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Morning Buzz

Start your morning with Buzzcast with Abe Madkour: Why a new stadium in D.C. is so important; NFL gets into the jersey rotation and a new leader over BofA’s sports marketing and sponsorship

The Pac-12 has its 2025 football media deal done. Now comes finalizing a longer term agreement. Getty Images

The Pac-12 has finalized its 2025 football media rights deals.

The 13-game package composed of Washington State and Oregon State’s home games will be dispersed across three networks — The CW, CBS and ESPN — and will serve as a one-year stopgap between now and what is expected to be a separate, lengthier set of media rights agreements that will incorporate the additions of at least six new members beginning in 2026.

The CW is expected to take on the bulk of the 2025 package with nine games, while ESPN and CBS will broadcast two games apiece. Financial terms were not readily available at press time.

Octagon, the Pac-12’s exclusive media advisor, consulted on the deal.

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Fox Sports EVP Charlie Dixon, who had been placed on administrative leave in February, is a co-defendant in two lawsuits in which he was accused of sexual battery. Getty Images

Fox Sports EVP Charlie Dixon, who is a co-defendant in two lawsuits in which he was accused of sexual battery, is “officially done at the network.” Dixon had been placed on administrative leave at the network in February. Dixon joined Fox Sports in 2015 and was eventually promoted to be its “top programming decision-maker on the cable side” with FS1 (THE ATHLETIC, 4/28). An attorney for Dixon in a statement said that his client had been told by Fox Sports “‘that he was being let go for violating company policy’ in a matter that had nothing to do with the lawsuits filed in January.” Attorney John Ly wrote according to the network, Dixon did “not disclose to human resources or the legal department that a third-party production company had hired his wife as a temporary freelancer.” However, he added Dixon “had asked his supervisor about the hire and was told that there were no objections” (L.A. TIMES, 4/29).

The White Sox 2025 City Connect jerseys were inspired by the Bulls.
Will Venable sports the White Sox Bulls-inspired 2025 City Connect jersey. Sage Zipeto

The only thing missing from the White Sox’ new City Connect jerseys is a pair of Air Jordans.

The team’s City Connect jerseys, which will debut on Friday, were inspired by another Chicago team: the Bulls. It’s the first on-field jersey that combines brand elements from both MLB and the NBA.

It’s also the first time an MLB team has two on-field cap designs for a City Connect uniform: a winged “BRED Cap” and a red and black “City Pinstripes Cap.”

Merchandise will be available on April 29. The jerseys feature red (Bulls) and black (White Sox) stripes. They also features several other unique elements like the “CHICAGO” wordmark across the chest in the same style as what the Bulls have long had; a winged sock inspired by the logo the White Sox used in the 1950s; a Crossover tag; “SOUTHSIDE” being etched around the sleeve and down the pant leg; and the neckline has detail honoring the teams’ combined nine championships.

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Shaquille O’Neal during the 2016 NCAA Men’s Final Four
Shaquille O’Neal is the “latest high-profile athlete” to accept a GM role with a school. Phil Ellsworth / ESPN Images

Basketball HOFer and TNT Sports NBA analyst Shaquille O’Neal has “agreed to become the Sacramento State men’s basketball general manager,” according to sources. It will be an “unpaid, voluntary role” for Shaq, whose son Shaqir O’Neal will play for Sacramento State this coming season. Shaq is the “latest high-profile athlete” to accept a GM role with a school, joining Warriors G Stephen Curry (assistant GM for Davidson basketball), Hawks G Trae Young (assistant GM for Oklahoma basketball) and former NFLer Andrew Luck (GM for Stanford football) (ESPN.com, 4/28).

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 16: (EDITORS NOTE: This image was captured using a slow shutter speed) A view of the 2025 NBA All-Star logo during the 74th NBA All-Star Game as part of NBA All-Star Weekend on Sunday, February 16, 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Kyusung Gong/NBAE via Getty Images)
The NBA and new broadcast partner NBC are discussing “an ‘international competition’ as the league’s All-Star Game,” which is set for Feb. 15, 2026, at Intuit Dome. NBAE via Getty Images

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and President of League Operations Byron Spruell said “discussions were being held with new broadcast partner NBC for an ‘international competition’ as the league’s All-Star Game,” which is set for Feb. 15, 2026, at Intuit Dome. Silver said, “Our All-Star Game will return to NBC next season in the middle of their coverage of the Winter Olympics. Given the strong interest we’ve seen in international basketball competitions, most recently in last summer’s Olympics in Paris, we’re discussing concepts with the players association that focus on NBA players representing their countries or regions instead of the more traditional formats that we’ve used in the past.” The next Olympic basketball tournament will be in L.A. in 2028, “played at the same arena where next year’s All-Star Game will take place.” There is a “general appetite for international basketball that is only growing,” after “arguably the most star-studded international tournament ever” took place last summer at the Paris Olympics (THE ATHLETIC, 4/28).

The antitrust class action claimed that the NCAA is “unjustly enriching itself” off the NIL of its athletes to promote the NCAA Tournament. NCAA Basketball logo

A federal judge on Monday “dismissed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit” brought by former NBAer Mario Chalmers and “other prolific college basketball players against the NCAA.” Chalmers filed the antitrust class action last year alongside 15 other former college basketball players, who claimed that the NCAA is “unjustly enriching itself” off the NIL of its athletes to promote the NCAA Tournament. But U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer “sided with the NCAA in dismissing Chalmers’ complaint Monday, finding it untimely.” A four-year statute of limitations “limits legal action for violations of federal antitrust law.” Chalmers and the other plaintiffs contested that the law “continues to be breached to this day by the NCAA using their likeness in promotional material, making their claims timely despite the four-year limit,” but Engelmayer “wasn’t persuaded.” At a court hearing in January, Engelmayer also implied that past litigation like O’Bannon v. NCAA “didn’t help plaintiffs’ current case, since many of those same issues were already litigated.” Engelmayer “acknowledged that again in his Monday order, writing that ‘all named plaintiffs were members of the O’Bannon injunctive class’” (COURTHOUSE NEWS SERVICE, 4/28).

Klutch Sports Group founder Rich Paul was accused of cutting sports agent Mark Termini “out of $4.9 million worth of fees for signing two NBA player contracts” for the agency. NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Sports agent Mark Termini “settled his lawsuit” against Klutch Sports Group founder Rich Paul on Monday, less than a year after Termini made accusations that Paul “cut him out of $4.9 million worth of fees for signing two NBA player contracts” for the agency. The filing says that the case was settled “at Klutch’s costs,” but it “doesn’t list the terms of the settlement.” Paul hired Termini in 2012 when he launched Klutch Sports and “very significantly” relied on Termini’s experience to grow the agency, according to the lawsuit. Termini’s contract “called for him to get 25% of the agent fees for any contract he helped negotiate.” The lawsuit accused Paul of “breach of contract by failing to pay Termini the full amount of fees he was owed and intentionally waiting to ink deals for two unidentified players in December 2020 until Termini’s contract expired so Paul wouldn’t have to pay him for his work on the deals,” the lawsuit said (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 4/28).

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 28: U.S. President Donald Trump (C) holds a helmet as he poses with Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive tackle Lane Johnson at an event welcoming the 2025 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles on the South Lawn of the White House on April 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump honored the Eagles after their second Super Bowl victory, following their first win in 2018. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The Eagles visited the White House on Monday to celebrate their victory in Super Bowl LIX. Getty Images

The Eagles visited the White House on Monday to celebrate their victory in Super Bowl LIX. QB Jalen Hurts was a “notable absence,” as he and other players “missed the event due to scheduling conflicts.” President Donald Trump “praised the team while a sea of Eagles fans wearing green filled the White House lawn” (THE HILL, 4/28). The visit was “not mandatory for players.” Others that did not attend included WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and “some members of the Eagles defense” (NBCPHILADELPHIA.com, 4/28). The trip to the White House “came after speculation the team would skip the trip like it did” following their win in Super Bowl LII in 2018 during Trump’s first term in office (DELAWARE NEWS JOURNAL, 4/28).

The Eagles’ visit to the White House “wasn’t going to be the typical winners-go-to-Washington photo opportunity.” As the event started, the Marine Band “played the ‘Rocky’ theme.” Among the first persons that Trump summoned to the podium during the ceremony “wasn’t the owner, coach, or a future hall-of-famer,” but Eagles Chief Security Officer Dom DiSandro (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 4/28).

The Gatorade logo is shown on a bottle carrier
Gatorade “won the dismissal” of a lawsuit by former world champion sprinter Issam Asinga, who “blamed his four-year doping ban on eating ‘recovery gummies’ contaminated by a performance-enhancing drug.” Getty Images

PepsiCo’s Gatorade unit on Monday “won the dismissal” of a lawsuit by former world champion sprinter Issam Asinga, who “blamed his four-year doping ban on eating ‘recovery gummies’ contaminated by a performance-enhancing drug.” U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel ruled Asinga, who is from Suriname, “could not pursue strict liability and negligence claims because he did not allege that eating the gummies caused physical injury.” She also “found no proof that Gatorade intentionally caused him to ingest a banned substance,” thereby “undermining his athletic scholarship from Texas A&M University and agreement to abide by world anti-doping rules” (REUTERS, 4/28).


Speed Reads…

Marshall AD Christian Spears and the school have “mutually agreed that they will not be renewing his contract,” which expires in March 2026, according to sources. Spears “will stay on” as AD “until the school finds a replacement” (ESPN.com, 4/28).

The USTA and American Tennis Association announced a “new initiative to expand diversity in tennis,” with a “focus on increasing Black representation in the sport” (REUTERS, 4/28).


Morning Hot Reads: What’s Your Role?

The Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER went with the header, “What is Jordon Hudson’s role at UNC? Bill Belichick CBS interview adds confusion.” Since Belichick was hired as UNC’s football coach in December, he’s “faced questions and criticism about his relationship and Hudson’s role.” She was “spotted putting a microphone on Belichick ahead of Carolina’s ‘Practice Like a Pro’ open spring practice,” and she “made appearances at multiple men’s basketball games alongside Belichick.” Videos of those interactions “also went viral.” The couple also appeared last week at a Hurricanes playoff game at Lenovo Center, and “when shown on the big screen, the capacity crowd in the traditionally pro-N.C. State building let out a chorus of boos.” Questions “still surround Hudson’s role” at UNC, as she’s “not employed by the university.”

Also:


Social Scoop…


“At the start of his writing career, his wife told him, if it didn’t work out, at 6’4″, he could be a reacher in a supermarket.”


Off the presses…

The Morning Buzz offers today’s back pages and sports covers from some of North America’s major metropolitan newspapers:


Final Jeopardy…

“Who is Lee Child?”

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College Basketball Rankings: Coaches Poll Top 25 updated after Week 8

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The USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll Top 25 has been refreshed following the eighth week of the season. It was a bit of a light week due to Christmas, but some showdowns still took place amid the holiday celebrations, resulting in some movement throughout the Top 25.

With conference play picking up this coming weekend, we’re getting into the nitty-gritty of the season, where the rankings will fluctuate week-in and week-out. While this past week was packed with tune-up games and not a ton of riveting action, that won’t be the case from now until April.

Regardless, the Coaches Poll Top 25 is certain to see plenty of movement. For now, here’s how things stack up after Week 8. This week’s updated rankings are below.

Michigan enjoyed a full week off and enters the week undefeated at 11–0. The Wolverines return to action with home games against McNeese State on Monday and USC on Friday.

Senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg has been the engine, stuffing the stat sheet with 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Michigan will look to stay perfect as conference play looms.

Arizona
Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Arizona rolled past Bethune 107–71 last Monday to improve to 12–0 on the season. The Wildcats host South Dakota State before traveling to Utah for a road test on Saturday.

Freshman guard Brayden Burries has emerged as a steady scorer, averaging 14.0 points per game. Arizona’s depth and tempo continue to overwhelm opponents early in the season.

Iowa State remained perfect at 12–0 after an off week. The Cyclones host Houston Christian on Monday and West Virginia on Friday.

Junior forward Milan Momcilovic leads the team at 18.3 points per game. Iowa State’s balance continues to separate it from most of the field.

UConn had the week off and remains one of the nation’s most complete teams at 12–1. The Huskies head to Xavier on Wednesday before hosting Marquette on Sunday.

Junior guard Solo Ball leads the backcourt with 15.4 points per game. This week offers a strong measuring stick against Big East competition.

Purdue
Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Purdue stayed idle last week but remains firmly entrenched near the top of the Coaches Poll with an 11–1 record. The Boilermakers face a tricky week with a home matchup against Kent State on Monday before heading to Wisconsin on Saturday.

Senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn continues to anchor the frontcourt, averaging a double-double at 13.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Purdue’s ability to maintain consistency through a two-game week will be closely watched.

Duke remained idle last week and sits at 11–1 entering a two-game stretch. The Blue Devils host Georgia Tech on Wednesday before traveling to Florida State on Saturday.

Freshman phenom Cameron Boozer has been dominant, averaging 23.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Duke will be tested defensively as ACC play intensifies.

Gonzaga extended its winning streak with a victory over Pepperdine on Sunday and sits at 13–1. The Bulldogs play three times this week, traveling to San Diego before hosting Seattle U and LMU.

Junior forward Braden Huff leads the way with 19.1 points per game. Gonzaga’s depth will be tested during the busy stretch.

Houston
John Jones-Imagn Images

Houston enters the week at 11–1 after a quiet stretch. The Cougars host Middle Tennessee State on Monday before heading to Cincinnati on Saturday.

Senior guard Emanuel Sharp continues to pace the offense with 17.9 points per game. Houston’s defensive pressure remains its calling card heading into conference play.

Michigan State enjoyed a week off and sits at 11–1 on the season. The Spartans host Cornell on Monday before traveling to Nebraska on Friday.

Senior forward Jaxon Kohler has been a force inside, averaging 13.9 points and 10.3 rebounds. Michigan State will look to sharpen its execution away from home.

BYU cruised past Eastern Washington 109–81 last Monday to improve to 12–1. The Cougars face a lone test this week with a road trip to Kansas State on Saturday.

Freshman star AJ Dybantsa has lived up to the hype, averaging 23.1 points per game. BYU’s offense remains one of the most explosive in the country.

11. Vanderbilt
12. North Carolina
13-T. Nebraska
13-T.
Louisville (+1)
15. Alabama
16. Texas Tech
17. Kansas
18. Arkansas
19. Illinois
20. Tennessee
21. Virginia
22. Florida
23. Iowa
24. Georgia
25. St. John’s

Dropped Out: No. 25 USC

Others Receiving Votes: Kentucky 35; USC 25; Utah State 14; Auburn 7; Saint Louis 6; Clemson 6; Seton Hall 5; Oklahoma State 5; Yale 4; UCLA 4; Saint Mary’s 4; LSU 3; California 2; Villanova 1; Miami (OH) 1; Indiana 1



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Petrino’s Friend Found a Workaround to Pay Taylen Green That’s Now Prohibited by NCAA

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Petrino’s Friend Found a Workaround to Pay Taylen Green That’s Now Prohibited by NCAA
photo credit: Craven Whitlow

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When Bobby Petrino returned to Arkansas after the 2023 season, his first task was finding a new quarterback.

In this era of college football, that also meant funding a new quarterback. For that, the former head coach leaned on his old friend Frank Fletcher.

The Little Rock-based businessman stepped up and footed a large chunk of the bill for Taylen Green, the talented signal caller Petrino identified to run his offense for the Razorbacks.

It hasn’t only been a transactional relationship, though. Over the last two years, Fletcher has been mindful of Green’s life after sports. Rather than simply handing the star quarterback a boatload of cash, he offered something few college athletes receive: personal relationship and mentorship.

“I had a wonderful two years with Taylen Green,” Fletcher said during Monday’s edition of Morning Mayhem on 103.7 The Buzz. “I was lucky that I happened to back a player that was that nice a kid and [had] great parents. I’ve learned a lot from him. I’m teaching him everything I know, and he wants to learn.”

Fletcher helped Green navigate the financial market by giving the QB1 homework, making him chart a series of stocks over a few months – something that could prove even more important after his subpar finish to the 2025 season likely impacted his pro prospects.