Kelly Stafford, the wife of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, is praying weather conditions calm down as the deadly wildfires in Los Angeles continue to rip through Southern California.
Kelly shared an aerial view of the devastating wildfires that burned through the coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades to her Instagram story Thursday.
In a follow-up post, Kelly shared her shock at the aftermath of the once-picturesque neighborhood devastated by wildfires.
"Watching this over and over because it doesn't seem real," she wrote in the post. "These fires still rage with firefighters working around the clock. praying for slower winds and safety."
Thousands of California residents have been displaced after being evacuated as fierce wildfires fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds tore through Southern California beginning Tuesday. At least five people are dead as the fires continued to burn more than 27,000 acres Thursday.
The NFL is monitoring the situation with the Rams scheduled to host the Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. If the stadium can’t be used, the game will be moved to a different venue.
"The NFL’s priority is the safety of the Los Angeles community," the league’s statement said. "We are grateful for the tireless efforts of the first responders. Our hearts are with Los Angeles and everyone affected by the fires."
State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, will be the backup location for the wild-card game.
Just last month, all signs pointed to Carson Beck leaving Georgia in favor of the NFL, but the quarterback's time in the college football ranks may not be over.
Beck is expected to enter the transfer portal, On3 reported on Thursday. A player of Beck's caliber could draw a considerable amount of interest. If he does ultimately make the switch to another college football program, Beck is projected to be one of the highest-paid transfers in the sport's history.
Beck's latest decision comes less than two weeks after he declared for the 2025 NFL Draft.
He became Georgia's starting quarterback in 2023 and returned to Athens for the 2024 campaign, before suffering a season-ending elbow injury during Georgia's overtime win over Texas in the SEC Championship. Gunner Stockton stepped in for Beck earlier this month during Georgia's 23-10 loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal.
Beck was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school and was widely projected as a first round NFL Draft selection entering the 2024 season.
But he had an uneven season, finishing the campaign with 28 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. While Beck did throw for just under 3,500 yards on the year, he also threw three interceptions in three different games. If Beck does leave Georgia, he will finish his time in a Bulldogs uniform with 7,912 passing yards and 58 touchdowns.
Beck has one year of college eligibility remaining. ESPN, citing sources, reported that the Miami Hurricanes are the early favorite in the potential race to land Beck's services.
Beck's injury would likely prevent him from showcasing his throwing abilities in front of NFL general managers, coaches, scouts and teams' other key decision makers this spring. The expected inability to throw at a predraft workout as soon as March could have factored into Beck's decision to explore his options with other college programs via the portal.
Former college football star Tim Tebow posted an emotional message to his X account on Thursday, sending a prayer and thoughts to those in California who are battling wildfires.
"Like so many of you, I’ve been watching the news lately with a heavy heart. Last week, it was the tragedy in New Orleans. This week, it’s the wildfires in California. Quite honestly, in times like these, I don’t know what else to do but pray," Tebow wrote on X.
"And so, Lord, we humbly ask You to bring rain to California. Protect our first responders and give them strength & courage. Comfort those who have lost loved ones, their homes, or their businesses. Make Your presence known among people who desperately need hope.
"And help us all to remember in times like these, that you are the same God today that you have always been – with us, and for us, always."
The wildfires have affected the sports world, with two games located at Crypto.com Arena this week being postponed. Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick also lost his house after his family evacuated.
The NFL has also issued a contingency plan for Monday night's Vikings-Rams playoff game, which is set to be played in Englewood but could move to Glendale, Ariz.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the last time it rained one-tenth of an inch in the city was back on May 5.
Five deaths have been reported due to the Eaton fire, which also burned down a clubhouse at a local golf course.
President Biden met with California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, while Florida governor Ron DeSantis also offered help.
Newsom deployed the National Guard on Wednesday to help fight the fires as nearly 100 schools in the Los Angeles area were closed.
Former New York Giants punter Sean Landeta wasn't too pleased with one of his former teammates after he revealed what Landeta called a false and "embarrassing" locker room story from their time playing together.
During an interview with a Philadelphia radio station, Landeta was asked about former Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell’s claim that Landeta, who played with the Eagles from 1999-2002, would groom his "under regions in the sauna" in front of other players.
The two-time Super Bowl champion remained calm but was clearly irked by the question.
"Now, my first thing is – you wanna call me during primetime radio in Philadelphia and talk to me about something like that? Are you kidding me," he said in response to 94 WIP host Spike Eskin.
"I like Freddie. Good teammate and all. But what he said was absolutely false. I totally deny being in the sauna with Jon Ritchie. That never happened.
"I’m disappointed in Mr. Mitchell. I’m going to have to speak to him about that."
But Landeta, who won both championships with the Giants, turned his attention back to the radio hosts.
"You call it having fun, but it's one guy embarrassing another guy talking about stuff. Believe me, I understand how that works. Very disappointed that he would say that, especially when it's not true."
Landeta went one step further to say the question was an attempt at a ratings grab.
"I would think with the Eagles having a playoff game coming up they wouldn’t be talking about guys in saunas," Landeta said.
Landeta spent the majority of his more than two-decade career in the NFL playing for the Giants. He also spent time with the Eagles, Rams and Buccaneers.
Comedian Shane Gillis revealed a heated conversation he had with legendary college football coach Nick Saban after the former suggested the latter’s Alabama Crimson Tide had cheated while he was there, on ESPN’s "College GameDay."
Gillis spoke on the "Talk of the Town" podcast, where he broke down what led to the situation where the comedian said Saban "spazzed on me."
First, Gillis told Saban’s "College GameDay" colleagues Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit that he thought Alabama had dominated college football because they had been paying players before it was legal to do so through NIL deals.
"After I said that, we had to go into the stadium to sit at the desk, and I got in there, and he [Saban] was like, ‘I heard what you said,’" Gillis said. "And I was like, ‘Holy s–t,’ and then McAfee and Herbstreit were like, ‘He’s just breaking your b---s, dude.’
"’He loves messing with guys. Like he’s literally just f---ing with you,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, alright. I’ll f--- with him back.'"
Gillis’ antics weren’t received well by Saban, as the comedian doubled down during his Dec. 20 appearance at the Notre Dame-Indiana College Football Playoff game.
"I was just joking around. I don’t think the SEC paid players ever," Gillis said on the broadcast. Is this not a fun show? Is this a serious show? Alabama Jones is looking very serious."
"Alabama Jones" referred to Saban, who was wearing a hat that resembled the one worn by Indiana Jones.
Saban had a retort to Gillis, and he was certainly being serious.
"I do believe in integrity. I always tried to run the program that way so players had a better chance to be successful in life," Saban said. "We make more money in the NFL than any other school, 61 players in the league. That was how we cheated. We developed players."
After the cameras were off, Gillis said that Saban was actually upset after McAfee and Herbstreit said to go talk to him.
"So, I went up to him after, he was like, ‘You think the SEC dominated cause we cheated? That’s bulls---.’ He spazzed on me," Gillis said.
Saban is well known for his six national titles during his time in Tuscaloosa, as the Crimson Tide became a college football powerhouse. He also led the LSU Tigers to the BCS National Champions Game after the 2003 regular season.
Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute where he choked and hit his ex-girlfriend, according to a police incident report.
Major League Soccer apologized on Thursday for posting an erroneous story on its website with the wrong name of a player that was purportedly being transferred to one of its clubs.
Second-half goals by Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo helped Real Madrid to a 3-0 win over Mallorca in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals on Thursday and set up a final showdown with Barcelona.
David Moyes is on the verge of sealing a return to Everton after talks with the club's new owners, who fired manager Sean Dyche on Thursday, sources have told ESPN.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened his account for 2025 at the first attempt on Thursday, marking the 24th year in a row that he has scored in professional football.
Former Houston Dynamo FC designated player and recent Toluca signing Héctor Herrera must fulfill a three-game ban he received at the end of the last MLS season for spitting at the ref in the Dynamo's playoff game against the Seattle Sounders.
The wife of former Mexico international Carlos Vela has stated that the player and family are safe after their Malibu home burned down in the devastating Palisades Fire in Southern California.
The former MLB reporter mourned the stunning death of her friend and former Orioles pitcher on Wednesday with a series of emotional messages on social media.
Witnesses at a state legislative hearing in Boise, Idaho, on Thursday gave accounts of the "horror" that some college women's volleyball players experienced during the 2024 season amid a national controversy involving a trans athlete.
The testimonies came during a hearing to discuss passing the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, which has been proposed by Idaho state representative Barbara Erhardt.
San Jose State University, whose volleyball team rostered player Blaire Fleiming, and the Mountain West Conference is facing a lawsuit from multiple women's volleyball players alleging the school withheld the fact that Fleming is a biological male from players. The lawsuit also alleged Fleming was given a roster spot and scholarship over female players who claim to have been emotionally and financially impacted by the experience.
Fleming led the Spartans all the way to the Mountain West Championship game amid the lawsuit. However, eight of San Jose State's matches were forfeited by opponents in the wake of the controversy, including a conference tournament semifinal match against Boise State.
Boise State forfeited three total matches against SJSU in 2024, and were praised by Erhardt and other speakers at the hearing for the decision.
One parent of a player in the conference gave her account of the situation on Thursday. She also condemned all the schools who did not forfeit to SJSU.
"I am an Idaho mom who experienced it first hand with a daughter who played in the Mountain West conference," said a woman named April Cheney.
"NCAA president Charlie Baker, Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez and all the Mountain West college presidents and athletic directors who did not boycott, you failed to protect women's sports. NCAA and Mountain West conference, I blame you for the season that took way a year of eligibility, forced forfeits to record as losses, and a conference championship that was a complete shame!"
Former NCAA swimmer and prominent conservative influencer Riley Gaines, who regularly organizes with other women's athletes who have been impacted by trans inclusion and is leading a lawsuit against the NCAA over the issue, revealed her account of what the players went through, based on discussions with them.
"They were emotionally blackmailed into believing they were the problem," Gaines said of the players, adding that Boise State was the only university that showed administrative support to players who wished to forfeit.
"The overwhelming majority of them did not want this brought upon them. No one asked for this, this is not a situation they wanted to be in," Gaines added. "These girls were terrified, they were terrified to stand tall, they were terrified to stand up for themselves, they were terrified of the things that would potentially come if they merely said ‘Men and women are different.’"
Marshi Smith, the co-founder of the legal advocacy group the Independent Council on Women's Sports, gave a testimony where she claimed that the female athletes who joined the lawsuit felt threatened by retaliation from their university if they spoke out against trans inclusion.
"What will they do to us for speaking up?" the players often asked, according to Smith.
Smith elaborated on these players' questions in a follow-up statement to Fox News Digital.
"They’re often terrified of losing scholarships or being kicked off their teams. At San Jose State, administrators exploited these fears by telling them to stay quiet because it’s Blaire Fleming’s story to tell, not their own," Smith said.
San Jose State has provided a statement to Fox News Digital in response to the statements at Thursday's hearing.
"All San Jose State University student-athletes are eligible to participate in their sports under NCAA and Mountain West Conference rules," the statement read.
Smith also alleges that volleyball players at the University of Nevada, Reno, were threatened with legal action if they refused to compete against San Jose State in a match that was scheduled for October, but was never played.
"At UNR, school administrators warned athletes they could face legal action if they refused to compete against SJSU’s team, which included a male starter," Smith said.
Nevada has not responded to Smith's allegations upon request for comment. The university has previously provided a statement saying the athletes were free to not play the game without discipline and that it was continuing with the match in order to adhere to state law that aims to prevent discrimination against transgenders.
After the players pleaded with their university to forfeit to SJSU weeks prior to the match, the university declined the request and put out a statement insisting it would play the match. But hen the players went public with their grievances over the situation, sparking weeks of controversy. Eventually, Nevada had to cancel the match on Oct. 25, just one day before it was scheduled to be played, because it didn't have enough players willing to play.
However, even with forfeits by Nevada, Boise State, Utah State, Southern Utah and Wyoming this season, dozens of other players were still forced to play against Fleming, some without even knowing of the nature of the player's birth sex.
Their first opponent of the season, Louisiana Tech, took the court against Fleming without knowing about the biological gender of the player.
Louisiana Tech head volleyball coach Amber McCray confirmed to Fox News Digital that her team did not know about the situation involving Fleming's natural birth sex, and they did not find out until the day after the match via rumors from parents.
LA Tech athletic director Ryan Ivey suggested that if they had known Fleming's natural birth sex, the team "would have sought "a different outcome," in emails obtained by Fox News Digital.
Then there are Fleming's own teammates, including former SJSU co-captain Brooke Slusser, who is leading the lawsuit against the Mountain West, and has also signed on to Gaines' lawsuit against the NCAA, citing her experience with Fleming.
Slusser has told Fox News Digital that the experience has been "traumatic."
"This season has been so traumatizing that I don't even have a proudest moment," Slusser said.
In Slusser's ongoing lawsuit against SJSU and the Mountain West, her plaintiff list also includes players Alyssa Sugai, Elle Patterson, Sia Liilii, Nicanora Clarke, Kaylie Ray, Macey Boggs, Sierra Grizzle, Jordan Sandy, Katelyn Van Kirk, Kiersten Van Kirk and former SJSU assistant volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose.
SJSU has also recently acknowledged a recent mass exodus of volleyball players who entered the transfer portal, as nearly every remaining player who is still eligible is now looking to leave the program.
"Student athletes have the ability to make decisions about their college athletic careers, and we have the utmost respect for that," a statement read.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is reportedly among the thousands who lost homes to the raging Los Angeles wildfires.
Redick’s situation was revealed after news broke that the Lakers were postponing their game Thursday night against the Charlotte Hornets, ESPN reported.
Redick said Tuesday his family members evacuated the area.
"I just want to acknowledge and send thoughts and prayers to everyone in the Palisades right now," Redick said Tuesday, according to Sports Illustrated. "It’s where I live. My family and my wife’s family, my wife’s twin sister, they’ve evacuated.
"I know that a lot of people are freaking out right now, including my family. From the sound of things, with the winds coming tonight, I know a lot of people are scared."
The Lakers released a statement on the postponement of the Hornets game Thursday, saying their focus is on "what matters most today."
"We’re heartbroken for Los Angeles," the Lakers said in a statement Thursday night. "Our thoughts are with all those impacted by this unimaginable situation. And our gratitude is with the first responders and all of you who come together when we need each other the most."
It remains to be seen what the Lakers do about their game Saturday night against the San Antonio Spurs, who are also scheduled to play in Los Angeles Monday night.
The purple and gold are not the only Los Angeles professional sports team affected by the fires.
The Los Angeles Rams may play their wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, if the fires continue to affect the Inglewood area, where their home, SoFi Stadium, is located.
The Los Angeles Chargers, though not playing at SoFi Stadium for their NFL playoff game, limited players’ time outside during Wednesday’s practice due to poor air quality. They play the Houston Texans Saturday afternoon to kick off Wild Card Weekend.
The Chargers released a statement Wednesday night, pledging $200,000 in targeted funding to wildfire relief efforts in the area.
LA County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone announced Thursday the Eaton Fire, which claimed at least five lives, has been "significantly stopped."
LA City Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley told reporters the Palisades Fire, which remains 0% contained, is "one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles."
