Tommy Pham‘s return to the Chicago White Sox active roster began with a chance elevator encounter and ended with a go-ahead home run just hours later.

The 38-year-old outfielder was activated off the 10-day injured list Wednesday and immediately made his presence felt, hitting a three-run homer in the fifth inning of Chicago’s 6-3 series-finale loss to the Guardians — his first hit of the season with the club.

The move happened faster than planned. Manager Will Venable had intended to keep Pham on the injured list until this weekend’s series against the Tigers. But late Tuesday night, shortly after the White Sox suffered a gut-wrenching 7-6 walk-off loss on Brayan Rocchio‘s two-run double off closer Grant Taylor, Pham found himself sharing an elevator with general manager Chris Getz. Pham told Getz directly that he was ready to play.

“If I didn’t see him on the elevator, I probably would have had to wait until this weekend,” Pham said. “But every game matters right now when you’re in a playoff race. [Cleveland] is neck and neck with us, so it’s important for us to win today.”

Pham described the exchange succinctly after his homer during an in-game interview: “I told [Getz] I could play today. I said I’m ready. I went right to the source.”

A Turbulent Season

Pham’s activation caps off an unusually chaotic year. He opened the 2026 season with the Mets but went hitless in 13 at-bats before being designated for assignment. He then signed minor league deals with both the Orioles and the Phillies without ever appearing in a game for either big league club, hitting .238 across 69 total games in the Mets’, Orioles’ and Phillies’ farm systems.

The White Sox acquired Pham from Philadelphia on Aug. 31 in exchange for cash considerations. He went 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter in his White Sox debut on Sept. 2, then landed on the injured list Sept. 6 with a left calf strain before being activated Wednesday.

“If anything, these experiences this year have prepared me for this,” Pham said. “I’ve gone way longer between at-bats than ever before, so I’ve been preparing in the cage.”

Wednesday marked Pham’s second stint with Chicago. He batted .266 with five home runs and 19 RBIs over 70 games with the White Sox in 2024 before the Cardinals, along with current teammate Erick Fedde, were dealt to Chicago in a three-team trade that brought Miguel Vargas to Chicago from the Dodgers.

To make room for Pham on the active roster, the team optioned catcher Edgar Quero to Triple-A Charlotte.

Venable credited Pham’s competitive drive for the quick turnaround. “Tommy is maybe not at 100 percent, but you appreciate the edge and the passion that he has,” Venable said. “It helps a team a lot.”

Pham, now in his 13th major league season, is a career .256 hitter with 149 home runs and 522 RBIs across stints with 10 different organizations. The White Sox remain locked in a tight playoff race with the Guardians as the season winds down.

Arizona State University hockey player and NHL prospect remains in the hospital after an outdoor workout where he collapsed with “zero chance of recovery,” according to his family.

On the morning of August 20, Matthew Mayich, a sophomore from Ontario, Canada, collapsed during a brutal workout in 106-degree heat. He was then taken to the hospital for a heat-related illness.

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“Based on descriptions provided by the Mayich family lawyer, Mayich started suffering throughout the workout. He showed signs he couldn’t complete tasks. He was disoriented. … Then when he collapsed, they did not bring him to a bath. They did not put him in ice,” The Arizona Republic’s Robert Anglen told a local radio station. “They instead stood around him, left him on the field laying there.… As I understand it, players tried to shade him, and others worked on him.”

The workout included many rigorous activities, such as planks, bear crawls and sprints and had to be completed in 60 minutes, or they would have to do even more after the time was up.

Green Beret Tim Ziesel led the military-style workout. Participants were instructed not to complain. He reportedly left before the final workout.

The Mayich family attorney, Rob Carney, says that the family is upset with the university. “ASU is not handling this responsibly,” he said.

With many details still unavailable to the public, Carney has said Mayich has “zero chance of recovery.” The severity of that statement is unknown, but he did state that his life was “basically ruined.”

A study from the British Medical Journal revealed that at least one in four NFL players who have died between 2016 and 2021 had the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

The study examined how common CTE might be among NFL players. Inside the study, it was found that among 878 players who have appeared in at least one NFL game and died in those six years, 25% of those had CTE.

CTE is a disease that can only be found after death; research is dependent on brains donated by the families of players. The study relied on samples from those donations between 2008 and 2021. Of those samples, 93% were diagnosed with CTE; they then looked into demographic data and information from the death certificates of those samples.

The 25% estimate is on the “low end,” said Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, the study’s lead author. The study found that the maximum possible prevalence of CTE was around 97%, but the true rate “is somewhere in the middle,” Daneshvar said. 

“This study is a sobering reminder that football carries real risks, and those risks can have lasting consequences for players and their families,” the NFLPA said in a statement. “It also reinforces one of the NFLPA’s core priorities: improving player safety and supporting players throughout their lives, both during and after their careers. 

“The findings should serve as a call to action across the entire football ecosystem. We all share a responsibility to advance research, improve access to care, develop better treatments, and support those affected by the long-term impacts of the game.”

The NFL “continuously strives to make the game of football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts,” the league said in a statement. “The NFL remains committed to ensuring that the NFL community has access to a robust – and expanding – set of resources to enhance their physical and mental well-being.”

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, entering his eighth NFL season, was asked whether he was worried about getting CTE.

“The reality of the game is that it’s aggressive. It’s violent,” he said. “We’re out here running at each other. These are the best athletes in the world playing on one field. You’re going full speed running into each other. That’s the type of stuff that can happen.”

When asked whether he worried about life after football, Al-Shaair said, “That’s the reality of the game. I think we all know what we sign up for. … You have to make sure that you’re taking care of your body, doing the things that you can off the field to give yourself the best chance to stay healthy.”

The study found links between CTE and dementia. They found that over 90% of samples of the most advanced stage of CTE, Stage 4, were also diagnosed with dementia.

Daneshvar stated that the biggest predictor of CTE is the cumulative force of hits to the head, and that risk can be lowered by eliminating hits during practices and having children not play tackle football.

The researchers hope to release a study in the upcoming months that will estimate the overall rate of CTE in all NFL players at the time of their death.

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick told NBC that he refused to watch the NFL, but still enjoys watching college football.

“I’m not gonna support an organization that, one, is actively blackballing me, but two, has targeted my brothers who have been protesting as part of this as well,” said the former QB.

Kaepernick last played in the NFL in 2017 and spent his entire career with the 49ers. He was the man behind the controversial movement where players would take a knee during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and civil rights, which essentially ended his football career.

When he became a free agent at the end of the 2017 season, no team signed him, and he believed the owners were colluding to keep him out of the league.

He filed a grievance with Eric Reid, his former teammate, against the NFL and its owners, but later withdrew it in 2019 after reaching a confidential settlement.

The movement didn’t die with him; after the George Floyd protests, kneeling became a major form of protest again in the NFL, with players from every team taking part and, at times, the entire team.

He continued to fight for civil rights off the field as well, starting “Know Your Rights” camps and his own foundation.

Kaepernick has since expressed interest in returning to the league, but never has gone through with it or had it work out.

He told NBC in the same interview that he prefers the college game, which is growing in popularity across the country since the change to the playoff format.

Kaepernick, now 38, has probably run out of time to return to football, but he remains a notable civil rights activist.

A former TCU player was charged with aggravated assault after allegedly hitting a teammate in the head repeatedly inside the team’s locker room, according to police documents.

Jacob Fields, a former starting defensive back for TCU, was charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury after allegedly punching and kicking wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma in the head.

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On Aug. 13 around 1:30 p.m., Ezukanma was sitting in the locker room after a recovery day when Fields walked up and “struck the victim in the forehead with his closed fist,” which led him to “fall to the floor,” per a Tarrant County arrest warrant affidavit.

In the arrest warrant affidavit, a witness stated that Fields allegedly kicked Ezukanma in the head.

After the altercation, Ezukanma went out to get medical attention with the team doctors. After doctors advised him to have a CT scan, Ezukanma went to the emergency room, where he said his ears were ringing.

Chris Talley Jr., a sports trainer for the football team, told authorities that Ezukanma was given a CT scan at the hospital. The results came back saying that he had a brain bleed.

Ezukanma was then transferred to the ICU and underwent a second scan; the results showed the bleed had grown. He spent three days in the hospital after taking blood pressure and pain control medications and a third CT scan.

Campus police were not aware of the assault until a day later. Ezukanma spoke with the TCU police department on Aug. 20 and said he recalled sitting in the locker room on his phone, and the next thing he remembered was asking what had happened.

TCU wide receiver Terry Shelton told Ezukanma that Fields allegedly “punched him in the head then kicked him when he was on the ground,” the affidavit said. Ezukanma said that he felt pain in his head and had a headache after the incident.

Ezukanma told the police he believes that the alleged assault happened because he was better than Fields in the practice the day before. The document also said they had been going hard at each other since the start of camp. 

He reportedly showed authorities text messages sent by Fields that said, “I made an emotional decision cause how I felt played the last few practices; he wished he could take it all back. He added, I’ll pay every hospital bill and then some to make it right,” according to the affidavit.

Fields transferred from Louisiana Tech this summer; the team let him go on Aug. 18 for violating rules.

Fields and his agent, Philip Miller, released a statement on Aug. 30 on X. Fields had “voluntarily turned himself in to the appropriate authorities.”

“I understand the media and public may be looking for an explosive statement from Jacob or me. Now is not the time or the place. We will not try this case through social media or the court of public opinion. There is a proper place for the facts to be heard, and we will respect that process,” the statement stated. 

“My athletes and I understand the difference between right and wrong. We believe in drawing a hard line, standing up for yourself, and standing for something-because if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything,” the message added. 

“I stand with Jacob, and I will not waver. Jacob has legal counsel, and we will allow the legal process to run its course. There will be a time to speak. There will be a time for the facts. And there will be a time for the truth. Today, we let the process work,” the statement concluded.  

TCU kicked off its season on Aug. 29, with a 15-10 loss against UNC in Ireland. Ezukanma did not travel with the team.

After the incident, TCU rescinded the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s credentials and banned the newspaper from covering the school’s athletics after the newspaper’s reporting on the incident. TCU stated that they “advanced a narrative that endangered a student-athlete.”

TCU athletic director Mike Buddie said in a statement,  “Unfortunately, an unnamed source without first-hand knowledge of the incident provided inaccurate information cited in initial reporting by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which we strongly disputed.” 

“The inclusion of the misinformation advanced a narrative that endangered a student-athlete and resulted in threats to him and his family,” the statement continued. “These actions led to the decision to withhold the media credential until additional conversation can be held between athletics and the sports reporting team. We remain dedicated to restoring our student to health as well as focusing on the game that’s ahead,” Buddie added.

The Herbert brothers reunited in Los Angeles after the Chargers signed tight end Patrick Herbert to their practice squad. This is the first time he’s played with his older brother, QB Justin Herbert, since college.

The brothers were last teammates in 2019, when they both played at Oregon; despite playing for the same university, they didn’t spend much time on the field together.

Patrick was a freshman at the time and had played only two games; meanwhile, his older brother Justin cemented himself as one of the best quarterbacks in college football. Justin threw for 3,471 yards, 32 touchdowns and five interceptions. Justin capped off his collegiate career by winning the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin. Justin went on to be selected with the sixth pick in the 2020 draft, becoming the Chargers’ new franchise quarterback.

Patrick played in 43 games at Oregon, with his best season coming in his junior year in 2023. He caught 15 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns. He went undrafted in 2025 and later signed with the Jaguars in January.

The Jaguars recently waived Patrick to make room on their 53-man roster. He now finds himself on the Chargers’ practice squad with an uphill battle to climb. Patrick has to rise from the practice squad to make the main roster depth chart. The Chargers currently have five tight ends listed on their depth chart.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers is expected to make his season debut within the next two weeks.

Ahead of the season opener against the Miami Dolphins, the Raiders announced that Bowers will not play due to an urgent knee operation.

Bowers underwent a meniscus trim Tuesday, and sources initially told ESPN that Bowers was expected to miss “a game or two.” The Raiders officially ruled Bowers out for Sunday’s season opener against the Miami Dolphins. 

The Raiders will monitor how Bowers feels this week before deciding whether he will return for their Week 2 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 

 Bowers spent most of last season injured before landing on IR for the final two weeks. Bowers sustained a PCL injury and bone bruise in his left knee in Week 1 last season before being sidelined for 4 games in October.

After having an injury-riddled season, Cincinnati Bengals legend Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson isn’t concerned about Bowers long-term availability.

On his Nightcap podcast, Johnson said, “I’m really not that worried because it’s a little trim of the meniscus. It’s like getting a haircut. Now you only miss two games, and honestly, he might only miss one.”  

“With time and the way technology is so advanced right now, he might recover a little faster than normal,” Johnson added. “I’m a little wary, but not too worried, though, and he is young. When you’re young like that, boy, you heal like Wolverine.”

Bowers played in 12 games last season, recording 64 receptions, 680 yards and seven touchdowns.

Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak told reporters that Bowers is “working his tail off to get back out on the field,” and that it’s “really important to him to play as soon as possible.” 

“We’re gonna be smart with him,” Kubiak said, “but if he’s ready to play, he’s gonna play.” 

If Bowers is to return in the upcoming weeks, he will travel with the team to face off against the Chargers in Week 2 and the New Orleans Saints in Week 3.

 The Cleveland Cavaliers have re-signed free agent James Harden to a three-year, $97 million contract with a 2028-29 player option and a trade kicker.

Harden joined the Cavs last season near the trade deadline, when the Cavs sent Darrius Garland and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Last season, the Cavs reached the Eastern Conference Finals with Harden and Donovan Mitchell running the backcourt. The duo fought their way past the Raptors and Pistons in 7 games, respectively, before getting swept by eventual champions New York Knicks.

Harden turned 37 on Aug. 26, and when the 11-time NBA All-Star signs, he will become the second player in league history to sign for over $90 million in guaranteed salary at age 37 or older. The new contract will take Harden, who is entering Year 18, into a 20th NBA season. 

In June, Harden declined his $42.3 million player option. But at the outset of free agency, he and his agents worked with the Cavaliers on two- and three-year structures for a new deal. Harden ultimately allowed Cleveland to use as much time as needed this offseason to add to its roster. 

The Cavaliers needed Harden to lower his annual salary in a three-year deal instead of a more costly two-year deal to get under the first and second aprons. This also gave the Cavs time to trade for Peyton Watson. The Cavs sent Max Strus, plus their 2031 first-round pick and a 2032 second-round pick via the Sacramento Kings, to the Denver Nuggets in a five-team deal.

Harden played a key recruiting role with Watson during his restricted free agency, staying in communication to push him to Cleveland, according to sources. The Cavaliers boast a starting lineup of Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

After missing out on LeBron James in free agency in July, Cavaliers president Koby Altman made a series of roster moves to add Watson and EuroLeague star Mario Hezonja and take the team out of both aprons. Mitchell also committed to a maximum contract extension with the Cavaliers through the 2030-31 season.

After new acquisitions and the re-signing of key players, the Cavaliers hope to make another playoff push and reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2018.

The Detroit Lions placed running back Isiah Pacheco on the injured reserve on Tuesday, dealing with multiple lingering issues.

Pacheco, who had been dealing with an MCL sprain, has also been dealing with a back injury he picked up in training camp. The severity of the injuries is not fully known, but he is not eligible to return until week 5.

The Lions have filled his spot with tight end Tyler Conklin and have also signed Dominic Lovett to their practice squad.

This is Pacheco’s first year with the Lions, who has played his entire career for the Kansas City Chiefs. Last year he had 462 rushing yards and 1 touchdown in 13 games.

Detroit signed Pacheco from free agency this offseason to back up star RB Jahmyr Gibbs, who had an outstanding 1,223 yards last season to pair with 13 touchdowns.

Pacheco replaces David Montgomery, who played three seasons with the Lions and was traded after it was reported that he expressed frustration that he had to take a back seat to Gibbs.

This shouldn’t be an issue for Pacheco, who split the duties all season last year with Kareem Hunt.

The Lions open up their season against the Saints, and Pacheco will be available to return against the Cardinals in Arizona in Week 5.

With hours remaining on the transfer deadline day, Manchester City tied the British transfer record fee on Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez for £125 million ($169.3 million), reuniting him with his former head coach Enzo Maresca.

Fernandez made headlines this summer, earning a red card in the World Cup final playing for Argentina.

Fernandez is one of the many new arrivals at Man City who have spent the past summer transfer window rebuilding the squad.  This summer City have had 19 players leave the club, with the most notable being Rodri, John Stones and Bernardo Silva.

Heading into the transfer window, the club knew it was entering a new era. These departures kicked off when legendary manager Pep Guardiola stepped down after 10 years at the club. These 10 years brought 20 major trophies, including six Premier League titles, 5 EFL Cups, 3 FA Cups, 3 FA Community Shields, 1 UEFA Champions League, 1 UEFA Super Cup and 1 FIFA Intercontinental Cup (formerly the FIFA Club World Cup.

Maresca was chosen by the club to become the successor to Guardiola and had many tough decisions to make during the summer window. After winning the World Cup, Rodri had already expressed that he wanted to leave the club and was in a bidding war between Real Madrid and Barcelona. 

Before the signing of Fernandez, Man City had signed another midfielder, Elliot Anderson, from Nottingham Forest for what was a club-record fee of £116 million ($155 million). This spending on two players is not the norm for Man City in a single transfer window. Man City have done business throughout the window to aid their big spending. Their transfer income is £304 million ($410.81 million), and their transfer spend is £454.2–£458 million (~$613.8–$618.9 million). 

The club didn’t stop at two players, as they signed Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi for a €95 million fixed fee + €5 million add-ons (£85.6 million, $117 million). The last of the four big signings Man City made was Everton winger Iliman Ndiaye for £65 million ($87.7 million) 

Man City under Guardiola won a record four Premier League titles in a row and the Treble. Now the club is entering the 2026/27 season without winning the Premier League for two seasons in a row.

Maresca has begun building his ideal City team with these four new arrivals; the club hopes to challenge champions Arsenal and compete to secure its second UEFA Champions League title.

Coach Deion Sanders is back for another season at Colorado and opened his fourth season with a win over Georgia Tech, 14-13.

Colorado’s game-winning scenario left Georgia Tech fans unhappy. Charlie Williams caught the game-winning touchdown with 42 seconds remaining, and when Georgia Tech had the chance to storm down the field and win, Colorado blocked the kick.

According to a video captured by Yahoo Sports, a fan yelled an expletive directly at Sanders.

Shedeur Sanders, his son, now in the NFL and playing for the Cleveland Browns, was walking off the field with his father when it happened. They both turned around immediately in shock, and after a brief pause, Deion responded to the fan with class, saying “God bless you,” with his hands together.

The two then exited the field without saying anything more or firing back at the fan.

Sanders has had controversial moments on camera, with comments many would attribute to an uncontrolled ego, and a bad response to the fan wouldn’t have helped. His response will do well on social media; choosing not to clap back is something plenty of athletes and coaches struggle to do when dealing with fans like this.

Athletes and coaches deal with stuff like this all the time, and usually the best thing to do is ignore it, but this wasn’t a bad response either.

Colorado is projected to finish its season with four to six wins, according to experts, which will again be disappointing for Sanders’ high expectations that come with his publicity, first job, and fantastic 2024 season when they had the Heisman winner, Travis Hunter.

Coach Kyle Whittingham said that “he’s our QB right now” in regard to questions about whether Bryce Underwood may be replaced after the concerning matchup with Western Michigan last weekend.

It took a last-minute Hail Mary, which, in Underwood’s defense, he did throw, to get the victory over Western Michigan even though they were around 30-point favorites.

Whittingham made sure to say that “at some point, we’ve got to turn a corner” in his presser on Monday. He does not believe his comments on Underwood are final, but he stood by Underwood throughout the interview.

Underwood is the nation’s top recruit. He had an up-and-down season last year, but the Whittingham coaching staff remained committed to him in the offseason.

Whittingham said that Underwood was good in training camp, but after a good opening drive that saw Michigan score, Underwood couldn’t get the team on the board again until the final Hail Mary.

His only passing touchdown came on the final play, and he only threw for 170 yards, completing just north of 50% of his passes. Underwood also had an interception in the game.

Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles have not been able to capture the magic of their 2023 season. After winning their first game of the season against New Mexico State, Norvell’s fourth-quarter time management against SMU drew online criticism after the Seminoles fell 27-24.

With over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, the score was tied 24-24; both teams traded the ball before SMU drove down the field to secure the game-winning field goal. During the fourth quarter, Florida State had one timeout for the final 14 minutes of the quarter. The final timeout was called when SMU was on Florida State’s 6-yard line with 1:09 left on the clock.

During the game, many fans on social media were displeased with Norvell’s time management, pointing out that the team fell short with a +4 turnover difference and used two timeouts in the third quarter.

Already two games into his seventh year coaching the Seminoles, Norvell has been in the hot seat after two losing seasons since the school’s 13-1 record in 2023. The FSU football program’s downfall began when it fell short of making the four-team College Football Playoff in 2023. Finishing 13-1 and winning the ACC championship made the team look like National championship contenders, but after missing out, several players opted out for their Orange Bowl game against Georgia, where they were dominated 63-3.

The downfall has continued with this past loss; Florida State has lost 14 ACC games since their conference championship. In 2024, Norvell signed an eight-year extension worth around $84 million. According to ON3, the program still owes Norvell 85% of his contract ($51 million) if it fires him before the end of the season. The program would owe him $45.6 million if they decide to fire him after the 2026 season.

Florida State had a bye week after their defeat against SMU. The Seminoles will travel to Tuscaloosa to face off against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Depending on the result, this could bring life to the FSU season or continue the program’s downward spiral over the past few years.

The New England Patriots have agreed to terms with star cornerback Christian Gonzalez on a record-breaking four-year, $135 million contract extension. This makes Gonzalez the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.

The contract includes $102 million guaranteed along with $33 million in bonuses, sources told  NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Gonzalez broke the record that was set last month when the Seattle Seahawks extended DeVon Witherspoon to a four-year $132 million deal with $101 million in guaranteed money. 

“THANK YOU, LORD! PATS NATION LETS GO,” Gonzalez posted on his Instagram story. 

Gonzalez was drafted 17th overall in the 2023 draft by the Patriots. He has become an elite cornerback in his first three seasons, earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. He found himself eligible for an extension this offseason.

During the offseason, Gonzalez expressed frustration as his contract talks dragged on for months, and as close to August 25, he was unhappy that a deal wasn’t done. 

At the start of training camp, owner Robert Kraft said the team had offered Gonzalez a deal that would make him the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback; later, Gonzalez stated that there are different ways to measure that.

Gonzalez didn’t attend most of the Patriots’ voluntary offseason program, and at mandatory minicamp, he participated only in walk-through/low-tempo drills.

Gonzalez had over two years left on his contract before the extension. During the summer, he stated that he hoped to be “rewarded as a Patriot.” The Patriots would have had the option to let his deal run down and place him under the franchise tag during the 2028 offseason if negotiations didn’t work out.

Patriots head Coach Mike Vrabel and vice president of player personnel Eliott Wolf have expressed several times that they hoped to retain Gonzalez. Vrabel and Gonzalez discussed working together to expand Gonzalez’s leadership role.

After starting off his career with injuries, Gonzalez has bounced back and earned himself a pivotal role in this era of the Patriots.

The New Orleans Pelicans have traded Jordan Hawkins and Micah Peavy to the Memphis Grizzlies in a four-player deal.

Hawkins and Peavy will go to Memphis with AJ Johnson and Taj Gibson going to New Orleans, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The Grizzlies will also receive a future second-round pick and a second-round pick swap in the trade.

The Pelicans made this trade to clear money to complete their signing of Bennedict Mathurin. The deal saves $5.7 million for the Pelicans, who agreed to a two-year, $16 million contract with Mathurin, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Spotrac’s Keith Smith stated that the Pelicans are around $7.9 million under the tax after the trade, before factoring in Mathurin’s contract, which will hard cap them at the first apron.

Hawkins and Johnson were both first-round draft picks in 2023 and 2024, and neither has panned out thus far.

Hawkins was drafted 14th overall by the Pelicans in 2023. He has played in 174 games over the past three seasons, averaging a career-high 10.8 points in 2024-25.

Johnson was selected with the 23rd pick in the 2024 draft; he is now on his fourth different team. Starting his career with the Milwaukee Bucks before he was traded in the Khris Middleton deal to the Washington Wizards midway through his rookie season. 

Washington sent Johnson to the Dallas Mavericks last season before the trade deadline in February; he was later traded to Memphis in July as part of a six-team deal involving 11 players.

Johnson has averaged 4.9 points in 77 games with three different teams over the past two years.

Peavy was drafted 40th in the 2025 draft and played in 61 games in his rookie season with the Wizards. Gibson is now the second-oldest active player after LeBron James,  after he turned 41 on June 24.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye becomes the second quarterback in the past 25 seasons to throw three interceptions in the fourth quarter of a season opener.

Maye threw three interceptions in a 13-10 season opener loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Maye, along with the entire Patriots organization, was looking forward to their Week 1 game after falling short in the Super Bowl against the Seahawks.

Maye felt that his performance was “unacceptable.” “That wasn’t how I play football and how I want to represent my game and playing quarterback for the Patriots,” he said.

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold left the game early in the first quarter with a hip injury; the Patriots, after a slow start, led 10-0 in the third quarter. The offense stalled, and after three interceptions from Maye, the Patriots suffered an upset loss to the Drew Lock-led Seahawks.

Two of Maye’s interceptions completed a Seahawks comeback after Maye threw a contested deep ball to receiver Romeo Doubs and a throw over the middle on 3rd and 14 to Pop Douglas. Those turnovers were converted to 10 fourth-quarter points for the Seahawks.

“I thought we had the game under control. I thought we had a good plan to try to start chipping away and be patient. Lost patience, and it cost us – decisions that cost us the game on my part, on my end. I vow to myself to be better and realize it’s a long season. But at the same time, you can’t have those. It’s unacceptable,” Maye said

Maye completed 23 out of 33 passes for 178 yards along with one touchdown and three interceptions.

The Seahawks took a 3-point lead deep in the fourth quarter, when the Patriots began to drive down the field. With 26 seconds left on the Seahawks’ 16-yard line, Maye drifted out of the pocket toward the right sideline and threw a pass fading back to receiver Mack Hollins, but Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe picked it off to seal the victory.

“It was something where we had a certain protection on, we were cutting with offensive tackles, and I was trying to get rid of it,” Maye said. “I realized Mack was there in the back and didn’t put enough on it to get it out of bounds. It was just unacceptable. With a chance to send it to overtime at the worst, and the only thing you can do is turn the ball for that not to happen,  that’s what I did.” Maye said

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said the Patriots wanted to be aggressive but not reckless in late-game situations.

“It’s a long season; we’re going to hold our head up high. We have nothing but the utmost confidence in him. He’s going to make a lot of plays for us,” Vrabel said

The Patriots hope to bounce back after this defeat and get back to winning ways against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown was placed on IR after his short cameo in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks after joining the reigning AFC champions this offseason.

The New England Patriots are placing wide receiver Brown on injured reserve due to his high ankle sprain, sidelining him for at least four games. 

Brown left the game in the third quarter after a pass from quarterback Drake Maye in tight coverage. Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett contested the pass where his right knee appeared to land on Brown’s ankle. After the play, Brown grabbed for the back of his right leg as he slowly walked to the sideline and entered the medical tent.

Brown would walk to the locker room after an extended period in the medical tent.  Brown is believed to have suffered a high ankle sprain, sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.  

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel on Thursday wouldn’t confirm whether Brown has a high ankle sprain but said the team was running more tests on his injury.

“I don’t know if he’ll be available going forward here for the next week, but we’ll see,” Vrabel said. “I know he’ll do everything that he can to get back as quickly as possible, and once we get the reports, then we’ll figure out what the treatment plan is.” 

Brown wasn’t put on IR until Friday, after X-rays revealed that there were no fractures.

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels appeared on sports radio WEEI on Thursday talking about Brown’s injury and how the team will overcome this hurdle.

“Any injury that you get at this time of the season, you kind of approach it with an all-hands-on-deck approach,”  “We got a lot of different skill guys that can do a lot of different things. There isn’t one person on the roster that can replace anybody like A.J. in the middle of a game or a stretch of a season. So we’ll band together and figure out what we can do well and then try to get guys in positions to play to their strengths.” 

Brown joined the Patriots and reunited with Vrabel after the Patriots sent a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles.

During his first game as a Patriot, Brown played a role in the Patriots’ first touchdown drive, where he drew a defensive pass interference penalty after an underthrown deep ball from Maye.

Brown will miss at least 4 games and is expected to be on the sidelines for 3-6 weeks. The Patriots face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home for their Week 2 game.

Enes Kanter Freedom revealed on  Fox News’ The Big Weekend Show that Sophie Cunningham reached out after his ejection from the Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky game on August 23.

Kanter Freedom appeared on the show and said the two exchanged text messages after his ejection from Wintrust Arena in Chicago. According to Kanter Freedom, Cunningham asked him, “What happened?”

Kanter Freedom said he answered, “I just got up and opened my arms in the air and said, ‘I’m here to protect my friends.’” 

He has not revealed screenshots of their conversation, the rest of the conversation, or who texted first. He stated that their relationship is a friendship grounded in shared views on women’s sports. 

“She’s standing for the truth… I think she’s an idol now and an American hero,” Kanter said. “I’m just really happy that finally someone from the WNBA got up and said, ‘Enough is enough. We have to stand for American values.’” 

Cunningham previously said she wanted to “protect young girls” from competing against “biological men,” while rejecting claims that she hates transgender people. She has not publicly joined a broader campaign against the WNBA’s eligibility policies, unlike Kanter Freedom, who has.

Kanter Freedom has declared for the 2027 WNBA draft, demanded that the league revise its eligibility language, and challenged Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to a public summit.

Kanter Freedom said his support for Cunningham brought him courtside for the Fever-Sky matchup. After Chicago guard Natasha Cloud directed comments toward him, Kanter Freedom stood up and extended his arms before he began to move toward the court, before security escorted him from the arena. 

Kanter Freedom sued the Sky and other defendants over his ban and ejection. He stated that his speech was unlawfully punished.  Sky owner Michael Alter called the complaint “meritless and frivolous, stating that the ban was due to his actions, not his shirt.

As of now, Cunningham has not publicly acknowledged her friendship with Kanter Freedom.

Veteran safety Harrison Smith is back for a 15th season. In what is an unusual career path, Smith has played his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings.

Smith contemplated retirement for months, and the team finally announced that he’d be returning. Smith is signing a one-year deal for $12.25 million.

Last season was expected to be his last, with plans to honor him at the team’s final home game.

The Vikings have an outside shot at the playoffs, given expectations heading into the season, and the defense seems to be taking a veteran approach.

They play in a very strong division, which hurts their chances, as the Bears, Packers, and Lions have all had strong seasons in recent years and have not made many roster changes.

The Vikings finished last in the NFC North last year at 9-8, but were quite the disappointment after winning the division the two years prior.

Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores has also brought in Kyle Van Noy to help with the pass rush.

The offense is going with a similar approach, and head coach Kevin O’Connell has brought in Kyler Murray to start over third-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who won a national championship at Michigan.

Unless there are fitness concerns in the coming weeks, Harrison should start comfortably and is currently listed at the top of the free safety depth chart as of now.

Other notable free safeties that’ll play behind Harrison are Theo Jackson, Jacob Thomas and Jakobe Thomas.

Harrison will likely play alongside longtime Vikings player as well as Joshua Metellus, who plays the strong safety position.

This is expected to be Smith’s last season, partly because he signed a one-year deal, but he could be keeping his options open. There is hardly any doubt that the 37-year-old wants to finish his career in Minnesota.

Ben Shelton has finally ended his awful record against the Carlos Alcaraz–Jannik Sinner duo with the biggest win of his life at the US Open in the latest match in US Open history, finishing at 3:33 a.m.

Many people know Ben Shelton, but not the story behind his team, which includes two former tennis stars. They happen to be his parents, Bryan Shelton and Lisa Shelton.

Ben has always been proud of his mixed-race family – dad Bryan is black and mom Lisa is white.

Lisa is seen in his box at times and in the crowd at times, but Bryan coaches Ben full-time and has always been the main man in his box at every match of his professional career.

Parents aren’t people you can hire and fire without them still being involved, so Bryan and Lisa have been through every high and every low of Ben’s young career. Ben suffered his worst Grand Slam loss this year at the French Open against Raphael Collignon, but he has just won the biggest match of his life at his favorite tournament of the year, defeating Alcaraz 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7) as a huge underdog in what was an instant classic, and the best match Ben has ever played in his life.

Bryan and Lisa were shown on camera throughout the big victory, and after the win, they were not in tears or showing any sign of relief; they knew what Ben was capable of and knew the moment would come eventually.

Bryan is a former ATP Tour player and played nine seasons, winning two singles titles and one doubles title during his career. After his career, he started coaching college tennis and ended up in the latter half of his college career in Florida, where he coached Ben before leaving to coach him full time on tour. Ben is the most accomplished college tennis player of the modern era, as it is not customary to play college tennis if you are a top player, which Ben is and has been seeded in the top four at Grand Slams before.

Lisa was a junior star, peaking at the junior level before unfortunately not making it onto the main circuit as she got older.

The Shelton family has a huge tennis background, with one of Lisa’s brothers, Todd Witsken, being ranked as high as four in the world in doubles. The genes have undoubtedly found their way to Ben, who, after that win, is the second favorite to win the US Open at this stage.