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Former Vikings Pro Bowler Could Lose His Job

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Chicago Bears fans in stands during preseason game against Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears fans fill the stands, watching the action and reacting throughout the game as their team faces the Buffalo Bills during preseason play on Aug 26, 2023, at Soldier Field in Chicago. The crowd brings energy and anticipation while following each moment of the late-summer matchup. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports.

On March 11th, the New England Patriots traded former Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury to the Chicago Bears for a 5th-Round pick. Six weeks later, Chicago drafted a rookie center who will probably steal Bradbury’s job.

Chicago added Bradbury for stability, but Jones gives the Bears a younger center option right away.

The Bears aren’t goofing around at center this offseason; they now have Bradbury and Iowa rookie Logan Jones.

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Jones Creates a New Center Battle in Chicago

It’s an interior offensive line mystery in the Windy City.

Garrett Bradbury lines up during a Vikings playoff game against the Rams at State Farm Stadium. Garrett Bradbury Bears
Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury (56) lines up against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium, with Jan. 13, 2025 capturing the playoff setting as Minnesota battles in Arizona. Bradbury anchors the offensive line during high-stakes postseason action against a familiar NFC opponent. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.

Jones over Bradbury?

The Bears used a 2nd-Round pick on Friday night to get Jones. Second-round centers play; that’s actually quite early to draft a man from the position.

SI.com‘s Jerry Markarian wrote Sunday, “Virtually everyone expected the Chicago Bears to be in the market for a developmental center in the 2026 NFL Draft. Veteran trade acquisition Garrett Bradbury, whom they shipped a fifth-round pick for shortly after Drew Dalman’s abrupt retirement, only has one year remaining on his contract, after all. With that said, very few expected them to prioritize the position in the second round.”

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“They felt the value of Iowa center Logan Jones, who was widely considered the best center in this year’s class, was too good to pass up at pick 57. They completely changed the shape of the center room in the process. Unlike some of the other options that would’ve come into play later in the draft, he has a legitimate shot to start from day one.”

And just like that, there’s a center camp battle on the horizon.

The Jones Scouting Report

Because the Vikings will eventually see Jones twice annually, it’s vital to know what he’s made of.

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The rookie lineman’s age, 24, might’ve made him less appealing to some teams, as front offices typically prefer more time to develop prospects. Jones’s accelerated timeline means he’ll be expected to contribute early and consistently from Day One. Teams simply won’t draft an older rookie center to stash him for development; his value hinges entirely on his immediate readiness to play. That’s why Bradbury should be concerned.

This need for immediate impact aligns well with his playing style. Having started 50 games in college, Jones was very comfortable in a zone-based system, which effectively highlights his movement skills. He demonstrates the ability to execute reach blocks, get to the second level, and handle himself effectively in open space — all traits that seamlessly fit offenses running frequent outside zone schemes. If Bears skipper Ben Johnson wanted Jones in Round 2, he’s probably the right guy. Johnson isn’t known for poor offensive thinking.

Despite his overall frame, Jones’s 300-pound weight is considered on the lighter side for a center. Some evaluators have even compared him to a lighter version of Tyler Linderbaum.

Logan Jones stands on the sideline before an Iowa game at Kinnick Stadium. Garrett Bradbury Bears
Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Logan Jones (65) looks on from the sideline before kickoff at Kinnick Stadium, with Sep. 13, 2025 marking the pregame moment against the Massachusetts Minutemen. Jones surveys the field while preparing for action, offering a glimpse of his presence ahead of another start on Iowa’s offensive front. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.

The Athletic‘s Dane Brugler on Jones: “Jones is an undersized, sawed-off blocker with aggressive technique and athletic ability, although his sustain struggles might be tough to overcome. A center-only prospect, he is a mid-round version of Linderbaum. He gave up only one sack over his junior and senior seasons and had a prolific 2025 season, taking home the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center.”

“He was a significant factor in the Hawkeyes winning the 2025 Joe Moore Award as college football’s best offensive line. Jones is lightning quick in his snap-to-step process and has an instinctive feel for leverage and blocking angles. With his vise-grip hands, he can latch, drive his feet and torque defenders to create running room.”

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Most expected Jones to be drafted in Round 3, but the Bears pushed the envelope a round early.

Brugler added, “Though he has terrific range and recovery quickness, his lack of length stands out on reach blocks and when attempting to combat powerful defensive tackles in a phone booth. His competitive temperament and toughness are unquestioned — he taught himself to snap with his left hand while managing a right-hand injury in 2024.”

Dalman’s Retirement

Why are the Bears in this situation? Simple — their 2025 keynote free-agent acquisition retired. At age 27, Dalman called it quits out of nowhere in early March. Chicago responded by trading for Bradbury, a decent deal for a 5th-Round pick.

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Dalman was actually a Vikings free-agent target in March 2025, according to some popular consensus, but the Bears won the sweepstakes, and Minnesota pivoted to Ryan Kelly, who also retired in March.

Without Dalman and his fancy 77.5 grade last season from Pro Football Focus, Chicago needed a replacement center. Now, it has Bradbury and Jones.

Bradbury as a Sideways Trade Option for MIN?

Bradbury doesn’t have 100% support in Minnesota because of his suspect pass protection, but there is a world where the Bears nominate Jones as their Week 1 starter in August or September and trade Bradbury. While Bradbury isn’t elite, he should start on one of the NFL’s 32 teams.

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Garrett Bradbury walks to the practice field during Patriots training camp at Gillette Stadium. Garrett Bradbury Bears
New England Patriots center Garrett Bradbury (65) heads toward the practice fields during training camp at Gillette Stadium, with Jul. 28, 2025 capturing the early preparation period in Foxborough. Bradbury walks with purpose as the Patriots begin installing schemes and evaluating personnel ahead of the upcoming season. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images.

The Vikings, meanwhile, tentatively have Blake Brandel lined up as the starting center for 2026, with a side dish of youngsters Michael Jurgens and rookie Gavin Gerhardt. Chicago and Minnesota rarely do trade business, but there’s a remote chance that interim general manager Rob Brzezinski could trade a 6th-Rounder or so to the Bears for Bradbury if the Vikings coaching staff determines Brandel, Jurgens, or Gerhardt aren’t best for the 2026 roster.

Bradbury will turn 31 in June.


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Tyran Stokes commits to Kansas: Jayhawks land No. 1 player in 2026 class over Kentucky

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The Tyran Stokes sweepstakes have come to an end. On Tuesday, Stokes, the clear No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class according to 247Sports, committed to Kansas over Kentucky and Oregon, ending the most high-profile high school recruitment for this recruiting cycle. 

With Stokes’ commitment, Kansas now claims the top-ranked recruiting class for the 2026 cycle, passing Arkansas, Duke and Michigan.

Stokes waited until late April to officially make his college commitment, which was unusually late for such a top-ranked player. In the end, Stokes’ long and winding recruitment landed at Kansas and provides coach Bill Self with another blue-chip talent heading into the 2026-27 season. 

Self, who contemplated retirement at the end of this past season, ultimately decided to return to Lawrence for his 24th season at the helm of the program. By landing Stokes, Self has hauled in the No. 1-ranked high school player for the second consecutive season and the fourth time during his tenure at Kansas. Self landed Darryn Peterson last year, Josh Jackson in 2016 and Andrew Wiggins back in 2013.

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With next year’s NBA draft being wide open at the top, Stokes could play himself into the conversation to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2027. His physical gifts and sheer talent make him far and away the player with the most pro potential ending the 2026-27 season.

With Stokes officially off the board, here are the biggest takeaways from his commitment to Kansas.

The long and winding recruiting timeline that resulted in Stokes’ commitment to Kansas

It’s uncommon for a player of Stokes caliber to commit so late in the cycle, especially if there wasn’t a de-commitment involved. Coaching changes happen in the early spring, which sometimes causes players to back out of their respective pledges. It’s also common for a school to take a different direction once a new coach is hired. 

Case in point? North Carolina decided to part ways with five-star guard Dylan Mingo earlier this month. Mingo was the No. 8-ranked player in the 2026 recruiting cycle by 247Sports and has since committed to Baylor, meaning that Stokes was the last major domino to fall. Kansas was the expected frontrunner for several weeks.

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Here is a quick timeline on how Stokes ended up at Kansas.

  • October 2024: Stokes took his first official visit to Louisville. Louisville is where Stokes grew up.
  • April 2025: Stokes took an official visit to Kansas.
  • June 2025: Stokes took an official visit to Kentucky.
  • September 2025: Stokes took an official visit to USC.
  • September 2025: Stokes took an official visit to Oregon (his final one).
  • October 2025: Stokes set a top five of Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, USC and Oregon.
  • November 2025: Stokes withdrew from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif. He ends up transferring to Rainier Beach High School in Seattle.
  • Early April 2026: Self announced he’s returning to Kansas for at least one more season amid retirement rumors.
  • April 2026: Stokes took an unofficial visit to Kentucky. It’s at this time that Kentucky is also hosting BYU transfer Robert Wright III. Wright elects to withdraw from the transfer portal and return to BYU.
  • April 28, 2026: Stokes commits to Kansas over Kentucky and Oregon.

One Interesting note on Stokes’ recruitment is that he is a signed Nike athlete and Kansas is an adidas school.

What is Kansas getting?

Stokes will be the fifth member of Kansas’ 2026 recruiting class, which now sneaks to No. 1 in 247Sports team recruiting rankings. Before Stokes made his commitment official, the biggest commitment from the Jayhawks’ 2026 haul was five-star guard Taylen Kinney. The Jayhawks also have pledges from four-star center Davion Adkins, four-star forward Trent Perry and four-star guard Luke Barnett.

Landing Stokes is a big deal for Kansas because it raises its ceiling after an offseason full of change. Peterson is off to the NBA, star guard Melvin Council Jr. is out of eligibility and bigs Bryson Tiller (Missouri) and Flory Bidunga (Louisville) both hit the transfer portal.

So, what is Kansas getting with the top-ranked player from the 2026 recruiting class? CBS Sports Director of Basketball Scouting Adam Finkelstein believes that Stokes’ power and ability to get downhill and to the rim differentiate him as an offensive player.

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“Stokes is the most talented prospect in the national class and a unique match-up for opposing defenders. At 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan, he’s powerful, long, and explosively athletic. But while he’s built like a forward, he can make plays like a guard with an ability to create off the dribble and an innate understanding of how to instinctively find a path to the rim, even when one doesn’t seem to initially present itself. He’s especially lethal getting downhill in the open floor and loves to take the ball off the defensive glass (10 rebounds per game in EYBL) and start the break himself.”

After an offseason full of change and some roster unknowns, landing a talent like Stokes certainly raises the floor for what the Jayhawks can do next season. Kansas now has the best and most talented incoming freshman in its starting lineup and someone who can provide instant offense heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

What’s next for Kentucky after missing on Stokes?

To be blunt, this offseason has been a disappointment for Mark Pope and company at Kentucky. After being one of the highest spenders in the sport, Kentucky didn’t exactly get great ROI after an early exit in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. This was a crucial offseason for Pope heading into Year 3.

The offseason started with missing out on landing Wright in the portal. It happens. Wright returned to BYU instead of committing to Kentucky after taking a visit. The Wildcats were also in the mix for Syracuse big man Donnie Freeman, who ended up committing to St. John’s.

The good news is Kentucky did leave with something. The Wildcats landed Zoom Diallo from Washington and Alex Wilkins from Furman. However, Kentucky is still missing blue-chip talent on its roster for next season 

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After former coach John Calipari primarily rebuilt his roster year over year by landing elite high school talent, Pope has taken a different approach by working to build UK’s roster via the transfer portal. Kentucky and Pope aren’t alone, but it’s still a massive shift. 

The Wildcats went all-in on Stokes as far as high school prospects go. It didn’t pay off. The Wildcats have just one commit in their 2026 recruiting class: four-star guard Mason William. Williams is the son of former NBA star Mo Williams, who joined Kentucky’s staff days after his son committed.

Kentucky is essentially retooling its roster from the ground up. Several players from last year’s team, including Collin Chandler, Andrija Jelavic, Denzel Aberdeen, Mouhamed Dioubate, Brandon Garrison, Jasper Johnson, and Jaland Lowe, have already entered the transfer portal.  Kentucky’s leading scorer from last season (Otega Oweh) is out of eligibility. Jayden Quaintance, the most high-profile player from last season’s roster, is entering the NBA Draft after appearing in just four games total for the Wildcats this season. 

For those counting at home, nine of Kentucky’s 12 leading scorers won’t be on the roster next season. There’s still time for Kentucky to add players from the transfer portal. All eyes will also turn to the pending decision of big man Malachi Moreno, who is currently going through the draft process. If he returns, it would give Kentucky a key building block. 

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And if Moreno doesn’t come back? It will be just another player to replace on a roster that lacked consistency and continuity. Maybe a complete overhaul of the roster will be a good thing after Kentucky went 22-13 overall, 10-8 in the SEC, and exited the NCAA Tournament in the second round. Above all else, missing out on Stokes is another loss Pope has endured since he took over his alma mater two years ago.

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NCAA to expand March Madness men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments to 76 teams in 2027

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Baylor v Mississippi State
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Both the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments are expected to expand to 76 teams, effective next year, a source confirmed to CBS Sports on Tuesday.

A formal announcement by the NCAA is expected in May. 

Expansion of the NCAA Tournament has been discussed and debated for years. Proponents celebrated the idea of more access while adversaries insisted it would lessen the regular season and be a net-negative for the sport. In the end, the argument for a bigger tournament that will generate additional revenue won out.

How a 76-team bracket would work

This will be the first expansion of the NCAA Tournament since it went from 64 to 68 teams in 2011. The move will create eight additional at-large bids. What’s been known as the First Four — eight teams playing four games in Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday and Wednesday of the first week of the NCAA Tournament — will now include 12 games played by 24 teams at two different locations, one of which will remain Dayton. The second opening round site is not known but will be in the Pacific, Mountain or Central time zones. 

The move to 76 would mean 52 teams would auto-slot into the main bracket and 12 games for 24 teams Tuesday and Wednesday for a rebuilt opening round.   

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Farewell to First Four

The 12 games for the 24 teams in the expanded NCAA Tournament will be labeled “the opening round” when the tournament expands in 2027. The “First Four” is dead, a source told CBS Sports.   

The expanded opening round will be split between at-large teams and teams who have won automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments. All No. 16 seeds and half the No. 15 seeds will play games Tuesday and Wednesday of the opening round. The other half of the games will be a mix depending on team quality comprised of No. 11, No. 12 and maybe a No. 13 seed.  

This breaking news story will be updated shortly.

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New Fifa ‘Vinicius Law’ will see players sent off at World Cup if they cover their mouths during confrontations

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Players who cover their mouths when confronting an opponent will be immediately sent off at this summer’s World Cup, under new, tougher sanctions.

This significant rule change comes after Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior reported racial abuse from Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who covered his mouth during a Champions League match in February.

Vinicius was visibly upset by the comment and promptly informed the referee, prompting a 10-minute halt in play in line with UEFA regulations.

Any similar incident at the upcoming tournament will now result in a red card, following a unanimous agreement by football’s lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), in Vancouver on Tuesday.

An IFAB statement outlining the law change read: “At the discretion of the competition organiser, any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card.”

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UEFA announced last Friday that Prestianni had been given a six-match ban in relation to the incident for discriminatory conduct that was homophobic in nature, with three of the games suspended for two years and one already served on a provisional basis.

UEFA announced last Friday that Prestianni had been given a six-match ban in relation to the incident for discriminatory conduct that was homophobic in nature
UEFA announced last Friday that Prestianni had been given a six-match ban in relation to the incident for discriminatory conduct that was homophobic in nature (AFP/Getty)

It is understood Vinicius’ allegation of racism was found not proven by UEFA’s control, ethics and disciplinary body (CEDB) and that Prestianni admitted using a homophobic slur towards the Brazilian. The sanction imposed is still subject to appeal.

FIFA brought the idea of bringing in sanctions for players covering their mouths to the IFAB’s annual general meeting in Wales in February, shortly after the incident occurred.

The day after the meeting, FIFA president Gianni Infantino told Sky News he thought red cards should be issued when a player confronts an opponent and covers their mouth.

Players who walk off the pitch in protest at refereeing decisions – and officials who incite players to do so – will also face instant dismissal at this summer’s finals, again following a recommendation from FIFA to the IFAB.

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A team that causes a match to be abandoned will, in principle, forfeit the match.

The change follows the chaotic scenes witnessed during the Africa Cup of Nations final in January, when Senegal’s players left the field after the award of a penalty to hosts Morocco deep into injury time.

Their actions delayed the match by 17 minutes, and Senegal went on to win after Brahim Diaz missed the spot-kick and the game went to extra time.

Senegal were stripped of the title by an appeal board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which last month overturned the result and awarded the trophy to Morocco.

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Senegal is appealing against that decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

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WWE: Stephanie Vaquer legitimately injured

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There has been an unfortunate update about WWE RAW star Stephanie Vaquer. La Primera competed in a title match at WrestleMania 42 last weekend but came up short.

The Judgment Day’s Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, and Roxanne Perez jumped Vaquer backstage during last night’s edition of the red brand and unleashed a brutal attack as a way to write the former champion off WWE TV. Michael Cole later announced that Vaquer suffered a second-degree AC joint sprain and would be out of action for a while.

According to Bryan Alvarez of The Wrestling Observer, Vaquer’s injury is legitimate. However, it remains unknown when the popular star’s injury took place.

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Stephanie Vaquer captured the Women’s World Championship at Wrestlepalooza 2025 and held the title until WrestleMania 42. Liv Morgan defeated Vaquer at The Show of Shows to become the new Women’s World Champion. The match only lasted seven minutes at the biggest show of the year earlier this month in Las Vegas.

Stephanie Vaquer calls out WWE fan who made her uncomfortable

Stephanie Vaquer recently called out a wrestling fan who made her feel uncomfortable.

A wrestling fan suggested that Vaquer was rude, and the former champion responded on social media. The WWE RAW star stated that she politely asked the fan for space, but the fan continued to follow and harass her. She added that it made her sad to see people like that refer to themselves as fans.

“I always stop and I’m very kind to my fans. Yesterday was my birthday and I was honestly having a really bad day. Even so, I politely asked for understanding, and many people respected that. But you followed me for a long time, saying hurtful things and making me feel uncomfortable. I told you no multiple times, and you kept following me and recording. And now you’re posting this on social media. It’s sad to see people like you call themselves fans….,” she wrote.

I always stop and I’m very kind to my fans. Yesterday was my birthday and I was honestly having a really bad day. Even so, I politely asked for understanding, and many people respected that. But you followed me for a long time, saying hurtful things and making me feel

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Stephanie Vaquer spent years on the independent wrestling scene before signing with WWE in 2024. Only time will tell when the 33-year-old will be cleared to return to the ring.