Frustration hangs over WNBA All-Star weekend as players slam latest labor talks
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Al Arabiya
28 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Browns open training camp with rookie running back Judkins' status undetermined
Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has to deal with uncertainty during training camp about a second-round draft pick for the second straight year because of an off-field incident. Stefanski said the Browns were still gathering more information on Quinshon Judkins after the rookie running back was arrested on July 12 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a charge of battery and domestic violence. 'These are things that we take very, very, very seriously. I know you guys will talk to (general manager) Andrew (Berry) tomorrow, but I don't have much to add on that situation,' Stefanski said on Wednesday before the Browns held their first practice of camp. A Broward County judge found probable cause for the misdemeanor charge in a hearing on July 12. Judkins was released after he posted $2,500 bond. The judge ordered Judkins not to be in contact with the alleged victim and no access to firearms. Judkins was the 36th overall pick in the April draft after rushing for 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns at Ohio State last season. Cleveland selected Judkins hoping he could become the team's lead running back after Nick Chubb signed with the Houston Texans. The Browns also drafted Dylan Sampson in the fourth round and still have Jerome Ford on the roster after he rushed for 565 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry last season. Judkins and Cincinnati defensive end Shemar Stewart (the 17th overall pick) are the NFL's only unsigned draft picks. Stefanski did say it was possible the Browns could add another running back depending on Judkins' future status. Last year, Browns defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. – the team's second-round pick in 2024 – was arrested during training camp on a domestic violence charge. He pleaded his case down to disorderly conduct but was placed on the commissioners exempt list following the incident and suspended five games by the NFL. Hall is opening training camp this year on the physically unable to perform list after suffering a knee injury in last season's final game at Baltimore. 'The league mandates a certain amount of education in all areas, certainly in this area, and we decide to go above and beyond that, and we will continue to do that,' Stefanski said. 'If there's more ways that we can reach players in any area, in area of education, we'll continue to look at that.' The biggest storyline of training camp and the three preseason games will be the four-way quarterback competition between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. After Deshaun Watson ruptured his Achilles tendon for the second time in three months in January, Cleveland acquired Pickett in a trade from Philadelphia in March and signed Flacco in April. It drafted Gabriel in the third round and then moved up in the fifth round to take Sanders. Stefanski did not give a timeline for when he would like to make a decision on who will be the starter in the Sept. 7 opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. 'I think with all things, depth chart, certainly quarterback, I have a plan that's in pencil, and we have to take in information every single day, take in how guys are handling certain situations, and then adjust from there,' he said. 'I think the big thing for me is putting our guys in position where we can evaluate them. I think they did a great job in the spring. All four of those guys will continue to put them in some situations, but ultimately, we'd love to make a decision sooner than later.' With most of the attention on quarterback, veteran guard Joel Bitonio is hoping the Browns can bounce back after finishing 3-14 last season after making the playoffs in 2023. 'I understand why the outside world wants to write us off because it makes sense from what you're looking at the year before,' Bitonio said. 'I think honestly every NFL team goes into training camp knowing they have a chance. We have a majority of our team back from two years ago when we went 11-6 and made the playoffs.'
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Verlander finds bottle of his favorite wine waiting at his locker after elusive 1st win with giants
Justin Verlander had good reason to fear the worst when rain began to fall at Truist Park on Wednesday, sending fans scurrying for cover in the fifth inning, when he still needed three outs to qualify for his elusive first win in a Giants uniform. San Francisco led 3-0 when the 42-year-old Verlander was forced to consider if bad luck again would extend a winless streak that already ranked as the longest in a season in Giants history. 'I didn't know. I figured something like that would happen,' Verlander said. 'This would be the game that gets rained out, or we have a two-hour delay and they don't let me go back out.' Instead, there was no delay. Verlander pitched through the light rain to complete the fifth inning of San Francisco's 9-3 win over the Atlanta Braves. He allowed only one hit and overcame five walks, including three in the first inning, to throw five scoreless innings. Following the game, teammates who had been pulling for the three-time Cy Young Award winner's first win of the season placed a bottle of Verlander's favorite wine at his locker. 'It's awesome,' said Matt Chapman, whose two-run homer in the fifth helped put Verlander in position for the win. 'We've wanted so badly to get him that first win.' When asked how he would celebrate it, Verlander said, 'I'll probably have a little bit of that (wine).' The win was more than a personal drought-breaker for Verlander. It gave the Giants the series win after Tuesday night's 9-0 victory ended a six-game losing streak. 'The division is still not out of reach,' Chapman said of the NL West race. The Giants are third in the division and began the day 2 1/2 games out of an NL wild-card spot. Verlander (1-8) was winless in his first 16 starts–the longest stretch by a Giants pitcher in a single season in franchise history. The right-hander finalized a $15 million one-year deal with San Francisco in January and missed one month with a strained right pectoral muscle early in the season. He took a 4.99 ERA into Wednesday's game but had received only 26 total runs from Giants hitters in his 16 starts. 'It's been a tough stretch for me physically and on the mound a bit,' Verlander said. The nine-time All-Star was in danger of not surviving the first inning. Thanks to the three walks, Verlander needed 40 pitches to make it through the inning, which ended with a fly ball to the warning track in center field by Michael Harris II. Giants manager Bob Melvin already was considering bringing a reliever into the game. 'To get through the first was huge for us,' Melvin said, adding that Verlander's first win was 'great.' 'We knew it every time he goes out there,' Melvin said. 'Guys try extra hard, and for some reason it hadn't worked out.' Chapman was hit by a pitch on his left elbow in the seventh inning. Melvin said X-rays were negative.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Texans Open Camp With New Offensive Coordinator, Revamped Receiver Group
As quarterback C.J. Stroud returns to lead the Houston Texans for a third season, his offense has a much different look than it did a year ago. Top receiver Nico Collins and leading rusher Joe Mixon are back. But the Texans have a new offensive coordinator in Nick Caley after Bobby Slowik was fired, and longtime left tackle Laremy Tunsil was traded to the Commanders in the offseason. In other moves on offense, Houston traded for receiver Christian Kirk, signed receiver Justin Watson, and drafted Iowa State receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel before signing running back Nick Chubb last month. Chubb should get a lot of work early in camp, with Mixon opening camp on the non-football injury list after missing minicamp with an ankle injury. 'Every year you're looking to add more and more to your team,' coach DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday as the Texans opened camp. 'I'm excited about the receivers that we've added. The young guys Noel, Higgins also with Kirk, Watson all the guys we've added at those spots will definitely enhance our offense giving us more options for where the football can go and that will help our quarterback a lot.' The Texans needed depth at receiver after veterans Stefon Diggs and Robert Woods left in free agency and with Tank Dell out indefinitely recovering from a gruesome knee injury sustained in December. Even though it's early, Stroud has already been impressed by his rookie receivers. Higgins, who has been compared to Collins, had 87 receptions for 1183 yards and nine touchdowns last season for the Cyclones, and Noel added 80 catches for 1194 yards and eight scores. 'They've came in with a great mindset,' Stroud said. 'They are really mature guys. Guys who love to work consistently here at the building or working with me in the offseason. So I'm really excited to see those guys' growth and see them take a step forward each and every day. Not going to be perfect for them, but I think they're going to make a lot of plays.' While the Texans addressed their need at receiver, their most pressing issue is improving the offensive line after Stroud was sacked 52 times last season, which ranked second in the NFL. Though Tunsil was penalty-prone, he was Houston's most consistent lineman, and replacing him won't be easy. Second-round pick Aireontae Ersery could be Houston's left tackle of the future after starting 38 games at the position over three seasons at Minnesota. But veteran Cam Robinson will likely open the season at left tackle while Ersery adjusts to the NFL. Ryans knows everyone is concerned about the offensive line after Stroud was sacked eight times in a 23-14 loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs last season. 'I know I'm going to get a ton of questions about the offensive line and what it looks like,' Ryans said. 'You guys will see what it looks like when we line up across from another team and we get a chance to actually compete in live reps. Me talking to you is probably not going to convince anybody here … we'll see what it looks like man. I'm excited about the group because I know they'll be better.' Stroud is also looking to take another step after leading the Texans to the postseason in each of his first two seasons. Stroud threw for 3727 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 17 games last season after winning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in his debut when he had 4108 yards passing with 23 TD passes and just five interceptions in 15 games. He was asked what the biggest lesson he learned last year was that he believes will help him this season. 'Just trust the process,' he said. 'It's not about what people think, who people think you are, what they think you are, or when they think you should do it. It's about your process and how you're going to go about it. If God is happy, your teammates are happy, and yourself, then you're good.'
