Jul 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) against the Phoenix Mercury at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesIndiana Fever reserve guard Sophie Cunningham, who is averaging 9.3 points per game this season, ignited debate online last week when she touched on her desire to protect womens sports in a feature from ESPN.I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And Im like, I never once said that,' Cunningham said. I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldnt have to go against biological men.Cunningham then doubled down on her initial stance that trans girls shouldnt compete with other girls when asked about it by local media.I said what I said. I think its kind of common sense, she said. And I think Ill always believe in that. I think its really important to protect children, and thats little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said.Now, the ramifications of Cunninghams comments are being felt. Ahead of the Fevers Tuesday night game in Seattle against the Storm, a rally is being planned by the local community.The rallys announcement reads:Women Are Real, Known Heretic, and Brandi Kruse are organizing a celebratory pre-game fan rally with local female athletes outside Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday, July 28, before the Indiana Fever take on the Seattle Storm. The rally will show public support for Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who has faced a wave of criticism since a July 22 ESPN profile in which she expressed support for female-only sports and locker rooms. Cunningham describes her position as one of honesty and care, saying her concern is for young girls who should not have to compete against males. With love is truth, she said, and we agree.Its shocking for such a strong stance to be made by the Seattle community, considering how few trans athletes there are ot begin with, something her Show Me Something podcast co-host West Wilson touched on in a TikTok video.Okay, transgender athletes in American sports is such a borderline nonexistent issue that right-wingers have convinced a massive portion of people in our country that it that these people are like a threat to sports in America when mathematically thats not the case at all.And by continuing to platform this, f*cking politicians, athletes, journalists, news outlets, youre only isolating transgender people even more by making them seem like this giant group of people is a threat to society, a threat to sports, when thats just not proportionately the truth in any capacity. There is like 10 transgender athletes in all of the NCAA, and so I think there are unique questions that can be handled on an individual basis, but to allow this to take our attention away from like housing and healthcare and wars and all the other actual harmful sh*t in our country is dumb.When factoring in how vulnerable trans children are to hate online, its worth asking if everyone asking for their inclusion shouldnt focus on the more pressing issues threatening our country, and on coming together rather than looking to the things that divide us.The post Sophie Cunninghams anti-trans comments lead to rally before Fever game appeared first on The Comeback: Todays Top Sports Stories & Reactions.

More details are starting to emerge about the San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, and it was a lot worse than we thought, according to Pro Football Talk's Chris Simms.Simms said that Shananhan almost lost an eye.It was scary, Simms said on Pro Football Talk. All of a sudden, I get a text from Kyle's wife Mandy she texts myself and my wife and it's like oh no, Kyle's been a part of some horrible accident.' She sent us some pictures right off the bat, and it was like oh my gosh. 'He was this close to maybe losing his right eye. The scar is so big right here. So, all that stuff was just crazy to see.Simms called the pictures "jarring."Simms also says that Shanahan looks a lot better now; however, he is still dealing with a concussion that is giving him lingering issues.Simms admitted the accident hit the 49ers' head coach hard psychologically. He's not only worried about his injuries but also about the other person involved."I don't think he'd have any problem with me sharing this," he said, It hit him hard, he was emotional about it because he realized how close it was to being a complete and utter diaster. It could have been a lot worse."Simms also admitted he knew about Shanahan's accident but chose to keep quiet.This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Chris Simms gives more gruesome details of Kyle Shanahan's accident

Why did Vita Vea request a trade from the Buccaneers? Tampa DT wants out with one year remaining on contract originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.A Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive staple could soon be moving on.Defensive tackle Vita Vea has requested a trade from the franchise, per Adam Schefter, asking out from the team that drafted him eight years ago.Vea, 31, has consistently been one of the NFL's most productive defensive linemen in Tampa Bay. Now, he faces an uncertain future.Here's what to know about Vea's trade request.MORE:Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen among best NFL free agents still availableWhy did Vita Vea request a trade from the Buccaneers?Vea requested a trade from Tampa Bay due to his contract situation. He's set to hit free agency after the 2026 season and per Jeremy Fowler, "extension talks have gone nowhere" between the defensive tackle and his team.Per Spotrac, Vea's 2026 cap hit of $22.19 million ranks eighth among all NFL interior defensive lineman. The 31-year-old, coming off a fully healthy 2025 season with 34 tackles and 4.5 sacks, is seeking to lock in a longer-term contract, but hasn't been able to do so with the Buccaneers, leading to his request.Vea is still expected to be at Tampa Bay's training camp, per Fowler, but his participation is up in the air. Per Ted Nguyen, Vea prefers to be traded to "a California team or the Raiders."MORE:Offseason grades for every NFL teamWill the Buccaneers trade Vita Vea?While Vea did request a trade, that doesn't necessarily mean the Buccaneers will grant that request.Many NFL stars have gone through high-profile contract holdouts and trade requests in the past while seeking a new deal. In instances where that player requests a trade, it's often more of a leverage play than a true indication they want out, but it remains to be seen whether Tampa Bay is comfortable moving on from Vea.If the Buccaneers don't plan to give Vea an extension, which is possible considering they'll also have to extend quarterback Baker Mayfield at some point, trading him now, when injury risk is low and he's valuable before a contract season, could make sense. If not, they may still be able to come to an agreement with their two-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion.Vita Vea career statsVea has been with the Buccaneers for his entire NFL career so far, a 2018 first-round pick who instantly became one of the most physically imposing players in the league.Listed at 347 pounds, Vea has earned two Pro Bowl nods and has cemented his status as a reliable, productive option at defensive tackle.Here's a look at his career numbers:SeasonGamesTacklesSacksForced Fumbles2018132830201916352.502020510202021163340202214316.51202315435.522024164270202517344.50Career:112256353Vita Vea contract detailsVea is entering the final year of a four-year, $71 million deal he signed with the Buccaneers in 2021 as a rookie extension.Per Spotrac, he'll have a cap hit of $22.19 million this season.

Amid warnings of a severe thunderstorms and 3-inch hail, it looked questionable whether the Green Bay Packers' 1 p.m. shareholders meeting on July 27 would take place outdoors at Lambeau Field. As it happened, the storm was much worse in the Fox Valley, where a tornado was reported, than in Green Bay, although, if the meeting had its frequent 11 a.m. start, it would have been chased indoors, as happened in 2018.But by the time 3,215 fans and the Packers leadership took seats in the stadium, the sun was out and it was in all respects a typical Packers shareholders' meeting. Well, typical in most respects. Presiding over this meeting was Ed Policy, completing his first year as Packers president and CEO after 17 years of leadership by Mark Murphy.Policy reiterated his philosophy for the Packers, which includes three elements: Win football games, keep the Packers in Green Bay and strengthen the community. "We are sure that every decision we make is in furtherance of one or more of these goals," he said. "We should never be in a position where we can't make a smart football move because we don't have the resources."General manager Brian Gutekunst kicked off the meeting by acknowledging that the 2025 season did not play out favorably for the Packers, who were 9-3-1 before finishing 9-7-1, then losing to the Chicago Bears in the playoffs."The season had great promise, but ultimately fell short of our goal," Gutekunst said. "We have no illusions about areas where we must improve."Player expenses add up in 2025 seasonOfficially, the Packers reported net income of $132.5 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year, a 54.8% increase over the previous year, but that's mostly an accounting mirage. As a practical matter, the team reported a $1.1 million loss in profit from operations. Total non-operating income, which includes increases in investments, was $133.6 million.Total expenses increased $118.7 million, from $635.4 million to $754.1 million. The breakdown was $444.2 million for players costs, $79.8 million for team costs, $87.7 million for sales, marketing & fan engagement, $82.6 million for general and administrative expenses and $58.7 million for facilities, exclusive of $18.2 million from the Green-Bay Brown County Professional Football Stadium District for facilities costs.Total revenue (not including non-operating income) was $753 million $453.2 million from league-wide revenue sharing and $299.8 million from local sources. Both were up 4.7% or more. Total revenue was the highest on record for the Packers, as were total expenses. National revenue comes primarily from media deals in the form of revenue sharing.Packers treasurer Karl Schmidt said national revenue was 60% of total revenue for the team and local revenue is "the key differentiator to competitiveness." The team got a big accounting boost (as opposed to actual cash) from the NFL's investment in 10% of ESPN in return for NFL Network, NFL Fantasy and the rights to distribute the RedZone channel. The league divided up the equity among the 32 teams. The Packers would not say how much their share was because fellow NFL teams already are perpetually annoyed that the Packers are required to make financial information public every year, which also allows a look at elements of their own finances, such as revenue sharing."I'd probably leave it to the NFL to answer exactly how the teams would benefit from that [ESPN] transaction," Policy said during a meeting with reporters on July 24. "Whether or not there would be dividends over time or whether or not at some point you'd have the ability to sell that 10% at a profit. Those would generally be the way you would profit. You would monetize a transaction like that. That's a league-wide transaction, we didn't have direct involvement in."Packers reinvest, save or give away their moneyBecause Packers stock does not pay dividends, all revenue is available for team use. Policy said they do one of three things with the money, "We will reinvest it, save it or give it away," primarily through the Packers Foundation. The Packers contributed more than $15 million to their corporate reserve fund, which stands at $701 million, compared with $579 million last year. The remainder of the increase was because of investment gains.The team contributed $5 million to the Packers Foundation, which brought its endowment to $66 million. The Foundation has distributed well over $30 million since it was founded in 1986.Policy said the team will continue to try to strike a balance in ticket pricing, between raising income and being fair to fans."We do have to balance that, especially as it relates to ticket pricing, because we also owe it to our fans to field a championship-caliber team," he said to reporters July 24. "I think for the most part they probably want us to focus on that more than anything else. We have to balance what's right and what's fair to the best fan-base in all of sports with what it's going to take to really field and the resources it's going to take to field a championship-caliber team."We are going to have to look at our ticket-pricing strategy. Let's assume we are one of the top three teams in terms of ticket demand throughout the entire league. We are going to stick with our strategy of staying somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of ticket price. Even that's going to become more and more difficult as you get these new and refurbished stadiums , which is only going to increase ticket prices. Our goal will remain to have a ticket price that is somewhere in the middle [of the league]."Other meeting takeawaysFormer Packers chairman, president and CEO Bob Harlan's name will go up on the Lambeau Field facade next to Ted Thompson's name during the 7:15 p.m. Oct. 29 game against the Carolina Panthers. Harlan died on March 5. He is credited with rescuing the organization from 20 years of mediocracy and worse when he hired general manager Ron Wolf in 1991 and led the 2003 renovation of Lambeau Field.Policy said the team renovated nearly every football space in the stadium in the last three years, including most recently the locker room, training rooms and equipment rooms. The two Luke Combs concerts at Lambeau Field in May drew nearly 93,000 people. The Saturday night turnout was the largest ever for a concert at Lambeau Field, including for Paul McCartney and Billy Joel.The Packers will pursue marketing in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Germany, the areas approved for them by the NFL. Policy said the NFL might be reaching a saturation point in the United States, but is only starting in the rest of the world. "We will have millions of new fans making multiple-generation decisions [in picking favorite teams]. We can't afford to not be involved in that," he said. To that end, the Packers Pro Shop is opening a store in Munich, Germany, on Nov. 12."We could get to point where we have an 18-game schedule, at which point ... we could be playing internationally every year. I was pleased this year when the schedule came out and we didn't have an international game, in part because it means so much to us and our community to have another home game here," Policy said on July 24.Omaha Productions, former quarterback Peyton Manning's production company, is developing a six-part series on the Packers, Policy said it might be released in December.Shareholders meeting turnout was 3,215 in person and 1,173 online. That was the smallest Lambeau Field turnout since at least 1998, the first time it was held in the bowl. Threatening weather can no doubt be blamed for the in-person turnout.Policy got applause when he said the Packers would not sell naming rights to Lambeau Field, and a prolonged "the Bears still suck" chant broke out when he mentioned the Chicago/Arlington Heights/Hammond team to the south. Three new directors electedShareholders elected three new directors, Harry Sydney, Glen Tellock and Robert Weyers. No board members retired this year, so that brings the total number of directors to 45. Directors must retire when they turn 70 years old.Sydney had a six-year career at running back, playing for the San Francisco 49ers and the Packers, and a six-year career as an NFL coach. He was on three Super Bowl teams, including two as a player with San Francisco and one as a coach with Green Bay. He also was coach of the Green Bay West High School football team for three years after leaving the NFL and is founder ofMy Brother's Keeper, a mentoring program for boys and men.Tellock is the former president and CEO ofLakeside Foodsin Manitowoc. Before that, he was chairman, president and CEO ofThe Manitowoc Co.Weyers is co-owner ofCommercial Horizons,a property development company that partnered with the Packers on Titletown district projects, among its other investments.Contact Richard Ryman atrryman@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X at@RichRymanPGand on Instagram at@rrymanPG.This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Weather cooperates for Packers shareholders meeting at Lambeau Field

The World lost.Former ONE Championship Bantamweight champion and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran John Lineker suffered a unanimous decision loss to Ahavat Gordon in the main event of GFN 1: Israel vs. The World this morning (Mon., July 27, 2026) inside Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel.The fight was contested under Muay Thai rules.And like most Lineker fights, it turned into a wild brawl.The bout was ultra-competitive, with both men landing several heavy shots throughout the fight. Lineker had his moments and brought his trademark power, but Gordon did enough across the rounds to earn the unanimous decision win.Check out highlights below:Some John Linker vs. Ahavat Gordon highlights from GFN 1: Israel vs. The World pic.twitter.com/CaILvLc03k MMA Mania (@mmamania) July 27, 2026pic.twitter.com/2gLt3crgHs MMA Mania (@mmamania) July 27, 2026pic.twitter.com/CDwk50X18j MMA Mania (@mmamania) July 27, 2026View this post on InstagramLineker was released from ONE Championship earlier this year after a failed drug test. While Hands of Stone did win a one-off boxing match last month against Rogerio Ferreira, his recent run in striking-only sports has not gone well.The 35-year-old has now lost his last four fights across Muay Thai and kickboxing.Gordon, meanwhile, remains undefeated while competing solely in Muay Thai.Three other former UFC fighters also competed on the card.In the first fight of the Triple Main Event, former UFC Bantamweight Jose Alberto Quinonez was knocked out in less than one minute by Kibedy Gordon.Muay Thai: At the first of 3 main events, the older of the Gordon brothers and MMA prospect Kibedy Gordon KOs former UFC Jose "El Teco" Quionez on the opening seconds of the fight, making the score 8 x 2 #GFN1pic.twitter.com/CWMoni28Gr RedMMA (@RedSmokeLLM) July 27, 2026Former UFC veterans Lando Vannata and Natan Levy also collided, with Vannata taking home a split decision win. Groovy was the only American fighter to compete on the card, and he was also the only American to win.View this post on InstagramIn the end, Israel defeated The World by a final score of 10-2.So, yeah, the gimmick worked.For more regional MMA news and notes click here.

ESPN YouTube TV logosAt long last, YouTube TV users that subscribe to a package that includes ESPN will now have access to the full suite of content offered by ESPN at no additional cost.The news was reported by Cord Cutters on Monday. YouTube TV subscribers can now access ESPN Unlimited content in the platform directly from the app in the sports section. Subscribers can now link their YouTube and ESPN accounts.While Awful Announcing staffers have yet to experience the ingestion feature, this is likely going to be slowly rolled out to users instead of being readily available all at once. However, Awful Announcing has successfully logged into the ESPN Unlimited platform with a YouTube TV subscription, so the day that has long been awaited is finally arriving.The linkage was promised following the protracted carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Disney late last year. This will give YouTube TV subscribers access to live content that is exclusive to ESPN Unlimited, like WWEs premium live events and grand slam tennis tournaments, at no additional cost. ESPN Unlimited also includes all content from ESPN+ (now ESPN Select), like out-of-market NHL games, PGA Tour Live, and any number of college athletics that are not scheduled for ESPNs linear networks.When ESPN launched its new app last August, which included the new ESPN Unlimited tier, the network had promised that anyone who accesses ESPN through a pay-TV subscription, be that through a cable, satellite, or digital provider, would receive ESPN Unlimited included in their packages at no additional cost. That quickly proved not to be the case, with major providers like Comcast and YouTube TV waiting many months and in YouTube TVs case about a year before gaining access. As such, folks who already paid for ESPN via a pay-TV subscription that also wanted access to ESPN Unlimited-exclusive content had to pay an additional $30 per month.Luckily, that is no longer the case, with YouTube TV being the last major provider to come on board.The great news for YouTube TV subscribers is that they will not even need to launch a separate app in order to access all of the live content ESPN Unlimited has to offer. As was announced when Disney and YouTube TV reached a new carriage agreement last year, live programming from the ESPN app will be integrated directly into the YouTube TV interface. That means YouTube TV users can, for instance, find a college baseball game on ESPN+ without ever needing to leave YouTube TV.Comcast came to a similar agreement with YouTube TV last year to include Peacock-exclusive programming on the platform via the relaunch of NBCSN.Mondays rollout brings to a close the nearly year-long saga of ESPN Unlimiteds accessibility issues. While the bumpy launch and poor messaging around who would and would not be able to access the apps Unlimited tier caused headaches for fans and bad publicity for ESPN, the network has ultimately delivered on its promise. Now, it can claim with sincerity that it is agnostic to how a user purchases ESPN. Bundle or a la carte, everyone is getting the same product.The post YouTube TV subscribers can now finally access ESPN Unlimited appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh during Chargers organized team activities on May 11th, 2026 in El Segundo, CA.The Chargers begin training camp Wednesday morning with practice scheduled for 10 a.m. PT.Head coach Jim Harbaugh is expected to meet with the media before practice, providing the first insight into what the team hopes to accomplish over the next few weeks.While Harbaugh's comments will be worth monitoring, the biggest storylines will unfold on the field. The Chargers enter camp with several significant changes, most notably the additions of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary.McDaniel is expected to reshape the offense with his creative run scheme, while O'Leary will put his own stamp on a defense that still stems from the Jesse Minter system.Here are five roster questions that need to be answered before the end of training camp.1. Can the Chargers' rushing attack finally become a weapon?The Chargers' offense has relied too heavily on Justin Herbert to carry the load in recent years.In 2025, Kimani Vidal led the backfield with 643 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, while first-round pick Omarion Hampton battled injuries that limited him to nine games. Hampton still rushed for 545 yards and scored five total touchdowns.Herbert finished as the team's third-leading rusher with 498 yards and two rushing touchdowns.McDaniel's arrival should immediately improve the ground game. His offenses in Miami consistently ranked among the league's best rushing attacks regardless of who was carrying the football.Mike McDaniels of the Los Angeles Chargers on the field during mandatory minicamp at The Bolt on June 16, 2026 in El Segundo, California.Ric Tapia - The Sporting TribuneMike McDaniels of the Los Angeles Chargers on the field during mandatory minicamp at The Bolt on June 16, 2026 in El Segundo, California.The Chargers also added Keaton Mitchell in free agency. Buried behind Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, Mitchell consistently produced explosive plays whenever he touched the ball.One of the biggest objectives during camp will be establishing the three-man rotation. Hampton is expected to be the lead back, but Vidal and Mitchell should both have meaningful roles in McDaniel's offense.2. Can a linebacker challenge Denzel Perryman for his starting job?Since Harbaugh arrived in Los Angeles, Denzel Perryman has been the starting linebacker next to Daiyan Henley. The problem has been availability.Perryman missed six games in 2024 and another seven in 2025.When healthy, he remains one of the Chargers' best run defenders, but the team needs more consistency at the position.The Chargers return Troy Dye, Marlowe Wax and Del'Shawn Phillips, all of whom contributed last season. They also expected Junior Colson to emerge as the long-term answer after starring under Harbaugh at Michigan, but injuries have slowed his development.Training camp should reveal where Colson stands, and whether anyone can legitimately challenge Perryman for the starting job alongside Henley.3. Who will emerge behind the big three?Wide receiver remains one of the biggest question marks on the roster, especially with Keenan Allen no longer in the room. Quentin Johnston is now the longest-tenured receiver, highlighting just how young this group has become.The top three are clear: Johnston, Ladd McConkey and sophomore Tre Harris. All three figure to play major roles in McDaniel's offense and could post career-best numbers if everything comes together.The bigger question is who steps up behind them.Championship-caliber offenses need more than three dependable receivers.Fourth-round pick Brenen Thompson brings elite speed after posting the fastest 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. McDaniel reportedly pushed for Thompson, and general manager Joe Hortiz made sure he got him.KeAndre Lambert-Smith flashed throughout training camp last season but struggled to carve out a consistent role during the regular season. Derius Davis remains one of the league's better return specialists, but if Thompson wins that role because of his speed, Davis could find himself battling for a roster spot.If the receivers behind the top three fail to separate themselves, don't be surprised if the Chargers look outside the organization for reinforcements.4. How many safeties will the Chargers keep?This has become an annual question because of the depth in the secondary.Derwin James and Elijah Molden are obvious roster locks.Behind them, safeties coach Adam Fuller will likely have four players competing for two, and possibly three, roster spots.Los Angeles Chargers safety, Tony Jefferson (23) celebrates an interception during an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting TribuneLos Angeles Chargers safety, Tony Jefferson (23) celebrates an interception during an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.Veteran Tony Jefferson remains one of the team's most valuable leaders. He finished fourth on the team with 57 tackles last season while adding seven passes defended and four interceptions. Off the field, he has become a mentor for younger players like fourth-round pick Genesis Smith and second-year safety RJ Mickens.Mickens was forced into a larger defensive role because of injuries and responded with 29 tackles and two interceptions. Smith enters camp with intriguing ball skills, although tackling remains an area that needs improvement.Because James frequently moves into the slot, the Chargers value versatility at safety, making the rotation throughout camp one of the more interesting position battles to watch.5. Will the Chargers keep four or five edge rushers?The Chargers' defense is built around its pass rush, and replacing Odafe Oweh's 10 sacks won't be easy.The group is led by Khalil Mack, who enters camp healthy after an injury-plagued 2025 season. Tuli Tuipulotu is coming off a career-high 13 sacks and looks poised for another big year as he plays for his next contract.First-round pick Akheem Mesidor joins the rotation after helping lead Miami to a national championship game against Indiana.After those three, the competition becomes much more interesting.Veteran Bud Dupree saw his role shrink after the Chargers acquired Oweh last season. Kyle Kennard, a draft pick a year ago, played primarily on special teams and saw limited defensive snaps.One player worth watching is undrafted rookie Nadame Tucker out of Western Michigan.Why?He spent a season playing under Chris O'Leary at Western Michigan, giving him familiarity with the defensive coordinator's system.Tucker flashed during OTAs and minicamp, even in non-contact practices. If he continues that momentum in pads, he has a legitimate chance to make the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie.

Magomed Ankalaev not only got a win, but also a finish in his return to the cage. Yet, fans are not happy with what the Dagestani fighter showed at UFC Fight Night 282.Ankalaev (21-2-1 MMA, 12-2-1 UFC) stopped Bogdan Guskov (18-3-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) in a fifth-round TKO in the headliner of Saturday's UFC event in Abu Dhabi. It was a fight that didn't have much action, and many online were criticizing it for being boring. Most of the blame has been targeted towards Ankalaev, who has been in this position before.Chris Weidman, a former UFC champion turned analyst, thinks the public is being unfair to Ankalaev, and he actually liked what he saw from him."I think he's as good as we always thought he was," Weidman said on "Deep Waters". "I think he's very good, and so you want to see him go out there and just dominate this guy. The first couple of rounds, I think he was taking his time. In the third round, I think he made a decision and realized that Bogdan isn't going to throw at him crazy and go to war with him. He tried to push the pace. He tried to look for the finish, and Guskov was running from him. He shot for a takedown and took him down super easy. He ends up getting the finish by TKO. It wasn't a super exciting fight, but I don't think this one was his fault. I think it was Guskov's fault."Weidman feels the blame should be put on Guskov, who was the one backing up most of the fight. Guskov had taken the fight with Ankalaev on short notice, replacing an injured Khalil Rountree on just a week's notice."I don't think it was (Ankalaev's) fault," Weidman said. "Five-round fight, the first couple of rounds, I think you do have to pace yourself a little bit, feel it out but he dominated the fight everywhere. I think this was the first time we saw him wrestle in a long time. This is what you wanted him to see when he fought Pereira."He finished a guy who's very dangerous, so you have to give him props. I feel like we're being harder on him than most people because I think we realize he's that good. The guy goes out there and gets a finish, and we're still saying he's boring."This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Chris Weidman: Boring UFC headliner was not Magomed Ankalaev's fault

The Miami Dolphins have added a veteran defensive end/edge rusher who once was a top five NFL Draft pick.Clelin Ferrell, whom the Las Vegas Raiders made the fourth overall pick in 2019, was signed two days before the first practice of training camp. Ferrell, 29, who won the Ted Hendricks Award (as the nation's top defensive end) in 2018 and helped Clemson win a national championship in 2016, lasted four seasons with the Raiders. He has played for four different teams in the last three seasons.Ferrell has appeared in 98 career games with 57 starts in seven seasons. He has 181 tackles, 21 sacks, 12 passes defensed, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.More Miami Dolphins: Dolphins training camp opening; What statement will Malik Willis make?Ferrell replaced defensive linemanKahlil Saunders on the roster.This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins sign edge rusher who was NFL top five draft pick

Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski - Imagn Images; The Dan Patrick ShowThe story of San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan getting into a severe car accident would have been fairly serious on its own, and it was only made more serious by the way the news of it emerged from ESPN.Heading into 49ers training camp, the team released an announcement about the incident and Shanahans recovery, noting that he would be away from the team for the start of practices. Two minutes later, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter posted about it on social media, and the network published a web report with the news.Count Dan Patrick among those who are confused about that sequence of events.It happened on July 14, so the Niners kept it quiet for 11 days. I dont know how they did this, or why they did this, Patrick said on his radio show Monday. The Niners posted a statement regarding the accident at midnight Eastern on Saturday. Adam Schefter posted his first tweet on the situation one minute later. The ESPN article about the accident published one minute after that.Patrick then questioned whether San Francisco instructed Schefter and ESPN about how to handle the information, and even wondered aloud if the NFLs stake in ESPN had anything to do with how the network covered the story.Why is ESPN holding the information? Patrick asked. If youre in the news-gathering business, or at least you used to be, the NFL now owns 10 percent of ESPN, but did ESPN have the information and chose to sit on it? For 11 days? Did ESPN say to the Niners, We wont release it until you tell us to release it? Hmm. OK.Why is ESPN holding the information? Why are the Niners? DP on the Kyle Shanahan car accident reporting pic.twitter.com/F9bArW23wE Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) July 27, 2026Elsewhere on NBC Sports platforms, analyst Chris Simms revealed that he knew about the accident for several days before it became public. Simms and his father, fellow television commentator Phil Simms, are close with the Shanahan family. In a podcast conversation with cohost Mike Florio, Simms speculated whether Schefters relationship with the Shanahan family may have had something to do with ESPN withholding the story.If nothing else, the timing of the reporting suggests that ESPN was closely communicating with San Francisco in advance of the release. The fact of such close contact between the team and the network leads to questions about why the 49ers did not want the story out when the accident first happened.Patrick underscored the clear ethical breach that Schefter and ESPN seem to have participated in.This isnt journalism. Not really reporting, he said. Theyre giving you the information, and the acknowledgment of, OK, now you can tell everybody.'Often, questionable situations like these lead sports fans to ask why it matters if the 49ers wanted a story delayed, or what the problem is with Schefter or ESPN cooperating. The answer here and almost always is to imagine what could come next. If it is OK for ESPN to withhold the basic news of the accident, would it be OK for them to withhold knowledge of foul play around the accident? By waiting, did ESPN give up a chance to see if there was more to the story? Certainly, keeping the information quiet made it harder for the rest of the media to pursue additional details.The job of a company like the 49ers is to do exactly that: Protect its employees and control the narrative. The job of a news outlet like ESPN and a reporter like Schefter is to get the truth out as accurately and quickly as possible. As Patrick noted, they abdicated that responsibility here. We can all hope it amounts to nothing, but if there is any more smoke to the Shanahan story, ESPNs handling of it will only look worse.The post Dan Patrick calls out ESPN for holding Kyle Shanahan car crash story: This isnt journalism appeared first on Awful Announcing.