First Call: Ja’Marr Chase’s odd appeal strategy after spitting suspension; George Pickens shines after benching
Tuesday’s “First Call” examines a unique defense strategy for Ja’Marr Chase in his appeal for spitting at Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey. Justin Fields is getting benched in New York. George Pickens was already benched for Dallas. A local college hockey team is ranked for the first time, and...
On emotional night, Cowboys honor late teammate, defeat Raiders
LAS VEGAS — The Cowboys spent 11 days mourning defensive end Marshawn Kneeland before taking the field Monday night. Dallas then paid tribute to Kneeland by dominating the spiraling Raiders for 60 minutes. Dak Prescott passed for 268 yards and four touchdowns in a 33-16 victory over Las Vegas, the...
Honor Huff, DJ Thomas guide unbeaten West Virginia to 81-59 victory over Lafayette
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Freshman DJ Thomas had 25 points off the bench, Honor Huff hit eight 3-pointers and scored 24 and West Virginia beat Lafayette 81-59 on Monday night. Huff missed both of his shots from inside the 3-point line for the Mountaineers (5-0), but he made his final seven...
Barry Dunning Jr. ignites Pitt to blowout win over Bucknell
A quadruply deflating long weekend for Pitt athletics began when Jeff Capel and Co. lost by 22 points to West Virginia on the road Thursday. Then, women’s volleyball lost in five sets to No. 5 Stanford on Friday, No. 9 Notre Dame dispatched the Panthers on the gridiron Saturday and...
Hamels, Braun, Kemp among 12 newcomers on Baseball Hall of Fame ballot as Beltrán heads 15 holdovers
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun and Matt Kemp are among 12 newcomers on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released Monday, and Carlos Beltrán heads 15 holdovers after falling 19 votes shy in 2025 balloting. Howie Kendrick, Daniel Murphy and Rick Porcello also are among the first-time eligibles,...
Bears coach Ben Johnson not ready to talk playoffs with team in sole possession of NFC North lead
CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears are in unfamiliar territory: in sole possession of the NFC North lead and staring down at the rest of the division. The Bears (7-3) have won seven of eight after squeezing past the Minnesota Vikings, 19-17, to pull out yet another down-to-the-wire game, and they’re...
Shedeur Sanders’ NFL debut marred by home break-in during game, AP source says
CLEVELAND — Shedeur Sanders’ uneven performance in his NFL debut wasn’t the only bad thing to happen to him Sunday. The Browns rookie quarterback discovered Sunday night that his suburban Cleveland home had been burglarized during the game, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Associated Press...
Ja’Marr Chase’s spitting incident is the latest example of Bengals’ lack of discipline
Just when Cincinnati Bengals fans thought this season couldn’t get worse, Ja’Marr Chase spat on Jalen Ramsey during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 34-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers to provide the ugliest moment of a brutal year. It was also another sign that the Bengals might be the league’s...
Purdue reclaims No. 1 from Houston in AP Top 25, Louisville and Illinois jump into top 10
Purdue moved back to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll Monday ahead of Houston, which spent a single week there after leapfrogging the Boilermakers. It’s hardly a two-team race for the top, though. UConn, Arizona and Duke also got No. 1 votes from the 61-member...
Penn State showed what this season was supposed to be with ‘old-school’ effort against Michigan State
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Penn State enjoyed Saturday’s win over Michigan State as you might expect a team to after breaking a six-game losing streak. Interim coach Terry Smith got a Gatorade bath and was carried off the sideline. The locker room was loud, and the smiles were everywhere in...
James Franklin hired as Virginia Tech’s coach, just over a month after Penn State fired him
BLACKSBURG, Va. — James Franklin was hired as Virginia Tech’s coach on Monday, a little more than a month after he was fired during his 12th season at Penn State. The Hokies became the first Power 4 football program to fill a coaching vacancy this season. Franklin was set to...
Campus clippings: Franklin Regional, Norwin grads earn Presidents’ Athletic Conference honors
The Presidents’ Athletic Conference hands out for awards at the end of each season. A pair of local players claimed two of them in men’s soccer. Grove City junior Colton Hudson (Franklin Regional) was named the PAC defensive player of the year, while Saint Vincent freshman Daniel Maddock (Norwin) was...
Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase suspended 1 game without pay for spitting on Steelers’ Jalen Ramsey
Jalen Ramsey was the player ejected following an altercation Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, but it was Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase who received stiff punishment from the NFL. The league ruled Monday that Chase will be suspended for one game without pay for spitting at Ramsey in the Pittsburgh...
Prosecutor: Antonio Brown could face 30 years in prison if guilty of attempted murder with gun
Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of attempted murder because a firearm was allegedly used, a prosecutor said Monday. Brown appeared via video at a brief arraignment hearing in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in which his lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, repeated...
Penn State has ‘genuine interest’ in hiring this former Big Ten coach, insider says
Penn State Athletics Director Pat Kraft is still going through the process of hiring the Nittany Lions next head football coach. Some names have come off the board as coaches have agreed to extensions with their current school. However, it seems as though former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald may be...
Ex-Browns QB Bernie Kosar has liver transplant after more than a year on the waiting list
CLEVELAND — Bernie Kosar received a liver transplant on Monday, more than a year after being placed on the waiting list. “Hey, I’m out and I’m feeling good. Just ready to enjoy the rest of the week and the rest of our lives,” the former Cleveland Browns and University of...
Constant gifting of good field position burned Pitt in loss to Notre Dame
Rasheem Biles did not look content with the defense’s performance when he met with reporters after Pitt lost 37-15 to Notre Dame on Saturday. The Panthers outside linebacker had a big day, turning in his second pick-6 of the season in a game that marked his return after missing the...
Finalists announced for Bill Fralic football lineman award
Six finalists, one for each classification, were announced Monday for the seventh Bill Fralic Memorial Award for the WPIAL’s top two-way interior football lineman. The winner of the award, named after the late legendary Penn Hills, Pitt and NFL lineman, will be announced at a pancake breakfast at 10 a.m....
5 things we learned from Steelers’ win vs. Bengals: Mason Rudolph excels on 3rd downs
What a kindergartner might best learn from Sunday’s Pittsburgh Steelers-Cincinnati Bengals game: Don’t spit on another human. What the rest of us might learn from the Steelers’ 34-12 victory: 1. Third-and-Mason The Steelers had been struggling mightily on third downs for a full month. Until Mason Rudolph came in, that...
To no surprise of teammates, Mason Rudolph doesn’t skip a beat in return to Steelers QB position
Unlike the end of the 2023 season, Mason Rudolph wasn’t tasked with saving the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season when he stepped on the field Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. All he was asked to do was protect a four-point halftime lead and get the Steelers out of Acrisure Stadium with a...
Mark Madden: Steelers should stick with Mason Rudolph despite clamoring for Will Howard
Let’s get ahead of the clamor: Don’t start Will Howard. Mason Rudolph did fine deputizing for an injured Aaron Rodgers in the second half of the Steelers’ home win over Cincinnati. Rudolph posted similar stats, maybe a bit better, and directed a game-clinching, fourth-quarter drive. Rudolph did better under pressure...
Steelers vs. Bengals: What they’re saying in Cincinnati after the loss
Sunday’s road trip to Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium didn’t turn out well for the Cincinnati Bengals, as they suffered a 34-12 loss to the Steelers they could ill afford. Drew Garrison of the Cincy Jungle placed the brunt of the blame for Cincinnati’s loss on head Coach Zac Taylor: “Coming off...
First Call: ESPN reports ‘concerns’ about Aaron Rodgers’ wrist; NFL will investigate Ja’Marr Chase spit accusations
Monday’s “First Call” has a health update on Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. We also provide some fallout from the Jalen Ramsey-Ja’Marr Chase spitting incident from Sunday. Shedeur Sanders had an underwhelming debut in Cleveland. The Ravens won again. An ex-Steelers linebacker made a big play. And the Steelers are...
Penguins forward Anthony Mantha provides veteran guile along with offenseVideo
The morning of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ first game of the preseason Sept. 22, no one knew what to do. Given that it was the opener to the exhibition schedule and the contest was on the road against the Montreal Canadiens, the Penguins were sending a lineup mostly composed of youngsters....
Madden Monday: Jalen Ramsey can’t allow himself to get ejected even if Ja’Marr Chase spat on him
Despite his protests to the contrary, video indicates that Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase spat on Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey during their on-field confrontation Sunday. Field-level view of the second altercation between Ja'Marr Chase and Jalen Ramsey. Chase said "I didn't spit on nobody."The video clearly shows he...
