Drake Maye pulled off the biggest play of his life. The Patriots quarterback proposed to his longtime girlfriend Ann Michael Hudson, announcing the pair was engaged in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
After knocking out the top-seeded Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinals, the Buckeyes defeated the Texas Longhorns in the semifinal to advance to Monday's championship game. But one member of the Buckeyes, who rose to prominence largely due to his social media presence, will not make the trip to Atlanta for the national title game.
Caden Davis, a former walk-on, has been dismissed from the team, Ohio State Sports Information Director Jerry Emig confirmed to The Lantern.
The sophomore defensive end never recorded a tackle during his brief stint as an Ohio State student-athlete. Davis has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers across popular social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
University officials did not immediately provide details on what led to Davis' dismissal.
At times, Davis' online content would provide followers with behind-the-scenes content of the Ohio State football team and athletic facilities. He would also document his life as a student on the Columbus, Ohio, campus.
As of Wednesday, at least one of Davis' social media bios read, "Ohio State football #61," while other accounts feature references to the football program.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Davis suggested he was traveling to the Dallas area with the Buckeyes for the semifinal matchup with Texas in the Cotton Bowl. It was later determined that the photos Davis shared were from last season's Cotton Bowl game. Missouri defeated Ohio State in that game.
Ohio State last hoisted the national championship trophy in 2014, which was the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship.
Notre Dame punched its ticket to the national title game by defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the quarterfinals before eliminating Penn State in the semifinal. The championship game kicks off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The biggest takeaway from Unrivaled’s preseason has been about the luxury offerings for participants. And several players said the league’s setup is going to “put pressure” on the WNBA.
Philadelphia Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell addressed his behavior at the team's playoff game against the Packers Sunday, when he was seen on video berating a Packers fan who sat near him with vulgar insults.
Caldwell was fired from his job as a project manager at BCT Partners after a video of his insults went viral. He has apologized but also defended himself by insisting his actions "were not without provocation" and that the viral video "does not show the full context" of what happened.
"While attending an NFL game last Sunday to support my beloved Philadelphia Eagles, an incident occurred that I deeply regret," Caldwell said in a statement to the New York Post.
"What began as banter with two Packers fans sitting near me escalated to something more serious, and I said things that were unacceptable. In the heat of the moment, I chose unforgiving words to address one of the fans, Ms. Ally Keller.
"I want to sincerely apologize to Ms. Keller for those words, and to my wife, family, and friends, my former employer and colleagues, Packer fans, Eagle fans, the Philadelphia Eagles, the City of Philadelphia, and all who were offended. That said, there are two sides to every story.
"The video clip circulating online does not reflect the full context of what transpired, and my actions were not without provocation. I will live with this experience, and I am certainly paying a personal price. For those who don’t know me, this incident does not reflect my values or the respect I have for others and is not indicative of the person I am."
The viral video was filmed by Keller’s fiancé, Alexander Basara, and spread rapidly across the internet in the days after the Eagles' 22-10 win.
Caldwell's apology and news of his firing prompted a wave of celebration and mockery by sports fans on social media.
"Ok, that excuse may be ok from a random, drunk dude who wandered into the stadium that day. But someone whose job it was to be inclusive? Hahahahahaha They are now on the job search, and they are gonna have a hard to getting said employment," the user wrote.
Another X user "loved" seeing the consequences that have befallen Caldwell in recent days.
"I absolutely love how Ryan Caldwell, the Philly Eagles fan who abused a woman for no reason, has had his life ‘flipped upside down,’" the user wrote. "Hope it gets worse for you, Ryan."
Another X user described the public response to Caldwell's verbal attack as "social media justice."
"Philadelphia Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell has been FIRED from his job at BCT Partners due to the altercation he had with a Packers fan at last week’s game, which has been playing all over the internet. This isn’t social justice, it’s SOCIAL MEDIA JUSTICE," the user wrote.
One X user wrote that Caldwell's behavior is not an isolated incident, and similar language comes from the mouths of Eagles fans often.
"And Eagles fans wonder why everyone hates them and their team. This is not an isolated incident for someone showing up there to support an opposing team. Stuff like this happens all the time there," the user wrote.
Conservative filmmaker Matt Walsh even weighed in on the controversy.
"A few things here. 1) The Eagles fan is a stupid trashy goon. 2) Don’t bring your fiance to a game in Philadelphia wearing the opposing team’s jersey. You’re asking for something like this to happen. 3) You can’t let a man talk to your woman like that. You’re going to have to live with that shame for the rest of your life," Walsh wrote on X.
Eagles fans have a long history of unruly behavior.
The franchise's former home, Veterans Stadium, had an on-site judicial court and jail cells to deal with law-breaking fans.
During a loss against the San Francisco 49ers in November 1997, one fan infamously shot a flare gun into the crowd. Multiple fights broke out among fans at the game, and team owner Jeffrie Lurie addressed the incident.
"In spite of the fact that we feel we have made significant strides in recent years with regard to fan conduct at Veterans Stadium, what we witnessed this past Monday was undoubtedly a step backward," Lurie told reporters at the time.
The Eagles host the Los Angeles Rams Sunday for the right to advance to the NFC championship game.
What’s worse for the Islanders right now — their lack of power play production or their lack of power play opportunities? Both are on a historically bad pace.
It’s only halfway through his first college season, but already Cole Eiserman looks on his way to being the player the Islanders envisioned upon drafting him 20th overall last summer.
LeBron James celebrated his 40th birthday this past December, while six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan turns 62 next month.
Jordan appeared in 82 games with the Washington Wizards during the 2002-03 season, which turned out to be his final year in the NBA. Meanwhile, James was the top overall selection in the 2003 NBA Draft.
Although the basketball icons did not have the opportunity to go head-to-head during an NBA game, James recently reflected on a time he played a pick-up game with Jordan.
James told brothers Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce that he was a 16-year-old high school basketball star when he met Jordan in Chicago for the pick-up game.
"I was on the court with Michael Jordan, Antoine Walker, Penny Hardaway, Ron Artest, Michael Finley, all these guys," James said during a recent appearance on the Kelce brothers; "New Heights" podcast.
Travis, who is preparing to compete against the Houston Texans in the divisional round this weekend, eventually asked James who was responsible for guarding him during the game.
"Nobody. I was unguardable," James confidently responded.
James admitted that he initially experienced some nerves when he realized he had the opportunity to go up against an NBA great.
"When I finally got out there, I was like, 'I'm busting a--.' I was nervous. I was nervous as hell, being out there with MJ and the rest of those guys. But I was like, 'Oh, I'm about to go crazy.' And I did. I did," James added.
Metta Sandiford-Artest, also known at Ron Artest and Metta World Peace, last appeared in an NBA game in 2017, but he was 20 during the time the aforementioned pick-game took place. He recalled the moment during a May 2024 appearance on Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George's "Podcast P with Paul George."
"Everybody knew who he was. He was already famous. He was bigger than all of us in the gym," Artest said. "So he's coming into the gym, and I'm like, 'All right, cool, I wanna see what he's got.
"And he's cooking. He is 15, or 16. Posting, getting to the basket. And I'm like, ‘This is going to be a huge issue.’"
Artest added that the situation left him motivated.
"He actually motivated me. When I saw that, it motivated me. I'm like, 'I gotta go to work.' He's coming in the league cooking. I was not like that at 15."
James is a four-time NBA champion, a four-time league MVP, and a 20-time NBA All-Star. In his 22nd season in the league, he remains one of the best players in the NBA and is averaging 23.7 points per game this season.
The Lakers were idle on Wednesday night and return to action on Thursday night when they host the Miami Heat.
