Not only was DePaul’s win over Georgetown a Big East win, but it was their first road win since Dec. 3, 2022.
Three players scored in double digits for DePaul, with guard CJ Gunn leading the way with 17 points on five-of-nine shooting while adding five rebounds.
DePaul took a 39-28 halftime lead, with Layden Blocker scoring all of his 14 points in the first half, including scoring DePaul’s final six points of the half.
Malik Mack and Drew Fielder led the scoring for Georgetown in the loss.
Mack had 19 points, six assists and two steals, while Fielder also had 19 points with eight rebounds and two blocks.
Caleb Williams scored ten points with six rebounds while Curtis Williams Jr. also scored ten points in the loss for Georgetown.
The win for DePaul snapped a five-game losing streak.
DePaul’s Big Ten conference losing streak was tied for the fourth-longest losing streak in conference play in the AP poll era, according to ESPN research.
The longest conference losing streak ever belongs to Colgate, which was a 47-game losing streak that spanned from 1984-1987.
With the win, DePaul improved to 10-9 (1-7 in Big East play) and will look to continue their winning ways when they play Creighton on Tuesday, at 9 p.m. ET.
The Hoyas fall to 12-6 (3-4 in Big East play) with the loss and will look to turn things around when they host Villanova on Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
Former Chicago Cubs star Sammy Sosa is being elected to the team’s Hall of Fame, alongside former first baseman Derek Lee.
The step towards reconciliation between Sosa and the Cubs began when Sosa released a statement in December.
"There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games. I never broke any laws. But in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize," Sosa said in a statement through Aurora Global Consulting.
After that statement, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said the team is "ready to move forward together" and invited Sosa to the Cubs' annual fan convention.
Sosa attending the convention was the first time he had been with the Cubs in any official capacity since he last played for the team in 2004.
Sosa said that the apology in his statement from December was not about using performance-enhancing drugs.
"No. I'm referring, for example, look, 21 years out. I had the fans that loved me very much. I had to apologize to them, because, I mean, normally, they see me play so many years."
When Sosa was announced at the convention, he received a large ovation and ran onto the stage with an American Flag.
"People grow up," Sosa said via ESPN. "That's what happened to me. To give that statement out, it was the right time for me. The response right away was incredible. Now, the door is open, I have to continue to contribute (to the organization)."
"I think that today was a perfect day."
Sosa played 13 seasons with the Cubs and is the franchise record-holder with 545 home runs.
Sosa finished his big league career with a .273 batting average and 609 homers — currently ninth on the career list. He also had 1,667 RBIs and 234 stolen bases in 18 seasons from 1989 to 2007.
Because a lot of Sosa's success has been clouded by questions about performance-enhancing drug use throughout his career, he did not make the Hall of Fame on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot.
Sosa’s next chance for Hall of Fame consideration will be if he makes the ballot for the contemporary player committee.
Sosa and Lee will be recognized in the team’s Hall of Fame at a game this summer.
There are a lot of ways college football fans could describe Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
He was a Heisman Trophy runner-up, Maxwell Award winner, Doak Walker Award winner and a unanimous All-American selection. But ahead of the NFL Draft, fans can also describe him as an underwear model.
Jeanty teamed up with SAXX last month to promote the men’s underwear line, which is said to be a comfortable undergarment for every part of the male body. He told Fox News Digital that he never imagined in his wildest dreams that he would be modeling underwear.
"I didn’t think so, but, you know, things just have a way of happening, and that’s just kind of how it did," he explained. "You know, good-looking guy, great running back, they want you to model some great underwear, so it just happened. I’m glad it did. It made kind of step outside my box."
Jeanty said it was Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby who selected him to become a part of the SAXX brand, and he said the partnership itself made sense to him.
"Just being a game-changing player on the field, you got to have some game-changing underwear to rock," he said. "I thought it was a perfect collab. Design, the comfortability, all that type of stuff, it’s been great partnering with them."
Jeanty ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns in his final season with Boise State, nearly eclipsing Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record.
Boise State won the Mountain West Conference title and earned a bye into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. The Broncos lost to Penn State.
Jeanty declared for the NFL Draft earlier this month. He’s expected to be the top running back taken.
The Sun Belt fined the Marshall Thundering Herd $100,000 for opting out of the Independence Bowl in December.
Louisiana Tech replaced Marshall in their game against Army, and they lost 27-6 to Army.
"While the conference acknowledges the medical model and best practice guidance adhered to by Marshall, as well as their fundamental concern for the health and safety of the remaining eligible student-athletes to compete in a safe and viable manner, the nature and timing of this decision was detrimental to the Sun Belt Conference and its membership, to Army, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, the American Athletic Conference and ESPN," the Sun Belt said in a statement.
Despite the fine, Marshall athletic director Christian Spears said he stood by the decision to opt out of the game.
"In good conscience, we could not put out 41 student-athletes out on to that field. And again, we are always going to prioritize the health and safety of our student athletes," Spears said. "But that doesn’t take away the fact that a sincere and formal apology is due."
Marshall went 10-3 in the regular season, including winning their last seven games to win the Sun Belt championship.
Instead of going on to play Army in the bowl game, head coach Charles Huff left Marshall as he was far apart on a contract extension with the school.
Huff then left Marshall to take the head coaching job at Southern Miss. More than 25 players jumped into the transfer portal over his departure, which caused Marshall to withdraw from the game.
Marshall hired NC State’s offensive coordinator, Tony Gibson, to be their new head coach.
Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley took another shot at the city of San Francisco as he made clear he had no intentions of going to the NBA All-Star Game.
Barkley spoke on TNT’s "Inside the NBA" about the All-Star candidacy of the Detroit Pistons' young star Cade Cunningham. With the Golden State Warriors set to host the game at the Oracle Arena in San Francisco, Barkley said Cunningham will be there, but he won’t.
It’s not the first time Barkley had criticized the city. Last year, he ripped San Francisco during the NBA’s alternative broadcast of the All-Star Game, which took place in Indianapolis.
Barkley asked Miller which he would choose: playing in the cold in Indianapolis – where Miller spent his entire 18-year NBA career – or "being around a bunch of homeless crooks in San Francisco."
Warriors star Draymond Green called Barkley "crazy" and said that Barkley was not "welcome" in the city. WNBA star Candace Parker said "we love San Francisco," but Barkley offered a retort.
"No we don’t," he said. "… You can’t even walk around down there."
Green was emphatic with his pushback.
"Yes you can walk around," he said.
Barkley clapped back saying, "Yeah, with a bulletproof vest."
New San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has vowed to make San Francisco’s streets safe again, build "enough housing to turn around our affordability crisis" and tackle "our drug and behavioral health crisis."
The Fighting Irish are in the national titte game itself for the first time since 2012 but the NCAA’s punishment over using ineligible players forced the team to vacate wins that season.
"Hey, God. It’s me Shane. I know I haven’t been here in a while but I have a pretty big prayer for you," he said in the ad. "Notre Dame is in the national championship on Monday. I know you know, because you’ve been with us the whole time – couple weeks ago, that field goal. I know you have a lot going on, so that was pretty chill you took time to help us with that.
"I should also say I hath not bet on any of these games … Alright, I have, I hath bet. But going forward, if Notre Dame wins, thou will not bet on games … for a month. Couple weeks. I’m probably going to bet on Sunday.
"Come on, God. I know you can help us. Trucking dudes. Pick sixes everywhere. Maybe a couple Fumblerooskis! Just please let Notre Dame win a national championship."
Gillis was at Notre Dame’s win over Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
He ribbed former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, who apparently got legitimately angry with Gillis over the jabs about SEC schools paying players.
Ryan Clark, a one-time Super Bowl champion and current ESPN NFL analyst, ripped the New England Patriots for how they complied with the Rooney Rule during their head-coaching search.
The NFL’s Rooney Rule, which was created by the NFL’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee in 2003, requires each team with a head-coaching vacancy to interview at least two or more diverse candidates for the job. The rule expanded in 2022 to include interviews for women as part of the "minority candidate definition."
The Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their next coach about a week after firing Jerod Mayo. The team interviewed Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich to comply with the Rooney Rule – all done before the playoffs were over.
"I think this kind of puts a light on the Rooney Rule, which, to me, the New England Patriots made a mockery of," Clark said Thursday on "Inside the NFL." "To interview Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich, two coaches who aren’t even in football right now, just to fulfill a quota.
"The Rooney Rule was put in place so some of these minority coaches could get opportunities to get in front of some of the executives and some of these owners, that truly were looking to give the job to the best person. Now, I want to make it clear – I believe we have moved to a point where organizations will hire the best person they feel for the job. But let’s not make coaches, who have worked their entire lives for this opportunity, be the token interview.
"I think a better solution is for teams who want to skip the Rooney Rule, like the New England Patriots probably would have, because they wanted Mike Vrabel, allow them to hire someone on the lower level that reports directly to the head coach, reports to directly to the offensive coordinator, so they could get some of that tutelage that allows their resumes and their careers to build.
"Let’s stop with the bull-crap interviews just to say we did what the Rooney Rule was supposed to do. When it was implemented initially, I believe it worked. It has now run its course and become something that is a joke to NFL and NFL coaches, and more importantly, to the people it was supposed to help."
Vrabel has a long history with the Patriots, having won three Super Bowl titles with the team during his playing career.
He started his coaching career with the Tennessee Titans in 2018. He was 54-45 with the Titans and led them to three playoff appearances, including an AFC Championship appearance.
Philadelphia Eagles fans are under a national microscope after one of their own, Ryan Caldwell, was seen verbally assaulting a female Green Bay Packers fan in viral footage at a playoff game last Sunday.
But the fan base's history of abuse against women on the opposing side dates back much further than that.
Former Dallas Cowboys player DeMarcus Ware, who played a game in Philadelphia every year during his Dallas career from 2005 to 2013, told Fox News Digital that he once had to witness Eagles fans hurl dangerous projectiles at his mother, Brenda Ann Ware, during a game his rookie year in 2005.
"My rookie season when my mom was in the stands, I told her not to wear my jersey, and she was in the front row, and were up there in Philly, they were putting batteries in snowballs and throwing them and one of them hit my mom," Ware said.
Seeing his mother get pegged by a snow-covered battery nearly prompted Ware to abandon his football duties and run up into the stands to start a fight.
"I turned around at the time, and I didn't care about football anymore. I wanted to go get the guy who was in the stands. But I didn't," Ware said.
The linebacker held back, allowing team security to take care of the fan who hurt his mom. But he let the memory of the incident fester in his mind, and motivate him every time he took the field against the Eagles.
The Cowboys beat the Eagles 21-20 in that 2005 game in Philadelphia to sweep the season series.
In 17 career games against the Eagles, Ware had 16 total sacks. The Cowboys went 9-8 against their rivals in the games that Ware played.
Ware had his most vengeful stretch against the Eagles in 2011. In January of that year, he had three sacks in Philadelphia in the 2010 season finale to help seal a 14-13 win. The following season, in an October game in Philadelphia, he had four sacks, the most he ever had in a game against the arch rival. He had two more sacks in the second meeting against the Eagles that year in December in Dallas.
But despite nearly a decade of animosity against the Eagle fans for what they did to his mother, he still respects the will of the fan base. The franchise's former home, Veterans Stadium, had an on-site judicial court and jail cells to deal with law-breaking fans, which isn't something that Ware takes lightly.
"The Philadelphia Eagles fans, they are very, very strong-willed fans," he said.
"When you have a jail at the bottom of the stadium back in the day, when you're able to go to jail because you're acting up, even from the point every single time we played, it was a rivalry battle showdown if it was up there or at home. And their fans, they travel well, they're just tenacious, and that's just who they are."
Caldwell's recent viral video has re-ignited certain stereotypes of the fan base as the team contends for a Super Bowl this season.
The footage shows Caldwell calling the nearby Packers fans vulgar and sexist names, while taunting the man accompanying her with explicit gestures.
Caldwell has since been fired from his job as a project manager at the NJ-based company BCT Partners. He has apologized but also defended himself by insisting his actions "were not without provocation" and that the viral video "does not show the full context" of what happened.
Still, Caldwell's abusive behavior is only the latest in a long history of unruly and sometimes illegal behavior by the fan base over the years.
In 1997, during a Monday night game against the San Francisco 49ers, one mischievous Eagles fan shot a flare gun into the stands full of other fans, endangering multiple lives.
After the flare was shot, multiple fistfights broke out around the stadium as most of the violence was directed at 49ers fans by Eagles fans.
"There were a large number of fights and acts of intimidation, many directed at fans in 49ers jerseys," the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote at the time.
After the game, Eagles owner Jeffrie Lurie was forced to condemn his own fans.
"In spite of the fact that we feel we have made significant strides in recent years with regard to fan conduct at Veterans Stadium, what we witnessed this past Monday was undoubtedly a step backward," Lurie told reporters at the time.
In 2018, an Eagles fan was arrested during the NFC divisional playoff game against the Falcons, for punching the horse of a Philadelphia police officer.
According to a police report at the time, a man was ejected because "he was intoxicated and did not possess a ticket." After his ejection from Lincoln stadium, the man walked toward a police officer mounted on a horse and "began punching the horse in the face, neck and shoulder area."
After the Eagles won the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots that year, multiple violent riots broke out around the city. Looting and destruction were reported at multiple convenience shops and a local Macy's department store. Cars were flipped over, traffic lights and lamp posts were torn down, and there were even unconfirmed reports of explosions.
One of the most storied examples of unruly Eagles fan behavior took place all way back in 1968, when a man dressed as Santa Claus walked out onto the field. He was booed relentlessly by fans who were upset about a disappointing season and, like Ware's mother, he was even hit with snowballs.
But it didn't stop at snowballs, as he was also hit with beer cans and even sandwiches.
Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce told fans on Friday what playoff football meant to him ahead of their AFC Divisional Round matchup against the Houston Texans.
"Playoff football is the most meaningful football that you'll ever play in your life," he said in a video posted to the Chiefs’ Instagram account. "I cherish every single play, man. I really do. When you're in it, you're always trying to strive for greatness.
"Being greater than what you are. You know, obviously there's a historic run and something that we can achieve that no other team has ever achieved. You know, that fuels you."
Kelce admitted on the podcast he would "re-evaluate" some things come the offseason.
"I love everything that I'm doing in this building, but at the end of the day I'm not having that extreme success on the field as I have individually," Kelce told Smith. "... I'll re-evaluate it like I always do, and I'll probably tell myself how much I love this thing, and I'll come back next year.
"I still love coming into the building every day, does it get hard, yeah, but I'm not doing it for the stats. I'm doing it for the greatness, the legacy that we've created here in Kansas City," he added "... I can't fathom what it would feel like just being able to say I'm satisfied because I'm still hungry to go and get something right now."
Kelce faced all kinds of criticism during the season, with accusations flying about him being washed up or spending too much time with his girlfriend, Taylor Swift. He still managed to have 97 catches for 823 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games.
Even at age 35, Kelce was healthy for the entire season and only missed Week 18 as the Chiefs decided to rest their starters, having already wrapped up a bye week. With the whiff of retirement entering the air as the season enters the final stretch, Kelce was asked whether Swift had any thoughts about him calling it a career.
Kelce said he has support from Swift to keep playing if he wants to.
Bill Belichick’s girlfriend on Thursday seemingly shut down any talk of her boyfriend leaving the North Carolina Tar Heels football program for a job in the NFL.
Jordon Hudson responded to rumors that suggested Belichick had one foot out the door when it came to his Tar Heels gig. Belichick had been rumored to be interest in coaching the Dallas Cowboys, but the head coaching job wasn’t open until he had already committed to North Carolina. CBS Sports reported that Belichick didn’t sign his contract with the school.
She posted a photo on her Instagram showing the two posing with a football and Belichick dressed in Carolina blue.
"Pictured: two people who are overtly committed to @uncfootball," she wrote as the caption.
Michael Lombardi, who is the general manager of the North Carolina football program, also threw cold water on the rumors of Belichick jumping back to the pros.
"Bill is recruiting in DC today, and Baltimore tomorrow. His focus is on North Carolina football, hiring staff members and developing the team. The NFL isnt a option so please stop making it one. Thank you," he wrote on X in response to the CBS Sports report.
"The reception towards UNC and Coach Belichick has been amazing from every school we visit. We are going to fight to keep North Carolina players here and bring the best to Chapel Hill," he added.
Belichick was hired as the Tar Heels’ coach in December. He called the job a "dream come true."
"I’ve always wanted to coach in college football," Belichick said in his introductory press conference. "It just never really worked out. Had some good years in the NFL, so that was OK. But this is really a dream come true."
After battling with the Wisconsin Badgers over the past month about entering his name into the transfer portal, after signing an agreement with the school regarding revenue-sharing, wide receiver Xavier Lucas has now withdrawn from school and enrolled at Miami.
This has the makings to be one of the most groundbreaking moves we've seen in college athletics when it comes to how the transfer portal works, and could lead to significant changes in the future. This whole ordeal started when Xavier Lucas decided that he wanted to transfer out of Wisconsin, looking to find a school closer to home, in the eyes of the wide receiver.
But there was a problem for Lucas, and it all centered around a two-year agreement he signed with the school that was tied to the upcoming revenue-sharing model that has yet to be approved by a judge, per his attorney, Darren Heitner.
So, the school felt as if it had a financial agreement in place, and would not enter his name into the transfer portal database.
If you aren’t familiar with how the portal works, the school is obligated to enter a player's name into the database once he or she has completed the proper paperwork needed to enter. As we have seen over the past few years, the transfer portal has continued to be one of the most talked about subjects in all of college athletics.
Just this year, the rules committee decided to shorten the period of time in which the portal would be open, starting on December 9, and running through December 24.
Players who are participating in the postseason are given a five-day extension once their season ends, which helped those still competing in the college football playoff.
In the case of Xavier Lucas, he had submitted his paperwork on time, but the school stood firm on not entering his name into the database, because of a revenue-sharing agreement that both parties signed before Lucas tried to enter his name into the portal.
The contract agreement at the middle of this dispute was a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that gives the school all rights pertaining to that player's name, image and likeness, meaning that Wisconsin, or any other school, could use his name for those purposes and Lucas would be paid in return.
OutKick spoke with Darren Heitner, who represents Xavier Lucas in this matter about the agreement.
"The memorandum of understanding is conditioned on approval of the House settlement (which has yet to receive final approval) and Xavier attending classes no later than Spring 2025 (he has un-enrolled from the Institution)," Heitner noted. "Furthermore, he sought to enter his name into the Transfer Portal, but the Institution improperly denied his right to do so, which is a violation of NCAA rules. That notwithstanding, the Institution has not paid any monies to him and so he owes no reimbursement to the Institution."
It was also noted by Heitner that the father of Xavier Lucas is currently dealing with a health issue that led to the former Badger wanting to move closer to home.
In short, the school and Xavier Lucas agreed to a deal that is not currently legal, because the House v NCAA settlement has not been approved via a judge.
One of the main takeaways from this whole ordeal is that former Wisconsin receiver Xavier Lucas decided not to go through the transfer portal on his way to Miami. After waiting for the school to enter his name into the database, Lucas simply took himself out of Wisconsin, and has now enrolled at Miami.
Yes, there have been other schools that have signed players to deals under the impression that the revenue-sharing agreement would be approved by a judge, but this matter of a player and program battling over the legality of a contract is the first to be publicly discussed.
Now, we could see a monster shift in how players decide to transfer, outside the actual portal period dates. Right now, if a player wanted to transfer, he would have to do so as a ‘Graduate Transfer’. But, with Xavier Lucas deciding not to use the portal, and enroll at another institution outside the window sets a new precedent for how players could potentially leave.
"NCAA rules do not prevent a student-athlete from unenrolling from an institution, enrolling at a new institution and competing immediately," an NCAA spokesperson noted in a statement this evening.
Darren Heitner mentioned to Yahoo Sports that when Xavier Lucas tried one last effort to discuss the matter with Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell, he tried to talk Lucas into staying.
Obviously, this is a massive development for players in all sports. As for whether Wisconsin will sue Xavier Lucas for his NIL rights while he's at Miami, attorney Darren Heitner told OutKick's Trey Wallace that it would only further tarnish the school's reputation.
"The most short-sighted move for Wisconsin to make would be to sue," Heitner noted. "The institution doesn’t have a leg to stand on and it will only further tarnish a reputation that they have already done enough damage to by their own misdeeds."
As for what's next in the college career for Xavier Lucas, he will look to put this behind him and contribute to the Miami Hurricanes.
But, it's an un-traditional way of getting to Miami that could change rules surrounding the transfer portal, or therefore, the lack of actually needing a time period attached to the window itself.
As Philadelphia Eagle fans face national scrutiny following a viral video of one verbally assaulting a woman, star running back Saquon Barkley has come to their defense.
With the Eagles set to face the Los Angeles Rams in a divisional playoff game on Sunday, Rams player Jared Verse expressed his hatred for Eagles fans in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. Verse's comments came days after Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell was fired from his job when the video of him insulting a female Green Bay Packers fan at a playoff game last Sunday went viral.
"I hate Eagles fans," Verse said. "They’re so annoying. I hate Eagles fans."
Barkley was asked by reporters about Verse's comments ahead of the game, and suggested that the Rams rookie's decision to say those things was "not smart."
"Probably not the smartest thing to say if you're coming to Philadelphia," Barkley told reporters on Friday.
Barkley cited his previous experience coming to play in Philadelphia as an opponent when he was with the New York Giants from 2018-23.
"I've been on the other side, I've felt some type of way," Barkley said. "I probably wouldn't give them any extra fuel."
Barkley expects Verse will receive an especially rude greeting when he takes the field on Sunday.
"I’m pretty sure Philly fans have seen that comment. It was already going to be loud and rocking, so it’s just only going to add to it," Barkley said.
Verse is just one of the harsh vocal critics of Eagles fans in the aftermath of the viral footage of Caldwell. Verse said even though the game was in Los Angeles, he heard heckling Eagles fans, despite wearing headphones.
"I didn’t even do nothing to em. It was my first time playing. Oh, I hate Eagles fans," Verse said.
The Eagles won that game 37-20, and Barkley ran wild, amassing 302 scrimmage yards, including 255 rushing yards with two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Caldwell was fired from his job as a project manager at BCT Partners after a video of his insults went viral. He has apologized but also defended himself by insisting his actions "were not without provocation" and that the viral video "does not show the full context" of what happened.
"While attending an NFL game last Sunday to support my beloved Philadelphia Eagles, an incident occurred that I deeply regret," Caldwell said in a statement.
"What began as banter with two Packers fans sitting near me escalated to something more serious, and I said things that were unacceptable. In the heat of the moment, I chose unforgiving words to address one of the fans, Ms. Ally Keller.
"I want to sincerely apologize to Ms. Keller for those words, and to my wife, family, and friends, my former employer and colleagues, Packer fans, Eagle fans, the Philadelphia Eagles, the City of Philadelphia, and all who were offended. That said, there are two sides to every story.
"The video clip circulating online does not reflect the full context of what transpired, and my actions were not without provocation. I will live with this experience, and I am certainly paying a personal price. For those who don’t know me, this incident does not reflect my values or the respect I have for others and is not indicative of the person I am."
The viral video was filmed by Keller’s fiancé, Alexander Basara, and spread rapidly across the internet in the days after the Eagles' 22-10 win.
Caldwell's apology and news of his firing prompted a wave of celebration and mockery by sports fans on social media.
Eagles fans have a long history of unruly behavior.
The franchise's former home, Veterans Stadium, had an on-site judicial court and jail cells to deal with law-breaking fans.
The reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers' pitching rotation is set to get a big lift. On Friday, coveted Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki announced he will play for the Dodgers.
The 23-year-old took to Instagram to reveal that he is inking a minor-league contract with the organization. Saski's Japanese team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, will receive compensation from the MLB franchise.
Saski is the latest Japanese-born superstar to land in Los Angeles in the past year. Last winter, superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto joined the team. Ohtani was exclusively a designated hitter in 2024, but won his third career MVP trophy. He plans to return to the pitching mound in 2025.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman previously said that signing Sasaki was considered a "major priority." Sasaki met with the Dodgers earlier this week.
The combination of youth and elite level talent made Saski a highly-sought after prospect.
However, the Dodgers were long considered the favorites in the race to land the pitcher whose fastball routinely reaches 100-mph. He can also throw an impressive splitter, which bolsters his potential to be an ace in a pitching rotation.
A long list of MLB clubs submitted information about their respective organizations to Saski and Wasserman, his representing agency, in December during baseball's winter meetings.
While several of those teams were granted in-person meetings, only three organizations made the short list. By January, the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, and Dodgers were the final teams under consideration.
The Dodgers' projected pitching rotation already featured Tyler Glasnow, Yamamoto, Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw. Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, also signed with L.A. earlier this offseason.
The Miami Dolphins will travel to Europe in 2025. On Friday, the franchise revealed it was the team selected by the NFL to play in the league's first-ever game in Madrid, Spain.
The NFL did not immediately provide a date for the game, but it will take place during the 2025 regular season. The Dolphins' opponent will also be announced at a later date.
The Dolphins will be the designated "home" team at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the longtime home of Real Madrid CF. The venue features a soccer field that retracts to make way for a field that can be used for American football. The stadium has a capacity of just over 78,000.
"We are thrilled to play the NFL's inaugural game in Spain, a country of rich history, tradition and passion and home to a vibrant Dolphins fan base," Dolphins president and CEO Tom Garfinkel said in a statement.
"There is a hunger for football in this market, and we are proud to join with the NFL in growing the game internationally while engaging with old and new fans alike. With the unique synergy between Miami and Madrid, we believe this is only the beginning for us in this incredible region, and we look forward to bringing the excitement and community of Dolphins football to Spain in 2025 and beyond."
The Dolphins announced their selection to play in Madrid less than a year after the NFL revealed it would host a game at Bernabéu Stadium at some point during the 2025 season. The Dolphins also hold international marketing rights in Spain as part of the league's Global Markets Program.
"The exciting first-ever game in Spain underlines the NFL’s continued commitment to expanding its global footprint and reaching new audiences across the world," said Brett Gosper, the league’s head of Europe and APAC.
Next season's game will mark the Dolphins' eighth on the international stage. The Dolphins are 2-5 in games played outside the U.S., with Miami's most recent appearance in 2023, when they took on the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany.
The NFL has been aggressively expanding its global footprint in search of new fans and revenue streams. Partnering with one of the most successful soccer clubs in the world is a branding bonanza.
"This partnership with the NFL will bring one of the world’s most prestigious sporting competitions to the Santiago Bernabéu, a stadium which has welcomed millions of passionate fans from around the globe to enjoy incredible sporting experiences," said Emilio Butragueño, Real Madrid's institutional relations director.
The NFL can schedule up to eight regular-season games internationally next season. In addition to the game in Spain, London is slated to host three games, while one game will be played in Germany.
The reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers' pitching rotation is set to get a big lift. On Friday, coveted Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki announced he will play for the Dodgers.
The 23-year-old took to Instagram to reveal that he is inking a minor-league contract with the organization. Saski's Japanese team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, will receive compensation from the MLB franchise.
Saski is the latest Japanese-born superstar to land in Los Angeles in the past year. Last winter, superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto joined the team. Ohtani was exclusively a designated hitter in 2024, but won his third career MVP trophy. He plans to return to the pitching mound in 2025.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman previously said that signing Sasaki was considered a "major priority."
The combination of youth and elite level talent made Saski a highly-sought after prospect. However, the Dodgers were long considered the favorites in the race to land the pitcher whose fastball routinely reaches 100-mph. He can also throw an impressive splitter, which bolsters his potential to be an ace in a pitching rotation.
A long list of MLB clubs submitted information about their respective organizations to Saski and Wasserman, his representing agency, in December during winter meetings. While several of those teams were granted in-person meetings, only three organizations made the short list. By January, the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, and Dodgers were the final teams under consideration.
The Dodgers' projected pitching rotation already featured Tyler Glasnow, Yamamoto, Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw. Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, also signed with L.A. earlier this offseason.
University of Wyoming women's volleyball player Macey Boggs testified at a state senate hearing about her team forfeiting two matches to San Jose State in 2024 during a controversy involving transgender player Blaire Fleming.
Boggs, one of 11 former or current Mountain West volleyball players engaged in a lawsuit against SJSU and the conference, spoke in support of a bill that would require participation in athletic competition be limited to an athlete’s biological sex at birth in the state.
But for Boggs, no amount of legislation will give her another opportunity to compete in the volleyball postseason. Wyoming's two forfeits to SJSU Oct. 5 and Nov. 14 cost the team a chance to make the Mountain West Tournament, and her career is now over.
"My team was punished with two losses for refusing to play against a male athlete on an opposing team, an injustice that ultimately kept us from competing in the Mountain West Tournament." Boggs said. "I was stripped of a chance to play my final collegiate matches because we faced a situation no woman should ever have to face, either compete against a team rostering a male athlete on a woman's scholarship or forfeit the rest of our season. No woman should have to face such a decision.
"We deserve to compete against athletes whose biology matches our own, not against a male standard."
Sacrificing a chance to compete for a championship to ensure the safety of her and her teammates left a lasting impression on Boggs she won't soon forget.
"My team was told we didn't deserve safety on the court, that we weren't important enough for fair competition and that women should remain silent for the benefit of men," she said. "This issue is about more than just wins and losses. It's about whether we respect women and girls."
Wyoming Republican state Sen. Wendy Schuler, a former college athlete, is the sponsor of the bill and chair of the Senate Education Committee. Boggs urged the state legislators to pass the bill to protect future women's athletes from similar situations. The bill passed in a 4-1 vote.
There are already 25 states with laws in place to prevent transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls sports. A bill to prevent it on the national level has already passed in the House of Representatives.
Boggs hopes her experience can bring lawmakers to ensure it doesn't happen anywhere else.
"While it may be too late for me to finish my career on the terms that my team earned, it's not too late for the young girls coming up behind us," she said. "It is fundamentally unfair, unsafe and a violation of women's rights to force women to compete with or against biological males."
Boggs expressed her belief that sex is determined by birth and "not by feelings."
The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit are SJSU co-captain Brooke Slusser, Alyssa Sugai, Elle Patterson, Nicanora Clarke, Kaylie Ray, Sia Li'ili'i, Sierra Grizzle, Jordan Sandy, Katelyn Van Kirk and Kiersten Van Kirk. Former SJSU assistant volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose, who was suspended by San Jose State after filing a Title IX complaint alleging the university gave favorable treatment to the trans player, is also a plaintiff.
Former NCAA swimmer and prominent conservative influencer Riley Gaines, who regularly organizes with other women's athletes affected by transgender inclusion and who is leading a lawsuit against the NCAA over the issue, revealed her account of what the players went through, based on discussions with them, during a hearing in Idaho Jan. 9.
"They were emotionally blackmailed into believing they were the problem," Gaines said of the players, adding Boise State was the only university that showed administrative support to players who wished to forfeit.
"The overwhelming majority of them did not want this brought upon them. No one asked for this. This is not a situation they wanted to be in," Gaines added. "These girls were terrified. They were terrified to stand tall. They were terrified to stand up for themselves. They were terrified of the things that would potentially come if they merely said ‘men and women are different.’"
Marshi Smith, the co-founder of a legal advocacy group, the Independent Council on Women's Sports, testified that the female athletes who joined the lawsuit felt threatened by retaliation from their university if they spoke out against transgender inclusion.
"What will they do to us for speaking up?" the players often asked, according to Smith.
Smith elaborated on these players' questions in a follow-up statement to Fox News Digital.
"They’re often terrified of losing scholarships or being kicked off their teams. At San Jose State, administrators exploited these fears by telling them to stay quiet because it’s Blaire Fleming’s story to tell, not their own," Smith said.
Louisiana Tech head volleyball coach Amber McCray confirmed to Fox News Digital that her team did not know about the situation involving Fleming's natural birth sex, and it did not find out until the day after the match via rumors from parents.
LA Tech athletic director Ryan Ivey suggested in emails obtained by Fox News Digital that if officials had known Fleming's natural birth sex, the team "would have sought "a different outcome."
Slusser, who alleges she had to share bedrooms and changing spaces with Fleming in the lawsuit, has told Fox News Digital the experience has been "traumatic."
"This season has been so traumatizing that I don't even have a proudest moment," Slusser said.
SJSU has also acknowledged a recent exodus of volleyball players who entered the transfer portal. Nearly every remaining player who is still eligible is looking to leave the program.
"Student-athletes have the ability to make decisions about their college athletic careers, and we have the utmost respect for that," a statement said.
The women's basketball community has been rocked by the public revelation of Caitlin Clark's stalker. Other players in the sport are now speaking up about their own fears and experiences with security and privacy breaches. News of Clark's stalker came out just one month after a man pleaded guilty to stalking UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers.
Ahead of the opening week of the upstart 3-on-3 league, Unrivaled, many of the WNBA players participating spoke about the issue.
Connecticut Sun player DiJonai Carrington, who gave Clark a black eye in their playoff series in September, told The Associated Press she has received cyberthreats and needs to be on the lookout for other threats when she goes out in public.
"It’s super unfortunate that it’s going on, but I think as the game grows, it’s going to continue to happen because some people are just crazy and aren’t in their right mind and need to be held accountable for those things," Carrington said. "But I don’t think it’s going to stop, honestly. We have to do stuff and go above and beyond and try to protect ourselves."
New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart says she and other players have had to be conscious of how they use social media to make sure they aren't giving away their whereabouts in real time.
"We have a ton of security here, and you see them everywhere," Stewart said. "Making sure that whether we post pictures or social media, nothing is real time because that’s when it’s like they’re really able to figure out where you are."
Breanna Stewart and her wife, Marta Xargay, were victims during the WNBA Finals in October, receiving threatening anonymous emails after Game 1.
Clark's fever teammate, Aliyah Boston, called the conditions she and other players face "super scary."
"It’s super scary, and I feel bad for Paige, Caitlin, (Breanna) and everyone’s family because that’s not something that you ever want to experience," she said. "But I think everyone around us do a great job of trying to make sure we feel safe and making sure that they’re responding to everything. If we’re unsure of anything, they are on it. They know exactly what to do."
Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier said the league has had meetings with players recently.
"I think it’s scary. Just naturally, with us being more available to people, things like that happen," Collier said. "We did have a safety meeting the other day."
The Texas man identified as Clark's alleged stalker, Michael Lewis, entered Marion County Superior Court, leaned back in his chair and told Judge Angela Davis he was "guilty as charged," earlier this week.
Davis suggested to Lewis he exercise his right to remain silent and entered a not guilty plea on his behalf because she wasn’t going to accept anything else in an initial hearing.
Lewis was ordered held on $50,000 bail and to stay away from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the Hinkle Fieldhouse, where the Fever and the Butler Bulldogs play, respectively. Clark’s boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, is an assistant with Butler’s men’s basketball team.
Lewis, 55, was charged with stalking and threatening sexual battery or death, FOX 59 reported, citing court documents. The charge is a felony, and he could face up to six years in prison if convicted.
Lewis allegedly sent Clark sexually explicit messages through his X account. One message said he had been driving around her house multiple times and encouraged her "not to call the law just yet." He also allegedly spoke of going to a Fever game and sitting behind the bench.
Authorities said they talked to Lewis about the messages Jan. 8, according to the news station. He reportedly told authorities he was going to Indianapolis for a vacation and downplayed the number of messages he sent to the WNBA sharpshooter.
"It takes a lot of courage for women to come forward in these cases, which is why many don’t," Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said, via FOX 59. "In doing so, the victim is setting an example for all women who deserve to live and work in Indy without the threat of sexual violence."
College football players and coaches have spoken openly and on the biggest platforms this season about their faith, and on Monday, two teams that have led that conversation will face off in the national championship.
Ohio State is the favorite heading into the title game, but for many players it's their faith, not stats and analytics, that’s the driving factor behind their confidence on the field.
In a series of interviews with Sports Spectrum this season, several Buckeyes players spoke about turning to their faith and how doing so has impacted their performance on the field.
"I would say for the past couple years we’ve kinda been – there’s kinda been a number of players on the football team who have restored their faith in Jesus Christ. And that was something that was big for me my freshman year," star receiver Emeka Egbuka told the outlet in November.
Egbuka, a graduate student, recalled in his interview the turning point for him. He was invited to attend a mass by his fellow teammates and said it was the first time he had felt a true connection to his faith.
"Ever since then, my life has been changed. A complete 180, and I have a similar testimony to a lot of players on the team. We’ve been praying for a type of revival like this on our team, and we decided to share with everybody what God has been doing on our football team."
Egbuka said he opted against going into the NFL Draft last season because he felt a calling that was "bigger" than football.
"I felt the Lord was leading me back to Ohio State for another year. I felt the Lord asking me a question, testing my heart: ‘If you do come back for this next year, you’re going to have this massive platform, you’re going to have tons of following, you are going to have these accolades – this name to live up to, and you can do one of two things with that moment. You can either use it to glorify me or to glorify yourself,’ so I saw it as somewhat of a challenge and something that I had to do."
Star running back TreVeyon Henderson told the outlet in a separate interview that despite his standout rookie season, which included success and NIL deals, he had turned to his faith following an injury.
"He saved my life from going down that road of destruction. He saved me. He put me on this path of everlasting life . . . you see so many people go down that large path of destruction, but I’m so thankful that Jesus, He rescued me from that path and put me on His path."
And just last month, tight end Gee Scott Jr. said that this season has been highlighted by massive change spiritually.
"I would just say there’s been a mass herd of people who are making the public declaration to yield their life to Christ, which I commend so much, because, especially at this age and in 2024, the world that we live in right now, there’s so many things that you could allude or surrender your life to, there’s so many things that you can give your life to."
Just this week, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard praised both teams for speaking so openly about their faith, and he believes that it's a big reason as to why they are the two teams battling it out for college football’s biggest prize.
One of the preeminent voices in college basketball is returning to the air after a nearly two-year absence. Dick Vitale's most recent television assignment for ESPN was April 3, 2023.
Vitale was on the call for the international broadcast of that season's men's basketball national championship game between the UConn Huskies and San Diego State Aztecs.
The Hall of Fame broadcaster is scheduled to resume his analyst duties when Duke goes up against Wake Forest Jan. 25 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The 85-year-old's return comes after he faced four different types of cancer over 3½ years.
Vitale had his most recent medical procedure last summer after a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer. Earlier this month, the legendary broadcaster declared he was cancer-free.
In 2021, months after undergoing a handful of surgeries to remove melanoma, Vitale was diagnosed with lymphoma. The next year, he announced he was cancer-free. In 2023, Vitale learned of his vocal cord cancer diagnosis, and he underwent radiation treatment.
"I am absolutely ecstatic, and I can’t believe this is happening after going through five major vocal cord surgeries, 65 radiation treatments and chemotherapy for six months," Vitale said in a statement.
"It’s been a very tough journey, but all of the prayers and messages from the beautiful fans have inspired me. I can’t thank Jimmy Pitaro and all of my ESPN colleagues who I consider my second family enough for the love they showed me through such a tough time. I just hope that I can offer the people some basketball insights that can bring even more excitement to the game."
Pitaro, ESPN's chairman, said Vitale "is one-of-a-kind."
"There is no better ambassador for the sport of college basketball than Dick Vitale. Even while navigating his own health challenges, Dick continued to look for ways to give back and help others, inspiring us all," Pitaro said in a statement. "Dick is one-of-a-kind, and we can’t wait to have him back doing what he loves most on ESPN on Jan. 25."
Vitale has been with ESPN for more than four decades, joining the network during the 1979-80 college basketball season. He has since called more than 1,000 games.
Vitale was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in September.
The Dallas Cowboys are looking for new leaders to save them from disarray. One of their old leaders thinks he has some solutions.
Former Dallas linebacker and Hall of Famer Demarcus Ware told Fox News Digital he may look to join the next Cowboys coaching staff under a specific condition. He wants his former teammate Jason Witten to be the team's head coach.
"I'm vouching for him right now to be head coach, he might vouch for me to come over and some kind of defensive coach," Ware said in an exclusive interview. "There is a 94% chance that if Jason Witten becomes head coach, that Demarcus is very interested in coming over there as well."
Witten has been a head coach at the high school level since 2021, when he took over Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, Texas. Witten reportedly turned down multiple assistant coach openings with NFL and college programs to take the Liberty Christian job, according to ESPN.
Meanwhile, Ware served as a pass-rush consultant on the Denver Broncos coaching staff in 2018.
If Ware were to join a hypothetical coaching staff led by Witten, Ware says he would prioritize the handling of current star linebacker Micah Parsons. Ware says the Cowboys' defense has lacked the "lightning bolt" from Parsons that it needs to compete for a Super Bowl.
"If he can become consistently on the field and play like he plays at the beginning of the season, he's like the electricity that the team needs to just wake up," Ware said. "If we can get him consistently playing on defense, they would win more football games and take the pressure off [quarterback] Dak Prescott."
If a staff led by Witten and Ware materializes, Ware suggests that Parsons won't be doing a podcast every week during the NFL season, as Parsons has done since the start of the 2023 season, when "The Edge With Micah Parsons" launched on Bleacher Report.
"He probably won't be doing it during the season, I know he won't be," Ware said. "Because he'll be too focused on getting to the quarterback and just wreaking havoc in the backfield."
Ware says that having a weekly podcast during the season isn't something he would have done in his career, especially early on. Ware believes it is a "hard" balancing act for Parsons.
"That's very hard," Ware said of Parsons' overlapping football and media obligations. "There's some things that you probably can't say and questions that will be asked to sort of press you to make press."
During one episode of Parsons' podcast in November 2023, following a game against the Carolina Panthers in which he threw up on the sidelines, Parsons revealed that his teammates had pressured him into overdosing on C4 Energy powder before the game, which caused him chest pain and eventual nausea. He ended the story by suggesting he had caved to "peer pressure."
In an episode in September of that year, while discussing the relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Parsons encouraged other NFL players to pursue relationships with high-status celebrity women, and specifically named Zendaya as someone they should pursue, despite the fact that Zendaya has been in a long-term relationship with Spider-Man actor Tom Holland since 2021.
Parsons has since faced pushback from his own teammate over his decision to do an in-season podcast. That criticism came during a separate podcast appearance by Cowboys safety Malik Hooker.
"My advice would be for Micah, it would be: Just make sure we’re all right, and being where your feet are," Hooker said in a June 27 interview on the "All Facts No Brakes" podcast. "Because if we’re out working, and the run game’s terrible, but you’re doing a podcast every week — and you know the run game is terrible — then what are you really caring about? Are you caring about the crowd that’s watching your podcast, or are you caring about the success of our team, and the Super Bowl that we’re trying to reach?"
When Parsons was pressed by reporters about the distraction his podcast might pose during training camp on Aug. 21, the star pass rusher became passionately defensive.
"I don't think no one really cares about what I'm doing on a Monday afternoon when I'm at home with my kids," he said. "So, why would they care if I'm on Xbox? I think we all get our own free time. When y'all away from here, are y'all thinking about me at home? I would hope not.
"I try not to say (anything) controversial, but everyone always is gonna be drawn to something. They're going to try to take one thing. We all have opinions. We're not going to agree to what everyone says. That's life."
Parsons went on to have his worst season as a pro in the months that followed. He put up career lows with 12 sacks, 43 tackles and 23 QB hits, while playing in a career-low 13 games. He missed games to injury for the first time in his NFL career. The team had its worst season since he joined in 2021, finishing with a 7-10 record, resulting in the departure of head coach Mike McCarthy.
Now Parsons goes into the offseason bracing for a coaching change for his first time as a pro. He is also seeking a contract extension that some experts have projected could exceed the largest for a defensive player in league history. That record is currently held by San Francisco 49ers star pass rusher Nick Bosa, who signed a five-year, $170 million deal in 2023.
Parsons' current salary with Bleacher Report is currently unknown. However much it is, it is supplementing a base NFL salary of just $2.2 million in 2023 and $2.9 million in 2024. However, that number will jump to $24 million in 2025 under the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. Then he'll be a free agent, and he could get paid far north of that number.
If Ware ends up on the Cowboys' coaching staff, Parsons may end up having to sacrifice his Bleacher Report salary while his NFL base pay increases.
Still, Ware suggests he would have no problem with Parsons doing a podcast in the offseason.
"Having a podcast, doing those types of things, I just won't do them during the season. Because I'm focused all on football and winning football games and making the championships, but afterwards, we can talk all we want to about whatever sports, whatever it is we're doing," Ware said.
"When I win a lot, I can talk a lot."
Ware's approach with Parsons is just one part of his greater outlook on the Cowboys defense and what he would try to bring as a coach on staff.
"Staying focused at the end of the season when it matters," Ware answered when asked what the Cowboys' defense has lacked in recent years. "Because usually most of the distractions happen at the end of the season because you're balling . . . everyone has their hand out to you."
Ware learned the consequences of a lack of focus ahead of the playoffs during his playing career with the Cowboys. He says that the most difficult playoff moments he experienced were consequential losses to the New York Giants.
"The most difficult playoff losses? You kidding me? Both the losses to the Giants!" Ware said. Then they went on to win the Super Bowl, and that was probably one of the hardest things."
The Cowboys lost to the Giants in the 2007 NFC Divisional round, when the Cowboys were 13-3 and favorites to make the Super Bowl, while the Giants were a 10-6 Wild Card team. The Giants won 21-17, en route to a historic Super Bowl XLII win over Tom Brady and the undefeated New England Patriots.
Former Dallas quarterback Tony Romo threw a game-ending interception in the final seconds to seal the game, and was heavily scrutinized for failing to deliver a win after he was seen on a vacation in Cabo, Mexico, with his then-girlfriend Jessica Simpson, during the team's first-round bye week. Witten was on the vacation with them.
But Ware believes that the bye time off was detrimental to the entire team, not just Romo and Witten.
"I don't think it was about the trip, it was about the break," Ware said. "We have what we call mojo, and no matter what teams do, you have that 'it' factor. We had that. But when you take time off, sometimes a team can lose that . . . we should have practiced each and every day just to keep our minds and bodies sharp, but something really light instead of sitting or taking a vacation. Because when we went back, I could tell something was missing, and that was the edge that we had.
In 2011, the Giants and Cowboys met in the final week of the regular season with a division title on the line. The Giants won that game 31-14, en route to another Super Bowl championship against Brady and the Patriots.
Ware went on to leave the Cowboys for the Denver Broncos in 2014 and won the first and only ring of his career in Super Bowl L a year later.
The Cowboys have not been to a Super Bowl since the 1995 season.
But Ware might get the chance to help break that drought if the Cowboys hire Witten as their next head coach.
