Did Miami find a loophole in NIL? We have had many discussions on Darian Mensah’s journey from Duke to Miami in the last couple of weeks, but not much of the talk has been focused on the Hurricanes. Steven Godfrey returns to join Andy Staples and Ross Dellenger as they discuss how Miami may have found a way around player buyouts in college football. Are we closer to getting clear buyouts written in player contracts? Plus, do schools in states with no income tax have an advantage in NIL? The guys discuss.
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Then, they shift from players to coaches. The college football schedule is always a topic of debate, but the group most negatively affected by the current nonsensical schedule is the coaches. Many people may not feel bad for the head coaches making millions, but it’s all of the other coaches who really take on the biggest burden of the schedule. The dichotomy between the quality of life of college coaches versus coaches in the NFL has many coaches jumping ship to take a chance in the National Football League. Andy, Ross and Godfrey discuss how tough this schedule can be, and why the NFL model is more manageable for coaches. Plus, they discuss ways that the college football schedule can improve and also be more prevalent throughout the calendar year.
Later, they guys discuss the biggest news in the football world. Bill Belichick was not named a first ballot Hall of Famer. Many people have expressed shock and outrage by this omission. Andy poses a question to the group. Did Belichick’s struggles at North Carolina have a negative effect on his Hall of Fame candidacy? The guys discuss the situation.
Get all of your college football news here with College Football Enquirer.
Did Miami find a loophole in NIL? Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
(Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Dallas Mavericks rookie phenom Cooper Flagg will return to the lineup Thursday night to face the Charlotte Hornets.
Flagg will return against a familiar face on the opposing side, with former Duke Blue Devil teammate Kon Knueppel (18.6 ppg on 42.1% 3-point shooting) starring for the Hornets. The former college teammates currently lead all rookies in scoring. The Mavs held out Flagg from Wednesday’s 118-105 loss to Minnesota due to an ankle injury.
The Mavs will also honor former No. 1 overall pick Mark Aguirre with a jersey retirement ceremony during halftime. Aguirre spent the first 7.5 seasons of his 13-year NBA career in Dallas and was a three-time All-Star for the Mavs.
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Flagg has been nothing short of stellar in his rookie campaign, leading all rookies in scoring at 18.8 points per game, while grabbing 6.4 rebounds and dishing out 4.1 assists. He’s appeared in 43 of Dallas’s 47 games thus far and started each one. His game has translated nicely in his first few months as a pro, and it looks like the Mavs have found their franchise player to build around for the future.
Despite Flagg’s contributions this season, it’s still been a rough one for Mavs fans. Veteran big man Anthony Davis hasn’t been able to stay on the court due to injury, leaving him open to swirling trade rumors, and point guard Kyrie Irving still has not returned from an ACL injury he suffered last March.
In the team’s first full season without Luka Dončić, the Mavs are 19-28 as we approach the All-Star break and are currently in 11th place in the Western Conference. They are 3.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the final play-in spot in the west.
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Dallas and Charlotte tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET Thursday from the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Christian Polanco and Christine Cupo kick things off by tiering the Champions League field, separating the favorites from the contenders, dark horses, and pretenders. Who’s built to go the distance, which clubs are being overrated, and who could surprise Europe this season?
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Next, the guys react to Anthony Gordon’s recent comments throwing shade at the Premier League. Has the league’s dominance made it predictable and boring, or is this just another case of fans confusing quality with excitement? Christian and Christine debate whether the “best league in the world” label still holds up.
Finally, the conversation turns to the USWNT as Emma Hayes officially ushers in a new era. With a clear vision, fresh energy, and evolving tactics, the guys ask whether this team could reach an even higher level of dominance than previous generations.
Timestamps:
(4:30) – Recapping Champions League Matchday 8 excitement
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(9:00) – Listing Champions League Pretenders
(19:30) – Champions League contenders
(28:30) – Champions League favorites
(31:00) – Reacting to Anthony Gordon’s comments on PL’s lost excitement
With time running short until he must select his World Cup squad, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said Thursday that, after assessing some 70 players over almost 16 months, the door is all but closed to new candidates. But paring down the list to 26 for this summer’s soccer festival in North America remains very much a work in progress.
His final opportunity to see players together in person will come the last week of March for heavyweight friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta.
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Then comes his much-anticipated World Cup announcement in late May. Certainly, the March roster will tell a lot — but not everything, he cautioned — about what to expect.
“It’s true that now we are close to the World Cup,” Pochettino said Thursday on a video call with reporters. “It’s true it’s going to be difficult to bring some new players, because I think we don’t have time. But already we had time to assess all the players in a year and a half. I think we have a very good idea. Now it’s about [wishing] our players will be fit and in very good form for us to select the right players.”
Pochettino plans to name his roster for the next camp on March 17, six days before workouts begin in suburban Atlanta. Though most selections seem obvious, Pochettino has left high-profile players out of camps at times the past year.
Then there is the matter of injuries. Most of his regulars are healthy, but some are recuperating from setbacks. Most notably, Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams is sidelined with a knee ailment and in a race against time to be ready for the March camp. Even if absent, though, he would remain high on the list for a World Cup slot.
“We’ll see how he’s going to come back and start to play and to perform,” Pochettino said of Pepi, who is among several strikers vying for probably three World Cup slots. “Of course, he’s a player that is [on] our radar. Hope he can be fit.”
CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 15: Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of United States, gives instructions to Tim Ream #13 during an international friendly match between United States and Paraguay at Subaru Park on November 15, 2025 in Chester, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mark Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
(Mark Smith/ISI Photos/USSF via Getty Images)
No matter who is in camp in March, Pochettino wants his team to begin pivoting toward the World Cup.
“It’s a great opportunity in March,” he said. “The idea is that the World Cup will start in March, when we [are] all together, because it’s time to show like we were showing in the last camp [in the fall] — our identity, our way to play in the way we want to perform in the World Cup.”
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The Americans hit their stride late in the year, defeating four World Cup-bound teams (Japan, Australia, Paraguay and Uruguay) and tying another (Ecuador). The final match of 2025 was its best under Pochettino, a 5-1 rout of Uruguay in Tampa.
The four-month pause until the next international window fell at an inopportune time.
“How we finished 2025, you want to play the next week again to take advantage of the form and the belief and the energy from the group,” Pochettino said. “It’s really tough to spend all this time watching football, assessing players, having meetings, doing different things but no coaching. That is the most tough situation because we love to coach. We love to be on the grass.”
Without any camps, Pochettino and his staff have closely monitored players in the thick of European club seasons. His Major League Soccer candidates, however, are just getting back up to speed in preseason.
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Such players are not necessarily at a disadvantage for the March call-up, Pochettino said. “Maybe without games, you compensate with energy,” he said. “They came from a period that they rest, they recover, and now they are charging the batteries to be full.”
The MLS regular season won’t begin until Feb. 21, though some teams will get started earlier as part of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
One key MLS-based player is reportedly leaving for the European circuit soon: right back Alex Freeman, who is expected to join Villarreal in Spain’s La Liga from Orlando City. Such a move so close to the World Cup comes with some risk, because without regular playing time with a new club in midseason, Freeman could lose his grip on a U.S. roster slot.
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Pochettino said Freeman called him to ask his opinion about the impending move.
“I am not concerned if some players are going to move in that transfer window,” Pochettino said. “It’s important the player feels happy, feels comfortable. … They want to improve. They want to grow. It’s an amazing challenge we need to support, and help [him] into adapting the best possible way and to not lose focus.”
LeBron James’ return to face the Cleveland Cavaliers was the biggest story to come out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 129-99 loss Wednesday, but it was nearly overshadowed by a controversial injury. Lakers superstar Luka Dončić was briefly removed from the contest after falling off the Cavaliers’ raised court.
The moment occurred early in the contest. After shooting a three just minutes into the game, Dončić backed up on one foot, watching to see if his shot was good. He wound up going too far, falling off the Cavaliers’ raised court and injuring his leg.
Dončić was removed from the contest and went to the Lakers’ locker room. After being checked out by team trainers, Dončić was able to return at the end of the first quarter and play the rest of the game. Dončić finished with 29 points in just under 30 minutes of play.
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While the Lakers’ star avoided a major injury, the Cavaliers’ raised court drew a major focus from the Lakers after the game. Coach JJ Redick called it a “safety hazard,” one that he didn’t expect to change even if the team filed a formal complaint to the league, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“It is absolutely a safety hazard,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after Doncic was able to return later in the first quarter. “And I don’t know why it’s still like that. I don’t. You know, you can lodge formal complaints. A lot of times you don’t see any change when you lodge a formal complaint.”
The Cavaliers are the only team in the NBA that plays on an elevated court. There’s roughly a 10-inch separation from the court to the arena floor. While that drop is supposed to be far enough out of play that it won’t affect players, that clearly wasn’t the case during Wednesday’s game.
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent echoed Redick’s concern, saying he hoped “something can get fixed” with the court.
“It’s tough to see another player get hurt on this court, with the fall, with the drop off,” Lakers guard Gabe Vincent said Monday, “so hopefully something can get fixed with that, but we’re fortunate that [Doncic] is OK.”
As for Dončić, he put the incident on himself, saying “It’s the only court like this so, I guess it’s my fault.” He added that he needs to stop jumping like that after shots.
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When asked whether he would contact the league about the court, though, Dončić said “don’t involve me in that.” Redick took a similar track, saying the issue was above his pay grade.
Dončić is not the only player to sustain an injury due to the Cavaliers’ raised court. In 2023, Miami Heat guard Dru Smith sustained an ACL sprain after trying to contest a shot. Smith jumped near the Cavaliers’ bench, and his momentum took him all the way to the edge of the court. Smith’s right leg landed on the court’s edge and then dropped all the way down to the arena floor. He was ruled out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.
That incident wasn’t enough to force the Cavaliers into making a change. While Dončić is currently questionable with “left ankle soreness” for Friday’s game against Washington, his scare could reignite the issue in the league office. The last thing the NBA wants is a premier player going down with a significant injury thanks to an uncommon court hazard.
It has been more than 48 hours since word first broke that Bill Belichick, the NFL’s all-time leader in Super Bowl titles and playoff wins among head coaches, will not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. That has proven to be a bit controversial.
The decision to reject Belichick in his first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame came down to the selection committee, a room of 50 people, all media members from diverse backgrounds with representatives from all 32-team media contingents. Some members have been respected reporters for decades. Some were Hall of Fame players and coaches themselves.
For enshrinement, Belichick needed at least 80% approval (i.e. 40 voters). That means at least 11 people voted against him.
There has been enough tension that the Hall of Fame released a statement Wednesday hinting that any violation of its bylaws could lead to repercussions for voters, including removal from future committees. Belichick is not named in the statement.
Bill Belichick isn’t a Hall of Famer in his first year of eligibility because of at least 11 voters. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
(Lance King via Getty Images)
We still don’t officially know who voted for or against Belichick. We weren’t even supposed to know he didn’t make the cut until the announcement of the 2026 Hall of Fame class next week, but ESPN opted to report the news early. It’s unclear if the full voting breakdown will ever be revealed.
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However, several voters have taken it upon themselves to tell the public that this isn’t on them, a rare step in a usually secretive process. Yahoo Sports has compiled all available statements from the voters to break down how all 50 members of the selection committee appear to have voted.
It’s also worth noting that several members of this group have called for the full votes to be revealed and to reform a process in which they could choose only three of Belichick, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and senior players Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood.
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Implied ‘yes’ votes (1)
Confirmed ‘no’ votes (2)
Gregorian became the first voter to outright confirm he voted against Belichick. In a Wednesday column with the Kansas City Star, he explained he didn’t vote against Belichick (and Kraft) so much as for the three senior players up for enshrinement: Anderson, Craig and Greenwood.
Gregorian said he believed all five of the candidates were deserving, but was concerned that the three players would have to wait much longer than Belichick, like many other senior candidates. It’s a system he believes should change:
All of that went into why I felt duty-bound to vote for the richly deserving seniors, who most likely won’t ever have a hearing again as more senior candidates enter the pool and fresh cases get made for others.
Meanwhile, Belichick is inevitable soon … as he should be. At the risk of contradicting my own vote, really, he shouldn’t even have to wait. I understand why people are offended that he isn’t going in the first moment he can.
In the end, though, I felt more compelled by what I perceive to be last chances and looming lost causes within the system as we have it — a system I hope the Hall will see fit to change now.
Other “no” voters obviously had different reasons. Salguero, one of the “yes” voters, has published an account claiming there were voters in the room who voiced their concerns about Spygate before the voting. However, other accounts have indicated there were few enough of them that the outcome was still a big surprise.
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Gregorian made very clear Spygate didn’t influence his decision.
In the case of Chappell, he said he voted for Kraft and two of the senior players and made his case for the Kraft over Belichick decision, specifically citing Spygate and Kraft’s efforts to both build up the Patriots in the 1990s and end the work stoppage in 2011. Like Gregorian, he also took issue with lumping the coaches, contributors and seniors into a single competitive arena.
Declined to say (6)
We should make clear here that a voter’s presence in this section absolutely does not mean they are a secret “no” vote. Voters typically don’t reveal their votes until after the class is announced and some of these guys are sticking with that. You can read their reasoning in each of the above links.
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Unknown (16)
Darryl Ledbetter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta Falcons)
Geoff Hobson, Bengals.com (Cincinnati Bengals)
Rick Gosselin, Talk of Fame Network (Dallas Cowboys)
Jeff Legwold, ESPN/ESPN.com (Denver Broncos)
Paul Gutierrez, Raiders.com (Las Vegas Raiders)
Howard Balzer, SiriusXM NFL Radio (Los Angeles Rams)
Joel Bussert, retired, NFL Office (at-large)
Tony Dungy, NBC Sports “Football Night in America”(at-large)
Dan Fouts, Broadcaster (at-large)
Clark Judge, Talk of Fame Network (at-large)
Ross Ketover, NFL Films (at-large) *
James Lofton, CBS Sports (at-large)
Alex Marvez, SiriusXM NFL Radio (at-large)
Lisa Salters, ESPN “Monday Night Football” (at-large)
Jim Trotter, retired, The Athletic (at-large)
Barry Wilner, retired, Associated Press (at-large)
As far as we can tell, there have been no public statements from any of these voters. When factoring in Gregorian and assuming no one has been misleading or outright lying, at least nine of the people in the above two fields voted against Belichick.
Buffalo Bills receiver Keon Coleman has a supporter in Joe Brady, and the team’s new head coach made sure to advocate for the second-year wideout during his introductory news conference Thursday.
Brady’s definitive statement came a week after Coleman’s place on the roster appeared to be in question following remarks by team owner Terry Pegula during a news conference explaining the firing of head coach Sean McDermott.
In addition to announcing McDermott’s dismissal, the Bills also promoted general manager Brandon Beane to president of football operations. That raised eyebrows among fans and media, as Beane’s roster construction was arguably as responsible — if not more so — for the team’s failure to get to the Super Bowl during the past seven seasons.
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Pegula defended Beane, choosing to single out Coleman as an example of the general manager being a “team player” who drafted a player whom coaches wanted more than the front office’s talent evaluators may have.
“The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon. I’m not saying Brandon wouldn’t have drafted him, but he wasn’t his next choice,” Pegula said, via Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein.
“That was Brandon being a team player and taking advice of his coaching staff who felt strongly about the player,” he added. “He’s taken, for some reason, heat about it and not saying a word about it. But I’m here to tell you the true story.”
One of the primary criticisms against Beane is he didn’t add an impact receiver to the offense for quarterback Josh Allen. Selecting Coleman in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft was an attempt to remedy that.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound receiver was a big target, one who caught 11 touchdowns in 2023 for Florida State. Though Coleman averaged 54 catches in his final two college seasons, he didn’t register 1,000 receiving yards in either campaign. That’s likely why he was available in the second round.
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Last season, Coleman finished third on the team with 38 receptions while his 404 receiving yards were fourth and his four touchdowns tied for second among Bills pass-catchers.
That will change, according to Brady. The new head coach was one of those on the staff advocating for the team to draft Coleman. The receiver’s production will increase with the former offensive coordinator now presumably taking a greater role in how the Bills’ offense attacks.
Also voicing support for Coleman was Allen, who appeared at Brady’s news conference wearing a walking boot on his right foot after undergoing surgery.
“He will come back from that. I m not going to give up on 0,” Allen told reporters. “He’s got too much ability.
“We’re going to work tirelessly, him and me, and as well as everybody else in this building to make sure that whenever we step foot on the field, we’re going to find ways to win football games and he’s going to be a part of that.”
Stepping up his production would not only be in Coleman’s best interests for staying on the roster, but also for his future earnings. Going into his third season, Coleman’s performance will likely determine whether the team decides to pick up his fifth-year option.
Gordon, 30, suffered the latest setback last Friday in the second quarter of a 102-100 road win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
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While the 12th-year forward didn’t return for the second half, he was optimistic his hamstring wasn’t as injured as it was in November when he began a 19-game absence, Nuggets head coach David Adelman told reporters. That said, as ESPN reported at the time, Adelman noted the Nuggets would have to wait for further testing to know exactly what kind of recovery Gordon was looking at.
It turns out he’s staring at the same timeline as last time.
Gordon is averaging a career-high 17.7 points per game this season, and he’s shooting 40% or better from 3 for the second season in a row.
Unfortunately, hamstring issues have been getting in the way.
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Gordon was playing on the second night of a back-to-back when he aggravated the injury. He had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals before exiting the contest.
The day before, he played 33 minutes in a win over the Washington Wizards.
Denver, which is third place in the Western Conference with a 31-16 record, is now down two of its top three scorers.
The Nuggets are still missing three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, who suffered a hyperextended left knee on Dec. 29. That said, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday the Nuggets intend to re-evaluate Jokić’s injury in “about a week.”
U.S. soccer coach Mauricio Pochettino said Thursday that he does not think players and coaches should speak out about World Cup ticket prices, which have been widely criticized as being unaffordable for many fans.
“It’s not about us to provide our opinion,” he said during a video call with reporters. “Our responsibility is to play and perform on the pitch.”
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Conducting the call from FIFA offices in Coral Gables, Florida, Pochettino said FIFA, the sport’s governing body, should answer questions about ticket prices, not coaches and players.
“FIFA is doing an amazing job around the world, uniting people,” he said. “I think, for sure, the media needs to ask [FIFA] directly and, for sure, you are going to receive a very good answer. … We need to be focused on the sports side and trust the organization that is in charge of soccer or football around the world that they are going to do the right things.”
Citing demand for World Cup tickets, FIFA has defended ticket prices. The governing body blamed the resale market for skyrocketing costs.
Two weeks ago, U.S. standout Tim Weah told the Athletic that he was “disappointed by the ticket prices. Lots of real fans will miss matches.”
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Asked Thursday about Weah’s comments, Pochettino said, “Players need to talk on the pitch playing football. It’s not his duty to evaluate the price of the ticket. My duty is to prepare the team in the best way to perform. We are not politicians; we are sports people. We can talk about our jobs. If FIFA does something or [makes] some decision, they know why and it is their responsibility to explain why.”
NBC will have some well-known names in the studio when it returns to covering Major League Baseball this year.
The network is finalizing deals with Clayton Kershaw, Joey Votto and Anthony Rizzo to join its broadcasts for 2026 and beyond, according to Front Office Sports.
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Collectively, the group brings playing experience that includes a combined 49 years in MLB with 20 All-Star nods, 6 Gold Gloves, 3 Cy Young Awards, 2 MVPs, 2 Roberto Clemente Awards and 4 World Series titles. All three were reportedly sought-after names in the broadcast world this winter, and NBC got them all.
It’s unclear how the exact roles will break down here, but it’s easy enough to imagine a studio show with the trio reminiscent of what Fox Sports does with Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez. Kershaw, who retired from MLB after last season but still plans to pitch in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, is reportedly expected to work a limited schedule.
Votto last played in MLB in 2023 and has long been known as one of the game’s most insightful players. Rizzo last played in 2024 and officially retired in September, concluding a career that saw him play several years in two big markets and help end the Chicago Cubs’ 108-year World Series drought.
The Peacock streaming platform will be the exclusive home of many of those games, as its broadcast schedule lays out. Peacock also streamed those “Sunday Leadoff” games in 2022 and 2023.
Between this MLB deal, a recent reunion with the NBA and its 10-figure agreement with the Big Ten that began in 2023, NBC — already the home of the NFL’s “Sunday Night Football” and the Olympics — has been betting more on sports than ever before.
