The NFL is not requiring players to get the COVID-19 vaccine this season, but life will certainly be difficult for those who don’t. It could also be quite costly.
As Mark Maske of the Washington Post notes, the NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed that players who are not vaccinated can be fined for a variety of reasons during training camp and the preseason. Unvaccinated players will be fined $14,650 for violations including going to bars or nightclubs indoors or attending an indoor concert.
Players can also be fined $50,000 for a number of reasons, including failure to cooperate with an investigation into a potential protocol violation.
You can see how there will be a lot of pressure on players to get the vaccine — even those who are not comfortable with it. One star player spoke out this week about the NFLPA agreeing to the restrictions on unvaccinated players.
Zion Williamson’s rookie deal with the New Orleans Pelicans runs through 2023, but some in his inner circle might not even be able to wait that long.
Shams Charania, Joe Vardon, and William Guillory of The Athletic released an explosive report Thursday about the Pelicans in the aftermath of head coach Stan Van Gundy’s firing. The report stated that certain members of Williamson’s family want him on another team. It also said Williamson’s family has “thinly-veiled unhappiness” with the Pelicans and voiced some displeasure with the organization for much of the season, particularly for their perceived failure to live up to the standard for a star like Williamson.
Van Gundy was allegedly one of the targets of criticism from Williamson’s family, who believed he was too rigid and demanding. The Pelicans also reportedly irritated Williamson himself with their handling of guard JJ Redick’s departure. Redick is described as a a veteran whom Williamson had grown comfortable with.
The former No. 1 overall pick Williamson had a phenomenal individual season. He finished the year with 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game on a stout 61.1 percent from the field. But the Pelicans could not even qualify for the play-in tournament, finishing 31-41. They did not fare much better when Williamson was a rookie last season either, going 30-42 under former head coach Alvin Gentry.
We recently heard that Williamson himself was unhappy with Van Gundy’s coaching style. But even with Van Gundy now ousted, it sounds like the Pelicans still have a lot more work to do to tide over Williamson’s camp.
The Dallas Mavericks announced on Wednesday that they have mutually agreed to part ways with longtime general manager Donnie Nelson. As some have suspected, the decision was reportedly not as “mutual” as the team would like people to believe.
According to Tim Cato and Sam Amick of The Athletic, Nelson had begun to feel like he was not truly in charge of the Mavericks’ roster anymore. He felt his opinion held less weight than that of Haralabos Voulgaris, a former professional gambler whom Mark Cuban hired in 2018. Voulgaris’ official title is director of quantitative research and development. Cuban has leaned heavily on his analytics-based approach and given him a significant voice.
When Nelson went to Cuban with his concerns, they were apparently not well received. Nelson was fired on Sunday after 24 years with the Mavericks, according to The Athletic.
Nelson reportedly felt that a line had been crossed, though Voulgaris never openly tried to surpass him as primary decision-maker on the basketball side. The longtime GM believed that his credibility was being damaged by Voulgaris’ relationship with Cuban and the wide-ranging belief within the organization that Voulgaris is Cuban’s No. 2.
The big question for the Mavericks now is how the changes will impact Doncic’s future with the team, if at all. A separate report from The Athletic this week painted Doncic as being incredibly annoyed with Voulgaris’ presence and influence in Dallas. Cuban issued a strong response on Twitter, which you can see here.
Doncic is eligible for a supermax extension this offseason that will be worth more than $200 million over five years. He is still reportedly planning to sign it, but he made it clear on Thursday that he does not agree with Nelson being fired.
No athlete has ever ascended through his or her sport the way Tom Brady has since he became a sixth-round NFL Draft pick back in 2000, and Julian Edelman has provided us with another great reminder of that.
Brady and Patrick Mahomes were revealed on Thursday as the two cover athletes for the latest installment of the “Madden” video game series. Edelman celebrated the occasion by tweeting a screenshot from a much older version of the game, where Brady was known only as “QB NO. 12.” Brady’s overall rating in the game was a 57 out of 99.
Not long after that game was released, Brady won his first Super Bowl. He has since captured six more and is showing no signs of slowing down. Not bad for a player who was once rated 57 in “Madden,” right?
While he is one of Brady’s closest friends and biggest cheerleaders, Edelman never turns down an opportunity to take a swipe at his former teammate. His “Madden” tweet may have been even better than the photoshopped image he shared before the draft this year.
The Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski Tampa party continues! Treat yourself or a friend with this great Tampa Fiesta shirt. You can buy it here.
Photo: Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia via CC-by-SA 3.0
Le’Veon Bell’s career has gone downhill since he held out for an entire season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the running back has a habit of blaming other people for his shortcomings. He recently pointed his finger in the direction of Andy Reid, but the Kansas City Chiefs coach is taking the high road.
Bell said on social media last week that he would rather retire than play for Reid again. Reid was asked on Thursday if he had any thoughts on the comments, and he simply wished Bell the best.
“I enjoyed my time with him,” Reid said, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. “I’m pulling for him. That’s how I roll.”
Those who know Reid will not be surprised by that response. The coach is generally well-liked by players and peers, which is why Bell’s criticism was poorly received.
One of Reid’s star players already came out and defended him, so there’s really no need for him to say much. Bell can blame Reid, Adam Gase and whoever else for his production falling off a cliff. The reality is he sat out the entire 2018 season and has not been the same since. Had he been worthy of a bigger role in Kansas City, Reid would have given him one.
Chiefs fans, you’ll love this Andy Reid cheeseburger shirt. Reid loves his cheeseburgers, and you can wear it. This makes a perfect gift for you or a friend. You can buy it here.
The Dallas Mavericks and longtime general manager Donnie Nelson mutually agreed to part ways on Wednesday, and it does not sound like the move is one that was supported by the franchise’s biggest star.
Luka Doncic was asked on Thursday for his thoughts on Nelson leaving the Mavericks. He described it as “tough” for him.
“It was kind of tough to me. I really like Donnie. I know him since I was a kid and he was the one that drafted me,” Doncic said while playing with the Slovenian national team, via Marc Stein of the New York Times. “It was tough for me seeing that, but I’m not the one making decisions there.”
Doncic’s take is noteworthy given the circumstances. Earlier this week, a report from The Athletic claimed there are people within the Mavericks organization who are concerned Doncic may eventually want to leave the team. The reason? He supposedly hasn’t been getting along with former professional gambler Haralabos Voulgaris, whom Mark Cuban hired as Director of Quantitative Research and Development in 2018. Nelson has reportedly lost power internally since Voulgaris came on board.
Cuban issued a strong response to The Athletic story on Twitter (see it here), but the timing of Nelson’s departure does not seem like a coincidence.
Doncic is one of the best players in the NBA, so the Mavericks will try to do whatever they can to keep him happy. Their first order of business may be addressing his concerns with Nelson’s exit.
Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban did not always see eye-to-eye during their time coaching together, but Kiffin has no problem admitting that his stint with Alabama revived his career.
Kiffin spoke with CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd for a three-part series that explores Saban’s coaching “rehab” program, as Kiffin labeled it. Kiffin, who is now the head coach at Ole Miss, says he could not have asked for a better job than the one he had at Alabama.
“It was perfect,” Kiffin said. “There wouldn’t have been a better job in the NFL. I say [it’s] the ‘rehab’ stamp. You go there, spend some time, all the sudden you can coach again.”
Kiffin was one of five former college head coaches to work under Saban in the last eight years. He, like Steve Sarkisian, got a third shot at being a head coach after spending time on Saban’s staff.
After being fired by USC in 2013, Kiffin was viewed by many as untouchable. He was seen as a young coach with a massive ego, but Saban saw an opportunity. He knew his Alabama offense needed revamping.
“You gotta want to change, and (Saban) did,” Kiffin said. “It’s not like I came in there and said, ‘You should change.’ He said, ‘I want to change.’ It was his idea.”
Things didn’t end all that well between Kiffin and Saban. Their relationship appeared to run its course, and Kiffin was ousted amid reports of “drama” prior to the 2017 national championship game. Kiffin has since trolled Saban on numerous occasions, but he has also shown respect for his former boss.
It’s never easy for a former head coach to take orders, but Saban has obviously created a great balance for his understudies. Butch Jones, who landed another head coaching job after working under Saban, also had high praise for the seven-time national champion.
Bill O’Brien is Saban’s latest “rehab” project, having gone from NFL head coach and general manager to college assistant coach. Given the track record of coaches reviving their careers at Alabama, you can understand why the system keeps churning.
Ole Miss fans! It’s time to jump aboard the Lane Train! This Lane Train shirt is a perfect gift for you or a friend – you can buy it here.
EA Sports has the difficult task every year of choosing an NFL star to grace the cover of its latest edition of “Madden,” so the video game developer chose more than one this time.
Both Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes have landed on the cover of “Madden 22,” which will be released on Aug. 20. EA Sports released the cover and a hype video for the game on Thursday.
Brady, of course, got the best of Mahomes in Super Bowl LV four months ago.
Both Brady and Mahomes have appeared on the cover of ‘Madden’ individually, and Brady reassured Mahomes two years ago that he should not be concerned about the infamous “Madden Curse.” For a while, it seemed like any athlete who appeared on the cover of “Madden” was guaranteed to suffer a significant injury. That trend has fortunately faded in recent years.
Haiti failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after losing to Canada on Tuesday, and some people are wondering if goalkeeper Josue Duverger even wanted to be there.
Why? Because Duverger scored an own goal in Tuesday’s 3-0 loss that simply defied logic. It almost looked like he was trying to let the ball into his own net, though a close examination does confirm it was just a horrific blunder. Check it out:
Duverger couldn’t use his hands since the ball was passed to him by his own teammate. It looked like he took his eye off the ball while looking for a place to kick it downfield. He then accidentally hit it toward the net with his left foot while trying to clear it out with his right.
Haiti’s only World Cup appearance was in 1974. They probably weren’t going to qualify either way, but Duverger is never going to live that own goal down.
Joel Embiid did not talk with the media after his Philadelphia 76ers choked in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series with the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
Embiid scored 37 points with 13 rebounds but missed his final three shots and final two free throws of the game. His 76ers blew a 26-point lead and fell 109-106 to the Hawks. T
Embiid’s missed free throws with 10.9 seconds left stood out as a big blunder. The Sixers were down by three and could have made it a 1-point game if Embiid hadn’t choked at the line.
The usually affable big man ended up not speaking with the media after the game. This was unusual coming from the biggest media personality on the team. Embiid usually talks with reporters postgame, including after Game 4 when he went viral.
It’s not easy to face tough questions after you’ve screwed up. Embiid knows that, which is why he avoided them entirely. His Sixers now trail 3-2 in the series.
Only Doc Rivers, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris spoke with reporters after the game. Here is what Rivers had to say.
