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Injury update emerges on Dante Moore after targeting hit sent him to hospital

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Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was rushed to the hospital midway through Saturday’s game against USC.

Moore took a hard hit from USC linebacker Desman Stephens II while sliding for a first down early in the second quarter. Every referee on the field threw a flag on the play for the late contact that banged Moore’s head hard against the grass at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in L.A., Calif.

The senior QB lay motionless on the ground as a fight broke out between the two teams.

Stephens was disqualified from the game for targeting, while both the Ducks and Trojans were hit with unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

Here’s another angle of Stephens’ controversial hit on Moore.

Moore was eventually carted off the field and transported to a nearby hospital via ambulance.

According to an Oregon spokesperson, Moore was “being evaluated thoroughly” at L.A. General County Hospital. He reportedly has movement in all his extremities.

Moore left the game after going 8/10 for 77 yards. QB Dylan Raiola replaced Moore and threw for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns, leading the Ducks to a 41-27 win with their starter sidelined.

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Top Mariners prospect leaves game after getting hit by 104-mph comebacker

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Seattle Mariners fans held their collective breath as Kade Anderson left Saturday’s game with an injury.

The Mariners’ No. 1 prospect left the mound early against the Los Angeles Angels after getting hit by a 103.8-mph comebacker in the 4th inning at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Wash. Angels batter Christian Moore clubbed a 2-2 fastball right into left-hander’s pitching arm.

Anderson winced in pain and let his left arm go limp as he tried to shake off the contact. Mariners trainers immediately checked on him on the mound.

The Mariners did not let their potential ace throw another pitch. Relief pitcher Michael Rucker replaced Anderson with one out in the 4th inning. Anderson did not allow a run and had four strikeouts in his 3.1 innings of work. The team reportedly labeled Anderson’s injury as a forearm bruise.

Seattle selected Anderson with the 3rd overall pick in the 2025 draft. He took all of one season to make his major-league debut. The 21-year-old entered Saturday’s game with a 4.18 ERA across his first six MLB starts.

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Phillies fans want Don Mattingly fired after his bold gamble backfired

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Philadelphia Phillies fans want Don Mattingly gone after he pushed the wrong buttons for Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Phillies entered Saturday’s matchup desperately needing a win to fend off the Arizona Diamondbacks in the race for the final NL Wild Card slot. Mattingly turned to veteran pitcher Aaron Nola for the start at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa.

Nola had just taken the mound on Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers. Mattingly was asked about the decision before the game and called Nola his “best option” for the must-win contest.

“Felt like the best option tonight,” Mattingly said on the FOX broadcast. “He’s a guy that does throw a lot. He throws his bullpen, it’s 40-50 pitches. He didn’t throw it yesterday. Saved it for today if we needed it, and we need it.”

Nola allowed three doubles and a home run in the first inning alone, putting the Phillies in an immediate 0-3 hole. Mattingly hit abort on Nola after just one inning as the Rays scored 10 unanswered runs through six innings.

Several fans slammed Mattingly for the decision to start Nola, with some even calling for his firing.

The Rays beat the Phillies 12-1.

Mattingly took over as the Phillies manager in April after the team started the season 9-19 under his predecessor, Rob Thomson. Philadelphia turned things around under Mattingly and looked like a shoo-in for a postseason spot up until this week.

The Phillies came into Saturday’s game on a three-game slide, while the Diamondbacks stayed alive with a six-game winning streak. Arizona holds the tiebreaker if the two teams end the season tied.

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Florida’s Jadan Baugh breaks Tim Tebow’s record

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Florida Gators junior running back Jadan Baugh burned some serious rubber on Saturday — and a record previously held by a college football legend.

The No. 21-ranked Gators thumped the No. 4-ranked Ole Miss Rebels at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., 52-28, to improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in SEC play.  Baugh was a major factor in Florida’s win over Trinidad Chambliss and company, rushing for 142 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries.

It was the fourth time in as many games that Baugh finished a contest with at least two rushing touchdowns.

Moreover, he established a new Florida record, becoming the fastest player in Gators program history to rush for 10 touchdowns in a season, according to ESPN Insights on X.

In 2007, Tebow had at least two touchdowns in three of Florida’s first four games before scoring each in the next three games, including in a win over Ole Miss. He got his ninth and 10th rushing touchdowns of that season in the following game against the Georgia Bulldogs. Tebow had 23 rushing TDs that season to set a school record, but Baugh is also on track to surpass that mark.

After four games, Baugh has already racked up 600 rushing yards to go with all those touchdowns on 83 carries. He could add more to that in Florida’s next outing, which is a date with the Missouri Tigers on Oct. 3 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo.

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Fans can’t believe a detail about the Chiefs’ coaching staff

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The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the most potent rushing attacks in the NFL, with running back Kenneth Walker III leading the team in that area. But many fans apparently didn’t know about the other major figure behind the Chiefs’ dangerous offense on the ground.

When Underdog NFL shared Kansas City running backs coach DeMarco Murray’s comment on running back Emmett Johnson, via Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports, the post drew plenty of attention, and many fans were surprised to learn Murray is now part of the Chiefs’ coaching staff.

It has been nearly 10 years since Murray retired from playing football, but his love for the game has kept him around the sport.  After his retirement, he joined the Arizona Wildcats coaching staff as a running backs coach before heading to Norman to serve the Oklahoma Sooners in the same capacity. Then he made the jump back into the NFL, when the Chiefs hired him in February to be their running backs coach.

Murray, now 38, was a third-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2011. In four seasons with Dallas, he posted 4,526 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns, including his 1,845-yard and 13-TD 2014 campaign. He later spent a season with the Philadelphia Eagles before playing his final two seasons in the league with the Tennessee Titans.

Murray appears to be doing a fine job with the Chiefs so far, given the team’s success on the ground. 

Through two weeks, Kansas City is second in the NFL with 186.0 rushing yards per game.

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Fans are losing it after learning Kirk Cousins’ unexpected crush

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The Las Vegas Raiders have been quite a revelation to start the 2026 NFL season, as they have gone undefeated through two games. And speaking of revelations, Las Vegas quarterback Kirk Cousins dropped one that has left fans buzzing.

A video that has been making the rounds on social media shows the veteran quarterback revealing his childhood crush, who he claims Raiders Nation has zero chance of guessing.

“Absolute left field one for you. I bet Raiders Nation wouldn’t guess it in a thousand years. Meagan Good,” Cousins said. 

Good is 45 now, but back in the day, a young Cousins was apparently so high on her. The former Michigan State Spartans signal-caller also appears to have some great knowledge of Meagan Good’s body of work, even sneaking in a brief critique of one of her movies.

“Average movie,” Cousins said of the 2004 film “You Got Served.”

Here is a video of the moment Cousins let the world know his appreciation for Good.

The 38-year-old Cousins may have just earned more fans with this personal detail, based on how fans have reacted to his admission.

It has been a very good season so far for Cousins and the Raiders, who will be going for a 3-0 start when they share the field on Sunday with the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.

Cousins has thrown for 413 yards and six touchdowns against three interceptions in his first season with the Raiders.

Now, it’s time to find out who Fernando Mendoza’s childhood crush was.

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Kyrie Irving gets candid about finishing his career with the Mavericks

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Kyrie Irving is entering an intriguing 2026-27 NBA season with the Dallas Mavericks. For one, Irving is going to make $39.5 million in the coming campaign, while also still holding a player option for the 2027-28 season worth $42.4 million.

However, Irving doesn’t seem to be all that interested in looking too far ahead regarding his future with the Mavs.

“I wish that a lot was under my control. I think it’s a collaborative effort here,” Irving said in response to a question about whether he would want to finish his NBA career with Dallas, via Christian Clark of The Athletic.

“I’m mature enough to understand that the experience I have in the league, I can use that as talking points when I’m talking to Masai and (general manager) Mike (Schmitz) and the coaching staff. You see, there is a disparity in age. Everyone likes to make a big deal out of that. Everyone on social media likes to talk about it. It’s actively part of every conversation, which I don’t mind. … But I think my focus is continuing to develop, continuing to put my best foot forward with these guys.”

Beyond his future with the Mavericks, Irving’s performance after a long recovery from a devastating injury will be a major talking point this season.

Fans didn’t see the former No. 1 overall NBA draft pick in action in the entire 2025-26 season after he tore his ACL in February of 2025, but he looks ready to give it a go come Day 1 of the new campaign.

Without Irving, the Mavs won just 26 games but got to witness the incredible rookie season of Cooper Flagg. The chemistry between Irving and Flagg will finally be in full view in the coming season, and the Mavs are likely going to go as far as that all-Duke duo can take them.

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Iowa takes down Michigan in the most stunning way

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This time, the No. 18-ranked Michigan Wolverines can only wish they had at least another second to add to the clock.  

Down by just a point with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter, No. 17-ranked Iowa successfully finished an 11-play drive with a score, as senior quarterback Hank Brown found junior wide receiver Reece Vander Zee in the end zone as time expired to beat Michigan, 20-19, on Saturday at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Here is a video of that incredible play that stunned the Wolverines and the more than 100,000 people in attendance.

The game was a wild rollercoaster ride for both teams, with the Hawkeyes clearly the team most thrilled by it.

The Hawkeyes entered the fourth quarter down by six points, but grabbed the lead when Vander Zee caught his first touchdown of the contest with 14:02 left to play. Michigan responded with sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood’s touchdown pass to fellow sophomore and wide receiver JJ Buchanan to take the lead back, 19-14.

The teams traded punts in the next two possessions before the Hawkeyes missed a field goal. Michigan failed to capitalize, as the Wolverines ended another possession on a punt, leading into the game-winning play by the Hawkeyes, who remain undefeated at 4-0.

As for the Wolverines, this is just their first loss of the season (3-1), but second in the eyes of at least the Western Michigan Broncos.

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John Mateer coughs up the most embarrassing turnover of the season

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John Mateer apologists are not having a good time right now.

The Oklahoma quarterback Mateer humiliated himself during Saturday’s game against No. 2-ranked Georgia. In the second quarter at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., Mateer had the Sooners at the Bulldogs’ 2-yard line for a 3rd-and-goal play.

Out of a play-action sequence, Mateer rolled left but hesitated on his throw. After initially pump-faking, Mateer tried to fire it into the end zone … only for the ball to slip out.

Mateer then ended up on his wallet as Georgia linebacker Chris Cole pushed him out of the way to recover the fumble and take it all the way to the house for a Bulldogs touchdown. Here is the video of the play, which was ultimately scored as a sack for Cole and an 85-yard fumble return TD.

The goof by Mateer gave Georgia a 21-0 lead. They would go on to score another touchdown before the end of the quarter to take a commanding 28-0 advantage over Oklahoma into halftime.

Mateer, who also threw a separate interception during the first half and lost a separate fumble as well, spent the offseason working out with a notable former Heisman winner. But the results still have yet to show for the senior QB, who is now up to six turnovers on the season and saw his team get upset by unranked Michigan in Week 2.

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Buddy Hield gets traded for the second time in 4 days

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Buddy Hield is pulling a Luke Ridnour this offseason.

The veteran sharpshooter Hield was traded again on Saturday. Shams Charania of ESPN reports that the Charlotte Hornets are trading Hield and cash to the Chicago Bulls. In return, the Hornets will be receiving guard Rob Dillingham from Chicago.

This news comes after Hield was acquired by the Hornets just four days ago in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks. That deal also involved two other veteran players.

Hield, now 33 years old, is a former No. 6 overall pick and was the NBA’s Three Point Contest champion in 2020. Combined last season between the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks, Hield averaged 7.6 points per game on 44/35/81 shooting splits.

Meanwhile, Hield is on an affordable contract at $9.7 million for next season with a $10.1 million player option for 2027-28. That probably explains why Hield has found himself as such a liquid asset for trade.

Hield should have a good chance to compete for minutes next season on a Bulls team that lacks reliable three-point shooting outside of newly-signed guard Norman Powell. As for the Hornets, they will be getting a talented but still raw shot-creator in the 21-year-old Dillingham to help fill the void left behind by their July trade of LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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Justin Verlander gets a surprise from Kate Upton in his final career game

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Justin Verlander officially exited Major League Baseball in style on Saturday afternoon.

The legendary three-time Cy Young winner Verlander pitched the final game of his MLB career on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Verlander threw 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out six batters in front of his home crowd at Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich. The Tigers then went on to win the game by a final score of 4-3 on a dramatic walkoff homer by Eduardo Valencia.

After Verlander’s final batter in the sixth inning, he got a great surprise. As Tigers manager AJ Hinch came out of the dugout, Verlander’s 8-year-old daughter Genevieve also ran out to greet him.

Verlander then walked off the mound hand-in-hand with his daughter in an absolutely poetic scene to cap off his illustrious big-league career. Here is the awesome video.

After the game, Hinch told reporters that Genevieve’s cameo was a surprise orchestrated by Verlander’s wife Kate Upton (in conjunction with Hinch himself). Hinch said that they wanted to give the 10-time All-Star Verlander “a moment that he wouldn’t expect.”

Verlander, now 43 years old, got to go out entirely on his own terms after 21 MLB seasons and for the team with whom he began his career to boot. With two World Series rings and 3,560 strikeouts (eighth all-time) among his many other accolades as well, Verlander will go down as one of the very best pitchers of his entire generation. Fittingly enough, Verlander also got to share his last mound exit with his daughter (who even had a very cool moment with him during the previous night’s game as well).

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Chargers give a promotion to Justin Herbert’s brother

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The 0-2 Los Angeles Chargers are hoping that some family matters can help turn things around.

On Saturday, the Chargers announced that they have elevated tight end Patrick Herbert to the active roster. Patrick is notably the younger brother of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.

The Chargers need the help at the position ahead of Sunday’s Week 3 game against the Buffalo Bills. They just lost tight end David Njoku to a knee and fibula injury that now has him on injured reserve.

Meanwhile, Patrick is a 25-year-old tight end who went undrafted in 2025. He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars for his rookie season but did not appear in a single game for them. Patrick then signed to the Chargers’ practice squad in late August, reuniting him with his former Pro Bowler brother Justin.

At 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, Patrick is a big body who might have some value as a blocker. But even with the Njoku injury, Patrick will probably only be third at best on the tight end depth chart behind new starter Oronde Gadsden and rookie Hayden Rucci.

Still, the Chargers will take any contribution that they can get after losing their first two games of the season despite being heavily favored in both games. Now they are a big underdog against the Bills in Week 3 and will be hoping for some brotherly magic from Patrick (who has followed in Justin’s footsteps in more ways than one).

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Fans all said the same thing about Jeremiah Smith during his 4-TD game

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“Generational” might not even be enough to describe Jeremiah Smith at this point.

The Ohio State star wide receiver Smith produced his best work yet on Saturday against Illinois. Smith erupted for 12 catches for 217 yards and a whopping four touchdowns, sparking the No. 7-ranked Buckeyes to a 42-19 victory at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

Perhaps the most impressive catch by Smith came on a second-quarter toe-tap catch near the back of the end zone for a ridiculous touchdown (with Illini cornerback Tywan Cox draped all over him). Check out the video.

Social media was left absolutely stunned by the performance. Fans all said over X that Smith was sure to be the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft, even for a team that needed a quarterback.

Smith, the 20-year-old junior, was already a national champion in 2024 and a unanimous All-American in 2025 (also leading the Big Ten in receiving yards in both years). Now with Smith’s big performance on Saturday, he tied Ohio State’s single-game receiving touchdowns record and seemingly locked himself into frontrunner status for the 2026 Heisman Trophy.

The last wide receiver to go No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft was Keyshawn Johnson all the way back in 1996. While there are also plenty of talented QB prospects this year (including Arch Manning, Dante Moore, and Darian Mensah), Smith, who might also be the most marketable prospect in some time, is likely sitting at the very top of most mock drafts at this point.

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George Russell wins Azerbaijan Grand Prix

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George Russell finally broke through and won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix Saturday morning for his first win since June. Trailing behind him by only 0.2 seconds was Max Verstappen, followed by Isaak Hadjar.

The victory makes three straight podiums for Verstappen, who now only trails Lewis Hamilton by 36 points for third place in the drivers’ standings. Additionally, the P3 finish by Hadjar marks his second podium of the season.

Current drivers’ championship leader Kimi Antonelli crashed out of qualifying and started 16th. However, he salvaged the weekend, taking advantage of two safety cars and finished 5th. With eight races remaining, he still holds a commanding 66-point lead over Russell.

McLaren had a promising weekend end up in disaster. Oscar Piastri, who qualified third, spun out after a restart late in the race and dropped all the way to P14. Lando Norris qualified 5th and crashed out on lap 36 after Franco Colapinto sideswiped both him and teammate Pierre Gasly.

With the Azerbaijan Grand prix in the books, two more races remain in a series of back-to-back-to-back race weekends. Next up is the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was rescheduled and being held in Malaysia at the Sepang Circuit, followed by the Singapore Grand Prix.

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Texas’ Colin Simmons gets penalized for peeing celebration after sack

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Colin Simmons pulled a reverse Kyle Juszczyk during Saturday’s game.

The No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns played Saturday against the No. 14-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. In the second quarter at Neyland Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., the Texas defensive end Simmons sacked Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon on a 3rd-and-13 play.

Simmons then proceeded to get a little … animated with his celebration. While Brandon was still down on the turf, Simmons simulated the act of peeing all over (albeit away from Brandon).

As a result, Simmons was hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The announcing referee said that the penalty was for “simulating using the restroom.”

Here is the video.

The … not-so-golden celebration led to an automatic first down for Tennessee. Their drive would subsequently continue for another three minutes of game time but ultimately led to a turnover on downs in Texas territory.

Texas entered play on Saturday with a perfect 3-0 record, including a Week 2 victory over then-No. 1-ranked Ohio State to take the top spot for themselves. But the junior Simmons’ obscene celebration against Tennessee continued on a theme of controversial behavior by Longhorns players lately.

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5-star Oklahoma TE commit chokeslams opponent after INT

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Seneca Driver already looks like a man among boys at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds. On Friday night in Kentucky, the Boyle County two-way star made that mismatch look even more lopsided.

With the Rebels driving near the end zone against Ballard, an errant pass landed in the arms of cornerback Andy Shepherd. Driver, a five-star Oklahoma tight end commit in the 2027 class, immediately closed on the interceptor.

What followed was less a form tackle than a Friday night wrestling move. Driver lifted Shepherd and dumped him to the turf in a chokeslam that raced across social media within minutes.

Officials threw a personal foul flag, and they were right to do it. The takedown was dirty and unnecessary. Shepherd popped up ready to answer before Ballard linebacker Philly Koorsen stepped between them and pulled his teammate away.

The penalty did not cost Boyle County. The Rebels rolled to a 38-3 victory and improved to 4-1.

The clip captured Driver’s rare size and strength, the same traits that made him Kentucky’s 4A player of the year a season ago after 875 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns, 67 tackles and five interceptions. It also fit a pattern.

In Week 3 against Lexington Catholic, Driver was ejected after two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, one of them after a turnover. That ejection brought a one-game suspension for Boyle County’s loss at Highlands.

Oklahoma landed a physically imposing tight end when Driver committed in March. The production is not in question. The extras after the whistle keep finding their way onto the highlight reel.

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Video: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s shattered bat redirects RBI single

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did not square up Luis Mey’s 0-2 sinker so much as survive it.

In the seventh inning of Friday’s 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays first baseman chopped a grounder toward the middle and snapped his bat. Then the night turned silly.

The severed barrel caught the baseball a few feet in front of home plate and redirected it through the right side for an RBI single, scoring Andrés Giménez and starting a four-run rally.

The Sportsnet booth could not hide its surprise.

“Wow,” one announcer said.

“Watch this. Hit it again,” the other added. “It hit the broken barrel of the bat. Maybe that’s what guided it into right field.”

Slow-motion replay confirmed the second tap. Officially it was a single. Unofficially it was the clip of the night.

The timing made it land harder. Hours earlier, Guerrero had apologized for saying his 14-year, $500 million contract was payment for what he had already done, not what he would do. Fans mixed cheers with boos until the seventh, when they chanted his name.

Kazuma Okamoto’s two-run double and Nathan Lukes’ go-ahead single finished the comeback.

It was at least the sixth two-touch hit in the majors this season. This one just happened to arrive in the middle of a messy week and help Toronto snap a three-game skid. Guerrero finished 1-for-5. The barrel did the rest.

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Kyle Shanahan miffed over Robert Saleh spilling Cam Skattebo secret

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Tennessee Titans coach Robert Saleh previewed Sunday’s game against the New York Giants and opened a window into the San Francisco 49ers’ 2025 draft room. Kyle Shanahan noticed.

Asked Wednesday about Giants running back Cam Skattebo, Saleh offered more than scouting praise. He likes the former Arizona State back’s physical style, comparing him to an old-school 2010 Madden hit-stick runner who lowers his shoulder and finishes plays. Then came the part Shanahan would rather have kept in-house.

“I know going into the draft, we were actually about to draft him in San Francisco,” Saleh told reporters. “Kyle Shanahan loved him. And he ended up getting taken right before we were picking.”

The Giants selected Skattebo 105th overall in the fourth round last April. Eight picks later, San Francisco took Indiana defensive tackle C.J. West. Saleh had returned to Shanahan’s staff as defensive coordinator in 2025 and was in that war room.

Appearing on KNBR’s The Sports Leader on Thursday, Shanahan was asked whether he minded a former assistant sharing that information.

“Yes, I do,” Shanahan said with a laugh, via the New York Post. “It’s not just X’s and O’s. It’s when people go in other buildings that have been in your building for so long, that kind of, you know, they go over the philosophies, how you look at the team, the personnel, things like that. So it’s more than just the X’s and O’s.”

New York can live with the leak. The Giants got their man eight spots before San Francisco could. Skattebo has given them a physical, high-energy piece in his second season. Saleh now has to stop the runner his old boss wanted. Some draft-room secrets travel.

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Flyers’ Trevor Zegras penalized for the most ridiculous reason

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Trevor Zegras has built a career on flair. On Thursday night, that same flair earned him two minutes in the penalty box for a tucked-in jersey.

Midway through the second period of Philadelphia’s 2-0 preseason win over the Boston Bruins at Xfinity Mobile Arena, Zegras hopped over the boards with the back of his sweater stuffed into his pants. Officials sent him off for delay of game, logged as improperly wearing equipment.

The Bruins did not score on the power play. The internet scored plenty.

The league is emphasizing equipment this season, from neck guards and visors to how a jersey sits at the start of a shift. If a sweater rides up during play, that is fine. Start the next shift still tucked after a warning, and it is a minor. A third violation can become a misconduct. Zegras said he had already been warned.

“My jersey was tucked in at the start of my shift. So after a warning, they said that’s an automatic penalty,” he said, via ESPN. “I started the game with it tucked, which is obviously how I usually play.”

It was the first jersey-tuck penalty called since 2013.

Rick Tocchet said clubs were told weeks ago that officials would be watching. His solution was practical.

“He’s just gotta put his tie down. That’ll keep the jersey down,” the coach said. “When the regular season starts, we can’t have a penalty like that.” Tocchet even pulled Matvei Michkov’s jersey down on the bench.

The look has been Zegras’s habit since he was a kid. On Friday morning, he posted youth photos of himself playing with a tucked sweater, then added a picture of Tom Brady from the original Tuck Rule game.

Hockey’s version is less famous and, in a preseason box score, a lot harder to defend. Philadelphia still won. Zegras still looked like Zegras. The rulebook just asked him to leave the fashion statement on the bench.

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Ban talk heats up after Manchester City lose nearly every count in FFP case

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Manchester City’s eight-year financial fight just took a sharp turn. Multiple reports on Friday said an independent commission found the club guilty on 114 of 115 Premier League charges covering alleged breaches between 2009 and 2018.

The case, first brought in February 2023, alleged that City failed to give the league accurate financial information, misstated player and manager payments, broke profitability and sustainability rules and did not fully cooperate with investigators.

The Athletic first reported the verdict. The BBC and others later said their sources matched that account. Neither the club nor the league has officially confirmed the scoreline, citing confidentiality.

Sanctions have not been announced. That is the part that should keep everyone awake. The rulebook allows a fine, a points hit, a suspension from competition or, in the starkest reading, removal from the Premier League. That last option is why talk of a ban moved from the rumor mill to the front page overnight.

Nothing has been imposed. The panel still has to decide what a proportionate penalty looks like after a case this large.

City’s public line did not change. A spokesperson said the process “remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality,” and that the club’s position matches its February 2023 statement.

Translation: Expect an appeal, and soon. League rules give 14 days to file one. A further hearing and written reasons would follow.

The wait has already outlasted a pandemic, several title parties and more legal bills than most clubs see in a lifetime. Hearings wrapped in late 2024. The verdict landed in September 2026. Rival clubs are already asking lawyers what, if anything, they can claim if titles or prize money are later revisited.

For now, City remains in the Premier League and on the field. The guilty findings are reported, not rubber-stamped in public, and the punishment is still a blank page. After more than 100 charges and nearly a decade of argument, English football is finally staring at the bill. The only question left is how expensive it will be.

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