il Page 454 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Baltimore Ravens to honor RB who assaulted fiancee in elevator
Ray Rice, the former NFL running back whose career ended after he assaulted his then-fiancee — the charges were dropped — will be honored by his former team Sunday....

These are the worst MLB free-agent signings ever
The media and fans (not so) patiently waited for the two biggest free agents —Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — to sign new deals with new teams. The American League MVP and the 25-year-old ace both inked pacts with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have spent more than $1 billion so far this offsea...

QB once arrested for child porn to continue college football career
Former University of Florida quarterback Jalen Kitna, who was arrested in November 2022 on five child pornography charges which were later dropped, will continue his college football career at UAB....

Bowl shenanigans are at full-throat
The great thing about bowl season is it lets fans check in on programs they may not have watched much during the regular season. With 86 teams participating across 43 exhibitions, and little else to do but veg out on football, this seems like a good time for a little peer review. On Thursday, Miami ...

This week in MLB: Wander Franco vanishes, twice; Yoshinobu Yamamoto lands with Dodgers; Kiner-Falefa signs with Jays
Local authorities in the Dominican Republic carried out raids on two homes looking for Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, according to a report from Dominican newspaper Listin Diario. - Cale Clinton Read More...

This week in the NFL: Travis Kelce is not pleased; Russell Wilson done in Denver?; Antonio Pierce disrespected in Vegas
Travic Kelce let it all out on an episode of his “New Heights” podcast with brother and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason. After the Chiefs lost three of their last four games, Travis called it “a frustrating f**king experience” and said that everyone – including himself – is contributing to the offe...

IDIOT OF THE YEAR 2023: The complete rankings
Welcome to the grand finale of Deadspin’s IDIOT OF THE YEAR festivities. Here’s hoping 2024 will be better. It probably won’t....

Old beef still sells. Just ask the Cowboys and Jimmy Johnson
As long as the nostalgia of 1990s beef still sells, I’ll never feel old. I was but a child then. A child who looked at box scores in the Chicago Sun-Times and followed the daily drama of the 1997 Chicago Bulls contract negotiations. Even as a youngster, I recognized that Jimmy Johnson and the Dallas...
![Terrence Shannon Jr. taking Illinois to court, seeks reinstatement [Update]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/ad793e73838ec457aca1da63063acc88.jpg)
Terrence Shannon Jr. taking Illinois to court, seeks reinstatement [Update]
Updated Jan. 9: Terrence Shannon Jr. is seeking legal action against the University of Illinois which would allow him to return to the basketball team while facing a rape charge....

Where will Russell Wilson go now that Denver cut him?
Updated March 4: The Denver Broncos will release Russell Wilson, as had been speculated. The team will be hit with a record $85 million dead salary cap charge for cutting the veteran QB. ...

Derrick White’s All-Star bid is about to become the NBA’s ‘Brock Purdy for MVP’
After the Boston Celtics acquired Jrue Holiday in an early October trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, the five-time All-Defensive Team guard was billed as the solution to Boston’s need for a tempo-setting orchestrator. In theory, he was also the fourth All-Star in the Eastern Conference’s premie...

It’s only a matter of time until an employed head coach opts out of a bowl game
College football programs are as volatile as ever during the transfer portal era. This time last year, the USC Trojans were one of the hottest programs in the country. Fast forward to the end of 2023, and the Trojans’ 42-28 win over No. 15 Louisville, without Caleb Williams, felt oddly necessary. ...

IDIOT OF THE YEAR: It's the final countdown (Nos. 10-1)
Here they are: The biggest dummies of 2023. Most of them are starting to take up permanent residence here. ...

The Broncos have money problems with Russell Wilson, but at least they’re not the Browns
In case I did not make myself clear on Tuesday, the Deshaun Watson contract is never happening again. In the future, no NFL player will ever receive a fully guaranteed contract. For one thing, Patrick Mahomes is not going to push the Kansas City Chiefs for that type of deal. Two, when the Denver Bro...

If you’re thinking Ja Morant is going to rebrand, think again
Ja Morant hasn’t skipped a beat since his return to the Memphis Grizzlies lineup a week ago. The city of Memphis couldn’t be happier. Without Morant in, the Grizzlies’ holes were glaring. In his absence, Desmond Bane tried valiantly to hold down the fort, but the offense was abysmal without his back...

Broncos seemingly give up on playoffs, bench Russell Wilson for rest of regular season
File this one under Things to Do in Denver When You’re Playoff Chances Aren’t Dead?...

Anybody up for a game of boff, marry, kill with some fringe NFL playoff teams?
Heading into the final two weeks of the NFL season, the Colts, Texans, Steelers, Bengals, Raiders, Broncos, Rams, Seahawks, Vikings, Falcons, Packers, Buccaneers and Saints are still alive for a playoff spot while only a game away from .500. Of those 12 organizations, which do you think has the best...

IDIOT OF THE YEAR: More dumbasses (Nos. 20-11)
WHY? Why must professional athletics function as such a powerful magnet for stupid, impetuous people? Ugh....

Aaron Rodgers and the biggest transactions of the 2023 NFL season
With just a handful of weeks left before the end of the NFL regular season, it’s time to evaluate the moves that defined the year in review. Everyone makes big deals about offseason moves and trades, but only in hindsight can we truly find the moves that defined the year. ...

Lamar Jackson might win MVP, yet no other teams wanted him during the offseason?
It was about nine months ago when Lamar Jackson wanted to be traded from the Baltimore Ravens. The best quarterback in the history of two forever-linked franchises — the Ravens and the Cleveland Browns — was on the open market. Jackson is the only player besides Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes to ...