Sports
Cautious Rams pull Matthew Stafford from practice due to tight hamstring
Aaron Donald stood on the sideline Wednesday looking fit enough to immediately come out of retirement and play for the Rams.
A few yards away, 36-year-old quarterback Matthew Stafford stood apart from the action, apparent hamstring tightness shortening his day during a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys in Oxnard.
Even if it was only a twinge, it was enough for the Rams to shut down Stafford. The 16th-year pro participated in three series before Jimmy Garoppolo took over the first-team offense and Stetson Bennett worked with the second unit.
Stafford was scheduled to speak with reporters on Wednesday but he was not made available after the two-hour workout. Rams coach Sean McVay was not scheduled to speak with reporters.
But pulling Stafford from practice said it all.
Less than a month before the season opener at Detroit, McVay cannot afford to take chances.
He already is wrestling with the fact that star receiver Puka Nacua is sidelined because of a knee injury. And starting offensive linemen Alaric Jackson, Jonah Jackson and Rob Havenstein remain out because of injuries.
There has been no indication that any of those starters will not be available for the Sept. 8 opener.
But if the Rams aren’t pushing for their return, they certainly are going to handle Stafford delicately, especially with their current back-up quarterback situation.
Garoppolo is suspended for the first two regular-season games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders. Bennett is coming off last Sunday’s four-interception performance in a 13-12 preseason victory over the Cowboys.
Garoppolo did not play in the game against the Cowboys, and it seems unlikely that McVay would put him at risk in Saturday’s game against the Chargers or the preseason finale against the Houston Texans.
So the opportunity to work with the first-team offense on Wednesday was something of a rare chance for the Rams to evaluate the 11th-year pro with starters.
“Any time you get those opps, particularly against a defense like this with all the players that they got, is going to be valuable,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said of Garoppolo. “So I know, again, there’s going to be a lot of things to clean up from everyone across the board, but I like the way he stepped in there and operated.”
LaFleur also said that Bennett corrected some of the mistakes he made last Sunday before tossing a game-tying touchdown pass against the Cowboys.
On Wednesday, the Rams offense had a few moments, but it was mainly a day for the starting defense to redeem itself.
In last Thursday’s joint-practice with the Cowboys, the Rams struggled against quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver Brandin Cooks. A week later, rookie edge rusher Jared Verse, second-year edge rusher Byron Young and veteran linebacker Ernest Jones led a spirited unit that “bounced back, communicated and played well,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said.
Verse went down briefly — “scared us a little bit,” Shula said — but he finished the practice.
Donald, a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer, looked on and offered tips to players such as rookie tackle Braden Fiske.
“I know he’s in a great spot — such a great career — and he’s earned the right to do whatever he wants right now,” Shula said of Donald. “So he’s welcome back anytime. Anytime he wants to come coach and come help out he knows the door is always open.”
Etc.
The Rams signed defensive lineman Carlos Watkins, a seven-year veteran who has played for the Houston Texans, Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. Watkins, 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, has started 37 games and has six sacks. In 2021, he started 14 games for the Cowboys and had five tackles for losses. The addition of Watkins came after rotational lineman Larrell Murchison suffered an arm injury during last Sunday against the Cowboys. End Desjuan Johnson is also out because of an unspecified injury…. Second-year pro Warren McClendon Jr. played left tackle and Joe Noteboom played right tackle.
Sports
Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones
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Anthony Richardson Sr.’s future in Indianapolis faces more uncertainty than ever.
The Indianapolis Colts granted Anthony Richardson, the team that used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the quarterback, permission to explore a trade. His agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the latest development in the 23-year-old’s tumultuous career to ESPN on Thursday.
Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones beat out Richardson in a preseason competition for the starting job. Jones made the most of another opportunity as an NFL starter, helping the Colts win eight of their first 10 games of the 2025 regular season.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
However, his season was ultimately derailed by an Achilles injury. The setback came two years after he tore an ACL with the New York Giants. The Colts appear ready to move forward with Jones, clouding Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.
Jones is set to become a free agent in March, meaning the Colts must either use the franchise tag or sign him to a new deal. Richardson has started just 15 games in three seasons with the Colts, his tenure largely shaped by injuries.
A shoulder surgery limited Richardson to four games during his rookie campaign, while a series of setbacks cost him four games in 2024.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) looks for an open receiver during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)
Richardson suffered what was described as a “freak pregame incident” during warmups last season, landing him on injured reserve after attempting just two passes in two games in 2025. He has thrown 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in his NFL career.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the vision problems stemming from Richardson’s orbital fracture last October are “trending in the right direction.” He added that Richardson has been “cleared to play.”
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the Colts next season.
When asked about Richardson’s standing with the Colts moving ahead, Ballard replied, “I still believe in Anthony.”
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Sports
Prep talk: Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco wins Servite Invitational
William Hudson, a 14-year-old freshman golfer, shot 71 on Monday at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills to win the Servite Invitational.
“It was very important to me and my school,” Hudson said.
Some think it’s the first time a St. John Bosco student won an invitational title.
Hudson is a straight-A student who picked up his first golf club when he was 3. He has a daily routine involving practicing at 6 a.m. before heading to school. He’s also enrolled in a school entrepreneur program that involves taking classes at a junior college that will qualify for college credits.
“They are long days, but I get through it,” Hudson said.
He comes from a family that enjoys golf. His great-grandfather played until his death at 98 last year.
“I love how it can take me to interesting places and meet interesting people,” Hudson said. “I can play for the rest of my life. It’s a lifelong sport.”
It’s looking like another strong year for golfers in Southern California, with several individual champions returning, including Jaden Soong of St. Francis and Grant Leary of Crespi.
Now Hudson has thrust himself into the conversation.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Dashcam video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon rear-ending vehicle on Connecticut highway
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Police have released new video showing former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon speeding before crashing his 2024 Bentley Continental GT into another luxury car on a Connecticut highway last summer.
McMahon appeared to be followed by a state trooper in Westport moments ahead of the eventual collision. McMahon’s vehicle reached speeds of more than 100 mph, state police said.
A trooper’s dashcam video showed McMahon accelerating and then braking too late to avoid rear-ending a BMW. The car McMahon was driving then swerved into a guardrail and careened back across the highway. A cloud of dirt, apparently mixed with vehicle debris, was visible in the immediate area of the crash.
WWE owner Vince McMahon enters the arena during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium on Apr 3, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Joe Camporeale/USA Today Sports)
“Why were you driving all over 100 mph?” a state trooper asked McMahon after catching up to the wrecked Bentley.
“I got my granddaughter’s birthday,” McMahon replied, explaining he was on his way to see her. The encounter was recorded on police bodycam video.
No serious injuries were reported in the July 24 crash, which happened the same day former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Florida.
In an image taken from Connecticut State Police police bodycam video, Vince McMahon is questioned in his car after an accident on July 24, 2025, in Westport, Connecticut. (Connecticut State Police via The Associated Press)
Aside from the damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle driving on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris. The driver of that third car happened to be wearing a WWE shirt, police video suggested.
McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely. In October, a state judge allowed him to enter a pretrial probation program that could erase the charges if he completes it successfully.
He was also ordered to make a $1,000 charitable contribution. His attorney, Mark Sherman, called the crash simply an “accident.”
“Not every car accident is a crime,” Sherman said. “Vince’s primary concern during this case was for the other drivers and is appreciative that the court saw this more of an accident than a crime that needed to be prosecuted.”
Vince McMahon attends a press conference to announce that WWE Wrestlemania 29 will be held at MetLife Stadium in 2013 at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 16, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)
State police said a trooper was trying to catch up to McMahon on the parkway and clock his speed before pulling him over. They said the incident was not a pursuit, which happens when police chase someone trying to flee officers. They also said it did not appear McMahon was trying to escape.
“I’m trying to catch up to you, and you keep taking off,” State Police Det. Maxwell Robins said in the video.
“No, no no. I’m not trying to outrun you,” McMahon clarified.
An accident information summary provided to the media shortly after the crash did not mention that a trooper was following McMahon.
The trooper’s bodycam video also shows him asking McMahon whether he was looking at his phone when the crash happened. McMahon said he was not and added he hadn’t driven his car in a long time.
After Robins tells McMahon that his car is fast, McMahon replies, “Yeah, too (expletive) fast.”
Fox News Digital submitted a public records request to obtain the police video, which was first acquired by The Sun.
McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, in 2024, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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