Sports
‘All bets are off’: The inside story of how the Dodgers lured Freddie Freeman home
All winter lengthy, Freddie Freeman’s household might sense the turmoil inside him. The All-Star first baseman had simply reached the top of his profession, successful a World Collection with an Atlanta Braves franchise that had drafted him, developed him and nurtured his rise as one in every of baseball’s largest stars.
But, as quickly because the season ended, uncertainty started to set in.
The primary-time free agent didn’t know whether or not he’d be returning to the one workforce he’d ever identified. He wished to, making that need clear repeatedly in the course of the 2021 season, together with within the aftermath of the Braves’ Recreation 6 win towards the Houston Astros.
Negotiations, nonetheless, remained caught in impartial. Main League Baseball’s three-month lockout delayed the method additional and by the point offseason exercise resumed final week, he had turn out to be fatigued by the frustration, nonetheless not sure of what was to come back on the largest crossroads of his profession.
His household observed that he wasn’t joking round as a lot, that he was struggling to sleep and had even misplaced weight from the stress.
“He was attempting to cover it, however we might see it,” his stepmom, Alma Freeman, stated. “He wasn’t the identical.”
On Friday afternoon, at a spring coaching complicated he’d by no means known as dwelling earlier than, the relaxed, smiling Freeman reappeared. On the primary day of his Dodger profession, recent off signing a six-year, $162 million cope with the membership, the 32-year-old joked with new teammates and waved to new followers, posing for photos in his new uniform after he was formally launched at a information convention at Camelback Ranch.
Earlier within the week, the 32-year-old had been heartbroken about not returning to the Braves, who extinguished any hope of a reunion once they traded for an additional first baseman, Matt Olson of the Oakland Athletics, on Monday.
However then the Dodgers got here calling with a rejuvenating different. After courting the Orange County native all through the winter, they introduced him the possibility to come back dwelling to Southern California.
“We have been speaking a pair weeks in the past,” Freeman’s father, Fred, recalled in a Friday interview, “and he stated, ‘Dad, if I’m not a Courageous, what do you suppose? Ought to I’m going again East?”
“Freddie,” Fred replied, “when you’re not going to be a Courageous, I need you dwelling.’”
“So do I,” Freddie stated.
::
On the afternoon of Dec. 1, because the clock ticked down towards an owner-imposed lockout, Dodgers gamers, coaches and entrance workplace personnel had gathered on the Terranea Resort alongside the Palos Verdes Peninsula for Mookie Betts’ wedding ceremony. As night time fell, a celebration commenced inside — “she did it up large,” Betts laughed about his spouse, Brianna — that included a dwell efficiency from rapper Nelly.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, supervisor Dave Roberts and third baseman Justin Turner, nonetheless, had ducked outdoors. Huddled round a cellphone, they known as Freeman on speaker, keen to go away an enduring impression earlier than the clock struck 9 of the West Coast, which might set off the lockout and bar all contact between gamers and workforce personnel.
“We have been like, ‘Let’s go name him,’” Roberts recalled. “We wished to be the final workforce to speak to him [before the lockout].”
On Friday Friedman recalled their message to the free agent, who was feeding his child son a bottle once they rang him up: “Hey, don’t overlook about us. Throughout this era, don’t overlook about us.”
In the beginning of the offseason, the Dodgers had little expectation Freeman could be a reliable goal, sharing the industry-wide perception that he’d find yourself again with the Braves.
When free company opened in November with Freeman nonetheless unsigned, nonetheless, the Dodgers slowly escalated their pursuit. Turner, a buddy of Freeman’s who for years had badgered him throughout video games about coming to LA, stated he sporadically texted Freeman over the winter about “how good he would look in Dodger blue.”
“I believe we have to give an help to Justin Turner,” Freeman stated Friday. “His title popped up on my cellphone fairly a bit all through this entire course of.”
Friedman jokingly chimed in: “There’s undoubtedly tampering costs that may be filed towards Justin Turner.”
A number of days after Thanksgiving, Roberts and Friedman laid out a extra intensive pitch throughout an hour-plus Zoom assembly that additional piqued Freeman’s curiosity.
“It was simply such a simple dialog,” Freeman stated.
“I believe we have to give an help to Justin Turner. His title popped up on my cellphone fairly a bit all through this entire course of.”
-Freddie Freeman
And all through the pre-lockout interval, the Dodgers entrance workplace stayed in fixed communication with Freeman’s brokers at Excel Sports activities Administration, making their curiosity abundantly clear though they remained satisfied Atlanta was his more than likely touchdown place.
“We appreciated and revered his emotions in direction of Atlanta, and stated that to him on the Zoom name,” Friedman stated. “Simply saying, ‘Hey, neither one in every of us is certain precisely how this stuff are gonna play out, however let’s keep in contact.’”
It was a stark distinction to Freeman’s expertise with the Braves over the previous 12 months. Final spring, he was disillusioned when “nothing actually occurred” in negotiations over an extension. Earlier than the commerce deadline, the Braves introduced a proposal that ESPN reported was initially value $125 million over 5 years (and was later elevated to $140 million).
Freeman stated his representatives despatched a counterproposal, however that talks stagnated from there. As soon as the offseason started, he stated he heard immediately from Braves officers solely twice, merely check-in calls on both aspect of the lockout.
Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman celebrates after successful Recreation 6 of baseball’s Nationwide League Championship Collection towards the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in Atlanta. The Braves defeated the Dodgers 4-2 to win the collection.
(Brynn Anderson / Related Press)
“The communication wasn’t there as we went by the offseason,” Freeman stated.
For Freeman, a six-year deal was a serious precedence. It was one 12 months greater than Paul Goldschmidt acquired within the $130 million contract he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2019, the most effective comparability amongst elite-level first basemen.
“All alongside, Freddie wished years,” his dad Fred stated. “He’s made some huge cash. It’s not like he has to interrupt the financial institution. He wished to be paid pretty, however he desires to play. He wished that additional 12 months as a result of he wished to play.”
The Braves, nonetheless, didn’t tempt him with a greater supply, leaving Freeman torn between his allegiance to Atlanta and need for his most well-liked construction of a deal.
“I didn’t suppose I’d ever turn out to be a free agent,” Freeman stated. “I didn’t suppose this was going to turn out to be a actuality. However in the end it did. And all bets are off when that occurs.”
::
Freeman and his dad have been at a gymnasium in Newport Seashore when the ultimate bridge again to Atlanta burned.
5 days faraway from the top of the MLB lockout on March 10, little had modified in Freeman’s negotiation with the Braves. Regardless of fan strain fueled by the February launch of the workforce’s monetary studies, which revealed a revenue of greater than $100 million, the workforce didn’t budge on its closing supply. And Freeman didn’t cave earlier than a reported deadline final Saturday.
“I believe they’ve a marketing strategy … and so they’re not going to deviate from it,” Fred stated. “That’s the way in which it’s.”
Nonetheless, the youthful Freeman nonetheless held out hope of a return to the Braves, heading to the gymnasium believing his profession with the workforce wasn’t but toast.
Then, his cellphone began to buzz. Twitter notifications popped up saying the Braves had made a blockbuster commerce with the A’s for Olson, a youthful left-handed slugger acquired to switch him because the membership’s first baseman.
“To be trustworthy,” he stated, “I used to be blindsided.”
The remainder of the night time was an emotional roller-coaster. Alma, Freeman’s stepmom, and Chelsea, his spouse, cried. Freeman stated that, for a pair hours, he might hardly communicate. His father tried to grapple with the information, too, coming to grips with the actual fact his son would now not play for the Braves.
“I actually thought he was going to be there the remainder of his profession,” Fred stated. “They weren’t speaking, but it surely was nonetheless a shock.”
From their despair, nonetheless, new alternatives rapidly arose.
Different groups had been linked to Freeman all through the offseason, specifically the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Crimson Sox. Nevertheless it wasn’t till the Braves minimize the twine with the Olson commerce that the curiosity actually heated up.
“After that commerce went down, I believe each workforce realized, ‘Whoa, wait a second, there’s an opportunity right here,’” Freeman stated. “That’s when issues began to get entering into that subsequent 48 hours.”
That’s additionally when the Dodgers’ earlier reference to Freeman, which had resumed instantly upon the top of the lockout, started to pay dividends, too.
After talks all through the afternoon Tuesday, the Dodgers submitted a number of proposals late that night time. Fred was scheduled to satisfy along with his son at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, however by 8:30 that morning Freeman was already calling to inform his dad all the main points.
“They despatched over 4 proposals and have been like, ‘Which one would you like?’”
-Fred Freeman, Freddie’s dad
“They despatched over 4 proposals and have been like, ‘Which one would you like?’” Fred stated. “It’s simply superb any individual would try this. [Friedman] was open and trustworthy and stated, ‘Our CBT tax is that this. That is what we might do, that is what it’s costing us and why we will do it.’ He was upfront about all the things.”
As the edges hammered out particulars over that two-day stretch, Fred stated two rival groups tried to make late, aggressive pushes for Freeman’s signature, one providing to fly in for an in-person assembly.
Freeman, nonetheless, had already made up his thoughts.
“He instructed me, ‘Dad, I’m drained, I need to play baseball,’” Fred recalled. “Although he didn’t have a cope with the Dodgers [yet], he instructed the groups, ‘Don’t trouble.’ He had determined.”
The cash (which incorporates deferred funds of $57 million, based on particulars of the contract that was filed by the Main League Baseball Gamers Affiliation) mattered after all. So did the sixth 12 months.
However whereas reflecting on the method Friday, Freeman stated the end result had loads to do with the Dodgers’ pitch, too, a gross sales job that planted photos of a celebratory homecoming in his creativeness.
“When the workforce that performs at dwelling desires you to come back dwelling,” Freeman stated, “I believe that’s what made it such a particular and straightforward resolution.”
All that was left Wednesday night time have been some closing particulars. Fred and Alma, who dwell in Villa Park about 25 minutes from Freeman and Chelsea’s winter dwelling in Corona del Mar, spent many of the night over at their place, anxiously awaiting a deal to be agreed.
With no information by the top of dinner round 8 p.m., they determined to move dwelling. They thought perhaps it could take yet one more day, in spite of everything, to get throughout the end line.
However 10 minutes after they received again, Fred’s cellphone started to ring. His son was calling over FaceTime.
“The deal is finished,” Freeman exclaimed.
When assessing NFL MVP candidates one year ago, I lamented the dearth of candidates producing at levels high enough for consideration.
There’s no such problem as the 2024 MVP race enters its final stages.
Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Saquon Barkley are superstar talents whose conventional and/or advanced stats match historic standards for MVP consideration.
Jackson was my favorite when assessing the situation one month ago, partly because his production was allowing Baltimore to win despite terrible support from the Ravens’ defense and special teams. The picture looks different now. Allen and Burrow have surged. Barkley, having topped 2,000 yards rushing, fits into a different category as a non-quarterback. The best case for him goes well beyond statistics.
We’ll start with the quarterbacks because they are obviously most valuable. We’ll finish with the special case for Barkley, who has helped transform the most pass-oriented organization of the past quarter-century.
The best MVP candidates, in my view, are high-producing, dynamic QBs for teams that win despite lackluster support from their defenses and special teams. These are the ultimate win-because-of quarterbacks.
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Patrick Mahomes has set the standard. He led the 2022 Kansas City Chiefs to Super Bowl glory after the team finished 29th in combined expected points added (EPA) on defense/special teams. He did this even though his defense/special teams failed to come alive in the playoffs the way Peyton Manning’s 2006 Super Bowl-winning Indianapolis Colts did after ranking 32nd in the regular season (in that case, Bob Sanders’ return to the defense helped Indy win it all despite Manning tossing three touchdown passes with seven interceptions in the postseason).
Mahomes proved to be the ultimate MVP. His case this season is tougher to make in the absence of elite statistical production, so he’s not part of this discussion, which focuses on betting favorites for the award (imagine if someone had told you before the season that Kansas City would take a 15-1 record into Week 18 without Mahomes — the preseason favorite at +500 — registering on the MVP radar).
Press play or drag the slider on the chart below to see how leading MVP candidates’ production and betting odds have shifted over the season, week by week. Burrow was far out of contention, as distant as +25000 three weeks ago and +15000 one week ago, until jumping to +2000 after Week 17’s overtime win over the Denver Broncos.
MVP voting closes before playoff results are known, so we can’t make a full evaluation. We do not even know whether Burrow’s 8-8 Cincinnati Bengals (29th in EPA on defense/special teams) will finish with a winning record, let alone reach the postseason. Jackson’s Ravens are 11-5 despite ranking 24th in EPA on defense/special teams, while Allen’s Buffalo Bills are 13-3 while ranking 15th in those phases that usually are critical for winning. Allen is expected to sit most of the Bills’ finale, while Burrow and Jackson could add to their resumes.
Allen overtook Jackson as the betting favorite after a Week 11 to 15 stretch that saw Buffalo beat Kansas City, put up 42 points on the Los Angeles Rams and win at Detroit, 48-42. Jackson’s Ravens lost in Weeks 11 and 13 before taking off Week 14 for their bye.
That stretch is fresher and more relevant to the current discussion than a Week 4 to 5 run featuring Baltimore’s victories over Buffalo (35-10) and Cincinnati (41-38). We’ll take the full season into account here.
As fans debate the MVP merits of their favorite players, let’s take a quick look at basic stats for Jackson, Allen and Burrow before evaluating them through other contextual lenses.
Establishing basic MVP credentials for the leading QB candidates
Ten quarterbacks have combined to win 21 MVPs since 2000.
Through 16 games, those QBs averaged 4,373 yards passing with 37 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 108.8 passer rating during their MVP seasons, per TruMedia.
They averaged 40 total touchdowns with 11 turnovers.
They averaged 165.9 total EPA on pass plays and rushes (0.27 per play), not counting kneeldowns.
| QB | JACKSON | ALLEN | BURROW |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cmp-att |
300-442 |
307-483 |
423-606 |
|
Cmp% |
67.9% |
63.6% |
69.8% |
|
Pass yds |
3,955 |
3,731 |
4,641 |
|
Yds/att |
8.9 |
7.7 |
7.7 |
|
TD-INT |
39-4 |
28-6 |
42-8 |
|
Rating |
121.6 |
101.4 |
109.8 |
|
Sacked |
23 |
14 |
44 |
|
Rush yds |
864 |
539 |
212 |
|
Rush TD |
4 |
12 |
2 |
|
Total TDs |
43 |
40 |
44 |
|
Turnovers |
9 |
8 |
13 |
|
Total EPA |
172.8 |
155.5 |
116.7 |
|
EPA/play |
+0.29 |
+0.27 |
+0.15 |
|
EPA/pass play |
+0.33 |
+0.24 |
+0.17 |
|
EPA/pass att |
+0.42 |
+0.25 |
+0.30 |
Jackson, Allen and Burrow measure up to those standards except for Burrow’s 116.7 total EPA, which would rank 19th among those 21 MVP seasons, just behind 2021 Aaron Rodgers and ahead of 2003 Steve McNair. The lowest since 2000, by far, belonged to Jackson in 2023. His 51.5 EPA through 16 games was less than half the 16-game totals for the next-lowest MVP since 2000 (2015 Cam Newton).
Assessing MVP-caliber performance frequency: Advantage, Jackson?
As noted, those 10 quarterbacks with 21 MVP seasons since 2000 averaged 0.27 EPA per play when kneeldowns are excluded.
The table below stacks Jackson, Allen and Burrow by their best to worst EPA per play for each of their 16 starts this season.
Jackson met the MVP threshold of +0.27 EPA per play 11 times, compared to eight times for Allen and four for Burrow. Jackson also had the fewest games with negative EPA per play.
MVP candidates’ best to worst EPA per play
| Rank | Jackson | Allen | Burrow |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
0.95 (W) |
0.79 (W) |
0.67 (L) |
|
2 |
0.65 (W) |
0.65 (W) |
0.39 (L) |
|
3 |
0.64 (W) |
0.65 (L) |
0.28 (W) |
|
4 |
0.61 (W) |
0.59 (W) |
0.28 (W) |
|
5 |
0.59 (W) |
0.38 (W) |
0.24 (L) |
|
6 |
0.58 (W) |
0.34 (W) |
0.23 (W) |
|
7 |
0.57 (W) |
0.33 (W) |
0.22 (W) |
|
8 |
0.41 (W) |
0.28 (W) |
0.16 (W) |
|
9 |
0.34 (W) |
0.26 (W) |
0.15 (L) |
|
10 |
0.34 (W) |
0.23 (W) |
0.12 (W) |
|
11 |
0.27 (W) |
0.22 (W) |
0.10 (L) |
|
12 |
0.12 (L) |
0.20 (W) |
0.05 (L) |
|
13 |
0.05 (L) |
0.05 (W) |
-0.07 (L) |
|
14 |
0.01 (L) |
-0.07 (W) |
-0.10 (W) |
|
15 |
-0.04 (L) |
-0.08 (L) |
-0.19 (L) |
|
16 |
-0.25 (L) |
-0.23 (L) |
-0.45 (W) |
|
Avg |
0.29 |
0.27 |
0.15 |
Jackson accounts for seven of the top 14 single-game figures.
Median ranks for their 48 single-game figures: 20th for Jackson, 23rd for Allen, 30th for Burrow.
This is one way to get a feel for consistency.
The Ravens have gone 11-0 when Jackson has produced at the historic MVP level, but 0-5 when he did not.
The splits are 7-1 and 6-2 for Allen, compared to 2-2 and 6-6 for Burrow.
This suggests Baltimore has needed MVP production from its quarterback to win.
Burrow has elite receiving weapons in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Allen has a strong offensive line. Jackson has a dominant running back in Derrick Henry. These are factors worth noting, but I don’t see them as significant enough to tip the balance one way or another.
Trading places: Burrow overtakes Jackson atop Betrayal Index, but wins less frequently
If the best MVP candidates are indeed dynamic quarterbacks whose elite production helps their teams overcome weak defense/special teams to win, refreshing the Betrayal Index can help.
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Burrow and Jackson have swapped places at the top since our check-in after Week 10, but Jackson has a much better record (11-5, compared to 8-8 for Burrow), which factors into the MVP equation. Being good enough on offense to overcome the other components and win is the goal. Sometimes, that’s unrealistic, but no MVP quarterback’s team has had worse than an 11-5 record from a win percentage standpoint.
The table below shows all 32 current quarterbacks with at least eight starts this season. It stacks them by the difference between where these players rank among each other in QB EPA per start, and where their teams rank in defense/special teams EPA during each QB’s starts. Dallas has two players on the chart. Cleveland has none.
High-producing QBs with weak defenses/special teams rise to the top. These are the most “betrayed” quarterbacks. Burrow and Jackson lead the way.
The San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy and the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa are close behind Burrow and Jackson, something for their teams to consider when making full-season evaluations.
QBs appearing in the middle of the Betrayal Index rank about the same in QB EPA and team defense/special teams EPA, whether good or bad. That’s how Jordan Love (good QB EPA, good team defense/special teams EPA) and Gardner Minshew II (bad, bad) appear in close proximity.
Low-producing QBs with strong defenses/special teams fall to the bottom. It’s striking to see the Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud lagging to such a degree.
Taking this another step with our QB MVP frontrunners, the table below shows just how many games Jackson, Allen and Burrow have played with strong, average and weak support from their defenses/special teams.
MVP candidates’ best to worst team D/ST EPA by game
| Rank | Jackson | Allen | Burrow |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
16.7 (W) |
16.6 (W) |
20.3 (W) |
|
2 |
11.8 (W) |
15.8 (W) |
13.6 (W) |
|
3 |
10.9 (W) |
15.3 (W) |
13.6 (W) |
|
4 |
9.0 (W) |
13.2 (W) |
10.1 (W) |
|
5 |
7.4 (L) |
12.4 (W) |
2.0 (L) |
|
6 |
2.9 (W) |
12.0 (W) |
1.4 (W) |
|
7 |
-1.2 (L) |
9.9 (W) |
1.0 (W) |
|
8 |
-7.1 (W) |
1.2 (W) |
0.7 (L) |
|
9 |
-7.3 (L) |
0.6 (L) |
-3.0 (W) |
|
10 |
-7.4 (L) |
-1.1 (W) |
-10.5 (L) |
|
11 |
-8.3 (W) |
-5.0 (W) |
-10.6 (W) |
|
12 |
-9.9 (W) |
-8.0 (W) |
-15.4 (L) |
|
13 |
-10.9 (L) |
-9.4 (W) |
-15.4 (L) |
|
14 |
-11.9 (W) |
-13.8 (L) |
-20.3 (L) |
|
15 |
-12.0 (W) |
-19.9 (W) |
-22 (L) |
|
16 |
-15.1 (W) |
-32.6 (L) |
-32.5 (L) |
|
Totals |
-32.4 |
+7.2 |
-67 |
Burrow (five) and Allen (two) have combined to play seven games with worse defense/special teams support than the Ravens’ worst game, but Jackson has had more overall games with below-average support. Buffalo’s offense has started a league-high 28 drives in opponent territory. The figure is 19 for the Bengals and 14 for Baltimore. That helps explain why Allen’s Bills average more points per drive but less EPA per drive.
Jackson is 6-3 when the Ravens’ combined EPA on defense/special teams was -7.0 or worse. Allen is 3-2 in those games. Burrow lags at 1-6, including 1-3 in games similar to the ones Jackson played in.
Why Barkley should be considered
Anyone arguing for a running back to win MVP risks getting laughed out of Math Club.
The statistical value associated with Barkley’s 2,005-yard rushing season (13 touchdowns, 5.8 yards per carry) doesn’t compare to the value quarterbacks contribute mostly through passing.
Barkley’s 46.9 EPA on rushes and receptions ranks second to the Detroit Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs (54.2) among running backs this season, which isn’t very exciting.
Only eight of the 35 running backs with at least 500 yards on the ground this season have produced positive EPA on even half of their rushes. Barkley is at 49 percent, meaning most of his runs actually cost the team value.
But there’s a case to be made that Barkley saved the Philadelphia Eagles this season by driving a philosophical shift that would not have occurred without him.
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For decades, the organization has embraced analytics, which have affirmed that passing is the key to winning. Philly has hired only offensive-minded coaches over the past 25 years: Andy Reid, Chip Kelly, Doug Pederson and now Nick Sirianni. Most of them were oriented toward the pass.
From 2000 through last season, the Eagles ranked No. 1 on the Cook Index, which measures how frequently teams pass in generally neutral situations: early downs in the first 28 minutes of games, before score differential and time remaining exert more influence on play calling. They were eighth on the Cook Index last season — naturally inclined to pass first.
Philly has a highly paid quarterback in Jalen Hurts and two highly paid elite receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The offensive coordinator the Eagles hired before this season, Kellen Moore, was known primarily as a pass-oriented play caller.
But this team, with this dual-threat quarterback and this offensive line, appears much better when it runs the ball enough to reduce exposure to the dropback passing game. Did it take signing a running back of Barkley’s pedigree, ability and earning power for the Eagles to lean into the identity Hurts and the offense needed to embrace to be their best selves? An MVP case for Barkley could make that point.
The Eagles rank 25th on the Cook Index this season. Hurts is attempting about seven fewer passes per game. There’s a calm and consistency to the team’s offensive operation. Barkley appears to be the leading reason for that. He is also the ninth player to surpass 2,000 yards rushing, and he didn’t need a 17th game to get there (O.J. Simpson was the only runner to do it in a 14-game season).
The odds are against Barkley winning the award. Jackson, Allen and Burrow have provided more verifiable value to their teams. But it’s plausible to say Barkley’s contributions go beyond the impressive numbers.
Voters have no shortage of viable candidates this season.
(Photo of Lamar Jackson, right, and Josh Allen: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)
Sports
Brett Favre questions details of New Orleans attack, Trump Tower bombing: 'Hard to see what's real'
NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre expressed confusion and skepticism about the details related to the deadly New Year’s Day incidents in New Orleans and Las Vegas.
In an X post Friday, Favre asked followers “what’s going on” with the terror attack in New Orleans that killed 14 and the Cybertruck bombing outside Trump Tower in Las Vegas that killed one.
“What’s going on with the New Orleans and Trump Hotel story? A lot of information and hard to sift through to see what’s real!” Favre wrote.
Many of Favre’s followers responded, sharing similar skepticism.
“Whatever the FBI says, believe the opposite!” one user wrote.
Another user responded, advising Favre and others to “ignore the media.”
“None of it. Take in the event. Ignore the media,” the user wrote.
More details about the two attacks have emerged in recent days.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the man who plowed a rented pickup truck into New Year’s revelers on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street Wednesday, and Matthew Livelsberger, the man eyed in the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas hours later, were both Army soldiers who served at Fort Liberty and deployed to Aghanistan in 2009, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Las Vegas, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said that while both men served in Afghanistan in 2009, any potential ties there were still under investigation
“We don’t have any evidence that they were in the same province in Afghanistan, the same location or the same unit,” McMahill said. “Again, something else that remains under investigation.”
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A defense official told Fox News there was no evidence based on their military service that the attacks were related. While both men served at Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, they were there at different times. The North Carolina base is home to more than 50,000 service members.
The FBI released surveillance images of the New Orleans attack that show Jabbar just about an hour before he allegedly sped a rented Ford pickup through a crowd of Bourbon Street revelers in an attack officials say was inspired by the Islamic State.
Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre speaks before Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at a campaign rally at the Resch Center Oct. 30, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
More than 30 others were injured. Despite previously investigating the possibility of accomplices in the attack, the FBI said Thursday the bureau is confident Jabbar acted alone.
The FBI recovered a black ISIS flag from Jabbar’s rented pickup truck that was used for the attack.
“This investigation is only a little more than 24 hours old, and we have no indication at this point that anyone else was involved in this attack other than Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar,” FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia of the counterterrorism division at FBI headquarters said Thursday.
“The FBI is surging people and assets to this area from across the region and across the nation. Special agents in field offices across the country are assisting with potential aspects of this investigation and following up on leads. Additional teams of special agents, professional staff and victim specialists continue to arrive to provide more investigative power and assistance to the victims and their families.”
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Player development has become the favorite term to describe what parents and others are seeking when children participate in sports. And, if you want an example of someone who is truly making the most of player development, that would be 6-foot-6, 230-pound senior Peyton White of Crespi.
He has evolved from someone who was strictly a post player when he entered high school to someone throwing down dunks as he drives past defenders as a senior. He had three dunks Friday, two off drives, while scoring 26 points in Crespi’s 65-53 victory over Washington Prep at Inglewood High, the Celts’ seventh consecutive win.
White is still posting up, still rebounding, but his improvement as a ball handler and shooter, coupled with his physicality, allows him to create mismatches that should help him when he leaves in the fall for Nevada.
“I feel I put a lot of work in and am showing it,” he said.
Crespi (14-3) beat a Washington Prep team that had won its first three games since a group of transfers became eligible on Dec. 27. The Generals are a definite City Section Open Division title contender aided by three transfers from defending champion King/Drew. Donald Thompson Jr., an All-City guard for King/Drew last season, had 18 points.
Isaiah Barnes supported White by scoring 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. Washington Prep closed to within 38-36 of the Celts in the second half.
Crespi begins Mission League play next week, and White’s physicality will be something opponents will have to deal with.
Inglewood 87, Narbonne 39: Jason Crowe Jr. scored 37 points in three quarters for Inglewood.
San Diego 74, King/Drew 63: Joshan Webster had 26 points for King/Drew.
Santa Margarita 73, St. Pius X-St. Matthias 42: Kaiden Bailey finished with 23 points for the 13-3 Eagles.
St. John Bosco 61, Utah Layton Christian 32: Chris Komin scored 17 points, Christian Collins had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Max Ellis added 14 points for the Braves.
Eastvale Roosevelt 77, Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor 51: Brayden Burries had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Issac Williamson added 21 points for Roosevelt.
Brentwood 72, Viewpoint 66: Freshman Shalen Sheppard and AJ Okoh each scored 14 points for Brentwood in a Gold Coast League game. Aeneas Grullon scored 32 points for Viewpoint.
Saugus 61, Palisades 48: Bryce Mejia led Saugus with 18 points.
St. Francis 50, Bishop O’Dowd 41: DeLan Grant had 17 points for St. Francis.
St. Anthony 83, Wesley Chapel (Fla.) Wiregrass 81: Aman Haynes had 36 points for St. Anthony.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 84, Henderson (Nev.) Coronado 40: Zachary White had 22 points and Tyran Stokes 17 for the Knights.
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