Today Elon Musk CEO and majority owner of Twitter announced that his website would begin sharing revenue with content creators on ads placed in their tweet’s reply threads. Twitter’s policy change is one of many shifts in the industry including Alphabet Inc’s Youtube announcement that advertising on Youtube shorts would also generate royalties for influencers. As content creators are increasingly able to monetize their creations, the impact on college athletics could become profound. After NIL was formally approved in 2021 the majority sentiment was that while a few extremely popular athletes might be seen in nationwide advertising campaigns, the largest effect would be seen from local car dealership partnerships or enthusiastic alumni meet and greets. To an extent, this has been true as Bryce Young, Hanna Cavinder, and Bo Nix have featured in major national advertising campaigns while local advertisers have supported schools both through NIL collectives and small-scale advertising. However, the most potent tool that college athletes have capitalized upon has occurred by leveraging their social media influence. Olivia Dunne (3.2 Million Instagram followers), Travis Hunter (135 thousand Youtube subscribers), and Paige Bueckers (1 million Instagram followers) are just a few of the many college athletes turned content creators who have, to this point, have largely profited from advertising in their content itself. While college recruiting has quickly been muddied with accusations that athletes now select their school by following the highest bidding NIL collective, athletes may quickly realize that they may be better off going where they can best develop their personal brand. The motivation for building a personal brand rather than partnering with an NIL collective might become more pressing as NIL collectives quickly realize that they don’t have the financial firepower necessary to secure the greatest players. The best example of this came from Gainesville when news of Jaden Rashada’s alleged $13 million NIL collective deal shook the college recruiting world when the quarterback recruit originally committed to the University of Florida. TV talking heads quickly began debating if $13 million would become the new floor for securing top-tier talent at priority positions. The problem, however, was that the NIL collective was unable to come up with the money promised, and once Rashada was made aware, he requested a release from his letter of intent and selected Arizona State. Meanwhile, coaches like Colorado’s Deion Sanders have downplayed NIL potential while encouraging athletes to create Youtube channels and build their personal brands. With athletes unable to rely on school-centric NIL deals, and new revenue-earning opportunities quickly becoming available on social media, top college athletes should instead consider what University will be able to best promote their personal brand on a national stage. Unlike NIL funding which can be quickly pulled and disappears as soon as an athlete leaves campus, social media influence can allow athletes to generate revenue consistently. Moving forward, expect Universities to place an emphasis on how they can generate attention and spotlight for their athletes. Facilities and NIL deals are now the status quo. The future recruiting edge in college recruiting will belong to the schools that have the best graphic designers, social media managers, and content creators that athletes can benefit from. Chase Youngman is a third-year law student at Penn State Law where he was the president of the Penn State Law Sports Entertainment Law Society. You can also find him on Twitter as @c3youngman

First reported by Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, former Carolina Panthers Head Coach Matt Rhule has filed for arbitration against the Carolina Panthers, alleging that the Carolina Panthers have refused to pay the amount owed to the coach after offsetting his salary as head coach of the University of Nebraska football team. Based on rough estimates, the amount in dispute is between $5-7 million, depending on the remaining amount the Panthers owe Rhule. In 2020, the Carolina Panthers signed Matt Rhule to a seven-year, $62 million contract after Rhule’s successful stints as head coach at Baylor University and Temple University. After less than three years and starting the 2022 season with one win in five games, the Carolina Panthers decided to make a change and fired Rhule, finishing his stint with the Panthers with an 11-27 overall record. At the time of Rhule’s firing, the Carolina Panthers still owed around $34 million through 2027. Rhule’s contract included a clause that the remaining amount the Panthers owe Rhule would be offset if Rhule signed a contract with another team. In November 2022, Rhule signed an eight-year, $74 million contract with the University of Nebraska, which began at $5.5 million and gradually increases each year. Through 2027, Nebraska owes Rhule roughly $28 million. Since the Panthers included an offset clause in their contract with Rhule, the $28 million Nebraska owes to Rhule through 2027 offsets the $34 million the Panthers owe Rhule. Thus, Rhule’s arbitration suit is likely claiming that the Carolina Panthers are refusing to pay somewhere between $5-7 million. Importantly, it is unclear when the Panthers are required to pay out the amount they owe to Rhule. Typically, contracts between coaches and the National Football League (NFL) have a strict mandatory arbitration clause. Thus, the NFL has the option to appoint an arbitrator to hear Rhule’s dispute with the Panthers. Since arbitration is private compared to public litigation, any settlement will likely be confidential. The Carolina Panthers thought they moved on from the Rhule era, hiring Frank Reich last week. However, it will not officially be over until Rhule’s dispute is resolved. Landis Barber is an attorney at Safran Law Offices in Raleigh, North Carolina. You can connect with him via LinkedIn or via his blog offthecourtdocket.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Landisbarber.

Today, February 3, 2023, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania affirmed a Workers’ Compensation Judge’s September, 2021 order awarding Emmanuel Acho disability benefits. The Philadelphia Eagles had petitioned for review of the award on September 29, 2021. The benefits stemmed from an August 11, 2015 thumb injury Acho suffered in practice while employed by the Eagles as a linebacker. Acho continued playing football and ended up fracturing the same thumb less than a month later – again in practice. He had an operation on the thumb a couple days later in August of 2015. Acho was unable to participate in physical activities for a few weeks after the surgery, and, at that point, the Eagles suddenly released him from their roster. Pursuant to an injury settlement agreement, Acho received three weeks of pay upon his release. After physical rehabilitation, Acho was finally cleared to play but continued to have pain in his thumb. Nevertheless, he re-signed with the Eagles in November of 2015. He was there for a cup of coffee. Acho was released, once again, just 16 days after re-signing. After that second release, Acho never played professional football again. That didn’t limit his success, though, as Acho has become a highly-popular sports commentator and obtained a master’s degree at the University of Texas in 2017. Still, according to the court order, Acho argued that this thumb injury left him physically unable to play football at a high level, leading to a lack of employment in the NFL. He suffered from post-traumatic arthritis, among other complications, after the surgery. With that, on August 20, 2018, Acho filed a Claim petition relating to the 2015 thumb injury. The Workers’ Comp. Judge granted Acho partial disability benefits until September 12, 2019, and granted the Eagles a three-week credit for the injury settlement they had reached back in 2015. The Eagles petitioned for review of Acho’s multiple disability awards on September 29, 2021. The team raised 3 issues: “The evidence relied upon by the WCJ to award total disability benefits from August 23, 2015, to November 10, 2015, was insufficient because it did not establish that Claimant's release from Employer's roster was due to his injury.” "The evidence relied upon by the WCJ to award partial disability benefits from November 10, 2015, through September 12, 2019, was insufficient to establish that Claimant suffered a compensable injury during this period; the WCJ's finding in this regard was arbitrary and capricious;" and "The medical testimony of Claimant's expert, Dr. Vagner, was not competent, credible, or unequivocal in establishing a compensable injury after August 23, 2015." The Commonwealth Court’s standard of reviewing the WCJ’s decision was to determine whether constitutional rights were violated, whether an error of law was committed, and whether necessary findings of fact are supported by substantial evidence. The Court was not convinced that Acho’s second release from the team wasn’t related to injury: “Claimant [Acho] was released immediately after the surgery on his thumb and was paid a three-week injury settlement.” “The 2015 release thus clearly was not routine or based on any past practice, but rather was due to Claimant's injury and perceived inability to play.” Thus, the court concluded that an award of total disability benefits for the period in 2015, as well as the subsequent award of partial benefits, were not made in error. Finally, the Court held that the WCJ did not err in considering Acho’s expert Dr.’s testimony. Specifically, the Court pointed to Dr. Vagner's experience: "he is an orthopedic surgeon with added credentials as a hand specialist and the hand surgeon for the University of Texas and Baylor University athletic departments." Jason Morrin is a law clerk (pending admission to the NY Bar) at Zumpano, Patricios & Popok LLP in New York, a firm dedicated to litigation and business counseling including in the areas of sports, gaming and entertainment. He graduated cum laude from Hofstra Law School where he was president of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society. His reporting for Conduct Detrimental has been cited by ESPN, The New York Post, USA Today, Bleacher Report and more.

< Back Charles Barkley says Michael Jordan ‘went ballistic’ in their most recent conversation Feb 4, 2023 Hall of Famer Charles Barkley provided some insight on the last conversation he had with basketball icon Michael Jordan. The always outspoken broadcaster revealed the last time Jordan spoke to him was via a profanity-filled phone call. The pair's severed relationship stems from remarks Barkley made in 2012 when he critiqued Jordan's performance as a team executive. "I said, ‘Listen, the toughest thing about Michael, he's got to put better people around him.’ Because the toughest thing, when you're famous, they’re on your private jet. You're buying all the drinks. You're buying all the dinners. Very few people are gonna be honest with you,'" Barkley recalled in November during an appearance on the "Let’s Go!" podcast with Tom Brady and Jim Gray. Source: Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nba-legends-charles-barkley-discusses-his-relationship-with-michael-jordan Previous Next

Breaking News Feb 4, 2023 Ex-Panthers coach Matt Rhule files $5M lawsuit in severance pay dispute: report Former Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule has taken legal action over a compensation dispute, a report from The Associated Press revealed. The arbitration suit with the NFL is seeking around $5 million in "offset severance compensation," a source told the AP. CBS Sports was first to report the suit. Rhule was relieved of his duties in October, one day after the Panthers were defeated by the 49ers to drop to 1-4. The current Nebraska football head coach has reportedly retained the services of high-profile litigator John Singer of Singer Deutsch LLP to handle the lawsuit. A spokesperson for the Panthers did not provide a comment about the situation. Read More Feb 4, 2023 NFL reports 18% increase in concussions during 2022 season Concussions increased by 18% in the NFL during the 2022 regular season from last year. The NFL reported 149 concussions were diagnosed in 271 regular season games compared to 126 in 2021. The total is also 14% higher than the three-year average from 2018 to 2020. Dr. Allen Sills, the league's chief medical officer, said the increase comes from a protocol change that "broadened and strengthened" the definition of concussions following injuries suffered by Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in a four-day span. Tagovailoa suffered a lower-back injury that left him wobbly in Week 3. The Dolphins played Week 4 on "Thursday Night Football," and he suffered a concussion that sent him to a hospital. Read More Feb 4, 2023 NHL ditches plan to use live alligators at All-Star festivities after backlash from PETA The NHL has nixed plans to use live alligators during its All-Star festivities in South Florida. The league received backlash from PETA and 37,000 supporters of the organization, PETA said in an email to Fox News Digital. The NHL was set to use alligators from Gatorland, a theme park and wildlife preserve in Orlando. The festivities are taking place in Sunrise, Fla., at FLA Live Arena, the home of the Florida Panthers. Previous reports said the gators would be used during Friday night's skills competition, which includes fastest skater and breakaway challenges. "Hauling live alligators in front of noisy crowds for a silly stunt would have been downright medieval, and the NHL was right to nix these plans," said PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "For saying ‘See you later, alligator’ to this cruel event and seedy roadside zoo, the NHL is winning PETA’s praise." Read More Feb 4, 2023 Charles Barkley says Michael Jordan ‘went ballistic’ in their most recent conversation Hall of Famer Charles Barkley provided some insight on the last conversation he had with basketball icon Michael Jordan. The always outspoken broadcaster revealed the last time Jordan spoke to him was via a profanity-filled phone call. The pair's severed relationship stems from remarks Barkley made in 2012 when he critiqued Jordan's performance as a team executive. "I said, ‘Listen, the toughest thing about Michael, he's got to put better people around him.’ Because the toughest thing, when you're famous, they’re on your private jet. You're buying all the drinks. You're buying all the dinners. Very few people are gonna be honest with you,'" Barkley recalled in November during an appearance on the "Let’s Go!" podcast with Tom Brady and Jim Gray. Read More Feb 4, 2023 3 former U.S. snowboarders sue coach, federation and Olympic committee for sex trafficking: reports Three former members of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team are suing their former coach, a national federation and its CEO and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee for sex trafficking, harassment and enabling and covering up multiple acts of sexual assault and misconduct, according to multiple reports. Olympians Rosey Fletcher and Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, along with Erin O'Malley, alleged in their lawsuit that Peter Foley, Gale "Tiger" Shaw and the USOPC "conspired and acted in concert with one another to commit unlawful acts." The three women say Foley used his position of trust to "coerce sexual acts through force, manipulation, emotional abuse, intimidation and retaliation." Read More Feb 3, 2023 Cardinals' Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown pleads guilty to criminal speeding after reportedly driving 126 mph Marquise "Hollywood" Brown pled guilty to a criminal speeding charge in an Arizona court Wednesday for driving 126 in a 65-mph zone. The Arizona Cardinals receiver was arrested in August in north Phoenix and later released. Brown faces up to 30 days in jail and/or a year of probation. He must pay a $500 fine. TMZ Sports notes Brown's initial plan was to plea not guilty, but he had second thoughts. Arizona laws say anything over 20 mph above a posted speed limit is criminal speeding. It is a misdemeanor. The 25-year-old had 67 catches for 709 yards and three touchdowns for Arizona this year. Read More Feb 3, 2023 Police report reveals disturbing allegations against Eagles’ Josh Sills amid rape, kidnapping indictment A police report detailing the disturbing allegations leveled Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Josh Sills was released this week after the NFL player was indicted on rape and kidnapping charges in Ohio on Wednesday. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Guernsey County Sheriff Jeffrey D. Paden announced that Sills, 25, was indicted on one count of rape and one count of kidnapping in the first degree, stemming from a Dec. 5, 2019 incident in Guernsey County, Ohio. According to the police report released Wednesday, law enforcement was called to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center Emergency Room to investigate a report of sexual assault. The victim, identified at the time as a 21-year-old female, told the deputy that Sills had dropped her and her cousin off at the relative’s home at around 2 a.m., but when she attempted to exit his vehicle, he allegedly "grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the truck." Read More Feb 3, 2023 Nets’ Kyrie Irving requests trade out of Brooklyn before deadline: reports Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has informed the organization that he wants to be traded ahead of the NBA’s February 9th trade deadline, according to multiple reports. Irving told the Nets that he prefers to be moved ahead of the trade deadline, or he will leave when he becomes a free agent this summer, according to a report by The Athletic. Irving has been with Brooklyn since the 2019 season after leaving the Celtics following two years in Boston. Read More Feb 3, 2023 St John's cheerleaders refuse to perform at game after school fails to recognize them on Women in Sports Day In an Instagram post for National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Wednesday, the St. John's University athletics account neglected to recognize both the cheer and dance teams. The school lists nine women's sports on its official website, all of which were included in the post – cheer and dance are not listed as women's sports. In response to being excluded from recognition, cheerleaders did not perform during Wednesday's game against Seton Hall and wore shirts that read "WE ARE WOMEN IN SPORTS." The university called it an "inadvertent omission" and is working with the squads to move forward. "There was an inadvertent omission in a social media post from the Athletic Department celebrating ‘Women in Sports’ that failed to tag or depict our cheerleaders and dance team," the school said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "The cheerleaders expressed disappointment with this perceived slight and are now engaged in an active dialogue with the Athletic Department to move forward. St. John’s University values the active and dedicated contributions made by all our students especially our student-athletes." Read More Feb 3, 2023 Cavs' Donovan Mitchell, Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks ejected after brouhaha breaks out A shot downstairs led to some pushing and shoving between the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. Dillon Brooks appeared to strike Donovan Mitchell below the belt, leading the Cavs guard to launch the basketball at him from point-blank range. It's unclear if punches were thrown, but the two wrestled each other to the floor, however not before fellow players and coaches tried to separate the two. Both players were ejected from the game. The game had been physical all night, and words were exchanged again a few minutes later. But Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he didn't want to get involved in the Grizzlies' "games." Read More Feb 2, 2023 Ex-Panthers coach Matt Rhule files arbitration case with NFL seeking money he says team owes him Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule filed an arbitration case with the NFL to recoup money he says he’s owed by the Carolina Panthers after the franchise fired him during the 2022 season. According to multiple reports, Rhule filed the suit with the NFL on Jan. 25 and says the Panthers are not paying him the severance money he’s owed via offset. Rhule was hired as Nebraska’s new head coach in November on an eight-year contract worth a total of $74 million. The former Baylor coach was hired by the Panthers in January 2020 on a seven-year deal worth $62 million. There was approximately $40 million left on that contract when the Panthers fired him in October. Coaching contracts at the college and NFL levels typically contain offset language, meaning that the severance figure is lowered by the amount a coach is making at his next job. With Rhule set to make approximately $28 million over the first four years of his deal with the Cornhuskers, the Panthers would still owe Rhule roughly $5 million through the original length of his contract with the team. A Panthers spokesperson declined to comment on Rhule’s filing. Per CBS, the Panthers are going to argue to the NFL that Rhule’s deal with Nebraska violates the league’s anti-tampering clause. Read More Feb 2, 2023 Neutral site NFL conference championship games don't appear to be gaining support When the NFL released the now semi-infamous email on Jan. 20 that touted a neutral site AFC championship game with “EXTRAORDINARY DEMAND” and “MORE THAN 50,000 TICKETS SOLD IN ONE DAY,” the educated inference was simple. This is a league that loves to chase money and create tentpole events. Suddenly it looked like the conference title games were being inched toward the auction block. Almost instantly, the idea caught seemingly endless sharp elbows from fans on social media, not to mention getting panned by a few prominent voices across the league, including Pittsburgh Steelers team president Art Rooney II, Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt and San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. That was followed by some mild pushback from NFL executive vice president for communications Jeff Miller on Tuesday, who said he wasn’t aware of any conversations about converting conference title games into neutral site affairs. “We haven’t had a conversation, that at least I’m aware of, about neutral site games,” Miller said. “If the ownership wanted to pursue that, I think that they would. There certainly is plenty of time to talk about that in the future. It’s not a new notion, as I understand it having come up many years ago. … But in the wake of that decision [to potentially move the AFC title game this year] we haven’t had a conversation about making future neutral site games, scheduling anything or making any decision around those.” That’s not exactly a slammed door on the idea. Read More Feb 2, 2023 Derek Carr has no intention of extending trigger date on his contract Raiders General Manager Dave Ziegler expects “teams” to have interest in Derek Carr. The quarterback surely will have a market, but it might come in free agency rather than via a trade. Carr talked to Stephen Holder of ESPN while competing in the Pro Bowl games and confirmed the Raiders have not granted his agent permission to talk to other teams about a trade. “That’s for [the Raiders] to talk about,” Carr told Holder. “I’m just obeying the rules. If it gets to the date [and I get released], then I’ll be able to talk to all my friends.” Carr also told Holder he has no intention of extending the Feb. 15 trigger on his contract to facilitate a trade. His contract includes $40.4 million in injury guaranteed salary that becomes fully guaranteed three days after the Super Bowl. “I don’t think that would be best for me,” Carr said. That makes a trade complicated as does Carr’s no-trade clause. But one way or the other, Carr will have a new team next season. Read More Feb 2, 2023 Donovan Mitchell, Dillon Brooks ejected after brawl breaks out in Cavaliers win over Grizzlies Things got heated quickly on Thursday night in Cleveland. By the time things had settled, both Donovan Mitchell and Dillon Brooks were ejected after a brawl in the second half of the Cavaliers’ 128-113 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Midway through the third quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Brooks had a layup blocked at the rim and was knocked to the ground. As he rolled over, his hand swung up and hit Mitchell in the groin. That prompted an immediate reaction from Mitchell, who had caught the blocked ball behind Brooks. Mitchell immediately threw the ball at Brooks in retaliation. That sparked a significant brawl under the rim. Coaches and officials eventually got involved and finally got the players separated. Brooks was even seen at one point tackling one of his own coaches to the ground, though that coach appeared to be trying to stop the fight. After a lengthy review, Brooks was hit with a Flagrant 2 foul and was ejected. Mitchell was ejected for his role in the altercation, too. Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff defended Mitchell after the game, calling what Brooks did a "cheap shot in multiple ways." Read More Feb 2, 2023 Napier avoids Rashada details, doesn't expect NCAA inquiry GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Billy Napier provided little insight Wednesday into how and why the Gators lost four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada, but said he doesn't expect it to prompt an NCAA investigation. Napier sidestepped several questions about Rashada, who signed with Florida in December only to be granted his release a month later following a failed name, image and likeness deal worth more than $13 million. Napier repeatedly said NCAA rules prohibited him from providing details. “I wish we could get into the specifics, but we’re not allowed to,” Napier said. “I think the reality is the current structure of NIL with third parties being involved, with agents being involved, with marketing representatives, with lawyers, with collectives, (is) very fluid, and I think a very unique dynamic.” Rashada, who threw for 5,275 yards and 59 touchdowns at Pittsburg (Calif.) High last season, was granted his release on Jan. 20 and announced on social media Wednesday that he’s committed to his father’s alma mater, Arizona State. Rashada bailed on Florida after the Gator Collective — an independent fundraising group that’s loosely tied to the university and pays student-athletes for use of their name, image and likeness — failed to honor a multiyear deal that was signed by both sides. Read More Feb 1, 2023 UNC field hockey hires legendary player Erin Matson as head coach a month after her graduation University of North Carolina field hockey announced Erin Matson, the program’s most accomplished player ever, as its new head coach Tuesday. Matson is just 22 years old and graduated from UNC in December. While playing on four NCAA championship teams and five ACC championships and becoming the all-time scoring leader in both ACC history and NCAA tournament play, she earned a degree in advertising and public relations with a minor in coaching education. The accomplishments don’t stop there. She was named UNC’s team captain three times and has been a member of the U.S. National Team since the age of 17. At the beginning of 2022, she was the top scorer at the Pan American Cup in Chile. Read More Feb 1, 2023 Eagles OL Josh Sills indicted on rape and kidnapping felony charges, placed on Commissioner's Exempt List Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Josh Sills has been indicted on rape and kidnapping felony charges, the Ohio Attorney General and a county sheriff announced Wednesday. Sills, 25, was issued a summons to appear at Guernsey County Common Pleas Court on Feb. 16. The Eagles will play the Kansas City Chiefs for the Super Bowl LVII title in Glendale, Arizona on Feb. 12. He has been placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List as the league begins a personal conduct policy review, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Sills will not be allowed to participate in team activities including practice, games and travel... The announcement added that the crime was immediately reported, warranting a detailed investigation from the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office. Read More Feb 1, 2023 WNBA free agency: Breanna Stewart, 2-time champion, announces she'll sign with New York Liberty Breanna Stewart is signing with the New York Liberty, the two-time WNBA champion and 2018 league MVP announced on Wednesday. The signing vaults the Liberty into immediate title contention after their trade for 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones last month to play alongside All-Star guard Sabrina Ionescu. Stewart's move is one of the biggest in WNBA free agency history. She spent the negotiating period sharing cryptic tweets and reportedly narrowed down her choices to the Seattle Storm, the franchise that drafted her in 2016, and the Liberty, the team of her home state. The Storm won titles in 2018 and 2020 and Stewart, a Syracuse native, was named Finals MVP in each. To announce the much-anticipated news that should create dominoes elsewhere in the league, the superstar shared a tweet of the Empire State Building and a video of her shedding a warmup jersey to show a Liberty shirt. Text on the jersey read, "I want to do my part to make this world a better place." Stewart reportedly made charter flights a major factor in her free agency and her signing will shake up the WNBA both on and off the court. Read More Feb 1, 2023 Lakers ticket prices are skyrocketing as LeBron James nears Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record Fans really, really want to see LeBron James break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring mark. Ticket prices are skyrocketing for Los Angeles Lakers games next week. The two games are now almost certainly out of reach for the average fan. As of Wednesday, James is just 89 points shy of Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record — meaning he’ll likely do so next week, barring any injury or rest. The Lakers have two home games next week, first against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday and then against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. Ticket prices for those two games are now ridiculous. Read More Feb 1, 2023 7-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady announces he's 'retiring for good' Tom Brady says he's retiring again. And this time it's for real. Brady posted a video to social media Wednesday morning announcing his retirement for the second time. He retired after the 2021 season but reversed course six weeks later. Wednesday, he said he was done for good. "Good morning, guys, I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring for good,” Brady said. “I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I just press record and let you guys know first. I won’t be long-winded. You only get one super-emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year.” Brady leaves football with the most Super Bowls of any player in NFL history and will be a surefire first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame member. He’s the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns and QB wins in both the regular season and postseason. Brady’s teams went to 10 Super Bowls and won seven of them. Six of those victories came with the New England Patriots while his final Super Bowl win in February 2021 came with the Bucs. Read More Jan 30, 2023 Pat McAfee rips NFL officiating after questionable no-calls on Championship Sunday: 'I think the refs suck' You can add former NFL punter and sports personality Pat McAfee to the list of people who didn’t like the officiating on Championship Sunday. The game that got the most scrutiny was the Kansas City Chiefs-Cincinnati Bengals AFC Championship that saw Patrick Mahomes & Co. head back to the Super Bowl after Harrison Butker kicked a 45-yard game-winner. Whether it was a questionable pass interference call, redoing a third-down play entirely that might have forced the Chiefs to punt, or what might have been holding on the final Mahomes rush that led to a crucial unnecessary roughness penalty, referee Ronald Torbert and his crew from that game have caught loads of flak from experts and fans alike. McAfee said his piece on his "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday morning. Read More Jan 30, 2023 Hulk Hogan 'can’t feel his lower body' after another back surgery, Kurt Angle says WWE legend Hulk Hogan has been in the pro wrestling business since the late 1970s and being in the ring for that long going up against other giant men appeared to have taken its toll. Kurt Angle gave a dire description of Hogan’s health in the latest episode of his podcast Sunday. Angle said when he was on the 30th anniversary of WWE’s "Monday Night Raw" he spoke to Hogan and they both talked about their health. Angle, 54, has had multiple neck surgeries between his career as an Olympian and a professional wrestler. Hogan, 69, is going through his own health issues as well. Hogan appeared on the start of the show last week with the "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart and addressed the crowd in Philadelphia before the episode got going. He appeared to be walking gingerly on his own on the stage but didn’t go down to the ring. Read More Jan 30, 2023 Stetson Bennett, Georgia standout quarterback, arrested on public intoxication charge Stetson Bennett, the Georgia quarterback who led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships and became one of the best stories in college football, was arrested on Sunday morning. Bennett was arrested on a public intoxication charge in Dallas around 6 a.m. local time, police confirmed to Fox News Digital. Officers responded to a call about a man "banging on doors" and authorities determined Bennett was intoxicated. Bennett, 25, was taken to City Detention Center, police said. It’s unclear whether he was released. The quarterback became a hero for the Bulldogs after leading the team to a blowout victory over TCU in the national championship earlier this month. Georgia coach Kirby Smart gave time for Bennett to get a curtain call in the fourth quarter as they led 52-7. Read More Jan 30, 2023 George Kittle has blunt take on 49ers' quarterback woes in NFC Championship Game San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle said he was proud of his team for not quitting despite not having a healthy quarterback in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he didn’t mince words when asked about how he felt about the situation. Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy gave the 49ers a fighting chance after starting quarterback Trey Lance and backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo went down with season-ending injuries early on this year. But an injury to his throwing hand early on in the first half of Sunday’s title game took him out before he was eventually forced to return after Josh Johnson was ruled out with a concussion. The result was a 31-7 blowout by the Eagles. "Losing your starting quarterback who's a third-string rookie to your fourth-string quarterback who did everything he could – gets hurt right away in the third quarter, and then you can only run the ball – it’s tough, it's frustrating," Kittle said during his post game presser. Read More Jan 30, 2023 Hockey legend Bobby Hull, who starred for Blackhawks, dead at 84 Hockey legend Bobby Hull, who won one Stanley Cup and was a 12-time All-Star who played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets and Hartford Whalers, has died. He was 84. No cause of death was given. The NHL Alumni Association announced his death Monday. "The NHL Alumni Association is deeply saddened to learn that Bobby Hull has passed away at the age of 84," the organization tweeted. "Bobby began his NHL career with the @NHLBlackhawks in 1957. He would go on to play 15 seasons with the team, one season with Winnipeg, and another with Hartford, amounting to 1,063 regular-season games. "Hull was a driven player who always gave fans a memorable experience at every game and brought them to their feet. In his retirement, ‘The Golden Jet’ was never in a rush to sign every autograph as an ambassador for the Blackhawks, one of his favorite accomplishments. Read More Jan 30, 2023 Cowboys' Micah Parsons calls out Bengals' Germaine Pratt over postgame outburst Dallas Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons did not take too kindly to Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt seemingly blaming second-year pro Joseph Ossai for their defeat in the AFC Championship game to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. Pratt lashed out on the way back to the Bengals’ locker room, openly criticizing Ossai over a late hit on Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes that ultimately gave Kansas City the upper-hand in the final seconds of the game. The now-viral clip made its rounds on Twitter, and Parsons’ shared his take on the interaction. "This lame [as f---]!" he said in a tweet. Read More Jan 28, 2023 Alabama's Nick Saban rejected 2 players who were searching for $1.3 million combined in NIL money: report If you want to play for Alabama, you might not get your way when it comes to NIL money. According to OutKick, Nick Saban had no problems letting a top recruit and one of his own players go recently after they asked for over $1 million combined from the school. Saban attended the ALFCA (Alabama Football Coaches Association) Convention in Montgomery Friday, where he reportedly told fellow coaches about the two players' requests and his decision to let them go. "Someone with one of the best corners in the nation (in high school) came to me and asked if we’d pay them $800,000 for the player to sign here. I told him he can find another place to play," Saban said, according to Baker High School coach Steve Norman. "I’m not paying a kid a bunch of NIL money before he earns it." Read More Jan 28, 2023 49ers shirt found on Rocky statue in Philadelphia ahead of NFC championship San Francisco 49ers fans may have gone too far with this one. Fans of the team from the Bay Area placed a Niners T-shirt on the Rocky Balboa statue in Philadelphia ahead of San Francisco's NFC championship game against the Eagles. The nine-foot statue was commissioned by Sylvester Stallone, who played the Philly-based Balboa in nine movies. For "Rocky III," it was placed at the top of what are now known as the "Rocky Steps" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in homage to the famous scene from the first film in 1976. It now stands on the bottom right of the steps. Read More Jan 28, 2023 Warriors’ Steph Curry fined $25k for throwing mouthpiece that earned ejection Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry may be one of the faces of the NBA, but even the four-time NBA champion has to follow the rules. Curry was fined $25,000 for throwing his mouthpiece into the stands in the fourth quarter of Golden State’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday night. The NBA announced the fine Friday night, two days after the Warriors defeated the Grizzlies 122-120. Read More Jan 28, 2023 Aryna Sabalenka wins 2023 Australian Open women's final, her first Grand Slam title MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Aryna Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam title by coming back to beat Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Australian Open women’s final Saturday. The 24-year-old Sabalenka, who is from Belarus, was appearing in her first major final. She improved to 11-0 in 2023, and the only set she has dropped all season was the opener on Saturday against Wimbledon champion Rybakina. But Sabalenka turned things around with an aggressive style that resulted in 51 winners, 20 more than her opponent. She used 17 aces to overcome seven double-faults. And she managed to break the big-serving Rybakina three times, the last coming for a 4-3 lead in the third set that she never relinquished. Read More Jan 28, 2023 Memphis Grizzlies coach says ‘senseless’ death of Tyre Nichols has ‘really hit us hard’ The NBA world reacted Friday to the release of videos that showed the January 7th traffic stop that preceded the death of Tyre Nichols, who spent three days in the hospital before succumbing to his injuries. In the videos, police allegedly use pepper spray on Nichols while punching and kicking the 29-year-old, leaving him bloodied and dazed. The brutal encounter led to the firing of five Memphis police officers who now face charges, including second-degree murder. Read More Jan 27, 2023 Ed Reed says Jackson State, other HBCU offered head coaching jobs amid Bethune-Cookman fallout Hall of Famer Ed Reed voiced his displeasure with how negotiations panned out between him and the Bethune-Cookman football program. Reed was tapped to be the Wildcats' next head football coach on Dec. 27, but the former NFL defensive back revealed Saturday that the university decided against ratifying his contract. But earlier this week, Reed shared that two other HBCU football programs offered him coaching jobs amid his issues with BCU. During an appearance Monday on the "Roland Martin Unfiltered" show, Reed was asked if other HBCU programs had contacted him about head coaching opportunities. The 44-year-old responded by revealing that he declined an offer from Jackson State. Read More Jan 27, 2023 Georgia AD says victims of fatal car crash 'were not engaged in athletic department duties' at the time The University of Georgia announced Tuesday it was conducting a "thorough review" into the circumstances that led to a fatal car crash that resulted in the deaths of offensive lineman Devin Willock and staffer Chandler LeCroy earlier this month. Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks released a statement clarifying that Willock, LeCroy and the two other members of the Georgia football team involved in the crash — offensive lineman Warren McClendon and staffer Victoria Bowles — were not "engaged in athletic department duties" at the time. "Out of respect for the families involved, we have refrained from making any public statements up to this point regarding the circumstances of the tragic accident that claimed two lives and injured two members of our campus community," the statement from Brooks said. Read More Jan 27, 2023 Geno Auriemma, legendary women’s college basketball coach, rips officiating against Tennessee Legendary women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma was not pleased with the first-half officiating in Connecticut’s matchup with Tennessee Thursday night. The Huskies jumped out to a 33-17 lead over the Vols after the first quarter but allowed Tennessee to get back into the game before the end of the half in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Vols outscored UConn 19-7 in the second quarter, sending Auriemma’s Huskies into the locker room with just a four-point lead. Read More Jan 27, 2023 Greg Patrick, former USFL and Arizona Wildcats assistant coach, dead at 53 Former USFL assistant coach Greg Patrick, who also spent two seasons as Arizona’s defensive line coach, has died, the league confirmed Thursday in a statement. He was 53. Patrick, who last coached for the New Orleans Breakers last season, reportedly passed away on Sunday, according to The Arizona Republic. His cause of death was not immediately known. "It is with heavy hearts we share our deepest sympathies on the recent passing of two members of the USFL family, coach Greg Patrick and linebacker Jessie Lemonier," the league said in a statement. Read More Jan 26, 2023 RedBird’s Purchase of AC Milan Under Investigation Last year’s $1.3 billion sale of AC Milan to New York-based investment firm RedBird Capital Partners is under investigation in Italy. The Guardia di Finanza — which investigates financial crimes — has reportedly requested documents from accountants and advisors who helped facilitate the deal. The agency is looking into alleged embezzlement claims by Milan minority investor Blue Skye Financial Partners. In June 2022, Blue Skye claimed that former Milan owner Elliott Management held talks “behind closed doors” about the sale. That same month, Blue Skye asked a U.S. court for documents regarding the deal to prove that Elliot “operated with malice or deceit.” In July 2022, U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla authorized Blue Skye to obtain a “limited” number of documents to use in court. Two months later, Blue Skye’s attempt to freeze the sale of Milan was dropped following a hearing in an Italian court. Read More Jan 26, 2023 ‘Unprecedented Demand’ Forces Padres to Cap Season Tickets The San Diego Padres are being rewarded for their big spending. The team is capping season-ticket sales for the upcoming season “due to unprecedented demand.” The final day to purchase Padres season tickets is on Feb. 4, coinciding with the team’s fanfest. After that date, interested fans will be put on a waitlist — a first in the club’s 54-year existence. “It is important for us to cap our season-ticket memberships at this time to ensure that every Padres fan has an opportunity to attend a game at Petco Park during the 2023 season,” said Padres CEO Erik Greupner. Read More Jan 26, 2023 Refs miss key call on go-ahead Klay Thompson shot vs. Grizzlies, NBA confirms The Warriors got away with a foul in the final seconds of Golden State's 122-120 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday at Chase Center. Before Jordan Poole's eventual game-winning lay-up with two-and-a-half seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Klay Thompson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 120-118 lead over the Grizzlies with 14 seconds remaining. The NBA released its Last Two Minute Report on Thursday afternoon and confirmed the refs missed what could have been an important call on Thompson's 3-pointer. With 17.2 seconds remaining in the game, Draymond Green set an illegal screen on Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks which created space for Thompson to shoot and might have delayed Brooks from contesting the go-ahead shot by a split second. "Green continues to re-establish himself following the initial contact with Brooks and he creates further contact with Brooks that affects Brooks' ability to move around the screen," the NBA states in the Last Two Minute Report. Read More Jan 26, 2023 Patrick Reed: 'It’s not like I tried to assassinate Rory McIlroy' In less than a day Patrick Reed went from calling Rory McIlroy “an immature child” to praising the world No 1 for alerting him to the fact he could return to bed for a few more hours of sleep because of a weather delay to the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic. Things move fast in golf in the LIV Golf era and after the bitterness of the practice days – in which Reed was incensed after being ignored by McIlroy – he was suddenly all smiles when asked about the Northern Irishman. And with good reason, because without McIlroy’s generous advice, Reed would have been at Majlis Course six hours before he needed to be. “I woke up at 5am and was on my way to get a car to get here for my 7.40am tee-off time,” Reed explained. “I hadn’t seen that play had been suspended while they got all the water off the course after the storms. But when we were on steps of the hotel where we are both staying, Rory came up and said ‘you don’t have to go yet, we aren’t playing for a while’. ‘Ok, thanks,’ I said. Read More Jan 26, 2023 Attorneys for Steve Wilks ‘Shocked and Disturbed’ by Panthers’ Hire Hours after the Carolina Panthers hired Frank Reich as the team’s head coach on Thursday, lawyers for former interim coach Steve Wilks ripped the decision. Wilks is a co-plaintiff in racial discrimination lawsuit initially filed against the NFL a year ago by Brian Flores, the former Miami Dolphins hack coach and current Pittsburgh Steelers senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach. After the Panthers fired Matt Rhule after a 1-4 start, Wilks went 6-6. “We are shocked and disturbed that after the incredible job, Coach Wilks did as the interim coach, including bringing the team back into playoff contention and garnering the support of the players and fans that he was passed over for the head coach position by David Tepper,” attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and John Elefterakis said in a statement to Front Office Sports. “There is a legitimate race problem in the NFL, and we can assure you that we will have more to say in the coming days.” Read More Jan 25, 2023 Formula 1, Liberty Media Threaten Legal Action Over FIA Tweets Lawyers representing F1 and Liberty Media wrote a letter, seen by Sky Sports, saying that FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had overstepped his bounds in publicly discussing F1’s value. The letter was triggered by tweets from Ben Sulayem, who was responding to a Bloomberg report that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was interested in bidding $20 billion for F1. Ben Sulayem called that figure an “inflated price tag” and asked potential buyers to “consider the greater good of the sport and come with a clear, sustainable plan — not just a lot of money.” He also suggested that a huge purchase like that could lead to “increased hosting fees and other commercial costs” and have an ”adverse impact” on fans. Read More Jan 25, 2023 Baltimore Orioles Feud Intensifies With New Legal Filing The Baltimore Orioles’ family feud has worsened after co-owner Louis Angelos made serious claims in a new legal filing. Louis Angelos alleges that his mother Georgia Angelos and brother John Angelos “systematically drained” a bank account held by his ailing father Peter Angelos “to insulate them” from potential creditors, among other reasons. While Peter is the Orioles’ owner, John is the team’s chairman and CEO. The filing states that the account held more than $65 million in 2017 but now holds only around $400,000. The largest portion came from a transfer of $26.75 million to an account held by Georgia in October 2017, designed to shield assets from a malpractice suit against Peter, per the filing. The filing also claims that John had $1.7 million sent to a real estate lawyer in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 2021 so that he could buy a house there, and wired himself $2.5 million from the account later that year. Louis also claims that assets from the fund were used to secretly purchase additional shares in the Orioles from an unnamed female investor. Read More Jan 25, 2023 Daryl Watts hopes her record PHF contract opens doors for future generations Despite finishing her NCAA hockey career as the second highest scoring player in NCAA women’s hockey history, Daryl Watts faced a difficult decision. Options to play professional hockey were limited, especially if she wanted to earn a living wage. She’d been accepted to a Master's program in commercial real estate with the prospects of making six-figure sums soon. Alternatively, her lifelong dream of playing hockey was over. At age 23, she considered herself retired from the game as the PWHPA and PHF just weren’t paying sustainable wages. That was, until the PHF announced its salary cap would be increasing to $1.5 million next season. With that news, Watts’ head started spinning. She told her parents she wouldn’t be going back to school this year, and soon, she signed with the PHF’s Toronto Six. As it turns out, the six-figure sums Watts had hoped for were already hers, as she signed a two-year deal that will pay her $150,000 next season. The contract is the biggest in women’s hockey history, smashing Mikyla Grant-Mentis’ contract of $80,000 she signed this season with the Buffalo Beauts. Read More Jan 25, 2023 How one roster move saved the 49ers' season before it even began Only days before the NFL’s 53-man cutdown deadline in August, the quarterback now hailed as the San Francisco 49ers’ savior wasn’t even a sure bet to make their roster. Brock Purdy, the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, had to beat a well-liked veteran whom the 49ers had just paid lavishly to be their top backup. On March 11, 2022, the 49ers all but anointed Nate Sudfeld as their No. 2 quarterback by giving him a fully guaranteed $2 million contract. At the time, the 49ers intended to trade incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo to save salary-cap space and pave the way for 2021 first-round pick Trey Lance to take over. The 49ers valued the 6-foot-6 Sudfeld because of his prototypical size, versatile skill set and obvious rapport with Lance. Sudfeld, a 28-year-old career backup, became a trusted friend and mentor to the raw but talented Lance while spending most of the previous season on the 49ers' practice squad. As April’s NFL Draft approached, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch discussed the possibility of adding a third quarterback with one of the team’s final picks. In an interview with Bay Area radio station KNBR earlier this month, Lynch recalled Shanahan telling him, “I’d like to go get another young quarterback just to add into the mix. Let’s try to identify one later.” Read More Jan 25, 2023 Braves, F1 Owner Tops Forbes’ Most Valuable Sports Empires Liberty Media is the most valuable sports empire in the world, according to Forbes’ 2023 list. The owner of Formula 1 and the Atlanta Braves, Liberty Media also has stakes in Drone Racing League, Kroenke Arena Co., Meyer Shank Racing, and Overtime Sports, totaling an enterprise value of $20.8 billion. F1’s enterprise value sits at $17.1 billion, while the Braves’ sits at $2.1 billion. After Liberty Media, there’s a significant drop in value. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Los Angeles Rams, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Arsenal, The Guard, Colorado Rapids, Colorado Mammoth, and Altitude Sports and Entertainment, is valued at $12.75 billion. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sits at third with an enterprise value of $11.32 billion. The Cowboys are worth a world-record $8 billion, per Forbes. Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, and Pittsburgh Penguins owner Fenway Sports Group takes fourth with an enterprise value of $10.4 billion. New York Knicks and Rangers owner Madison Square Garden Sports rounds out the top five with an enterprise value of $9.17 billion. The Kraft Group, Yankee Global Enterprises, the Glazer family, Paul G. Allen Trust, and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment close out the top 10. Read More Jan 24, 2023 Senators Question Ticketmaster’s ‘Monopoly’ Over Concerts, Sports November’s Taylor Swift presale ticket debacle was the focus of Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, although Ticketmaster’s dominant position in sports also drew scrutiny. SeatGeek co-founder and CEO Jack Groetzinger told the committee that Ticketmaster controls ticketing for more than 80% of NFL, NBA, and NHL venues. Outside SeatGeek’s deals with the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys, Ticketmaster has agreements with all the other NFL teams, giving the industry giant a nearly 94% stranglehold, according to data provided by music promoter Jerry Mickelson at the hearing. “You have clear dominance. Monopolistic control,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut). “This whole concert ticket system is a mess, a monopolistic mess.” Read More Jan 24, 2023 Travel Concerns Become Focal Point for WNBA Players, Teams The discussion of charter travel for WNBA teams is heating up. Private air travel is a focus of free-agent conversations in the league, according to ESPN, as Phoenix Mercury player Brittney Griner — who was detained in Russia last year — will likely need to fly private for safety concerns. If she does, the WNBA would need to decide how to go forward with charter travel — the league currently doesn’t allow charter flights. Cost estimates for all teams traveling charter are close to $30 million — an amount the WNBA can’t afford. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert previously said that she wouldn’t “jeopardize the health of the league” with charter flights. Even if an individual team has enough money to fly charter, it isn’t allowed to unless all 12 teams can afford it — the New York Liberty were fined $500,000 for secretly chartering flights during the 2022 season. Griner reportedly hasn’t asked for special travel accommodations yet. Read More Jan 24, 2023 LIV Golf: Majors to decide if Dustin Johnson and Co receive world ranking points If Greg Norman is looking for a conspiracy to blame for LIV Golf events being denied world ranking points then he will now have to play a dangerous game and point the finger at the four majors themselves. Norman has vehemently demanded that Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner, and Keith Pelley, the chief executive of the DP World Tour, recuse themselves as board members from being involved in LIV’s application to join the Official World Golf Rankings. And, in a move that might catch Norman by surprise, Pelley revealed on Monday that the pair have done just that, as well as Keith Waters, Pelley’s right-hand man who also sits on the OWGR panel. “At the last OWGR board meeting [in December] myself, Jay Monahan and Keith Waters recused ourselves and now a separate committee made up of the four majors will now determine the application,” he said. Read More Jan 24, 2023 Tom Brady or Greg Olsen? Fox has a future decision to make on its No. 1 analyst The obvious storyline for Sunday’s NFC championship game centers on unexpected breakout stars. There is Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, 24, who entered the season with questions about his ability, only to become an MVP candidate whom his head coach now compares to no less than Michael Jordan. There is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, 23, who was a third-stringer after being the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and is now looking for his eighth straight victory as a starter. And then there is … Greg Olsen, 37, the retired, mostly small-market tight end who, due to a wild shake-up in the NFL broadcasting ranks last year, became Fox’s lead game analyst and has quickly become a viewer and critic favorite for his insightful and easygoing manner. Read More Jan 24, 2023 Scott Rolen elected to Baseball Hall of Fame while Alex Rodriguez again falls well short It took six tries, but St. Louis Cardinals great Scott Rolen is heading to the Hall of Fame. Rolen received the news that he would be enshrined in Cooperstown on Tuesday. He is the only member of the 2023 Hall of Fame class voted in by the Baseball Writers' Association of America this year. Rolen barely got in, receiving 76.3% of the vote. Players need 75% of the vote to be enshrined in Cooperstown. Rolen's candidacy took a few years to materialize. In his first year of eligibility, he received just 10.2% of the vote, but that percentage quickly rose as people focused more on his case. In 17 seasons in the majors, Rolen put up a .281/.364/.490 slash line with 316 home runs. His OPS+ for his career was 122, meaning he hit 22% better than the league average over that period. On top of that, Rolen was a wizard in the field. He won eight Gold Glove awards during his career and was one of the best defensive third basemen in the league. Rolen also won the Rookie of the Year award in 1997, made seven All-Star teams, took home a Silver Slugger in 2002 and won the 2006 World Series with the Cardinals. Making the Hall of Fame as a third baseman is no mean feat for Rolen, as the field position is the least represented in Cooperstown. By the Hall's own count, only 17 third basemen have been enshrined. Rolen is the first to make it since Chipper Jones in 2018; before that, no third baseman had been elected by the BBWAA since Wade Boggs in 2005. Read More

< Back Ex-Panthers coach Matt Rhule files $5M lawsuit in severance pay dispute: report Feb 4, 2023 Former Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule has taken legal action over a compensation dispute, a report from The Associated Press revealed. The arbitration suit with the NFL is seeking around $5 million in "offset severance compensation," a source told the AP. CBS Sports was first to report the suit. Rhule was relieved of his duties in October, one day after the Panthers were defeated by the 49ers to drop to 1-4. The current Nebraska football head coach has reportedly retained the services of high-profile litigator John Singer of Singer Deutsch LLP to handle the lawsuit. A spokesperson for the Panthers did not provide a comment about the situation. Source: Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/sports/ex-panthers-coach-matt-rhule-files-5-lawsuit-against-former-team-for-severance-compensation Previous Next