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USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney chimes in on if Clemson or LSU is the real Death Valley
Dabo Swinney didn't dodge the question when asked on SportsCenter at ACC Media Days about the latest jab from LSU head coach Brian Kelly. With Clemson and LSU set to square off to begin the 2025 season, the long-running debate over which school owns the title of 'Death Valley' has once again taken center stage. 'Well, I think, first of all, both programs are for real. These are two great programs. We've met a couple times over the years. Great respect for LSU,' Swinney said. 'But I think if you just Google Coach McMillian, who was the head coach at PC — you can go and do that research on your own. But all that matters is how we handle our business in Clemson, South Carolina, on August 30th. So, that's our focus. But that stuff is historical facts, so I'll let you do the research on that. You can report back. I'll be tuned in for your report. You have a homework assignment.' Swinney was referring to Lonnie McMillian, the former head coach at Presbyterian College, who famously dubbed Clemson's Memorial Stadium 'Death Valley' after a 76-0 loss to the Tigers in 1945. Each time his team made the trip to Clemson, McMillian would tell reporters, 'I'm taking my boys to Death Valley.' The nickname stuck, and the media ran with it. By the mid-1940s, Clemson had fully adopted the label. Meanwhile, LSU didn't begin calling Tiger Stadium 'Death Valley' until 1959, and the name didn't really gain national recognition until several decades later. Clemson and Presbyterian opened every season from 1930 to 1957, giving McMillian plenty of opportunities to use the now-famous phrase. Over time, it became a staple of Clemson football tradition. Now, with both programs ranked among the sport's elite, the debate over which Death Valley is the 'real' one has added fuel ahead of their highly anticipated matchup. That answer might become a little clearer on August 30, when LSU makes the trip to Memorial Stadium in Clemson to open the 2025 college football season. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
USA Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Clemson star Christian Wilkins released by Raiders in a shocking, sticky situation
Just over a year after making Christian Wilkins one of the highest-paid defensive linemen in the NFL, the Las Vegas Raiders are moving on. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Raiders have released Wilkins with the designation of a terminated vested veteran—voiding the remainder of his guaranteed money in the process. Wilkins signed a four-year, $110 million deal with Las Vegas in March 2024, with the expectation he'd anchor their defensive front. But after suffering a Jones fracture in his foot just five games into last season, he never saw the field again. Initially projected to be healthy before the team's 2025 offseason program began, Wilkins experienced a setback in his recovery that kept him out entirely and ultimately landed him on the Physically Unable to Perform list for the start of training camp. The Raiders took issue with how Wilkins managed his rehab, and last month voided the remaining $35.2 million in guarantees on his contract. Wilkins has now filed a grievance with the NFL Players Association to challenge that decision. "This is a situation that is far from over," Schefter noted. Much could depend on the language in Wilkins' deal, particularly regarding rehab obligations and medical care. In six NFL seasons, Wilkins has played in 86 games (82 starts) and tallied 372 total tackles, 22.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles. Despite being sidelined for most of 2024, the 28-year-old still has plenty of prime years left—making this an unusual and potentially messy end to what began as a marquee signing. At Clemson, Wilkins was a three-time All-American who became the fifth unanimous All-American in school history. The National Champion ended his career with the Tigers, recording 250 tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 56 quarterback pressures, 16 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries in 2,441 snaps over 59 games, with 49 starts. Whether another team takes a chance on him soon may hinge on how his foot progresses—and how this contract dispute plays out. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
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Business Standard
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Business Standard
Karnataka govt blames RCB for Bengaluru stampede, cites safety lapses
The Karnataka government has held the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) responsible for the deadly stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 people dead and over 50 injured, stating in its report to the High Court that the franchise organised the victory parade "unilaterally" and without prior police permission. The report, which the government initially wanted sealed, was made public after the High Court ruled there was no legal basis to keep it confidential. It highlights a series of lapses by RCB and its organisers, including social media posts that misled fans about entry protocols, resulting in chaotic crowd surges. 'Intimation, Not Permission' According to NDTV, the report states that RCB merely informed the police about a potential victory parade on June 3, the day the team won the IPL title after 18 years, instead of submitting a formal request as required by law. "No application in the prescribed format was submitted," it reads. As a result, Cubbon Park Police Station denied permission on the grounds that there was no information on crowd size, logistics, or safety planning. Despite this, RCB went ahead. Parade announced on social media, Virat Kohli Featured The franchise posted an open invitation for fans at 7:01 am on June 4 via social media, declaring free public entry for the victory parade. Another post followed at 8 am. At 8:55 am, a video of Virat Kohli was posted on RCB's official handle, inviting fans to celebrate with the team. "Subsequently, on 04.06.2025, at 8:55 am, the RCB shared a video clip of Mr. Virat Kohli, a prominent player of the RCB team, on RCB's official handle @Rcbtweets on X, in which he stated that the team intended to celebrate this victory with the people of Bengaluru city and RCB fans on 04.06.2025 in Bengaluru," the report says. A final update at 3:14 pm, just 90 minutes before the event began, clarified for the first time that limited passes were required, contradicting earlier posts. This late clarification, the report notes, led to confusion and contributed to crowd unrest. Crowd swells to 3 Lakh, chaos unleashed The report further stated that the posts amassed 44 lakh views, and over 3 lakh fans thronged the parade route and stadium area. Metro ridership surged to 9.66 lakh, well above the daily average of 6 lakh. Fans also crowded along the 14-km stretch from HAL Airport to Taj West End hotel, where the team was staying, severely straining police resources. The stadium's capacity was only 35,000, creating a dangerous bottleneck at entry gates. Stampede at multiple gates, Police respond As gates remained closed and the crowd swelled, stampedes broke out at 10 different gates, including Nos. 1, 2, and 21, which were broken open by desperate fans. The police responded quickly to control the situation, but the report blames RCB and co-organisers for the gate mismanagement. Event Not Cancelled to Avoid Riot Authorities decided not to cancel the parade despite the unfolding crisis. The report says this was a tactical move to prevent widespread riots. The event was allowed to proceed with a shortened duration and tightened monitoring to avoid inciting violence.
NDTV
17-07-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Karnataka Blames RCB For Bengaluru Stampede, Report Mentions Virat Kohli
Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) invited people for a victory parade to Chinnaswamy stadium "unilaterally" and "without consultation/ permission" from city police, the Karnataka government has said in its report to the High Court on the stampede that claimed 11 lives and injured over 50 people. The report has been made public following a direction by the Karnataka High Court. The state government had urged the court to keep the report confidential, but the court stated there were no legal grounds for such confidentiality. 'No Proper Permission Request' The state government has said in its report that the RCB management contacted police on June 3 -- the day RCB won the IPL after an 18-year trophy drought -- and informed the cops about a possible victory parade. This was in the nature of an intimation, not a requisition for permission as required under the law," the report says. It adds that such permissions must be sought at least seven days before the event. "In the present case, no applications in the prescribed formats were submitted to the licensing authority by the applicant/organiser. In the absence of such information required under the prescribed formats, it was not possible for the licence-granting authority to consider the request positively. Accordingly, the PI of the Cubbon Park Police Station did not grant the permission to the request made by KSCA on 03.06.2025 at around 6.30 pm, due to a lack of information regarding the expected approximate gathering, arrangements made, possible bottlenecks, and the like, for both possible outcomes of the final match, i.e., whether RCB won or lost," the report says. 'Public Invite Without Consulting Cops' The report says RCB, without consulting the police, posted a photo at 7.01 am the next day on its official social media handles, "informing that there is free entry for people and inviting the public to participate in the Victory Parade, which would commence at Vidhana Soudha and conclude at Chinnaswamy Stadium". Another post was made at 8 am, reiterating this information. "Subsequently, on 04.06.2025, at 8:55 am, the RCB shared a video clip of Mr. Virat Kohli, a prominent player of the RCB team, on RCB's official handle @Rcbtweets on X, in which he stated that the team intended to celebrate this victory with the people of Bengaluru city and RCB fans on 04.06.2025 in Bengaluru," the report says. "Thereafter, RCB made one more post at 3:14 p.m on 04.06.2024, announcing a Victory Parade to be held from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Stadium from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, stating that this victory parade would be followed by celebrations at Chinnaswamy Stadium. This post mentioned, for the first and only time, that free passes (limited entry) were available on and until this point, there had been no information regarding the disbursement of passes, implying that the event was open to all based on RCB's prior posts," it adds. Massive Crowd The posts by the RCB handles, the report said, drew immense engagement and got a combined 44 lakh views. "This led to a public gathering of immense proportions, exceeding 3,00,000, individuals. One basis for estimating the crowd size is the BMRCL ridership numbers for 04.06.2025, which transported around 9.66 lakh persons on that date (with the average ridership on regular days being around 6 lakh persons per day). Therefore, including those who travelled on foot, used public transport, and private means on 04.06.2025, the estimated gathering would be well beyond 3,00,000, individuals," it says. "In addition to the crowd that had gathered in and around the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a significant number of people had gathered along the roads from HAL Airport (landing place of the team) to Taj West End (destination), spanning a distance of approximately 14 kilometres to catch a glimpse of the team members. This created a need for extensive deployment of police personnel en route to manage such crowds and prevent any mishaps," the report says. It says video clips of this spontaneous crowding were circulated on social media. This "further heightened the atmosphere, leading to even more people gathering en route and at the stadium". "This impromptu gathering of crowds on the roads necessitated the urgent deployment of large numbers of police personnel along the routes, in addition to those required at the stadium and surrounding areas. This situation arose due to a lack of proper planning by the Organisers and the failure to provide the necessary information in advance to the concerned authorities," the report says. The Stampede The report says that around 3 pm on June 4, there was a sudden surge of people near Chinnaswamy Stadium. "Around 3,00,000 individuals gathered in this limited space, far exceeding the stadium's capacity of merely 35,000. Such a crowd concentrated at the entry gates of the stadium following posts made by the RCB/organisers on their official handles stating that entry to the event would be free for all," it says. The report says that around 3.14 pm, RCB and other organisers published a post on their social media accounts 'for the first time and belatedly", clarifying that entry to the stadium would require limited pass entry. This, the report says, created "confusion, frustration, and chaos among the public who had already gathered at the stadium and were in high emotions". "As restless crowds gathered at the gates, the situation deteriorated further when the organisers/RCB/DNA/KSCA responsible for gate management failed to open the gates at the appropriate time and in an unsynchronised manner. This prompted the crowd to force their way into the stadium by breaking open Gate Nos. 1, 2, and 21, due to complete mismanagement by the organisers," it says. The report says stadium gates numbers 02, 2A, 6, 7, 15, 17, 18, 20, and 21 "experienced sporadic stampedes". 'In every instance mentioned, the police personnel at and around the gates responded immediately and effectively to regain control and deescalate the situation," it says. Why March Was Not Called Off The report says the event was not called off amid concerns that abruptly shutting down the victory celebrations at the stadium "could potentially incite violence among the gathered crowd and adversely affect overall law and order across the city". "...a measured response was taken by curtailing the duration of the function. Instead of complete termination, a measured approach was adopted by allowing the event to proceed with significantly curtailed duration and enhanced monitoring," it says. "This tactical decision considered the evolving ground situation, crowd psychology, the massive scale of gathering, and the information asymmetry amongst the assembled masses. The risk of large-scale rioting both within the stadium premises and throughout Bengaluru necessitated this careful balancing approach, prioritizing overall public safety over immediate event cessation. It is common and known in law & order situations that cancellation of anticipated events can incite the crowd tremendously and lead to widespread mob violence, as has been seen in several events where such decisions have been taken," it adds.
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Clemson 5-star linebacker target Tyler Atkinson sets a commitment date
One of Clemson football's top linebacker targets in the 2026 class is about to reveal his college decision. Tyler Atkinson, a five-star standout from Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia, will announce where he's headed during The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN this Tuesday afternoon. Atkinson, listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, is rated as the nation's No. 1 linebacker and a top-10 overall prospect for 2026, according to the 247Sports Composite. He recently narrowed his choices to Clemson, Georgia, Oregon and Texas, taking official visits to each. Atkinson has been on Clemson's radar for a long time, and the Tigers have made him feel like a top priority throughout the recruiting process. Atkinson's announcement is one of the most anticipated recruiting moments of the summer for Clemson fans hoping to see the Tigers continue stacking elite defensive talent. Landing him would be a major boost for Clemson's 2026 class and a big statement against other national powers. All eyes will be on ESPN to see where one of the nation's most coveted defenders will suit up next. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
