The NCAA Division I Board of Directors doubled down Thursday on the new age-based eligibility rule that has prompted some athletes to go to court in hopes of extending their college careers. The Division I Cabinet, which approved the new rule last month, issued a similar statement last month after a group of basketball players filed a lawsuit in an Ohio state court contending the age-based model unfairly shuts them out of further competition. More lawsuits have been filed across the country since, some of them reportedly with their coaches' encouragement. The board statement indicates it won't budge from its stance like it did when, in response to former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia's 2024 court win, it granted an additional year to athletes who had competed at non-NCAA schools for at least one season and were set to complete their eligibility. "We are encouraged by the Division I memberships broad support of the age-based eligibility rules," the board said Thursday. "The design of the new rules, including its implementation strategy, was thoughtful and well-informed, and was unanimously supported by the Cabinet, including its student-athlete members. "The Board has no plans to modify their application, notwithstanding a series of lawsuits recently filed on behalf of student-athletes with no remaining eligibility. We look forward to ensuring that the age-based eligibility rules are enforced consistently so that all institutions play by the same rules, like all participants in sports." The age-based eligibility rule allows athletes five seasons of competition over a five-year period that begins with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. The move all but eliminates waivers or redshirt years for extended eligibility except for religious missions, pregnancy or active-duty military service. Extensions will no longer be considered for athletes who are injured. Athletes whose eligibility expired by spring 2026 under the traditional model four years of competition over five years will not be allowed a fifth year of competition under the new rules that go into effect this fall. That was the impetus for the first lawsuit, in Ohio. A judge granted a preliminary injunction that allowed the players to enter the transfer portal and the case now heads to trial. Athletes in other cases across the country also have won preliminary injunctions. Earlier this week, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the conference ended up supporting the rule despite some leaders misgivings about its timing. Sankey said there was a thought that the Protect College Sports Act currently circulating in the Senate could solve the problem. He also said the conference wasnt presented with data to justify the change. "We got on a fast track in this environment because ... people are looking for solutions," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "That doesnt mean there are solutions, but its just Oh, what were doing isnt working. Theres so many waivers, theres so much controversy about eligibility, this must be better. But were not sure if it is." Reporting by the Associated Press.

Lead Stories says: Made With AIDoes a real photo show Lamine Yamal's little brother Keyne with bundles of cash and the world cup trophy? No, that's not true: The image is AI-generated, it was originally posted on Instagram with an AI disclaimer by an account listing itself as an "AI Nostalgia & Multiverse Creator". AI detection tools at Hive Moderation and Google Gemini both found the image to be AI-generated.The fake image resurfaced with no disclaimer in a post (archived here) published by the X account @rasfromug on July 22, 2026. It was captioned:He will never know that there [sic] kids around the world that can go a day without a mealThis is the picture included with the post:Image source: @rasfromug post on X.The image was first posted on Instagram (archived here) by @lifeisfresc0 on July 21, 2026. It depicts Keyne, the 3-year-old brother of Lamine Yamal, a Spanish professional soccer player who plays for Barcelona and the Spain national team. Spain won the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the final match against Argentina on July 19, 2026. A BBC article highlights the little brother's reactions to his brother's games and the joy that brings to fans (archived here).The AI-generated image (detail pictured below) has a text glitch in the FIFA World Cup Trophy (archived here). It says:FIFA MALD CUPImage source: detail @rasfromug post on X.A second AI-generated image in the Instagram post (pictured below) has the same setting of a red back seat of a car with cash and trophy, but shows the likeness of Lamine Yamal pictured as if he were a young child.Image source: @lifeisfresc0 post on Instagram.The post was captioned:I know I can #aigenerated #viralreels #footballmemes #lamineyamal #fifaworldcupThe @lifeisfresc0 account bio (archived here) reads:AI Nostalgia & Multiverse Creator Bringing lost timelines to life thru AIWant To Monetize AI paid4pics.comLead Stories uploaded the image to the Hive Moderation AI detection tool (archived here) which returned a 99.9% confidence rating that the image was AI-generated (pictured below). Google's verification tool from the Gemini app (archived here) said:Most or all of this image was edited or generated with Google AI.Image source: Hive Moderation.

To get high school football fans ready for the 2026 season, The Cincinnati Enquirer sports staff will produce a generous flow of content.Here are the high school football stories released so far. We will update this article with more links as the content becomes available.Cincinnati high school football preseason newsUSA Today Super 25: Anderson football earns spot in USA Today national rankingsFrom USA Today: Cincinnati school among top 10 schools closest to 1,000 all-time winsCincinnati high school football league previewsCHL Cincinnati Hills League high school football 2026 previewCMAC: Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference high school football 2026 previewGCL-Coed: Greater Catholic League-Coed high school football 2026 previewMVC: Miami Valley Conference high school football 2026 previewSBAAC: 2026 Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference football previewSWBL: 2026 Southwestern Buckeye League high school football previewTop Cincinnati high school football returners by classSophomores: Cincinnati's top returning sophomores in 2026 high school footballTop Cincinnati high school football returners by positionDefensive backs: Vote for top defensive backs in high school football preseasonDefensive linemen: Top defensive linemen returning for 2026 high school footballReceivers/tight ends: Vote for high school football's top receivers, tight ends in preseasonOffensive linemen: Top offensive linemen in high school football preseasonCincinnati high school football featuresMore: CHCA's Parker Sougstad leans into God, shows courage after losing twinMeet the new coaches: See which Cincinnati, NKY high school football teams have new coachesThis article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kicking off 2026 Enquirer fall football coverage with previews

To get high school football fans ready for the 2026 season, The Cincinnati Enquirer sports staff will produce a generous flow of content.Here are the high school football stories released so far. We will update this article with more links as the content becomes available.Cincinnati high school football preseason newsUSA Today Super 25: Anderson football earns spot in USA Today national rankingsFrom USA Today: Cincinnati school among top 10 schools closest to 1,000 all-time winsCincinnati high school football league previewsCHL Cincinnati Hills League high school football 2026 previewCMAC: Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference high school football 2026 previewGCL-Coed: Greater Catholic League-Coed high school football 2026 previewMVC: Miami Valley Conference high school football 2026 previewSBAAC: 2026 Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference football previewSWBL: 2026 Southwestern Buckeye League high school football previewTop Cincinnati high school football returners by classSophomores: Cincinnati's top returning sophomores in 2026 high school footballTop Cincinnati high school football returners by positionDefensive backs: Vote for top defensive backs in high school football preseasonDefensive linemen: Top defensive linemen returning for 2026 high school footballReceivers/tight ends: Vote for high school football's top receivers, tight ends in preseasonOffensive linemen: Top offensive linemen in high school football preseasonCincinnati high school football featuresMore: CHCA's Parker Sougstad leans into God, shows courage after losing twinMeet the new coaches: See which Cincinnati, NKY high school football teams have new coachesThis article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kicking off 2026 Enquirer fall football coverage with previews

Mets starter Clay Holmes returned to the mound on Thursday night after making his first rehab appearance with Triple-A Syracuse.With the plan for Holmes to go roughly three innings, per interim manager Andy Green earlier in the week, the right-hander lasted 2.1 innings after throwing 51 pitches (28 strikes) and allowed two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two.Holmes evening began with a 1-2-3 first inning, including back-to-back strikeouts that ended the frame. Things got hairy in the second after a leadoff double and a walk put runners at first and second with nobody out. Holmes didnt allow a hit for the rest of the inning, but the RailRiders scored the games first run on a sacrifice fly.In the third, Holmes allowed a walk and consecutive singles that brought home a run before getting a flyout to end his night. Tobias Myers came in for relief and struck out the next two batters to strand the inherited runners and close the book on Holmes.The expectation is that the right-hander will likely need one more rehab start following Thursdays performance before being activated. If Holmes is on a regular schedule, that final start could come on July 28, which is six days before the MLB trade deadline.

Evy Leibfarth climbed out of her boat into a throng of family, coaches and teammates all of whom took turns embracing the home-country star.Leibfarth made history Thursday afternoon in Oklahoma City, becoming the first American woman to medal in kayak slalom at a world championship since 2003 the year before Leibfarth, 22, was born.A little bit of disbelief, Leibfarth said when asked how it felt. Going into this event, I definitely knew that I had it in me to do it, but of course putting it on on race day is a whole different game. You have the conditions, the course out there is really hard and then competing against all the top ladies in the world. Im really proud of myself and my team for making this happen.Australian legend Jessica Fox took gold in the womens kayak final at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships. Great Britains Kimberley Woods won bronze.Theyre some of my biggest idols but also girls I call friends, Leibfarth said of Fox and Woods, so thats really special, too.Jakub Krejci of the Czech Republic won gold in the mens kayak final, which was also contested Thursday. Polands Michal Pasiut and Italys Giovanni De Gennaro took silver and bronze. There wasnt an American finalist on the mens side.CARLSON: Jessica Fox had kidney tumor removed in August. This week, she won canoe slalom goldLeibfarth competes in all three canoe slalom events canoe (C1), kayak (K1) and kayak cross. The North Carolina native was the bronze medalist in canoe at the 2024 Paris Games, and shed also taken bronze in kayak cross at the 2021 world championships.Winning silver on Thursday was her best finish yet in kayak at a major event.I had a mistake at the top of my run and I wasnt sure if it was gonna be enough, but maybe that helped drive me, Leibfarth said. I was able to take the rest of the run and give it my all and see what I could do.From Bryson City, North Carolina, Leibfarth will likely be back in Oklahoma City two summers from now representing Team USA in the 2028 Olympics.Riversport OKC, which will host the Olympic canoe slalom events, has become a home course of sorts for Leibfarth.You know the water really well, the area is familiar, you know the people around you, Leibfarth said. And this is my first big event (in the U.S.), which is really exciting.The pressure is definitely hard, but when it comes to racing, all Im thinking about is my boat on the water out there. Im not thinking about anything else.Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him atjmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Evy Leibfarth takes silver in kayak at ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

Evy Leibfarth climbed out of her boat into a throng of family, coaches and teammates all of whom took turns embracing the home-country star.Leibfarth made history Thursday afternoon in Oklahoma City, becoming the first American woman to medal in kayak slalom at a world championship since 2003 the year before Leibfarth, 22, was born.A little bit of disbelief, Leibfarth said when asked how it felt. Going into this event, I definitely knew that I had it in me to do it, but of course putting it on on race day is a whole different game. You have the conditions, the course out there is really hard and then competing against all the top ladies in the world. Im really proud of myself and my team for making this happen.Australian legend Jessica Fox took gold in the womens kayak final at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships. Great Britains Kimberley Woods won bronze.Theyre some of my biggest idols but also girls I call friends, Leibfarth said of Fox and Woods, so thats really special, too.Jakub Krejci of the Czech Republic won gold in the mens kayak final, which was also contested Thursday. Polands Michal Pasiut and Italys Giovanni De Gennaro took silver and bronze. There wasnt an American finalist on the mens side.CARLSON: Jessica Fox had kidney tumor removed in August. This week, she won canoe slalom goldLeibfarth competes in all three canoe slalom events canoe (C1), kayak (K1) and kayak cross. The North Carolina native was the bronze medalist in canoe at the 2024 Paris Games, and shed also taken bronze in kayak cross at the 2021 world championships.Winning silver on Thursday was her best finish yet in kayak at a major event.I had a mistake at the top of my run and I wasnt sure if it was gonna be enough, but maybe that helped drive me, Leibfarth said. I was able to take the rest of the run and give it my all and see what I could do.From Bryson City, North Carolina, Leibfarth will likely be back in Oklahoma City two summers from now representing Team USA in the 2028 Olympics.Riversport OKC, which will host the Olympic canoe slalom events, has become a home course of sorts for Leibfarth.You know the water really well, the area is familiar, you know the people around you, Leibfarth said. And this is my first big event (in the U.S.), which is really exciting.The pressure is definitely hard, but when it comes to racing, all Im thinking about is my boat on the water out there. Im not thinking about anything else.Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him atjmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Evy Leibfarth joins rare American club at ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 13: Kamaru Usman of Nigeria is seen backstage during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at State Farm Arena on June 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)Hangin em up?Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman suffered a lopsided unanimous decision loss to former Middleweight roost-ruler Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City last weekend (Sat., July 18, 2026) inside Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.While Usman had a strong fifth round, the former Welterweight champion was not very competitive with Du Plessis for most of the fight. He was rocked several times, struggled to close distance and was unable to consistently take the South African down to implement his wrestling game.As it turns out, there may have been a pretty significant reason for that.Usman was apparently compromised.During the latest episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usmans co-host, former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo, revealed that The Nigerian Nightmare fought Du Plessis with a torn pec.And Cejudo was not happy that Usman took the fight.A lot of people dont know this, but you fought with a torn pec, Cejudo said. And I didnt like this from the beginning. I dont like you taking this fight because if youre fking fighting with one pec, Kamaru, thats different, man.A lot of people were giving you a lot of st because DDP was stopping your takedowns, Cejudo continued. But how can you get to those positions when you dont have a fking pec? I got your back on this one, Kamaru.Usman, however, did not want to lean on the injury as an excuse.I understand that, Henry, but it is what it is, Usman said. We roll the dice every time, so there are no excuses. We roll the dice, and sometimes it works out, and no one ever finds out. But this time, it didnt work out. So its something I dont even want to bring up. To answer your question, yes, I am 100 percent a wrestler, and I wanted to utilize that.That makes the performance a little easier to understand, especially considering Usmans wrestling was supposed to be his clearest path to victory against Du Plessis.Instead, Stillknocks stuffed his attempts, hurt him on the feet and handed Usman another difficult loss.After the fight, Usman was noncommittal about his UFC future during the post-fight press conference, making it clear that he does not want to be one of those fighters who sticks around forever just to collect a paycheck.He is only interested in big opportunities.Now, he is opening the door a little wider to retirement.Listen, right now I just have to sit with the coaches, sit with the team, assess everything, assess the place where Im at in my career, Usman said. All in all, just see whether its worth continuing to do this, whether its worth continuing to put them through that because Ive never really gone out there and not represented them appropriately.Time will tell if Usman continues his historic career.The former Welterweight champion turned 39 years old in 2026 and has now lost four of his last five fights. Add in another serious injury, and it is fair to wonder how much longer The Nigerian Nightmare wants to keep doing this.For more UFC Oklahoma results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

President Donald Trump in the White Houses Rose Garden during the Los Angeles Dodgers World Series celebrationCredit: Kevin Dietsch/GettyNEED TO KNOWThe Los Angeles Dodgers visited the White House to celebrate their 2025 World Series win with President Donald TrumpTrump received an honorary World Series ring and jersey with the number 47 during the Rose Garden ceremonyDuring his remarks, the president boasted about the Oval Office and gave the Dodgers insight into White House renovationsWhile the Los Angeles Dodgers were at the White House to celebrate their 2025 World Series win with President Donald Trump, he shared insight into why he loves the Oval Office so much.Oh wow Youve got to be kidding me, Trump said to Dodgers Principal owner and Chairman Mark Walter in the Rose Garden when presented with an honorary World Series championship ring on Thursday, July 23.Do I have to report this? the president, 80, said while holding the ring up to the crowd. I dont want to report this. Thats beautiful.After putting the ring in his jacket pocket, Walter, 66, presented Trump with a World Series jersey with the number 47 on the back.After showing the jersey to the crowd, the president pivoted, saying, Right behind me is the Oval Office and as Ive said this is the first time weve ever done this here in the Rose Garden because now its equipped to do it.Later in his remarks, the president continued touting the Oval Office by saying, I just want to say we are steps away from the most powerful office in the world, the Oval Office where everything begins and ends.President Donald Trump alongside Los Angeles Dodgers Owner and Chairman Mark Walter while holding an honorary World Series ringCredit: Alex Wong/GettyTheres nothing like it, the president continued. The most important people in the world go in here. We had King Charles here three weeks ago, we have [Chinese President Xi Jinping] coming in another three weeks.People walk into the Oval Office and no matter who they are, they just sort of feel... different, he added. Its a great place to negotiate because everyones all discombobulated when they walk in and its a great time for me to negotiate with them so we do that as often as possible.After his remarks, the president said hed be taking the team to the Oval Office to present them with a special beautiful coin that everybody loves and everybody wants.Before concluding his speech, the president boasted about the new renovations at the White House.NEED TO KNOWNever miss a story sign up for PEOPLEs free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Theres the ballroom and the military facility, heres the helipad were building Were building a beautiful helipad The new helicopters didnt do very well on grass so were putting up a beautiful helipad.Were bringing this building to a level that it was not at even when it was first built in 1792, he added. As a real estate person I love doing it.The Dodgers previously visited the White House in April 2025 to celebrate their victory in the 2024 World Series.Read the original article on People

INDIANAPOLIS Five-time Brickyard 400 winner Jeff Gordon has returned to one of the most important places in his racing life this time as the centerpiece of history.The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum has opened "Jeff Gordon," its newest rotating exhibition, marking the first time the museum has dedicated an entire exhibit to a single NASCAR driver. The exhibit traces Gordon's journey from quarter midgets and sprint cars to becoming a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and the winningest driver in Brickyard 400 history."It's more than a dream come true," Gordon said. "You just hope as a young kid who becomes a race car driver that you get to do it professionally, that you can have success doing it professionally, and do it as long as possible and stay healthy doing it. I got to do that and a whole lot more."Open through February, the exhibit features 13 race cars spanning every stage of Gordon's career, more than 70 helmets and never-before-displayed artifacts, including his first bicycle racing trophy, the first Jeff Gordon T-shirt, the firesuit from his first sprint car victory and the Williams Formula One steering wheel he used during his 2003 seat swap with Juan Pablo Montoya at IMS."I look at this room and walk through the timeline, and that's what comes back is just all the dreams and the hard work and everything paying off," Gordon said.Long before his own career filled an exhibit, Gordon was a young fan wandering the museum's galleries. "I came in here and saw this list of names and helmets and gloves and cars from the Indy 500 history," Gordon said. "I became a fan of Rick Mears because I saw his name on that list."I thought this place was just magical. So yeah, it makes it not only very special but very surreal to me to be standing here with an exhibition of my own career here."Behind the scenes, creating the exhibit was a months-long process."It's a multi-month process to make any sort of exhibit, from the mezzanine all the way down to larger ones like this," said Jason Vansickle, the museum's vice president of curation and education.Vansickle, who began his career at the museum as a tour guide, said curators often plan exhibits around anniversaries, milestones and significant stories in motorsports history."This one was a pretty great partnership because we worked with Hendrick Motorsports and Jeff and Jeff's parents for the artifacts, the vehicles, all the items you see here," Vansickle said.The exhibit replaces the museum's "Now Stay Tuned" and "Setting the Pace" galleries."We're constantly rotating here at the museum to give guests more stories at the end of the day," Vansickle said. "It is a big job to do that, but at the end of the day, to have guests come and experience the artifacts is really the main goal."While Gordon's accomplishments are well documented four Cup Series championships, 93 career victories and a record five Brickyard 400 wins he believes longtime fans will still discover something new."I'm blown away," Gordon said. "All these helmets have been sitting in cabinets and warehouses for years. So to see them out on display where I get to see them and then to get to experience this with my son, my parents ... this is a really special day for me."Jessica Garceteis an IndyStar sports reporter. Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox withour Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCarfor a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Jeff Gordon exhibit opens at IMS Museum, a first for a NASCAR driver