Paul George’s first night in green was memorable for all the right reasons, except for the final score. The nine-time All-Star delivered a record-setting performance during Tuesday's NBA opener, despite the Boston Celtics falling 121-113 to the Detroit Pistons.
George scored 38 points in 31 minutes during his Celtics debut, the most ever by a player in his first game with the franchise.
While the loss dampened George’s performance, it did give Boston an encouraging glimpse of what he can provide after injury-plagued stints with his previous teams.
George said the last time he felt this healthy was toward the end of his tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers, and admitted an injury lingered during his run with the 76ers.
"My stint in LA. I was pretty healthy to finish my last year there, and then, honestly, going to Philly, I just had a bad hyperextension that really set me back, and I couldn’t quite shake that one — it was an ongoing thing of my leg, my knee not feeling strong, and it was rough, right?" the 36-year-old said.
"Because I was trying to rest, but I was also trying to be available for the team, and just couldn’t quite find the time to let it all come together."
Injury setbacks and load management arguably became a theme of George's stints with the Clippers and Sixers. He's managed to play at least 57 games during the regular season just once since taking the court for 77 contests in the 2018-19 campaign. That year also marked his last season with Oklahoma City.
The Celtics visit New York City on Friday night to face the defending champion Knicks. Both teams are seeking their first win of the 2026-27 season after losing their openers.
There are reports of some serious drama in the"Monday Night Football" booth between play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and commentator Troy Aikman, and now broadcaster and NBA legend Charles Barkley is weighing in.
This comes after Buck signed a big extension with ESPN, while Aikman is still in talks with the network, which will broadcast its first Super Bowl next February with the duo in the booth.
Many folks have given their take on the matter, and now we can add the Round Mound of Rebound to the list.
Barkley joined "Unfiltered" on Philadelphia sports station 97.5 The Fanatic on Wednesday, and he didn't hide where he was placing the blame.
"I'm very disappointed in Troy Aikman, honestly," he said, per Awful Announcing. "It's not Joe Buck's job to get him a deal. Like, he can’t tell them to give him a deal. Now, if he wants to talk to Joe privately, that's fine. But why are you mad? They gave Joe a deal. It looks like they don't want to give you a deal, which they don’t have to give you a deal.
"But you don't have to drag Joe Buck into it. Like, it ain't his job."
Buck and Aikman have become thought of as a duo, but they're not joined at the hip.
You can understand why Aikman would be frustrated, but you also can't fault Buck for signing on the dotted line when they slid a contract worth over $100 million under his nose.
"But I don't understand why you would be mad at Joe Buck. He ain’t negotiating the contract," he continued. "When he went there first, you didn't negotiate with him. Remember? He left the network first."
LeBron James is officially back in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump over his performative antics during the national anthem during his debut with the Philadelphia 76ers this week.
James, who has turned into something of a golf addict, was spotted taking some practice swings in his new 76ers gear as the rest of the team stood respecting the anthem during Tuesday's game against the defending NBA champions.
"While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country! I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE. LeBron James should apologize to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag, and all that our Country stands for!" the President wrote Thursday in a Truth Social post.
This isn't the first time James has pulled this stunt. Last year, on Christmas Day, while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, he went through the same golf swing routine.
It's no secret that Trump isn't a fan of James. Earlier this year, the president said why he believes Michael Jordan was better than James.
"Michael Jordan is a guy that's a friend of mine, play golf with him. He's a really good guy. And I think LeBron is, maybe he's a racist, but maybe he doesn't like Trump, I don't know. But I only like people that like me. So, I would say Michael Jordan all the way," the president said.
LeBron's history of anthem antics
In October 2019, as James was embroiled in drama surrounding his loving support of China, he pulled this stunt during the anthem. "LeBron is READY," the NBA on ESPN Twitter account proudly tweeted as if it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Do you want more instances of LeBron disrespecting the anthem? Let's fast-forward to 2023 at a USC basketball game featuring his son, Bronny James. That's the drama queen arriving to his seats during the anthem and taking a seat as the rest of the arena shows respect.
The NFL has insisted multiple times this week that Sunday's game in France will be safe to play and safe for fans to attend amid civil unrest in Paris, but the Pittsburgh Steelers showed a different side to that confidence on Thursday by canceling one of their fan events.
The club confirmed to OutKick that it has canceled a Steelers House fan event scheduled for this week.
"Following recent events in the Bastille neighborhood and after careful consideration, we felt it appropriate not to move forward with the planned Steelers House fan event in Paris," the club announced.
This isn't the lone crack in the "all is well" armor the NFL has put on about this event. Earlier this week, Dani Watt, the wife of Steelers defensive end TJ Watt, questioned publicly why the game has not been moved.
This is an obvious break from the the league's narrative that the civil unrest in Paris and other parts of France will not hinder it from playing its game and, indeed, holding a fan event of its own.
The NFL on Thursday told OutKick that its own NFL Fan House event scheduled for Friday and Saturday remains as scheduled.
"It's happening," a league spokesman said.
So what we have is the NFL taking another bold step in virtually guaranteeing the safety of its players and fans during the game, but also doing the same for a fan event over a two-day span at 46 Rue Cambon in Paris.
And this is where you should know it's not only the NFL that seems confident about the safety of Americans tied to the game in France.
On Wednesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he's going to the game and he spoke with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the event in recent days about moving forward with the game.
Rubio told OutKick that the American embassy in France believes the game "will be fine."
So the NFL is moving ahead, including with its own fan event at which multiple thousand French and American football fans are expected in the days prior to the game.
"There's nothing more important from our standpoint than the teams' security, the fans' security, everybody involved with this game," NFL executive vice president Peter O'Reilly said at the League Fall Meeting this week.
"Again, we've made all the preparations," Goodell said. "We've been in touch with all the appropriate authorities."
Palin posted on her Instagram Story on Wednesday asking for prayers for the former NHLer.
Duguay spent his first six NFL seasons with the Blueshirts before joining the Detroit Red Wings for the better half of three seasons and a short stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He returned to the Rangers for two seasons and wrapped up with the Los Angeles Kings.
"The New York Rangers organization mourns the loss of Ron Duguay, one of the most popular players in franchise history," the team said in a statement.
"Ron's signature skating style, with his hair flowing as he moved down the ice, captivated The Garden Faithful, and his skill, tenacity, and charisma earned him the admiration of all New Yorkers. We join the hockey community in sending our condolences to Ron's friends, family, and loved ones during this difficult time."
In his 864 games, he scored 274 goals and handed out 346 assists.
Duguay, who made his NHL debut in 1977, continued to play in other leagues until finally hanging up the skates in 1999. He began his pro career with the Ontario Hockey League in 1973.
The NBA season arrived Tuesday night with the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons opening the 2026-27 campaign in a matinee matchup. The new-look Philadelphia 76ers, featuring four-time MVP LeBron James, followed by spoiling the New York Knicks' banner night as the franchise celebrated its long-awaited title from last season.
The San Antonio Spurs, whom the Knicks defeated in the Finals, then fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the 2025 champions, to close out the league's three-game opening-night slate.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., took notice as the NBA season got underway and weighed in Wednesday while the leagueâs other teams played their opening games.
"As the NBA season begins this week, remember: 26 out of 30 NBA owners are billionaires â getting richer every day. Meanwhile, the average ticket price to see the Knicks play the Sixers last night cost $1,894. No. You should not have to be rich to take your kids to a ball game," Sanders wrote on X.
Sanders did not make mention of player salaries in his criticism.
Sanders has regularly spoken about affordability, and this is not the first time he has addressed ticket prices for major U.S. professional sports leagues. On Aug. 20, Sanders pointed to the tax dollars often used to help fund the construction of new sports venues.
"31 out of 32 NFL owners are billionaires. 26 out of 30 NBA owners are billionaires. 26 out of 30 MLB owners are billionaires. Your tax dollars helped build their stadiums," the senator from Vermont wrote on X at the time. "But today, the average person can't afford the price of a ticket to a sporting event. That must change."
Steve Ballmer is the wealthiest person who currently owns an NBA franchise, according to Forbes' latest estimates, with an estimated net worth of $166 billion. He is also suspended from attending Los Angeles Clippers games, the team he owns, and participating in all league activities for one year. The suspension followed an NBA investigation that determined Ballmer was "knowingly" involved in "seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities."
The year-long probe looked into whether the Clippers circumvented salary-cap rules to sign Leonard. The Clippers were fined $30 million and ordered to forfeit multiple first-round draft picks.
Clippers' opening-night ticket prices on Ticketmaster for Wednesday ranged from $51 for standard-admission terrace-level seats to $163 for lower-level center-court club seats on the secondary market. The prices did not include taxes or additional fees.
Tickets for Wednesday's Portland Trail Blazers-Phoenix Suns game were listed for as little as $50 on Vivid Seats, a secondary-ticket marketplace. That price also excluded taxes and fees.
Season-ticket prices vary widely from team to team, with the Golden State Warriors becoming the first NBA team to introduce a personal seat license program.
The fee, which several NFL teams use to help offset stadium construction costs, requires fans to pay an upfront fee per seat for the right to purchase season tickets in a specific location.
The location of the seats determines the license fee. Half of the seating options at the $1 billion Chase Center initially were sold with license fees of $15,000 or less, while the other half cost more, according to ESPN.
There was no group to stand with her in solidarity. No teammate to lean on.
We've seen other girls cross country runners in Washington state walk off the start line in protest of having to compete against a boy, but Elise Bierer was the first to do it all by herself.
It happened Wednesday during the Greater St. Helens League District Meet, where a runner for Camas High was competing as a girl after starting the year racing against the boys. And when the gun went off for the women's varsity race, Bierer walked off the line toward her mother, Sheona, who embraced her tearful daughter.
This was certainly not how Elise, a sophomore at Battle Ground High, pictured her season ending when the school year began. She was the second-fastest female cross country runner on her team, and almost certainly would have advanced to regionals had she participated Wednesday.
But as her mom explained, Bierer had been anticipating a moment like this for a couple of years, and was prepared to stand â or more precisely, walk â on principle.
"Before she entered high school â she's a sophomore â I told her that it's a real possibility that this could come into play, that she might be forced to race against a male. When we talked about that, she said if that were to happen, she would stand up for what was right and just not compete," said Sheona Bierer, speaking for a daughter who didn't feel comfortable being interviewed.
So two Tuesdays ago, when Battle Ground met Camas in a dual meet, Bierer and other teammates decided that they were simply not going to compete. But there really wasn't a whole lot on the line in that race. This time, though, it was districts. This time, a protest meant saying sayonara to her season.
Sheona said Elise and other Battle Ground girls who didn't want to compete against the biological boy were pressured into running in the JV race Wednesday. This would maximize Battle Ground's chances of finishing in the top three of four teams to advance to regionals.
Two things, though. 1) Because of all this controversy, only five Battle Ground racers even showed up for Wednesday's women's varsity race (the other three teams had seven apiece). And 2) Elise felt it was her rightful place to line up with the varsity. She'd earned that position.
Sheona said that the initial plan was for other Battle Ground girls to walk off the start line with Elise. But those plans changed before the race, leaving Elise to make a statement all by herself.
What was that like to watch as a mom? I asked.
"I'm super proud. I'm still overwhelmed," said Sheona, adding that Elise has been running since sixth grade but would not return to the team next year if she had to run against the Camas boy. "I know this is really hard, but I love her, and I'm so glad that she's going to stand up for what's right, even when everybody else is walking away from what's right and chose to buckle under pressure."
Sheona said Elise didn't inform Battle Ground coach Patricia Tester of her plan for fear of being relegated to JV. I attempted to ask Tester about Bierer after the race â and about the exodus of female runners from her team â but she wouldn't even offer a no comment.
Then, another Battle Ground coach stepped in.
"Go away, please. That's my comment," he said.
I told him I was just trying to get answers about an athlete who protested.
I can't speak for other writers â and there were quite a few of them out there Wednesday â but I'd love to leave the kids alone. Unfortunately, Washington state law allows high school males to compete against high school females if they identify as the latter â leaving myriad girls distressed.
The Camas boy finished second out of 26 runners Wednesday, officially displacing a biological girl from competing in regionals â as only 21 can advance. He also helped lead his Papermakers to first place in the women's varsity team results. Earlier this season, he finished first in a varsity dual meet despite placing 76th among boys a couple weeks prior.
People are tired of this â and not just those on opposing teams. Eight days ago, about a dozen of the runner's own female teammates walked off the starting line for Camas.
One of them was Holly Burns, who spoke at a pre-meet rally attended by scores of supporters of Initiative 638, a Nov. 3 ballot measure in Washington state that would require K-12 athletes to compete according to their sex at birth. She had no idea her walking off the start line would spark the reaction it has â but it helped turn Wednesday's meet into the kind of media spectacle rarely seen in high school cross country.
"When I was talking about it with the girls, we were kind of like 'what's the point of even doing this?' It's not like it was going to change anything," said Burns, who, according to one parent, is one of 18 girls from Camas to have quit the team entirely. "But it seems like it definitely made a wave."
This won't be the only OutKick column from Wednesday's meet. There is much more to be written about the adults who are finally showing the courage that's been almost exclusive to the high schoolers so far.
But this one is dedicated to Elise Bierer, who showed what real integrity looks like. Her coach wants us to leave her alone. No. Not when she had the guts to stand alone.
The LeBron James era in Los Angeles is officially in the rearview mirror, and Luka Doncic wasted no time introducing himself as the new face of the city.
Ahead of Wednesday night's season opener against the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers' superstar made an instant impression on everyday fans before even stepping onto the court.
Doncic bought out an entire parking lot outside Crypto.com Arena to give fans free parking and teamed up with Metro Bike Share to hand out free rides across Los Angeles all day long.
If you have ever tried driving into downtown Los Angeles on a game night, you know parking alone can feel like a shakedown.
Dropping 50 bucks just to leave your car on cracked asphalt for three hours is enough to ruin an evening before it even starts.
Anyone hoping Luka's generosity would carry over to the concession stands inside would be sorely disappointed. Free beer is definitely not on the menu, and you are still going to pay 20 dollars for a draft and 10 bucks for a soda once you clear security.
Taking a family of four to a ballgame is still a heavy hit on the bank account. Still, the gesture sends a clear message that this is Luka's team now.
For years, Lakers basketball was the LeBron show, complete with all the celebrity drama, roster turnover, and constant circus that came with it. With James gone, the keys to the most famous franchise in basketball belong entirely to Doncic.
Coming off a frustrating hamstring injury that cut his 2025-26 season short, he enters this fresh campaign with an enormous chip on his shoulder and the weight of 17 championship banners on his back.
Free parking and pedal bikes build quick goodwill, but hanging banner 18 is the only thing that truly matters. Wednesday night against Golden State is just the opening chapter of the Luka era.
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs apologized to his teammates, while also speaking with reporters for the first time since returning to the team after being removed from the commissionerâs exempt list last week.
Jacobs missed the first six weeks of the 2026 season following an offseason domestic abuse arrest in May, which landed him on the commissionerâs exempt list on Aug. 30.
The league continues to investigate Jacobsâ situation despite pleading no contest to both misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property. Jacobs being removed from the list doesnât hinder the investigation, the NFL has noted, but he is allowed back with the Packers.
Ahead of his potential season debut â the Packers havenât said whether Jacobs will be playing against the Detroit Lions on Sunday â Jacobs spoke with reporters, expressing remorse for his actions.
"Excited to be back with the team, with the guys," he said during his media availability. "I want to say thank you to the organization really for supporting me throughout this whole process and how everything played out.
"With that being said, I canât really get into a lot of things, like specifics of things, but obviously Iâm remorseful, and sorry for putting this time in this situation.
"Sometimes, when you go through life, situations occur, and a four-second, three-second decision can alter your life honestly. With that being said, still a human being, man, still trying to learn, still trying to grow from the whole process. Actually learned a lot throughout this whole process, legally and just personally."
As part of Jacobsâ plea deal, he was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, attend counseling, pay restitution for property he destroyed and have no further contact with the victim. As long as he meets those conditions for one year, the property damage charge will be dismissed.
Jacobs was arrested in Wisconsin following an incident that occurred three days prior, where he allegedly grabbed his ex-girlfriend trying to leave his garage and threw her to the ground.
Jacobs also filed a civil suit last week calling for an injunction and protective order surrounding evidence, specifically surveillance footage of the incident, which would restrict access to records of the case. Basically, Jacobs doesnât want the footage released to the public, as it was reported the video footage of the alleged battery would corroborate the victimâs claims.
Jacobs is trying to put the situation behind him, saying that he is "just trying to be better" moving forward.
"I know for some people this might be a stain on me and my character," he added. "I feel like I donât have to really speak on my character. A lotta people that know me in this locker room, or thatâs been around me, Iâll let them do that.
"For me, man, Iâm just trying to come back in here, play ball, learn from this mistake and move forward."
Head coach Matt LaFleur also addressed Jacobs returning to his squad during his news conference on Wednesday.
"I think a lot of times you get in a situation where you might not make the right decision," he said of Jacobsâ situation. "I think people learn from their mistakes. I think heâs extremely remorseful, and I do believe he is a good person. Iâve been around him quite a bit. I believe in second chances."
With Jacobs sidelined, LaFleur has seen an abysmal run game from his depth chart, which includes MarShawn Lloyd, Pierre Strong Jr. and Kaleb Johnson, who Green Bay traded for with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Packers are averaging just 59.8 yards on the ground per game, though they are top five in passing yards (269.3) with quarterback Jordan Love finding his rhythm amid a recent three-game win streak for his 4-2 squad.
LaFleur said he felt Jacobs was in a "pretty good spot" earlier this week in terms of playing against the Lions.
"Heâs been training, but heâs missed the exposure to football. [His availability] is going to be determined throughout the course of the week, see where heâs at, see how heâs feeling, and then weâll make a decision."
Last season, Jacobs rushed for 929 yards in 15 games, finishing fourth in the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 13.
The NBA slapped new Boston Celtics forward Paul George with a meager $2,000 fine for flopping during Tuesday’s 121-113 season-opening loss to the Detroit Pistons, the league announced Wednesday.
The penalty stemmed from a fourth-quarter sequence with roughly three minutes remaining in regulation. Pushing the ball in transition, George made contact with Detroit guard Duncan Robinson before dramatically collapsing to the floor in an Oscar-worthy attempt to bait a whistle.
On-court officials swallowed their whistles in real time, but the league office retroactively assessed the violation upon postgame video review.
Under NBA regulations, postgame flopping penalties begin at $2,000 on an escalating scale. For a superstar commanding nearly $50 million this season, the fine amounts to little more than loose couch cushion change.
Tuesday's physical opener frequently devolved into a four-quarter flop-fest with players repeatedly hitting the deck on contested shots, yet George was somehow the only player singled out to receive an invoice from league officials.
The slap on the wrist capped an otherwise strong Celtics debut for the nine-time All-Star, who was putting on an absolute clinic.
George poured in 38 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the floor, including 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. He added five rebounds, five steals, and three assists in 31 minutes, breaking the franchise record for points in a Boston debut previously held by Kristaps Porzingis.
George's individual performance was ultimately spoiled by Boston's collapse. The Celtics squandered a 22-point advantage, largely undone by a sickening 23-0 Detroit run in the fourth quarter led by Robinson and Cade Cunningham.
With Jayson Tatum struggling through a dismal 6-of-23 shooting performance, George carried the offense until Boston’s execution fell apart in the closing minutes.
Because the flopping infraction carries no suspension, George remains fully cleared to suit up Friday when Boston hosts his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Los Angeles Angels’ new ownership era will bring another familiar change: a new manager in the dugout.
Only the Colorado Rockies finished the 2026 regular season with more losses than the Angels. Los Angeles’ 100 defeats ultimately ended Kurt Suzuki’s one-season tenure, with the team declining its 2027 option on his contract.
Baseball operations consultant John Mozeliak announced the decision in a statement Wednesday. "Kurt has earned tremendous respect in our clubhouse, and I’ve seen firsthand how much he cares about our players," Mozeliak said. "I do not believe our record this year was a true reflection of his true abilities as a manager."
Suzuki’s time with the Angels may not be over, as the team has offered him an opportunity to remain with the organization as a special assistant.
Mozeliak said he made the decision in coordination with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which agreed Sept. 1 to purchase a controlling interest in the Angels from Arte Moreno.
The sale is not expected to close until next year, but the group led by Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke is already making significant changes to the beleaguered franchise.
The Angels ended the season at 62-100 under Suzuki, which marked the first 100-loss season in franchise history. Suzuki ended his 16-year major league playing career as a catcher for the Halos in 2021-22. Suzuki had never been a manager at any level before he was hired exactly one year ago by general manager Perry Minasian.
Suzuki had previously worked as Minasian's special assistant for the previous three seasons.
Minasian was fired by Moreno last June, and longtime St. Louis Cardinals general manager Mozeliak stepped in on a temporary basis to run the front office while leading the search for a permanent GM to replace him. However, that transition plan has been thrown into flux by Moreno’s decision to sell
Mozeliak’s current contract ends in December, with the possibility of an MLB work stoppage looming.
Angels pitching coach Mike Maddux and two staffers were let go in August after Mozeliak determined the team was not fully leveraging the technology and analytics available to its pitchers.
Suzuki’s replacement will be the seventh manager to lead the Angels in nine seasons since it parted with Mike Scioscia after the 2018 season. The Angels have had 11 consecutive losing seasons and 12 straight non-playoff seasons, both the longest active skids in the major leagues.
Two other MLB teams, the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros, are also searching for new managers.
Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis is away from the team indefinitely and reportedly weighing whether he has a future in basketball.
Porzingis is reportedly dealing with recurring symptoms tied to Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which can cause dizziness and fatigue.
Porzingis addressed speculation about his health in an Oct. 14 post on X.
"I'm working with doctors and experts to figure out how to be fully back to good health asap," he wrote, adding that he was "getting better and better." He also said it had been "frustrating dealing with some health stuff that you can't exactly pinpoint," alongside injuries throughout his career, and jokingly swatted online rumors on his health, posting, "I don’t have HIV or AIDS."
As Porzingis considers his future, Golden State is reportedly exploring trade options. The Warriors signed him to a two-year, $40 million extension over the summer. He is owed $20 million this season, but only $3 million of his $20 million salary for next season is guaranteed.
The Warriors declined to comment on trade speculation or reports about Porzingis’ health. The team said conversations with Porzingis and his representatives would remain private and that it did not expect him to be around the team in the immediate future.
The New York Knicks selected Porzingis fourth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. He later played for the Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks before joining Golden State.
His best season came with Boston in 2023-24, when he averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds and helped the Celtics win the NBA title. He is also a 2018 All-Star.
Boston traded him to Atlanta in 2025 after he played 99 regular-season games over two seasons with the Celtics. The deal helped the team reduce payroll and avoid second-apron restrictions.
Porzingis’ contract could appeal to a team looking to shed longer-term salary: It could acquire him in a trade, then waive him next summer before the rest of his salary becomes guaranteed, leaving it responsible for the $3 million guarantee.
His basketball future remains uncertain as he focuses on his health and the Warriors consider their options.
The San Francisco 49ers are red-hot to start the 2026 season, owning a perfect 6-0 record after a "Monday Night Football" victory over the Washington Commanders.
But tensions can run high even when things are going well. Just ask head coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brock Purdy after the latter screamed toward his leader on the sideline in a now-viral exchange in Week 6.
Purdy was heard shouting, "Hey, Kyle!" with clear frustration, and the clip quickly found its way around social media. It appeared that Purdy wasn’t happy that Shanahan didn’t have the play-call in his ear in time.
Ahead of the 49ers’ matchup with the Atlanta Falcons this week, Shanahan told a different story on the exchange.
"Yeah, it’s actually not to call a play faster," Shanahan replied when asked about it by a reporter. "It’s, ‘I need it again,’ and it gets cutoff at 15 [seconds]."
Communications within a quarterback’s helmet can sometimes cause issues with getting play calls in on the sideline in time. That seemed to be the case here.
"Sometimes no one can hear it," Shanahan added. "… I always call a play and I just walk, and think. I don’t always watch the huddle. A lot of times. Mac [Jones] or someone will say, ‘We didn’t get it, it was chopped’ or somebody yells, ‘Brock’s yelling at you,’ which I can’t always hear. But I did hear him a couple times in this game, and I look up and try to do it again as long as it’s not past 15 seconds."
Shanahan is known as one of the best offensive play-callers in the sport, but it’s not always smooth sailing on game day. The clock is always playing a major factor, but the chemistry between play-caller and quarterback is what matters most.
So, there’s no disconnect on that front, as Shanahan has seen Purdy be one of the top signal callers in the game thus far through this undefeated start.
For quarterbacks who have played through all six weeks, Purdy owns the league’s best quarterback rating (118.1) while throwing for 1,460 yards with a 69.6% completion rate, 14 touchdowns and only two interceptions.
After roughly two weeks of radio silence, New York Yankees brass delivered their official postmortem on Wednesday, and owner Hal Steinbrenner made it very clear who he blames for the team tying its longest championship drought since winning its first World Series in 1923.
Steinbrenner spoke alongside general manager Brian Cashman during a joint Zoom news conference from the team's spring training ballpark in Tampa, Florida, and manager Aaron Boone followed with a video news conference from Yankee Stadium.
With Boone and Cashman seemingly public enemies No. 1A and 1B among the Yankees fan base , making them available for the conferences all but confirmed Steinbrenner's loyalty to both of them, and he confirmed that fact.
"The bottom line is the players didn’t live up to their end of the bargain in the playoffs," Steinbrenner said.
Steinbrenner said that he felt the 2026 Yankees were a "world championship caliber team," yet for the second year in a row, they were eliminated by a division rival in the American League Division Series on their own home field.
Steinbrenner said Boone, who will return for his 10th season, "managed a good season" which included numerous injuries to several star players. However, the postseason proved practically impossible for the offense.
"I believe we absolutely had a team that was winning a championship. I was disappointed, quite frankly, with the offense throughout the course of the year as a whole," Steinbrenner said. "That is certainly one part of the organization that I will be looking at from top to bottom ... but this is twice now when the offense just hasn't lived up to their end of the bargain and got the deal done."
Cashman himself later broke the news that he had agreed to an extension - his current contract expires later this year, and he became the team's GM in 1998. When Cashman took over from Bob Watson in 1998, it was the 15th change at GM since George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees in January 1973. Cashman has been the only GM under Hal Steinbrenner, who succeeded his father as controlling owner in November 2008.
"Well, look, Cash is great every season," Steinbrenner said. "I think the roster he put together, the team that we rolled out of spring training with, was as good as any in baseball, in my opinion. We had a lot of bumps and bruises along the way, but the team was fantastic, and it was a world championship-caliber team."
Boone finished his ninth season as manager and has one season left on a two-year contract extension agreed to in February 2025. The 53-year-old former third baseman has led New York to a 790-565 regular-season record and three first-place finishes in the AL East but a 27-30 postseason mark.
"At the end of the day, we haven’t won a championship with me at the helm," he said. "Ultimately that’s what has to happen to satisfy certainly myself — that's why I'm doing this — but to answer those questions ultimately."
The Jacksonville Jaguars are preparing to take a trip down I-95 and I-4 (godspeed) to play in Orlando next season while EverBank Stadium undergoes a massive, $1.4 billion renovation.
One that will include a canopy, wider concourses, and, if there's enough interest, something not usually found in NFL stadiums: a place to store your ashes after you die.
Honestly, you kids will be glad to have the space on their mantle... Do people even have mantles anymore?
According to Front Office Sports, some fans have already ponied up as much as $6,000 to be part of a new project dubbed the "904Ever Club."
This is being done in conjunction with the team's "official fan memories partner," Eternal Fan. The plan is to install a 14-by-14-foot memorial that will contain fans' personal artifacts, including their most personal artifacts: their ashes.
The top tier costs a cool $5,904, which is a lot, and it obviously begs the question: would you do this if you could have your cremains interred at your team's stadium?
I think it depends on your team. If you're a long-suffering fan of, like the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Pirates, or, in my case, Philadelphia Flyers, do you want to spend the rest of eternity (or at least until your team moves to a new stadium or arena) being reminded of the agonizing defeats?
No... but it would still be pretty cool to tell people where you're headed before you take the ol' dirt nap.
"Yeah, when I croak you can visit my cremains at Xfinity Mobile Arena... I was hoping to have them stored at the Chickie's & Pete's across the street — big crab fries guy — but they wouldn't do it."
Considering the Jaguars already have a hefty bill to pay for these stadium renovations, one of the best parts for them is that while Eternal Fan gets the revenue from the packages sold, it's also on them to build and maintain the memorial, which includes annual fees to the team.
Dan Lanning said he was still gathering information about Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart’s arrest but the fifth-year Ducks' head coach vowed to take what he described as "appropriate action" once he had all the necessary details.
"There will be an appropriate action taken. Still gathering some details with what that situation looks like," Lanning said.
He added that the situation would be dealt with internally. "But that would be handled internally. I’m not gonna respond to any other questions about that. We’re gonna handle that with our guys."
Stewart was taken into custody early Sunday on charges of driving under the influence, hours after the Ducks rallied to defeat Nebraska on Saturday night. He was booked into the Springfield Municipal Jail, according to police records.
Lanning said the incident was unfortunate because it cast a shadow on the Ducks’ win.
Stewart did not play in the game against the Cornhuskers because of an undisclosed injury. He has 27 catches for 352 yards and four touchdowns this season after missing all of last season because of a right patellar tendon tear.
Moore has missed the Ducks’ past two games while recovering from a concussion.
Lanning said Moore participated in practice leading up to Oregon’s Week 6 matchup with UCLA, but Brock Thoman and Dylan Raiola ultimately saw action in the Ducks’ 17-15 loss to the Bruins. Both quarterbacks also played against Nebraska.
The first few weeks of the NFL season brought more lows than highs for the Tennessee Titans.
But Week 6 provided one of the team’s rare bright spots, as the Titans rallied for a 26-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, their first win of the season.
The celebratory mood at the Titans’ Nashville headquarters was likely short-lived, however, after the team made a surprising move involving one of its defensive linemen.
On Tuesday, the Titans announced they had released defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, citing an unspecified "incident" at the team’s facility.
Elliott played under then-San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh the past two seasons before following Saleh to Tennessee, where he is now the Titans’ head coach. Elliott appeared in five games this season with the Titans, recording 11 total tackles.
In a statement, the Titans said the incident happened last Thursday.
"On Thursday, Oct. 15, there was an incident at our team facility involving Jordan Elliott. Following our review of the incident, we have made the decision to release Elliott from our roster. We will have no further comment on the matter."
Details surrounding the incident were not immediately available.
Elsewhere on the Titans’ roster, defensive back Alontae Taylor did not suit up due to what was described as a coach’s decision. Saleh also did not provide details about Taylor’s status.
Taylor played nearly every defensive snap during the Titans’ first five games of the season. He signed a three-year, $58 million contract with Tennessee in March and had recorded 19 tackles and one sack through those five matchups.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day delivered bad news for his Buckeyes football program, as quarterback Julian Sayin will be out "indefinitely" because of a shoulder injury.
Day initially said that Sayin would miss "several weeks" after injury his throwing shoulder following Ohio State’s 19-15 win over Indiana this past weekend.
Several weeks have now turned into an indefinite amount of time away from the Buckeyes, and Day admitted the team is preparing as if Sayin won’t be available for the remainder of the regular season, and even worse, the College Football Playoff.
"First off, we’re not going to put any timeline on his recovery, but he is out indefinitely," he told reporters. "So, what we’re trying to do is give Julian and his family some privacy to go through this process. But based on the nature of the injury, we are putting together a plan for him not being available for the regular season and also him not being available for the postseason.
"Based on that, if he’s not able to return this fall, we’ll put a plan together for that as well. That’s really the update I have right now out of respect to him and his family."
Luke Fahey, the true freshman who took over after Sayin went down in the fourth quarter of last week’s victory, will remain the Buckeyes’ starter moving forward. The injury also comes with Ohio State on a bye this weekend before traveling to No. 16 USC for a Halloween matchup.
"When Luke's in there, we just may need to do things just a little bit differently, but the bye week gives us a chance to regroup on that and put our heads together," Day said on Saturday.
Sayin’s injury came after Hoosiers defender Mario Landino hit his throwing shoulder while sacking him. The hit forced Sayin to fumble, and he went to the locker room to look at his ailment. Sayin later returned to the sideline in a sling.
There has not been a specific injury for Sayin, but one can imply just how serious it could be if Day and his coaching staff are preparing as if he might not be available for the entire rest of the season.
Sayin, who was expected to be among the top NFL Draft prospects, threw for 1,772 yards thus far with 17 touchdowns to only two interceptions this season.
Now, all eyes will be looking at Fahey, a three-star recruit out of California, to see if he can keep the Buckeyes as the No. 3 team in college football, if not better.
"He's got confidence, he's got athletic ability, he's a competitive kid," Day said of Fahey. "I don't think the moment was too big for him."
Instead of quietly eating the reprint bill, the Knicks posted the evidence and let the internet have its way with them. Then again, misprints make fortunes in coin collecting. Maybe MSG didn't blow the giveaway so much as hand 20,000 fans a collector's item.
For good measure, they also hung their NBA Cup banner to crowd the rafters.
When that 2025-26 banner finally joins 1970 and 1973 to mark the franchise's third championship, it officially closes a miserable half-century drought, cementing this team into New York sports immortality.
Keeping that crown will be a nightmare. The East got a lot meaner over the summer, headlined by LeBron James taking his talents to Philadelphia. LeBron hunting one last ring with the Sixers feels cooked up specifically to ruin New York's party.
For now, the Knicks are on top of the basketball world.
The helicopter that new 76ers superstar LeBron James uses to commute between New York and Philadelphia remains a topic of conversation in NBA circles. Just ahead of the league’s 2026-27 season, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver characterized the Fanatics-branded aircraft and the financial structure of the arrangement as "perfectly appropriate."
James played in the Sixers’ preseason finale Friday and was asked about the chatter surrounding his preferred method of travel on days when he needs to commute from the team’s facility to New York City.
"Yeah, I’ve done it before," and described the rotorcraft as "just another way of transportation."
Fanatics, which was founded by former 76ers minority owner Michael Rubin, is covering the costs associated with transporting James on the roughly 40-minute, one-way trip.
According to multiple reports, James’ estimated commute costs for Sixers home games are expected to total just under $1 million this season, depending on how often he uses the helicopter. The Athletic calculated that flying James to and from 41 home games at $4,000 per flight would create a $328,000 tab. That figure does not include trips for practices, though it also does not account for flight cancellations.
In 2022, Rubin said he decided to sell his stake to "ensure our new businesses don’t conflict with my responsibilities as part-owner of the Sixers."
Rubin said in June 2022 that he decided to sell his stake "to ensure our new businesses don’t conflict with my responsibilities as part-owner of the Sixers." Rubin was part of the ownership group that purchased the 76ers for an estimated $290 million in 2011. But as Fanatics expanded into sports betting and other business ventures, Rubin decided it was time to sell his estimated 10% stake in Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.
Rubin continues to be a self-described "life-long fan" of the team.
During an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," Silver made clear that there was no reason to be concerned about either the arrangement between James and Fanatics or potential salary-cap circumvention.
"He has a deal with Fanatics," Silver said just hours before the Detroit Pistons rallied for a comeback win over the Boston Celtics to tip off the new season. " . . . Part of his deal is they're going to supply a helicopter to him as long as it's just a deal between the Fanatics and LeBron and no team is involved; there's no rules issue there whatsoever."
After signing with the Sixers in free agency, James decided his primary residence would be in the country's largest city. He is not the first NBA player to do so while playing for Philadelphia. Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick also lived in New York during his two seasons with the Sixers. But James’ decision to make the routine trip by helicopter has drawn particular attention.
After 76ers practice has wrapped and news conferences are underway, James’ teammates have occasionally paused and laughed as the noise from his helicopter taking off from the roof of the team’s business center briefly drowns out their responses.
The 76ers visit Madison Square Garden to face the reigning champion New York Knicks Tuesday night.
Login
