Latest news with #Crowder
Fox Sports
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Battlehawks shining ahead of playoffs highlights UFL storylines from Week 10
St. Louis Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht achieved the two biggest goals that he set before the start of the 2025 UFL season — make the playoffs and win home games. After finishing the regular season on a six-game winning streak and with a UFL-best 8-2 record, the Battlehawks won't have to leave the city of St. Louis as they continue their quest to win a championship. St. Louis hosts the DC Defenders on Sunday in the XFL Conference Championship Game on FOX, and the winner will compete for the UFL title against either the Birmingham Stallions or the Michigan Panthers , who will face off earlier in the day in the USFL Conference Championship Game. Both the XFL and UFL championships will take place at The Dome at America's Center. The Battlehawks averaged a league-best 30,000 fans at home games this season. "We're incredibly grateful to be in this position, and we're excited for next week's game in St. Louis," Becht said. Becht sat the majority of his starters, including QB Max Duggan and RB Jacob Saylors , in a narrow Week 10 victory over the Defenders. In the other postseason game, the defending champion Stallions host the Panthers. Birmingham crushed the Memphis Showboats on the road in Week 10, while the Panthers fell to the Houston Roughnecks at home. Elsewhere, the Arlington Renegades scratched back to the .500 mark with a win over the San Antonio Brahmas . Here's a look at other storylines from Week 10: It's the Tae Crowder show! Crowder led a Birmingham defense that forced two turnovers, totaled three sacks and held Memphis to 201 total yards in the final game of the regular season. The Stallions' standout linebacker was responsible for both takeaways, as he became the first player in UFL history to account for two pick-sixes in a single game. Birmingham's 46 points scored are the most the Stallions have scored in franchise history during the regular season. Crowder's first interception came off a tipped pass from defensive lineman Carlos Davis, with the Georgia product hauling in the deflection and weaving his way past the Showboats for a score. On the second pick for a score — this one from 75 yards — Crowder faked a pitch to teammate Chapelle Russell, fooling Memphis receiver Isiah Hennie and creating space for him to scoot into the end zone. "I feel like the coaches do a great job of working the turnover drills throughout the week," Crowder said. "And we're just flying around as a defense, and it paid off today." In their last home game of the season, the Panthers paid tribute to one of their star players from last season, handing out bobbleheads of Bates to the first 2,000 fans who attended their game against the Roughnecks. Bates went 17-for-22 on field goals for the Panthers last season. That included going 7-for-11 from at least 50 yards and 3-for-4 from 60-plus yards. His 64-yard, game-winning field goal last season is the longest in UFL history. The impressive performance earned him a job as kicker for the NFL's Detroit Lions, going 26-for-29 on field goals last season, with a long of 58 yards in his rookie season. "My life and my family's life [have] changed forever because of this league and this team giving me an opportunity to keep chasing a dream," Bates said about the UFL and the Panthers. "It's just so cool to see … the way the league has continued to grow. I'm going to be the biggest supporter of it forever because it did so much for me, and I'm so thankful for it." The Panthers' replacement for Bates this season is B.T. Potter. He is 11-for-16 on the year, with a long of 56 yards. Arlington QB Luis Perez finishes season as UFL passing leader With UFL MVP frontrunner and Defenders QB Jordan Ta'amu resting in Week 10 in preparation for the postseason, Perez overtook the Ole Miss product as the league's passing leader for a second straight season with a sizzling performance in a Week 10 win over the Brahmas. Perez went 26-for-32 (81%) for 283 yards. The San Diego native, not known for his running ability, also ran for a 7-yard touchdown. For the season, Perez totaled a league-high 2,298 passing yards, with nine touchdown passes and five interceptions. Perez led the UFL last season with 2,307 passing yards. Even with the big numbers, Perez still failed to get the Renegades into the playoffs for a second straight year. Arlington head coach Bob Stoops did not attend the game due to a leg injury suffered during practice this week. Renegades offensive coordinator Chuck Long served as interim head coach. Houston head coach C.J. Johnson got a suffocating performance from his defense to help the Roughnecks finish at the .500 mark to end the year. Houston forced four turnovers and held Michigan to 12 points defensively. Panthers head coach Mike Nolan didn't play starting QB Bryce Perkins, who's recovering from an ankle injury and working to get fully healthy for the playoffs. Instead, Nolan started third-stringer Rocky Lombardi and played backup Danny Etling. The Roughnecks finished tied with St. Louis for the league-lead in takeaways (17). J'Mar Smith appears to have seized the starting job for the Stallions, who are looking to earn a fourth consecutive pro spring football championship, with his stellar play over the past three weeks. He has completed 65% of his passes for 758 yards, six touchdowns and just one interception in three starts, two of those ending in victories for Birmingham. However, with Alex McGough (shoulder) and Matt Corral (abdomen) potentially making a healthy return next week and both ahead of Smith on the depth chart to start the year, Holtz will have options heading into the postseason. Andrew Peasley served as the backup for Smith and got some playing time in the second half, allowing Holtz to get a closer look at the overall depth of his QB room. Case Cookus was the No. 3, emergency QB over the weekend. "With the way the game got, it gave us an opportunity to put him (Peasley) in there and give him a little bit of game experience to be able to evaluate him a little bit," Holtz said. "We're getting ready to make some decisions on what that quarterback room is going to look like for the playoffs." Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him at @eric_d_williams . 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NBC Sports
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Channing Crowder apologizes for his comments about Bill Belichick, Jordon Hudson
Channing Crowder has performed a cleanup on Aisle Belichick. Crowder, one of the three hosts of The Pivot Podcast, made the mistake of sharing candid observations about what he witnessed when Bill Belichick was interviewed, with his 24-year-old girlfriend/handler/publicist/idea mill/creative muse Jordon Hudson present. Now, Crowder has publicly apologized for inadvertently exposing the apparent purpose and plan for the one-on-one interview between Belichick and Pivot co-host Ryan Clark. Appearing on WQAM radio in Miami after the Belichick interview, Crowder said Hudson 'choreographed' the Belichick-Clark sit-down that preceded Belichick's session with Clark, Crowder, and Fred Taylor. Said Crowder on the latest episode of the Pivot: 'I just want to tell Bill, Jordon, I apologize for any negativity it brought to you. Coach, we talked on the phone. I told you, I respect you as much as I do anybody in this world. And what happened and all this came out was . . . unrealistic, and . . . that's the opposite of what I wanted to do for you, and what I wanted to do for your relationship, Coach. So that's my bad, and I want to put it out there as a man. My bad, Coach.' (Why is Crowder concerned about doing anything for Belichick or his relationship? Podcasts aren't there to serve the guests; they exist — ideally — to serve the audience.) After Crowder finished his apology, Clark strongly disputed the idea that Hurdon 'choreographed' the interview. However, Clark also said he met with Belichick and Hudson for 'an hour and a half' before the interview started. So why was she even involved in a 90-minute meeting before the interview started if there was no effort by her to control the questions, the answers, and/or the editing? 'Jordon wanted to be represented in a certain way, wanted their relationship to be represented in a certain way,' Clark admitted. 'And the conversations we had afterwards, before the show was released, what we'll show or what can we show about Bill speaking about her and the rest of our interview?' Clark added that there was an interview with both Belichick and Hudson that was recorded but wasn't released. But Clark doesn't explain why it wasn't released. Did Belichick veto it? Did Hudson? Surely, Clark didn't decide that it made good editorial or business sense to suppress what would have been the first and only joint interview of Belichick and Hudson. All of this speaks to the 'choreography' that Crowder perceived. He's been involved in plenty of these interviews. He knows how it normally works. Interview subject shows up, sits down, and talks. That's it. This wasn't it. It was an entire production, with an extensive meeting before the interview and with Clark at all times sensitive to how Jordon Hudson would be represented and how her relationship with Belichick would be represented. It wasn't 'choreography' in the literal sense. It was (apparently) extensive control over the process of conducting, editing, and presenting the interview in the practical sense. And it worked, until Crowder blew it up by being honest. 'She kind of coordinates and brand manages,' Crowder said on WQAM. 'She has her paws on the situation. It's different . . . It was weird to be around Belichick and Jordon. . . . I don't see Belichick in that light. But he just smiles and nods. . . . 'His old lady is different. . . . She lurks. It's weird to know him as Coach Belichick running the entire organization as G.M., head coach, talent coordinator, all that stuff, and then to see this tiny, little 95-pound girl kind of — pretty much telling him what to do.' It's no surprise that Crowder said what he said on WQAM. And it's no surprise that, after Belichick and/or Hudson presumably got upset about what Crowder said, Crowder realized that it's in his best overall business interests to take one for the Pivot team and apologize for inadvertently opening his mouth and letting the truth fall out.
NBC Sports
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Channing Crowder: Jordon Hudson "choreographed" Bill Belichick's interview on The Pivot Podcast
Something seemed a little off about Bill Belichick's recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast. Or, more accurately, something seemed a little on. The episode began with Belichick and former Inside The NFL colleague Ryan Clark in a one-on-one interview. It felt scripted, specifically when Belichick explained why he mentioned his 24-year-old girlfriend/handler/publicist/idea mill/creative muse in the 'acknowledgements' section of his book. Like Vincent LaGuardia Gambini working his way through the list of questions to be posed to a star witness on direct examination, Clark followed Belichick's explanation that she had made specific suggestions that improved the book with this: 'The first thing you did was the CBS interview. That question wasn't asked about Jordon in that interview?' Said the witness: 'It was asked. No, it was asked. They asked about her — the same, similar question that you asked about her acknowledgement in the book. And I explained that in the tribute pages that she did, but that wasn't shown.' The exchange bolstered Belichick's claim that the CBS interview was edited to present a 'false narrative,' and it dared CBS to release the full interview. (Please, CBS, release the full interview.) Co-host Channing Crowder, who along was Fred Taylor was left out of the opening exchange, later spilled the beans on his WQAM radio show. Via Ben Axelrod of Crowder said Jordon Hudson 'choreographed the open' to the interview. 'She kind of coordinates and brand manages,' Crowder said. 'She has her paws on the situation. It's different . . . It was weird to be around Belichick and Jordon. . . . I don't see Belichick in that light. But he just smiles and nods.' Added Crowder: 'His old lady is different. . . . She lurks. It's weird to know him as Coach Belichick running the entire organization as G.M., head coach, talent coordinator, all that stuff, and then to see this tiny, little 95-pound girl kind of — pretty much telling him what to do.' Crowder's disclosure contradicts the impression Belichick has been trying to create since Hudson interrupted his CBS interview and instructed him not to answer the very simple question of how they met. Belichick insisted that CBS edited his interview to lead the viewer to believe 'Jordon was attempting to control the conversation.' Meanwhile, she didn't just attempt to control the conversation on The Pivot Podcast. As Crowder tells it, she succeeded.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Controversial Ex-NFL Player Dead At 72 On Thursday
A former NFL player who overcome a stint in prison to continue his NFL career has passed away at the age of 72. On Wednesday, the Miami Dolphins announced that former defensive tackle Randy Crowder passed away. Crowder was a part of their organization from 1974 to 1976, during which he played 39 games and recorded 12.5 sacks. Advertisement But Crowder's NFL career and his entire life was put on hold after he was sent to prison in 1977. Crowder and Dolphins teammate Don Reese were convicted of selling cocaine. The two both served one year in prison but got another chance in the NFL in 1978. Upon returning to the NFL, Crowder signed a deal with the fledgling Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played in all 16 games for the team in 1979, helping the Bucs reach the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. "We are saddened by the passing of former Dolphins player Randy Crowder, who played for the team from 1974-1976," the Dolphins said in a statement. Randy Crowder was the father of Channing Crowder, another former member of the Dolphins who played linebacker for the franchise from 2005 to 2010 and remains a beloved alum. The Crowders are the only father-son duo to be drafted by the Dolphins in franchise history and one of the few father-son duos drafted by the same team in league history to boot. Advertisement Dolphins fans on X have been offering their condolences to the Crowder family ever since the news broke: "I'm sorry to hear that. I am sending my heart to @OfficialCrowder and his family in this tough time," one user replied. "Was blessed to be old enough to have watched him play. My condolences. @OfficialCrowder and family," wrote another. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 08: Channing Crowder speaks onstage during The Volume - Nightcap Live Show with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco at Redtail on February 08, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo byfor The Volume)"Condolences to his Family and Friends. May His Memory Live in your Hearts Forever," a third wrote. "We lost a good one. My deepest sympathies @OfficialCrowder to you and your family." Randy Crowder finished his NFL career with 19.0 sacks - 12.5 with the Dolphins and 4.5 with the Bucs. He started 35 of 71 games. Advertisement Our hearts go out to the Crowder family and their loves ones. Related: Prayers Pouring In For U.S. Congressman's Family Wednesday Controversial Ex-NFL Player Dead At 72 On Thursday first appeared on The Spun on May 22, 2025
Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Former Dolphins defensive lineman Randy Crowder dies. And notes on 12 personnel issues
Randy Crowder, a former All-American at Penn State who became a disruptive pass rusher with the Dolphins, died recently at 72, the team announced Wednesday. The cause of death was not disclosed. The Dolphins selected Crowder in the sixth round of the 1974 Draft and he played three seasons for the team. He played in 39 games and started 25 for the Dolphins, producing 12.5 sacks. Crowder missed the 1977 season after he and another former Dolphins player, Don Reese, were sentenced, in August, to one year in jail after their May 4 arrest for selling one pound of cocaine to an undercover policeman. They pleaded no contest, and Circuit Judge Joseph Durant withheld adjudication as part of a plea-bargain agreement. The arrest came at the end of an eight-day investigation; 15 officers from the Miami Police Department special investigations unit arrested the two at a Miami area motel. Crowder went on to play 32 games over three seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After retiring, he was the defensive line coach at Penn State, where he was a first team All American in 1973. Crowder had three children, including Channing Crowder, a former Dolphins linebacker and now a talk show host on WQAM 560. Personnel notes A dozen notes from a session from Dolphins assistant coaches on Wednesday: ▪ Secondary coach Brian Duker said Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ashtyn Davis, Elijah Campbell and Patrick McMorris are competing to start at safety to replace Jevon Holland (now with the Giants) and Jordan Poyer (who's unsigned). 'Pat is right there; been very encouraged what he's done so far,' Duker said. 'We've been clear to them that we are going to let the best two play.' ▪ Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said the Dolphins' group of young cornerbacks 'all have a chip and want to prove themselves. There's no greater motivator than that.' The Dolphins continue to explore signing veteran cornerbacks to replace Jalen Ramsey (who's expected to be traded) and Kendall Fuller. Discussions are ongoing with veteran free agent Rasul Douglas. ▪ Linebackers coach Joe Barry said the Dolphins made out fine in replacing Anthony Walker Jr. and Duke Riley — whom he held in high regard — with Willie Gay and K.J. Britt. 'We replaced them with two really good players with K.J. and Willie. I don't think we took a step back at all. Willie started in the Super Bowl. K.J. Britt started two thirds of the season in Tampa Bay.' ▪ Barry said of fourth-year linebacker Channing Tindall: 'This is the first time in his career he's gone into offseason with same terminology, same language. It was a little bit of a challenge to him. I wanted to make him feel good [and told him] ' what a great opportunity. You're not having to learn a new playbook for first time in your career. If there's ever a time for you to take off, it's now.'' ▪ Cornerbacks coach Mathieu Araujo said third-year cornerback Cam Smith has 'been awesome, here every day, working hard. Biggest thing I talked to him about this offseason is development. His development is going to lead to his success on the field. He's learning, playing fast.' ▪ New passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik said he has observed that Tua Tagovailoa is 'demanding of himself but also demanding of others. He's holding people accountable; he's holding himself accountable. He's incredibly accurate, unbelievable throwing with anticipation, throwing to space, throws you may have thought were not possible. He has a knack for seeing things that a lot of people don't see in real time.' ▪ Offensive coordinator Frank Smith said new receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who caught nine touchdowns for Tennessee last season, is 'very detailed, a process-oriented guy, is going to be extremely reliable.' ▪ Outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow, asked the Dolphins plan to use Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb and Chop Robinson together at times, said 'That's a fun problem to have. We will figure it out.' ▪ Crow said second-year outside linebacker Mo Kamara has mad 'a huge jump from Year 1 to Year 2. He's coming back with a vengeance. Special teams will be important to him also.' ▪ Quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell told the Palm Beach Post that new backup QB Zach Wilson: 'In every way, I've been really pleasantly pleased and pleasantly surprised by how good he's been… He's got a gifted arm, so he's special with that.' ▪ New special teams coach Craig Auckerman, asked about his role in Miami signing his former Tennessee Titans punter, Ryan Stonehouse, said: 'There's always going to be dialogue. But they handle the roster. I give my opinion on certain things. And I let them handle the roster.' Stonehause and Jake Bailey are competing for the punting job. ▪ Auckerman said new long snapper Joe Cardona, who replaced Blake Ferguson, is very good at his job. After Miami signed him, 'I sprinted down to Chris [Grier's] office and said this guy has done it for 10 years at a very high level.'
