Former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman David Bakhtiari appeared to take a swipe at his former teammate Aaron Rodgers on Monday as he congratulated Jordan Love on his nuptials.
Love, the current Packers quarterback, married Ronika Stone over the weekend. Bakhtiari was among those in the Green Bay brotherhood who were invited to the wedding. It seemed to be a point of contention with Bakhtiari as Rodgers was seemingly married in secret.
"Love is love. Congrats to the Loves," Bakhtiari wrote on X. "Just happy at least one of my quarterbacks invited me to their wedding."
Rumors about Rodgers’ love life have swirled since he was pictured at the Kentucky Derby wearing a wedding ring. He was spotted with the ring again when the Pittsburgh Steelers posted a photo of him signing his one-year contract. However, Rodgers’ wife has remained a mystery.
As Rodgers explained it, she’s just a private person.
The four-time NFL MVP went on a rant about the media trying to find out who he was married to during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show."
"It's a sick society, isn't it? It's a sick society. I've lived in the public eye for 20 years. I had public relationships. How did that work out? I had people leaking my home information and making up stories that we bought a house together. I had people calling the paparazzi. I had people posting personal life on the internet. Now, I didn't want any of that, didn't like doing that, and now I'm with somebody who's private, who doesn't want to be in the public eye, didn't sign up to be a celebrity, doesn't want to be a part of it," Rodgers began. "And because I do things in private, because I want my personal life to be private, now I'm weird.
"What happened to common decency about security and a personal life that we now have to dive into your details of where you live and what you're doing, who you're with and what you're doing and who your wife is, if you even have a wife, if you're doing some sort of attention-grabbing thing? Because my wife is a private person, doesn't have social media, hasn't been a public person, doesn't want to be a public person, and that's somehow now a weird thing?
"The entitlement to information about my private life is so f---ing ridiculous and embarrassing. Hey, do what you gotta do. Just try and leave me out of a conversation, sports world, for a month. Try to leave me out, my personal life, my professional life. Try not to talk about me. Try to still be relevant for the next six weeks, five weeks, whatever it is. See if you can do that."
"When this is all done, I'm out. You won't see me. I know I've chosen to be in the public eye for one more season, but my private life is staying private," he added.
Controversial gold medalist Imane Khelif fired off a terse message on Monday as the new Olympics chief called for "protecting" the female category to "ensure fairness."
Khelif, who faced questions about whether the fighter was eligible to compete in the women’s category during the 2024 Paris Olympics, fired off a quote commonly attributed to Winston Churchill after new International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry took her stance on protecting women.
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts," Khelif captioned a post on the boxer’s Instagram Stories.
Coventry said Thursday that she had "overwhelming support" to make moves to protect the women’s category in the Olympics amid transgender athlete controversies that have plagued girls’ and women’s sports in the United States, Britain and Australia.
"We understand that there'll be differences depending on the sport … but it was very clear from the members that we have to protect the female category, first and foremost to ensure fairness," Coventry said.
"But we need to do that with a scientific approach and the inclusion of the international federations who have already done a lot of work in this area."
The new president added that there is "unanimous" support for coming to an agreement about how to amend the policy and suggested the IOC may take inspiration from the World Athletics policy, which restricts biological males from competing in women's sports if those males have gone through male puberty.
"It was very clear from the membership the discussion around this has to be done with medical and scientific research at the core, so we are looking at the facts and the nuances and the inclusion of the international federations that have done so much of this work … having a seat at table and sharing with us because every sport is different," she said.
"But it was pretty much unanimously felt that the IOC should take a leading role in bringing everyone together to try and find a broad consensus."
However, Coventry also said any changes likely wouldn't result in retroactively changing the results of past competitions that featured athletes with gender-eligibility questions. The 2024 Paris Olympics featured two boxers winning gold in the women's competition, despite previously failing gender-eligibility tests for international competitions.
Khelif’s medals would likely be safe even in the face of a medical test published in 3 Wire Sports in June that reignited the gender controversy around the boxer.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
Oliver Gibson, a former NFL defensive lineman who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, has died, his family and Notre Dame announced.
He was 53.
Gibson played nine seasons in the NFL after the Steelers selected the former Fighting Irish star in the fourth round of the 1995 draft. He was in the same draft class as Mark Bruener, Kordell Stewart and Brenden Stai.
He played four seasons in Pittsburgh and another five in Cincinnati.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Oliver Gibson. We send our condolences to his family and friends," Notre Dame said in a statement on Monday.
Gibson played in 133 games and recorded 17.5 sacks along with 243 combined tackles. The best season of his career came in 1999, when he put together 4.5 sacks with 41 tackles. He played all 16 games with the Bengals that year.
Former Bengals star Chad OchoCinco was among those who shared their condolences on social media.
He played high school football in Romeoville, Illinois, where he was named the USA Today High School Defensive Player of the Year.
Gibson returned to his alma mater in 2014 to become the head football coach, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. He was also an assistant basketball coach.
EXCLUSIVE: A federal civil rights complaint has been filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the investment firm Guggenheim Partners for allegedly engaging in "unlawful discrimination" under the guise of "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI), in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The complaint was filed by America First Legal (AFL), the nonprofit conservative public interest organization, against both entities, which are led by Mark Walter, the majority owner of the Dodgers and CEO of Guggenheim Partners.
"Their employment practices, as described below, appear to discriminate against employees, or prospective employees, solely because of their skin color or sex. This is patently unlawful," AFL’s complaint, which was provided to Fox News Digital, began.
AFL’s complaint claims the Dodgers’ and Guggenheim Partners’ employment practices are discriminatory because, "even when using inclusive terminology," it is used "to segregate or classify employees or applicants for employment in ways that would deprive, or tend to deprive individuals of employment, training, or promotions because of their race, color, sex, or national origin."
The complaint goes on by pointing out how the Dodgers’ DEI website reads that it is "sponsoring programs geared to women and people of color," while also "embedding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategies into every aspect of the organization."
AFL also took issue with the DEI mission statement on the Dodgers’ site.
The statement read, "Our mission is to create a culture where diverse voices and experiences are valued, our people feel empowered by their connections to each other, and the Team and all employees feel they can succeed. "
"Our charge is to direct and track impact, establish clear accountabilities, reporting standards, aspirational goals and measurements of success," the AFL said.
The AFL argued that the team is using DEI in "quantifiable ways with identifiable goals to achieve ‘success,’ which appears to entail engaging in unlawful discriminatory hiring, training and recruitment."
The complaint mentioned the Dodgers allowing employees to join multiple "Business Resource Groups" (BRGs) within the organization, which provides employees "a forum to gather with other employees who hold common interests, identities and/or social issues."
AFL’s complaint also took exception to "some of the BRGs appear to provide material employment benefits to employees based on their race, color, sex, or national origin." The complaint mentions the Asian Professionals, Black Action Network, SOMOS La, which "appears to provide Latino employees with employment benefits," and the Women’s Opportunity Network.
Furthermore, the complaint requested an investigation into Guggenheim Partners, which also has a "Diversity and Inclusion" page stating that DEI plays a role in recruitment, professional development, contracting and more "throughout the Firm."
"Guggenheim Partners makes it clear that it defines ‘diversity’ to explicitly include considering ‘protected class[es]’ including, in part, those based on race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity," the complaint reads.
The complaint points to Guggenheim Partners’ commitment to "Broadening Pipeline Diversity," which states its wish to "develop diversity recruiting and talent management strategies to identify, attract, develop, and retain top talent."
"When diversity motivates employment decisions, and "diversity" refers to race, color, sex, and national origin—as it does to Guggenheim Partners—the result is unlawful discrimination," the complaint reads.
Guggenheim Partners, like the Dodgers, also operate Business Development Resource Groups (BDRGs).
"The BDRGs are open to all employees yet provide employment benefits based upon particular immutable characteristics and are intended to further the firm’s DEI goals," the complaint reads, highlighting the "Women’s Innovation and Inclusion Network" and "Multicultural Employee Business Network" among them.
The AFL suggests the EEOC can investigate application data and internal HR policies or practices of the Dodgers and Guggenheim Partners to "identify whether the policies make explicit reference to employment preferences based on race, color, sex, and national origin in violation of federal law."
The Dodgers and Guggenheim Partners did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed executive orders aimed at rolling back DEI initiatives, with one of them including directives for federal agencies to combat DEI in the private sector. MLB took a step to comply, as they removed "diversity" references from their website in March.
"Our values on diversity remain unchanged," MLB said in a statement at the time. "We are in the process of evaluating our programs for any modifications to eligibility criteria that are needed to ensure our programs are compliant with federal law as they continue forward."
The New York Yankees remained committed to pushing diversity and inclusion within its organization despite the national rollbacks of DEI, saying in April that they are "continually working with the members of our Diversity and Inclusion Committee and are actively engaged with our neighbors and community partners," per the New York Daily News.
"Our dedication towards these efforts remains unchanged, and our Diversity and Inclusion Committee continues to do its work," said senior vice president of corporate and community relations Brian Smith.
In October 2023, the AFL filed a federal civil rights complaint against MLB for racially discriminatory programs, alongside the EEOC. The complaint claimed MLB’s official website presented at least four unlawful employment and contracting programs, citing the Diversity Pipeline Program, which commissioner Rob Manfred launched in 2016.
The General Services Administration (GSA) announced changes in February to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) meant to align with the president's executive order aimed at restoring meritocracy and ending discrimination in the public and private sectors.
Following an owners meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, in February, Manfred said MLB would be evaluating the interpretation of federal law.
"Our values, particularly our values on diversity, remain unchanged. But another value that is pretty important to us is we always try to comply with what the law is," Manfred explained. "There seems to be an evolution going on here. We’re following that very carefully.
"Obviously, when things get a little more settled, we’ll examine each of our programs and make sure that while the values remain the same that we’re also consistent with what the law requires."
Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr and Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
EXCLUSIVE: A federal civil rights complaint has been filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the investment firm Guggenheim Partners for allegedly engaging in "unlawful discrimination" under the guise of "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI), in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The lawsuit was filed by America First Legal (AFL), the nonprofit conservative public interest organization, against both entities, which are led by Mark Walter, the majority owner of the Dodgers and CEO of Guggenheim Partners.
"Their employment practices, as described below, appear to discriminate against employees, or prospective employees, solely because of their skin color or sex. This is patently unlawful," AFL’s complaint, which was provided to Fox News Digital, began.
AFL’s complaint claims the Dodgers’ and Guggenheim Partners’ employment practices are discriminatory because, "even when using inclusive terminology," it is used "to segregate or classify employees or applicants for employment in ways that would deprive, or tend to deprive individuals of employment, training, or promotions because of their race, color, sex, or national origin."
The complaint goes on by pointing out how the Dodgers’ DEI website reads that it is "sponsoring programs geared to women and people of color," while also "embedding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategies into every aspect of the organization."
AFL also took issue with the DEI mission statement on the Dodgers’ site.
The statement read, "Our mission is to create a culture where diverse voices and experiences are valued, our people feel empowered by their connections to each other, and the Team and all employees feel they can succeed. "
"Our charge is to direct and track impact, establish clear accountabilities, reporting standards, aspirational goals and measurements of success," the AFL said.
The AFL argued that the team is using DEI in "quantifiable ways with identifiable goals to achieve ‘success,’ which appears to entail engaging in unlawful discriminatory hiring, training and recruitment."
The complaint mentioned the Dodgers allowing employees to join multiple "Business Resource Groups" (BRGs) within the organization, which provides employees "a forum to gather with other employees who hold common interests, identities and/or social issues."
AFL’s complaint also took exception to "some of the BRGs appear to provide material employment benefits to employees based on their race, color, sex, or national origin." The complaint mentions the Asian Professionals, Black Action Network, SOMOS La, which "appears to provide Latino employees with employment benefits," and the Women’s Opportunity Network.
Furthermore, the complaint requested an investigation into Guggenheim Partners, which also has a "Diversity and Inclusion" page stating that DEI plays a role in recruitment, professional development, contracting and more "throughout the Firm."
"Guggenheim Partners makes it clear that it defines ‘diversity’ to explicitly include considering ‘protected class[es]’ including, in part, those based on race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity," the complaint reads.
The complaint points to Guggenheim Partners’ commitment to "Broadening Pipeline Diversity," which states its wish to "develop diversity recruiting and talent management strategies to identify, attract, develop, and retain top talent."
"When diversity motivates employment decisions, and "diversity" refers to race, color, sex, and national origin—as it does to Guggenheim Partners—the result is unlawful discrimination," the complaint reads.
Guggenheim Partners, like the Dodgers, also operate Business Development Resource Groups (BDRGs).
"The BDRGs are open to all employees yet provide employment benefits based upon particular immutable characteristics and are intended to further the firm’s DEI goals," the complaint reads, highlighting the "Women’s Innovation and Inclusion Network" and "Multicultural Employee Business Network" among them.
The AFL suggests the EEOC can investigate application data and internal HR policies or practices of the Dodgers and Guggenheim Partners to "identify whether the policies make explicit reference to employment preferences based on race, color, sex, and national origin in violation of federal law."
The Dodgers and Guggenheim Partners did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed executive orders aimed at rolling back DEI initiatives, with one of them including directives for federal agencies to combat DEI in the private sector. MLB took a step to comply, as they removed "diversity" references from their website in March.
"Our values on diversity remain unchanged," MLB said in a statement at the time. "We are in the process of evaluating our programs for any modifications to eligibility criteria that are needed to ensure our programs are compliant with federal law as they continue forward."
The New York Yankees remained committed to pushing diversity and inclusion within its organization despite the national rollbacks of DEI, saying in April that they are "continually working with the members of our Diversity and Inclusion Committee and are actively engaged with our neighbors and community partners," per the New York Daily News.
"Our dedication towards these efforts remains unchanged, and our Diversity and Inclusion Committee continues to do its work," said senior vice president of corporate and community relations Brian Smith.
In October 2023, the AFL filed a federal civil rights complaint against MLB for racially discriminatory programs, alongside the EEOC. The complaint claimed MLB’s official website presented at least four unlawful employment and contracting programs, citing the Diversity Pipeline Program, which commissioner Rob Manfred launched in 2016.
The General Services Administration (GSA) announced changes in February to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) meant to align with the president's executive order aimed at restoring meritocracy and ending discrimination in the public and private sectors.
Following an owners meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, in February, Manfred said MLB would be evaluating the interpretation of federal law.
"Our values, particularly our values on diversity, remain unchanged. But another value that is pretty important to us is we always try to comply with what the law is," Manfred explained. "There seems to be an evolution going on here. We’re following that very carefully.
"Obviously, when things get a little more settled, we’ll examine each of our programs and make sure that while the values remain the same that we’re also consistent with what the law requires."
Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr and Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
Athletics starter Luis Severino isn’t shying away from his thoughts about his team’s home ballpark.
In turn, it appears the Athletics "can’t wait" to be rid of him before the MLB trade deadline as well.
Severino, who made a return to the Yankee Stadium mound over the weekend, was touched up by his former New York Yankees squad. Following the game, he unloaded on the difference between pitching on the road in actual MLB ballparks compared to Sutter Health Park, a minor-league facility that will be the Athletics’ home for the next few seasons before their move to Las Vegas.
Severino was asked about a USA Today report, which stated the Athletics "can’t wait" to be rid of the man they signed a three-year deal worth $67 million to in December — the richest guaranteed contract in franchise history.
"If you ask me how I feel pitching at home, I’m not going to lie to you," he said, via The Athletic. "Because at the end, you guys are going to figure out if it’s a lie or not. My job is here to try to pitch and every time you ask me a question, be honest with you guys. So, that’s what I did."
Severino added that his teammates feel the same way about Sutter Health Park, saying "I’m not the only one who feels the same way."
The right-hander’s original comment came on Friday, when he said "it feels like a spring training game," when he pitches at home compared to games on the road.
"It’s really tough," Severino said about his home park in West Sacramento.
"If they trade me or not, I’m going to keep grinding. Trying to be my best going out there."
Severino has struggled a bit this season, owning a 5.18 ERA over 18 starts (104.1 innings) with a 1.380 WHIP as well.
And he clearly likes pitching on the road, as the stats back it up. In eight starts away from West Sacramento this season, Severino has a 3.23 ERA over 47.1 innings.
At home, Severino’s 10 starts have yielded a 6.79 ERA with 43 earned runs over 57.0 innings.
The MLB trade deadline is July 31 at 6 p.m., giving the Athletics one month from Tuesday to find a trade partner for Severino if that’s what they wish to do with him moving forward.
Ronnie Coleman, a bodybuilding legend who shares the all-time record with eight Mr. Olympia titles, was hospitalized over the weekend due to a "serious medical condition," his family said.
Coleman’s family released a statement on the Louisiana native’s Facebook page.
"We want to inform Ronnie’s fans, supporters, and the bodybuilding community that Ronnie Coleman was admitted to the hospital on this past Sunday morning due to a serious medical condition," the statement on Monday read. "He is currently receiving expert medical care and continues to show incredible strength and resilience.
"At this time, we are not sharing additional details, as the focus remains on Ronnie’s recovery and well-being. We kindly ask for your understanding and support in keeping the environment respectful and free of speculation."
Coleman first announced he was dealing with a health issue on Sunday, saying he was dealing with a "medical emergency" and it was going to preclude him from an event in the United Kingdom, according to the New York Post.
He told fans not to worry and said he was "in great hands."
Coleman’s family expressed optimism.
"Ronnie has always inspired the world with his toughness and heart, and we know he feels the love and energy being sent his way."
Coleman, 61, played college football at Grambling State under the legendary Eddie Robinson in the late 1980s. He started to pursue a career in bodybuilding in 1990.
He won 26 International Fitness and Bodybuilding titles. His eight Mr. Olympia victories all came consecutively, and he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
The WNBA announced the remaining eight starters for the 2025 All-Star Game after it was revealed Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and Minnesota Lynx leader Napheesa Collier will be this year’s captains.
While looking over the overall scores following the voting process, Clark’s position among her peers seemed surprising.
There are three voting groups for the WNBA All-Star process: fan rank, media rank and player rank for the guards and frontcourt players. While Clark was first in fan votes, and third among the media, her fellow WNBA players ranked her ninth among the guards.
Clark finished second among all players largely because fan votes account for 50% of the votes to determine starters. But it was Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft earlier this year, taking the top spot after finishing second in fan rank, fifth in media rank and fourth in player rank among the guards.
The Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray, one of the WNBA All-Star starters, finished first in media rank and player rank, while players like Seattle’s Skylar Diggins, New York’s Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud, Washington’s Brittney Sykes and more finished above Clark in terms of player rank.
Perhaps a main reason why Clark’s peers ranked her so low among guards is due to playing only nine of the Fever’s 16 games this season. Clark has been dealing with injuries in her sophomore season, which continues now as she’s missed the last two games.
Clark had been struggling lately as well, going just 13-of-47 from three-point territory in her last three games.
Still, Clark is averaging 18.2 points, 8.9 assists, five rebounds and 1.6 steals over 33.3 minutes per game this season. Only the Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas — who could be among the 12 All-Star Game reserves, which will be selected by the league’s head coaches and announced this Sunday — has more assists per game (9.3), and she’s touched the hardwood in 12 contests this season.
Clark received 1,293,526 votes from the fans.
While Clark has been integral in the rise of the WNBA’s popularity since breaking rookie and league records last season with the Fever, there have been many contentious moments over that span of games with opponents.
This season, a physical altercation broke out against the Connecticut Sun, during which Clark was hit in the face and shoved to the ground during a play. Later in the game, Clark’s teammate, Sophie Cunningham, retaliated against Sun guard Jacy Sheldon in another scuffle that led to ejections.
And, of course, Clark was the center of national sports conversation after instances against the Sun, Chicago Sky and others.
But Clark and Collier will be the ones drafting players to their All-Star squads, and now they know who will be starting with them at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Clark’s Fever home, on July 19.
They will get to choose from the following starters:
The WNBA All-Star Game draft results, which will include the 12 reserve players when head coaches sent their votes in, will be revealed on July 8.
One day before NHL free agency begins, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights struck gold on a blockbuster trade.
The Maple Leafs dealt All-Star forward Mitch Marner to the Knights, ESPN reported Monday.
Marner was about to test free agency for the first time, but this is expected to be a sign-and-trade. Marner's new deal has a $12 million average annual value, per ESPN.
In return, the Leafs are getting center Nic Roy, who just finished his sixth year in Las Vegas and eighth overall in the NHL after spending his first two with the Carolina Hurricanes. Roy scored 15 goals and dished out 16 assists for 31 points in 71 games for the Knights during the 2024-25 season.
Meanwhile, Marner finished his six-year restricted deal with the Maple Leafs, the team he grew up rooting for as a Markham, Ontario, native. Marner’s deal was a salary-cap hit per season at $10.9 million.
The 28-year-old tallied 741 points over his nine years with the organization, including 102 last season with 27 goals and 75 assists over 81 regular-season games.
During the playoffs, Marner only scored twice, but he had 11 assists for a total 13 points in 13 games for Toronto.
Marner was the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Maple Leafs, and he’s been worth that first-round selection given his production output each season. But as Toronto continues to search for that Stanley Cup Final run, a prime contributor on the offensive end moves on to start a new chapter elsewhere in the league.
The Knights, led by veteran head coach Bruce Cassidy, won the Cup during the 2022-23 season — just six years after its inaugural season as an expansion franchise. They actually went to the Stanley Cup Final during that 2017-18 campaign under Gerard Gallant’s leadership.
Vegas went 50-22 last season, but ultimately had the same fate as Toronto, losing in the second round. The Knights fell to the eventual back-to-back Western Conference-champion Edmonton Oilers, who fell to the Florida Panthers once again in the Stanley Cup Final.
Marner now joins top talent like Jack Eichel, Mark Ston, Tomáš Hertl and more next season.
And with the Marner question answered, the Maple Leafs can focus their priorities elsewhere with free agency beginning at noon on July 1.
WNBA veteran NaLyssa Smith was traded by the Dallas Wings to the Las Vegas Aces, and she was clearly blindsided by the deal after reacting on social media.
"Sick to my stomach dawg, never seen this coming but.. I love you Dallas nation, thank you 4 everything," she wrote on X after news of the trade came out.
It was announced on Monday that the Aces acquired Smith, who has been struggling this year, for a 2027 first-round pick.
The Wings have been struggling this year, owning a 1-11 record, and Smith hasn’t fared well with her new team. She was averaging 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds, both career lows, over 18 games.
Smith was acquired by the Wings in an offseason trade with the Indiana Fever, as Dallas tried to build a better roster around Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale. Unfortunately, the moves did not pan out, and Dallas was quick to get assets back in return.
It’s also worth noting that Smith was playing alongside her girlfriend, DiJonai Carrington, who also joined the Wings this offseason. They were teammates previously at Baylor, and have had a relationship ever since.
Carrington simply posted a broken-heart emoji on X when the news dropped, followed by a separate post with pictures of herself and Smith on and off the court.
Smith, though, followed up her post explaining her shock with some positivity as she headed to Las Vegas.
"On another note tho [sic] if I could’ve chose anywhere to go it would’ve been Vegas so hella excited 4 this new opportunity wit [sic] my goat," Smith wrote on X.
While Smith didn’t specifically say who she considers her "goat," it’s a fair guess to say it’s three-time WNBA MVP and two-time league champion A’ja Wilson, who leads the Aces in her eighth season since being taken No. 1 overall out of South Carolina in 2018.
Meanwhile, Smith was the No. 2 overall pick by the Fever in 2022, where she made the WNBA All-Rookie first team after averaging 13.5 points and 7.9 rebounds over 30.7 minutes per game. She finished third in WNBA Rookie of the Year voting.
For the first time in her career, Smith played less than 20 minutes with Dallas, but perhaps that will change now with Las Vegas.
The Aces are currently seventh in the WNBA standings, and fifth in the Western Conference, with an 8-8 record to start the year.
Smith’s presumed first game with her new squad will be against her former team, as the Fever host the Aces on Thursday night in Indianapolis.
Kayla Lochte, the wife of Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte, posted on social media about "betrayal" weeks after the couple announced they were getting a divorce.
Reid on Friday posted a slideshow of "reminders" she said she was telling herself amid the divorce with Lochte.
"You’re stepping into the best chapter of your life – you just have to heal first," the first slide read. "Sometimes God allows the betrayal…. because it leads to the breakthrough.
"Most people have no idea what I’ve endured. Ignore their opinions. Truth always reveals itself," another slide read.
"Divorce isn’t the end of my story. It’s the beginning of my rebirth," she concluded.
Reid and Lochte revealed earlier this month that they were set for a divorce after seven years of marriage. TMZ reported Reid filed for divorce earlier this year, a decision that came "after deep prayer and reflection," she said.
"I hold marriage in the highest regard, so this has been one of the most painful, revealing, and challenging seasons of my life. I've been hesitant to share until I could do so from a place of healing - not from fresh, open wounds," Reid wrote on Instagram at the time.
"Sometimes we face trials we didn't choose or see coming. And in those moments, we're forced to make the hardest decisions to protect our peace, our children, and our future. I've come to understand that staying isn't always the most loving decision someone can make. For me, leaving was an act of love - for those around me and for myself."
Lochte then took to Instagram, saying the decision "hasn't been easy."
"I want to take a moment to acknowledge what Kayla shared. This past year has brought major changes for both of us as we've come to the difficult decision to end our marriage. I'm deeply grateful for the life we've built together and especially for the love we share for our three children," he wrote on social media.
"Although this decision hasn't been easy, I believe it's the right step toward peace and well-being for us both. I remain committed to healing, growth, and co-parenting with care and respect as we move forward. Thank you to our family and friends for your continued support - it truly means a lot as we begin this new chapter."
The couple got engaged in 2016, the same year Lochte was involved in a controversial incident at a gas station during the Rio Olympics. Lochte initially claimed he and his teammates were robbed at gunpoint, but it was determined those with the guns were actually security guards at a gas station where the swimmers had urinated outside a bathroom. Lochte eventually lost four major sponsorships, and USA Swimming suspended him for 10 months.
Lochte won his sixth and final medal in Rio, a gold as part of the 4x200-meter freestyle.
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova reacted to the heinous ambush-style shooting in Idaho that left two firefighters dead and another wounded on Sunday.
The suspected sniper was identified as Wess Roley. Officials said Roley deliberately set a brush fire on Canfield Mountain, near Coeur d’Alene to lure first responders into a deadly trap, according to the Associated Press.
"Our country is messed up…. RIP to the heroes who died and may the dead killer rot in some hellish place," Navratilova wrote on X.
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said fire crews initially responded to a blaze at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d’Alene. Audio released from the scene showed first responders calling for help.
Law enforcement launched a massive manhunt, tracking the suspected gunman through the terrain. Using cellphone data, a tactical team located Roley’s body several hours later in a wooded area near the origin point of the fire. A firearm was found nearby.
Former San Jose State women’s volleyball player Brooke Slusser reacted on Monday after Fox News Digital reported that the Mountain West Conference hired the same law firm to investigate the transgender athlete Brooke Fleming’s misconduct allegations that the conference was using to defend the athlete's eligibility for the conference tournament in court.
Slusser was at the heart of an alleged conspiracy plot involving Fleming and a Colorado State player to harm her during a game. Fox News Digital previously reported that Mountain West hired the firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher (WFG) to investigate the allegations.
The Mountain West hired the firm to handle the investigation in the same month that the same firm represented the conference to protect Fleming's eligibility in a request for preliminary injunction to have the trans athlete disqualified from women's competition and the conference tournament.
The investigation was closed after three days with Fleming being cleared of impropriety. But no evidence was ever disclosed by the conference, as Fleming went on to finish out the season, earn all-conference honors and even led SJSU all the way to the Mountain West championship game.
The WFG attorney who led the investigation into allegations against Fleming, Tim Heaphy, later offered the school legal counsel to help it navigate a federal Title IX investigation over the same situation, as seen in public records obtained by Fox News Digital. The offer was declined.
Slusser spoke about the recent findings in an appearance on Fox News Channel’s "America Reports."
"It’s obvious once this was put out into the public that there’s so much bias in this situation, and they’re trying to just sweep these things under the rug and not have to deal with it when there’s obvious problems going on all over the place," she said.
"They need to be held accountable for using the same law firm and not doing a thorough investigation because Title IX was built to protect women, and they’re obviously deciding to protect the man in this situation when they were blatantly trying to harm a female athlete at their school, and they’re still backing this male athlete and that’s just wrong all over the place. And there’s schools all over the nation doing this, they’re just not getting the spotlight it deserves."
Slusser ultimately hopes that no other female athletes have to deal with the same things she experienced.
"The goal is to never have to let another female athlete go through what I did. The sport was ruined for me my senior season," she said. "So, the goal is to give back to those young girls who had the same dream that I did but to be able to love it the entire time."
None of WFG's attorneys have been accused of violating any applicable rules of professional conduct.
William Bock, the attorney leading a lawsuit against SJSU and the Mountain West on behalf of 11 current or former conference women's athletes, spoke out against the conference earlier Monday.
Bock’s remarks followed a White House statement on the issue from earlier this week.
Mountain West, Willkie Farr & Gallagher, and San Jose State University have not responded to requests for comment.
Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
The lawsuit accusing BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff of sexual assault was reportedly dismissed.
Retzlaff’s attorneys and the woman who accused him of sexual assault in his apartment in November 2023 filed a joint motion on Monday in Salt Lake City’s 3rd District Court to dismiss the case, per multiple reports.
The joint motion comes due to "prejudice and upon the merits of the Plaintiff’s complaint against the Defendant," which translates to the plaintiff not being able to refile the suit.
This comes after Retzlaff was reportedly intending to transfer from BYU, as he anticipated a seven-game suspension due to breaking the university’s honor code. Having one year left of eligibility as a graduate student, Retzlaff could move on to make sure he plays a full season before a potential leap into the NFL.
BYU is run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and engaging in consensual premarital sex is a violation of the school’s honor code. It’s a strict set of rules that instructs students to "live a chaste and virtuous life," according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
While Retzlaff is not a Mormon, all students enrolled at BYU must follow the honor code.
A woman, who was referred to as Jane Doe A.G., accused Retzlaff of sexual assault in a lawsuit that was filed in May. Retzlaff was being sued for alleged battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress for an alleged incident at his apartment in November 2023.
Retzlaff, 22, was not criminally charged.
The woman claimed that she met Retzlaff via social media before agreeing to visit him at his apartment to play video games, per ESPN.
The original complaint alleged that Retzlaff put his hands around the woman’s neck and raped her after she attempted to leave his apartment, according to ESPN. However, new filings this past Friday had Retzlaff denying the allegations, claiming the two engaged in consensual sex.
"Mr. Retzlaff specifically and categorically denies each and every and all allegations that he bit, raped or strangled [the woman], which are ridiculous and bizarre allegations, all of which are false and untrue," Retzlaff’s attorneys wrote, via ESPN.
Retzlaff’s attorneys also accused the woman of extortion, claiming the quarterback never heard from her for more than a year. But, now that he is "an NFL Draft prospect," the lawsuit came out, USA Today reported, citing Friday’s filings.
Retzlaff transferred to BYU in 2023, and he led the way in 2024 with an 11-2 record for the Cougars.
While the lawsuit is being dismissed, Retzlaff still faces the suspension from BYU as he said in his denial of allegations that he claims they had consensual sex.
It’s unknown where Retzlaff will transfer, or which teams may be interested in him for this year.
Fox News' Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
Wimbledon began on Monday with its hottest opening day in history, as temperatures at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club got up to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
While conditions for the athletes were atop the concern list, Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending men’s singles champion, made sure patrons at Centre Court were also taken care of in the heat.
During his four-and-a-half-hour match against 38-year-old Fabio Fognini, play was suspended after a spectator fell ill due to the heat.
Alcaraz was quick to help the cause, grabbing a water bottle near his bench and running it over to the spectator in question. A member of the Wimbledon security also brought over an umbrella to help shade the person.
The BBC reported that the air temperature on the grounds reached 32.2 degrees Celsius (90.1 degrees Fahrenheit) around 4 p.m. BST. The previous record during Wimbledon's opening day was 29.3 degrees Celsius in 2001.
Play resumed in the last set, which was in Alcaraz’s favor, 2-0, after breaking Fognini in the second game. He took the final set, 6-1, and let out a big celebration that might have had some relief sprinkled in there.
This match wasn’t expected to be long, as Alcaraz, fresh off a French Open victory over Jannik Sinner, was supposed to handle Fognini easily in the first round.
However, his career-best 19th straight victory was a marathon, as the 22-year-old was tested by Fognini, who plans on retiring after this year.
Fognini had never made it past the third round at Wimbledon, but he was searching for the upset of the year after defeating Alcaraz in the second set, and taking him down, 6-2, in the fourth to force a decisive fifth one.
A lot of Alcaraz’s struggles, though, were self-inflicted. He had nine double-faults and 62 unforced errors compared to 52 winning shots. He also faced 21 break points, something no one fathomed entering Monday’s opening day.
Alcaraz was even spotted shouting something at his coach’s box during the match. Social media translated his words in Spanish as he believed Fognini had a lot more tennis left in him.
But Alcaraz got the job done in the end, while also making sure to help one of the many in attendance to watch him begin his road to a potential three-peat.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Raheem Mostert ripped his former team after they traded Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday.
Mostert unleashed his "hot take" on social media as reports trickled in about the trade. Smith and Jalen Ramsey were dealt to the Steelers for Minkah Fitzpatrick. Draft picks were also involved in the deal.
"Hot take: Be a Pro-bowler on the Dolphins, get treated like s---. Happy for my guys though! GO BALL OUT!!" Mostert wrote.
Mostert played with the Dolphins from 2022 to 2024. He put together a Pro Bowl season in 2023 when he ran for 1,012 yards and an NFL-leading 18 touchdowns. However, the 2024 season was marred with injuries, and he only rushed for 278 yards and scored two touchdowns.
He signed with the Raiders in the offseason, joining a roster with Geno Smith as the team’s quarterback and Brock Bowers as one of the primary targets. Mostert is set to be in a backfield with rookie Ashton Jeanty.
Smith is a veteran tight end who is now set to play with his fourth team in four years and fifth team over the course of nine years.
He earned a Pro Bowl nod for the first time in his career in 2024. He had 88 catches for 884 yards and eight touchdowns. Those numbers either were career highs or tied career highs.
Miami was 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time in two years.
U.S. women’s soccer legend Abby Wambach admitted in a recent podcast interview that President Donald Trump and his administration are "geniuses" in at least one thing.
Wambach, along with author Glennon Doyle, opened up about what she called a "complicated" relationship with the U.S. and lamented that Trump and his officials were able to get their voters to rally and elect him as president once again in 2024.
"I think about it from a team perspective, because I have so much experience being in a community of a team," Wambach explained. "And being a person who represented this country, and I consider myself very patriotic in many ways, and yet my relationship with my country is very complicated because of all the things that go on inside our administration, the things that we are seeing.
"But I do believe that one of the things that Trump and the administration are geniuses at is getting people to believe they are a part of this community. This community piece, allows people to not pay attention to every little thing. They’re stoking them in a way that keeps them believing that they are part of something that is good even if there are some consequences that are happening in order to get to this. Like it is like the ends justifies the means in some way."
Wambach said that when someone is trying to develop so-called "team culture," what Trump and his administration have done in that development is a "very smart way to do it."
However, Wambach believes some Trump supporters are having second thoughts.
"I think that you are seeing some folks going, ‘Wait a second I didn’t sign up for all of this,’ and that is laughable to me because he wasn’t hiding the playbook. They just didn’t believe, I think part of them probably felt like, ‘Oh the playbook is just like that is just never going to happen, right like that is too far down that is never going to happen. Let’s just get him in office he is a good businessman.’ I also think there is probably a sector of people that are like, ‘Yeah we want all of this stuff to happen.’
"There is, I think there is a smaller version, but I do think some of the folks that voted for him are probably questioning their vote and also embarrassed to go back on it. It is once you get entrenched in that community, it’s like if you get out where do you go, it is almost like there is no place for folks who actually want to jump ship to land because they can’t see themselves in all of our world."
Trump touted his poll numbers earlier this month, saying his approval rating was "the highest it’s ever been."
However, recent surveys suggested the president’s approval ratings remain in the upper 40s with his disapproval rating around 50%.
Fox News' Connor McGahan contributed to this report.
Carson Branstine was already a fan favorite before she entered the first round of Wimbledon against the top-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, Aryna Sabalenka.
Branstine, of Canada, starred at Texas A&M and helped the Aggies to a national championship before she turned pro. She was able to make the final bracket for Wimbledon after she tore through the qualifying rounds, defeating one-time U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu, Raluca Georgiana Serban and Lois Boisson.
However, what captured the attention of social media before the match against Sabalenka was her status as a fashion model. Branstine is signed with Wilhelmina Models and the Neal Hamil Agency.
She opened up about funding her tennis dreams through modeling in an interview with reporters ahead of Wimbledon earlier this month.
"I love being in front of the camera during a shoot. It’s fun, I love fashion. It’s been one of the reasons I’ve been able to pay some of my trips. I didn’t want to ask my parents for anything — I wanted everything to come from me and from my tennis," she said, via Clay.
"I wasn’t signed by these agencies because of my tennis — it was for my look. Modeling and tennis are weirdly similar – you are an object a lot, and people sometimes forget you’re a person too."
While Branstine fell to Sabalenka in straight sets, she gave the Belarusian a run for her money in the second set, losing 7-5.
She was ranked No. 194 in the world before going up against Sabalenka. She has 136 wins in her career and seven titles in International Tennis Federation events.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins reportedly made a trade involving All-Pro defensive backs on Monday with the beginning of training camp weeks away.
The Dolphins agreed to trade cornerback Jalen Ramsey, tight end Jonnu Smith and a 2027 seventh-round draft pick to the Steelers for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick, according to multiple reports.
It had been known that Ramsey was looking to be traded.
NFL.com reported in April that Ramsey and the team would mutually explore potential trade opportunities before the start of the 2025 season. A reunion with the Los Angeles Rams was at one time rumored to be a possible option for Ramsey.
He won a Super Bowl there in 2021.
However, the Steelers appeared to have been in the market for ways to bolster the defense. Additionally, not only does the team receive the three-time All-Pro, but they also get a Pro Bowl tight end in Smith to add to the offensive depth and give Aaron Rodgers another target.
Ramsey had 60 tackles and two interceptions in 17 games last season. Smith had a career-high 88 catches for 884 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Dolphins received Fitzpatrick, who started his career in Miami. The New Jersey native was traded to the Steelers in the middle of the 2019 season as that year got away from the Dolphins.
He put together three All-Pro seasons with the Steelers. Last year, he had 96 tackles and an interception in 17 games.
Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum took a playful jab at a WNBA fan who was set to wear a Caitlin Clark shirt while sitting courtside at the Crypto.com Arena before the team’s game against the Chicago Sky.
Plum came over to the fan with a new T-shirt, according to a video posted on social media by The Sporting Tribune. The fan’s friend was already wearing a Cameron Brink shirt.
"You can’t be wearing that in the gym," Plum said with a sly smile. "… Next time, do better."
Plum then took a photo with the two fans.
It’s clear that Clark is one of the most popular players, if not the most popular player, in the WNBA, and her fingerprints are all over the increase in viewership in the game.
As for the Sparks, the team lost to the Sky later in the night as the team retired the jersey of Basketball Hall of Famer Candace Parker. Plum led Los Angeles with 22 points on 4-of-16 from the field, including 2-of-9 from 3-point range.
The Sky saw Angel Reese put together another dominant performance. She had 24 points and 16 rebounds in the win. She added seven assists, two blocks and a steal to her stat line as well.
Los Angeles fell to 5-12 and Chicago improved to 5-11.
