Sports
Chargers receiver Quentin Johnston would like to drop this memory
He has refused to let it go, the pass that Quentin Johnston, as a rookie last season, most famously failed to catch.
At Green Bay in Week 11, in the game’s final 30 seconds, Johnston couldn’t secure a ball that would have put the Chargers at least in range for a tying field-goal attempt.
One fourth-down incompletion later, their 23-20 loss was official and an underwhelming first NFL season for Johnston crept painfully forward.
On Tuesday, after the team’s latest spring practice, Johnston said he has rewatched the play in recent months as a means of motivation, especially on days when he’s searching for a spark.
“[I’ll] pull it up real quick,” he explained, “kind of got mad at myself again.”
Johnston called the drop “just straight-up unacceptable” as he tries to rebound under the Chargers’ new coaching staff and in a vastly altered wide receiver environment.
Veterans Mike Williams and Keenan Allen left the team in March as salary cap casualties. The Chargers signed DJ Chark in free agency and drafted three wide receivers — Ladd McConkey, Brenden Rice and Cornelius Johnson.
One of the top holdovers at the position along with Joshua Palmer, Johnston finds himself with an inviting opportunity to prove he was worthy of being the 21st player taken overall in the 2023 draft.
His need to improve has been boosted by the memory — and images — of that November day in Wisconsin, where Johnston’s inconsistent play and doubted hands were on full display.
He said he has been driven by a desire to avoid having his situation “just wind down into a game like that, which obviously I do not want again.” Targeted six times that afternoon, Johnston finished with just two catches for 21 yards.
Even with Williams missing the final 14 games and Allen the last month because of injuries, Johnston’s rookie performance remained underwhelming. His 38 receptions went for 431 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“My expectations never change for myself,” Johnston said. “Even through the bad games I had last year, I was never like, ‘Maybe I can’t do it.’ I still hold myself to a high standard.”
With Williams and Allen elsewhere, the Chargers would love to have Johnston reassert himself as a rising prospect. But what remains unclear is how much patience the team’s new regime will have for a top draft pick it inherited.
Wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal was with Seattle last year and studied Johnston extensively leading up to the draft. The Seahawks were eyeing a receiver, too, and selected Jaxon Smith-Njigba at No. 20.
“It’s not fair to look back,” Lal said when asked about Johnston’s uneven first year. “Looking forward, he moves as well as any receiver I’ve seen. So the potential is very high.”
Explaining that Johnston has “a lot of juice,” Lal said the Chargers have been working on his body positioning. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Johnston possesses the necessary dimensions.
In fact, Lal said he specifically has been showing Johnston tapes of Seattle’s DK Metcalf, a player known for his body usage. A much more physical receiver than Johnston, Metcalf is 6-4, 235 pounds.
What Lal said he isn’t doing is dwelling on Johnston’s 2023 season. Since he wasn’t with the Chargers then, Lal said there’s no point in trying to figure out what went wrong under circumstances unfamiliar to him.
“I don’t know the context,” Lal said. “To take a player back to that, especially if it’s a negative, I don’t see any purpose going forward. I see, ‘This can be improved.’ I know the drills to improve it. I’m going to implement those. I don’t need the context.”
Johnston said his focus this offseason largely has been focus. He said he wasn’t detailed enough in his approach to catching the ball last year. He insisted the experience hasn’t dented his confidence.
He also used terms like “first-year jitters” and “anxiousness” in describing his sometimes disconnected partnership with Justin Herbert.
“Instead of being on the quarterback’s time,” Johnston said, “I was trying to rush it and be on my time.”
Four wide receivers were taken in the draft’s first round in 2023 — one after another from picks 20 to 23. After Smith-Njigba and Johnston, Zay Flowers went to Baltimore and Jordan Addison to Minnesota.
Among the foursome, Johnston finished last in catches, yards and touchdowns, and the numbers weren’t especially close.
The opportunity before him in 2024 is certainly enticing and encouraging, the Chargers looking to their younger wideouts for production.
“It’s different for sure,” Johnston said of Williams and Allen being gone. “But that’s just them making room for us to step up [and] grow up a little bit quicker as a leader.”
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The Detroit Lions announced they have released cornerback Terrion Arnold, their 2024 first-round pick, following an arrest last week where he was charged with armed robbery and kidnapping.
This comes after Arnold had his bond set at $1 million on Monday by Hillsborough County Judge Christopher Sabella.
Sabella also added conditions for Arnold, which included no contact with the six co-defendants in the case as well as the witnesses. He also must surrender his passport within 48 hours, and remain confined to his home in Tallahassee, Florida, except when he would be playing, training or traveling with the Lions or making court-related appearances.
Terrion Arnold of the Detroit Lions runs onto the field before an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, on Nov. 27, 2025. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
The state also asked Judge Sabella for Arnold to be required to wear a GPS tracking device, but Arnold’s attorneys said he wouldn’t be able to play football with it on.
Prosecutors were pushing for Arnold to be held without bond but, though the charges are serious ones in Sabella’s eyes, he didn’t believe the case was strong enough to hold him in that fashion.
The 23-year-old Arnold was arrested in connection with an alleged kidnapping and robbery that investigators say occurred in February, the Tampa Police Department announced on June 25. Arnold turned himself in and was taken into custody at Orient Road Jail in Hillsborough County on Wednesday night.
TERRION ARNOLD, LIONS’ 2024 FIRST-ROUND PICK, CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING AND ARMED ROBBERY IN FLORIDA
Arnold is charged with four counts of kidnapping and four counts of armed robbery.
Spokespersons for the Lions and the NFL told Fox News Digital they were aware of the situation, but wouldn’t comment any further. Now, the Lions have made their move one month before training camp kicks off across the league.
According to investigators, Arnold rented an Airbnb in Largo, Florida, where he periodically stayed with several co-defendants: Arianna Del Valle, 19; Jasmine Randazzo, 19; Lyndell Hudson II, 26; Christion Williams, 24; Boakai Hilton Jr., 23; and Freddie Hughes, 27. Authorities said other individuals also stayed at the property.
Investigators said three male victims, all in their late teens, suffered visible injuries after they were allegedly battered, held at gunpoint and pistol-whipped before being robbed and ordered to leave a residence in the 14000 block of North 46th Street in Tampa.
Terrion Arnold of the Detroit Lions looks on during the second half of an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Sept. 7, 2025. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
According to investigators, multiple personal items belonging to Arnold and others were stolen from the Airbnb on Feb. 1. Authorities said Arnold suspected two of the three victims were responsible, though Tampa police later determined they were not involved in the theft.
On Feb. 3, Arnold, Hilton, Hughes and another individual reported more than $250,000 in stolen property to the Largo Police Department.
Investigators allege that later that day Arnold and Hilton coordinated with Del Valle and Randazzo to contact one of the victims and lure him to an apartment.
Police said the three victims arrived at the apartment on Feb. 4 to meet the women, where Williams and Hudson were allegedly hiding inside a bedroom closet. According to investigators, Williams and Hudson grabbed the victims, held them at gunpoint and assaulted them.
Authorities said Del Valle streamed the incident to Arnold, Hilton and Hughes as they traveled to the apartment. Investigators also said they recovered a group chat involving the defendants in which Arnold and Hilton allegedly gave directions to Del Valle, Williams and Hudson during the assault.
According to investigators, Arnold, Hilton, Hughes and another individual arrived at the apartment around 1 a.m. Police allege Arnold directed the group inside, and that Hughes, Hudson and Williams stole the victims’ personal property while the assault was ongoing.
Authorities said the victims were escorted from the apartment about 40 minutes later, forced into their vehicle and left the scene. They later reported the incident to Tampa police and identified the suspects.
Terrion Arnold of the Detroit Lions lines up before a play during an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., on Nov. 27, 2025. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
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Investigators said they believe Arnold was the primary organizer of the alleged scheme based on evidence gathered during the investigation. However, Harvey Steinberg, one of Arnold’s attorneys, argued in court that the prosecutors were “not even close” to showing he knew or directed his associates in this incident.
Arnold was expected to be a starting corner for the Lions this season, making his release a big one for the depth chart. He recorded his first career interception this past season in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, though he was only able to play eight games because of a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery.
Arnold played 16 games during his rookie season in 2024, tallying 10 passes defended and 60 combined tackles.
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A Florida judge set a $1 million bond for former Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold, who has been in jail since being arrested last week in connection to an alleged armed attack on a group of men in Tampa, Fla., in February.
Arnold will not have to wear an ankle monitor while he awaits trail on eight felony charges of kidnapping and robbery that could keep him in prison for life if convicted, thus clearing the way for him to practice and play football during that span.
He won’t be doing so, however, with the team that drafted him at No. 24 overall in the 2024 draft. The Lions announced Monday afternoon on X that they have released Arnold, with no other details provided.
Hillsborough County Judge Christopher C. Sabella said during Monday’s hearing that Arnold already has a “paparazzi monitor” that would prevent any potential attempts to flee.
“If he is late for practice, ESPN will let us know,” Sabella said. “If he violates the conditions of his bond, he will be found.”
Arnold was ordered to remain at his Tallahassee home except for when he’s playing, training and traveling with the Lions. He also has to turn in his passport and cannot have any contact with other people tied to the case.
The Hillsborough County state attorney’s office had argued for Arnold to remain behind bars until trial. The county jail’s inmate tracker has not been updated and does not indicate if he has posted bond or been released.
According to the Tampa Police Department, Arnold is believed to be the “primary conspirator” in an alleged plot that left three young men with “visible injuries from being battered, held at gunpoint, and pistol-whipped before their personal property was stolen and they were ordered to leave.”
Arnold turned himself in Wednesday night and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment hearing Thursday afternoon.
“Today’s ruling by Judge Sabella confirms that there is very little evidence to even suggest any criminal involvement by Mr. Arnold,” Denise White, chief executive of EAG Sports Management, which represents Arnold, said in a statement emailed to The Times.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sports
Thekla embarrasses Stardom’s Starlight Kid after retaining AEW World Women’s Championship at Forbidden Door
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Thekla has had every reason to talk as much trash as she’s done.
She made her debut in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) last year and quickly moved up the ladder to win the AEW Women’s World Championship in a strap match against Kris Statlander in February. She’s continued to hold the title even when three opponents were thrown her way at Double or Nothing.
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Thekla enters the ring during the women’s pro-wrestling event “Stardom” at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 13, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Thekla declared war on Stardom and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in the buildup to Forbidden Door. She demanded that Stardom send its best to challenge her at Forbidden Door, and they obliged. Starlight Kid stepped up against the “Toxic Spider” and the two put on a great match in front of the pro wrestling audience at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
Thekla taunted Starlight Kid throughout the match and it appeared she got more than she bargained for at points during the match.
Starlight Kid wouldn’t stay down and gave every effort to bring the AEW Women’s World Championship back to Japan with her. Starlight Kid worked on Thekla’s knee toward the end of the match. But the champion would not quit.
Starlight Kid enters the ring during the Women’s Pro-Wrestling “Stardom” 15th Anniversary at Edion Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan, on Feb. 7, 2026. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Thekla got out of the submission hold and avoided being pinned by mere seconds. Thekla was put to the test more than any other opponent she’s faced since becoming the champion.
The “Toxic Spider” hit two stomps and finally put away Starlight Kid to retain the title.
With Stardom president Taro Okada in attendance, Thekla continued her assault against Starlight Kid. Skye Blue and Julia Hart came out to support Thekla. Hart handed Thekla a pair of scissors and the champion ripped the mask off Starlight Kid’s head and spit in it.
Thekla taunted Okada with the mask and hit the wrestling executive with it.
Thekla enters the ring during the women’s pro-wrestling event Stardom at Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan, on March 8, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
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Thekla stayed the champion and added a trophy to her mantel.
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