Latest news with #PierreThomas
CBS News
17-07-2025
- Health
- CBS News
How is the Tuerk House helping survivors of a mass overdose in West Baltimore?
Two survivors are on the long road to recovery at a West Baltimore behavioral health facility, a week after a mass overdose incident rocked the intersection of Pennsylvania and North Avenues. A man in his 50s and a woman in her late 30s or early 40s are currently undergoing treatment at the Tuerk House, a longstanding recovery center. They were among the 27 people who overdosed on Thursday, July 10, in what officials now believe was caused by a particularly potent strain of fentanyl. "This looks like a really bad strain of fentanyl that was put out there," said Dr. Maud Ayre, Director of the Crisis Stabilization Center. "Of course, when we heard it, we were all on alert." Pierre Thomas, the Director of Admissions at the Tuerk House, called the mass overdose unprecedented. "It was a scary situation, something I've never seen since I've been in this field and working here," Thomas said. The victims were referred to the Tuerk House by local hospitals in the immediate aftermath of the mass overdose. Their rooms are quiet and clinical, yet full of support, with 24-hour nursing staff and access to individual counseling. "One is downstairs and one is right here in this room," said Thomas, walking WJZ through the facility. "We have a 50-year-old male patient who came here from the hospital. He's getting his detox. He has a full shower, we have providers, and peer support." The goal of the Tuerk House isn't just recovery; it's about dignity and compassion. For many patients, especially those with repeated relapses, the care must be continuous and without judgment. "They're on the street, so this is home," Thomas said. "When they come here, we want them to feel like they're home. That's why we're called the Tuerk House." Dr. Ayre emphasized the importance of peer support and community during recovery. "From what we're hearing, they are hopeful," Dr. Ayre said. "They have other people there who engage with them and talk to them. It gives them that glimmer of hope—they are not in this alone." The recent mass overdose has renewed concerns about the strength and spread of fentanyl in open-air drug markets throughout Baltimore. But it's also prompted swift action by frontline addiction and mental health workers who say they are committed to being there not just in crisis, but in the weeks and months ahead. On Friday, WJZ will provide an inside look at the 24/7 Crisis Stabilization Center housed at the Tuerk House, one of the city's most vital resources for those struggling with addiction. For now, the two survivors remain focused on healing, and those around them are focused on helping them through it.
22-06-2025
- Politics
New warning from the Department of Homeland Security
ABC News' chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas discusses how the U.S. missile strikes in Iran could impact the American people.
15-06-2025
- Politics
Thomas on current threat environment: ‘Law enforcement is being pressed to the max'
On 'This Week,' ABC News' Pierre Thomas and Brad Garrett break down the current threat environment.
USA Today
04-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Saints rank among the NFL's lowest spenders in undrafted free agency
Saints rank among the NFL's lowest spenders in undrafted free agency For years the New Orleans Saints were seen as an attractive team for undrafted free agents, giving long-shot rookies better odds of making the team than other outfits around the league. It goes back to the early days of the Sean Payton-and-Drew Brees era, when the Saints consistently found diamonds in the rough like running back Pierre Thomas and wide receiver Lance Moore. More recently, the Saints have found Pro Bowl-level talents after the draft like special teams ace J.T. Gray and returns specialist Rashid Shaheed (who has become a dynamite receiver in his own right). But 2025's rookie free agent class doesn't have as much momentum behind them. For one thing, it's one of the smaller classes around the league, with just 11 players. That's tied with four other teams to rank 23rd in the NFL, half the size of the Jacksonville Jaguars' 22-man class. Four more teams each signed 20 or more rookie free agents this spring. For another thing, based on the latest reporting, the Saints guaranteed just $904,000 between those 11 players. Six teams gave out at least $2 million in guarantees, each, while 14 teams got to at least $1 million. The Saints, at best, rank around the league's middle class. Guarantees are a useful yardstick because that's how teams outbid each other to recruit rookies after the draft. If a player was guaranteed a big portion of his contract, the team clearly expects him to win a roster spot, and they had to fight out competitors to get him. Which means other teams weren't banging on the door to get a word in with many of the Saints' rookie free agents. Former South Carolina guard Torriccelli Simpkins III received the highest guarantees on the team, at $259,000, but just two other players broke the $100,000 threshold -- Kansas State tackle Easton Kilty ($240,000) and Delaware running back Marcus Yarns ($120,000). The details aren't in on Hunter Dekkers' contract, but seeing as he only signed after trying out at rookie minicamp, we're guessing the Saints didn't guarantee him much money. Why did this change? When did the Saints go from a powerhouse in undrafted free agency to a team that's fallen behind? The main culprit would be a lack of opportunities in New Orleans. If all things are equal, young pros would rather go somewhere they have a real shot at competing for a roster spot than coming to the Saints, where they would be stuck behind older veterans on the defensive line like Cameron Jordan, Nathan Shepherd, and Davon Godchaux. It's a similar story at other positions. Young guys want to go where they can play, and the Saints don't have as many of those opportunities as other teams. Still, guys beat the odds all the time. Once the pads come on and practice intensity ramps up at training camp, we'll start to find out which of these rookies has a real shot at making the team. Maybe someone surprises us. But for now, it's probably best to keep expectations muted.
New York Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
‘Go by what we see': How 2 rookie tryout players earned offseason shots with Broncos
Sean Payton patrols practice fields and meeting rooms at Denver Broncos headquarters armed with stories that double as teaching tools. If the Broncos are drilling a specific end-of-game situation in practice, Payton will quickly pause the proceedings and pull from a Rolodex of real-world scenarios where the same sequence unfolded. When the Broncos are recruiting undrafted free agents, Payton can hop on the phone and explain how a previous undrafted player at the same position from his coaching past not only made a given team but also became a key contributor. Advertisement 'I think the first time it was a significant subject (was in) '07,'' Payton said earlier this month. '(In New Orleans) we had drafted a running back, I think in the fourth round out of Ohio State, and we had signed a free agent, Pierre Thomas, out of Illinois. We got to training camp, and there was a period of time that Pierre was playing better. … He was playing better enough, where the players and most people knew. So we released the fourth-round pick and kept Pierre.' Next year, Payton will be able to show every player who arrives at rookie minicamp on a tryout basis that they, too, have a path to follow. As the Broncos began OTAs earlier this week, two of the players working out with the group — wide receiver Kyrese White and inside linebacker Jordan Turner — began their journey with the team earlier this month as rookie tryout players. Neither player was selected in last month's draft. They weren't even among the 15 rookies the Broncos signed in the wave of undrafted free agency to follow. They arrived in Denver in early May with nothing guaranteed beyond participation in three days of minicamp practices. But when Payton addressed reporters following the second of those sessions, he hinted there were tryout players who had already earned strong consideration to be added to the actual roster, saying a couple 'have a chance to go to (training) camp with us.' 'Bill (Parcells) was big on that: Go by what we see,' Payton said. By the afternoon on Mother's Day, instead of flying back home as they were previously scheduled to do, White and Turner were finalizing contracts that added them to Denver's roster. Their three-day audition was turning into something more. 'I was so excited when he let me know because it was couple weeks earlier that the draft was going on and then all the free-agent deals were going on, and Kyrese hit me up a couple days afterward saying, 'Coach, I haven't heard from anybody and I don't know what to do,'' said Kyle Cefalo, who worked with White the past two seasons as the wide receivers coach at Utah State. 'He got one minicamp invite and that was it. It wasn't even like he decided to go to the Broncos. It was his only option.' Advertisement White was hard to miss during the practice open to reporters, and not just because his big hair flowing under his helmet and the No. 43 he wore made him look like Troy Polamalu. White did a little bit of everything last season at Utah State, where he finished with 44 catches and 526 yards while also returning kicks and developing into one of the team's best perimeter blockers despite his 5-foot-10, 185-pound frame. He shuffled through all of those roles with aplomb during his tryout with the Broncos. It wasn't the first time White had willed himself onto a team. He was a walk-on at Utah and, after entering the transfer portal in 2023, also had to earn his way into a deep wide receivers room at Utah State that featured Jalen Royals, a fourth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs. 'The one thing I told scouts was, 'If someone gives him a chance and brings him in, you're going to have a tough time getting rid of him,'' Cefalo said. 'He's going to be smart and he's going to work really hard. He's going to be great on special teams. He's a great athlete and he's going to make plays. That's the message I gave. I didn't oversell or undersell Kyrese to anybody. I was just like, 'If you bring him in, you're going to have a tough time cutting him.' Sure enough, that's what happened with the Broncos. Clearly, he made a great impression in a few days.' The impression Turner made on the Broncos started well before he arrived for minicamp. In the days leading up to the draft, he had conversations with Broncos linebackers coach Jeff Schmedding. He had another connection on the staff in Jim Leonhard, Denver's defensive pass game coordinator. Before transferring to Michigan State for his final college season in 2024, Turner had played two seasons at Wisconsin for Leonhard, who was the team's defensive coordinator and later its interim head coach during that time. 'Just from a relationship standpoint, Jordan was having all these different touch points,' said Turner's agent, Jackson Magnini. ' … Jordan had made the comment to me, even before the draft ended, 'I don't want to go anywhere else, even if there are other opportunities. This is where I want to be.'' Despite the Broncos' significant interest in Turner, they signed two other players at his position during undrafted free agency: JB Brown of Kansas and Karene Reid of Utah. The flurry of post-draft activity can be a chaotic time for teams and players alike, like college recruiting on hyperdrive. Teams don't know how many spots they'll have to offer at a given position until players start deciding where they want to sign. The inside linebacker spot in Denver, which should feature ample offseason practice time as veterans Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton finish injury rehab, quickly became a popular destination for players with options. Advertisement Still, the Broncos quickly made it clear their opinion on Turner hadn't changed. They still wanted to see him in rookie minicamp. Turner, unlike White, had a chance to go to other camps. Denver remained his target despite the sting of not being drafted or initially signed by the Broncos. 'Once he got out there, his mindset, which I give him a lot of credit for, was, 'I'm not leaving here,'' Magnini said. Turner impressed the coaching staff with a quick grasp of the playbook. He made a similarly quick transition when he transferred to Michigan State, finishing his final season with 66 tackles (11 for loss), three sacks and two interceptions. The 6-foot-1, 228-pound linebacker made enough of an impression at minicamp for the Broncos to add him to an inside linebacker group that now has four undrafted free agents, including last year's post-draft signee at the spot, Levelle Bailey. It also helped White and Turner that they had extensive special teams experience in college. New special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi will have a strong voice in shaping the end of Denver's roster. The Broncos were the only team to select a punter in last month's draft (sixth-rounder Jeremy Crawshaw) and other picks, like fourth-round outside linebacker Que Robinson, were made with early special teams impact in mind. The team's two newest rookies will need to make themselves valuable in that phase of the game to extend their stays further. The path to the 53-man roster by September will be a narrow one for White and Turner to navigate. They will continue to battle undrafted free agents at their positions this offseason — White was the fourth wide receiver the Broncos signed after the draft — to say nothing of the veterans already entrenched at those respective spots. Cuts can come any day in the offseason. To make room for the tryout standouts, after all, the Broncos had to cut two other players after minicamp, undrafted rookies Kendall Bohler and Christian Dowell, to stay within the 90-man roster limit. White and Turner know nothing is given from here. But they are here as the offseason rolls forward. For now, that's all that matters. 'I give them the same message each year,' Payton said of rookie minicamp participants. ''(How) you arrive, that's part of us procuring the talent, but once you arrive here, how you arrived here isn't important to us. You're here.'' (Top photo of Kyrese White: Jamie Sabau / Imagn Images)
