Tennis legend Martina Navratilova had a fiery reaction on Monday night after no Senate Democrat voted in favor of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act to break the filibuster.
The bill, led by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., failed to receive the 60 votes it needed to get through the procedural vote. Republicans needed 60 votes but only received 51. No Democrats sided with Republicans on the bill. Two Democrats were absent from the vote, as were two Republicans. The bill failed, 51-45.
"I don’t either and I am mad as hell," she wrote on X.
The 18-time Grand Slam champion is a staunch Democrat but has been critical of her own party for failing to support efforts to keep biological males from competing against women and girls in sports.
When President Donald Trump signed the "No Men in Women’s Sports" executive order last month, she criticized Democrats for dropping the ball.
"I hate that the Democrats totally failed women and girls on this very clear issue of women’s sports being for females only," she wrote in a post on X.
She expressed her frustration in January when the House of Representatives passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Only two Democrats voted with Republicans on the bill.
"More Dems need to step up here. I know many who agree but are scared to speak up because of re-election. I say do the right thing. Grow a spine," she wrote on X.
The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act would require Title IX to treat gender as "recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth" and would disallow any adjustment for it to apply to gender identity.
The Tuberville-backed bill had more than 40 co-sponsors in the Senate. It would also codify one of Trump's many recent executive orders, giving the policy better longevity.
Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
EXCLUSIVE:Riley Gaines has championed fairness in women's sports. Will it lead her to the campaign trail?
The former NCAA swimmer-turned-conservative activist has vowed to help unseat any Democrat who is enabling the inclusion of trans athletes in girls' and women's sports. That list added 45 senators to it on Monday night, after every Senate Democrat voted against the "Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act."
Gaines spent Monday in Minnesota, rallying supporters to advocate for a state bill aimed at protecting femal athletes from trans inclusion. However, that bill also failed to pass, falling short in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
After Gaines helped President Donald Trump and Republicans capitalize on national outrage over Democrats allowing trans inclusion in girls' sports, she now turns her attention to inflicting further consequences on the DNC in the 2026 midterms, as the party has seemingly refused to budge on the issue.
However, Gaines also is not ruling out the possibility of taking matters into her own hands, and eventually running for public office, she told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview last Friday.
"It's never what I saw myself doing," said Gaines, who majored in health sciences at the University of Kentucky and originally planned to pursue dentistry.
"But now, of course, with this issue and more, I would say the whole America-first agenda. I am just so passionate, I care so deeply, and I love it, so we'll see. It's definitely not something I would rule out. I don't think I'm that crazy yet, because I do think you have to be a bit clinically insane to voluntarily do that. But I do believe that maybe eventually influencing policy in that way is something I see myself doing."
Gaines said Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard would be her top role model in a potential political career.
"She's so fierce, and she is so strong, and what you see is what you get," Gaines said. "She stands firm for what she knows to be true, for what she knows to be right and righteous and moral and just. And I think we need more of that. We don't have a lot of that, it is a very rare trait, especially in the political sphere."
Gaines' political resume already includes three years of highly-visible activism in the space of protecting women's sports. This past week, a law named after her, "The Riley Gaines Act," passed in the Georgia House of Representatives, which seeks to ban trans athletes in girls' and women's sports in that state.
After campaigning for Trump and Republicans in 2024, Gaines has become a rapidly-ascending conservative counterculture figure, leading the popular "Gaines for Girls" OutKick podcast.
This past week, she also led a pre-race prayer at the NASCAR Cup Series’ EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
If and when Gaines does become crazy enough to throw her hat into the arena with her own political campaign, she already has the confidence of at least one prominent GOP figure.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., has worked closely with Gaines as a legislative ally in the battle to keep males out of women's and girls' sports. Blackburn was a co-sponsor of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, and in total, has proposed three pieces of legislation to address the issue.
Blackburn, from working with Gaines on that issue, has confidence that the former swimmer and aspiring dentist could achieve anything she seeks to do.
"I think Riley has the ability to pursue whatever she wants to pursue," Blackburn previously told Fox News Digital. "She thought she would be a dentist, and life has taken some interesting turns, and I am so pleased to see the work that she's doing to protect women and girls."
Gaines has already been outspoken on issues beyond women's sports, taking a stance firmly in line with Trump and the Republican mainstream on issues like immigration and border security, U.S. relations with Ukraine and rolling back DEI. She has made these stances clear and consistent in her social media activity going back multiple years now.
However, for the time being, Gaines is focused on setting back the political careers of the Democrats who have voted to keep trans athletes in women's and girls' sports.
Immediately after Monday night's Senate vote, Gaines took to social media to call out the Democrats who voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, and rally her supporters to oppose them. Gaines specifically pointed out Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.
"You have a daughter. Have you no shame? Georgians are watching. I will make it my mission to do what I can to remove you from your senate seat in 2026," Gaines wrote over a photo that showed the names of every Democratic senator who voted against the bill.
Gaines previously told Fox News Digital that she is expecting the support of elected Republican officials, including Trump, in her efforts to unseat these senators. She also claims that some of the Democrats that she will look to unseat are already opposed to trans inclusion.
"In some of these private confidential conversations that I have had with several Democratic senators, they assure me that they know it's absurd to allow men into women's sports and that they wouldn't want it to happen to their daughters. But they hide behind many different excuses," Gaines said.
After those alleged Senators hid behind their excuses, they have officially made an adversary out of Gaines, and the DNC may even have to prepare for Gaines to be an adversary for many years to come.
Senate Democrats faced backlash on Monday after the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act failed to garner the votes it needed to break the filibuster.
Republicans needed 60 votes but only received 51. No Democrats sided with Republicans on the bill. Two Democrats were absent from the vote, as were two Republicans. The bill failed, 51-45.
The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act would require Title IX to treat gender as "recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth" and would disallow any adjustment for it to apply to gender identity.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and has more than 40 co-sponsors in the Senate. It would also codify one of Trump's many recent executive orders, giving the policy better longevity.
House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., and activists who have fought for fairness in women’s and girls’ sports were among those who ripped Senate Democrats over the lack of support for the bill. Two House Dems voted in favor of the bill in January.
"That is shocking. I cannot believe that the Democrats will not go along with common sense on this and the protection of women and girls," Johnson told Fox News.
Riley Gaines, Jennifer Sey and others weighed in on social media.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order last month to prohibit biological males from competing in women's and girls’ sports. The order would withhold federal funding from states that continue to have transgender inclusion in women's and girls’ sports.
The Tuberville-backed bill would have done the same.
Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
The Minnesota House failed to pass the "Preserving Girls’ Sports Act" weeks after President Donald Trump's executive order to ban biological males from competing in women's and girls sports.
HF12 needed 68 House votes for passage, but the bill fell one vote short with 67 affirmative votes to 66 negative votes.
The act stated that "only female students may participate in an elementary or secondary school level athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted to women and girls."
"Female means a female as biologically determined by genetics and defined with respect to an individual’s reproductive system," the bill mentions.
A rally of supporters and opponents was seen at the Capitol, as they awaited the final vote.
The Minnesota House had some "emotional discussion" before the bill was eventually voted on, and Republican state Rep. Peggy Scott, who sponsored the act, was among those who spoke.
"We cannot allow our girls to be vulnerable to losing their spot on the team, being on the podium, or to injury by a male teammate or male competitor," she said. "That is not safe and that is not fair to our girls."
"We have women and girls around the world that are so afraid of competing with biological men that they are dropping out of sports," Republican state Rep. Marion Rarick added in support of the bill, referencing a 2024 United Nations report on violence against women and girls.
However, opponents of the bill pointed to trans discrimination in their arguments.
"All children deserve to play," Democratic state Rep. Brion Curran, the Minnesota Queer Legislators Caucus chair, said. "We will not be complacent with this hateful and dangerous anti-trans rhetoric."
Democratic state Rep. Liish Kozlowski added that the act was "a bill to bully trans girls and non-binary kids."
While this heated debate was going on, the Senate voted on Monday on a bill banning trans athletes from competing in women’s sports. The bill didn’t get the 60 votes needed to go through, which means at least seven Democrats didn’t vote yes.
Trump’s executive order last month directed the Education Department to inform school systems, as well as colleges, that forcing girls and women to compete with transgender females is a violation of Title IX.
After the order was signed, the NCAA revised its own policy on trans athletes in women’s sports, though the revision has been seen as controversial by some.
Despite the executive order, the Minnesota State High School League announced it would continue letting trans athletes participate in girls’ sports, arguing that the Minnesota Human Rights Act and their state constitution deem them eligible.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, though, wrote a letter late last month warning of the consequences of not passing the "Preserving Girls’ Sports Act."
"The Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights has begun a Title IX investigation into the Minnesota State High School League," the letter from Bondi read. "If the Department of Education's investigation shows that relevant Minnesota entities are indeed denying girls an equal opportunity to participate in sports and athletic events by requiring them to compete against boys, the Department of Justice stands ready to take all appropriate action to enforce federal law."
State Democratic Rep. Leigh Finke said a trans athlete issue in the United States doesn’t exist.
"Minnesota has been inclusive for 10 years. We’ve had zero problems," Finke said. "But we are doing this for political reasons. And when you lie about a community for long enough, people will believe it."
Republican state Rep. Peggy Bennett saw it entirely differently.
"This bill is about fairness, safety and preserving girls sports in Minnesota."
If the bill were to have passed in the House on Monday, it still wouldn't have been signed by Gov. Tim Walz, a strong advocate for transgender rights who was expected to veto it.
Pat McAfee, who called Canada a "terrible country" during WWE’s Elimination Chamber event on Saturday night in Toronto, continued to sound off on the United States’ neighbor to the north on Monday.
McAfee publicly torched Canadians on Saturday night after the U.S. national anthem was booed — a common occurrence at sporting events recently following the "51st state" rhetoric by President Donald Trump.
"This is the most stacked Elimination Chamber that the WWE has ever had," McAfee said on the pay-per-view broadcast. "Kinda sucks that it’s in the terrible country of Canada that booed our national anthem to start this entire thing."
McAfee was ridiculed for his comments, stating on his "The Pat McAfee Show" that he saw "the terrible things that were said about me."
But that didn’t deter McAfee from explaining why he said what he said — and he still stands by it.
"Now, Canada, listen, there’s been some things said to me from Canadians that I guess I respect because of the passion that you have for your country — which I hope you understand that I was showing the same for mine," McAfee explained on the show. "You booed my country."
McAfee said that the Rogers Centre was very loud with its boos during the anthem.
"I understand, now, from the Canadians that they have a lot more passion for their country than I could have imagined. A lot of terrible things have been said about me, and I understand it," McAfee continued.
"I didn’t say Canadians were terrible. I said your country was. You booed us. I said you were terrible. Let’s shake hands and move along. I still love Canadians… I hope it gets settled."
McAfee also posted on X after seeing the backlash he was getting for his comments.
"I’m very proud and thankful that I’m from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States of America … Canadians have a lot of passion for their country and I understand it…You booed our country and I said you’re terrible.." McAfee wrote in his post.
The NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off is where the boos were heard first, as Team USA faced Team Canada in Montreal after President Trump threatened heavy tariffs on goods from the country, as well as calling them the "51st state."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also retorted, leading to a public feud that leaked into a hockey rivalry between fans and players alike.
EXCLUSIVE: WWE will launch podcasts ahead of WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas as part of its expanded partnership with Fanatics, Fox News Digital learned on Monday.
Fanatics will be the primary partner of all upcoming WWE podcasts. The two companies already have global e-commerce, merchandise, trading cards and memorabilia deals since coming together in 2022.
The first podcast, "The Raw Recap Show," will launch on Tuesday morning to go over "Monday Night Raw." It will be hosted by Megan Morant and Sam Roberts as they react to the latest news and highlights from one of WWE’s premiere brands.
Morant and Roberts will also host an instant-reaction podcast following each premium live event, which will debut after WrestleMania 41. The podcasts will launch across all platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeartRadio. New episodes will be available on WWE’s YouTube channel as well.
Fanatics will have key placement within each podcast, and the shows will have access to the company's events and roster of athletes.
WWE and Fanatics will team up for WWE World in Las Vegas for the second straight year. The event debuted in Philadelphia ahead of WrestleMania XL.
WWE also teased that some superstars and legends of the sport will also host future podcasts. Those shows will be announced at a later date.
The company is on the road to WrestleMania 41, which will be held at Allegiant Stadium on April 19 and 20.
The title picture for both the men’s and the women’s rosters got a little bit clearer on Saturday at the Elimination Chamber premium live event.
John Cena won the men’s Elimination Chamber match and will face Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Cena also made the stunning decision to turn on "The American Nightmare," sending shockwaves across the sports world.
Bianca Belair won the women’s Elimination Chamber match and will face either Rhea Ripley or Iyo Sky for the Women’s World Championship. Ripley will defend her title against Sky on "Monday Night Raw."
Jey Uso will face Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship and Charlotte Flair will take on Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Championship. Uso and Flair won their respective Royal Rumble matches and chose which title they were going to go after.
EXCLUSIVE: WWE will launch podcasts ahead of WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas as part of its expanded partnership with Fanatics, Fox News Digital learned on Monday.
Fanatics will be the primary partner of all upcoming WWE podcasts. The two companies already have global e-commerce, merchandise, trading cards and memorabilia deals since coming together in 2022.
The first podcast, "The Raw Recap Show," will launch on Monday night following "Monday Night Raw." It will be hosted by Megan Morant and Sam Roberts as they react to the latest news and highlights from one of WWE’s premiere brands.
Morant and Roberts will also host an instant-reaction podcast following each premium live event, which will debut after WrestleMania 41. The podcasts will launch across all platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeartRadio. New episodes will be available on WWE’s YouTube channel as well.
Fanatics will have key placement within each podcast, and the shows will have access to the company's events and roster of athletes.
WWE and Fanatics will team up for WWE World in Las Vegas for the second straight year. The event debuted in Philadelphia ahead of WrestleMania XL.
WWE also teased that some superstars and legends of the sport will also host future podcasts. Those shows will be announced at a later date.
The company is on the road to WrestleMania 41, which will be held at Allegiant Stadium on April 19 and 20.
The title picture for both the men’s and the women’s rosters got a little bit clearer on Saturday at the Elimination Chamber premium live event.
John Cena won the men’s Elimination Chamber match and will face Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Cena also made the stunning decision to turn on "The American Nightmare," sending shockwaves across the sports world.
Bianca Belair won the women’s Elimination Chamber match and will face either Rhea Ripley or Iyo Sky for the Women’s World Championship. Ripley will defend her title against Sky on "Monday Night Raw."
Jey Uso will face Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship and Charlotte Flair will take on Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Championship. Uso and Flair won their respective Royal Rumble matches and chose which title they were going to go after.
Tiger Woods is usually the one getting cheers from the gallery, but he was a part of it over the weekend as his daughter Sam played a role in winning a high school state soccer championship.
Sam Woods and her varsity team at The Benjamin School are Florida 2A FHSAA state champions after defeating the Episcopal School of Jacksonville, 1-0, at Spec Martin Stadium on Saturday.
It was The Benjamin School’s first-ever girls soccer title.
The Palm Beach Post showed the moment where Woods was seen sharing a warm embrace with his daughter, congratulating her after the victory. And of course, he was raucous along with the rest of the families in the stands watching the title match.
Sam Woods plays on the defensive side for the Buccaneers’ squad, and she played a vital part in keeping the Episcopal School off the scoreboard.
"The defense really led the team all year," Benjamin School’s head coach Hillary Carney told the Palm Beach Post. "It was a matter of keeping the door shut and not letting them score and knowing we would get one, maybe two. So it was really the stalwart defense leading the way with Emily [Simon] being in goal and Sam being that senior in the back just settling everything."
The only goal of the game was scored by freshman Emma Bartoli.
It was the perfect ending to a senior season for Woods, whose team didn’t win but four regular-season games before an absolute heater in the playoffs to reach the championship game.
She will be attending Stanford University, the school her father played two years at before becoming a full-time PGA Tour pro, in the fall.
Charlie Woods, Tiger’s son and Sam’s younger brother, also stars at The Benjamin School on the men’s golf team, which won the Florida High School Athletic Association Class A state championship in 2023 — something his father had never done in his illustrious career on the course.
Winning runs strong in the Woods family, and Sam is the latest to get the job done with her team.
And a proud father couldn’t hold back his emotions as she accomplished her goal.
As for Woods getting back on the course soon, his next PGA Tour start remains unknown.
While some top NFL Draft prospects didn’t perform at the Scouting Combine this past week, interviews with teams were conducted.
And it appears one went horribly wrong for top quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders displayed his patented confidence during his media session, mirroring his father, Deion Sanders, his head coach at Colorado for the past two seasons.
However, NFL insider Josina Anderson posted a detailed report from one quarterbacks coach "from a team drafting in the top 7," who referred to Sanders as "brash" and "arrogant" during his interview with the organization in Indianapolis.
Anderson reports that quarterback coach is not keeping his opinion on Sanders to himself, "making his assessment known to a number of people."
"I’m purposely not naming the team, as not to directly call the team out. I’m just sharing that this coach’s personal assessment is the direct opposite from how Sanders came across to many reporters in his press conference with the media at the Combine," Anderson wrote on X.
"Sanders appeared to go out of his way to acknowledge multiple media members, regardless if they were recognizable or not. He seemed cordial, polite, witty, thoughtful along with being confident (as many athletes are). Alternately, these observations were distinctly different from how another QB prospect came off to some in the media last year in Indy."
Speaking of this quarterbacks coach, Anderson adds that the party in question "seems to have issue with ‘the culture’ of athletes who have broad fame and financial success before entering the NFL," which Sanders certainly possesses. Not only is he well versed in NIL earnings, but he has expressed his desire to pursue other passions outside the game of football, including music and fashion.
As Anderson points out, scrutiny is not something that Sanders is just getting used to. "He’s literally Deion Sanders’ son," she wrote, adding that he "seemed fairly grounded."
"The modern day college athlete is evolving, as is the scale of business and opportunities surrounding them before entering professional leagues," Anderson continued.
All in all, this quarterbacks coach for the team in the top seven on the draft board is "not in favor of getting him" with their first-round pick. However, she says her post was done "because there are other folks in the building who vehemently disagree with that assessment."
Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward are expected to be the first two quarterbacks off the board in this year’s draft, and there’s no clear-cut favorite to go first.
Of the teams currently in the top seven on the draft board, the Tennessee Titans (No. 1), Cleveland Browns (No. 2), New York Giants (No. 3), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6) and New York Jets (No. 7) could all use a potential franchise quarterback.
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.
