An NHL game between the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames set to take place at the Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night because of the wildfires ravaging Southern California.
Both teams compete in the NHL’s Pacific Division. The game was set for 7:30 p.n. PT. The two teams will play again in Calgary on Saturday. Los Angeles’ next game is on Friday as the Kings hit the road to take on the Winnipeg Jets.
Saturday’s matchup would have been the final game between the two teams of the 2024-25 season.
"In light of the devastating effects of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, tonight’s game between the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames at Crypto.com Arena, NHL Game No. 653, has been postponed," the league said.
"The thoughts of the entire NHL family are with the Kings, hockey fans and the people of the Los Angeles area during this difficult time."
Several wildfires have burned across Southern California since Tuesday afternoon as high winds blew through the region. Multiple people have died with more than 1,000 structures destroyed.
On Wednesday, aircraft were able to resume dropping water on the wildfires after being grounded by the winds. As many as five fires plagued the area by Wednesday morning.
The first started near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of Los Angeles. The second occurred in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. The third, which began around 10:30 p.m. PT, occurred in the San Fernando Valley.
Two more occurred Wednesday morning.
The NFL said it was monitoring the wildfires in case it has to take action for the playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings, which is set to take place Monday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
Bill Belichick may have agreed to become the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels but the interest in him from other NFL teams is reportedly still alive and well.
One team of note is the Las Vegas Raiders, the NFL Network reported Wednesday.
Tom Brady, a new minority owner of the Raiders, "recently" spoke with Belichick about what it would take for his old coach to abruptly leave Chapel Hill for the desert, according to the report. The report noted that Belichick has a $10 million buyout option in his contract if he leaves before June 1, 2025.
The NFL Network signaled that the Jacksonville Jaguars could also be an "intriguing" option as well.
Brady and Belichick have a long history of winning together. The two led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles from 2000 to 2019. They had a stranglehold on the NFL for two separate dynastic eras. Brady parted ways with the Patriots before the 2020 season and won another title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Belichick was with New England through the 2023 season before he and the Patriots agreed to mutually part ways. He interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons job but didn’t get it. He then became an analyst for a season before he surprisingly took the North Carolina job.
He’s 302-165 as a head coach between the Patriots and Cleveland Browns.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones might not be set on Mike McCarthy’s future in Dallas, but he’s sure the veteran coach won’t end up in Chicago.
Sources told ESPN Tuesday the Cowboys denied the Bears permission to interview McCarthy for their head coaching vacancy. The news comes as McCarthy’s contract with the Cowboys is due to expire next week.
The Cowboys closed out their season with a loss to the Washington Commanders Sunday. After the game, Jones praised McCarthy but stopped short of confirming McCarthy would return next season.
"Mike’s one of the best coaches that I think there is. He was made to coach here. He’s done absolutely nothing to diminish my opinion of him as a coach," Jones said, adding he hasn’t decided on an extension.
"That’s what the next few days and weeks are about now."
McCarthy has expressed his desire to return, saying that, despite a 7-10 record this season, he has "a lot of confidence in myself as a head coach."
"All those things go into these decisions of whether you originally get the job or continuing to move forward. So, I’m definitely in position with Jerry to move forward. I mean, there’s no question about that in my mind."
McCarthy has a 49-35 record in Dallas. Before this season, he led the Cowboys to the playoffs with a 12-5 record three straight seasons.
The Bears are in a desperate hunt to replace Matt Eberflus, who was fired a day after Chicago's Thanksgiving Day loss in Detroit. It marked the first time in franchise history a head coach was fired midseason, a telling move for a struggling team.
Tennis star Naomi Osaka said in a social media post on Monday that she and her rapper boyfriend Cordae "are no longer in a relationship" after nearly six years and one child together.
Osaka made the announcement less than a week before the start of the Australian Open.
"No bad blood at all, he's a great person and an awesome dad," Osaka wrote. "Honestly really glad our paths crossed because my daughter is my biggest blessing and I was able to grow a lot from our experiences together."
Cordae did not comment on the split.
Osaka had their daughter in Los Angeles in July 2023. She returned to the court at last year’s Australian Open after about 15 months off.
The Australian Open kicks off the men’s and women’s tennis season. She won the event in 2019 and 2021. It was the last Grand Slam title she won.
She is 24-6 in matches at the Aussie Open. She lost last year in the first round and was absent from the event in 2023. He was ousted in the third round in 2022.
Osaka was forced to retire from a match at the Auckland Classic but remained optimistic she would be good to go for the Australian Open.
Travis Kelce wants to make it clear: the Kansas City Chiefs did not lose to the Denver Broncos on purpose to keep the Cincinnati Bengals out of the playoffs.
After the Bengals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, they needed both the Miami Dolphins and the Broncos to lose to make the playoffs.
The New York Jets ended up beating the Dolphins, but the Broncos demolished the Chiefs, winning 38-0, and eliminating the Bengals from the playoffs.
The Chiefs rested a lot of their starters in the loss, including Patrick Mahomes and Kelce, because they already had the AFC’s No. 1 seed clinched.
Jason Kelce brought up to Travis that people were alleging that the Chiefs purposely lost to the Broncos to keep the Bengals out of the playoffs during a recent episode of "New Heights."
The Chiefs star tight end vehemently denied that the team lost on purpose.
"I ain’t scared of f---ing nobody. I wanted them (Bengals) in the f---ing playoffs. I want to slay every dragon one by one, like Mortal Kombat. I don’t even want this to be like a, we play the lowest seed. Just give me the best teams," Travis said.
"AFC, NFC, give me all of them, Mortal Kombat style. I’ll go through every f---ing one of them just giving them my best f---ing effort. I ain’t scared of a single soul man."
Jason further egged his brother on, saying that people said the Chiefs did not want to play in "Burrowhead," which is the Bengals fans' nickname for the Chiefs' home-field, GEHA field at Arrowhead Stadium, or Cincinnati.
"I’ll play them at the Walmart parking lot. I don’t give a s---, we can have our own game in the offseason where we really duke it out again," Travis responded. "Listen, I love competing against the greatest. The Bengals were a fun a-- f---ing team to watch there towards the end of the season, and it’s a shame they didn’t make it in the playoffs because it would have made the playoffs that much f---ing crazier and that much more fun."
In the wake of missing the playoffs, the Bengals fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, a move Travis did not understand.
"I don’t know what the f--- is going on over there. That was a wild, wild move I did not see coming because I thought that, you know, from the outside, their defense was playing really f---ing good towards the end of the year," Kelce said.
"I’ve always respected the hell out of him, I’ve also respected a lot of the players on that side of the ball given who they had this year."
Kelce said he thought the Bengals were "10 times better than what their record showed" and then doubled down on the point that the Chiefs did not throw their game against Denver.
"We didn’t f---ing throw any game, alright. Guys were out there competing their a-- off, trying to get a win. Unfortunately, we couldn’t put drives together. We couldn’t stop Denver, and it just wasn’t a fun game to be part of, and I’m just sitting here on the sidelines like, ‘Hey boys, don’t let this s--- ruin our f---ing mojo.’ When we got everybody rolling, and its go time we got to flip that switch and know we’re the biggest, baddest team out there," Kelce said.
The Broncos will travel to take on the No. 2-seeded Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round, while Kelce’s Chiefs will sit back and watch the opening round of the playoffs at home as they earned a first-round bye.
As for the Bengals, they are now in need of a new defensive coordinator, and have big questions coming up surrounding their star wide receivers. Tee Higgins is an impending free agent, and Ja’Marr Chase is due for a lucrative contract extension.
Olivia Culpo, the wife of San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey, has spoken out about the tragic wildfires raging throughout the Los Angeles area that have forced thousands to evacuate their homes.
The 32-year-old model posted a message on Instagram early Wednesday morning thanking first responders as thousands of firefighters responded to multiple wildfires which seemingly broke out Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the foothills northeast of LA.
"Praying for everyone affected by these devastating fires. Thank you to the heroes working tirelessly to protect our communities and wildlife," she wrote in a post shared to her Instagram Stories.
Culpo and McCaffrey began dating in 2019 and were engaged in April 2023. Over the summer, the couple officially tied the knot in Culpo’s home state of Rhode Island.
According to reports, they purchased a $14.5 million mansion in Los Angeles in September. The 7,000-square-foot home was previously owned by actor George Clooney, who purchased it in 1995 from Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks, according to Page Six.
Culpo shared on her social media in October that she and McCaffrey are staying in a home in San Francisco during the football season.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state has deployed more than 1,400 firefighting personnel, while the Los Angeles Fire Department has made calls for all off-duty firefighters to help.
There are currently four fires burning, with the Palisades fire being the largest, having already burned 4.5 square miles.
Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy drew blowback nearly three years ago with comments he made about young African American men in prison and fatherlessness.
Dungy’s comments came as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Responsible Fatherhood Initiative in April 2022. The Super Bowl champion head coach drew criticism for his remarks almost immediately on social media.
On Wednesday, Dungy appeared on OutKick’s "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich" and defended his remarks. Dakich asked Dungy if the world would be open to listening to facts again.
"I don’t think facts really impact people all that much. It’s crazy," Dungy said. "Fatherlessness is a national problem. And it’s all over in every community, but especially in the African American community. We’ve got to do something about it. It’s really the No. 1 problem that impacts a lot of other things. The quicker we realize that and the quicker we work on that, the better off we’re gonna be.
"Sometimes because of political agenda, sometimes because of other things, people can put the facts behind them, and you can’t worry about that. A lot of people were upset, but you have to say what’s really going on."
Dungy is not one to shy away from things he believes in.
The longtime coach and current NBC analyst was an opponent of Florida’s abortion measure. The measure needed a 60% supermajority to pass, the highest threshold in the country. It failed after 43% voted "No" and 57% voted "Yes."
He also praised voters for not passing Amendment 3, which would have legalized marijuana.
"The polls are closed in Florida and Amendment 3 and Amendment 4 both failed to pass," he wrote on X.
"Thank you to all the Florida residents who helped to protect the lives of the unborn. And we want people to realize that those expectant mothers who need help will still be able to get it. Pregnant women with health risks can get treatment. The exceptions for rape and incest are still in place. But this is a victory for babies."
Scholastic competition—especially college sports—has become an important part of the fabric of our country. And in increasingly divided times, athletic competitions are one of the few things that bring Americans of all backgrounds together. I think many people can agree that college athletics are a patriotic tradition, one that I am proud to have dedicated my 40-year career to prior to becoming a Senator.
Title IX in particular has played a major role in weaving together the fabric of this great American tradition. It leveled the playing field by creating opportunities for women to compete and earn the same scholarships as men. It has instilled valuable lessons such as work ethic, healthy habits, and teamwork in countless young people over the past 50 years. It has provided millions of women from across the country with educational and professional opportunities that have benefited them for a lifetime.
Sadly, over the last four years, the Biden administration has done all it can to dismantle Title IX protections for women in favor of radical gender ideology. President Biden’s Department of Education fully intended to rewrite Title IX, issuing a rule which would force schools to allow men to compete in women’s sports and require them to share private spaces together. All in the name of "gender equity." In the past few days, they rescinded this proposed rule, perhaps realizing how out of touch that stance is with the American public. But their intent was crystal clear.
As a result, what I have long called one of the greatest pieces of legislation to ever pass out of Congress is hanging on by a thread. If the unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. continued to have their way with it, Title IX as we know it would cease to exist. Women’s opportunities to safely participate and benefit from scholastic athletics would greatly diminish—which would not just be a detriment to female student athletes, but to the entire country.
With President Trump’s resounding victory last November, the American people sent a clear message to Washington that they want to protect and preserve the original purpose of Title IX. One of the primary reasons President Trump won in a landslide is because he ran on the issue of saving women’s sports. Seventy percent of Americans agree: men don’t belong in women’s sports or locker rooms.
Which is why I am proud that my bill, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, or S. 9, will be one of the first pieces of legislation considered by Congress this month. This legislation will right the wrongs of the Biden administration by preventing women from being exposed to unfair and dangerous competition, as well as protecting women’s privacy in locker rooms.
The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act will achieve this by doing two things. First, it ensures Title IX provisions treat gender as "recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth." It’s unbelievable to me that this needs to be legislated—but after four years on the crazy train under Joe Biden, it clearly needs to be said. Second, it bans recipients of federal funding from operating, sponsoring, or facilitating athletic programs that permit males to participate in a women’s sporting event.
While this legislation is critically needed to stop the erosion of female athletics, it is also important to me on a personal level. For one, while most people know me as a football coach, my first job after college was coaching girls’ basketball. Title IX had just been implemented at that time, and I saw firsthand the tremendous impact it had on women’s sports. For the first time, female athletes were given the same opportunities, scholarships, and resources as male athletes. To this day, I keep in touch with the girls that I coached due to the opportunities provided by Title IX.
Furthermore, I am welcoming my first granddaughter this spring. I want for her what so many young women before her benefited from since Title IX became law in 1972. I want her to have the same opportunities available to her, without having to worry about men competing against her, harming her, or invading her privacy. I’m sure there are many parents and grandparents across the country that want the same for their girls.
Since coming to the Senate, I vowed to never stop fighting until the rights of American women and girls to fairly compete are thoroughly protected. I am glad the time has finally come where the Senate can deliver on my commitment. I encourage all my colleagues, Republican and Democrat alike, to support my legislation. By uniting behind the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, Title IX will be restored, stitching back together a piece of the American fabric that has made our country more united and less divided.
Scholastic competition—especially college sports—has become an important part of the fabric of our country. And in increasingly divided times, athletic competitions are one of the few things that bring Americans of all backgrounds together. I think many people can agree that college athletics are a patriotic tradition, one that I am proud to have dedicated my 40-year career to prior to becoming a Senator.
Title IX in particular has played a major role in weaving together the fabric of this great American tradition. It leveled the playing field by creating opportunities for women to compete and earn the same scholarships as men. It has instilled valuable lessons such as work ethic, healthy habits, and teamwork in countless young people over the past 50 years. It has provided millions of women from across the country with educational and professional opportunities that have benefited them for a lifetime.
Sadly, over the last four years, the Biden administration has done all it can to dismantle Title IX protections for women in favor of radical gender ideology. President Biden’s Department of Education fully intended to rewrite Title IX, issuing a rule which would force schools to allow men to compete in women’s sports and require them to share private spaces together. All in the name of "gender equity." In the past few days, they rescinded this proposed rule, perhaps realizing how out of touch that stance is with the American public. But their intent was crystal clear.
As a result, what I have long called one of the greatest pieces of legislation to ever pass out of Congress is hanging on by a thread. If the unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. continued to have their way with it, Title IX as we know it would cease to exist. Women’s opportunities to safely participate and benefit from scholastic athletics would greatly diminish—which would not just be a detriment to female student athletes, but to the entire country.
With President Trump’s resounding victory last November, the American people sent a clear message to Washington that they want to protect and preserve the original purpose of Title IX. One of the primary reasons President Trump won in a landslide is because he ran on the issue of saving women’s sports. Seventy percent of Americans agree: men don’t belong in women’s sports or locker rooms.
Which is why I am proud that my bill, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, or S. 9, will be one of the first pieces of legislation considered by Congress this month. This legislation will right the wrongs of the Biden administration by preventing women from being exposed to unfair and dangerous competition, as well as protecting women’s privacy in locker rooms.
The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act will achieve this by doing two things. First, it ensures Title IX provisions treat gender as "recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth." It’s unbelievable to me that this needs to be legislated—but after four years on the crazy train under Joe Biden, it clearly needs to be said. Second, it bans recipients of federal funding from operating, sponsoring, or facilitating athletic programs that permit males to participate in a women’s sporting event.
While this legislation is critically needed to stop the erosion of female athletics, it is also important to me on a personal level. For one, while most people know me as a football coach, my first job after college was coaching girls’ basketball. Title IX had just been implemented at that time, and I saw firsthand the tremendous impact it had on women’s sports. For the first time, female athletes were given the same opportunities, scholarships, and resources as male athletes. To this day, I keep in touch with the girls that I coached due to the opportunities provided by Title IX.
Furthermore, I am welcoming my first granddaughter this spring. I want for her what so many young women before her benefited from since Title IX became law in 1972. I want her to have the same opportunities available to her, without having to worry about men competing against her, harming her, or invading her privacy. I’m sure there are many parents and grandparents across the country that want the same for their girls.
Since coming to the Senate, I vowed to never stop fighting until the rights of American women and girls to fairly compete are thoroughly protected. I am glad the time has finally come where the Senate can deliver on my commitment. I encourage all my colleagues, Republican and Democrat alike, to support my legislation. By uniting behind the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, Title IX will be restored, stitching back together a piece of the American fabric that has made our country more united and less divided.
"These fires are much worse than people think….just absolutely devastating Pacific Palisades & Malibu," he wrote. "I work about 6 miles from all this & currently headed in now.
"This picture is from a plane to show the sheer size of it all."
Daniel played in the NFL from 2010 to 2022 after a standout collegiate career at Missouri.
He was with the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Chargers before he stepped away from the game. He was mostly used as a viable backup but started five of his 74 appearances.
He had 1,746 passing yards and nine touchdown passes in his career.
He currently works for FOX Sports as an analyst on "The Facility."
Several fires broke out around the Los Angeles area between Tuesday and Wednesday. Thousands have been forced to flee their homes.
The first started near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of Los Angeles. The second occurred in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. The third, which began around 10:30 p.m. PT, occurred in the San Fernando Valley.
The Tennessee Titans have their choice at the cream of the crop with the No. 1 pick in April, and there's a fairly decent chance it will be Colorado star quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
That's who Shawne Merriman would personally go with – although Travis Hunter is a close second – but Merriman knows all too well that the No. 1 pick doesn't necessarily guarantee you get your guy.
Merriman, of course, was eventually part of the infamous Eli Manning-Phillip Rivers trade in 2004. Manning was adamant about never playing for the Chargers, but the team, then in San Diego, drafted him anyway with the first overall pick.
Eventually, after the Giants drafted Rivers, the Big Blue sent Rivers, a 2004 third-rounder, and a 2005 first-rounder to San Diego for Manning. That first-round pick became Merriman (although, the Giants aren't complaining).
The Giants were in a great position to own the No. 1 pick, which led to Sanders himself actually being gifted a pair of Giants cleats for his bowl game. New York then won their third game of the season, losing control of the top selection, and they are now slated to pick third.
But, Merriman seems to believe there's a chance that Sanders' father and head coach, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, could play a role in repeating history with the same team from 21 years ago.
"I think Deion is smart by putting it out there that teams need to tread lightly, as far as what they plan on doing… I think Prime is smart enough to at least put the word out there that we're not just going with anybody, right?" Merriman said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "But again, when you get drafted, I think things change, and anywhere in that top-five pick man is really a blessing for anybody."
Deion himself did say that "multiple IDIOTS… will say things that totally aren’t true regarding where I would like" his sons to play at the next level – but he didn't exactly rule out that he wouldn't influence it.
"If I say it I will say it directly to whom it may concern not a attention seeker," he said on X last week.
Merriman will get one more look at Sanders before the draft at the East-West Shrine Bowl, as his very own production company, Lights Out Sports TV, will live stream the game's practices later this month. Merriman got into television after his playing days were over a decade ago and felt the Shrine Bowl was a perfect opportunity to showcase his second dream.
"To get the opportunity now to have the live-streaming rights exclusively for us for the East-West Shrine Bowl practices, it's like, I wanted to play football as a kid. I dreamed about it. I wanted to play NFL, and to now be in this space that now, it's my ideas, it's my production, I'm putting together everything, and to have the ability to get in this space and get someone like the East-West shrine bowl, the 100th annual, it's a massive, massive deal for us. and we want go out and make this the most interactive practice week that anybody's ever seen," Merriman said.
The top pick figures to be either Sanders or Cam Ward, the latter of whom some sportsbooks have as the odds-on favorite at the moment. The Cleveland Browns, who own the second pick, are a true wild card with Deshaun Watson still rostered, so perhaps there is a chance Sanders will fall to the G-Men anyway. Deion also played professional baseball with the New York Yankees, so there is already a tie to the Big Apple.
The Giants announced on Monday that both general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will be back for a fourth season despite going 9-25 in their last two seasons combined. Since joining the team ahead of the 2022 season, they have yet to draft a quarterback.
The mother of Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr evacuated from her home in the Los Angeles area as wildfires raged on Tuesday into Wednesday morning.
Kerr’s 90-year-old mother, Ann, left her Pacific Palisades home as evacuation orders were given. The coach talked about the harrowing situation unfolding after the team’s 114-98 loss to the Miami Heat.
"I want to send my thoughts and condolences to everybody in Los Angeles dealing with the fires," he said. "My mom lives in Pacific Palisades. She had to evacuate."
Everett Dayton, a member of the organization’s player development department, lost his family home in the area, Kerr said.
"Everything I’m seeing and reading is just terrifying what’s happening down there," Kerr said. "So just want to send thoughts to everyone who’s going through the devastation of the fire. Obviously the game is secondary to that and to many things in life. Perspective is important."
Ann Kerr was among the thousands who were forced to flee the area as three separate fires broke out across the Los Angeles area on Tuesday. The first started near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of Los Angeles. The second occurred in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. The third, which began around 10:30 p.m. PT, occurred in the San Fernando Valley.
On Monday, Los Angeles authorities warned of high winds that would plague the region. The winds helped fuel the fires on Tuesday as gusts topping 60 mph were seen in some places, increasing to 70 mph by early Wednesday.
A high-wind warning was in effect for the region through 6 p.m. PT, the weather service read.
Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young has proved time and time again he can nail a long-range 3-pointer when called upon, and Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz was no different.
The Jazz tied the game with under three seconds left to play. Atlanta inbounded the ball to Young, who took one dribble and pulled up before half-court and nailed the 49-foot game-winner.
"This is part of what I do," Young said after the game. "I always get guys involved, always been able to find people. I feel like I’m the kind of guy who can pass you open. You don’t just have to be open for me to get you the ball. I can see things and get you into a good spot."
Young had 24 points and 20 assists in the 124-121 victory.
"I knew we had three seconds," Young said. "I could take a couple of dribbles and be closer to half-court, and then I made sure I used my legs and put some air into the ball and that was important."
Hawks head coach Quin Snyder praised Young’s efficiency. The veteran guard was 6-for-16 from the floor but only had two turnovers.
"He has taken a lot of pride in being efficient and knowing when it is time to give the ball up and when it’s time to impress himself on the game from a scoring standpoint," Hawks coach Quin Snyder said.
Atlanta improved to 19-18 with the win.
Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen had 35 points, two rebounds and two steals to lead the team. Collin Sexton, who tied the game with only a few seconds left, had 24 points.
When Bill Belichick became the head coach at the University of North Carolina, he adamantly said he did not go there "to leave."
However, one of his former players, Rob Gronkowski, disagrees.
Belichick, after being off an NFL sideline for the first time in nearly 50 years, agreed last month to become the next head coach at UNC, saying it was a dream fulfilled to get into the college ranks.
However, Belichick has obviously found his success with the National Football League, and Gronk believes Belichick still has his eyes on returning home.
When asked during a recent interview with Fox News Digital whether he believed Belichick would retire as a Tar Heel, he said he did not think so.
"I think if Bill has success, he's gonna eventually hand that program off to his son, whose son is just developing to be a future head coach," Gronkowski said. "Love his son, and he's doing a great job in the defensive ranks of college… So I believe that Coach Belichick will have some good success at UNC, but I believe that his heart truly belongs in the NFL ranks, and he's eventually gonna go back to the NFL if it's in three years or four years. But I think he ends his career coaching as a head coach for an NFL team."
Belichick coached the New England Patriots for 24 seasons, winning six Super Bowls during his tenure – three of those came with Gronkowski as his star tight end. After the 2023 season, the coach and team mutually agreed to part ways.
Without Belichick, the Pats had one of their worst seasons in recent memory, going 4-13, although Drake Maye gave fans something to be excited about. Entering Sunday, they owned the first overall pick, but with their victory, they will now pick fourth. Gronkowski, who recently partnered with Bounty, says the paper towel brand may just be enough to clean up the current mess in Foxboro.
"I'm about a couple minutes away right now. If I just walk over, grab my Bounty paper towel, it's messy over there right now, and I just use the Bounty paper towels with a couple of wipes, man, I'll probably be head coach right after that," he joked.
Gronkowski joined fellow future Hall of Famer Drew Brees as his Bounty Wingman ahead of the playoffs, because as Buffalo native Gronk says, "You can't have football without wings, and you can't have wings without Bounty."
"That's why I'm the full package here. I'm all three of those: I love football ball, I love wings, and I love Bounty. And Drew Brees and I are going down to New Orleans, we're gonna dominate the city and we're gonna clean up our mess with the Bounty paper towels," Gronk, who, surprisingly, has never been out around the town, said of his partnership with the Saints legend.
In moving on from Belichick, the Patriots went to Jerod Mayo, a handpicked selection by Belichick himself years ago. But, after just one season, he was axed, and Gronk was not pleased.
"I was surprised to hear about Jerod getting fired. I mean, I felt like it was kind of unfair to him, because he took a team over where it was gonna need some time to build and develop to get back to the winning ways." he said. "I mean, the roster was depleted, Jerod was a rookie head coach, and I felt like he needed another year to be able to really judge him based on how he would develop and grow after that first season. But obviously, just after the first season, it was apparent that [Robert] Kraft felt like he was just not the guy to build a culture around back to its winning ways. So therefore, Kraft was just wasting no time and let go of Jerod's duties.
"Now I feel like Kraft will be doing all he can in the process of hiring a new head coach that he believes will turn around this program and get them back into the playoffs as soon as possible. It's kind of an ugly situation, but I feel for both sides. You gotta win, but also, I just feel like it wasn't enough time to evaluate Jerod Mayo."
The overwhelming speculation is that Mike Vrabel will man the Pats – he played for New England and became the coach of the Tennessee Titans after his playing days ended.
"A staple in our clubhouse from 2009-2016, Brian was beloved throughout Birdland, and his passion for baseball and our community was unmatched. He dedicated his time to connecting with any fan he could, was a cherished teammate, and always had a smile on his face," the team said.
"Brian’s family and loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time."
The Orioles selected the Colorado native in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft out of the University of San Diego. He made his major league debut in August 2009 against the Detroit Tigers, going five innings with five strikeouts and getting the win.
He became a full-time starter in 2010 and finished fifth in American League Rookie of the Year voting after he recorded 143 strikeouts and a 10-12 record in 32 starts.
He missed two months of the 2011 regular season and by 2012 he was demoted to the bullpen.
Matusz played well in his bullpen role, lowering his ERA to under 4.00 in the 2013 season. He had an ERA of 2.94 during the 2015 season.
He was traded to the Atlanta Braves in May 2016 but never appeared for them. He signed with the Chicago Cubs and appeared in only one game for them as they snapped the Curse of the Billy Goat and won the World Series.
Matusz’s cause of death was unclear.
Former Orioles pitcher Matt Hobgood remembered the pitcher in a post on X.
"Just heard the news about Brian Matusz passing away this morning," he wrote. "This is awful…he was one of the first people to call me after I signed in 09’. Took the time to call, encourage me and wish me well in my career and it always meant a lot that he did that. RIP, my friend."
The two college football powerhouses will battle it out in Friday night's Cotton Bowl Classic for a trip to the national championship later this month.
The contest will also call for tremendous bragging rights between two of the biggest names in politics: Vice President-elect JD Vance and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
Cruz, of course, hails from Texas, while Vance is an Ohio native who has outwardly shown his Buckeyes fandom.
With the game creeping up, Cruz offered up a friendly wager to Vance on X.
"Hey @JDVance - care for a wager on the UT-Ohio State game? Loser brings beer & food from his home state & delivers it wearing the winning jersey?" Cruz posted, also adding "#HookEm."
Vance exuded confidence in his Buckeyes.
"Alright which Texas ice cream should I have Ted bring when the Buckeyes win?" Vance replied. He added, "To be clear, @tedcruz, you're on!"
Before the season started, Vance called this year's Ohio State team "maybe the best" he has seen. Their two losses this season were to Oregon (who they beat in the quarterfinals) and an unranked Michigan team, but they seem to have avenged that embarrassment quite nicely.
The Buckeyes received the eighth seed in the playoffs, as Oregon and Penn State battled it out for the Big Ten title game. Oregon, the top seed, remained undefeated on the season until last week's loss to the Buckeyes - Penn State, No. 6, will face No. 7 Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.
Cruz's Longhorns earned the fifth seed after falling just short in the SEC title game, which gave the No. 2 seed an automatic bye to Georgia, who lost to the Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl.
Texas has never made it past the semifinal, while Ohio State is in its sixth playoff, aiming for their third championship appearance since the playoff was implemented.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was spotted in an episode of "Landman" on Paramount+, and his scene in a hospital alongside Jon Hamm and Billy Bob Thornton has many believing he was not acting as he got very emotional.
"Landman," a show about oil tycoons in Texas, saw Jones make a cameo during the ninth episode when he delivered a heartfelt speech to Jon Hamm’s character, who was in a hospital bed.
It makes sense that Jones made an appearance considering his own wealth was built through the oil business and real estate before purchasing the Cowboys.
"America’s Team" is what pulled Jones’ heartstrings, though, as he was telling Hamm’s character why he wanted to buy the team in the first place.
"I’m not saying I’ve done anything right, but I made my mind up a long time ago I was gonna work with my kids," Jones says to begin his monologue. "They’re involved in everything. They’re involved in my leasing, oil and gas, real estate.
"So, when I got the Cowboys, I got it so that we could all work together. I thought I was doing it for them. But the one that got the most out of it was me."
After Jones tells Hamm’s character that he believes the sickness he is dealing with will not take him to the next life, the Cowboys owner got emotional talking about his own family.
"I just know it’s not gonna be this time, but you’re gonna be sitting here sometime in the future, laying here sometime in the future and this room’s gonna be full of your business associates and the people you’ve worked with all your life. More than likely, your children and family are going to be there because they’re your children and your family," Jones said. "But you could have them there because they’re the people you spent your life with, you worked with, you fell down with, you got up with.
"Not just Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s who you want to be with. So, when that comes like this, it’s a celebration of your life and you’re not wishing you had spent a little more time seeing a few more suns come up. That’s the trick.
"I’m pretty proud of them Cowboys. I’m pretty proud of the stuff we’ve done in oil and gas. It pales in comparison to how proud I am to have lived my life working with my kids."
Jones’ journey in oil and gas started with his company in Arkansas, named Jones Oil and Land Lease, which boomed. Jones also bought into Comstock Resources, which also dealt with oil and gas exploration. Today, Jones and his family are the largest shareholders of Comstock Resources Inc.
With the money he now had, Jones bought the Cowboys on Feb. 25, 1989 for $140 million, and it has been his pride and joy ever since. Like Jones says in the speech, his children play a huge part in the Cowboys’ operations.
Jones continues to run the team as owner, president and general manager, the last of the titles he has been criticized for in recent seasons, but will not be giving up anytime soon.
His son Stephen is chief operating officer, director of player personnel and co-owner. His daughter Charlotte is chief brand officer and co-owner. Finally, Jerry Jr. is chief sales and marketing officer and co-owner.
Though it may have been on a show, the 82-year-old Jones clearly loves that his Cowboys have become a family affair, and family is something he certainly does not take for granted.
EXCLUSIVE: USC women's basketball teenage phenom JuJu Watkins isn't turning away any of the new fans in her sport, not even the ones that give her "headaches."
The meteoric rise of Caitlin Clark has injected women's basketball with waves of new fans, mainstream media hype and plenty of arguments between the new fans and old ones. These arguments are often about Clark's treatment by the league, other players and the media.
And some longtime women's hoops stars have denounced certain supporters of Clark and discouraged them from following the sport.
Former WNBA player and current Atlanta Dream executive Renee Montgomery said that many of Clark's fans "cannot be a representation of what the WNBA would want in their league" during an episode of her podcast in September. WNBA legend Sue Bird lashed out at this group in her podcast in November, claiming that some of them aren't even fans of Clark but are just "acting" as fans while "pushing racist agendas and pushing hate."
Clark herself said that some of her followers "aren't fans" but are "trolls" in her exit interview for her rookie WNBA season after Connecticut Sun players accused some of her fans of racism during a playoff series against Clark's Indiana Fever in September.
But the 19-year-old Watkins, who is currently on pace to break Clark's NCAA all-time career scoring record, isn't taking any of the new attention for granted as a college player.
"So many new fans being in the sport sometimes can be, not necessarily challenging, but can just kind of give you a headache a bit. Not a lot of people know what they're talking about sometimes. But it's great for the sport. The fact that people are watching is enough in itself," Watkins said, when asked by Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview about what challenges come with the sport's new attention.
"We would like it to be positive, but it's not always going to be like that, so as long as we continue to raise the numbers and viewership goes up, I think that's all we can ask for."
Watkins said she even wants those fans to cheer for her, too. But even if they end up "hating" her, she will still embrace the fact that they're paying attention.
When asked if she wants the sport's controversial new fans to cheer for her, too, Watkins answered, "Oh yeah. I love supporters and I also love haters.
"I think that's just a part of the game. There's so many sides to it. So it's the nature of the game and there's always going to be negative and positive aspects of it."
One of the most recent controversies surrounding Clark occurred when she was chosen as Time Magazine's Athlete of the Year. Some in the WNBA, including Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson during a CNN interview, criticized the decision to choose Clark for the award. Johnson said Clark was chosen because "It’s the way media plays out race" and it didn't do enough to recognize the other players in the league.
But Watkins thinks Time made the right call.
"I'm all for it," Watkins said. "I honestly think she deserves it. I don't think anyone has changed the trajectory of the sport so much, so I honestly think she deserves every bit of it."
Clark herself stoked backlash from some of her own supporters during the Time interview when she made the statement, "As a White person, there is privilege."
"It's super dope," Watkins said when asked about Clark's comments on White privilege. "For her to kind of bring that to light was cool."
Clark herself has acknowledged the outrage her comments sparked and, like Watkins, embraces the positive and negative attention that has come with it.
"With the way things are going and where the WNBA is going, you want that attention, and you embrace it, and that’s what makes this so fun," Clark said of the backlash at the "A Year in TIME" event in New York on Dec. 11.
Controversy has been a driving force behind the rise in women's basketball's popularity over the last two years. The rivalry between Clark and Angel Reese became one of the hottest in sports after their meeting in the 2023 NCAA women's basketball championship game, when Reese's LSU Tigers defeated Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes.
Reese pointed to her ring finger at the end of that game, unleashing mass controversy.
Then, after Clark led her team back to the title game in her senior year in 2024, the women's championship outperformed the men's game in TV ratings for the first time in history.
Watkins hopes and believes that the women's college game will continue to beat the men's in viewers, and she will do her part as one of the top stars in college to make that happen.
"I think that it's definitely a trend now," Watkins said of the women's college game getting more attention from men.
Watkins pointed to her recent history against UConn star Paige Bueckers as an example of something that can keep eyeballs on their sport with Clark and Reese now in the pros. USC's game vs. UConn on Dec. 21 averaged 2.23 million viewers, making it the second-highest-rated game ever shown on Fox Sports and the most-watched women's college basketball game so far this season.
"For that to not even be a March Madness matchup, and to see that, I can only imagine what it will be like in March," Watkins said.
As Watkins looks to keep the eyeballs on her sport and potentially chase down Clark's all-time scoring record, she has the choice to even tap into Clark herself as a resource to do this.
Watkins said Clark has offered her phone number, and that the teenager can reach out for advice from Clark any time.
Watkins hasn't taken Clark up on the offer yet, but is keeping the offer in her back pocket for the right time.
Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya ripped Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday after the billionaire announced he would get rid of Facebook’s fact-checking program.
The third-party fact-checking system will be replaced with community notes similar to X, Zuckerberg said in a video.
The company’s system was put into place after the 2016 election and was used to "manage content" and misinformation on its platforms, largely due to "political pressure," executives said, but admitted the system has "gone too far." Political bias from the fact-checkers appeared to be one of the main issues.
Tafoya appeared on OutKick’s "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich" to talk about Zuckerberg’s decision. Dakich asked her what gave Zuckerberg the right to do the about-face now.
"Absolutely nothing. This is not unique to Facebook. I had a guest on my podcast yesterday, Gad Saad, a professor out of Canada, so much has gone on up there under the Justin Trudeau administration that has been really similar," Tafoya said. "People being absolutely wiped out of their professions. We’re talking doctors, researchers, professors, medical experts because they either said something kind of cutesy that someone was uncomfortable with.
"This suppression of human thought, this suppression of human opinion, is completely antithetical to America and free speech. People don’t see it happening or they’re OK with it. This should be massive, flashing red light.
"Mark Zuckerberg knows what he did was wrong, and now he’s going to try and fix it and hope we just say, ‘Oh, good for you, you fixed it, Mark.’"
Meta’s chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, told Fox News Digital earlier Tuesday that using community notes is a better option.
"Instead of going to some so-called expert, it instead relies on the community and the people on the platform to provide their own commentary to something that they’ve read," Kaplan explained, noting that if a note gets support from "the broadest cross-section of users," that note can be attached to the content for others to see.
"We think that’s a much better approach rather than relying on so-called experts who bring their own biases into the program," Kaplan said.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
There were plenty of surprises to go around. The Kansas City Chiefs won 15 games despite not being the most dominant team. The Minnesota Vikings nearly won the NFC North with Sam Darnold as the quarterback. Jayden Daniels emerged as a star. And the Buffalo Bills got better after trading one of the top wide receivers in the league.
Those were only some of the storylines around the NFL and that just scratches the surface.
The Detroit Lions are arguably the best team ahead of the playoffs and sit on top of the final NFL power rankings of the season.
Sunday night proved that if the defense wants to, it can be dominant. Allowing just nine points to the Minnesota Vikings was a tremendous leap forward; the only worry is if the bye week will cool down what might just be the best offense in the league. But it’s difficult to believe that will happen.
Last week: 2
Let the (real) games begin for the Chiefs. They locked up the top seed in the AFC, despite at times looking like they weren't even trying, and appeared to peak on offense in the last month before running out their backups for a meaningless game against Denver. The three-peat dream is right in front of them, and they left no meat on the bone this season in giving themselves the best shot to make it come true.
Last week: 1
The Bills enter the postseason with a lot of momentum. Despite finishing second in the AFC, many consider this team to be the most dangerous in the NFL. Again, though, everything hinges on postseason performance. A quick out in January could spell big changes in Buffalo.
Last week: 3
The Eagles wisely rested their starters in Week 18, meaning Saquon Barkley did not break Eric Dickerson’s single-season record for most rushing yards in a season. The Eagles will take on the Packers at home, and the big question in Philadelphia is if/when quarterback Jalen Hurts will clear the concussion protocol. Hurts sustained the concussion in Week 16, and as of Monday had not yet cleared the protocol. The Eagles hope their star quarterback will be back in action come Sunday.
Last week: 5
The Ravens put the finishing touches on their incredible season. Lamar Jackson is a favorite for MVP and Baltimore is a favorite to win the Super Bowl. It’s all about the postseason from here.
Last week: 6
Kudos to Sam Darnold for revitalizing his career, but it’s fair to say whether he can perform when the lights are the brightest. His offensive line didn’t help, but he did miss some throws early. They do get an indoor game to open up their playoffs, but they need to figure it all out quickly.
Last week: 4
It’s hard to judge the Packers after a slew of players took the field against the Chicago Bears, but losing at home to them is not what you want. At the end of the day, they still have a superb run game with lots of weapons, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if they take care of business against the Eagles.
Last week: 7
The Commanders beat the Cowboys on a walk-off touchdown, and secured the No. 6 seed in the NFC, setting up a matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs. Their matchup is a rematch of Week 1, when the Bucs beat the Commanders 37-20. Regardless of how the playoffs go for Washington, this season is already a success. The Commanders have finally found their franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels and with a 12-5 record, they are finally headed in the right direction.
Last week: 8
The Jim Harbaugh era began last January for the Chargers, but this is the part where fans will really get to see just how different things are for the franchise. It was a positive yet familiar script in the regular season, finishing well behind the Chiefs in the division for a wild-card spot, with a hard ceiling on their ability to compete with elite teams. Now is their chance to flip the script in the playoffs, and the last few weeks have shown they have the ammunition to do it.
Last week: 9
That's going to be a dangerous offense in the postseason.
Last week: 12
The best thing that could’ve happened for the Rams was winning the division before Week 18 kicked off, as Sean McVay was able to give his offense, especially quarterback Matthew Stafford, some much-needed rest heading into a big wild-card round against the Minnesota Vikings. While the Vikings were a win away from earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Los Angeles had them at SoFi Stadium earlier this season, and they handled business on their home turf. This Monday night game could be a thriller given both offenses' ability to take the top off defenses and put points on the board.
Last week: 11
The Broncos may have very well collapsed out of the playoff picture had the Chiefs not played their backups in Week 17, but a 10-win season is still a 10-win season. Sean Payton and Bo Nix delivered a shocking success story to Denver this year amid low expectations. But considering how they played in the final few weeks, they've earned plenty more cynicism regarding their ability to compete against Buffalo in the wild-card round.
Last week: 15
The Steelers’ defense is still formidable, but can Russell Wilson and his receivers get on the same page to make a postseason play?
Last week: 10
The Texans are heading to the playoffs rested and optimistic after a 23-14 win over the Titans on Sunday. Houston won the AFC South with a 10-7 record and move on to host the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round on Saturday afternoon having rested most of their starters this weekend. Quarterback C.J. Stroud went 6-of-6 for 50 yards and a touchdown in the opening series and looks more than ready for the playoffs.
Last week: 13
In another life, Joe Burrow has the Bengals in the playoffs. But it was too little too late. Cincinnati will stay home.
Last week: 14
They might not have been heading to the postseason, but Geno Smith secured a big $2 million incentive with a win and passing for over 185 yards. The win for Seattle gave first-year head coach Mike Macdonald a 10-7 record, which is a great foundation to build on for next season. Seattle doesn’t need to rebuild this offseason given that record, but filling some key holes on the roster could elevate this squad to a playoff team next year if they continue clicking on the offensive end.
Last week: 16
They really had more talent than the record indicates, so a disappointment.
Last week: 17
Jonathan Gannon’s group certainly showed improvement in his second season, and a lot of that had to do with a healthy Kyler Murray and James Conner leading the way on offense. Also, hats off to Trey McBride for solidifying himself as one of the best tight ends in the league, constantly giving Murray someone to throw to when he needed it. Doubling their win total from a year ago, the Cardinals will continue building, especially on the defensive side of the ball after seemingly adding the right offensive pieces.
Last week: 20
The Dolphins had a chance to make the playoffs all the way up until the Broncos win in Week 18, yet the team is in complete disarray. Stars Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey are both hinting that they want out of Miami, and that’s not a good sign for head coach Mike McDaniel.
Last week: 18
Health is all Kyle Shanahan will be preaching this offseason, as he hopes to have his group back to normal in 2025. Losing Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk and many others throughout the season wasn’t something the reigning NFC champs could fight through. One thing to watch this offseason is Brock Purdy’s contract situation, though, as the franchise could move to lock him in and continue building around "Mr. Irrelevant."
Last week: 19
The Cowboys finished the season 7-10 despite key injuries to star players, and now the focus in Dallas turns to the future of head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy has been with the team for five seasons, and his contract has expired. The team fought hard for him down the stretch, and now Jerry Jones will decide whether the Cowboys bring him back or let him go.
Last week: 21
Despite sliding late in the season and missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year, the Colts are sticking with general manager Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen. But changes are still coming in Indy as the team announced Monday that it will be moving on from defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
Last week: 22
Bryce Young is your 2025 quarterback, as it should be.
Last week: 24
The Bears will not be heading into the offseason with a sour taste in their mouths. Maybe the Packers let up on the gas pedal a bit during the game, but giving your No. 1 pick a walk-off win with a field goal can swing some sort of momentum their way. Now, they need to hit big on their hires.
Last week: 23
The Jets did the most Jets thing ever and won their final game of the regular season to worsen their draft position in 2025. Add in the fact that Aaron Rodgers seems destined for retirement, and this is a franchise that must go into a complete rebuild. They need to find the right head coach, but how desirable is the job? Not very, quite frankly.
Last week: 27
Onward to their coaching search.
Last week: 25
Four wins it is for Antonio Pierce in his first full season as a head coach. But the Raiders may have been the most competitive uncompetitive team in the league this year, as they kept plenty of games close despite one of the most incomplete rosters and hapless quarterback situation. They will be looking for a new coach.
Last week: 26
Doug Pederson is out and the Jaguars are wasting no time in looking for his replacement. On Tuesday, the team announced eight interviews, including one with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson – one of the most highly sought after coaches this offseason.
Last week: 28
So, the Patriots fired Jerod Mayo after he led the team to a Week 18 victory that bumped New England from the No. 1 overall pick in 2025 down to No. 4. With a roster as bleak as the one the Patriots currently have, they needed all the draft capital they could get. Like the Jets (and possibly the Dolphins), New England is an AFC East team that needs a head coach. But with Drake Maye at the helm, it’s a more desirable job than New York.
Last week: 30
The Giants lost to the Eagles backups, securing the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft. John Mara is bringing back both general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll for a fourth season. The top priority for the Giants this offseason is to find a quarterback, whether that be through free agency, the draft, or maybe both. There is certainly an urgency in New York to turn things around next season, as Schoen and Daboll certainly head into next season on the hot seat.
Last week: 32
The Titans will be looking for new leadership when they make the first pick of the 2025 NFL Draft after deciding to part ways with general manager Ran Carthon after just two years. Big spending couldn’t solve Tennessee’s issues last offseason. It’ll be interesting to see their approach this time around.
Last week: 29
The Browns’ putrid season has finally ended.
Last week: 31
The Fox News Digital Sports NFL power rankings were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.
