The 2026 NFL Draft is here. While the San Francisco 49ers were loaded with capital last offseason, they made a number of trades with their picks this year. They moved their fifth-round pick for Bryce Huff, their sixth-round pick for Brian Robinson Jr., and their seventh-round pick for Khalil Davis.
West
Riley Gaines hostage for ransom, assault investigation 'suspended' by SFSU police with no charges
EXCLUSIVE: The San Francisco State University Police Department has suspended its investigation into women’s sports activist and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines’ hostage incident and assault last year, saying the alleged charges are “unfounded.”
Gaines, an OutKick contributor, said she was assaulted and held hostage for ransom in April 2023 after speaking at an event hosted by conservative campus organization, Turning Point USA, at San Francisco State University about her experience in her senior year of college competing against male swimmer Lia Thomas. The two had tied for fifth place in a national swimming championship.
RILEY GAINES TELLS CONGRESS SHE WAS HELD FOR RANSOM AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE, UNSURE IF SHE COULD LEAVE SAFELY
Following Gaines’ speech, she was met by a mob of violent protesters that she said stormed into the room, turned off the lights, rushed to the podium where she was standing and assaulted her before holding her hostage.
Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines testified during a House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services hearing on Capitol Hill December 5, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Gaines was then barricaded in a room after the assault, and has said she had been hit multiple times, even while under police protection.
Gaines, the director of the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute and host of Outkick’s “Gaines for Girls” podcast, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that she followed up with the San Francisco State University Police Department last month on its investigation into the incident “where I was held hostage.”
“Can you please let me know if you have completed your investigation?” She wrote in an email reviewed by Fox News Digital. “I wondered if you can share with me any conclusions you have reached regarding your investigation and whether any charges will be filed against the individuals who sought to threaten, intimidate and harm me? Is there a timetable concerning this matter? Is there any additional information you need from me?”
In an email dated Feb. 2, an officer replied: “After a thorough investigation, the alleged charges in this case are unfounded and have been suspended pending further lead.”
RILEY GAINES SHREDS SAN FRANCISCO LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR ‘FAILING MISERABLY’ AT PROTECTING HER FROM ANGRY MOB
The officer said the department sent emails to Gaines in June and July of last year “for a case follow up,” which they claim “went unanswered.”
The officer then requested “any photos and/or videos you may have in your possession as well as the contact information for anyone who was present that may have digital evidence.”
The officer added: “Please do so and the case may be further investigated.”
But Gaines told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview Wednesday that after the incident in April 2023, she met with campus police for hours and provided them with an official statement.
Riley Gaines speaks at Penn State University. (Riley Gaines)
“We talked for multiple hours. I told them over and over and over and over and over again what had happened, which, all the while, both of the officers that I was talking to were there, so it is not like they didn’t know what happened,” Gaines told Fox News Digital.
Gaines said one of the officers present for the incident sent the email notifying her that the investigation had been suspended.
Gaines told Fox News Digital that the emails the campus police sent to her in June and July were requests to meet again, and to share her story “again.”
“I just wasn’t willing to do that,” Gaines said, telling Fox News Digital that she was advised against it. Gaines said advisors told her she had already given a statement and didn’t need to do so again.
RILEY GAINES URGES FEMALE ATHLETES TO BOYCOTT COMPETING AGAINST TRANS GIRLS: ‘DON’T RUN…DON’T SWIM’
Gaines also said the campus police had promised to give her security footage for her review by the beginning of July, but said “they never provided the footage.”
Meanwhile, Gaines reflected on the incident, describing the mob of protesters.
“They were everything under the sun,” she said. “Women, men, men dressed as women, women dressed as men — and everything in between, which is why it was so disorienting.”
“These people turned the lights off, flickered the lights for a bit, which I imagine was done entirely strategically,” she explained. “I was confused and trying to make sense of what was happening.”
Gaines told Fox News Digital that as she was being assaulted, a female officer — whom she said is the same officer who notified her that the investigation had been suspended — approached her and tried to take her to a separate location.
“I didn’t meet any police before the event, and she was totally unmarked, wearing all black, her face was in a mask, so she comes up to me, and says ‘come with me, I’m the police’ and was grabbing me and pulling me,” Gaines said. “I didn’t believe that she was with the police because there really was no indication that she was, but I honestly didn’t really have a choice.”
Gaines said the officer took her to a back room where she was ultimately barricaded and held hostage for ransom for more than four hours.
Riley Gaines addresses the crowd at Madison Public Library in Madison, Alabama, Saturday August 5, 2023. This event is part of a reading tour of 300 libraries by Kirk Cameron which promotes books with Christian values. (Dana Mixer for Fox News Digital)
Gaines said that the protesters outside the room she was being held in were “negotiating a price I had to pay each of them to leave to be able to make it home safe to see my family.”
Gaines said the students came to an agreement that she had to pay them each $10, but eventually, the San Francisco Police came to the scene.
“They were able to effectively remove me,” she said.
FROM OUTKICK: RILEY GAINES CALLS MIKE DEWINE ‘SPINELESS COWARD’ AFTER OHIO GOVERNOR VETOES TRANSGENDER-WOMEN’S SPORTS BILL
Gaines told Fox News Digital that she feels that the suspension of the investigation sets a precedent.
“This just encourages what happened to me to happen to other people because the precedent has now been set,” she said. “We don’t see this happening to liberal speakers or to anyone with a dissenting viewpoint to that of my own.”
Gaines told Fox News Digital that the protesters “had every intention of getting me to step down essentially, to shut up, to scare me into submission.”
“But this does not do that,” Gaines said. “Actually, it does the opposite.”
“These people who want me to be quiet, it really only encourages me to speak louder,” Gaines added.
San Francisco State University Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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San Francisco, CA
The final Jordan Mason trade results are in
San Francisco even got additional capital from the Jordan Mason trade last offseason, where they acquired a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the running back.
However, they also moved that sixth-round pick during the season for New England Patriots defensive lineman Keion White.
With the draft here, let’s go back and revisit that Mason trade with all of the moving pieces.
Original terms of the Jordan Mason trade
- Minnesota Vikings receive: RB Jordan Mason
- San Francisco 49ers receive: 2025 fifth-round pick (No. 160 overall) and 2026 sixth-round pick (No. 198 overall).
What did the 49ers do with the picks from the Jordan Mason trade?
San Francisco used the first of the two picks on Kansas State safety Marques Sigle last offseason.
Then, as mentioned above, they traded the second of the two picks for defensive line help, acquiring Keion White at the trade deadline from the New England Patriots.
Who won the Jordan Mason trade?
This is still a wait-and-see, as both of the 49ers contributors still have time to develop in San Francisco.
Sigle was a contributor as a rookie for the 49ers, playing 15 games while making seven starts. He had 52 tackles, two pass breakups, and one tackle for loss.
While there were certainly flashes from the rookie safety, including his closing speed and willingness to hit, there were also some major learning moments that showed Sigle wasn’t quite ready to start last year. He’s still got a ways to improve in coverage and with his tackling, which will be points of emphasis this season.
Still, there’s the potential there to be a starting safety for the 49ers in the future.
White, on the other hand, was arguably San Francisco’s most disruptive pass rusher last year, at least on the interior after coming in during the trade deadline. He was a versatile piece, being used both on the edge and the inside, and had 24 pressures in 11 games, ranking third overall on the team.
White’s 12.5 percent pass rush win rate was third among defensive linemen behind Yetur Gross-Matos and Bryce Huff, and he also had more than one year of team control.
He’s got a cap hit of just $1.8 million for the upcoming year, and should fit in better in more of a rotational role for the 49ers this season.
Jordan Mason was a key piece for the Vikings last year, emerging as their starter, as he rushed for 758 yards and six touchdowns on 4.8 yards per carry. He was better than the 49ers No. 2 running back last year, but the two-year, $10.5 million price point was likely too high for San Francisco.
Denver, CO
New Broncos TE Justin Joly posts welcome message
New Denver Broncos tight end Justin Joly posted his first message to Broncos fans after being selected 152nd overall in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL draft on Saturday.
Joly (6-3, 241 pounds), a sure-handed receiving tight end will join Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, Lucas Krull and 2025 seventh-round pick Caleb Lohner ahead of team activities in May, and training camp in July. Joly has the ability to fight through contact to make a contested catch, but has average speed, and needs to develop as a blocker.
Joly sent a message to fans shortly after being drafted. “Job not finished let’s do it ya,” tweeted Joly.
Joly joins a loaded Broncos roster which fell four points short of a Super Bowl appearance, and is poised to go even further in 2026.
Welcome to Denver, Justin! We’re glad to have you.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
Seattle, WA
Seattle Mariners Win a Home Run Derby vs St. Louis Cardinals 11-9
If you ask starters Matthew Liberatore and Bryan Woo, Saturday’s Cardinals versus Mariners game did not go according to plan as both teams launched 8 home runs in total, but Seattle ended up with more runs on the scoreboard winning 11-9.
The Seattle Mariners struck first when Julio Rodriguez crushed a ball into Big Mac Land after Cal Raleigh singled giving the Mariners a 2-0 lead. That lead didn’t last long as JJ Wetherholt turned on the 2nd pitch he saw and hit a no-doubt home run into the right field stands for his first-ever leadoff homer.
The very next pitch would also become a souvenir, this time in the left field stands, as Ivan Herrera also went yard tying the game at 2-2.
The 2nd inning was equally exciting as Garver reached on an infield single for the Mariners and he scored when Will Wilson hit a 2-run shot making it 4-2 Seattle. That lead was cut in half in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Nathan Church turned a Bryan Woo pitch into an extra ball for the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen to play around with.
The Cardinals pulled even in the bottom of the 3rd inning when Jordan Walker lined a hard single to right field followed by Nolan Gorman doing the same. Walker would score on a bloop single by Masyn Winn that likely should have been a double as the ball landed just barely fair and then bounced up against the netting and then falling back into the field of play. Winn thought it was a ground rule double but the ground rules said it was a live ball. Fortunately Nolan Gorman did advance to third on the play and then he scored on a sacrifice fly by Nathan Church giving the Cardinals the lead 5-4. Winn would score on a 2-run home run by Pedro Pagés who yanked a ball just to the right of the left field foul pole making it 7-4 St. Louis.
Batting practice would continue into the 4th inning when Cole Young (you guessed it) hit a home run to draw the Mariners closer at 7-5 which inspired manager Oli Marmol to bring in Gordon Graceffo with just one out in the 4th inning. Matthew Liberatore’s line for the day was a mere 3 1/3 innings giving up 8 hits including 3 that left the yard and 5 earned runs. Graceffo was able to shut down Seattle by getting Cal Raleigh to hit into a double play. Woo was pulled after just three innings giving up 9 hits and 7 earned runs. He was replaced by Ferrer who started the Cardinals part of the 4th inning allowing a hit to JJ Wetherholt and then hit Ivan Herrera with a pitch, but Burleson, Walker and Gorman were unable to add to the Cardinals lead.
Seattle would reduce the St. Louis lead to just one in the top of the 5th inning when Rodriquez reached on a bloop single. He stole second and was then moved over to third on a ground out to the right side by Naylor. Randy Arozarena brought him in on a sacrifice fly to center making it 7-6 Cardinals. The Mariners would nearly tie the game with one out in the top of the 6th inning when Garver would hit a ball off of reliever George Soriano that would have cleared the left field wall if not for the heroic effort of Nathan Church who made an amazing grab. Young would hit a double high off the center field wall over Victor Scott II and he would score on a single by Wilson tying the game 7-7.
Nathan Church would untie the game in the bottom of the 7th inning when he slammed his second home run of the game after Masyn Winn singled to left giving the Cardinals a 9-7 lead.
Pedro Pagés would leave the game with possible hamstring trouble after beating out an infield single after Church’s home run.
JoJo Romero got into all kinds of trouble in the 8th inning giving up singles to Young and Garver. Rivas laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to third to move both of them over. Marmol then brought in Riley O’Brien to try and slam the door on the Mariners, but instead the door flung wide open when Connor Joe singled them both in tying the game 9-9. O’Brien would also give up a single to Julio Rodriguez making it first and third for the Mariners, but he would get Naylor to fly out to deep right to end the top of the 8th.
The bottom of the 8th inning was a strange one for Jordan Walker. After getting hit on the top of the hand by a pitch that looked painful, he was called out trying to steal 2nd base when he somehow failed to slide, but instead awkwardly stumbled over the base. The Cardinals appealed the call, but Walker did appear to get tagged during his epic non-slide maneuver.
The game would go off-the-rails for the Cardinals in the top of the 9th inning when the Mariners would load the bases on a bunt single by Crawford, a walk to Garver and a hit-by-pitch for Young. Rivas untied the game by singling off of Riley O’Brien giving Seattle an 11-9 lead. Matt Svanson was brought in to keep the Mariners from adding to their lead. He retired Connor Joe on a lineout to right center, but then walked Raleigh to load the bases again, but he was able to strikeout Rodriguez to close out the top of the 9th inning with no further damage done.
Seattle brought in their closer Andrés Muñoz to finish off the Cardinals in the bottom of the 9th. After walking Nolan Gorman, he struck out Masyn Winn and got a double-play getting Nathan Church to ground out as Nolan Gorman was tagged out to end the game.
The St. Louis Cardinals will try to salvage a game in the short homestand series versus the Mariners on Sunday as Michael McGreevy gets the start for St. Louis while Emerson Hancock will pitch for Seattle. First pitch scheduled for 1:15pm Sunday at Busch Stadium.
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