ick Page 313 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Deadspin’s Championship Sunday ATS picks you can bank on
The NFL insisted on playing football for a season and now we get more chalk. So if it’s “normalcy” you seek in 2021, rejoice, you’ll see a lot of familiar faces today....

Dwight Howard comes up on the short end of a call, literally
Tangling in the paint in the second quarter in Detroit, Dwight Howard was called for a foul for getting his arm up in Isaiah Stewart’s face as he tried to box out while Tyrese Maxey got a shot off in the lane....

NBA Waiver Wire pickups to save your weekend, butt
Our injured lists are all piling up, and some of us are scrapping for those last-minute pick-ups to help secure a victory or avoid an embarrassing loss. Quick! Here are a few guys possibly lingering on your waiver wire to consider as you search for anyone who can help gain you those coveted 30 or so...

Patrick Mahomes is a go for Chiefs in AFC title tilt, so duel with Josh Allen is on
If there was any doubt that superstar Patrick Mahomes was going to play in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, there isn’t anymore. Mahomes has cleared the concussion protocol and will be suiting up with a consecutive Super Bowl appearance on the line. ...

NFL doesn't give Black QBs the same opportunities
In football, there is no position more coveted than that of the starting quarterback. The quarterback is the leader, the facilitator, the field general for an offense. He is the engine that makes the team go. It is on his shoulders — literally — to determine the production and success of a football ...

Surprise! Colin Cowherd has a bad idea, so let's play 'Hot Turd Time Machine'
I know you’re incredibly shocked by this, but Colin Cowherd said something stupid. Again. ...

Storylines abound in this week's Conference Championship matchups
There are four teams left in the quest for the Lombardi, all of whom are playing fantastic football. This weekend, we will have the NFC and AFC Championship games take place, and man are they ripe with storylines. Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers, Rodgers’ first NFC Championship game at home in Lambeau (...

Novak Djokovic’s COVID inanity makes you wonder ... if only Nick Kyrgios was this sharp on the tennis court
For some, the sporting calendar is even more off this month than normal. That’s because the Australian Open would be entertaining insomniacs, alcoholics, angry loners, and the unemployable late at night under normal circumstances. The tournament has been pushed back three weeks to better fit in Aust...

Tom Brady remains the L.O.A.T. — Luckiest Of All Time
The false narrative will be ramped up....

Chiefs survive Mahomes injury, Brady heads to another conference championship
The Divisional Round is over, and for the 14th time, Tom Brady is on his way to a conference championship game. Brady and Aaron Rodgers will meet in the NFC Championship Game, while Josh Allen will square off with reigning Super Bowl Patrick Mahomes, as long as he’s healthy....

Mahomes ruled out of game with apparent concussion
Patrick Mahomes has been ruled out of the game after suffering a head injury. The QB left the field in the third quarter after a hit left him struggling to stand up....

Joe Ricketts, the man who burned down a newsroom for trying to unionize, is at it again
Joe Ricketts, actual owner of the Chicago Cubs and producer of a special class of doofus-progeny, wants to get back into the news game. You can look forward to any personality that attains any popularity on this network to be shipped off as soon as they ask for a raise, replaced by a college sophomo...

Nickelback celebration should make Habs your least favorite team, if they weren’t already
Let’s be honest, it’s not like anyone needed more ammo to have a strong distaste for the Montreal Canadiens. Their fanbase’s sense of entitlement even though the Canadiens have barely managed to cling to the label of “relevant” for 27 years since their last Cup (the last championship won in Montreal...

Deadspin’s 2021 NFL Divisional Round picks you can bank on - Day 2
Hindsight is 20/20. But in 2021 you should’ve known to take underdogs on Wild Card Weekend and favorites in Saturday’s Divisional round....

NFL Divisional Round historical oddities: Brady vs. Brees, young coaches & an AFC/NFC experience chasm
The NFL Playoffs are wonderfully bizarre this year, and I love it. As the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs kicks off later this afternoon, there are some fascinating storylines to watch – some of them can be beautifully illustrated with numbers. I previously did a breakdown of the matchups, as w...

NFL players to watch: Divisional Round
The Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs starts tomorrow, and man are there some amazing matchups all weekend long. I love this slate. In each game, there are game-breaking players capable of monster performances. The playoffs are where great players become legends, and I’m hoping for some truly leg...

Bill Belichick backpedaled into right decision on top of a soapbox he’s never used
It has come to Bill Belichick’s attention that he will not be getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Thursday at the White House....

Nick Saban and Alabama’s medical staff should have never let Jaylen Waddle touch the field last night
There was nothing to be proud of when watching Alabama receiver Jaylen Waddle limp around the field last night in the National Championship game....
![Bill Belichick has some integrity, turns down Trump’s Medal of Freedom [Updated]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/ydzh8w5at6msazqn6kf5.jpg)
Bill Belichick has some integrity, turns down Trump’s Medal of Freedom [Updated]
Updated on Jan. 11, 2021 at 7:45 p.m. EST: Several hours after posting this column, Bill Belichick released a statement saying he will not accept the Medal of Freedom offered by Donald Trump. You can read Belichick’s statement in the tweet below from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Beneath that is our origina...

Did Louis Riddick say a naughty word on ESPN's playoff broadcast? A Deadspin investigation
In the fourth quarter of today’s Ravens-Titans game, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick was breaking down a Marquise Brown replay. “That shit is electric,” he said. Or did he?...