While most were sleeping, the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a stunning blockbuster that led to Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis swapping teams.
The deal is perhaps one of the most star-studded ever, as it's the first time in NBA history two reigning All-NBA players were traded midseason.
There are lots of questions that need to be answered, primarily on the Dallas side of things, as it's shocking a team would trade a 25-year-old MVP candidate with global starpower fresh off an NBA Finals appearance.
However, one report from CBS Sports said LeBron James "had grown frustrated" with Davis, who is averaging over 25 points and a dozen rebounds while playing elite defense.
James' Lakers defeated the Knicks shortly before the trade broke, but James has not spoken to reporters about the move yet (Davis was inactive), but James did see the report on X, and broke his silence matter of factly.
"You a [f---ing] lie," James wrote on X, adding Pinocchio and clown emojis.
James is said to have found out about the trade shortly before the news broke on X while he was out to dinner with his family following L.A.'s victory. It's being reported that the Mavs only reached out to the Lakers, and would only acquire Davis if it meant moving Dončić. Other than the organizations facilitating the trade, it's said that no one else knew what was going on behind the scenes.
The Lakers received Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while the Mavericks took on Davis, Max Christie and Los Angeles' 2029 first-round pick. To settle it all out, the Utah Jazz acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.
The Slovenian led the NBA with 33.4 points per game last season and won't turn 26 until later this month. In his career, he averages 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, putting himself in the MVP conversation every year of his young career.
The Australian outlet reported that up to three games would be played, with the first at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which will feature two teams with recent success.
One of the games will feature the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams, the Herald Sun says.
The Birds are back in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years after having won it in 2018, while the Rams took home the title three years ago.
The Eagles and Rams are the only two teams that are a part of the NFL's Global Markets Program in Australia, which was made to build fandom and support outside the United States.
The MCG holds roughly 100,000 people.
It wouldn't be the first time the NFL toyed with Australia, as the Denver Broncos and then-San Diego Chargers played a preseason game there in 1999.
The Eagles were featured in the NFL's first game in South America at the beginning of the season, with their Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.
The outlet said the Victorian government and the NFL "have been in secret talks for months."
Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata was born in Australia. He was a star rugby player who never played football in high school or college.
The league will play in Spain for the first time later this year, with the Miami Dolphins' opponent to be determined. Games have been played in London, Mexico and Germany. The first official overseas game in 2007 featured the Dolphins and New York Giants.
Sunday morning's Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis swap is being widely regarded as the most shocking and star-powered trade in sports history.
It's so big that it was believed that ESPN's Shams Charania, who broke the story, was hacked, and other reporters reached out to him to make sure his X account was secure.
But alas, the Dallas Mavericks decided to trade a 25-year-old MVP candidate just months after he carried them to an NBA Finals appearance in an attempt to improve their defense.
The Mavs traded up to the third pick in the 2018 NBA Draft to select Dončić, whose $207 million extension from 2021 is set to expire this season. Being due for a super-max deal worth $345 million, it's apparent that it played a role in Dončić being moved five days before the NBA's trade deadline.
Kevin Durant has been traded before – it's slightly different, as he requested to be traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns (he also left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors, and them jumped ship to Brooklyn). But Durant called out NBA teams for their lack of loyalty to their stars, while it's expected that players be loyal to them -
"Players are held to a different standard of loyalty and commitment to a program, but the organizations don't get held to that same standard from the outside world, the media members, the fans. We all should be held to that same standard," Durant said upon hearing the news.
"It's a transactional game. There's a lot of money involved, a lot of business involved. We shouldn't be too shocked about trades and guys moving to different teams, coaches moving to different teams. It's just the nature of playing basketball and us making this much money, too. It's a pretty wild time, especially around trade deadline."
After this megadeal, Durant says the stove could be hot in the NBA.
"You start seeing stuff like that, as an organization, you might get a little more courage to do some stuff. You see another team trade away somebody like that. This got to be the biggest trade I've seen since I've been in the league or since I've been watching the sport. This is insane. So yeah, every other team might get confidence and say f--- it, I'll trade a few of my top players if this ain't working."
It's the first time in NBA history two reigning All-NBA players were traded for one another midseason.
The Lakers received Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while the Mavericks took on Davis, Max Christie and Los Angeles' 2029 first-round pick. To settle it all out, the Utah Jazz acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.
The Slovenian led the NBA with 33.4 points per game last season and won't turn 26 until later this month. In his career, he averages 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, putting himself in the MVP conversation every year of his young career.
Davis, a defensive player of the year candidate last year, is putting up 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds this season, both slightly better than his career averages of 24.2 and 10.7.
Last April, John Calipari decided to "step away" from the University of Kentucky after 15 seasons; a day later, he joined the University of Arkansas.
Well, Calipari returned to Kentucky on Saturday night, and despite a championship in 2012 and a .771 winning percentage there, boos still managed to be loud as he returned.
Calipari admitted that it took some getting used to.
"It’s hard to win in here. And I’ve got to be honest with you, I looked up a couple of times and I thought we were losing because I kept looking at Kentucky instead of Arkansas," Calipari said. "I made it clear it was a privilege and an honor to coach here. We had 15 unbelievable years of a great run and support."
With Kentucky, Calipari made the NCAA Tournament all but two seasons. Last year's team was knocked out in the first round as a No. 3 seed against Jack Gohlke and No. 14 Oakland. In 2022, the Wildcats were upset by No. 15 St. Peter's, and they lost in the Round of 32 in 2023.
Calipari went 410-122 (.771) with the Wildcats – this year's Arkansas team is now 13-8 but 2-6 in conference.
The Hall of Fame coach is the winningest active coach in men’s college basketball and has an 867-271 mark during his stops at Massachusetts, Memphis, Kentucky and now Arkansas. He was 248-26 at Rupp Arena and led the Wildcats to a 93-77 win over Vanderbilt in his last home game at Kentucky last March 6.
It wasn't just a return for Calipari. Adou Thiero, D.J. Wagner, and Zvonimir Ivisic combined to score 42 points against their former team in Lexington en route to the win.
With Arkansas leading 46-45 at the half, Thiero and Wagner combined for a 12-2 run and a 58-47 lead to start the second half. Thiero opened with a dunk and ended the run with a three, and the Razorbacks never looked back.
Fox News' Paulina Dedaj and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
The NBA world was hit with perhaps the craziest trade in a generation in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
According to multiple reports, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks came to an agreement to swap Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis as part of a three-team blockbuster deal.
To settle it all out, the Utah Jazz acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.
ESPN's Shams Charania broke the trade early Sunday morning, and because of the starpower involved, the immediate reaction was that the reporter had been hacked. However, it was later confirmed by multiple other outlets.
Charania reported that the Mavs approached Los Angeles recently, saying their 25-year-old global superstar was available via trade; Dallas general manager Nico Harrison told ESPN that he was concerned about the team's defense, which is now massively improved by replacing Dončić with Davis.
But Dončić is a phenomenon, and a young one at that. The Slovenian led the NBA with 33.4 points per game last season and won't turn 26 until later this month. In his career, he averages 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, putting himself in the MVP conversation every year of his young career.
It was also reported that LeBron James did not find out about the trade until shortly before the news broke, while he was out to dinner in New York shortly after his Lakers defeated the New York knicks - Davis was ruled inactive for the game.
Davis, a defensive player of the year candidate last year, is putting up 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds this season, both slightly better than his career averages of 24.2 and 10.7.
The Mavericks lost in the NBA Finals last year, and Dončić received some criticism for his defense and attitude. Perhaps there is more to the story than what's public right now.
Controversial women's basketball superstar Angel Reese became the first player to be ejected from a game in the startup Unrivaled league on Saturday. She then called a Sports Illustrated article covering the incident "clickbait."
Reese was ejected during the Rose Basketball Club's matchup against Vinyl Basketball Club in the second quarter. She was called for a foul against Tiffany Hayes, then she earned a technical foul after making an offensive gesture toward a referee. When she started arguing that foul, she got a second technical, and refs tossed her from the game.
Reese wasted very little time after the historic ejection to vent her feelings on social media, firing off a series of posts on X. One was a re-sharing of the Sports Illustrated article covering the ejection, which she captioned with her criticism.
"Clickbait. Everything I do keep going viral," Reese wrote over the article.
Reese and Rose Basketball Club were already in last place with a 1-4 record going into Saturday's game, but things got worse after the star's ejection. Rose lost 79-73 as Vinyl's Rhyne Howard dropped 33 points on Reese's squad amid the ejection.
Reese has been one of the most controversial stars in women's basketball ever since her infamous late-game showboating in the 2023 NCAA women's basketball championship game. Reese led LSU to a 102-85 victory over Caitlin Clark and Iowa that March and bragged about it by pointing to her finger in front of Clark's face to remind her rival who was getting the ring.
It was a moment that Reese says "changed my life forever," in the first episode of her podcast.
"I think it's really just the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, that are really just, they ride for her, and I respect that, respectfully. But sometimes it's very disrespectful. I think there's a lot of racism when it comes to it," Reese said.
Reese even alleges that some fans have made AI-generated images of her, depicting her without clothes on, and sent them to her family members.
The two renewed their rivalry the following season in the 2024 Elite 8, as Clark got her revenge by defeating Reese and LSU 94-87. After the game, Reese cried at the post-game press conference as she recounted the harassment she received following the previous season's controversy.
In four head-to-head WNBA matchups this past season, Clark's Indiana Fever beat Reese's Chicago Sky three times. In just two of those contests, Reese put up more points than Clark, while pulling down more rebounds than Clark in all four meetings. Clark registered more assists in all four meetings.
Reese's Sky also committed several controversial fouls against Clark in those meetings, including one from Reese herself when she slammed her arm into Clark's head in a game in June, resulting in a flagrant-1.
The two won't be bringing their rivalry to Unrivaled, at least not this year. Clark declined to join the league despite an aggressive push from its ownership group.
But even with Clark not in that league, Reese is still finding ways to stir trouble.
But, before the home crowd heard its own anthem, they let out boos at the end of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
The game came on the same day that President Donald Trump signed an executive order, which will go into effect Tuesday, consisting of a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on imports from China.
Energy resources from Canada will have a lower 10% tariff, according to the White House. In a statement obtained by Fox News Saturday, the Trump administration said the order is in response to an "extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, (that) constitutes a national emergency."
Ahead of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing his resignation, Trump said he would "love" if Canada could become the "51st state."
On their four-game homestand that wrapped up following their TK victory, the Senators hosted all USA teams – there are seven Canadian teams in the National Hockey League and 25 teams based in the states.
The Senators will kick off a four-game U.S. road trip against the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning (two games), and Florida Panthers before returning home on Feb. 22 to host the Montreal Canadiens.
The long layover comes due to the upcoming 4 Nations tournament featuring the USA, Canada, Finland and Sweden.
Fox News Digital's Andrea Margolis, Brooke Singman and Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
Eric Bieniemy appears to be returning to the NFL ranks. On Saturday, CBS Sports reported that Bieniemy agreed to become the Chicago Bears running backs coach.
Bieniemy is the latest assistant to land with the Bears, as recently hired head coach Ben Johnson continues to fill out his coaching staff. Bieniemy spent last year handling the offensive coordinator duties at UCLA, during the football program's first season in the Big Ten Conference.
Bieniemy was a standout running back in college before he became a second round NFL Draft selection in 1991. He also has experience coaching ball carriers, serving as the running backs coach at Colorado — his alma mater — from 2001-02.
He took the same job at UCLA from 2003-04, before making the leap to the professional ranks when he was named the Minnesota Vikings running backs coach in 2006. Bieniemy returned to Colorado in 2011 when he was named the Buffaloes offensive coordinator. However, Bieniemy largely rose to prominence when he moved into his role as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator.
Bieniemy was a member of two Super Bowl winning coaching staffs in Kansas City, but he opted for a change of scenery after the 2022 season.
Bieniemy was named the Washington Commanders assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2023 and was given the opportunity to call plays. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid served as the primary offensive playcaller during Bieniemy's tenure in Kansas City.
Bieniemy is now expected to bring his championship experience to Chicago's coaching staff. Meanwhile, Johnson selected former Denver Broncos tight end coach Declan Doyle as the Bears offensive coordinator, while Antwaan Randle El will serve as the team's assistant head coach. Randle El worked with Johnson in Detroit, handling the Lions wide receivers coaching duties.
Bieniemy's former team, the Chiefs, will meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9.
NFL star A.J. Brown made headlines when cameras recently captured him passing time during a Philadelphia Eagles game reading a book, "Inner Excellence," by self-help author Jim Murphy.
Brown's sideline routine contributed to a spike in book sales, with "Inner Excellence" quickly jumping into the top spot on Amazon's trending list the day after the Eagles' wild-card win over the Green Bay Packers.
The book ranked 523,497 prior to the sudden increase in attention brought on by Brown.
Brown and the Eagles will now turn the page and focus on preventing a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl three-peat. The Eagles are hoping to avoid a repeat of the 2023 Super Bowl.
Brown caught six passes for 96 yards and scored a touchdown in the 2023 Super Bowl in Arizona. But Kansas City took the lead in the fourth quarter and celebrated a 38-35 victory.
Two full NFL seasons have passed since the loss, and the Eagles could still be haunted by the memory of how they let a chance at winning the franchise's second Super Bowl championship slip away.
A play here, a play there, and the Eagles could have been Super Bowl champions.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts replied "next question" when asked his most vivid memory from the 2023 Super Bowl, and Brown recounted a missed opportunity for him to score a touchdown that could have changed the outcome.
"The play really kept me up thinking about, ‘How did I miss that?’ and what I got confused on," Brown said.
The play?
"I don’t want to get into it because we may run it back," he said.
Brown finished the 2024 season with 67 catches and a team-high 1,079 yards despite missing four games. It was the third consecutive year Brown surpassed 1,000 receiving yards.
"A.J. is the best receiver that this city has ever seen," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said.
Brown was rewarded in April with a three-year contract extension that included $84 million in guaranteed money. He was about to become the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL at $32 million a year until Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson's deal topped his later that summer.
While Brown is paid like an elite receiver, he said he felt like nothing but a "paid actor" at the 2023 Super Bowl.
Brown said if he had his way, the Eagles would arrive in New Orleans on Friday, hold a walk-through Saturday and play the game Sunday. His Super Bowl experience was like something out of a movie in which he played the role of a football player. He has tried to steel his emotions amid this year's Super Bowl hype.
"It’s about us, but it’s not about us," he said. "We have so much we have to do for everyone else. The media, the fans. There’s only so little time that we get to focus on what’s important, and that’s the game."
Brown said he’s been turning down media requests "left and right" because, when it comes to Super Bowl hype, "none of this stuff matters."
The Super Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET Feb. 9 from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was fined $11,255 for taunting during Sunday's AFC championship game victory over the Buffalo Bills, the league announced Saturday.
The taunt that prompted the fine came after a touchdown run by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the final two minutes of the second quarter. Kelce approached Bills safeties Damar Hamlin and Cole Bishop, aggressively nodding his head as he said something.
Multiple referees were standing near Kelce at the time of the taunt. But none of them threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, which would have cost the Chiefs 15 yards after the play, either on the extra point try or the ensuing kickoff.
However, the referees did throw a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips after he responded to Kelce's taunt by headbutting the tight end.
Phillips was also fined $6,722 for the headbutt, the league announced Saturday.
The Chiefs won the game, 32-29, and many fans expressed outrage over multiple calls that benefited Kansas City during the game.
Officials ruled Bills quarterback Josh Allen was stopped short of a first down on a 4th-and-short play in the fourth quarter. CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore said during the broadcast he believed Allen got the first down.
That call prompted backlash from NFL fans on social media, but it was not the only one.
During the second quarter, officials ruled Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy made a catch despite video replay showing the ball touched the ground.
Referees came under similar scrutiny during the Chiefs' divisional round playoff win against the Houston Texans one week earlier when a pair of roughing the passer penalties were called against the Texans for hits on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Houston edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. was called for roughing the passer on a third down in the first quarter. Anderson appeared to push Mahomes in the chest after Mahomes had thrown the ball incomplete to tight end Travis Kelce and was flagged.
The second penalty came during a Mahomes scramble in the third quarter. He had two blockers on a run and three defenders bearing down on him. He moved to his right and then back to his left when he decided to slide.
ESPN broadcaster Troy Aikman criticized the penalty and said it's something the league has to address in the offseason.
Texans players and head coach DeMeco Ryans criticized the referees after the game.
Mahomes addressed the issue when asked by reporters Wednesday if he believed referees were giving him preferential treatment.
"I don't feel that way,'' Mahomes answered. "At the end of the day, the referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and as proper as they possibly can. And all you can do is go out there and play the game that you love as hard as you can and live with the results. ... I think that's what we preach here in Kansas City.
"You get new referees every year. You get new circumstances, and you never can really tell because every play's different. And that's what makes the NFL so special. I feel like I've just continued to play the game, and I just try to win. And whatever happens kind of happens."
Kelce refused to address the issue when asked by brother Jason Kelce about the officiating during an episode of their "New Heights" podcast.
"I'd like to plead the Fifth," the tight end said, jokingly referring to his constitutional right to remain silent, when Jason brought up the issue.
A month to the day that Tiger Bech was killed in the New Orleans terror attack, his brother etched his name in Senior Bowl history.
Jack Bech, a wide receiver at TCU, caught the game-winning touchdown in Saturday's Senior Bowl as time expired and was named the game's MVP.
"My brother has some wings on me. He gave them to me, and he let that all take place. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Tiger, nothing else but them. They're the reason I did what I did today. I attribute it all to them," Jack said after the game.
The New Orleans native played for Princeton from 2016-2018 and was an All-Ivy League kick returner. During his three-year career, he caught 53 passes for 825 yards with three touchdowns. He graduated from the university in 2021 and pursued a career in finance.
He was working as a stockbroker in New York City but traveled back home to Louisiana for the holidays.
Jack said while his success this week will hopefully improve his draft stock, he'd trade it all for a brotherly hug.
"It's been surreal just to be able to come and be in this game. It's a goal you set for yourself. But if I had the option if I came here, had the worst week ever, ruin my draft stock, but that means I could hug my brother right now, I would take that.
"But, on the flip side of that, I don't think I could have had the week that I had if all that wouldn't have happened. His wings were on my side. Him and Jesus Christ are the reasons I was able to do all of this," he said.
"All the big brother does in life is want to see his little brother succeed. He's been my role model my whole life, the person I looked up to, the person I wanted to be. He was the best big brother I could ever ask for. My whole goal in the rest of my life is to live his legacy on."
Jack was part of the American team that earned the 22-19 victory.
The families of two teenage girls are suing California Attorney General Rob Bonta over the state's laws that allow transgender athletes to compete in girls sports.
A lawsuit was filed by Ryan Starling, the father of Taylor Starling; Daniel and Cynthia Slavin, the parents to Kaitlyn Slavin; and Save Girls Sports, according to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital.
The listed defendants are Bonta and California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, along with the Riverside Unified School district and administrators Leann Iacuone and Amanda Chann.
The suit challenges a law in California that allows transgender athletes to compete against girls and women, claiming it is a Title IX violation.
The law, AB 1266, has been in effect since 2014, giving California students at scholastic and collegiate levels the right to "participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records."
"This law conflicts with federal Title IX protections, which were established to ensure fairness, safety, and equal opportunities for female students and athletes," a spokesperson for Advocates for Faith & Freedom, the legal firm representing the families, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
"AB 1266 undermines female athletes, forcing them to compete against biological males who hold undeniable physical advantages. This is not equality. This is an assault on fairness and safety."
The lawsuit, recently amended to include Bonta and Thurmond, was initially filed in November by the Starling and Slavin families.
It alleges Taylor Starling lost her spot on the varsity cross country team at Martin Luther King High School to a transgender athlete who had just transferred to the school. Starling and Slavin also alleged that when they wore shirts that said "Save Girls Sports" in protest, they were scolded by administrators who compared the shirts to swastikas.
The plaintiffs are looking to bring statewide change to California.
"Plaintiffs seek a federal ruling that AB 1266 violates Title IX as well as a decision holding the District accountable for violating their First Amendment rights. They demand injunctive relief to stop schools from forcing biological girls to compete with and against males, a judgment affirming sex-based protections in athletics and compensation for damages caused by these discriminatory policies," the Advocates for Faith & Freedom spokesperson said.
Ryan Starling previously told Fox News Digital the loss of his daughter's varsity spot disrupted his entire family emotionally, because cross country played a pivotal role in her life. And then when his daughter and other girls on the team confronted their school administrators about it, he claims, they were told "transgenders have more rights than cisgenders."
"It's been told multiple times to not just Taylor, but her sister," Ryan Starling said, adding that Taylor is one of three triplets, and all three are active on varsity sports teams. "All the administrators at Martin Luther King have stated this comment, and the Title IX coordinator for the Riverside Unified School District has stated ‘that as a Cisgender girl, they do not have the same rights as a transgender girl' to multiple girls, not just our daughters, but multiple girls on campus."
An RUSD spokesperson declined to give an official comment on Ryan Starling's claims in a conversation with Fox News Digital.
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.
Dan Slavin previously told Fox News Digital his family may continue to raise awareness of this issue in the 2026 California gubernatorial election if the issue hasn't been resolved.
"If nothing changes here in the next couple of years, it absolutely should be part of the next election," he said.
"I want to see policies change," Slavin added. "I keep saying the system is broken, and it's doing more harm than good. And I want to see people understand that and admit that. Sometimes, we make mistakes, and it's OK to admit that, but we need to make changes and get out of those mistakes we make."
California State Assemblymember Kate Sanchez announced in early January she is introducing a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls and women's sports.
Sanchez, a Republican, will propose the Protect Girls’ Sports Act to the state legislature. Currently, 25 states have similar laws in effect.
With roughly 30 seconds left in the game and the Wildcats up 81-72, Arizona's Caleb Love got tangled up with BJ Freeman. The Sun Devil then headbutted Love.
Love and Freeman were ejected, but as the dust continued to settle between both teams, ASU head coach Bobby Hurley ordered all the players on his bench to go to the locker room.
As the Wildcats dribbled out the final seconds, Hurley ordered his assistant coaches to leave the bench, leaving just him on the bench and five Sun Devils on the court.
Seconds before the usual handshake line, Hurley then waved off Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, and both squads went into their respective locker rooms.
Hurley was asked about the ordeal and said he had no choice but to send his players to the locker room early after his opponents showed "no class."
"If you look right near our bench, it was relentless constant chatter from a couple of the Arizona players that was not being policed properly. Of course, they’re going to be happy with winning, but it was done with no class, in my opinion," Hurley said after the game.
"Words that were said back and forth led to the moment where Freeman lost his cool, because of the constant talk that was allowed to go on. I had to make a tough decision in the best interest of our team to get them into the locker room so there would be no further incident the rest of the game and in the handshake line."
Hurley then finished his press conference with a parting shot, perhaps at Love.
"I do get a vote for the All-Conference, and I can tell you who’s not getting a vote," he said.
Lloyd called the ordeal "disappointing on all sides."
"We want to be a program that when tough things happen, we want to respond with class. I don’t know if we did or didn’t, but just a tough moment in an emotional game. I got a lot of respect for Bobby and Arizona State," Lloyd said.
The Wildcats improved to 15-6 on the season and 9-1 in Big 12 play, while the Sun Devils are 12-9 overall and 3-7 against conference opponents.
Bill Belichick has found a way to win over students at the University of North Carolina long before he makes his debut as the Tar Heels' new head football coach.
The former New England Patriots coach is catering a pizza night for UNC fraternities as they watch the men’s basketball team take on second-ranked Duke Saturday night, according to an email shared on social media.
"Coach Belichick wants to get your fraternity pizza for the UNC vs. Duke game tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.," the email, sent by UNC director of football operations Alex Kerr, said. "With that being said, our plan is to deliver the pizzas on behalf of Coach Belichcik to your house."
The generous offer by Belichick comes a week after the former NFL coach signed a contract to become UNC’s new football coach, formalizing last month’s hiring.
Belichick’s contract is a five-year deal that includes $10 million guaranteed for each of his first three seasons with another $3.5 million available in bonuses. News of the signing followed rumors Belichick might still return to the NFL.
But UNC's general manager, Michael Lombardi, a former NFL executive, quickly shut down speculation in a post on X, saying, "His focus is on North Carolina football, hiring staff members and developing the team. The NFL isn't an option so please stop making it one. Thank you."
American sports agent Leigh Steinberg has represented some of the biggest stars in football history, and now he's taking another step in his long-time side passion of combating one of the sports' biggest dangers – concussions.
Steinberg recently launched the Leigh Steinberg Foundation, which aims to educate parents and fund research for concussion treatment in sports.
"It's our effort to raise money for research to promote awareness, prevention and cures, to put money aside for at-risk kids who have neurological problems or concussion that can't get treatment, and to fund research," Steinberg said. "We have a doctor's committee with 10 doctors on it, and we'll be raising money to try and bring more healing to this."
The veteran agent is also set to throw a Super Bowl party in New Orleans, and is inviting several neurologists from across the country to educate the attendees on concussions as well.
And as Super Bowl LIX marks the final game of the 2024 football season, the country will look to turn the page on one of the scariest years for brain injuries in recent history.
In Alabama, Morgan Academy junior quarterback Caden Tellier received an injury to the head during the third quarter of his team's 30-22 win against Southern Academy in Selma, Alabama, in late August.
Just days after that, a 13-year-old in West Virginia died after suffering a head injury at a middle school football practice. Eighth-grader Cohen Craddock, who played defensive line for Madison Middle School in Madison, suffered severe brain bleeding and swelling after making a tackle.
Months after that, Alabama A&M University football player Medrick Burnett Jr. died after sustaining a serious head injury in a game in late November.
Steinberg says his inspiration to pursue this cause came when he saw many of his own quarterback clients get repeatedly hit in the head during the late 1980s.
"They kept getting hit in the head, and when we went to the doctor and we asked, ‘How many is too many hits, and when should they contemplate retiring?' The doctors had no answer because the brain is the last frontier of medical research," Steinberg told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
Steinberg started hosting panels with players to promote awareness for brain health in the 1990s. At one of those panels, an appearance by neuropathologist Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu, the subject of the movie "Concussion," convinced Steinberg of how many concussions are too many.
Steinberg was told that three or more was the magic number. After that, Omalu said, there's an "exponentially" higher rate of Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, premature cynicity, horno traumatic encephalopathy and depression.
But Steinberg has seen players play after suffering a third concussion.
"Part of the problem with players is they're in a state of denial when it comes to their physical health," Steinberg said. "Since they were in pop culture, little league they believe that real men play this play every circumstance. The concept of long-term health is an abstraction. So, it's hard to get them to protect themselves, and it's just very difficult."
Steinberg even admits that he has seen some of his very own clients suffer at least three concussions, and it gave him reservations about encouraging them to keep playing afterward.
"I would talk about with them privately, because ultimately it's their decision, but I try to be a voice that would interject into the dialogue the fact that traumatic brain injury is real, it has long-term consequences," Steinberg said, adding that those conversations took place before recent advancements in medical technology that give clearer pictures and treatments of a person's brain health.
Steinberg has specialized in representing star quarterbacks as an agent. He presented the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft eight times, while representing 62 total first-round picks. His client list includes NFL legends like Troy Aikman and Steve Young.
This past NFL season was a particularly bad year for quarterback brain injuries.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is set to lead his team in the Super Bowl in New Orleans, suffered a concussion in the first half against the Washington Commanders in Week 16. It ended his regular season, but he returned in time for the playoffs.
But prior to the playoffs, Hurts said that he didn't remember an incident that happened on the sideline, just moments after he suffered the concussion.
"It's so far long ago, I don't really remember," Hurts said to reporters on Jan. 10. "Been out of routine, you go through a routine everyday, and being out of that is challenging. I'm obviously dealing with different symptoms, ain't fun either."
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion – the third of his NFL career – in an early-season tilt with the Buffalo Bills, on a nationally televised game. Tagovailoa had previously suffered multiple concussions within the span of just weeks in the 2022 season. The third of his career sparked national controversy, as some former players and media pundits called on him to retire.
Tagovailoa returned to play this past season anyway.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered a concussion when he was the victim of an illegal hit by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair during a game in early December. The hit ended Lawrence's season, as Al-Shaair was suspended for three games and heavily criticized by the public and even an NFL executive.
As the country now turns its attention to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX between the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, Steinberg will have a presence as he looks to counter the danger that comes with championship-level football.
Earlier this week, a post on X surfaced that Dungy was considering a run for Michigan's U.S. Senate seat next year as a Republican.
But the rumor was unfounded, the NBC analyst said.
"Not sure where this idea came from but it didn’t come from me," Dungy said.
"I love my home state of Michigan. I pray they will elect a Senator who honors the Lord and leads the people well. But I can assure you it won’t be me."
Dungy then gave some pretty decent reasons as to why he won't run.
"Number 1, I’m not a politician and Number 2 I live in Florida."
Democrat senator Gary Peters will not be seeking a third term next year. He was first elected in 201 and won re-election six years later but in a much tighter race. He earned 49.9% of the vote against 48.2% by John James in 2020 after defeating Terri Lynn Land in convincing fashion, 54.6% to 41.3%.
Georgia is the other state that will have a Dem-held seat up for election in 2016, in a state won by President Donald Trump back in November.
Republicans have not won a Michigan U.S. Senate race in over 30 years, and Peters' seat has been blue since 1972.
Jason Kelce stepped away from football after the 2023 season. The former offensive lineman spent his entire standout career with the Philadelphia Eagles — the reigning NFC champions.
The Eagles will soon travel to New Orleans to continue preparations for Super Bowl LIX. The Kansas City Chiefs will meet the Eagles at the Caesars Superdome for the big game, creating a rematch of Super Bowl LVII. Jason and his younger brother Travis Kelce competed against each other in that game, with the Chiefs ultimately defeating the Eagles.
Travis was recently named to his tenth consecutive Pro Bowl, while Jason has settled into broadcasting during his first year of NFL retirement. The former Eagles center Kelce signed with ESPN last year and made routine appearances on "Monday Night Countdown" throughout the 2024 football season.
In November, Jason announced he would host "They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce" starting in early Jan. 2025 and continuing through the NFL postseason. Travis made an appearance on the latest edition of the show and was asked to share a message for Philadelphia fans.
The Chiefs tight end appeared to shrug his shoulders before responding with "Go Birds, baby!" as the live studio audience inside Philadelphia's concert hall Union Transfer applauded.
Jason quickly pointed to what he perceived as a disingenuous show of support from his brother. "You don't mean that," he said while laughing.
Travis then spoke about his appreciation for his brother before doubling down on his Eagles support.
"What do you mean? I’m a Jason Kelce fanatic, dude," Travis continued. "I love that guy. I still got all the gang green from you guys’ Super Bowl and your run in Philly. I still got some Philly pride man. I’m wishing the best for those guys, but, you know, uhhh, go birds."
"There’s absolutely no chance you mean that," Jason concluded.
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.
Kelce announced his retirement shortly after the Eagles' playoff exit. He ended his career with seven Pro Bowls and six First-team All-Pro selections.
The end of the 2024 regular season and the ongoing postseason have been more enjoyable for Philly. The Eagles were presented with the George Halas Trophy last Sunday after the team won the conference title and clinched a spot in the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LIX kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 9 from the Caesars Superdome.
A video went viral back in December that featured Mark Gastineau confronting Brett Favre in 2023 about Michael Strahan sacking the Green Bay Packers legend to break Gastineau's single-season sack record.
In the final game of the 2001 season, Favre appeared to fall onto the field before being tackled by Strahan, giving the New York Giants legend the record. (It's since been tied by T.J. Watt.) Gastineau accused Favre of taking a "dive," and the play remains controversial.
Gastineau met Favre at a memorabilia event last year, saying that Favre had "hurt" him and that he was going to "take my sack back" in a heated exchange.
The confrontation was featured in ESPN's 30 for 30, "New York Sack Exchange;" not coincidentally, Favre said he believes the meeting had been planned by "ESPN and/or NFL Films."
"There are athletes from all sports; generally, it’s retired guys. So, you encounter a lot of different guys, but I had no clue, and I really think that was a setup by ESPN and/or NFL Films," Favre told Mihcele Tafoya on her podcast.
Favre said he had spotted a camera "hiding" above a "divider," and admitted he had been a bit worried.
"He actually came right to the table – he’s still a big guy. . . .Honestly, I was thinking, the last thing I want to have to do is fight this guy right here," Favre said.
The Hall of Fame QB added that he felt Gastineau "wasn't all there" due to his history of concussions.
Favre took to X shortly after the confrontation went viral, in an attempt to "clear the air," admitting that it "maybe" had "crossed my mind to help Strahan," but he was not trying to "hurt" Gastineau.
"I booted out of a run thinking it would be wide open, saw Strahan standing there and ducked down. The game was over. There was no need for me to do anything spectacular. It probably wasn’t Michael’s best sack or tackle for loss. In a different game or situation, I would have made a bigger effort to avoid the sack or TFL. But at no point was I thinking about hurting Gastineau," Favre pleaded.
Favre added that the incident was "not the kind of moment that should be filmed and released."
Scottie Scheffler found himself in a precarious position after his opening tee shot on the 18th hole in the second round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Friday. But the star golfer managed an epic par save.
Scheffler pulled his tee shot into the beach but didn’t see it land. He either could have taken a penalty drop 40 yards forward from the end of the tee box, or walk 300 yards or take a chance he could find his ball.
"I just (hit) a low pull, I hadn’t been driving it very well all day and this was a hard tee ball today, being mostly off the left. And I thought the way it looked like from the tee box, I was like, ‘Well I guess we should go up there and look,’ because I didn’t see it splash, I didn’t see any rocks, I knew there was sand there. So, I was like ‘Might as well go look,’" Scheffler said.
Scheffler was lucky enough to find his ball, and then came the next task: hit off the beach back onto the course and get it over the cliff.
Scheffler was just hoping to find grass.
"I think the unpredictability was the most difficult part. I was really just trying to get it out over the rocks and anywhere up there on grass I would have been pretty happy about, obviously. Saved me a couple of shots there being able to find my ball in the sand," Scheffler said.
He was able to find some grass in the fairway that left him about 180 yards out, but even though he was out of the sand, this shot wasn’t any easier.
"I mean, that was a really hard shot. I was in between clubs and I had to chip a 6-iron in there from 180 (yards out), with the wind you can obviously see it blowing off the left there, so it was a pretty tough shot, just glad to get that on the green," Scheffler said.
Scheffler said he isn’t feeling all the way himself yet after his first two rounds.
"(My game) feels good, I’ve limited the mistakes and I feel like I haven’t been swinging it as well as I could be, so I think there maybe just a little bit of rust there, a little bit of timing my swing, but it’s good to be getting back into competitive golf, and nice to be out here at Pebble," Scheffler said.
Scheffler’s injury required minor surgery, but he is now back in action after one of the most dominant seasons in PGA Tour history.
Scheffler won seven PGA Tour titles, while winning The Masters for a second time in his career. He also represented the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and won a gold medal after a late surge.
Scheffler also became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to hold the No. 1 ranking for an entire calendar year.
The star golfer is 2-under through four holes to begin this third round, leaving him 9-under par as of the time of writing.
The third round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am continues on Saturday.
Tennis legend Pam Shriver has finally been reunited with her stolen trophies.
The Hall of Fame tennis pro confirmed on social media that several pieces of hardware and sentimental items were returned to her by the Los Angeles Police Department after they were stolen, along with her car, while she was staying in a hotel after evacuating her home because of the devastating wildfires.
"Good news on my trophies (& family photos) – the LAPD detective in charge of the investigation has them at the police station being fingerprinted," she said in a post on X this week.
"It’s too long a story for a post. We still hope to find black Dodge Durango Hellcat in one piece."
Shriver, who won 21 Grand Slam doubles championships, told The Associated Press that she had loaded up her vehicle with some of her personal belongings, including her trophies and some family photos, before evacuating the area.
While staying at a hotel, her car – and everything inside – was taken.
"The trophies were buried in the back of the car. You couldn’t look in the window and see them," she said. "I don’t think they were of any good to the people who took the car. So they ended up returning them."
The trophies were later dropped off at the hotel, where a detective picked them up to be fingerprinted.
"Then the trophies were released to me," she said. "I regained custody."
According to ESPN, security camera footage revealed that a person driving a car that "fit" the description of Shriver’s stolen Dodge Durango Hellcat was seen dropping off the trophies.
Among the trophies returned to Shriver included five that she had one for winning the U.S. Open women's doubles event and the four French Open doubles trophies she had won alongside Martina Navratilova. Shriver won 20 of 21 titles with Navratilova.
Shriver said she returned to find that her home had, thankfully, not been damaged by the wildfires, but she wonders where her belongings had traveled.
"It was an interesting chapter. I wish the trophies could talk," she said. "I would like to have known where they’ve been."
