In 2022 Philadelphia Eagles signal caller Jalen Hurts was expected to have a good year after leading the team to the playoffs in his first as a starter.
But, not only did Hurts go out and have a great season, the former Alabama and Oklahoma starting quarterback finished second in MVP voting to the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes. The same guy he lost to in the Super Bowl, coming up just short in a thrilling 38-35 loss.
As great as Hurts was in 2022, the Eagles believe he can take another jump. Last week on ESPN’s “Get Up,” NFL analyst Jereme Fowler had this to say about Hurts heading into year three as the starter.
“They also expect Hurts can make another jump. He’s done it every year. They believe he can be one of those elite precision-type pocket passers.”
And that’s exactly why Hurts could take a step back next year. It seems as if the Eagles want to see him become more of a pocket passer, based on Fowler’s comments. That would be a mistake, because he’s so good with his legs and throwing on the move.
In 2022, Hurts garnered second-team All-Pro honors and his first Pro Bowl nod. He also went 16-2 as the starter under center missing two games with an injured shoulder.
Hurts connected on over 66 percent of his passes for a little better than 3,700 yards, 22 touchdowns, throwing just six interceptions.
The dynamic dual-threat also used his legs to rush for over 750 yards and 13 more touchdowns.
While those numbers are definitely possible for Hurts to duplicate, here’s why he won’t match the production this season.
If the Eagles coaching staff looks to make him more of a pocket passer that could stymie some of Hurts’ progress and the way he accumulated chunks of yardage. Airing it out from the pocket isn’t who Hurts is. Although he’s displayed marked improvement in that area, there’s no need to have him sit back there and try to be Peyton Manning or Tom Brady.
He’s better when he’s looking like the aforementioned Mahomes and Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Secondly, defenses will adjust, and as a one-dimensional QB Hurts will be much easier to contain. That also means the Eagles’ running backs should be able to have some big rushing days via the zone read game that the Eagles offense utilizes.
Lastly, the pressure of his huge deal will definitely be a factor. Even though Hurts is about as even-keeled as there is in the league, the expectations are huge. Those expectations and his new position as “the hunted” can bring some regression, with Hurts possibly trying too hard to prove he’s worth the money he’s being paid.
Hurts taking a step back next season doesn’t necessarily mean the Eagles will fall off.
In fact, there’s still a great chance they end up in Las Vegas as the NFC champion in the Super Bowl. In a watered-down NFC, Hurts not being as good as 2022 probably won’t keep Philly from still winning the NFC East and hosting playoff games in the City Brotherly Love.
For Hurts, a great season isn’t all about numbers but how he directs the dynamic Eagles offense, which is loaded with weaponry.
Hurts is no longer the underestimated winner. After his Super Bowl appearance and record deal all of the pressure will be on him to elevate his game to another level. The Eagles would be wise to do more of what they did last season and not try to alter Hurts’ playing style.
Even if his numbers suffer, it won’t hurt the team’s win total. That’s how talented the Eagles roster is on the offensive side of the football.
The NBA Finals are in full swing and following weeks and rounds of crazy end-to-end action, we’ll crown an NBA champion over the next two weeks.
In a series now tied 1-1 as it shifts to Miami, if we’re lucky enough to reach a Game 7, that will take place on Father’s Day, June 18.
That may be a little ways from now. In the meantime, here’s a list of the best players in the playoffs so far.
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, Center
The Denver Nuggets are appearing in their first NBA Finals in franchise history, and the bulk of the credit goes to the “Serbian Sensation.” The former back-to-back MVP has been the best and most consistent player in the playoffs. In Sunday’s tough Game 2 loss, Jokic went for 41 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Such a low total of assists is not usually a successful recipe for the Nuggets, who thrive when Joker is distributing more than shooting. So he’ll be looking to get back to his normal approach in a huge Game 3 in Miami.
In the 2023 playoffs, Jokic is averaging 29.8 points, 13.1 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game.
Prior to last week’s NBA Finals Game 1, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone spoke highly of his superstar.
“The MVPs are real. All the narratives are silly. He’s averaging a triple-double. Do you see any stat padding there? Give him his d–n respect.”
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat, Forward
The heart and soul of the Miami Heat basketball team is star player Jimmy Butler.
The former first-round pick out of Marquette has found himself a home in South Beach, and he’s making the most out of it. More importantly, he’s a true leader.
During Miami’s improbable run in the NBA Finals, Butler has been magnificent. In series wins over the heavily favored Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, Butler’s grit and determination have resonated with his team and driven them within three games of winning the franchise’s second NBA championship.
Averaging a cool 27 points, seven rebounds and nearly six assists per game, on shooting splits of 48/36/81, Butler is the straw that stirs the drink for the Heat.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, Guard
Steph does what Steph does, and that’s put on epic shooting displays like we’ve never seen before. While the defending champion Warriors came up short in their repeat bid, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the Western Conference Semis, Curry was magnificent throughout the Dubs run.
In an epic Game 7 win against the upstart Sacramento Kings, Curry poured in 50 points, a Game 7 record.
The greatest shooter ever overcame a slow start, and rebounded masterfully to post averages of 31 points, seven assists and six rebounds in 13 playoff games — on shooting splits of 47/37/85.
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets, Guard
Having returned this season from a torn ACL suffered at the end of the 2020-21, Murray was up-and-down for a good portion of the regular season.
But in these playoffs, the former Kentucky star has been the “Robin” to Jokic’s “Batman.” His performance in the Nuggets surprising Western Conference Finals sweep of the Lakers proved that he’s definitely back and even better than he was pre-injury.
His breakout Game 2 and Game 3 performances of that series further proved his worthiness of being mentioned with the league’s best guards.
The Canadian-born sharpshooter is averaging 27/7/6 on shooting splits of 48/39/92 in the postseason. His play over the next five games will go a long way in determining if the Nuggets are able to win their first NBA title.
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks, Guard
In his final season with the Dallas Mavericks, Brunson showed his value, but for some strange reason the Mavericks decided they’d be better off without the talented combo guard.
He was just what the doctor ordered for a Knicks team in need of a floor leader, playmaker and big-shot maker.
He led the team to 47-35 regular season and its second playoff appearances in the last three seasons, which included a five-game series win over the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
In that series, the former two-time national champion at Villanova outplayed Cavs star Donovan Mitchell, whom the Knicks originally looked to trade before signing Brunson as a free agent.
In 11 playoff games, Brunson averaged 28 points, six assists and five rebounds on shooting splits of 47/34/91. The Knicks found one, while the Mavs are kicking themselves for letting him get away.
The Phoenix Suns shocked everyone when they fired former NBA Coach of the Year Monty Williams following a second-round exit from the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
In both instances the team was blown out, and new owner Mat “Mix It Up With Jokic” Ishbia decided it was time to part ways despite Williams still being owed $21 million over the next three seasons.
While Williams just landed the richest contract for a coach in NBA history with the Detroit Pistons, six-years, $78.5 million to resurrect a rather dormant Motor City franchise, the Suns went the complete opposite route in hiring former Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel.
Vogel, known as a defensive guru, will now get a chance to coach Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Chris Paul, after coaching LeBron James and Anthony Davis to a championship in the “NBA bubble.”
But is he the right choice to lead the Suns as they’re currently constructed?
The Suns hiring process didn’t take long, and in the end Vogel emerged from a group of finalists which included Doc Rivers, Suns assistant Kevin Young, and Nick Nurse, whom many believed would be the choice. As for Young, whom Booker really wanted to get the gig, the Suns instead made him the highest-paid assistant in the league.
Vogel is a good coach, but just not the right one for the Suns. Known for his defensive prowess as a head coach, Vogel may make the Suns a better defensive team, but someone needs to come in and put an offensive system in place. With Durant and Booker it looked a lot like Durant’s time with OKC Thunder when he and Russell Westbrook played more hero ball than real offensive system basketball. That style works until it doesn’t, and if the Suns are to have success under Vogel he’ll need to figure that out. In Vogel’s previous stops, although he was successful, his offenses were never anything to write home about.
Some believe he’s an upgrade over the aforementioned Williams, and he’s cheaper per season as well. But that view is mistaken, because he’s had more talent than Monty until this season when the Suns acquired KD at the trade deadline.
Following the Williams dismissal, some believed Young was a shoo-in to take the reins. The very opinionated Bill Simmons was adamant that Young would get the job, even mentioning it on his podcast.
“From the producers of I told you Bronny James was going to USC six weeks ago, it’s gonna be Kevin Young,” Simmons said on a recent podcast.
Simmons seemingly had no problem taking the loss in being wrong, and he even tweeted about it:
As Simmons’ tweet stated Vogel is the splashier, more experienced hire, but Young is ready and could be exactly what the Suns need, not another retread that’s been solid as a coach but nothing that makes you go we’ve gotta have him.
Golf legend Tiger Woods‘ ex-girlfriend Erica Herman is not giving up her battle against the 15-time major champion. Herman filed a request with the state of Florida to reconsider the recent ruling that her dispute with the golfer remain in private arbitration.
According to documents filed by Herman’s lawyer, the ask for reconsideration states there were at least four issues that were either overlooked or not considered in Judge Elizabeth Metzger’s ruling on May 17 in favor of Woods.
“The U.S. Supreme Court has consistently held that a party cannot be forced to arbitrate without a finding that she agreed to do so, which means that in this case — with no evidence in the record — arbitration should not be compelled, or, at a minimum, an evidentiary hearing should be held,” said the document filed by Herman’s attorney, Benjamin Hodas.
Herman’s legal team filed a request earlier this year to have the non-disclosure agreement she signed with Woods nullified due to the federal Speak Out Act that provides exceptions if there is evidence of sexual harassment or assault.
In Judge Metzger’s ruling she called Herman’s sexual assault claim against Woods “vague and threadbare.”
“Herman has had the opportunity [to] provide factual specificity for any claim relating to sexual assault or sexual harassment, however, she has not done so,” Metzger wrote in her ruling.
Neither Herman or her attorney have denied that an NDA was signed.
In the initial response to Herman’s filing, Woods’ attorney said the NDA is “valid on its face” and Judge Metzger agreed.
“Importantly, Herman has not ‘denied’ that her signature is on the NDA,” the judge ruled on May 17. “Herman additionally has not ‘denied’ that the clear terms of the NDA require the resolution of her disputes, claims or controversies with Woods via binding, confidential arbitration.”
The initial filing from Herman stems from what seems like a messy breakup last October where Herman claims Woods tricked her into being locked out of his palatial estate in Hobe Sound, Florida, where they lived together for six years.
According to Herman, Woods’ team told her to pack a suitcase for a vacation and when they dropped her off at the airport they told her she was being locked out.
She filed a lawsuit claiming her ouster violated an oral tenancy agreement she had to remain in the residence for several more years. She claimed more than $30 million damages in the lawsuit, filed against the trust that he established for his home. The $30 million figure is “reasonable rental value” of the home for five years, according to Herman.
The latest lawsuit filed in March against Woods himself, is to release her from the NDA, citing the Speak Out Act that invalidate NDAs and forced arbitration agreements in cases of sexual assault or sexual harassment.
The basis for this suit is that Herman was an employee at Woods’ restaurant in Jupiter, Florida when he pursued a sexual relationship with her. Her lawyer claims she was forced to sign an NDA or risk being fired.
Woods and Herman and their respective legal teams await the word from the Florida state court.
Tyler Herro has been catching a lot of shade recently, and now former Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce is adding to the negative critiques. Pierce appeared on an episode of KG Certified and let the world know that he doesn’t see Tyler as the “Hero” in the Miami Heat versus Denver Nuggets NBA Finals faceoff.
“Guess who’s coming back in this series? Herro, who you ain’t even seen in this sh*t,” Garnett said to an immediately disgusted Paul Pierce.
“I don’t want to hear nothing about Herro,” Pierce said to KG, who quipped back:
“I know you don’t, ‘P,’ because you still on that Celtics sh*t. You got to get off this, Lord!”
As a pivotal member of the Boston Celtics’ 2008 championship team, Pierce was dismayed by the Game 7 destruction of his former team by the Miami Heat on the Celtics’ home court.
“No! If I’m Miami, how do you even play him? They’ve got a rhythm going,” Pierce said adamantly. “Herro getting hurt might have been a blessing in disguise for them, because we see what Caleb Martin done turned into, because Caleb Martin is better than Herro. If you throw off Caleb Martin by bringing Herro back … I don’t want to see it.”
Although Martin has played well in the 2023 playoffs, his performance during the Heat’s lousy Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals soured many fans. Martin scored a paltry three points while shooting 1-for-7 from the field; ultimately, the Heat lost by 11 points.
Game 1’s 104-93 Heat loss was underscored by a Miami team who seemed to have lost a step, trailing by as much as 24 during the game and struggling to contain Denver and its star Nikola Jokic.
Herro has been on the sidelines since he broke his right hand in the first round of the playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks. He underwent surgery for the injury, and although the former Sixth Man of the Year has been inactive since a week ago, he was cleared to restart basketball activities.
However, statistically, Pierce might be mistaken.
On paper, Herro is a better scorer than Martin and is third on the Heat in points per game, just behind team stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Herro averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists during the regular season. In addition, he has shot 43.9 percent from the floor, 37.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 93.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Martin is averaging 13.5 points, 5.6 boards, and 1.6 assists in the 2023 playoffs. Ahead of Game 2, it was reported by NBA TV’s Jared Greenberg that the Heat would start Kevin Love at power forward instead of Caleb Martin.
Herro and Victor Oladipo were both ruled out for Miami 111-108 victory in Game 2, but Pierce isn’t convinced that Herro’s presence would have made a difference; he prefers to let Martin cook.
Herro had caught criticism from the bench, which began when commentator Stan Van Gundy criticized his sideline outfits during the Heat’s Game 4 loss to the Boston Celtics.
“His fashion is so bad on the bench, we need him in uniform,” Van Gundy joked.
First it was Pat McAfee, who hasn’t even begun his tenure with ESPN, recruiting soon-to-be broadcast free agent Shannon Sharpe. Now it’s the worldwide leader’s biggest talent in Stephen A. Smith. It seems like if Sharpe wants to work at ESPN, the door is open.
“I don’t know what Shannon Sharpe’s plans are right now,” Smith said on his eponymous show. “But if that included him coming on ‘First Take,’ the bosses at ESPN know that is something I would support.”
According to reports, Sharpe and his co-host Skip Bayless’ relationship was getting more contentious lately, and an insensitive tweet sent by Bayless after Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field really irked Sharpe.
People on Twitter have also suggested that Sharpe is tired of being spoken down to by Bayless, and that the attacks from Bayless are personal.
This is what these shows are though.
Scroll through social media in the morning during the time “Undisputed” and “First Take” are on the air and you’ll see tons of clips of one of the talking heads “owning” another in a “debate.” But these aren’t real debates. It’s all performative so the clips can go viral and draw in more viewers.
Maybe Sharpe is tired of performing with Bayless and wants to go back and forth with someone else.
FS1’s Rob Parker and Chris Broussard were surprised when they heard the news that their colleague was leaving. But believe he will be on another platform very soon.
“I’m stunned by this news of Shannon Sharpe leaving ‘Undisputed,’ I think it’s a huge loss for FS1,” Chris Broussard said on Fox Sports Radio’s “The Odd Couple” last Wednesday. “I thought that he and Skip Bayless had at least gotten to a point where they could coexist, but apparently not.”
“He’ll have plenty of suitors, because he’s made a brand for himself,” Parker added. “There’ll be a show for him.”
ESPN and FS1 are competing for eyeballs and mindshare in a very crowded content environment. Add in the sportsbooks, who are all creating original content, and you have something of an arms race.
If ESPN can lock up three of the biggest sports talk personalities that’s a big win for the network. Fans of Sharpe will have to tune in and engage with ESPN’s platforms if they want to follow what Sharpe is saying.
Imagine the producers of ESPN thinking of ways to get Sharpe to pretend to smoke Black & Milds while Smith is wearing his Cowboys hat, all while poking fun at Michael Irvin during a segment.
Then there are all the cross-platform opportunities. Sharpe could appear on “NFL Live” or “NFL Countdown” or the “Monday Night Football” pregame.
Whomever decides to sign Sharpe to his next deal is making a business decision. They believe that his ability to perform on live television is worth a lot of eyeballs, which leads to advertisers and more dollars on the broadcast side. More streams and downloads digitally also are useful in selling to advertisers.
The Phoenix Suns announced on Friday that they were hiring former Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel to replace the recently fired Monty Williams. While that move may come as a surprise to some, what new owner Mat Ishbia also did on Friday will have an effect on the athletic program at his alma mater Michigan State.
In a letter sent to the school, Ishbia who along with his brother Justin became majority owners of the Suns and Phoenix Mercury, have decided to end their NIL partnership with Michigan State. The move which will effect the Spartans’ football, basketball and volleyball teams will come to an end on June 30.
In a written letter to the Big Ten power, Ishbia, a walk-on member of head basketball coach Tom Izzo’s only national championship winning squad in 2000, and his company United Wholesale Mortgage said this.
“As an owner of two professional sports teams, it was asked that Mat/UWM discontinue this NIL partnership to avoid any actual or perceived conflict of interest,” according to the letter.
In response to Ishbia and UWM terminating it’s deal with the Spartans, school spokesperson Matt Larson mentioned that the school itself didn’t ask him to end the deal.
“Michigan State athletics is deeply appreciative of Mat Ishbia’s continued support for our department and sports programs,” Larson said in a statement. “Through his gifts, he provides resources for student-athletes, including state-of-the-art facilities and a transformational Spartans for Life Fund which assists with career development and life after athletics.”
Ishbia has donated nearly $50 million to the school since 2020. That’s in addition to the NIL deals that paid student-athletes up to $700 per month for social media posts focusing on his company, UWM.
Maybe he felt pressure from somewhere else now that he owns an NBA and WNBA franchise. But the school is adamant that they weren’t the ones to end the deal.
During Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals between Ishbia’s Suns team and the Denver Nuggets, Ishbia ended up in a little altercation with Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic. The incident that took place was over Jokic trying to get the basketball to get his team on the attack, but Ishbia and other wouldn’t let the ball go, then came the embellishment of Jokic bumping him and he falls back.
Jokic received a technical foul and was fined $25,000 for his actions, while Ishbia, who clearly flopped, walked away unscathed from a fine or anything.
The two laughed it out prior to Game 5, putting an end to any gripe they may have had.
The Philadelphia Eagles have their franchise quarterback in breakout star Jalen Hurts. In 2022 the dynamic dual-threat by way of Alabama and Oklahoma led the Eagles to within seconds of winning their second Super Bowl in the last six seasons. In doing so Hurts asserted himself as the guy in the City of Brotherly Love.
But that almost didn’t happen, as the franchise was reportedly all in on trading for then=Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson during the start of the 2022 offseason. If not for Wilson’s refusal to waive his no-trade clause as he did for a couple teams, including the Washington Commanders, Wilson would’ve likely been the starter in Philly last season.
Recently during an appearance on Seattle’s ESPN radio affiliate, Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop spoke on how the Wilson-to-Philly move nearly came about and why it came to abrupt halt, without ever coming to fruition.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman has been on a tear the last couple drafts and offseasons, but following the 2021 season which saw the Eagles make the playoffs, team brass still wasn’t sold on the aforementioned Hurts. With rumors of Wilson and the Seahawks looking to part ways for the second consecutive offseason, and other rumors of him wanting to stay in the Pacific Northwest, Philly jumped at the opportunity to land the perennial Pro Bowl QB.
“I think what I would say is that the Eagles really wanted him — I think they like his style of play, and I think that makes sense, right, because he’s similar to Jalen Hurts, especially when he was in his prime and a little bit faster than now,” Bishop said. “My understanding is that at that point in time, Russ wanted to stay here in Seattle.”
That didn’t happen, and it turned out to the best move that Roseman has made, one he didn’t make. Hurts had a career year and finished second in MVP voting, while Wilson had a disastrous first season in Denver. In all, the Eagles look like they dodged a bullet.
Wilson’s no-trade clause was the real sticking point in why he ended up in Denver and not somewhere else like Philly. Because of that caveat the Seahawks really didn’t hold much leverage in the situation because of Wilson’s veto power. Minus that in his back pocket, Wilson is very likely the Eagles starter today and sitting on a massive contract as he in Denver.
The Eagles definitely had the picks and trade pieces to get the deal done, but to no avail.
Because of that Hurts was able to play his way into a huge offseason deal as the maestro of the Eagles run-based passing game, which features a ton of run pass option. That’s something Hurts looks much more comfortable doing than the 34-year-old Wilson does at this stage of his career.
Philly is now a Super Bowl contender for the foreseeable future, and the Broncos are hopeful the Wilson and Sean Payton marriage can right the ship out in the Rockies.
The tennis world is missing Naomi Osaka as she is experiencing the joys of pregnancy. Still, she recently gave the world a glimpse into the gender of her and rapper Cordae’s baby. In an Instagram post, the 25-year-old tennis player confirmed that she expects a girl with the caption, “A little princess is on the way.”
From the images, the gender reveal party had a pink and lavender theme, and the happy mother-to-be and prospective father were in high spirits, with Cordae kissing the young tennis great’s baby bump. The comments on the social media post were full of sports and culture stars like Coco Gauff, Naomi Campbell, Yara Shahidi and more all congratulating her.
“It was hard to keep it a secret, but I also knew it would be much more fun to surprise him and everyone else during the party, so it was worth the wait,” Osaka said to Today.com.
Osaka shared that she was pregnant in January after dating Cordae for four years. She revealed the news on Twitter with a picture of the ultrasound and and extended caption: “The past few years have been interesting to say the least, but I find that it’s the most challenging times in life that may be the most fun. These few months away from the sport has really given me a new love and appreciation for the game I’ve dedicated my life to.”
With the pending birth of her first child, the tennis star knows that speculation is rife about her return to tennis after this family hiatus. However, she made no secret that she plans to return to competitive tennis next year, as she aims to be back in action at the Australian Open in January and has her sights set on the Paris Olympics.
Osaka has been feeling the shade from her fans, who believe she will end up just another rapper’s baby’s mother.
“To the people that are suddenly concerned about my career- There are plenty of male athletes with kids that are significantly less accomplished,” Osaka posted on social media last month.
“You might wanna worry about them instead. Thanks for the concern, might wanna redirect it to someone that needs it though,” the tennis star added. “Not trying to make this a male and female thing but let’s be fr.”
Osaka is taking offense to the apparent double standard for male athletes having children and taking off from competition while still having the ability to perform at a high level versus the presumption that it is much more challenging for a woman athlete. For Osaka, it is a non-issue.
“I’m most excited about being able to have a kid in the stands watching me play tennis, and them being able to say ‘Hey, that’s my mom on the court,'” Osaka told Today. “Tennis takes a lot of patience — whether that’s patience with the time it takes to develop a training routine and get in the best shape possible or patience on the court when waiting for the perfect shot to close the point.
“I know parenthood will require a lot of patience in many other ways and I’m really just feeling optimistic and grateful for all that’s ahead.”
World boxing champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis should be on a high right now after defeating his last opponent impressively and solidifying his box office and pay-per-view appeal. Instead, he is now sitting in a Baltimore jail after the judge discovered he broke his house arrest order to stay at a Four Seasons Hotel and a $3.4 million high-rise penthouse he bought in South Baltimore.
Once discovered, a judge ordered that he be immediately put in the “tank” for the expensive lapse in judgment. Baltimore Circuit Judge Althea M. Handy said she permitted the 28-year-old Davis, who had been living in Parkland, Florida, to serve the house arrest at the home of his longtime coach and trainer, Calvin Ford, in Baltimore.
She said Davis never asked to change the court-ordered location. It is unknown how Judge Handy learned where Davis had been staying.
“The reason I didn’t want him in Florida is because this was not a holiday,” said Handy, per The Baltimore Banner. “He was serving time. And I was being considerate enough to let him do it on home detention.” She admitted that she did not want Davis to sit by the pool or hang out at the spa.
Davis’ attorney, Michael Tomko, wanted to redirect the blame to himself and, throughout the hearing repeatedly said so to the judge. Tomko said he and his client were caught off guard by the requirement to comply with the house arrest in Baltimore. Additionally, he attempted to explain that Davis’s coach, Calvin Ford has a one-bedroom house and couldn’t accommodate Davis’s 24/7 security team.
Tomko pleaded to the judge not to punish Davis because “people can attack famous people or hurt them or not want them to fight or win.”
Davis was driving a 2020 Lamborghini Urus on Nov. 5, 2020, after running a red light and hitting a 2004 Toyota Solara that injured four people, including a pregnant woman. Later he pleaded guilty to four traffic offenses and was sentenced to 90 days of home detention plus three years’ probation.
Davis is a former protegè of successful boxer-businessman Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who groomed the fighter to a perfect 29-0 professional boxing record with 27 knockouts. His recent defeat of Ryan Garcia with a body shot in the seventh round of a lightweight bought in Las Vegas solidified Davis as one of the world’s top draws in boxing and now a pay-per-view star.
The fight generated over 1.2 million pay-per-view buys and a $22.8 million gate at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The financial haul is the fifth-biggest gate in Nevada’s lucrative combat sporting history, per Tapology.
Now Davis will have to halt training and decisions on future opponents until he gets out of custody in a deal that was a sweetheart opportunity if he would have asked the judge to commute the sentence to another local Baltimore residence. With the boxing world’s lightweight division on fire, Davis is pivotal, but his legal troubles are the only thing knocking him out of the ring.
The Boston Celtics concluded a tumultuous season with a Game 7 loss in the Eastern Conference finals to the Miami Heat. According to reports, it wasn’t just the loss of head coach Ime Udoka on the eve of training camp but also the loss of assistant coach Damon Stoudamire in March that contributed to the team’s uneven play.
The Celtics were a season removed from an appearance in the NBA Finals, where they held a 2-1 lead with game four on their home floor. They eventually succumbed to the Golden State Warriors but the belief was this team would be back next year looking for redemption.
On the eve of training camp it was revealed that then head coach Ime Udoka had a sexual relationship with a subordinate and he was relieved of his duties, replaced by Joe Mazzulla. That sudden change was rocky leaving many of the Celtics players and coaches confused.
But the team looked like they were still focused, holding the No. 1 spot in the league for a good portion of the season before eventually settling into second place in the eastern conference. They were No. 1 in aNET rating, No. 2 in aORTG, and No. 3 in aDRTG. Hallmarks of a title contender.
In March Stoudamire, who many of the players thought would be named interim coach, got the head coaching position at Georgia Tech and that left a leadership void on the bench.
“It’s not like Damon had a certain power, but players really respected him,” one team source told The Athletic this week. “Joe used Damon to have a guy that’s been here that’s played that can speak to them. Damon could speak their language and no one else on the staff can do (it).”
Fans don’t often think about the roles of coaches beyond calling timeouts and drawing up plays. But a team is like a mini corporation with all sorts of competing interests and personalities. Oftentimes the only way to get through to a player is with another player. Someone who can empathize with what they are going through because they’ve faced something similar.
No Udoka, no Stoudamire, and Will Hardy, who was on Udoka’s staff last season, left to become the head coach of the Utah Jazz. That’s a lot of upheaval on the bench, and despite the team’s regular-season success, it clearly impacted them.
“I loved having Damon around,” Jaylen Brown said at the time it was announced Stoudamire got the Georgia Tech job. “He’s probably one of my favorite people in the organization, so it’s tough. But I’m extremely excited for him to start his journey, especially in my hometown [of Atlanta].”
Brown, who already feels some type of way about the organization, as he was rumored to be a part of a potential trade for Kevin Durant, was clearly impacted. One of his “favorite” individuals in the organization is now gone. Who does he trust on the Celtics now?
Regardless of what you think about the money these players make and what they actually get paid to do, this is a people business. It is still a place where people come to work. When you don’t like the atmosphere or have resentment about your work environment, performance is often negatively impacted.
In the past seven seasons the Celtics have made five conference finals appearances and an NBA Finals appearance. Brown and Jayson Tatum are among the best duos in the league. This team is excellent. There are some areas where they need to see improvement both on the court and in the areas that fans don’t often see.
Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris puts on his cape and saves the day at a Las Vegas pool last weekend.
Morris’ wife Nicole posted the details of the incident on her Instagram page on Wednesday. She said that their family were at Encore hotel in Las Vegas when Morris saw a 3-year-old boy nearly drowning in the pool. A lifeguard was able to pull the boy from the pool, but he was unconscious and needed CPR. The longtime defensive coordinator intervened to help save the boy’s life with something he learned at a recent Rams training session.
“I saw people calling 911, so my first question was, where is the AED?” Morris told ESPN on Wednesday. “When I got back, we had a doctor on site that was able to start the compressions. I was able to hand the AED to him, get it open for him, put the pads on the child, and he ended up being OK.”
Morris gave credit to the Rams vice president of sports medicine and performance Reggie Scott. He recently facilitated a course for CPR, AED and first aid training. Morris says the course helped him be aware of the proper protocols and importance of AED, which stands for automatic external defibrillator.
An AED is used to analyze a person’s heart rhythm when they are experiencing cardiac arrest and deliver an appropriate electric shock to restore their heart back to an appropriate rhythm.
Morris mentioned how Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest on the field during a game in January and Bucs linebacker Shaquil Barrett’s 2-year-old daughter recently drowning helped increased awareness among coaches and players to be prepared for unexpected emergencies.
“I’m just thankful I knew what to do,” Morris said to ESPN. “You just never know when you’re going to need that stuff.”
Morris is not the only NFL personnel member to help to save someone’s life this offseason. In March, Vikings wide receiver K.J. Osborn helped a man who’d been in a wreck in Austin, Texas. Osborn was an Uber passenger when he witnessed a car crashing into a pillar on the side of the road. The car began to go up in flames, and he jumped out to pull the man out of the car along with two other men nearby. It was later discovered that Osborn pulled reality star Nelson Thomas out the burning car.
Both Morris and Osborn were in the right place at the right time and should consider teaming up for a training class to teach life-saving skills.
Antonio Brown is definitely one of the more interesting personalities to ever play in the NFL, in addition to being one of the most talented receivers to ever grace the hardwood.
The same can be said for former NFL MVP Cam Newton, whose best days are far behind him, but still obviously has a passion for the game.
Brown, understanding Newton’s hunger recently offered to share some of his spotlight with the guy who was once the face of the NFL at the peak of his fame, Cam Newton.
Brown tried his luck with ownership and purchased the arena league team Albany Empire in March. Since the team struggled to put fans in the seats, Brown thought he would bring some excitement to the league by suiting up as a player-owner.
According to WYNT’s Rodger Wyland, Brown was supposed to suit up for the Empire on May 27 but it didn’t happen. He tweeted that he plans to play on June 16 and wants Newton to suit up as well on that date.
Brown’s Arena League debut will be put on hold for now. According to WYNT, the paperwork from his physical didn’t come in time, and that is the reason why he didn’t play.
His first tweet on May 28 told fans to stay tuned for his debut.
He followed that tweet with another one inviting Newton to play.
“If anybody seen @CameronNewton let him know he haven’t thrown me a touchdown in a game yet and now we finally can make it happen @thealbanyempir 6/16/23 in Albany nyc ! I’m offering Cam 150k one game play with me please spam his account,” wrote Brown on Twitter.
This is the second time Brown has tried to lure Newton to come play with him in the arena league. He extended an offer to him ahead of his previously scheduled debut on May 27.
If Newton were to agree to Brown’s offer, the next concern would be if he could actually make good on his $150,000 offer. According to multiple reports, players and staff complained about not being paid as recently as late April. The missed payments caused former head coach Damon Ware to leave the team.
The team claimed that the payments were late because of a change in payroll processors that occurred when Brown took over the team. Brown said in an interview he did with WTEN’s Griffin Haas that everyone was paid.
As for Newton, he last played in 2021 for the Carolina Panthers. The quarterback has battled injuries throughout his playing career and has campaigned hard to return to the NFL. So Brown’s six-figure offer might not be enough to get Newton for one game.
Pat McAfee’s five-year, $85 million deal to have “The Pat McAfee Show” air exclusively on ESPN and ESPN-owned platforms has barely begun and McAfee is already making recruitment pitches to talent. Soon-to-be free agent Shannon Sharpe will be leaving FS1’s “Undisputed” and might be looking for a new home. Would Uncle Shay Shay be a part of the McAfee umbrella?
“But Shannon being available… that’s a narrative shifter for a place,” McAfee said during Thursday’s installment of The Pat McAfee Show.”
“That’s a potential massive asset to a platform that maybe wants to launch. … Shannon is going to be in a really good spot here I think and I hope to hell he comes to ESPN,” McAfee said.
“And when I say come to ESPN, we’re not even at ESPN, but we’re going to be there and if Shannon Sharpe is to be there, and you start talking about like what a day could look like, that’s f—king awesome … and I am very excited about it,” he added.
ESPN already airs the popular “First Take” with Stephen A. Smith. Add in McAfee and his audience and what Sharpe could potentially bring in and you’re looking at three of the most powerful personas in sports media right now.
Sharpe and FS1 have reached a buyout agreement and the Hall of Fame tight end’s tenure as co-host with Bayless will come to an end at the end of the NBA Finals. His popular “Club Shay Shay” podcast will also be leaving Fox platforms.
According to reports, Sharpe and Bayless’ relationship was getting more contentious lately, and an insensitive tweet sent by Bayless after Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field sent Sharpe over the edge.
FS1’s Rob Parker and Chris Broussard believe that once Bayless started attacking Sharpe personally on the show, it was the beginning of the end.
“The moment Skip claimed Shannon was ‘jealous’ of Tom Brady, and Shannon took his glasses off, that was the moment they were separated,” Parker said. “Skip even told him to put his glasses back on, and Skip didn’t like that at all… Chris we’ve had our fights on the radio, but you have to be careful to not cross lines. You never want to hurt your partner to the point you hurt the show.”
When you get on television and scream and yell about sports for hours this is what sometimes can happen. Sharpe likely was tired of the disrespect from Bayless and Bayless thinks he is “Undisputed” much the same way Smith is “First Take.”
The bottom line is both of these men get paid a lot of money to bloviate on television, and that appeals to a large segment of sports fans. There is no doubt someone, if it’s not ESPN, will snatch Sharpe up and give him a space to do his thing. The sportsbooks are all into creating original content now and are flush with cash. They could be players here as well.
MLB legend Alex Rodriguez has long been a pretty alienating figure in the world of baseball, from his well-documented denial and then his admitting to doping during his illustrious career to his love life with actress and musician Jennifer Lopez.
In the end, A-Rod has always been himself and doesn’t really seem to care what folks think of him. Some have called him smug, and others love him. With Rodriguez it’s a mixed bag of results.
Recently, former high school teammate Doug Mientkiewicz, a long-tenured MLB player himself, had a lot to say about the former New York Yankees third baseman. During an appearance on the “Foul Territory” podcast, Mientkiewicz let it all hang out about A-Rod.
“I always said he was gonna die a lonely man, because this whole ‘father of the year’ stuff, God bless him with his daughters, because it’s got to come a long way. But it’s like, ‘You’re just trying to get into heaven now.’
“I’m still friends with my high school team,” Mientkiewicz continued. “We still text often — not as often as we should — but we still text, group thread, constantly badgering each other, and he’s just distanced from it. I don’t care how good or how great you become and how your career goes, you never forget your high school dudes.
“Like, your high school and college teammates are brothers till the end. We still talk. We still shoot the sh*t, but he’s nowhere to be found, even when we do stuff for our high school coach. Like I said, I have a picture of him sleeping at the table in his Timberwolves shirt. I’m like, Are you serious? Go Wolves. No wonder they suck.”
Mientkiewicz Sounds Like A Scorned Hater
Strong words from a high school teammate, but something tells us A-Rod couldn’t care less. And one has to question the motivation behind spewing this venom toward A-Rod. With all due respect to A-Rod’s high school buddies, he’s a busy man between his jet-setting, job as a baseball analyst and overall celebrity demands.
He wrecked his marriage over a relationship with Madonna and had J-Lo wrapped around his finger with promises of marriage for a decade. So, excuse him if he doesn’t have time to catch a beer with his old high school, college or MLB buddies.
Mientkiewicz sounds like a real hater.
And for him to say the T-Wolves suck is wrong as well, they don’t suck, and Rodriguez is set take over ownership of the team by the start of the 2024 NBA season, along with close friend and business partner Marc Lore.
Rodriguez Takes High Road In Response
Not that Rodriguez had to even give this attack any time of the day, but he did. But surprisingly he didn’t clap back as most probably figured he would, he instead opted for the high road.
In an interview with Fox 5 NY’s Rosanna Scottie, Rodriguez had this to say.
“There’s always going to be people out there that have things to say, everyone has an opinion, but I certainly would never talk publicly negatively about any of my teammates, especially from high school. I mean, look, we’re almost 50 now. This is supposed to be the good old days when we look back, and we cringe about some of the weird things that we did, and we’re proud of the relationships we built over the years. So, you take that with a grain of salt and you wish everyone well and you move on.”
Sounds like a new and improved Rodriguez, and maybe so he’s about to be a full-time owner of an NBA team, and he gains nothing from a verbal fisticuffs with a former teammate from high school.
Pair Was Teammates With The Yankees As Well
The duo not only teamed up at Westminster Christian on the outskirts of Miami, they also became teammates with the Yankees in 2007. After his arrival to the Bronx, Mientkiewicz mentioned that Yankees great Jorge Posada believed the team should’ve brought him in earlier to help “control” Rodriguez.
“He’s like Alex is completely different around you. And I’m like, ‘It’s on you guys. You guys let him get away with s***,’” Mientkiewicz said. “He’d made a kid carry his glove and belt … and I’m like, ‘What the f—? You can’t carry your own belt? What’s wrong with you? Put it on. Everyone here is making $30 million, too.’”
There’s obviously some bad blood between A-Rod and Mientkiewicz, that Rodriguez is over, while Mientkiewicz isn’t.
As A-Rod stated, they’re too old for this type of stuff.
Heading into Thursday’s NBA Finals Game 1, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was adamant that his Western Conference top-seeded Nuggets shouldn’t be favored over the No.8 seed Eastern Conference champ Miami Heat.
The Nuggets are definitely the favorite, and they showed why in a wire-to-wire 104-93 win in the series opener.
Joker Says Miami Heat Should Be Favored
During Wednesday’s media session, the two-time NBA MVP had a lot to say, and he isn’t buying the favorite narrative at all.
“Who said that we are favorites? The media? Las Vegas? Las Vegas told us that we were underdogs before. That doesn’t seem correct. I think, I mean, we are not the favorites. I think in the Finals, there are no favorites. This is going to be the hardest games of our lives, and we know that. And we are preparing for that. I think there’s no favorites, and I think we are not the favorites in this series. I think they the Heat aren’t either. It’s just the Finals. There’s no favorites in the Finals in my opinion.”
FanDuel Sportsbook had the Nuggets as a favorite to win it all at -800, representing the Western Conference after an impressive sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers. Maybe the Joker isn’t believing the hype, but the betting sites are.
Joker’s Play In Game 1 Proved Why The Nuggets Are The Favorites
What other superstar can attempt just five shots through the first three quarters, and still end up with a 27 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists triple-double? Only Jokic, and that’s why the Nuggets will likely win its first Larry O’Brien trophy in franchise history.
In the first half alone, Jokic controlled the game with 10 points and 10 assists in guiding Denver to a 59-42 lead at the half, with the team never relinquishing the lead.
The Miami Heat are a feisty and tough basketball team, but they’ve overachieved mightily to reach the Finals.
And while no one will ever discount their road to get here, Denver is the most complete team in the NBA — a team that can beat you in numerous ways.
This entire playoff run the Nuggets have used a belief that no one believes in them for motivation at every challenge. They were considered underdogs against the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers and their odds to win a ring were 11-1. Along the way to shutting up the non believers, Joker conquered KD’s Suns and then swept LeBron’s Lakers.
The way Denver handled those two Western Conference foes automatically disqualifies them as underdogs in the eyes of the NBA world. They better find a new motivation because it’s clear that Joker has the better team in this series.
During the season and throughout most of the playoffs, Nuggets coach Michael Malone grew tired of being overlooked by the talking heads and let it be known in the Lakers series sweep.
In this series he won’t be able to do that, as his team is expected to finish the job with a title, and based on how Game 1 looked, it’s bound to happen in the next couple of games.
During news press conference ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, commissioner Adam Silver announced that referee Eric Lewis would not be working any finals game as a review of his social media habits is pending. A burner Twitter account believed to be owned by Lewis was uncovered and sparked a league-wide investigation.
“We decided that given that investigation was ongoing and it remains ongoing, that it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to work in these finals,” Silver said. “I don’t know what the ultimate conclusion will be. We’ll see where the facts take us.”
A Twitter account with the handle @CuttliffBlair, is believed to be Lewis’ burner account. It started picking up a lot of attention on #NBATwitter due to posts that commented on Lewis and games he has officiated.
NBA officials are not allowed to publicly speak about officiating in manners unauthorized by the league.
On the surface it’s funny and many people are laughing at the idea of a referee with a burner account defending himself on Twitter.
However, this is a bad look for Silver and the league.
Fans on social media already have long threads and conspiracy theories about certain biases they believe referees have against their teams. Referee Scott Foster’s nickname among fans is “The Extender.”
The story there is that many of the series he has officiated have gone six or seven games. Fans speculate that the NBA lets Foster officiate whenever they need a series to go the distance.
Veteran NBA referee Tony Brothers is another official fans believe has it in for their team. Earlier this season, while he was still a member of the Dallas Mavericks, Spencer Dinwiddie said Brothers called him a “b**** a** mother***** after giving him a technical.
The fact that fans know the names of officials and there are threads with teams’ win-loss records with a particular official is alarming. If the NBA is a TV show, officials are not the main characters. They shouldn’t be as much a part of the discourse as they are.
The betting scandal of former referee Tim Donaghy in 2007-08 was a stain on the league. Despite then commissioner David Stern’s assertion that he was a rogue official, Foster was Donaghy’s best friend, for what it’s worth.
Earlier this season Fred Van Vleet went off on referee Ben Taylor, saying that in every officiating crew there is one referee that “f**** the game up.”
This was days after his teammate Scottie Barnes questioned the integrity of another official.
Not addressing the situation and pretending like there is nothing wrong won’t solve this issue. You couple all of this with the fact that the NBA, like every other professional sorts league, is in bed with online sports books and you have a lot of gray area.
During these playoffs NBA official Rodney Mott was visibly seen reacting poorly to a made Jimmy Butler layup in the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics, causing many to speculate whether he wagered on the game.
Referees are human and fallible. But they are responsible for the integrity of the game. The league needs them to be better and they have to demand it. They can’t open themselves up for any doubt or uncertainty.
The news that Shannon Sharpe is leaving the popular sports debate show “Undisputed” has had unforeseen repercussions. The always-trolling Antonio Brown has staked his claim for the next co-host in the host seat. AB took to Twitter to let the world know that he hasn’t stopped punching above his weight in other industries and now wants to take on daytime sports debate.
Brown posted a video of a superhero hurtling toward an unknown destination at breakneck speed with his song “Put That Sh*t On” as an example of how fast he would take an opportunity to be Skip Bayless’s wingman.
“Me omw to take Shannon Sharpe’s spot on Undisputed #ABUndisputed,” the caption read.
Immediately fans and critics had fun with the social media post knowing that AB was serious and that the notion was as ridiculous as anything Brown has done outside of being a professional athlete.
Shannon Sharpe, the Hall of Fame tight end, and Fox Sports agreed to a buyout of his contract. Since joining the desk with Bayless in 2016, the two have made countless memories on air regardless of how polarizing they have been. The two fell out a few times, including their massive fallout in December, where Sharpe accused Bayless of taking a personal shot at him to defend Brady. Bayless told Sharpe he was “nowhere near the player Brady was.”
Ouch. But Uncle Shannon wasn’t having it.
“Everytime I call something into question, I get it; I did what I did!” Sharpe said to Bayless in response. “You make it seem like I was a bum! I’m in the ‘effin Hall of Fame. I got three Super Bowls.”
Bayless tweeted during the fateful Cincinnati Bengals versus Buffalo Bills game on Jan. 2 that implied the game should continue based on the playoff implications even after Hamlin collapsed on the field with a severe medical issue. Bayless received backlash over the tweet but did provide a half-hearted apology and explanation.
However, until recently, Sharpe acted like he wouldn’t leave the show. Sharpe appeared on SiriusXM’s “The Adam Schein” podcast in February to explain.
“We had a bad two months,” Sharpe said when describing his current relationship with his co-host. “I wasn’t gonna allow two bad months to ruin six years of a great working relationship.”
That statement didn’t age well.
Antonio Brown has been living his best life in his post-NFL life. He started a rap career, purchased the arena football team his father used to play for, and might make an NFL return, per his agent.
“He is exploring the right fit,” his agent, JR Rickert, told CBS Sports, claiming that there have been recent “genuine” NFL inquiries about Brown. “I think that he is a multi-talented individual who does everything at a high level,” Rickert said, “and whatever he commits to, he goes all in.”
The 34-year-old Brown hasn’t been on an NFL field since leaving the game and hurling his jersey into the stands during a Buccaneers Week 17 game in 2021 after a dispute with Tampa Bay’s head coach. Now he wants to expand his nontraditional path by angling on social media for an “Undisputed” shot.
Good luck, AB.
UFC superstar Conor McGregor may be popular with fans, but he is not the most popular with his fellow fighter community.
McGregor, who hasn’t had a professional fight since his devastating loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021, has been taking verbal jabs from veteran UFC fighter Matt “The Immortal” Brown, who joins the chorus of MMA pros who believe McGregor is “coked up.”
“With Conor, I just want the red panty night, right? That’s all I give a f**k about,” Brown said recently on Michael Bisping’s “Believe You Me” podcast. “He’s a nobody, to be honest, in my opinion,” Brown said. “He was amazing, I give him all the props for all that he did. At this point, he’s a bum.”
In MMA, a fight against McGregor is the equivalent of a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. for boxing — the biggest payday of your life or a night meant for celebrating a special occasion. Now that McGregor is seemingly back in competition as an opposing coach on “The Ultimate Fighter” against Michael Chandler, he has been vocal and visible for the fighters still looking to get a piece of his cachet in the Octagon.
However, with mounting losses, Brown questioned McGregor’s relevance as a high-level fighter at this stage in his career. Many, like Brown, believe McGregor has a substance abuse problem. The Irish star has been seen drinking his Proper 12 whiskey at events and in public frequently, leading many to believe he doesn’t take fighting seriously anymore since his massive payday when he fought Mayweather in a boxing match in 2017.
“You can headline that, and it won’t be bulls**t,” Brown continued. “Conor, I think he’s lost like four or his last five. He hasn’t f***ing done nothing. Everything you see, it’s him drinking or getting coked up, or he’s juiced out of his mind. That’s fing bum life to me. All that money don’t make you not a bum. You’re still a bum to me, bro. When you step in the cage, you’re still a f*ing bum to me.”
The always-ready-fo-a-Twitter-finger-quip McGregor heard the noise and let Brown know how he felt about his assessment of his current career state.
“Matt Brown, heroin addict,” McGregor posted and deleted. Brown (29-19) has been honest his whole career about having had a heroin addiction. His nickname, “The Immortal,” came from his friends after he experienced a drug overdose and near-death experience.
Last month, Brown scored a KO win over Court McGee, tying Derrick “The Beast” Lewis for most knockout wins within the UFC, at 13. The accomplishment did not sit well with McGregor, who said he would break Brown’s record since he’s younger than him.
“Matt Brown, at 42 years of age, now holds the joint highest KO’s inside the UFC with 13KO’s,” McGregor posted. “Him and “The Beast” Lewis are tied. I hold 8 KO’s inside the UFC currently, at 34 years of age. I’m getting this record.”
Brown tweeted back, “i’ll fight you for it.”
Although McGregor has never been caught with cocaine in his system, many UFC fighters believe he is a user.
Former UFC BMF champion Jorge Masvidal sent a shot McGregor’s way in 2022.
“I think the only thing that makes him want to get out of bed is cocaine. That’s OK; every man has a free will,” Masvidal said to MMA Fighting.
Even UFC color commentator Joe Rogan said the same after McGregor’s infamous bus rage incident in the Barclays Center, where he attempted to attack former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“I wouldn’t think that’s a booze move. That seems more like a coke [cocaine] move,” Rogan said on his “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast.
Will McGregor and Matt Brown fight and settle their differences? Brown’s coach and former fighter Dorian Price thinks it’s a long shot.
“I don’t think Conor wants the smoke and also too, when he texted you’ve got to just look at the time. Conor’s texting at prime coke hours, so he’s probably coked out so he ain’t serious,” Price said on the “PRITTY Left Hook” podcast. “He’s just putting something out there. What do they say, ‘cocaine’s a hell of a drug.’”
[Notes: Who is Smith saying is onto something there? Hart? Or Brunson for unfollowing Hart?]
Josh Hart is apparently already missing the NBA season. He let his intrusive thoughts get the best of him and made a ridiculous tweet about tasting breast milk. The tweet prompted a response from his Knicks’ teammate Jalen Brunson and ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith.
Hart’s wife Shannon recently gave birth to twin boys in early May, and the two-way wing player almost missed Game 6 of the Knicks–Heat second-round playoffs matchup.
Hart’s thoughts got the best of him on May 30, and he asked his Twitter followers a ridiculous question.
The tweet received over 42,000 likes and almost 4,000 comments. Pelicans star guard CJ McCollum, Brunson, and Kings star guard De’Aaron Fox all responded in the comments.
“Sick conversation (laughing emoji) heard it goes down like almond milk (laughing emoji)” wrote McCollum.
Hart responded, “Not going to lie to you bro…it’s better.”
Fox chimed into the outrageous tweet and said he was not surprised by Hart.
“I’m actually not surprised you asked the question less than a month in,” wrote Fox.
Hart replied, “(laughing emojis) bro I know every new dad wondered.”
Then, Smith went on his podcast and went into detail about Hart’s tweet.
“Josh Hart sent out some kind of tweet or whatever asking folks if y’all had ever tasted breast milk. Breast milk. That’s what he said. Now, I’ve never been inclined to taste breast milk. I like breasts. You don’t have to be a baby to like breasts. Matter of fact, one could easily argue there are adults who like breasts more than babies,” said Smith on his podcast.
He continued, “However, breast milk is a different matter. He asked that question, and I’m like, I mean, ‘Damn, Josh! What the hell!’ And then I started laughing because I thought about a clip from Dave Chappelle that I thought was hilarious years ago, and that made me chuckle. [He shows a clip of the “Chappelle Show” sketch on a musician getting breast milk.] That was Josh Smith [nope!] of the New York Knicks. No wonder why Jalen Brunson said ‘Lose the number, lose the number.’ Josh Hart is a weird one. But he is somebody I hope remains a New York Knick.”
Brunson told Hart to delete his number. Ii appears Hart didn’t listen, and Brunson took it upon himself to unfollow his teammate.
Hopefully, this doesn’t get in the way of their on-court chemistry. The Knicks have important concerns that need to be addressed this offseason. The fan base is frustrated with Julius Randle’s playoff performances and wants to see him traded. Also, the Knicks can’t seem to get past the second round with the core of Randle, RJ Barrett, and now Brunson.
Hart has a player option on his three-year deal he signed with the Pelicans in 2021 before being traded by them to New York at the trade deadline this season. The Knicks are a up-and-coming contender but are still a few pieces away from being a serious contender.
