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Ex-NFL defensive end Josh Mauro’s cause of death revealed

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Former NFL defensive lineman Josh Mauro died from an accidental overdose caused by acute combined fentanyl, cocaine, and ethanol intoxication, according to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office in Arizona.

The 35-year-old was found dead on April 23 at his home in Tempe. Phoenix police responded to the residence and reported no signs of foul play.

Mauro played eight NFL seasons after going undrafted out of Stanford in 2014. He spent the bulk of his career with the Arizona Cardinals over six seasons, with cup-of-coffee stops with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

In 80 career games, including 40 starts, he recorded 5.0 sacks and 130 combined tackles. His most productive season was 2016 with the Cardinals, when he started 13 of 15 games and posted 32 tackles.

Mauro’s father, Greg, announced the death in a public statement expressing the family’s profound loss while affirming their faith.

“With many tears and broken hearts, yet anchored in the unshakable certainty that our precious Josh Mauro is now healed and made new-living in the presence of the Lord—we humbly covet your prayers as our family walks through the devastating loss of our amazing son, brother, uncle, grandson, and friend,” his father Greg Mauro wrote on Facebook.

The Cardinals organization said it was heartbroken and offered condolences to Mauro’s family and friends.

Clippers’ plan for the 5th pick in the NBA draft revealed

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The Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly looking toward the future rather than the present when it comes to their top-5 pick in the 2026 NBA draft.

The Clippers were arguably the biggest winners of last week’s NBA draft lottery. Los Angeles landed the highest possible pick they were allowed to get: fifth overall, courtesy of the team’s midseason trade with the Indiana Pacers.

With a roster split between aging veterans and a youth movement, questions abound on what the Clippers plan to do with their top-5 selection in a loaded draft.

According to The Athletic’s Law Murray, the Clippers “are eager to keep their pick” as opposed to dangling it in a deal that would bring in another win-now player.

Per the report, the Clippers’ braintrust is not zeroing in on any specific position so as to keep their draft options open. That bit is interesting, considering the glut of talented small guards expected to be available at the 5-pick range. Barring a surprise drop of AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson, or Cam Boozer, the highest-rated prospects likely available to the Clippers may overlap in skill set with starting point guard Darius Garland.

Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff Jr., and Kingston Flemings are among those expected to be picked in the 5-8 range of the 2026 NBA draft. All three project to be lead guards with questionable fits next to Garland.

The Clippers could also consider a trade down in an exchange that could land them more young talent at positions of need. The Charlotte Hornets and Oklahoma City Thunder both own a pair of picks between 12 and 18, while the Atlanta Hawks possess the No. 8 and No. 23 picks.

It’s a good problem to have if you’re the Clippers, who had less than a 50 percent chance to keep the pick heading into the lottery. While Clippers president Lawrence Frank is scouting lottery picks, Pacers executive Kevin Pritchard has nothing else to do but post apologies to his team’s fan base.

Anthony Edwards pulled a polarizing move before the end of Game 6

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Anthony Edwards did not wait until the final buzzer to congratulate the San Antonio Spurs for getting the best of his Minnesota Timberwolves in their Western Conference semifinals series.

The Spurs completely dominated the Timberwolves in Game 6 in a closeout game at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. The visitors’ lead ballooned to 33 points with 8:01 left in the fourth quarter, which is when Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch decided to pull the plug.

Finch pulled out Minnesota’s rotation players and brought in the team’s third stringers to finish the contest; he was waving the white flag. With his season a few minutes away from being over, Edwards walked the length of the court to congratulate San Antonio’s players with more than half of the fourth quarter left to play.

“At that point, you know you ain’t going back in, so you’re just trying to get them the respect that they deserve,” Edwards said of the move during his postgame press conference.

The move was controversial to fans and media members alike. While some voiced out their approval of Edwards’ show of sportsmanship, others felt it was a strange time to do it.

NBA on Prime studio analysts Udonis Haslem and Dirk Nowitzki both criticized the move, claiming they would have never done the same with so much time left in the contest.

Edwards had a rough shooting night, going 9/26 for a team-high 24 points. With no-shows from Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle, who combined for just three points, Edwards drew most of the defensive attention in a 139-109 loss.

James Harden’s foul baiting caused his own teammate to slip in crucial Game 6 moment

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James Harden got hit with some karmic justice on Friday in a potential closeout game for his Cleveland Cavaliers.

The former league MVP appeared to take a dive after attempting a three-point shot midway through the fourth quarter in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup. Harden tried to draw a foul against Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham, but was not rewarded by the referees at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

Harden ended up lying on the ground near the top of the key for several seconds. The Cavaliers grabbed the offensive rebound and drew a foul on Cunningham to get another crack at trimming what was then a 98-85 Pistons lead.

But as Cavaliers forward Dean Wade ran up to receive the inbound pass from Harden, Wade slipped on the same spot his All-Star teammate just covered in sweat.

Wade’s slip-up led to an uncontested fastbreak dunk for Tobias Harris to extend Detroit’s lead to 100-85. The visitors would then cruise to 115-94 win to force a Game 7.

Harden finished with a decent stat line of 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists on 6/13 shooting. But he also committed eight of Cleveland’s 20 turnovers — the 31st time in his playoff career that he finished with more turnovers than made field goals, and the fifth time this postseason alone.

Clay Holmes fractures his tibia on 111-mph comebacker

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The New York Mets’ 2026 season hit another major snag with the latest injury to starting pitcher Clay Holmes.

The Mets veteran got nailed by a 111.1-mph comebacker in the top of the 4th inning against the New York Yankees at Citi Field in Queens, N.Y. Holmes still made an effort to chase after the ball after getting struck in the right leg.

Mets trainers examined Holmes for a bit before allowing the 33-year-old right-hander to continue pitching. Holmes finished the inning and even faced two batters in the top of the 5th before being pulled out.

Holmes was removed with his pitch count at 95, which made it seem like he had successfully shrugged off the blow to his leg. That wasn’t the case. After the game, New York Post reporter Mike Puma confirmed that Holmes had suffered a fractured tibia in the 5-2 Mets loss.

Mendoza told reporters that Holmes would be out of the rotation “for a long time” while recovering from the injury.

The news is a huge blow to the Mets, who saw Holmes as one of the few bright spots on the team this season. He entered Friday’s game with a team-best 1.86 ERA among starting pitchers, even outperforming ace Nolan McLean over the first two months.

Holmes allowed four earned runs against the Yankees on Friday. He had not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his previous eight starts.

Cavaliers fan sinks $10,000 halfcourt shot with awesome celebration

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One Cleveland Cavaliers fan was ready for his moment on Friday when he was given a shot at $10,000.

The fan, wearing a backwards cap and keeping a rally towel in his back pocket, was one of five contestants to get the chance to win money during the second-quarter promo in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals matchup. He was the first one up and drained it like he was shooting warmup shots in an empty Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

The crowd erupted as the fan calmly kept his goose neck up before getting down on his knees for the signature J.R. Smith three-pointer celebration.

With the opening act also becoming the headliner, the next four contestants all missed their shots at $10,000.

The fan was arguably the only Cavaliers supporter to go home happy. Cleveland was favored to close out its series against the Detroit Pistons in Game 6, but the Cavaliers let that chance slip away in a 115-94 blowout in front of their home fans.

The Pistons shot a much better percentage from distance (44%) than the Cavaliers (34%), which was part of why Detroit came away victorious. Perhaps Cleveland could give J.R. Smith or his backwards cap imitator a call for Game 7.

Bucks promo video resurfaces hinting at players covering up for Giannis Antetokounmpo

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Giannis Antetokounmpo’s supposed diva tendencies have been coming to light over the past week.

The Milwaukee Bucks star was put on blast by his own teammate, Myles Turner, for consistently delaying team flights. During a recent episode of his “Game Recognize Game” podcast with Breanna Stewart, Turner claimed Doc Rivers fostered an environment without accountability for players who were late and missing team meetings or film sessions.

When asked who was most likely to be late for team flights, Myles immediately named Giannis as the primary culprit. Turner did say it in a matter-of-fact tone rather than condemn the two-time MVP. But tones don’t exactly convey accurately when a quote spreads like wildfire on social media.

A Bucks promotional video from this season has since resurfaced, which fans believe exposed Antetokounmpo’s tardiness. The playful interview segment asked Milwaukee players which teammate was most likely to be last on the bus.

Players refused to answer in fear of “snitching” on someone, while Turner just gave the camera a cheeky look.

Based on the way players were fearful to drop a name, it’s a good guess that they were referring to Antetokounmpo.

Giannis has been the subject of trade rumors for the past several seasons, but the heat has since reached another level after the 2025-26 campaign. The Bucks reportedly want a “clean break” from Antetokounmpo, which is expected to happen sooner rather than later.

Former MLB All-Star is out for the season due to Tommy John surgery

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A former All-Star’s 2026 season is over before it even began.

Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg is out for the year after undergoing surgery to repair the UCL in his right elbow, according to a report Friday by the Baltimore Sun. Westburg suffered a partial tear in the ligament back in February and finally had the surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache earlier this week.

Orioles general manager Mike Elias revealed to reporters later in the day on Friday that Westburg’s procedure was Tommy John surgery. Westburg is expected to return in the 2027 season as a full-time infielder, Elias added.

Westburg, 27, was an All-Star for the Orioles in 2024, having batted .264 with 18 home runs and 63 RBIs in 107 games. He also had a stellar year in 2025, hitting .265 with 17 home runs and 41 RBIs in just 85 games.

But Westburg, who mainly plays third base but also has experience in the infield at second base, had not played at all for the Orioles this year due to his elbow injury. Now it may be one full calendar year before Westburg returns to the diamond for the team at all.

Westburg is a pre-arbitration player who remains under club control through the 2029 season. But this is just more bad news for the Orioles, who are a mediocre 20-24 this year and have battled a number of other injuries to talented young hitters as well.

Cooper Flagg goes public with his basketball player girlfriend

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Cooper Flagg may in line for a remake of “Love & Basketball.”

The Dallas Mavericks phenom Flagg went public over social media this week with his girlfriend Arianna Roberson. Flagg posted a picture to his Instagram Story of himself locking lips with Roberson in a mirror selfie.

The happy couple also starred together this week in a TikTok video that was posted to Roberson’s page.

Flagg, 19, and Roberson, 20, both enrolled in college at Duke and played basketball for the university. Roberson, who is a 6-foot-4 center, continues to attend Duke and averaged 8.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the Blue Devils as a redshirt freshman last season.

Meanwhile, Flagg and Roberson going public with their relationship will not come as a surprise to eagle-eyed Duke fans. The two were already spotted together in attendance at a Blue Devils basketball game a few months ago, and Roberson also appears to have been the mystery woman who went viral at Flagg’s NBA Rookie of the Year press conference last month.

Roberson has another notable connection to the NBA as well as her older brother Andre Roberson played in the league from 2013-21 and was an All-Defensive selection in 2017. Now Roberson is forming quite the power couple with Flagg, the former No. 1 overall draft pick who averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game as a rookie for the Mavericks this season.

Report: Former Cy Young winner could be traded at the deadline

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A former Cy Young Award winner may have to sleep with one eye open for the next couple of months.

San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray could potentially be available for trade ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported on Friday. Heyman notes that Ray may be “near the top” of available arms on the trade market.

Ray, 34, is in his 13th career MLB season and has already put together quite the resume. He was the AL Cy Young Award winner in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays and also led Major League Baseball in strikeouts that season with 248. On top of that, Ray has made two All-Star teams in his career (in 2017 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in 2025 with the Giants).

This season for San Francisco, Ray continues to impress (albeit on lower strikeout numbers). He holds a 3.04 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP with 49 Ks over nine total starts, serving as one of the Giants’ most reliable starting pitchers.

But San Francisco does have plenty of incentive to trade Ray. He is in the final season of his contract at $25 million, and the Giants stink this year at 18-26 (second-worst in the National League).

San Francisco does still have some time to turn around their fortunes over the next two-and-a-half months before the trade deadline. But Ray figures to be one of their most valuable and logical trade chips and could even draw interest from some of the prominent teams that pursued him in years past.

Scottie Scheffler calls out PGA for ‘absurd’ decision

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Scottie Scheffler is not happy with how the PGA has handled some things at this week’s PGA Championship.

Scheffler was critical of what he saw as “absurd” pin locations for the first two rounds of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Penn. While the world No. 1 stopped short of calling the placement unfair, he did suggest it was making for a miserable experience for players.

“Most of the pins today were kind of absurd,” Scheffler said after Friday’s round. “They were just so far into the areas where we thought the pins were going to be. The one on 14 is probably the hardest pin that I’ve seen in a long time. There’s literally a spine and they’re like, ‘We’ll just put the pin right on top of it.’”

Scheffler was not the only one complaining about pin placement. There has been a noted increase in three-putts during the tournament so far.

Scheffler was -2 after the second round after shooting one over par on Friday. That was good enough to tie him for seventh, with most of the field battling to remain somewhere close to even.

Aronimink has been leaving several of the world’s top golfers confused through two rounds. Whether it is too tough, however, is in the eye of the beholder.

Yankees reveal the latest on Max Fried’s injury

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The New York Yankees appear to have dodged a bullet when it comes to Max Fried’s elbow.

Fried left his start against the Baltimore Orioles after just three innings Wednesday due to a left elbow issue. The Yankees announced Friday that he is dealing with a bone bruise, and will be re-evaluated in a few weeks.

The good news is, according to Fried, he will not require surgery.

As long as Fried progresses as expected, the Yankees can expect to have him back this season. That is big news for a team that has clearly established itself as an early World Series contender.

Fried has consistently been one of the Yankees’ best pitchers since joining the team prior to the 2025 season. In ten starts so far in 2026, he is 4-3 with a 3.21 ERA in an AL-leading 61.2 innings.

The Yankees still have not gotten to pair Fried and Gerrit Cole together, as Cole had his own elbow problem before the start of 2025. He is now on a rehab assignment, and it looks like the Yankees will finally be able to roll out their pair of aces at some point, but it may still be several weeks away.

Jaguars reveal the truth about the Trevor Lawrence haircut video

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The Jacksonville Jaguars fooled a lot of people with their schedule release video, and they showed how they did it on Friday.

The Jaguars caused a bit of a furor when they showed quarterback Trevor Lawrence seemingly getting his famous hair chopped off as part of Thursday’s release video. As it turns out, it was all fake, and Lawrence was wearing a wig.

Lawrence was wearing a wig styled to look as much like his real hair as possible. That was what was cut, as shown in a behind-the-scenes video.

Credit to the Jaguars. Schedule release videos are meant to garner attention and go viral. Theirs did both just by featuring Lawrence seemingly getting his hair cut.

Lawrence admitted in the video that he has never given much thought to actually cutting his hair and doesn’t know what he would do with it if he did. It won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

Ozzie Guillen cursed out White Sox on hot mic

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Former Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was caught on a hot mic Thursday while seemingly cursing out the team.

Guillen, who now serves as an analyst for the team’s TV broadcasts, was not happy after catcher Edgar Quero failed to advance a runner from second base with nobody out in the eighth inning of Thursday’s game at Rate Field in Chicago, Ill. Guillen’s mic was turned on for a broadcast promo, but he had some strong thoughts about Quero’s performance.

“Move the f—ing runner over,” Guillen seemingly says just before the broadcast throws to the studio.

Ozzie certainly doesn’t look happy when the camera cuts to him and a surprised Chuck Garfien, who appeared aware of what had happened.

Guillen is notorious for his honesty when it comes to discussing the White Sox. If given the chance, it’s likely the only thing he would clean up from that take is the F-bomb. The rest of it stands.

Timetable emerges for a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade

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A potential trade involving Giannis Antetokounmpo may be becoming more likely, and we now have an idea of when such a trade might happen.

The Bucks want something done with Antetokounmpo before the NBA Draft on June 23, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. One Eastern Conference executive predicted that a deal would happen, suggesting that the Bucks are “done with the circus” and want a “clean break.”

The Bucks obviously need to plan their offseason, and whether they have Antetokounmpo or not will dictate much of their strategy. If they trade him, they will be embracing a full rebuild and would be able to proceed accordingly. If they do not, they would essentially be doubling down and trying to surround him with more talent for another possible playoff run.

Milwaukee is coming off an ugly 32-50 season that was marred by injuries and behind-the-scenes drama. It is likely to lead to the departure of Antetokounmpo, one of the franchise’s greatest-ever players.

One team appears to be positioning itself as a frontrunner to trade for Antetokounmpo. If there is any movement coming, it sounds like it will likely happen within the next month.

Deion Sanders wants to meet with Browns coach Todd Monken

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Deion Sanders is hoping to meet with Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken before the start of the NFL season to offer him some pointers on working with son Shedeur.

Sanders said in a recent episode of “The Barbershop” podcast that he wants to meet with Monken to give the Browns coach some insights on how to get the best out of his son. He claimed, however, that he wanted to do so in his capacity of Shedeur’s former college coach, not as his father.

“I want to meet [Monken] because I think it’s vital that as a coach — not the dad — I can tell him a few things about [Shedeur], how to get him going,” Sanders said, via Jacob Camenker of USA Today. “That wasn’t asked of me a year ago. Even a guy like Travis Hunter being drafted to Jacksonville and I’ve had him for the last three [years], don’t you think you would want to talk to me to ask me what gets him going and what backs him off? You would want to know that.”

Whether Sanders gets his one-on-one with Monken remains to be seen. He may have the best of intentions, but it would still be easy for someone to view this as Monken meeting with a player’s dad and showing a bit of favoritism.

Sanders has not achieved as much success after his son and Hunter both left the program for the NFL. Monken probably doesn’t need his advice.

Charles Woodson’s son announces his college commitment

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Charles Woodson’s son Charles Woodson Jr. has announced his college commitment, and his choice is a fitting one.

Woodson Jr. committed to play college football at Michigan, which is the same school where his dad was a star player from 1995-1997. Woodson Jr. is listed as a 3-star recruit as a safety, and he chose the Wolverines over schools like Florida State, Ole Miss, Oregon and Texas A&M.

Woodson Jr. plays at Lake Nona High School in Orlando, Fla. He is listed by 247 Sports as 5-foot-10.5 inches and 173 pounds, and he is part of the class of 2027.

Michigan is entering a new era as a football program under the leadership of Kyle Whittingham. The Wolverines fired Sherrone Moore amid a scandal, and they turned to the longtime Utah coach.

Michigan famously went 12-0 and won the national championship during the 1997 season, which was the elder Woodson’s final year in school. Woodson also won the Heisman Trophy that season. If his son is able to replicate either mark, Wolverines fans will be ecstatic.

76ers owner reacts to Knicks fan takeover

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Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris reacted to how New York Knicks fans once again took over Xfinity Mobile Arena during the team’s playoff run.

Despite major efforts to prevent it, Knicks fans were noisy and prominent during the two games in Philadelphia during the Eastern Conference Semifinal series between the two teams. This happened even though center Joel Embiid publicly appealed to Sixers fans asking them to prevent it after something similar happened in 2024.

Harris said he was disappointed, but could do little but credit Knicks fans for their efforts.

“Obviously, I didn’t like it. It’s our home court,” Harris said. “We did everything we could, including buying tickets to keep the fans out and geofenced. It’s on us. The fans supported us, and let’s face it, we got swept. Our job is to come back and win that series next year. I didn’t like it, but it gives me more focus and more orientation to getting back to work.”

Knicks fans could be heard cheering throughout the team’s Game 4 win. One created a less memorable moment before Game 3 as well.

Harris is fundamentally right. If the Sixers don’t want rival fans taking over their arena, they would do well to avoid falling behind in the series. By Game 4, there was little doubt who was going to advance, and the fans responded accordingly.

1 NFL team favored to lose every game

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The release of the NFL schedule has also allowed for the oddsmakers to offer their initial thoughts on the slate of games, and one team will not be getting much faith from Las Vegas this season.

Initial odds have the Arizona Cardinals as underdogs in all 17 games on their schedule. Worse yet, each of their first 11 opponents is favored by more than a touchdown.

There are a number of reasons people are so low on the Cardinals. Their roster lacks talent, and they play in an NFC West that boasts three potential playoff teams. They are even at odds with their starting quarterback over contractual matters, and only have Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck in place as backups.

The Cardinals went just 3-14 last season. Two of those three wins came in their first two games of the season, meaning they lost 14 of 15 games to end their campaign.

Arizona is also the heavy favorite to finish with the fewest wins of any team in the league. They could be in for a very long season.

NBA defends no-call that forced Cavaliers-Pistons Game 5 OT

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The NBA has defended the referees’ decision not to call a foul on a controversial play in the final seconds of regulation in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons.

With the score knotted at 103-103 and fewer than three seconds left at Little Caesars Arena, Pistons forward Ausar Thompson blocked a driving layup attempt by Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell.

Thompson raced after the loose ball but tripped after incidental contact between his left foot and the right foot of Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen.

No whistle sounded, and the game advanced to overtime, where the Cavaliers won, 117-113, to seize a 3-2 series lead.

Crew chief Tony Brothers explained the no-call by noting that both players were pursuing the ball and made incidental leg contact with neither in possession.

The league’s Last Two Minutes Report confirmed the ruling.

“Allen (CLE) and Thompson (DET) legally step to the same spot while pursuing the loose ball [before either player has possession], and both lose their balance from the marginal contact,” the report read.

Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff disagreed sharply.

“He fouled Ausar — clearly. He tripped him when he was going for a loose ball,” Bickerstaff said after the game, via ESPN.

Thompson and several teammates expressed frustration but emphasized the need to avoid such situations in the future.

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