Sep 29, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell (59) tackles New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) during the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images
The San Francisco 49ers will be moving on from linebacker De’Vondre Campbell in the coming days. That decision comes on the heels of Campbell’s refusal to play on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams, which drew intense ire from his teammates.
“We’re working through the semantics of exactly how to deal with it,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday, via ESPN. “But I mean you guys heard from me last night, you guys heard from our players, his actions from the game, it’s not something you can do to your team or your teammates and still get to be a part of our team. We’re working through exactly the semantics of it right now, but we’ll handle the situation appropriately.”
It should come as little surprise that Campbell is not welcome back in the 49ers’ locker room. He committed the most taboo act in football by abandoning his teammates and that may haunt him elsewhere.
Retired two-time All-Pro and 2005 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Shawne Merriman, believes Campbell has played his last snap ever.
“I think his reputation is done. I’d be shocked if another team decides to pick him up after the season because he now is going to be deemed unreliable,” Merriman told TMZ Sports.
Even if another team were to take a flier on Campbell — something that seems highly unlikely — he won’t be able to escape the “quitter” label.
“I’ve seen a lot of things, been around a lot of things, and I knew what was going to come from this when he refused to go back in the game. It’s one of these things that you build up your career, you do everything possible, and this one incident is what you’re going to be labeled as going forward, no matter what happens,” Merriman said.
“There’s no getting out of this. It’s a shame because that one second to make a decision kind of erases everything you’ve done in your career.”
Campbell has vanished from the public eye since leaving the field on Thursday night and has failed to address his teammates or fans. That’s the true shame — letting down the men who earned your trust and the children who looked up to you.
May 3, 2022; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins watches during the first half in game two of the second round for the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins had the perfect response Friday when asked about his in-game exchange with Brooklyn Nets player Dennis Schroder.
The Grizzlies led the Nets 133-113 with just over a minute left at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. As Ja Morant checked out of the contest, the Grizzlies star got into a chirping match with Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez (video here).
The scene escalated when both Jenkins and Schroder got involved. As referees tried to cool off the situation, Schroder approached the center court scrum and proceeded to bark at Jenkins. The Grizzlies coach took exception.
As Jenkins walked back to the Grizzlies’ bench, his profane message to the referees was caught on camera.
“F–k that s–t!” Jenkins yelled.
Jenkins, Schorder, and Morant were each assessed one technical foul. Memphis coasted to a 133-119 win over Brooklyn.
After the game, Jenkins was asked about the fracas that ensued against the Nets. The Grizzlies coach dropped the proverbial mic with his answer.
“We won,” said Jenkins without expounding further.
The Nets entered Friday’s game 2-0 against the Grizzlies this season. Despite the teams playing in opposite conferences, there may have been some bad blood brewing between the two squads.
Jenkins may have lost his cool during the contest. But his squad got the last laugh with the lopsided victory.
The Idaho Vandals attempted an onside kick in their FCS quarterfinal playoff game against Montana State on Friday, and it did not go well.
Idaho had kicked a field goal to tie the game at 10 during the third quarter of their game at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana. Following the tying field goal, the Vandals decided to attempt an onside kick. Unfortunately, their kick mostly went sideways and made it impossible for them to recover.
Take a look at this bad onside kick attempt:
Not only did the attempt not go well, but it also completely changed the game.
Montana State recovered at the Idaho 38 and then scored a touchdown to go up 17-10. They didn’t look back from there and went up by as much as 52-10 before the Vandals finally scored again. Yes, after that botched onside kick, Montana State went on a 42-0 run. Yikes.
Sometimes onside kicks can surprise an opponent and work out well. Other times they give the opponent a short field and change the game’s momentum, like what happened to Idaho.
Joel Embiid simply cannot catch a break this season.
The Philadelphia 76ers big man suffered a freak injury during his team’s Friday contest against the Indiana Pacers. The 76ers trailed the Pacers 61-50 with about 20 seconds left in the first half at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.
Pacers guard Ben Mathurin tried to put back a missed layup attempt from Tyrese Haliburton. As he came down, Mathurin accidentally smacked Embiid in the face with his forearm. Embiid fell to the floor and had to be attended to by Sixers medical personnel.
Embiid was diagnosed with a fractured sinus, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. He will be further evaluated over the weekend. Embiid left the game with 12 points and 5 rebounds on 3/4 shooting over 17 minutes of action.
Friday’s contest against the Pacers was just Embiid’s second game back from his last stint on the injured list. The former MVP has been dealing with a knee issue throughout the season that has limited him to just six total games played.
But despite his minimal action on the court, Embiid has been at the center of several off-court issues. There has been speculation surrounding Embiid’s relationship with co-star Tyrese Maxey. Embiid generated negative headlines for his physical altercation with a 76ers reporter.
With Embiid missing most of the season, the 76ers lost 14 of their first 17 games. The team has rebounded a little bit by winning four of its last six games to improve to 7-16.
But if Embiid has to miss more time, climbing out of the huge hole Philly dug for itself won’t get any easier.
Feb 18, 2023; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; The NBA logo on the court at Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Though we are still less than a third of the way into the NBA season, one veteran forward may have the award for strangest absence of the year all wrapped up.
Chicago Bulls forward Torrey Craig missed Friday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets. Bulls head coach Billy Donovan revealed to reporters that the reason for Craig’s absence was … an allergic skin reaction.
“I don’t know what happened — a really, really bad allergic skin reaction,” said Donovan of Craig, per Bulls writer Cody Westerlund. “He’s fine, but I think he’s had this before. Not here, I think he had it [when he was with the] Denver [Nuggets]. It takes a little bit of time for it to calm down.”
The 33-year-old Craig has played very sparingly for the Bulls this season, averaging 5.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 11.2 points per game over a mere six appearances. With Craig out of commission for Friday’s game, Chicago went on to beat Charlotte 109-95.
Game absences due to allergic reactions are obviously pretty rare. But it has in the NBA happened before, including to another former Nuggets player.
Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies may be back to their roles as the NBA’s villains.
Memphis cruised to a blowout 135-119 win Friday over the Brooklyn Nets, led by 28 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists from Morant. As he was checking out of the contest with just over a minute left to go in the fourth quarter, Morant started talking trash to Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez and getting up in his face. Fernandez responded with a heated staredown.
The hostilities then escalated when Fernandez started following Morant in the direction of the Grizzlies bench. Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins and Nets guard Dennis Schroder also got involved in the fray. A total of three technical fouls were then handed out by the referees (to Jenkins, Schroder, and Morant).
After an injury-derailed 2023-24 season where they won just 27 games, the Grizzlies are back in the NBA title conversation at 18-8 this season (No. 2 in the West). The two-time All-Star Morant has been letting his emotions show throughout the year too as it is clear by now that Memphis is once again a force to be reckoned with.
Nov 5, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the New Orleans Saints helmet on the team bench against the Chicago Bears during the first half at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Marshon Lattimore on Sunday is returning to Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., with something to prove.
The New Orleans Saints traded Lattimore to the Washington Commanders last month in exchange for some draft capital. After missing several weeks due to a hamstring injury, Lattimore is finally expected to make his Commanders debut against the Saints in Week 15.
While speaking to reporters on Friday, Lattimore was asked if it “means something” that his debut will come against his former team.
“Of course. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t,” Lattimore responded. “They traded me away. I’m going back to show them why they shouldn’t have. Man, I’m happy where I’m at. But it’s extra motivation for the game.”
On its surface, it seems surprising that Lattimore would have any animosity for being traded to Washington. The Saints have a 5-8 record before Sunday’s clash, while the Commanders are 8-5 and are most likely headed to the postseason.
But Lattimore also spent his first eight seasons with the Saints. He earned four All-Pro nods and served as one of the teams most dependable defenders for nearly a decade. A midseason move against his wishes was probably not how he envisioned the year going before it began.
With Lattimore motivated and the Saints starting a newcomer at quarterback, the Commanders’ outlook on Sunday appears to be trending up.
Chris Paul has managed to get ejected from a game that wasn’t even being reffed by Scott Foster.
The San Antonio Spurs guard Paul was tossed from Friday’s contest against the Portland Trail Blazers for arguing a non-call. Near the end of the first quarter, Paul felt he was fouled by Blazers counterpart Scoot Henderson while going for a loose ball and let the closest referee (No. 64, Justin Van Duyne) know about it. Van Duyne then stopped play to whistle Paul for a technical foul.
The jawing by Paul continued on the next possession too. Apparently still upset about the non-call on Henderson, Paul kept on yelling at Van Duyne and ended up earning himself a second technical foul after Portland guard Anfernee Simons was done shooting free throws.
As a result, Paul was ejected from the game after picking up two Ts in the span of just 11 seconds of game time. Here is the video of the incident.
The 12-time All-Star Paul finished the game with seven points, three rebounds, and four assists in 11 minutes of play. With Paul out the rest of the way, the Spurs had to turn to backup guard Blake Wesley for extended playmaking duties.
Paul, now 39, is averaging 10.2 points and 8.5 assists per game for the 12-12 Spurs this year. While he is no stranger to getting ejected, those dismissals usually come at the hands of either Foster or fellow ref Tony Brothers.
Nov 9, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) warms up before a game against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Albertsons Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-Imagn Images
Ashton Jeanty is one of the four finalists for the Heisman Trophy, and he did something different on Friday from the other finalists.
The four finalists for the Heisman Trophy are Jeanty, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, and Miami’s Cam Ward. The ceremony where the winner will be announced is scheduled for Saturday night, so the finalists spent time meeting with the media on Friday.
The four players conducted interviews and took photos for the media. Jeanty, who is a junior running back at Boise State, was the only player wearing team gear.
When asked about his clothing choice, Jeanty noted that the Heisman pamphlet recommended finalists wear their team gear. But he added some more reasons for his decision.
“Regardless, I was going to wear it anyways. I wouldn’t be here without Boise State. Just want to represent my school. I feel like it’s important,” Jeanty said.
Boise State and its fans will probably love that answer. Jeanty is on one of the biggest stages possible as a Heisman Trophy finalist, and he’s representing the Broncos proudly. He’s also a very deserving player in contention for the trophy. Jeanty leads the country with 344 carries for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns. He also has Boise State looking good in the College Football Playoff at 12-1.
Here is a look at the four finalists together for a photo in New York City:
Only one was wearing his school’s gear, and it was Jeanty.
Oct 25, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) in the game against the Charlotte Hornets during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
Dyson Daniels has been one of the breakout stars of the 2024-25 NBA season. The Atlanta Hawks guard partly credits his success to his new team no longer being cursed.
Through 24 games with the Hawks this season, Daniels has averaged a career-high 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. But his impact has been most felt on the defensive end. Daniels has led the league in steals with 3.0 per game and is an early contender to get a 1st-Team All-Defense nod.
If he holds that average until the end of the season, Daniels would be the first NBA player in over three decades to average at least three steals per contest.
Daniels’ sticky fingers have earned the Aussie one of the best new nicknames in the NBA, “The Great Barrier Thief.”
Earlier this week, NBA reporter Jake Fischer asked Daniels about his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans. Daniels explained that he believes he escaped some supernatural forces at work once he left the Pelicans.
“That organization’s cursed,” Daniels told Fischer. “Every year there’s something new. I’m happy I’m not there anymore.
“The curse, man. I had like four or five ankle injuries down there as well. There’s something down in that water down there or something. They got hamstrings. They got knees. They got concussions and stuff as well. They get everything down there. I don’t know what it is. Playing hard I guess?”
The Pelicans traded Daniels to the Hawks in the offseason as part of the package that brought Dejounte Murray to New Orleans. Murray ended up getting injured in his first game wearing a Pelicans uniform.
New Orleans’ All-Star trio of Murray, Brandon Ingram, and Zion Williamson have yet to play a single game together due to various injuries.
Williamson’s injury woes have pretty much defined the Pelicans’ past few seasons. Given the latest update on Williamson’s lingering hamstring injury, it’s hard to argue against Daniels’ curse theory.
H/T NBA Reddit
