ukraine and Mexico and Canada. And yet, Taylor Swift has the same boyfriend for over a year.”
Swift, 35, has been dating the Kansas City chiefs superstar, also 35, since September 2023. Maher has never been married.
It didn’t take long for fans of the “Cruel Summer” to come to her defense on social media.
“What is Bill Maher’s problem with Taylor Swift? She seriously lives rent free in his head,” one person wrote via X.
Another wrote that Maher is “bothered by Taylor’s existence and success because he cannot fathom how she can achieve what she has without catering to the male gaze and by writing exclusively about the female experience.”
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.Jamie Squire/Getty Images
In July 2024, Maher gave another blunt assessment of Swift and Kelce’s relationship during an interview with Haliey Welch (a.k.a. Hawk Tuah Girl) on his “Club Random” podcast.
“I’m sure she’s a lovely person, but the whole thing with the football player,” Maher said. “I just felt like 35 was a little old to be like, ‘My boyfriend’s a football player and I wear his jersey to the game with his number on it!’ I mean, come on.”
Welch, 21, defended Swift from Maher’s ire, saying, “Whatever makes her happy. If that’s what she wants to do and it makes her happy, it ain’t got nothin’ to do with me.”
“He’s gonna dump her, though, You know that?” Maher retorted. “With her, it’s like the Gatorade at the Super Bowl, you know you’re gonna get dumped. You just don’t know when.”
“Yeah, the music either works or it doesn’t,” Maher said. “But as a human, I have great admiration, because to be that far up in the stratosphere and not be doing anything stupid, be still a good role model, basically. You know, she’s had a bunch of boyfriends…”
Bryan, 48, immediately came to Swift’s defense, saying, “The only thing people can say about her [is] she’s had boyfriends?”
LaVar Ball is making the most of his new normal after his right foot was amputated last month.
The Big Baller Brand founder, 57, posted a video via Instagram on Sunday, March 9, using a walker to get around.
In classic fashion, Ball — who helped propel his sons Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo to success in basketball and the entertainment industry — used the video to hawk some new merchandise.
“Hey, I told you!” LaVar said in the clip. “You better go to Big Baller Brand Inc., I got some new stuff coming. And guess what? Get on that tab ‘Street’ and you gonna see something dope.”
The video then cut to LaVar inside a home elevator as he showed off a new Big Baller Brand t-shirt. “I told you 2025 we comin’ with something new!” he said. “It’s goin’ down!”
LaVar was forced to have his right foot amputated in February following a “serious medical issue,” according to TMZ.
Us Weekly has reached out to the Big Baller Brand for more information, but has not heard back.
On Wednesday, March 5, Ball posted a video via Instagram set to Haddaway’s “What Is Love?.” Wearing a Big Baller Brand t-shirt, naturally, while sitting at a glass table, LaVar moved his hands and sang some of the words before the camera panned down to his amputation.
“Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me … my foot,” LaVar said, before letting out a big laugh.
In a TikTok video posted on March 1, LaVar showed his still-intact left foot and joked, “Guess who grew the foot back? I did! Who else you know who has three sons in the NBA … and an ability to grow their feet back? Nobody!”
LaVar shares his three sons with his wife, Tina Ball, who he married in 1997. In February 2017, Tina suffered a stroke which left her with aphasia, a language disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate effectively.
Lonzo, 27, is in the midst of his 6th NBA season, currently playing for the Chicago Bulls. LaMelo, 23, is currently playing in his 4th NBA season, all with the Charlotte Hornets.
Following a professional basketball career mostly overseas, LiAngelo, 26, has emerged as a force to be reckoned with on the rap scene. Known as GELO, his song “Tweaker” became a massive hit on TikTok and peaked at No. 29 on the Hot 100.
GELO was recently announced as a performer at the upcoming Rolling Loud Festival, which goes down March 15 and 16 in Los Angeles.
In a TikTok video posted on Sunday, LaVar hinted that he might be in attendance to see his son take the stage.
“Guess who’s performing at the largest hip-hop festival in the world, Rolling Loud?” LaVar said in the clip. “My son, GELO! If y’all lucky, I may even make a guest appearance.”
Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman showed off a new bobblehead made in his likeness — which came with impressive attention to detail.
Freeman, 39, posted a picture of the bobblehead via Instagram on Thursday, March 6, calling it “the perfect addition to my office.”
The bobblehead was situated on Freeman’s desk next to mini action figures of Notre Dame women’s basketball stars Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo. Freeman’s figurine sported a green Notre Dame football tracksuit and featured him holding a football with a big smile on his face.
Perhaps most impressive, however, was the accurate representation of Freeman’s infamous hairline.
Freeman’s hair became a hot topic of conversation during Notre Dame’s run to the College Football Playoff National Championship in January. Before the Fighting Irish played Penn State in the Orange Bowl, Penn State head coach James Franklinneedled Freeman during a press conference featuring both coaches.
“It’ll be a great game,” Franklin, 53, told reporters. “We’re really, really excited about competing. I’m looking over here at Marcus. How old are you now, Marcus?”
“38,” Freeman said with a sly smile.
Courtesy of Marcus Freeman/Instagram
Franklin, who is bald, responded, “I mean, I look at the hairline on this guy. Envious of his hairline in a lot of ways.”
“He was angry,” Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts told The Athletic after Notre Dame’s 27-24 victory over Penn State. “He was angry with the press conference thing, whatever was going on between that. He was mad about that. All the anger went toward us and that anger went onto the field.”
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love hinted he was also offended by Franklin’s comments, telling The Athletic, “I’m not gonna speak on their head coach.”
“We felt like their team didn’t really respect us,” Love added. “We wanted to come into this game and make a statement. Be the aggressors. Dominate them physically. That’s the message. Be physical and play violent. The whole game.”
Notre Dame eventually lost 34-23 to The Ohio State University in the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 20.
In December 2024, Freeman signed a four-year extension at Notre Dame, reportedly worth more than $9 million per season.
“I am grateful for the support of the Board of Trustees, led by John Veihmeyer, President Fr. Bob Dowd, C.S.C., and Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua,” Freeman said in a statement. “The investment they continue to pour into our program is invaluable to our student-athletes and staff. This commitment goes well beyond myself, as they are dedicated to ensuring all aspects of our program are competitive within the upper echelon of college football.”
Boston Celtics star Derrick White provided a cautionary tale about never skipping a dentist appointment.
In the second quarter of the Celtics game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, March 6, White, 30, took an elbow to the face from the 76ers’ Kelly Oubre. White immediately grabbed his mouth and hurriedly scooped up some debris from the court.
The debris, as it turned out, was White’s own teeth.
“It’s not a pretty sight,” White told reporters after the game. “Thankfully I covered my mouth right away.”
The Celtics star explained that the four teeth on his top row are connected with a “bridge, I think it is what the dentist people call it.”
After grabbing the teeth, White had a decision to make.
“Luckily they were right there,” he said. “I picked them up, we went to the back and I was trying to debate how I was going to go back. I got some glue and I put the mouthpiece on and we were good to go.”
White added, “After the glue and the mouthpiece, I figured, ‘What’s the worst that could happen as long as I didn’t take the mouthpiece out?’ Just get back out there and keep the mouthpiece in. That’s kinda how I thought about it.”
The bridge, White explained, was a “temporary” solution for some dental work that he had been kicking down the road.
“I was supposed to go in probably like two weeks ago,” White said. “But I kept pushing it off to get my permanent ones.”
White joked, “I’m gonna go tomorrow.”
When asked whether he might now wear a mouthpiece full-time, White said he would “consider” it but called it “unlikely.”
White played a total of 24 minutes on Thursday night, with 12 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds.
After the game, White’s teammates didn’t exactly have sympathy for his dental drama.
“It’s tough, he’s got a target on his head I think,” Celtics center Luke Kornet told NBC Sports Boston during an on-court interview. “I didn’t see it. I didn’t realize that was happening, but then I saw him back and he had some sort of mouthguard or something in. He was apparently supposed to go to the dentist two weeks ago and missed that appointment.”
Kornet, 29, then looked straight into the camera and said, “Kids, that’s why you gotta make sure you make those dentist appointments, because you might get elbowed in the face and lose your teeth.”
The Celtics return to action on Saturday, March 8, when they host the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kaitlyn Cleveland found solace in a good ol’ fashioned country breakup ballad after her husband, Baltimore Ravens lineman Ben Cleveland, filed for divorce.
In documents filed by Ben, 26, on Friday, February 28, he listed “adultery” as the reason for the couple’s split. Ben and Kaitlyn, who met during their time at the University of Georgia, got married in July 2022.
Kaitlyn broke her silence about the divorce via her Instagram Story, where she posted lyrics to Kelsea Ballerini’s 2023 song “Interlude (Full Length),” which is about the country singer’s own 2022 divorce from ex-husband Morgan Evans.
“‘Cause people that I loved are just people that I knew once,” the lyrics read, in a post captured by TMZ. “The rumors goin’ ‘round, but the truth is kinda nuanced / I wanna set it straight, but my lawyers said I shouldn’t.”
Kaitlyn made her Instagram private after the divorce filing, which does not specify which member of the couple was allegedly unfaithful.
Ben filed the divorce documents in Baldwin County, Georgia. The pair’s date of separation was listed as on or around December 29, 2024.
Courtesy of Ben Cleveland/Instagram
The filing came just 16 days after Ben was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Milledgeville, Georgia. He was pulled over on February 12 after being observed weaving between lanes and swerving on the road, per an arrest report shared by the NFL.
According to the report, Ben registered a .178 blood alcohol content — more than double the legal limit. He was charged with DUI and failure to maintain lane before being released on bond.
Ben and Kaitlyn got engaged in Las Vegas in February 2020, which the Ravens star revealed in a since-deleted Instagram post.
“If I’m being honest, your first and my last name will just sound better together and probably always will,” Ben wrote alongside a photo carousel in front of the Bellagio Hotel & Casino fountains. “Nobody I’d rather spend my forever with and now we get to try that out.”
In another since-deleted Instagram post from June 2020, Ben said he and Kaitlyn weren’t in any rush to get to the altar.
“Two years and then some until you’re actually my wife,” he wrote alongside photos of the couple from a beach day. “Not sure, we haven’t really started wedding planning yet and we’ve been engaged 6 months so that’s on her. But she’s gonna be my wife so that’s kinda cool.”
Ben and Kaitlyn last appeared on social media together on December 26, 2024, three days before their listed separation date. Kaitlyn shared a carousel of photos via Instagram from the Ravens’ Christmas Day game against the Houston Texans, including pictures of Ben and Kaitlyn on the sidelines together.
James, 40, got in the face of Smith, 57, after the Los Angeles Lakers’ overtime victory over the New York Knicks at L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, March 6, which spread quickly all over social media.
On the Friday, March 7, episode of ESPN’s First Take, Smith explained the confrontation was about LeBron’s son Bronny James.
“That was LeBron James coming up to me, unexpectedly I might add, to confront me about making sure that I mind what I say about his son,” Smith explained. “Can’t repeat the words because they ain’t suited for FCC airwaves. That’s what he was doing.”
Bronny, 20, was drafted by the Lakers in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, a move which Smith has vocally criticized.
“I thought long and hard about this over the last few hours, because I had no intention of talking about this at all,” Smith said. “The reason why is because it was a one-on-one — I wouldn’t say it was a conversation — but it was a one-on-one confrontation. Then I wake up and everybody from ESPN and my agent and everybody else was sending me that this thing had gone viral.”
Smith said talking about the incident became “unavoidable” given the attention it attracted.
“That wasn’t a basketball player confronting me,” Smith continued. “That was a parent. That was a father. I can’t sit here and be angry or feel slighted by LeBron James in any way in that regard. By all accounts, he’s obviously a wonderful family man and father. He cares very, very deeply about his son.”
Smith said LeBron “clearly took exception to some of the things he heard me say.”
In January, Smith was “pleading” with LeBron to stop trying to make his son’s professional basketball dreams happen. “We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad,” Smith said on First Take at the time.
Smith said he would have taken a phone call from LeBron to address his grievances, “but that is not what he elected to do.”
“I have nothing but the best wishes for Bronny James,” Smith said on Friday. “I wish him nothing but the best. I hope that he flourishes into an NBA star.”
Smith explained his issue was really with LeBron himself and the “pressure” he put on Bronny to succeed in his shadow.
“I could be a bit more outspoken about it,” Smith concluded. “But to be quite honest with you, to be in that moment, to have LeBron look at me the way that he did, for me to be a father of two daughters, for me to know how much love fathers have for their children, and for me to hear what he had to say, it was all about his son.”
UPDATE — 3/6/25, 5:35 p.m. ET: A $10 million reward is being offered by the United States Department of State for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Ryan James Wedding, a former Olympian who is accused of operating a murderous cocaine ring.
The reward was offered on Thursday, March 6, the same day Wedding, 43, was added to the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List.
“Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada,” said Akil Davis, the assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office. “The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man, and his addition to the list of 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, coupled with a major reward offer by the State Department, will make the public our partner so that we can catch up with him before he puts anyone else in danger.”
Adam Pretty/Getty Images
Original story:
A former Olympic snowboarder has been charged with operating a deadly cocaine enterprise — and he remains at large.
Ryan James Wedding, 43, who competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, was charged Thursday, October 17 with running a criminal enterprise, murder, conspiring to distribute cocaine and other crimes, U.S. prosecutors said.
Wedding, a Canadian citizen who was living in Mexico and is now considered a fugitive, is accused of running a drug trafficking ring that moved 60 tons of cocaine per year.
According to authorities, Wedding’s group used long-haul semi trucks to move shipments of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and California to Canada and other locations in the United States.
Wedding is one of 16 individuals charged in connection to the operation, with four of them remaining fugitives. A dozen people were arrested in Florida, Michigan, Canada, Colombia and Mexico in connection with the case, according to FBI special agent Krysti Hawkins.
The FBI has issued a $50,000 reward for information that leads to Wedding’s arrest and extradition.
Authorities say Wedding’s group turned deadly in 2023 when members of the crime ring killed two members of a family in Canada in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment. Officials say the murders turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
Andrew Clark, who was arrested October 8 by the FBI, and Wedding are alleged to have directed the murders, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release on Thursday.
The group is also charged with the murder of one individual in May 2024 over a drug debt.
“He chose to become a major drug trafficker, and he chose to become a killer,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada told reporters Thursday.
Martin Estrada.PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
In connection with their investigation, authorities seized cocaine, weapons, ammunition, cash and more than $3 million in cryptocurrency.
Wedding also faces separate drug trafficking charges in Canada dating back to 2015.
“Those charges are very much unresolved,” said Chris Leather, chief superintendent with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
According to federal records viewed by ESPN, Wedding was previously convicted in the U.S. of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to four years in prison in 2010.
After his release, said Estrada, he is believed to have been protected by the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico while resuming his drug trafficking.
Wedding finished 24th in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
