What was expected in Cincinnati with wide receiver Tee Higgins is official.
The Bengals placed the franchise tag on Higgins for the second year in a row, as the wide receiver confirmed as much on X when he posted "tag."
Then, Cincinnati announced the move themselves, proclaiming their "intent of continuing to work toward a long-term deal" with the veteran pass-catcher.
Currently, Higgins would be paid $26.2 million for the 2025 season if they are not able to reach a long-term pact, which they didn’t last offseason. There is a July 15 deadline to get the deal done, or Higgins will have to play on his tag.
However, the Bengals are optimistic they can get something done with a player who has had teammates, including quarterback Joe Burrow and fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase, urge that he remain in Cincinnati.
Burrow even said he’d be "disappointed" if Higgins went elsewhere.
There is a question, though, about Chase’s long-term contract, as he could very well become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. In fact, GM Duke Tobin said so during his session with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine this past week.
So, where does that leave Higgins? Time will tell if the Bengals can figure that out with the NFL’s leading sack man from 2024, Trey Hendrickson, also due to be a free agent this offseason.
Even with Chase playing a larger role for the Bengals, Higgins’ production has been some of the best in the league for wide receivers, collecting two 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022, while notching 73 receptions for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns, a career-high, this past season. And he did so in just 12 games.
The Bengals were unable to make the postseason, though, despite Burrow leading the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Higgins may be one of the best receivers out there, but the Bengals have been unable to give him the deal he’s wanted since the 2023 offseason when it was first brought up. He was tagged in 2024, and ended up playing on it despite some contentious reports about negotiations.
Higgins has a new agent this offseason, and it just so happens to be the same as Chase.
He was expected to be one of the most sought-after free agents this offseason, but the Bengals want to give themselves time to get the deed done with Higgins this time around.
The Philadelphia Eagles are already making big offseason moves after winning Super Bowl LIX, but they aren’t in the additions department just yet.
Instead, veteran cornerback Darius Slay is getting released after five seasons with the organization.
Slay, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback, will be a post-June 1 cut, which saves the Eagles $4.3 million against their salary cap to make other moves, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Eagles’ roster is stacked, but GM Howie Roseman has been known to make some big splashes in recent offseasons, and creating space on his cap is crucial in doing so. One mustn’t forget every NFL Draft class also requires a good amount of cap space.
The Eagles have just over $20 million heading into this month, and key players like linebacker Zach Baun, defensive end Josh Sweat and offensive guard Mekhi Becton are set for free agency.
"As the cap gets tighter, as all our expensive players start becoming expensive, you have to go with young players," Roseman said this past month, per ESPN.
So, Slay, 34, is a casualty despite his defensive prowess in the secondary. The Eagles, though, could afford to let him go considering their rookie tandem of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean played a vital role in winning the Lombardi Trophy. They project to be the team’s top cornerbacks for years to come on their rookie deals.
Slay, however, was a defensive captain for this Eagles locker room, playing a large role in senior leadership as well as helping the team be the No. 1 defense in the pass game last season.
In 14 games, Slay had 13 passes defended, 49 tackles, one forced fumble, as well as a fumble recovery.
According to CBS Sports, Slay wants to play one more year, and that usually means going to a contender to vie for another Super Bowl ring.
One team to look out for is the Detroit Lions, the squad Slay started his career with. They need cornerback help, and they’re expected to look for it in all sectors this offseason, including free agency, where Slay is headed.
Slay totaled 347 tackles and 104 passes defended over seven seasons with the Lions. From 2017-19, he made three straight Pro Bowls and was named first team All-Pro in 2017 after leading the league with eight interceptions and 26 passes defended.
Jimmy Johnson, an NFL coaching legend and a main figure on "Fox NFL Sunday," announced on Monday he will retire from broadcasting.
Johnson joined FOX Sports in 1994. He joined the network after his time coaching the Miami Dolphins came to an end. He would regularly appear with Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long and later Michael Strahan and Rob Gronkowski to offer pregame, halftime and postgame analysis of NFL games.
The 81-year-old two-time Super Bowl champion head coach revealed on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" that the 2024 season would be his last.
"I’ve made an extremely difficult decision, I’ve been thinking about it for the last four or five years, and I’ve decided to retire from FOX," he said. "I’m gonna miss it. I’m gonna miss all the guys. It’s been a great run starting back 31 years ago."
FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks called Johnson’s retirement news "bittersweet."
"Jimmy Johnson was there when ‘FOX NFL SUNDAY’ came on-air for the first time 31 years ago, and since then has been a cherished member of our FOX Sports family, which makes today’s retirement news bittersweet," Shanks said in a statement.
"Jimmy served as an inspiration to generations of football fans with his legendary swagger, one-of-a-kind insight and signature humor. From his motivating pep talks to his unmatched energy over the years, he was our coach who always pushed us to be better. We're incredibly grateful for his contributions in making ‘FOX NFL SUNDAY’ the top pregame show on TV, where we shared countless memorable moments, highlighted by surprising him live on-air with the news he was being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame – an occasion we will never forget.
"Coach will be sincerely missed and we wish him the best as he sets sail into retirement, like only Jimmy Johnson can."
Bradshaw and Long are the only other teammates who have been on the show since its inception in 1994. Pam Oliver joined FOX’s NFL coverage in 1995.
Johnny Damon, a two-time World Series champion who played for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox among other teams, said Monday he was unconcerned with any flak he may receive over his support of President Donald Trump.
Damon appeared on OutKick’s "The Ricky Cobb Show" and talked about when he first struck up a relationship with Trump – before he ran for president. Cobb asked Damon if he heard any tough talk from fans about his support for the business mogul.
"I’m not too concerned about it because I know what’s right," Damon said. "I know illegal immigrants who are criminals should not be in our country. I know it should be a fair playing field out there – that’s why the tariffs are coming.
"I mentioned to my friends years ago, I was like, ‘Is Ukraine ever going to pay us back? I mean we’re giving them so much money’ and everybody kinda said, ‘Yeah, I don’t know how that works out.’ Well, as we see on the world stage right now, President Trump is trying to make peace with Russia and Ukraine … and there’s a lot of war going on that nobody ever wants to have."
The former outfielder said he was trying to do what he believed was right for his children.
"So, I may catch grief but I’m not too concerned about it," he said. "I’m a 51-year-old man with eight kids. I worry about my kids’ future. I want to make sure they live in a world that’s safe.
"I know I have a lot of friends on the right, a lot of friends on the left and a lot of them agree with Trump’s policies. They just don’t like how strong of a boss he is and our country needed something like that."
Damon endorsed Trump’s first presidential election run in 2016. In 2020, Trump appointed Damon to serve on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.
Damon joined fellow Yankees World Series champion Mariano Rivera, former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, UFC fighter Colby Covington and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Vincent.
The U.S. Department of Education opened a Title IX investigation into the Tumwater School District (TSD) in Washington state on Friday over a widely publicized incident involving a girl being allegedly punished for refusing to play a basketball game against a trans athlete.
A civil rights complaint was filed with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights on behalf of female TSD student Frances Staudt. The incident became so widely publicized and controversial that the school district voted 3-1 last Thursday to ban trans athletes from girls' sports, defying the current state law that orders schools to enable trans inclusion.
It is one of the first incidents of a school district banning trans athletes from girls' sports, complying with President Donald Trump's "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order, while the state as a whole chooses to defy it.
"A lot of us may disagree with the executive order, but us as school board members are caught between a rock and a hard place," TSD board member Jill Adams said. "I support different viewpoints, I support different ways of living, but it's tough. I'm caught between, not a rock, but a boulder and a hard surface."
The board members cited the recent incident involving Staudt, and the national backlash, in its decision to ban trans athletes and comply with Trump's order.
Still, Trump's administration is still doing its due diligence in investigating the incident anyway after the civil rights complaint was filed.
"OCR’s directed investigations of educational institutions, state boards of education, interscholastic associations, and school districts demonstrates that the Trump Education Department will vigorously enforce Title IX to ensure men stop competing in women’s sports," said Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights. "If Washington wants to continue to receive federal funds from the Department, it has to follow federal law."
The complaint alleged that the district investigated the 15-year-old Staudt for "misgendering" an opponent and violating the district's policies against bullying and harassment on Feb. 7.
According to the document, prior to the game, Staudt asked the school's principal and athletic director whether the player was a biological male. The administrators then allegedly confirmed that they had been notified that the player was transgender, but denied her pleas to have the player removed.
Staudt removed herself from the game. Then, according to the document, a TSD employee allegedly confronted Staudt's younger brother for taking a video of the game, saying, "You better think twice about what you’re doing right now."
Staudt and her mother, Aimee, discussed how her refusal to play against a biological male ignited a firestorm with the Tumwater School District during a "Fox & Friends" interview last week.
"They [the school district] could have avoided this happening," Aimee told Steve Doocy on Thursday. "They knew, admittedly, that there was going to be this situation, and they had a meeting, the principal, the superintendent, and the athletic director to discuss the fact that this was a potential situation that was coming up."
Aimee believes that if the families had been notified of the situation beforehand and given players the option to sit out of the game, it could have yielded a different outcome.
"But they didn't do that," she said. "They put the kids on the spot, and my daughter was the one that actually stood up in this situation, and… she was exposed… It was awful the way they handled it."
Meanwhile, the trans athlete, Andi Rooks, appeared alongside the athlete's father on the YouTube series "[un]Divided with Brandie Kruse" to address the issue.
"I've never had an issue until this game, and my goal was never to make anybody uncomfortable in any way, and I didn't even realize Frances had an issue until I got yelled at at the game," Rooks said. "If she had had a conversation with me before the game, I would have sat out. My last thing I want to do is make anybody uncomfortable."
Washington is one of the many blue states that has refused to comply with Trump's executive order, as WIAA policy states that each athlete will participate in programs "consistent with their gender identity or the gender most consistently expressed," and there are not even any medical or legal requirements. Bills that would prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls' and women's sports have been introduced but not passed.
Washington state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal spoke in defense of transgender athletes in girls' sports in an address last week, claiming it was "inaccurate" to say there are only two genders. Reykdal insisted that Trump does not have the authority as president to issue a ban on trans athletes in girls' sports but conceded the U.S. Congress does.
"Until Congress changes the law or our state legislature changes the law, we're going to follow the current law and the current civil rights framework of this state, and that's what it tells us to do," Reykdal said.
The Department of Education is also currently investigating the high school athletic associations in California, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Maine for defying Trump's order.
Maxim Naumov wept on his knees at the end of his performance honoring his parents, wiped away tears as he skated off the ice and held an electric candle in the air as applause rained down. Amber Glenn broke down when she finished skating, and so did 13-year-old Isabella Aparicio, who was performing in memory of her brother, Franco, and their father, Luciano.
"There was not a dry eye to be found anywhere," pairs skater Madison Chock said.
A low murmur of crying pierced a lengthy moment of silence as fans lit the arena with their cellphones, riding waves of emotion through a poignant figure skating show Sunday in the nation's capital to remember and raise money for the victims of the midair collision outside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The Legacy on Ice benefit event featured a star-studded group of some of the best U.S. figure skaters of the past and present taking part to pay tribute to the 67 people who died when an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight and crashed into the Potomac River on Jan. 29. That included 28 members of the figure skating community, some of whom lived and trained in the Washington area.
"Everyone grieves in their own way, and the last month has been really challenging for a lot of us to just grapple with the magnitude of this loss," said Evan Bates, who with Chock won Olympic gold in Beijing in 2022. "I think coming together today and doing something tangible like a show will give people, hopefully, a little glimmer of hope and a little light for that next step forward."
American icons of the sport Kristi Yamaguchi and Brian Boitano emceed the show, which included performances by the likes of Glenn, Johnny Weir and reigning men's world champion Ilia Malinin, along with poignant tributes to the victims.
"We are not powerless," Boitano said in opening the show. "As skaters, we learned to be resilient and to always find a path forward that is positive."
Ted Leonsis, head of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which staged the event along with U.S. Figure Skating, DC Fire & EMS Foundation and the Greater Washington Community Foundation, hopes doing this at Capital One Arena helps families in the healing process the way concerts and sports at Madison Square Garden did in New York in 2001 after 9/11.
"Sports can play this convening and healing role," Leonsis said. "Our goal is to allow the community to heal, kind of a collective hug for these communities, but then we want to raise a lot of money."
The dasher boards had 67 stars, one for each of the victims, and skaters put flowers on a rinkside table of candles before beginning their routines.
"We’re all here to support one another, whether it was our friends that were on that plane, family members, coaches, teammates, loved ones," said 2014 Olympic team bronze medalist Jason Brown, who skated to "The Impossible Dream" by Josh Groban. "We all travel for this sport. We get to do what we love. And travel is such a huge part of what we do, so it all hit us really hard because this is just such an integral part of what we do, as well as those are people that we’re closest to."
Glenn kicked things off by performing to Andra Day’s "Rise Up" and broke down in tears at center ice when she finished. Weir, whose family moved to Newark, Delaware, when he was 12 for him to pursue his skating career, dedicated his performance to the members of the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club who were on American Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, following a national development camp there coinciding with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
"It was a very traumatic experience for me and really just devastating for me to hear when all that happened, and I really wanted to have something that everyone could remember as a family, as a whole community that we remember them," Malinin said. "All of our daily lives, every time we step on the ice, we’ll always think of them. Every time we’re competing, they’ll always be in our hearts."
Peggy Fleming, 1968 Olympic champion, said she hopes the event "will heal and give strength to our skaters in the future." Alysa Liu wants to try to honor the memory of those lost so she "can keep going."
"It’s still a struggle and was a struggle," said Liu, who performed to "Hero" by Mariah Carey. "Coming together and seeing everyone again has definitely been the most reassuring feeling. And it’s just because everyone knows exactly how everyone feels."
Forty-one years after winning gold at the Olympics, Scott Hamilton skated onto the ice and led a prayer. "Imagine" blared from arena speakers during one ensemble performance, Malinin dazzled the crowd with his jump-filled routine and Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand" was the soundtrack of the grand finale of the emotional two-plus-hour show.
"It was just an amazing show," U.S. Figure Skating interim CEO Sam Auxier said. "You could see even with Ilia the passion and the feelings about what happened coming through in their skating."
Among the sellout crowd of over 15,000 were hundreds of first responders and their family members. Some came from as far away as Baltimore to be part of the rescue and recovery efforts.
"This was an incredibly challenging scene for those first responders," DC Fire and EMS Foundation executive director Amy Mauro said. "The things that they witnessed are very difficult and will stay with them for a long time. This is part of their grieving and healing process, as well."
In addition to being a gathering place for figure skaters, first responders and all the families affected by the crash, the intent was to raise money for all of them.
"We’ve heard from the families about things like college tuition for young children who are in elementary school today but also things like therapy and health care that they need," Monumental president of external affairs and chief administrative officer Monica Dixon said. "Every family will choose how to use those funds in the best way that they choose."
The event aired live on Monumental Sports Network and streamed on Peacock. NBC will show an encore performance March 30.
"That’s what we’re hoping: We raise a lot of donations that way," Leonsis said. "People care. The lesson in this is that, to me, if you personalize something like this, you can come together and do the right things in the right way."
Ohio State Buckeyes women’s basketball player Cotie McMahon was caught giving two middle fingers to Maryland Terrapins fans on Sunday night.
McMahon was sitting on the bench when she looked directly across the court and flashed the birds. She then turned back toward watching the action on the floor.
It was unclear what prompted the middle fingers. McMahon fouled out late in the game. For the Win noted that Maryland students trolled the forward with a song they sing when a player from the opposing team fouls out.
The Terrapins came away with a hard-fought 93-90 win in overtime.
WARNING: NSFW GESTURES
McMahon had 18 points and five rebounds in 30 minutes.
The Ohio native has emerged as one of the top basketball players at Ohio State since she entered the program. She was the 2023 Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team in 2024.
Nationally, McMahon was named an AP All-American Honorable Mention selection and a Cherly Miller Award top five finalist after the 2024 season.
This year, McMahon is averaging 16.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Ohio State is 24-5 overall and 13-5 against Big Ten opponents this year. The Buckeyes are the only team in the conference undefeated at home with a 15-0 record.
The Buckeyes’ quest to the NCAA Tournament begins on Friday with a Big Ten Conference tournament appearance. Their opponent has yet to be determined.
WWE star Liv Morgan stole the show at Elimination Chamber on Saturday night and put on an epic performance that even garnered her praise from Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque.
Morgan’s showing came with the added bonus of bumps, bruises and cuts all over her body. She took a moment to show them off in a mirror pic on social media on Sunday.
Morgan, who is one half of the women's tag-team champions, had a scratch across her stomach as well as multiple bruises and scrapes up and down her arms.
She started the night as one of the first two competitors in the chamber and was able to get the upper hand when Jade Cargill interrupted the first moments of the event with an attack on Naomi. Bianca Belair was the third competitor to enter the match and tussled with Morgan from there.
Morgan and Belair met each other on top of a pod. Belair used her long hair to whip Morgan across the stomach. WWE announcers and fans marveled at the loud noise the hit made. At one point, Belair picked up Morgan and tossed her between the chain-linked cage and the plexiglass on the pod.
Both competitors were the final two in the competition, but it was Belair who picked up the victory.
Levesque, who was known in WWE as Triple H, talked about Morgan’s performance in the post-show press conference.
"Liv Morgan just continues to impress me. A woman, that a year ago, many people would’ve said she’s great to have on the roster, she’s a good hand and all those things," Levesque said. "That just in this last, I guess since May, has become a mega star, and continues to surpass that.
"To me, she stood out tonight as a star in the spotlight thriving and looks even when in pain, she’s having the greatest time of her life doing it. And the little nuances she’s picking up, she’s earned that spot at the top and earned a spot to be called one of the best we have in the ring we have right now."
NFL prospect Will Howard found some support from Shedeur Sanders on Sunday after the former Ohio State quarterback struggled during his workout at the scouting combine.
Howard showed off his big arm during the drills but was criticized on social media for his inaccuracy, with some saying it was one of "worst" in combine history.
NFL Network’s draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah took a different approach. He said Howard had a "solid" combine performance despite some of his balls looking "flat." He added that Howard "looked very comfortable from under center."
Sanders, who is expected to be one of the top picks in the draft, defended Howard.
"I don’t understand y’all hating on @whoward_ he just won a natty. It’s hard to throw to WR’s that you don’t know, everyone run routes different!" the former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback wrote on X.
Howard could be a Day 2 or Day 3 pick unless interest in him grows in the days leading up to the draft.
He started his collegiate career at Kansas State and transferred to Ohio State before the start of the 2024 season. He led the Buckeyes to a national championship.
Howard threw for 4,010 passing yards and 35 touchdown passes in his lone season in Columbus.
At the combine, he measured a 31.5-inch vertical jump, 9-foot-4-inch broad jump and scored 7.13 seconds in the cone drill and 4.33 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle.
New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes suffered a brutal shoulder injury in Sunday night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Devils were looking to get at least one goal back from the Golden Knights late in the third period. Nico Hischier took a shot, and Hughes could not corral the rebound. Hughes then collided with Golden Knights star Jack Eichel and crashed into the boards hard.
Hughes skated off the ice as his right arm appeared to dangle.
"Obviously, it didn't look good," Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game. "We're going to have to take the time to know the full extent of it. It's tough to see, especially it's a similar play he got called on earlier in the period."
Luke Hughes, Jack’s brother, was emotional when he entered the locker room as the media gathered to conduct a postgame interview, according to The Associated Press.
Natasha Cloud, the WNBA champion guard who currently plays for the Connecticut Sun, fired off a defiant message on social media following her suggestion that the U.S. has focused on profit over people many times.
Cloud made the remarks in an interview with The Associated Press and defended programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Amid criticism over her words, Cloud didn’t appear to waver.
"Thing is I’m not soft, & words don’t hurt me lol are we 5? it still remains people over profit," she wrote on X. "If yall truly about being unbiased… Google search any overseas media coverage of what’s happening in America.
"Then come back to me and tell me the whole world crazy."
Cloud said last week it was important for athletes to speak out now more than ever as Trump ended government DEI programs, and corporations followed suit.
"The systems of power are working as they always were intended to work," Cloud said. "And it’s time to break down a system that has only been about White men."
Cloud then said she believed the county had put its focus on "money over people."
"I understand the business aspect and I understand the human aspect," Cloud said. "Too often this country has put the human aspect aside, and put profit and money over people."
The three-time All-Defensive Team selection has not shied away from speaking her mind on social media.
She called on Americans to speak out against the high cost of living in the U.S. and had a tiff with former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom over criticisms of the country in 2023.
The mother of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel was reportedly arrested on a DWI charge in Texas on Saturday.
Michelle Manziel was arrested in Kerrville, TMZ Sports reported. She was held on $7,500 bail but was later released from custody, according to the report.
Manziel is a relator in Texas. She has not commented about the reported arrest.
Johnny Manziel was born in Tyler but grew up in Kerrville and attended Tivy High School where he rose to startdom in football. He also played baseball for a bit. He emerged as one of the top high school football players in Texas before he committed to Texas A&M.
He won a Heisman Trophy while with the Aggies and was a first-round NFL draft pick of the Cleveland Browns. However, time in the national spotlight, partying habits and run-ins with the law eventually ended his professional football career.
Late last year, he spoke about his struggles with addiction in a Q&A with students and those in recovery at the University of Alabama’s VitAL health conference.
He indicated during the conference that alcohol no longer had a place in his life. He also indicated the experience taught him a new way to manage any potential future success. He surrounded himself with consultants who pushed back on him when necessary. He said he learned that from having too much unanimous support from those around him in the past.
"I started to develop and have a lot of yes men around me," Manziel said. "I think at the head of that group of influences was myself, and managing success now is not a solo thing. You need to have a support system and lean on things in your life."
Canadian Major League Soccer fans booed "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a match between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday night.
Fans added to the trend that has taken over Canada since President Donald Trump decided to place tariffs on Canadian goods and teased Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the country becoming the 51st U.S. state. It started with hockey at an Ottawa Senators game and continued into the 4 Nations Face-Off, and even at WWE’s Elimination Chamber.
Brian White, an American soccer player who competes for the Whitecaps, addressed the boos after the match. White scored the go-ahead goal in the team’s 2-1 win over Los Angeles.
"I would like to say thank you to the fans that cheered and clapped the anthem at the end and showed respect for the flag," he told reporters, via Daily Hive Vancouver. "Obviously there’s issues. It’s not my business, and I’ll leave it at that."
The public address announcer reminded fans at B.C. Place to be respectful of the singers. However, as soon as Elizabeth Irving, Marie Hui, Emma Currie and Arielle Tuliao joined in for the U.S. anthem, the boos rained down.
Irving also sang the anthem for WWE’s Elimination Chamber. The boos drew a response from commentator Pat McAfee.
"It kind of sucks that it's in the terrible country of Canada that booed our national anthem to start this entire thing," he said.
A fight at a national cheerleading competition in Dallas sparked panic on Saturday and led to injuries for those trying to escape a chaotic situation.
A fight at the NCA All-Star National Championship caused multiple poles to be knocked over and sparked a panic from those inside the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center, Dallas police said. At least 10 people were injured trying to evacuate the facility, according to authorities.
The knocked-over poles made loud noise and sparked reports of gunfire inside the convention center, witnesses told FOX 4 News. Police said no shooting occurred, but spectators ran from the convention center in a "stampede."
"I was a little nervous. I thought I was doing good, and then we got here, and it was just take a deep breath and let’s do this for our kids," Danielle Garvin, a parent of a cheerleader who competed in the competition, told the station.
Police said those who were reported to be injured suffered bumps, bruises and even broken bones.
Some performances at the NCA All-Star National Championship were canceled, and the event resumed Sunday. The station reported that some teams decided not to compete in the event after the incident.
Tiana Cody told FOX 4 News that her daughter decided to perform on Sunday.
"She didn’t feel pressured, I didn’t feel pressured, and it felt like a community, and I appreciate having that community," she said. "Cheer is more than bows, glitter and fun. It’s a culture and the culture of cheer is that they are resilient, and they can withstand."
The NCA All-Star National Championship is one of the top cheerleading competitions in the U.S. Winners receive a share of $500,000 in cash and prizes.
After five seasons, Mike McCarthy will no longer be on the sidelines at AT&T Stadium. Instead, it will be Brian Schottenheimer, who got the promotion from offensive coordinator to head coach.
Obviously, nobody is happier with that than Schottenheimer himself, but star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is a close second.
"With him being in the building since I was in the league, I feel like there’s not gonna be a drop-off," Lamb said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "He understands how we operate, very familiar with the area and the Jones family, he understands the talent he has around, so just incorporating that and be better every week. Looking forward to it."
Lamb added that there will be some sort of "adjustment," but any stress will mostly be on Schottenheimer himself and not necessarily the players in terms of adaptation.
"Having a new coach, they have to come in and proclaim their dominance and be able to control the room. I know that’s a lot of stress on them," Lamb said.
"They gotta get us to understand why we should follow you. I feel like [owner] Jerry [Jones] did a great job of keeping it close."
Schottenheimer's first season in his new gig will come following a 7-10 season, which saw quarterback Dak Prescott leaving the season midway due to a hamstring injury.
For Lamb, considering the Cowboys were not really the Cowboys, "it’s kinda easy to throw [last season] in the trash."
"A lot of bad came out of it, but it showed the toughness of the team, the commitment and resiliency we had as far as going out there and fighting for one another," Lamb said. "We know what it feels like to be on the opposite side, so it was unfortunate. Hopefully we don’t get injured, because that was terrible. A lot of our key guys got out early. For us, I feel like that’s where we gotta get better, taking out bodies and durability."
Perhaps the No. 1 goal of the offseason is to keep Micah Parsons, who is well due for a contract. The pros to keeping Parsons speak for themselves, but there is a con: Prescott, Lamb and Parsons, before what is safe to assume will be a large raise for the latter, already make up more than half of the team's salary cap.
However, Parsons is too important, Lamb said.
"It’s definitely a tricky moment, and those are things you think about, ‘how can we get as many guys in here as possible?’" Lamb admitted. "As for me, I’m trying to figure it out. I like to win. I got my money now, that’s just realistically talking. I genuinely care about winning, it’s always been that."
Ivanka Trump, the daughter of President Donald Trump, recently posted photos on her Instagram that showed Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Braxton Berrios getting in on some family fun.
She posted a "dump" of several pictures and videos from the month of February, including a photo of her husband, Jared Kushner, with Berrios, Tagovailoa and her son.
She also posted a video of her son and the quarterback-receiver duo tossing around the pigskin.
There was also another photo of her son wearing Matthew Tkachuk's Team USA jersey at a Panthers-Oilers game on Feb. 27. Tkachuk, who did not play in that contest, was one of the players to get into a fight against Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Oilers' Connor McDavid netted the championship-winning goal for Canada.
Tagovailoa's wife, Annah, has previously shown support for the president.
Back in October, Annah posted a story to her Instagram on Wednesday that praised Trump's preemptive response to Hurricane Milton; at the time, Trump was still the nominee for the election and a former president.
She re-posted a video by conservative influencer Benny Johnson that showed footage of the former president hosting 275 Florida Power and Light linemen at one of Trump's resorts in Miami. Trump hosted the workers free of charge as a safe place for them to wait out the hurricane while it made landfall in more northern areas of Florida.
While Annah received some praise for her post, there were a few negative comments aimed at her and her husband.
Many of the negative comments addressed Tua's recent concussion that he suffered in Week 2 of the season against the Buffalo Bills. It was the third concussion of the quarterback's pro career, and has brought widespread concern over his long-term brain health and NFL future.
Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
"I 100% deserve all the criticism in the world. My performance was beyond pitiful today, and has been for a while now. I work my a-- off everyday to be great, but I can’t be perfect all the time. I’m sorry to our fans and my teammates, I will continue to get better," he posted – his account as his been deactivated.
However, with that message came screenshots of hateful messages, including one that called him a "trash can n-----." Another user told him to "kill yourself," while another wished death.
The incident was enough for head coach Bill Self to issue a lengthy statement in which he reiterated he was "proud" of his team.
"The game today was a very good college basketball game. We played a very good team and we got beat," Self wrote. "We had some individuals have exceptional individual games, and we had some maybe not play up to the standard they've set for themselves. But, everyone on our team, coaches included, myself, more than anyone, had opportunities to impact the game."
Self added, "I'll roll with these guys every day and be proud of it. Any criticism about the team should be directed at me. I'm the head coach."
He finished his statement, "This is the most important time of the season, and this is the time where we need to be better, but we also need to be focused on basketball and not things being said outside of basketball that have absolutely zero merit."
The Jayhawks (19-10, 10-8) are in sixth place in the Big 12, so their at-large bid is certainly up in the air for the March Madness tournament.
The final three laps were a three-man race between Bell, William Byron and Tyler Reddick, who make up the last three winners of this race.
The Daytona 500 winner in Byron did all he could to get by Bell, and once Bell cleared Busch, the Oklahoma driver had to make a desperate bid to keep his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in front of the hard-charging Byron in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and 2023 race winner Reddick of 23X1 Racing's Toyota.
But in his effort to take home his second-consecutive EchoPark victory (Bell came in second last year), Bell was able to hold on for the victory on the straightaway.
"These road course races are just so much fun," Bell said. "(Busch) was doing such a good job running his race. He bobbled and allowed me to get out front. When he did, I just said don't beat yourself."
It’s the first time since 2023 that a NASCAR driver has won back-to-back races, when Byron took home the Penzoil 400 and United Rentals Work United 500 that March.
It’s the 11th victory of Bell’s career, which began in 2020. Bell has now won at least two races in each of his last four seasons; he won three last year.
Jimmy Butler was really serious when he wanted out of Miami.
The NBA star was vocal about wanting to be traded by the Heat, and apparently it wasn't just on-court issues.
Butler was eventually traded to the Golden State Warriors, who have hit a stride with him (he missed Saturday's game due to back spasms). However, the off-court issues in Miami are back to haunt Butler.
He is being sued by Five Star Marketing and Promotions Inc. for allegedly failing to pay over a quarter of a million dollars in rent and leaving behind roughly $127,000 in damages.
Butler leased a home in Miami during his time with the Heat; he spent parts of six seasons with the team, playing in two NBA Finals with them.
The lawsuit stated that Butler failed to pay the final two months of rent, changed the locks and would not give the key to the property owner, keeping maintenance workers outside the home.
The damage allegedly included mold in the ceilings and floors due to failing to maintain the air conditioning unit.
Realtor.com lists the home at a roughly $10 million value.
Butler has not commented on the lawsuit.
The Warriors are 7-1 in their eight games with Butler in the lineup; he averaged 20 points in his first six games with them before netting only six and five in his next two, respectively, amid a shooting slump.
The 31-year-old qualified for the Open Championship on Sunday with a win in the New Zealand Open, five years after he spent half a decade in prison.
Peake was a member of the Rebels motorcycle gang and was convicted of assault at the age of 21. He had been a teammate of 2022 Champion Golfer of the Year Cameron Smith at the time he was convicted.
After leaving jail, he returned to golf and began to rebuild his career with the help of leading coach Richie Smith and with the support of his family.
He received his Australasian tour card this season, and this was his first professional win.
"I always knew I could do it but it was just a matter of when I was going to do it," Peake said. "Along with my family and my team everyone believed and most of all I believed as well."
Peake trailed overnight leader Guntaek Koh of South Korea by four strokes heading into Sunday’s final round at Queenstown’s Milbrook Resort. He took the lead for the first time on the 67th hole and went 55 holes without a bogey.
"I’ve just changed my life," Peake said. "This is what I do. I just want to be here and play golf. The story is what it is. But I’m just out here playing golf."
Majors have seen their fair share of wild stories, perhaps most recently Michael Block's performance at the 2023 PGA Championship.
A club pro, Block suddenly found himself in contention over the weekend, and in his final round paired with Rory McIlroy, he hit a hole-in-one.
