Sports
‘Alabama, goodnight’: The story of Luke Ratliff, a college hoops superfan gone too soon
The coed superfan knew the way to stand out in a crowd. To grow to be “Fluff,” the Alabama basketball zealot beloved by the Crimson Tide devoted for his colourful antics, every sport day Luke Ratliff dutifully slipped on his armor — a custom-fit darkish plaid sport coat, an Alabama pin on the precise lapel and a pair of white Nikes. Often, a few Budweisers helped him step totally into character.
A yr in the past, when the NCAA welcomed 68 groups to Indianapolis for a March Insanity in contrast to another, with all 67 video games staged in a “bubble” to reduce journey and publicity to COVID-19, Fluff was not going to overlook it. Heck, he had attended each highway sport all season because the pandemic performed on unchecked all through the Southeast.
“I’ll do something for my head ball coach,” Fluff preferred to say of Alabama’s Nate Oats.
The Crimson Tide coaches and gamers had come to depend on Fluff’s presence. The sight of the heavyset 23-year-old within the black-rim Oakley frames, taking over the persona of a fire-and-brimstone preacher, was a supply of consolation. And apparently the staff wasn’t alone in its appreciation.
After Alabama’s first sport of the match, a win over Iona at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, a line stretched alongside one of many concourses full of followers who needed their image taken with Fluff. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne would later inform Ratliff’s dad and mom that he needed to ask for safety to handle the state of affairs.
Alabama basketball assistant coaches Antoine Pettway, left, and Bryan Hodgson carry Luke Ratliff a chunk of the web from the staff’s SEC common season championship.
(Courtesy Pam Ratliff)
Fluff by no means understood all the eye. He as soon as instructed a radio host who requested him what it was prefer to be well-known, “I’m only a child from slightly small city in North Carolina that loves Alabama basketball. That’s it.”
His mom, Pam, had observed that there was “slightly little bit of Fluff in Luke and slightly little bit of Luke in Fluff.” Luke shone by means of when Fluff would all the time take the time to cease for an image along with his admirers. All through the pandemic, she took solace that the one time he would take down his masks was for these seconds when he was smiling for another person’s digital camera.
Luke had truly taken COVID critically. At his measurement, he knew he ought to concern it, and he did. He usually acquired examined to verify he was defending these round him, significantly the Alabama basketball staff. In Indianapolis, his associates noticed him washing his fingers vigorously and, in lots of pictures taken that week, he was among the many few who had a masks round his neck.
However Fluff nonetheless saved the temper gentle. How may he not? Alabama was the Southeastern Convention common season and match champions. The No. 2 seed Tide dealt with Iona after which Maryland to advance to the Candy 16.
“He instructed everybody, ‘That is the very best day of my life,’” says Alabama assistant coach Bryan Hodgson.
Ratliff hightailed it again to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a couple of days of courses earlier than returning to the Indianapolis bubble for the Tide’s subsequent sport towards UCLA, placing one other thousand miles on his black Honda Civic.
At lunch the day of the sport, his pal Hunter Johnson was shocked that Ratliff turned down a beer. He mentioned he wasn’t feeling his greatest.
His day would solely worsen from there. The Bruins beat Alabama 88-78 in extra time, ending Fluff’s dream of a Remaining 4 to cap his senior season.
“Thanks for the journey of a lifetime,” Ratliff tweeted from his Twitter account @Fluffopotamus88. “Alabama, goodnight.”
Early the following morning, he arrived again in Tuscaloosa and tweeted a pin emoji. His mom replied, “Glad to know you made it again protected.”
4 days later, she would maintain her boy’s hand as he took his final breaths.
::
Hailing from Wadesboro, N.C., Luke Ratliff understood the significance of faculty basketball. His dad, Bryan, was a North Carolina fan, however Luke was launched to Alabama by some proud Bama alums who lived down the road. By some means, that connection was sufficient for the Crimson Tide to earn his devotion from a younger age.
In fact, there was little doubt the place he would go to varsity. That first fall, he joined the Crimson Chaos basketball scholar fan group, and by January 2018, he was prepared to say his spirit and creativity.
Earlier than the Auburn sport, Ratliff scoured all sources searching for a kind of darkish blue FBI jackets with the yellow lettering. The rival Tigers have been caught up within the federal investigation into bribery within the faculty basketball recruiting world, and Luke needed to allow them to have it after they got here to Alabama’s Coleman Coliseum. Certain sufficient, he procured the jacket.
Luke Ratliff at his final house sport at Coleman Coliseum.
(Courtesy Pam Ratliff)
That evening, he was stationed behind the Auburn bench, reminding the nation of the alleged transgressions of Bruce Pearl and his employees.
“I’m like, ‘OK, I need to be associates with this child,’ ” says Hunter Johnson, a famous Alabama basketball diehard.
At halftime, an Alabama athletics worker picked Luke to take the halftime shot to win a prize, which introduced him additional into the highlight.
“From then on,” Pam Ratliff says, “he was that child who wore the FBI jacket.”
Luke Ratliff created such a stir that, earlier than the Louisiana State sport the following yr, he acquired a name from Byrne, the athletic director. LSU had additionally been focused within the FBI stuff, and Byrne hoped to keep away from an encore. By then, the sophomore had staged “a coup” to take over the Crimson Chaos, so he had a direct line to the athletic director’s workplace.
“I simply need to be sure to don’t have something deliberate for tonight like final time,” Byrne mentioned.
“Oh no, we’re not doing something,” Ratliff fibbed.
“Little did he know,” Pam Ratliff says, laughing, “Luke had all the scholars bringing faux warrants. He known as me and mentioned, ‘I acquired caught. Now I’ve acquired 1,200 folks to name.’ ”
Luke, from left, Bryan, Pam and Brandon Ratliff collect for a household picture.
(Courtesy of the Ratliff household)
Luke Ratliff was in a position to quiet that individual prank, however he stayed undaunted going ahead. No SEC coach was protected after they got here into Coleman. Rumor had it that South Carolina’s Frank Martin put up an image of Fluff within the locker room. Arkansas’ Eric Musselman blocked him on Twitter.
Given his efficiency as Fluff, few may have imagined that Ratliff was in the course of an intense battle with social nervousness.
Hodgson, the Alabama assistant, knew Fluff very effectively as president of the Crimson Chaos. However he didn’t meet Ratliff till one evening after a sport throughout the 2019-20 season.
“I walked out about two hours after the sport had ended, and he was the one individual left sitting within the constructing,” Hodgson says. “I may inform he was uneasy. He was shaking. I walked over there, and he opened as much as me.
“His story type of struck me. He mentioned, ‘Coach, I can rise up on a chair in entrance of 15,000 folks and make a idiot out of myself and put on all these goofy outfits, however easy issues like getting up proper now and strolling out of the world carry me the most important quantity of tension. I simply don’t perceive it.’ ”
Luke had been maintaining his inside wrestle from Pam — he didn’t need her to fret — however throughout one go to she observed him shaking in line at Sam’s Membership and compelled it out of him.
“When it was dangerous, he had only a few locations the place he felt comfy,” Pam says. “Basketball was a refuge, and I feel going into the persona of Fluff, it helped.”
His senior yr, Fluff was not going to be stopped — even by a worldwide pandemic. Each week it appeared, he was sending his father a contemporary image of some new state’s welcome signal on the freeway.
At Mississippi State in late February, the Crimson Tide clinched the SEC regular-season crown. Fluff didn’t understand it, however the staff made positive to clip a chunk of the web for him.
On the Ratliff household house, a shrine to Luke now hangs on the wall.
(J. Brady McCollough / Los Angeles Instances)
Days later at his last sport as a scholar at Coleman Coliseum, the coaches introduced it to him, together with a ball commemorating his galvanizing run as president. He cried.
“Mama cried, too,” says Pam, who was there to cheer him on. “He was humbled.”
Forward, there was the SEC match in Nashville, and the specter of the unprecedented NCAA match bubble in Indy. However there was one factor Pam needed Luke to deal with earlier than all that.
She and Bryan had simply gotten their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. They have been in a position to get it in North Carolina as a result of they’re caretakers of their autistic 19-year-old son, Noah. Luke would be capable to get one, too, if he’d simply make a fast journey house. The vaccine was not but accessible for Luke’s age group in Alabama.
“He needed a vaccination greater than anyone I do know,” Pam says. “However he was such a fan, and I feel he had simply set that aim that he was going to go to all of the video games. It was his final alternative. I attempted to speak him into coming house and getting a shot, however I feel he felt prefer it was his duty. Nearly as good because the staff was doing, he didn’t need to jinx it.”
In mid-March, with the bracket set and Insanity prepared to start, Luke fired up his automobile and floored it to Indy.
::
Everyone handles grief in their very own means. Visiting Pam and Bryan Ratliff at their house in Wadesboro, it’s clear they haven’t any intention of making an attempt to depart behind the particular time when their household was nonetheless complete.
In the lounge, they created a shrine to Luke on the wall, that includes 4 giant canvas footage grouped collectively round a framed “Fluff” No. 88 jersey the varsity gave them. On the TV, there are dozens of Alabama basketball video games saved on the DVR in the event that they ever need to simply see him at his happiest. To the precise of the TV, a tall cupboard shows the mementos and possessions that greatest outline him:
That FBI jacket, folded neatly. An Atlanta Braves cap. His eyeglasses. His bulging pockets, the objects left untouched. A bottle of good bourbon. An image of him and Pam at his final house sport. Two tickets from after they took a mom-and-son journey to Graceland. A level from the College of Alabama in public relations and a senior class ring he by no means acquired to see.
Practically a yr has handed, the numerous firsts with out their Luke slowly turning month by month into mournful reflections of their lasts with him because the calendar trudges on.
March, effectively, March has been tough.
“Yesterday was the final hug,” Pam says.
On the Ratliff household house, a cupboard shows vital mementos from Luke’s life and time at Alabama.
(J. Brady McCollough / Los Angeles Instances)
She didn’t get to hug him on April 2, 2021, the day he died. The final hug got here March 6, as she was leaving Tuscaloosa for North Carolina.
On March 30, Pam acquired a name from Luke. He mentioned he had a dry cough and a scratchy throat. The physician examined him for COVID-19, it got here again damaging, and Luke was handled for bronchitis at first. On April 1, Luke barely slept, feeling like his lungs have been crammed with water. He went again to the physician, and the X-ray confirmed indicators of COVID pneumonia. Luke went to the hospital, and the Ratliffs headed for Tuscaloosa.
As soon as Pam acquired to his room, she was in a position to assist calm him. His nervousness had taken management. She had by no means seen him so panicked.
“The extra upset he acquired, the more severe his respiratory acquired,” Pam says. “It was this vicious cycle.”
The pulmonologist instructed her that if they may simply hold him on the identical oxygen degree for a couple of extra days, he would doubtless be OK.
Unthinkably quickly, Luke was gone.
“I travel between disappointment and anger,” Pam says, returning to the right here and now, “as a result of I feel he ought to have been in a position to get a shot by then. They performed political ping-pong with the entire COVID pandemic for a yr earlier than my youngster died as an alternative of leaping on it and taking good care of it.”
“Like America ought to do,” Bryan interjects.
“My youngster would nonetheless be right here,” Pam says.
Since that second, the Ratliffs have been lifted up by seemingly neverending assist from the Alabama athletics household. Hodgson began a GoFundMe to assist with their bills, which raised about $60,000. Oats and his employees got here to Wadesboro for the memorial service, the place Alabama star ahead Herb Jones served as a pallbearer.
They buried Luke totally Fluff, carrying his trademark sport coat and holding his piece of that championship internet.
At house, the letters of condolence poured in. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill and his spouse, Cindy — that they had grow to be associates with Luke — despatched a number of, together with an official state decision mourning his passing.
A lady from Indiana — with a reputation they’d by no means seen earlier than — despatched a letter telling Pam and Bryan about her likelihood encounter with Fluff simply weeks earlier than in Indianapolis.
“I had the pleasure of assembly Luke in Indianapolis on the finish of March,” Bryan reads. “Even in a brief time frame, he made such an impression. He was so extremely variety and really humorous …”
Bryan has to cease studying as he will get choked up.
Luke Ratliff and pal Christian Sykes pose at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the place Alabama performed within the 2021 NCAA match second spherical.
(Courtesy of Christian Sykes)
“We’re simply nation folks,” Bryan says. “We’re overwhelmed with the sympathy for us.”
Colleges and fan bases throughout the SEC despatched their like to the Ratliffs, making it clear that their sparring with Fluff was all in good enjoyable. The Ratliffs prefer to joke that even Arkansas acquired them flowers.
Finally, in November, one other season of Alabama basketball needed to tip off with out the staff’s No. 1 supporter.
“I knew going into that first sport at Coleman it was going to be powerful,” mentioned Johnson, Luke’s pal, “however yeah, I cried, man. It acquired to the place he was so synonymous that you simply don’t take into consideration Alabama basketball with out him.”
Alabama held a ceremony to honor Fluff with a plaque on the again of his seat, which can now be the place the Crimson Chaos president sits every year.
“Fluff did extra for us than we may ever do for him,” Hodgson says. “I miss him like loopy. We grew to become so shut. It was bizarre. In my complete teaching profession, I by no means had a bond with a scholar fan, however once I frolicked with him, it felt as if he was older than me. It was like hanging out along with your uncle.”
In early March, the Ratliffs attended Alabama’s house finale. It simply occurred to be on the anniversary of Luke’s final sport there.
“I can actually say that I really feel nearer to my youngster once I’m sitting in Coleman Coliseum than I do anyplace, than I do right here at house,” Pam says. “Tuscaloosa is soothing to me. It truly is.”
Pam’s portal to Tuscaloosa and people recollections opens anytime Alabama basketball is on the TV. They attempt to make it festive, inviting different Tide followers they’ve met within the space. Not too long ago, a leftover keg from a watch occasion sat empty in the lounge.
Pam has additionally taken over a few of Luke’s traditions. She’s grow to be very energetic on Twitter utilizing the account @irbransmom, and each sport day she sends the identical GIF of a sweaty minister preaching from his Sunday pulpit, identical to Luke would.
“When he’d stand on these seats and lead these youngsters, he’d appear like an outdated Southern Baptist preacher standing there,” Pam says, laughing. “He may have instructed these youngsters to strip bare and run round Coleman Coliseum, and I actually suppose they might have carried out it.”
Friday afternoon at 1:15, Alabama will play its NCAA match first-round sport in San Diego. It’s a certainty that Fluff would have been there.
For the Bama fan base, there isn’t a changing him. However Pam will get up Friday morning in Wadesboro, load up her preacher tweet and hit ship another time, merely doing all she will.
With the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 set to be enshrined on Saturday, let’s look ahead at who might be in Canton next.
For some teams, it’s easy to predict who the next inductee will be. With the Arizona Cardinals, it almost certainly will be wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Tight end Antonio Gates should be the next Charger. The next Indianapolis Colt inducted is likely to be wide receiver Reggie Wayne.
On other teams, it isn’t as clear who could be next.
Some teams, like the New York Jets and Detroit Lions, don’t have an obvious Hall of Fame candidate in the pipeline. With other teams, like the New York Giants (Eli Manning? Everson Walls? Carl Banks? Tiki Barber? Tom Coughlin?), Dallas Cowboys (Jason Witten? Darren Woodson?) and Jacksonville Jaguars (Fred Taylor? Jalen Ramsey? Calais Campbell? Coughlin?), the case could be made for more than one person.
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Here are some possibilities, courtesy of Hall of Fame voters Dan Pompei (who wrote on all AFC teams) and Mike Sando (NFC).
The 11-time Pro Bowl choice ranks second to Jerry Rice in all-time receiving yards. Fitzgerald, who becomes Hall-eligible in 2026, spent his full career with the Cardinals and was an elite playoff producer as well (942 yards in nine playoff games). His 64-yard touchdown catch in Super Bowl XLIII gave Arizona the lead over Pittsburgh with 2:37 remaining.
Jones’ elite production over an eight-year stretch makes him a strong candidate. He had six seasons with at least 1,300 yards, tied with Randy Moss and Torry Holt for second behind Rice. Like Fitzgerald, Jones stood 6-foot-3 and weighed nearly 220 pounds, making him a primary game-plan consideration for defenses.
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He wasn’t as celebrated as defensive teammates Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, but Suggs clearly has a Hall of Fame resume. He ranks eighth in career sacks and was voted to seven Pro Bowls. He also was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003 and Defensive Player of the Year in 2011. Suggs will be Hall-eligible in 2025, along with former teammate and guard Marshal Yanda, who also should be a strong candidate.
Terrell Suggs, who won two Super Bowls, one with the Ravens and one with the Chiefs, becomes Hall-eligible next year. (Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
He will be remembered mostly as an Eagle because Peters played 11 years in Philadelphia, including all of the 2010s, when he was voted all-decade. But he started in Buffalo and made two of his nine Pro Bowls as a Bill. Peters has not retired, so if the 42-year-old keeps playing and 35-year-old Von Miller retires first, Miller could beat him to Canton.
Kuechly’s credentials mirror those of the recently enshrined Patrick Willis. Both were seven-time Pro Bowl selections and five-time first-team All-Pro choices before retiring earlier than expected. Willis played in 112 games, compared with 118 for Kuechly. Receiver Steve Smith is another strong candidate for Carolina, but Kuechly, who becomes eligible for enshrinement in 2025, could beat him to Canton at a position where there’s less of a logjam.
Reggie White called Hilgenberg one of the five best offensive linemen he faced, along with Anthony Munoz, Jackie Slater, Ed White and Erik Williams. Hilgenberg was a seven-time Pro Bowl choice known for his quickness. It’s tough faulting him for missing the 1980s all-decade team cut when Dwight Stephenson and Mike Webster were the choices.
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He has been a Hall of Fame semifinalist for three straight years and was voted to the top 10 last year before missing the cut. A three-time first-team All-Pro, Anderson is widely considered the best right tackle of his generation. Quarterback Ken Anderson also has been close in recent years as a senior candidate.
Even though Garrett is only 28 years old and has played just seven seasons, he looks like a shoo-in. It’s possible Joel Bitonio will jump him, but it’s difficult for guards to get into the Hall of Fame. Bitonio has an impressive resume, but there are several guards with similar resumes already in the queue, including Jahri Evans.
Woodson played a leading role on the Jimmy Johnson-built Dallas defenses that won three Super Bowls in the 1990s. A finalist for the Hall in each of the past two seasons, Woodson has gotten further in the process than Jason Witten, who ranks second to Tony Gonzalez in receiving yards among tight ends. He had 23 interceptions, including 12 from 1994 to ’96, when he was named first-team All-Pro each season.
Shanahan won back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver and took his teams to 10 championship games. With a remarkable coaching tree that continues to shape his legacy, Shanahan is one of the strongest contributor candidates. His offensive philosophy remains prevalent in the NFL, partly because his son Kyle has thrived using it.
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This is a tough one after the Hall of Fame selection committee rejected former Lions coach Buddy Parker as a contributor. If Stafford makes it, he’ll do so based on whatever team success he enjoys in his current job with the Rams. Ndamukong Suh and Darius Slay had excellent careers as Lions, but were they Hall of Famers? Detroit short-timers such as Adrian Peterson don’t count here.
Holmgren turned around the Packers and Seahawks, leading both to the Super Bowl while developing Pro Bowl quarterbacks and ranking among the elite play callers of his era. The Hall’s subcommittee for contributors has named Holmgren one of its 12 semifinalists in recent years. That puts Holmgren in strong position to reach Canton before Aaron Rodgers, who will have to wait five years after retiring.
Mike Holmgren reached three Super Bowls as a head coach, winning one. He has a good shot to get into the Hall before another legendary Packer, Aaron Rodgers. (Rick Stewart / Allsport)
Watt might have been a Hall of Famer if he retired after five seasons. By that point, he had already won three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards. He is likely to be voted in as soon as he is eligible, but when that will be is uncertain, as Watt has entertained the possibility of a comeback after one year of retirement.
A finalist for the last five years, Wayne appears to be moving closer. He was caught in a wide receiver logjam with Andre Johnson and Torry Holt, but that was broken this year when Johnson was voted in. Wayne finished in the top five in NFL receiving yards four times, including in 2007, when he led the league.
Taylor was a Hall of Fame finalist for the first time this year. If he advances, it will be because he averaged 4.6 yards per carry. The only other running backs with a 4.6-yard average or better with at least 2,500 carries are Adrian Peterson and Barry Sanders. But Taylor was never a first-team All-Pro, and he appeared in only one Pro Bowl, as an alternate. Other Jaguars possibilities include Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell and coach Tom Coughlin.
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A compelling case was made for Lewis in 2023 when he was a first-time finalist. Now he’s a senior candidate, which could work in his favor. Tony Dungy, who coached Lewis, believes he is one of the top five cornerbacks of all time. If Lewis gets lost in the seniors pool, Travis Kelce (or perhaps Andy Reid, depending on how much longer he coaches) could be the next Chief inducted.
He has come close repeatedly. Hayes was a four-time modern-era finalist and has been a senior candidate since 2012. With the help of Stickum, Hayes was at his most dominant in 1980, when he led the league with 13 interceptions and was voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He also was all-decade in the 1980s. Raiders guard Steve Wisniewski also merits consideration.
Many were surprised when he was not voted in this year as a first-time eligible. It’s only a matter of time, as Gates scored more career touchdowns than any tight end and is the most prolific pass catcher in Chargers history, which is saying something. He was an all-decade player, a three-time first-team All-Pro and an eight-time Pro Bowler.
Holt is a five-time finalist for the Hall whose chances improved when another receiver, Andre Johnson, earned enshrinement with the 2024 class. He and Reggie Wayne will likely become finalists again in 2025. Meanwhile, the five-year waiting period for enshrinement has begun for another Rams great, Aaron Donald.
Webb deserves a share of the credit for Dan Marino’s success as a passer in the 1990s, but he hasn’t received it from Hall of Fame voters. Though he was voted to seven straight Pro Bowls, two first-team All-Pro teams and the all-decade team of the ’90s, Webb never has been a Hall of Fame semifinalist. He has three years of modern-era eligibility remaining.
The former Vikings and Chiefs pass rusher is a four-time Hall finalist, indicating he’ll likely earn enshrinement eventually. Allen, whose 136 sacks rank 12th on the official list (since 1982) and 16th on the unofficial list (since 1960), might soon have competition from another Vikings great. Running back Adrian Peterson would become eligible in 2027 if he does not play again.
Before Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Bill Belichick are inducted, Kraft likely will be given a gold jacket for his contributions to New England and the NFL. He’s had strong support from the contributor committee in recent years. Adam Vinatieri might get in before Kraft. He is eligible for the first time next year. It’s also possible Rodney Harrison will jump Brady, Gronkowski, Belichick and Vinatieri as he was a finalist for the first time last year.
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Brees is such a lock for Canton upon becoming eligible in 2026 that he’s a safer bet than 2024 finalist Jahri Evans to be the next Saint enshrined. Brees trails only Tom Brady in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Evans was a top guard during his era, but his candidacy needs to gain momentum for him to beat Brees to Canton.
Tom Coughlin’s candidacy in the contributor category remains very much alive, but Manning will move front and center once he becomes eligible in 2025. The quarterback’s longevity, prominence and performance during two Super Bowl-winning playoff runs make him a fascinating candidate. Manning was arguably never a top-five quarterback, but those Lombardi Trophies could make the difference.
He won’t make the Hall of Fame for the four snaps he’s played as a Jet, but he will for the 230 games he played for the Packers, and maybe for the snaps he has yet to play for the Jets. After Winston Hill, Joe Klecko, Curtis Martin, Kevin Mawae and Darrelle Revis were inducted recently, Jets players have not had much Hall of Fame traction. Mark Gastineau and Nick Mangold are possibilities.
The Jets don’t have an obvious Hall of Fame candidate in the pipeline other than Aaron Rodgers, who won as many MVPs with the Packers (four) as he has snaps played with the Jets. (Fred Kfoury III / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Kelce’s recent retirement makes him Hall-eligible for 2029, which leaves a wide berth for Eric Allen, Brian Westbrook or another Eagles great to make a push. Kelce was a six-time first-team All-Pro over his final seven seasons and is on a very short list of all-time NFL centers from a movement/athleticism standpoint. Fletcher Cox, who also just retired, and Jason Peters (mentioned above in the Bills section) are also worthy candidates, but Kelce seems like the surest bet to get in first.
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He was overshadowed in his era by Brady and Peyton Manning, but Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls and led the league in passing twice. He will be Hall-eligible in 2027 and will probably become a Hall of Famer not long after. The dark horse in this race is Hines Ward, an unconventional but worthy candidate.
Gore becomes eligible in 2026 and will have a case with 16,000 yards in 16 seasons. Only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton have rushed for more yards in NFL history. Another former 49ers rusher, Roger Craig, was a Hall finalist in 2010 and 2020, but he hasn’t advanced that far again.
With Holmgren listed in the Packers’ slot, Sherman becomes a logical next choice for the Seahawks. The five-time Pro Bowl cornerback was the voice and face of Seattle’s famed Legion of Boom secondary, which helped the Seahawks become the first team since the 1950s Cleveland Browns to lead the league in fewest points allowed for four successive seasons. Coach Pete Carroll also seems like a strong candidate, but Sherman will likely get in first.
With Buccaneers mainstay Mike Evans still going strong, we do not yet know when he’ll become eligible for enshrinement. Brady (like Rob Gronkowski) was primarily a Patriot, but the role he played in helping Tampa Bay win a Super Bowl legitimizes his classification here.
A two-time NFL rushing leader and one-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Henry is regarded by many as the best running back of his time. He’s still building his resume, and expectations are high for the 30-year-old as he begins a new chapter of his career after signing with the Ravens as a free agent.
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Williams is entering his fifth season with the 49ers after nine with Washington, with no indication he’s slowing at age 36. In fact, Williams only seems to have gotten better. His streak of 10 successive Pro Bowl seasons (in seasons in which he’s played — he missed 2019 because of a contract dispute) includes first-team All-Pro selections in 2021, 2022 and 2023, the first such selections of his career. Joe Jacoby is another former Washington tackle to watch. A three-time Hall finalist for his work on the Joe Gibbs-era “Hogs” offensive line, Jacoby could reappear as a seniors candidate.
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(Top photos of Larry Fitzgerald, left, and Antonio Gates: Christian Petersen, Stephen Dunn / Getty Images)
Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer who failed a gender test prior to the 2024 Paris Olympics, will be guaranteed at least a bronze medal at the Summer Games after a win Saturday over a Hungarian fighter.
Khelif defeated Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in the 66-kilogram fight, via unanimous decision. Because there are no bronze medal fights, even if Khelif loses in the semifinals against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng.
Imane Khelif of Team Algeria looks on against Anna Luca Hamori of Team Hungary during the Women’s 66kg Quarter-final round match on day eight of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at North Paris Arena on August 03, 2024 in Paris, France. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Khelif has been in the midst of a gender eligibility controversy following a disqualification from the 2023 Women’s World Championships, sanctioned by the International Boxing Association.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach defended having Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting in the women’s division bouts.
“What is going on in this context in the social media with all this hate speech, with this aggression and abuse, and fueled by this agenda, is totally unacceptable,” Bach said.
The Algerian Olympic Committee said it filed an official complaint with the IOC to protest the online harassment against Khelif that amounted to a “a serious violation of sports ethics and the Olympic Charter by one of the participants in the boxing tournament.”
Algeria’s Imane Khelif reacts prior the match against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in the women’s 66kg quarter-final boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte on August 3, 2024. (MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)
ITALY’S ANGELA CARINI EXPRESSES REGRET OVER OLYMPIC BOXING MATCH AGAINST FIGHTER WHO FAILED GENDER TEST
The organization said another boxer, who was not identified, posted disparaging comments on Khelif and warned the IOC “has issued a final warning to delete every post that concerns our heroine.”
“We reserve the right to prosecute everyone who participated in the heinous campaign against our heroine Imane Khelif,” the Algerian team said.
Hamori vowed to be ready going into the fight despite the controversy surrounding Khelif and protests from her own federation
“I’m not scared,” Hamori said Thursday. “I don’t care about the press story and social media.”
Algeria’s Imane Khelif (L) fights against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in the women’s 66kg quarter-final boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte on August 3, 2024. (MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Khelif got to the quarterfinals after Italy’s Angela Carini abandoned the match 46 seconds in the round of 16.
THe Associated Press contributed to this report.
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He only does one routine, but Stephen Nedoroscik is no one-hit wonder.
After clinching the United States’ first Olympic team medal since 2008 on Monday — and becoming an internet sensation in the process — Nedoroscik took bronze in the pommel horse final Saturday for the first U.S. Olympic medal in the event since 2016. Between qualifications, the team final and the event final, Nedoroscik had three opportunities to compete during these Games, and he scored more than 15 points in each of his attempts.
His event final score of 15.300 was one-tenth better than his score from qualification that tied him for first place, but Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan took gold ahead of Kazakhstan’s Nariman Kurbanov. When Nedoroscik’s score flashed across the screen with third place next to it, he flashed a thumbs up to the camera.
The crowd sighed.
The Rubik’s cube-loving, former electrical engineering major has turned into one of the breakout stars of the Paris Games after his clutch performance in the team final. The NBC screenshot of him closing his eyes with his head leaned back launched a thousand memes.
His teammates couldn’t help but take notice of the posts comparing Nedoroscik to a superhero who swooped in to save the United States.
“It’s so funny to see No. 1, his hard work pay off and clutch it like that,” said U.S. teammate Frederick Richard, a Massachusetts native like Nedoroscik, “but the world [is] starting to fall in love with him too.”
During the days since he and his rectangular, black-rimmed glasses went viral, Nedoroscik has become one of the favorite faces of these Games. He solved Rubik’s cubes on “The Today Show,” signed a sponsorship deal with an eyewear company that named a frame after him and met a young fan who shared the same eye condition as him, which leaves his pupils permanently dilated.
Richard, an internet star in his own right, whose following has grown to nearly 1.5 million on Instagram and TikTok, joked that he’ll give Nedoroscik social media tips.
Nedoroscik was the only U.S. man to qualify for an eight-athlete event final. By ending a 16-year Olympic team medal drought, the U.S. was hopeful to spark a surge of interest in men’s gymnastics in the United States. Richard, whose social media presence is dedicated to growing the sport, has heard from new fans on social media who praised the team on a final competition that was more thrilling than watching the U.S. women win gold the following day. Nedoroscik’s closing routine was the final touch.
“People are watching now,” Richard said, “people are supporting and we’re building.”
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