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<em>New York Times </em>confuses Biden diversity appointee Mike Leach with coach who made lynching jokes
Meet Michael Leach, a former assistant to the head coach for the Chicago Bears who spent nearly a decade working in the NFL. And who, according to his LinkedIn page, is currently the Chief People, Diversity, & Inclusion Officer at Biden for President....

NHL West Preview: Some top-tier teams, but mostly trash
We move out West, which is probably the most top-heavy of the new-fangled, COVID-adjusted divisions this season. There are three genuine contenders here...and then a whole lot of trash. Colorado, Vegas, and St. Louis will feast on the chum on offer in this intra-division only schedule, and the race ...

NHL Central Preview: This division makes no geographical sense
For the sake of this season, Florida is apparently central, and Dallas is central even though it’s west of St. Paul and St. Louis, which are both in the west this year. This is truly the season of people throwing ducks at balloons and nothing is the way it seems. Whatever the odd alignments, this di...

NBA bans hugging to curb COVID spread in sport featuring constant physical contact
The NBA is implementing NO TOUCHING!...

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....

NHL East Preview: The gang's all here
This division is loaded with veteran teams like Pittsburgh, Washington, and Boston that still expect to compete for the Stanley Cup, teams on the rise in the Islanders and Flyers, and teams bolstered by recent No. 1 overall picks like the Rangers, Devils and Sabres who are hoping to break through....

Lo! The NFL divisional playoff round draws hither
This crazy, six-game slate on Wild Card Weekend lived up to the hype, delivering history and upsets and exciting games, wire to wire. We now have a Divisional Round in the NFL Playoffs that includes the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns. Crazy, right?...
![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...

Breaking down the 15 NFL Hall of Fame finalists from the ridiculously loaded class of 2021
The 2021 NFL Hall of Fame group of finalists is positively stacked with talent, and worthy additions to Canton, including four first-time eligible candidates. Before we dive into all 15 finalists, let’s look at some trends from the Hall of Fame....

The Premier League has no way out, no plan, and barely any hope
When rumors began to swirl last week, as postponements of games in the Premier League ramped up, that the league was considering taking a two week break in January to try and let teams recover from either positive tests or simply the oppressive schedule, the league quashed those whispers with “there...

The POS who once said ‘nuke the gays’ will be coaching the Browns on Sunday
The curse of the Browns is alive and well, even after vanquishing their 18-year playoff drought. Head Coach Kevin Stefanski, as well as two assistant coaches and two players, including three-time Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio, have all tested positive for COVID-19. They will all be unavailable fo...

The sports figures we've lost in 2021
Here’s a look at the athletes and sports figures we’ve lost in 2021....

Sports Illustrated pegged dystopian present 30 years ago: Free-to-play ads, call-the-play apps & empty arenas
Happy 2021! Today is the 20th anniversary of the beginning of a story that’s worth revisiting, one of the most interesting stories ever to appear in the legendary pages of Sports Illustrated — and a work of fiction....

Everyone knows who Tony Hawk is, but nobody can identify him
His full name is Anthony, and it confuses a ton of people....

NBA Gambling Guide/Futures Bets to Make for the 2020-21 Season
For the first time in nine years, the NBA is rolling out its regular season with a late-December start date. Obviously, the current instance is sparked by far different circumstances than the lockout of 2011....

Forget LeBron & Giannis, these are NBA players who <em>need </em>to show out in 2020-21
Just as the headline reads....

Pistons owner Tom Gores earns millions sucking the blood out of a broken prison system
Worth Rises, a criminal justice advocacy group, took out a full-page in Sunday’s New York Times, questioning commissioner Adam Silver and 29 NBA team owners about one of their colleagues....

Coastal Carolina is your national champion, don’t care what anyone says
If you look at Coastal Carolina’s season, it’s almost hard to believe that it was 2020. The Chanticleers’ run was remarkable, starting with a 15-point win on the road against a Big 12 school (Kansas, but still), and then a rampage through the Sun Belt Conference, with only one postponement — and you...

Everyone on Houston’s men’s team had COVID, 90% of Louisville’s had it, too
Texas is now at over 1.54 million COVID cases, with the pandemic affecting communities of color at an alarming rate. The state’s figures apparently include all 15 members of the Houston Cougars sixth-ranked men’s basketball team. According to head coach Kelvin Sampson in a media call on Thursday, ev...

MLB owners' concern over vaccine is really just them telling on themselves, for the 738th time
If it feels like MLB owners are always coming here for an argument, that’s pretty much because they always are. While the comatose-snail-slow free agent and trade market can be partially traced to the usual, contemporary miserliness of the cabal of 30 (though most certainly not collusion, no sir), a...