A professional tennis player received a frightening message from a sports bettor who threatened to go after him if he didn’t win a recent match at the Thionville Open event on the ATP Challenger Tour. 

Arthur Bouquier of France, the No. 219-ranked men’s player in the world, posted the message on his Instagram, which was originally in French. 

After Tennis World translated the message, it revealed a deranged diatribe of how the bettor needed Bouquier to win a match against lower-ranked Florian Broska of France. If Bouquier failed to do so, the bettor said, "I will come after you."

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"French tennis is so mediocre right now that French players stick to playing at home to avoid embarrassment abroad," the message said. "Let me remind you that you don’t achieve much when you leave France – it shows the limits of your tennis game. 

"Anyway, today you’re playing against Florian Broska, ranked 522, who never wins in the first round. I just hope you make the effort to beat him in 2 sets because I have bet 2000 euros on you to win in 2 sets."

The thought of losing the hefty bet prompted the bettor to threaten Bouquier.

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"I swear, if you lose, I will never forgive you," the message continued with a laughing emoji. "I will track you and your family down just to hurt you, even if it means going to prison. Might as well, because if I lose these 2000 euros, I’ll be on the streets, so my life won’t make sense anymore – I might as well spend my days in prison."

To make matters worse, the bettor claimed to be at the court where Bouquier was scheduled to play his match against Broska.

"I swear on my mother’s life that I will come for you. Right now, I am at the court in Thionville, where you’re playing exactly at 15:20.

"Be careful, and these are not empty threats. Good luck."

Bouquier tagged the ATP Tour, International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Thionville tournament in his post to make them aware of the threats. 

Bouquier won his match in two sets, 6-3, 6-4, to advance to the second round of the tournament, and there was no incident at Thionville.

Sports betting has prompted bettors to reach out to athletes via direct message on social media platforms and other methods to deliver threats.

Fellow French tennis star Caroline Garcia shared messages she was getting at the 2024 U.S. Open, saying "there’s hundreds" she’d gotten before the tournament. 

"This are some of the messages I received lately after loosing some matches. Just a few of them. There’s hundreds," Garcia wrote on her social media platforms at the time, while sharing some messages in her X post she’d been getting. "And now, being 30 years old, although they still hurt, because at the end of the day, I’m just a normal girl working really hard and trying my best, I have tools and have done work to protect myself from this hate. But still, this is not ok. 

"Social media platforms don’t prevent it, despite AI being in a very advanced position. Tournaments and the sport keep partnering with betting companies, which keep attracting new people to unhealthy betting. The days of cigarette brands sponsoring sports are long gone. Yet, here we are promoting betting companies, which actively destroy the life of some people.

"Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying they should be banned as people are free to do whatever they want with their money. But maybe we should not promote them. Also, if someone decided to say this things to me in public, he could have legal issues. So why online we are free to do anything? Shouldn’t we reconsider anonymity online?"

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With the Raiders in the market for a quarterback, defensive end Maxx Crosby lobbied for veteran Aaron Rodgers to play in Las Vegas this upcoming season after splitting with the Jets.

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Andy Cohen, the talk show host best known as the face of Bravo TV's "Watch What Happens Live," got into a social media debate over trans inclusion in women's sports with Meghan McCain and former volleyball player Payton McNabb, who suffered brain damage when she was injured by a transgender opponent years ago. 

Cohen started the debate when he responded a McCain post. She praised the 19-year-old McNabb as "incredibly smart, strong and brave," as Cohen suggested the teen was "villifying" transgender people. 

"Surprised you’re buying into the vilification of the trans community given the real problems happening in this country, your previous ally-ship of the lgbtq community, and the fact that this non issue affects about four people in this country," Cohen wrote in a post. 

McNabb then responded to Cohen's attack on McCain, calling his comments "factually wrong." 

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"Andy, calling the protection of women’s sports a ‘non-issue’ that affects ‘four people’ is not just dismissive—it’s factually wrong. Hundreds of female athletes have lost podium spots, scholarships, and opportunities. My own injury was life-changing. And even if it were just one girl, that’s one too many. This is about fairness and safety, not ‘vilification,'" McNabb wrote. 

Cohen then responded to McNabb, admitting that his original response was based on just one piece of data that was provided by NCAA president Charlie Baker in December. 

"The NCAA President testified under oath that of over 500,000 student athletes, he is aware of fewer than 10 trans members. that’s where I got my information," Cohen wrote, referencing Baker's statistic that was provided at a congressional hearing on Dec. 17. 

Cohen did not account for the athletes impacted at the high school level, or in other levels of competition. Cohen has not responded since that last post at the time of publication. 

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His exchange with McCain and McNabb quickly went viral on Tuesday evening, as many lined up to harshly criticize the Bravo personality for his criticisms on a post that was meant to celebrate the 19-year-old. 

McCain responded, inviting Cohen for a more in-depth conversation on the issue while giving the host more clarity about McNabb's situation. 

"Surprised you’re okay with violence against female athletes. Peyton suffered serious brain damage - just one story. You have my cell, always happy to talk privately or publicly on either of our shows because these conversations are reductive to hash out on social media," McCain wrote. 

McNabb suffered significant and long-term physical and mental injuries in 2022 when she was spiked in the face by a transgender athlete who was able to compete on a girls’ team because of a policy put in place by North Carolina's high school athletic association. 

McNabb was then unable to compete in her final volleyball season, and claimed her performance in softball was significantly hampered by her injuries. 

McNabb will attend President Donald Trump's joint address on Tuesday night, just one day after Senate Democrats blocked a bill that would have prohibited trans athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports nationwide. 

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The Minnesota Vikings are opting against using their franchise tag on quarterback Sam Darnold, ESPN reported. NFL teams had until Tuesday to decide on placing a franchise tag on players. 

Darnold will now be eligible to explore the free agent market when it opens March 12, the official start of the NFL's new league year. The move does not guarantee Darnold's departure because the Vikings have signaled an interest in potentially working toward an agreement on a long-term contract, according to reports.

There are several teams who will likely seek to add an experienced quarterback to their rosters during the free agency period, given that this year's quarterback draft market is widely considered thinner than the 2024 class.

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The franchise tag is a lever a team can use each offseason to keep a key player on an expiring contract from leaving while buying time for further evaluation of a long-term deal. But that one-year arrangement comes at a steep fixed price based on the top salaries at a player's position. 

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For Darnold, that would’ve been between $35 million and $41 million for 2025, depending on the type of tag.

Darnold led Minnesota to an impressive 14-3 record last season, but the Vikings' brass is eyeing several spots on its roster for upgrades. The team's front office used a first-round pick on quarterback J.J. McCarthy in last year's NFL Draft.

Darnold delivered a strong performance in his first season in Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell's offense.

The Vikings have been busy weighing whether it's worth banking on continued progression by Darnold in a second season under O'Connell while McCarthy gets another to watch and learn after spending his rookie year on injured reserve while recovering from a torn meniscus in his right knee.

Although Darnold had a breakout regular season, his performance in the playoffs raised concerns. The Los Angeles Rams cruised to a 27-9 win in their postseason matchup with the Vikings. Darnold was sacked nine times and threw an interception in the game.

The Vikings would be in line for a compensatory draft pick in 2026 if Darnold were to sign elsewhere this year.

"I’ve had great dialogue with Sam from the time this season ended up until very recently, and I think my relationship with Sam has grown to a point where the respect level is sky-high," O’Connell said last week at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. "Sam is in a position where the NFL thinks he can play quarterback at a high level, so that’s a really good thing. And I feel very proud to be a part of helping him get to this point. We’ll see kind of where it goes from here."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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But the Giants’ chief concern — after an eight-season run with the worst record in the NFL — needs to be singular: Can this quarterback win a lot of games?

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Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order Tuesday to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women's college sports. He was joined by former San Jose State University volleyball player Elle Patterson, who claims she lost out on a scholarship to a trans athlete. 

Braun said his order ensures fairness in women’s sports in a news release.

"Women’s sports create opportunities for young women to earn scholarships and develop leadership skills," Braun said. "Hoosiers overwhelmingly don’t want those opportunities destroyed by allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports, and today’s executive order will make sure of that."

The order states, "This executive order mandates that Indiana’s state educational institutions must comply with the 2020 Title IX Rule rather than the 2024 Biden Administration reinterpretation that extended protections based on self-reported, ever-changing new idea of ‘gender identity.’

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"The order ensures that female athletes in college sports are not forced to compete against biological males, preserving the integrity of women’s athletics and protecting opportunities for women in female-only sports leagues."

Braun then signed another executive order that "rejects extreme gender ideology in favor of the scientific reality of biological sex" by reinforcing Indiana’s legal definitions for "sex," "gender," "women," "male," "citizen," "individual" and "person."

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"Today’s executive order will end any confusion about our state’s policy on this issue so we can focus on my goal to secure freedom and opportunity for all Hoosiers," Braun said after signing the second order. 

Braun honored Patterson during the signing. Patterson joined a lawsuit against SJSU and the Mountain West Conference in November with 10 other conference players and one former assistant coach over its handling of transgender player Blaire Fleming. 

Patterson alleges the university did not fulfill previous verbal offers of a scholarship to her for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Patterson says she even paid full tuition to play in 2023 after being told she would get a scholarship for 2024. However, the program did not make good on that offer either, she alleges, while Fleming got a full scholarship.

"Ultimately, Patterson informed Associate Head Coach Batie-Smoose and Head Coach Todd Kress that she was financially unable to pay for full out-of-state tuition, room and board at SJSU again in 2024 and therefore would be unable to return to the SJSU Team without a scholarship," the documents state. 

"Nevertheless, Todd Kress remained firm in his position that Patterson would not receive a scholarship to play on the SJSU Team in 2024, and that Fleming would receive a full scholarship to play on the SJSU Team."

Braun expressed sympathy for Patterson during his address Tuesday. 

"It's just wrong, and leaders need to stand up for young women like Elle," Braun said. "We need to protect their physical safety and the great opportunities that come with that athletic excellence." 

The order comes just one day after the U.S. Senate failed to pass the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Despite getting 51 votes by the Republican majority, Democrats filibustered the bill with 45 votes against it. 

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women's sports Feb. 5. However, some Democrat-led states have so far refused to comply with the order. 

Braun has taken steps to ensure that does not happen in his state, joining Idaho Gov. Brad Little, who signed a similar executive order in August. 

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Star New Jersey high school wrestler Anthony Knox has been charged with simple assault-purposely/knowingly causing bodily injury after allegedly participating in a brawl in the bleachers at a tournament last month, per the New York Post.

Knox and his father, Anthony Knox Sr., were detained after the brawl at Collingswood High School dissipated. Knox Jr. had already won his match for St. John Vianney High School, which checked another key box on his way to an expected fourth straight New Jersey title in his weight class. 

Court documents obtained by The Post and videos on social media reveal a person alleged to be Knox Jr. sprinting up the bleachers to join the brawl at the high school.

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"The defendant did enter the opposing team’s designated section of the gymnasium bleachers during the District 25 wrestling tournament, where he proceeded to punch [redacted] about the face and head repeatedly, which result in bruising and pain to the right temple area," the complaint document read. 

Knox Jr. was disqualified by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) from participation in the tournament until Mercer County Superior Court Judge Patrick Bartels granted him a temporary restraining order from his ban, allowing him to compete in the Region 7 tournament. 

Knox Jr. won his match and will compete for his fourth straight state title this weekend.

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Knox Jr. issued a statement explaining why he joined the brawl, in which he said his father approached the opposing team to address alleged insults. 

"During the finals matches, the atmosphere of the crowd became increasingly hostile toward me and my teammates because of our success," Knox Jr.’s statement read, which Bartels asked of him. "Insults were hurled at us. Apparently, my father approached the people hurling the insults and asked them to stop. 

"In response, I saw these people lunge forward assaulting my father and he was pulled down and completely surrounded by unruly people. My immediate reaction was to run close to the section to aid in the protection and safety of my father and mother, who was with me. I dispute the NJSIAA’s adopted version of the facts."

The Knox family also participated in an interview with ABC7, where Knox Sr. said "racial slurs" were being said toward kids on the mats below. 

"[I] saw a bunch of grown men yelling racial slurs at kids that I’ve been training since they were 6 years old, cursing at my son, cursing at my wife," said Knox Sr., a former MMA fighter. 

"As a man, I walked over, walked up into the stands and asked the guy to stop. At that point, I was assaulted. Never threw a punch. Never hurt anybody. Never ran up there like a bat out of hell just throwing punches at people. None of that happened. I got pushed down the bleachers. I could have gotten seriously injured. Then I got surrounded by about 10 other families."

The NJSIAA’s initial response, after reviewing the video evidence online, was to disqualify Knox Jr., the top-ranked wrestler in the 126-pound weight class in the country, from the state tournament. Then, after Bartels’ decision on the matter, the governing body said it would appeal the court’s decision, which they "strongly disagree" with.

Knox Jr. is a Cornell commit who had a "tough conversation" with his future head coach, Mike Grey, about the situation that unfolded at Collingswood High School. Grey told NJ.com that Knox Jr.’s status with the university hasn’t been affected by the incident, and he plans to have him on his roster whenever he enrolls. 

Knox Jr. defeated Lacey High School’s Aidan Flynn to win the Region 7 title in the 126-pound weight class, setting himself up for one more match that would make him the fifth wrestler in the state to ever win four straight New Jersey titles.

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George Mason scored an NCAA Division I-record 23 runs in an inning during a 26-6 victory against Holy Cross, breaking a mark that was first accomplished in 1983.

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