Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Sam Pittman says a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that went into effect this month levels the college football playing field in a good way for his Arkansas team.

Pittman said Arkansas now has a chance to compete on more even terms with other Southeastern Conference powers like Georgia, Alabama and Texas. Pittman said Thursday at SEC media days his program previously dealt with a financial disadvantage against the schools with more established name, image and likeness collectives since NIL payments began in 2022.

According to the terms of the House settlement, each school now can share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes.

“Financially with revenue sharing I think we are finally back on even keel with everybody, which we weren’t,” said Pittman, whose team finished 7-6 in 2024. “If I was going to make an excuse, it would be financially is why we haven’t done quite as well. … But I think now with it being even, look out, the Razorbacks are coming.”

Pittman and most other coaches brought seniors and graduate players to represent their teams at SEC media days, which concluded on Thursday. Pittman brought two 2021 recruits and a transfer, but Arkansas could have difficulty finding seniors next year from his original 2022 signing class because many members of that class have transferred.

Pittman, whose Razorbacks have earned bowl bids in four of his five seasons, said players have different reasons for transferring but many were lured away from Arkansas by more attractive NIL packages at other schools. When asked about the 2022 class, Pittman said, “Here’s what it’s not because of: the way they’re treated, because of the way they’re developed, because of the way they’re taught.”

“That’s not the reason. It could be playing time. It could be finances. Probably the majority of it is finances.”

The House settlement era began on July 1.

The enforcement of the House settlement is still being worked out as the new College Sports Commission has informed athletic directors in letters last week it was rejecting payments to players from collectives created only to pay players instead of as payment for name, likeness and image.

Some seniors at SEC media days said NIL payments and the transfer portal have contributed to their decisions to complete their eligibility instead of leaving school early to pursue opportunities in the NFL.

“I would most definitely say so,” Missouri offensive lineman Connor Tollison said. “Obviously, you know, you have a chance to make some money these days. … With the transfer portal, if you don’t have a necessarily a good opportunity at this place you’re at, you have the chance to go somewhere else and get a fresh start. It wasn’t necessarily something I experienced to my college career, but I’ve seen it. You know, it works for plenty of players. So yeah, I think it’s good for the players.”

When asked if NIL makes it easier for players to complete their eligibility, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, coming off a 4-8 season, said, “Listen, we all love our players, whether they’re one year in our program, six months, or four years.”

Linebacker Alex Afari, defensive back Jordan Lovett and tight end Josh Kattus were the seniors who accompanied Stoops to Atlanta.

“Of course I love making money from name, image and likeness,” Lovett said. “But I love football first. You know, football was my first love. So I play for the game, not for money.”

Lovett added his primary motivation for returning was to earn his first win over Georgia.

“It’s the big part of college football now because some dudes just make decisions off, you know, the financial stuff,” Lovett said. “I love football. … I still haven’t, you know, beat Georgia yet. You know, Georgia’s one of my goals.”

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Bemidji State University Men’s Basketball has been named a National Association of Basketball Coaches Academic Team of Excellence for the 2024-25 school year. Five Beavers, Christian Koonce, Jareon Mayo, Jobe Juenemann, John Sutherland and Malang Athian, earned individual spots on the NABC Honors Court.
 
“Being a student-athlete is very challenging, so I love the fact that our guys understand this is more than just about basketball,” said Beaver Head Coach Mike Boschee. “Being a well-rounded person and being disciplined in the classroom is so important to their overall growth.”
 
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize programs that completed the 2024-25 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The NABC Honors Court, meanwhile, includes junior, senior and graduate student men’s basketball players who finished the 2024-25 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
 
The NABC’s academic awards are presented annually to teams and athletes from all levels of college basketball.
 
“Education is one of the NABC’s five core values, and we are proud to recognize the academic accomplishments of these programs and individual student-athletes across our sport,” said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. “The dedication and hard work of these athletes, along with their coaches and support staff members who prioritize academic success, deserves to be widely celebrated.”
 
Over 2,400 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court and nearly 400 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2024-25.
 
For more information on the Bemidji State Men’s Basketball program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversMBB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and like them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversMBB).
 
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
 

In a candid conversation about the shifting landscape of college football, one HBCU coach didn’t mince words about the impact of NIL deals.

“The game has changed so much since NIL came apart,” said Grambling State coach Mickey Joseph at SWAC Media Day on Wednesday. “Now, it’s money. It’s bank accounts. That’s what’s running college football right now.”

With top recruits being lured by sizable monthly payouts, programs with limited financial resources are finding it hard to keep pace.

“It looks like whoever has the most money — that’s who’s going to win,” Joseph admitted. “We lost eight to nine kids in the portal, not because they wanted to leave, but because of money. When you offer a kid $8,600 or $10,000 a month, it’s hard to say no.”

While other college football coaches have lamented about NIL and the inequity it has created, Joseph said he remains focused on preparing to win games in the SWAC.

“I worry about nobody else but the SWAC,” he said. “You’ve got to figure out, financially, are you going to be able to compete with the other schools in the conference?”

But the fight isn’t just about this season — it’s about retaining talent and building loyalty.

“We develop them, and they [FBS schools] have enough money to take them,” said Joseph, who is in his second year at Grambling. “It’s no different than a coach at an FCS school getting hired away by an FBS program. That’s why I’ve said we need buyouts, so maybe kids will know what commitment is.”

For now, Grambling remains proud of its national reputation. “At the end of the day, we are a national brand. But we have to understand that we’re still Grambling. We have to find a way to compete — on and off the field.”

Whether the financial arms race in college football will slow down, the coach can’t say. “We’ll see if the game changes. But right now, money talks.”

Former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne provided some insight into her rise to social media fame during a discussion with former WWE CEO Stephanie McMahon on Thursday.

Appearing on What’s Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon (beginning at the 14:20 mark), Dunne talked about how she grew her social media following, particularly on Instagram where she now has 5.4 million followers:

“My social media took off during COVID. I actually started social media when I was probably 10 years old, I think. That’s when I remember I downloaded Instagram, and ever since then I was just in love with looking at the analytics. What people liked, what people didn’t. …

“During quarantine I got stuck at my grandma’s condo in Florida. I kept scrolling on TikTok, my mom’s like, ‘If you’re going to be sitting there scrolling, you might as well create something. Do something while everyone’s bored.'”

Dunne took her mom’s advice to heart, and her social media presence exploded thanks to the regularity of her posts, as well as the subject matter:

“I started posting during quarantine consistently. That’s the key. … It just blew up from there. I’d flip around at the beach. It was kind of like morphing my passion, gymnastics, and bringing it to where I was stuck during quarantine. …

“I feel like maybe it was just like a happy part of people’s day, seeing someone flipping around at the beach. And then I got to college after and people couldn’t believe that I was an actual gymnast.”

Dunne, 22, starred for five seasons on the LSU Tigers’ gymnastics team, winning a national title in the team competition at the 2024 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships.

She retired from gymnastics at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, but Dunne’s success on social media has earned her numerous opportunities across multiple fields.

Dunne was featured in the 2023 and 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and she was one of four women chosen to be a cover model for the 2025 edition.

She was also named to the prestigious Time 100 Creators list for 2025 as one of the most influential digital voices in the world.

Dunne is perhaps even more recognizable than her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star pitcher Paul Skenes, which speaks to the following she has gained over the past several years.

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Louie Aboundader is passionate about hockey. Originally from Montreal, Quebec, he became familiar with the sport at a young age. As his skills advanced, he developed into a top-notch player and valuable member of his high school and college teams. Now as director of hockey and player development for the Kentucky Amateur Ice Hockey Association (KAIHA) and an assistant coach for the University of Louisville Cardinals men’s hockey team, he is dedicated to sharing his excitement for hockey as well as nurturing a love for the sport.

Aboundader explains how he got involved in hockey: “I started playing at about age 4. I grew up through the ranks and by age 17, I was playing at a high level. At that point, I had to decide about what route to take. I ended up going to a prep school, Gilmore Academy in Cleveland, Ohio, where family on my dad’s side lived. From there I went to Nichols College in Massachusetts and Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.”

All three schools are known for their strong hockey traditions. Gilmore Academy is considered one of the best prep schools to prepare players for competitive college teams and has accumulated many championships. While at Nichols College, Aboundader competed at the NCAA Division III level. After transferring to Davenport University, he earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management and played on its American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division I hockey team.

Aboundader then enrolled at the University of Louisville to pursue a master’s degree in sports administration. During this period, he played for the University of Louisville Cardinals from 2017 to 2019. At the time, the team was ACHA Division II. A couple of years later, head coach Brian Graham reached out to Aboundader and convinced him to take on the role of assistant coach.

Men’s hockey at U of L is a club sport and falls under the recreational sports department. Since it isn’t a varsity NCAA team, the Cardinals do not receive funding from the university’s athletic department. The entire staff, from team managers to social media and public relations, work on a volunteer basis.

Enthusiastic Cardinal fans are eagerly anticipating the 2025-26 schedule when the team is not only moving up to Division I but also changing leagues. As members of the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL), the Cardinals will be competing on a national level. Games begin early in September, and much to the delight of supporters, they will face off against their rivals, the University of Kentucky (UK), five times.

“Fans go completely bananas when we play UK. There’s always a line wrapped around the Iceland Sports Complex waiting to get in. UK moved up to DI with us. We want to win the Battle of the Barrel Tournament this year and get the trophy back from UK,” says Aboundader.

“Even though we are a self-sustaining operation with an all-volunteer staff, we treat it like a varsity team. Things started to turn around when Brian Graham began coaching in 2011–2012. He ran strict practices and began recruiting. The caliber of our players has increased, and we were nationally ranked last year,” says Aboundader.

In 2021, Aboundader was hired as the first director of hockey and player development for the Kentucky Amateur Ice Hockey Association. Founded in 2013, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit promotes and advances ice hockey in Louisville. The association’s home rink is the Iceland Sports Complex, and the organization sponsors several tiered teams and programs for varying ages.

All the youth teams of KAIHA focus on developing hockey players with an emphasis on work ethic, sportsmanship, discipline and teamwork. Included in its programs are two divisions of house leagues that develop the skills of beginning to intermediate players ages 9 to 14. Among other offerings are travel hockey, teams for girls and high school hockey.

One program, Little Ice Cards, introduces new players ages 4 to 9 to the game. The fee of $325 includes a full set of gear and an hour of on-ice instruction for seven weeks. Upon completion, participants can move into either the Ice Cardinals Six and Under Mini-Mites or Eight and Under Mites programs.

Chyna Taylor’s experience shows how organizations like KAIHA can benefit young hockey players. A Louisville native, Taylor grew up in the Ice Cardinal system. Now 15 years old, she is the youngest player on Team USA Under-18. In January, she proudly represented the United States at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Championships in Finland. The U.S. team made it to the finals, losing only to Canada.

“Chyna first tried figure skating. Her grandfather would take her. She saw a hockey practice going on in the other rink and asked her grandfather if she could do that. At age 6 and 7, she played on the coed team. At age 11, she began going to a prep school in Massachusetts as their number one recruit. I still talk with her grandfather from time to time. As an African American in a white-dominated sport, she defied the odds,” says Aboundader.

During the summer, Aboundader is just as busy as he is during the hockey season and cold-weather months. He runs some summer camps of his own but also travels to work at Christensen Hockey Camps, which are held across the U.S. in places such as Greensboro, North Carolina, and Casper, Wyoming. Aboundader also heads up Team Kentucky, a coed spring and summer travel tournament program for young hockey players from the state and surrounding areas. Four teams from age 10 and under to age 18 and under can participate in up to five tournaments in locations such as Nashville, Tennessee; South Bend, Indiana; St. Louis, Missouri; and North Charleston, South Carolina.

Offseason is also a time for Aboundader to reflect on the future of U of L Cardinals ice hockey. He shares that since the team is now in Division I, a second Division II team could perhaps be added in the future, opening the opportunity for more players who would like to participate. The end goal for the Cardinals would be to become a varsity team.

“Hockey is a great sport. From an early age, kids are cooped up in a classroom. With hockey they can skate around and exert energy. It teaches life lessons. It’s a true team sport. Ultimately, all the players on a team are needed. You can’t put the blame on any one player if you lose or win,” says Aboundader.

To view the U of L Cardinals ice hockey schedule, visit cardsicehockey.com/schedule.

For more information, visit the KAIHA website louisvilleicecardinals.com or email info@louisvilleicecardinals.com.

The Iceland Sports Complex is located at 1701 Ups Drive, Louisville, Kentucky 40223.

When Suni Lee won the 2025 ESPY for best comeback athlete Wednesday night, she made sure to recognize a select group of people, including one of the doctors who she said stood by her side after she was diagnosed with two rare kidney diseases a few years ago.

“To Dr. Marcia Faustin, she’s actually here in the crowd with me today,” Lee said in part in her award acceptance speech as the audience applauded. “Thank you for guiding me through the toughest moments, reading every scan and report by my side.”

Faustin, who attended this year’s ESPYS with Lee, is a family medicine and sports medicine doctor and an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, Davis. She serves as the co-head team physician for UC Davis Division I intercollegiate athletics and the USA Gymnastics women’s national team.

Faustin also accompanied the U.S. women’s gymnastics team to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Lee earned one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal and another gold and two more bronze medals, respectively.

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Lee has opened up about having two rare kidney diseases, penning a personal essay for Women’s Health about the topic in March 2025.

“Before I got sick, I didn’t really know anything about kidney disease other than that it was a serious illness. It never occurred to me that it could happen to someone my age or someone as healthy and fit as I was,” the 22-year-old wrote at the time.

“Kidney disease cannot be cured,” she added. “One of the hardest parts about living with kidney disease is knowing that I will have it for my whole life. It will never go away, and I have to face the fact that I will never be the same Suni I was before everything happened. But kidney disease can be treated, especially if you get an accurate diagnosis.”