Dak Prescott will return for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9 after one week on the sidelines due to a calf injury. That comes as a great relief to him.
Unlike when he was rehabbing his broken ankle in 2020, Prescott was able to take in Sunday night’s win over Minnesota from the sideline and wear the headset. The Cowboys quarterback was asked if there was any learning experience from that, and he had a pretty witty response.
Did Dak Prescott learn anything from being on the sideline Sunday night in Minnesota?
Aaron Rodgers’ State Farm ads have long been a staple of the television airwaves. But it turns out they could now land him in some hot water.
Reddit user Dran_Arcana pointed out in a post on Thursday that there is a clause in the NFL’s COVID protocols this season that bars players who are not fully vaccinated from engaging in “social/media/marketing/sponsorship activities.” There are no such restrictions for fully vaccinated players.
After he tested positive for COVID this week, we know now that the Green Bay Packers quarterback Rodgers is not vaccinated. Instead, he asked the league to count an “alternative treatment” he underwent as vaccination, a request that was ultimately denied. That means that Rodgers would have had to continue following protocols for unvaccinated players.
The problem is that Rodgers recently appeared in a new commercial for State Farm. The commercial, which was released in early October, featured the reigning MVP serving as a game show host and asking contestants about “The Rodgers Rate.” Take a look.
Though it is unclear when Rodgers filmed the ad, the NFL season began in mid-September. Thus, on top of missing a minimum of ten days (including Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs), Rodgers could also be facing a fine from the NFL for shooting the commercial. Hopefully State Farm’s insurance covers that too.
Oct 28, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) reacts against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jordan Simone just learned the hard way the risks of not serving as a cheerleader for the team/school that employs you.
Simone played at Arizona State from 2013-2015 and was an all conference safety. He was hired by the school ahead of the 2018 season to serve as a reporter for the Sun Devil Radio Network. Simone remained in that role until this week.
Simone announced on Thursday that he had been fired for his criticism of ASU’s football coaches during an appearance on a podcast.
Sad to announce I’ve been let go from the ASU radio broadcast for some comments I made on @SotDPodcast
I have nothing but love for the football program and University. I’m as proud of a Sundevil as you’re going to find and I will miss my time on the sidelines.
Simone was a guest on the “Speak of the Devils” podcast episode that was published on Wednesday. Entering the season, Simone had huge hopes for the team entering the season and said it was “Rose Bowl or bust.” But his opinion of the team has changed.
In the episode, Simone said he felt the Sun Devils lacked discipline. He was critical of the ASU coaching staff and said the Herm Edwards experiment wasn’t working.
“It ain’t working. It was a good experiment. No disrespect to any of those coaches as men and as people … but it just ain’t working. The fans deserve better. The players deserve better,” Simone said on the podcast. “These players don’t even realize that they’re being coached so poorly.”
Simone argued that ASU fans deserve better.
“It’s bad right now. It’s not what the fans deserve. It’s not what the alumni deserve.”
Arizona State is 5-3 and has lost two in a row. The most recent loss was particularly troubling. ASU had a week off before facing Washington State at home. Mind you, Washington State has been playing without a full coaching staff since the Nick Rolovich incident.
ASU fell behind 34-7 before scoring a few garbage time touchdowns to make the score a respectable 34-21. Two weeks prior, ASU blew a 21-7 lead to Utah and lost 35-21, getting outscored 28-0 in the second half.
There are a few factors at play.
Simone played under Todd Graham and the team won 10 games twice in Simone’s three years. ASU fired Graham after a 7-6 season, despite Graham proving he could win double-digit games, and brought in Edwards, who hadn’t coached for years. Edwards’ winning percentage is .579, compared to Graham’s .590. Some never thought the coaching change made sense, and Simone seems to be part of that group.
Also, Simone is now learning that if you’re a team or school employee, there are great risks that come with criticizing the team/school as if you’re an outside media member.
It sounds as if some within the Cleveland Browns organization aren’t sad to see Odell Beckham Jr. go.
Beckham appears to have played his final game with the Browns, as his camp is working with the team to find a solution. The public sentiment from Browns players has largely been that they would welcome Beckham back if he wants to return. It appears, however, that some of his teammates sense he doesn’t want to be in Cleveland.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo shared a quote from an anonymous Browns player critical of Beckham’s attitude.
“He does nothing, talks to no one,” the player said. “He’s just got a malcontent attitude.”
That would certainly indicate that Beckham has been frustrated with his role in the offense. He was targeted just once in last Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh, and he may feel the same way his father does regarding quarterback Baker Mayfield not taking advantage of him when he’s open.
Beckham has caught just seven total touchdowns in three seasons with the Browns. It simply hasn’t worked, and it’s probably best for all involved to just move on.
Photo: Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. returns to MetLife Stadium for the first time since he was traded by the New York Giants. The New York Jets lose to the Cleveland Browns, 23-3, in NFL Week 2 on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019, in East Rutherford. Nyj Vs Cle Week 2
Amid the allegations that have emerged against Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, one retired NBA legend is adding his story to the mix.
Speaking Thursday on ESPN’s “NBA Today,” Vince Carter, who briefly played for the Suns, offered his own troublesome anecdote about Sarver.
“I’ve heard and kinda experienced this as a player coming back after I played there,” said Carter. “He walked into the locker room, from what I was told from two teammates that are reliable and [I] trust in what they say. He wasn’t happy with me playing well coming back into Phoenix.
“We were winning the game and he wanted them to take me out,” Carter went on. “Put me on the ground. ‘Don’t let him have fun in our building.’ He felt like I was trying to show him and the team up.”
Carter played in Phoenix during the 2010-11 season. CBS Sports adds that the game in question took place in Jan. 2012. Carter, who was now with the Dallas Mavericks, scored 15 points in the first half in an eventual 122-99 blowout win for the Mavs.
The 60-year-old Sarver, who has owned the Suns since 2004, is under fire after ESPN published a bombshell piece on Thursday. The story alleged that he has fostered a culture of racism, sexism, and overall toxicity in Phoenix. The NBA is now expected to launch an investigation into the allegations.
Photo: Jan 22, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver reacts against the Indiana Pacers in the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Tom Brady had a funny admission recently about his treatment of NFL referees.
Brady appears weekly on “Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray.” The most recent episode dealt with Brady reflecting upon Tampa Bay’s loss to New Orleans.
During the episode, Brady discussed the officiating in the Bucs-Saints game. He acknowledged that he complained about all the calls and that he’s always complaining to the refs.
“There were a lot of tight calls, and I was still complaining about all of them,” Brady said. “I’m always complaining to the referees.”
At least he admits it.
Referees are supposed to officiate games impartially, but we all know they’re human like anyone else and can be influenced. The more Brady and others get on them, the more it’s likely to have an impact. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and Brady knows he has something to gain from squeaking. And Brady also seems to have a somewhat cozy relationship with some refs.
Anthony Edwards has shown himself to be one of the better interviews in the NBA, and he proved that once more after Wednesday’s game.
The Minnesota Timberwolves wing appeared in a Q&A video posted on the NBA’s Twitter account in which he answered a series of fairly basic questions. Among them was creamy or crunchy peanut butter. Edwards said he preferred creamy, and that seemed to be that.
However, when the topic came up at Edwards’ postgame availability Wednesday, it turned out that Edwards was dead serious about this. So serious, in fact, that he was entirely willing to debate a reporter who questioned his choice.
Edwards said he had never had crunchy peanut butter, and never would. He maintained that creamy peanut butter “spreads better on the bread” and that he was a “big texture guy” when it comes to food.
The New York Mets have been in the hunt for a new team president and manager for upwards of a month. In that time, all we’ve heard about is their various unsuccessful targets.
We can now add another to the list. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Mets spoke to then-Oakland manager Bob Melvin when it became clear that he would be open to leaving the Athletics. However, Melvin turned down the Mets, albeit largely for geographic reasons, to take the San Diego Padres job instead.
Mets were aware Bob Melvin was available and did talk to him about their open managing job but It quickly became clear due to his Phoenix area residence he much preferred to go to a West Coast team that trains in Arizona.
Melvin’s reasons don’t have much to do with the Mets other than location. That said, at this point, it doesn’t look good anytime the Mets get turned down.
The good news is there are accomplished options out there for the Mets to pursue. Unfortunately, it’s not clear that they’re on the verge of landing any of them. The longer this goes, the worse it looks.
Photo: Dec 9, 2019; San Diego, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin speaks to the media during the MLB Winter Meetings at Manchester Grand Hyatt. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
The Steelers traded the three-time Pro Bowler Ingram to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a sixth-round pick this week. He had made just one start for Pittsburgh all year.
Harry Styles can proudly say that he has a 6-foot-11 NBA MVP as a fan.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo tweeted Wednesday that he went to Styles’ concert, saying it was “99% women and me.” Antetokounmpo added that he was “a big fan” and called Styles “a great performer.”
I just went to @Harry_Styles concert and it was 99% women and me 😂. I’m a big fan, what a great performer.
We are glad that Antetokounmpo was sitting down in the video. Imagine the poor souls who would have had to try to see around that mountain of a man.
We probably shouldn’t be surprised though that Antetokounmpo is a fan of the ex-One Direction member-turned-solo star Styles. He has proven time and time again that he is one of the most interesting players in the NBA.
Photo: Apr 29, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) warms up before the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
