Being the head football coach at Auburn is one of the best jobs in sports, not because Nick Saban is your rival and you play in the toughest division in college football, but because of the fat buyout waiting for you after you are inevitably fired. Bryan Harsin knows all about that.
Harsin on Monday was fired by the Tigers as their head football coach. He was in the middle of just his second season on the job.
Harsin is owed around $15.5 million per terms of his buyout. Half of that amount, $7.75 million, is due within 30 days. The other half is set to be paid out over four installments paid out once per year.
One other interesting note is that unlike many other buyouts, Auburn is not entitled to any offset from future earnings from the coach.
Auburn grew unhappy with Gus Malzahn and fired him after the 2020 season. They paid a $21 million buyout to Gus, who is now at UCF. Two years later, they are paying a $15.5 million buyout to Harsin.
The Tigers keep digging themselves deeper and deeper holes.
Aug 29, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Bradley Chubb (55) on the bench in the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos finally got back in the win column with their triumph over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday, but teams are hoping they are still interested in trading away at least one star player prior to Tuesday’s deadline.
Peter King of NBC Sports wrote in his weekly column that both the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have inquired about trading for star linebacker Bradley Chubb. The belief is that Broncos general manager George Paton would be willing to part with the former NC State star for a first-round pick, and King says both the Jets and Dolphins may have enough interest to offer one.
Chubb, 26, was the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He is playing under the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. He is set to become a free agent after the season, so any team that acquired him would likely want a long-term extension in place as part of the deal.
Injuries have been an issue for Chubb throughout his career. He missed almost all of 2019 with a torn ACL and was limited to seven games last year due to an ankle injury. Chubb has looked healthy this year and has 5.5 sacks in eight games, proving he is clearly a difference-maker when playing at 100 percent. You can understand why teams would be interested, though it is rare for first-round picks to be traded in the middle of a season.
Oct 16, 2021; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Bryan Harsin during the fourth quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Auburn won 38-23. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin was viewed as being on the hot seat entering the 2022 season, and the school is now officially moving on from him.
Auburn announced on Monday that Harsin has been fired. The decision came two days after the team’s 41-27 loss to Arkansas, which was their fourth in a row.
Harsin finishes with a record of 9-12 in less than two full seasons at Auburn. He led the Tigers to a 6-7 record last year that included a loss in the Birmingham Bowl. Auburn fell to 3-5 this season with the loss to Arkansas.
It looked like Auburn was trying to find a way to fire Harsin with cause during the offseason in order to avoid having to pay him his buyout, which is now around $15 million. They instead brought the 45-year-old coach back after numerous players transferred and both coordinators left for other jobs.
One former college star said last month that he was told Auburn decided Harsin was gone after their tough home loss to Penn State in Week 3. After four consecutive losses, the Tigers decided now was the right time to make the move.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Moore made a boneheaded mistake after he came up with a huge play on Sunday, but one former NFL official says it should not have drawn a flag.
The Panthers were trailing the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 with 8 seconds left in regulation when Moore caught a 62-yard touchdown pass from PJ Walker to tie the game. Moore decided to celebrate by removing his helmet, which drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. NFL rules prohibit players from intentionally removing their helmets in the field of play. You can see Moore’s catch and the penalty here.
According to NBC rules analyst and former NFL referee Terry McAulay, Moore technically did not violate the helmet rule. As you can see in the screenshot below, he was not in the field of play when he began removing his helmet:
Moore was penalized for excessive celebration. He also jumped into the stands at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The official who made the announcement did not specify why the flag was thrown, though it is highly unlikely that the penalty stemmed from the leap into the stands. It seemed obvious that it was the result of Moore removing his helmet.
The penalty moved the extra point back to the 30-yard line from the 15. That made it a 48-yard attempt for Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro, and he missed it wide left.
Even if Moore did not technically break the rules, all of this could have been avoided if he simply kept his helmet on.
Ty Gibbs is quickly making enemies as he moves up the ranks in the racing world, and he may even have his own teammates turning on him after what transpired at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday.
Gibbs advanced to the final race of the Xfinity Series Championship 4 after he rammed into Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Brandon Jones on the final lap of the third attempt at overtime and spun him out. Gibbs went on to win. Both he and Jones would have secured spots in the championship finale had they finished first and second. Instead, Jones has been eliminated. You can see the controversial move below:
Several drivers ripped Gibbs over the finish and expressed support for Jones, who is leaving JGR after the season. Gibbs was unapologetic, saying Jones did the same to him earlier in year.
“It was definitely not a clean move, for sure,” Gibbs said, via Reid Spencer of the NASCAR Wire Service. “I definitely didn’t want to wreck him, but I definitely wanted to move him out of the groove so I could go win. I felt like we lost the spring race getting moved by him.
“He’s my teammate, but definitely want to get the win here. It’s important to get the win. And now we’re going to the championship. It’s cool. Hopefully, I don’t get hit by any cans or anything right here.”
Coy Gibbs, who is Ty’s father and one of the executives at JGR, called his son’s move on the final lap “disappointing.” He said the team will address it.
Jones, who is set to leave Joe Gibbs Racing for JR Motorsports next season, needed a victory to advance to the Championship 4. Ty Gibbs will now race against Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry and Noah Gragson — all JR racers — for the series title next Saturday at Phoenix Raceway.
Gibbs’ victory on Saturday was his 10th in 50 Xfinity races. His rapid ascension is viewed as one of the main reasons JGR did not re-sign Kyle Busch. Gibbs, 20, has already irritated a lot of people in NASCAR.
Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) warms up before the game against the Chicago Bears at Nissan Stadium Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020 in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: George Walker IV/Tennessean.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC
AJ Brown had his best game as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, and the star wide receiver thinks those who are in charge of the NFL’s drug testing program took note.
Brown torched the Pittsburgh Steelers defense for 6 catches, 156 yards and three touchdowns in Philadelphia’s 35-13 win. That was the first time he eclipsed the 100-yard mark since Week 1. On Monday morning, Brown was ordered to submit to a random drug test. He hinted on Twitter that he did not think there was anything random about it.
“I would have a drug test this morning huh lol … Rogerrrrr this is not random @NFL,” Brown wrote.
Brown has always been skeptical of the NFL’s drug testing program, which is supposed to be completely random. He also called out the league prior to the 2021 season for testing him so many times.
There have been plenty of players over the years who felt their drug tests were not truly random. We saw a similar reaction from Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett last season when the league drug tested him after he dressed a certain way in a game.
Aug 31, 2019; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh before the game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
At least two Michigan players reportedly suffered injuries during the altercation that took place after their team’s win over Michigan State on Saturday.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters after the Wolverines’ 29-7 win that one of his players suffered a nasal injury and possible broken nose. While he did not mention names, it is believed that Harbaugh was talking about Ja’Den McBurrows. The sophomore defensive back was identified as the player who was beat up by several Michigan State players inside the tunnel at Michigan Stadium (video here). McBurrows did not play in the game with a knee injury, so he was wearing street clothes.
According to Josh Henschke of Maize & Blue Review, McBurrows suffered several contusions to his upper and lower body. Defensive back Gemon Green is said to have similar injuries.
A second video of the fight that surfaced on Sunday showed a Michigan State player swinging a helmet at a Michigan player. It appears Green is the player who was hit.
Michigan State coach Mel Tucker announced in a statement on Sunday night that four Spartans players — linebacker Tank Brown, cornerback Khary Crump, safety Angelo Grose and defensive end Zion Young — have been suspended.
https://twitter.com/Coach_mtucker/status/1586907249913511936
University of Michigan police are investigating the incident as an assault.
This is the second time this season Michigan has had an incident in their tunnel. The last time was with Penn State, and Harbaugh told James Franklin to stop whining.
Oct 25, 2020; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett (16) against the Arizona Cardinals in the first quarter at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hardiman-USA TODAY Sports
Tyler Lockett went on Twitter Sunday night to set the record straight.
Lockett’s Seattle Seahawks beat the New York Giants 27-13 to improve to 5-3. Lockett had 5 catches for 63 yards and a touchdown in the win.
Lockett was among the Seahawks players to speak with the media after the game. One quote he delivered received extra attention. Once you see it, you’ll understand why.
“It’s amazing what we can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit,” Lockett said as part of his postgame quote.
That quote received extra attention, because many people thought it was a shot at Russell Wilson. Wilson often was the center of attention in Seattle. He later requested a trade from the team and is now in his first season with the Broncos — and struggling.
But Lockett says the quote had nothing to do with Wilson.
“People need to stop reaching! I’ve said this quote like 5-10 times since I’ve been in the league. Stop looking for a story and just let us enjoy our team,” Lockett wrote on Twitter.
Indeed, Lockett’s quote was one small part of a much longer answer.
People are seeing things that aren’t there because that’s what we do best. At 5-3, the Seahawks are one of the biggest surprises of the season.
Oct 15, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) during qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Call him a buzzkill if you want, but Joey Logano thinks NASCAR needs to do something to address Sunday’s spectacular maneuver by Ross Chastain.
Chastain intentionally crashed into the wall and road the boards around turns 3 and 4 on the final lap of the Xfinity 500 Sunday. His maneuver helped propel him to a fifth-place finish in the race as he passed Denny Hamlin at the last second to qualify for the Championship 4.
Though the maneuver drew headlines and was memorable, it wasn’t so popular among drivers. Kyle Larson said it was “embarrassing.” Logano acknowledged the finish was “cool,” but said that NASCAR can’t have a repeat.
“As spectacular as it was, now the box is open. … There needs to be a rule against this one. I don’t know if you want the whole field riding the wall coming to the checkered flag,” Logano said after the race, via Kelly Crandall.
At minimum, there is a big safety concern to having drivers intentionally crash into walls in hopes of getting a boost. On another level, do fans and drivers really want to have a 500-lap race decided by someone ramming the wall?
It’s cool when one person does it. But it would lose the special feeling and start to look gimmicky if multiple drivers began to attempt it.
NASCAR won’t put a rule in place in time for next weekend’s race at Phoenix, but maybe they will address matters after the championship.
Logano, Chastain, Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott are the drivers left in the Championship 4.
Nov 20, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers President Jeanie Buss before the game against the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center. Bulls won 118-110. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Lakers management appeared to be ducking the smoke on Sunday night.
The Lakers held a ceremony before Sunday’s home game against the Denver Nuggets to officially retire the late great George Mikan’s No. 99 jersey. Interestingly enough, the team chose James Worthy as the master of ceremonies for the evening.
Jersey retirement ceremonies of this nature are usually conducted by the owner and/or the general manager of the franchise. But neither Lakers owner Jeanie Buss nor GM Rob Pelinka were present for the ceremony. Those on Twitter noted how telling the two prominent absences were.
Granted, it was probably the right call for both Buss and Pelinka to sit this one out as they were expected to be booed to Jupiter had they showed. It would have been a major embarrassment and a travesty if boobirds had overshadowed the long-overdue honor for the Hall of Famer Mikan, who died in 2005. Fortunately though, that did not happen with a universally-respected Lakers figure like Worthy conducting the ceremony instead.
At some point however, Buss and Pelinka will have to face the reality that the Lakers are still looking for their first win of the season and that the fans (rightfully) blame them for the team’s struggles. That is why many believe that a big move could be on the horizon for the Lakers (perhaps for this recently-rumored trade target).
