Aug. 20—GRAND FORKS — With a week to go to UND football's 2026 season opener, the Fighting Hawks have announced team captains.
UND's captains this season will be offensive tackle Trace Thaden, wide receiver Sam Strandell, quarterback Jerry Kaminski, linebacker Michael Devereaux and edge Lance Rucker, the school announced Thursday.
Those five were selected by their teammates following the conclusion of fall camp.
Thaden, a 6-foot-7, 306-pound fifth year from Omaha, started all 14 games at left tackle last season and helped UND allow the second-fewest sacks among Missouri Valley Football Conference offensive lines.
Strandell, a Grand Forks Central product, served as a key special teams contributor last season after overcoming an injury that sidelined the wide receiver for much of the season. He made three tackles and blocked a punt in UND's road win at Tennessee Tech in the opening round of the FCS playoffs.

#forks #thaden #captains

File under "stupid publicity stunt that I shouldn't even be writing about, but here I am, writing about it."
Last week, former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White demanded they be officially declared eligible for the 2027 WNBA draft. White, who recently lost the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, has claimed to be transgender and argued that he should be allowed to play in the women's league. "I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for purposes of … professional basketball," he told Fox News.
White also posted pictures of himself wearing a wig, stating that he was embracing his "feminine era."
Designed to mock the trans community and troll the organization and its inclusion and self-identification policies, the former NBA players suggested they would take legal action if blocked from the WNBA draft.
They're among the legions of attention seekers, influencers, news media and activists taking sides in a culture war over something that's not even close to happening: the WNBA's inclusion of transgender athletes. To be clear, no transgender players are slated to become part of the league's roster. A right-wing uproar over an imagined threat. Where have we seen this before?

#players #writing #former

Three former Iowa State greats came to the 54th annual ASICS Falmouth Road Race seeking a win and possibly a course record on Sunday, Aug. 16.
They were blocked by Eritrean running star Habtom Samuel.
Samuel broke Wesley Kiptoo's course record at Falmouth, Massachusetts, by holding off 2019 Cyclone NCAA cross country champion Edwin Kurgat of Kenya. Samuel ran 30:53 to become the first runner to ever break 31 minutes for the 7-mile distance. Kurgat, 30, of Kenya settled for second in 31:04, which also eclipsed Kiptoo's shared record of 31:08 from 2023.
Kurgat leads off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and post collegiate distance runners and triathletes.
Samuel, 22, and Kurgat broke away from a strong field by mile 5, but the five-time NCAA champion pulled away from the Under Armour Dark Sky Distance athlete based in Flagstaff, Arizona, in his Falmouth debut.

#kurgat #record #iowa #broke

El SEGUNDO, Calif. -- It only took seven reps for a key Chargers offensive lineman to go down. Center Tyler Biadasz had his head down as he was carted into the facility.
On the seventh play of Tuesday morning's joint practice, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw a pass downfield to receiver Quentin Johnston, who made a heck of a grab while also being interfered with by 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.
While everyone was celebrating downfield, the training staff rushed to Biadasz, who was on the ground in pain and favoring his left leg. During the play to Johnston, left guard Kayode Awosika blocked 49ers defensive lineman Sebastian Valdez into Biadasz's leg.
The Chargers center was helped up by two trainers and onto the cart. As he sat on it, Biadasz hit the cart three times in frustration. Herbert and multiple players came over to offer their support.
"Obviously praying for the best," Herbert said after practice.

#biadasz #herbert #down

By Nate Raymond
Aug 17 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday blocked a Trump administration plan to relocate the new FBI headquarters to Washington, D.C., rather than in nearby Maryland, which had been picked in ‌2023 to host the building.
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang sided with the Democratic-led state of Maryland and ‌Prince George's County in ruling the administration had unlawfully scrapped a plan to construct a new FBI headquarters in Greenbelt, Maryland, and diverted money approved by Congress for that project to an alternate location, the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington.
The judge said the selection of Ronald Reagan Building violated measures passed by Congress in 2022 and 2023 that required the General Services Administration to pick from one of three short-listed sites outside of Washington.
"Notably, the text provides no conditions under which the selection could be unilaterally rescinded or ‌switched to a nonconforming site," wrote Chuang, ⁠an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama.

#congress

A U.S. judge on Monday blocked plans to move the FBI's headquarters to a federal office building in Washington, finding that President Donald Trump's administration illegally tossed out a previously approved plan to build a new facility nearby in Maryland.
The ruling is the latest development in a yearslong battle over where to house the main office for the nation's premier law enforcement agency. A site in Greenbelt, Maryland, was picked during former President Joe Biden's administration, but Trump appointees sought to reverse that decision last year in favor of repurposing the Ronald Reagan Building, a federal office complex a few blocks from the FBI's existing headquarters.
U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang, an appointee of President Barack Obama, ruled that the move was " not in accordance with law," and blocked the Trump administration from moving the FBI to the Reagan building, renovating it for the FBI or repurposing funds.
"This is not the first time courts have tried to undermine the administration in its goal to make government more cost-effective for American taxpayers," the FBI said in a statement. "The court has chosen to impermissibly intervene for political reasons. This FBI is mission focused and will continue the best course of action to meet the needs of law enforcement."
The suit was brought by the state of Maryland and Prince George's County.

#administration #maryland #reagan #blocked

WASHINGTON (AP) — Civil rights advocates on Monday said they asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Texas law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments, teeing up a case that could set a new national standard for the limits of state-sponsored religious expression in classrooms.
Over two dozen Texas families represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups petitioned the nation's highest court to overturn a split decision in April by the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The New Orleans-based appeals court's 9-8 ruling upheld the Texas law, which requires public school classrooms to display a state-selected version of the Ten Commandments drawn from the King James Bible.
In their Supreme Court brief, the families' attorneys argue that the law violates basic First Amendment principles governing the separation of church and state.
"The question of whether a state may impose scripture on impressionable, captive-audience children — for nearly every hour of every school day, for up to (13) years — implicates the most fundamental guarantees of the First Amendment and our Nation's highest ideals," they wrote.
The 5th Circuit reversed a lower federal court ruling that had blocked approximately a dozen Texas school districts from putting up the posters. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed the law, which took effect last September.

#first

Nick Reiner has been blocked from accessing his $1.5 million trust fund.
As the 32-year-old prepares for his pretrial hearing, he and his legal team have requested to use the blocked account in order to cover court fees and commissary costs so he can buy "basic necessities" like socks and hygiene products. In the initial petition, he claimed he had not yet received the distribution that was supposed to be allocated when he turned 30.
In the latest development, the previous and incoming fiduciaries set to oversee the trust, Paul Kanin and Jodi Pais Montgomery, have denied his wish, citing California's "slayer statute."
The law prevents individuals from inheriting money or property from a person they "feloniously and intentionally" kill.
In court documents, new trustee Montgomery stated the upcoming trial will decide his access to the trust fund. She said "no distribution should be made until the Court resolves whether" the slayer statute is applicable in Nick's case.

#court #distribution #reiner

Roberto De Zerbi and Matthias Jaissle are at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and St James' Park, respectively. Newcastle United remain interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall, according to The Daily Mail.
Spurs are holding out for a fee in excess of £50 milllion after the Magpies tested their resolve earlier in the summer with a bid of around £46m, which was immediately turned down.
Despite that initial rejection, Newcastle continue to monitor the 'unstoppable' 20-year-old as they look to revamp their midfield.
Bergvall's uncertain status at Tottenham stems from his desire for guaranteed playing time. After choosing Spurs over Barcelona in 2024, leaving Swedish side Djurgardens in a €20m deal, Bergvall enjoyed a productive debut season in London, making 45 appearances in all competitions and helping Tottenham win the Europa League in 2025.
However, his minutes dropped significantly towards the end of last season under Roberto De Zerbi. In the final stretch of the league campaign, Bergvall started just once in Tottenham's last six matches, playing only 112 minutes in total. Competition for places has intensified even further this summer following the arrivals of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. With his pathway to regular football increasingly blocked, Bergvall has informed Tottenham he wants to leave in search of first-team opportunities.

#roberto

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football's 2026 roster is making a late addition.
Safety Caleb Wooden is re-joining the Razorbacks' roster for the upcoming season, Wooden confirmed to the Southwest Times, adding he will return to campus this week. Best of Arkansas Sports originally reported Wooden's inclusion in Ryan Silverfield's plans. The university has not announced his place on the roster.
Wooden began his career at Auburn before transferring to Arkansas for his senior season in 2025. He was out of eligibility until a recent injunction from a federal court ruled all high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted their fourth season of college eligibility this spring are eligible for a fifth season in 2026-27.
Wooden made 11 starts for Arkansas last fall. He tallied 59 total tackles, including three tackles for loss, three pass breakups and two quarterback hurries.
His best game with the Hogs came on the road against LSU. Wooden tied for a team-high seven tackles while also returning a blocked punt for a touchdown.

#wooden #roster

Nick Reiner has been denied access to a trust fund set up by his parents due to a "slayer statute" in California.
This update in his case comes days after it was revealed he was indicted for the fatal stabbings of Rob and Michele Reiner.
Nick is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 15. He is being held on no bail.
Nick Reiner has been blocked from accessing a trust fund set up by his parents to pay for court fees.
The incoming fiduciary set to oversee the trust, Jodi Pais Montgomery, who is obligated to Nick, along with his siblings Romy Reiner and Jake Reiner, is opposing the request for Nick to obtain the $1.5 million trust set up by director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Reiner, who he is accused of killing.

#fund

PHOENIX (AP) — Carla Leite scored 23 points and the Portland Fire rallied to beat Phoenix 88-85 on Sunday night, when the Mercury had halftime and postgame ceremonies celebrating franchise icon Diana Taurasi.
Leite had the final two baskets in a 6-0 run and the expansion Fire (15-20) moved in front 81-80 with 1:12 remaining. Portland's Emily Engstler and the Mercury's Kahleah Copper traded baskets before Katie Lou Samuelson hit the second of two foul shots with 20 seconds left to put the Fire up 84-82.
Bridget Carleton blocked a shot by Copper and grabbed the rebound with 12 seconds to go, then sank two free throws for a four-point lead after Copper fouled her. Alyssa Thomas buried a 3-pointer, but Carleton sank two free throws to preserve the win.
Leite shot 9 for 15 and added five ***** ists. Megan DiLeo had 15 points.
DeWanna Bonner scored 23 to lead Phoenix (13-23). Copper totaled 19 points and seven rebounds. Thomas finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, falling one ***** ist shy of a triple-double.

#leite

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh was impressed with rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields after the team's 13-10 preseason loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday afternoon.
Harbaugh praised Fields for his all-around performance, highlighted by a contested touchdown catch from quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Dart found Fields on the left side of the end zone for the score with 13:32 remaining in the second quarter. The 6-foot-4 Fields elevated over 5-foot-10 Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. to secure the ball.
"I thought he played all around really well," Harbaugh said. "He did some things on special teams, which was cool to see. He practices that every day really well. He blocked exceptionally well in the run game as a wide receiver in some of those insert blocks and going to get to safeties and things like that, tremendously. Thought he ran his routes really well.
"Even when he didn't get the ball, the routes were run correctly. Right depths, right amount of steps, right splits. All those things that make so much of a difference that, really honestly, we need to clean up across the board to present better pictures for our quarterback. He did all those things really well. He didn't play like a rookie out there. It was really fun to see. Now, hey, keep getting better."

#fields #things #rookie

Aug 14 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday cleared the way for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to strip nearly 1,100 Somalis ‌of legal protections against deportation that have allowed them to live and ‌work in the United States.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston allowed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to terminate the Temporary Protected Status designation for Somalia after the U.S. Supreme Court in June allowed the administration to end similar protections for thousands of people from Haiti and Syria.
The Supreme Court's ruling, powered by its 6-3 ‌conservative majority, curtailed the ability ⁠of judges to review DHS efforts under Trump to end TPS designations for 13 countries that provided humanitarian immigration protection ⁠to eligible migrants from those nations.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs and DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Two other judges last week allowed the administration to similarly end TPS for South Sudan and Myanmar. Only the end of TPS for ‌Ethiopia remains blocked by a judge.

#supreme #judges #reuters #Friday

The Los Angeles Rams started the preseason with a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, riding their backups and reserves to a 20-12 win. Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson led the offense, while the second- and third-team defense kept the Chiefs out of the end zone for all 60 minutes.
It was a quality performance all around, but a handful of players stood out with particularly strong performances on the road.
How could Simpson not be considered a standout? He had the best stat line of any rookie quarterback in the preseason so far, completing 21 of 25 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Both touchdown passes were short, and one was on a screen to the running back, but the throws he made throughout the game were on time and with good accuracy.
We may not fully know what the Rams have in Simpson until he takes the reins from Matthew Stafford, but it was a great start in his NFL debut on Saturday.
Klare was Simpson's safety valve against the Chiefs, catching seven of eight targets for 37 yards. He caught a lot of short, quick passes in the flat, showing reliable hands at the catch point. He also blocked well in the run game, which will make him a player who could carve out a role for himself in the next two years.

#passes #saturday #preseason #short

Does No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza being emotional on the podium in early August preseason raise the question of taking too much blame on himself? Why did his 'good guy' vibe grab so much attention from a former coach?
The Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback faced the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday.
Mendoza finished 10 of 16 passing for 97 yards and threw a touchdown to wide receiver Jack Bech.
But Indiana's product wasn't happy, Mendoza feels there was a lack of timing. About his professional debut, he says:
"Overall, I felt the group that I was in with, they blocked fantastic," Mendoza said. "They had great routes. The run game was good. Unfortunately, I let my teammates down today. But it's a growing experience."

#good

Inter outcast Davide Frattesi is reportedly on the verge of joining Lazio on a season-long loan. According to Calciomercato, the Italian midfielder is set to sign for the Biancocelesti after the Lega Serie A unblocked his move to the Stadio Olimpico.
Frattesi has been on the fringes at the Giuseppe Meazza over the last two years. However, Inter refused to let him join Atletico Madrid last summer as Cristian Chivu vowed to help the former Sassuolo man reignite his career in Lombardy.
Chivu failed to live up to his pre-season promise, handing the 26-year-old just three Serie A starts in 2025/26. Tired of playing second fiddle to Nicolo Barella, Frattesi requested the transfer at the end of last season, and Inter are about to grant his wish.
Roma and Juventus had been keen on Frattesi, but the player is now one step away from joining Lazio.
Frattesi's contract at Meazza runs out next summer. Therefore, time is not on Inter's side, as they must find a way to cash in on their unsettled star quickly. Allowing him to move to Lazio on loan will reportedly pour around €5 million into the club's coffers.

#frattesi #meazza

WASHINGTON (AP) — The battle over the Kennedy Center's future escalated Thursday as President Donald Trump's allies on the board took new steps to commemorate him with physical changes to the iconic performing arts institution that could defy a federal court order.
During an hourslong meeting that was conducted virtually, the board voted to add Trump's name to the building's facade so it would read "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump." The plaza in front of the building would be named after Trump and most of the ****** e at the venue would be closed for two years to allow for substantial renovations.
The changes, described by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who is an ex-officio board member, and her lawyers, amount to a dramatic test of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper.
He ruled in May that letters affixed to the building that spelled out Trump's name were added illegally and he ordered their removal, a decision that the Republican administration failed to persuade courts to overturn. At the same time, Cooper blocked a two-year closure that was set to take effect July 5, saying an earlier board vote authorizing the shuttering was "ill-informed and seemingly preordained."
"This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the Court's ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed," Beatty said in a statement. "I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument."

#changes

Indianapolis Colts' special teams coordinator Brian Mason suffered a significant knee injury on the final play of the team's first preseason game against the New England Patriots.
According to the Indy Star's Joel Erickson, Mason "has multiple torn knee ligaments." Mason did fly back with the team on Thursday night.
The injury occurred when a Colts player and a Patriots player were locked as they blocked each other and went flying onto the Colts' sideline, where Mason was knocked over. He was immediately in significant pain.
What this injury means for Mason in the immediate future as far as coaching the special teams unit still remains to be seen.
Of note, Joe Hastings is the Colts' senior **** istant special teams coach. The 2026 season will be Hastings' sixth with the Colts and third in his current role.

#colts #teams

The Buffalo Bills opened their brand new $2.2 billion Highmark Stadium on Saturday. And instead of wowing the NFL world, the stadium has been under the microscope for its shortcomings given the price tag.
And now, one of the lead architects behind the project has spoken out.
In the days since the Bills' Blue & Red practice, photos of obstructed-view seating throughout the 60,108-seat venue have been all over social media. In the photos, portions of the field were blocked by overhangs, sharp angles in the structure and even stairways with plexiglass barriers that led into the aisles.
The Bills released a statement on Monday about the stadium criticism. And at the time, the Kansas City-based architecture firm, Populous, declined comment to For The Win. On Wednesday, though, Jonathan Mallie — the managing director of Populous' Americas practice — called into Buffalo's WGR 550 to explain why the stairways were designed that way at Highmark Stadium.
Mallie said that there had to be a trade-off in order to provide 360-degree stadium views from the concourse:

#populous

Wayne Barrow granted summary judgment on two claims in a court case against Faith Evans over control of The Notorious B.I.G.'s intellectual property
Barrow was named sole trustee by the rapper's mother Voletta Wallace before her death, replacing Evans' son C.J.
Evans allegedly blocked Barrow's rights to the trust, but the court ruled in his favor to manage the legacy
The Notorious B.I.G.'s former manager Wayne Barrow has secured a win in court over the rapper's widow Faith Evans, who he claims has tried to block him from his rightful share of the late star's trust.
A Delaware judge sided with Barrow in a judgment published on Aug. 7 that centers on management of the rapper's intellectual property and trustee appointments made by his mother Voletta Wallace before her death in 2025.

#claims

Good luck finding any Big 12 season previews that don't spend 1/3 of their ****** e talking about Brandon Sorsby. That subject has been covered to death, so I'm limiting myself to merely mentioning that he will not be the QB for Texas Tech this season. The gap he leaves creates one of the bigger question marks in a conference. Even with that uncertainty, the Red Raiders will enter the season as favorites to defend their conference championship and make it back to the CFP. Who are the teams best situated to challenge Texas Tech for the conference ****** le and possibly make the Big 12 a two-bid league?
Texas Tech
Texas Tech has arguably adapted to the NIL/Transfer Portal era better than any team in the country, unsavory as it may be. Alum/Benefactor/Oil Tycoon/Slimeball Cody Campbell has given the team one of the top NIL budgets in the country and they have used it to elevate their talent level a clear cut above their in-conference competition. Last year, they last a single conference game, hammered the next two teams consistently over three combined meetings (BYU and Utah), finished in the top 10 in Offensive and Defensive SP+, and made a run to the CFP Quarterfinals. This year, Will Hammond looks like the starting QB, once he fully recovers from a torn ACL suffered early last season. Hammond is unspectacular, but gets the job done. The rest of the roster is loaded. RB Cameron ****** ey might be the biggest star, but the offensive line is probably the best overall unit. Even WR looks great with four big-time transfers coming in. They also took in basically an entire starting-quality defensive lineup through the transfer portal despite having decent returning production. They might not have anyone as dominant as DE David Bailey, but they are incredibly deep with proven players everywhere on the depth chart. Like Miami in the ACC, something would have to go horribly wrong to offset the talent advantage they have over the rest of the conference.
BYU
The Cougars once again fought to retain Kalani Sitake after another season where they performed above expectations. QB Bear Bachmeier was good as a true freshman, which usually means there is room to grow into being a true star. They reloaded their offensive line, including UW tackle prospect Paki Finau, who was blocked on the depth chart in Seattle. There are two question marks related to departures They have to replace their top three receivers from a season ago without obvious backfills. They also lost their DC, Jay Hill, to Michigan. Despite the loss of Hill, the defense returns lots of experience and production, which should ease the transition for promoted LB coach Kelly Poppinga. As is often the case with BYU teams under Sitake, the question will be about the offensive explosiveness. If Bachmeier has the receivers to make enough big plays, it looks like the defense and the running game should support a real contender.

#offensive #make #teams

DiJonai Carrington entered Climate Pledge Arena on Monday night with a chaotic news cycle surrounding her.
The Chicago Sky guard responded to criticism by ripping through the Seattle Storm's defense for a career-high 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals off the bench.
Carrington blocked out the noise surrounding her weekend ejection for a hard foul on Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and the subsequent fallout, generating buzz on social media.
Fans and ***** ysts had spent the last 48 hours eagerly discussing Carrington's Flagrant 2 foul against Cunningham and the Sky guard's controversial post following her ejection.
After delivering a questionable defense of her "white privilege" post and the backlash, Carrington showed no signs of distraction against the Storm.

#guard #defense #foul #climate

Courts have blocked President Donald Trump's earlier attempts to use existing laws for his trade war, but Congress is advancing a new law that would provide broad discretion to impose steep tariffs.
In an 86-to-11 vote, the Senate passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 on Friday, with the House expected to approve the bill with similar bipartisan support next month.
It sanctions Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior Kremlin officials while also targeting the country's energy sector to cripple the economy amid its war on Ukraine.
The bill would let Trump impose fresh tariffs as high as 100% on the top five importers of Russian oil and gas. While that could include U.S. allies like the European Union, South Korea, ******* an as well as top trading partners like China and India, the president also has the ability to issue waivers if he deems it "in the national interest of the United States."
Despite the overwhelming support, Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., tried to remove the bill's tariff authority, but failed.

#russian #bill #like #courts

Senate Democrats blocked a key component of the SAVE America Act that, in the past, they have supported.
During the wee hours of Saturday morning, Senate Republicans tried and failed to get Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his colleagues to back a stripped back voter ID bill amid a spree of last-minute legislative business.
But Senate Democrats, including Schumer, have for years espoused support for identification to vote. Several states with Democratic senators have voter ID laws, too.
Schumer, Democrats Say They Support Voter Id, Then Block Gop Amendment To Require It
U.S. Senate Minority Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a news conference following a weekly policy luncheon with Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on June 2, 2026 in Washington, D.C.

#democrats #chuck #save #America

Giants head coach John Harbaugh brought Patrick Ricard with him from Baltimore this offseason and the team is bringing another defensive lineman turned fullback into training camp.
They announced the signing of Grant Finley on Thursday. Finley was primarily a defensive lineman over four seasons at Missouri Western, but worked out for NFL scouts at both positions during a pro day and attended the Giants' rookie minicamp.
Finley had 21 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick during his final college season.
Ricard saw action on both sides of the ball after playing defense at Maine, but has been solely a fullback for the last six seasons.
The Giants waived Tyler Moore to make room for Finley on their roster.

#ricard #fullback #tackles

Over the course of the summer transfer window, Real Madrid have managed to raise almost €200m through player sales. Despite this, more stars are on the verge of being sold, with the vast majority being La Fabrica talents.
Earlier this week, Real Madrid sold Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios to Fulham for a combined €50m. Thiago Pitarch could be about to join them, while Jorge Cestero has been linked with a move to Ligue 1 side Lille. And now, the latest player added to the list of possible departees is Jacobo Ortega, who has been a revelation with Castilla over the last 12 months.
Ortega, who scored six times for Castilla during the 2025-26 season, is considered to be another top talent in La Fabrica. However, his pathway to the first team was blocked after Real Madrid moved to sign Carlos Espi, and now, it is taken for granted that he will depart on a permanent basis before the transfer window closes.
Right now, a move to France appears to be most likely. As per ESPN's Rodra, Real Madrid are in talks with Strasbourg over a deal for Ortega that could end up netting the club another €8m.
Any deal would include a 50% sell-on clause, which Real Madrid always insist on when selling La Fabrica players. However, this conditions means that Strasbourg are not prepared to pay €8m, and thus, they will attempt to reduce the cost during upcoming club-to-club negotiations.

#madrid #window

The Miami Dolphins are in the middle of their training camp, where the players are learning the techniques that the team's new coaching staff would like them to use when they take the field for the first time in Week 1.
With Jeff Hafley taking over, the Dolphins secondary, which is almost completely new, will likely get some extra coaching points, as that's where Hafley worked before rising up to defensive coordinator and now head coach.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Hafley actually revealed one trait of defensive backs that he hates to see.
"Yeah, I don't ever want to stay blocked," Hafley said. "If you ever show me a corner who's engaged with the receiver and he's letting that receiver block him and he stays blocked, that's not okay with me. Like that drives me absolutely crazy because all that is, is toughness and a mentality that there's no way a receiver is going to stay on me and block me. So you need to learn how to block release and leverage the ball and get to the ball.
"I think when you look at a football team in general, the way I view a defense is when I turn on the tape, whether it's our team or another team, if the corners are physical and they're tackling, it's usually a pretty tough team. It's like when I watch wide receivers, if I'm watching a tape and wide receivers are blocking down the field and they're getting after DBs and linebackers and defensive ends, it's usually a sign that's a pretty tough team. So corners who stay on blocks, that's not okay with me"

#defensive

The transfer market is reaching boiling point while institutional football goes through turbulent times. This August 5 comes loaded with top-level meetings in Madrid and Morocco, tensions in Vallecas, moves involving young South American prospects heading to Serie A, and an emotional tribute that has broken the hearts of both Barça and Milan fans alike.
FC Barcelona sporting director Deco has urgently traveled to Madrid to hold a summit meeting with Julián Álvarez's camp. The Blaugrana club is looking to draw up the final strategy and try to sign the Argentine striker before the market closes, with the player's own approval to push for his departure.
Franco Mastantuono's move to Fiorentina is on the verge of being unblocked. Real Madrid views a loan or a transfer with an option to buy for the Argentine gem to a top-level Serie A club very positively, in order to guarantee his development in a highly competitive league.
Milan turned out in force for the final and emotional farewell to legend Franco Baresi. Thousands of fans packed the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio for a funeral where historic figures such as Maldini, Van Basten, and Baggio said goodbye through tears and applause to the eternal Rossonero captain.
Gianni Infantino has called an emergency meeting in Rabat alongside top FIFA executives and figures such as Arsène Wenger. Pressure is mounting on the organization's president following disagreements with member ****** ociations over commercial plans and the global calendar.

#madrid #franco #market

Pittsford, N.Y. | Through minicamp and four days of Buffalo Bills training camp, nothing about Kaleb Elarms-Orr indicates he's rookie.
That is… besides the fact he was indeed selected by Brandon Beane in the middle of the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Immediately repping with the first-team unit at the outset of practices at St. John Fisher University, Elarms-Orr has looked like he's done this all before, regularly directing teammates pre-snap, and more importantly, acting as a magnet to the football against the run and in coverage.
And during Tuesday's practice, Elarms-Orr's edgy play sparked a large scuffle when he hit Dalton Kincaid after the tight end made a snag going to the ground during team drills.
The late-ish hit came following a KEO tackle of Ty Johnson on what looked like a perfectly blocked run play until the rookie linebacker emphatically closed the lane with a thudding hit.

#pittsford #buffalo