The San Francisco 49ers proved how high they are on this year’s quarterback class when they gave up two future first-round picks and then some to move up to No. 3 in the draft. Initial reports indicated they were not set on one particular player at that slot, but many are convinced the Niners have already made up their minds.
Adam Schefter said on ESPN Radio Tuesday morning that he would be stunned if the 49ers don’t draft former Alabama star Mac Jones. The day before, Schefter said Jones is “in the conversation” but also mentioned Trey Lance and Justin Fields.
The first three picks in the draft are going to be quarterbacks. Trevor Lawrence has long been a lock to be taken first overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and almost everyone is convinced the New York Jets will take BYU’s Zach Wilson. That leaves the 49ers to choose between Jones, Lance and Fields.
Unless San Francisco is sending smoke signals, all indications are that Jones is at the top of their list. They could also trade Jimmy Garoppolo before the draft and try to secure an extra pick or two, though their asking price for him seems quite high.
Jones is one of the more intriguing prospects in the draft. He’s easily the worst athlete of the top QBs available, but he has drawn plenty of flattering comparisons. He’s the type of pocket passer that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan covets.
There was talk a while back that the New York Jets might trade away the No. 2 pick in the draft rather than move on from Sam Darnold, but they decided to part ways with the quarterback on Monday. According to general manager Joe Douglas, the fact that the Jets have the second overall pick in the draft made it evident that they needed to go in another direction.
Douglas spoke with the media about the Darnold trade on Tuesday. One quote in particular was very telling.
“Having the No. 2 pick, I think it’s safe to say if our pick was a little bit later we wouldn’t be having this discussion right now,” Douglas said, via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. “We’d be comfortable moving ahead with Sam.”
Of course, many would argue that the losing was not Darnold’s fault. The Jets didn’t exactly surround him with a Pro Bowl roster, and playing under Adam Gase had to be a challenge. Still, New York obviously feels there are better options in the draft than Darnold.
Darnold was the third overall pick in the draft just three years ago. He’s also still just 23, so you can understand why the Carolina Panthers feel he has a high ceiling. The Jets’ decision to trade him probably says more about their satisfaction with the 2021 QB class than how they view Darnold as a player.
Deshaun Watson has been sued for sexual harassment by 22 different women, and one of the alleged victims went public on Tuesday.
In a press conference arranged by attorney Tony Buzbee, a massage therapist named Ashley Solis said she was sexually assaulted by Watson on March 30, 2020. She said she has suffered from “panic attacks, anxiety and depression” as a result of the Houston Texans star’s actions. Solis also claimed she is unable to perform massages without trembling and that she has had to cut sessions short.
You can see a portion of Solis’ statement below. She paused several times to collect herself while speaking.
Another woman, Lauren Baxley, also revealed her identity via a letter that was read at the press conference.
The two latest lawsuits were filed against Watson a week ago, bringing the total to 22 alleged victims. Watson’s legal team responded by sharing statements from 18 massage therapists who say they have worked with Watson and defended the quarterback. You can read all of those statements here.
All of the lawsuits against Watson to this point have been civil in nature, but Houston police said on Friday that one criminal complaint has been filed.
Watson’s agent has publicly accused at least some of the alleged victims of lying for financial gain. The 25-year-old’s legal team also claims he was a victim of a blackmail attempt in at least one of the cases.
University of Tennessee linebacker Aaron Beasley has been suspended indefinitely in the wake of allegations that he abused a cat.
Police in Knoxville confirmed this week that they are investigating a claim from a Tennessee student that Beasley seriously injured her 6-month-old kitten. According to sports radio host Jimmy Hyams, Beasley has been suspended until the Vols have more information about the accusations.
Beasley, a junior, has been accused of hitting and kicking his girlfriend’s roommate’s kitten. The cat is said to have suffered serious injuries and needed medical attention. You can read more details of the allegations here.
Beasley played sparingly for the Vols last season, recording seven total tackles and a forced fumble. He could face further disciplinary action if he is charged for the alleged animal abuse incident.
The Atlanta Falcons may have one of the most valuable remaining trade chips in the 2021 NFL Draft, and they are apparently open to wielding it.
The Falcons are open to trading back from No. 4 overall in the draft, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Now that the New York Jets traded Sam Darnold, there is virtually no chance of any of the top three teams trading back. The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to take Trevor Lawwrence first overall, and the Jets will then take a quarterback — possibly BYU’s Zach Wilson — at No. 2. The San Francisco 49ers have the third overall pick after trading up, so they are obviously taking a quarterback as well.
That leaves the No. 4 spot as the highest teams can move up, in all likelihood. With the Falcons already set at the QB position with Matt Ryan, it makes sense for them to entertain offers.
A recent report claimed the Falcons are leaning toward taking this QB with the fourth overall pick, and that may still happen. However, Atlanta would be left with a $65 million dead cap hit if Ryan is traded prior to June 1 and $40.5 million if he’s traded him before June 1, 2022, so he isn’t going anywhere.
If the Falcons can acquire additional draft capital by trading back, they are in a great position to take advantage.
Paul Pierce was fired by ESPN on Monday over a video stream he shared that many considered inappropriate, and Dave Portnoy of Barstool sports is looking to capitalize on the opportunity.
Portnoy immediately began recruiting Pierce when news surfaced that ESPN was parting ways with the former NBA star. The Barstool founder first sent a tweet indicating he wants Pierce to call him.
Then on Tuesday, Portnoy said during his popular “Davey Day Trader” stream that he has reached out to Pierce.
“Listen, Paul Pierce, I’m gonna make a run at Paul Pierce,” Portnoy said. “I’m gonna make a run at his a–. I reached out. Contact has been made. He got fired from ESPN for having strippers and blunts in the background of a livestream. Whatever, I don’t give a f— about that. We’d love to have him.”
There was once a time when people may have laughed at the idea of Pierce taking a job with Barstool Sports, but it is no longer out of the question. Barstool has grown into a massive media and sports gambling company. They have hired some high-profile former athletes, most notably Deion Sanders.
That said, this is not the first time Portnoy has openly fantasized about hiring an NBA legend.
Pierce was fired by ESPN after his live video stream appeared to show him smoking marijuana and surrounded by strippers. He quickly issued a video response (see it here) that made it seem like he is not concerned about the next chapter of his career.
Jordan Spieth is coming off a win at the Valero Texas Open heading into the Masters, but there will still be plenty of talk this week about his infamous 2016 collapse at Augusta. In order to avoid much of that, Spieth is going to try to channel his inner Bill Belichick.
Spieth told reporters this week that he learned a valuable lesson from Belichick while visiting Gillette Stadium prior to the Ryder Cup in 2016.
“I think Bill Belichick, it’s one of his very key things — eliminate the noise, and I remember seeing that at Gillette Stadium before I think The Ryder Cup in 2016, and it’s always stuck with me,” Spieth said, via WEEI’s Ryan Hannable.
Spieth’s visit to Foxboro, Mass., would have been not long after he blew his five-shot lead on the back nine at the Masters. He did manage to win the Open Championship in 2017, but his game has largely been in shambles since the Masters meltdown. Spieth has said that tournament “haunted” him and that he hated playing golf for a while after it happened.
A big part of the “Patriot Way” is blocking out noise from outside the team, and Spieth has apparently applied that to his own life. He made it clear how much winning at the Valero Texas Open meant to him with what he told reporters on Sunday, but that won’t stop people from bringing up what happened in 2016.
Between Belichick’s principles and the guidance he has gotten from this PGA legend, Spieth should be in a solid place mentally heading into the Masters this week.
The Carolina Panthers made it official on Monday that they do not believe Teddy Bridgewater is their quarterback of the future, and they are now allowing him to explore opportunities elsewhere.
After they acquired Sam Darnold in a trade with the New York Jets, the Panthers gave Bridgewater permission to speak with other teams about a potential trade. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Carolina is open to keeping Bridgewater, but they want him to have a say in his future.
Darnold is owed less than $1 million in base salary this season, while Bridgewater’s salary is $17 million. The Panthers are reportedly planning to exercise the fifth-year option on Darnold’s rookie contract for 2022, which is worth nearly $19 million. There’s no way they will keep both quarterbacks on the roster a year from now at their current salaries, but they have some financial flexibility for 2021.
The Panthers got off to a solid start last season before losing nine out of their last 11 games. Bridgewater finished with 3,733 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Carolina head coach Matt Rhule recently had high praise for the QB, but the Darnold trade shows how the Panthers really feel about Bridgewater’s abilities.
Shohei Ohtani reminded MLB fans of his infinite potential on Sunday night when he threw a 101-mph pitch and belted a home run in the same inning. Now, we get to see what it would look like if the Los Angeles Angeles star blasted his own fastball into orbit.
Some tech-savvy person managed to perfectly combine clips of Ohtani’s blistering fastball and towering home run in the same short video. The result was a video of Ohtani hitting a home run off Ohtani. It’s downright mesmerizing.
Ohtani’s 101-mph fastball in the first inning on Sunday is tied for the fastest recorded pitch of the season. His home run in the bottom of the frame had an exit velocity of 115.2 mph, which made it the hardest-hit ball of the season. You can see videos of both here.
Unfortunately, Ohtani left the Angels’ 7-4 win over the Chicago White Sox following a plate collision in the top of the fifth. The Angels later said he is “fine” and experiencing some soreness.
The shortened, fan-less season last year spared the Houston Astros from national ridicule at ballparks, but Angels fans are trying to make up for things this year.
The Angels faced the Astros on Monday and came back to win 7-6. During the game, Angels fans trolled the Astros with trash cans.
At first it started with a real one in right field:
Then someone threw an inflatable trash can on the field:
And then fans threw a real trash can onto the field.
The Astros were confirmed to have cheated in the 2017 season by banging a trash can to communicate pitch types during at-bats. You can see here what the setup looked like.
The Angels fans’ efforts weren’t too far off from what the Astros’ setup actually looked like.
The Houston Astros are confirmed cheaters and deserve an asterisk. Send that message by wearing our Houston Asterisks T-shirt! You can buy it here:
