The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 6-1 and ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25 after losing to the BYU Cougars on the road, 28-24. This week the Irish get to stay at home and eat cheeseburgers… and we could all use the break.
It was a completely wild week around CFB.
There are 5 sets of stats that we will keep track of here on a week to week basis; Total Offense, Total Defense, Scoring Offense, Scoring Defense, and Sagarin. Here is where the Irish currently stand:
Total Offense — No. 35 / 445.1 ypg
Total Defense — No. 1 / 235 ypg

#scoring #here #notre

Motherhood has felt noticeably different for Megan Fox this time, with the birth of her daughter Saga. The actress says her youngest child has brought her a calm she had not known before. The key difference, she said, is she "got to do everything in a different way" and not go straight back to work.
In an exclusive conversation with People, Megan Fox, 40, reflected on life with Saga Blade, her fourth child. "This is the first time I did not have to go back to work right away, so my postpartum experience has been very different," Fox said. "I've been able to really be with her the way I wanted to be."
Saga's birth was also unlike the others. "She's also the first one I didn't have in a hospital," the actress said. "I had her at home, in a tub, in the backyard, outside by a fire pit."
Fox and MGK welcomed their daughter in 2025. Fox has three other kids, Noah, 14, Bodhi, 12, and Journey, 10, with ex-husband Brian Austin Green. Returning to work early after her sons were born was hard on her, she explained. "It affected my mental health, and it affected my physical health as well," Fox said.
With the birth of her youngest, Fox is glad she could be around more. "Being able to really be present with her has been something that I love, and I'm so grateful that I got the chance to do it this way," she said.

#different #youngest

President Trump was photographed this week on board Air Force One examining a large poster with the words "Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED" printed above a rendering of a construction site, heightening concerns that his administration wants to raze Washington, D.C.'s iconic performing arts venue if his name is not added to its facade.
"I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition," the president told reporters before he boarded the plane Wednesday in North Carolina. "Because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down."
Trump's comments and the photographs that followed are the latest developments in a convoluted saga that started when he dismissed the center's trustees in February 2025 — just days after returning to office — and replaced them with loyalists who elected him chairman.
Despite several legal setbacks, Trump's handpicked board has been pushing ever since to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which was built as a "living memorial" to the slain 35th president, after the White House's current occupant.
The day before Trump was photographed with the "Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED" poster, his appointees voted to close the center's main building for renovations. Does this mean Trump will bulldoze the Kennedy Center if he doesn't get the "recognition" he wants? Here's what we know — and what we don't.

#performing

BATON ROUGE — Was there a loser in the Lane Kiffin decision saga?
Late last season, Ole Miss was in the midst of its best regular season in program history, ultimately going 11-1. The Rebels, thanks to Kiffin, his star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy, were on their way to the College Football Playoff for the first time.
In the middle of that, Kiffin was conversing with LSU about its football head coaching job opening. Come season's end, Kiffin decided to take the LSU position. Despite wanting to stay on to coach the Rebels through the CFP, Ole Miss leadership would not allow him to do so.
KIFFIN: LSU NO PRESSURE VS OLE MISS 'Hatred' all Lane Kiffin's way, he says LSU players can just go play vs Ole Miss
LSU-OLE MISS CONTENT HUB LSU vs Ole Miss | Predictions, odds, key matchups and injuries

#miss #rebels #season #late

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse Orange missed several redzone opportunities, turned the ball over at costly times and committed numerous penalties to undo all of their hard work against the Golden Bears. A game in which the offensive numbers looked far better for Syracuse ended in a Cal 21-18 win when Golden Bears safety Kingston Lopa housed a pick six for the eventual winning score with 4:51 left in the 4th quarter.
Syracuse started the game with the ball, and fireworks showed immediately. Tylik Hill ripped a 55 yard rush on the second play of the game to immediately put the Orange in a goal-to-go situation. Syracuse couldn't convert and settled for a Tripp Woody field goal to open the scoring at 3-0.
Cal set its intentions early by playing in empty sets for much of its first drive. Although the Golden Bears got a first down, impressive pressure from Keyshawn Johnson and Dillan Fontus on 3rd down stalled the first Cal drive before midfield.
Syracuse's second drive saw the return of Justus Ross-Simmons, newly eligible after a long and nervous legal battle. He snagged the first Orange reception of the day, going 22 yards up the right sideline. Shavane Anderson Jr. also started to show that his first week performance wasn't a fluke with a pair of good eight-yard gains to move the chains. The Orange had to punt, however, to end their second drive of the day.
Cal showed more of its pass heavy offense, led by its star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. After moving the chains with some good outside passes, JKS finally targeted his top receiver, Ian Strong on a third down play. Syracuse had ****** r Ward instead of Chris Peal covering Strong on this play, but Ward did a great job to force an incompletion and end Cal's second drive.

#orange #game #play #down

The bitter saga between Francis Ngannou and Dana White continues nearly four years after the Cameroonian parted ways with the UFC. For the unversed, Ngannou left the promotion in January 2023 after fighting out his contract, with negotiations breaking down over his desire to pursue boxing and other contractual demands.
White has repeatedly claimed that Ngannou is not a nice person to deal with and that he would never do business with him. Now, he has admitted that he was rooting against Ngannou when the heavyweight champion defended his ****** le against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
For the unversed, the fight took place in January 2022 and marked Ngannou's final Octagon appearance. The Cameroonian successfully defended his heavyweight crown before leaving the UFC after negotiations failed to reach an agreement that would keep him with the promotion.
ALSO READ: Justin Gaethje Breaks Down Ilia Topuria's Emotional and Technical Flaws at UFC Freedom 250
White even considers Ngannou as unlikable as Oscar de la Hoya, his longtime promotional rival. During an interview with BigBoyTV, he said, "Listen, Ngannou is on my Oscar De La Hoya list. Look at the history of Francis Ngannou and the other companies he's been with since. He's a bad guy, man. He's a bad guy. I'm just at a point in my life where I don't want to do business with bad guys. I just don't."

#ngannou

The tiresome ongoing saga with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua may be nearing a conclusion, with a fight actually happening.
Gareth A Davies is reporting that Cardiff is the new "leading contender" to host the bout on December 4 or 11, provided officials in the Welsh city sign off on an extended curfew, which had become a major issue for the originally agreed location, London's Wembley Stadium.
As you've surely heard by now, Turki Alalshikh — whose backing is paying for the massively expensive, long-overdue showdown — and Netflix have wanted the fight at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Matchroom/Joshua side had balked at this, having signed to fight in the UK.
The latest word is that Cardiff, which was always sort of a darkhorse contender to host the fight, is the new frontrunner, and we may actually get this deal done and see the fight happen. Principality Stadium has a roof, so weather won't be a concern for the fight itself.
Joshua (30-4, 27 KO) has fought at the venue before, beating Carlos Takam there in 2017 and Joseph Parker in 2018. He's 3-0 in Cardiff as a pro, having also defeated Dorian Darch at Cardiff International Arena in 2014. Fury (36-2-1, 25 KO) has never fought in Cardiff, but has stated repeatedly during the drama around this fight that he was willing to go anywhere.

#cardiff #tyson

Backup center Ryan Hollins was the fourth player in Charlotte Hornets franchise history to wear the No. 1, doing so for a brief stretch as a member of the Charlotte Bobcats. A former No. 50 overall pick out of UCLA, Hollins played two and a half seasons in Charlotte before being traded along with Matt Carroll to the Dallas Mavericks for DeSagana Diop.
In 105 games for the Bobcats, Hollins averaged 2.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.2 **** ists, 0.2 steals and 0.5 blocks. Following his time in Charlotte, Hollins would go on to play seven more seasons, giving himself an impressive 10-year NBA career. In 518 career appearances, Hollins averaged 3.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.3 **** ists, 0.2 steals and 0.5 blocks. Since his playing days, Hollins has served as a basketball **** yst and pundit for a variety of different outlets.
Throughout the season, Rookie Wire is documenting the jersey number history of the Charlotte Hornets
Previous: Tony Delk, Robert Parish, Spencer Hawes, Theron Smith, Jeff McInnis, Larry Hughes, Bismack Biyombo, Briante Weber, Miles Bridges, Muggsy Bogues, Baron Davis, Jason Hart
For more NBA content, check out the BasketBaltes podcast:

#hollins #seasons

Dana White hasn't kept his hate for Francis Ngannou private.
Once praising him as the baddest man on the planet, White quickly rescinded those comments and had a complete change of heart toward the Cameroonian. Both men fail to hide their hatred for the other, and rumors surfaced late last year of a previous physical altercation between the two, in which the former UFC heavyweight champion put his hands on the boss. Since then, their bitter feud has grown to an unprecedented extent, making it one of the most intense sagas between fighter and employer in company history.
Dana White having problems with a fighter isn't a new occurrence. He has famously feuded with many of his top stars over the years, but the Francis Ngannou problems run deep. According to White, Ngannou is blacklisted. He even sees the ***** an on the same level as Oscar de la Hoya, a man he has been at odds with for close to a decade.
Discussing his disdain for Ngannou, White turned to problems the fighter has with other promotions, hinting at his underwhelming time competing for the PFL.
"Listen, Ngannou is on my Oscar de la Hoya list," White said. "Look at the history of Francis Ngannou and the other companies he's been with. He's a bad guy, man. He's a bad guy."

#white #francis #fighter #oscar

On this episode of the College Football Enquirer Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey break down the latest between LSU and the SEC... Is this saga finally coming to an end?
From there we dive into Ohio State going down to Austin to take on the Longhorns, as well as Michigan welcoming the Sooners to Ann Arbor.
To round out the show We've Got a Feeling about week 2 matchups!
00:00 Show Rundown
00:38 The SEC no longer seeking expulsion for LSU

#dellenger

A federal court on Sept. 9 dismissed a lawsuit between former Memphis football receiver Cortez Braham and the NCAA, ending a legal saga that stretched on for more than a year.
Braham initially sued the NCAA in 2025 to get an additional year of eligibility. He was granted a preliminary injunction before transferring to Memphis, where he was the Tigers' leading receiver in 2025. After the season ended, Braham's lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
The NCAA fought it, saying in legal filings that it wanted to enforce the "rule of restitution" against Memphis for playing a player they said should have been ineligible. Lawyers for both sides argued their cases in a Las Vegas courtroom in March.
A ruling finally came on Sept. 9, when the panel of judges ruled that the case was moot and dismissed it.
"Famously, in sports, "it ain't over 'til it's over." But, in this case, it's over," Judge Gabriel P. Sanchez wrote. "The game clock has run out on the 2025 college football season. With these appeals, the NCAA attempts one last Hail Mary pass: asking us to reverse the preliminary injunctions granted to these college football players that allowed them to play in the now complete 2025 season. Because these injunctions have already expired and these players' collegiate careers are over, no effective relief can be granted to the NCAA. We therefore dismiss these appeals as moot."

#granted #season #braham #lawyers

Lautaro Martinez has offered his support to Julian Alvarez after the Atletico Madrid forward's failed move to Barcelona, admitting that the situation surrounding his Argentina teammate has been difficult.
Alvarez remained at Atletico despite Barcelona's interest and the player's desire to make the move to Catalonia.
The Spanish transfer window eventually closed without an agreement being reached, leaving the 26-year-old to continue his career in Madrid.
With the transfer saga still attracting attention, Lautaro was asked about his international teammate ahead of Inter Milan's Champions League meeting with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Inter captain revealed that he had personally contacted Alvarez and made it clear that he was behind him during a complicated period.

#teammate #transfer

MELBOURNE, Australia - The mystery is solved.
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris told reporters ahead of Tuesday's practice at AAMI Park in Melbourne that defensive end Nick Bosa will play in the season-opener against the Los Angeles Rams.
"Oh, he's going out there," Morris said, after initially giving an unclear response and being asked to clarify in a follow-up question. "Whatever you want to say, he's going. He'll be there. We're not hiding that."
The announcement of Bosa's return ends more than a month-long saga since the 28-year-old began missing training camp practices. Bosa, who's coming off a torn right ACL, was dealing with lingering tendinitis from his recovery early in August.
Then, he suddenly returned for one practice last Wednesday, the morning of the 49ers' flight to Australia. After that practice, Bosa said his body felt great and that he was preparing to play.

#morris #play #going

BERKELEY, Calif. — Wayne Knight ran for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter following interceptions by Ta'Shawn James and UCLA opened the Bob Chesney era with a 45-24 victory over California on Saturday night.
Both teams entered the season with new coaches and high hopes but Chesney's team got the best against Tosh Lupoi's Golden Bears by capitalizing on the late miscues by quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.
"It was a lot of fun," Chesney said. "That was a battle."
Knight, who came from James Madison along with Chesney, scored on a 31-yard run midway through the fourth one play after James' first interception on a pass that went off Ian Strong's hands. Knight then made it 38-24 when he scored on a 4-yard run with 2:58 to play following the second takeaway by James.
Anthony Woods sealed it with a 53-yard touchdown run as the Bruins used 37 new players in the win.

#knight #chesney #scored

The Tosh Lupoi Era for the Cal football team began in Berkeley on Saturday night with a full house at Memorial Stadium and plenty of thrills. What it ultimately lacked, however, was a victory for the Bears, who saw UCLA score three fourth-quarter touchdowns to claim a 45-24 victory with a majority of Cal fans clearing out of their seats before the final whistle.
It seemed nothing could stop Cal after sophomore Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele delivered three consecutive completions to take the Bears 87 yards into the end zone in just 38 seconds to cut the Bears' deficit to 21-17 toward the end of the first half.
With the Memorial Stadium home crowd roaring and the powers of their star quarterback on full display in the moon-balls he summoned, it felt like nothing could stop the Bears from satisfying the hype that the team spent the last eight months cultivating. A start to what the program hoped could be a Cinderella season.
And then the clock struck midnight.
The UCLA offensive line began to mash Cal in the trenches. Bruins running backs Wayne Knight and Jaivian Thomas started to steamroll through tackles and break containment. And the Sagapolutele magic turned into dust as a mishandled snap on a fourth-down and two fourth-quarter interceptions - one off the hands of his receiver and the other right to defense (both to the Bruins' Ta'Shawn James) - gave UCLA the momentum to take the game and run.

#team

James Madison transfer running back Wayne Knight ran for three touchdowns and the UCLA defense found its footing in the fourth quarter, overpowering former conference rival California and kicking off the Bob Chesney era with a 45-24 win.
There was a brief injury scare to quarterback Nico Iamaleava, but by then, the Bruins had effectively won the game with two things they did poorly a season ago: rushing and defense.
UCLA outscored Cal 21-0 in the fourth quarter off two interceptions from transfer safety Ta'Shawn James, who picked off Cal's Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele on a deep third-down attempt. Knight ran for a 31-yard touchdown on the next play to help give UCLA a 31-24 lead with 8:46 left to go.
James' next interception with 7:31 left led to Knight's third touchdown on a four-yard run.
Anthony Woods broke free for a 53-yard touchdown run on the Bruins' final possession for his second touchdown of the game and UCLA's sixth — all on the ground. Last season, the Bruins ran for eight total.

#knight

The Bob Chesney Era is off and running for the UCLA Bruins. The Bruins outlasted the Cal Bears Saturday night, picking up a 45-24 victory to move to 1-0 on the 2026 season.
It was a hard-fought win to begin Chesney's tenure, as Cal and quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele battled late into Saturday night but UCLA's defense got three turnovers and three sacks in the win.
The UCLA offense shined too. Aside from a red zone interception by Nico Iamaleava, Dean Kennedy's offense shined. UCLA rushed for 279 yards with James Madison transfer Wayne Knight looking like a star, and finding the end zone three times in his UCLA debut.
It was a balanced rushing attack, with the Bruins' offensive line winning up front, creating holes on the ground for Knight, Anthony Woods, Jaivian Thomas and Iamaleava on the ground. While Knight found the end zone three times, Woods scored twice and totaled 118 yards on only eight carries. As a team, UCLA averaged 9.0 yards per carry.
UCLA left meat on the bone late in the first half, as an Iamaleava interception led to a Cal touchdown but that didn't instill fear in the offense, as Iamaleava found Matthews for a deep pass to set up a last-second field goal to give the Bruins a 24-17 halftime lead.

#ucla #three #zone #woods

Cody Campbell defends Texas Tech's handling of Brendan Sorsby, calls some Big 12 coaches 'idiots' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Cody Campbell has never shied away from controversy and his latest comments are further proof why the Texas Tech billionaire donor is seeking retribution in the 2026 college football season.
Campbell was part of the new Paramount+ documentary on the Red Raiders, ******* led 'The Program', which detailed the situation with Brendan Sorsby's gambling saga. The four-part series went behind-the-scenes as the chairman of the Texas Tech Board of Regents aired his feelings on Sorsby getting booted to the NFL.
"Looking back on it, I know that Texas Tech and I handled everything with integrity. And we did things the right way," Campbell says in the documentary. "We're not going to forget about that. And I don't think they'll forget about it either when we're up by 40 and still throwing the ball in the fourth quarter."
It felt like Campbell was blowing off steam. But his comments posted on social media before the Red Raiders took the field on Saturday are a continuation of his frustration with the Sorsby situation.

#raiders

NEW DELHI: The no-handshake saga between India and Pakistan continued in women's cricket as Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana once again refrained from exchanging the customary gesture during the toss ahead of their Women's Asia Cup 2026 clash in Dubai on Saturday.

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana won the toss and elected to bat first, with the latest India-Pakistan encounter beginning with the now-familiar absence of a handshake between the two captains.

The no-handshake stance has continued across India-Pakistan cricket encounters since last year, with the protocol also observed when the two sides met during the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup in Birmingham.

The focus, however, quickly shifted to the contest itself, with Pakistan looking to post a challenging total after opting to bat.

"We're gonna bat first because we want to put a maximum total here. [Did the last game influence this decision?] Yeah, because we know we have a good bowling side, so we will try to restrict them. [How have you addressed the batting wobble?] We had a good chat with the team, and we just want to play according to the pitch," Sana said.
India entered the contest in a strong position after winning their opening two matches against Thailand and Hong Kong, China, and securing a place in the semi-finals. Pakistan, meanwhile, began their campaign with a win over Thailand and still have a group-stage game against Hong Kong, China after the India clash.

India have also enjoyed a dominant recent record against their neighbours in T20Is, having won nine of their last 10 meetings, with their only defeat in that stretch coming during the 2022 Asia Cup.

Harmanpreet said India were happy to bowl first, backing their bowling attack to restrict Pakistan to a manageable total.

"Our bowling is doing great in this tournament, and good to get the opportunity to bowl first. [How challenging is chasing?] I think while batting it's always about giving ourselves some time and then going for your shots. And I think the first two games we did really well in that department, and hopefully we'll continue. [On leading for the 150th time in T20Is] Great achievement. But the key is to keep enjoying yourself on the field, and that is key; I try to keep up with that. [What score would you like to chase?] We'll try to restrict them to a short total, so there won't be pressure while chasing," she said.
The India captain also entered the record books on Saturday, becoming the first cricketer — male or female — to captain in 150 T20I matches.

Harmanpreet's landmark came in the same match in which India are aiming to complete a perfect three wins from three in the group stage.

Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu is second on the list with 121 matches as captain, followed by Australia's Meg Lanning on 100.

IND vs PAK Playing XIs:
India XI: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Nandani Sharm

The University of North Carolina's football program has struggled, as they currently hold a losing record under head coach Bill Belichick. Amid the losses, UNC general manager Michael Lombardi has resigned after being placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation. And recently, the current defensive coordinator Steve Belichick is also under investigation on suspicion of drug use while on the job. ESPN ****** yst Kevin Clark gives his take on the UNC saga as the team is only one game into their 2026 season.
On the latest episode of First Take, Clark was asked, "Should UNC already regret hiring Bill Belichick?" to which he gave a brazen response, ripping Belichick and the organization as a whole for their incompetence.
"Yeah, yes, and part of it, there's so much that goes into it; part of it is that the ceiling is eight wins, nine wins for Bill Belichick in college football. They simply don't have the resources; they don't want to put the resources towards building a playoff team. And I think that there was maybe an expectation that this was going to be old college football, and that Belichick could go into a living room and say 'look at my Super Bowl rings' and get five stars. That is no longer the case, if it ever was the case," Clark said.
"This is UNC football; it's always going to be on the back burner. So what this has done, this era in the last two years, has brought embarrassment to the university; the Michael Lombardi saga has brought more embarrassment to it, and now we have the Steve Belichick investigation; it's not gonna work from a football perspective and hasn't worked from an on-field perspective… Yes, they should regret hiring Bill Belichick, and yes, I think it will end sooner rather than later."
As the 1-0 Tar Heels try to look past the off-field turmoil, their next matchup will be a home opener against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers on August 12th.

#bill

It's a full weekend of USMNT soccer including several possibilities for head-to-head matchups. We have players still looking to make their season debut as well as some who are needing to reestablish themselves after staying put despite indications that they would, or should, be moving elsewhere. There is quite a bit on, so here we go:
Olympique Lyon v Auxerre — 1:00p ET: Tanner Tessmann did not appear last weekend for Lyon as the team settled for a 1-1 draw with Le Havre. Tessmann had played midweek for the team in their Champions League qualification match so perhaps it was just rotation as players look to gain their mid-season form.
PSG v Monaco — 3:05p on beIN Sports: After a wild transfer saga back and forth Folarin Balogun remains at Monaco, at least until January. However, he was not included in Friday's matchday squad and apparently was left off the team's Conference League roster as well so it looks as though he has work to do to gain back a position at the club.
NYCFC v Nashville SC — 7:30p on Apple TV: Matt Freese and NYCFC look to snap a five match winless streak on Friday night but they'll have to do it against league leading Nashville who have won four straight and have a nine point lead in the Supporters Shield standings.
Newcastle v Bournemouth — 7:30a on USA Network/Peacock: For the second straight week Tyler Adams came off the bench and Bournemouth conceded a late goal to drop points as Everton scored in stoppage time to draw level. Bournemouth will travel to Newcastle this weekend in search of their first win of the season as they face a Newcastle side coming off a 2-0 win over Tottenham.

#league #season #tessmann #nashville

Xabi Alonso says it is time for Chelsea to "move forward" following the departure of Enzo Fernandez and failure to sign Lamine Camara as his replacement.
The drawn-out saga surrounding the Argentine midfielder's future ended on Transfer Deadline Day when he reunited with Enzo Maresca at Manchester City.
The Blues sold the 25-year-old for £125 million, equalling the British transfer record set by Liverpool last year when they signed Alexander Isak from Newcastle United.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's Premier League meeting with ****** nal, Alonso admitted that Chelsea allowed Fernandez to leave the club because it was "best for the team".
"We take all the decisions together," the Spaniard said in his pre-match press conference. "We work together with big ones, small ones. We knew ultimately the goal is to have the best for the team. We want to build a good spirit, a good team."

#alonso #Chelsea #ones

Julián Álvarez ended the summer window still on Atlético Madrid's books, but that outcome has settled almost nothing. Barcelona spent the entire market chasing the Argentine, Atlético publicly rejected the pursuit in increasingly hostile terms, and ******* nal explored an offer of their own while the whole thing threatened to boil over. The question now isn't whether the saga is over – it plainly isn't – but which of the three forces at play, Atlético's contractual leverage, Barcelona's valuation, or Álvarez's own stated preference, actually decides what happens next.
Álvarez himself gave the clearest signal of intent back in June, telling ESPN after Argentina's World Cup win over Austria that a transfer to Barcelona was the best thing for everyone and that he wanted to fulfil his dream. Those words were music to Joan Laporta's ears and poison to Atlético's dressing room. Everything that has followed, including deadline day passing without a deal, sits downstream of that one public admission.
Álvarez's Atlético contract runs until June 2030 and carries a release clause of around €500 million – a figure so far beyond market reality that it functions purely as leverage, not a genuine asking price. Barcelona say they made a €100 million bid; Atlético sources initially denied receiving any offer at all before later confirming one had arrived, structured across six yearly instalments and worth that same €100 million.
On July 30, with the dispute already curdling, Atlético reported Barcelona to the Spanish Football Federation over their pursuit of the player. No public update from the federation had followed by the time The Athletic's reconstruction of the saga was published. Álvarez remained at the Metropolitano when the window shut, and reports suggest he is expected to stay at Atlético at least until the January window reopens the conversation.
Before the summer even began, senior Atlético sources indicated the club would let Álvarez leave for €150 million provided a deal closed by July 20. That deadline passed with no agreement, and Atlético's position hardened dramatically. By late June, chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín was drawing a line that had nothing to do with valuation gaps.

#window #federation #summer #nothing

Every now and then there's a quarterback with raw talent and potential silently grooming his game in the East Bay of Berkeley, California.
Surely, you've heard of Fernando Mendoza, Jared Goff, Aaron Rodgers, Kyle Boller and Troy Taylor.
Well, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is on the way to becoming the next one up. He's not on anybody's Heisman prediction list, but the he's got Heisman expectations and future NFL draft pick written all over him.
Sagapolutele enters the 2026 season as a sophomore who's already put his name in the record books of California Golden Bears football. He started all 13 games as a true freshman, the first to do so since Goff in 2013.
He started and put together a great campaign. He finished the 2025 season with 316-of-492 passes for 3,454 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His total completions, attempts and passing yards in a season were second-highest by a Cal freshman quarterback behind Goff, who eventually became the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

#quarterback

Raptors-Clippers' official Kawhi Leonard trade details revealed after NBA finishes investigation originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Clippers have been under investigation for quite some time due to potential payments made to Kawhi Leonard. It has put the entire organization and its offseason under the spotlight as the NBA worked to determine exactly what was going on.
The Clippers planned to trade Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors at the end of June, but the deal was put on hold. On Wednesday, the NBA handed down its punishments.
"The NBA on Wednesday announced severe punishments for the LA Clippers -- including the loss of five future first-round draft picks, a fine of $30 million and a yearlong suspension of owner Steve Ballmer -- for violating salary cap circumvention rules in a case involving star Kawhi Leonard," ESPN wrote.
With the saga finally somewhat behind them, the focus now shifts back to the trade between the two sides. ESPN's Shams Charania believes the deal will be finalized within the next few days.

#investigation #back #deal

Andoni Iraola is set to throw Bradley Barcola straight into the Liverpool team for Friday's trip to Ipswich following his £123m signing.
Liverpool made the statement acquisition of Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain on the penultimate day of the transfer window, culminating a summer-long saga surrounding the French winger.
An exit had been on the cards from PSG with Barcola not being included in any matchday squad this season, following zero minutes during pre-season.
Iraola, however, says Barcola is in a "good place" and did not rule out the 23-year-old starting at Portman Road, with the Spaniard still searching for his first win in the Reds dugout after two draws with Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.
Bradley Barcola is Liverpool's newest signing and could feature against Ipswich (PA Wire)

#iraola #following #andoni

The verdict is in regarding the Kawhi Leonard saga, and the results are not good for the All-Star forward or his soon-to-be former team.
A months-long independent investigation found the Los Angeles Clippers illegally circumvented the NBA salary cap when they facilitated outside endorsement deals with a collection of team-friendly sponsors, the league announced Wednesday.
Those sponsors were Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance.
The resulting penalties are staggeringly stiff.
Due to what the league called a pattern of misconduct uncovered in the investigation, headed by the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, the NBA has suspended team owner Steve Ballmer from all league and team activities for a year. He has also been fined $30 million.

#sponsors

Carole Radziwill isn't shying away from questions about her connection to the Jeffrey Epstein files as she prepares for her Real Housewives comeback.
According to a People report published Wednesday, September 2, host Andy Cohen brought up 63-year-old Radziwill's ties to the Epstein files during a season 16 cast panel for The Real Housewives of New York City in Sagaponack, New York, the previous day.
"I felt like this isn't something that I shy away from," Radziwill told Cohen, 58, per the report. "Me and many, many, many more people found their names in these files. It's not something I shy away from because I think, really, it's important to talk about it. It's important to be transparent. Obviously, I didn't know anything, as no one 20 years ago would have known anything, but it's hard also."
Radziwill's Epstein ties trace back to a past friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell. She told The New York Times earlier this year that she knew Maxwell, 64, "for five or six years" in the early 2000s but "never knew" Epstein himself, adding, "Imagine knowing someone and even being friendly with them and then they turn out to be, like, a monster."
US DOJ/ MEGA

#away #cohen #maxwell

Another layer has been added to the seemingly never-ending saga the New York Jets have had in recent months and years regarding their kicking situation.
Fresh off adding a new kicker via the NFL's wavier wire, the Jets have brought in another... just for a workout to this point.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, it's Josh Karty who has had a workout in New York:
Free agent kicker Joshua Karty, who has kicked the last two seasons for the #Rams , is working out for the #Jets today. pic.twitter.com/Zo10rdDjW4
In the last week alone, the Jets' kicking situation has been all over the place. From naming Jason Sanders the starter, to his abysmal effort in the preseason finale, to Blake Grupe being claimed off of waivers... we could have another curve ball.

#Jets #york #kicking #kicker

The 2026 summer transfer window closed this Tuesday in Europe. Several last-gasp deals were made official... or collapsed late last night or overnight, while we were all already asleep.
OneFootball brings you a recap of the major announcements from the night:
- Double thunderbolt for Monaco! Lamine Camara will ultimately not be joining Chelsea, just as Folarin Balogun will not be signing for Everton either! AS Monaco cancelled the deal for the Senegal international just when they thought they had finally managed to sell their American striker. Chelsea are furious, and the Monégasques have just waved goodbye to around €100 million. (Fabrizio Romano, RMC, Foot Mercato)
- After an endless saga and absurd twists and turns, Malick Fofana has finally signed for Sunderland. The transfer fee is estimated at €35 million including bonuses.
- Quinten Timber has left OM for Crystal Palace in a deal estimated at €20 million.

#last #night #finally