Sports
A secret to Quentin Lake's Rams success? Having his All-Pro dad as a role model
Quentin Lake got the news on the field after practice, so there was no other place he wanted to pass it along.
The Rams’ safety trotted into the locker room, picked up his phone and waited until teammates had filed in and left the field empty.
Then he quietly made his way back outside, took a deep breath and placed the call.
“Dad,” he said, trying to hide his excitement, “I was elected a team captain.”
Carnell Lake choked up a bit.
“You’re only in your third year!” he told his son, pride rippling through the connection. “‘I didn’t get elected captain till I was 10 years in. Man, I’m proud of you.”
The emotional August exchange, on the eve of the Rams’ season, was another bonding moment for father and son.
Carnell, a star at Culver City High and UCLA, played safety and cornerback for 12 NFL seasons, 10 with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1989 to 1998. He was an All-Pro, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and was named to an NFL 1990s All-Decade team.
Quentin, who also played at UCLA, is a leader and something of an ironman for a Rams team that rebounded from a 1-4 start to make the playoffs.
“Football,” Quentin said of his relationship with his father, “is our love language.”
Quentin’s lineage comes through in his approach, his maturity and his play, Rams coach Sean McVay said. A love for the game, understanding of nuances and “emotional intelligence,” as McVay put it, enables the 25-year-old to navigate situations and connect with other players.
Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Carnell Lake warms up before the AFC championship game against the Colts in January 1996.
(Mark Duncan / Associated Press)
“You definitely feel that pedigree based on the love that he has and that relationship that he has with his father,” McVay said.
Carnell played in 17 playoff games, including a Super Bowl XXX defeat by the Dallas Cowboys in 1996.
On Monday night, Quentin will start his second postseason game when the Rams play the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC wild-card game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Because of safety concerns related to the wildfires in Southern California, the NFL moved the game from SoFi Stadium.
“You want to remind guys that when stuff like this happens, it’s bigger than the game of football,” Quentin said of his role as a captain, “but at the same time we can use this game to give L.A. hope.”
By design, Quentin’s journey to the NFL was made without a push from his father.
Despite Quentin’s request for his father to coach him in youth sports — “I wanted to learn all the tricks of the trade,” he said — Carnell declined.
“If you grow up enjoying it without feeling pressure,” Carnell said, “I think it’s going to be more about him.”
Carnell never pushed football. He told his son that if he wanted to be an engineer, be an engineer. If he wanted to be a doctor, be a doctor.
“He always said, ‘It’s your life, and you’re going to have to one day make a decision of what you want to do,” Quentin said. “Luckily, he was such a good role model that that’s exactly what I wanted to do was be a football player and go to the NFL.”
Quentin played at Santa Ana Mater Dei before following in his father’s footsteps to UCLA. Carnell, who had coached for seven seasons with the Steelers, left his position so he could watch.
“I said, ‘I don’t want to miss that,’” Carnell said.
Carnell, though, continued to keep his distance.
“He never wanted to overstep,” his son said.
But in 2018, after watching a Bruins practice where Quentin played a coverage incorrectly, Carnell offered a bit of unsolicited advice.
“He was kind of listening like, ‘Hey Dad, you played a long time ago,’” Carnell said, laughing. “So I looked at it like, he’s not listening to me.”
Not much changed after USC receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown burned the Bruins for a long touchdown late in the season.
Quentin Lake warms up before a game between UCLA and Fresno State at the Rose Bowl in September 2021.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
The next week, however, St. Brown’s brother, Osiris, scored on a similar play for Stanford.
“At that point, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got to listen — he knows what he’s talking about,” Quentin said, chuckling. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
“So from that point on, we started really diving into the film and how can I improve my game — and my game took off.”
The Rams selected Lake in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. He was sidelined for much of his rookie season because of a knee injury, but last season his versatility helped the Rams rebound from a 3-6 start to make the playoffs.
As the Rams prepared for this season, first-year defensive coordinator Chris Shula regarded Lake as a building block for a unit making up for the loss of retired star defensive lineman Aaron Donald. After linebacker Troy Reeder suffered a hamstring injury, Lake assumed signal-calling duties.
“We had that vision of being able to move him around and play wherever we needed to fit the defense,” Shula said. “He’s excellent in coverage. He’s a physical player. He is obviously really smart, so he is a guy that you can do a lot of different things with.”
Quentin, 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, said he has benefited from the expertise of Rams coaches as well as his sessions with his father.
Carnell recalled one they shared during Quentin’s down time.
Rams safety Quentin Lake, left, and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon celebrate an interception against the Bengals in September 2023.
(Emilee Chinn / Associated Press)
“We stayed up till 2 in the morning watching film, and he showed me his notebook,” Carnell said. “I was like, ‘You gotta be kidding me.’ He’s already ahead of me. His penmanship and his notetaking skills are impressive.
“Mine is like chicken scratch.”
Quentin disagrees. His father had “multiple notebooks for one team,” when he was a player, and now offers “full Power Point presentations” to his son.
“My notes are good,” Quentin said, “but his notes are far and beyond.”
Lake has applied the lessons. He went into the final week of the season as one of only four NFL players to play every defensive snap. The streak ended only because McVay rested or minimized snaps for starters in the season finale.
Lake’s success does not surprise defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant.
“He’s such a stickler for the details that sometimes I have to tell him to give himself some grace, allow himself to be a little more kind to himself,” Pleasant said. “That’s something you want as a coach. You want to be able to pull back on the reins, as opposed to feeling like you’re always pushing them to move forward.”
Lake, a role model for teammates on the field, he also strives to lead by example in other areas.
This season on his off days, Lake was on hand for the dedication of a football field the Rams installed at the Nickerson Gardens housing complex in Watts. He also was among a number of Rams players that pitched in at a construction site in North Hollywood that will eventually be homes for military veterans.
Rams safety Quentin Lake helps with construction of a site that will have homes for multiple military veteran families in North Hollywood.
(Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times)
Rams safety Quentin Lake instructs a youngster during the dedication of the Rams football field at Nickerson Gardens in Watts.
(Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times)
“It’s being able to take a step back really from football and saying I’m a human first, how can I help other people,” he said after mixing and moving wheelbarrows full of cement.
Rams rookie safety Jaylen McCollough attempts to follow Lake’s example.
“You want to be an all-around pro, and that’s on the field and off the field,” McCollough said. “And so any nuggets you can take or just learn from Q, you just got to be a sponge.”
That is how Quentin approaches the lessons his father passes along.
In honor of Carnell, Quentin has always worn jersey No. 37, the number his father wore.
“I thought about changing it when I got drafted,” Quentin said. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m on my own journey.’ But you know what, 37 is just me.”
Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, a studio analyst for CBS, apparently recognizes the similarities between father and son.
After Quentin and Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner taped a television segment this season, Cowher sent Lake a video message, relaying a story about a sideline conversation he had with Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu.
“Troy was having a tough time, and Troy came back to the sideline and coach Cowher was like, ‘Troy, you’re good. You’re good,’” Quentin said. “And Troy said, ‘I’m just trying to be like Carnell Lake.’
“I was like, ‘Wow. That’s crazy.’”
Now Quentin hopes to one-up his father.
He wants to not only play in a Super Bowl but be a captain for a team that wins a ring.
“I’d come home and be like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got this,’” Quentin said, shaking his ring finger. “That would be cool.”
And another proud moment for father and son to share.
Trump says there’s ‘no time frame’ to secure Iran deal
Republican Minnesota Senate candidate Tom Weiler joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Iranian conflict continues and react to Gov. Tim Walz’s, D-Minn., criticism of the president.
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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.
The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.
Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.
“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.
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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.
WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”
John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”
Thousand-dollar tickets and hundreds of dollars in fees shocked some hopeful Olympic fans this month, but they did not keep LA28 from boasting strong sales in the committee’s first ticket drop.
LA28 announced Thursday that it sold more than 4 million Olympic tickets during the first ticket drop. The private organizing committee will have a second ticket drop in August with “refreshed inventory across all Olympic sports at a range of price points.”
But after the popularity of the first purchasing period, many of the lower-priced tickets have already been scooped up.
LA28 said roughly half of the total 1 million $28 tickets were sold during the locals presale, which was limited to people living near venue cities in Southern California and Oklahoma City.
The average price per Olympic ticket is less than $200, which includes a mandatory 24% service fee, and LA28 said about 75% of all tickets, including final events, will be under $400. The premier seats at high-demand events command more than $1,000 per ticket, but the highest priced categories make up about 5% of the total ticket inventory.
Artistic gymnastics sold out the quickest in Drop 1. Four new Olympic sports — flag football, lacrosse, softball and squash — sold all their available inventory for the first drop. After five days of local presale, global ticket sales opened and drew fans from 85 countries and all 50 states and U.S. territories. The largest international sales came from the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico and Japan.
For the first female-majority Olympic Games, LA28 reported that women’s Olympic sessions outsold men’s 93% to 88% during the first drop.
“The response to our initial on-sale was nothing short of historic. Fans from near and far have spoken: the world wants to be part of the LA28 Games,” LA28 chief executive officer Reynold Hoover said in a statement. “The success of Drop 1 is about more than momentum — it reflects LA28’s commitment to delivering a fiscally responsible Games that create a lasting legacy for Los Angeles and its communities.”
Drop 2, which will begin in August, will have additional tickets across all Olympic sports, including those that may have sold out during the first purchasing windows. The registration period for Drop 2 opened Thursday and will continue until July 22. Fans who registered for the first drop of tickets but did not receive a time slot and fans who did not buy their maximum 12 general ticket allotment will automatically be entered into the random lottery Drop 2. The new registration period is only required for anybody who did not sign up for the initial drop.
Fans are still limited to 12 Olympic tickets and up to 12 soccer tickets that don’t count toward the general maximum. There is a four ticket per ceremony limit for the opening and closing ceremony that count toward the 12-ticket maximum, which is cumulative across all LA28 presales and ticket drops.
LA28 will have multiple ticket drops with assigned purchasing time slots before ticket sales move to a first-come, first-served format closer to the Games, which open on July 14, 2028. LA28 began its ticketing process earlier than most other Olympic Games with tickets going on sale more than two years in advance of the opening ceremony. The early timeline has created excitement for the first Summer Olympics in the United States since Atlanta 1996, but also prompted concerns about scheduling. Fans clamored for tickets with little information about which teams or athletes would be competing in most sessions.
Tickets are not refundable, but fans can opt for verified resale when LA28 launches its official resale system in 2027. AXS and Eventim is the official secondary ticket marketplace of the LA28 Games and Ticketmaster and Sports Illustrated Tickets have also signed on as additional verified resale platforms.
LA28 will have 14 million tickets available for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which would eclipse the record of 12 million tickets sold for the Paris Games. Paris 2024 sold an about 9.5 million tickets for the Olympics, but used a different ticket system than LA28. For Paris, 3.5 million tickets were sold during the first phase, during which fans were required to buy tickets to at least three different sports instead of the option for single-event tickets available during LA28’s Drop 1 process.
Tickets for the 2028 Paralympics, which will be the first in L.A.’s history, will go on sale in 2027. Ticket sales and hospitality are expected to cover about $2.5 billion of LA28’s expected $7.1 billion budget for the first Games in L.A. in more than 40 years.
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An envoy for President Donald Trump has reportedly asked FIFA to replace Iran with Italy in the 2026 World Cup this summer.
The Financial Times reported the plan is an effort to repair the relationship between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which soured after the former’s comments against Pope Leo XIV regarding the war with Iran.
United States special envoy Paolo Zampolli suggested the idea to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
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President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5, 2025. (Emilee Chinn/FIFA)
“I confirm I have suggested to Trump and Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup. I’m an Italian native, and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at a U.S.-hosted tournament,” Zampolli told the outlet. “With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify inclusion.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News Digital.
Italy had a chance to be in the World Cup already, but it lost in a penalty shootout to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a qualifying playoff final.
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Italy became the first World Cup-winning team to miss three consecutive tournaments after the 4-1 penalty shootout loss earlier this month.
“We still don’t believe it that we’re out and that it happened in this manner,” Italy’s Leonardo Spinazzola told reporters at the time, according to the New York Post.
“It’s upsetting for everyone. For us, for our families and for all the kids who have never seen Italy at a World Cup.”
While Zampolli told Infantino about his proposed plan, FIFA’s president said Iran “for sure” will play in the World Cup despite the conflict involving the U.S.
Mehdi Taremi of Iran celebrates after scoring a goal during a 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Group A game against Uzbekistan at Azadi Stadium in Tehran March 25, 2025. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu)
“The Iranian team is coming, for sure,” Infantino said during the CNBC Invest in America Forum earlier this month in Washington, D.C.
“We hope that, by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation. That would definitely help. But Iran has to come, of course. They represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.”
Infantino visited the Iranian national team in Turkey, which is where it has its training camp.
All three of Iran’s group stage games are scheduled to be played in the U.S. That remains the case after Iranian government officials suggested to FIFA that their games be moved to Mexico because they could not travel to the U.S.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed FIFA’s rejection of Iran’s request, and it is insisting Iran play where it’s scheduled — SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and Lumen Field in Seattle. Iran said earlier this month it would only decide on its team’s participation once it heard from FIFA regarding its relocation request.
Iran is scheduled to play at SoFi Stadium against New Zealand June 16 to begin its tournament. It will also play Belgium at the stadium before finishing group play against Mo Salah and Egypt in Seattle June 26.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends an international friendly between Mexico and Portugal at Banorte Stadium in Mexico City March 28, 2026. (Antonio Torres/FIFA/Getty Images)
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Trump wrote in a Truth Social post last month that Iran would be welcome to compete in the World Cup as scheduled, though it might not be “appropriate” considering the conflict.
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” he wrote.
Trump also told Politico, “I really don’t care,” when asked about Iran’s participation in the tournament. Infantino, who has a strong relationship with Trump, said Trump has “reiterated” to him that the U.S. welcomes Iran’s team to compete.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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