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Chargers signing former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott

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Chargers signing former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott

Former Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott will be signed to the Chargers’ practice squad, according to a person with knowledge of the deal not authorized to speak publicly.

Elliott played 15 games for the Cowboys this season, rushing for 226 yards and three touchdowns before he asked to be released. With Rico Dowdle putting together his first 1,000-yard rushing season and the Cowboys outside of the playoff picture, the team that drafted the former Ohio State star fourth overall in 2016 granted the request and Elliott cleared waivers last week.

Pending a physical, the Chargers (11-6) expect to sign the 29-year-old to their practice squad on Tuesday ahead of the team’s wild-card playoff game in Houston at 1:30 p.m. PST on Saturday. The Chargers are playing to win their first postseason game since 2018.

If Elliott is elevated from the practice squad in time for the game, he could provide valuable insurance in the backfield that has been without running back Gus Edwards for the last two games. While Edwards is nursing an ankle injury, top rusher J.K. Dobbins is only just returning from a knee injury that kept him out for four games.

Dobbins, who began his record-setting Ohio State career two seasons after Elliott graduated, was on pace to become the Chargers’ first 1,000-yard rusher since 2017 before he sustained a knee injury against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 25. He leads the team with 905 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.

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Offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s vision for a physical running game that would complement star quarterback Justin Herbert yielded inconsistent results in the first year of a new scheme as the Chargers battled injuries to both of their most experienced runners. The Chargers rank 17th in the NFL in rushing yards with 1,882, but just 20th in yards per carry, averaging 4.1 yards per attempt.

Led by general manager Joe Hortiz, the Chargers have been aggressive with additions to their roster. Safeties Tony Jefferson, Kendall Williamson and Eddie Jackson, cornerback Eli Apple and receiver Jalen Reagor have played meaningful snaps after beginning on the practice squad. Jefferson, a 10-year veteran, worked his way into a starting role to help manage a rash of injuries in the secondary.

After rushing for more than 1,000 yards in four of his first six seasons with the Cowboys, the team released Elliott after the 2022 season, which ended with a divisional round loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Elliott signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots to be a complementary running back to starter Rhamondre Stevenson. He returned to the Cowboys on a one-year deal this season but hasn’t averaged more than 3.8 yards per carry since 2021.

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What is TGL? Explaining Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s new simulator golf league

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What is TGL? Explaining Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s new simulator golf league

If you were to recreate the sport of golf for the year 2025, what would it look like?

TGL believes it has that all figured out: A prime-time golf league featuring PGA Tour players competing on teams hitting shots against a giant screen and finishing their holes on a shape-shifting putting green in a stadium of 1,500 spectators. Welcome to professional golf’s latest science experiment.

TGL will broadcast its first match at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday on ESPN, and the golf world is anxiously waiting to see how it’ll play out on live TV and in person at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach, Fla. Here’s everything you need to know about the new league ahead of its debut:

What is TGL?

TGL is a 15-week golf series started by TMRW Sports — a company founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Mike McCarley, a former NBC Sports executive, and backed by big-name investors that include Steph Curry and Fenway Sports Group.

The league will take place indoors, in a custom stadium on the campus of Palm Beach State College equipped with a simulator screen that is five stories high, grass tee boxes for full-swing shots and bunkers that are filled with what is believed to be the same sand used at Augusta National Golf Club. Once the players reach the area surrounding the green on each virtual hole, they’ll turn around to the rotating green to complete it. Nearly 600 hydraulic jacks will help change the undulation of the green to distinguish the holes, which were designed by various golf architects with no construction constraints. This is video game golf, after all.

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There are six TGL teams, representing cities around the U.S., consisting of four PGA Tour players each. Throughout the season, those teams will face off against each other live. Then the top four teams will move on to playoffs. The golfers will be mic’d up and shot-clocks will necessitate a snappy pace of play. There will be referees and timeouts like in other major league sports — even smoke and walk-out music will introduce the players to the ticketed crowd. No glass plates or nets separate the fans from the golfers. So yes, a skulled greenside bunker shot could get dicey.


A volcano splitting a fairway? Possible in TGL’s virtual world. (Courtesy TGL)

What does TGL stand for?

Tomorrow’s Golf League

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Who are on the TGL teams?

Woods and McIlroy headline the list of PGA Tour players on the TGL roster, but neither will appear in the first match-up, which is between the New York Golf Club and The Bay Golf Club. The league is operating in partnership with the PGA Tour, which means no LIV golfers have been included. Major champions such as Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka won’t be hitting into the 60-foot tall screen. Notably, the world’s No. 1 golfer, Scottie Scheffler, didn’t sign up either. Here’s the full breakdown of the six teams:

Atlanta Drive GC: Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, Lucas Glover
Boston Common Golf: Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott
Jupiter Links GC: Tiger Woods, Max Homa, Tom Kim, Kevin Kisner
Los Angeles Golf Club: Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood
New York Golf Club: Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young
The Bay Golf Club: Ludvig Åberg, Wyndham Clark, Min Woo Lee, Shane Lowry

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It’s New York vs. The Bay for opening night, with Fitzpatrick, Fowler and Schauffele playing for the former and Åberg, Clark and Lowry for the latter. Lowry has already indicated the tee is his first.

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TGL is big, aggressive and not about the money. That gives it a real chance

What is the TGL format and rules?

Three players from each four-man team will compete in each match-up. The matches will run for two hours and the players will play 15 holes.

In the first nine-hole session, the players will compete in “Triples,” which is 3 vs. 3 alternate shot. Each team will alternate playing until they complete the hole, and the lowest score wins. No points will be awarded for a tied hole, just like in traditional match play.

In the second session, head-to-head play will begin with “Singles.” One player will face off against another player on the first hole, then the second set of players will go against each other, then the third set. That cycle will repeat once more for the full six-hole “Singles” portion.

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Teams can increase the stakes of a hole by implementing a feature called “The Hammer.” If the opposing team accepts, the value of the hole becomes two points, rather than one. If they decline, they effectively concede the hole.

Overtime will be a 3 vs. 3 closest to the pin contest between the teams, until a winner is decided.


The green rotates at the SoFi Center depending on the hole’s layout, with pistons underneath the surface also changing the undulation. (Courtesy TGL)

How long is the TGL season?

The TGL runs from January through March, with the regular season concluding on March 4. Matches will exclusively air on Monday and Tuesday nights, depending on the week and conflicting broadcast schedules. The top four teams after regular season play will advance to a four-week playoff season, with matches on March 17-18 and 24-25.

How to watch

TGL will broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET.

(Top photo of Rory McIlroy: Courtesy TGL)

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Padres' late owner's widow sues for control of team from his siblings

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Padres' late owner's widow sues for control of team from his siblings

The San Diego Padres are in the midst of a custody battle. 

Sheel Kamal Seidler, the widow of deceased team owner Peter Seidler, has filed a lawsuit against his two brothers in attempt to seize control of the team. 

The widow has alleged in her complaint that Peter, before his death, revealed his dying wish was for her to take control of the Padres, followed by their children, and that her children hold the largest stake in ownership. She adds that Peter’s two brothers, Matt and Bob, “are trying to erase Peter’s vision and legacy, as well as falsely cast themselves as Peter’s true heirs.”

The suit also alleges that Bob’s wife made multiple “racist, profane and hateful communications directed at Sheel—a woman of Indian descent—in communications.”

The widow released a statement addressing the complaint on social media. 

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San Diego Padres Chairman Peter Seidler and President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller talk during the San Diego Padres Fan Fest at PETCO Park on February 4, 2023 in San Diego, California. (Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)

“The complaint alleges claims against Matthew and Robert for breaches of fiduciary duty and fraud. I would urge anyone who is interested in the details to read the full complaint. This was not a decision I made lightly. During this difficult period, I have done everything in my power to avoid unwanted distractions and resolve the matter privately. I have focused on supporting the work of the many dedicated professionals within the Padres organization, as well as the incredible players we have the privilege of watching nearly every day throughout the season. 

“I made this decision as a very last resort, but I am confident it is the right one, and the best way to protect the Padres franchise and ensure the vision that Peter and I shared for the team will continue.”

Matt released a statement via Sportico, claiming that Sheel’s allegations are “without merit.” 

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“The complaint filed by Sheel Seidler, the widow of Peter Seidler, is entirely without merit,” Seidler said. “Peter had a clear estate plan. The plan specifically named three of his nine siblings, with whom he had worked closely for many decades, as successor trustees of his trust, and Peter himself prohibited Sheel from ever serving as trustee.”

PATRIOTS OWNER ROBERT KRAFT SHOULDERS BLAME AFTER FIRING JEROD MAYO: ‘WHOLE SITUATION IS ON ME’

Padres players meet up

San Diego Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar, left, is held back by teammates after he protested with umpires when items were thrown at him in the outfield during the seventh inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles.  (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Peter died in November 2023 at the age of 63. He had been ill for months, though it has not been disclosed what exactly he’d been dealing with. Seidler is a cancer survivor who had health issues for quite some time. 

He said in July 2023 that the Padres would stay within his family for generations after he passed away.

Seidler was the founder of Seidler Equity Partners, which was a key piece of the group that purchased the Padres in 2012. Seidler’s uncle, also named Peter, and Ron Fowler were a part of the group, too. 

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The name of the group derives from Seidler’s grandfather, Walter O’Malley, who owned the Dodgers from 1950, when they first relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, until 1979. Fowler transferred the role of chairman to Seidler in 2020, and then Seidler purchased part of Fowler’s stake in the organization to become the team’s largest stakeholder. 

Peter Seidler looks up on field

The San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler looks on prior to the MLB World Tour Mexico City Series between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants at Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium on April 29, 2023 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Prior to his death, he dealt out a series of high-cost contracts to superstar players in an effort to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West division and win a World Series. 

These contracts include Manny Machado’s $350 million, deal, Fernando Tatis Jr.’s $340 million deal, Xander Bogaertz $280 million deal, and Yu Darvish’s $108 million deal. 

The Athletic reported in November 2023 that the team took out a $50 loan to help pay for the costs of the contracts. 

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USC closes in on hiring Chad Savage to be tight ends and inside receivers coach

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USC closes in on hiring Chad Savage to be tight ends and inside receivers coach

USC is finalizing a deal to hire Colorado State assistant Chad Savage as its new tight ends and inside receivers coach, a person familiar with the decision but not authorized to speak on the matter told The Times.

ESPN first reported the news.

Just 30 years old, Savage spent the past three seasons working under coach Jay Norvell at Colorado State, where he earned a reputation for his stellar work on the recruiting trail. During all three seasons with the Rams, Savage was rated as the top recruiter in the Mountain West Conference. Before that, he served as tight ends coach at Nevada and receivers coach at San Diego, his alma mater.

He’ll replace Zach Hanson, who shifted to coaching the offensive line last month following the departure of assistant Josh Henson. And Savage will have no shortage of talent to work with at tight end, with USC set to return a deep well of talent at the position that includes a third-year starter in Lake McRee, as well as young prospects such as Walker Lyons, Joey Olsen and Walter Matthews — or at inside receiver, where Makai Lemon should be one of the top returning wideouts in the Big Ten.

But perhaps most important, Savage should play a major role in helping reestablish USC’s recruiting foothold in Southern California. Despite only being a full-time coaching staff member for the past five years, the Reno, Nev., native has deep connections in the region after making it his primary recruiting focus during his tenure at Colorado State.

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Savage is the first new full-time addition to USC’s staff this offseason after two assistants, Henson and linebackers coach Matt Entz, left the program.

USC still needs to hire a linebackers coach to fill out its staff. The program is also expected to hire a new general manager to run football personnel operations in the coming weeks.

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