The Spartans (22-5, 13-3) have surged atop the highly competitive conference with their third straight win. The Wolverines (20-6, 12-3) fell out of first place with their first loss in seven games.
Michigan's Vladislav Goldin scored 21 points, Danny Wolf had 11 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Nimari Burnett added 12 points. The Wolverines led 38-34 at halftime and the Spartans went ahead for good on Carson Cooper's dunk early in the second half.
Michigan State's Richardson earned his first start of the season on Feb. 8 against Oregon. He scored a season-high 29 points that night and has scored in double-digits in every game since then, including Friday.
Jaden Akins had 11 points, Jeremy Fears scored 10 and Michigan State was 9 of 22 on 3-pointers.
Michigan State: Tom Izzo's team has put itself in a position to win a Big Ten title that wasn't expected to be in reach when the season began. The Spartans have games remaining against conference contenders: No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 20 Maryland and Michigan at home on March 9 in the regular-season finale.
Michigan: The school agreed to a multiyear contract extension for coach Dusty May, announcing the move two hours before tip off. May, a Bob Knight protege, made it clear he is happy and had no interest in being the next coach at Indiana.
After over a dozen women accused Justin Tucker of sexual misconduct, the NFL is investigating, according to reports.
The NFL has reportedly begun interviewing massage therapists who have accused the Baltimore Ravens kicker of inappropriate sexual behavior.
Last month, six massage therapists employed at high-end spas said Tucker exposed himself repeatedly during a span of four years, including his rookie season, when the Ravens won the Super Bowl.
The accusations placed Tucker at four different spas and wellness centers, where the alleged victims say he would brush them with his genitals and commit other acts of sexual misconduct.
Earlier this month, seven more women accused Tucker of sexual misconduct, and the total number of accusers is 16.
The women are from eight Baltimore-based spas and wellness centers, two of which said the behavior was so inappropriate they banned Tucker, according to The Baltimore Banner.
The new accusers claimed Tucker "acted inappropriately" at some of the best luxury spas in Baltimore, including the spas at the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton in the city.
Tucker is accused of exposing himself, brushing some of the therapists with his genitals and other forms of misconduct.
Tucker released a statement through his attorneys last month, calling the allegations "unequivocally false."
"Throughout my career as a professional athlete, I have always sought to conduct myself with the utmost professionalism. I have never before been accused of misconduct of any kind, and I have never been accused of acting inappropriately in front of a massage therapist or during a massage therapy session or during other bodywork," Tucker’s statement said.
"I have never received any complaints from a massage therapist, have never been dismissed from a massage therapy or bodywork session and have never been told that I was not welcome at any spa or other place of business."
The Ravens also told Fox News Digital last month they were aware of the accusations against Tucker and they "take any allegations of this nature seriously and will continue to monitor the situation."
Tucker is regarded to be one of the best placekickers of all time. He's been named to seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams during his 13-year career in the NFL, all with the Ravens.
Fox News' Scott Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The New York Yankees announced Friday that their players no longer must be clean-shaven.
Owner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement that players would be able to keep "well-groomed" beards after discussing the matter with current and former players over "several" years.
The rule, which said players could not have facial hair below the lower lip, was established by Hal's father, George Steinbrenner, in 1976.
Yankee broadcaster Michael Kay, who hosts a radio show during the week, was calling the team's first spring training game of the season and of the franchise's new hair era Friday.
"I don't think it's hyperbole. [It] kind of stunned the baseball world," he said.
One of the main reasons the team lifted the rule was because it could discourage a player from choosing the Yanks as a future destination.
"If I ever found out that a player we wanted to acquire to make us better, to get us a championship, did not want to be here, and if he had the ability, would not come here, because of that policy … that would be very, very concerning," Steinbrenner told reporters Friday.
Manager Aaron Boone told reporters he had heard rumblings about the policy change. It should be noted Vladimir Guerrero Jr., MLB's next big free agent, has had a beard a majority of his career.
That sentiment, Kay said, was his biggest takeaway.
"I think the most telling thing that [Steinbrenner] said is, ‘We don’t want to ever be in a position where we lose a player that we think can help us win because he didn’t want to come here because of this rule.’ And I think what the Yankees did. They got ahead of things," Kay added.
"And I’ve always wondered, 'If you’re going to change the rule, you almost have to change the rule before somebody fights back on it. Because if you did lose a player who said, ‘I’m not going to go there because I don't want to shave,' that would look really bad."
Yankees Hall of Famers CC Sabathia and Derek Jeter have both grown beards since retiring. Players often grow facial hair when leaving the Yankees or during the offseason.
Maine Governor Janet Mills released a statement on Friday in response to the announcement that the U.S. Department of Education will be investigating her state for allowing trans athletes to compete in girls' sports, defying a recent executive order by President Donald Trump.
In Mills' statement, she suggested that Trump's investigation into her state's potential Title IX violations is an indicator that the president will later target people based on their race or religion.
"Maine may [be] one of the first states to undergo an investigation by his administration, but we won’t be the last. Today, the President of the United States has targeted one particular group on one particular issue which Maine law has addressed. But you must ask yourself: who and what will he target next, and what will he do? Will it be you? Will it be because of your race or your religion? Will it be because you look different or think differently? Where does it end? In America, the President is neither a King nor a dictator, as much as this one tries to act like it – and it is the rule of law that prevents him from being so," Mills said.
"I imagine that the outcome of this politically directed investigation is all but predetermined. My Administration will begin work with the Attorney General to defend the interests of Maine people in the court of law. But do not be misled: this is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation. I believe he cannot."
Mills also insisted that Trump has no authority to withhold federal funding from her state for refusing to comply with his recent executive order to ban trans athletes from girls' and women's sports, which the president vowed to do in a speech on Thursday.
"No President – Republican or Democrat – can withhold Federal funding authorized and appropriated by Congress and paid for by Maine taxpayers in an attempt to coerce someone into compliance with his will. It is a violation of our Constitution and of our laws, which I took an oath to uphold," Mills said.
Maine is the fourth state to have a Title IX investigation launched against it for defying Trump's order since it was signed on Feb. 5. The DOE announced on Feb. 12 it would be investigating the high school athletic associations in California and Minnesota after those states refused to comply with Trump's recent order.
Before that, the DOE announced on Feb. 6 it would investigate the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) alongside San Jose State University and the University of Pennsylvania for potential Title IX violations.
Now, Maine joins that list after a confrontational two days between Trump and Mills.
It started on Thursday when Trump vowed to cut funding to the state for refusing to follow his order during a gathering of Republican governors in Washington.
"I hate to tell you this, but we're not going to give them any federal money, they are still saying ‘we want men to play in women’s sports' and I can not believe that they're doing that… So we’re not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up."
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Maine received more than $360 million, or about 10.1 percent of its education funding, from the federal government in the 2021-22 fiscal year.
On Friday, Mills' office responded with a statement threatening legal action against the Trump Administration if it did withhold federal funding from the state. Then, Trump and Mills verbally sparred in a widely-publicized argument at the White House during a bipartisan meeting of governors.
"Are you not going to comply with that?" Trump asked Mills.
"I'm complying with state and federal laws," she responded, before Trump said "Well, we are the federal law" and "you better do it, you better do it because you're not going to get any federal funding at all if you don't.
"And by the way, your population, even though it's somewhat liberal, although I did very well there, your population doesn't want men playing in women's sports, so you better comply because otherwise you're not getting any federal funding," Trump continued.
"Good, I'll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one. And enjoy your life after governor because I don't think you'll be in elected politics," Trump concluded.
The DOE investigation against Maine was announced just hours later.
Maine came under national scrutiny for allowing trans athletes in girls' sports amid the state's refusal to comply with Trump's order and a recent incident involving a trans pole vaulter.
During a state championship track and field meet, Katie Spencer, who previously competed as a male named John Rydzewski in pole-vaulting as recently as June 2024, out-jumped every other female by half a foot. Spencer's winning pole vault was pivotal in helping Spencer's track and field team at Greely High School in Cumberland, Maine, win the Class B state championship meet by just a single point.
Due to the win, Spencer has now automatically qualified for the multistate regional championships, taking the spot that would have been awarded to the female athlete who garnered second place had Spencer competed in the boys' division.
A female high school track and field athlete praised Trump for intervening in the situation on Friday.
Zoe, who competed in shot put at Maine's Class B state indoor championship meet on Monday, said she is "grateful" for the president's announcement that he will be cutting federal funding to Maine over its defiance of Trump's order to keep men out of women's sports, adding that leaders in the state "have failed our female athletes."
"State leaders have failed our female athletes and there needs to be repercussions for their neglect," Zoe said. "We feel seen and heard because of this announcement and hope that steps will continue to be made to protect women's sports in Maine."
In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "Partisan elected officials and judicial activists who seek to legally obstruct President Trump’s agenda are defying the will of 77 million Americans who overwhelmingly re-elected President Trump," and added that "their efforts will fail."
"All of President Trump’s executive actions are lawful, constitutional and intended to deliver on the promises he made to the American people," Leavitt said. "The Trump Administration is prepared to fight these battles in court and will prevail."
Fox News Digital's Alex Schemel contributed to this report.
Washington state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal spoke in defense of transgender athletes in girls sports in an address Thursday, claiming it was "inaccurate" to say there are only two genders.
"It is quite simply inaccurate to say, biologically, that there are only boys and there are only girls," Reykdal said. "There's a continuum. There's a science to this. There are children who are born intersex. There are children whose hormones and whose chromosomes are not consistent with their sex at birth.
"That's not a debate we're going to have today. I just want to remind you of our civil rights obligations. Our state laws make clear that children get to identify and participate based on the gender in which they identify. We're going to uphold that law."
Reykdal served three terms as a Democratic member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 22nd district.
While criticizing President Donald Trump's recent executive order that prohibits schools from allowing trans athletes to compete in girls sports, Reykdal cited a statistic of how many transgender athletes there are in his state.
"Out of nearly a quarter million kids participating in interscholastic athletics and activities in the state of Washington, roughly five to 10 youth have identified themselves as trans participating in those activities," Reykdal said. "If we can't accommodate the needs of five or 10 people — whether there's privacy access for and a privacy opportunity for all students, that's what our laws and rules say — if we can't do that then who are we?"
Reykdal insisted Trump did not have the authority as president to issue a ban on trans athletes in girls sports but conceded the U.S. Congress does. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act is a bill in Congress that would carry out similar requirements as Trump's order and has already passed in the House of Representatives. It hasn't gone to a vote in the Senate yet.
"Until Congress changes the law or our state legislature changes the law, we're going to follow the current law and the current civil rights framework of this state, and that's what it tells us to do," Reykdal said.
Washington's high school athletes are allowed to compete based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex. Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) policy states that each athlete will participate in programs "consistent with their gender identity or the gender most consistently expressed," and there are no medical or legal requirements.
Bills that would prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls and women's sports have been introduced but not passed.
However, the issue became so concerning for residents, that in December the WIAA announced a proposal to create a separate open division for transgender athletes to compete in.
"In order to maintain fair and equitable competition, participation in girls' sports and girls' divisions of sports is restricted to students who were assigned female at birth. The purpose of this policy is to offer clarity with respect to the participation of trans and gender-diverse student-athletes. Additionally, this policy encourages a culture in which student-athletes can compete in a safe and supportive environment, free of discrimination," the proposal said.
That proposal came weeks after the Central Valley School Board, which oversees schools in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake, Washington, voted to send a message to the WIAA over the issue after debate at a school board meeting.
The resolution, "Supporting Equity and Safety in Female Sports," claims the entire board is comprised of female members who have either competed in athletics themselves or have daughters who competed in athletics.
One of the women, an unidentified current cross-country runner, shared her experience during that hearing.
"When I ran cross-country for Greenacres Middle School, a boy who was biologically male but identified as female competed on the girls team," she said. "While I respect everyone's right to participate in sports, the situation made me question the fairness of competing (with) someone who had the physical advantage associated with male biology."
In May, a trans athlete competed in a girls cross-country championship and won.
The athlete won the 400-meter heat race in the girls division with a time of 55.59 seconds. The second-place runner finished at 58.83 seconds. In the finals, the trans athlete won with a time of 55.75 seconds, a full second ahead of the second-place runner, who finished with 56.75.
This week, a civil rights complaint was filed with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights on behalf of a teenage girl in Washington state who was allegedly punished for refusing to play a basketball game against a trans athlete.
The complaint alleged that the Tumwater School District in Washington is investigating 15-year-old Frances Staudt for "misgendering" the opponent and violating the district's policies against bullying and harassment.
According to the document, prior to a game, Staudt asked the school's principal and athletic director whether a player was a biological male. The administrators then allegedly confirmed they were notified the player was transgender but denied her pleas to have the player removed. Staudt removed herself from the game.
President Trump's Department of Education has already launched Title IX investigations into the state high school athletic conferences in California, Minnesota and Maine for their refusal to comply with his executive order.
Team USA and Team Canada duked it out in Boston on Thursday for the final of the tournament in its inaugural year, five days after the two longtime rivals got into three fights in the first nine seconds of their first game last week.
The fights, which came following a Montreal crowd loudly booing "The Star-Spangled Banner," got non-hockey fans locked in, and it turned into, quite literally, the biggest hockey game ever.
ESPN reported that 9.3 million fans tuned into the final on Thursday night, the largest Nielsen rating viewership recorded in NHL history, which dates back to 1994. That figure is more than double the game last Saturday, which attracted 4.4 million people.
The previous record for Nielsen ratings was the 8.9 million who tapped into Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup final between the St. Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins, which, like Thursday's game, took place at Boston's TD Garden.
Sports Business Journal reported that 12.41 million people watched Game 7 of the 1971 Cup Final between the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 4 Nations Face-Off championship was most-watched hockey game since the 2010 Olympic gold medal game between Canada and the U.S. (over 27 million), but unfortunately for the Americans, Thursday night was déjà vu.
That gold medal game ended with a Sidney Crosby overtime goal for Canada, while on Thursday, Connor McDavid found the back of the net in overtime to give Team Canada the title.
With the victory, Canada moved to 14-4-1 against the U.S. in best-on-best format, with wins including the aforementioned 2010 contest, the 2002 Olympic gold medal game and the 2014 Olympic semifinal.
The Americans won Saturday's vicious contest, but they still have not won back-to-back games against the Canadians since 1996.
Nonetheless, the tournament, which many were afraid would not have much buzz, has energized the sport and was a rousing success.
The United States Department of Education has launched Title IX investigations into Maine's DOE and a state school district for allegedly ignoring President Donald Trump's executive order on transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports.
Maine joins California and Minnesota as states to be investigated for allegedly continuing to allow biological males to compete against biological females.
"Today the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) sent a letter to the Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin announcing that OCR is initiating a directed investigation of the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) amid allegations that it continues to allow male athletes to compete in girls’ interscholastic athletics and that it has denied female athletes female-only intimate facilities, thereby violating federal antidiscrimination law," the USDOE said in a press release Friday.
"The letter also notifies MDOE that OCR is launching an investigation into Maine School Administrative District #51 (MSAD #51), after it was reported that Greely High School, a school under its jurisdiction, is continuing to allow at least one male student to compete in girls’ categories."
Trump and Maine's governor, Janet Mills, clashed over transgender women in sports on Friday, with Trump telling her at the White House that she must follow his executive order, or "you're not going to get any federal funding," to which she replied, "We’ll see you in court."
"I'm complying with state and federal laws," Mills said, before Trump said, "Well, we are the federal law," and "you better do it, you better do it, because you're not going to get any federal funding at all if you don't.
Mills released a statement on Friday, saying, "The State of Maine will not be intimidated by the President's threats."
Trump vowed on Thursday to not give Maine any federal money if the state continues to allow biological males to compete in girls' and women's athletics.
"They are still saying, ‘We want men to play in women’s sports,' and I cannot believe that they're doing that. . . . So, we’re not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up," Trump said.
Acting assistant secretary for civil rights Craig Trainor added as part of the DOE's announcement, "Maine would have you believe that it has no choice in how it treats women and girls in athletics - that is, that it must follow its state laws and allow male athletes to compete against women and girls. Let me be clear: If Maine wants to continue to receive federal funds from the Education Department, it has to follow Title IX. If it wants to forgo federal funds and continue to trample the rights of its young female athletes, that, too, is its choice. OCR will do everything in its power to ensure taxpayers are not funding blatant civil rights violators."
The USDOE is also investigating San Jose State, UPenn and a Massachusetts high school. Trans athletes Blaire Fleming and Lia Thomas starred for SJSU and the Ivy League school, respectively, with Thomas winning an NCAA Division I title in 2022.
Trump signed the "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order on Feb. 5.
Fox News' Greg Norman and Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
New Hampshire is following President Donald Trump's executive order to prohibit transgender athletes from competing against girls and women.
Prior to the order, according to New Hampshire Public Radio, the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association deferred to athletes and their districts on their eligibility.
But the association reversed course, citing a potential lack of federal funding.
"In light of these developments, the NHIAA has consulted with legal counsel and determined that it would be prudent to further clarify the NHIAA’s requirements," association Executive Director Jeffrey Collins wrote, adding schools have a responsibility to "comply with state and federal law."
WCAX noted that a statement from the Department of Education "commend[ed] the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association for changing its policies that allowed students to play on a team that matched their gender identity, not biological sex."
Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed the state's Fairness in Women’s Sports Act in July, but a lawsuit filed by the families of trans athletes followed and remains active.
The suit alleges the New Hampshire law Sununu signed violates constitutional protections and federal laws because the teens are being denied equal educational opportunities and are being discriminated against because they are transgender.
The teenage plaintiffs, Parker Tirrell and Iris Turmelle, originally filed the lawsuit last year to challenge the law. Earlier this month, though, a federal judge granted a request to add the Trump administration to the list of defendants due to the president's recent executive order.
The situation involving the two transgender athletes has also prompted a second lawsuit after parents wore wristbands that said "XX" in reference to the biological female chromosomes and were allegedly banned from school grounds.
Trump signed the "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order Feb. 5, which prohibited any federal funding for educational institutions that allow biological males to compete on women's or girls sports teams.
New Hampshire was already one of 25 states with a law in place to enforce similar bans on transgender inclusion, but Tirrell and Turmelle have been allowed to compete on girls teams anyway due to a ruling by a federal judge in their state.
Representatives from California, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Maine have all said they would continue to follow state law and ignore Trump's order, which has resulted in Title IX investigations.
Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
A suspect has been arrested in the theft of college football star quarterback Carson Beck and women's basketball star Hanna Cavinder's luxury cars.
The suspect, a 20-year-old man named Tykwon Anderson, was arrested Thursday by police. Anderson is one of four suspects accused of stealing the cars, which include a Lamborghini, according to an arrest report.
Deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office responded to the couple’s home early Thursday morning. Beck and Cavinder told investigators that someone had stolen a silver Mercedes-Benz AMG, a red Lamborghini Urus and a white Range Rover while they were asleep.
Police recovered the Mercedes-Benz and Range Rover within several hours, but they were still searching for the Lamborghini.
Just before 3 a.m. Thursday, Anderson and three other masked men arrived at Beck’s home, police said. One of the men was able to break into a vehicle parked in the driveway and use the garage door opener to get into the house and steal the keys to all three cars.
The alleged thieves used a rental car registered to Anderson to drive to Beck’s home, authorities said. Investigators said they had used the rental car’s tracking data to find Anderson and place him at the scene of the theft.
Anderson has been charged with grand theft, vehicle theft and burglary. He was being held at the Miami-Dade jail with no bail immediately set. Online court records didn’t list an attorney for Anderson.
Thursday’s report follows a series of burglaries targeting high-profile athletes in the NFL and the NBA over the last several months.
Seven migrants from Chile were charged in Florida federal court on Tuesday in connection with a nationwide network that organized burglaries at the homes of some stars like the NFL's Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, among others.
The men are accused of stealing about $2 million in watches, jewelry, cash and other valuables, including a safe they later cracked.
Beck, the former starting quarterback at Georgia, declared for the 2025 NFL Draft in December, just days after undergoing season-ending elbow surgery. He was injured in the first half of the Bulldogs' overtime victory over Texas in the SEC championship game.
Despite having another year of eligibility, Beck set his sights on the NFL after back-to-back seasons as Georgia’s starter with a 24-3 record.
But he switched course the following month and committed to Miami to join his girlfriend.
Martin made the Pro Bowl nine times and was named an All-Pro seven times. Throughout his illustrious career, Martin only had seven accepted holding penalties, equaling his number of All-Pro selections.
Since being drafted 16th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame, Martin became an anchor for the Cowboys offensive line. The only two years Martin did not make the Pro Bowl were the only seasons in which he played fewer than 14 games.
Only Bob Lilly (11), Larry Allen (10), Mel Renfro (10), and Jason Witten (11) made the Pro Bowl more times than Martin in Cowboys history.
Lilly, Allen, and Renfro are Pro Football Hall of Famers, while Witten is eligible for the first time this season.
The only player with more first-team All-Pro selections since Martin entered the league in 2014 is Aaron Donald, who has eight and will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer once eligible.
Martin considered retiring in the preseason of 2023, when he was holding out for a new contract, but then agreed to a reworked contract that was essentially a two-year deal.
With Martin, Travis Frederick and Tyron Smith, the Cowboys had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Smith was the stalwart left tackle who made eight Pro Bowls, with Frederick as the center and Martin at right guard.
Smith departed for the New York Jets in free agency prior to last season.
Frederick surprisingly retired after his sixth season in 2019. He was sidelined all for of 2018 by Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that affects the nervous system. Frederick decided after returning for one more season that he couldn't perform to his expectations.
Smith, Martin and Frederick were the Cowboys' first-round picks in 2011, 2014 and 2013, and they hit on all of them. Now all of them are gone, and the Cowboys are looking to rebuild their offensive line.
Brock Hoffman started in Martin's place late last season and figures to continue in that role, as the Cowboys look to get back to the playoffs after going 7-10 last season.
Charles Barkley isn’t prepared to call San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama the "face of the league" just yet. In fact, the NBA Hall of Famer believes titles such as that need to be earned.
And according to Barkley, it hasn’t been earned yet.
Barkley raised the topic during TNT’s "Tip-Off" show on Thursday night, saying he’s been "annoyed" by those calling the young French basketball player the "face of league."
"I saw some guys on another network the other day talking about the ‘face of the league.’ And I was so annoyed," he began.
"First of all you don’t give anybody ‘the face of the league.’ Am I right, Shaq," Barkley said to his co-host and fellow Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal.
"Shaq took being [face of the league]. When [Magic Johnson] and Larry Bird came in, they’re like, ‘We’re the new sheriffs in town.’ Shaq took it, Kobe [Bryant] took it, LeBron [James] took it, Steph [Curry] took it."
"You don’t give anybody ‘the face of the game,’ you take it," Barkley continued.
Wembanyama, the reigning Rookie of the Year, was largely considered the frontrunner for defensive player of the year until the team announced on Thursday that he will likely miss the remainder of the regular season after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder.
He was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.7 assists and is the first NBA player to have taken 403 3-pointers and blocked 176 shots in a season – something he accomplished before the All-Star break.
Wembanyama essentially became ineligible for most end-of-season awards because of the league’s 65-game rule, which is in its second season of policy. He has only played in 46 games.
The success of the 4 Nations tournament, which certainly was benefited by politics between the United States and Canada, has led to conversation about whether the NBA could follow suit.
However, Stephen A. Smith said on Friday that American NBA players would not be interested, because they are afraid of the outcome.
"Team USA fears they'd get their a-- kicked by those international players. I’m going to say it on national television: the international players will bust their living behinds. Yes they would," Smith said on "First Take" Friday. "Not just because their skillset is on par with them, but because they care, and they're compelled by their audience from their homelands more so than (the Americans)."
That is quite the take, as the Americans have won eight of the last nine Olympic gold medals - but, it is no secret that the rest of the world is catching up to the United States.
Perhaps no one individual country could overtake the United States' best, but if there were, say, a Ryder Cup-styled team full of European players on one roster, then it could be a different story. That would put guys like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antentokoumpo, Luka Doncic, and Victor Wembanyama all on one team.
Canada defeated USA in overtime on Thursday in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship, with Connor McDavid netting the golden goal. Canada moved to 14-4-1 against the Americans all-time in best-on-best format, with three of those wins including two Gold Medal victories and 2014 Olympic semifinal matchup.
Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe, who was arrested this week after protesting a city council meeting in California, doubled down on his criticism of the Trump administration Friday, again likening the "Make America Great Again" campaign to Nazi Germany.
Kluwe, who last played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings in 2012, was arrested during a city council meeting in Huntington Beach on Tuesday after he rushed toward council members. He had previously spoken at the meeting where he called "MAGA" a "Nazi movement."
The protest was over a proposed sign for Huntington Beach’s public library, which would have the words "Magical," "Alluring," "Galvanizing" and "Adventurous" next to each other – spelling out MAGA.
During an appearance on CNN Friday, Kluwe did not back down from his stance.
"I believe we’re on the path that Nazi Germany went down under Hitler," he said. "And I say that as a political science and history major, as someone who has studied history. And the parallels are very, very clear."
Kluwe, 43, took issue with the Trump administration’s stance on transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports, among other issues.
"This administration is trying to put obedience over duty to the country. This administration is trying to thrust our country into turmoil in order to reap power for themselves. And I think regardless of political affiliation, all of us as Americans should be able to agree – no kings, no tyrants, not now, not ever."
Kluwe addressed the election and those that voted for President Donald Trump, claiming "Hitler was elected too."
"There were a lot of very good Germans, who believed that Hitler was going to have their best interests in mind. And I think there are a lot of good Americans that think that Trump has their best interests in mind, but I am very confident that what this administration has shown – has already shown – that Trump does not have their best interests in mind."
Kluwe said he intends to continue speaking out and attending city council meetings in Huntington Beach "unless they ban me."
"I definitely plan on speaking out on the issue because, as an American citizen, I care about my country. I want my country to be a place where everyone can have the same advantages that I had. And I have to use my privilege to make that the case."
NBA great Charles Barkley was hoping to celebrate his birthday on Thursday with a victory for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off final. Instead, Canada defeated the Americans in a thrilling overtime victory.
However, it was Barkley who might have had the last laugh.
During Thursday’s broadcast of "Inside the NBA" on TNT, Barkley congratulated the Canadians on their victory.
Thursday’s final came amid heightened political tensions between the two nations.
President Donald Trump teased Canadian lawmakers about the country becoming its "51st state." He also openly called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the "governor" of Canada and threatened a series of tariffs.
The intensity led to Canadian fans booing the American national anthem before two games in the tournament – something several Team USA players took personally.
Canadian star Connor McDavid scored in overtime to give Canada a 3-2 victory and ultimate bragging rights, which Trudeau wasted no time in taking part in.
"You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game," he said in a post on X after the game.
"In recent weeks, I have spoken to a large number of former and current Yankees — spanning several eras — to elicit their perspectives on our longstanding facial hair and grooming policy, and I appreciate their earnest and varied feedback," Steinbrenner said in the statement.
"These most recent conversations are an extension of ongoing internal dialogue that dates back several years. Ultimately, the final decision rests with me, and after great consideration, we will be amending our expectations to allow our players and uniformed personnel to have well-groomed beards moving forward. It is the appropriate time to move beyond the familiar comfort of our former policy."
The facial hair policy was established in the 1970s and became part of the team’s manual for players going forward.
"All players, coaches and male executives are forbidden to display any facial hair other than mustaches [except for religious reasons], and scalp hair may not be grown below the collar," the team manual read via MLB.com. "Long sideburns and mutton chops are not specifically banned."
The Yankees acquired All-Star closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers in the offseason.
The Yankees' newest star initially showed up to spring training with his beard still intact, before later shaving it.
Williams’ showing up with the beard spurred talks on social media about whether the longstanding policy needed to change.
The Yankees have acquired numerous players that have had to trim their long hair or shave their beards upon joining the team.
Ace pitcher Gerrit Cole had long hair and a beard with the Houston Astros, but he shaved upon signing with the Yankees to adhere to the policy.
Carlos Rodon, Alex Verdugo, Joey Gallo, Josh Donaldson, Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi and Paul Goldschmidt are among the many players who shaved their facial hair upon joining the team.
Regardless of how the Yankees play this upcoming season, they will certainly look different on the field.
A New York Jets player was robbed at gunpoint in New Jersey over the weekend after police say he and another person were "targeted" following a trip to Manhattan, according to a report.
The Morristown Department of Public Safety released a statement this week confirming that two individuals were robbed at gunpoint "in the Windmill Pond section of town" on Saturday at around 8 p.m. ET.
"A witness reported seeing a group of unidentified males exit a dark-colored SUV and rob two individuals in a second vehicle at gunpoint. The suspects allegedly took money and personal items before fleeing the scene," the statement read.
No one was injured, but police say they believe the victims were "targeted and followed from Manhattan"
Law enforcement said they believe it was an "isolated incident."
Authorities did not confirm the victims’ identity, but a neighbor told NBC New York that one of the victims was a current NFL player for the New York Jets.
Seven migrants from Chile were charged in Florida federal court on Tuesday in connection with a nationwide network that organized burglaries at the homes of some stars like the NFL's Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, among others.
The men are accused of stealing about $2 million in watches, jewelry, cash and other valuables, including a safe they later cracked.
There is no indication that Saturday’s armed robbery was connected to this crime network.
ESPN and Major League Baseball (MLB) are mutually parting ways at the conclusion of the 2025 regular season, ending their media rights partnership.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred explained the reasoning behind the end of the partnership in a letter to league owners, per The Athletic.
In the letter, Manfred noted that the league had "not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage."
To that end, ESPN was set to pay the league an estimated $550 million in each of the next three years, which it felt was above current market value, per The Athletic.
With a March 1 deadline for both ESPN and MLB to opt out of the final three years on the deal, they both agreed to do so.
"We do not think it’s beneficial for us to accept a smaller deal to remain on a shrinking platform," Manfred wrote in the letter to owners. "In order to best position MLB to optimize our rights going in to our next deal cycle, we believe it is not prudent to devalue our rights with an existing partner but rather to have our marquee regular season games, Home Run Derby and Wild Card playoff round on a new broadcast and/or streaming platform.
"To that end, we have been in conversations with several interested parties around these rights over the past several months and expect to have at least two potential options for consideration over the next few weeks."
ESPN will continue to have its "Sunday Night Baseball" broadcast, wild-card postseason games, and the rest of its partnership details with MLB run through the 2025 season.
MLB has had a partnership with ESPN since 1990, and due to the longstanding relationship, they are both willing to work on a new deal.
"In making this decision, we applied the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that has built ESPN’s industry-leading live events portfolio as we continue to grow our audience across linear, digital and social platforms," Manfred wrote. "As we have been throughout the process, we remain open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025."
ESPN has reportedly come forward with national and regional programming ideas for MLB to review.
Manfred noted ESPN approached MLB to reduce the $550 million annual total, citing Apple paying $85 million per year for rights to games, while Roku only pays $10 million.
Manfred’s argument for MLB was the "inventory involved" for ESPN being much larger compared to Apple and Roku.
"The ESPN deal contains the only truly exclusive regular season windows on Sunday nights, the exclusive right to an entire round of playoffs, and the Home Run Derby, one of the most exciting events of the summer," Manfred wrote. "In contrast, Apple and Roku have games that compete against a complete slate of other games broadcast in local markets."
Who MLB would partner with, if a revised deal with ESPN does not get figured out, remains to be seen.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson revealed on Thursday night he will make his triumphant return to "Smackdown" on Friday, a month after he reappeared on WWE programming.
The Rock was thought to have been a main fixture in the road to WrestleMania at the start of the year. For many WWE fans, the road back into the title picture against undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes was clear. He seemingly suggested at the Bad Blood premium live event that he was keeping an eye on Rhodes and Roman Reigns.
For a few months, there was no sign of The Rock returning until he showed up on "RAW’s" debut episode on Netflix. He gave Rhodes his flowers for carrying the company since he won the title at WrestleMania 40. However, that was about it. It made Thursday night’s announcement a bit of a surprise.
"Bold and disruptive," he wrote. "Unpredictable and dangerous."
WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque" also confirmed his longtime counterpart, now a close confidant, would return.
"Strap in. When The Final Boss shows up at this time of year, the audience knows absolutely anything is possible. Everything could change in an instant," Levesque said in a statement.
What happens then is up in the air.
The Rock famously inserted himself into the title picture between Rhodes and Reigns last season, which culminated in a tag-team match at WrestleMania 40 Night 1 that determined the stipulation for Rhodes vs. Reigns at WrestleMania 40 Night 2.
He vowed he would see Rhodes again, but with the "RAW" title picture set and the Elimination Chamber participants squared away to see who will face Rhodes at WrestleMania 41, there does not appear to be a clear path for The Rock if he had a title shot in mind.
Wayne Gretzky was introduced as the honorary captain of Team Canada on Thursday night ahead of the matchup against the U.S. in the 4 Nations Face-Off final.
Gretzky, arguably the greatest hockey player of all time, received some cheers as he stepped out onto the ice with Team USA’s pick, Mike Eruzione. Clearly, the Boston crowd was far more behind Eruzione than they were "The Great One."
On social media, Gretzky’s appearance as Team Canada’s honorary captain drew some ire because of President Donald Trump’s musings about the United States’ northern neighbors becoming the 51st state in the union. The president has even gone as far as suggesting that Gretzky be the "governor" of Canada.
Hockey fans watching the game were far from amused.
Gretzky was spotted at Trump’s inauguration last month. Trump touted the hockey legend on Christmas Day, suggesting Canadians draft him to become the next prime minister.
"I was with Wayne Gretzky. I said, 'Wayne, would you like to be the governor of Canada?’ I can't imagine anybody doing better than Wayne," Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago press conference earlier this month.
"Wayne was not too interested. But he probably would have liked statehood," Trump added. "He's a friend of mine. He's a great guy. He's the great one. We call him the great one, right? He's a great hockey player."
Gretzky did not appear to be swayed one way or the other.
The Hockey Hall of Famer was spotted at Trump’s election victory party in November.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will cut off federal funding to the state of Maine if it continues to defy his executive order preventing trans athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports.
"I heard men are still playing in Maine," Trump said to a gathering of Republican governors in Washington on Thursday.
"I hate to tell you this, but we're not going to give them any federal money, they are still saying ‘we want men to play in women’s sports' and I can not believe that they're doing that… So we’re not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up."
Trump's executive order, which was signed on Feb. 5, instructed all federal agencies to review grants, programs and policies that fail to comply with the administration's efforts to end "male competitive participation in women’s sports… as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth."
The order also instructed strict Title IX enforcement against any educational institutions or athletic associations that do not comply and demands federal assistance be taken away in such cases.
"Many sport-specific governing bodies have no official position or requirements regarding trans-identifying athletes. Others allow men to compete in women’s categories if these men reduce the testosterone in their bodies below certain levels or provide documentation of ‘sincerely held’ gender identity," Trump's executive order states. "These policies are unfair to female athletes and do not protect female safety."
Shortly after the order was signed, multiple states, including Maine, California, Minnesota and others run primarily by Democrats, indicated that they would not comply with Trump.
The executive director of the primary governing body for high school sports in the state of Maine said athletic teams will continue to determine eligibility based on a student's stated gender identity, despite the president's executive order seeking to keep "men out of women's sports."
Mike Burnham, executive director of the Maine Principals Association (MPA), said the president's order conflicted with state law aimed at protecting human rights and, as a result, the MPA will defer to the latter when it comes to determining athletic eligibility.
"The executive order and our Maine state Human Rights Act are in conflict, and the Maine Principal's Association (MPA) will continue to follow state law as it pertains to gender identity," Burnham told local news outlet Maine Public following Trump's Feb. 5 executive order.
In a previous statement to Fox News Digital, Burnham reiterated that MPA would be "instructing all schools in Maine to follow the Maine Human Rights Act," which he said was in accordance with a Jan. 21 notice from the Department of Education.
"The staff at the MPA will closely monitor any updates from federal and state authorities regarding the potential impact of the president's executive order on high school sports participation and adjust its policy accordingly."
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education recently launched Title IX investigations into the Minnesota State High School League and the California Interscholastic Federation for refusing to comply with Trump on the issue.
"The Minnesota State High School League and the California Interscholastic Federation are free to engage in all the meaningless virtue-signaling that they want, but at the end of the day they must abide by federal law," said Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
"(The Office of Civil Rights') Chicago and San Francisco regional offices will conduct directed investigations into both organizations to ensure that female athletes in these states are treated with the dignity, respect and equality that the Trump administration demands. I would remind these organizations that history does not look kindly on entities and states that actively opposed the enforcement of federal civil rights laws that protect women and girls from discrimination and harassment."
The Education Department added that state laws do not override federal anti-discrimination laws, so the associations are subject to investigations.
However, some Democrat-run states have been quick to fall in line with Trump's order.
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association announced Wednesday an update to its policies that stated only athletes "designated as females at birth" would be allowed to compete in girls sports, despite previously allowing trans athletes in girls sports dating back to 2013.
Fox News Digital's Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
