For the second time in a month, Nebraska tight end Arik Gilbert has found himself in trouble with the law.
Gilbert was arrested on Friday and charged with a smash-and-grab burglary and obstruction of officers, according to Lumpkin County, Georgia police records obtained by ESPN.
The 21-year-old Gilbert was previously arrested on August 29 in Lincoln, Neb. after he allegedly burglarized SJ’s Liquor and Vape Shop. Police found him with a bag containing $1,600 worth of vape products, cigars and lighters. Troubling video of that robbery later emerged, showing a Gilbert with his face covered by a T-shirt breaking into the shop by throwing a rock against the back door and later kicking it down (video here). Additional surveillance inside of the store showed him filling a bag with products before ultimately being captured by officers outside. In addition to the items that were stolen, police say Gilbert caused $650 in damage during the August incident.
“When we took Arik, we knew we had a good group of people who could help him through some of the issues he’s dealing with in his life,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said after Gilbert’s first arrest. “[We] had been really proud of the job he had done in the spring and summer. To be honest, during camp he’s had some struggles. He’s been working to overcome them.”
Not working hard enough, apparently.
As of Friday night, Gilbert was still listed on Nebraska’s official roster. He is currently awaiting an eligibility ruling from the NCAA on his transfer from Georgia to Nebraska, which is his second after transferring from LSU to Georgia in 2021.
Gilbert was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and was ranked as ESPN’s No. 6 overall recruit in the 2020 class.
Oct 10, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will likely go down as the greatest in history. His accomplishments stack up with anyone that has come before him, and it’s a guarantee his bust will one day reside in Canton, Ohio at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Despite all of that, the 71-year-old Belichick, who is the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach, shows no signs at slowing down.
But what exactly is it that keeps Belichick going? He certainly loves the game of football, but running the show in New England isn’t quite the treat it once was. The Patriots are no longer the dominant, unstoppable force that strikes fear into every opponent. Work in Foxborough has become more of a grind, and it has to be taking a toll on Belichick.
As it turns out, Belichick has plenty of fuel that keeps him pressing forward.
That fuel comes in the form of Belichick’s desire to establish himself as the NFL’s all-time winningest head coach. Not just because he wants to set the mark, mind you, but reportedly because he wants to take it away from legendary Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula, who passed away in 2020.
Christopher Price of the Boston Globe appeared on Dolphins Talk earlier this week and revealed that Belichick is still angry that Shula bad-mouthed him during the infamous ‘Spygate’ scandal of 2007.
“If I can’t whip you off the books with another perfect season, I’m going to do the next best thing, I’m going to take your all-time wins record,” Price said of Belichick’s thinking and motivation, via Dov Kleiman.
Shula had taken aim at Belichick repeatedly over the years, often calling him “Beli-cheat.”
“The Spygate thing has diminished what they’ve accomplished, you would hate to have that attached to your accomplishments. They’ve got it,” Shula said in 2007.
The NFL fined Belichick $500,000 for his role in Spygate. They also fined the Patriots organization $250,000 and docked the team their original first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. But all of that paled in comparison to their true punishment — a 17-14 loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, which is still considered the biggest upset in Super Bowl history.
Belichick has 298 all-time wins to his name and needs just two more to become only the third coach in league history to reach the 300 wins mark. Shula remains at the top with 328 wins, meaning Belichick would need to average 10 wins per season over the next three years to catch him.
So long as Robert Kraft and the Patriots are willing to stick with him, it’s hard to envision a scenario where petty Belichick gives up on his goal of surpassing the late Don Shula.
Boxer Sabrina Perez and her husband, trainer Diego Arrua.
Diego Arrua, trainer and husband of boxing superstar Sabrina Perez, died on Friday night as the result of a heart attack suffered during Perez’s championship fight at Auditorio Municipal Fausto Gutierrez in Tijuana, Mexico. He was 58.
Arrua, who was in Perez’s corner during her interim WBC featherweight title bout with Australian Skye Nicolson, collapsed between rounds 9 and 10. Doctors and trainers rushed to his aid, but Arrua was unable to recover from his “devastating” heart attack. He died at the QDEP general hospital.
“It is with deep sadness that we have been informed of the sudden death of Argentine coach Diego [Arrua], who suffered a devastating heart attack during the Sabrina Perez fight in Tijuana,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The medical services did everything possible and he died at the QDEP general hospital.”
Perez, understandably, was not present when the results of her fight were read. Nicolson won by unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 97-93).
“RIP Diego. Our thoughts and condolences are with Sabrina Perez and your loved ones,” Matchroom Boxing, who promoted the fight, wrote on X.
Perez had not been informed of her husband’s heart attack until after her bout had concluded.
Jun 15, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) walks to the dugout before the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
As the 2023 MLB trade deadline approached, superstar Shohei Ohtani was the hot topic. There were questions about whether the Angels would trade him. Instead, he remained with the Angels, who thought they had a chance to contend for a playoff spot.
But not only did the Angels fail to reignite their season, Ohtani later went down with a tear in his UCL that ended his season as a pitcher. The Angels have since shut down Ohtani as a batter due to a strained oblique.
Despite the injuries, Ohtani remains on course to win the AL MVP Award. However, he’s already looking a little further down the line and beginning to prepare for free agency, where it’s a near guarantee that he finds a new home.
But where will that be?
Ohtani made it clear earlier in his career that he prefers playing on the West Coast, which ruled out potential suitors like the New York Yankees. But time and wisdom have a way of changing things. Now at the age of 29, Ohtani appears to be rethinking his stance.
Not only is Ohtani looking to play for a World Series contender, but it appears that East Coast teams are now in play for the two-way star. Long-time MLB insider Peter Gammons reports that the Boston Red Sox have found their way onto the three-time All Star’s radar.
The Red Sox are not a team many had on their Ohtani destination bingo card. They’re not only an East Coast team, but they’re also seemingly in a rebuild and nowhere close to being World Series contenders. They represent the polar opposite of everything Ohtani has claimed to want in his next team.
Whether that interest is genuine or an attempt by Ohtani’s agent to increase his market value, one thing seems certain: the greatest player on earth is likely to leave Anaheim.
Jul 19, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; American League pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) of the Los Angeles Angels smiles at fans before the 2022 MLB All Star Game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Several Los Angeles Angels reporters shared a major update concerning Shohei Ohtani on Friday night.
The reporters revealed that Ohtani had cleared out his locker inside the Angels’ clubhouse at Angel Stadium. The Angels said they would provide an explanation on Saturday.
Ohtani had already been ruled out for the rest of the season due to a tear in his UCL that was revealed last month. However, he had remained in the lineup as a designated hitter. But Ohtani had been out as a batter since injuring his oblique while swinging in batting practice on Sept. 4. The Angels had not placed him on the injured list in hopes that he would be able to play.
There is speculation that Ohtani clearing out his locker means he is being shut down as a hitter as well due to his injury.
If so, this could mark the end of his Angels career. Ohtani is a free agent after the season and has made clear that playing for a winning team is his priority. The Angels have not had one winning season since he signed with them before the 2018 season. Over the last three seasons, Ohtani has developed into a star two-way player who is likely to win his second MVP award despite being taken out by injuries this year.
Dec 18, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith broadcasts before a game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Stephen A. Smith has been one of the most influential faces on ESPN for years now. His power within the Worldwide Leader in Sports was clearly felt in the firing of his former “First Take” co-host Max Kellerman.
Smith was widely reported as the instigator of Kellerman’s removal from the successful sports talk show. The 55-year-old hasn’t been hiding that fact since Kellerman was axed from the show in 2021.
The ESPN analyst recently opened up about Kellerman’s exit even more in an appearance on episode 657 of “The Joe Budden Podcast.” Smith was asked if he was aware that tension between him and Kellerman was starting to manifest on the actual show. Smith not only took responsibility for that being true but he also stated what brought about the rift.
“It was totally my fault and the reason it was my fault is because I didn’t like working with him. It’s just that damn simple. I didn’t like it. I thought the show was stale. I thought that we had flatlined when it came to the public at large,” Smith said, via Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated.
Smith added that he had no plans of allowing “First Take” to lose its status as the number one sports talk show, particularly after former co-host Skip Bayless left in 2016.
Smith did reiterate that he would have thought twice about having Kellerman removed if he knew his then-partner would end up jobless. But Smith said that he knew ESPN would still provide Kellerman avenues to stay on the air. Kellerman later moved on to ESPN Radio, hosting a morning show with Keyshawn Johnson and Jay Williams.
Kellerman, however, was part of several high-profile layoffs ESPN made within their company in June, which Smith has also weighed in on.
Dec 4, 2022; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders speaks during a press conference at the Arrow Touchdown Club. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has seemingly made the impossible possible just two games into his stint in Boulder. However, there’s at least one emerging possibility that Coach Prime has deemed impossible — moving to the NFL.
Sanders appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” on Friday where he was asked about NFL teams potentially inquiring about his services. Coach Prime shot down the idea with just five words (3:41 mark).
“I would never do that,” the Colorado coach told Eisen.
“I love college. I love that the young men are still impressionable. They’re not so financially wealthy that they can’t hear you. At the next level, some of these guys make so much money they can’t hear.”
Sanders said that it would be a much more difficult task to motivate men making upwards of $20 million. The 56-year-old stated that he’s already anticipating the problems he would have if he were ever put in that position.
Sanders spoke of envisioning himself coaching an NFL game with a full 53-man roster, then coming out of the halftime break “with about 38” after a presumably stern reprimand in the locker room.
On the one hand, there are indeed coaches who appear better suited for the college ranks rather than the NFL. Alabama’s Nick Saban comes to mind as a high-profile example. More recently, Urban Meyer flamed out in his lone season as the head coach of the Jaguars.
Sanders has also proven himself to be stellar at the recruiting element of college football. Sanders’ recruiting efforts would be limited by a salary cap and his team owner’s pockets in the NFL. For what it’s worth, Sanders has so far been an expert troll against his college coaching rivals.
But on the other hand, Sanders may be selling himself short. If there’s any type of coach that NFL stars will think twice about tuning out, it’s a larger-than-life Hall of Famer with six 1st-Team All-Pro selections.
For now though, Sanders can enjoy his 2-0 start with Colorado without worrying too much about his future.
H/T Pro Football Talk
Mar 19, 2023; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) participates in warmups before playing LA Clippers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
The Damian Lillard trade noise has quieted down over the past few weeks. But the Portland Trail Blazers star appears to still be dead set on a move to his team of choice.
Lillard reignited trade rumors to the Miami Heat once more through his now-deleted Instagram story post. The 7-time All-Star was tagged in a fan’s Instagram post with a rather interesting caption.
“Future Heat Legend Damian Lillard soon,” the fan’s story read.
Lillard reposted the story on his own account for all of his 10 million followers to see. The Blazers guard deleted it shortly after.
The news of Lillard’s trade request broke on July 1. It was widely reported that Lillard specifically preferred to be traded to the Heat with the potential to hold out if he was dealt to any other franchise.
With NBA training camps set to begin in a matter of weeks, there has been renewed buzz surrounding the previously stagnant Lillard-to-Heat talks.
Lillard and the Blazers have missed the playoffs in the last two seasons. With the Blazers star entering his age-33 season, his window to star on a championship contender is already starting to close.
Lillard averaged 32.3 points and 7.3 assists across 58 games for the Blazers last season. The Blazers finished with a 33-49 record — the third worst in the Western Conference.
Oct 30, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau in the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Knicks have collected the final Villanova Infinity Stone.
The Knicks announced on Friday that they have signed guard Ryan Arcidiacono. The 29-year-old Arcidiacono had been a free agent after spending time last season with the Portland Trail Blazers.
With the signing of Arcidiacono, a Villanova product, the Knicks now have not one, not two, not three, but FOUR members of Villanova’s 2016 NCAA title-winning team on their roster. Guards Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were already in tow. Then the Knicks signed Donte DiVincenzo to a four-year, $50 million deal this summer. Now Arcidiacono, who already had a stint on the Knicks last year, is back to complete an all-Villanova quartet.
Hart, Arcidiacono, and Brunson were starters on that Villanova title team (along with Kris Jenkins, who hit the game-winning buzzer-beater against North Carolina in the championship game, and Daniel Ochefu, who now plays in Lebanon after a very brief NBA career). Meanwhile, DiVincenzo came off the bench for that team as did his fellow freshman Mikal Bridges (who is also now playing in the New York area for the Brooklyn Nets).
The Knicks’ signing of DiVincenzo already led to some really great memes. Now that Arcidiacono has made it a four-piece, Villanova Knicks content is officially back on the menu.
Oct 28, 2018; Chicago, IL, USA; The Chicago Bears logo is seen prior to a game against the New York Jets at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears won’t be sticking to the status quo for their Week 2 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Chicago’s defense was abysmal during their season opener against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday. The poor defensive showing was partly due to quarterback Jordan Love looking like prime Aaron Rodgers in his debut as the Packers’ starter. Love threw for 245 yards with 3 touchdowns as the Bears fell 38-20.
The Bears defense will have a different man calling the shots this Sunday. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams will not be traveling to Tampa Bay with the rest of the team. Williams is out due to “personal reasons.”
Head coach Matt Eberflus will be calling the defense against the Buccaneers.
Prior to being named head coach of the Bears, Eberflus served four seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts. The 53-year-old is largely credited for turning around a poor Colts defense upon his arrival in Indy back in 2018.
The Bears’ defense wasn’t the only culprit in their Week 1 loss. One Bears offensive player was also called out for his atrocious effort against the Packers.
Chicago will to lock in on both ends if they hope to avoid a 0-2 hole to begin the season.
