Suspended Premier League referee David Coote is being investigated by the Football Association (FA) following allegations he discussed issuing a yellow card with a friend before a match.

The allegations were first reported in UK newspaper The Sun on Tuesday night and relate to a booking received by Leeds United’s Ezgjan Alioski from Coote during their Championship game against West Bromwich Albion in October 2019.

“I strongly refute these false and defamatory allegations,” Coote said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

“Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life they have never affected my decision-making on the field. I have always held the integrity of the game in the highest regard, refereeing matches impartially and to the best of my ability.”

The Sun reported that Coote accepted a discussion with a friend had taken place, but that nothing inappropriate happened, nor is it suggested he gained financially from the booking. Alioski was booked for a late, sliding challenge and the decision appears routine.

An FA spokesperson described the allegations as “very serious” and that they are being investigated “as a matter of urgency”.

The Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) — the organisation that manages English football’s leading officials — released a statement on Tuesday night saying “the facts need to be established” and that they “adopt a zero-tolerance approach to any breach” of their integrity code, with the “PGMOL board committed to taking the appropriate action should any breach of that Code be proven”.

Leeds said on Wednesday they were aware of the allegations and “have full confidence in the FA, EFL and PGMOL regulations and processes”.

Coote was initially suspended by the PGMOL on November 11 after a video was posted online of him making offensive remarks about Jurgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager. Three days later, The Sun published a video which showed someone they alleged was Coote sniffing white powder through a rolled-up American bank note.

The Sun reported that the video was from July 6, one day after the Euro 2024 quarter-final between France and Portugal in Hamburg where Coote was the assistant VAR.

The Athletic has been unable to verify the video nor confirm Coote’s identity, but the PGMOL responded when asked to provide comment on it, saying they are “aware of the allegations and are taking them very seriously”.

UEFA also suspended Coote from refereeing in its competitions on November 11, two days before The Sun released its video, and are investigating the 42-year-old for a “potential violation” of its regulations.

Coote is also subject to a separate FA investigation for a potential breach of its rules in relation to his comments about Klopp.

In the statement released on Tuesday night, the PGMOL added: ”David Coote remains suspended and subject to an ongoing disciplinary process by PGMOL, separate to the investigation into this matter which will be carried out independently by The FA.”

(Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Aaron Rodgers made his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, and while the New York Jets were a main topic, vaccines also crept its way into the conversation. 

Rodgers is infamous for his public comments about the COVID-19 vaccine, which included his time with the Green Bay Packers, where he said he was “immunized” in 2021. He would later admit he regretted using that verbiage when asked if he had the vaccine or not. 

What sparked the talk of vaccines on Tuesday was Rodgers mentioning that he does not “give a s— about what any of these people are saying about me.”

McAfee said that it was a good mindset to have, as Rodgers added he does not listen to people he would not take advice from. Then, Rodgers got sarcastic with his next comment. 

“They still got to do their vax status, they haven’t been doing it, they kinda stopped doing it. They still got to let everybody know, they got to let everybody know what their vax status is, so people can put it in the right context,” Rodgers said. 

JETS’ AARON RODGERS EXPRESSES REGRET OVER ‘IMMUNIZED’ STATEMENT IN UPCOMING BIOGRAPHY

McAfee fueled the new topic, saying he still gets asked by people if Rodgers would ever forget about those who attacked him during the vaccine. 

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, #8, walks the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

“Remember the old adage, ‘Forgive and forget?’” Rodgers asked. “There is a little extra something that goes with that and if there is some sort of admission maybe wrong-doing at some point along the way. Like maybe the ridiculous Orwellian things, mandates that we put on society or maybe the things that we said or did or maybe this miracle vaccine wasn’t always meant to be and some of things we did and said to be people, ‘Hmm, we’re wrong.’ Then, I think we can all kind of move past it.”

Rodgers also brought up Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who President-elect Donald Trump chose as his Department of Health and Human Services secretary, saying to “look out.”

“Hey look, you know, maybe things will change with Bobby in charge now,” Rodgers said, smirking. “Look out, man, look out.

“There are some people quaking in their boots right now, tell you that much.” 

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, #8, smiles as he walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Rodgers and Kennedy had been linked earlier this year, when the former was rumored to be the latter’s running mate in this year’s presidential election. However, Rodgers ultimately said in May that he chose to continue his NFL playing career rather than get into politics. 

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Ashton Jeanty won. Travis Hunter lost. These results did impact The Athletic’s Heisman Trophy straw poll — ever so slightly, with Hunter losing two first-place votes to drop to 24, and Jeanty doubling his first-place votes to get to two.

Miami quarterback Cam Ward got the other first-place vote, picking it up after throwing for 280 yards and two touchdowns in a rout of Wake Forest, breaking Bernie Kosar’s single-season records for completions (263) and passing yards (3,774) in the process.

But this remains a two-man race, technically, and a rout in reality.

Hunter is oddsmakers’ overwhelming favorite to take home the award and leads this poll with 78 points to Jeanty’s 52. Ward is third with 15 points, and Penn State tight end Tyler Warren and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel have seven and six points, respectively.

The Athletic follows the same voting protocol as that of the Heisman: three points for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote, one point for a third-place vote.

Hunter had another big night offensively for Colorado, catching eight passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas. He also had seven tackles and a pass break-up on defense, but the Buffaloes were collectively dominated on that side of the ball in a 37-21 loss. Deion Sanders’ team lost control of its College Football Playoff hopes in the process, but that doesn’t change the prevailing belief that Hunter is the best player in the country.

Jeanty extended his nation-leading totals to 2,062 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns in a 17-13 win over Wyoming, in which he suffered a leg injury, missed time, returned and finished with 169 yards — 60 of them on three critical runs in Boise State’s winning touchdown drive. That’s compelling stuff, but not compelling enough.

Jeanty has a regular-season finale against Oregon State and the Mountain West title game to give himself a jolt. If he could break Barry Sanders’ single-season NCAA rushing record, he’d be hard to beat. That’s 567 yards away.

Jeanty is a likely lock to make it to the ceremony in New York, though, and that’s no small thing for a player outside a power conference. In the past 40 years, just 10 players at schools that are not currently in a Power 4 league have made it to New York. The last to do it was Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch in 2013.

That list also consists of Temple running back Paul Palmer in 1986, Holy Cross running back/defensive back Gordie Lockbaum in 1987,  Air Force quarterback Dee Dowis in 1989, San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk in 1992, Alcorn State quarterback Steve McNair in 1994, Marshall receiver Randy Moss in 1997, Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington in 1999, Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan in 2007 and another Boise State Bronco, quarterback Kellen Moore, in 2010.

Two quarterbacks who were receiving votes in the poll — Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart — are absent this week after losses to Ohio State and Florida, respectively. There is a new name, courtesy of Colorado’s face plant: Kansas running back Devin Neal, who had 287 yards of offense and four touchdowns against the Buffs.

(Photo: Loren Orr / Getty Images)