Video: Max Domi destroys Radko Gudas in retribution for Auston Matthews injury
The Toronto Maple Leafs were licking their chops over the prospect of facing the Anaheim Ducks on Monday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and it’s clear why.
They all wanted to take revenge on Ducks captain Radko Gudas, whose knee-on-knee hit on Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews on March 12 ended the Toronto star’s season.
All it took for Radko Gudas to face the music was three seconds, as Maple Leafs forward Max Domi dropped the gloves and began teeing off on the Anaheim defenseman.
Gudas was in a fighting stance but did not seem interested in throwing punches, as he let Domi land several punches before going down.
Here’s how the fight unfolded.
MAX DOMI DROPS THE GLOVES WITH RADKO GUDAS RIGHT OFF THE OPENING DRAW 🫨👊 pic.twitter.com/bip7Vl7gJ0
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 31, 2026
Gudas deserves credit for his willingness to skate despite being fully aware of the brutal comeuppance awaiting him on the ice. He had already served a five-game suspension for his hit on Matthews, but justice was fully served in the eyes of the Maple Leafs on Monday.
Apart from finally exacting their retribution against Gudas, the Maple Leafs also got the last laugh on the ice, coming away with a 5-4 victory.
Toronto trailed by two entering the third period but outscored the Ducks 3-1 in the final frame to force overtime, where John Tavares netted the winner off a deflection from a Morgan Rielly shot.
Rui Hachimura had a priceless reaction to spotting Anthony Davis on the Wizards’ bench
Anthony Davis has become some sort of a forgotten man in the 2025-26 NBA season. Even Davis’ former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Rui Hachimura lost track of his recent journey in the league.
Davis, who is now with the Washington Wizards, did not suit up for Monday’s game against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif., as he continues to deal with a hand injury. When Hachimura spotted him on Washington’s bench, the Lakers forward probably thought he was seeing an apparition.
“I was looking at the bench and then I saw AD and I was shocked. I was like, wait, I totally forgot about it, you know, so I went to say hi to him,” Hachimura said in the postgame press conference, via Daniel Starkand of Laker Nation.
Hachimura might have assumed that Davis was still with the Dallas Mavericks, who acquired the former Kentucky Wildcats star in the shocking trade that sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles in February 2025.
Davis appeared in only 29 games for the Mavs before Dallas sent him to the Wizards prior to this year’s February trade deadline. Since Davis has yet to see action on the court with Washington, no one, including Hachimura, has a memory of Davis in a Wizards jersey during an NBA game.
As for the game, the Lakers crushed Washington, 120-101, despite missing Luka Doncic, who served a one-game suspension.
Hachimura finished the game with 14 points on 6/10 shooting with 6 rebounds in 26 minutes.
Justin Verlander comments on his concerning first start in Tigers reunion
Justin Verlander did not have a feel-good 2026 debut with the Detroit Tigers.
Making his first start since reuniting with Detroit, the 43-year-old Verlander was pummeled by the Arizona Diamondbacks’ offense on Monday at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz.
The future Baseball Hall of Famer looked every bit his age on the mound, giving up 5 earned runs on 6 hits while issuing 2 walks and recording just a strikeout in 3 2/3 innings of work in a 9-6 Detroit loss.
It was simply not the type of performance Verlander envisioned in his much-anticipated first start since signing a 1-year, $13 million contract with the Tigers in February.
“Not the way I obviously wanted it to go, which is disappointing for myself more than anybody else in the world,” Verlander said after the game, via Jason Beck of MLB.com.
The nine-time All-Star isn’t discouraged by his rough start, however, as he looks to make the necessary adjustments ahead of his next outing.
“Just like I’ve done my whole career, I come in here and start trying to think about what was off and how I can fix it and why it was off and get ready for the next one,” added the three-time Cy Young Award winner.
Verlander is no longer the pitcher he once was, and at his age, poor starts like the one he had against Arizona are to be expected.
As a team, the Tigers dropped to 2-2. They will next get the ball to right-hander Casey Mize for Tuesday’s game against the Diamondbacks.
Patriots player backs Jaden Ivey after his anti-LGBTQ rant
New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson has expressed his support for Jaden Ivey amid the latter’s recent string of controversial posts.
Ivey was released by the Chicago Bulls on Monday shortly after he went on a rant disparaging the LGBTQ community. The former Bulls guard also criticized the NBA for hosting Pride Night, which Ivey called a celebration of “unrighteousness.”
The comments from Ivey came after he had gone on a couple of religion-themed live streams in the days prior. The posts had some fans concerned that Ivey was having a mental breakdown.
The comments from Ivey came after he had gone on a couple of religion-themed live streams in the days prior. The posts had some fans concerned that Ivey was having a mental breakdown.
Henderson seemed to think Ivey sounded enlightened rather than someone needing professional help. The Patriots player backed Ivey on social media, reposting the news of Ivey’s exit from Chicago with a religious caption of his own.
“‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ Matthew 5:10,” Henderson captioned his post.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
— TreVeyon Henderson (@TreVeyonH4) March 31, 2026
Matthew 5:10 https://t.co/CTpkaMx0oT
The comments from Ivey came after he had gone on a couple of religion-themed live streams in the days prior. The posts had some fans concerned that Ivey was having a mental breakdown.
Henderson has long been vocal about his religious beliefs, with posts about Christianity spread across his social media accounts since his days as a member of the Ohio State Buckeyes roster.
Henderson also uploaded an Instagram post in December about supporting Christians who are being persecuted around the globe. Ivey appears to fall under that category, at least in Henderson’s eyes.
Yankees fans slam Aaron Boone for his polarizing move against Mariners
New York Yankees fans were not happy with Aaron Boone’s decision that burned the team late Monday against the Seattle Mariners.
The Yankees were tied at 1-1 heading into the bottom of the 8th inning at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Wash. That’s when Boone decided to send out relief pitcher Paul Blackburn out of the bullpen, and Blackburn repaid Boone’s trust with a scoreless inning.
Things started to unravel when Boone kept Blackburn in after a scoreless top of the 9th. The right-hander sandwiched an out between two singles from Leo Rivas and Brendan Donovan. That set the stage for Cal Raleigh to hit a walk-off hit down the right-field line.
CAL RALEIGH WALKS OFF THE YANKEES IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 9TH
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) March 31, 2026
pic.twitter.com/KzF4mvD58x
Several Yankees fans were incensed that Boone stuck with Blackburn, who sports a career 4.97 ERA, for an extra inning rather than go for a more trusted arm.
THIS LOSS WILL BE PINNED ON AARON BOONE’S INEPTNESS TO LEAVE PAUL BLACKBUM IN THE GAME IN A HIGH LEVERAGE SITUATION
— YN Judge (@JudgesChamberss) March 31, 2026
BLACKBURN IN 1-1 ,WHY THIS GUY YOU JUST GAVE THE GAME AWAY!!!! pic.twitter.com/ndb5VwnMwS
— Big Nick Turturro (@NickTurturro1) March 31, 2026
Why the hell is Paul Blackburn pitching in this situation https://t.co/ak9ed3ZAgH
— MJ ✯ (@VladitoByke) March 31, 2026
Even some Mariners fans were perplexed by Boone’s call.
Why did the Yankees just toss Paul Blackburn out there for the last two innings?
— Mariner Muse (@MarinerMuse) March 31, 2026
That’s the kind of punt we’d kill Dan over
It was a tough break for the Yankees — one that fans felt was avoidable had Boone gone with David Bednar instead of Blackburn. New York tarnished its spotless 3-0 record with the team’s first loss of the season.
In the grand scheme of things, it was just one loss. Boone probably wanted to give Blackburn a chance to prove his worth, and the result ended up being a poor one for both men involved.
MLB All-Star pitches immaculate inning in debut with his new team
The Arizona Diamondbacks were feeling pretty good Monday after watching offseason pitching acquisition Mike Soroka pay immediate dividends.
Soroka looked untouchable in his debut start with the Diamondbacks against the Detroit Tigers at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. Soroka gave up just four hits and a walk across his first four innings, then turned it up a notch in his fifth and final inning of action.
The 1-time All-Star threw an immaculate inning, striking out Javier Baez, Kerry Carpenter, and Gleyber Torres in rapid succession.
IMMACULATE INNING FOR MICHAEL SOROKA!
— MLB (@MLB) March 31, 2026
10 strikeouts through 5 innings in his @Dbacks debut! pic.twitter.com/M9hopu3jxN
Soroka did get some help from a generous strike zone courtesy of home plate umpire Todd Tichenor, but some of the swings and misses he got Monday were downright filthy. He finished with 10 strikeouts in the Diamondbacks’ home opener, which got quite the applause from a pleasantly surprised capacity crowd.
Soroka joined Randy Johnson, Byung-Hyun Kim, and Wade Miley as the only pitchers in Diamondbacks history to throw an immaculate inning. To do it in a completely different environment with a new catcher in his Arizona debut made it even more impressive.
The Diamondbacks’ decision to take a flier on Soroka in December is already looking smart. The real challenge for Soroka, however, is to stay healthy the rest of the season, as Soroka has battled through a couple of serious leg injuries over the years.
Fans all said the same thing about Floyd Mayweather’s comments on owning an NBA team
Fans are not buying what Floyd Mayweather was trying to sell over the weekend about owning an NBA team.
Mayweather spoke candidly about the topic during an autograph signing event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Mayweather, who once made a public announcement that he was looking to purchase a stake in an NBA team, claimed he’s no longer interested because team ownership is “a lot of stress.”
“In the past, I talked about owning an NBA team, but it looks like it’s a lot of stress in the NBA being an owner,” Mayweather said, via Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Mick Akers.
“You see an owner get involved with the NBA, and he’s looking happy. Then as years progress, he’s looking older. So, I don’t know.”
Fans seem to think Mayweather’s lack of interest in buying an NBA team stems from a different reason — a financial one, to be more specific.
Floyd really out here blaming ‘stress’ like we don’t all know the real reason… you ain’t got no money left 😂💸
— BSA🌌 (@BSA545) March 31, 2026
Just say you don’t got the money man pic.twitter.com/ZOGiIvV26p
— OffsideCentre (@OffsideCentre) March 30, 2026
This is the equivalent of saying you’re not going to a party you were never invited to
— Yusuf (@yusuf_aofficial) March 30, 2026
Mayweather has conspicuously booked several fights this year, including a rematch against Manny Pacquiao that may be a decade too late. The sudden in-ring activity has raised suspicions that Floyd is running out of money. Mayweather also has a $340 million lawsuit pending against now-defunct boxing broadcaster Showtime.
While Mayweather may not be as “broke” as some believe, sports franchise ownership money is a different level of wealth. Even some of the most famous athletes in the world would need to go through most of their career earnings just to buy a minority stake in an unpopular sports team.
Regardless of Floyd’s true reasoning, it’s safe to assume he won’t be part of the Las Vegas ownership group once NBA expansion finally happens in the coming years.
Giancarlo Stanton commits a ridiculous baserunning blunder vs. Mariners
Giancarlo Stanton quickly realized during Monday’s game that he has still the speed of Giancarlo Stanton.
Stanton and the New York Yankees faced off on Monday against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Wash. In the top of the fourth inning, the Yankees designated hitter Stanton hit a towering fly ball into shallow left field off Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo.
While the ball should have been a can of corn for the Seattle defense, Mariners teammates Brendan Donovan and Randy Arozarena lost the ball in the stadium lights. Stanton’s pop fly then landed in between them for an unlikely base hit.
Unfortunately for Stanton, he tried to press his luck further from there. Stanton attempted to take second base off the misplay … and was promptly cut down for the second out of the inning.
Another bloop fly dropped in but Stanton was gunned down trying to reach second pic.twitter.com/OabeUcP744
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) March 31, 2026
The ex-MVP Stanton, who stands 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, is known as one of the slowest players in Major League Baseball. He is now a full-time DH at 36 years old and has not even attempted a stolen base since the 2020 season.
While almost every other MLB player would have been able to take second base on that Seattle miscue, Stanton did not stand a chance, especially since he was jogging out of the batter’s box. That also brought back bad memories for Yankees fans as Stanton’s baserunning has been a problem for years now (including during the playoffs).
Resurfaced Duke post aged like milk after loss to UConn
One of Duke’s social media posts before March Madness is beginning to resurface after Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to UConn.
Earlier this month, Duke’s social media pages shared a clip from one of the Blue Devils’ film sessions. Head coach Jon Scheyer was going over a last-second play made by Chicago Bulls guard Tre Jones during a game against the Phoenix Suns. The Duke alum was falling out of bounds with seconds left on the clock and his team up by two.
Rather than stepping out of bounds for a turnover, Jones hurled the ball several feet in the air to waste all the time left on the clock. Scheyer drilled into his team to emulate Jones and make high-IQ decisions late in games.
that Duke education 😅🧠 @Tre3Jones pic.twitter.com/EZPhdbA4Kh
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 6, 2026
In a cruel twist of fate, Duke lost to UConn in the Elite 8 partly because the Blue Devils couldn’t handle the exact situation they were preparing for in the clip above. The March 6 post went viral as fans piled on Duke.
It looks like Cayden Boozer fell asleep or was daydreaming during this Duke education.
— 𝐌𝐫𝐓𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐲 (@mister_tiggy) March 30, 2026
So why didn’t they do this?
— Patrick W. Cutler (@PatrickWCutler) March 30, 2026
Cayden Boozer looking back at this tweet. pic.twitter.com/xfZsufCjWG
— Mitch Williams (@MitchLeeDubya) March 30, 2026
Despite holding possession and a 72-70 lead with 10 seconds left, Duke crumbled under pressure as Cayden Boozer committed a costly turnover. The miscue led to a now-iconic three-pointer by UConn freshman Braylon Mullins, sending the Huskies to the Final Four.
In a way, Boozer did take Scheyer’s film study lesson to heart. Cayden tried to make a high pass to his teammates up the floor that, if successful, would have wasted the clock enough for celebration to ensue in Durham. Boozer just didn’t give his pass the same arc as Jones did.
Stephen A. Smith whines on TV about being unfollowed by a Celtics player
Stephen A. Smith appears to have hit a new rock-bottom.
The ESPN personality Smith drew attention this week for his latest unhinged rant on the air. During Monday’s episode of “First Take,” Smith accused Boston Celtics guard Derrick White of unfollowing him on social media (claiming that he saw “reports circulating” about the unfollow).
Smith then made sure to stress to all the television viewers that he did not care about White (allegedly) unfollowing him. Smith also used several more sentences about the situation to fully emphasize just how much he did not care.
Here is the surreal video.
"I don't care."
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 30, 2026
—@stephenasmith addresses he's been "unfollowed" by Derrick White pic.twitter.com/T0rHT7cUdv
This almost has to be performance art at this point by Smith. He clearly cared enough about the supposed unfollow by White to address it on the air. But there you have it folks, not only did Smith inform you that White (allegedly) unfollowed him on social media, but he also informed you that he definitely does not care about said unfollow.
The former NBA champion White, a two-time All-Defensive selection, is averaging career highs across the board for the Celtics this season with 17.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. Obviously, White is having a better week than Smith, who also gave a lame response a few days ago to another NBA player who dissed him.
Details emerge on 49ers’ investigation into wild injury conspiracy theory
Tinfoil hat wearers are going to be disappointed by the findings of the San Francisco 49ers’ latest investigation.
The Niners recently looked into a conspiracy theory centered on an electrical substation located next to the team’s practice facility at Levi’s Stadium, which was supposedly to blame for San Francisco’s injury-plagued season. The conspiracy being peddled online claimed that the electrical exposure was weakening the team’s soft tissue and muscles, leading to an increase in team injuries.
49ers general manager John Lynch said in January that the team was planning on looking into the theory. Lynch spoke on the investigation the team had conducted over the past couple of months, asserting that the electrical substation conspiracy was complete baloney.
“It basically was a big nothing burger,” Lynch said, via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “We’re in a safe place of work. … It’s a normal place of work. It’s a normal gym. We are safe, we’re healthy, and we feel really good about that.
“That was important to us, not just to turn a blind eye, but to look into it because it’s our players’ wellness. It’s not only our players’ wellness, it’s coaches, it’s staff, all that. And it’s encouraging.”
Per Lynch, the 49ers hired an independent scientist with “over 45 years of experience studying electromagnetic fields and their effects” to look into the matter. The scientist’s findings concluded that the team’s exposure in the facility was “400 times below the threshold” of what would be considered unsafe.
The exposure levels were said to be similar to those in any typical workplace or commercial gym, with everyday appliances such as vacuum cleaners and microwave ovens having a worse impact.
The 49ers at least deserve some kudos for doing their due diligence on the electrical substation conspiracy. It shows the franchise takes its players’ health seriously enough to investigate what sounded like an otherwise ridiculous claim.
Umpire Dan Bellino got a call so wrong that it glitched the ABS system
Dan Bellino had his CB Bucknor moment during Monday’s game.
The veteran MLB umpire Bellino was behind the plate on Monday for the Athletics-Atlanta Braves game at Truist Park in Atlanta, Ga. Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz was leading off the game in the top of the first inning and saw a low 0-2 offering by Atlanta’s Bryce Elder get called strike 3 by Bellino.
Kurtz immediately tapped on his helmet to initiate an automated ball-strike (ABS) system challenge. In the end, it turned out that Bellino’s call was so wrong that it glitched out the system entirely.
Normally, ABS challenges will provide an accompanying visual on just how many inches the ball was actually off the strike zone (in the case of a mistaken call). But in Bellino’s case, the ball was in such a different galaxy that the ABS visual could not even provide a measurement.
Here is the video.
Thank goodness for ABS.
— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) March 31, 2026
This was a called third strike on Nick Kurtz, he immediately challenged and ABS showed this pitch was NOWHERE near the strike zone pic.twitter.com/ZaNtUoXLKG
Bellino, 47, has been umpiring games in MLB since 2008 and is also notably the president of the Major League Baseball Umpires Association. While that whiff in Monday’s game was pretty awful, at least it was not as utterly humiliating as the aforementioned Bucknor getting six different calls overturned by ABS in one game last weekend.
Mariners have a notable new plan for Cal Raleigh
Baseball fans may unfortunately be seeing less of Big Dumper this season.
Seattle Mariners star catcher Cal Raleigh received the day off on Monday. Raleigh was out of the lineup for Monday’s series-opening game against the New York Yankees at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Wash.
Speaking with reporters about the decision before the game, Mariners manager Dan Wilson revealed that the team plans to give Raleigh more days off this season.
“It’s a chance for him to get some rest, for sure,” said Wilson of Raleigh, per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. “Coming out of spring training, he had sort of a shorter spring training in a lot of ways, and [the team] didn’t want to spike his workload too much.”
Raleigh, 29, was a breakout superstar for the Mariners last season. He posted an MLB-leading 60 home runs to go along with an AL-leading 126 RBIs, finishing the year as the runner-up for AL MVP. Raleigh’s 60 homers also set the all-time records for most homers in a season by a catcher and the most homers in a season by a switch-hitter.
Perhaps most remarkably, Raleigh did his damage while playing in 159 of 162 possible regular season games last season (and tacking on 12 more playoff games as well). Jude notes that Raleigh did not get his first day off in 2025 until June 8.
Catcher is also notorious for how physically taxing of a position it is. With Raleigh even playing in the World Baseball Classic earlier this month (and getting into a bizarre beef with a Seattle teammate while there), it is no wonder that the Mariners want to manage his load in the 2026 MLB season.
Angel Reese’s brother Julian gets good news from the NBA
Julian Reese has successfully avoided what would have been a costly disciplinary measure.
The NBA announced on Monday that they have rescinded a double technical foul assessed to the Washington Wizards forward Reese and Portland Trail Blazers center Yang Hansen during their game the night before. The decision was made after a postgame review by the NBA league office.
In the final minute of the Blazers’ blowout 123-88 win over the Wizards at Moda Center in Portland, Oreg., Reese and Hansen got tangled up on a box-out during a free-throw attempt. Reese ended up hooking Hansen and lightly bringing him down to the floor, and the two were ultimately hit with the double T.
You can see the video at the link here.
That would have been a decently costly technical foul for Reese. He is on a two-way contract with the Wizards this season and is making less than $161,000 from the team. With a $2,000 standard fine for technicals, Reese almost frittered away over 1 percent of his entire year’s salary with that incident from Monday’s game.
But the NBA has fortunately decided to rescind the double T for Hansen and Reese, who is the younger brother of WNBA star Angel Reese. Julian has been having a strong impact for the Wizards, averaging 11.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game over seven appearances since joining the NBA roster. Angel also had a viral moment in the stands while watching her brother play earlier this month.
Bulls waive Jaden Ivey hours after his anti-LGBTQ rant
The Chicago Bulls have quickly decided to dump Jaden Ivey in the wake of his recent behavior over social media.
Chicago announced on Monday that they are waiving the 24-year-old guard Ivey. The Bulls’ official release cited “conduct detrimental to the team” for Ivey’s release.
Earlier in the day on Monday, Ivey sparked backlash by going on Instagram Live with a nearly-hour-long rant. At one point in his rant, Ivey made derogatory comments against the LBGTQ community and criticized the NBA’s decision to hold a Pride Night, calling it a celebration of “unrighteousness.”
You can see a clip of the rant at the link here.
It appears that the anti-LGBTQ rant was a last straw of sorts for the Bulls as Ivey had already caused concern over the weekend with some of his other Instagram Live videos. Ivey posted multiple lengthy videos in which he went off on religion-themed diatribes, causing some fans to worry that he might be having a mental breakdown.
The former Purdue star Ivey was the No. 5 overall draft pick by the Detroit Pistons in 2022 and ended up as an All-Rookie selection in 2023. He peaked with 17.6 points per game in 2024-25, but his development was derailed by a number of injuries (including an ugly freak injury during a game last season).
Ivey was traded by the Pistons to the Bulls as part of a three-team deal last month. He only made four appearances for the team though, being ruled out for the remainder of the season earlier this month due to a knee injury. Now Chicago have decided that it is no longer worth it to have Ivey on their roster amid his controversial behavior.
Kirk Cousins is being considered by another NFC team
The interest in veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins appears to be growing ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
On Monday at the NFL Annual League Meeting, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay revealed they have considered Cousins as a QB2 option. The Green Bay Packers have also kicked the tires on the idea of bringing in Cousins, via Packers GM Brian Gutekunst.
“Yeah, we’ve discussed a lot of those options. Obviously that’s a guy who’s got a lot of pelts on the wall in this league, so we’ve certainly discussed all those kind of things,” Gutekunst said, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
The Rams are one option for Cousins, at least according to McVay. The Las Vegas Raiders have also been linked to Cousins, and he could start while No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza learns the ropes of the NFL.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have also been linked to Cousins if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t play in 2026.
The Packers fit makes sense also, with Jordan Love locked in as the QB1, but Kyle McCord and Desmond Ridder are the only other QBs on the roster after Malik Willis signed with the Miami Dolphins.
Cousins and Packers coach Matt LaFleur were together in Washington during Cousins’ first two seasons in the NFL, so a reunion could be in store for both sides.
The Atlanta Falcons released Cousins before free agency as they have a left-handed QB room of Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, and the veteran appears to be drawing interest from several teams.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla blasts ‘stupid’ NBA award
By now, it is no secret that Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is as blunt as they come.
On Monday, Mazzulla was asked about the NBA Coach of the Year award, and the Celtics coach was as blunt as can be.
“I think it’s a stupid award. They shouldn’t have it,” Mazzulla said, via Jay King of The Athletic.
The question came since Mazzulla is in the running for the award, but the Celtics coach said he doesn’t want to be asked about it again, but rather give the credit to the players.
I asked Joe Mazzulla what winning COTY would mean to him.
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) March 30, 2026
"I think it's a stupid award. They shouldn't have it. It's more about the players. It's more about the work that the staff puts in. It's that simple, and I don't ever want to be asked or talk about it again."
Mazzulla has gone viral quite a few times this season alone. In January, he answered “illegal screen” to every question during a postgame press conference.
In February, Mazzulla stared blankly at a reporter when asked about Jayson Tatum’s practice. And, in March, the Celtics coach gave an all-time response when asked about Tatum’s debut.
“I might not even be alive by that day. I go to bed questionable, I wake up probable,” Mazzulla stated.
Mazzulla has somehow led Boston to a 50-24 record as of Monday, even with Tatum missing most of the season due to his injury recovery.
Whether he likes it or not, Mazzulla is in the running for the NBA Coach of the Year award with JB Bickerstaff (Pistons) and Mitch Johnson (Spurs) as some other candidates to win the award after Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers) won it in 2024-25.
Dolphins GM has firm stance on De’Von Achane trade rumors
The Miami Dolphins roster looks much different from what it did at the end of the regular season.
Tua Tagovailoa, Bradley Chubb and Tyreek Hill were all released, and Jaylen Waddle was traded to the Denver Broncos. After the Waddle trade, many predicted that running back De’Von Achane would be the next one dealt, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
On Monday, the Dolphins’ new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan stated they have no plans to trade Achane right now.
“There is zero effort on my end to move Achane,” Sullivan said during the NFL Annual League Meeting in Arizona.
Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan shut down trade rumors regarding De’Von Achane today, saying signing the running back to an extension is a “priority” for the team in the coming weeks/months:
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) March 30, 2026
“There is zero effort on my end to move Achane.”
Achane is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and he broke out with 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025. He was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently reported that the Dolphins told inquiring teams that they don’t plan to move Achane, and now it comes directly from the mouth of the new GM in Miami.
Moving on from Achane would make the Dolphins’ offense even more depleted. They did sign quarterback Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5 million deal in free agency, and it seems that the QB-RB duo is known in Miami, at least for 2026.
Vikings make $18 million decision on key wide receiver
The Minnesota Vikings have some key decisions to make ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, and one of them is regarding the fifth-year option for wide receiver Jordan Addison.
During the NFL Annual League Meeting on Monday, Vikings interim GM Rob Brzezinski revealed that the plan is to exercise the $18 million option for Addison.
“He’s a really important player for us, an impact player,” Brzezinski said. “We’re definitely exercising the option. For sure. The deadline for that is after the draft.”
3️⃣!#Vikings Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski told local media earlier today that the team plans to exercise the 5th-year option on WR Jordan Addison.
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 30, 2026
📰: https://t.co/epO5xoLyYa pic.twitter.com/m66wSY2Oqt
The option is for $18 million, which takes effect in 2027 and keeps Addison in town for at least two more seasons.
Addison made himself known as he began his college career at Pitt. He was named an All-American and the Biletnikoff Award winner before transferring to USC.
Addison then finished his college career with USC, and the Vikings selected him at No. 23 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Addison has 2,396 yards on 175 catches with 22 touchdowns through three NFL seasons.
However, Addison has dealt with legal issues, including a DUI, which resulted in a suspension.
Despite that, Addison is productive when he is on the field. In 2025, he had 42 catches for 610 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were career lows, but the Vikings QB situation certainly didn’t help that matter.
Brewers finalizing a $50 million deal with prized prospect
The Milwaukee Brewers are rolling the dice on one of their top prospects, shortstop Cooper Pratt.
Pratt, who made his Triple-A debut in Nashville recently, has never played above Double-A until this season. Yet, the Brewers are finalizing an eight-year contract worth $50 million, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
The Milwaukee Brewers are on the verge of finalizing an 8-year deal for slightly more than $50 million with 21-year prized shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt, who had not played above Class AA until this year. The deal will include two option years for about $15 million a year.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 30, 2026
The Brewers have gone this route before. In 2023, they gave Jackson Chourio an eight-year deal worth $82 million guaranteed, despite the fact that Chourio had played just six games above Double-A at that time.
Now, they are doing the same with Pratt, who is the No. 4 prospect in the Brewers’ organization.
Pratt was with the Brewers in spring training for the second straight season, and he appeared in 18 games with a .294 batting average before being sent down to Triple-A and being left off the Opening Day roster.
Pratt was selected by the Brewers in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft, and he has quickly made his presence felt in the minor leagues, enough for the franchise to invest $50 million.
