Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t condone the actions that led to wide receiver DK Metcalf’s two-game suspension by the NFL following an in-game altercation with a fan, but added Metcalf has his full support during the appeals process.

The league punished the two-time Pro Bowler by forcing him to sit out the first-place Steelers’ final two games and fining him for taking a swipe at Detroit Lions fan Ryan Kennedy in the second quarter of what became Pittsburgh’s 29-24 victory.

Tomlin said Metcalf shared his side of the story with him, but declined to get into specifics. “He did explain to me why he did what he did, and I certainly don’t condone the behavior, but I support DK,” Tomlin said.

“I won’t discuss what he and I discussed,” Tomlin added. “I think I’ve been pretty clear there.”

Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson said on a podcast late Sunday night that Metcalf told him Kennedy used a racial slur and verbally disparaged Metcalf’s mother, an allegation that Kennedy denied through his attorneys on Monday.

Tomlin cited Metcalf’s appeal hearing and what he described as “legal ramifications,” though he did not define what those might be. An email to the attorneys representing Kennedy by The Associated Press was not immediately returned.

Metcalf remained in the game and finished with four receptions for 42 yards. Kennedy left his seat to meet with stadium security at Ford Field but was allowed to return.

Asked if the Steelers have any in-game protocols in place to try and mitigate interactions such as the one between Metcalf and Kennedy, Tomlin said, “We certainly may, but I might not be privy to it because my eyes and attention is (on) what’s going on on the field” and made it a point to credit the team’s “top notch security group.”

Tomlin would not elaborate on what his reaction was to seeing the video of the confrontation, though he acknowledged what he called the rise in “volatile rhetoric” in sports at all levels.

“Not only (in) our business, (but) college, youth sport parents,” he said. “I think it’s just a component of sport that’s developed and developed in a big way in recent years, and it’s unfortunate.”

There were reports that when Metcalf played for Seattle, he reported Kennedy to team personnel when the Seahawks visited Detroit. Tomlin did not speculate when asked if there’s anything more teams can do to protect players in those situations.

“Me speaking on it and speaking on it in detail and particularly expressing my opinion regarding things doesn’t help the circumstance in any way,” he said.

Metcalf’s suspension means Pittsburgh (9-6) will be without its top pass catcher as it tries to lock up the AFC North title on Sunday in Cleveland. His absence means Roman Wilson, who has been a healthy scratch the past two weeks as the Steelers have opted to go with experienced veterans Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen, will likely get an opportunity to return to the lineup.

Tomlin did not rule out the return of star outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who has missed each of the past two games while recovering from surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung sustained during a dry needling treatment. Tomlin said Watt has been in the team facility lately and is “hopeful” Watt will be cleared to practice.

The Steelers need to win one of their final two games or have Baltimore lose one of its final two games to win a division title for the first time since 2020. The longtime rivals are scheduled to meet in Pittsburgh in Week 18.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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After saying goodbye to the eight seniors who led Eagle Valley to one of its best seasons ever, head girls basketball coach Vinny Cisneros said one of the main storylines this winter will be how quickly the new bunch builds chemistry and capitalizes on meaningful experience.

“Our group is young and has very little varsity experience,” Cisneros stated in contrasting the 2025-26 squad to last year’s group, which captured the program’s first 5A Western Slope League title and won a game in the first round of the state tournament. “Last year’s championship team spent three years playing together at the varsity level. This team needs to build on-floor chemistry and learn how to compete at the varsity level.”

Eagle Valley closed last year’s regular season on a five-game win streak, ultimately finishing 13-12 overall and 5-1 in conference play; the lone blemish being a one-point loss to Summit. The team graduated its top-3 leading scorers and rebounders. Addison Mandeville — who now plays soccer for Metro State University in Denver — averaged nearly 10 points and 3.4 steals a game en route to earning league player of the year honors. They also lost center Abby Talbot’s 9.6 points and 7.3 boards a contest and Zakia Shreeve’s length and speed on both ends of the court. Current seniors Ella Webster and Lily Brueck were the only returners who logged significant minutes last winter. Over the off-season, Cisneros said the squad ran its usual gamut of summer team camps, including one at Western University and the Gold Crown Foundation camp in Lakewood.

After starting the year 1-4, Eagle Valley has found its groove in the final weeks before Christmas. The Devils won three in a row, including 20-point victories over Steamboat Springs and Grand Junction Central and a 49-16 win over Moffat County before falling to Grand Junction 56-44 on Saturday. Freshman Hannah Miano and senior Ella Webster have led the way offensively, with both players averaging double digit points through the first eight contests. Miano has also been pulling down 6.6 rebounds per game as well.

Against the Tigers, Miano drilled three triples for a 15-point outing. Cisneros said Terra Hasley and Brueck have anchored the defense all year. Hasley had nine points and nine boards to go along with two blocks and two steals on Saturday and Brueck dished out five assists and a pair of blocks as well.

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“Despite the loss, we finished December playing our best basketball of the young season,” Cisneros remarked. “We’re a young team trying as quickly as we can to develop chemistry and varsity experience. Our defense is the cornerstone of our identity and we are starting to find our offensive rhythm.”

Eagle Valley opens up league play on Jan. 26 against Summit before traveling to Edwards to face Battle Mountain on Jan. 29.

“Every league game is huge. Our league is only four teams, and every game means a lot towards winning a league title,” said Cisneros, whose expectations remain high going into 2026. “Despite our sub-500 start, I expect us to continue to improve (through) the early parts of January leading up to league play, where we intend to defend our league championship.”

Two-time Alabama Miss Basketball and former Spring Garden standout Ace Austin is starting to look like the player that dazzled high school basketball fans across the state.

Now with Alabama and finding a stride after a training camp injury kept her out of the season’s first game, Austin is averaging 7.3 points per game for the Crimson Tide (14-0) as a key rotational piece in the program’s best start ever.

NOTE: This report contains details related to alleged sexual assault of a minor. Discretion is advised.

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A teenage girl accused a Las Vegas youth soccer coach of sexually assaulting her after he offered to give her a ride home, according to an arrest report.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said Sergio Reyes Rojas, 44, was taken into custody on suspicion of sexual assault against a child under 16.

He had served as the director and coach of Las Vegas Diversity FC. The organization said in a statement that the allegations did not involve any current or former members of the club or the youth sports community.

News 3 has reached out to Reyes Rojas’ attorney for comment.

An arrest report states that a 14-year-old girl told detectives that a man driving a truck approached her on a November night as she was walking home and asked if she needed a ride. She got into the truck, and the man drove them to a gas station, where he bought some cocktail mixes.

She said the man then parked the truck in a lot and gave her one of the drinks. She said she started to feel tired and went to sleep, and when she woke up, the man was sexually assaulting her, the report states.

The man then told her the truck wouldn’t start and she would have to walk home. She said she wandered around the Strip, then took a bus and walked the rest of the way.

Authorities collected a sex assault kit, and a DNA test matched Reyes Rojas, the report alleges.

Detectives also retraced the girl’s steps and and got surveillance video from the gas station, which showed a man buying six cocktails. Police got a license plate from his truck and matched the vehicle to one registered to Reyes Rojas. They also found video of the truck driving into a custom detailing shop and the girl walking through the property.

LVMPD’s sex offender apprehension program located Reyes Rojas and took him into custody earlier this month.

He declined to answer a question about what kind of vehicles he owned and later said he would not answer questions without an attorney, according to the report. Police got warrants to collect his clothing and truck for forensic processing.

Court records show Reyes Rojas is facing eight felony counts, including two counts of sex assault against a child. A preliminary is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 6.

Rob and Lauren Powers have found success as franchisees for basketball training concept Shoot 360. Their skills and passion for the brand led them to mutli-unit expansion in October, and they’re now in the process of turning around two struggling units in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Competition fuels athletes. The same can be said for many franchisees.

Rob and Lauren Powers fit the bill, letting the business model speak for itself when it comes to operating three units with basketball training concept Shoot 360.

“I think it’s important that the way we position ourselves in the market is we are not competition to anybody,” Lauren Powers said. “We never discourage anybody from going to other trainers … but nobody else has the NBA technology that we have to go with the great trainers. Truthfully, people can list themselves as competitors, but there’s really nothing that is direct comparison to what we offer.”

Shoot 360 offers basketball training facilities with high-level coaching and technology to develop players’ fundamentals and skills. The software developed for Shoot 360 is used by 28 NBA teams, and top names in the sport have invested in the concept since franchising began in 2019, including Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Trae Young, Zaza Pachulia and Thaddeus Young.

Related: Shoot 360 Digital Training Franchise Gamifies the Basketball Grind

After their children graduated high school, the Powerses signed with Shoot 360 in 2023, opening their first unit in a suburb of St. Louis in April 2024.

The choice to work in youth sports was made easier by the couple’s coaching backgrounds—Lauren Powers with volleyball and Rob Powers with basketball.

“The values they hold as a corporation and what they’re trying to do—positively impacting as many children as possible—really spoke to us. It’s something we’re most proud of in life,” Rob Powers said. “Obviously, we’re proud of our own children, but also we feel like we’ve been able to have a really good impact on hundreds, if not thousands, of other children as well through sports.”

The brand’s focus on player development over the competitive—and often toxic—world of basketball also drove the couple to Shoot 360 versus others in the youth sports segment.

“As players become better, the market gets kind of ruthless. Teams and programs try to steal players from each other and attract kids from other programs to come play for them. It just gets super competitive, and that’s not something we wanted to be a part of,” Rob Powers said. “What’s unique about Shoot 360 is we’re 100 percent focused on individual skill development, so any kid on any part of their journey can find a home where they feel loved and can improve their basketball game.”

The Powerses found early success with their first location, attracting 250 members in the first 90 days of operation. Developing a community presence made the difference; ahead of opening, the couple developed local relationships and hosted a VIP week inviting coaches and influential people in basketball to the facility for a tour and education on the tech-led offerings.

Their first unit has about 500 members today, with a slight variation in membership levels depending on the season.

Success with Shoot 360 led the couple to their next endeavor two months ago: acquiring two underperforming units in Frisco and Grapevine, Texas, suburbs in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro.

Unexpected life circumstances caused the previous owners to be less hands-on than needed, said Lauren Powers.

“There were no clear expectations of what each person needed to do in their job here as far as employees,” her husband added. “The facilities were not up to par either; everything from lighting to cleanliness to overall look and feel of the franchise was under what expectations were from corporate, and there just wasn’t a lot of energy and leadership and focus from the previous owners.”

The Powerses have led turnaround efforts by doing the dirty work—what they refer to as “servant leadership.” Upon acquiring the units, the Powers spent their first few days scraping gum and mopping floors.

Communication has been equally important, initiating one-on-one conversations with every employee to learn about their goals and Shoot 360 experiences so far all while providing clear expectations for the facilities’ next stage.

The Powerses have already established local relationships by partnering with local basketball leagues and those with connections to potential customers. Today, their Grapevine and Frisco units have about 215 and 345 members, respectively.

The couple looks to continue Dallas growth in addition to maintaining success in St. Louis, with the hopes of eventually becoming a training facility for franchisees.

The kids, however, remain first and foremost.

“We’re definitely looking to impact as many kids as we can through this,” Rob Powers said, “so we’re going to continue to ride the wave and look for new opportunities.”

Kansas and the Kansas City Chiefs have laid out the basic framework for a major public-private deal to build a new domed NFL stadium, team headquarters, practice facility and surrounding mixed-use development.

The agreement is a nonbinding term sheet and sets the rules of the road, including funding limits and responsibilities, while final contracts and approvals are still pending.

The centerpiece would be a new stadium in Wyandotte County, with additional development spread across Wyandotte and Johnson counties.

The project is split into two phases.

Phase one focuses on the stadium itself.

Plans call for a state-of-the-art domed facility with at least 65,000 seats, built near the I-70 and I-435 interchange.

The target opening date is Aug. 1, 2031, in time for the start of the NFL season.

The stadium is expected to cost about $3 billion.

Kansas would cover up to $1.8 billion, capped at 60 percent of the total, using STAR bonds backed by new sales tax revenue generated inside the stadium district.

The Chiefs would pay the remaining 40 percent and cover any cost overruns.

Public and private funds would be spent side by side throughout construction to maintain the 60-40 split.

A government or quasi-government entity would publicly own the stadium, while the Chiefs would operate it under a long-term agreement.

The team would pay annual rent starting at $7 million, with yearly increases tied to inflation.

The Chiefs would commit to playing all home games at the stadium for at least 30 years, with options to extend. S

trong non-relocation clauses are built in.

If the team tried to leave early, Kansas could seek repayment of public funds and bond-related costs, with penalties gradually declining after year 15 and disappearing by year 30.

A separate fund would be set up to handle repairs, maintenance and operations, supported by stadium rent and state sports wagering revenue.

Phase two involves at least $1 billion in additional stadium-related development.

That includes a new team headquarters and practice facility, estimated at up to $300 million, along with retail, restaurants, hotels, housing, entertainment, office space, medical facilities, parking and public spaces.

Kansas could contribute up to $975 million toward this second phase through a tiered STAR bond structure, with public participation ranging from 60 to 70 percent depending on how much is built.

Across both phases, total public funding would be capped at $2.775 billion.

The deal requires minimum investment levels in both Wyandotte and Johnson counties and enough sales-tax-generating development to support bond repayment.

Community benefits are also part of the package.

The Chiefs would be required to commit to charitable investments across Kansas, youth sports and wellness programs, local hiring efforts, and at least $3 million per year into a community impact fund.

The state would also receive limited access to the stadium for events like graduations and high school sports.

The agreement does not become final until several conditions are met.

Approval from the Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council was required by Dec. 22, 2025.

Final contracts must be completed by Oct. 31, 2026, unless extended, and the NFL must sign off before construction can begin.