Clemson's Dabo Swinney alleges tampering by Ole Miss' Pete Golding and calls for reforms
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is accusing Mississippi coach Pete Golding of tampering with transfer player Luke Ferrelli. Swinney said Friday he has forwarded evidence to the NCAA. The longtime Tigers coach says, “If you tamper with my players, I'm going to turn you in.” Swinney described how Ferrelli, a linebacker, committed to Clemson on Jan. 6 and enrolled. Two weeks later, Ferrelli reentered the transfer portal and committed to Ole Miss. Swinney says he obtained text messages that Golding sent to Ferrelli after the linebacker had enrolled at Clemson.
Buffalo Bills interview Philip Rivers for head coaching job
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Philip Rivers has interviewed with the Buffalo Bills for their head coaching job. It's the latest twist in a busy couple of months for one of the most prolific passers in NFL history. The 44-year-old Rivers has no previous NFL coaching experience, having worked since his initial retirement from the league as a high school coach in his native Alabama. Last month, he ended his five-year retirement and finished the season with the Indianapolis Colts. Rivers was the fourth candidate to interview since the Bills launched their search on Wednesday. Sean McDermott was fired Monday after going 98-50 and reaching the playoffs eight times in nine seasons.
Teenager Blades Brown narrowly misses a 59. He's tied for American Express lead with Scheffler
LA QUINTA, Calif (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is No. 1 in the world and tied for the lead at The American Express. And that's not what caused the big buzz. Blades Brown was 6 feet away from becoming the youngest player to shoot 59 on the PGA Tour. The 18-year-old narrowly missed. He settled for a career-low 60 on Friday and is tied with Scheffler going into the weekend. Scheffler wasn't particularly sharp but still shot a 64 in the second round of his 2026 debut. Brown was playing his sixth competitive round in as many days. He played a Korn Ferry Tour event in the Bahamas that finished Wednesday.
Former 49ers quarterback John Brodie, an NFL MVP and a prolific passer, dies at 90
One-time NFL MVP and longtime San Francisco 49ers quarterback John Brodie has died at the age of 90. The 49ers said Brodie’s family said he died Friday. Brodie had a stroke in 2000. Brodie played for the 49ers from 1957-73 after breaking every major passing record at Stanford. He later played on the Senior PGA Tour and won the 1991 Security Pacific Senior Classic. Brodie’s 17 seasons still represent a 49ers franchise record and his 31,548 yards passing rank second to Joe Montana on San Francisco's career passing list. When Brodie retired after the 1973 season, he trailed only Johnny Unitas and Fran Tarkenton in yards passing.
College Football Playoff to remain at 12 teams after SEC and Big Ten fail to agree on expansion
The College Football Playoff will remain at 12 teams after the commissioners of the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten couldn’t come up with a compromise for expansion. The CFP Management Committee announced Friday the 12-team format would stay the same for the 2026-27 season. The decision provides additional time for evaluation and discussion on the current format and potential changes in the future. The CFP went from four teams to 12 teams for the 2024 season, and the two most powerful conferences favored further expansion but could not agree on a number.
Sean McVay turns 40 with a new perspective on football and the same dreams for his Los Angeles Rams
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean McVay will spend his 40th birthday on Saturday in the exact same way he spent the vast majority of his 30s. He’ll be preparing the Los Angeles Rams to play their hearts out. This year, he’ll be working to get the Rams ready for the NFC championship game against Seattle. If they win, he'll become the youngest head coach to reach three Super Bowls. McVay has been the “youngest” and the “first” to a jaw-dropping number of accomplishments since he took over the Rams as a 30-year-old prodigy. He's still at the top of his profession, but the father of two young sons has a new perspective on what that means.
NBA, ACC men, UConn women among college hoops games affected by approaching winter storm
An approaching major winter storm has prompting a shuffling of an NBA game, an NHL game and dozens of college basketball games this weekend. In the NBA, the start time of the Washington Wizards' game at the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday has been moved to noon. In the NHL, Saturday’s game in Nashville between the Predators and the Utah Mammoth was bumped two hours earlier. The Atlantic Coast Conference moved up start times for three men's basketball games on Saturday: Wake Forest-Duke, North Carolina-Virginia, and Virginia Tech-Louisville. On the women's side, No. 1 UConn’s game at Seton Hall was changed from Sunday to Saturday.
Heat rules come into play at the Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Play has been suspended on outside courts and briefly halted on undercover arenas under the extreme heat rules at the Australian Open. Defending champion Jannik Sinner was down a break in the third set of his third-round match against Eliot Spizzirri on Rod Laver Arena when play was stopped for several minutes to allow the roof to be closed. An earlier start than usual on Day 7 and hot weather were no worries for defending champion Madison Keys and her fellow American Jessica Pegula in their morning matches. The ninth-seeded Keys beat Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-3 and sixth-seeded Pegula had a 6-3, 6-2 win over Oksana Selekhmeteva. The forecast is for searing temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Kurt Busch, Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick inducted into NASCAR Hall of Fame
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kurt Busch has been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame along with fellow drivers Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick. The 47-year-old Busch, who won the first Cup Chase in 2004, was selected in his first year of eligibility by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel last May. Nicknamed “The Outlaw,” Busch was known for his fiery temper and often found himself at the center of controversy. He won his only Cup Series championship at age 26. Busch won 43 races across NASCAR’s three national series, including 34 at the Cup level. He won the 2017 Daytona 500.
Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza officially declares for the NFL draft and could be the No. 1 pick
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock, and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza is officially available. Mendoza formally declared for the NFL draft and could be headed to the Raiders with the No. 1 pick in April. Mendoza led Indiana to a 16-0 season and its first national championship with a 27-21 victory against Miami on Monday night. The junior completed 72% of his passes this season for 3,535 yards, with 41 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for seven scores. He played some of his best football in the College Football Playoff.
