Manchester United loaned academy prospect Sekou Kone to Ineos‑owned Lausanne Sport as a way for both clubs to assess how effective their broader multi‑club partnership could be.
Manchester United youngster Sekou Kone has made an instant impression Lausanne Sport after joining the club on loan. The 19‑year‑old will spend the rest of the season with the Swiss side as he continues his development.
According to the Daily Mail, it hasn’t taken long for the midfielder to settle in, with coaches already blown away by his technical quality on the ball. There is also genuine excitement about his ball‑winning ability.
He will be handed the opportunity to feature in Europe, as his new side are still in the UEFA Conference League. Lausanne face SK Sigma Olomouc in the upcoming play-off round.
Kone has linked up with fellow United youngster Enzo Kana‑Biyik, who is also on loan at the club. He could make his Lausanne debut against St. Gallen on Sunday.
His loan is said to be viewed as something of a litmus test for the Lausanne-United partnership, offering both clubs a chance to gauge how productive their wider multi‑club collaboration could become.
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United will be monitoring Kone’s progress closely, especially with the need for reinforcements in midfield this summer.
Casemiro confirmed earlier this month that he will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season, bringing an end to a remarkable four‑year spell at the club.
The midfielder joined the Reds for £1million from Guidars in his native Mali in 2024 and has now become the latest academy prospect to head out on loan.
During the winter window, Harry Amass, Toby Collyer, Ethan Wheatley, Gabriele Biancheri and James Scanlon all secured temporary moves to EFL clubs, while Jacob Devaney joined St Mirren until the end of the season.
On the incoming front, it was a quiet month at M16, with Michael Carrick focused on pushing for Premier League success with his current group of players.
The Reds are next in Premier League action on Saturday against Tottenham at home (12:30pm).
The Maryland Freedom Caucus, a group of GOP delegates in the Maryland state legislature, made a post on social media showing a sign that appeared to have been hung by Democrat colleagues, dismissing concerns over trans athletes in women’s sports.
The sign, which has a signature from the Maryland Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus, was hung on the offices of Democrat state delegates Eric Ebersole and Nick Allen.
The sign makes the unsubstantiated point that “trans women have no competitive advantage,” in women’s sports. In 2021, the British Journal of Sports Medicine published a study that said transgender women maintain an advantage over biological women even after a year of hormone therapy treatment.
Democrats who voted down a bill to protect trans athletes in sports.(Fox News)
The sign also went on to state, “anti-dignity policies put transgender youth at risk,” “banning transgender youth is illegal,” and “invasive enforcement creates fear.”
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Ebersole, Allen and the Maryland Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus for a response.
The post and apparent sign comes a day before the Maryland state legislature is set to vote on the Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act.
The bill would require “certain interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity athletic teams or sports sponsored by certain schools and certain locker rooms to be expressly designated based on biological sex; prohibiting certain entities from taking certain adverse actions against a school for maintaining separate interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity athletic teams or sports or locker rooms for students of the female sex.”
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So far, 27 states in the U.S. have similar laws in effect that enforce bans on trans athletes in girls’ sports.
Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.
With the new ice hockey arena in Milan and the new ice rink in Cortina both finished just in time, the 25th Winter Olympics can begin.
Cortina d’Ampezzo is hosting the Olympics for the second time. Seventy years ago, in 1956, the seventh edition of the Games was held entirely in the winter sports resort in the Italian Dolomites.
What are the key dates and sports for the 2026 Winter Games?
The Games will officially open on February 6 at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, better known as San Siro, where Inter and AC Milan usually play football. The arena can seat 75,000 spectators. The first competitions will begin two days before the opening ceremony, on February 4, with curling.
A total of around 2,900 athletes (47% of whom are women) from more than 90 countries will compete for a total of 116 gold, silver and bronze medals. Germany will be represented by 188 winter athletes, more than ever before at the Winter Games.
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Ski mountaineering will be an Olympic sport for the first time. The competitions will mostly be held on circular courses. The athletes will climb the slope with the bottom of their skis covered in climbing skins, synthetic fabric that prevents sliding down. At the top, they will remove the skins and then ski down.
Qualifying for the ski mountaineering took place in Austria in 2025Image: Uwe Lein/dpa/picture alliance
Ice hockey, figure skating, speed skating, and short track will take place in Milan, while women’s alpine skiing, luge, bobsleigh, skeleton and curling will be in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Other locations in northeastern Italy are also included. The biathlon in Antholz, Livigno will host freestyle skiing and snowboarding, and Bormio and Val di Fiemme will share men’s alpine skiing and ski mountaineering. This means that the Games will not be short-distance: Milan and Antholz are 350 kilometers (217 miles) apart.
The 2026 Winter Games will end on February 22 with the closing ceremony in the evocative ampitheater known as Verona Arena, which has a capacity of 12,000 and lies to the east of Milan.
Are Russian and Belarusian athletes allowed to compete?
As was the case at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, only individual athletes are allowed to compete — and only if they have no ties to the army or security services, and have not publicly spoken out in favor of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Only then are they considered “neutral.” In addition, they must have qualified for the Olympics in their respective sports. A three-member IOC review panel grants any final permission to compete.
According to information from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), 13 winter athletes from Russia and seven from Belarus are expected to participate (as of January 29, 2026). At the Summer Games in Paris in 2024, 15 athletes from Russia and 17 from Belarus were admitted as neutral athletes.
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Freestyle skier Hanna Huskowa from Belarus, who won gold in 2018 (picture) and silver in 2022 in the aerials (jumping) discipline, is also allowed to compete in Italy.Image: Angelika Warmuth/dpa/picture alliance
In December, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned the exclusion of “neutral” Russian and Belarusian skiers from Olympic qualifications.
At the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, 216 Russians were only allowed to compete under a neutral flag, but for a different reason: the state-sponsored doping system in Russia had been uncovered. The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, four days after the end of the Games in Beijing.
Who will be responsible for security during the Games?
According to the IOC, security is “the responsibility of the host country’s authorities, who will work closely with the participating delegations.” Reportedly, around 6,000 police and other security personnel will be on duty. By comparison, more than 50,000 were deployed at the Games in Paris.
The announcement that officials from the controversial US immigration agency ICE would also be sent to the Olympic Games to ensure the safety of US guests of honor made headlines around the world. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have announced their visit, but President Donald Trump has not yet done so.
However, the US ambassador to Italy, Tilman J. Fertitta, said that the ICE officers would be deployed “only in an advisory and intelligence capacity, without patrolling or enforcement measures.”
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This is likely in reference to the Homeland Security Investigations unit, which is a unit within ICE that focuses on cross-border crimes. It frequently sends officers to events like the Olympics to help with security, and they are completely seperate from those currently at the forefront of the immigration crackdown in the US. Nevertheless, the news of any ICE presence has increased tension in Italy.
How are the doping controls carried out?
As in Beijing in 2022, the IOC has commissioned the Switzerland-based International Testing Authority (ITA) to carry out doping tests in most sports. Pre-Olympic controls began at the end of October, with a further 3,000 tests planned during the Games in Milan and Cortina. For the first time, baggage checks will be carried out at airports with the aim of seizing suspicious substances.
However, the world federations for skiing, biathlon, ice hockey and curling are not cooperating with the ITA, but are organizing doping controls in their respective sports themselves.
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Urine and blood samples will be stored for up to ten years so that doping offenders can still be exposed later using possible new analysis methods. The CAS will have its own office on site during the Games so that it can quickly rule on doping offenses.
Will the 2026 Games be a success?
That depends on many factors. According to the organizing committee, more than half of the tickets had already been sold by the beginning of November 2025. Prices range from €30 ($36) to €2,900 for the most expensive ticket for the closing ceremony in Verona. Atmosphere will likely play a key role in gauging the success of the Games.
For particularly popular events such as the alpine skiing competitions, only expensive tickets, or so-called hospitality packages, are still available. For €3,500 you get a ticket, brunch and other special services.
Concerns about shady deals ahead of 2026 Winter Olympics
It remains to be seen whether the organizers will ultimately be in the black at the end of the month. The budget for the Olympic and subsequent Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina is around €1.6 billion. According to official figures, the last Winter Games in Beijing cost €3.3 billion, but researchers at Oxford University in England calculated in a study that the cost was more than double that amount (€7.33 billion).
That blended iron set was dialed last week at the Farmers Insurance Open, as Rose was second in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, on his way to a seven-shot win.
The TC-202 is one of the newest additions to the Miura lineup, replacing the highly successful TC-201, which was the last Miura iron to win on the PGA Tour before Rose’s victory last summer at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
A new T-Weight Bar in the back cavity combines the heel-toe weighting that made the TC-201 so forgiving with the center mass distribution found in the CB 57. By placing the mass right behind the sweet spot, the T-Weight Bar helps optimize both trajectory control and the sound and feel of the TC-202.
The TC-202s also have a progressive CG that gets lower as you go down through the set, which is why Rose chooses them for his 4-, 5- and 6-iron to help launch the ball in the air.
Meanwhile, his MC-502 short irons are a set of blades that focus on playability, two things that usually don’t go hand-in-hand. But the notch along the back of the iron moves mass lower, where it’s more useful, while allowing the club to keep a compact profile.
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Miura MC-502 Custom Irons
New to the MC-502 is an increase in face progression (less offset), which has always been a welcomed look for the better player. Additionally, a softer, more rounded top line and toe profile found their way from the sketch pad to the final product. The result is an iron that is easy to align while delivering an unrivaled level of confidence and playability.
There were no compromises when it came to the new design. The sound, feel and performance, which have been hallmarks of Miura irons since 1957, embodied the finished product.
MATERIALPremium S20C Soft Carbon Steel
FINISHSatin Chrome
Both irons feature Miura’s Y-Grind, which has a pre-worn leading edge for better turf interaction.
Think the MC-502 or TC-202 (or both) might be a good fit for you ,or just got fit into them and ready to pull the trigger? Check out the MC-502 or TC-202 on Fairway Jockey where you can customize every piece of your build and rest assured that what you order is what you get.
Lionel Messi has been linked with a surprise move to Galatasaray, a transfer that could see him play alongside Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen at the Turkish club.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is currently on a break from competitive football, with the new Major League Soccer season set to begin on February 21.
With the 2026 World Cup drawing closer, Messi is believed to be considering a short spell outside the United States to stay fit and sharp ahead of the tournament.
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Reports in Turkey claim that talks have already taken place between Galatasaray and the Argentine star. Messi is said to be open to a four-month deal that would see him play 12 matches for the club.
However, the move would depend on a key condition. Messi is reportedly only willing to play matches in Istanbul and does not want to feature in away games. He is said to prefer playing exclusively at RAMS Park.
It is also claimed that Messi turned down an offer from Saudi club Al Hilal, as he is keen to avoid injuries before the World Cup.
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Galatasaray are believed to have opened discussions with Messi and his representatives as they explore the possibility of completing the deal before the transfer window closes on Thursday.
The Turkish champions have six home matches left in the league, one home game in the Turkish Cup group stage and a home tie in the UEFA Champions League play-off against Juventus. It is unclear if Messi would be willing to play the away leg against the Italian side if the move goes through.
Lionel Messi taking the 2022 World Cup to his Argentina teammates during the presentation ceremony. PHOTO CREDIT: Jimoh Otisoro.
Galatasaray are currently assessing whether the deal is realistic, with talks said to be moving quickly.
If completed, Messi would team up with Osimhen, who has become a key player at the club. Osimhen helped Galatasaray win a domestic double in the 2024/25 season, scoring 37 goals in 47 matches across all competitions.
Messi, on his part, led Inter Miami to their first-ever MLS Cup title in 2025.
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Galatasaray currently sit top of the Turkish Super Lig with 49 points, three ahead of rivals Fenerbahce, with 14 matches still to play.
The club’s president has previously hinted that a move for Messi was not impossible, insisting that Galatasaray’s financial position and growing success allow them to dream big.
No golf event is more soaked in alcohol than the WM Phoenix Open, the annual warmup act to (no copyright issue here!) the big game. Coors Light is a tournament sponsor. So is Jack Daniel’s; Don Julio tequila; LaMarca Prosecco wine; and Tito’s vodka. To this scene, we add (for the first time in few years) Brooks Koepka, with his fullback’s physique and his Michelob Ultra sponsorship. He won in Phoenix in 2021. He T3ed there in 2022. Nobody would be surprised to see him contend. The Brooks Koepka comeback tour.
Last week was a dress rehearsal. In San Diego, we saw nervous Brooks, making his return to the PGA Tour after going LIV for a three-year stint, one short of his contracted length. It was weird, in this debut, to see this jockiest of golfing men not own the space around him. But there’s something subdued about the Farmers Insurance Open, the Torrey Pines courses dwarfed by the Pacific Ocean, morning fog acting like a muffler on the whole enterprise.
Phoenix is nothing like it. The tourney there is boozy. Fan and player alike is uninhibited. Ballplayers thrive there. The guess here is that BK 2.0 is going to start looking a lot like the OG edition, the one we know and know. He might not be ready to win yet, and he didn’t win anywhere in the world last year. But he’ll sashay his way around the course in his old familiar way. He’ll be among his people. All that beer-and-football energy.
This is a whole new thing for the PGA Tour, the returning golfer after an enriching LIV run. Patrick Reed will be coming back ’round Labor Day. Kevin Na and Hudson Swafford are likely to get some kind of playing status on Tour again, though you will be forgiven if you don’t notice. On the other end of the noise spectrum, Bryson. It would not be a shocker to see DeChambeau come in from the cold next year, despite, despite missing the once-in-a-lifetime Feb. 2 deadline for the Tour’s grand Returning Member Program. If Bryson wants to come home, there will be a RMP II. He has been sounding unsettled, most recently with his 72-holes-is-not-what-we-signed-up-for remarks. Also, the whole LIV team thing — featuring your RangeGoats, your Cleeks, Bryson’s own Crushers squad — hasn’t exactly caught fire yet. Bryson plays in another league anyhow: Team YouTube. Kill-ing-it.
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So Koepka is back and everybody on the PGA Tour is happy-happy-happy. Well, not everybody everybody. Wyndham Clark has questions, as does Viktor Hovland and Hideki Matsyuama. But the Big Three are totally down with it: Brian Rolapp, in his first full year as the PGA Tour’s first CEO; Tiger Woods, the 50-year-old golfing icon who doesn’t really play anymore but has a full-time gig as a golf entrepreneur and as Brian Rolapp’s consiglieri; and Rory McIlroy, the most powerful person in golf. Reason being, he knows a lot about tournament golf, global golf, and he has the ear of the fellas who are going to finance a lot of the PGA Tour’s future for-profit enterprises, the Fenway Sports Group, John Henry presiding.
It is head-spinning, to think about how quickly things have changed here. As a wise man once said, managing is about managing change. When Koepka went LIV — June 2022 — the Tour was still the Tour, the one your grandparents would have pretty much recognized. There was a straight line from Joe Dey (the first commissioner) to Jay Monahan (the fourth and last). What the Tour leadership has done since the arrival of LIV is manage change, sometimes clumsily, now in the language that makes the whole world take notice: We gonna make you some money.
Koepka is lucky that he is not making this return when Joe Dey was running the show. Dey, who came to the nascent PGA Tour after a long career at the USGA, was a rule-of-law golfing ethicist. The sanctity of the scorecard was his starting point, and golf’s starting point, for everything. The comportment of the player was a sacred to him, too. To varying degrees, the commissioners who followed Dey — Deane Beman, Tim Finchem, Jay Monahan — all carried the Dey flame. There was something righteous about being a golfer on Tour, at least when the sun was out. (At night, you were on your own.) Any of the four commissioners might have extracted a promise from the returning Koepka: Don’t be waving five fingers to others after playing a 5-iron shot. Also, my good man: Could you at least pretend that your media sessions are less irritating than those let’s-try-it-again secondary TSA inspections?
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As for Reed, Dey and Beman in particular would have had a field day with him, in his meet-the-principal session before returning to the Tour: We cannot have any more rules debacles (incidents at the 2019 Hero event and the 2021 Farmers tournament are at the top of the list), and we cannot have any more frivolous lawsuits aimed at beloved members of the Green Division of the Fourth Estate.
Koepka’s return has created a template for how you get back. You write a letter, you sign a check, you play a tourney feeling kinda bashful, you get your groove back over time.
The friendly-wager bets here are Koepka top-10s this week; the New England Patriots will cover the spread (and then some) in the big game, for no other reason than the Fenway Sports Group is on a roll and this game is FSG-adjacent; Coors Light will win the exposure game during the day, the golf telecast on CBS, but Mich Ultra and its Anheuser-Busch adult cousins will carry the night on NBC, during the big game. Here’s to Sunday. Bartenders really should be able to get endorsement deals for their TV remotes, what your grandparents called “the clicker.”
Arsenal moved a step closer to ending their long wait for major silverware after edging past Chelsea to book a place in the Carabao Cup final.
Holding a 3–2 advantage from the first leg, the Gunners completed the job with a dramatic late goal in a tense second-leg clash at the Emirates Stadium.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the seventh minute of added time when substitute Kai Havertz kept his composure to score the winner. The German forward skipped past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez before calmly finishing to spark wild celebrations among the home fans.
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Mikel Arteta’s side will now face either Manchester City or Newcastle United in next month’s final at Wembley, as they chase their first major trophy since 2020.
Arsenal began the match on the front foot but found clear chances hard to come by in the opening half, with Chelsea setting up in a defensive back five. The visitors stayed compact and frustrated the hosts for long periods.
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior tried to change the momentum just after the hour mark by introducing attacking options, including Cole Palmer, but Arsenal remained organised and rarely looked troubled at the back.
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As the game drifted towards extra time, Arsenal continued to push, and their persistence was rewarded in the dying moments. Havertz, recently back from injury, showed sharpness and confidence to deliver the decisive goal and secure a 4–2 aggregate victory.
The Gunners last lifted a major trophy when they beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final in Arteta’s first season in charge. They had not reached the League Cup final since 2018.
This latest success underlines Arsenal’s progress this season. They sit top of the Premier League, remain active in other cup competitions and now have a clear chance to turn their strong form into silverware.
With a settled squad and growing belief, Arteta’s side will head to Wembley hopeful that this could be the start of a trophy-winning chapter.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell watches the action from the sideline at U.S. Bank Stadium, captured during first-half play on Sep 21, 2025, as Minnesota hosted Cincinnati. The moment reflects in-game oversight and communication as O’Connell monitored personnel groupings, situational decisions, and tempo against an AFC opponent in a regular-season matchup. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
If you think the Minnesota Vikings are “running it back” with their coaching staff, that just isn’t the case. Over the last few weeks, the club has lost six coaches and counting, mostly to promotions, while head coach Kevin O’Connell continues to backfill the positions.
Six departures have piled up, forcing Minnesota to reshuffle some jobs early in the 2026 offseason.
Yes, O’Connell’s coaching tree is germinating.
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Six Departures Change O’Connell’s Staff
The 2026 offseason didn’t skimp on purple coaching changes.
Brian Angelichio oversees practice duties at Hanbury Manor during the Vikings’ international session in Thundridge, captured on Sep 30, 2022, as Minnesota prepared offensive installations abroad. The image reflects Angelichio’s role in coordinating tight ends and passing concepts while players adjusted to travel, schedule changes, and a condensed preparation window. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Brian Angelichio (offensive passing game)
New Job:Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Coordinator
Angelichio departed Minnesota on Wednesday, heading to Mike McCarthy’s new staff in Pittsburgh. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted, “The Steelers are finalizing a deal to hire Vikings passing game coordinator Brian Angelichio as their new offensive coordinator, per me and Tom Pelissero. Angelichio, also the TEs coach, is back with coach Mike McCarthy. They were together in Green Bay.”
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It’s the top job Angelichio has held in college and professional football through 30 years, and he’ll inherit a stout offensive line, along with wide receiver DK Metcalf, running back Jaylen Warren — and perhaps even Aaron Rodgers.
Minnesota will need a new passing game coordinator on offense.
Marcus Dixon (defensive line)
New Job:Dallas Cowboys Defensive Line Coach
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Dixon’s contract wasn’t renewed this offseason; he evidently stayed his welcome. But in Dallas, he’ll work for Brian Schottenheimer and notably lead defensive tackles like Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark. Life would be easier for Dixon if Micah Parsons still patrolled Dallas’s defense, but that’s not possible after the Cowboys shipped him to Green Bay five months ago.
Ryan Nielson, who interviewed for the Vikings’ defensive coordinator position in 2023, will take over Dixon’s spot after notably coordinating the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense in 2024.
Michael Hutchings (safeties)
New Job:University of California Defensive Coordinator
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Hutchings actually left town in December before the end of the regular season, jumping at the chance to lead the Cal Bears’ defense.
SI.com‘s Jeff Faraudo wrote around Christmas, “New Cal football coach Tosh Lupoi continues to assemble a young staff of assistants, officially announcing the hiring on Friday of Minnesota Vikings assistant Michael Hutchings as the Bears’ defensive coordinator.”
“Hutchings, a Bay Area native who was a prep All-American at De La Salle High School and played linebacker at USC, comes to Cal later three seasons coaching defensive backs with the Vikings, the past two years as safeties coach. In that role, he worked with former Cal star Cam Bynum, who had three interceptions during the 2024 NFL season.”
The Vikings’ safety job remains vacant in early February.
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Daronte Jones (defensive passing game)
New Job:Washington CommandersDefensive Coordinator
Perhaps the biggest news of this coaching style — after Brian Flores signing an extension to remain with the Vikings — Jones will get his crack at an NFL defense all by himself. He spent five seasons in Minnesota, but left for a year in 2021 to coach LSU’s defense.
Jones won’t walk into a dream situation, yet he’ll have the tutelage of head coach Dan Quinn, who comes from a staunch defensive background.
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These players are already on Jones’s depth chart: Trey Amos (CB), Javon Kinlaw (DT), Frankie Luvu (LB), Jer’Zhan Newton (DT), Daron Payne (DT), Jeremy Reaves (S), and Mike Sainristil (CB).
Minnesota hired Steelers defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander to replace Jones. SteelersNow‘s Chris Ward on Alexander: “Alexander is a big loss for the Steelers, especially with how cornerback Joey Porter Jr. developed under his stewardship.”
“He spent the 2024 season with the Las Vegas Raiders as a safeties coach under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who’s now the DC with the Steelers. Alexander will work under defensive coordinator Brian Flores in Minnesota. Flores was a finalist for the Steelers’ head coach position.”
Chris Kuper (offensive line)
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New Job: N/A
The Vikings’ offensive line underachieved in 2025, even after formulating a formidable fivesome that included Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, and Brian O’Neill. Injuries rattled the unit, too, and the trenches never really found their groove.
Chris Kuper stands on the sideline at State Farm Stadium during playoff action on Jan 13, 2025, as Minnesota faced the Rams in the NFC wild card round. The moment captures Kuper tracking offensive line adjustments, protection calls, and in-game communication amid postseason pressure and elevated tempo and overall execution. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
So, O’Connell did not renew Kuper’s contract, and he remains a coaching free agent.
Assistant offensive line coach Keith Carter accepted a promotion to Kuper’s spot last month.
Mike Pettine (assistant head coach)
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New Job: N/A
Pettine retired a few weeks ago and claimed he may return to the NFL in time. He later revealed in an interview with a Cleveland Browns-themed podcast that he and the aforementioned Flores didn’t see eye to eye, which is probably why Pettine exited stage left.
O’Connell used Pettine on the offensive side of the coaching staff in 2025 because Pettine couldn’t deal with Flores, or so he implied on the podcast.
Mike Pettine speaks with defenders along the Vikings’ bench at Ford Field during first-half action on Jan 5, 2025, as Minnesota met Detroit. The scene highlights Pettine’s in-game leadership, offering schematic reminders and situational adjustments while the defense regrouped between series during a tense divisional matchup under playoff implications. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images
Pettine originally joined the Vikings at the dawn of the O’Connell era in 2022.
The Miami Dolphins’ offensive coordinator for the last four seasons, Frank Smith, has taken over for Pettine as assistant head coach, and many believe Smith will force the Vikings to run the football more often and more efficiently. They need it.
Sep 15, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos in attendance before the Kansas City Chiefs play against the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
The Washington Post shuttered its venerable sports department on Wednesday, part of a larger layoff involving one-third of the newspaper’s staff.
“The Washington Post is taking a number of difficult but decisive actions today for our future, in what amounts to a significant restructuring across the company,” a Post spokesperson said in a statement. “These steps are designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our focus on delivering the distinctive journalism that sets The Post apart and, most importantly, engages our customers.”
Executive editor Matt Murray announced the changes in a video conference with employees.
The move comes with Post reporters already on site covering Super Bowl LX and the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
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“It’s like somebody taking a hammer to my heart,” Sally Jenkins, who wrote a Post sports column until she left the paper last summer, told The Ringer. “It’s not just broken. It’s broken into about 20 pieces, one for every single one of my close friends there.”
Some sports reporters are expected to move into other roles, but the exact number was not reported.
A skeleton crew will continue to produce what Murray described as features about sports as a “cultural and societal phenomenon.”
The Post has undergone repeated changes, downsizings and reinventions since Amazon chief Jeff Bezos purchased the paper in 2013.
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In addition to cutting the sports pages, the Post is reducing its international footprint, making the Metro section more “nimble and focused” and eliminating the Books section.
Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team, the Falconets, delivered a dominant performance as they thrashed the Oyo State women’s side 15–0 in a friendly match played behind closed doors in Ibadan on Tuesday.
The test game was part of the Falconets’ build-up to their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifying fixture against Senegal and offered a clear sign of the team’s attacking strength ahead of the decisive tie.
Adegbemile Rebecca stole the spotlight with three goals, while Alaba Olabiyi and Ifeanyi Kindness both scored twice. Ramotalahi Kareem, Nwachukwu Chisom, Moshood Shakirat, Janet Akekoromowei, Mamudu Mary, Oscar Precious, Kafayat Mafisere and Adeshina Fatimoh also got on the scoresheet to complete the emphatic win.
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The coaching crew used the closed-door encounter to fine-tune tactics, assess player combinations and test overall team balance ahead of the qualifier.
The Falconets will take on Senegal in the first leg of the U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifier on Saturday, February 7, at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta. The match is scheduled to kick off at 4:00 pm.
The stable of Anthony and Sam Freedman seeks a steadier autumn run for Tom Kitten than the spring’s disruptions.
Spring saw Tom Kitten in perpetual recovery mode following a gate scratch during the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield in August.
Tom Kitten joined the Freedman father-and-son operation for his first time after James Cummings left Godolphin.
The new season will see Cummings launch his training in Hong Kong.
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According to Sam Freedman, the gelding’s prior prep flowed smoothly to the intended opener, with the co-trainer stating the ongoing one is even stronger.
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