Yahoo Sports

New York Knicks owner James Dolan watches against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

The New York Knicks reportedly sent a fake scam email about the team’s championship rings to team employees who won’t actually be receiving them.

A Thursday night report from The Athletic highlighted the surprising amount of drama stemming from the team’s championship rings. Although teams often gift most members of an organization with rings, the Knicks have allegedly excluded employees who work in the team’s “business operations.”

To make matters worse, the employees who won’t be getting rings received an email about them that turned out to be nothing more than cybersecurity testing. The report read:

“Congratulations, your Employee Championship Ring is here,” the email read.

“(Employee name), this one is on the house. MSG is issuing a complimentary employee championship ring. The same jeweler, the same craftsmanship, personalized with your name. No cost to you.

“There are two designs to choose from: Championship Gold and Garden Classic. Reserve the one you want below.”

But the email was a fake-out, a phishing test Madison Square Garden sent to see if those employees would click, multiple team sources said.

The employees who clicked the link were “forced to attend a mandatory cybersecurity class,” according to the report.

Even for those who are supposed to get rings, the situation has been complicated. Sources told The Athletic that the assistant coaches who received ring boxes during Tuesday’s pre-game ceremony didn’t actually get rings. The boxes were empty, and the coaches hadn’t even been fitted for rings yet.

“Team sources described the assistants’ reactions to not getting rings ranging from genuine anger to annoyance,” the report read.

In a statement obtained by The Athletic, an MSG Sports spokesperson said, “We are not disclosing anything about the rings.”

The post NY Knicks Sent Scam Email About Championship Rings to Employees Who Won’t Be Receiving Them: Report first appeared on Mediaite.

It is not every NFL game a flag is thrown for an illegal forward handoff. But that was just one of many penalties called on the Chicago Bears in Thursday night's 30-24 win over the New England Patriots.

With the Bears facing second-and-3 from New England's 8-yard line, head coach Ben Johnson dialed up a trick play with a handoff to left guard Joe Thuney, which was called back for an illegal forward handoff. Chicago did not seem to know they would be called for the penalty nor did Thuney, but he had fun on the play.

“Just kind of work on it here and there, kind of as a, ‘who knows’ play and heard it in the huddle, so let’s go," Thuney said "… I guess they said forward handoff or something. So, gotta go look at it. It was fun but illegal, I guess.”

In his 11-year NFL career, Thuney has never run the ball or had a reception. Given Ben Johnson’s propensity for trick plays, it would not be surprising to see the Bears draw up another trick play for Thuney or one of Chicago’s other offensive linemen. 

Because of the Thursday night game, the Bears now have a mini-bye before their Week 8 Monday night matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. After this win, Chicago is now 2-0 in prime-time games this season. They are also 3-0 when scoring at least 30 points, which they have done in every game that starting quarterback Caleb Williams has started and finished.

Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears LG Joe Thuney reacts to his illegal handoff vs. Patriots

Liverpool make Harvey Elliott decision ahead of January transfer windowHarvey Elliott at Valencia, Liverpool Keep Close Watch as January Exit Ruled Out

Harvey Elliott’s loan spell at Valencia has yet to get moving properly. Five substitute appearances, no starts, no goal contributions, and plenty of noise around his physical condition after arriving in Spain. That is the reality, and Liverpool will know it is not what this move was supposed to look like.

The idea behind sending Elliott to Valencia was simple, regular football, proper rhythm, and a chance to rebuild momentum after a difficult loan at Aston Villa. Instead, he has landed in another awkward situation. The man who wanted him, Carlos Corberan, has gone. Javier Aguirre is now in charge, and managerial change always alters the equation for a loanee.

Still, there is one important point in all this. According to Marca, Liverpool have already checked on the situation directly, and the possibility of cutting the loan short in January has been ruled out. That matters. It suggests the club are prepared to let this develop rather than panic after a slow start.

Photo: Imago

Valencia Loan Needs To Deliver

Elliott is 23 now. He is past the stage where a loan is simply about experience. It has to produce tangible progress. His previous move to Aston Villa went nowhere, with the permanent option effectively parked once he fell out of favour. Returning to Liverpool gave him another opening under Andoni Iraola, but he did not do enough in pre-season to secure a meaningful role.

So this season is about evidence. Can he play regularly at a strong level? Can he influence matches? Can he look physically ready for senior football every week? Those are fair questions, and Valencia are asking them already.

Liverpool Monitoring Elliott Situation

The report outlines contact between Valencia sporting director Braulio Vazquez and Kiko Espinar, one of Liverpool’s key figures in Spain. That is standard practice, but it also underlines that this is being watched carefully. Liverpool wanted clarity on Aguirre’s plans and on Elliott’s own expectations over the next set of fixtures.

Aguirre’s public message was constructive. He said: “I am fortunate that I communicate in their language. I see him more refined, he is working with a private nutritionist. I’m delighted with his attitude, he has a lot of quality and he’s a Valencia CF player. You have to get the best possible out of it.”

That sounds positive enough, and Elliott now needs minutes to turn those words into something concrete. Valencia’s next matches will tell us more than any background briefing. At some point, a talented player has to force the issue.

Our View

This is getting familiar, and that is the worrying part. Harvey Elliott keeps ending up in these half-opportunities where everyone talks about talent, attitude and quality, but the actual output stays limited. Five cameos off the bench at Valencia is not development. It is drift.

The bit about Liverpool ruling out a January return makes sense on one level. Dragging him back after a few months would solve nothing. But there has to be a line somewhere. If he is not starting, not scoring, not creating and still having questions asked about his conditioning, then what exactly is the loan for?

There is also a wider point here about Liverpool’s handling of him. He has been around the first-team picture for years and still feels undefined. Not quick enough to be a wide threat, not imposing enough centrally, not productive enough to make himself impossible to ignore. That is harsh, but that is where it stands.

You want this Valencia spell to become the turning point, because the ability is obvious. Yet football is full of gifted players who spend too long waiting for the right moment. Elliott needs to make this one count, fast. Otherwise Liverpool will head into next summer with exactly the same doubts, and fewer excuses.

Source: Marca

The NFL's international experiment began in 2007, the year before Aaron Rodgers became an NFL starting quarterback. He didn't play internationally until 2022. This year will be his fourth game in a third different country other than the U.S.

After arriving in France for Sunday's game against the Saints, Rodgers made it clear that he's not a fan of the travel plans used by the Packers when playing in London in 2022, the Jets when playing in London in 2024, the Steelers when playing in Ireland in 2024, and the Vikings when playing in Paris in two days (unless the game is moved to London).

"I've played in three countries now," Rodgers told reporters on Friday. "In each of them, we've left on Thursday early evening. It would have been nice one time to come over on a Monday."

Teams ultimately make their travel plans for international games based not on the conveniences or preferences of the players but based on the perceived best interests of the organization. The goal is to get a win while also preserving the ability to get more wins after coming home.

Sometimes, the plan of showing up late works. Sometimes (as the Rams learned in the Week 1 Australia game), it doesn't.

For Rodgers, his four foreign games have happened with teams that have decided to go late. And that's just the way it goes.

This weekend, Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan defend their titles in a major double-header at UFC 333.

In the main event in Abu Dhabi, Volkanovski puts his featherweight belt on the line against Movsar Evloev, who will bring an unbeaten record and tricky grappling style against the Australian icon.

At 38 years old, the well-rounded Volkanovski will hope not to have lost a step, as the slightest drop-off could cost him against a fighter known for close decisions.

Alexander Volkanovski during his second win over Diego Lopes (Getty)

In the co-main event, Yan fights Merab Dvalishvili for the third time, having avenged a loss to the Georgian by outpointing him with a masterful showing in December.

The bantamweight belt is up for grabs in that fight, just as it was in their second meeting, and a Yan victory could set up a great night for Russia if Evloev follows suit.

When is UFC 333?

UFC 333 will take place on Saturday 24 October at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The early prelims will begin at 3pm BST (7am PT / 9am CT / 10am ET), followed by the regular prelims at 5pm BST (9am PT / 11am CT / 12pm ET), then the main card at 7pm BST (11am PT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET).

How can I watch it?

In the UK, the card will air live on TNT Sports and is also accessible via HBO Max, EE TV, Virgin Media, Amazon Prime Video, and Sky Sports. In the US, Paramount+ will stream the action.

Odds

Volkanovski – 10/11; Evloev – 10/11

Yan – 8/15; Dvalishvili – 6/4

Via Betway. Get all the latest UFC betting sites’ offers. The Independent vets betting sites for usability, security and responsible gambling tools. You can claim free bets here to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms.

It took a masterclass from Petr Yan (right) to dethrone Merab Dvalishvili in their second fight (Getty)Fight card in full

Subject to change; ‘C’ denotes champion:

Main card

Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs Movsar Evloev (featherweight title)

Petr Yan (C) vs Merab Dvalishvili 3 (bantamweight title)

Lone’er Kavanagh vs Ramazan Temirov (flyweight) – read our interview with Kavanagh here

Alexander Volkov vs Rizvan Kuniev (heavyweight)

Aaron Pico vs Losene Keita (featherweight)

British prospect Lone’er Kavanagh will try to bounce back from his second UFC loss (Getty)

Prelims

Azamat Murzakanov vs Dominick Reyes (light-heavyweight)

Nikita Krylov vs Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev (light-heavyweight)

Abus Magomedov vs Cam Rowston (middleweight)

Grant Dawson vs Nurullo Aliev (lightweight)

Early prelims

Colby Thicknesse vs Asaf Chopurov (bantamweight)

Abubakar Vagaev vs Jacob Malkoun (middleweight)

A Q&A on the state of NIL: College agents open up about negotiations, transfer decisions, more originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The modern era of college football recruiting is -- in some ways -- the wild west. Thanks to NIL, revenue sharing and players being able to enter the transfer portal, it has become one of the most chaotic parts of the sport. 

One of the people tasked with helping players navigate it all are name, image and likeness agents. In addition to a wide variety of other responsibility, agents help players broker NIL deals, choose which school is best for them and help them maximize their market value.   

The Sporting News spoke with a couple of NIL agents in Charles Cox of Red Envelope Sports and Peter Webb of QB Reps to learn more about how the industry works and about what being an NIL agent means. 

Red Envelope represents several NFL, college and high school athletes, including New Orleans Saints receiver Devaughn Vele and Washington State quarterback Caden Pinnick. QB Reps, which only signs quarterbacks, features clients in USC's Jayden Maiava, Wake Forest's Gio Lopez, Vanderbilt's Jared Curtis and Tennessee's George MacIntyre as well as Los Angeles Rams rookie Ty Simpson and Denver's Bo Nix in the NFL.   

Below, both Cox and Webb discuss a number of topics, from who they negotiate with at the schools to how transfer decisions are made.

MORE: Here are college football's 30 highest paid players

TSN: How long have you been in the business and how did you get involved in the business?

Charles Cox: "A longtime friend Don Yee, he's represented Tom Brady since Tom came out of Michigan, still represents Tom. He represents three NFL head coaches [Jim Harbaugh, Sean Payton and Mike McCarthy]. Don had heard I had sold my company and he had rebranded his NFL agency to Red Envelope Sports about five years ago, and wanted someone to take it over.

Long story short, [I] ended up buying the agency from him. I took over the NFL agency. We started the NIL division about two years ago. [We] just tried to approach it in the same way we approached our NFL side of the business in a boutique-like way, offering families senior agent experience." 

Peter Webb: "I've been a sports agent for 22 years. I've never done anything else in my career since graduating law school, and worked with professional athletes in a lot of different sports. I always recruited at the college level and represented them as professional athletes. Five years ago, instead of recruiting them when they're sophomores or juniors in college, we started recruiting when they were in high school. So it's not like my job changed, to be honest. We just started recruiting them earlier."

TSN: What does the process of finding a player a fit and matching that with compensation work? 

Webb: "When a kid is trying to pick a school, we're talking to Michigan, we're talking to Notre Dame, we're talking to Florida. We're helping them understand what that all looks like. Not just necessarily their financial package, because we really try to stay away from that. 

We're concentrating on the school, the location, their community, their track record, their coaching staff, the quarterbacks that have come through that, their process, like their recruiting class, the development, like we're looking at a lot, a lot of different things. The financial package for us, we try to make that come in after they've already selected the school they're going to."

Cox: "We try to focus on generating the best football outcome for the player, and if you do that, the money is highly correlated with that if you go find the best spot. In this day and age, you try to focus on head coach security, right? Because you don't want to put a young man into a program where he could have to be there for six or 12 months and have to leave immediately. Which is hard, right? Because the coaches leave just as much as the players."

Webb: "Every year when we are dealing with the top programs in the country, I already can tell a kid 'hey, if your final five are LSU, Bama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Miami, I already have a really good idea what it's going to look like for all these schools, they're all going to be competitive. So just go pick the best school for you, and then I'll make it work.'"

Cox: "Obviously, the player has to build a great relationship with the position coach because that's who they're going to spend the vast majority of their time with, right? So all those things when you huddle up with a family and and try to figure out."

MORE: How Michigan's Bryce Underwood is failing to live up to massive NIL deal

TSN: Who are you typically communicating with at schools? Is it general managers, coaches or both? 

Cox: "When you're dealing with NIL, FBS, Power-Four schools, the Group of Six schools, virtually everyone has a general manager. And if it's not a general manager on paper, it's kind of a de facto GM."

Webb: "I'm talking to the head coaches. I'm talking to offensive coordinators, and I'm talking to the quarterback coaches as well as their GM and recruiting coordinator, director of player personnel."

Cox: "I never call coaches, that isn't my thing. I think they're a little bit out of the loop on the money. That's got to be frustrating for them, that they're kind of taken out of the money piece. I don't know if they don't like dealing with agents or they're kind of just annoyed by the dynamic of them being left out of such an important piece of the puzzle."

TSN: December is a chaotic time, as the Early Signing Period coincides with the coaching carousel and the College Football Playoff. What is it like navigating that? 

Cox: "I've got a very transactional background, so it's not crazy to me. It's a blast. Solving problems with a gun to your head, that's fun to me. It's going to be crazy for the coaches and the staff because they aren't classically trained in this. These guys are classically trained in other things.

They have God-given abilities to communicate and train these kids and inspire them on the field that they're not good at this stuff, right? That doesn't make them bad coaches or bad professionals, they're being asked to do things they have no track record in. This is human resources."

Webb: "A lot goes into the portal because sometimes kids don't want to transfer, but they get recruited from other schools and other coaches. 'hey, come here, making promises—come here, you'll play right away. We can get you on the field. Using that angle of playing time can be very attractive. That's that's one. The second part is sometimes you have boosters and donors and collectives, calling and offering extremely, you know, lucrative financial package to come somewhere else and play."

Cox: "How the portal is structured with now 10 days in the first week of January, much of [that] crosses over with some of the FBS schools starting school. It's ridiculous that the concept of GMS and agents speaking is somehow looked down upon by the industry. It'd be ridiculous to ask these young men to go find a new place, negotiate their deal, and fly around on official visits in 10 days, yeah, and then enroll in a new school without professional help."

MORE: Who are college football's highest paid head coaches?

TSN: What are conversations like for players wanting to enter the transfer portal or stay put? 

Cox: "We play that role of insurance agent. That if things go bad at the last minute, when a school tells you, 'Hey, I think you should find a new place to play—which they do, by the way—right at the end of the semester, or something changes at the last minute in November, before signing day. We can go create opportunities out of thin air because we're always in the mix with all these FBS schools."

Webb: "Our job is really to say 'look, if you take the money out of it, what is the best scenario for you to develop and get on the field?' Because if your dream is to play in the NFL, then what's the best way to do that? Sometimes it's not just getting up and leaving and transferring to a new school right away for playing time."

Cox: "We're really the most important to the client when things don't go their way. When things go their way, then we're able to, you know, generate, you know, leverage for them and and just put a little bit of fear into the school that 'this young man has options.' He's not stuck with you."

Webb: "We're very big on, just because you're not playing your first year doesn't mean you hit the portal and chase something and start over again. I think that separates us too, is trying to make sure that our kids understand that you need to be developed. You need to give yourself a chance to learn the system, to learn the offense, to build your relationships with coaches. And it's hard if you are changing every year."

Week 6 of CFB for our guys.... pic.twitter.com/shyhRRJp6Y

— Red Envelope Sports (@Red_Env_Sports) October 13, 2026TSN: What would you say to players who want to represent themselves or avoid having an agent?

Cox: "I feel very strongly that we will be able to get more money for you, Mr. Player and his family, than you will be able to get for yourself.

I don't care who you are. I don't care if you're a CEO of a Fortune 100 company, or you're a freshman, you know, college football player, representing yourself with respect to money and employment is very difficult, right? It's awkward, it gets emotional, and if it doesn't go perfectly, you know, you're starting the relationship off on a bad foot."

Webb: "Take a five-star quarterback who goes to a college, and let's say he's getting a million dollars. $100,000 out a million dollars might be from rev-share, which means $900,000—90% of his money—is going to come through endorsement deals. It's going to come through multimedia rights partners. 

So that kid then has to work with the school and fulfill tons of obligations for the school providing these endorsement services. So does a dad or a mom or a kid want to have a phone call every week discussing the soft drink deal, the automobile deal, the insurance deal, the banking deal, the apparel deal? They're all part of his package. 'Hey, you have this shoot. You got to do this social media post. You have this appearance.'"

TSN: What are some of the biggest misconceptions about what you do? 

Webb: "People in the industry think, 'Why are these agents taking commissions off of deals that the kids are getting while they're in college, they should get that money anyway.' For quarterbacks and skill guys, it's just completely inaccurate. To make up the money that the school's paying them. There are a lot of obligations and deliverables that they have to fulfill, and having an agent to make sure that this deal for this brand is good for you. This deal is not good for you. This deal takes too much time. This isn't fair market value. So just because a school says, 'Hey, we want you to do this Pepsi deal, and we're going to give you $25,000, you need an agent to say, 'That deal is actually worth $125,000. Here's why.'"

Cox: "There's different kinds of programs, that are evolving from, this program used to be a program that developed young players, and now because of the economics, just can't justify developing young players. We've heard FBS programs say, 'I'm not recruiting high school players anymore. I'm just doing portal and Junior College.

And you understand why because these coaches are being asked to do a lot. They're being asked to coach a position, they're being asked to recruit. They're being asked to manage a team. They're being asked to now deal with the portal, which is hundreds and hundreds of names and extra work and review. So, you kind of have to use your time wisely,  and not to mention the overall pressure of only having three to five,years to build something."

Excited to make some #MaiavaMagic with one of the nation’s best! Welcoming USC QB Jayden Maiava to the QB Reps squad. pic.twitter.com/5s6tlwfFZK

— QB Reps (@QBReps) February 24, 2026TSN: Describe some of the biggest challenges about your job. 

Webb: "When kids get to school, other schools recruiting them through coaches, collectives and street guys trying to recruit them to switch schools to hit the portal because it's not for their the kids' best interest.

Our job is to serve the kids' best interest, and a lot of people that are recruiting our quarterbacks to flip or to transfer or whatever it is, they're not doing it for the kid's best interest."

Cox: "The most challenging parts revolve around the parents usually. Their expectations are out of whack with reality or they don’t quite understand how much work is involved on our end.  Sometimes the clients who are raised very well find it very difficult to do the “smart football business” things you need to do in order to prepare for changed circumstances out of their control like visiting other schools while they’re committed to a school, etc."

TSN: What are some of the most rewarding parts of the job? 

Cox: "Typically when you have a client who may not have been an elite recruit in high school and you help them make the right moves, whether that be to  FCS or JUCO in their first one to two years that allows them to develop on and off the field and achieve their dreams at playing at a higher level at a bigger school for their last two to three years of college.  Obviously,  seeing a college player you’ve had a long-term relationship with make the NFL is an awesome feeling as well."

Webb: "For me there was a lot of reward signing Ty Simpson in high school. Being a part of that process to Alabama, and then that whole why he waited, he sat, he developed. He didn't take the easy road, he didn't go transfer for millions of dollars. He continued to put his head down and grind and trust the process. That got him on the field, and he was a first-round pick. 

Those are the most rewarding things for me to see kids go through adversity, but stick it out and trust the process. And I think that's kind of what our agency is kind of founded on: Don't run when adversity hits you, don't chase the money. What's going to give you the best chance for success for the long term?"

TSN: What changes do you think could be made to improve the NIL Agent industry or what would you like to see added?  

Cox: "I don't think you get to a solution without coming up with some hybrid student-athlete employee classification for everyone, so they can collectively bargain. And they can create some parameters that that actually you know include the voice of the student athletes themselves."

Webb: "Number one is there's got to be agent certification. That's number one. That's one of the biggest problems is that you have runners and street guys and coaches doing multi-million-dollar deals for kids with zero experience, zero background, zero resume. They're not registered in the state. They're not registered with the school. They're not registered. There's no compliance checks."

FILE PHOTO - Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola (right) stands with head of physical performance Conall Murtagh during a training session at the AXA Training Centre, ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League soccer match against Villarreal CF. (is associated with: «'Full gas' - Iraola will not compromise on Liverpool energy levels») Nick Potts/PA Wire/dpa

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola will insist his team plays "full gas" despite growing injury worries.

Winger Victor Munoz missed Tuesday's Champions League win over Villarreal and was absent from training on Thursday as a result of a knock from last weekend.

Iraola said his participation against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday would be "difficult".

Munoz makes it six players now injured and while that weakens their forward options, Iraola will not accept players trying to manage their minutes during a concentrated spell of games.

"No, we cannot allow ourselves. The way we want to play you cannot play 70%," he said.

"Imagine you don't have a right-winger on the bench, I will put someone as a right-winger. I prefer to do this than you save your energy so you have to last 90 minutes.

"Give everything for 60 minutes, 65, 70, 72, then someone will do the 18, 35, whatever because we need to play full gas.

"I would like to say we are good enough to play 70% and win games but it's not. We have to play our very best because the teams we have in front of us are very good."

Iraola allayed concerns over summer signing Bradley Barcola, who also missed Thursday's training, and was optimistic midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai could return soon after going off injured at Brentford on Saturday.

"Bradley has trained today normally, he's fine, no problem. Sometimes you have to deal with the loads and sometimes they have to stay inside," he added.

"Victor has the knock he sustained at Brentford in the first half. He could finish the game very well but he is dealing with some pain since then and it was too early the other day against Villarreal and I don't know if he's going to arrive. I think it's going to be difficult but I don't really know.

"Dom is going to be out this weekend. I don't think he's far (from a return) but he hasn't trained with the group still and also considering that we started him and he had to go out, we will probably take one or two days more than we would last week.

"He's in a good place. Dom is already training outside alone and he's going to train with the group but he's not ready for this one."

FILE PHOTO - Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac takes a selfie using a young fan’s smartphone during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg at Signal Iduna Park. (is associated with: «Kovac welcomes Dortmund smartphone initiative, has only one team rule») Bernd Thissen/dpa

Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac has only one smartphone rule for his players and welcomes an initiative from the club to limit screen time for the fans in their stadium.

"The rule is very easy. There is a last meal before a game, and smartphones are not permitted," Kovac said on the eve of Saturday's Bundesliga match against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Kovac said that no other restrictions are imposed on the players because "the lads are mature enough and can judge what they need to approach a match."

The statements came the day after Dortmund announced that they want to encourage fans to put away their mobile phones while watching games at the stadium via a new feature on their official app starting on Saturday.

The "Fan Mode" can be activated in the club's app on game days. When the feature is on, the app tracks the amount of time the screen is locked and fans earn points for every minute they go without using their phones.

Participants with the most points can win prizes, including autographed Dortmund shirts and gift vouchers for the fan shop.

According to the club, nearly two-thirds of football fans regularly use their phones during matches and "more and more fans are annoyed by selfies, streaming, and social media in the stands."

Kovac welcomed the idea as he criticised excessive screen time, which he was also guilty of, in general terms.

“I think we could all check our mobiles a bit less now and then. We all catch ourselves doing it. If we could cut down on it, we could focus a bit more on other things, on the person next to us,” Kovac said.

Paris St-Germain fans celebrated winning the Champions League near the Eiffel Tower in May 2026 [Getty Images]

Paris St-Germain's Ligue 1 match against Lyon has been pushed back 24 hours to Monday as the French capital prepares for another weekend of protests.

The fixture at the Parc des Princes in Paris had been scheduled to kick off at 19:45 GMT on Sunday but will instead take place at 20:30 on Monday.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) announced the postponement in a statement on Friday after French police prohibited the fixture from taking place on its original date.

French authorities are preparing a major security operation for demonstrations planned for Saturday.

Around 550,000 people took part in demonstrations last Saturday to protest rising fuel prices, education standards and the cost of living, which have escalated after weeks of student protests.

Marches took place in several major French cities, including Paris, backed by unions and student groups, and were marred by some incidents of violence, looting and destruction.

The security challenge is further complicated by Sunday's NFL match between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints at the Stade de France, an event expected to require a significant police deployment.

The game will be played in Saint-Denis, about 10km from Place de la Bastille, where the protests are expected to begin.

The disruptions have already affected France's domestic football schedule with Toulouse's Ligue 1 home game against Troyes moved from Saturday to Sunday at the request of authorities.

Reigning French and European champions PSG are second in the standings after seven matches, while Lyon lead the table on 14 points, ahead of the holders on goal difference.

The match will also now be played on the same day as the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London.

Injured PSG pair Ousmane Dembele, the 2025 winner, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are among the contenders for the award.

• PSG on different level - but where do they rank against other great sides?
• Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 22: D'Andre Swift #4 of the Chicago Bears runs with the ball against Craig Woodson #4 of the New England Patriots during the first quarter of the game at Soldier Field on October 22, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images

This matchup deserved to be played on a Sunday. Both teams played on a short week and the Bears came out on top with a few more plays than New England. Caleb Williams showed why he is a top QB.

I’ll leave the refereeing alone because paragraphs could be written about this crew. The game was close and winnable, but Pats shot themselves in the foot with too many mistakes to overcome, including not being able to capitalize on offensive opportunities. Defense held up until they didn’t. Frankly, they looked fatigued. The Patriots don’t usually allow explosive plays or opponents get outside.

The team now gets 10 days of a soft bye week to rest and heal up. They need it.

TEAM TALK

Post Game Notes, Patriots at Bears: Stevenson reaches career high in receiving yards; Maye has second game in 2026 going over 300 yards, with two 30-yard TD passes; Elliss tied a career-high with 13 tackles; More.

Evan Lazar’s Game Observations: 8 takeaways from the 30-24 loss. “The Bears offense forced the Patriots defense to miss 16 tackles while racking up 149 yards after the catch and 85 rushing yards after contact, speaking to their physicality and possibly some fatigue for the Pats defense.” 1. Play of the Game: RB Rhamondre Stevenson scores 48-yard TD before halftime. /Good read.

Gamebook: Full Patriots-Bears stats.

Post Game Quotes:Patriots and Bears.

Post Game Pressers:Mike Vrabel – Drake Maye – Rhamondre Stevenson, A.J. Brown, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, and Hunter Henry.

Full Highlights:Patriots at Bears. (5 min. video)

Postgame Show:Breaking down Pats-Bears – the good, the bad, and what needs to be fixed. (1 hour, 42 min.)

LOCAL LINKS

Andrew Callahan shares his Week 7 thoughts: A well-earned defeat, Maye’s rhythm, Basic problem explained, When will A.J. Brown emerge? More.

Chris Mason’s Patriots Notes: Poor tackling dooms Patriots, but Drake Maye thrives under heavy pressure and Rhamondre Stevenson delivers an unforgettable highlight.

Matt Vautour says the Patriots will be haunted by self-inflicted wounds that cost them a winnable game.

Karen Guregian writes, losing to the Bears wasn’t a surprise, it was more about how the Patriots lost. ‘They were in it to the end. But they did more to lose this game, than win it.’ Pats gave a clinic on missed tackles.

Doug Kyed picks out the Best and Worst: What we learned from the disappointing loss. Worst: Tackling. CBs Marcus Jones (5) and Charles Woods (3) topped with missed tackles. Best: RB Rhamondre Stevenson’s incredible 48-yard catch-and-run TD. Carries: 6 for 22 yards, Receiving: 5 passes for 93 yards and a score. More.

Mark Daniels notes Mike Vrabel said four words about Drake Maye that echoed through the Patriots locker room: “I’m glad he’s ours.”

Alex Barth relays Mike Vrabel addressing the Patriots’ biggest defensive issues from Bears loss.

Doug Kyed tells us what AJ Brown had to say after another quiet game. “in three games, Brown has nine catches on 20 targets for 101 yards and hasn’t made the impact many expected him to.”

Alex Barth reports Patriots IR list grows again with addition of guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.

NATIONAL NEWS

Mike Reiss and Courtney Cronin (ESPN) Week 7 NFL TNF highlights: Best plays, moments, TDs, more.

Grant Gordon (NFL) Patriots-Bears on ‘Thursday Night Football’: What we learned from Chicago’s 30-24 win.

Kevin Patra (NFL) Caleb Williams outduels Drake Maye as Bears win prime-time bout. ‘Beyond the INT, Maye showed exemplary QB play.’ 

Patriots fans, join the game-day huddle!

Follow every snap and discuss every decision with fellow fans on the SB Nation app.

• Connect through our live game chat
• Browse with fewer ads
• Seamlessly move between communities
• Enjoy faster commenting and posting

Download the SB Nation app on iOS or Android.

NFL Nation, et al (ESPN) Week 7 preview: Picks, predictions, schedule, odds, more.

Jeremy Bergman, et al (NFL) Week 7 picks: Upset and score predictions, matchup breakdowns for every game

Gennaro Filice (ESPN) Trade deadline: 10 needs for 10 contenders.

Indiana Fever team president Kelly Krauskopf is stepping down from her role, Pacers Sports and Entertainment announced on Friday morning.

It was her own decision. Krauskopf told PS&E leadership of her decision ahead of the end of the 2026 regular season.

"It has been an honor and a privilege to help build and steward the Indiana Fever with the support and trust of Herb Simon,” Krauskopf said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunities, relationships, and shared accomplishments that have shaped my time with this organization. The Fever is poised for an exciting future, and I am proud to have helped lay the foundation for its continued growth and success. I will always cherish my time with Pacers Sports and Entertainment and the people who made it so meaningful."

Krauskopf has been around the Fever for nearly three decades. She built the team from the ground up in 1999 as Indiana's original president and general manager, and constructed the team that won the 2012 WNBA title. She briefly left the Fever to become assistant general manager with the Pacers in 2018, the first woman in NBA history to hold an executive basketball management role, then returned to the Fever in 2024 to reprise her role as team president.

“When we started the Fever, Kelly saw what this franchise could become,” Herb Simon, owner of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, said in a statement. “She built it, delivered a championship and came back when we needed her. She has played an extraordinary role in the growth of women’s basketball in Indianapolis, and our family is grateful for everything she’s given this organization. I’m proud to call her a friend.”

The Fever did not immediately announce a succession plan for Krauskopf.

This story will be updated.

Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com.Get IndyStar's Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fever president steps down after career that saw franchise’s start, NBA pioneer. What we know

Indiana Fever team president Kelly Krauskopf is stepping down from her role, Pacers Sports and Entertainment announced on Friday morning.

It was her own decision. Krauskopf told PS&E leadership of her decision ahead of the end of the 2026 regular season.

"It has been an honor and a privilege to help build and steward the Indiana Fever with the support and trust of Herb Simon,” Krauskopf said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunities, relationships, and shared accomplishments that have shaped my time with this organization. The Fever is poised for an exciting future, and I am proud to have helped lay the foundation for its continued growth and success. I will always cherish my time with Pacers Sports and Entertainment and the people who made it so meaningful."

Krauskopf has been around the Fever for nearly three decades. She built the team from the ground up in 1999 as Indiana's original president and general manager, and constructed the team that won the 2012 WNBA title. She briefly left the Fever to become assistant general manager with the Pacers in 2018, the first woman in NBA history to hold an executive basketball management role, then returned to the Fever in 2024 to reprise her role as team president.

“When we started the Fever, Kelly saw what this franchise could become,” Herb Simon, owner of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, said in a statement. “She built it, delivered a championship and came back when we needed her. She has played an extraordinary role in the growth of women’s basketball in Indianapolis, and our family is grateful for everything she’s given this organization. I’m proud to call her a friend.”

The Fever did not immediately announce a succession plan for Krauskopf.

This story will be updated.

Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com.Get IndyStar's Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fever president steps down after career that saw franchise’s start, NBA pioneer. What we know

Gattuso Warns Lazio About Parma: “We’ll Get Slapped in the Face”

After their stellar start to the season, Lazio head coach Gennaro Gattuso urges his players to remain sharp and focused.

Lazio Flying High Under Gennaro Gattuso

The Biancocelesti entered the campaign with low expectations, but they currently share the top spot in the Serie A table with Inter Milan after winning six of their first seven league fixtures. Their most recent act saw them outclass Juventus en route to a 3-0 victory at the Allianz Stadium.

Gattuso Send Stern Warning to Lazio Players

Lazio’s next two fixtures will pit them against Parma (Saturday) and Sassuolo (Tuesday). But while the two Emilian sides aren’t considered top-level opponents, Gattuso insisted that the team would pay dearly if they show any signs of complacency. These were the 48-year-old’s remarks in Friday’s pre-match press conference (via La Lazio Siamo Noi).

We did a little less than last week because we had one fewer day to work. The team is alive. We had a few minor problems with Taylor, who missed one and a half training sessions, but he trained with the team yesterday. The attitude is right, though. I watched the match again, and we have to play with the same intensity, desire and aggression. If we drop deeper, tomorrow’s game will become very, very difficult. That is our secret at the moment. If we try to manage the game or play at a lower tempo, we’ll get a slap in the face that we’ll remember for a long time.Beating Parma is Lazio’s Priority

The Biancocelesti will play three Serie A games in the space of a week, but Gattuso is only focused on getting a result against Parma on Saturday.

Tomorrow takes priority. Afterwards, we will certainly have to make some decisions. But we are thinking only about tomorrow for now. From Sunday onwards, we will start working out what to do next.Lazio were physically outstanding against Juventus. Can that become the standard? Matches are never over until they’re over. Parma had plenty of shots against Torino. Even though we’ve played only seven matches, we’ve already gained a lot of experience. Sometimes things have gone our way, and someone up there has looked after us. We were at risk against Milan, and the same was true against Monza.Gattuso With Davide Frattesi’s Movements

The Calabrian head coach highlighted the importance of making the right moves during the game, which is more important than the distance covered.

I’m not looking for high numbers in terms of volume. I’m interested in intensity and peak levels. That is the metric that matters to me, and it is what we work towards during the week. That is what makes the difference. The total distance covered depends on how you cover those kilometres. Frattesi touched the ball very few times on Sunday, but five of his touches came inside the six-yard box. He was getting in among the opposition. You can misplace passes, but the important thing is to play at a high intensity and with a clear purpose, without the lapses in concentration we have seen in certain matches. That is the mentality I want.Why Tactical Shapes Matter Little for Gattuso

The Lazio boss explained that Lazio players must be ready to occupy various positions on the pitch to make sure they’re covering the right spaces.

I’ve been telling you that formations matter very little. What matters is occupying the right spaces. How many times have you seen our centre-backs inside the opposition’s penalty area? It is all about positioning and occupying spaces. We move around rather than remaining confined to our specific positions. That helps us get goals from a variety of players.Lazio vs Parma | Where to Watch, Insights, Lineups & Prediction

Gattuso admitted he can’t switch off and enjoy the moment, as he remains obsessed with the next task, while hailing his players for showing a desire to work hard.

I have a flaw: I don’t celebrate much when things go well. I was the same as a player. I always think about what comes next. Yes, I’m happy. I’m proud, too. It is great to see how my players behave in the dressing room and during the week, and how well they get along. I went over to the Curva to thank the fans, but the credit belongs to the players. Zac [Zaccagni] threw me into the thick of things, and I really appreciated that. From the first day, they have shown great commitment and desire. What I like most is seeing them getting along so well. Some players get little playing time, and sometimes you see a few sad faces. That’s part of the game.Gattuso Reveals His Red Flags

The AC Milan legend was asked about the aspects he isn’t willing to compromise on in his coaching methods.

Respect, punctuality and being on time are fundamental. Otherwise, it becomes a circus, and that’s when I get tough. A footballer should have only one thing on his mind. Once in a while, you can use your front gate as an excuse. At Olgiata, some gates get stuck when it rains, so perhaps you have to climb over them and start running hard. That happened to me two weeks ago. (Laughs.) You have to train hard, and there must be respect. I’d rather someone tell me that he went to bed late, went out for the evening or had one drink too many. But I won’t allow anyone to ruin my training sessions. Just two players failing to train properly can be enough to lower the intensity. My office door is always open. I know how to listen, and I don’t hold grudges. If I have a disagreement with someone, I get over it shortly afterwards.Hungry for Vengeance

Gattuso believes his players must have an insatiable desire to avenge themselves after their previous disappointing campaigns.

Absolutely. If a player doesn’t have that desire, he should quit. An athlete who lacks motivation cannot compete at the highest level. Anyone who doesn’t have it should hang up their boots. I see that desire in this team. You build it week by week. The path forward is through self-respect and hard work.Updates on Taylor & Cataldi

The Lazio manager provided the latest updates on Kenneth Taylor, who suffered a slight knock against Juventus, and Danilo Cataldi, who returned from a long layoff, but has yet to play

He trained yesterday. We’ll assess his condition today, and make a decision tomorrow. That was purely my decision. He has been fit for 10–12 days now. When the time comes, he will play. He is giving us tremendous help in the dressing room and on the training ground. His moment will definitely come.Rovella & Marusic Remain Out

Gattuso insisted he won’t rush the returns of Nicolo Rovella and Adam Marusic, as he’s keen to avoid injury relapses.

I don’t want a player looking at me angrily one day because he has suffered a relapse after we pushed him too hard. It depends on the type of injury each player has. We know the data and the training sessions we have been doing since we arrived. They have to be ready. There is no point in bringing someone back onto the pitch only to find ourselves regretting it shortly afterwards. To be ready, players need to work on acceleration, deceleration, changes of direction and so on. That’s why they are not yet training with the group. Marusic and Rovella are currently working separately. They are doing well, but they have suffered significant injuries. If either suffers a relapse, we will only have ourselves to blame. With Gudmundsson, we hope that in 10 days he will be able to run on his own without pain. We hope to have him available before the Napoli match, although that is just my personal expectation. As for Rovella and Marusic, God willing, provided nothing goes wrong, they might begin partial training with us in four or five days.

MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin baseball dream that Bud Selig started more than 56 years ago is perhaps coming true, at long last, but the MLB commissioner emeritus worries about whether it might ever happen again. 

The Brewers team that Selig formed in 1970 by acquiring the Seattle Pilots franchise out of bankruptcy, moving it to Milwaukee, and then owning it for more than three decades is now on the cusp of its first World Series title. Back in the Fall Classic 44 years after the club’s only prior appearance, the Brewers come into Friday’s Game 1 with MLB’s best regular-season record, an emphatic sweep of the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, and a favored position among sportsbooks over the American League champion Rays.

“This club has done just a remarkable job, from [current Brewers owner] Mark Attanasio on down,” Selig told Front Office Sports. “It makes me proud. It makes the people of Milwaukee proud. I’m grateful, and we’re all grateful, to be here to witness such a momentous event in baseball history.

“The challenges of a small market don’t just disappear because of this, but what’s happening is such a powerful statement about what this team has done,” Selig said. 

Now 92 years old, Selig has been removed from the MLB commissioner post for nearly 12 years. He’s stayed close to the sport, though. Selig is regularly in contact with many league executives and team owners, including current commissioner Rob Manfred, and he’s been active in teaching and writing.

More pointedly, Selig has been a steady advocate for baseball adopting a hard salary cap and floor. Selig unsuccessfully sought a cap while he was the Brewers owner and then commissioner, particularly in 1994, ultimately leading a bitter labor fight with the MLB Players Association, and the early cancellation of that year’s playoffs and World Series. 

Despite the long and fractious history around management’s pursuits of a salary cap, the fervent opposition of the union, and the strong likelihood of a management lockout starting in December, Selig is undeterred. 

“You have to make adjustments. The changes that [owners] are proposing are not only rational, they’re essential,” Selig said. 

Selig’s stance puts him squarely in line with current MLB team owners, including Attanasio, Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, and White Sox co-owner Mat Ishbia—each of whom has openly lobbied this week for a cap and floor.

“Mark and I have talked at great length about all of this, so it’s not a surprise we’re of a similar mind,” he said. 

Selig will take a victory lap of sorts Friday night, as he’s scheduled to throw out the first pitch at American Family Field with Brewers icon and Baseball Hall of Famer Robin Yount, who the former commissioner thinks of as family. 

“I’m going to let Robin throw the pitch. I’m 92, and it’s best that he does it. But I’ll be there [for the ceremony], and it’s going to be the beginning of a great moment,” he said. 

The post Selig Argues for MLB Salary Cap: ‘You Have to Make Adjustments’ appeared first on Front Office Sports.

For weeks Michigan fans have been clamoring for a change at quarterback despite the Wolverines' 4-2 start to the year.

Averaging 16.8 points, Wolverine fans had seen enough of former five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood's attempts to lead the offense. Fans were finally granted what they’d been hoping for last week as backup quarterback Tommy Carr entered the game in the second half and led Michigan to a 21-18 win over Penn State.

For the foreseeable future, it seems like the Carr era has returned to Michigan as the grandson former Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr was named the team's starting quarterback for Michigan’s upcoming game against Indiana.

He may not be the five-star recruit that Underwood was coming out high school, but Carr was a highly regarded quarterback in his own right, just like his older brother was before him.

Here's everything you need to know about Michigan's new QB1.

The Carr legacy lives once again in Ann Arbor

Like his older brother and current Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, Tommy was a four-star prospect coming out of high school and did not play far from where his famous grandfather once led the Wolverines to several winning seasons.

CJ and Tommy each played at Saline High School. Tommy took over as the Hornets' signal-caller once CJ graduated and was headed off to South Bend.

Tommy started for Saline during his junior and senior seasons, leading the Hornets to an 18-3 record during that stretch. In his first season as a starter, Saline went 8-3 as Tommy completed 70% of his passes for 2,510 yards and 27 touchdowns while also rushing for six more touchdowns.

The next year, Saline went 10-2. Tommy was even better than he was during his junior year, completing 69% of his passes for 2,737 yards and 37 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He also added eight more touchdowns on the ground.

247Sports ranked the 6-foot-3.5, 195-pounder as the No. 15 quarterback and No. 6 prospect out of Michigan for the 2026 recruiting cycle. Unlike his older brother, he decided to stay in his home state and announced his commitment to Michigan on Nov. 16, 2025.

So far this season, Tommy has played twice, completing seven of his nine pass attempts for 70 yards and a touchdown. He's also rushed for 54 yards on six carries and added another touchdown.

Follow Sports Reporter Joe Spears on X at @joe_spears7 or via email: JSpears@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram and X.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Tommy Carr? What to know about the Michigan legacy getting his first start

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Jake Bauers #9 of the Milwaukee Brewers is presented with the Most Valuable Player trophy after his team defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images

I don’t know about y’all, but I’m incredibly excited for this World Series. The Rays and Brewers are both really fun teams, and while neither was the one I was rooting for when the postseason began, they’ve both won my heart to some degree with the way they handled their business so far this October. Ever since the two teams won their spots in the upcoming World Series, I’ve been thinking about how similar they are to each other and to the Royals, and what changes the Royals should be making to be more like them.

Starting pitching matters

There has been a lot of conversation surrounding the playoffs this year about how starting pitchers might be a dying breed. After all, starters have been pitching fewer and fewer innings for years. Then you get to this postseason and the White Sox made it all the way to ALDS Game 5 while using only one pitcher as a starter. The Guardians made it to Game 6 of the ALCS while using only two.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence, however, that the two World Series teams were among the ones who were willing to throw a starting pitcher every single game, even if he wasn’t necessarily the best pitcher available to them. The White Sox raced out to a 2-0 lead in the ALDS on the backs of their relievers but couldn’t keep it going forever. The Guardians decided they’d rather use their exceptionally effective relievers than allow Tanner Bibee to start a single playoff game, and it burned them in the ALCS when all of their relievers were worn out and overexposed. The Padres entered the postseason with the best bullpen in the majors, but they blew two games against the Brewers because they simply didn’t feel confident in any of their starters except Michael King.

The 2014 Royals showed that an elite bullpen performance could get you really far in the playoffs, but one aspect people slept on was that the Royals had competent, though not elite, starting pitching to keep things close for five-plus innings and prevent their relievers from being overworked or overexposed. Who knows how Game 7 of the 2014 World Series might have gone if the Royals had thought to just throw a true bullpen game, but they only got that far because they didn’t try it earlier.

This is actually something people have been discussing since at least 2024, though for some reason teams don’t seem to have taken it into account yet. That article discusses how overusing relievers can have a similar penalty to starters the third time through; ironically, the realization of the “third-time-through-the-order penalty” is what led teams to use their relievers like this in the first place. It sure seems like they’ve swung too hard in the other direction, though. I tend to think letting Tanner Bibee start Game 6 of the ALCS would have led to better results for the Guardians than asking all their best relievers to go out there not just for the third time in the series, but for the third time in three days, likely increasing the familiarity effect.

The lesson from this postseason isn’t “starting pitchers are irrelevant.” Instead, it is “you’d better have and use four competent starters or even the best bullpen will blow up in your face when they have to cover that many innings against the same team.”

Never stop trading

During the ALCS, there was a bit of schadenfreude in the fact that Tampa Bay beat Cleveland with home runs from their two best hitters, Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz, two players the Guardians traded to the Rays. According to FanGraphs, the Rays have the most players on their 26-man roster in baseball who were acquired by trade – the National League champion Brewers were third. Even more interesting was that NLCS MVP Jake Bauers was part of the Guardians’ return for Díaz, and the Guardians DFA-traded him away, too.

The Royals could spend more, and they might be a better team. I’d actually argue that if the Rays and Brewers were willing to even spend half of what the Dodgers do, given how great they are at roster-building, they’d be able to have an even more dominant dynasty than LA has enjoyed. But if the Royals won’t spend more money, they need to follow the Brewers’ and Rays’ leads in this way – make lots and lots of trades.

A couple of weeks ago, I evaluated how both the Brewers and Royals front offices had done at getting appropriate value in their transactions. One aspect I didn’t properly consider was the types of transactions each team performed, though. I evaluated a total of 69 transactions for the Brewers, 41 of those were trades. The Royals made 55 transactions, and 3o of those were trades. Those are fairly similar ratios, but of the 30 trades the Royals made, only 15 were made for guys who might possibly help beyond a season or two. The Brewers made 27 such trades, a much higher percentage. I don’t think it is a coincidence that one of the Royals’ best trades in recent years was the deal that sent Freddy Fermin to San Diego for Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek. That trade helped them in the moment, but it also improved their team for the future. That’s exactly the kind of trade the Rays and Brewers do all the time that the Royals haven’t gotten the hang of.

Besides being willing to make bigger trades, the Royals should just be making more trades, period. People will act like the Guardians should have held on to Caminero and Díaz, but it’s not like the Rays or Brewers never make trades that send useful players away. After all, Bauers debuted with the Rays. And the Rays’ ALCS MVP, Freddy Peralta, was traded away by the Brewers earlier this year! To say nothing of how both teams have made trades in the past that sent valuable pieces away without getting anything good in return.

The Rays traded All-Star Tristan Peters to the White Sox for cash. They traded José Cabellero to the Yankees for Everson Pereira, then released him. They traded Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez to the Athletics for three minor leaguers you’ve never heard of. The Brewers traded Tyrone Taylor and Adrian Houser for Coleman Crow. Until these playoffs, Corbin Burnes for D.L. Hall and Joey Ortiz wasn’t looking great. Honestly, the Peralta and Durbin trades aren’t looking great, either. But neither team lets the fear of failure stop them from doing more trades and recovering from the missteps.

The trades the Royals have made smack of fear in comparison. The Royals need to be bolder and be willing to be wrong if they ever want to have a chance of being gloriously right.

Michael Carrick referenced the work ethic and sacrifices of Manchester United greats such as Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney in a 5½-minute speech Friday that called for his underperforming players to display “humility and hard work” to get the team out of a crisis.

Carrick is fighting for his job following United’s dreadful start to the season which was capped Wednesday by what he described as an “unacceptable” performance in a 4-1 loss to Como in the Champions League.

He started a scheduled pre-match news conference by giving an address in which he accepted United — for so long the top team in English soccer under Ferguson but now a fading force — had “lost our way” and emphasized the values the club had shown down the years that he wanted to see repeated by the current squad.

“There’s a resilience about this football club that’s been shown for, for a long, long time,” Carrick said.

“Whether that’s bouncing back from adversity, whether that’s comebacks, whether that’s late goals, whether that’s success, whether that’s sustained success — there’s a resilience in this football club that runs very, very deep.”

Carrick then picked out examples of high-profile figures from United’s past who had the kind of work ethic he demanded, including those who helped the club to recover after the Munich air disaster in 1958 in which 23 people were killed — including eight United players.

“Ryan Giggs, arguably one of the greatest to play for this football club — it was never about Ryan Giggs, it was about Manchester United,” Carrick said. “Wayne Rooney was the top goal scorer of this football club — his biggest thing was playing for the team, sacrificing for the team and what was good for Manchester United.

“Sir Alex Ferguson, the best manager of all time, the greatest for me, and working with him — his main priority was Manchester United. Going back to Sir Matt (Busby), Sir Bobby (Charlton), the resilience was beyond belief of what they showed and the way they rebuilt this football club. Again, it was based on being humble, having humility and hard work.”

United, which plays Bournemouth on Sunday, sits in 13th place in the 20-team Premier League after winning just one of its first seven games and is already out of the English League Cup. In the Champions League, United opened with an expected win over Sabah, a competition newcomer from Azerbaijan, but has since experienced back-to-back defeats — after which senior players Lisandro Martinez and captain Bruno Fernandes have launched outbursts in interviews.

While Martinez aimed his frustrations at the club's hierarchy, Fernandes — speaking after the Como match — appeared to criticize the tactics of Carrick, who responded pointedly in his postgame interview by saying: “Whatever tactics you play, if you don’t run, and you don’t run forward, and you don’t run back, you aren’t going to win.”

Carrick insisted Friday that United's squad wasn't divided and he would ensure there is “unity” in the dressing room going forward. Asked if he would countenance dropping Fernandes or stripping him of the captaincy, Carrick said: “Whatever the situation is, I will always do what’s best for the football club.”

Carrick, who was handed a long-term deal in the summer after being a stand-in coach for the second half of last season, also said he was fine with being under scrutiny, with his future the subject of so much speculation.

“I’ll hold that umbrella for me to get wet and for everyone else to stay dry,” he said.

United supporting Fernandes after his home was burglarized

Carrick confirmed media reports that Fernandes' home had been burglarized on Wednesday while the Portugal midfielder was in Como for the Champions League match.

According to the BBC, no members of Fernandes' family were inside the house.

“It's an awful thing to hear about and to go through,” Carrick said. “We are doing a lot to support Bruno and his family.

“Thankfully they weren't directly affected, even though it's an awful situation and I'm not playing it down in any way. We are doing everything to support him.”

Conte says no advanced negotiations with any club

Among the managers linked in the media with potentially replacing Carrick — should he be fired by United — is Antonio Conte, an Italian who has previously worked in the Premier League at Chelsea and Tottenham.

In a posting on his Instagram Stories, Conte — who left Napoli at the end of last season and has also been linked with Juventus in the Italian media — felt the need to clarify his position “following recent media reports in Italy and abroad.”

“My name has been linked with numerous clubs,” he wrote, “but there are currently no negotiations at an advanced stage. Following a wonderful and successful spell in charge of Napoli, I will take the time I need to consider how and when to return to management. It will be a carefully considered decision, one I will make when I believe the conditions are right.”

“Should,” Conte added, “a concrete opportunity arise, that will be the time to hold discussions with the club concerned and jointly consider the terms of a potential agreement, with due regard for both parties’ needs and the qualities and approach that define my work as a manager.”

___

AP Sports Writer Daniella Matar in Milan contributed to this report.

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Emery provides latest update on Aston Villa star ahead of Man City

Johan Manzambi faces a late fitness test ahead of Aston Villa’s Premier League clash with Manchester City on Saturday.

The attacking midfielder missed Wednesday’s Champions League win over Viking with a “small injury” and will be assessed before the lunchtime kick-off at Villa Park.

Unai Emery also revealed several players who featured in midweek are carrying knocks and will be checked following Friday afternoon’s training session.

“We are training now in the afternoon,” Emery said.

“Still being some players clearly out like Onana, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Ruggeri.

“Other players we will see how they are after the match we played on Wednesday. Some were in some pain.

“I can’t tell you now until after the training session this afternoon.”

‘Selfish’: Rooney pulls no punches as he slams ‘babies’ playing for Man United

Wayne Rooney didn’t hold back in his assessment of the Manchester United squad post-Como.

The Red Devils were trounced 4-1 by the Champions League newbies on Wednesday, leaving them 20th in the competition’s standings.

How United have been faring

(Photo via MUFC’s socials)

While United have disappointed on countless occasions already this season, their showing in Italy was particularly dire.

They conceded inside two minutes of the clash, and went on to offer little to nothing in attack until Joshua Zirkzee bagged a consolation goal in injury time to make it 4-1.

Such a torrid display came just three days on from last weekend’s stalemate at Elland Road, and Michael Carrick’s men are now on a seven-game winless streak ahead of hosting Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.

Rooney slams ‘selfish’ United team

(Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Bruno Fernandes came under fire from several pundits and former players for publicly questioning Carrick’s tactics at full-time midweek, having expressed his confusion at the players not being told to press man-to-man.

Jamie Carragher labelled the United skipper a ‘disgrace’ for his comments, especially given how he flourished under Carrick’s management throughout the second half of 2025/2026 when restored to his preferred position.

Meanwhile, Rooney hit out at the players as a whole, going as far as branding them as ‘selfish’.

“These players, they are selfish. They don’t care about their teammates, don’t care about the manager, the staff or the fans, they care about themselves,” he said on Stick to United.

“If they’re not getting what’s right for them, they’re like babies and just throw their toys out of the pram and go and deflect the blame onto anyone else but themselves.”

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment *

Name *

Email *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Spence still unconvincing as Inter await English trio reunion

Inter’s English summer signings still haven’t made a big impact, as Djed Spence is still settling in after a €35m move from Tottenham, while John Stones and Curtis Jones are recovering from injuries.

Inter’s English summer signings haven’t left their mark so far this season. Spence is currently the only one available, but the ex-Tottenham defender has recently returned to action after missing the first six games in 2026-27 to regain match fitness.

The Englishman started his first Inter game in a 1-0 Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday, but his performance was unconvincing, and he was subbed off in the 59th minute.

MILAN, ITALY – OCTOBER 10: Djed Spence of FC Internazionale Milano in action during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Parma Calcio at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 10, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

“We chose him to give us pace on the counter and defensive cover against their two wide players who are quick and technically gifted,” Inter coach Cristian Chivu explained at full-time.

Gazzetta, however, notes that ‘there was little sign of that, either in the Champions League match or, more generally, during Spence’s 88 minutes on the pitch.’

Spence, 26, has made three appearances across all competitions so far, two in the Champions League and one in Serie A.

MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 14: Ange-Yoan Bonny of FC Internazionale Milano celebrates scoring his team’s fifth goal with teammate Curtis Jones during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on September 14, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

His compatriots Stones and Jones are still working separately, and Gazzetta says they’re not expected back soon.

Inter hope ex-Liverpool midfielder Jones can resume training next week and be available against Feyenoord in the Champions League on November 3.

This means he’d miss the next three Serie A matches against Fiorentina, Venezia and the derby against Milan. According to the report, Inter expect the same timeline for another injured defender, Benjamin Pavard.

MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 22: John Stones of Internazionale looks on during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and AC Monza at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Jones has suffered a thigh injury and has missed the last four games across all competitions.

Stones, meanwhile, is dealing with a hamstring injury and has missed the last five. According to Gazzetta, Inter hope to see him return to the squad against Como on November 8, just before the international break.