The Colorado Buffaloes are preparing for their first season under Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, and dynamic Travis Hunter is expected to play a vital role on both sides of the football.
The 2022 No. 1 overall recruit, who surprisingly flipped his commitment to Jackson State during the early signing period in December 2021, followed Coach Prime to Colorado when the two-time Super Bowl champion and one-time Defensive Player of the Year left Jackson State for Boulder.
Deion Sanders pulled off a serious flip when he nabbed Hunter and all of the talent evaluators seem to agree that Hunter is a special player.
Hunter was recently named a preseason All-American by Athlon Sports, the distinction coming as an all-purpose player on the first-team offense.
After dazzling in high school and elevating to the No. 1 overall high school recruit in the class of 2022, Hunter endured some injuries in his freshman season, but also flashed the special talents that coaches and NFL scouts salivate for. With current Buffs head coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State, Hunter snatched two interceptions and eight passes defended as a cornerback while catching 18 passes for 190 yards and four touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball.
What makes Hunter unique is his ability to play both sides of the football. He’s probably the only two-way player in college football, similar to Coach Prime in his illustrious NFL career.
Originally recruited as a cornerback, Sanders allowed Hunter to play wide receiver as well. Having played corner almost exclusively, Hunter is pretty well-versed on that side of the football, and despite his elite athleticism he has a lot to learn about playing receiver.
When he first arrived at Colorado Hunter was working solely on getting up to speed at the receiver position. In an effort to help Hunter’s transition even more, Sanders brought in fellow Hall of Famer and good friend Terrell Owens back in March.
When asked about Hunter, Sanders told reporters this about why he’s been spending so much time with the receivers:
“He needs to learn everything about being a receiver because he’s a natural DB,” Sanders said. “He has to learn the signals, he has to understand the route movement, arms staying in tight to his body, the shoulders over his knees. Travis has to learn everything about being a receiver — checks and everything. He’s focusing a lot on receiver right now and we’re happy with his progress.”
Owens specifically worked with Hunter on using his hands and body to get open Sanders refers to Owens as “the release king” for how he use to win against defensive backs at the line of scrimmage.
While it’s unknown when Owens will make the trek to Boulder, he did give a little sneak peek into what he’s gonna focus on with Hunter.
“Get in there, transition in and out of the routes. You ain’t gotta go 100 miles an hour every route, you know understanding the leverage, all that stuff!”
Anytime you can get pointers and insight from the NFL’s third all-time leading in touchdown receptions, it’s a good thing. That and hearing how much Hunter has progressed as a receiver since his transfer to Boulder says a lot, and the fact that Sanders and staff see him as a two-way player at the Power Five level speaks volumes.
Now he’s trying to learn two new systems at Colorado, with the fast-paced offense under offensive coordinator Sean Lewis, which uses a ton of hand signals.
Then on defense he’s being asked to play more of the boundary corner, which is closer to the sideline, instead of the field corner which covers the wide side of the field.
Because of his elite skill, and the way new defensive coordinator Charles Kelly likes to use his safeties, Hunter will be in man coverage a lot.
ESPN’s Jay Williams in effect said that Jimmy Butler is carrying the Heat to the NBA Finals like nobody in the history of the game has. As breaking down the actual series matchup isn’t enough for the talking head shows to drive ratings and go viral, we have commentary like this.
What does Williams even mean? “Carry” a team? Is Williams implying that it’s Butler and four dudes he picked up from 24 Hour Fitness and gave jerseys to in the Finals?
Now if Williams is saying we haven’t seen individual brilliance like this from a player leading a team to the Finals, he’s also wrong.
In this regard, so many can’t be overlooked: Tim Duncan (2003),LeBron James (2007, 2018), Dirk Nowitzki (2011), and Nikola Jokic (2023).
But that’s not what Williams is talking about. He’s using the hero narrative because it’s easy and people buy it.
It’s discourse like this that is bad for basketball and the NBA.
You could make a legitimate case that Caleb Martin should have been the conference finals MVP. The undrafted player out of UNLV in 2019 averaged 19 points and six rebounds per game on 60/48/87 shooting splits on top of playing stout defense on Jaylen Brown and other members of the Boston Celtics in that series.
Brown, who made All-NBA this season, also averaged 19 points and six rebounds per game, but on woeful 41/16/66 shooting splits.
If Brown and Martin swapped places in that series, which team would win?
The point is all of this reductive narrative-based explanation of the game takes away from what is actually happening on the floor.
Butler has been incredible this postseason; there is no denying that. But Martin, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Duncan Robinson have been excellent.
The latter are undrafted people who you don’t see on commercials and aren’t ones about which the casual NBA fan has heard But they are clearly talented players. Basketball is more than a superstar player and some “others.”
Yes, you obviously need an elite player like Butler, But to win you need a collective and they can’t just be a bunch of dudes. The league is too talented and deep.
Butler knows this as well. Yes, he has to play well but he knows he can’t win an NBA championship alone.
“That might have surprised y’all,” Butler said of Martin’s game-seven performance against the Celtics. “To the untrained eye, he just looks like he’s an undrafted guy who has been in the G League, who has started with Charlotte and now he’s here. Started on a two-way contract. That’s what it looks like to y’all. To us, he’s a hell of a player, hell of a defender, playmaker, shot maker, all of the above.
“Everybody has seen Caleb work on those shots day in, day out. It doesn’t surprise us. We have seen it every single day. I’m so proud and happy for him. I think he’s going to be even better in the next round, and I don’t think he’s going to be a surprise to anybody any longer.”
It’s okay to marvel at what Butler and other star players around the league do. It’s why they are who they are.
But we have to resist this false narrative of one superstar player and some guys win championships solely because of that superstar’s individual brilliance.
As Butler said, Martin looks a certain way to the untrained eye. But we can train our eyes to see, and we have stats that show the contributions all players make to win.
Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless’ lucrative, fruitful, but tumultuous partnership will officially come to an end soon.
The Hall of Fame tight end and Fox, parent company that owns Fox Sports 1, agreed to a buyout, according to the New York Post.
His final show is expected to be aired after the NBA Finals conclude this month.
Since joining Bayless in 2016, the two have made countless memories on air, including their huge fallout in December.
Sharpe and Bayless got into a heated discussion over Tom Brady. Sharpe accused Bayless of taking a personal shot at him to defend Brady. Bayless told Sharpe that he was “no where near the player Brady was.”
In the midst of this big announcement, Sharpe is still going through a ugly legal with Brett Favre. The legendary Packers quarterback dropped a defamation lawsuit against Sharpe and popular sports show host Pat McAfee.
The friction between Bayless and Sharpe first started in December over a disagreement about Brady. Also in December, Sharpe missed a Tuesday show because of Bayless’ tweets about Damar Hamlin. Bayless’ tweets insinuated that the Bengals-Bills game on Jan. 2 should continue because of the playoff implications it had after Hamlin collapsed on the field and suffered cardiac arrest. Bayless received backlash over the tweets but did provide a half-hearted apology and explanation.
In February, Sharpe appeared on SiriusXM’s “The Adam Schein” podcast to explain why he wasn’t going to walk away from the show like a lot of social media users and Black entertainers suggested.
“We had a bad two months,” Sharpe said when describing his current relationship with his co-host as of now. “I wasn’t gonna allow two bad months to ruin six years of a great working relationship.”
Favre was listed in a lawsuit by Mississippi Department of Human Service in which the state says he was one of dozens of individuals who benefited from the misappropriation of $77 million Temporary Assistance to Needy Families funds. The state says he improperly caused $5 million in TANF funds to be used to build a new volleyball facility at his alma mater the University of Southern Mississippi and another $1.1 million for speaking engagements he never spoke at. The $1.1 million was paid back and he was never criminally charged.
McAfee apologized for his comments on his sports show and Favre dropped the lawsuit in early May.
Sharpe didn’t and chose to take the case to a federal level while fighting the defamation allegations. On Tuesday, a judge granted Sharpe’s lawyers extra time to file the final written submission to have their client’s case dismissed.
The attorneys for Favre filed a 32-page memorandum of law in opposition to Sharpe’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, according to Sportico.com.
Favre is arguing that Sharpe’s statements were defamatory and suggest that he committed larceny, which is defined as theft of personal property.
“So, if that is the poorest state, Brett Favre is taking from the underserved. You made a hundred-plus million dollars in the NFL, and to talk about, well, [Favre] didn’t know. This is what Brett Favre texted, ‘If you were to pay me, is there any way the media can find out where it came from and how much?'” said Sharpe on “Undisputed” when new first broke about the allegations against Favre.
Sharpe added, “The problem that I have with this situation, you’ve got to be a sorry mofo to steal from the lowest of the low.”
Sharpe and his lawyers have until June 7 to file their final written motion to have the lawsuit dismissed.
The biggest obstacle in Favre’s lawsuit is he is a public figure. Since he is viewed as a public figure, he would have to provide evidence that any defamatory statements were made with malice.
According to Sportico, Favre also would have to prove that Sharpe made false and hurtful statements with knowledge that the statements were false or with reckless disregard.
Another hurdle for Favre would be that he would have to prove that Sharpe’s untrue statements were presented as factual or objective remarks. Sharpe is on a popular heavily opinionated sports show and his remarks could arguably viewed as a combination of hyperbole, opinion, and exaggeration. All are which are not grounds for defamation and Sharpe based his statements on Mississippi’s government accusations as well as the text messages from Favre that were leaked.
Favre has been consistent with his stance of he didn’t know about the scheme and Sharpe doesn’t have the “license to defame.”
To sum things up, Favre really doesn’t have a good case against Sharpe, and he is not going to get the apology from the Hall of Fame tight end that he received from McAfee.
As for Sharpe’s television career, it is still to be determined where he would take his talents to next but he still has his “Club Shay Shay” podcast that is continuously growing in popularity.
There are a bevy of reasons why the Denver Nuggets are in their first NBA Finals.
The most underrated factor in Denver’s playoff success is the play of wing Aaron Gordon, who’s defensive versatility has been a godsend for the Nuggets.
AG is everything the team envisioned when it acquired him at the 2021 trade deadline; a player strong enough to guard bigs around the rim, but athletic and fleet-footed enough to guard wings and flashy guards on the perimeter.
That’s exactly what the 6-foot-9 athletic specimen has done all season, but especially in this run to the finals. He also knows there’s no time for relaxing as the team looks to close out a magical season.
Gordon’s active defense and impact around the rim has once again reaffirmed the value of having solid defense players on championship teams., especially in a run-n-gun, triple-or-dribble NBA.
While he won’t grab the headlines on Twitter, his value to the goal is immense. We know who the top billing guys are.
First and foremost is all-world center Nikola Jokic, the walking triple-double, who won back-to-back NBA MVPs in 2021 and 2022 is the straw that stirs the drink in the Mile High City.
He’s flanked by dynamic point guard Jamal Murray, who’s been on a tear the second half of the season and playoffs after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. Then there’s the leadership and execution of veteran head coach Mike Malone.
With the Nuggets being off for 12 days, Gordon wasn’t feeling the rust-versus-rest notion during Tuesday’s media session. He told reporters this about it.
“We’ve been working. It’s not like we’ve had our hands back and feet kicked up.”
“We’ve been locked in, in the gym, working diligently. So we feel like we’re in a good space. It’s been a good balance of work to rest. Happy we have home court advantage.”
Gordon Has Been Magnificent Against Some Of The League’s Best
Known for his toughness and physicality, Gordon has put that on full display with defensive assignments versus Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, and Los Angeles Lakers point forward LeBron James. Not the easiest of tasks, but Gordon has passed with flying colors.
When guarded by Gordon that trio of All-Stars shot a combined 44 percent from the field, and a very paltry 19.7 percent from three. That’s invaluable for a Nuggets team that doesn’t have a real rim protector.
Gordon also forced the trio into 22 turnovers, versus 26 total assists. Gordon used a different approach for each, with KAT and KD he played them extremely physically, often forcing them into very tough shots.
With James he took a different approach by employing a fair amount of finesse. He was often beating James to the spot, as evidenced by his defense on the final possession of Game 4 of the Nuggets’ surprising four-game sweep.
On that play he forced James to play through him, allowing the help to come, and James never got off a shot under the rim as the final four seconds ticked off.
His defense is a testament to a Nuggets team which for years has been only good enough to get here offensively.
They’ve been top-10 in defensive efficiency since after the new year, and Gordon is a huge reason why. They even have the highest defensive rating during the playoffs at (111.7)
Gordon Has One More Assignment Ahead Of Him
You can almost bet that Gordon will be assigned to Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler in the Finals.
Butler has been on a tear all playoffs, and “Air Gordon” will be looking to shut his water off. He’ll also have some stabs at guarding Heat center Bam Adebayo, who is better when facing the rim and using his quickness and athleticism to attack downhill.
He also hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves for what he brings offensively, averaging 13 points and six rebounds on 49 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent from three.
He’s an all-around key piece to a Nuggets championship run, but his defense is where he shines the most.
Looks like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith will be a guest on Joe Budden’s eponymous podcast sometime this summer to debate the NBA GOAT: LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan. Smith responded on Twitter to an open invite from the rapper.
“Open invite, Stephen A., whenever you want to come sit on either one of these fine couches,” the former Slaughterhouse MC said on “The Joe Budden Podcast.” “Let’s embrace debate.”
Budden has a platform where has logged countless hours debating a myriad of topics, so no doubt he can hold his own. But this is what Smith does all day, every day.
“My Brother, I will happily accept that invitation,” the ESPN talking head tweeted. “Nothing but love for you and your show. Just let me get through these Finals. The second I have time this Summer, I’ll gladly accept your invite. See you soon, Bro!”
Two dudes with popular platforms doing a bit of cross promotion. Smith and Budden are known within their spheres of influence, and while there is definitely crossover, there may be some people who are fans of one that don’t know much about the other.
Smart move for both, and they can tease it all summer.
“Stephen A., I would love to have that debate with you,” said Budden. “And unfortunately for you, I’m way more armed in that debate today than I was whenever you heard that clip.”
Even a bit of trash talk to help promote the “event.”
Many will tune in but what will actually be solved?
Nothing. That’s the point.
Neither will convince the other of their respective player’s GOAT status. Jordan vs. Bron has to be a “debate” topic for at least another decade. Networks and platforms will suck all the marrow out of that bone before moving on.
Why?
Because that’s what people want to see and hear.
Both players are all-timers and among the only three in this writer’s estimation that can lay claim to GOAT status, the other being Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
You could realistically make a case for either. Isn’t it enough to say they were all great?
No. Our simple minds need rankings. We have to know who was “better” than the other. Whatever that actually means.
We count NBA championships, despite it being a team accomplishment. We count number of All-NBA and All-Star appearances, but that’s a function of how long you played not necessarily how good you were. Especially All-Star appearances late in a career.
Then you venture into territory like for one game who would you choose? For one season? If you were starting a franchise today, who would you take first?
The reality is between both men you’d do a lot of winning. They rank in the top five in total career win shares. Top two in total career playoff win shares. Top eight in WS/48. Top six in career points per game.
This is a debate that in many ways is never-ending.
The one thing we can say definitively about LeBron that we can’t say about any other player in the history of the NBA is nobody has been as good as him at this stage of their careers. 20 years in and he’s still an All-NBA level player and by many metrics still a top-10 player in the league.
Former Anderson University basketball player Grant Brown has been arrested by the Madison County Sheriff’s Department in Indiana, where he faces multiple counts of felony child molestation and child exploitation. He is also charged with eight counts of possession of child pornography.
“The investigation started in July 2022, when Indiana State Police Detective Dave Preston was requested by the Summitville Police Department to take over a case involving an allegation of child molestation,” according to a state police press release.
“During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that additional criminal actions had occurred with multiple juvenile females.”
If convicted, Brown can face between three and 16 years in prison on just one of his child molestation charges.
Studies by David Finkelhor, Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center, show that: 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys is a victim of child sexual abuse. During a one-year period in the U.S., 16% of youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized and over the course of their lifetime, 28% of U.S. youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized.
A Bureau of Justice Statistics Report shows 1.6 % (sixteen out of one thousand) of children between the ages of 12-17 were victims of rape/sexual assault.
Rape or sexual assault were not charges mentioned in Brown’s arrest. But given that the alleged victims were “juvenile females” and that he was charged with child pornography, it’s likely there were sexual motivations if the allegations prove true.
This is a serious situation for the alleged victims as the alleged traumas can have long lasting impact into adulthood.
According to Victimsofcrimes.org studies have shown that children who had an experience of rape or attempted rape in their adolescent years were 13.7 times more likely to experience rape or attempted rape in their first year of college.
A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low self-esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and an abnormal or distorted view of sex. The child may become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults, and can become suicidal.
Brown’s Twitter bio reads:
“6’2 Combo Guard. #3. Madison-Grant High-School 2021. Follower of Christ. R.I.P Coach G. VU MBB”
He has retweeted the account Daily Bible Verses and often “gives glory to God” in his tweets noting accomplishments.
It is interesting that someone so public about their faith is caught up in a situation like this. Sadly, he’s not the first and won’t be the last.
Brown has been charged and at this point the legal process hasn’t concluded.
However, if he is found guilty a judge will decide whatever punishment deemed appropriate.
More important, if he’s found guilty, hopefully the victims of his crimes will be given every opportunity to get the help they need to begin and continue healing from this ordeal.
So often the focus are people who perpetrate crimes and of their punishments fit. Whether they do or not, it’s the victims who are left not whole.
Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant recently received some advice from his friend, rapper Moneybagg Yo, about the issues the All-Star guard has faced regarding his personal conduct away from the court.
“He’s 23. I feel like it’s just a phase,” Moneybagg Yo told Complex. “When I was 23-24, I was just doing stuff, and people had to tell me — I had to bump my head and God had to [teach me a lesson]. I’m grateful to make it out [from] those situations. Some people don’t even shake back from certain situations.”
Morant was suspended from all team activities after a video showing the All-Star guard holding a gun in a social media video while riding in a car with friends went public earlier this month. This is the second time in three months Morant has been seen on social media with a gun.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and executive vice president Joe Dumars have yet to announce a punishment. But it has been widely reported that a severe suspension is forthcoming once the new NBA calendar officially begins on July 1.
Morant is a father, son, brother and teammate. A lot of people depend on him in a variety of ways. His continued lack of judgment puts him and by extension the others that depend on him in bad positions.
He’s only 23 and the hope is that as he matures and deals with the pressures of sudden fame and wealth, he finds more constructive outlets for whatever is troubling him. Moneybagg Yo chooses to look at the situation positively.
“But, I feel like Ja probably don’t even know, like, what it is right now, like he probably don’t even believe this is life, you have those stages. Ja gonna snap out of it, and of course I gave him encouraging words. He was like, ‘I appreciate that big bro, I got you. I’m gonna get it right.’ “
What the rapper said is very instructive. The vast majority of people in the world have no idea what it’s like to be Morant. A world-class athlete is one thing. But to have more money than you can spend in a lifetime coupled with fame is something else.
There is no handbook on how to deal with all that. There are examples of what to do and what not to do. But how many 23-year-olds regardless of economic status want to hear lessons from another adult?
At that age you feel and believe you’re grown. And to a certain extent you are. But your life experiences are limited to what they are.
Morant posted a series of since-deleted cryptic messages on Instagram live earlier this month and local authorities conducted a welfare check. It was reported he is “fine.”
It was also reported by local Memphis Grizzlies’ reporters that Morant stopped following childhood friend Davonte Pack on social media.
Pack is at the center of many of the instances involving Morant and guns.
Former All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is a free agent and a wanted man.
Following his surprise release by the Arizona Cardinals last week, the talented wideout is now being courted by a host of NFL teams. While D-Hop is expected to take his time with his decision, his ultimate goal is to join a team that he could win a Super Bowl with and also reset his market value for 2024.
The former Clemson Tigers star even gave a list of teams and quarterbacks he would like to play for, and while the Browns and Watson weren’t on the list, they have an advantage. Hopkins and Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson are good friends and former teammates from their time together with the Houston Texans.
While participating in a charity golf tournament hosted by the Browns on Tuesday, Watson spoke on D-Hop, and if he’d like to play with him again.
Watson wasn’t going to tell upper management what moves to make, but he did insinuate that he’d like to see Hopkins playing on the shores of Lake Erie.
“That’s kind of out of my range of things,” Watson said. “All I can do is make a call and see what happens.”
“Me and D-Hop, we just naturally talk,” Watson said. “We’ve been talking since Houston days. “He’s always been a brother of mine. Our connection, our relationship has always been great. Of course, we would love to have him. He knows that.”
D-Hop Hires Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports
In an effort to help him sift through the process, Hopkins who was representing himself, has hired Klutch Sports to help him choose his next playing destination.
When the two were teammates in Houston, Hopkins was named first-team All-Pro three consecutive seasons (2017-19).
Hopkins who’ll turn 31 in about a week, laid out what he’s looking for in an organization during his recent appearance on the “I Am Athlete” podcast. Those three things are “stable management, quarterback who loves football like I do,” and a “great defense.”
The Browns do check all those boxes, or at least have the potential to do so, and Watson mentioned that in his interview.
“I’ll just say this, D-Hop, DeAndre Hopkins would love to be in a place where the opportunity is there for us to win,” Watson said Tuesday. “We check all those boxes and I think for us to know and make sure we check all those boxes on the national stage, we’ve got to go out there and prove it and I think D-Hop would love to be a part of that.”
Watson is saying all the right things to woo his good friend, but Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski state that he’s happy with the team’s current receiver room following some offseason additions.
Stefanski should want to add Hopkins. He can help the embattled coach keeps his job beyond the 2023 season.
The wrestling world almost got the biggest surprise of its lifetime at WWE‘s Wrestlemania 39 in April but it fell just short due to a back injury.
Hulk Hogan is one of the biggest stars in WWE history and was always a fan favorite but that image was tarnished in 2015 when a video was leaked of his racist rant.
He appeared on Ariel Helwani’s podcast “The MMA Hour” and was asked about doing one more match. He revealed that he would like to wrestle against Steve Austin.
Hogan is 69 years old and Austin is 58. Both men have battled with injuries throughout the years. Hogan revealed that Austin was dealing with nerve damage and he has been dealing with a back injury. Despite their age and injuries, Hogan still would be interested in doing the retirement match alongside Austin.
“With all this time passing, both of us getting older and wiser, would it even make sense? So, it would be crazy to get back in there at my age anyway. But I haven’t talked to him anything like that ever. So if he would get in the ring, he would be the guy,” said Hogan.
Hogan also revealed in the interview that Shane McMahon called three months before Wrestlemania 39 to see if he would interested in participating in the event.
“You know what’s so funny? Shane McMahon called me,” Hogan said. “He goes, ‘Hey, you got one more in you, old man?’ I said, ‘Take it easy with the old man stuff, brother.’ I said, ‘What do you want to do?’ He goes, ‘All you gotta do is stand in the middle of the ring, and I’ll come do it.’ I said, ‘Right now, my back needs a little more work, but that’s something we can talk about next year.’ I’ve always wanted to have a retirement match. I’m not moving around the way I should be, so I’m going to keep working and keep training and keep doing rehab and see where I’m at about six months from now. All I found out in the wrestling business, brother, is you never say never.”
Hogan said the conversation took place three months before Wrestlemania 39.
All wrestling fans might not support the return of Hogan for a retirement match. In 2015, a video was leaked of the legendary wrestler going on a racist rant in 2006 about his daughter’s Black boyfriend.
Hogan claimed he was mad at business dealings his daughter and her then-boyfriend had. He appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to apologize and also released a statement.
“Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation. It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it. This is not who I am,” the statement read. “I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise. I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs.”
At the time, former basketball star Dennis Rodman was one of the very few Black athletes to show support.
Former wrestler Booker T. Huffman, known as “Booker T,” didn’t show support for Hogan.
Social media users were split with supporting Hogan and not supporting him. It remains to be seen if time will maje people forget the racial remarks and they support the legend if he does decides to give Wrestlemania 40 a surprise retirement match.
If Hogan decided to come back next year for Wrestlemania 40, he would be the second-oldest person to wrestle in a match in the history of the sport. Ric Flair wrestled in his final match at the age of 74.
Hogan last wrestled in January 2012 at the TNA Impact Tour in Manchester, England. The 12-time world champion has undergone several back surgeries throughout his career.
Former wrestler Kurt Angle said on his podcast in January that Hogan was having trouble walking and had to use a cane after another back surgery.
“Hogan had his back surgery again. He had the nerves cut from his lower body,” said Angle. “He can’t feel his lower body. He has to use his cane to walk around. I thought he was using his cane because he had pain in his back. He doesn’t have any pain. He has nothing at all. He can’t feel anything. He can’t feel his legs so he has to walk with a cane, so that’s pretty serious.”
Hogan’s representative refuted the statement, but it seems like Angle’s statement had some validity to it. Fans will just have to wait and see if the “old man” can make his way back to the ring for one final match.
Former NFL wide receiver Travis Rudolph is on trial for murder after a confrontation that stemmed from a domestic violence accusation against him. Rudolph shot one man dead and injured another. Week two of the televised trial of the former Florida State University star began Tuesday.
He is charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder after killing Sebastien Jean-Jacques outside Rudolph’s Lake Park, Florida, home two years ago.
Rudolph’s then-girlfriend, Dominique Jones, was cross-examined on the second day of testimony in the trial. She testified that she never intended for her brother and his friends to harm Rudolph. However, Jones admitted she became enraged during an evening of playing cards and drinking shots of tequila with Rudolph at his house on April 7, 2021, when she discovered text message exchanges with other women on his phone while he was in the bathroom.
The discovery led to an argument in which Rudolph demeaned her and she left in fury after breaking a window on his vehicle, she told the court. It was then Jones sought her brother, Keishaun Jones, to confront Rudolph, texting him to “Please go shoot his s*** up.”
Around midnight on April 7, 2021, Keishaun Jones and three other men came to the now-27-year-old Rudolph’s house to confront him about the dispute with his girlfriend hours earlier. Rudolph, who has not testified so far in the trial, would later say that when the confrontation turned violent, he got his AR-15.
By this time all four men who had come to the house were running back to their car some 300 feet from the house, and by the time they got to their Rudolph opened fire with a barrage of 39 shots. Jean-Jacques was fatally wounded in the front passenger seat of the car. The driver and one back seat passenger were uninjured, but another was wounded and left behind by the fleeing driver.
Rudolph has been on house arrest since last year. He unsuccessfully sought a “stand your ground” defense.
Attorneys for the two sides are taking opposing positions at trial, with one posing Rudolph as the aggressor and the other asserting that he was a victim. Rudolph’s defense attorney Heidi Perlet portrayed Jones as a married real estate agent who was out of work and having an affair with Rudolph.
Jones testified that after she read his text messages with another woman, Rudolph became confrontational and wouldn’t let her leave. She said she smashed his PlayStation and called him a “broke b***h,” with the confrontation spilling into Rudolph’s front yard.
The examination of Jones tells the story vividly.
“Isn’t the moral of the story is that you sent your brother and your friends to go kill Travis?” Perlet asked Jones.
“No, the moral of the story is him putting his hands on me,” Jones said. “That is really the basis of everything, and I didn’t send my brothers to kill him.”
“No, you just sent a text to go ‘shoot up his s**t,’ right?” Perlet followed up with.
“I didn’t say shoot him,” Jones answered. Huh?
When Jones was asked to explain her text message, she said it was “nothing violent toward a person.”
“I was upset, and my adrenaline was running, and I said something that I didn’t mean,” Jones said. She said she “didn’t necessarily mean for anything to happen to Travis, his family, his house, or anything.”
However, she confessed to deleting the “shoot up his s**t” and her brother’s messages in a group text that called Rudolph a “dead man walking” before turning her phone over to the authorities.
Jones returned to Rudolph’s home to get a tequila bottle, which Perlet claimed Jones used to hit Rudolph in his head. Jones further testified that she picked up a brick during the scuffle to smash his car window. Amid it all, Jones revealed that Rudolph never touched her but that she did strike him.
“I don’t think I slapped him, but I did, like, throw a punch or two, yeah, at him,” she testified.
Rudolph was a standout receiver at Florida State, where he made 153 catches for 2,311 yards and 18 touchdowns in his three seasons with the Seminoles during the 2014-16 seasons. He left school early to declare for the NFL draft and went undrafted, but signed with the New York Giants in 2017, spending two seasons with the team. He eventually signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad in 2018, but an ACL tear on his first day of workouts took him out of the NFL.
Rudolph signed with the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2020 and was released after his arrest.
Over the weekend Houston rapstress Megan Thee Stallion and soccer star Romelu Lukaku were spotted getting pretty cozy at the wedding of Lukaku’s Inter Milan teammate in Italy.
The sighting of Megan and Lukaku seems to have brought some clarification as to whether she and boyfriend of two years, Pardison “Pardi” Fontaine, are still an item.
The hip-hop artist and Italian football league player being seen together comes on the heels of Megan and the aforementioned Fontaine unfollowing each other on social media back in February, leaving fans scrambling to figure out if they’d broken up.
After seeing her with Lukaku, the answer is crystal clear, and Megan who believes in “hot girl summers,” seems to be making sure she has one in 2023.
Fans didn’t waste much time commenting on seeing Megan with Lukaku, and of course Fontaine’s name was trending pretty heavily because of it.
While there was reportedly no response from Megan’s rep to People, we all have eyes and it looks as if the “Lukaku Stallion” mashup is official.
Being managed under the same Roc Nation umbrella also could’ve played a role in the two allegedly dating. Lukaku, the Belgian goal-scorer signed with Jay-Z’s brand in 2018. At the time becoming the first Premier League player to join Roc Nation Sports.
Megan became a member of the brand in 2019. She’s also a Nike ambassador, the maker of the cleats that Lukaku endorses on the field.
Megan was reportedly even seen at an Inter Milan soccer match not too long ago. Lukaku is on loan from Premier League Club Chelsea.
While we don’t know if this is serious or just something fun, either way the “Savage” rapper looks happy and that’s what’s important.
The three-time Grammy winner has dealt with the fallout from her incident with fellow musician Tory Lanez, where Megan was shot in her feet in July 2020.
The trial which recently ended in Lanez being found guilty of shooting her.
She also dealt with fallout from her former label 1501 records, whose CEO is former MLB star Carl Crawford.
After nearly four years of back-and-forth over the friction that began when she joined Roc Nation, Crawford seemingly apologized to the Houston rapper.
He also apologized for his April 2022 meeting with Lanez in a nightclub in an attempt to be petty toward Megan.
The “WAP” queen has seemingly put all of that behind her and she’s searching for a calmer, classier relationship.
The Miami Heat are set to take on the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals beginning on Thursday. After the Heat’s Game 7 win over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, Jimmy Butler was at the postgame press conference podium when he was scared by a bumblebee that made its way into arena.
“Oh my God, y’all saw that?!” Butler asked. “Godd-mn bumblebee.”
We can all relate. Bee stings are not pleasant and if you’re allergic or prone to reactions they’re especially not pleasant.
Butler has had an excellent playoffs and the nickname “Playoff Jimmy” has caught fire yet again. He has an incredible ability to play elite basketball in big moments. By and large he’s an excellent basketball player who also plays excellent in big games.
While a bee may have startled Butler, his focus is on the Nuggets and the challenge they provide, led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic who has been the best player in these playoffs.
Nuggets head coach Mike Malone knows, this Finals series will be the toughest of the playoffs for both teams.
“You get to the NBA Finals, it’s not about seeding anymore,” Malone said after practice on Tuesday. “And for those who are thinking that this is going to be an easy series, I don’t even know what to say to you people.
“This is going to be the biggest challenge of our lives. This is the NBA Finals. You’re trying to win the first NBA championship in franchise history, and it’s going to be the hardest thing that we’ve ever done — which is the way it should be.”
Coaches and players love throwing out clichés and platitudes especially before the championship round. It’s part of the performance but they believe a lot of what they say too.
This will be the toughest series for both teams and they should both approach it with what San Antonio Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich calls “appropriate fear.”
“Never losing an appropriate fear,” Popovich said in 2017. “Having an appropriate fear allows you to respect your opponent and know nothing is going to be easy.”
The NBA Finals is the pinnacle of the sport. Players, coaches and executives dream of this moment and what it might feel like to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy. But getting there is only half the battle, you have to seize the opportunity and not take it for granted.
The history of the NBA is littered with players and coaches that have made the Finals and failed to win it, never having the opportunity to return and try again.
This league is too hard and the competition is too fierce.
Butler and the Heat made the Finals in 2020 and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. It took three seasons to return and they barely made the playoffs, having to squeak in through the play-in.
After last season’s brutal Game 7 loss to the Celtics in the conference finals Butler said the Heat would be back in the same position this season and get the job done. He looks like a prophet right now.
Now he and the Heat have the chance to win the championship and the Nuggets and Jokic stand in their way. Both teams will approach with the mindset that nothing is guaranteed or promised and they must seize this moment. The beautiful and tragic thing is only one will realize their dream.
Former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell, who was once considered one of the top players in the NFL at his position, is no longer on an NFL roster after some regretful choices. Bell, a former Michigan State star, was once part of the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive trio that also included Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown.
They were dubbed the “Killer B’s.”
Bell, a two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl player rushed for over 5,300 yards and 35 TDs in five seasons. But a contract dispute following the 2018 season led him to sign with the New York Jets. While they paid him handsomely, with a four-year, $52.5 million deal with $35 million guaranteed, Bell never reached anywhere near the height of the success he had in Pittsburgh.
During a recent appearance on the “Steel Here,” podcast, Bell, who’s technically a free agent, revealed his pregame marijuana use and his tumultuous time with the Jets.
While a member of the Steelers, Bell was suspended twice for violating the league’s substance policy. Bell isn’t ashamed to mention he did it, and before games at that.
“That’s what I did. When I was playing football, I smoked, bro,” he said. “Even before the games, I’d smoke and I’d go out there and run for 150 yards and two touchdowns.”
He also mentioned that even though things didn’t end the way he would’ve liked in Pittsburgh, he wants to retire with the franchise.
“The day when I do retire, it’s gonna be with Pittsburgh. Like, I’m trying to retire with Pittsburgh. But before I do that, I might be like, ‘Hey let me get a couple carries in the preseason so I can show you all something.’”
Bell Took Shot At Jets And Former Coach Adam Gase
It’s no secret that Bell and Jets coach Adam Gase didn’t have the best relationship. Bell took a shot at Gase’s coaching and leadership while praising his former head coach Mike Tomlin.
“The team wasn’t that great, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like if Coach Mike Tomlin was coaching that team, we win nine games at least. Because the team wasn’t that bad, it just looks it.”
Bell said Gase even confused 2018 No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold with his coaching or lack thereof.
“It’s to the point where Sam Darnold is like — don’t even know, like, the actual line’s protections because he’s so confused about our offense because the coaching is confusing him,” Bell said of the former Jets quarterback.
This isn’t the first time Bell took a shot at Gase, and it probably won’t be the last. It also shows he knows he goofed in leaving the Steelers and Mike Tomlin.
LIV Golf shook up the golf world in just six months after luring 52 professional golfers away from the PGA Tour. Harold Varner III was one of those golfers that quickly jumped ship, and he wasn’t afraid to admit that it was about the money.
Varner III posted a statement on his Instagram in August to announce his decision to join the LIV Golf tour. His decision has paid off in just a short amount of time. He won his most recent event at Trump National in Washington D.C. by one shot on Sunday. He shot 68 in the final round and finished at 12 under to claim his first win since leaving the PGA Tour.
Despite his slow start on the LIV tour, Varner III earnings per tournament have significantly went up compared to what he made on the PGA Tour.
Varner III released a long statement last August on his Instagram that told fans the truth.
The statement read in part, “The opportunity to join LIV Golf is simply too good of a financial breakthrough for me to pass by. I know what it means to grow up without much. This money is going ensure that my kid and future Varners will have a solid base to start on — and a life I could have only dreamt about growing up.”
It wasn’t a bad decision for him and his family. Varner III on average makes $352,316 per event with LIV Golf in just 10 events. He made only $55,043 in 189 events with the PGA Tour, National Club Golfer reports.
Varner III is not the only golfer who is pulling in more money with LIV Golf. Big-name golfers like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, and Phil Mickelson are all enjoying the bigger paydays.
According to the National Club Golfer, Johnson went from making $243,964 per event on the PGA Tour to $2,998,147 per event with LIV Golf.
Reed made $138,304 per event on the PGA Tour, compared with $1,400,226 per event with LIV Golf.
Mickelson’s and Koepka’s earnings per event saw a significant increase with LIV Golf as well. The effect also has trickled down to smaller names on the tour.
In its inaugural season, a total of $255 million was handed out in prize money across eight events, with $30 million in bonuses included. The number didn’t include the players’ undisclosed sign-on fees, but the 52 total golfers earned at least $1 million in 2022 after joining LIV.
Miami Dolphins All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey is an equal opportunity DM-slider. The football star was part of a panel on Jake Paul’s sports betting and sports media platform Betr with former University of Miami basketball stars Haley and Hanna Cavinder, where it was revealed he slid into Haley’s DMs.
Paul asked Ramsey if he had a strategy for direct messaging women on social media, when Hanna Cavinder said, “My twin would know.”
Ramsey, genuinely seeming unaware that he had slid into Haley’s DMs, responded: “I was in them before?”
To which Haley responded, “Yeah.”
Clearly Ramsey’s strategy involves volume and not necessarily taking note of every single women he DMs. Or maybe Haley Cavinder wasn’t that memorable.
Ramsey shrugged it off and said, “I probably hit her with a heart then.”
Paul was genuinely surprised, though it’s unclear why, and asked, “Wait, deadass this happened?” To which Haley replied, “Deadass.”
The Cavinder’s love life has been of particular interest in social media conversations, and the twins, as they are wont to do, released a TikTok video with some insight.
Both sisters were seen dancing while wearing bikinis in the video.
Hanna, who is in a relationship, was seen dancing in a white swimsuit. “Sister who has a bf this summer,” a caption above the 22-year-old read.
The video ended with Haley, who is apparently single, dancing in a black two-piece with the caption: “Sister who is in her summer girl era.”
Ramsey is a relatively famous NFL star, but who are Haley and Hanna Cavinder?
The twins played basketball at the University of Miami this past season, where the Hurricanes reached the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. However, they lost to eventual champions LSU.
Haley, started all 35 games for the Hurricanes, averaged a team-high 12.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 30.9 minutes per game, joining teammate Destiny Harden as All-ACC second-team selections.
Hanna averaged 3.8 points, 1.6 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 16.7 minutes off the bench.
The twins made headlines all season for their play, going at the NCAA over NIL deals. They have signed deals with Champs Sports, Boost Mobile, Crocs, Venmo, Core water, GoPuff and dozens of other companies, with more to come later this year.
“It’s a full-time job, you’re constantly working,” Hanna said in January. “It’s not just taping a TikTok in 15 seconds. There’s a lot that goes behind it.”
They recently announced their decision to skip their fifth year of eligibility in college basketball, choosing to focus on alternative opportunities beyond the court. Graduating earlier this month, they revealed their intentions to pursue long-term brand deals and a lucrative NIL agreement with WWE.
They are popular on social media platforms like TikTok and their general appearance makes them natural partners for brands. Sports and entertainment brands covet the 18-34 year-old male demographic.
As long as the twins can attract followers, over 1 million and climbing, their popularity will be attractive to brands and their Q rating will likely increase. The more they become mainstream the more and more deals they’ll be able to secure.
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics fell short of reaching the NBA Finals in consecutive seasons with their loss in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. Immediately following the game, fans turned their attention to his long term future with the team. The 26-year-old star is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2023-24 NBA season. There is a lot of speculation about his future with reports linking him back to his hometown team the Atlanta Hawks. He refused to directly answer any questions about his future but left fans with a lot of uncertainty.
Brown had one of his worst playoff performances in his seven year career. He went 8-of-23 from the field, 1-of-9 from the three-point line, and had eight turnovers. He finished with 19 points in the 103-84 loss. It came as a disappointment because the team relied on him heavily after Jayson Tatum became hobbled early in the first quarter with an ankle injury.
“Just a terrible game when my team needed me most,” Brown said to reporters after the game. “JT hurt his ankle first play of the game and you could see it swelling up on him. He couldn’t move out there. It was tough on him. My team turned to me to make plays and I came up short.”
The Celtics’ 84 points scored in Game 7 was their lowest scored all postseason, and Brown had a simple message to the fans.
“We failed. I failed. We let the whole city down,” Brown said.
Of course, reporters had to ask Brown about his future plans with the team.
“I expected to win today and move on,” Brown said. “That’s what my focus is on, that’s what my focus has been on. We failed, I failed, and it’s hard to think about anything else right now. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Brown could possibly see a new deal just shy of $300 million. According to Sporting News, the Celtics could offer an extension worth $290 million with Brown scheduled to make over $60 million a year in the last two years of the deal.
Fans were quickly to point out Brown’s postgame attire during his press conference. He was spotted wearing an Atlanta Braves hat that was turned backward. The Hawks connection quickly had fans jumping to the conclusions he would be taking his talents to Atlanta.
The Celtics have the resources to offer Brown an extension but it would put a real strain on their salary cap for the future. Tatum is scheduled to an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season, along with Robert Williams and Marcus Smart. Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White will become unrestricted free agents after the 2024-25 season.
Those six players, including Brown, make up the Celtics’ core. If they were to let Brown walk then it could save their pockets but replacing him would be the issue.
The Celtics have only one draft pick in the 2023 NBA draft. They also have Grant Williams, J.D. Davison, Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala, and Blake Griffin. Some of those players like Gallinari and Griffin are probably not apart of their long-term future but Davison could be. He is a 20-year-old guard that spent most of his time in the NBA G-League this season but showed flashes during his one year at Alabama.
NBA reporter Kevin O’Connor proposed two trades between the Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers that could work for both sides. The first one included a deal for Brown and Damian Lillard. The second trade included Anfernee Simons and the Trail Blazers’ third pick in this year’s draft for Brown.
Brown would have to agree on both deals, but that would be hard to sell with him going to a team that is more than just a piece or two away. The Trail Blazers last made the playoffs in 2021 and their young core is not strong enough to convince a star to take that type of risk in their prime.
For now it is all speculation, and senior ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst insists the Celtics and Brown could reach a long-term deal.
“I would be stunned,” Windhorst said of a possible Brown trade on the latest “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast. “In talking to people on both sides, I think there’s a very good chance they’re gonna find ground on that [extension].”
The Golden State Warriors failed to defend their 2022 NBA championship, coming up with just two wins in a six-game series clunker against the Los Angeles Lakers. In what was a tumultuous season for the Warriors who dealt with the fallout from the Draymond Green punch of teammate and once rising star Jordan Poole, things never seemed right out in the Bay Area. The one bright spot was 35-year-old superstar Steph Curry, who looked like a guy who hasn’t lost a step being on what is usually considered the wrong side of 30.
As for off the court, the Warriors didn’t have much happening in that regard, and considering how things played out on the hardwood it’s probably a good thing.
With the team now preparing for a very important offseason, Ayesha Curry, Steph’s wife, is speaking out about an interview she gave in 2019, that she says depicted her in a light that she didn’t agree with at all.
Ayesha Curry, who happens to be an on-camera personality herself, did a sit-down interview with the now-defunct “Red Table Talk,” which was a part of the Facebook Series.
The show was hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow and Pickett Smith’s mom. Curry was joined by her mother-in-law Sonya Curry, and sister-in-laws Sydel and Callie.
In a recent cover interview with Insider, Curry discussed that interview and how her words were flipped in a segment about how she deals with women around her famous husband.
When the show was taped, Curry had recently given birth to the couple’s youngest child and only son, Canon. Curry also talked about how she had some insecurities within her marriage and even craved attention from other men.
In essence, Curry poured out her emotions in the interview, but she says how it was presented isn’t exactly how it went down.
“Was edited in a way that made me sound crazy,” she says. It’s not what I said, and the context was weird. Yeah. I took that one personally.
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Prior to the interview, Curry had received backlash for comments she made about receiving no male attention outside of her marriage.
“Something that really bothers me, and has honestly has given me a sense of a little bit of an insecurity is the fact that, yeah, there are all these women throwing themselves … but me, for the past 10 years I don’t have any of that,” said Ayesha Curry, who was a new mom who was and nursing during the appearance.
“I have zero — this sounds weird — but male attention. Then I begin to internalize it, like, ‘is something wrong with me?’ ”
Following the fallout from her comments, Curry sort of disappeared from the constant limelight, and instead focused more on her career as an entrepreneur. She and Steph also became even more active and noticeable in their philanthropic endeavors.
In Ayesha Curry’s cover story, her sister-in-law Sydel Curry-Lee spoke on her behalf, telling the magazine this about the months and years following that interview.
“All about protecting our peace,” she said. “Media is a very ruthless space. Celebrities are real people. All press is good press, but that’s not true when it comes to our emotions and mental health.”
Basically, Ayesha got the attention she craved, but not in the way she craved and decided it was best to play the background. Curry is focused on raising her three children with husband Steph. The couple has daughters Riley, 10, Ryan, 7, and the aforementioned Canon, who’s 4.
U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens (2017) is in Paris playing the French Open, and following her first-round match, where she upset the #16 seed Karolina Pliskova, Stephens was asked about racist behavior directed at Black athletes.
“Yes, it’s obviously been a problem my entire career,” said Stephens. “It has never stopped. If anything, it’s only gotten worse.”
Stephens is the latest high-profile player to speak about racist abuse suffered. Earlier this month, Real Madrid football star Vinícius Jr. reportedly suffered racial abuse from fans during a match and an investigation led to arrests.
Despite the false narrative from many that we’ve evolved to a post-racial society, racism remains permeates everyday life in obvious and not-so-obvious ways. With everyone connected via social media, there are more ways to spew vile and toxic hatred. Even with the existence of advanced software designed to help athletes block hateful, racist messages, the root cause isn’t being addressed.
“I did hear about the software. I have not used it,” Stephens said. “I have a lot of obviously key words banned on Instagram and all of these things, but that doesn’t stop someone from just typing in an asterisk or typing it in a different way, which obviously software most of the time doesn’t catch.”
There are so many people with malice and hate in their hearts and race is often the catalyst for whatever reason. We’ve “othered” and separated people based on phenotypical differences since the beginning of time and the dangerous, insidious lies that circulate as reasons to support racism are so woven into life as a human on Earth, it’s hard to see another way.
Unfortunately, highly visible Black athletes are targets for public attacks, particularly on social media.
“I mean, obviously when there is FBI investigations going on with what people are saying to you online, it’s very serious,” said Stephens. “Obviously it’s been something that I have dealt with my whole career. I think that, like I said, it’s only continued to get worse, and people online have the free rein to say and do whatever they want behind fake pages, which is obviously very troublesome. It’s something I have had to deal with my whole career and something I will continue to deal with, I’m sure. That’s that.”
There have been specific incidents that have happened to Stephens in the past, but in her press availability she did not elaborate on any specific incidents.
There’s a certain sadness in Stephens being resigned to the fact that this is just how it’s going to be. Part of being a public figure is expecting public ridicule, and it’s probably easier for some to handle that.
But when attacks are personal and racist that is something entirely different.
Hate crimes have been on the rise in the United States over the last few years, according to the FBI. And the internet has rapidly become a place where hate crimes can begin and even be carried out.
As the Colorado Buffaloes begin preparations for the upcoming 2023 college football season, it’s first under Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, the college football world wants to know what type of expectations Coach Prime is setting in year one.
Since his arrival in December, Sanders has seen over 50 players enter the transfer portal, but don’t fret, as the walking sound bite himself was able to reel in 48 new transfers to Boulder, including one former five-star (Travis Hunter) and seven former four-stars, including his son Shedeur, who’s set to be Colorado’s starting quarterback.
Late last week Coach Prime’s middle son, Shilo, also committed to and transferred to Colorado following graduating from Jackson State.
In December, Deion said he was bringing in luggage, and it was of the Louis Vuitton variety.
While Sanders didn’t predict a win total in his response to the question, he did say his Buffaloes will exceed expectations, and that’s where he left it.
In essence, it’s probably a smart way to instill confidence in his team while not putting added pressure on them.
Sanders told reporters this during his first weekly presser with some of the new team together for the first time.
“I don’t know,” Sanders said. “I can’t give you that. If I give you that, it’s going to go viral. You gotta understand when I talk, it’s going viral. We’re going to exceed your expectations. And I can guarantee you when you plays us, you’re going to know you played against us. You’re going to know that.
“You’re going to feel it, you’re going to feel it. I cannot wait till you see. Everybody makes a big deal of what’s not here, but you need to make a big deal of what’s coming. Because what is coming is far greater than what’s gone.”
The main reason why Sanders is here and not at Jackson State, where he won back-to-back SWAC championships and led the Tigers to back-to-back Celebration Bowl appearances, is the Buffaloes won only one game last season, and just four in 2021.
That all-time ineptitude and the embarrassment of being a basement dweller is what led the Buffaloes brass to put the full court press on Sanders, in an effort to restore some of the glory of yesteryear in Boulder.
All Deion has to do is win two games to double the output from last season. But if you know the bravado and swag Coach Prime leads with, that won’t suffice, so expect much more than that in year one.
Following last month’s spring game, which was a sellout, Sanders spoke about what he believes he was chosen to do at Colorado. During his postgame presser Sanders mentioned things that were football-related, but it wasn’t all about what happens on the field.
“It’s not just about football. It’s about bringing people together, it’s about uniting people,” Sanders said. “All ethnicities, all social climates. It’s not just about football. People get so caught up in W’s and L’s. We’re gong to win some games. But we’ve got to make sure these kids are winners on and off the field and amongst the community. I don’t care what ethnicity you are. We just want to bring people together and give them hope.”
Sanders is already giving the people of Boulder hope, and that’s what he set out to do. That will only continue to grow as the Buffaloes football program takes the field against national runner-up TCU to begin the season.
Then it’s an old Big Eight showdown with Nebraska in Week 2.
It will happen eventually. A team down 0-3 will come back and win an NBA series. The Boston Celtics had an opportunity to do it on Monday but were blown out by the Miami Heat 103-84. And the reason they lost is the variance of the three-point shot.
In the history of the three major North American sports that play best-of-seven playoff series (NBA, MLB, NHL), teams that were down 0–3 in a series have come back to win the series five times; four times in the NHL, once in MLB.
In a series that featured two separate winning streaks, anything was possible in Game 7.
The Heat finished the regular season as the fourth-worst three-point shooting team. They attempted 34.8 threes per game and shot at a below average 34.4 percent. But in these playoffs, they jumped to a well-above-average 38.9 percent from three, attempting 38.5 per game. In the clinching game the Heat shot 14-28 (50 percent) from three.
Talk about variance!
The three point shot is exactly why a No. 8 seed could knock off the top two teams in the conference during a playoff run and why at some point an NBA team will come back from an 0-3 deficit.
It’s boom or bust nature, particularly if a team is on a hot streak can, and often decides games. Basketball is a battle for possessions and you are trading points for those possessions.
The three provides value in two ways. First, it’s an efficient shot. Over the last 20 years, NBA players have averaged 1.05 points per above-the-break three attempts and 1.16 points per corner three shots.
In contrast, players have averaged just 0.79 points per two-point attempt outside of the restricted area. In other words, 100 mid-range jumpers will provide 79 points on average, while 100 above-the-break threes would provide 105.
That’s a 26-point difference. So it’s easy to understand how being up 20, given the prevalence of the three doesn’t mean what it used to. Large leads can be severed quickly.
This is where defense steps in, and the Heat “saved” their best defense for the last game of this series.
Jimmy Butler amped up the intensity on defense with three clean steals in the second half as the Celtics cut the lead to single digits.
An average offensive possession is worth about 1.1 points per possession. Therefore a steal or drawing an offensive foul can be seen as plays that add about 1.1 points of value to your team. This is because you’ve taken an opponents’ possession and, through your actions alone, have reduced the expected efficiency of your opponents’ possession from 1.1 points down to 0 points.
Turnovers, steals, anything that limits your ability to score as a team is a value add to the opponent. Do that a lot over the course of seven games and you’ll win.
Over the last two games of this series, the Heat shot 48 percent from three (28-for-58), the Celtics shot 20.8 percent (16-for-77).
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked the difference between Game 7 and the games the team won.
“We shot 21 percent from three,” said Mazzulla. “The defense was still good.”
When asked if the Celtics relied on the three too much, Mazzulla gave a succinct answer, “No.”
That’s the recipe for upsetting a higher seed. You must maximize the possession battle, and one of the ways you do that is to convert on threes at a higher rate. Easier said than done.
In this series the team that shot better from three won six of the seven games.
