Minnesota
Will Reichard ‘has done an unbelievable job’ for the Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings waived John Parker Romo on July 29, leaving rookie Will Reichard as the only kicker on their training-camp roster. But the former Hoover High School and Alabama standout said he tried not to let the change in status affect his preparation for the 2024 NFL season.
“I’m not really thinking about that too much, to be honest with you,” Reichard said on Aug. 3. “I’m just trying to put my best foot forward and trying to find the best version of myself every day I come out here and trying to get 1 percent better every single day. Wherever that takes me, it sort of takes me. I’m just trying to find a way to be the best version of myself.”
Vikings special-team coordinator Matt Daniels said Minnesota had not intended to conclude its kicking competition so early in the preseason. But a need in the secondary led the Vikings to sign former Oxford High School standout Bobby McCain, and Minnesota waived Romo to create a roster spot for him.
“That was an unfortunate situation,” Daniels said. “We really, really wanted to continue to see John Parker Romo. I thought he was doing a great job. And, you know, Will did, too, because when he first came in here, he understood to know what he was up against. Like, the job just wasn’t going to just be given to him because he was a draft pick. He truly wanted to earn the right of his teammates, the respect of his teammates, and win the job. And we got to a point, obviously, where there were some roster changes that needed to happen. As a result, we kind of had to make that move.
“But Will has done an unbelievable job since he’s gotten here.”
Greg Joseph handled the Vikings’ kicking duties during the previous three seasons. In 2023, Joseph made 24-of-30 field-goal attempts and 36-of-38 extra-point tries. In March, he signed with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent.
Romo signed with Minnesota on March 13. The All-XFL kicker for the San Antonio Brahmas in 2023, he’s also been on the rosters of the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears without appearing in an NFL regular-season game.
Reichard joined Minnesota in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on April 27. In five seasons with the Crimson Tide, Reichard made 84-of-100 field-goal attempts and 295-of-297 extra-point tries as he scored an NCAA-record 547 points.
“He’s steady Eddie,” Daniels said of Reichard. “He’s a guy that really maintains a good, neutral mindset, and you truly never know when he’s in a good mood or when he’s in a bad mood. He can go perfect on a day, and he’s still just even keel. And it’s like, you know, ‘That was a good day.’ And he’ll tell you, like, ‘On a scale of 1 to 10, that was a 5.’ And it’s like, ‘Damn, you went perfect, and you hit every ball and went all the way back to 60.’ And he’s like, ‘No, that wasn’t good enough.’ And so he has expectations, and he has high standards for himself, and that’s really what you appreciate.
“And we’ve gone into discussions now that he is our kicker on what his season goals look like and what training-camp goals look like. And I have an idea of what it looks like. And he’s kind of telling me, like, ‘That’s not good enough.’ And, you know, I appreciate that. I really appreciate the edginess that he has and the mindset that he has. And that’s the reason why we drafted him is because of that mindset.”
Reichard said “a lot of kicking is mental.”
“A lot of people have ability, but it’s about what’s up here that really counts,” Reichard said while pointing to his head. “So just making sure that’s sharp.”
Reichard will get his first opportunity to kick in a Minnesota uniform in the Vikings’ preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders at 3 p.m. CDT Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. NFL Network will televise the game.
“I think this is a great spot,” Reichard said. “Obviously landed myself in a great, great group of guys. … Everyone in the building has been awesome, so super glad I ended up here, for sure.”
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
Minnesota
Shorthanded Clippers can’t keep pace with Anthony Edwards and Minnesota
Anthony Edwards scored 31 points, Donte DiVincenzo added 18 and the surging Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Clippers 94-88 on Thursday night.
Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu each scored 12 points and Rudy Gobert had 13 rebounds to help the Timberwolves improve to 5-1 since Feb. 9 and 3-1 since the All-Star break.
Edwards, returning to the site of the All-Star Game, where he was the MVP, was 12 for 24 from the floor and sealed the victory with a step-back three-pointer over two defenders for a 92-88 lead with 42.9 seconds left.
Minnesota improved to 2-0 on a three-game trip.
Derrick Jones Jr. scored 18 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 14 for the Clippers, who struggled from the outset with a season-low 38 points in the first half. Kris Dunn had 11 points for the Clippers (27-31), who have lost three consecutive games for the first time since December.
The Clippers struggled on offense without star Kawhi Leonard, out because of ankle soreness. The Clippers shot 40.5% from the floor, including 18.2% (four for 22) in the second quarter. Minnesota shot 43.4% in the game.
The Timberwolves (37-23) scored just 15 points in the second quarter and still topped the Clippers, who had 11. Minnesota led 44-38 at halftime behind 12 points from DiVincenzo and 11 from Edwards.
The Clippers led by six in the third quarter and were up 68-63 heading into the fourth. Edwards’ drive and reverse layup put the Timberwolves up for good at 76-74 with 7:40 remaining.
The Clippers pulled within one three times in the last 2½ minutes, but Edwards answered each time. He scored the Timberwolves’ last nine points.
Up next for Clippers: vs. New Orleans on Sunday night.
Minnesota
Church congregant filed lawsuit against alleged Minnesota church protesters
A St. Paul church member has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that a group of individuals, including journalist Don Lemon and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, unlawfully disrupted service last month as part of a coordinated political demonstration.
The complaint, filed by Ann Doucette in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota, alleges that a Jan. 18 demonstration at Cities Church interfered with her ability to worship and caused her to suffer damages, including emotional distress and trauma.
In addition to the former CNN anchor and Armstrong, the complaint names journalist Georgia Fort and activists Will Kelly, Jerome Richardson, Trahern Crews and Jamael Lundy. It also names St. Paul school board member Chauntyll Allen.
Doucette and seven of the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Doucette filed the complaint without the representation of an attorney. In an emailed statement to NBC News, Crews denied the lawsuit’s allegations “with empathy and compassion.”
The lawsuit accuses the group of civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting, intentional infliction of emotional distress, interference with religious exercise and trespassing.
“As a result of Defendants’ actions, the worship service was disrupted, congregants experienced fear and distress, and Plaintiff’s ability to freely exercise her religion in a private place of worship was unlawfully interfered with,” the lawsuit states.
All eight defendants are also facing federal charges for conspiracy against the rights of religious freedom at a place of worship and for interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom. Lemon has pleaded not guilty to all charges, saying outside the court, “I wanted to say this isn’t just about me, this is about all journalists, especially in the United States.”
Fort, Crews and Lundy were released on bond and entered not guilty pleas, according to The Associated Press.
This is the latest legal action tied to protests in the Twin Cities, where tensions remain over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
According to the lawsuit, the demonstrators engaged in “coordinated conduct” by organizing meetings ahead of the “Operation Pullup” protest and promoting it on social media.
The lawsuit alleges that on the morning of Jan. 18, a coordinated group of individuals entered Cities Church, halting the worship service, and chanting “‘ICE Out!’ and ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!’” while obstructing aisles. Protesters could allegedly be seen “confronting the pastor and congregants in a menacing manner,” the lawsuit says, noting that their chanting and “aggressive gestures” caused “severe emotional distress, fear, anxiety, and trauma” and caused children “terror.”
Demonstrators gathered at the church because they said its pastor, David Easterwood, was the acting director of an ICE field office in the city, the lawsuit says.
Lemon was arrested in January in California and accused of violating federal civil rights law after covering the protest on Jan. 18. He was released on a personal recognizance bond before a federal grand jury in Minnesota returned the indictment against Lemon and eight co-defendants, all of whom are also named in Doucette’s lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, Doucette alleges that Lemon specifically livestreamed the protest, “noting congregants’ fear and distress, and appeared to take satisfaction in the disruption.”
Levy Armstrong, a Minneapolis-based civil rights attorney and activist, was also arrested for her participation in the St. Paul protest. Her arrest drew national attention after the White House shared on social media doctored photos where she appeared to be crying.
Minnesota
Man arrested, charged with threatening to kill a state senator
A Hubbard County man was arrested and charged after threatening to kill a Minnesota state senator on Facebook.
Court documents filed on Wednesday state the Minnesota State Patrol were investigating a threat posted by John Tobias saying that he would “kill every one of you treasonous [expletive] immediately” if he did not get money back that he claims he lost during the 2020 COVID shutdown.
Court documents go on to say that Tobias then called the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office asking for something to be done about “Minnesota Governor Tim Walz ‘unconstitutionally’ shutting down the state due to COVID-19.
The Minnesota State Patrol contacted Hubbard County deputies regarding Tobias. Court documents state Hubbard County investigators were already familiar with Tobais after speaking with him regarding similar threats he made in Jan.
The charging documents state that investigators searched Tobias’ residence on Tuesday and found an arsenal of guns and 45 boxes of ammunition.
Tobias was taken into custody. During an interview with law enforcement, Tobias admitted to making the threat on Facebook. He also told investigators that “he did not have any intention of killing anyone, but admitted he was trying to get people’s attention,” according to court records.
In late 2025, Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol, who oversees Capitol security, told a panel of lawmakers that threats to lawmakers had doubled between 2024 and 2025.
Tobias made his first court appearance Wednesday morning and is expected back in court early next month.
-
World2 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts2 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Oklahoma1 week agoWildfires rage in Oklahoma as thousands urged to evacuate a small city
-
Louisiana4 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology6 days agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Denver, CO2 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Technology6 days agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making