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New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Knicks fans are getting permanent ink for playoffs: ‘Way more Knicks tattoos than I've ever done'
Knicks pride is more than skin deep. New York fan Brandon Soler is showing his love for the Big Apple hoops squad Friday by permanently etching a blue and orange team logo tattoo into his shin — and he's just one of many hoops-lovers flocking to city artists to get some team ink, as the Knicks continue to make their deep title run. 'It's New York and the Knicks – I also wanted to represent New York as a whole, where I'm from,' the 45-year-old Bronx man told The Post. Advertisement 4 Tattoo shops across the Big Apple are reporting a surge in requests for Knicks-themed tattoos during playoff season. Courtesy of Adam Korothy 'It's New York Proud. We're all proud people.' 'It was a spur-of-the-moment thing,' he added, as he got the work done at a studio in Gowanus run by artist Steven Avalos. Advertisement 'Really, just that I'm a big fan and they're doing well this year.' And Soler isn't afraid of having any regrets if the underdog squad goes down to the Indiana Pacers in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals Saturday. He thought it might even bring the team some luck. 'I figured I'd get it in the first round [of the playoffs], we did well against the [Detroit] Pistons and we're doing it better. So I feel like it's more luck,' he said. Advertisement Nikhil Dhanani — who was also at Avalos' studio — opted for an arm tattoo with the Knicks' 'NY' logo spelling out 'New York' above the Unisphere from Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. 4 New York Knicks fan Brandon Soler, 45, got a permanent tattoo Friday with the team's blue and orange logo on his shin. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post 'New York's never leaving me,' the 26-year-old said. 'I've wanted the New York Knicks tattooed on me for the longest [time], it's been on my list – and then there was like all this New York pride going on right now,' he said. Advertisement 'It felt like the right moment to do it.' Avalos, who tattooed both fans on Friday, told The Post the Knicks' 2025 play off run, which saw them causing wild parties in the streets as they knocked off the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics, is causing a rush to get Knicks tats like he's never seen. 'It's way more Knicks tattoos than I've ever done,' said Avalos, 40, who has scheduled roughly a half-dozen Knicks-themed appointments for this week alone. 4 The Bronx native told The Post, 'It's New York and the Knicks – I also wanted to represent New York as a whole, where I'm from.' Stefano Giovannini 'I think this is the craziest I've ever seen Knicks fans, because of the playoffs. 'When it comes to being a Knicks fan, you kind of expect losing,' Avalos added, 'so I think that being a Knicks fan – or being a Jets fan – there's certain New York teams where you think you're never going to win. [Fans] are really just that glad they're doing well this year.' A rep for Live By The Sword, a tattoo shop with locations in Union Square, Williamsburg and Soho, similarly reported a surge in Knicks ink – and even dropped a 'flash' sheet of ready-made designs on April 25. 'We definitely have had a lot of interest in the Knicks designs,' a rep for the studio told The Post, adding that the flash sheet was shared among local ink lovers nearly 500 times online. Advertisement 'The Knicks are momentous right now,' said Michael Bellamy, a tattoo artist and owner of Red Rocket Tattoo in Midtown – which has been asked to do a 'handful' of tattoos honoring the Knickerbockers in the last month alone. 4 Soler got the tattoo at a studio in Gowanus, done by artist Steven Avalos. Stefano Giovannini Michelle Myles, a tattoo artist and co-owner of Daredevil Tattoo in the Lower East Side, similarly said Knicks fans have been no stranger to her shop — with fans getting everything from the Knicks' logo to team-inspired knuckle tattoos in recent weeks. 'If they continue on, I imagine we'll probably get some more [customers],' she said, noting the shop's upcoming Friday the 13th flash sheet will 'definitely' have Knicks-themed art. Advertisement Avalos, a longtime Brooklynite and Long Island native, told The Post that he notices a spike in New York sports team-related tattoos, unsurprisingly, when a team does well — and recalls a surge in Yankees-related tattoos during the Bronx Bombers' World Series streak in the early 2000s. 'The Yankees, I remember, they had a really good era of being champions,' he said, 'so imagine just growing up in New York and going to Yankee Stadium and seeing your home team win: It gave you a lot of pride for the city. 'I think sports tattoos are super important, it gives people the sense of pride of being a New Yorker [and] ownership of this city,' he added — though the Knicks ink may not be limited to just New Yorkers for long. Advertisement 'Tourists will hop on the bandwagon with that one,' Avalos said, 'if they win the championship.' The Knicks are down 3 to 2 against the Pacers, who they face in Indiana Saturday night. If they win, the series will go to it climactic Game 7 finale in New York Monday.
New York Times
08-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Ashton Jeanty ‘ready to play that Raider brand of football' as rookie minicamp kicks off
Five minutes was all it took. Back in May 2021, Ashton Jeanty was a high school junior slot receiver with more catches than carries to his name. Despite a lack of experience running the ball, he had barely started his recruiting workout at Boise State before then-head coach Andy Avalos offered him a scholarship to play running back. Advertisement 'That was something I'll always remember from being recruited — doing that workout,' Jeanty told The Athletic over the phone Tuesday. 'They were kind of like, 'Take it easy,' but I was like, 'Tch, man, come on, let's go. This is what I do.' Obviously, I killed the drills, so they had nothing more to see.' Jeanty committed to Boise State that September and became a superstar across the next three seasons. The Las Vegas Raiders became so enamored with his talent that they drafted him with the sixth overall pick last month. As Avalos watched his former player walk across the stage, he thought back to the spring session when he realized just how special he was. 'You can see it now, but it was his body control, his change of direction, the leverage that he runs with,' Avalos said. 'The few things that we had him do, you could instantly tell he was a powerful runner.' Last season, Jeanty came up just 21 yards short of breaking Barry Sanders' FBS single-season rushing record. With that historic production, an NFL frame at 5-foot-9, 211 pounds and an uncanny ability to make defenders miss, break tackles and create explosive plays, he went from an unheralded recruit to being talked about as a generational prospect. It was once commonplace for running backs to go as early in the draft as Jeanty did, but it was the highest a team had drafted one since the New York Giants took Saquon Barkley at pick No. 2 in 2018. The position had been devalued as teams passed the ball more than ever, but Barkley led the charge to restore their value by putting together a historic season of his own and helping the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl win. Barkley had plenty of help — the Eagles are loaded on both sides of the ball — but he proved there's nothing wrong with making a significant investment in an elite ballcarrier. The Raiders believe wholeheartedly that's what they've found in Jeanty. Advertisement 'The word is dynamic,' coach Pete Carroll said last month. 'He has the ability to do all of it. He can run with power. He can run in short-yardage areas and find the spacing he needs to make the plays. And he's got that marvelous ability that, on any play, he can score.' Carroll knows greatness at running back — he coached Reggie Bush in college and Marshawn Lynch in the NFL — and he made it clear that Jeanty has that type of potential. That puts a lot of pressure on Jeanty to perform from day one, but that's something the 21-year-old embraces. 'I'm ready to be a pro and show everybody why I was picked where I was picked at,' Jeanty said. 'And just get ready to play that Raider brand of football.' It's official ✌️ Deuces up@AshtonJeanty2 | #RaiderNation — Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) May 2, 2025 Had Jeanty grown up in his birthplace of Jacksonville, Fla., he could've had a traditional football story. But his father was a commanding officer in the Navy, so he moved to Georgia and Virginia before landing in Aversa, Italy, at age 12. Naples Middle High School didn't have a football program for middle schoolers, so Jeanty went about a year and a half without playing organized ball. 'I had to practice on my own and stay in shape and play other sports,' Jeanty said, 'but I always had in the back of mind: 'Just get ready.'' Jeanty played running back as a high school freshman in Italy, but then his family moved to Frisco, Texas, before his sophomore year. Once he enrolled at Lone Star High, the coaching staff told him there wouldn't be a role for him on offense. He was determined to get on the field, though, so he moved to defense. He became a Swiss Army knife of sorts, lining up on the defensive line, at safety and on special teams. 'I didn't have a choice,' Jeanty said. 'They saw my athleticism and that I could make tackles, be a great player on special teams and even get on the D-line and disrupt some drop-back passes and get after the quarterback. The common theme was I just loved football, and I wanted to be on the field one way or another and try to help the team win.' Advertisement As a junior, Jeanty was able to show what he could do with the ball in his hands as a slot receiver. He caught 55 passes for 816 yards and seven touchdowns. And although his rushing attempts were limited, he showed he could be effective out of the backfield, averaging 8.7 yards per carry. 'I'm honestly grateful that I was able to play receiver for a year,' Jeanty said, 'because it's made me so much more well-rounded as a running back. Especially in today's game, there's a higher demand for running backs to be able to catch the ball and run routes.' Jeanty hadn't started a single game at running back going into his senior year, so he was still flying under the radar. That was no longer the case after he rushed for 1,843 yards and scored 41 total touchdowns. That season reaffirmed that Jeanty had what it took to play at the college level, but that wasn't enough to satisfy him. He had bigger goals in mind. The coaching staff at Boise State knew Jeanty would be a difference-maker, but he still had a lot to learn. Not only did he need to absorb the scheme, but he also had limited experience playing running back. He worked with position coach Keith Bhonapha to improve his footwork, patience, vision, pad level and blocking fundamentals. 'In high school, you really can just get the ball, run and do whatever, right?' Jeanty said. 'But in college, you've actually got to go through a process, go through your reads, understand what the defense is giving you and be able to analyze that quickly. Another thing is the speed of the game; on each level, it gets faster and faster. So your process and your level of thinking has to improve as well.' While Jeanty was a fast learner, that developmental process contributed to Boise State sticking with veteran starting running back George Holani. As Jeanty began receiving more live carries, the coaches realized he was a little too eager to take punishment. Advertisement 'He needed to understand that you don't always have to take those hits,' Bhonapha said last month. 'Sometimes, he's trying to run guys over, and it's like, 'Man, if you shake this dude off or step on his toes and give him a jump cut or a speed cut or just transition him, you're going to break that tackle. He's going to miss that arm tackle.' And that was the thing I felt like he was able to do pretty fast. … Sometimes those guys hit a plateau, and he just continued to excel.' Why not. Here is 64 minutes and 31 seconds of Ashton Jeanty running the football. — Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) April 15, 2025 Jeanty's breakout game came in the 2022 Frisco Bowl against North Texas. Entering that game, his career highs were 19 carries and 109 rushing yards. But after Holani went down with an injury early on, Boise State fed him with 28 carries. He turned that opportunity into 178 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Broncos' 35-32 victory. 'I just felt real confident going into that game,' Jeanty said. 'Being the RB2, you never know when the other guy may go down and you'll have to take the bulk of the carries. I just always kept that in my mind and prepared like I was RB1 each and every week. So when my opportunity came, I could maximize it.' That success only intensified Jeanty's drive. He remained a relentless worker in the offseason, preparing his body for the greater workload he knew he'd shoulder as a sophomore. That season, Jeanty got 220 carries for 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns, but that was nothing compared to what would come next. As a junior, he jumped from about 18.3 carries per game in 2023 to 26.7 in 2024. Maintaining efficiency and durability with that type of volume took a lot of work behind the scenes. How did he do it? 'Just taking my preparation to the next level,' Jeanty said. 'Most importantly, taking care of my body right. Just being available to take 30 carries every week and understanding that it's me versus 11. Once the ball snaps, there's 11 guys coming after me. So, it was just having that mentality that nobody's going to take me down.' As impressive as rushing for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns in a single season is, some may view the number of carries Jeanty racked up as a negative. It's important to remember, however, that he was late to transition to the position and didn't put on much mileage in high school. He's never suffered a significant injury. Advertisement 'I had nicks and knacks and different things. It's football. It's going to happen,' Jeanty said. 'But to not miss a single game all season … I think durability also goes with that.' It's not something the Raiders worried about. 'He is not a guy that's going to just run into the wall,' Carroll said. 'He's got everything you could want in a running back.' The Raiders wouldn't have drafted Jeanty so high if they didn't view him as a complete back, but he still has plenty to work on. The value of the grind was already instilled in him long ago through his nomadic upbringing. Now, it's just about bringing that same energy to Las Vegas. Besides learning offensive coordinator Chip Kelly's system and adjusting to NFL-level competition, Jeanty's biggest focus early on will be becoming a stronger pass blocker. That's an often-overlooked role for running backs, but it makes a big difference if a back is a liability. 'That will be an area for him that we'll emphasize greatly to make sure,' Carroll said. 'He's tough as nails, he's powerful, he strikes guys the right way. Technique is good. We'll just try to make him better in all aspects of that, but I think that's probably the most challenging thing that he'll have to deal with.' And while the Raiders won't run Jeanty as often as he did in his final season at Boise State, they'll likely want to get him involved in the passing game more frequently. He caught 43 passes for 569 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore, so he's capable, but that's another area where he can continue to refine his game as he becomes a better all-around back. The effort to make that happen starts with rookie minicamp Friday. 'My hard work,' Jeanty said when asked what gives him confidence about his ability to be great in the NFL. 'My mentality is that nobody's going to outwork me and that nobody can stop me.'
CBS News
14-03-2025
- CBS News
San Francisco city worker, partner accused of $500K welfare scam
A San Francisco city employee and her partner are facing multiple charges for allegedly defrauding public agencies out of $500,000 in welfare, including Section 8 housing and childcare benefits, prosecutors said. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced that 49-year-old Maggie Pasigan and 47-year-old Daisy Avalos were arraigned Thursday on charges of grand theft, welfare fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. Both Pasigan and Avalos pleaded not guilty. In a statement, Jenkins thanked multiple agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the city's Human Services Agency and Housing Authority, along with local law enforcement, in helping with the two-year investigation. "My office will take action to ensure the integrity of our benefits systems and seek to hold those accountable who would defraud the system for their own personal gain," Jenkins said. Court records show the city's Human Services Agency began investigating Pasigan in 2023 for alleged fraud, saying she did not disclose that Avalos was her domestic partner and Avalos' income as a city employee. The income would have disqualified their household for public benefits. "The defendants' fraudulent actions diverted over $375,000 in taxpayer funds from multiple federal programs, including HUD-assisted housing programs designed to provide safe and affordable housing for low-income families," said Special Agent-In-Charge Robert Lawler of the HUD Office of Inspector General. In addition to the housing benefits, Pasigan and Avalos are accused of receiving more than $30,000 a month in childcare benefits from a nonprofit contractor that stewarded public dollars for childcare and early education. Investigators said the women claimed to have provided childcare to as many as 17 children. Surveillance over several months showed there was no evidence of drop-offs, pickups or any other signs of children under their care. Prosecutors said the pair's next court appearance is Apr. 22, to set a date for the preliminary hearing. Anyone who may have a report of welfare fraud is asked to contact the San Francisco Human Services Agency hotline at 405-557-5771.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Women with fake San Francisco childcare center swindled $500K in welfare: DA
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Two San Francisco women received more than $500,000 in public welfare benefits while they operated a fake childcare center and lived in subsidized housing, prosecutors said. Maggie Pasigan, 49, and her girlfriend, 47-year-old Daisy Avalos, are now facing charges including grand theft, welfare fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy, according to the district attorney's office. Avalos is a city employee, the DA's office said. The couple appeared in court Thursday and pleaded not guilty. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said, 'My office will take action to ensure the integrity of our benefits systems and seek to hold those accountable who would defraud the system for their own personal gain.' Pasigan and Avalos falsely claimed that they provided childcare and early childhood education services for 17 kids, prosecutors said. A two-month-long investigation into Pasigan and Avalos revealed the children did not exist, prosecutors said. They received over $30,000 every month in childcare subsidies from a nonprofit organization contracted by the City of San Francisco, according to the DA's office. Pasigan and Avalos are domestic partners, according to the DA's office. The San Francisco Human Services Agency became suspicious in 2023 when they discovered that Pasigan never disclosed the fact that Avalos was a city employee who earned regular income, and she was Pasigan's partner, according to the DA's office. 'Such income would have disqualified the household for public benefits, which are intended to assist only low-income families,' the DA's office wrote. 'The defendants' fraudulent actions diverted over $375,000 in taxpayer funds from multiplefederal programs, including HUD-assisted housing programs designed to provide safe andaffordable housing for low-income families,' said Robert Lawler of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General. Investigators conducted surveillance for months of the couple's 'childcare center.' Prosecutors said there was no evidence of any children being present, dropped off, or picked up. In total, the couple's conspiracy and fraud swindled more than $500,000 in public benefits from San Francisco, according to investigators. Thursday is last day to drive along SF's Great Highway Jenkins said, 'I would like to thank the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the San Francisco Human Services Agency, and the San Francisco Housing Authority for their hard work and collaboration in this case with San Francisco Police and the San Francisco Sheriff's Office to expose this fraud.' Pasigan and Avalos' next court appearance is scheduled for April 22. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Former Eastwood teacher sentenced to probation for improper relationship with student
A former Eastwood High School math teacher was sentenced to eight years of probation after pleading guilty to having an improper relationship with an 18-year-old student, court records show. Ryan Anthony Avalos, 34, received a 10-year suspended prison sentence and eight years of probation on each of 13 counts of improper relationship between an educator and student and one count of tampering with a witness, court records show. The sentence will be severed concurrently. Judge Patrick Garcia of the 384th District Court sentenced Avalos Jan. 7 at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse. Avalos will avoid prison as long he doesn't violate his probation. Avalos was a math teacher and football coach at Eastwood High School, Ysleta Independent School District officials and a criminal complaint affidavit stated. Avalos' employment with the district ended Jan. 30, 2024. El Paso Police Department officers started an investigation into Avalos in January 2024 after a school resource officer received a call from a school reporting a student was having a relationship with a teacher. An El Paso Police Department Crimes Against Children Unit detective met with the victim to discuss the allegations against Avalos. She told detectives Avalos and she would email each other from their Ysleta Independent School District email accounts, a complaint affidavit states. They then communicated through the TikTok social media application. Avalos left work, and the student ditched school for half a day in November. They went to Cielo Vista Park, 9030 Cosmos Avenue, where they listened to music inside Avalos' truck and smoked a THC vape, the affidavit states. More: Eastwood High School math teacher arrested for allegedly having relationship with student They went to The Fountains at Farah, where they started making out, the affidavit states. Avalos allegedly asked the student to have sex with him, but she declined, telling him it was almost time for him to drop her off, the affidavit states. Avalos allegedly asked the student to show him her "boobs" and started groping her, the affidavit states. He missed work on Dec. 1 to meet with the student. They had sex multiple times in the back of the Avalos' truck at Cielo Vista Park, the affidavit states. They also allegedly had sex again in an underground parking lot at the The Fountains at Farah. They then met again Dec. 13. and had sex at Cielo Vista Park, the affidavit states. More: Affidavit: Former Eastwood High School teacher, student ditched school to have sex at park Avalos admitted to district officials to having a sexual relationship with the student, the affidavit states. Avalos was arrested and booked into the El Paso County Jail March 1 on suspicion of improper relationship between an educator. He was released from jail the same day after posting a $100,000 bond. Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@ or on X/Twitter @AMartinezEPT. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Former Eastwood teacher receives probation for having sex with student
