FOOTBALL

Drew Rosenhaus terminated his relationship with troubled wide receiver Antonio Brown until Brown gets the help he needs. Brown was released from the Oakland Raiders at the beginning of the 2019 season then was picked up by the New England Patriots. After sexual assault allegations surfaced, he was released from the Patriots and is now currently a free agent (with no agent).

Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns fans are petitioning the State Medical Board of Ohio to legally obtain medical marijuana. Even though most submissions deal with medical illnesses, there was an actual detailed submission called “Bengals/Browns Fans” outlining the need for marijuana due to suffering from their teams’ losing season(s) and inability to ever win a Super Bowl.

BASEBALL

The San Francisco Giants hired the first female full-time coach in Major League Baseball history. Alyssa Nakken will be an assistant under Giants manager Gabe Kapler.

BASEBALL

The fallout from the MLB sign-stealing scandal continues. The New York Mets announced they are “mutually parting ways” with Carlos Beltran (the recently named Manager of the Mets who played for the Mets from 2005 to 2911). According to the MLB report, “Approximately two months into the 2017 season, a group of players, including Carlos Beltrán, discussed that the team could improve on decoding opposing teams’ signs and communicating the signs to the batter.”

FOOTBALL

The New Orleans police issued an arrest warrant for Cleveland Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for battery after he slapped a police officer in the rear. The incident took place after Monday night’s LSU win over Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

BASEBALL

The Major League Baseball sign-stealing drama continues. After the Astros fired their GM and Manager on Monday, the Red Sox have now agreed to “part ways” with their manager Alex Cora. Cora participated in the cheating scandal when he was the bench coach for the Astros in 2017 and possibly in 2018 when he was the manager with the Red Sox.

FOOTBALL

Odell Beckham Jr. (a former LSU player and current Cleveland Brown wide receiver) created an online buzz when he was seen handing out what appeared to be cash to LSU players after they won the College Football National Championship. Turns out the cash wasn’t real, but it was a fun celebration to watch.

FOOTBALL

With six touchdowns, Heisman Trophy winner Quarterback Joe Burrow led LSU to a 42-25 victory over Clemson in the College Football Championship.

BASEBALL

Major League Baseball came down hard on the Houston Astros for their role in a sign-stealing scandal during the 2017 season where they won the World Series. The Astros will have to forfeit their first and second-round draft picks for 2020 and 2021 and will be fined $5 million. Due to the severity of the issue, team owner Jim Crane fired general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hunch.

FOOTBALL

The NFL Conference Championships are set. In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers will host the Green Bay Packers, and in the AFC the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Tennessee Titans.

In some highlights from the Divisional round, the 49ers won their first playoff game in 6 years in their 27-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings. In their 51-31 victory over the Houston Texans, the Kansas City Chiefs became the first team in NFL history to come back from a 21 point deficit to win a playoff game by at least 20 points. The Green Bay Packers held off a Seattle Seahawks attempted comeback to win 28-23, and the Tennessee Titans’ running back Derrick Henry continued to shine in their big 28-12 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

The last NFL head coaching vacancy has been filled. The Cleveland Browns hired 37-year old Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.

FOOTBALL

The divisional-round NFL playoffs this weekend will determine which teams we’ll see in the Conference Playoffs on January 19th. First up is the Vikings vs 49ers at 4:35 ET, then Titans vs Ravens at 8:15 pm ET on Saturday Jan 11th, followed by the Texans at Chiefs at 3:05 pm and Seahawk at Packers at 6:4o pm ET on January 12th.

Prior to flying to their flight to Baltimore, Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry treated his offensive line to Rolex watches for helping him win the NFL’s 2019 rushing title. In training camp, Henry promised his line he’d reward them if he achieved his goals.

The Super Bowl will be a prime venue for Presidential politics as both President Trump and Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg purchased $10 million dollar 60-second commercial spots to run during the game on February 2nd.

BASKETBALL

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid underwent surgery (dislocated finger) on his hand on Friday and, according to reports, will miss at least 1-2 weeks. Even though his absence will be felt by the team, the Sixers managed to pull out a big 109-98 win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.

FOOTBALL

The New York Giants have reportedly offered Joe Judge the head coaching spot. The 38 year old Judge was previously the wide receivers coach for the New England Patriots and was mentored by Alabama coach Nick Saban.

In other coaching news, the Carolina Panthers hired former Baylor coach Matt Rhule to a seven-year contract worth from $60-$70 million.

FOOTBALL

After finally reporting on Sunday they were not bringing back head coach Jason Garrette, the Dallas Cowboys didn’t waste any time announcing their new hire, Mike McCarthy. McCarthy was hired as head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 2006 and led them to a Super Bowl win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011. Even though he took the Packers to the playoffs in 9 out of 13 seasons, he was fired mid-season in 2018. The Cowboys also hired linebackers coach Mike Nolan away from the New Orleans Saints and made him their defensive coordinator.

In other football-related news, former contestants on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert, have been accused of “pooling” their entries in DraftKings’ Millionaire Maker Contest. Allegations surfaced after Roper won the $1 million dollar first prize. Roper and Tolbert met on Bachelor in Paradise, got married and have two children.

FOOTBALL

The defending Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots, lost in the first round of the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Patriots fell to the Tennessee Titans 13-20. The Titans will play the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC divisional round. Now that the Patriots are out of the playoffs, everyone is talking about quarterback Tom Brady’s future. For the first time in his career, the 42-year-old is a free agent, but according to reports, he has no plans to retire.

The Houston Texans eked out a victory over the Buffalo Bills thanks to a stellar performance from quarterback Deshaun Watson who led his team from a double-digit deficit in the second half and set up the game-winning field goal in overtime for a 22-19 win. The Texans will face the Kansas City Chiefs in the next round.

The Minnesota Vikings pulled out a 26-20 victory over the New Orleans Saints and will face the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC divisional round. After the Seattle Seahawks knocked off the Philadelphia Eagles, they will take on the Green Bay Packers in the other NFC divisional round.

Here is the full schedule (all times Eastern):

Divisional round

Titans at Ravens: January 11th, 8:15 pm

Vikings at 49ers: January 11th, 4:35 pm

Texans at Chiefs: January 12th, 3:05 pm

Seahawks at Packers: January 12th, 6:40 pm

In other football news and after endless rumors, the Dallas Cowboys finally announced they will not renew head coach Jason Garrett’s contract.

FOOTBALL

The finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 have been revealed, and former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and former Indianapolis Colts receiver Reggie Wayne made the cut in their first year of eligibility. The other finalists named include LeRoy Butler (Packers), Torry Holt (Rams/Jaguars), Sam Mills (Saints/Panthers), Zach Thomas (Dolphins/Cowboys), Bryant Young (49ers), Steve Atwater (Broncos/Jets), Tony Boselli (Jaguars), Isaac Bruce (Rams/49ers), Alan Faneca (Steelers/Jets/Cardinals), Steve Hutchinson (Seahawks/Vikings/Titans), Edgerrin James (Colts/Cardinals/Seahawks), John Lynch (Buccaneers/Broncos), Richard Seymour (Patriots/Raiders).

The day before Super Bowl 54 (LIV) on February 1st, up to five of these finalists will be chosen for the Hall of Fame.

No official word yet, but the Dallas Cowboys could be moving on from head coach Jason Garrett. Garrett’s contract expires on January 14th, and according to sources, owner/general manager Jerry Jones has decided not to renew his contract.