NCAAF
The college football season kicks off on Saturday, August 27th, with a full schedule of 11 games. Notable games include Nebraska at Northwestern, North Texas at UTEP, and Wyoming at Illinois. The full schedule can be found at the following link: espn.com.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian announced that Quinn Ewers will be the starting quarterback at the University of Texas this season. The Ohio State transfer beat out redshirt sophomore Hudson Card for the starting job.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and Texas Tech alum Patrick Mahones will be inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Fame and the Ring of Honor. Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt issued the following statement: “Patrick’s accomplishments at Texas Tech are well documented with his success as one of the top quarterbacks in college football history. Patrick is an NFL MVP and a Super Bowl champion, but he’s, most importantly, a Red Raider who remains an avid supporter of our great university.”
LSU quarterback Myles Brennan announced his retirement from football. Brennan missed all last season with a broken arm and most of the 2020 season after getting injured in week 3. Brennan issued the following statement regarding his decision to step away from the game of football: “I am forever grateful for every opportunity I’ve been given, every obstacle I’ve overcome, and every second I’ve been a Tiger. However, after five seasons, it is time for me to start a new chapter in my life. I am announcing today that I will be stepping away from football.”
Some tragic news to report, FIU’s Luke Knox and brother of Buffalo Bills’ Dawson Knox, passed away at the age of 22. Knox was found unresponsive in his dorm room, first responders administered CPR, and Knox was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
NFL
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was suspended for 11 games, fined $5 million, and will be required to “undergo an evaluation and counseling for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy,” according to NFL.com. The decision brings a close to a disturbing situation involving one of the NFL’s highest-profile players.
Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James signed a four-year, $76.4 million extension. The deal includes $42 million in guaranteed money for the two-time Pro Bowler. The contract makes James the highest-paid safety in the history of the NFL.
Carolina Panther’s rookie Matt Corral is likely to miss the entire 2022-23 season after suffering a Lisfranc ligament tear during a preseason game against the New England Patriots.
Chicago Bears All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith ended his holdout and has begun practicing with the team. Smith had requested a trade as part of a contract dispute but has reportedly decided to play out his current contract, which runs through the 2022 season. Smith spoke to reporters on Saturday and addressed his contract situation “I thought [the contract discussions were] very distasteful, to say the least. Wasn’t what I anticipated nor what I expected from the situation. Now, I’m just shifting my focus to the season and more so just focused on being the best teammate that I can be to those guys in the locker room. It’s the last year of my deal, and I’m just going to take it, run with it, and bet on myself like I’ve always done.”
NBA
LeBron James signed a two-year $97.1 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. The extension will keep James in Los Angeles through the 2024-25 season. According to yahoo sports, at the end of the extension, “LBJ will have made $532 million in career player salary.”
Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers have reached a settlement over Simmons’s grievance against the team. Simmons attempted to recover the $20 million in a contract dispute with the team after Simmons did not appear in a game for the team during the 2021-22 season. Both sides agreed to keep the settlement confidential.
MLB
Albert Pujols hit two home runs on Saturday to bring his career total to 692. The St. Louis slugger is four runs shy of tying Alex Rodriguez for fourth place all-time in home runs. Pujols also passed Stan Musial for second place on the all-time bases list with 6,143.
The Texas Rangers fired manager Chris Woodward on Monday. The Rangers are on pace to record their fourth losing season under Woodward, who has a 211-287 with the team. Third base coach Tom Beasley was named as interim manager for the club. The Rangers also announced that team president Jon Daniels has “been relieved of his duties.” Executive vice president and general manager Chris Young will oversee the club’s day-to-day operations.
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