Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham received support Friday from Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., after the WNBA player doubled down this week on her comments that it is “common sense” to keep biological males out of women’s sports.

In a statement released Friday, Graham thanked Cunningham for speaking publicly on the issue.

“I want to thank Sophie Cunningham for speaking out and make it clear that I could not agree more,” Graham said.

WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS WNBA STAR SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM AFTER SHE SPEAKS OUT IN SUPPORT OF PROTECTING WOMEN’S SPORTS

Sophie Cunningham speaks to members of the media at Player 15 HQ in Phoenix on Sept. 26, 2024. (Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

“What she said took a lot of guts. It’s sad but true that in today’s world, and particularly on this issue, common sense is not common.”

Graham, who described herself as a “volleyball mom,” said she knows “how dangerous it is to have boys playing in girls’ sports” after years of traveling with her daughter’s team throughout South Carolina and the Southeast.

She also referenced a North Carolina high school volleyball player who was seriously injured after being struck by a hit from a transgender athlete.

US MASTERS SWIMMING COMPETITOR SAYS HER GRIEVANCE FOR TRANS ATHLETE COMMENTS HAS BEEN RESOLVED

Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, R-S.C., participates in a ceremonial swearing-in in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on July 14 in Washington, DC. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

“As a mother, thank you to Miss Cunningham for speaking out,” Graham said. “I truly appreciate you adding your voice to this important debate. Our daughters will be the ones who benefit from your words and voice.”

Cunningham reiterated her position Wednesday before the Fever’s 123-88 victory over the Connecticut Sun after first making the remarks in an ESPN profile earlier this week.

“I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense,” Cunningham told reporters. “And I think I’ll always believe in that. I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said.”

SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM DOUBLES DOWN AHEAD OF SUN GAME AFTER ESPN PROFILE STIRS CONTROVERSY: ‘I SAID WHAT I SAID’

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham plays in the second half against the Los Angeles Sparks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 27, 2026. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)

Cunningham also said she believes protecting women’s sports is consistent with the intent of Title IX and maintained that her comments were not directed against transgender people.

“But I’m also there to love biological women, and I think that there are rights that need to be protected,” Cunningham said. “And, like I said, I’m gonna stand true to that. I’ll never falter in my beliefs in that. But I have never once stated that I hated the trans community.”

The Indiana Fever later released a statement saying Cunningham’s views are her own.

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“Our players are thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices, and those views are their own,” the team said. “We are committed to welcoming fans from every background and treating everyone with respect, and that’s what guides us as an organization.”

The debate over transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports has become a major issue in recent years. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2025 aimed at barring transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, while the Supreme Court recently allowed state laws restricting transgender athletes’ participation to remain in effect as legal challenges continue.

LIV Golf is playing its first event in a month and a half this week in England. Naturally, the league’s biggest star, Bryson DeChambeau, is in the field following a disappointing swoon last weekend at the Open Championship.

Through two rounds, DeChambeau is in solo second place behind another contender from Royal Birkdale. Bryson’s LIV team, Crushers GC, is also in second place with two rounds to go.

But it wasn’t the Crushers play on the course that got the most attention in DeChambeau’s post-round press conference. Instead, it was a dig Bryson made toward one of his Crusher teammates that took the day.

DeChambeau ribs Paul Casey: ‘How many cart paths did he hit?’

At the halfway point of the 2026 LIV Golf U.K. event, DeChambeau is four shots behind leader Lucas Herbert in the individual standings. While Bryson was five under on Friday, the Crushers went 13 under overall.

That was due in no small part to Paul Casey’s contribution. The former longtime PGA Tour pro is making his return to the Crushers this week following time off due to injury. After struggling to a 73 on Day 1, Casey clawed back with a three-under 69 on Friday.

In a bizarre statistical note, Casey, who has always been among the shorter hitters in top-level pro golf, led the field in driving distance average in Round 2. Casey put up an impressive 312.1-yard average driving distance, a monumental leap from his 261.4-yard average on Thursday.

DeChambeau, on the other hand, averaged 290.1 yards off the tee on Friday.

When the topic of Casey’s driving prowess came up in DeChambeau’s press conference Friday night, the two-time major champion registered his shock in the form of a burn.

“Really?” DeChambeau said when told about Casey’s lead in driving distance. “How many cart paths did he hit?”

DeChambeau continued by wondering out loud just what Casey had been up to during his recent time off, before describing Casey as “sneaky long.”

“I don’t know what he was doing in those nine weeks off,” DeChambeau joked. “No, he’s always been sneaky long. It’s funny, he has this piercing low bullet. He’s such a great player, I’m so glad to have him back on the team. I need him, we need him for the last few weeks of this year.”

Now DeChambeau and the Crushers will try to ride Casey’s big stick to a team win over the weekend.

Jockey Patrick Moloney retains his conviction that Express Class possesses the latent ability to claim a significant race victory in the future.

After a commanding debut win at Sandown approximately twelve months prior, Express Class was subsequently elevated to Stakes company for three-year-olds across two starts in the following month. His second excursion in this grade resulted in a third-place finish in the Group 3 Vain Stakes.

Following a spell during the spring racing period, the Gerard Moloney-trained Express Class returned for a late summer-autumn campaign. His resumption saw him contest a benchmark race against older rivals, before he re-entered Stakes company for three more assignments, culminating in a seventh-place finish in the prestigious Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.

Express Class is slated to embark on his spring campaign in the Quayclean Handicap (1100m) at Caulfield this Saturday. Moloney is optimistic about a positive outcome, despite the horse being allocated barrier 12 in the 14-runner field.

“He’s had two nice trials coming into it, albeit his last one he got a bit lost at Caulfield going up the back straight and running up the hill,” Moloney commented.

“He didn’t know what was going on, but his work has been excellent.

“We’ve been working him in blinkers which he will have on Saturday, and I think you’ll find a much more furnished horse this time around.”

Moloney noted that Express Class is still refining his ‘race smarts’ and anticipates that the addition of blinkers will prove beneficial.

“When the penny drops, he’s definitely good enough to put a race away like this,” Moloney stated.

“But it just seems, every time he gets to Caulfield, he draws badly and has to take his medicine early and is that flashing light run.

“He can do a few things wrong by the same token, so I’m hoping with the blinkers on and the track is racing true and you can make ground out in the middle, or wider, you’ll see a horse that has come back an improved animal.”

With Express Class set to turn four in just over a week, Moloney indicated that his campaign would likely progress through the benchmark system in the ensuing weeks, dependent on his Saturday performance.

“He’ll be a four-year-old in a few days and only has the one win, so we’ll just work out where he is in the pecking order and work with his rating,” Moloney explained.

“He just needs to prove himself through the ratings, but what he shows at home he can be a nice Saturday horse, and to what extent, we don’t know.

“We just hope that he brings what he does at home, to the races.”

Looking for the best Australian betting sites for the Quayclean Handicap? Find your options here.

Andrey Santos has made two pre-season appearances for Man Utd following his £50m arrival from Chelsea.

Mason Mount praised Andrey Santos’ reading of the game after Manchester United’s 5-0 friendly victory over Rosenborg on Friday.

United announced Santos as their first signing of the summer earlier this month. The Reds paid an initial £48million, with a further £2million in add-ons, to bring the midfielder to Manchester.

Santos was behind Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in the midfield pecking order at Chelsea, and a move to United will give him the opportunity to kick on in his career following Casemiro’s departure.

The Brazilian started the opening pre-season game of the summer against Wrexham last weekend, and he built on that display by looking sharper during a comfortable 5-0 win over Rosenborg.

Santos combined well with Mount in midfield, and the latter spoke about United’s new arrival after the final whistle.

“Yeah, I’ve known Andre for a while,” said Mount. “I’ve watched him from afar, since he’s obviously broken into the first team at Chelsea. I think he’s a really good player. As you said, he reads the game very well.

“I know he’s young, but he’s very experienced in going out on loan and playing in the Premier League as well. He reads the game very well. He’s a little bit more defensive, so it allows me to push on a little bit more forward in these last two games and work off him.”

Mount praised Santos’ defensive ability and admitted he is enjoying playing a deeper role.

“I think defensively as well, we’re both players that want to get around it, want to put tackles in and win the ball back and be aggressive,” he added.

“So I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s a position that I’ve played for many, many years from a young age, so I’m used to that in there. It’s a position that I love and that I see myself in.”

Liverpool icon Mohamed Salah is reportedly closing in on a deal to join Turkish outfit Besiktas as a free agent. The Egypt international is currently without a club, having left the Reds at the end of the 2025-26 season following a mutual contract termination.

According to journalist Nicolo Schira, Besiktas are pushing strongly to have Mohamed Salah on their books for the 2026-27 season. They have offered the 34-year-old around €12 million per year for a one-year contract with an option for a second year.

Salah enjoyed a fruitful spell in Liverpool colours but decided to part ways with the club at the end of the 2025-26 season despite having one year left on his contract. The contract was ripped up to allow him leave for free, and he has not been short of suitors since.

Saudi Pro League sides came calling for the former Chelsea and AS Roma man, but he appears to prefer to remain in Europe for the meantime. His move to Besiktas was reported weeks ago, but his agent Ramy Abbas Issa quickly claimed that the news had been fabricated.

Besiktas are looking to the Liverpool legend as they hope to wrest control of the top-flight in Türkiye from Galatasaray and Fenerbahce. They have already signed Leandro Trossard from Arsenal and Alexander Nubel from Bayern Munich, and hope to land the Egypt international, as well.

Mohamed Salah endured a below-par 2025-26 season by his lofty standards, scoring 12 goals and providing ten assists in 41 appearances across all competitions. He enjoyed a fine FIFA World Cup this summer, helping Egypt to reach the Round of 16 for the first time in their history. He scored once and provided two assists in five appearances in the competition.

Liverpool in scramble for Mohamed Salah replacement

Liverpool are struggling to bring in a replacement for Mohamed Salah this summer in the transfer market. The Reds allowed their superstar forward to leave the club at the end of the 2025-26 season after he decided to end his spell at Anfield.

Andoni Iraola‘s side were strongly linked with a move for RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande and submitted an offer for the teenager during the FIFA World Cup. The Bundesliga side rejected their approach, asking for more money to release the 19-year-old winger this summer.

The Reds are now below Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in the race to sign the Cote d’Ivoire international. They have been linked with France internationals Bradley Barcola and Maghnes Akliouche, as well, as they look to make another addition to their squad.