Month: December 2022

The Browns hosted the Buccaneers under unusual circumstances last Sunday after their home field was damaged days before the game.

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A suspect has been named in the ongoing investigation regarding an act of vandalism that took place at FirstEnergy Stadium a few days prior to the Browns’ game against the Buccaneers last Sunday.

The Cleveland Police Department have identified the suspect as 21-year-old Anthony Robert Westley O’Neal, according to a Thursday report from the Associated Press. O’Neal has not been arrested and is currently not facing charges in connection with the incident, per AP, but authorities stated that he will be a “direct indictment” to the Cuyahoga County grand jury.

The Browns and Bucs entered their matchup facing less-than-stellar field conditions following an incident that reportedly took place on Nov. 21. According to News 5 Cleveland, an individual broke into FirstEnergy Stadium overnight and drove a vehicle on the field, leaving noticeable tire tracks and divots on the playing surface. 

In a statement released prior to the game, Cleveland announced it had been in touch with the NFL and police regarding the matter before declaring the damage wouldn’t affect the game.

“We take pride in the strong reviews and reputation of our stadium’s playing surface,” the team said in a statement on Tuesday. “We have been in touch with the NFL on the matter and are confident after repair our field will be ready for Sunday’s game vs. the Tampa Buccaneers.”

Sunday’s game ended up being played as scheduled after an independent field inspector hired by the NFL determined the damage caused any playability issues. The Browns went on to defeat the Bucs, 23–17, in overtime.

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With the group stage nearing its end, which teams are in position to advance, and what needs to happen for them to get there?

The quarterback came onto the field not wearing his No. 17 jersey on Thursday night.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen walked onto the field for pregame warmups vs. the Patriots not wearing his own No. 17 jersey.

Instead, Allen sported No. 14 for former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s jersey, who played for Buffalo from 2009–12.

The timing of Allen’s jersey is perfect as Fitzpatrick happens to be present at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night since he is now a member of the Amazon Prime crew.

While the reason for Allen wearing Fitzpatrick’s jersey hasn’t been addressed publicly yet, many may wonder if the Bills quarterback is paying homage to a viral video of Fitzpatrick from last season’s Bills–Patriots game.

The retired quarterback attended the AFC Wild Card game between the two teams back in January. The Bills won 47–17, and Fitzpatrick chose to take his shirt off while celebrating his former team’s win.

Images and videos taken of Fitzpatrick in the cold stands went viral shortly after.

So, will Fitzpatrick be wearing an Allen jersey at some point on Thursday night?

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As the group stage comes to an end in Qatar, the knockout bracket are coming into focus. Here are the matchups that have been set.

The World Cup’s opening stage has featured three days of thrilling, group-ending simultaneous action (the kind of action that won’t be possible starting in 2026, if FIFA continues on its current plan regarding World Cup expansion), and as a result, the knockout bracket is coming into focus.

With one day of group play remaining in Qatar, six of the eight round-of-16 games are set, with three-quarters of each side of the knockout bracket already known. Two teams that have already secured their last-16 berths, Brazil out of Group G and Portugal out of Group H, are just waiting to find out where they finish in their groups, while two other spots remain to be clinched. The six teams that haven’t yet clinched are all still alive, which sets up what should be a hectic finish to what’s already been a wild set of group finales featuring twists (remember when both Germany and Spain were going out for a three-minute stretch?), upsets (hello, group-winning Morocco!) and plenty of drama.

As a result, here’s a look at the World Cup bracket, in order as it will be situated. On each half, the winners of the top two matchups will meet in the quarterfinals, as will the winners of the bottom two. Those winners will then meet in the semis, feeding into the title match on Dec. 18 in Lusail.

For the U.S., that could feasibly result in a scenario that features a date with Lionel Messi’s Argentina, if a historic win over the Netherlands on Saturday is in the cards. Regardless, here’s a look at the knockout bracket: 

2022 WORLD CUP KNOCKOUT BRACKET

– Netherlands vs. United States (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET)

– Argentina vs. Australia (Saturday, 2 p.m. ET)

– Japan vs. Croatia (Monday, 10 a.m. ET)

– Group G winner vs. Group H runner up (Monday, 2 p.m. ET)

——

– England vs. Senegal (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET)

– France vs. Poland (Sunday, 10 a.m. ET)

– Morocco vs. Spain (Tuesday, 10 a.m. ET)

– Group H winner vs. Group G runner up (Tuesday, 2 p.m. ET)

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The Cowboys quarterback addressed James’s thoughts on the recently surfaced photo of the Dallas owner at a 1957 desegregation protest.

Since the picture of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones standing in a 1957 Arkansas desegregation protest surfaced ahead of Dallas’s game against the Giants on Thanksgiving, it has sparked conversation about Jones and his past.

Jones, an Arkansas native, was 14 years old when he was spotted in a photo that was taken on Sept. 9, 1957, at North Little Rock High that featured a group of white students blocking the door and yelling racial slurs at six Black students as they attempted to enter. While Jones said he had no intention of badgering any of the Black students and was attending the event out of curiosity, two high-profile athletes have weighed in on the resurfacing of the photo.

Following the Lakers’ 128–109 win against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday, LeBron James questioned the media about why he not been ask questions about Jones in the same manner that he was about Kyrie Irving’s sharing of antisemitic propaganda.

“When I watch Kyrie talk and he says, ‘I know who I am,’ but I want to keep the same energy when we’re talking about my people and the things that we’ve been through,” James said. “And the Jerry Jones photo is one of those moments that our people—Black people—have been through in America.

“I feel like, as a Black man, as a Black athlete, as someone with power and a platform, when we do something wrong or something that people don’t agree with, it’s on every single tabloid, every single news coverage, on the bottom ticker, it’s asked about every single day. But it seems like to me the whole Jerry Jones situation, photo—and I know it was years and years ago and we all make mistakes, I get it—but it seems like it’s just been buried under, like, ‘Oh, it happened, O.K. we just move on.’ And I’m kinda disappointed I haven’t received that question from you guys.”

On Thursday, James’s impassioned statement led to reporters asking Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott—who biracial and his father is Black—about his thoughts on the comments made by the Lakers star. Prescott said the publishing of the photo serves as a reminder that people “can be more empathetic” as well as the “times we’ve come from to where we are now.”

“A guy who is completely biracial … it’s easy for me to speak on race on one side or the other … I don’t know if I’ve fully processed [the photo] all the way, honestly,” Prescott said. “I think whether LeBron is talking about the picture … that’s on Jerry to address, right?

“I mean … it’s 65 years ago and how times have changed,” Prescott said. “Look at the man’s resume since then. … As I said, give grace. I think that’s a conversation and a question not only for him but for you guys and how you feel on how accountable you’ve been in covering and discussing the disparities and differences in race.”

The two-time Pro Bowler also said his notion to provide grace stems from him “trying to make the world a better place.”

“That’s who I am at my core and all I believe in,” Prescott said. “Unfortunate things come up from the past … and they show how far we’ve come. … It wasn’t that long ago that we were all sitting in different sides and we weren’t together.

“But as I said, I wouldn’t be here if it was still that way, so I believe in grace and change.”

While the photo of Jones has stirred up dialogue, the Cowboys owner previously said in an interview with Dave Maraniss and Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post that he regretted not doing more to help the Black students feel inclusive.

“I’ve often asked: ‘Why didn’t you do more?” Jones said. “’Why didn’t you get up and have them come up on the bus and sit rather than standing back there? Why didn’t you do more?’”

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The 4-7-1 Indianapolis Colts are set to take on the 8-3 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football in Week 13. Indy is coming off a 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football, while the Cowboys defeated NFC East rival New York Giants on Thanksgiving. Their top pass defense, led by Micah Parsons, makes them double-digit favorites against a Jeff Saturday/Jonathan Taylor-led Colts with a few question marks. Is this a shoo-in for America’s Team? Nick Wright warns bettors to take the points and Indy to cover despite a tough challenge with the Cowboys defense.