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."
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, who declared for the NFL draft last month, now plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.
Other reports since indicate that the illness has subsided in recent days, but players are not out of the woods yet.
The Fighting Irish are riding high headed into Thursday's Orange Bowl after taking down the second-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the quarterfinal last week.
Notre Dame earned the seventh seed in the bracket, which got them to host a home game against No. 10 Indiana. That was a rather easy victory, but Thursday may just be their toughest test yet.
Penn State held Boise State star running back Ashton Jeanty to just 104 rushing yards last week, his lowest of the season. That is not necessarily great news for the Irish, considering Riley Leonard had just 90 yards passing against the Bulldogs.
The Nittany Lions are the sixth seed in the bracket.
The Fighting Irish's season seemed to be dead in the water after losing at home to Northern Illinois in the second week of the season, but they have since rattled off a dozen consecutive wins to find themselves just one victory away from their second national title game in the last 15 years.
However, if they can get by what seemed to be a program-altering loss at the time, a bug seems to be just a minor speed bump.
This is the third time the Fighting Irish are in the playoffs, having lost in the semifinals in both 2018 and 2020.
