The figure skating community experienced immense grief this week after 14 members of the community were tragically killed in a midair aircraft collision in Washington D.C. on Wednesday night.
Their loss came just a day before two-time Olympic gold medalist Dick Button, a pioneer in the sport who would also go on to have a legendary broadcasting career, died at 95.
"On this terrible, sad day for figure skating with the loss of young upcoming talent and their family members and coaches in the plane crash, I am further heartbroken with the loss of figure skating legend, my friend, Dick Button," Brian Boitano, who won a gold medal in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, wrote in a post on social media.
"RIP, Dick Button," former American sports reporter Michele Tafoya said in another post.
"I like to think you went to heaven in time to welcome the young skaters and coaches who perished in Wednesday’s tragedy. May you all glide among the stars together."
A winner of two Olympic gold medals, five consecutive world championships, seven straight U.S. titles, and three-straight North American titles, Button was one of the most accomplished men’s figure skaters.
He was the first to land a double axel and triple jump in competition, both leading to victory at the Olympics. After his skating career ended, Button would enter the world of broadcasting, eventually earning the name "The Voice of Figure Skating."
Button died Thursday in North Salem, New York, his family confirmed Thursday.
"U.S. Figure Skating mourns the loss of the legendary Dick Button," the organization said in a statement. "The two-time Olympic champion’s pioneering style & award-winning television commentary revolutionized figure skating. His legacy will live on forever. We extend our deepest condolences to his family & loved ones."
Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton spoke about Wednesday’s tragedy and loss of Button, a good friend, in an appearance on TODAY Friday.
Hamilton was in Wichita, Kansas, at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and was familiar with some of the victims in Wednesday’s crash, including world champion pairs skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
"It’s just been beyond anything I can handle," a tearful Hamilton said of the losses.
EXCLUSIVE: Former San Jose State University assistant volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose's contract with the university expired Friday, and she has been told that it will not be renewed, she exclusively told Fox News Digital.
Her departure comes after a season plagued by a scandal involving a trans athlete, in which Batie-Smoose took a firm stance to oppose the university's defense of that athlete. She and her family initially moved to California from the East coast to accept the job in 2023.
"We didn’t make the decision to move our family across the country lightly, but I believe that everything happens for a reason, and I was meant to be at San Jose State to stand up for these young women and do everything I could to protect future generations. In my 30 years of coaching, this is one of the most amazing groups of young women that I've been around. Their strength and resiliency during a difficult season was inspiring and one of the reasons why I had to take a stand," she told Fox News Digital.
San Jose State declined to comment on Batie-Smoose's contract situation when contacted by Fox News Digital.
"SJSU does not comment on personnel matters," a university spokesperson said.
Batie-Smoose was suspended from the program on Nov. 2 after she filed a Title IX complaint against the university regarding its alleged handling of a situation involving former transgender player Blaire Fleming. The complaint included allegations that Fleming had conspired with an opponent to have Slusser hit in the face during a match in October.
"I spoke up for the young women on the team who were being silenced and gaslit while dealing with having a male athlete in their locker room, on the court and rooming with them on the road. I could not be silenced and manipulated any longer so I had to stand up for what was right," she said.
"Speaking out to protect these young women and future women was too much to ignore. This has cost me my job, but we need more coaches to stand up for what is right. I just have to pray that by doing the right thing that justice will prevail and I will be able to continue to do what I was meant to do."
Batie-Smoose is also currently engaged in a lawsuit against San Jose State and the Mountain West alongside 11 current and former conference players.
The lawsuit is led by former San Jose State co-captain Brooke Slusser, who alleges that she had been made to share bedrooms and changing spaces with Fleming for an entire season while the university withheld the truth about Fleming's birth sex from her and other players.
Both Slusser's lawsuit and Batie-Smoose's Title IX complaint allege that Fleming conspired with Colorado State volleyball player Malaya Jones ahead of the match between the two programs on Oct. 3. The complaint alleges Fleming provided a scouting report to Jones to ensure a Colorado State competitive advantage, and established a plan to set up Jones with a clear lane to spike Slusser in the face during the contest.
Slusser was never spiked in the face during that match, but Colorado State did win in straight sets.
A Mountain West investigation into Batie-Smoose's allegations did not find sufficient evidence to assign discipline to any player who was named in the allegations, which was stated in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital that was addressed to San Jose State athletic director Jeff Konya and Colorado State athletic director John Weber from Mountain West Deputy Commissioner Bret Gilliland.
That letter did not address allegations in Slusser's lawsuit that provided further context on the incident, nor did it address the specific notion of an alleged conspiracy to have Slusser hit in the face. The letter simply referred to all the allegations listed in the complaint as "manipulation of the competition."
Gilliland claimed that any evidence to back the claims in the complaint was insufficient, but did not explicitly state that the allegations were false, according to the letter.
The letter stated that the conference's investigation included interviews with coaches and student-athletes at both San Jose State and Colorado State. However, the letter did not specifically state which individuals had been interviewed. The conference declined to provide any details on the individuals who had been interviewed when asked by Fox News Digital.
Slusser's attorney Bill Bock later provided a statement to Fox News Digital insisting that the investigation had been "infected with bias."
"Because the MWC’s investigation was inadequate, and anything but thorough, and because the MWC’s close-out letter is riddled with errors, the undersigned is issuing this rebuttal and demands that the MWC immediately and publicly release: (1) the investigative report prepared by its investigator(s), and (2) all documents connected to the MWC’s claimed ‘thorough investigation’ and upon which the MWC’s decision not to proceed further was based," read the statement from Bock.
Slusser previously told Fox News Digital she has been spiked in the face by a volleyball in the past, and that the experience "stings, but you kind of just brush it off." However, in their first season together in 2023, Slusser said she took one of Fleming's spikes to her thigh, then had to nurse dark bruises on her thigh for an entire week after that. Slusser says she did not even know that Fleming was a trans athlete back then.
Slusser also previously told Fox News Digital that Batie-Smoose's suspension left some of her teammates in tears.
"After we found out that she was released, a lot of the team just kind of broke down and was kind of freaking out, and even one of my teammates was like, ‘I don’t feel safe anymore,' because there's no one now that we feel like we can go and talk to about our concerns or our actual feelings and can actually speak freely in front of," Slusser said.
Slusser said she did not feel safe speaking with anyone else involved in the program, especially head coach Todd Kress.
"You can't truly voice how you're feeling without them just trying to cover it up or act like it's all OK. With Melissa, you could voice how you felt, and she could comfort you and validate your feelings and at least make you feel heard, compared to the other coaches," Slusser said.
SJSU went on to play in the conference championship game against Colorado State on Nov. 30 but lost. The loss kept Fleming, Slusser and the rest of the Spartans out of the NCAA tournament. Batie-Smoose was at the match in Las Vegas, Nevada, that weekend to support her former players, despite being suspended by the program.
Nearly every one of the players on SJSU's 2024 team that has remaining NCAA eligibility has entered the transfer portal, Fox News Digital previously reported.
"I think that it speaks volumes that the majority of the team transferred because they did not want to be subjected to the mental anguish the university put them through. They had had enough of the lies and manipulation, and I wish them the best," Batie-Smoose told Fox News Digital.
Meanwhile, Slusser's lawsuit against the school and conference has not yet gone to trial. Slusser is also engaged in Riley Gaines' lawsuit against the NCAA over its policies on gender ideology that allows trans athletes to compete in women's sports.
Kyle Rudolph left the Minnesota Vikings a couple seasons before they went 14-3 in 2022, when they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the New York Giants.
"You got to make the plays when it matters most, and they just didn't do it each of those last playoff games," Rudolph told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
Now, the Vikings have to decide whether to keep Sam Darnold or hand the keys to the offense to J.J. McCarthy.
Minnesota drafted McCarthy with the 10th selection of last year's NFL Draft, and he was in the running to start until a knee injury in the preseason ended his season. That gave the nod to Darnold, who took advantage of the opportunity and had, by far, the best season of his career.
Darnold was playing himself into a lucrative contract until his final two games. Now, who knows what he'll get on the open market?
At the very least, he may get a decent deal like Baker Mayfield's. But even that might be a lot for Minnesota, Rudolph said.
"Well, I think it really, so much in football comes down to the money piece. You know, when you have a salary cap, and you're trying to build a roster, unfortunately, you have to make decisions that are solely based on the ramifications of the salary cap and what that does for your roster," Rudolph said.
"So, when you look at Sam Darnold and the year that he had in Minnesota, there's just so many factors that go into it ultimately for Sam. Does he want to go to the highest bidder? Do I think Minnesota can be the highest bidder? No, I do not. You have so much other talent on that roster that they would like to keep and have to pay. If that's what Sam decides, and he wants to go to the highest bidder, I don't think Minnesota has a chance.
"If Sam says, ‘I love playing for Kevin O'Connell. This is the best year of my career. He brings the best out of me, I love being on this team,’ I think he would have to take some sort of a discount. And then the third piece that comes in is, ultimately, you always have the franchise tag.
"So, if they were decide to franchise tag Sam, they could keep him on that one-year franchise tag deal. But, again, that makes things really, really tough on the salary cap because that's a one-year full salary cap hit. So, it'll be interesting what they decide.
"To this point, Kevin [O'Connell] has proved that it really doesn't matter who the quarterback is. Jaren Hall, Josh Dobbs, Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold — he's going to get the most out of him, and they're going to go win football games."
The Vikings will be home watching the Philadelphia Eagles try to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs, who are in their fifth Super Bowl in the last six years with a chance to three-peat.
It's widely been argued Kansas City has the refs on their side. But Rudolph disputed the idea of any conspiracy or favoritism.
"If you go and look at the statistics and dive into kind of like where are the Chiefs compared to every other team in the NFL in terms of calls for and calls against, they're kind of right there in the middle of the pack," Rudolph said.
"But what is different about the Chiefs, they're on national TV almost every week. They're playing in primetime a whole lot. They're always making deep playoff runs, five out of six years in the Super Bowl. Obviously, you have all the off-the-field publicity with Travis [Kelce] and Taylor [Swift] and Patrick’s stardom. It’s just, you see it a lot more.
"They look for things that trigger, ‘Oh, that's a foul. That's a penalty.’ It’s the slightest jersey grab, but that’s something that triggers their psyche to say, 'Oh, I saw that jersey grab, I'm throwing the flag.’ It's just an immediate reaction to them. So, no, I don't think there's favoritism. Obviously, in the world that we're in today, if that were ever to be the case … we have all the resources in the world to find out … right? We would know."
Rudolph spoke to Fox News Digital on behalf of his own charity, Alltroo, where fans can donate to the campaign, and in turn, those dollars go directly to players' charities. But Rudolph and his partners have added a couple of twists.
This year, with just a $10 donation to Alltroo, fans can win both a trip to the Super Bowl with Drew Brees in New Orleans and an opportunity to announce a draft pick in Green Bay later this year if they donate to a Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee's charity.
Considering that 94% of people who donate to Alltroo had never donated to a nonprofit before, Rudolph says it's a "win-win" for everyone.
"What we wanted to create was an opportunity for die-hard sports fans, not just the high-net worth individuals or the big corporate brands, to have an opportunity to support us. And then the flip side is people are winning once-in-a lifetime experiences and items that may be out of reach.
"So, trying to create that win-win scenario where we're raising additional funds for charity that wouldn't otherwise be, and then, ultimately, offering these once-in-a lifetime experiences to fans that otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it," Rudolph said, noting that Super Bowl prices are "insanely out of price for a lot of people."
"Whatever you're willing to donate to these players’ causes, 100% of the proceeds will go directly to these player causes. So, we can just be the vehicle that passes through these donations and then, at the end of the day, a lucky fan's gonna have the opportunity to go up there and announce a draft pick at the draft and realize someone else's dream.
"So, all in all, super cool for me to have the opportunity as a former nominee to really spearhead this initiative on behalf of the league. For as little as a $10 donation, you have a chance to win."
Brady won more than half of his rings after turning 37, cementing himself in the conversation. But the chatter will be hot and heavy if the Kansas City Chiefs can finish a three-peat, something no team has done in the Super Bowl era.
Rob Gronkowski had a front-row seat for Brady's illustrious career, winning four titles with him, three in New England, and one more in Tampa Bay.
"Good thing I went back to football and did that," Gronkowski recalled in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
But even Gronk knows his quarterback might be in trouble. However, it will be tough, and there's a reason why Brady has the upper hand for the time being.
"In order for Patrick Mahomes to dethrone (Brady), it’s gonna be tough because Tom beat him twice in playoff football. We absolutely demolished Patrick Mahomes," Gronkowski said, referring to the 2021 Super Bowl.
Advantage, Brady.
But that doesn't mean there's no chance for Mahomes. Gronk said Mahomes doesn't even need to match Brady in titles before being in the conversation.
"He’s gonna have to win about five, six championships in order to get in that conversation of being the greatest ahead of Tom Brady," Gronk said.
Those sentiments echo those of Victor Cruz, who already has Mahomes as the "No. 2" to Brady.
"To me, I can’t put him above [Tom] Brady just yet, but he’s right there. He’s 1A, 1B for me," Cruz told Fox News Digital in October.
"If he gets to five and he continues to keep his team relevant year in and year out, when we look up at the numbers, it’s gonna be insane just to see where he nets out and just to see when it’s all said and done where he is, because what he’s doing thus far, it's pretty special."
First, the Chiefs will have to get through the Philadelphia Eagles, who the Chiefs beat two years ago in the Super Bowl to get Mahomes his second title. He earned his third last year against the San Francisco 49ers, the same team Mahomes beat for his first ring.
The Royal Rumble is one of the WWE’s marquee premium live events of the year.
The event features the annual Royal Rumble match for both the men's and the women’s divisions, respectively. The unique program consists of 30 participants entering the ring with the last person in the ring standing earning a shot at the world championship at WrestleMania.
The match starts with two participants in the ring with a new competitor entering the ring every 90 seconds or so. The only way participants can be eliminated is if they’re thrown over the top rope and both of their feet hit the ground.
One of the best things about the match is the feeling that anyone could win and anyone could be in the match. WWE legends, stars who recovered from injuries, or wrestlers who fans haven’t seen in a while have been known to make epic returns and stun the audience.
Former WWE star Edge, whose real name is Adam Copeland, talked to Fox News Digital in 2022 about what it was like to return in the Royal Rumble in 2020 after being out of in-ring action for about 10 years due to injuries.
"I expected if we could keep it as under wraps as we could, then, yes, just for the sheer shock of it," he told Fox News Digital at the time when asked whether he expected the wild crowd reaction.
"Because, just like everyone, I assumed that it’s done," he said of what he thought of his wrestling career at the time. "So, because of that, I assumed there would be a pretty shocked response, and then you do it in a stadium and chances are there’s going to be a pretty good reaction. Even though I thought that, it still doesn’t really prepare you for every emotion that really jolts through your system at that point. I kind of felt like I got hit by lightning in a good way."
This year is no different. The road to WrestleMania 41 is foggy at best at this point. Champions like Cody Rhodes, Gunther, Rhea Ripley and Tiffany Stratton don’t have opponents for the big couple of nights coming up on April 19-20 in Las Vegas.
The 2025 Royal Rumble in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium will feature the Rumble matches, a ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Championship between Rhodes and Kevin Owens, as well as a WWE Tag Team Championship match between Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley and Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
Read below for five predictions for what might happen in the event.
WWE fans expected John Cena to be on weekly programming since he made his return to "Monday Night Raw" this month. But that hasn’t been the case. He did announce himself for the Royal Rumble, and when he does come back, his entrance will blow the roof off of the stadium.
Logan Paul has stunned the wrestling audience with the moves he can pull off in the middle of a WWE ring. It’s earned him street cred among hardcore pro wrestling fans and has emboldened his trash talk on the mic to make him one of the biggest heels on the roster. He really got an earful from the crowd in Atlanta on Monday.
Paul had pulled off some incredible moments with former WWE star Ricochet, and with Penta joining the fracas over the last few weeks, it’s likely the two will pull off something wild in the ring for the fans in Indianapolis.
Penta has drawn immense praise since he debuted in WWE, and his debut in the Rumble match is certainly welcomed.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are best friends inside and outside the wrestling ring. They have been at nearly every promotion together and have dominated for quite some time. But their journey is at a crossroads.
Owens is already in a match for the WWE title against Rhodes early in the night. It will appear unlikely that he enters the Royal Rumble match. But with Zayn being friends with Rhodes, the possibility of Zayn costing Owens the title is very much in play.
In turn, watch for Owens to cost Zayn in the Rumble match and ignite a path of best friends-turned-bitter enemies.
The Royal Rumble is always known for something wild to happen, and it’s likely something like that will occur again.
The women’s Rumble could include pro wrestlers like Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella or Jordynne Grace. The latter signed a deal with WWE after her contract with TNA expired, Fightful Select reported this week, though Grace was adamant that she wouldn’t be in Indy for the weekend. Additionally, Jade Cargill suffered an on-screen injury and was written off of her storyline as a tag-team champion with Bianca Belair. She could potentially return to confront the person who "attacked" her.
The men’s side could also bring out a major return.
The Rock is always rumored to be involved in WWE storylines one way or the other, but his speech to kick off Raw’s Netflix debut left fans wondering whether he would try to tie up loose ends with Rhodes, Roman Reigns and the rest of the Bloodline.
Omos has also made an impact at the NOAH promotion in Japan. The 7-foot-3 wrestler’s popularity increased as he spent time there and might make at least one more appearance in WWE. His former teammate, A.J. Styles, has also been off television for a while and a return at the Rumble would surprise fans.
CM Punk was injured in the Royal Rumble match last year, and it cost him months and an in-ring spot at WrestleMania 40. His intense promo with Rhodes on "Monday Night Raw" was passionate and piqued the interest of the wrestling fan. A Punk-Rhodes WrestleMania main event would definitely be the talk of the pro wrestling world in the spring.
Charlotte Flair has not been seen in a WWE ring since she tore her ACL, MCL and meniscus during a match on SmackDown on Dec. 8, 2023. She’s appeared in vignettes on WWE programming in recent weeks and is set for a Rumble return.
The Philadelphia Eagles will have plenty more to play for when they take the field in Super Bowl LIX next Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
After an air ambulance carrying six people crashed in Northern Philadelphia Friday night, causing a massive explosion that has killed an unconfirmed number of people, the Eagles released a statement expressing condolences for its impacted Philadelphia residents and the victims on board the flight.
"The Eagles organization was heartbroken to learn of the tragic loss of life earlier this evening as a result of the plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia," the team said. "We extend our condolences to the victims and loved ones they leave behind. We are grateful to the first responders for their heroic actions at the scene."
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the global ambulance flight company operating the plane, said its Learjet 55 crashed while departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at about 6:30 p.m.
The plane was scheduled to fly from Philadelphia to Tijuana International Airport, with one technical stop in Springfield, Missouri for fuel, Air Ambulance spokesperson Shai Gold told Fox News Digital.
A senior Philadelphia fire official told Fox News the fires that were sparked by the crash are "now under control."
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to react to the tragedy.
"So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged," Trump wrote. "First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job. More to follow. God Bless you all."
Vice President JD Vance later took to X, calling the situation "very sad."
"May God bless the victims and their families," Vance wrote.
The crash comes just days after an American Airlines passenger plane collided midair with an Army Black Hawk Helicopter near Reagan National Airport, killing 67 people.
Fox News Digital's Alexandra Koch, Lorraine Taylor and Alexis McAdams contributed to this story.
As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to travel to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX, the team's star quarterback is clearing the air. During last week's postgame media availability, Jalen Hurts made a seemingly offhanded comment about Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.
Hurts said Nick Sirianni "let me out of my straitjacket" when asked about his strong performance during the NFC Championship game victory over the Washington Commanders and his overall experience playing for Sirianni.
During his media availability on Tuesday, Sirianni fielded questions about the "straightjacket" comment.
"I think he was having fun after the game We've been winning a couple different ways this year. ... But I know this, and he's said this plenty of times, he doesn't care how we win, I don't care how we win, as long as we win. And we do everything we can do to be able to win," Sirianni said on Jan. 28 during the press conference.
"And as we've talked a lot, there have been different circumstances of how games have [gone] and where we've been at late in games. But we found a way to win and rattle off 15 out of 16. So, again, thought he was having fun with that after the game. And loved how he went out there and executed and prepared for this game."
Throughout much of the 2023 season, Hurts and Sirianni reportedly navigated through a somewhat tense relationship. Last August, a report from ESPN cited a source with direct knowledge who described the last season's dynamic between the coach and quarterback as "fractured."
After starting the 2023 campaign with a 10-1 record, the Eagles went on to win just one of their final six games. Philadelphia subsequently suffered a 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round. The early playoff exit came on the heels of the Eagles appearance in the Super Bowl the prior season.
However, the end of the 2024 regular season and the postseason have been vastly different for Philly. Sirianni, Hurts, and the Eagles were presented with the George Halas Trophy last Sunday after the team won the conference title and clinched a spot in Super Bowl LIX.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Eagles will meet in the big game on Feb. 9 at Caesars Superdome. Super Bowl LIX kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET with Kevin Burkhardt doing play-by-play and Tom Brady as the color commentator in his first Super Bowl as a broadcaster. Tubi will stream Super Bowl LIX on its platform live in 4K. Viewers will be able to watch the game when they sign up via email registration.
A medical transport jet headed for Missouri and carrying a child patient and five others crashed in Northeast Philadelphia Friday night.
The jet was part of the Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which provides global ambulance flight services.
It's the same service that once helped transport Boston Red Sox legend and MLB Hall of Famer David Ortiz with a critical injury after he was shot in his home country of the Dominican Republic June 9, 2019, at a bar in Santo Domingo.
Ortiz was severely wounded but survived emergency surgery.
A portion of Ortiz's intestines, colon and gallbladder were removed, and he also reportedly had liver damage. The next day, a Jet Rescue plane transported Ortiz to Boston, where he received further treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital, including a second surgery.
Ortiz was moved out of the intensive care unit on June 22, 2019, and he was released from the hospital over a month later on July 26, 2019.
The suspected shooter was later identified as Rolfi Ferreira-Cruz, but an investigation also found Ortiz was not the intended target. The Dominican Attorney General announced June 19, 2019, Ortiz was shot by mistake, and Sixto David Fernandez was identified as the intended target of the shooting.
On Friday, Jet Rescue said it's Learjet 55 crashed while departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport around 6:30 p.m.
"Our immediate concern is for the patient's family, our personnel, their families and other victims that may have been hurt on the ground," Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said in a statement.
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to react to the tragedy.
"So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged," Trump wrote. "First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job. More to follow. God Bless you all."
The crash comes just days after an American Airlines passenger plane collided with an Army Black Hawk Helicopter near Reagan National Airport, killing 67 people.
Bryant had to be held back by his teammates, and Stewart almost immediately walked off the court.
The league announced the suspension, along with a $50,000 fine for Stewart for making "inappropriate and objectionable gestures" after his ejection Wednesday in the Pistons' 133-119 loss to the Pacers in Indiana.
The gestures were likely the apparent finger guns he pointed at the Pistons bench.
The Pistons and Pacers have history with the Malice at the Palace in 2004.
Stewart entered the game with four flagrant foul points, so the call triggered the automatic suspension based on the league's regular-season protocols.
Despite the suspension, the Pistons still gave out Stewart bobbleheads to 5,000 fans.
The Pistons have been a pleasant surprise this season. Their 23-24 record is good for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, which would put them in the play-in tournament.
Last year, the Pistons lost an NBA record 27 consecutive games, which resulted in the firing of Monty Williams despite him inking the richest deal in coaching history at the time.
Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young has arguably put together the most productive first half of an NBA season in his career.
But Young's NBA-leading 11.4 assists per game were not enough to land the 26-year-old guard an All-Star nod.
Last week, the NBA revealed the starters for its revamped annual showcase of its 24 star players. While the list of starters did not feature a lot of surprises, the reserves raised some eyebrows.
Young's name was noticeably missing when the 2025 NBA All-Star Game reserves were revealed Thursday.
The omission sparked some spirited posts on social media about Young and other players who received a cold shoulder from voters. Young summed up his circumstances by putting a unique twist on his name.
"It's getting ‘Traed’ at this point," the former Oklahoma basketball standout wrote on X. He then offered an apology to his fans and took a more measured approach, saying, "Sorry to my fans.. it’ll change eventually! All right, talk soon!"
Young has been an All-Star three times before, but his numbers do seem to back up the argument that he is one of this year's top 24 players. Aside from his assist average, Young is averaging 22.5 points per game.
NBA coaches pick the All-Star reserves. Hawks coach Quin Snyder made it clear he believes the players who made the All-Star roster are deserving.
"That also doesn’t preclude me from feeling the way I do about Trae," Snyder said. "I haven’t coached him for that long, but I feel like he’s had the best year of his career. ... No disrespect to anyone that has made it, but as Trae’s coach, I am allowed to feel disappointment for him not making it. And that’s unfortunate."
Young hasn’t been voted into the game since 2022. He was an injury replacement selected by Commissioner Adam Silver for last year's All-Star Game.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time All-Star, is another notable player who did not receive an All-Star selection.
"Obviously, something that I wanted to be a part of," Booker said Friday. "But definitely not going to complain about taking a week to regroup with the family."
Fan voting accounts for 50% of the formula for deciding which players start the game, and the Hornets' LaMelo Ball was the backcourt player who got the most votes from fans in the Eastern Conference by a wide margin.
However, he narrowly missed being a starter after finishing third in the East backcourt voting by players and seventh in the media balloting. Ball then missed out on being a reserve because he didn’t get listed on enough coaches’ ballots.
Ball ranks fourth in the league with 28.2 points per game. He is the first player under the current voting format to win the fan vote at his position but not get picked for the All-Star Game.
Taylor Starling and Kaitlyn Slavin – student athletes at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California – held a live press conference on X Friday hosted California Family Council Outreach Director Sophia Lorey. The two girls shared their perspectives on a recent national controversy that has besieged their community caused by a trans athlete competing on the girls' cross country team.
"It was confusing, this has never happened to me before, like I didn't even think this was going to be happening to me," Starling said. "It was all just like, surprising, that there was going to be a guy running with the girls."
Slavin, who is only a freshman, said the experience of having her first year of high school involve the situation is "kind of crazy."
"Just in high school, having to compete against males when you shouldn't be is something that shocked me right away," Slavin said.
Starling lost her varsity spot to a trans athlete who transferred to the school this past year, and when they wore shirts that read "Save Girls Sports" in protest, they allege school administrators compared the shirts to swastikas. The two girls and their families are now engaged in a lawsuit against the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) over those allegations.
In response, hundreds of their fellow students and hundreds of other residents in the community began wearing the shirts in protest. The shirts became a local, and then national symbol for the protection of female athletes from biological male inclusion in their sports and locker rooms.
The ensuing controversy and media coverage of the situation has thrust the two teenage girls, their families and the whole town into the spotlight of the national debate over trans inclusion in women's sports, which became a hot-button political issue in the 2024 election year.
And for Starling, Slavin and their classmates, it has come with a wave of attention that they have never experienced, both negative and positive.
"I've had tons of people reach out to me and say ‘thank you so much for what you’re doing and standing up for these women,'" Starling said. "For my friends, a lot of my friends have been shoulder-checked because they were wearing the shirts and a lot of them have been cursed out and called really bad names, and they posted certain stuff on the internet calling people horrible names for wearing these shirts."
Slavin, who says she's found stress relief in sports throughout her life, has only found more stress from sports because of the situation this year.
"It's scary that that's not something that can always be a stress-relieving place if we're going to have all this going on," Slavin said. "It affects you mentally and emotionally… It's so hard to have this all going on."
Starling says the trans athlete has been using the girls' restroom at the school, however, they haven't seen the athlete much in the locker room due to frequently missing practices.
The two girls, and multiple parents who have spoken to Fox News Digital, allege the trans athlete was allowed to compete on varsity despite missing practice every week.
Starling's father, Ryan Starling, previously told Fox News Digital that when his daughter and other girls approached the administrators about it, they were told "transgenders have more rights than cisgenders." The RUSD previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital insisting that its handling of the situation has been in accordance with California state law.
The two girls then ignited a viral trend in their communities when they showed up to school in November wearing the "Save Girls Sports" shirts.
And despite being scolded by school administrators for it and having to file a lawsuit, more and more students began to show up each week wearing the shirts, as the school had to alter its dress code and start placing students in detention for wearing them. This didn't stop the shirts from spreading and growing. It became a weekly ritual for hundreds of students every Wednesday to show up wearing the shirts support of the girls and their messaging, and many of them created viral social media posts on it.
In early December, the school administrators gave up on their efforts to discipline students for wearing the shirts. Sources told Fox News Digital that more than 400 students have shown up wearing the shirts at a time, and students at other schools in the district have started to wear them to class.
But Slavin, Starling their attorney Julianne Fleischer, said the school administrators have still told the two girls that they aren't allowed to wear the shirts, during the press conference on Friday. However, they also said more than 400 students at their school have continued to show up wearing the shirts every Wednesday.
The situation culminated in a heated and confrontational event on Dec. 19, when the RUSD held a school board meeting to address the issue. Prior to the meeting, outside the district office, there were competing protests between activists and parents wearing the "Save Girls Sports" shirts and LGBTQ activists.
Sources, including Ryan Starling, have told Fox News Digital that the LGBTQ activists at the event were harassing the "Save Girls Sports" protesters, and even disrupted a women's prayer group during a prayer circle prior to the meeting.
"Members of the pro-LGBTQ groups started heckling and harassing the people in line who were speaking in opposition of their values. Some of these adult protesters were even coming up to the young girls that were going to be speaking and were yelling at them close to their face," Young Women for America (YWA)'s Inland Empire chapter President Tori Hitchcock told Fox News Digital.
One anonymous parent told Fox News Digital about witnessing a child being bombarded with vulgar insults by pro-trans protesters after the meeting.
"My 16-year old son and a few others were standing outside after speaking when a group of the LGBTQ community intentionally walked by them pointing at each one of them saying, ‘FU FU FU,’" the anonymous parent said.
Then, inside the meeting, parents and opposing activists gave impassioned speeches about their thoughts on the situation, with multiple speakers yelling in hysterical tones. The meeting went on for nearly five hours, and included testimony between individuals who opposed trans inclusion in girls' sports and those who supported it.
Many of the pro-trans speeches were met with high-pitched cheers and the waiving of LGBTQ pride flags by those in attendance.
The RUSD previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital insisting that its handling of the situation has been in accordance with California state law.
"While these rules were not created by RUSD, the District is committed to complying with the law and CIF regulations. California state law prohibits discrimination of students based on gender, gender identity and gender expression, and specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in physical education and athletics. The protections we provide to all students are not only aligned with the law but also with our core values which include equity and well-being," the statement said.
The RUSD also placed blame for its handling of the situation on officials in Washington D.C., and California's state capital, Sacramento. They made this statement back in early December, prior to President Donald Trump returning to office.
"As these matters play out in our courts and the media, opposition and protests should be directed at those in a position to affect those laws and policies (including officials in Washington D.C. and Sacramento)," their statement read.
Trump has pledged to ban trans athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports, as a federal bill titled The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act is currently progressing through congress. It has already passed in the House of Representatives.
Until that bill is potentially signed into law, Slavin and Starling are asking their supporters to "pray" for them.
The 20-year-old got some playing time late in Los Angeles' 134-96 win over the Wizards in Washington. The game was practically over from the jump, as the Lakers led 78-45 at halftime.
This prompted Bronny, the 55th pick of last year's NBA Draft, to get some minutes in garbage time. Perhaps it was better than the "tough spot" JJ Redick had put Bronny in the night before, when he went 0-for-5 from the floor while getting time at a crucial part of the game.
In his 12 minutes played, Bronny impressed with five points, including a tough and-one bucket that even got his father out of his seat.
But when James went to the line, some fans had some fun with the rookie by hitting him with "MVP" chants.
Of course, they were sarcastic, but they were loud, and it's more MVP chants than most people out there have gotten.
Bronny had not seen the floor for more than six minutes entering Wednesday, but he's now seen 27 minutes of time in the Lakers' last two games.
It's been a struggle for Bronny, who entered Thursday's contest just 1-for-16 from the floor. He averaged fewer than five points per game during his lone season at USC.
James has spent a decent portion of the season developing in the G League, which has been much kinder to him. In those games, he's putting up 16.3 points per game.
The tongue-in-cheeck chants came after ESPN mogul Stephen A. Smith ripped LeBron for stunting his son's growth in the pros.
"I am pleading with LeBron James, as a father. Stop this. Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad," Smith said on Wednesday's edition of "First Take."
The win improved the Lakers to 27-19 with the win, good for fifth in the Western Conference. They'll face a tough test on Saturday night when they visit Madison Square Garden to face the third-place Knicks.
"It will be amazing to return to Baton Rouge, a community that means so much to me," Reese said in a statement. "LSU was instrumental in preparing me for the WNBA, and I can't wait to hit the court in front of both Tigers and Sky fans."
Reese made her mark in LSU lore after carrying the Tigers to the 2023 national championship over Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
"We are excited to host a WNBA game in May featuring the Chicago Sky and Angel Reese," LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. "Angel played a major role in establishing our program at LSU, and I know our fans are going to be excited to have her back in the PMAC. She had such a great rookie season, and we can't wait to continue to watch her thrive in the WNBA."
That title game featured Reese's now-infamous taunt of Clark, which drew much criticism and started an unofficial rivalry between the two.
Clark dismissed any notion that Reese "should be criticized at all" after the fact, but the two have gone hand-in-hand in conversations surrounding women's basketball, both on and off the floor.
Reese's teammate Kamilla Cardoso will go against her home national team. She was the third pick of the draft, behind Clark and Cameron Brink, after completing an undefeated season with South Carolina.
"I am so excited to play against my former Brazilian national team," Cardoso said. "Brazil has played such an important role in my life and has shaped the person I am today. Playing for the Sky against my former team gives me a wonderful opportunity to connect with my roots and play in front of old friends and teammates back home."
In her two seasons at LSU, Reese averaged 20.9 points and 14.4 rebounds and was twice a First-Team All-American.
A Georgia state Senate committee passed the Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act Thursday after testimony from multiple female athletes who have competed against and shared locker rooms with transgender athletes.
The bill would require athletes to participate on teams that align with their biological sex at birth. If it is signed into law, Georgia would become the 26th state in the U.S. to have a law in place to prevent or restrict transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.
Georgia has been a prime frontier for this issue after the state hosted the 2022 NCAA women's swimming championships, which included transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
Two of Thomas' former opponents testified at Thursday's state congressional hearing.
Former North Carolina State women's swimmer Kylee Alons, a 31-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion, spoke about the experience competing against and sharing a locker room with Thomas.
"We all were just guinea pigs for a giant social experiment formed by the NCAA regarding how much abuse and blatant disregard women would be forced to take in silence," Alons said.
Alons recounted the emotions she felt sharing competitive areas with Thomas, and how much sadness she felt watching women lose out on chances to compete fairly at the event. Alons even said she wanted to cry and leave the event after seeing Thomas win the 500-meter freestyle.
Things got much more difficult for Lyons after she experienced sharing a locker room with Thomas.
"I go to the locker room that day only to see Thomas and realize there is no escape from this nightmare, no matter where I go. I had no idea he was going to be allowed in the women's locker room as we did not consent to have a man in our locker room," Lyons said
"I am immediately on edge every time I enter that locker room afterward, knowing at any moment a man can walk in on me changing.
Lyons added she felt so uncomfortable she resorted to abandoning the locker room altogether and instead changed in a storage closet behind the bleachers.
Former University of Kentucky swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler joined Lyons in recounting the experience of sharing a locker room with Thomas.
"Young women, teenage girls were forced to undress next to a fully intact biological male who exposed himself to us, while we were simultaneously fully exposed," Wheeler said. "We were never asked. We were never given a choice or another option. We were just expected to be OK with it, to shove down our discomfort, our embarrassment, our fear, because standing up for ourselves would mean being labeled as intolerant or hateful or bigoted."
Wheeler and Lyons are plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit against the NCAA led by fellow former swimmer and 2022 NCAA championship competitor Riley Gaines over the NCAA's policies on gender ideology.
Wheeler and Lyons shared their experiences with a message urging state senators at the hearing to pass the Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act.
The bill drew opposition from parents, physicians and others. Dr. Jodi Greenwald, a Roswell pediatrician, told the panel that transgender girls are not predators and warned that transgender youth are more at risk of suicide.
The bill passed by a vote of 8-3 after a nearly two-hour hearing.
Lt. Gov. Bill Jones called the vote an important step toward one of his critical goals of the session.
"Biological men do not belong in women’s sports, period," Jones said.
"This is common sense to everyone but the most radical liberals in Georgia. The Senate has always led the way on protecting women’s sports, and with Senate Bill 1, we will continue to be on the right side of this commonsense issue.
"I will never waver in the fight to protect our sisters and our daughters participating on equal footing in Georgia sports. I look forward to Senate Bill 1 becoming law and the protection of women’s sports becoming a reality for all female athletes in Georgia."
A federal ban on transgender inclusion in girls and women's sports is also moving through Congress.
The House of Representatives passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act Jan. 14, which would cut federal funding for any public educational institution that allows transgender athletes to compete against girls and women in sports.
Every Republican U.S. representative voted in favor of the bill. Only two Democrats, Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, both of Texas, voted to pass it. The remaining 206 House House Democrats opposed it. Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., voted "present."
A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports.
Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.
Tempers flared during Thursday's highly anticipated Top-25 women's college basketball matchup between the one-loss LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners.
The game featured players shoving — which led to ejections — coach's technical fouls and a noticeable clipboard-slapping moment from LSU coach Kim Mulkey. LSU forward Sa'Myah Smith and Oklahoma forward Liz Scott were both tossed from the game after the shoving incident in the first quarter.
Oklahoma center Beatrice Culliton was battling for position in the paint with Smith when the two got tangled up. Culliton elevated her arm to create some separation, and Smith retaliated by pushing her to the ground. Scott, who was also in the paint area, responded by shoving Smith.
Smith was corralled by Joe Schwartz, LSU's assistant of basketball operations. The teams separated and went back to their bench areas. The normally even-keeled Smith was called for a foul on the play and then ejected following a review.
"Pushing, I guess, is considered fighting," Mulkey said. "It (Smith's reaction) was shocking. It hurt our team with her not being a part of tonight, because we're trying to develop her. My old mentor (former Louisiana Tech coach), Leon Barmore, always said you've got to keep a cool head in a hot game. . . . Never let ’em see you sweat."
Mulkey also gave a nod to the game's entertainment value: "I guess it was entertaining for the fans."
Play resumed after the ejections, with Oklahoma leading 12-11. The Sooners took advantage of the 6-foot-2 Smith's advantage to keep it close, rallying from a 24-point deficit late in the third quarter to get within one point in the final minute.
In the third quarter, Mulkey slapped a clipboard that assistant coach Seimone Augustus was holding. LSU was enjoying a 67-45 lead at the time. Mulkey proceeded to yell and point for several seconds, while Augustus appeared to contend with a brief moment of shock.
Referees later assessed a technical foul after the Tigers' coach argued a foul call against star guard Flau'Jae Johnson. Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk also received a technical at a different point in the game.
The chippy game ended with a total of five technical fouls and 63 free throw attempts.
"We saw a lot of things tonight," Mulkey said. "You saw ejections. You saw two teams score over 100. You saw a technical on the second flop. . . . I got teed up, and she told me I got teed up for pointing at the big screen. I was definitely looking at the big screen, and I was not real happy, but I don’t know if I point. But she’s across the way. Whatever."
The Tigers' 107-100 win over the Sooners improved seventh-ranked LSU's record to 22-1.
Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton held back tears on Friday as he remembered the victims from the figure skating community who died after an American Airlines flight traveling from development camp in Kansas to Washington, D.C., collided with an Army helicopter in midair late Wednesday night.
The four-time men’s singles world champion spoke fondly of the victims during an appearance on TODAY but called the reality of this week’s tragedy "overwhelming."
"For this to happen just days after those championships were over is just devastating, shocking – it just doesn't make any sense. . . .We’re no stranger to tragedy but this was just beyond devastation."
Officials have said that 14 skaters, coaches and family members were aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 when it collided with a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport, near D.C., at around 9 p.m. local time.
Many of the victims have been identified, including Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, the renowned ice skating coaches who won a world championship title together in 1994.
Hamilton became emotional when he spoke of the couple, who settled in America to become coaches following their successful career, which culminated in two Olympic appearances. He saw them just days before the crash while attending the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Kansas.
"I actually sat with them for a nice visit in Wichita," Hamilton recalled Friday."
"To think that they’re gone is, um, I can’t wrap my head around the last 36 hours. It’s just been devastating, and the loss is just beyond description. My heart is shattered."
Shishkova and Naumov married in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1995, and they moved to Connecticut. They had a son, Maxim, who competed in men’s singles in the U.S. He was in Kansas but did not travel back with his parents. The Russian pair were coaches for the Skating Club of Boston.
Sixty passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines plane and three soldiers aboard a training flight on the helicopter are presumed dead.
The Sanders family is in the football limelight, and for very good reason.
Shedeur Sanders may very well be the first selection in this year's NFL Draft just as his father, Deion, has put the Colorado football program on the map as the team's head coach.
After a successful season, Deion's name has been floated around the NFL rumor mill, perhaps not coincidentally, as his son will go pro in about three months.
Shedeur's brother, Shilo, isn't as highly touted as the others in his family, but he was still at the Senior Bowl this week to give scouts another look.
Well, the practices didn't go great for him, as several video clips of him getting beat went viral.
Shilo was asked about those videos, and then he compared himself to President Donald Trump.
"If you just hate me, or you want to hate me . . . paint me in a bad picture, they do that to our President, they do that to everybody, you know. So I’m not going to be safe from it," Sanders said. "But it does get aggravating whenever you’re putting in work, and you’re working on your craft and people are just steadily destroying you."
"I just care about what the scouts think, I care about what Coach Prime thinks and my family thinks," he added. "And I’ve got a good circle around me, so I really don’t let that stuff affect me. It’s just really stupid, though, how people always just try to destroy you, and I don’t do nothing bad to nobody."
The actual Senior Bowl itself was a better showing for Shilo. Although his West team lost, 25-0, he finished with five tackles and a pass breakup.
Shilo joined the Buffaloes along with his father and brother, who left Jackson State at the end of the 2022 season to head to Boulder. Shilo played in 10 games this past season, recording 67 tackles as a corner, the same position his father played during his Hall of Fame career.
Jason and Kylie Kelce are torn about whom to root for in Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
On one hand, they have a family member, star tight end Travis Kelce, playing for the Chiefs.
On the other hand, Jason played 13 seasons for the Eagles and is still close to several people in the organization. Kylie is a die-hard Eagles fan who also has many friends in the organization.
So, whom to root for? Your brother/brother-in-law or your hometown team with some people you consider extended family.
"Here’s the biggest thing. Obviously, you’re my brother. I’ll always root for my brother. That’s the reality of it alright, even though I’m decked out in Eagles gear I’m always going to root for Travis," Jason said during a recent episode of "New Heights."
"Take that, Philly," Travis said while laughing.
"But, there’s a lot of people in the Philadelphia organization, whether it’s players, coaches, people in the building, that feel like extended family to me. Especially my former linemen, like Lane Johnson, feels like a brother in a lot of ways, and I’m rooting for those guys, too," Jason said.
"I’m rooting for Philadelphia, and I’m rooting for Travis Kelce. That’s the reality of it. No matter what, on gameday I’m going to be happy for one of those sides, and I’m going to be sad for the other side."
What makes it difficult for Jason is that he still feels so close to the organization.
"It’s similar to the last time we played. I mean maybe a little bit less intense, because I’m not playing now, but I think it’s going to be very, very similar, I really do. I live in Philadelphia, I still go to the facilities on a very regular basis, I still feel like I am a Philadelphia Eagle and that I’m a part of all of these people that root and cheer on our team," Jason said.
"I would be lying if I said I don’t want the Eagles to win. You know what I mean? I want them, too, but I also want Travis Kelce to win. So that’s a longwinded way of saying I just want to see a good football game, and whoever wins I’m going to be happy for that guy."
As for Kylie, she is very happy about Travis’ success.
"I am so happy and proud of Travis and the Chiefs’ accomplishments. I think that the opportunity to play for such a historic milestone is incredible to be able to potentially witness, and I think that Travis has been there for his entire career. He has worked so hard and put in so much time that I am truly, as always, cheering Travis on. And I love him, he’s my family, so I will always cheer on Travis’s accomplishments and hopefully success," Kylie said during a recent episode of "Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce."
Despite being proud of Travis, that doesn’t mean Kylie is rooting for the Chiefs.
"That being said, I was raised to bleed green. I have friends who are still associated with the team, I have a close relationship with a lot of people in the Eagles organization. I get to live in the Philadelphia community, so I will also be cheering for the success of those people," Kylie said.
Kylie can’t even bring herself to say her customary ‘Go Chiefs’ when interacting with Chiefs fans, due to the upcoming Super Bowl.
"That any other week when I see Chiefs fans, I will tell them, ‘Go Chiefs,’ I will not be saying that for the next two weeks. I can’t bring myself to do it because then it feels as though I’m actively wishing it against, yeah, no. Can’t, ah, this is hard, I don’t like this. I’m not having fun. Like I’m having fun independently. I’m having fun as an Eagles fan, I’m having fun as a Travis fan. It’s hard. It is hard. I don’t like it. I don’t like it, but also, it's very exciting, but I’m mad about it. I feel like I’m having a manic episode," Kylie said.
While Kylie is torn, she said her daughters will be supporting their uncle.
"I will say, we have made moves to get the girls ‘Go Uncle Trav’ shirts, because they love their uncle, and, of course, they love cheering him on, and, to be fair, they love cheering on the birds, too. But he is our family, and I want to make sure that the girls feel included."
The Chiefs take on the Eagles in the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX, where Jason and Kylie will have mixed emotions, no matter the outcome.
FOX’s Super Bowl coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET. Coverage can also be streamed live on Tubi for the first time ever.
Alydia and Everly Livingston, who were known as the "Ice Skating Sisters," were identified as victims of the deadly plane crash in Washington, D.C., that claimed the lives of 67 people when an American Airlines plane collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night.
Eleven-year-old Alydia and 14-year-old Everly, were killed in the crash along with their parents, Peter and Donna Livingston.
The girls were members of the Washington Figure Skating Club in D.C., which is affiliated with U.S. Figure Skating.
The club released a joint statement with the Skating Club of Northern Virginia after several of the victims were linked to the clubs.
"This heartbreaking accident has shaken the local skating community in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia — as well as in Boston and across the nation. Our hearts go out to families, friends, and loved ones mourning this unimaginable grief.
"As we continue to process this tragedy, we honor the memories of those who we have lost — their passion for the sport, the friendships they cultivated, and the joy they brought to the ice. Their presence at our rinks and in our community is deeply felt, and their absence is indescribable."
In a tribute posted to The Skating Lesson Facebook page, Alydia was described as having a "vivacious personality" and a true passion for the sport. Her older sister, Everly, was said to be more "shy," but that changed when she was on the ice.
In a final post shared to the girls’ joint Instagram, the sisters posed for a picture at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, which concluded Sunday. According to a statement from U.S. Figure Skating, several of its members were aboard the American Airlines flight after a development camp held after the championships.
Several victims have been identified in the days since the accident. Officials say 14 of the 67 victims belonged to the skating community.
"You said that if your mortgage was paid off that you would retire, or you won’t work, or you can pick if you want to work still, so your mortgage has been paid," Reese said.
Webb Reese nearly dropped the cake she had been given, in disbelief.
"What?" Webb Reese said, flabbergasted.
"Today, your mortgage has been paid. You ain’t gotta worry about your mortgage no more. And if you want to still work and keep yourself busy, you can keep yourself busy," Reese continued.
