President Donald Trump has called the FIFAWorld Cup referee who sent off U.S. striker Folarin Balogun in last week’s match against Bosnia-Herzegovina “very suspect” as the controversy over the American’s red card grows.
Speaking at the White House Monday ahead of the U.S.’s last-16 clash with Belgium, where Balogun will now be allowed to play after his one-match ban was effectively lifted, the president said: “I saw the play, and I’m a person that loves sports… That wasn’t a foul.
“That wasn’t even an infraction. This referee, who is a little bit suspect if you check his past. He made a call that nobody could believe. He’s our best player, or one of our best players. And he gave him a red card. I didn’t know what that meant… Yes, I asked for a review by FIFA.
“I didn’t know what the hell a red card was. When I found out, I said, ‘You gotta be kidding!’”
He went on to deny that he had set a destructive precedent for the tournament by making a political intervention before veering off into discussing basketball star Caitlin Clark and the “rather rough” treatment the Indiana Fever player is often subjected to on court.
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US striker Folarin Balogun was ejected against Bosnia-Herzegovina, only to see his one-match ban overturned by FIFA, reportedly at President Donald Trump’s request (Getty)
“I thought our young, wonderful basketball player – Caitlin – I thought she was treated rather rough, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said.
“That was a much different kind of an event. That was a pretty bad event.”
Looking ahead to the U.S.’s knock-out tie with Belgium later, the president concluded: “If they beat us, they can be really proud. The other way, if they beat us, we’ll say – I say it was rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020, but I won’t get into that.”
The president’s baseless attack on Brazilian official Raphael Claus, who oversaw last week’s 2-0 win for the U.S. over Bosnia in San Francisco and ejected Balogun for a foul on defender Tarik Muharemovic in the 64th minute. The red card saw Balogun not only out for the rest of that game but also suspended for the American’s next clash. That was until FIFA moved Sunday to grant the striker an almost unprecedented reprieve.
Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino – who last year awarded him the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize,” inviting widespread derision – lobbying him to intervene on Balogun’s behalf.
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FIFA obliged, explaining its decision in a statement that read: “In line with Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year.
“If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”
Trump speaking in the Oval Office Monday ahead of the US’s last 16 knock-out match with Belgium (Reuters)
Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to thank the federation for “reversing a great injustice” – his first meaningful involvement in the World Cup, having attended none of the games so far despite the U.S. being one of the co-hosts, alongside Canada and Mexico.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously said the U.S. “got screwed” by Balogun’s sending off, signaling official displeasure.
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup Task Force, also privately reached out to FIFA over the matter, according to reports.
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While the development has been welcomed by U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino and playmaker Christian Pulisic, many observers have been more inclined to agree with Belgium’s manager, Rudi Garcia, who said: “I didn’t know that at the World Cup the 5th of July is actually the first of April. It’s April Fools.
“We’re not defending the national team or the federation, we are defending football, integrity. It’s the first time in World Cup history that such a decision has been taken.”
The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” by the rule-bending, given that there is no appeal process in place to challenge bookings at the tournament, and Europe’s governing body UEFA said FIFA had “crossed a red line” and made an “unjustifiable” decision.
Gary Neville said on the U.K.’s ITV Sunday that Balogun’s exemption from the rules “absolutely stinks,” while on the BBC, Wayne Rooney said: “If I’m the USA’s opponent, I’d be absolutely fuming. I think it’s wrong in every way. I think it’s an absolute disgrace.”
Others have warned that the affair could tarnish the on-field achievements of Pochettino’s side, who began their campaign with a thrilling 4-1 win over Paraguay in which Balogun scored twice and went on to win Group D.
Rory McIlroy has a driver he likes and he’s looking forward to playing it for the foreseeable future.
And why is this significant? Glad you asked.
In May, McIlroy’s equipment sponsor, TaylorMade, announced it was moving to a two-year product cycle for its metal woods starting with the Qi4D family released last January. With the move, TaylorMade became the fourth of the six largest OEMs in the sport to move its metalwoods to a two-year product cycle, joining Ping, Srixon and Titleist. As of now, Callaway and Cobra have yet to share any intentions of moving off a yearly release cadence for their drivers.
“I think being able to use the same driver for say like an 18-month period I think just gives guys a little bit more of a level of comfort,” McIlroy said Tuesday at the Tour Championship.
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McIlroy, who said the move was a popular one among TaylorMade staffers, has a bit of a unique perspective on the situation given his struggles in recent years to move into new drivers. This season, with the Qi4D driver he switched into during its first week of availability in November, McIlroy is again among the top drivers on the PGA Tour, ranking second in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. (That’s despite, at times, complaining about his driver swing.)
He is averaging a career-high 330 yards in distance and his accuracy is more than three points higher than in 2024.
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With TaylorMade not releasing a driver in 2027, Scheffler and McIlroy will head into the offseason knowing they won’t even have to consider finding a new driver. Pros are never forced to switch to a new driver, but they usually will see some performance gain from year to year that motivates them.
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However, they won’t make a move at the expense of comfort, and the longer they use a driver, the more comfortable they get.
“You think about you really like a driver you’re playing, and then something else is put in your hand say in October, November time, so nine or 10 months after you get your driver — all the manufacturers do a great job of fitting you into what is the best product for you, but they’re all slightly different,” McIlroy explained. “Thankfully I found a really good one that I like at the minute, but we call them snowflakes. Like one Qi4D with the same head, the same loft, same weighting. I’m on the exact same, to me sometimes just doesn’t feel quite the same. It could be me, it could be a mental thing that I have.”
McIlroy also pointed out that pros are often only able to use a driver for 18 months before it wears out and potentially becomes non-conforming. He and Scheffler both had their Qi10s fail USGA conformance tests at the PGA Championship last season and had to use backups.
“The heads go. I’ve obviously fallen foul of that at the PGA last year, Scottie as well,” he said. “You really can only play a driver for a year to a year and a half before you’ve got to switch it out anyway.”
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Now with the two-year product cycle, McIlroy will just be starting the fitting process for a new driver by the time his gamer starts getting close to worn out.
While Rockstar Games has already shown off a couple of GTA 6 trailers so far, the full gameplay reveal is coming in the upcoming Extended Look showcase, debuting on Netflix soon. That said, there has been some controversy surrounding the “timed exclusivity” of this new footage, which will first air only on the popular video streaming subscription platform.
Here is all you need to know about why GTA 6 Extended Look is premiering on Netflix. Read on to know more.
What is the reason behind GTA 6’s Netflix Extended Look exclusivity?
Learn more about protagonists Lucia (pictured) and Jason, as well as the narrative and gameplay aspects of GTA 6 in this upcoming deep dive (Image via Rockstar Games)
GTA 6 Extended Look launches first on Netflix on August 27, 2026, followed by a global upload on other streaming and video platforms like YouTube six hours later. While this means that the footage is not paywalled by any means, it is quite evident that those without a Netflix subscription will have to wait several hours before they can check it out on other free platforms.
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So why did Rockstar Games take this step to begin with? Brandon Riegg, VP of Netflix’s Nonfiction Series department, has said that this new collaboration aims to expose GTA 6 to as huge an audience as possible, even those outside of the gaming sphere.
In a recent announcement, he said that he believes that GTA reveals have become a cultural phenomenon in their own right and, as such, deserve the most exposure to showcase their ambitious nature to the world. He reiterates the same via the following statement:
“It’s a reflection of what we hope Netflix is becoming: a place where the most ambitious storytelling, from any medium, can find the biggest possible audience.”
Currently, Netflix boasts over 300 million paid users, so this move will no doubt push non-subscribers to get a sub to watch debut gameplay for the most hotly anticipated game of the decade, since many will likely not want to wait till it’s out on YouTube. On the flip side, it might make even non-gamer Netflix users interested in GTA 6 by exposing them to something they normally would be uninterested in.
A day after parting ways with general manager Dana Brown, Houston Astros owner Jim Crane addressed the move and said manager Joe Espada will remain in the role for the remainder of the season.
Before opening a three-game series against the Yankees on Tuesday, the Astros moved on from Brown, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the season. The team described the decision as mutual. Houston announced senior adviser Jeff Bagwell and assistant general managers Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey and Connor Huff will take over Brown’s responsibilities, while Crane will oversee baseball operations during the transition.
“There’s no good time for any of that, you know, when you let someone go,” Crane said outside the Houston clubhouse. “Just out of respect for Dana, we thought that was a time that would give him a little space to regroup. He’s a great talent. He’s been in the business a long time to get settled and to get back to work somewhere else.”
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Brown was hired in January 2023 and succeeded James Click, who was fired six days after Houston won its second World Series title.
“We worked together very closely for three and a half years,” Espada said. “He gave me the opportunity to be manager of this team. It was tough. It was a tough conversation, but he was grateful for the opportunity and I’m grateful for our relationship and how we grind through this together, but it was emotional. It was a lot of emotions behind our conversation.”
Brown helped the Astros reach a seventh straight ALCS, which they lost in seven games to the Texas Rangers. Houston lost in a wild-card series to Detroit in 2024 and last season missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016 when it finished three games behind Seattle in the AL West and lost a tiebreaker with the Tigers for final wild-card spot.
“Not everybody’s been able to do it, that’s a good run,” Crane said. “We hope to keep that going. We had a little hiccup last year where we didn’t make the playoffs but we’re right there. I think some few adjustments we can get back to that and some good decisions. Certainly you got to keep working on it but the expectation that I have is that we’re in the playoffs every year. It’s hard to win every year, but to get there.”
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The Astros began this year 20-31 but were only 5 1/2 games out of first place in a weak AL West on May 20. Houston (65-66) recovered to win 40 of its next 66 games through a 6-3 win over San Diego on Aug. 7 but entered Tuesday with nine losses in 14 games, including four to the Angels and A’s, though Crane said that performance did not influence his decision to dismiss Brown.
“That didn’t have anything to do with it,” Crane said. “We’re focused on winning the AL, winning the division and that’s our focus but that didn’t have anything to do with it.”
Espada was promoted from bench coach after the 2023 season when Dusty Baker retired. He helped the Astros recover from a 12-24 start to win their seventh AL West crown in eight seasons in 2024 and began Tuesday with a 240-214 record.
“I don’t know where that got mixed up, but that’s the same answer I gave since the first of the year,” Crane said. “We told him we’d deal with that at the end of the season and we’ve never changed that answer all year long.”
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Before Crane addressed reporters for nearly 10 minutes, he met with Espada.
“Focus on winning today, that’s how I left that,” Espada said. “My responsibility is to lead this team. We have a very important stretch of games here. So I walk out of our office ready to go.”
The Florida State Seminoles have a loaded visitor schedule for their season opener this Saturday versus the New Mexico State Aggies, and one of the top offensive tackles in the nation will be there.
Four-star prospect Tyrie Davis-Winn announced on social media that he will be in Tallahassee for the matchup. He is a member of the 2028 recruiting class
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“This Saturday 8/29 I’ll be out in Tallahassee at Florida State University for the first time! 🍢🔥 Can’t wait to meet the coaching staff and experience a game day at Doak Campbell Stadium! #GoNoles #TyWinn ✈️,” Winn said.
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Davis-Winn is the nation’s No. 218 overall player and the No. 25 offensive tackle in 247Sports composite rankings. The 6-foot-8, 270-pounder is the No. 8 in Pennsylvania as well.
It’s the first visit for Davis-Winn to see FSU. So, it’s very important that they put their best foot forward, and of course, open the season with a win.
Contact/Follow us @FSUWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida State news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Matthew on X @StarConscience
Chelsea are reportedly set to face competition from one of their London rivals for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Recent reports claimed that the Blues are considering a deal for Argentina and Villa shotstopper Emiliano Martinez in the current transfer window. They are considering replacing their current No. 1, Robert Sanchez, after his error-strewn showing in the Blues’ opening PL game.
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Chelsea are not the only club interested, as their London rivals Tottenham are also reportedly exploring a deal for the veteran keeper. According to Argentine journalist Gaston Edul, the Lilywhites are set to provide competition to the Blues for Martinez’s signing.
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Aston Villa are ready to part ways with Emi Martinez as they’ve signed Japanese keeper Zion Suzuki as a replacement for the Argentine veteran. The Villans were ready to sell Martinez to Juventus earlier in the window, but that deal didn’t materialize.
Juventus ended up signing Guglielmo Vicario from Spurs instead, which could point to why Tottenham are interested in signing the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner. Antonin Kinsky is the current No.1 of the Roberto De Zerbi-led side; adding a player with Martinez’s experience could help them out massively.
According to reports, Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign Martinez and are currently having internal discussions over the potential deal. Martinez is reportedly open to joining the Blues despite their lack of European football this season.
Pundits like Gary Neville have asked the Blues to go ahead and replace their current No. 1, Robert Sanchez, with a player like Emiliano Martinez to help new manager Xabi Alonso achieve his targets with the squad this season.
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Chelsea are set to play Luton Town on Thursday (August 27) in the second round of the EFL Cup. Alonso could consider using Mike Penders ahead of Robert Sanchez in the Cup clash, as the Spanish tactician suggested (via football.london) the Belgian keeper will have an opportunity.
Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso provides Enzo Fernandez update
Speaking ahead of their Cup clash against Luton Town, Alonso responded when asked if Enzo Fernandez would feature for the Blues against the League 1 side. He said:
“Yes, so we expect that he’s involved, he’s trained, he’s training really well, he’s a good professional and he will be involved.”
When asked if he expects Enzo to be a Chelsea player come the end of the transfer window, he said:
“We want to have the best team possible. We know his qualities, he has shown it and we have to wait, but we will think about tomorrow and let’s see how things develop.”
English newspapers The Times, the Guardian and news agency Reuters reported on Wednesday that UEFA, football’s European governing body, was set to drop its threat to boycott all FIFA tournaments.
The decision to allow European teams to participate in next month’s Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland came after UEFA had reportedly received guarantees that football’s world governing body would not revive a plan to sell a stake in FIFA tournaments to private investors. FIFA President Gianni Infantino had dropped his plan to create a commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE) in the face of widespread protest last month.
UEFA spearheaded opposition to the plan but it had also demanded that “assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again,” something that until now, FIFA had declined to do. The reports suggest this demand has now been met.
The reports also said UEFA would use a meeting of its executive committee and most of the presidents of its 55 national associations in Monaco on Thursday to inform them that the U20 tournament could go ahead.
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‘Not a UEFA defeat’
The Guardian reported that the FIFA and UEFA officials had been in private talks for weeks with the aim of preventing a boycott.
“It’s not a UEFA defeat, rather the reality of avoiding hurting young players during a once in a lifetime opportunity,” a source familiar with the discussions told Reuters. “The actions and insistence on change will continue.”
The Times reported that UEFA was working on other ways to try to step up the pressure on Infantino.
It cited a letter reading that “UEFA hereby gives formal notice that it is actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints arising out of and in connection with the FFE plan proposed by FIFA and all related matters.
“You and FIFA are required to take immediate steps to identify, locate, and preserve all documents and electronically stored information described in this notice that are in your or FIFA’s possession, custody, or control.”
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‘Best possible conditions’ for the tournament
Prior to the latest reports, the Polish FA (PZPN) told DW in a statement that it was continuing with preparations to host the Under-20 Women’s World Cup as planned.
“Our priority remains to ensure the best possible conditions for the competition and for all participating teams,” the statement read.
“For many of these young players, this tournament represents an important milestone in their sporting careers, and we remain fully focused on delivering an event worthy of their talent and commitment.”
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The tournament kicks off with the opening match between Poland and Argentina in Katowice on September 5.
Gianni Infantino is expected to stand for re-election at a FIFA Congress next March and so far no other candidate has come forward to challenge him. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has already said he will not run.
Indian tennis great and two-time Asian Games gold medallist Rohan Bopanna on Monday criticised the changes made to India’s tennis squad for the 2026 Asian Games, questioning why players who earned their places through international performances were denied the opportunity to compete through his post on social media platform LinkedIn.
Five players — Manas Dhamne, Vaishnavi Adkar, Sahaja Yamalapalli, Prarthana Thombare and Vaidehee Chaudhari — were affected after the selection process was revised in line with a Sports Ministry rule restricting participation to players ranked among Asia’s top eight.
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Bopanna said the decision undermined merit-based selection and could also affect the confidence of athletes, families and sponsors who had backed their careers.
What actually happened?
India’s Asian Games tennis selection was altered after the Sports Ministry applied its rule that only athletes considered realistic medal prospects, including players ranked among the top eight in Asia, should be sent to the Games.
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The changes affected five players who had earned their rankings through international competition. Bopanna questioned the logic behind allowing athletes to compete and build rankings if those performances could later be overlooked during selection.
The five players at the centre of the controversy are Sahaja Yamalapalli, Vaishnavi Adkar, Manas Dhamne, Prarthana Thombare and Vaidehee Chaudhari.
Why is Bopanna unhappy with the selection?
Bopanna argued that the affected players had not received their rankings through special treatment or shortcuts. Instead, he said, they had competed internationally and earned their positions on merit.
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The former world No. 1 doubles player questioned why rankings and qualification pathways were relevant if a committee could ultimately determine participation before the competition began.
He suggested that sporting selection should reward performances achieved on the court rather than rely solely on predictions about an athlete’s medal prospects.
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Bopanna raises concerns over parents and sponsors
Bopanna also highlighted the wider consequences of the decision, saying the issue was not limited to the five players.
According to him, parents and sponsors had invested time, money and faith in these athletes because of their performances and results. He argued that ruling out players as unlikely medal winners could send a discouraging message to those who support athletes before they receive recognition from the national system.
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He stressed that the selection process could therefore have implications beyond the Asian Games and influence how young athletes and their support systems view India’s sporting structure.
Let sport decide
Bopanna maintained that sport cannot always be predicted by rankings or calculations made before an event.
He argued that athletes who are written off can often produce unexpected results once they step onto the court. In his view, India’s sporting system should therefore give qualified players the opportunity to compete instead of deciding their chances in a boardroom.
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Bopanna’s central argument was that the final outcome should be determined by competition itself, rather than a spreadsheet or pre-event assessment of medal prospects.
Who is in India’s tennis squad for Asian Games 2026?
India’s final tennis contingent includes three singles players and three doubles players in both the men’s and women’s categories.
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will be held in Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026.
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Tennis will be among the sports in which India will look to add to its Asian Games medal tally. The sport has traditionally been one of India’s stronger disciplines at the continental event, making the selection controversy particularly significant ahead of the Games.
Some Vikings players who were on the 53-man roster in 2025 won’t be on the 53-man roster in 2026. So, these guys are the focus of the current piece.
Most of the UDFAs are going to get shown the door. Most of the drafted rookies will be kept around. There are then the various pickups along the way, some of whom are roster locks (James Pierre, Kyler Murray) while others are hanging on by a thread (Jahvaree Ritzie, Jarod Washington). Consider those who helped last season but who are still battling to prove belonging in the upcoming season.
4 Vikings Players Battling to Stick Around
No. 1 — QB4 Max Brosmer
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Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Max Brosmer (12) looks to pass the ball against the Detroit Lions in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
At this stage, Mr. Brosmer needs a miracle to stick around.
He has played a decent amount in the preseason, but that’s a reality that is mostly the result of his Ravens game last weekend. He suffered a minor injury in that debut preseason game, resulting in minimal work as he went 1/2 for 6 passing yards. At the Bank on Saturday, Brosmer tossed for 98 yards behind 11/17 passing. He had an INT and was sacked a pair of times in a performance that resulted in a 55.5 passer rating.
Aug 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III (8) evades Minnesota Vikings defensive end Elijah Williams (99) in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
Elijah Williams is a good football player. Does he find a way to stick around yet again?
Part of the problem for Williams is that he’s sitting in the DT5 spot as a best case. All of Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Caleb Banks, and Domonique Orange are ahead of him. Would the Vikings’ coaching staff prefer a veteran in the room? If so, then Williams could be forced into demanding the DT6 spot or get shown the door.
Best guess is that he makes the team but that’s not a certainty. Tossing a sizzling effort onto the field on Friday night would likely secure his spot. Sliding him down to the practice squad means accepting some reasonable risk of him getting stolen away.
I had been working on this piece a day early. And then the news arrived. So long, Nudie. Genuinely, I wish the young lad nothing but the best, but Minnesota’s actions communicated much about how they understood the depth CB jobs.
No. 3 — OG3 Walter Rouse
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Sep 21, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard (16) reacts with offensive tackle Walter Rouse (73) after kicking a 62-yard field goal against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Chosen in the 6th Round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Rouse played tackle in college but has now been kicked inside. Seeing him leverage his 6’6″ and 330-pound frame to play bully ball in the trenches would be a nice development for the Minnesota Vikings since the iOL depth is leaky.
What’s been strange, though, has been Minnesota’s decision not to feature him more. Last year, there were plenty of issues with OL health and yet Rouse got phased out in the season’s second half. What does the team actually think of him?
Jay Ward is moving into his fourth season in the NFL. Coming out of LSU, Ward boasted promise due to his on-field snarl and versatility. In 2025, Ward finally broke through with some more playing time, looking fast and physical on several occasions.
What’s been clear, though, is that Minnesota hasn’t done much to feature him other than giving him a huge special teams role. Both of Theo Jackson and Josh Metellus are higher on the depth chart. Jamal Adams was picking up steam prior to getting hurt. Jacob Thomas and Jakobe Thomas are getting work with the 1st-team, too.
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If Harrison Smith comes back, do the Vikings move on from Ward? He’s very likely to stick around but it’s not hard to connect the dots on a player who hasn’t yet broken through and who was drafted by the former GM.
Sept 1, 2022; Flushing, NY, USA; Serena Williams and Venus Williams of the USA play Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic in Woman’s Doubles on day four of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Serena and Venus Williams received a wild card to play in doubles at the U.S. Open, the tournament announced Wednesday.
The sisters competed together last week at the Cincinnati Open after a nearly four-year absence. They won doubles titles at the U.S. Open in 1999 and 2009, two of their 14 major doubles titles together.
Serena Williams, 44, reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals in mixed doubles alongside Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday before falling to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Italy’s Flavio Cobolli.
Serena Williams returned to the WTA Tour this year for the first time since 2022.
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She has played just one singles match this year, a first-round loss to Australia’s Maya Joint at Wimbledon. In that match, the 23-time Grand Slam singles winner sustained a right knee injury that kept her from competing with her sister in the Wimbledon doubles event.
Venus Williams, 46, previously received one of eight wild cards for the singles tournament at the U.S. Open.
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