Justin Herbert has an awkward interview with Laura Rutledge after ‘MNF’ win
Justin Herbert (understandably) wanted to be anywhere else but with an interviewer after his team’s big victory on “Monday Night Football.”
Herbert helped the Los Angeles Chargers to an exciting 22-19 overtime win over the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles on Monday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The former Pro Bowl quarterback only completed 12/26 passes for 139 yards to go along with a touchdown and an interception. But it was still a very gritty performance through a left hand fracture that Herbert had suffered the past week as the Chargers moved to 9-4 on the year.
Just after the final whistle, Herbert, who also rushed 10 times for 66 yards, was walking around on the field trying to find his teammates to celebrate. But Herbert was stopped by ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge for a live interview.
An awkward scene then ensued as a visibly annoyed Herbert kept on walking for a bit before telling Rutledge, “I’m trying to celebrate with my team.” Herbert then finally stopped and gave the interview to Rutledge, answering three questions for a total of about 45 seconds.
justin herbert did not want to do this interview lmfao pic.twitter.com/1uiB8E0RxG
— GC (@new_typ3) December 9, 2025
Monday’s game was an exciting seesaw battle with three different ties and one lead change in just the fourth quarter alone. Herbert then kicked off overtime by leading the Chargers on a 34-yard drive to set up a go-ahead field goal by Cameron Dicker before Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts responded by throwing a game-ending interception as part of a career-worst game.
On-field interviews with the star of the winning team are obviously a tradition, especially when it comes to one-game slates on national TV. But Herbert clearly didn’t want to be there in that moment, and it is hard to blame him.
Texas A&M captain fires cocky message directed at Miami star
Texas A&M offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III gave Miami star edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr some bulletin board material ahead of their clash in the College Football Playoff.
No. 7 Texas A&M got matched up with No. 10 Miami in the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoff. While speaking to reporters on Monday, Zuhn was asked about the Aggies’ plan to stop the Hurricanes’ elite defensive lineman.
The Texas A&M team captain admitted that he has “hasn’t had the time” to watch Bain’s game tape just yet, given that the CFP bracket was just recently announced. He then followed up with a message that probably won’t sit well with Bain.
“I don’t think he’ll be a threat that we’ll need to worry about too much,” Zuhn answered.
“We have great players. We’ve got a great offensive line. So, we’ll be able to handle him.”
Texas A&M’s Offensive lineman was asked “what are the keys to stopping Rueben Bain who is a top pick in the draft?”
— BLEED ORANGE AND GREEN (@Brabra_Savage24) December 8, 2025
He said about Rueben Bain:
“I DONT THINK HE IS A THREAT THAT WE NEED TO WORRY ABOUT ”
“WE WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE HIM”
😬🤫 pic.twitter.com/dGTGr4QdQC
One can only imagine how many times the clip above has been sent to Bain by friends and Miami supporters since it spread on social media. Zuhn’s words are sure to rile the star pass rusher up ahead of the Hurricanes’ Dec. 20 game against the Aggies.
Bain is widely regarded as one of the best edge rushers in the country, with NFL mock drafts projecting him to be a top-10 pick in next year’s draft. While Zuhn is also on the NFL radar, it remains to be seen how wise his dismissive take on Bain is going to look like in a couple of weeks time.
Jalen Hurts coughs up game-losing interception in career-worst ‘MNF’ game
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts’ nightmarish Monday night went from bad to worse in overtime against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers struck first in OT with a field goal to take a 22-19 lead in front of an anxious crowd at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. Hurts, who entered the extra period with three interceptions already, had a chance to redeem himself with a game-winning drive.
But that didn’t happen as Hurts, facing 1st-and-10 at the Chargers’ 17, had his pass to wide receiver Jahan Dotson deflected by cornerback Cam Hart and intercepted by safety Tony Jefferson to end the game. Hurts could only look on in horror as his fourth pick sealed his team’s third-straight defeat.
TONY MF JEFFERSON FOR THE WIN
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 9, 2025
📺 | @espn pic.twitter.com/CGetSizPGW
Hurts went 21/40 for 240 and 4 interceptions in the 22-19 contest. He finished with a dreadful 31.3 passer rating.
The turnover was Hurts’ fifth of the game. The Eagles star made unwanted history earlier in the game when he threw an interception and lost a fumble on the same play.
The loss dropped the Eagles to 8-5 in the standings. While Philadelphia still holds the division lead in the NFC East, the defending champions looked alarmingly mediocre over the past several weeks.
Rudy Gobert ejected after his dangerous mid-air hit on Suns center
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert got ejected after delivering a dirty hit during Monday’s game against the Phoenix Suns.
Gobert let Suns center Mark Williams slip through the defense for what was looking like an uncontested dunk midway through the third quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. Instead of letting Williams go, Gobert elbowed Williams as the latter was taking flight for the jam.
Status alert: Rudy Gobert has been ejected Monday after being assessed a Flagrant 2 foul.pic.twitter.com/Ez6PxyJyou
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) December 9, 2025
Williams stayed on the ground while grabbing his midsection as referees reviewed the call. Referees assessed Gobert with a flagrant penalty 2 and ejected him from the contest. He left the game with 15 points and 8 rebounds in 21 minutes of action.
The play did not endear Gobert to any Suns fans, many of whom probably still remember the Frenchman going after Collin Gillespie earlier this season.
Williams was able to take the awarded free throws from the flagrant foul before getting subbed out a few possessions later. He was able to return to the floor in the fourth quarter to help the Suns close out a 108-105 victory on the road.
The play did not endear Gobert to any Suns fans, many of whom probably still remember the Frenchman going after Collin Gillespie earlier this season.
Jalen Hurts gives up interception and fumble on the same wild play
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had a play to forget Monday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Eagles had 3rd-and-2 at the Chargers’ 21 midway through the second quarter at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. What was shaping up as a positive drive for Philly ended up as Hurts’ worst nightmare.
Hurts threw an ill-advised pass intended for AJ Brown that was easily picked off by Chargers defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand. The Eagles QB got a chance to redeem himself when Hand fumbled the ball right into his hands. But Hurts fumbled the ball right back to the Chargers after getting stripped by defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell.
The Int/Fumble on the same play by Hurts is insanely impressive pic.twitter.com/gVNNlR5lw1
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) December 9, 2025
Linebacker Troy Dye recovered possession near midfield, eventually leading to a Chargers field goal to extend their lead to 10-3.
Hurts could have entered his name into the NFL Hall of Infamy by becoming potentially the first player ever to throw an interception and fumble the football on the same possession. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Hurts became the first player since at least 1978 to commit two turnovers on one play.
The play was arguably a microcosm of how the Eagles’ offense has performed over the past several weeks. Nick Sirianni has reportedly been more involved in the Eagles’ offensive gameplanning of late amid calls to fire offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
Whatever changes Sirianni made to the offense didn’t bear fruit in the first half against the Chargers, as the Eagles trailed 10-6 at halftime.
Bill Self responds to conspiracy theories surrounding Kansas star Darryn Peterson
Kansas head coach Bill Self is not standing for any of the negative chatter surrounding Darryn Peterson.
The Kansas guard missed a month of action due to a lingering hamstring injury. While Peterson was sidelined, some fans peddled rumors that Peterson was not actually as injured as his time off the floor suggested. Conspiracy theories were floated suggesting the top-ranked prospect was saving himself for the NBA.
Self came to his star player’s defense ahead of Peterson’s return to the floor on Monday against rival Missouri.
“I think it frustrates him,” Self said of how Peterson feels about the rumors. “It’s the world we live in, in today’s time, though. It’s B.S., though.”
“That kid’s over there getting four treatments a day for 45 minutes every treatment. That kid spends more time shooting on his own than anybody else maybe that I’ve ever coached. That kid wants to be out there so bad.”
Self admitted that the complex nature of Peterson’s hamstring injury may have contributed to the rumors, with Kansas keeping him out for an extended period despite labeling him “day-to-day.” He added that “nobody would say anything” had Peterson suffered a compound fracture that would have had a much more straightforward timeline for recovery.
Peterson himself has clapped back at his critics, stating that he loved the game too much to sit out “just cause.”
Darryn Peterson addresses the rumors that he is sitting out for the NBA draft.
— NetsKingdom 👑🗽 (@NetsKingdomAJ) December 7, 2025
“They’ve been mad at me on Twitter saying I’m stealing money and all type of stuff but I love the game hoop is my life.” pic.twitter.com/LN1ayl3bIU
Peterson played 23 minutes on Monday as he eased his way back to form against Missouri. He finished with 17 points on 6/14 shooting in an 80-60 victory for the Jayhawks.
Unflattering report emerges about work ethic of Wizards’ Cam Whitmore
New context is emerging about Cam Whitmore’s underwhelming debut season for the Washington Wizards.
The 21-year-old forward Whitmore was a healthy scratch for Washington’s game over the weekend against the Atlanta Hawks. Though the 3-19 Wizards have all the reason in the world to focus on player development right now, it appears that Whitmore has quickly fallen out of favor with the team.
On Monday, veteran basketball writer Grant Afseth shared an unflattering report about Whitmore’s work ethic. Afseth writes that Whitmore has not consistently met the Wizards’ expectations when it comes to his day-to-day work and even cited a source who indicated that Whitmore has not been showing up to practice.
“If you’re trying to establish yourself in the NBA, you need to show up to practice,” the source was quoted as saying about Whitmore.
Whitmore, despite just turning 21 over the summer, is now in his third NBA season. He spent his first two seasons with the Houston Rockets and especially showed off his upside as a rookie, averaging 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in just 18.7 minutes per game for Houston.
But after Whitmore’s numbers dipped a bit as a sophomore, the Rockets gave up on him, trading Whitmore to the Wizards as part of a three-team transaction also involving the New Orleans Pelicans. This season in Washington, Whitmore has averaged 9.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game as part of a rebuilding team.
You might recall that Whitmore, a former standout for Villanova, slid all the way down to No. 20 in the 2023 NBA Draft. We heard at the time that some alleged character issues were behind Whitmore’s draft-day slide, and now this latest report about Whitmore’s work ethic would seem to back up those claims.
Fans react to wild news about Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers is contemplating an NFL comeback, and fans are in disbelief over the news.
Several reporters confirmed on Monday night that Rivers had been invited to work out in the Indianapolis Colts’ practice facility. With Daniel Jones out for the season with a torn Achilles, the plan is for the 44-year-old Rivers to join the team’s practice squad.
The #Colts are planning to bring potential Hall of Fame QB Philip Rivers into their facility Tuesday to work out to see if he may join their practice squad, per me & @MikeGarafolo.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 8, 2025
This is real. Daniel Jones’ season is over, Riley Leonard will start, but Rivers may be an option. pic.twitter.com/H3tQW2R3s7
Rivers played the first 16 seasons of his career with the Chargers franchise before playing out one final year with the Colts in 2020. The fan reactions to the idea of him potentially coming out of retirement five years later were all over the place.
Several fans noted how great a sports moment Rivers’ comeback would be, especially if he performs well on the field. Some could already imagine the movies or documentaries made about it.
If Philip Rivers comes back and leads the Colts to a Super Bowl it’ll be the greatest sports moment of all time
— Devine Sports Gospel (@DevineGospel) December 9, 2025
The scene in the movie where the Colts owner, played by Sandra Bullock, storms into the GMs office and says “what about Phillip Rivers, can he still play” and the camera pans to the GM and his eyebrows just raise is gonna win an Oscar pic.twitter.com/rzEIT7VS8n
— Joe McCarthy (@JMcCarthy86) December 9, 2025
Dawg… could you imagine 44 year old Philip Rivers comes in and takes the Colts to the promise land after everything that has happened?
— RP (@Pomrenke__) December 9, 2025
Easiest 30 for 30 ever made
Others cracked jokes about Rivers wanting to take a break from parenting his 10 children. The 44-year-old also has a grandchild, which would make him possibly the first grandpa in modern history to suit up at the pro level.
Phillip Rivers sneaking off for a break from his 93 kids when Chris Ballard called: pic.twitter.com/rIh6XW3nDy
— Ken Carman (@KenCarman) December 9, 2025
POV: You are Philip Rivers telling your family you’re returning to the Indianapolis Colts. pic.twitter.com/Rg8n1oiW5q
— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) December 9, 2025
Philip Rivers when an NFL team calls pic.twitter.com/Xb1DdjG3Vr
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) December 9, 2025
While Rivers lost a lot of arm strength in his last NFL season, the eight-time Pro Bowler was still highly productive for the Colts. He threw for 4,169 yards with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2020 and led the team to an 11-5 record.
Rivers still looked like he had plenty left in the tank before announcing his retirement in 2021. In his final game — a Wild Card round matchup against the Buffalo Bills — Rivers went 27/46 for 309 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a losing effort.
There’s no telling what kind of shape Rivers is in at age 44, but that makes his potential comeback all the more compelling.
Video shows Ja Morant confronting Deni Avdija during a timeout
Ja Morant (predictably) wanted the smoke during his team’s game earlier this week.
On Sunday, the Memphis Grizzlies faced off against the Portland Trail Blazers. In the third quarter at FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., Blazers forward Deni Avdija hit the deck and then appeared to intentionally trip Grizzlies guard Cedric Coward as Coward was trying to run back up the floor. Here is the video.
While on the ground, Deni Avdija locks his legs to trip Cedric Coward, who falls. Coward, still in the play, recovers and lobs the ball ahead to Jaylen Wells for a transition dunk pic.twitter.com/RvjzdGd8Fy
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) December 8, 2025
As the two teams then headed to a timeout, Grizzlies star Ja Morant, who was in street clothes and not playing due to a calf strain, was seen going over to Avdija and confronting him about the trip. The two exchanged some heated words before being separated by officials and staffers.
You can see the video of the Morant-Avdija confrontation at the link here.
The Grizzlies went on to win Sunday’s game by a 119-96 blowout final. While the officials missed Avdija’s trip of Coward on the spot, the NBA announced Monday that they were giving Avdija a retroactive flagrant 1 foul upon league review of the incident.
Morant, the two-time All-Star, has not played at all for Memphis since Nov. 15 thanks to his calf injury. But he clearly doesn’t mind mixing it up with opponents from the bench and also had a heated confrontation with Klay Thompson of the Dallas Mavericks a couple of weeks prior.
Don Mattingly is set to join a new MLB team
Donnie Baseball is headed back to the National League East.
Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski revealed to reporters on Monday that ex-NL Manager of the Year Don Mattingly is close to joining the team as a bench coach, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The news comes as Mattingly just left the reigning AL champ Toronto Blue Jays earlier this offseason.
Mattingly, 64, had been rumored for several weeks now to potentially be a target for the Phillies. The move makes perfect sense too since Mattingly’s son Preston also currently serves as the general manager of the Phillies.
The elder Mattingly, a former AL MVP as a player, went on to manage 12 total seasons in Major League Baseball between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the NL East foe Miami Marlins (for whom he won NL Manager of the Year in 2020). After parting ways with the Marlins following the 2022 season, Mattingly became a bench coach for the Blue Jays in 2023 and served in that role until his departure last month.
With a move to the Phillies now imminent, Mattingly will be very familiar with his new co-workers. In addition to his son Preston, Mattingly has history with current Phillies manager Rob Thomson, who was a coach for the New York Yankees during Mattingly’s time there as a player.
In 2025, the Phillies won 96 games as well as a second straight division title but fell in four games to the eventual champion Dodgers in the NLDS. They could possibly be making some big free agent signings this offseason, but they are kicking things off by upgrading their coaching staff and hiring Mattingly.
Report: Astros are targeting a new starting pitcher on trade market
The Houston Astros are further opening up their offseason playbook.
Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Shane Baz has emerged as a target in the Astros’ search for starting pitching, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported on Monday. While Rome notes that no deal is close, he adds that Houston’s interest in trading for Baz is “real.”
Baz, 26, has been with the Rays for his entire MLB career. Last season for Tampa, Baz went 10-13 with a 4.87 ERA but also struck out a career-high 176 batters through 31 starts. In 2024, Baz had a strong campaign as well, going 4-3 with a 3.06 ERA and 69 strikeouts through just 14 starts.
That said, Baz has struggled with injuries in recent years too. He missed most of the 2022 season and all of the 2023 season with a right elbow injury that later required Tommy John surgery. As such, Baz carries some risk and also remains fairly unproven at the big-league level with just 286.0 total career innings pitched.
Still though, Tampa Bay’s asking price for Baz could potentially be steep. He remains under club control for three more seasons and improved his stock in 2025 by throwing 166.1 innings coming off Tommy John.
As for the Astros, they are clearly trying to improve their rotation this winter, especially with longtime ace Framber Valdez looking like he could potentially leave the team as a free agent. In addition to Baz, Houston was just linked to an interesting All-Star starting pitcher in trade rumors a few days ago.
Stunning news emerges about Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers is ready to issue a two-word fax about his future career plans — “I’m back.”
The retired former NFL passing yards leader Rivers is en route to Indianapolis for a workout with the Colts, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on Monday. Though Rapoport notes that Rivers is only in for a workout at this point, he could potentially be an option for the practice squad of the quarterback-desperate Colts.
That marks absolutely stunning news about Rivers, who coincidentally turned 44 years old on Monday as well. He has not played at all in the NFL since the 2020 campaign and already signed a ceremonial one-day contract to retire with the Los Angeles Chargers in July of this year. Additionally, Rivers has been serving as the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Ala. since 2021.
But the Colts, whom Rivers played for during his final career season in 2020, will take anything that they can get at this point at the QB spot. Starter Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending Achilles tear during Sunday’s defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars (see the video here), and backup Anthony Richardson is still on injured reserve because of a bizarre eye injury.
That leaves Indianapolis at absolute bare bones at quarterback. Third-stringer Riley Leonard, who came on in relief of Jones on Sunday, has also since been revealed to be dealing with an injury. That leaves Brett Rypien, who has been on the Colts’ practice squad since October, as the last man currently standing at QB in Indy.
It is obviously very unclear at this point what kind of physical condition the former eight-time Pro Bowler Rivers is in, especially five years after his last taste of NFL action. But with the 8-5 Colts fighting for a playoff spot with four games left to play in the regular season, they truly need any help that they can get right now.
Nationals willing to trade 2 All-Star players
The Washington Nationals’ rebuild may be on the verge of a rebuild.
The Nationals have expressed a willingness to trade both shortstop CJ Abrams and pitcher MacKenzie Gore, according to Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Washington is not desperately trying to trade either player, however, and the price is high on each of them.
The rumors will likely be disheartening for Nationals fans, who have not seen the franchise put together a winning season since their World Series year of 2019. Abrams and Gore were both acquired as key pieces of the trade that sent Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres, and were expected to form the core of the team’s rebuild. Gore is under team control through 2027, and Abrams through 2028.
Abrams was an All-Star in 2024, but had an arguably better year in 2025, hitting .257 with 19 home runs. Gore has established himself as a tough lefty starter who struck out 185 batters in 159.2 innings pitched last season to go with a 4.17 ERA and an All-Star nod.
The Nationals hired a new team president this offseason in Paul Toboni, and he seems eager to reset the organization. They have hired a very young manager and potentially see Abrams and Gore as pieces that could allow them to acquire a larger pool of young talent to develop moving forward.
2-time Super Bowl champion makes unexpected NFL comeback
Despite not playing in an NFL game for two years, Jason Pierre-Paul is making a comeback.
Pierre-Paul is signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a workout on Monday. Pierre-Paul will initially join the Buccaneers’ practice squad.
Reunion: Veteran edge Jason Pierre-Paul is signing with the #Bucs practice squad after working out today, his agents @iangrutman and @david_benzaken of @gseworldwide told The Insiders.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 8, 2025
Back on the field at age 36. pic.twitter.com/5MDlgkiJnx
Pierre-Paul had indicated during the offseason that he wanted to make a comeback, but after months of receiving no interest, it seemed to be out of the question. Evidently, his tryout was impressive enough that the Bucs are willing to give him a shot. His stint with the Bucs from 2018 to 2021 probably helped, too.
Tampa Bay is still in the heat of the playoff race, and may be facing injury issues in their pass rush. Haason Reddick left Sunday’s game with an injury, and their 32 team sacks put them squarely near the middle in leaguewide rankings.
Pierre-Paul last played in 2023, when he appeared in three games for the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins. He has not played a meaningful amount of snaps since 2022 with the Baltimore Ravens, when he had three sacks in 14 games.
Colts may be down to their 4th-string QB in Week 15
The Indianapolis Colts are dealing with a full-blown injury crisis at the quarterback position for Week 15 of the NFL season.
The Colts have already lost Daniel Jones for the remainder of the season due to his Achilles injury, and backup Anthony Richardson is on injured reserve as well. Riley Leonard came in for Jones on Sunday, but coach Shane Steichen revealed Monday that Leonard is now dealing with a knee injury.
Colts QB Riley Leonard also is dealing with a knee injury that leaves his status for Sunday’s game at Seattle uncertain. https://t.co/TzVHP3x6qv
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 8, 2025
By all indications, Leonard will try to make himself available. If he cannot, however, there is a real possibility that all three of the Colts’ quarterbacks will be unavailable for Sunday’s game at the Seattle Seahawks.
If Leonard cannot go, the team would likely have to turn to Brett Rypien, who has been on the Indianapolis practice squad since October.
The Colts are already in a lot of trouble after Jones’ brutal injury on Sunday. They are still 8-5, but have lost three in a row and lost their AFC South lead. Things are not going to get any easier for them, especially if they lack a reliable quarterback the rest of the way.
Desmond Bane fined $35,000 by the NBA
Orlando Magic wing Desmond Bane got a substantial fine from the NBA for his bizarre actions during Sunday’s game against the New York Knicks.
Bane has been fined $35,000 by the league for throwing a basketball at OG Anunoby during Orlando’s 106-100 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y.
In a statement, the league officially determined that Bane “(threw) the game ball with force at an opponent in an unsportsmanlike manner.”
Desmond Bane fined $35,000 for throwing ball with force at OG Anunoby, NBA says pic.twitter.com/ky7yfRVZYm
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) December 8, 2025
That is a pretty hefty fine for Bane, but an understandable one. There was no real reason for him to chuck a basketball at Anunoby from close range, especially when he was barely involved in the play. Making matters worse is the fact that this was not the first time he had done something like this.
Bane has been a key part of Orlando’s early success this season after being acquired in an offseason trade. He is averaging 18.3 points per game, even though his shooting numbers are actually down from where they were last season with Memphis.
Jazz coach Will Hardy brutally cursed out his players
Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy lost his patience with his players during a timeout on Sunday.
Hardy could be heard berating his players during Utah’s 131-101 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Ut. on Sunday. The profanity-laced clip ended with Hardy telling his players to play harder, which seems to be a recurring complaint from him.
“I’m tired of f—ing doing this every game. F—ing play harder,” Hardy says in the video.
Will Hardy being a little bit too vocal during a timeout pic.twitter.com/TF7MuQSPvV
— Kato Pariña (@KatoParinaSLC) December 8, 2025
Perhaps the worst part of this is it came during a first quarter timeout. The Jazz had only played 2:26 to this point, and were already down 10-1, prompting Hardy’s outburst.
Hardy has shown himself to have a fiery temper in the past. This time, it was directed at his players, but previously the referees have been on the wrong end of it.
Since becoming coach of the Jazz in 2022, Hardy is 93-176. One can hardly blame him for being fed up with what he’s seeing.
In this instance, Hardy’s words did not do much to motivate his team. The Jazz wound up being outscored 45-20 in the first quarter and went on to lose by 30.
49ers WR Jauan Jennings responds to allegations from Browns players
Jauan Jennings was accused of crossing the line with some smack talk when the San Francisco 49ers played the Cleveland Browns in Week 13, but the wide receiver does not see what all the fuss was about.
Some Browns players exchanged words with Jennings after defensive tackle Maliek Collins went down with an injury during the third quarter of the Niners’ 26-8 win over Cleveland on Nov. 30. After the game, Browns defensive lineman Shelby Harris blasted Jennings and claimed the wideout “said some things that you should not say to another man ever.”
Harris also said he understood why a Carolina Panthers player delivered a cheap shot on Jennings the week before. Myles Garrett agreed and accused Jennings of making some “demeaning and disparaging” comments toward Browns players.
The 49ers had a bye in Week 14, but Jennings finally responded to the allegations on Monday. He suggested Cleveland players said some nasty things to him as well and that the situation was blown out of proportion.
“I thought it was just a lot of talk honestly,” Jennings said. “I think they just wanted some attention. He said some things, so why ain’t he saying what he said? I don’t know, bro. I do know it ain’t that bad. That’s what I do know. I’m gonna just keep it to myself what I said, but I know it wasn’t that bad and he knows that. It’s funny. If he sees me, just smack me. Maybe I’ll find out that day.”
Jauan Jennings addressed what the Cleveland Browns said about him and his actions in that game.
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) December 8, 2025
He doesn’t think what he said in that game was over the line. Says “if he sees me to smack me” he will find out if it was too much. #49ers | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/WUwCFxR4EV
We still don’t know why a Panthers player punched Jennings below the belt in Week 13, but Harris seemed convinced that Jennings deserved it.
Between the incident with the Panthers and what Browns players said, opponents will likely be keeping a closer eye on Jennings going forward.
Florida AD suggests Lane Kiffin was ‘erratic’ during coaching search
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin admitted that the Gators were very interested in hiring Lane Kiffin, but that interest was not necessarily reciprocated.
Stricklin admitted the Gators reached out to Kiffin after deciding to fire Billy Napier on Oct. 19. Kiffin, he said, was initially enthusiastic, but things changed after that.
“There was a flurry of initial engagement, I would say. Really positive conversations,” Stricklin told On3’s Andy Staples. “Then communication became a little more erratic. The timing of when that began to occur, kind of just reading the tea leaves, gave me the impression that it’s a good thing we talked to other people and we’re going to have to look at some other candidates.”
NEW: Florida AD Scott Stricklin detailed the Gators' pursuit of Lane Kiffin with @AndyStaples👀
— On3 (@On3sports) December 8, 2025
“There was a flurry of initial engagement, I would say. Really positive conversations. Then the communication became a little more erratic…
Just reading the tea leaves gave me the… pic.twitter.com/UEvBfSTzXy
While Stricklin does not lay out the exact timeline, LSU fired Brian Kelly one week after Florida parted ways with Napier. The implication is Kiffin was interested in the Florida job until the LSU one opened up, at which point that became Kiffin’s clear priority.
Publicly, Florida was out of the running for Kiffin even before he made the decision to leave Ole Miss for LSU. The Gators wound up hiring Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall instead.
Kiffin certainly sounds like he was ready to leave Ole Miss pretty early on. The only question was his ultimate destination, and once the LSU job opened up, Florida got the sense that the debate had quickly been settled.
Pete Alonso meeting with 2 teams at MLB Winter Meetings
Pete Alonso is clearly hoping to sign with a new team earlier than he did last offseason, and is making aggressive moves to potentially try and land with one by the end of the year.
Alonso is traveling to the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla., in order to meet with interested teams. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Alonso intends to meet with the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles, at the very least.
It is not known if Alonso will meet with the Mets during his visit. While the two sides have mutual interest, it is clear that the slugging first baseman has every intention of letting other teams make a run at him.
Alonso has been consistently linked with the Red Sox throughout the offseason. They have money to spend and clearly want to add a big bat, and Alonso would fit that profile. He hit .272 with 38 home runs last season, and it is entirely plausible that his numbers could benefit from playing at Fenway Park for half of his games.
Last season, Alonso’s free agency dragged into February before he finally decided to return to the Mets on a shorter deal with an opt-out. The 31-year-old is eager to avoid a similar fate this offseason.
