Kirk Cousins has become widely known for his unique actions and words both on and off the field.

Recently, Cousins was caught in the midst of controversy for saying he would rather be encased in plexiglass than receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Interestingly, Cousins has already missed a week of training camp because he was contact traced to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. This consequence did not seem to affect his outlook on getting the vaccine.

Cousins is not the only NFL quarterback to refuse the vaccine. Cam Newton also alluded to not wanting a vaccine shot.

Whether Cousins and Newton decide to get the vaccine in the future remains to be seen.

Micah Parsons proved he can make a substantial impact on the football field when suiting up for Penn State, and it seems the former Nittany Lion is primed for success in Dallas for the Cowboys.

The number 12 pick in the draft was a star against Pittsburgh in their preseason matchup. Parsons recovered a fumble, made a forcible tackle that almost resulted in a fumble, and was a problem for the Steelers all night.

Parsons has had a fantastic preseason and is also coming off of a stellar rookie camp.

In college, Parsons recorded 191 tackles (18 for loss), 6.5 sacks and 6 forced fumbles.

“You have to trust what your eyes are telling you. And when I watch him, I see a fluid and explosive player. This game’s not too big for him. Some guys run a 4.3. Some guys play 4.3. He’s the kind of guy who plays fast. He looks like he’s done this at this level before,” Dallas Head Coach Mike McCarthy said of Parsons.

Dallas expects Parsons to have a large role on opening day and to make an immediate impact.

Bobby Eaton, known for making up one-half of the “Midnight Express” tag-team wrestling duo, has died at age 62. His cause of death is not known at this time.

“Once you met him, you realized he was a greater human being than the image you had as a professional wrestler,” fellow wrestler and friend Tommy Laughlin said.

“There will never be another…’ always gets said, but this is absolutely true; ‘Beautiful’ Bobby Eaton was literally one of a kind. Rest In Peace, Bobby. The wrestling Business did not deserve you, but I’m glad we got you,” said wrestler Dax Harwood.

Eaton had a fantastic professional wrestling career that ended with his induction into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2019. He wrestled for nearly four decades.

Robert Griffin III has stepped away from his playing days in football, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t sticking around the sport. He recently inked a deal with ESPN for an analyst position that will have him break down games in both the NFL and CFB.

Griffin still wants a shot on the field again, but will be in this role for the time being, with the understanding in his contract that he can leave the role should an NFL team come calling. He will be the voice on a weekly ESPN college game and be a voice in the network’s coverage of the CFB and NFL playoffs.

Griffin burst onto the scene for the Washington Football Team before untimely injuries derailed a promising career. He took a brief hiatus from the league before serving in a backup role for Cleveland and Baltimore.

Last week, a Belarusian sprinter in the Tokyo Games, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, was granted a humanitarian visa by Poland after refusing to return to Belarus. Now, she says she will auction off her 2019 European Games medal to help other Belarusian athletes caught up in the country’s crackdown against political opposition.

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz wrote that Tsimanouskaya had “received a humanitarian visa” and that Poland would support the Olympic athlete as best they can.

Tsimanouskaya was set to compete in the 200-meter sprint last Monday. She was removed from the event after publicly criticizing her coaches.

The Chairman of the Belarus Olympic Committee is the son of the current President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Belarus’s opposition leader, Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya, said she was “grateful” for the actions taken to protect Tsimanouskaya.

The Red Sox are looking to take definitive control of the AL East after acquiring all-star outfielder Kyle Schwarber from the Nationals, but they may have to wait a little longer – Schwarber suffered a rehab setback on a hamstring injury this week.

Schwarber is just 28 years old. He is batting .253 on the year alongside 25 home runs and 53 RBIs. He was also selected for the 2021 All-Star Game. Schwarber has a mutual option for 2022 worth $11.5 million. It is likely that he will see significant time as the designated hitter for Boston this year and next.

In return, the Nationals received minor league starting pitcher Aldo Ramirez. Ramirez has posted an impressive 2.03 ERA in eight games played.

In order to add Schwarber to its 40-man roster, the Red Sox designated Brandon Workman for assignment.

April Ross and Alix Klineman worked in tandem to defeat Australia in the gold medal game of beach volleyball. It’s the United States’ first gold in the event since 2012.

The U.S. never faltered, playing a dominant match from the first serve to their final point. Klineman and Ross won in two straight sets.

The team was dominant not just in their final match, but in all elimination games. They did not cede a single set in these critical matchups. 

The gold medal is Ross’s third Olympic finish on the winner’s podium. She previously won silver and bronze medals. “For us to get here and do this, with this kind of competition just blows my mind. To get a gold medal finally, feels so amazing,” Ross said of their victory.

“I still don’t know if I really ever expected this to come true. It feels like such a fairytale,” Klineman noted.

The Montreal Canadiens sparked a great deal of controversy in the NHL over their selection of Logan Mailloux, a Swedish hockey player who shared an intimate photo with a woman without her consent.

Logan Mailloux Photo

Mailloux released a statement prior to speaking to reporters. “During an intimate moment with a young woman, I took a picture of us without her consent. I sent it to my teammates to impress them. It was a totally irresponsible and stupid act that I committed without thinking twice …  know I caused a lot of harm to this person and their family, and I regret doing this stupid and egotistical act. I deeply regret it. What I did is now unfortunately a part of both her life and mine. I’ve apologized to her, but nonetheless, this will follow her for the rest of her life, and for that, I deeply and sincerely regret it,” the statement read.

Even though he had asked teams in the league not to draft him, believing he was not deserving of playing professional hockey in the United States, the Canadiens still selected him 31st overall.

The team said that they would provide Mailloux with the necessary tools to mature as a player and as a person.

“I am really sorry. It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever done and I know that it impacted her life, and I just hope that she knows how remorseful I feel and that I do feel sorry about it,” Mailloux later said in his interaction with the press.

Mailloux hopes to prevent future incidents like his from occurring with others. “I think if I can help people to not make the same mistake that I did, or something along those lines, then I definitely think that I’d be able to make a positive impact,” he said.

Allyson Felix is walking away from Tokyo an Olympic medalist, snagging a bronze medal in the 400-meter race. The win ties her for most race medals in U.S. track history.

Felix finished with a final time of 49.46 seconds, missing out on gold by 1.10 seconds.

If Felix is selected for the 4×400 relay race, she will have a shot at history: the most medals in racing in the history of the U.S. Olympic team.

Felix has won races in the Olympics in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016, meaning Tokyo is the fifth straight Olympic Games she has stood on the medal podium.

Current medal count record-holder Carl Lewis tweeted a congratulatory message for Felix:

Lionel Messi, arguably the face of Barcelona soccer, is departing from the club at age 34. Financial problems have made it essentially impossible for him to return to the club he has called home for nearly two decades.

Barcelona released an official statement, part of which reads:

“Despite having reached an agreement with Messi and with both parties clearly wanting to sign a new contract, it cannot be finalised due to financial and structural problems … Given this situation, Messi will not continue his relationship with Barcelona. Both parties lament deeply that the desires of the player and the club cannot be met … Barca would like to wholeheartedly thank the player for his contribution to the growth of the institution and wish him the best in his personal and professional life.”

LaLiga, the league that Barcelona plays in, nixed a deal originally agreed upon by the club and Messi. It would have seen Messi return to the club for five more years.

Messi almost left last summer after getting into a major feud with club President Josep Maria Bartomeu, however ended up staying with the team after Joan Laporta came on to replace Bartomeu.

Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are now the frontrunners for Messi’s services. Where he ends up, however, is still undecided.

Messi played 778 games for Barcelona. In those games, he recorded 672 goals, led the team to 10 LaLiga titles and won the Ballon d’Or six times.

Terrence Clarke, the star Kentucky guard who was tragically killed in a car accident earlier in the year, was honored by being drafted posthumously.

Commissioner Adam Silver had Clarke’s mother, sister and brother join him on stage before reading his name as an honorary selection in the draft. Clarke would have been drafted had he not had his life so tragically cut short.

“It’s all he talked about, just going to the draft, like, ‘Mommy, am I ready for this? This is big.’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, Terrence, you wouldn’t be in this position if you didn’t, if people didn’t think you were this good,” said Clarke’s mother.

Clarke had averaged 9.6 points per game in his season with the Wildcats. Kentucky honored their former player on social media.

Los Angeles is home to stars – the Dodgers fortified that reputation, acquiring both star pitcher Max Scherzer and all-star infielder Trea Turner from the Nationals.

The Dodgers are sending a lucrative package of prospects to Washington: pitcher Josiah Gray, catcher Keibert Ruiz, pitcher Gerardo Carrillo and outfielder Donovan Casey. Gray and Ruiz were the top two prospects from Los Angeles’s farm system.

Scherzer is having a stellar season, pitching to a 2.76 ERA in 19 starts. He is owed $35 million in this final year of his contract, although it will be paid off in deferrals through 2028. He will join a rotation of Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, David Price, Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin. Recently added pitcher Trevor Bauer is out indefinitely after possible criminal offenses arose off the field.

Turner is currently batting .322 with 18 big flies and 49 runs batted in. He is just 28 years old and is under control through the 2022 season.

Los Angeles has a history of making big splashes at the trade deadline. Previous examples include acquiring Yu Darvish and Manny Machado.

Kevin Durant and Jrue Holiday are often on opposing sides during NBA games, but against team Australia, they joined forces to lead a come-from-behind victory. The 97-78 win puts Team USA in the gold medal game, where the team has the opportunity to win its fourth straight Olympic final.

“They came out and hit us with a nice haymaker, and we were able to get back up and get that lead back,” Durant said of the team’s efforts.

Australia did, in fact, come out swinging. The Australian squad – led by wily NBA player Patty Mills – secured a 15-point first lead half.

Durant then popped off, collecting 23 points in the victory. He helped spur an 8-0 run that cut the Australian lead to just three points going into the final two quarters of play. Holiday also made a sizable contribution, putting up 11 points.

“When you are a great team and you’re playing a team who feels that it’s going to be tough to beat us, they’re going to come out and play their best brand of basketball. They’re going to play perfect basketball, and I felt like that’s what they did in that first half, and once we went down three going into halftime, I felt like we had the game in hand,” Durant noted.

The confidence in Durant and Holiday helped inspire others on the team; Devin Booker 20 points in the game. “He’s been a great leader for us, and we feed off his energy,” Booker said of Durant.

To win gold, the U.S. will need to defeat France, which handed the American squad an 83-76 loss in the opening game of the Tokyo Olympics.

Athing Mu, a runner for Team USA hailing from New Jersey, became the first woman since 1968 from the United States to grab gold in the 800-meter race. Mu’s performance in Tokyo is also the fastest time an American has ever recorded in the event.

“Now I am happy and satisfied, I am glad I did what I have been doing all year, and not switching off because I am at the Olympics. Just being me is what makes me more proud about this experience,” Mu said of her efforts.

Alongside Mu for the U.S. was Raevyn Rodgers, who secured third place and a bronze medal.

Mu had envisaged herself winning well before the Olympics, telling reporters, “I’m looking forward to standing on the podium, the middle one, and receiving the gold medal that in the future will have my name engraved on it.”

Outside of the 800-meter event, Gabby Thomas of the United States also medaled, finishing in third place in the 200-meter race.

“The last thing my coach told me was to stay relaxed throughout the entire race and I think that is what got me the medal,” said the Harvard alum of her efforts to snag a spot on the winners’ podium.

Sydney McLaughlin is walking away with a first-place finish in the Olympics in the 400-meter hurdles after defeating her rival, Dalilah Muhammad, by 0.12 seconds.

McLaughlin finished with a final time of 51.46 seconds. This time bested McLaughlin’s previous world record time by 0.44 seconds. Muhammad came in closely thereafter at 51.58 seconds, and Femke Bol of the Netherlands secured bronze with a time of 52.03 seconds.

Five of the seven top finishers eclipsed their personal records, meaning that the level of competition in the event was at an all-time high.

For a majority of the latter portion of the race, it appeared Muhammad was closing in on securing another gold medal in the event. McLaughlin then performed arguably the best she ever has in the 400-meter hurdles, executing the final leaps and sprints to near perfection.

Muhammad was finally surpassed by McLaughlin after the final hurdle, unable to keep up with the runner’s speed.

“We’re going to see some real rivalry here, and each of them know what they need to work on: Dalilah is going to be pounding the end of that race, and Sydney is going to be trying to get her start speed up,” said Ralph Mann, a consultant for the U.S. Track and Field Association.

Star point guard Trae Young is staying put in Atlanta, signing with the Hawks for five years through the 2026-2027 season.

The deal is worth as much as $207 million. His base pay is $172 million, however if he reaches the All-Star Game he could be paid as much as $207 million.

Young played in 63 games in 2021. He averaged 25.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game while shooting an impressive 43.8 percent from the floor. He also led the entirety of the NBA in made free throws with 484.

Young’s season was also highlighted by upset victories over the Knicks and the 76ers during the NBA Playoffs. Young even notched two victories against the eventual champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Even with the signing, Atlanta still has approximately $67.5 million in cap space as well as $4.1 million in luxury tax room.

Rookie wide receiver and 10th overall pick in the NFL draft DeVonta Smith sprained his MCL in training camp, meaning that the new Eagles wideout will be sidelined for two to three weeks.

Philadelphia does not seem too concerned about the severity of Smith’s injury, treating his absence from the field as precautionary.

Smith was attempting to catch a ball thrown low to the ground from quarterback Jalen Hurts when he lunged forward and injured himself. He arose from the ground with a limp and was helped off by a few of his teammates.

Travis Fulgham is expected to get the reps that Smith would have while the latter receiver is sidelined with his injury.

Two athletes born and raised in North Carolina – Keni Harrison and Gabi Cunningham – have shined in the Tokyo Olympic Games in track and field. Harrison grew up in Clayton, North Carolina, and Cunningham is from Charlotte.

In the 100-meter hurdles, Harrison snagged a silver medal while Cunningham secured seventh place. They were both bested by Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who represented Puerto Rico and finished with a final time of 12.37 seconds. Harrison narrowly missed out on gold, finishing with a final time of 12.52 seconds. Cunningham wrapped up with a final time of 13.01 seconds.

“It was just so fun coming out here and just getting a medal for my country….. Just to get a silver medal at this stage is amazing,” said Harrison.

Anna Cockrell, also a native of North Carolina, qualified for the Olympic final in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. Her qualifying time was fifth-fastest at 54.17 seconds. Cockrell is the sister of Buccaneer’s defensive back Ross Cockrell. The team held a watch party for the defensive back’s sister.

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Karsten Warholm bested his own world record in Tokyo, setting an astonishing record of 45.94 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles. That time was good enough for both a world record and the gold medal, besting U.S. competitor Rai Benjamin.

Benjamin, ironically, broke the previous world record with a final time of 46.17 seconds, which would seemingly have given him gold. Instead, Warholm’s incredible performance forced Benjamin into second place.

“That was the best race in Olympic history … everyone in this event should be getting paid big bucks, in all honesty,” Benjamin said of the race.

Warholm also discussed the unbelievable performances put on in the race, noting, “The lactic acid is just crazy, I couldn’t feel my legs. I was just running over the line because I didn’t take anything for granted today. All respect to Rai for running 46.17 – that’s just crazy.”

Warholm was being caught by Benjamin as they approached the final hurdle, but he pulled away by mustering an extra bit of strength, good enough for Olympic gold.

“That was my tactic today, I think I won on tactics. I really went out hard and tried to get the guys with me … after that I just ran for my life. I would have died for that gold medal.”

All three runners who medaled are also the fastest 400-meter hurdlers in world history.

“I cried a little bit … but I am really happy to be a part of history like this and just to show where this event can go,” Benjamin discussed after a disappointing second-place finish that was still one of the greatest performances in Olympics history.

Novak Djokovic has had his name etched into tennis’s history books on a number of occasions, but he will not have it put down as a golden slam winner. Djokovic fell to German Alexander Zverev in the Tokyo Olympics.

“I’m not only playing for myself I’m not only playing for my parents, for my brother, for my family, But I’m also playing for everybody, all the (German) athletes here back at the base and everybody back at home watching,” Zverev noted about his monumental upset over the world’s current number one player.

Djokovic lost the best-of-three match by a set scoreline of 1-6, 6-3, 6-1. The match was the Olympic semifinal and would have put Djokovic one win away from the Golden Slam. The “Golden Slam” is when a tennis player wins all four major tournaments and gold in the Olympics; Djokovic was hoping to become the first player ever to do so.

“At the end of the day he’s the greatest of all time because he’s going to win the most Grand Slams, he’s going to win the most Master Series, he’s going to be the longest at the world No. 1, and I’m sure 99% that this is the case when it’s all said and done,” Zverev said of his opponent.

The loss is Djokovic’s first in over two months. He will now compete for a bronze medal. Interestingly, Djokovic’s only Olympic medal was bronze and was won in 2008. He still has a chance at gold in mixed doubles.