BASKETBALL

The NBA Finals are almost set. The Boston Celtics swept the Indiana Pacers and now await the Dallas-Minnesota winner. The Mavericks are up 3-0 and will play game 4 tonight. If Dallas wins, they will head to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011.

The legendary and beloved Bill Walton died of cancer at 71. The Hall of Famer won two NBA titles, an MVP award, and the Sixth Man of the Year award. He also delighted his listeners with his commentary over the past 30 years. Jason Quick’s obituary of Walton gives an insight into his memorable life.

FOOTBALL

Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown has filed for bankruptcy. According to reports, Brown owes $3 million to eight different creditors.

Washington Commanders kicker Brandon McManus has been accused of sexual assault by two flight attendants. The incident allegedly occurred on a team flight to London while McManus played for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

FOOTBALL

On Monday Night Football, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 26-14 in what is likely quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s final home game.

The bizarre Antonio Brown incident is still somewhat of a mystery. According to reports, Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians pressured Brown into playing before his ankle was fully healed. After exiting the field shirtless, Arians announced Brown is no longer a member of the team. Brown was seemingly unfazed by his unemployment status and was seen courtside at a Grizzlies-Nets game Monday night.

FOOTBALL

Georgia and Alabama will compete in the College Football Championship game on January 10th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs advanced after a 34-11 win over Michigan in the Orange Bowl, while Alabama easily defeated Cincinnati 27-6 in the Cotton Bowl.

While five other Bowl games were canceled due to COVID-19, Ohio State’s wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba set a Rose Bowl record with the most receiving yards in any bowl game (347!).  Ohio State 48, Utah 45

In a strange scene from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New York Jets game on Sunday, troubled wide receiver Antonio Brown removed his jersey and pads and did jumping jacks as he left the field shirtless during the third quarter. After the incident, Coach Bruce Arians unequivocally stated Brown “is no longer a Buc.” The Buccaneers ended up winning the game 28-24 thanks to a signature last-minute drive from QB Tom Brady.

For the list of NFL teams that have already earned a playoff spot click here.

BASEBALL

Tampa Bay’s Brandon Lowe found his form and hit two home runs for a 6-4 win over the Dodgers in Game 2. The World Series is now tied at 1 game apiece with Game 3 on Friday night.

FOOTBALL

The Seattle Seahawks are one of many teams looking to sign Antonio Brown now that his suspension is ending. The NFL suspended Brown for eight games due to multiple conduct violations including sexual abuse.

The NCAA is continuing to investigate LSU for illegal booster payments to its football players. While the investigation continues, the Tigers self-imposed penalties including losing eight scholarships, reducing recruiting visits, and banning Cleveland Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. from its football facilities. Odell was caught on camera giving $2,000 in cash to four Tigers football players after the team beat Clemson in last year’s College Football National Championship.

FOOTBALL

Forty Bowl games are played in the last few weeks of December and the first few weeks of January. For a list of all the Bowl games, click here.   The College Football Playoff semifinals on December 28th features LSU vs Oklahoma at 4:00 EST and Ohio State vs Clemson at 8:00 pm EST. The winners will face each other on January 13th in New Orleans.

The New Orleans Saints are reportedly looking at potentially signing Antonio Brown. The New England Patriots released Brown in September after sexual abuse allegations surfaced. The NFL hasn’t issued a statement on whether Brown is still under investigation and eligible to sign with a team.

FOOTBALL

The Antonio Brown drama isn’t over. The wide receiver has now been accused of sexual assault by his former trainer, Britney Taylor. The lawsuit claims Taylor, a gymnast who met Brown when they were both at Central Michigan University, was sexually assaulted on three occasions in 2017 and 2018. Brown, “denies each and every allegation in the lawsuit,” according to his lawyer. The Patriots released a statement acknowledging the NFL will be investigating the allegations.

SWIMMING

A referee disqualified a swimmer from Dimond High School in Alaska after she won her 100-meter freestyle event for a “uniform violation” which in the referee’s words meant “butt cheek touching butt cheek.” The Anchorage School District said it would reverse the disqualification and possibly decertify the official saying, “We cannot tolerate discrimination of any kind, and certainly not based on body shape.”

BASEBALL

The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched their seventh consecutive National League West title.

FOOTBALL

Oakland Raiders receiver Antonio Brown can’t stay out of the news. After creating a stir with a helmet controversy and missed training camp days for a cryotherapy injury to his foot, it’s now reported that celebrity chef Stefano Tedeschi (known as “The Sports Chef”) filed a lawsuit against Brown for not paying him $38, 521 for a weekend of meals for his guests during the 2018 Pro Bowl.

Ohio State University (changed to “The Ohio State University” by the Ohio legislature in 1878) is looking to trademark the “The” when it’s used in conjunction with “Ohio State University.” According to a spokesman, “Like other institutions, Ohio State works to vigorously protect the university’s brand and trademarks,” The school is looking for the trademark to be used on clothing and hats.

GYMNASTICS

With a double-double and a triple-double in the U.S. Gymnastics Championship, Simone Biles won her sixth national all-around title. Biles is the first woman in history to land a triple-double in completion on the floor.  Next up are the World Championships October 4-13th where the U.S. women won Gold last year and earned a place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

FOOTBALL

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown is creating drama for refusing to wear an NFL mandated helmet. He’s even claiming he’ll sue the league if he suffers an injury while wearing the new head covering. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Brown has claimed he’ll retire if he is not allowed to wear his old helmet. In addition to the gear issue, Brown has reportedly missed practices for dealing with frostbite in his feet after not using the proper protection in a cryotherapy chamber.

FOOTBALL

The Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to trade their star receiver Antonio Brown (caught 100 passes in 6 consecutive seasons) to the Oakland Raiders. The deal becomes official on Wednesday at 4:00 pm when the new league years begins. The Steelers star running back Le’Veon Bell is also expected to leave the team to free agency after refusing to play in 2018 on a franchise tag. It’s not clear whether the Steelers will be better off without their two star players who were vocally unhappy.

BASKETBALL

The Golden State Warriors were up by 16 points against the Phoenix Suns (who hadn’t beaten the Warriors since November 9th, 2014), but couldn’t hold on to the lead and lost at home 111-115. The Suns can thank Devin Booker who scored a game-high 37 points in addition to 11 assists and 8 rebounds. The Warriors lost Kevin Durant in the last six minutes of the game due to an ankle injury, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr didn’t seem too upset about the injury and expects him back soon.

GOLF

Tiger Woods is attempting to use his influence to stem the flood of players heading from the PGA Tour to the Saudi Arabia sponsored LIV tour. Woods assembled 15 top players to discuss changes to the PGA including $20 million purses.

FOOTBALL

Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam defended Deshaun Watson’s 11-game suspension (instead of the whole season) by stating “People deserve second chances.” He also went on to say, “And you can say, ‘Well, that’s because he’s a star quarterback.’ Well, of course.” Watson is scheduled to return in week 13 when Cleveland plays Watson’s former team, the Houston Texans.

Tom Brady has been absent from practices and pre-season games for the past month. Tampa Bay Coach Todd Bowles explained that Brady was “tending to personal things.”  One theory is that Brady left to film an episode of “The Masked Singer.” The show is part of Fox Network (where Brady will work when he retires), and Brady’s former teammates Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown at one point appeared on the show.