The Boilermakers AD went off-script during his introductory press conference, and it didn't go well

Five players are set to join pro football's most exclusive fraternity

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) The Chicago Bears added significant experience to their secondary on Friday by signing safety Xavier Woods, who has 121 starts in nine NFL seasons.The Bears placed defensive back Dallis Flowers on injured reserve following an injury to his right leg in Thursdays practice.The 31-year-old Woods has 15 career interceptions, including two in 11 games for Tennessee last season. He had 39 tackles for the Titans.Woods played his first four seasons with Dallas, where he started 48 of 60 games. He also has played for Minnesota and Carolina. He set a career high with 119 tackles and matched his high mark with three interceptions for Carolina in 2024.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Former Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke died earlier this year from the effects of heroin and cocaine, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office announced on Friday, Aug. 7. The office ruled Clarke's death to be an accident.Clarke was pronounced dead by authorities on May 11 after being found unresponsive in his bedroom, according to Friday's announcement. A deputy medical examiner conducted an examination of Clarke at the DMEs Forensic Science Center on May 12 and the cause and manner of death were certified Aug. 7.The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office stated that its report will be available at a future date. Clarke was 29 years old.Clarke was the No. 21 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Gonzaga and enjoyed initial success in the league, earning all-rookie honors while averaging a career-high 12.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He signed a four-year, $50 million contract extension with Memphis in 2022.More: Pistons great Richard Hamilton touts benefits of golf for kidsClarke's sudden death happened almost six weeks afterhe was arrested in Arkansasfor improper passing, possession of a controlled substance, fleeing and exceeding the speed limit and trafficking a controlled substance. He had just finished his seventh NBA season, all of which he spent with the Grizzlies.Clarke allegedly led Cross County Sheriff's Office deputies on a miles-long chase on April 1, with speeds reaching over 100 mph, and was found with over 230 grams ofkratomin his possession, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Memphis Commercial Appeal, part of the USA TODAY Network.Clarke's career had been derailed in recent years by injuries. He played in just six games during the 2023-24 season due to a torn Achilles and missed all but two games this past season due to calf and knee ailments.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brandon Clarke's cause of death revealed: How Memphis Grizzlies star died

Charley Hull turned professional at the age of 16 [Getty Images]PIF London Championship - round two-11 A Huang (Can); -10 C Hull (Eng); -8 L Hall (Wal); -7 K Bennett (Aus), A Donegan (Ire); -6 A Hewson (Eng), A van Dam (Ned), S Tan (Sin) Selected others: -4 E Young (Eng); -2 C McGinty (Eng), C Gainer (Eng)Full leaderboardCharley Hull equalled the lowest round in Ladies European Tour history and broke the course record at the Centurion Club to move within one stroke of the lead at the PIF London Championship.The English golfer fired a bogey-free 62 to climb into second place, a shot behind Canada's 17-year-old Anna Huang and breaking the lowest course mark previously set by compatriot Georgia Hall in 2021.With her 11-under-par round, she also joined Haeran Ryu, Jessica Korda, Alison Lee, and Karrie Webb for the lowest score ever recorded on the tour. After opening with a 74, the 30-year-old Hull made an eagle at the first hole on the second day and added nine birdies to climb up the leaderboard and finish with a 10-under total.She said: "I have been so tired this week, exhausted from the last couple of weeks, especially after the AIG Women's Open last week."I feel pretty tired and my body is in bits. I have got a few ongoing injuries, so I've been having a lot of physio. "I'm quite shocked that I've shot 11-under because I felt so tired this morning. It felt like the easiest 11-under of my life. I'm standing here right now feeling like I left a couple of shots out there and I want to go and see if I can improve it."Hull has had an eventful week in which she defended herself following a prank she played on her caddie and finishing joint sixth in The Open after starting the final day in contention.Wales' Lydia Hall is third on eight-under-par after her round of 67 in Hertfordshire.Huang, who followed up her opening 67 with a 68 on Friday, said: "It was another good round, but it was a little bit more up-and-down than yesterday. I had a couple of bad mistakes here and there, but it's still something to be proud of." Hull looking to get back to 'ruthless' selfLIV Golf secures unnamed lead investor for 2027

The death of Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke was caused by the effects of heroin and cocaine, the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner announced on Friday. Clarkes death was officially ruled an accident.Per the medical examiners statement, Clarke was found unresponsive in his bedroom at around 5 p.m. on May 11, with paramedics pronouncing his death at 5:15 p.m.Clarkes death was announced by his agency on May 12. He was 29.Clarke, who was selected by the Grizzlies in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, spent his entire career with the franchise. The forward finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting after a strong first season, but his later years in Memphis were hampered by injuries.In April, Clarke was arrested in Arkansas for reckless driving, and allegedly had 200 grams of kratom in his car at the time. Kratoms legality varies from state to state, but the substance is illegal in Arkansas.Shortly before the arrest, the Grizzlies had said that Clarke would be out for the rest of the 2025-26 season due to rehabilitation on a right calf strain.In the wake of Clarkes death, ARISE2Read, a nonprofit focused on improving literacy rates in Memphis that was supported by the forwards foundation, received hundreds of donations.

Jun 16, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; A general view during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins in the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectIm going to be in the car most of the afternoon, maybe getting home around game time, but never know. So getting the Thread together early. There is a roster move:Brett Bateman is up and will be on the active roster tonight.Luis Uras is out with a quad strain. He didnt look healthy yesterday. Rudy Martin was DFAed (Im thinking he clears waivers.Go Jays Go.

Anytime a coach speaks to the media, it can be hard to decipher exactly what it is they are trying to say. Some folks are able to cut through the noise, a lot of time it can be former players and coaches in the media, others are media members who have listened to things long enough. The latest to throw his hat into the ring attempting this is Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox. He recently went through a handful og quotes from various players and coaches to let fans know what he thinks they are saying. One of those coaches was Kevin O'Connell, talking about the vision he has for his quarterback battle. The quote was, "Just want to be able to articulate the vision and the plan. I feel very good about our plan. Both Kyler and J.J. will take reps with the first team. They'll also take reps with the second group, and I think that gives different layers to the evaluation as well."Knox heard that and thought, "The Vikings aren't prepared to hand their starting job to Murray without at least making him pretend to earn it. . .Don't be surprised if Minnesota has more QB clarity ahead of its joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens in mid-August."It makes sense that O'Connell needs to see some juice from Murray, but once that happens, this battle may not take long to be over. This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Analyst deciphers Kevin O'Connell quote on QB battle

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JULY 26: Diana Ordoez #12 of Tigres UANL Femenil celebrates the team's first goal during the final match between Tigres UANL and America as part of the Campeon de Campeonas 2025-26 Liga MX Femenil at Toyota Field on July 26, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesVacations and preseason are over in Mexico and a new tournament has started. But before we jump into the action of the first week of Liga MX Femenil, lets see how the league reshaped the tournament.New name, new formatLeaving the traditional single-table format aside, the new tournament has been divided into two groups with nine teams each, Group A and Group B.#RevistaFemenil | ARRIESGA Y GANA?MRALA AQU : https://t.co/hLvNHv6944 La #LigaFemenil cont con un nuevo formato: dos grupos de nueve equipos.Cada club enfrentar a ocho rivales de su sector y a seis del otro grupo. No habr jornadas dobles y la Fase Regular pic.twitter.com/jwBCkwl4GX ONCE Diario (@oncediariomx) August 6, 2026The season will be shorter, with teams playing only 14 regular-season games and not 17, eight within their group and six against the teams from the other group. Oh, double weeks are over. Players wont have to play two games in one week under this new format.Thats not all, because the former Liga BBVA MX Femenil has been rebranded to Liga Femenil BBVA.Club Amrica, the Champion of ChampionsClub Amrica (Clausura 2026 champions) and Tigres UANL (Apertura 2026 champions) faced each other in the super clash called Campen de Campeonas 2026 edition. It was an absolute thriller that finished with a 1-1 draw. Just when the Eagles thought they were going to bring the trophy home, Tigres Diana Ordez said not so fast and scored the equalizer that sent the game to a penalty shootout.Everything came down to the goalkeepers, with young keeper Itzel Velasco showing why shes a worthy successor to accomplished veteran goalkeeper Sandra Paos. She was the hero that night, saving Ordez and Stephany Mayors PKs and securing a 4-3 win for Amrica.In that way, ngel Villacampas side secured the treble after winning the domestic league, Campen de Campeonas and the continental title. Kick-off in MexicoSo, what happened in week 1 in the rebranded Liga Femenil BBVA?Tigres started their campaign strong with an 8-0 win at home. Who was the game MVP? Diaa Ordez, who netted four goals and therefore is the leader in the Golden Boot race. This beating was resounding no doubt and thats why Tigres was awarded the Team of the Week honors. Este fue el #EquipoDeLaJornada, presentado por @BBVA_Mex . Qu te pareci su actuacin? pic.twitter.com/rN1wjmMOQ5 Liga Femenil BBVA (@LigaBBVAFemenil) August 6, 2026What about the new kids in town? Atlante started their league history on the right foot after winning their debut against Necaxa. It was Alexia Villanueva who scored the winning goal and sealed the deal for the newcomers.Len stunned Pumas with a 5-2 victory. Although everybody pointed out how well Pumas did in the offseason, signing interesting prospects, they didnt leave a good image in peoples minds in this debut. But speaking of the winners, the performance stood out. So much so that their coach, Alejandro Corona, won Coach of the Week.Cada triunfo tiene una estrategia detrs. Conoce al #DTDeLaJornada, presentado por @Nissan_mx , reconocimiento al liderazgo desde el banquillo y al trabajo que hizo la diferencia en esta fecha. pic.twitter.com/28fWZFT4O1 Liga Femenil BBVA (@LigaBBVAFemenil) August 6, 2026What about the Frenchiest team in the league? They also started on the right foot, netting four goals against the lone goal scored by Atltico de San Luis. Although they were playing away, they had no problem beating the home team. The bad news? Eugnie Le Sommer was sent off after seeing a straight red card due to a harsh challenge 15 minutes before the final whistle.Despite all the criticism Chivas front office is receiving from fans, they earned the win in Week 1. They didnt start the match well. Quertaro scored first through Victoria Cecea only minutes into the second half, but then Guadalajara tallied four unanswered goals. Joseline Montoya scored a brace, and then Jasmine Casrez dictated the final score in 77.What about the Clausura 2026 runners-up, Rayadas de Monterrey? They opened their season on the road, against Las Perrsimas de Tijuana. It was a gritty win with Rayadas coming back after the hosts opened the scoring early in the first half through Kader Hanar in the 9. Jermaine Seoposenwe found the equalizer and then Valeria del Campo continued where she left off last season, scoring the game-winning goal with a header off a corner.Besides the already mentioned upset by Len, we also have to mention the kind of surprising result in Jurez against Pachuca. Norma Palafox scored late when everybody thought the teams were going to divide the spoils. She was a game changer, coming off the bench and scoring from a cross by Miah Zuazua.Last but not least, the current champions, Club Amrica, also started strong with a 3-0 victory against Santos Laguna. The Eagles opened their tab early in the 3 when Alexa Soto found the back of the net. Then Venezuelan international Gaby Garca doubled the lead in the 34 , and Brazilian international Geyse sealed the victory in the 72 with a clinical strike.The strikers performance in this game granted her the Player of the Week honors. Talento, carcter y una actuacin que hizo la diferencia. Conoce a la #JugadoraDeLaJornada, presentada por @CervezaTecate . pic.twitter.com/WbTzAIIkbT Liga Femenil BBVA (@LigaBBVAFemenil) August 6, 2026The tableLas #TablasGenerales tras el fin de la primera jornada de este AP26. As luce el y .Regstrate ahora en @calientesports y RECIBE $1,000 DE REGALO para comenzar a apostar! https://t.co/GXbHqJOuSP #MsAccinMsDiversinpic.twitter.com/EAIsB0bRZV Liga Femenil BBVA (@LigaBBVAFemenil) August 5, 2026

Aug. 7---- The Big Red Gym is getting a brand new look this fall.It's not just a fresh coat of paint going up in thefacility. The gym is getting a new facelift, with a new gym floor, bleachers, divider curtains and LED lighting.And yes, some fresh paint, too.The floor and bleachers are new for the first time since the current high school was opened in 1994.The renovations cost $1,033,984: $569,821 for new bleachers; $369,500 for the floor replacement; $48,594 for the divider curtains; and $46,069 for new lighting. The renovations were funded via long-term facility maintenance and operating capital dollars, according to Aaron Pilarski, the building and grounds director for Willmar Public Schools."It'll be fantastic when it's done," said Willmar High School activities director Ryan Blahosky. "It's gonna be a really sharp looking facility."It's debut, however, will have to wait.After a delay to the floor construction, the new Big Red Gym won't be ready when fall practices begin on Aug. 17 or when school starts on Aug. 31. According to Blahosky, the current timeline for completion is the week of Sept. 7.That has forced the Willmar volleyball team to shift how its practices will look at the beginning of the season. Plans are fluid, but Cardinals head volleyball coach Leah Brogdon has worked with Willmar Middle School activities director Payton Sterkowitz to have the varsity and JV practice at the middle school."The middle school has been awesome to work with," said Brogdon, who is a phy ed teacher at Lakeland Elementary and a 2015 WHS grad. "They're willing to let us use their gym. ... Payton said he had no problem moving their girls to Roosevelt (Elementary) so that we can use the middle-school facilities, if it works out."The middle school will also be the home for Cardinal volleyball's first two matches. Willmar hosts St. Peter for the season opener on Aug. 28 and the Central Lakes Conference opener against Alexandria on Sept. 3. The next scheduled home match is Sept. 10 against Brainerd."A few of the girls had a basketball game there this past winter and from my knowledge, it worked out really well," Brogdon said. Both basketball and wrestling used WMS for events last winter.Brodgon added, "They have a lot of seating and it's actually a pretty wide gym. It'll be different but it's also kind of cool to be somewhere else and be in town, too. Maybe we'll draw more of a crowd."The floor should have more spring to it. And, extra padding should make it easier on the athletes' bodies, according to Blahosky.Willmar's basketball teams will feel the biggest difference. The hoops have been pushed back five feet on each side, expanding the playing floor from 84 feet long by 50 feet wide to a college-length 94x50. According to Blahosky, Willmar will be the only CLC team with a college-length basketball court."I'm hoping that we're able to host some more playoff games for some sections," Blahosky said. "A lot of times, coaches like to get on that college-length floor since that's where their section final is or if you go to state, you're going to play on that longer floor."Visually, the gym will have a darker stain on the floor. The dividing curtain will be black. The east and west ends of the gym will have black paint in the corners to work with the new bleacher design. The baseline bleachers will be black with a red "W" in the middle. The north and south bleachers along the sidelines will be red with some black and gray seats speckled in. The bleachers will also have safety upgrades with handrails and ADA spaces.The old floor and bleachers were thrown out. But pieces of the old Big Red Gym will be utilized in the new design."The (Cardinal head) logo that was in the middle of the floor, we saved that," Blahosky said. "It's gonna be put up on the wall in the gym. It's cut in half right now but it's going to be put back together. And we saved the 'Home of the Cardinals' on each side (of the old floor). We're hoping to do something with that and get that mounted on a wall."Updates on Willmar activities are on a new website this fall.Schools across the state have moved from rSchoolToday/Arbiter to Bound for managing their activities schedules. All 18 schools in the West Central Tribune area are on Bound.To check the latest on activities around the state, go to www.gobound.com/mn.The site will also be used by WHS to buy tickets for athletic events, making it a one-stop spot for Cardinal activities.The Minnesota State High School League announced a pair of state tournament decisions for the 2026-27 athletic season at its Board of Directors Meeting on Tuesday.The state cross-country meet has a new home this fall. Majestic Oaks Golf Course in Ham Lake will host the state championships on Saturday, Nov. 7. The move was made after Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights was put up for sale by the University of Minnesota. The Les Bolstad Golf Course was the host site from 2023-25. The state meet was previously held at St. Olaf College in Northfield.Another change is coming for the state girls and boys basketball tournaments.The girls tournament will be March 24-27. The boys tournament goes from March 31-April 3.The move was facilitated due to Williams Arena, now called The Barn, and the Target Center being used for the NCAA Division I basketball tournaments. The Barn hosts first- and second-round games for the women's tournament starting on March 17. The Target Center hosts first- and second-round games of the men's tournament March 19 and 21.