Charlotte Hornets coach Charles Lee knows this is completely on him.
Lee collided with Hornets star LaMelo Ball during their 102-95 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, resulting in what was a scary moment near the scorer’s table. Lee and Ball slammed directly into each other head-first while trying to grab a ball that was going out of bounds, which sent Ball to the court grabbing his head. Lee looked pretty banged up, too.
Ball went to the locker room briefly after that but ended up returning to the game.
“I took a play off, and you’re not supposed to take any plays off, and I thought the ball was going out of bounds,” Lee said. “I was gonna save it from going into the stands, and he was going to save the ball. We went head-to-head.
“Credit to him, he didn’t yell at me too bad. I apologized, obviously.”
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Ball ended up finishing with a team-high 24 points and eight rebounds, and he helped the Hornets rally in the fourth quarter to grab the narrow win at the Spectrum Center. That win, their seventh straight, pushed the Hornets to 23-28 on the season.
“Great job of him responding to a foolish coach,” Lee said.
Lee is in his second season leading the Hornets. It’s his first head-coaching job in the league after he spent a decade as an assistant with various teams.
Ball has averaged 19 points and 7.6 assists this season, his sixth in the league. The Hornets selected the 24-year-old with the No. 3 pick in 2020, and he’s currently in the second year of a five-year, $203.8 million deal.
Ball, though he made fun of Lee a little bit after the incident, said he had no hard feelings.
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“It’s all good, though,” Ball said. “It’s all love.”
But this is Super Bowl week, and any small bit of news becomes a big deal. Especially when it’s an injury issue surrounding an NFL MVP finalist at quarterback.
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Maye hurt his shoulder in the third quarter of the AFC championship game, when he scrambled and was tackled by Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga. Maye seemed to wince and briefly reach for his shoulder. That has turned into the Zapruder film of Super Bowl week.
Maye was asked about his shoulder, among a number of off-the-wall topics, on Monday at Super Bowl LX Opening Night, when both teams met the media to unofficially kick off the week in the Bay Area. He said his shoulder started “turning a corner” on the team flight to California on Sunday, he threw on Monday, and he is doing well.
“Feeling great. Yeah, feeling good,” Maye said. “I look forward to getting back out there the next few days.”
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The Patriots being tight-lipped about what’s going on with Maye’s injury has added to the mystery — and allowed the story to become bigger than it probably should have. For his part, Maye insisted there are no issues.
“I’m feeling good,” he said. “I’ll be just fine.”
Drake Maye of the New England Patriots meets the media during Super Bowl LX Opening Night. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
(Chris Graythen via Getty Images)
Patriots hadn’t said much about Drake Maye injury
Nobody has indicated that Maye is in the slightest danger of missing the Super Bowl. He was listed as questionable on the initial injury report for Super Bowl LX, with an illness as well as the shoulder injury.
On Monday, Maye expressed no concerns. He didn’t throw at any of the portions of practice that were open to the media last week, but he said his throwing on Monday went well.
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“I threw a good bit,” he said. “I threw as much as I would in a practice and felt great. I’m looking forward to getting back out there on Wednesday and Thursday for practice again.”
That’s as much information as has been shared about Maye’s injury. Last week was a reminder that Patriots coach Mike Vrabel played for Bill Belichick — because he dodged any discussion of Maye’s injury last week. When asked about his level of concern over Maye’s shoulder, he said: “Not much.”
“No, I wouldn’t say that anybody hurt anything,” Vrabel said last week. “Everybody, including Drake, is not 100 percent.”
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Maye, who is likely to finish second in the MVP voting behind Matthew Stafford when awards are announced at the annual NFL Honors show on Thursday, will almost definitely play Sunday. The question becomes whether he is affected at all, even if he indicated his shoulder won’t be an issue.
Maye has had an excellent season, throwing for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns while leading the NFL with a 72% completion percentage and 8.9 yards per attempt. A shoulder injury might not only affect Maye’s arm strength when he passes the ball, but it could also cause him to be more conservative when it comes to running the ball. He had 450 rushing yards in the regular season, and his 65 yards rushing against the Broncos were a big factor in New England’s AFC championship game win.
If Maye is affected, we probably won’t find that out until Sunday. It’s not like the Patriots are going to share much about it. And Maye made it sound like it wouldn’t be a big deal.
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“I really had no doubt about being 100 percent for the game,” he said. “This is the Super Bowl, and you’ve got two weeks to prepare for it, do whatever you’ve got to do to get it right, and I’ve got confidence and feel good.”
Maye gets his turn in the spotlight
Opening Night for Super Bowl week is light on serious discussion about injury reports or Xs and Os and heavy on silliness. For at least a half-hour before Maye came to the podium, comedian Guillermo Rodriguez from “Jimmy Kimmel Live” was camped out in the front row. Rodriguez asked the first questions, playing off a Kimmel bit about Matt Damon.
“He’s the man,” Maye said. “Any Pats fan, I’m a fan.”
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The last Patriots’ quarterback to play in a Super Bowl, Tom Brady, was famously asked by a reporter from TV Azteca who was in a wedding dress if he’d marry her at one Opening Night.
There was no wedding proposal for Maye, but he was asked about everything from the favorite cookies his wife makes (the answer was cinnamon snickerdoodles) to helping fantasy football teams next season (“Do I consider myself a QB1 in fantasy? I think I’ve got to say yes,” he said) to his superstitions. He said he puts on his left sock first, but his right shoe first, stands in the same spot for the National Anthem and eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before each game — unless it’s a night game. Then he goes for grilled cheese.
“I’ve got a lot of things,” Maye realized.
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Maye will be the second-youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl, and the extent of his breakout was one of the big stories of the NFL season. Because he ascended to being one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks so quickly, he’s still a bit of an unknown in terms of his personality. So was Brady for his first Super Bowl. By his 10th appearance, he was internationally famous.
Maye probably won’t be reaching Super Bowls in 20 years like Brady did over his NFL career, but he seems likely to be a face of the NFL for years to come. He happily played along with all of the wacky questions Monday and seemed to be genuinely enjoying his first huge moment in the NFL and all that comes with it.
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“What a journey,” he said. “I hope to play in this league a long time, but I don’t take it for granted.”
SAN JOSE, Calif. — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday the league hasn’t begun investigating emails between New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, choosing to first “understand the facts” of the exchanges.
Goodell was pressed multiple times by reporters about emails between Tisch and Epstein that were among 3 million documents released last week by the U.S. Department of Justice. The documents, which discussed interactions with various women, were drawn from multiple investigations into the disgraced billionaire financier, who was arrested in July of 2019 and charged with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. Epstein subsequently died by suicide one month later in his New York City jail cell while awaiting trial.
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Asked if the league was probing the interactions between Tisch and Epstein and considering discipline for the Giants co-owner, Goodell said during his pre-Super Bowl news conference that the league was aware of the emails but had not yet advanced to the point of an investigation.
“You may be getting ahead of yourself on the second part,” Goodell said of the consideration of discipline for Tisch. “We are going to look at all the facts. We are going to look at the context of those and try to understand that — we will look at how that falls under the [NFL’s personal conduct] policy. But let’s get the facts first.”
Giants co-owner Steve Tisch said in a statement that his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was a “brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments.” (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Asked to clarify if that meant Tisch was under investigation, Goodell again said the NFL would first attempt to determine the “facts” and then conclude whether they warranted an investigation.
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“I don’t even know the status of all the [DOJ’s document] release,” he said. “I know that 3 million documents came out last week. Listen, we’ll continue to follow any of the facts that come up and determine if we open an investigation based on those facts.”
Tisch’s name appeared more than 400 times in documents from Friday’s DOJ release, some including passing social interactions between the two men and others with specific — and sometimes graphic — conversations about several women whose names were redacted in the files. The emails covered a period of time several years after Epstein had served nearly 13 months in the Palm Beach Country jail, after he pled guilty to a pair of Florida state charges, including engaging in prostitution with an underage girl.
Included in the exchanges, Tisch asked Epstein various questions about women, including if one was a “working girl” or if another was “pro or civilian.” In one email, Epstein asks Tisch, “Did you contact the great ass fake [expletive]…” in reference to a person whose name was redacted. The Athletic was the first to report the existence of the emails after the DOJ release Friday. In response, Tisch issued a statement through the Giants, describing his relationship to Epstein as “a brief association” that he regretted.
“We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments,” Tisch said in the statement. “I did not take him up on any of his invitations and never went to his island. As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with.”
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Goodell didn’t go into detail about how the league would determine “facts” as a guiding compass to determine if a broader investigation into Tisch would be necessary — but affirmed that the broader scope of the Epstein investigation and that an NFL club owner being drawn into a document release was reason for concern. But he pointed to the league’s personal conduct policy as being an available guardrail should the actions of team owners reflect badly on the NFL.
“That’s why we have a personal conduct policy and [the league] will look into the facts,” Goodell said.
In the released documents, Tisch offered Epstein tickets to Giants games, while Epstein offered to host Epstein at his private island in the Caribbean. Epstein also had emails with women who were seeking to associate with Tisch based on his experience as a producer in Hollywood. Tisch has producer credits on multiple critically acclaimed or cult hit movies over several decades, including “Risky Business,” “Forrest Gump,” “American History X,” “The Long Kiss Goodnight,” and “The Pursuit of Happyness.”
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It’s unclear if Tisch’s communications with Epstein constitute an element of a personal conduct violation, although the league’s language for determining an infraction is largely in the hands of Goodell and the influence of other franchise owners. The eight-page personal conduct policy reads in part:
“Everyone who is part of the league must refrain from ‘conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in’ the NFL. It is not enough simply to avoid being found guilty of a crime in a court of law. We are all held to a higher standard and must conduct ourselves in a way that is responsible, promotes the values of the NFL, and is lawful.”
Regarding team owners, members of franchise management and members of the league office, it adds, “Ownership and club or league management have traditionally been held to a higher standard and will be subject to more significant discipline when violations of the Personal Conduct Policy occur.”
The most notable punishments incurred under the personal conduct policy were workplace misconduct investigations into a pair of club owners: The Washington Commanders’ Dan Snyder and the Carolina Panthers’ Jerry Richardson. After each was found to have committed infractions of the policy, Snyder was fined $60 million by the NFL, while Richardson was docked $2.75 million. Both eventually sold their teams.
The Buffalo Bills traded to acquire ascending wide receiver Stefon Diggs from the Minnesota Vikings ahead of the 2020 season, hoping that he was the missing piece to unlock quarterback Josh Allen’s potential and propel the franchise to its first Super Bowl championship.
Diggs delivered on a lot of that promise. But the Bills ultimately came up short.
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In his first season in Buffalo, Diggs went from a no-time Pro Bowler to a first-team All-Pro selection while leading the league in receptions and receiving yards. It was the first of four straight Pro Bowl selections and two All-Pro teams in three years for Diggs.
And he indeed, helped Allen unlock his NFL potential. Allen went from completing a dismal 58.8% of his passes in his second NFL season to 69.2% in his first season playing with Diggs, a remarkable jump in accuracy that earned him his first Pro Bowl nod and set him on his track to win NFL MVP last season.
As he prepares to play in the Super Bowl for the rival Patriots, Stefon Diggs maintains his love for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
(Chris Graythen via Getty Images)
The Bills, meanwhile, made the jump from wild-card hopefuls to beasts of the AFC East and perennial Super Bowl contenders. Buffalo’s offense was a juggernaut, and there were few teams that could stand in the Bills’ way. But there was one.
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The Kansas City Chiefs were the roadblock the Bills could never barrel through, and Buffalo traded Diggs to the Houston Texans ahead of the 2024 season, having failed to advance to a Super Bowl during the Allen era.
One injury-shortened season in Houston later, and Diggs joined the rival New England Patriots as a free agent, facing a similar task as he did in Buffalo: help a young quarterback in Drake Maye develop as his true No. 1 target.
On Sunday, Diggs and the Patriots will play in the Super Bowl. Allen and the Bills — if they can stomach it — will once again watch the Super Bowl from home.
Diggs: ‘Parts of me wish things were different’
On Monday, during Super Bowl Opening Night, Diggs reflected on his time with the Bills while speaking with media. There was no bitterness and no anger — only love for Buffalo and Allen and regret that they couldn’t get over the hump together.
“Listen. I love y’all,” Diggs said of Buffalo. “I know I’m far gone, but I do miss y’all. I have a great relationship with y’all. Keep hanging your hat on that quarterback. That quarterback is a Hall of Fame quarterback.
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“Parts of me wish things were different. I’ve got a lot of love and respect for that team.”
Diggs then invoked his former Bills teammate Gabriel Davis, who returned to Buffalo in 2025 after a single season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Even when Gabe Davis went back, I was talking to Gabe, I was like ‘look at you go,’” Diggs continued. “Y’all getting the band back together? I said, ‘Where’s Cole Beasley at?’”
Crushing defeat in Buffalo
While Diggs prepares for the Super Bowl, Allen and the Bills are coming off a playoff loss that by all accounts was devastating.
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For the first time since ascending to contention, the Bills entered the postseason without the boogeyman Chiefs standing in their way. Thanks to Diggs’ Patriots, they weren’t a division winner with a home path in the playoffs. But many believed this to be the Bills’ best shot at getting to that first elusive Super Bowl of the Allen era.
Instead, they came up short on the road against the Denver Broncos in the divisional round in what was arguably the worst game of Allen’s career.
Tears of anguish for Allen, joy for Diggs
It was a crushing defeat of which the Bills couldn’t escape the emotion in their postgame media availability. Allen fought back tears at the podium on the heels of the 33-30 loss in which he committed four turnovers.
“Just missed opportunities throughout the game,” Allen said when asked about his emotions. “It’s been a long season. I hate how it ended. And it’s gonna stick with me for a long time.”
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One week later, Diggs’ Patriots beat those same Broncos in frigid conditions at that same Mile High Stadium to earn a trip to the Super Bowl. Contrast Allen’s emotions with those of Diggs, who also shed tears in the immediate aftermath of that AFC championship game win.
“It made it all worth it, man. All the hard work. We’ve got one more,” Diggs said, fighting back tears. “I just want to rejoice and take this moment in, and just be thankful for God. It’s hard, man.
“They was calling me washed. Said I ain’t have it no more, man. I just wanted to prove it to myself. I am who I say I am.”
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Diggs’ 2025 season journey is not over. He’s got one more game to achieve the ultimate goal and will try to do so with a quarterback in Maye whom he clearly respects and holds in esteem as he does Allen.
And if the Patriots pull off a win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Diggs can close his career whenever he chooses to do so without regret over what might have been.
But nothing will take away his love for Buffalo. And as long as they’re not standing in his way, it sounds like he’s rooting for Allen and the Bills to get that Super Bowl ring before Allen’s done.
With a little help from a familiar facilitator, the Seattle Mariners finally executed the deal they’d been pursuing all winter on Monday, acquiring Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals. The deal is a three-way swap including the Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle’s most frequent trade partner during president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto’s decade-long tenure leading the front office. After months of reports indicating Seattle’s interest in Donovan — and uncertainty about whether the Cardinals would actually part with him as part of their dramatic offseason of offloading — it’s fitting that the Rays’ surprise involvement helped push this deal across the finish line.
Cardinals receive: RHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (from Mariners), OF Tai Peete (from Mariners), OF Colton Ledbetter (from Rays), Competitive Balance Round B Pick (currently No. 68, from Mariners), Competitive Balance Round B Pick (currently No. 72, from Rays)
Rays receive: INF Ben Williamson (from Mariners)
All offseason, Donovan was heavily rumored to be at the top of the Mariners’ wish list as they sought to replenish both their infield and their lineup in the wake of Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suarez both departing in free agency. Re-signing Josh Naylor in November to a five-year deal solidified first base and provided a middle-of-the-order bat, but enough uncertainty remained at second and third base that another infield addition felt necessary. Given Donovan’s experience at both positions, his above-average, left-handed bat and his two years of team control remaining, the 29-year-old surfaced as the ideal candidate for the Mariners, especially considering their excellent farm system to deal from. Still, Seattle had been awfully, uncharacteristically quiet in the months since retaining Naylor, with their only major additions a trade for lefty reliever Jose A. Ferrer and a one-year deal for platoon slugger Rob Refsnyder.
With spring training approaching, it seemed increasingly likely that Seattle would entrust its talented yet unproven young players — Cole Young, Ben Williamson, top prospect Colt Emerson — with multiple infield spots, a risky strategy for a team with World Series ambitions. Then Dipoto explicitly stated at the team’s fan fest over the weekend that the club was hoping to add one more piece to the major-league roster. There’s always risk in front office officials publicly promising such additions, if even vaguely, but evidently Dipoto was confident enough about a Donovan deal to give an obvious hint to the fan base.
Sure enough, Donovan now joins the Mariners after eight years in the Cardinals organization. Born in Germany while his father, a colonel in the U.S. Army, was stationed overseas, Donovan bounced around a lot growing up but eventually settled in Alabama, where he played in high school and at the University of South Alabama. He was relatively unheralded as an amateur but played his way onto the prospect radar after joining the Cardinals as a seventh-round draft pick in 2018. In 2021, he hit .304/.399/.455 across three levels, reaching Triple-A to put himself in position for an early call-up the following season. He rode that momentum to a terrific debut campaign in 2022, bursting on the scene as a crucial cog for the 93-win, NL Central champion Cardinals. His .394 on-base percentage was the fifth-highest mark by a rookie with at least 450 plate appearances this century — behind only the Cooperstown-bound quartet of Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout — and he finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
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In the three years since then, although he hasn’t replicated the lofty OBP of his debut campaign, Donovan has continued to reach base at an above-average clip, thanks to his advanced plate discipline and outstanding contact skills: Among 103 hitters with at least 1,500 plate appearances the past three seasons, Donovan’s .351 OBP ranks 24th, and his 13.1% strikeout rate ranks seventh-lowest. That skill set makes him an intriguing candidate to lead off for Seattle, at least against right-handers, as a logical table-setter ahead of sluggers Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, Naylor and Randy Arozarena.
To be fair, Donovan also has his limitations with the bat. His modest raw power has translated to just 40 home runs in 492 career games, and his hard-hit rates are unremarkable. He has also consistently struggled against southpaws, with a .651 OPS against lefties compared to a .812 mark vs. right-handers. On the whole, Donovan’s below-average pop and sharp platoon splits have capped his offensive ceiling at more good than great.
But that steady output at the plate has shined in tandem with his varied defensive versatility, which has defined Donovan for essentially his entire career. After starting nearly every game in left field as a freshman at South Alabama in 2016, Donovan has spent the past decade moving around the diamond and proving proficient at multiple spots. As a rookie, he started games at every position except catcher and center field, earning the first-ever utility Gold Glove in the NL.
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More recently, the vast majority of Donovan’s playing time has come at second base and left field. In Seattle, the focus will be on second and third, a position Donovan hasn’t played as much due to Nolan Arenado’s presence in St. Louis. But assuming the Mariners are still confident in Donovan’s ability to man the hot corner, a new genre of questions emerge regarding the other infielders on the Mariners’ depth chart. Williamson’s inclusion in this deal removes one name from the equation, but adding Donovan sets up a competition in spring training between the 22-year-old Young and the 20-year-old Emerson for the other starting infield spot, with Naylor at first base and J.P. Crawford at shortstop.
Having made his major-league debut last summer, Young would seem to have a leg up in such a contest, and the Mariners think highly of his ability to become an above-average starter at the keystone. But Emerson — a natural shortstop who has also seen time at third on his meteoric rise through the minors — is a consensus top-10 prospect in all of MLB and might have the kind of talent to force the issue. If he explodes in spring and wins the third-base job, that would likely send Young to Triple-A to keep getting every-day at-bats while Donovan stays at second. Alternatively, Emerson looks like the heir apparent to Crawford at shortstop, with Crawford slated to hit free agency after this season. So while the Mariners are likely hoping Emerson and Young will contribute in 2026, bringing in Donovan dramatically lessens the urgency for both of them to do so right away.
Williamson, meanwhile, departs Seattle’s crowded infield picture to join a new-look Rays roster that has added plenty of fresh faces this offseason. Tampa Bay appears to be in a transition of sorts. If not a full-blown rebuild, it’s at least an acknowledgment that the four other AL East teams are loading up in a way that makes competing in the short-term unlikely for the Rays, leading them to prioritize long-term assets.
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While Williamson’s bat is still a work in progress after being rushed to the majors to fill Seattle’s third-base need, he has garnered a reputation as a fantastic infield defender. Interestingly, that has mostly been earned at third base, a position that would seem to be blocked in Tampa by Junior Caminero. Instead, Williamson will likely see time at second base as a right-handed complement to the recently acquired Gavin Lux. While the acquisition cost wasn’t outlandish, the Rays must have had a favorable view of Williamson to have even bothered wiggling their way into this deal. As such, his development in Tampa will be worth monitoring.
For the Cardinals, adding a third team to the deal was a nifty way to maximize the return for a player they weren’t necessarily intent on dealing before Opening Day. Slated to make just $5.8 million this season and under team control for 2027 as well, Donovan represented a much more valuable trade chip than high-paid veterans such as Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado, all of whom were moved for more middling returns as St. Louis prioritized clearing their salaries and opening playing time for young players. Donovan, meanwhile, could’ve stayed put until the deadline if the Cardinals were unsatisfied with offers. But ultimately, Seattle and Tampa Bay combined to form a worthwhile package, culminating in the latest future-focused transaction from new Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.
In the return for St. Louis, Cijtnje is the prize — and a fascinating one at that. Not 23 until May, Cijtnje has been playing in front of big audiences for years, having starred for Team Curacao at the 2016 Little League World Series. It was in Williamsport that he first demonstrated his special skill of switch-pitching, a remarkable display of ambidextrousness that gained notoriety as he got older and thrived at the high school and collegiate levels. The Mariners selected him with the 15th pick in 2024 out of Mississippi State University and allowed him to keep switch-pitching during his first full professional season in 2025. But Cijtnje has always projected far more favorably from the right side, and when Seattle announced Cijtnje as a non-roster invite to spring training last week, he was labeled as a right-hander only.
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The Cardinals also tabbed him as such when announcing the trade on Monday but left open the possibility that he might continue throwing from both sides. At just 5-foot-11, Cijtnje doesn’t have the typical frame of a rotation workhorse, but he’s strong and sturdy, and his stuff resembles that of an impact starter, with high-90s velocity and an excellent slider to go with a rapidly improving changeup. He pitched well in Double-A last season, so it’s not out of the question that Cijtnje could pitch his way to the majors at some point in 2026 if things continue to click.
Peete and Ledbetter are two outfielders with enticing pedigrees and a lot to prove in 2026. Peete was the 30th pick in 2023 as one of the youngest players in his high school class. He’s a tremendous athlete who has transitioned to the outfield after being drafted as a shortstop and could develop into a center fielder with plus power, but his hit tool needs serious refining for that outcome to manifest at the highest level. Ledbetter was also drafted early in 2023 (55th overall) after starring at Mississippi State, where he was Cijtnje’s teammate. What was lauded as an advanced hit-power combination as an amateur has yet to fully translate to pro ball, but he reached Double-A last year and could find a new gear with a change of scenery.
Finally, adding not one but two picks in this summer’s draft is a great way for St. Louis to continue restocking its ascendent farm system. As the draft order stands now — and it might change slightly once the final two free agents with qualifying offers attached (Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen) sign — the Cardinals own six picks in the top-100: Nos. 13, 32, 50, 68, 72 and 86. That haul will equate to one of the largest bonus pools of any team, which will afford St. Louis’ amateur scouting department the flexibility to reel in another loaded wave of exciting young talent this summer.
In the days leading up to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, the Los Angeles Clippers have engaged in discussions surrounding veteran guard James Harden — with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the forefront of teams that have recently expressed interest in acquiring the former All-Star — sources told Yahoo Sports.
Harden, 36, has missed the past two games due to personal reasons. The former Arizona State guard was present at his alma mater for a Jan. 31 home game vs. Arizona, the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. The following day, with the Clippers also in town to take on the Phoenix Suns — a distance of just 10 miles between arenas — Harden was ruled out.
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“No,” Clippers head coach Ty Lue told reporters on Monday when asked if he had any insight into Harden’s absence. “I just know he was home in Phoenix and just personal reasons, so I’m not sure.”
Cleveland’s initial interest in Harden dates back to December, sources say, in the midst of the Clippers’ dismal 6-21 start. During that time, a number of key veterans expressed frustration and the front office explored potential deals for the likes of Harden, John Collins and Brook Lopez, among others, sources say. The Cavaliers have also canvassed the point guard market at various points over the past few months. Subsequently, the Clippers have held a longstanding interest in seventh-year guard Darius Garland, sources say. According to Spotrac, both Harden and Garland are earning $39 million for the 2025-26 season.
It’s important to note that because of the current CBA, Harden has the ability to veto any trade. Players who return to their current team on a one-year deal or a two-year deal with a player option are given an implicit no-trade clause.
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The Cavaliers, who have won eight out of their last 10 games and sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, are seeking upgrades to their backcourt. Cleveland recently traded wing De’Andre Hunter to Sacramento for Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis, but are still without Garland — who has played just 26 games this season, missing the past eight games with a Grade 1 right great toe sprain. The presence of a surefire lead ballhandler would take pressure off of All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who has spent 40% of his minutes as primary playmaker, per Cleaning the Glass. In those minutes, Cleveland’s offensive efficiency is slightly down and their turnover rate has gone up.
Moving off of Garland and his remaining money — he’s owed an additional $86 million in 2027 and 2028 — would also lessen Cleveland’s financial burden. The Cavaliers are nearly $34 million over the luxury tax and approximately $15 million over the second apron, according to Spotrac.
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One thought from rival executives potentially at the heart of Harden’s absence is his current contract. The $42.3 million player option for the 2026-27 deal is only partially guaranteed, but Harden, who is averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game, has been a key catalyst of the Clippers’ resurgence. According to Cleaning the Glass, Los Angeles’ offense is nearly 12 points better per 100 possessions with Harden on the floor, which places him in the 98th percentile of point guards. Harden’s ability to maintain scoring volume combined with his playmaking proficiency, even at age 36, makes him a desirable asset for contending teams.
Because of the Stepien Rule, the Clippers can only trade up to two first-round picks in 2030 and 2032, in addition to a swap in 2031. The Oklahoma City Thunder control the Clippers’ 2026 first-round pick from the Paul George trade in 2019, and the Philadelphia 76ers control their 2028 first-round pick, ironically from the Harden trade in 2023.
“We are not involved in it,” Goodell said on Monday ahead of Super Bowl LX, via ESPN. “Bill Belichick’s record goes without saying, same with the Patriots and Robert Kraft, who is also a candidate. They are spectacular. They have contributed so much to this game, and I believe they will be Hall of Famers.”
News broke last week that Belichick, who won six Super Bowl rings during his time leading the Patriots, had not earned enough votes to make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That led to an outcry in the NFL world, and plenty of speculation as to why.
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One of the theories was Belichick’s role in the “Spygate” scandal in 2007. At least 11 of the 50 voters opted not to vote in Belichick, and one of the members in that room reportedly claimed there were voters who voiced their concerns about Spygate before voting. Others, though, have said there were few of them that Belichick not making it in was still a shock.
ESPN initially reported that Bill Polian even made the case in the room that Belichick should have to wait a year for the cheating scandals that happened under his watch, which led to a wild back-and-forth saga that finally landed on Polian confirming he voted for Belichick.
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Like Goodell mentioned, Belichick is almost certainly going to end up in the Hall of Fame eventually. He went 302-165 and won the Super Bowl six times during his 29 seasons as a head coach in the NFL, and helped build a true dynasty with Tom Brady in New England. Though there were certainly rough moments, and his split with the organization was tumultuous, Belichick is undoubtedly one of the top coaches in NFL history.
When he does end up in Canton, however, is still anybody’s guess. But, at least in Goodell’s eyes, he belongs.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Drake Maye hasn’t lived Sam Darnold’s journey. They were both third overall picks in their respective NFL Drafts. Maye went from promising rookie season to stardom in year two. Darnold was already on his way to being labeled a bust by the end of his second season.
Even though Maye doesn’t personally know what Darnold went through to reach Super Bowl LX, he has respect for the path the Seattle Seahawks quarterback took to get there.
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“What a journey,” Maye said at Super Bowl Opening Night. “Obviously he got in a scenario where [the Jets] decided to move on, and from there on, he has battled not playing for years, being the backup, getting his chance and making the most of it. It’s been awesome to see.
“Such a great story. It’s what makes the league so special is stories like Sam that puts his head down, works hard and has turned into one of the best quarterbacks in the league.”
Even Darnold’s opposition at quarterback understands that he is one of the biggest stories of Super Bowl LX.
It’s not uncommon for players to be labeled as a bust and then turn their careers around as they develop. However, it is highly unusual for a quarterback to go from an early-career bust to a Super Bowl starting quarterback.
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Darnold wasn’t even signed to be a sure starter by the Minnesota Vikings about 23 months ago. He was going to be a bridge quarterback to first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy got hurt, Darnold took over and had a good season, then he moved onto the Seahawks and led Seattle to a 14-3 regular-season record and an NFC championship. Even though Darnold’s Vikings were 14-3 last season and he played very well, nobody saw him taking Seattle to the Super Bowl in the first year of his three-year, $100.5 million deal.
Now he’ll start in Super Bowl LX and he’s just 28 years old. He still has plenty of time to add onto his unusual résumé. How he fares on Sunday will go a long way in shaping his reputation, which wasn’t a positive one just a few years ago.
“I think you have to embrace failure, and learn from your mistakes,” Darnold said. “Learning from my mistakes early in my career has gotten me to this point.
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“Every time you fail or you might lose a game or you might not do exactly what you want to do on every single play, you learn from that. If you learn from that, you can look ahead to better things.”
There were times in which it didn’t seem like there were better things ahead for him in the NFL. But to Darnold, that’s all part of the journey that brought him here.
Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks looks on during Super Bowl LX Opening Night. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
(Chris Graythen via Getty Images)
Sam Darnold’s rare path to the Super Bowl
Jim Plunkett is probably the best comparison to Darnold, among Super Bowl quarterbacks.
Plunkett was the first pick of the 1971 NFL Draft, didn’t work out with the Patriots, spent a couple of decent seasons with the 49ers before going to the Raiders, and in his second season with Oakland he took over as the starter. He ended up guiding the Raiders to two Super Bowl titles. Plunkett also had difficulty getting the credit of most Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks — he and Eli Manning are the only players to start at QB in multiple Super Bowl wins and not be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, among eligible players — and Darnold faces that battle as well despite plenty of success with the Minnesota Vikings last season and the Seahawks this season.
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Other quarterbacks have taken circuitous routes to being a Super Bowl starter. Terry Bradshaw had a shaky start to his career before winning four Super Bowls, but the Steelers stuck it out with him whereas Darnold is on his fifth team in eight seasons. Doug Williams was written off and well into his career when he won Super Bowl XXII MVP with Washington, but he did have success early in his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, unlike Darnold. Rich Gannon emerged late in his career to lead the Raiders to a Super Bowl but he was a fourth-round pick. Darnold was picked third overall.
There are stories similar to Darnold’s but not many. Darnold washed out with the Jets after they drafted him, things didn’t get better in his two seasons with the Panthers, then he was onto what looked like the backup phase of his career with the 49ers. Darnold got his break with McCarthy’s injury, and his teams are 30-7, including playoffs, since.
Darnold doesn’t sound bitter about how the early part of his career played out. He’s able to be reflective, and understand that the hard times helped shape his career.
“I take every experience as its own, no matter what happens,” Darnold said. “I was really blessed to be able to get drafted to the Jets. Obviously, things didn’t work out the way that I wanted to there, and then I went to the Carolina Panthers, where I made a lot of great friends and learned really good football as well. Just part of my journey.
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“Then I went to San Francisco and was able to be a backup there for a great player in Brock Purdy, learned from a great coach in Kyle Shanahan. … Then I went to Minnesota and again, I was with some really great coaches and really great players as well. Everything I do, I just take it one day at a time.”
Darnold back in a Super Bowl
Darnold was at the Super Bowl two years ago, but as a backup for the San Francisco 49ers. Every Super Bowl, there are a few players who were drafted high and mostly forgotten about, but are on the end of a Super Bowl roster playing a lesser role.
NFL fans might not have noticed Darnold was on a Super Bowl team two years ago, but he’s front and center this time around.
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Darnold spoke often about leaning on his teammates this season and not trying to do too much and make mistakes because he’s pressing. Even though Darnold has made the Super Bowl, he doesn’t have it all figured out.
“I’m always learning things about myself and how I can get better,” Darnold said.
Darnold can provide inspiration to plenty of players around the league, whose careers started slow due to any number of reasons. Darnold was persistent amid the criticism, learned things from a few different stops, finally got his break and is one win from joining a select and memorable group of starting quarterbacks who have a Super Bowl ring.
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The story is remarkable, even if it’s not the one he envisioned years ago.
“I think a big part of that is the journey, right?” Darnold said. “I wouldn’t have predicted … I would have loved to get drafted to New York and that be my home for 20 years. But it just didn’t work out that way.
“Seattle, just from the get go, right when I got here, felt like home.”
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🚨 Headlines
🏀 Harden trade talks: In the days leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline, the Clippers have engaged in discussions surrounding James Harden, sources tell Yahoo Sports. The Cavaliers are at the forefront of teams expressing interest.
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🇫🇷 NFL in France: The Saints will play a game in Paris next season, marking the league’s first regular-season game in France and one of at least eight taking place abroad, which is the most ever. The others announced include Australia, Brazil, Germany, Spain and three in the U.K.
⚾️ Three-team trade: The Mariners are acquiring All-Star Brendan Donovan from the Cardinals in a three-team trade with the Rays, adding the former Gold Glover to a roster that came a win away from reaching the World Series last fall.
🏒 Saban, the owner: Predators minority owner Nick Saban, who purchased a stake in the franchise in December, will assist in Nashville’s search for a new GM after Barry Trotz retired from the role on Monday.
🏀 CBA talks continue: The WNBA and members of the players’ union held an in-person meeting in New York on Monday as they continue negotiations for a new CBA in the midst of a busy offseason that includes a two-team expansion draft.
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🏈 Pats vs. Seahawks: The sequel
(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)
Super Bowl 60 isn’t just another championship game. It’s a sequel.
Steelers vs. Cowboys: Pittsburgh won their first two meetings (1976, 1979) behind MVPs Lynn Swann and Terry Bradshaw. Dallas got revenge 17 years later (1996) in what remains their most recent Super Bowl appearance.
Dolphins vs. Redskins: Miami nearly pitched a shutout to complete their perfect season (1973). A decade later, Washington evened the score behind MVP John “The Diesel” Riggins (1983).
49ers vs. Bengals: San Francisco beat Cincinnati the first time behind MVP Joe Montana (1982), and the second time behind MVP Jerry Rice (1989) in what was head coach Bill Walsh’s final game.
Cowboys vs. Bills: Dallas destroyed Buffalo at the Rose Bowl (1993), then beat them again the following year at the Georgia Dome (1994) in the only back-to-back Super Bowl rematch.
Patriots vs. Giants: The Helmet Catch ruined New England’s perfect season (2008). Four years later, Eli Manning and the G-Men took down the dynastic Pats for a second time (2012).
Patriots vs. Eagles: New England won the first meeting behind surprise MVP Deion Branch (2005). 13 years later, Philly got revenge behind their own surprise MVP, Nick Foles (2018).
Patriots vs. Rams: The Pats stunned “The Greatest Show on Turf” to launch their dynasty (2002). 17 years and one relocation later, the Rams came up short against Tom Brady again (2019).
Chiefs vs. 49ers: Kansas City scored 21 unanswered points to defeat San Francisco on the eve of the pandemic (2020). Four years later, they beat them again in Las Vegas (2024).
Chiefs vs. Eagles: Kansas City won a thriller in their first meeting (2023) before Philly dominated the rematch two years later (2025) to deny Patrick Mahomes a historic three-peat.
Patriots vs. Seahawks: New England won the first meeting (2015) thanks to Malcolm Butler’s game-sealing interception in the end zone. What does Round 2 have in store?
An official Columbus Jets scorecard. (Major League Baseball)
John J. (Columbus, Ohio native) writes:
It was the summer of 1962, and my father and I were attending a Columbus Jets game as we often did. The Jets were the Pirates AAA farm team, and I was a big fan and an amateur baseball aficionado.
The star of the team was Donn Clendenon, an all-tool athlete who was my favorite player. Early in the game I caught a foul ball and decided I wanted to ask Clendenon to sign it. So after the game I went to the parking lot exit near the Jets locker room and waited and waited for him to walk by. Many players did, but not Clendenon.
Finally, a player walked out and asked if I wanted him to sign my ball. I told him I was waiting for Donn Clendenon. He replied that Clendenon had already left, so reluctantly I handed him the ball.
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After that I met dad in the parking lot and he asked, “Did you get his autograph?” I quietly replied no, but I got someone else’s. “Do you know who Willie Stargell is?”
The ball signed by Willie Stargell. (John. J)
Editor’s note: For those who don’t know, Willie Stargell went on to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He spent 21 seasons with the Pirates, helping them win two World Series. Clendenon was no Stargell, but he did win World Series MVP in 1969 with the Miracle Mets.
✍️ Submit your story: Do you have a fondest sports memory? Or an example of sports having a profound impact on your life? If you’d like to share, email me at kendall.baker@yahooinc.com. We’ll keep sharing your stories until they run out!
20 of the 24 NBA All-Stars have unique names. The only name found more than once? Ja(y)len, shared by four Eastern Conference All-Stars in New York’s Jalen Brunson, Boston’s Jaylen Brown, Detroit’s Jalen Duren and Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson. That’s 33% of the team!
The Jalen generation: Jalen Rose, whose name is a combination of his father’s (James) and his uncle’s (Leonard), was one of the first Jalens born in the U.S., and his popularity has spawned a generation of athletes with his name, or a variant thereof.
Who’s left? LHP Framber Valdez (No. 8) leads the way, followed by RHP Zac Gallen (12), RHP Lucas Giolito (21), RHP Zack Littell (39), RHP Griffin Canning (40), OF Max Kepler (41), OF/DH Miguel Andújar (42), RHP Chris Bassitt (46), LHP Jose Quintana (47), RHP Justin Verlander (48) and DH Marcell Ozuna (49).
Percy Harvin returns the second-half kickoff for a TD during Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
🏈 74.5% return rate
Could we see a kickoff returned for a touchdown this weekend in the Super Bowl? The chances are certainly the highest they’ve been in a while after the NFL’s new touchback rule led to 74.5% of kickoffs being returned this season, up from just 32.8% in 2024.
Take it to the house: There have been 10 kickoff return touchdowns in Super Bowl history, most recently in 2014 by Seattle’s Percy Harvin in Super Bowl XLVIII. The other nine: Jacoby Jones, BAL (2013); Devin Hester, CHI (2007); Ron Dixon, NYG (2001); Jermaine Lewis, BAL (2001); Tim Dwight, ATL (1999); Desmond Howard, GB (1997); Andre Coleman, SD (1995); Stanford Jennings, CIN (1989); Fulton Walker, MIA (1983).
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⛳️ 72 made cuts
Xander Schauffele’s run of 72 consecutive made cuts — the longest active streak on the PGA Tour — finally ended at the Farmers Insurance Open, marking the first time in 1,391 days that he failed to make it to the weekend. The new active leader is Scottie Scheffler, with 65 in a row. Of course.
All-time streaks: Schauffele is tied with Dow Finsterwald for the fifth-longest streak in PGA Tour history behind Tiger Woods (142), Byron Nelson (113), Jack Nicklaus (105) and Hale Irwin (86).
🏀 Jalen Brunson was built for New York
(Boardroom)
In the latest Boardroom Cover Story, Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson reflects on leadership, fatherhood and the journey from underdog to franchise cornerstone.
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From Boardroom’s Rich Kleiman:
Jalen Brunson is exactly where he’s supposed to be. The Knicks All-Star point guard is sitting in White Plains, just minutes from the team’s practice facility, on a cold winter afternoon during what he calls “the dog days” of the NBA season.
His team is fighting through injuries, inconsistency, and the inevitable January grind that separates contenders from pretenders. But if you’re looking for panic or frustration, you won’t find it here.
Brunson carries himself with the quiet confidence of someone who has already proven doubters wrong his entire life — from being drafted 33rd overall to becoming the face of basketball’s most demanding franchise.
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“Everything that is going wrong is controllable,” he says. It’s the kind of statement that reveals everything about how Brunson operates: accountable, measured, and utterly certain that hard work is the only solution.
This isn’t bravado. This is the ethos of a player who was raised in NBA locker rooms, who learned leadership from his father, and who has turned perceived limitations into fuel for one of the league’s most unlikely ascensions.
Now, as he enters Year 4 of his Knicks tenure, Brunson is navigating the most delicate phase of his journey: evolving from underdog to franchise cornerstone while maintaining the hunger that got him here.
Cooper Flagg has scored 83 points in his last two games. Is that good? (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
🏀 NBA on NBC
The scuffling Mavericks host the surging Celtics in the first game of tonight’s doubleheader (8pm ET), followed by Suns at Trail Blazers in the nightcap (11pm).
Brighter days ahead: Dallas (19-30) isn’t yet a contender, but a year after losing Luka Dončić, their future looks bright thanks to the rapid ascendance of Cooper Flagg, writes Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Iko.
The new-look (again) Pro Bowl is tonight in San Francisco(8pm, ESPN), where the AFC and NFC will face off in a flag football game on a temporary field built inside a convention center. The idea is to append this struggling event to the Super Bowl, which is hosting its weeklong pregame festivities at the same convention center.
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More to watch:
🏒 NHL: Penguins at Islanders (7:30pm, TNT); Kraken at Ducks (10pm, TNT) … Divisional clashes between current playoff teams in the Metro and Pacific.
⚽️ EFL Cup: Arsenal vs. Chelsea(3pm, Paramount+) … The Gunners lead 3-2 entering the second leg of the semifinal.
Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events happening in your city. Get tickets now!
🏈 Super Bowl trivia
Kupp celebrates after winning Super Bowl LVI. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp is set to become just the sixth former Super Bowl MVP (Rams, 2022) to play in a Super Bowl with another team.
Question: Can you name the other five?
Hint: They won Super Bowl MVPs with the 49ers, Rams, Patriots, Colts and Broncos.
Answer at the bottom.
📸 Photo finish
La Jolla’s Torrey Pines State Beach offered the perfect backdrop to last weekend’s Farmers Insurance Open. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Trivia answer: Jerry Rice (49ers, then Raiders); Kurt Warner (Rams, then Cardinals); Tom Brady (Patriots, then Buccaneers); Peyton Manning (Colts, then Broncos); Von Miller (Broncos, then Rams)
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Kraft and Belichick were among five people who were up for induction in a pool separate from the modern-era finalists. The two were with former players Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood in the same pool. Per Hall of Fame rules, a maximum of three of the five could make the hall this year and each person needed at least 40 of the 50 votes from the voting committee to be eligible for induction.
If none of the five received at least 40 votes, the person with the most votes gets in. Inductees will be officially announced Thursday.
This was Belichick’s first year eligible for the hall, and his omission has led to widespread calls for the Hall of Fame to overhaul its voting process. The Patriots won six Super Bowls with Belichick in charge and he was part of two other Super Bowl-winning teams as an assistant coach. He seemed like a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame this season until news emerged that he had fallen short.
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Kraft, 84, was first nominated for the Hall of Fame in 2013. He became a finalist for the first time this season after he was a semifinalist in 2025. He’s become one of the most powerful team owners in the NFL as the Patriots emerged as the most successful team of the 2000s. Kraft played key roles in the NFL’s labor relations as well as its media rights deals with television networks and streaming services.
He purchased the Patriots in 1994 from James Orthwein after previously purchasing the Patriots’ Sullivan Stadium via bankruptcy proceedings.
Five club owners have been inducted into the Hall of Fame this century. That group includes the Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones, who was enshrined in 2017. Though Jones is perhaps the one owner with more sway across the league than Kraft, the Cowboys have famously not won a Super Bowl since their glory days of the 1990s.
The Patriots, meanwhile, are making their 11th Super Bowl appearance of Kraft’s tenure on Sunday in Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks. That’s the most Super Bowl appearances of any owner’s team.
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But did the Patriots’ cheating scandals play a role in Kraft’s omission in 2026? A week ago, ESPN reported that both Spygate and Deflategate came up during deliberations about Belichick’s candidacy. Were they also a topic among voters when Kraft was discussed?
Kraft’s omission could also simply be further proof that the Hall of Fame’s voting process needs to be overhauled. At least one voter said he didn’t vote for Belichick despite believing the coach was a surefire Hall of Famer. Why? Because he also felt the three players on the ballot were deserving in what could be their last chance to ever make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
