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Associated Press
2 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Lions' Aidan Hutchinson keeps focus on return to field during contract extension talks
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Aidan Hutchinson's value to the Detroit defense became painfully apparent when the top-seeded Lions were bounced by Washington in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs last season. The Lions failed to sack Jayden Daniels during the Commanders' 45-31 victory while Hutchinson watched as his broken tibia and fibula continued to heal. Putting an exact dollar figure on Hutchinson's worth could be the tricky part as Detroit's front office and the star defensive end's representatives try to work out a new contract. While the Lions have already exercised their $19,782,000 option on Hutchinson's contract for 2026, the 2023 Pro Bowler is eligible for an extension. Hutchinson has tried to concentrate on getting ready for the season and isn't sure how long the negotiations might last. 'I've kind of been pretty hands-off in the process,' he said after a joint practice between Detroit and Houston on Thursday. 'The business side can take away your love of the game a little bit. That's kind of the reality in the NFL.' T.J. Watt's three-year, $123 million extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers with $108 million guaranteed could provide a baseline for Hutchinson's next contract. 'I have a lot of people in my close circle that do deal with that,' said Hutchinson, the second pick of the 2022 draft. 'My main focus is out here playing football and playing the game I love.' That was taken away from him during the fifth game of last season, when fellow lineman Alim McNeill fell on his leg during a 47-9 win over Dallas. Hutchinson already had 7 1/2 sacks and was well on his way to another Pro Bowl season. He was cleared medically in May and hasn't suffered any setbacks during training camp. Any concerns about the strength of his surgically repaired leg were alleviated when he got leg-whipped by a linebacker during a goal-line play in practice three weeks ago. 'It was right smack dab where Alim hit me a few months ago,' Hutchinson said. 'I got up and shook it out. When you can get leg-whipped, you start to have that confidence where, 'I have a steel rod in my leg and that thing's not going anywhere.'' Hutchinson hasn't played this preseason and, as with the other Detroit starters, that isn't expected to change in the preseason finale against the Texans on Saturday. The first units for both teams faced each other during Thursday's practice, working on situations such as red zone and two-minute execution. Hutchinson was matched up against tackle Tytus Howard. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Hutchinson looked as fierce as ever in the scrimmage. 'With as tough an injury as he had to go through, it's cool to see him back out working and he's still bringing it on the edge,' Ryans said. 'I thought Tytus did a really nice job today. Of course, Aidan got him a couple of times and Tytus got him a couple of times. But that's two pros working together.' Hutchinson's long wait to get back will end on Sept. 7, when the Lions open their season at Green Bay. 'I feel like I'm in a really good spot right now,' he said. 'I'm just trying to carry all this momentum into Week 1 and stay hot throughout the whole season.' ___ AP NFL:
New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
NWSL commissioner threatened to fine KC Current over weather delay: Sources
National Women's Soccer League commissioner Jessica Berman threatened to fine the Kansas City Current after a disagreement over extreme heat procedures that delayed a match against Orlando Pride by roughly three and a half hours on Saturday, multiple sources briefed on the matter told The Athletic. Both teams were concerned about the extreme heat. The league wanted the game to proceed when possible so it could be televised. Advertisement The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation and to preserve their relationships within the sport. They said Berman told Current owners in a phone call that the team could be fined for breaking protocols by asking for a heat check after the league decided to go forward with the game. Berman said, according to the sources, that missing the scheduled broadcast window would cost the NWSL millions of dollars. The top-ranked Current were set to host the reigning NWSL champions for a 3 p.m. CT kickoff, which was scheduled to broadcast on CBS. However, the heat, which exceeded 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) an hour before the game, ultimately delayed kickoff until 6:28 p.m., when temperature readings from the field registered below 92.3 degrees Fahrenheit, per league policy. The match ended in a 0-0 draw. The league has not publicly announced any fines. Sources said both teams contacted the league at 10:30 a.m. local time Saturday, expressing concerns about the weather and asking to postpone the match to later in the day. The league denied their request, according to sources, stating that they would stick to the scheduled kickoff time and employ the extreme heat policy as needed. The NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) also raised concerns over potential high temperatures for a midday August game in the city as early as January, when the schedule was drafted. 'We, under the (collective bargaining agreement), are entitled to see a drafted schedule before it is publicly released,' said NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke. 'Internally, we flagged that a 3 p.m. kickoff in Kansas City in August was probably going to have a problem with the extreme heat issues that we're seeing this summer.' The back-and-forth between the teams, medical and refereeing officials and the league leading up to and during the delay highlights the NWSL's struggle to balance its broadcast demands and player safety. The Athletic spoke to several people involved in Saturday's match to better understand the key factors that led to the lengthy delay and the surrounding tension. Advertisement On Thursday, when The Athletic asked the league for specifics about the events, including the threat of a fine, the extreme heat procedures and if the league reached out to players after the match, a spokesperson declined to answer directly, but sent the NWSL's official statement. 'The league aims to play matches as scheduled whenever safely possible. While forecasts guide planning, we primarily rely on real-time, on-site weather data to make informed decisions in accordance with our inclement weather policies and protocols. Based on those inputs, the league made the decision to delay Saturday's match,' the statement said. The same wording was shared with The Athletic on Saturday. Kansas City Current also declined to comment. According to NWSL's 2025 competition rules and regulations, one of the scenarios that requires the league's front office to evaluate whether to postpone a match is 'unfavorable weather and/or adverse conditions beyond the control of the participating teams that would make playing the game impractical or dangerous for players, other participants, or spectators.' The league's procedure for extreme heat-related delays requires a reading of Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) — a heat index that accounts for air temperature, humidity, wind, sun and cloud cover — one hour before kickoff if the day's temperature is expected to reach or exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If the WGBT recording is at or above 92.3 degrees Fahrenheit, the home team must alert the league. In the days leading up to the match, the National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for the area. Burke told The Athletic in an exclusive interview on Wednesday that a postponement was an 'obvious decision' that could have been made well before this weekend. 'We are grateful to the Kansas City and Orlando medical staff for doing exactly what they are supposed to do in an extreme heat situation: prioritize safety,' Burke told The Athletic. 'A 3 p.m. CT August kickoff in Kansas City was predictably too hot to play when the draft schedule first came out in January.' Advertisement On game day, the WBGT averaged 91.8 degrees Fahrenheit, just below the threshold before the warmups, though the maximum reading hit 92.8 degrees Fahrenheit, which is above the limit, sources said. Both teams' medical staff and match officials raised concerns, but the league instructed them to proceed with warmups, citing its policy that required the next check after warmups. Shortly after 2 p.m., an hour before the scheduled kickoff, the Current's medical staff contacted NWSL chief medical officer Dr. Cindy Chang for clarification regarding the heat policy. Per the league competition guidelines, only the league office can postpone play. In accordance with league competition guidelines, the fourth official took a reading 15 minutes prior to the start of the game. At 2:45 p.m. the WBGT was 93.9 degrees Fahrenheit, exceeding the threshold temperature and officially delaying the match. League policy states that the WBGT should be checked every 30 minutes following the initial delay; however, sources said it was checked every 15 minutes, per the league's request. We are all at the mercy of this device… 93.5 degrees of the last reading.. next reading is at 3:47 p.m. [image or embed] — PJ Green (@ August 16, 2025 at 9:35 PM At 3:47 p.m., about 45 minutes after the originally scheduled kickoff, officials conducted a WBGT reading of 91.8 degrees Fahrenheit, though sources at the stadium thought the drop in temperature was likely the result of a cloud passing overhead. They were confident that the temperature would rise again after the cloud passed. The Current's medical staff conveyed this to the league's medical staff and advocated for another reading 15 minutes later, at 4:02 p.m. A medical officer acknowledged the request was not in line with league policy, but emphasized the fleeting nature of the temperature drop and reiterated their obligation to protect players. Dr. Chang and the teams agreed to take a second reading. 'This is a model of why we need competent medical staff. They did their jobs here. I wouldn't change anything about how they did their jobs,' Burke said. 'If anything, what I would change is that the league needs to respect their discretion.' Advertisement As expected by those at the stadium, the WBGT spiked to 95.6 degrees Fahrenheit, triggering another delay under league rules. This is when Berman contacted Kansas City owners, warning the club that it had broken protocol and would be fined an unspecified amount, sources said. At this time, the broadcast window, which ran from 4 to 6 p.m. ET for the national time slot, had officially expired while WBGT readings remained well above the threshold. By the time 7:30 p.m. ET came around, CBS switched to regional programming. In 2023, the league signed a $240 million domestic media rights deal with CBS, ESPN, Amazon's Prime Video, and Scripps' Ion network. The four-year agreement runs from 2024 through 2027 and will deliver an average of $60 million annually, a fortyfold jump from the league's previous contract. Saturday's matchup between the Current and the Pride was the seventh of 11 regular-season matches CBS was set to broadcast, but the delay ultimately led the network to move the game over to a CBS stream online and its app. Danielle Russell, vice president of the KC Blue Crew supporters group, told The Athletic she spent roughly eight hours at the stadium on Saturday. Fans at Blue Crew's usual 'teal-gates' spent their pregame hydrating with water and electrolytes to prepare for the heat forecast during the match, Russell said. Typically, fans would walk 30 minutes to get to the stadium, but for this game, they made alternate plans because of the heat. Once inside the venue, the day was like any other at CPKC Stadium, Russell said, until the 15-minute incremental delays began. 'As it was becoming obvious that it wasn't going to start soon, the communication wasn't done quite as well as it could have,' Russell said. 'Nobody really knew what was happening.' During the delays, fans sat on sidewalks searching for shade and were scattered throughout the concourse. The supporters' section had Liquid IV, a brand of electrolyte powder, and the group's team liaison brought packs of Gatorade sports drinks. The Current also added extra water stations and ice, and offered free non-alcoholic drinks to prevent dehydration. 'It comes down to not sacrificing safety over a TV slot,' Russell said. 'Everyone knew, as soon as the schedule came out, we circled that game. We were like, 'This is going to be bad. This is going to be dangerous.'' At least 16 people required medical attention for heat-related ailments and were treated at the stadium, according to the University of Kansas Health System event report. A spokesperson for the Kansas City Fire Department told The Athletic that one fan was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital to be treated for heat-related illness. Advertisement Eventually, the Current's operations staff coordinated with officials to push the kickoff to 6:28 p.m., which was after CBS's broadcast window closed. Temperatures finally dropped to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit by 5:55 p.m. and the match went ahead once the WGBT also dropped below the necessary threshold. Pride head coach Seb Hines told reporters after the match he was 'disappointed' with how the delay unfolded. 'It was too hot to play, and we would have liked that decision to have been made earlier on, before warm-up, so they can probably prep a little bit better,' Hines said. 'It was a lot of waiting around: 'We're going to test the wet bulb, ' 'Another 15 minutes,' and there's a lot of confusion and lack of communication as well on what the next steps were.' Hines added, though, that he was 'pleased' the team eventually got on the pitch once conditions were deemed safe. 'Overall, I was disappointed with the decision-making before the six o'clock kickoff, but once we got there, that was in the best interest of the players and everyone here, and even the fans as well,' Hines said. 'It's brutal, three o'clock, sun's beaming. We have to have the best interest for everyone who's involved here at the stadium.' Burke said the lack of clear communication from the league put players in 'dangerous conditions.' 'The decision to engage in 15-minute incremental delays speaks to one or both of two things: fantastical thinking that the August heat in Kansas City was going to cool off rather than rise before 6 p.m., or NWSL was looking for a non-medical basis on which to resume the game in dangerous conditions,' Burke said. In its 2024 negotiation with the league to establish the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the NWSLPA negotiated for the WBGT threshold of 92.3 degrees Fahrenheit, Burke said. Advertisement Previously, that metric was higher, but there was an incident in the summer of 2021 when a player in the New York area had to be treated for heat-related illness, Burke said. The incident was not shared publicly, but the union worked behind the scenes to prevent it from happening again. 'We were very concerned that the WBGT and extreme heat measures had not been triggered by the heat on the field when that player had to be treated for heat-related illness, and so we, as a union, decided to collectively bargain over a WBGT that aligned with FIFA standards,' Burke said. In its guidance for extreme heat, FIFPro, the union representing global soccer players, recommends that a WGBT between 82.4 degrees Fahrenheit and 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit should trigger the need for a pair of cooling breaks during a match around the 30th and 75th minutes. When there is a WGBT of more than 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the global players' union recommends that training and matches should be rescheduled. 'We would have loved for it to be lower, frankly, because FIFPro's recommendation is lower than what's in our CBA,' Burke said, 'but we convinced the league to lower it from what it was to the FIFA standard. And that was simply a player safety measure.' Burke also pointed to the league's partnership with Lifetime, which ran between 2017 and 2019, before Berman's tenure, when some July matches in Houston would kick off around 4 p.m. ET. 'We've been here before,' Burke said, 'and the frustrating thing is that we're still having this conversation.' Saturday's match also comes three months after the league office came under fire for its decision to resume a game after Angel City's Savy King collapsed on a pitch midgame. 'Clearly, there was pressure to play this game in a major broadcast slot,' Burke said, referring to the match in Kansas City this past weekend. 'As we analyze what happened on Saturday, we find ourselves saying the same thing here that we said in May regarding the decision to resume play after one of our own was tended to with lifesaving measures. While the medical response demonstrated the highest level of competence and care, the pressure from NWSL to play demonstrated how player safety is actually weighed and operationalized in real time.' Advertisement Approving a delay between the Current and Pride before the weekend would have allowed players the opportunity to better prepare, Burke said. Instead, players were asked to warm up and cool off several times over the hours-long delay. 'The medical teams did their jobs here, and they did an excellent job and that's exactly why we negotiated in two CBAs for investments in medical staff and technical staff, in competent people who are qualified to do this job,' Burke said. 'This is a medical decision. This should not be a union decision or a legal decision. It's a medical issue, and the medical experts need to make that call, so we're grateful to them for doing their jobs.' As of Thursday morning, the league had not reached out to the union about the delay. 'I have real questions about why it doesn't occur to them to contact a union whose paramount priority is player safety, when a decision is made like the one they made Saturday afternoon,' she said. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
The Verge
2 minutes ago
- The Verge
DoorDash is offering 50 percent off DashPass orders right now.
Posted Aug 21, 2025 at 7:33 PM UTC DoorDash is offering 50 percent off DashPass orders right now. Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers tied a WNBA rookie scoring record with 44 points in a single game on Wednesday. To celebrate, DashPass members can get 50 percent off a single order (up to $10 off) with promo code WNBA50 through 3AM ET tomorrow, August 22nd. Everyone say, 'Thanks, Paige!' Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Brandon Russell Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Brandon Russell Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Deals Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech
