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The Big Ten dominated the top of the final AP Top 25 of the year.

Indiana was the obvious and unanimous choice at No. 1 following the Hoosiers’ 27-21 win over Miami in Monday night’s national title game. The Hurricanes were voted No. 2 ahead of Ole Miss at No. 3.

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Oregon and Ohio State rounded out the top five to give the Big Ten three of the top-five teams in the last set of rankings. Oregon lost the Peach Bowl to Indiana, while Ohio State fell in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff to Miami at the Cotton Bowl.

The Buckeyes were the No. 2 seed in the CFP. The No. 3 seed, Georgia, finishes the year at No. 6 in the AP poll ahead of Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Alabama and Notre Dame in the top 10. While the Big Ten had three teams in the top five, the SEC had four teams in the top 10.

BYU and Texas came in at Nos. 11 and 12 ahead of No. 13 Oklahoma. The Sooners lost their first-round playoff game at home to Alabama and Texas beat Oklahoma during the regular season. BYU lost the Big 12 title game to Texas Tech and missed out on the playoff.

The final two teams from the playoff in the AP rankings were the two non-power teams. Tulane finishes the year at No. 18 after losing to Ole Miss and James Madison is at No. 19 after its first-round loss to Oregon.

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Here’s the full set of rankings.

Postseason AP Top 25

1. Indiana (16-0)

2. Miami (13-3)

3. Ole Miss (13-2)

4. Oregon (13-2)

5. Ohio State (12-2)

6. Georgia (12-2)

7. Texas Tech (12-2)

8. Texas A&M (11-2)

9. Alabama (11-4)

10. Notre Dame (10-2)

11. BYU (12-2)

12. Texas (10-3)

13. Oklahoma (10-3)

14. Utah (11-2)

15. Vanderbilt (10-3)

16. Virginia (11-3)

17. Iowa (9-4)

18. Tulane (11-3)

19. James Madison (12-2)

20. USC (9-4)

21. Michigan (9-4)

22. Houston (10-3)

23. Navy (11-2)

24. North Texas (12-2)

25. TCU (9-4)

The Indiana Hoosiers completed a storybook 16-0 season by beating the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 on Monday night and winning the school’s first national championship in football.

The Hoosiers had 100-1 odds to win the College Football Playoff before the season, making them the college football team with the longest odds to win a title since at least 2001.

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While Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza is very likely to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, coach Curt Cignetti and much of the Hoosiers team will return next season.

Oddsmakers believe Indiana has a great shot of not being a one-hit wonder, but also didn’t install the Hoosiers as favorites to repeat as champions.

The Ohio State Buckeyes (+600) opened as the favorites to win the 2026-27 college football national championship at BetMGM, followed by Notre Dame, Oregon and Texas at +700.

Cignetti’s Hoosiers are right behind those four teams at +800, and Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs (+900) are the only other team with better than 10-1 odds.

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New LSU head coach Lane Kiffin’s team has 15-1 odds, tied with CFP participants Alabama, Texas Tech and Texas A&M. The 15-1 odds for Alabama ties the school’s longest preseason title odds since 2008, per Sports Odds History.

National champion runner-up Miami has 20-1 odds, followed by Michigan (25-1) and playoff participants Oklahoma (30-1) and Ole Miss (40-1).

Penn State, after having its shortest odds since at least 2001 to win the CFP before this season, opens with 50-1 odds to win next year’s title. The Nittany Lions fired coach James Franklin during the season.

If John Harbaugh is upset about the way things went down with the Baltimore Ravens, he’s not showing it publicly. Harbaugh had nothing but good things to say about his former team as he was being introduced as the New York Giants’ head coach Tuesday.

As he was giving his introductory remarks, Harbaugh went out of his way to “extend a profound thank you” to the Ravens.

At that point, the conversation quickly turned back to the Giants. When asked whether he considered taking time off following his firing, he said he didn’t really consider that option. He added that he was immediately drawn to the Giants, telling reporters, “I wanted this job.”

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Harbaugh didn’t get into many specifics regarding players, though was asked how much of a role Jaxson Dart played in Harbaugh’s decision to join the Giants. Harbaugh said he was “excited about” Dart and couldn’t wait “to get started with him.” Harbaugh also saluted backup quarterback Jameis Winston, who was one of the Giants players at Harbaugh’s news conference Tuesday. Harbaugh recounted a 2024 game vs. Winston, who threw three touchdowns against the Ravens to lead the Cleveland Browns to a 29-24 win over Baltimore. Harbaugh quipped that it was a good day … for the quarterback.

[Get more Giants news: New York team feed]

Harbaugh didn’t mention many other Giants players by name, though said he was encouraged by what he saw on tape when he watched the team.

As for expectations, Harbaugh said the plan is “to win every game” or to at least prepare as though the team can win every single game. He later said he expects to start winning on Day 1.

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Doing so could prove difficult, as the Giants finished 4-13 this season and wound up with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Despite those struggles, the team brought in a promising rookie class, which featured Dart, running back Cam Skattebo and defensive lineman Abdul Carter. Harbaugh will presumably build around all three players as he tries to construct a winner in New York.

The head coach certainly has the pedigree to suggest he can get the job done. In 18 seasons with Baltimore, Harbaugh went 180-113 in the regular season. He led the team to the playoffs 12 times over that period, winning the Super Bowl in 2012.

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Expecting that same success in his second act might be asking a lot, but things did work out for Andy Reid, one of Harbaugh’s mentors, when Reid was put in the same position. When discussing what advice Reid gave to him, Harbaugh said the Kansas City Chiefs coach said “change can be good.”

Right after that, Harbaugh quipped that he would gladly take the same results Reid was able to achieve with the Chiefs.

After suffering an Achilles tear in San Francisco’s wild-card victory over Philadelphia on Jan. 11, Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle was told by doctors that his injury is a “best-case scenario.”

Renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed Kittle’s surgery last week in Los Angeles and said it was a clean tear near the soleus muscle that is located higher on the Achilles tendon. This news should offer some hope that Kittle’s recovery may not be as prolonged as initially expected.

“They didn’t have to drill into my heel,” Kittle said. “Where the repair was, there’s more blood flow so it takes some time off the recovery time. So he’s very excited about everything. My recovery — when I’ll be running, when I’ll be ready to go play again — he’s very excited about it. So that puts me in a really good mood. It’s not as bad as other ones.”

Kittle said it “felt like someone put a shotgun up against my calf and pulled the trigger.” From this feeling, Kittle knew immediately that he’d just suffered a serious injury. The seven-time Pro Bowl tight end isn’t giving a timeline for his return, keeping it a surprise for now. When the injury occurred in Philadelphia, 49ers owner Jed York was in attendance and joined Kittle in the locker room after he was carted off the field.

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“Getting his support was absolutely fantastic,” Kittle said. “Just the fact that the team owner comes down to come give his condolences to you, and just like stays there for you, just really means what kind of place this is, and the people that are in this building. And it makes me really happy to be a Niner.”

Despite dealing with injuries during the regular season as well, playing in just 11 games, Kittle was named to his seventh Pro Bowl and caught 57 receptions for 628 yards and 7 touchdowns.

NFL Free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft will completely shake up the fantasy football landscape in the coming months.

Before the roster movement begins, Justin Boone is identifying one fantasy-relevant player from every team who’s most likely to break out during the 2026 season.

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Early Breakout Candidates

Early AFC East Breakout Candidates

Buffalo Bills – Dalton Kincaid, TE

Kincaid was well on his way to a breakout campaign in September before injuries derailed his season yet again.

The 26-year-old was averaging the third-most fantasy points among tight ends through the first five weeks, despite still only playing around 50% of the Bills’ offensive snaps. Had he maintained his 11.3 fantasy points per game from that stretch over the course of the entire season, he would have finished as the TE5.

However, once Kincaid began dealing with injuries, he missed five games the rest of the way and was held to 38% of the snaps or less in every outing from that point on.

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It’s highly likely the Bills invest in their receiver position this offseason, but Kincaid remains a key part of Buffalo’s passing attack. All he needs to do is stay healthy for a full season in order to be in the mix as a top-five fantasy tight end.

Fantasy breakout potential: ★★★★☆

Miami Dolphins – Malik Washington, WR

It’s an offseason of change for the Dolphins, which includes a new coaching staff and general manager taking over. The team is also likely to move on from several veterans, with decisions looming on key offensive players like Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill.

That makes it difficult to select a potential breakout candidate from a roster that should have a lot of new faces after free agency and the draft.

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Washington failed to make a consistent impact after Hill went out with a season-ending injury, but the passing attack struggled as a whole en route to a quarterback change.

While we have seen flashes of Washington’s playmaking ability during his first two years in the league, he’ll need to make a big leap forward this offseason if he’s going to emerge as a fantasy option.

Consider the 25-year-old mostly a placeholder in this spot until we have a better idea of what the Dolphins’ scheme and depth chart will look like this season.

Fantasy breakout potential: ★★☆☆☆

New England Patriots – TreVeyon Henderson, RB

It was frustrating for fantasy managers who had to watch Henderson take a backseat on multiple occasions when Rhamondre Stevenson was healthy.

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However, we saw more than enough to have faith in Henderson becoming a weekly fantasy difference-maker as early as next season.

The rookie was a top-10 fantasy back over the final eight weeks this year and appears to be on a Jahmyr Gibbs-style career trajectory.  Remember, in Gibbs’ rookie season with the Lions, he only played 56% of the snaps, yet finished as the RB11 in fantasy points per game. His final stat line that year consisted of 945 rushing yards, 316 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns.

Despite Stevenson’s role, Henderson ended the season with 911 rushing yards, 221 receiving yards and 10 total TDs — not far behind Gibbs’ rookie-year numbers.

With the Patriots appearing to be at the start of another dominant run with Drake Maye at the helm, Henderson is one of the most obvious 2026 breakout targets with a true high-end RB1 ceiling.

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Fantasy breakout potential: ★★★★★

New York Jets – Braelon Allen, RB

The Jets are another team in limbo as they try to solve the quarterback problem that’s plagued their offense for over a decade.

In addition to their QB search, they’ll have a decision to make on star running back Breece Hall, whom they chose not to trade at this year’s deadline. Hall seems ready for a fresh start and is heading for free agency, unless New York elects to place the franchise tag on him.

If Hall leaves, that would create an opportunity in the Jets’ backfield and Allen is the next man up if they don’t make a major investment at the position.

An MCL injury ended Allen’s sophomore season after the first month, but he’ll only be 22 years old entering his third NFL campaign.

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As a rookie, Allen only played more than 35% of the snaps in three games and finished as a top-24 fantasy RB in two of those contests, posting 56 yards and two TDs in Week 2 and 81 scrimmage yards in Week 14. It’s understandable if you want to stay away from the Jets’ rushing attack, but Allen represents a cheap path to a potential starting back. If he does land that role by the time we reach the summer, Allen will be a discounted fantasy RB3 with RB2 upside.

Fantasy breakout potential: ★★★★☆

Early Breakout Candidates

Women’s No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka easily defeated Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah in two sets on Sunday to advance to the second round of the Australian Open, where she’ll now face China’s Zhuoxuan Bai. Sabalenka has been to three straight finals in Australia, losing to Madison Keys last year. Will she make it to number four this time around? We’ll have to see who advances when Sabalenka and Bai play tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Australian Open tournament coverage will air across ESPN and ESPN2. The entire tournament will be available to stream on ESPN+ for ESPN Unlimited subscribers. Here’s what you need to know about today’s match at the 2026 Australian Open.

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How to watch Aryna Sabalenka vs. Zhuoxuan Bai:

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 20

Time (estimated): 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: Rod Laver Arena

TV channel: N/A live, re-air on ESPN2 at 9 p.m.

Streaming: ESPN Unlimited

When is the Aryna Sabalenka vs. Zhuoxuan Bai match at the 2026 Australian Open?

Aryna Sabalenka plays Zhuoxuan Bai in the second round at the Australian Open on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.

Aryna Sabalenka vs. Zhuoxuan Bai match start time:

The second-round match between Aryna Sabalenka and Zhuoxuan Bai will start at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN Unlimited, but it won’t be broadcast on ESPN2 until 9 p.m. ET.

Australian Open channel:

In the U.S., the Australian Open will air on ESPN, with the entire tournament streaming on ESPN+ for Unlimited subscribers. Select tournament coverage will also air on ESPN2, before moving to ESPN for the semifinals and beyond.

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How to watch the 2026 Australian Open:

Sling Orange, which includes ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, Disney Channel, and 30 more with no other subscriptions or commitment necessary. No strings attached. 

Where to watch the 2026 Australian Open without cable:

If you want to catch every match of the Australian Open and don’t currently subscribe to ESPN+, cable or a live TV streaming service, in Australia a majority of the action will be streaming free with ads on 9Now.

Don’t live in the land down under? Don’t worry, you can still stream like you do with the help of a VPN. A VPN (virtual private network) helps protect your data, can mask your IP address and is perhaps most popular for being especially useful in the age of streaming. Whether you’re looking to watch Friends on Netflix (which left the U.S. version of the streamer back in 2019) or tune in to tennis coverage without a cable package, a VPN can help you out. Looking to try a VPN for the first time? This guide breaks down the best VPN options for every kind of user.

9Now. Plus it’s Engadget’s pick for the best premium VPN. ExpressVPN offers three tiers of subscriptions: The Basic Plan (starting at $3.49/month), the Advanced Plan (starting at $4.49/month) and the Pro Plan (starting at $7.49/month).

ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case you’re nervous about trying a VPN.

Australian Open 2026 schedule:

All times Eastern

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Saturday, January 17

• (Day 1) Men’s and Women’s 1st Round: 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 18

• (Day 1) Men’s and Women’s 1st Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 2) Men’s and Women’s 1st Round: 7:00 p.m.

Monday, January 19

• (Day 2) Men’s and Women’s 1st Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 3) Men’s and Women’s 1st Round: 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 20

• (Day 3) Men’s and Women’s 1st Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 4) Men’s and Women’s 2nd Round: 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, January 21

• (Day 4) Men’s and Women’s 2nd Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 5) Men’s and Women’s 2nd Round: 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, January 22

• (Day 5) Men’s and Women’s 2nd Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 6) Men’s and Women’s 3rd Round: 7:00 p.m.

Friday, January 23

• (Day 6) Men’s and Women’s 3rd Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 7) Men’s and Women’s 3rd Round: 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 24

• (Day 7) Men’s and Women’s 3rd Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 8) Men’s and Women’s 4th Round: 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 25

• (Day 8) Men’s and Women’s 4th Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 9) Men’s and Women’s 4th Round: 7:00 p.m.

Monday, January 26

• (Day 9) Men’s and Women’s 4th Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 10) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 27

• (Day 10) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 11) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, January 28

• (Day 11) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 12) Women’s Semifinals: 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, January 29

• (Day 13) Men’s Semifinal: 8:00 p.m.

Friday, January 30

• (Day 13) Men’s Semifinal: 3:30 a.m.

Saturday, January 31

• (Day 14) Women’s Final: 3:30 a.m.

Sunday, February 1

• (Day 15) Men’s Final: 3:30 a.m.

Who is playing in the 2026 Australian Open?

The top 10 seeded players for the singles draws are listed below.

Men’s singles seeds for the Australian Open 2026

1. Carlos Alcaraz

2. Jannik Sinner

3. Alexander Zverev

4. Novak Djokovic

5. Felix Auger-Aliassime

Women’s singles seeds for the Australian Open 2026

1. Aryna Sabalenka

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2. Iga Swiatek

3. Amanda Anisimova

4. Coco Gauff

5. Elena Rybakina

Australian Open prize money:

For 2026, the men’s and women’s singles winners of the Australian Open each get $4,150,000, with the runner-up receiving $2,150,000 and Semi-finalists $1,250,000.

More ways to watch the 2026 Australian Open:

February 22, 2026

Conference championship weekend includes three teams that went 14-3 in the regular season and also the 12-win Los Angeles Rams, who some consider the best team in the NFL.

Of course, there’s an asterisk. One of those 14-3 teams, the Denver Broncos, had the gut punch of finding out Bo Nix will miss the rest of the playoffs due to a broken bone in his ankle. That changed the playoff landscape, and also the betting odds for the conference championship round.

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Here are three betting storylines for the NFL’s final four, with odds from BetMGM:

How Bo Nix’s injury affected the line

It’s impossible to discuss the AFC championship game without a dive into the Broncos’ quarterback conundrum.

Broncos coach Sean Payton shocked everyone with the announcement that Bo Nix would undergo season-ending surgery, meaning Jarrett Stidham would start the AFC championship game. Stidham will set the record for fewest career starts (four) of any starting quarterback in NFL conference championship game history.

There was a huge adjustment to the line. On lookahead lines for potential matchups last week, the Broncos were a 1.5-point favorite over the Patriots. That moved all the way to Patriots -5.5, but it has come back to Patriots -5 at BetMGM. The Broncos could close as the biggest home underdog in NFL conference championship game history.

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Before the season, 12 oddsmakers broke down the point-spread difference between starting quarterback and backup quarterback for each team to Yahoo Sports’ Ben Fawkes, and the average difference from Nix and Stidham was 3.85 points. The line actually moved 6.5 points, based on that lookahead line, which seems like an overreaction.

Seahawks favored over Rams

The NFC championship game is the third meeting between the Seahawks and Rams this season, which means we have point spread history for two other games.

In the first meeting in Los Angeles, the Rams were 3-point favorites and won but didn’t cover, outlasting Seattle 21-19 when the Seahawks missed a long field goal as time expired. In the second game, the Seahawks were 1.5-point favorites and trailed by 16 points in the fourth quarter before coming back to win but not cover in a wild 38-37 win.

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The line this time has moved the Seahawks’ way, even though their win over the Rams was fluky with a historic comeback. Seattle is -2.5 at -120 odds, which means it could move to Seahawks -3 before kickoff. The Seahawks’ rest over the last two weeks, with a bye followed by a blowout win over the 49ers, might factor in. The Rams’ wild-card game came down to the final minute and then the divisional round game at Chicago went to overtime. The Seahawks have also looked impressive in the three games since that comeback over the Rams, while Los Angeles hasn’t played a great game since then.

Both of these teams have been good to bettors. The Seahawks and Rams both went 12-5 against the spread this regular season, in a four-way tie for the best ATS record in the NFL, according to Action Network (the Patriots and Jaguars were the others).

NFC likely to be favored in Super Bowl

As has been the case for weeks, the two NFC West teams are atop the Super Bowl odds. No matter which NFC team wins Sunday, they’re very likely to be favored in Super Bowl LX.

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The Broncos’ quarterback situation has also affected the current Super Bowl odds:

Seahawks +150

Rams +220

Patriots +250

Broncos +1300

It is a bit jarring to see Jarrett Stidham at +2000 to win Super Bowl MVP, considering he hasn’t thrown a pass in either of the last two regular seasons and wasn’t on anyone’s radar just a few days ago.

Ole Miss golfer Michael La Sasso, who won the 2025 NCAA championship, will forfeit the rest of his college eligibility to join Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC team with LIV Golf.

La Sasso confirmed the news with a statement Tuesday, saying he was excited to learn from Mickelson and begin his professional career “at the highest level on a global stage.”

“I’m incredibly excited to join HyFlyers GC and take this next step in my career,” La Sasso said in a release. “It’s a rare opportunity to learn from one of the greatest players in the history of the game, and I don’t take that lightly. LIV Golf allows me to compete at the highest level on a global stage, and I thrive in a team environment, especially one with the camaraderie and support that defines HyFlyers GC. My focus is on learning, continuing to improve, and doing everything I can to help our team succeed.”

Mickelson had nothing but good things to say about La Sasso in that statement, calling him one of the “most exciting young players in the game.”

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The team also introduced La Sasso in a tweet Tuesday, in which Mickelson continued to hype up the former Rebel.

With the move, La Sasso also forfeits his Masters invite, which he earned after winning the 2025 NCAA Championship. La Sasso’s participation in the Masters in April was contingent on him remaining an amateur. By signing with LIV Golf, La Sasso no longer has that designation.

La Sasso will reportedly finish his degree online, per The Athletic, and is expected to make his first LIV Golf appearance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February.

The 21-year-old La Sasso played golf at North Carolina State before breaking out with Ole Miss, where he was an first team All-American ahead of both seasons he was with the Rebels. He appeared in six PGA Tour events as an amateur, though missed the cut at five of those events, including the 2025 U.S. Open.

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La Sasso is not the first NCAA player to make the leap to LIV Golf. The organization signed 2021 NCAA champ Turk Pettit ahead of its first season in 2022. Last year, LIV Golf brought on Arizona State senior Josele Ballester, who was considered one of the top amateur golfers in the United States before signing with LIV.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison won’t face a trespassing charge following his alleged wrongful arrest in Florida on Jan. 12, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, who reported Tuesday that Addison’s agent told him that Addison will now prepare to file a civil claim.

Addison, 23, was arrested early last Monday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa around 3:45 a.m, per KTSP, and charged with misdemeanor trespassing. He was released that afternoon on $500 bond.

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Casino security asked Addison “several times” to leave the restaurant Noodle Bar inside the venue, but he refused, according to The Athletic, which cited a court record in its report. Then, when Addison was escorted out of the building, he “repeatedly had to be redirected towards the front exit,” per the court record, The Athletic reported.

[Get more Vikings news: Minnesota team feed]

Ultimately, Addison was taken into custody for trespassing, reportedly after receiving warnings from two officers.

Addison’s attorney, Brian Pakett, released a statement Tuesday about Florida authorities’ decision to drop the misdemeanor trespassing charge, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero:

“As Mr. Addison’s agent has advised, from the very outset of this incident and arrest, Mr. Addison committed no legal wrong doing,” Pakett’s statement reads, via Pelissero.

“We are thrilled that the truth was finally revealed and this poor man’s name was not besmirched any longer. I am thankful we were able to bring this to light as quickly as possible.”

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Addison just completed his third season with the Vikings, who took him No. 23 overall in the 2023 draft. He’s eligible for a contract extension this spring.

Months after he was drafted, he was cited for driving 140 mph on a Minnesota freeway. While a charge of reckless driving was dismissed, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor speeding charge and paid $686 in fines.

A year later, in 2024, he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Southern California. Officers said Addison was “asleep behind the wheel” of a white Rolls-Royce that was stopped and blocking a freeway lane near Los Angeles International Airport just after 11 p.m. He wound up pleading to a lesser offense referred to as a “wet reckless,” which, in California, meant he pleaded no contest to reckless driving with the involvement of alcohol, as ESPN reported at the time.

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He was placed on probation for 12 months and was required to complete a pair of online courses, in addition to paying a $390 fine.

As a result of that citation, Addison served a three-game suspension at the start of the 2025 season. Not long after he returned to the field, he was disciplined again, this time internally for reportedly missing a walkthrough practice. Addison was benched for the first quarter of the Vikings’ 21-17 win over the Cleveland Browns in London during Week 5. He did, however, catch the game-winning touchdown in that matchup.

Addison’s talent is undeniable. He won the Biletnikoff Award at Pitt in 2021 and then showcased his skill set as a shifty and speedy receiver at USC to finish out his college career.

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In three seasons with the Vikings, he’s caught 175 passes and totaled 24 touchdowns. That said, his numbers have decreased since his rookie campaign, when he piled up 70 grabs, 911 receiving yards and 10 touchdown catches.

The 2026 NBA Finals will begin on Wednesday, June 3, and end on Friday, June 19, should the title need seven games to be decided.

According to Sports Media Watch, this will be the first NBA Finals since 1970 to not have a game scheduled for a Sunday. Typically, the league’s final playoff series of the season has begun on a Thursday and ended on a Sunday if a Game 7 was necessary.

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There is also the potential uniqueness of an NBA Finals game airing on a Saturday night (Game 5), something that has only happened once since 1981.

2026 NBA Finals schedule

Game 1: Wednesday, June 3
Game 2: Friday, June 5
Game 3: Monday, June 8
Game 4: Wednesday, June 10
*Game 5: Saturday, June 13
*Game 6: Tuesday, June 16
*Game 7: Friday, June 19
*if necessary

(all games begin at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC)

There are two factors playing into how the NBA and ABC devised the schedule for this year. First, ABC is also airing the Stanley Cup Final, which will take place around the same time. Then you have the World Cup, which begins on June 11 and sees the United States begin its tournament on June 12 at 9 p.m. ET in Los Angeles.

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The second group game for the USMNT is a week later on Friday, June 19, at 3 p.m. ET, hours before a potential Game 7.

Since 2017 and 2018 when the Golden State Warriors went back-to-back, the NBA has seen seven different champions. Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder topped the Indiana Pacers in the first seven-game NBA Finals since 2016.

As of Tuesday, the Thunder remain on top of the NBA with a 36-8 record. Behind them in the overall standings is the 31-10 Detroit Pistons and the 30-13 San Antonio Spurs.