Aug 26, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders linebackers coach Antonio Pierce watches from the sidelines against the New England Patriots at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Patriots 23-6. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Some Las Vegas Raiders fans are not happy with the team’s Week 16 win, but head coach Antonio Pierce made it very clear he does not care.
The Raiders beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-14 on Sunday for their third win of the campaign. That win could wind up costing them significant draft position, including a shot at the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Pierce was asked Monday if he had a response to fans who were unhappy with the win because of how consequential it could be to the team’s draft position. After initially delivering a “no comment,” the coach rebuked those who wanted to see the team tank.
“We don’t do this to lose. We don’t do this for anybody’s fantasy football team. Don’t do this for anybody’s draft projections. None of that s–t matters to us. What matters is winning, and that’s all we want to do,” Pierce said.
Obviously, Pierce’s job is to win games. There have been reports that his job is on the line, and it is not as if he or his players are wired to lose. Owner Mark Davis clearly wants the team to win as well, even if it hurts their draft position.
Remember, two years ago, the Houston Texans won on the final day of the season to cost themselves the No. 1 pick. They wound up with CJ Stroud, which proved to be a pretty good consolation prize. The Raiders will hope they can benefit in the same way, though their fall in the draft order might wind up being bigger than Houston’s was.
Mar 20, 2024; Dayton, OH, USA; Detailed view of March Madness logos before the game between the Montana State Bobcats and the Grambling State Tigers at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
One of the biggest heroes in March Madness history is a step closer to playing in the NBA.
Former Oakland sharpshooter Jack Gohlke was claimed by the Wisconsin Herd on Monday after he entered the NBA G League player pool, according to reporter Marc Stein. The Herd are the G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Gohlke became a viral sensation with his legendary performance in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. He drained 10 three-pointers and scored 32 points in 14-seed Oakland’s stunning upset of 3-seed Kentucky. Gohlke even broke out a Michael Jordan shrug after draining a shot over one of the best players in the nation.
Oakland lost to NC State in the second round of the tournament, but Gohlke still scored 22 points and drained 6 three-pointers in that game.
Gohlke’s performance even led to him landing some unexpected NIL deals.
Despite his March Madness success, the 6-foot-3 Gohlke went undrafted earlier this year. He then spent a brief period with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the summer before signing with KK Podgorica of the Prva A Liga professional league in Montenegro.
The odds of Gohlke playing in the NBA remain slim, but the fan favorite now has a better opportunity to prove himself.
Oct 8, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (3) on the field before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell has a long road to recovery after he suffered a gruesome knee injury on Saturday.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters on Monday that Dell dislocated his knee and tore his ACL during Saturday’s 27-19 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Ryans also said there are “some other things there that (Dell) will have to get repaired.”
Texans wide receiver Jared Wayne collided with Dell’s leg after Dell caught a touchdown pass during the third quarter against Houston. Dell’s leg was mangled so badly that teammates were visibly shaken as he was on the ground. His leg was placed in an air cast and he was carted off the field.
Dell was taken to a hospital and unable to travel back to Houston with his team, though he has since been released.
Given the severity of Dell’s injury, he will likely miss a portion of the 2025 season as well. Dell finishes his second NFL season with 51 catches for 667 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Feb 17, 2020; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) looks on during spring training at Spectrum Field. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is due to become a free agent at the end of the 2025 season, and he has given the team a rather narrow window to change that.
In a recent interview with Abriendo Sports, Guerrero said he is “ready to go” on a long-term deal with the Blue Jays if the money is right. He added, however, that he will not be willing to negotiate once spring training begins, and the team is aware of this.
That leaves the Blue Jays roughly two months to sort something out with the star first baseman. The good news for them is that Guerrero appears eager to stay, though he has made it clear he expects a fair deal. The team might be waiting for the top free agents to come off the board, as they are still being linked to some of the big names and might want to see where their long-term payroll commitments are before sorting things out with Guerrero.
Guerrero is coming off an excellent season that saw him hit .323 with 30 home runs and 103 RBIs. He would be in high demand were he to hit the open market or become available in trade talks.
Nov 7, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith warms up before action against the Los Angeles Chargers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
DeVonta Smith cost the Philadelphia Eagles a win with a brutal drop on Sunday, and the star wide receiver made no excuses for the mistake.
The Eagles were leading 30-28 with just over two minutes remaining in their game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. Philly had 3rd-and-5 at the Washington 22-yard line, and Smith dropped perfectly thrown pass over the middle that could have potentially gone for a touchdown or a first down to ice the game. You can see the play here.
Philadelphia had to settle for a field goal to take a 33-28 lead. Jayden Daniels then put together a game-winning touchdown drive to secure a 36-33 victory for the Commanders.
Smith did not hide from the media after the game. He had a blunt response when asked about his big miscue.
“I just dropped the ball,” he said. “I ain’t gonna beat myself up over it. That’s life. It’s part of the game. I made all the tough catches and then the easiest one I had, I dropped it. It is what it is. … Ain’t nobody else’s fault but mine. The game over with. Ain’t nothing I can do about it now. I just dropped the ball. Ain’t no teaching on it. Just catch the ball, it’s simple.”
In addition to costing the Eagles a win over a divisional opponent, Smith’s drop made it more difficult for Philly to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Detroit Lions won their game on Sunday, which means they are now a game ahead of the Eagles in the NFC standings and hold the tiebreaker of conference record.
Smith has been productive this season with 62 catches for 713 yards and 6 touchdowns despite missing time with an injury. The catch he failed to make is the one that will likely stick with him, though.
Kirk Herbstreit took aim at some of his ESPN colleagues while defending Ohio State head coach Ryan Day over the weekend, and Shannon Sharpe did not appreciate it.
Herbstreit, a longtime ESPN analyst and former Ohio State quarterback, ripped Buckeyes fans during the broadcast of his alma mater’s 42-17 win over Tennessee in the College Football Playoff on Saturday night. Herbstreit openly mocked Ohio State fans who have called for Day to be fired. He then took aim at the “First Take” panel over their criticism of the Buckeyes head coach. You can see the full clip here.
Sharpe responded during Monday’s episode of “First Take.” He issued a warning to Herbstreit and ESPN college football play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler.
“If we gonna be on the same team, if we gonna work for the same network, don’t do that,” Sharpe said. “Kirk, Chris Fowler, I promise you, if you ever mention any platform that I’m on again and talking about I wonder what they gonna say and negativity, I promise you ESPN ain’t got enough bosses to keep me off y’all for what I’m gonna say. So I’m gonna let y’all slide today. I’m gonna turn it over to D.O. before I get myself in trouble, but don’t play with me.”
Sharpe, Stephen A. Smith and others have been critical of Day in recent weeks. They have joined a collection of people that even includes some former Buckeyes players in wondering whether Day deserves to keep his job.
Herbstreit has trashed Ohio State fans in the past over their treatment of Day. Saturday night was the perfect opportunity for him to gloat, even if Sharpe took it personally.
Jul 21, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders during Pac-12 Media Day at Resorts World Las Vegas. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Colorado star Travis Hunter has deactivated one of his social media accounts amid all of the unwanted attention he and his girlfriend have recently received, and Shedeur Sanders seems to be in support of the decision.
Fans noticed on Sunday that Hunter’s Instagram page is no longer active. It appears Hunter began his hiatus after an old video of his fiancee Leanna Lenee provocatively dancing with another man went viral.
Then came a message on X from Sanders.
“All y’all athletes, entertainers, artist etc if y’all genuine trying to holla at trav y’all know how to get in touch with him or someone around. At this point y’all just posting for the algorithm trying to look cool,” Sanders wrote.
Lenee first started facing criticism when she was shown celebrating with Hunter after Colorado’s final game of the regular season. She looked like she was angry with Hunter about something, though she insists that was not the case.
Lenee has faced so much backlash online that she recently shared a video defending herself. She also called Hunter out for cheating on his previous girlfriend in the process.
Hunter has defended his relationship with Lenee. He is probably tired of feeling the need to do that, which is why he made the decision to deactivate his Instagram profile.
Both Sanders and Hunter are expected to be top-five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jan 14, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) before the 2024 NFC wild card game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
CeeDee Lamb has been playing through a significant injury for nearly two months now, and the Dallas Cowboys star spoke about his motivation for doing so following Sunday night’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Lamb had 7 catches for 105 yards in the Cowboys’ 26-24 win over the Bucs at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. After the game, he told reporters his shoulder is still “outta whack” from when he suffered a sprained AC joint in Week 9.
When asked why he continues to play through the pain even with the Cowboys now officially eliminated from playoff contention, Lamb had a great response.
“I love this game that much,” Lamb said. “I’m literally willing to put my body out there on the line for my guys.”
Lamb held out for a new contract during the offseason. He eventually signed a 4-year, $136 million extension. The Pro Bowl wideout says anyone who questioned his love for the game during the holdout is “kind of insane.”
Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury during the same game in which Lamb hurt his shoulder. Lamb is now up to 101 catches and 1,194 yards on the year, which is remarkable considering how long Prescott has been out. The fact that Lamb has continued to produce with a backup quarterback and an injury is impressive.
Oct 2, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodger pitcher Walker Buehler during a press conference before a team workout at Dodgers Stadium. Buehler is the National League Divisional game 1 starter against the Washington Nationals. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Walker Buehler has agreed to a contract with an American League team, and it is now fair to wonder whether the Los Angeles Dodgers wanted the veteran pitcher back.
Buehler has agreed to a 1-year, $21.05 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, according to Russell Dorsey of Yahoo Sports.
While Buehler’s contract includes incentives, the base salary is noteworthy. The $21.05 million figure is the exact amount that players who accept qualifying offers from their teams will be paid in 2025.
The Dodgers could have extended Buehler a qualifying offer, but they chose not to. At the time, it looked like L.A. might have been trying to help Buehler attract the best offers in free agency. Players who decline qualifying offers can sometimes be less attractive to other teams in free agency, because those teams are penalized a draft pick upon signing such players.
Buehler ended up with a 1-year, $21.05 million deal anyway. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported earlier this month that Buehler likely would have accepted the qualifying offer from the Dodgers. It is possible L.A. simply did not want the 30-year-old pitcher back, which is surprising.
Buehler went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA in 75.1 innings last season as he returned from Tommy John surgery. The left-hander looked much more like his old self in the postseason and went 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 15 innings. Buehler is a two-time All-Star who was completely dominant in 2021 with a 16-4 record and 2.47 ERA.
The Red Sox have made some significant additions to their pitching staff this winter. If Buehler returns to form in 2025, he could be one of the best signings of the offseason.
Travis Hunter is taking a break from all the recent drama surrounding him and his longtime girlfriend Leanna Lenee.
Hunter has deactivated his Instagram page. The Colorado star seemingly made the decision at some point after a clip went viral that appeared to show Lenee dancing with another man for some sort of music video. The clip is believed to be from several years ago.
Hunter and Lenee first met as teenagers back in high school. They began dating in 2022 and got engaged in February.
As Hunter has gained popularity, his relationship with Lenee has been under increased scrutiny. After Colorado’s final game of the regular season, a video went viral in which Lenee looked like she was mad at Hunter about something. Lenee recently defended herself against the backlash and called out Hunter for cheating on his previous girlfriend in the process.
Hunter has defended Lenee and said he is not going to break up with his fiancee just because other people believe he should. Between the old videos going viral and a famous rapper falling for a fake Instagram comment from Lenee, you can understand why Travis is trying to distance himself from the drama.
