Sports
Docuseries led by Michael Vick pays homage to Black quarterbacks past and present
The NFL has evolved to a point where a record 15 Black starting quarterbacks started Week 1 of the 2024 season.
That’s a far cry from when Warren Moon chose to sign with the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos after a standout college career at Washington because he felt he wouldn’t get a fair opportunity to run an offense in the NFL. Similarly, Tony Dungy’s college days as a quarterback at Minnesota were for naught — as were others — as the NFL converted him into a defensive back.
It took until 2001 for the NFL to have its first Black quarterback selected No. 1 in the draft, when the Atlanta Falcons chose Michael Vick out of Virginia Tech. Fittingly, Vick wanted to find a way to highlight the Black quarterbacks who came before him and those who now are excelling.
The result is a three-part docuseries, “Evolution of the Black Quarterback,” which premieres Tuesday on Amazon Prime Video. The 13-year NFL veteran and current analyst for Fox Sports chatted with trailblazers such as James “Shack” Harris, the first Black quarterback to begin a season as the starter in professional football, and Doug Williams, the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. Vick also spoke with contemporaries such as Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott.
“I learned I pretty much had it easy. Those guys (back then) had it rough,” Vick said. “Shack, Doug, Warren, Donovan (McNabb) … in a lot of ways, the hate mail, it wasn’t a smooth transition.”
Vick, who is an executive producer on the projects, says the idea of the docuseries stemmed from his wife, Kijafa, and director Anthony Smith. He wanted to host the series to not only honor many of his heroes but also pay homage to the current players by visiting them around the country.
Progress is more than a journey. It’s a revolution.
Evolution of the Black Quarterback, arrives September 24. pic.twitter.com/VActyiLoXo
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) September 2, 2024
He interviewed Charlie Ward, the 1993 Heisman Trophy winner who led Florida State to a national championship. Ward, a two-sport athlete in college, opted to go to the NBA and played 11 seasons with the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
Prior to the filming of the docuseries, Vick and Ward had never met in person. Vick credits Ward for being a big inspiration on his football career. Ward said he’s still “blown away” when players like Vick talk about how he meant so much to them.
“I didn’t understand it at the time,” Ward said. “Giving people hope that they could do the same thing that I was doing as a Black quarterback, or just inspiring people that you can do what you want to do. Making decisions based on what you feel is best for you at that time. It’s great to hear that you were able to be an inspiration to those that were watching.”
Ward said he was able to excel in college as a quarterback because his coach, Bobby Bowden, changed his system to suit Ward’s style, which wasn’t the case in many other programs. Ward was a mobile quarterback. There was a time when critics found fault in those who didn’t stay in the pocket. An anonymous NFL defensive coordinator said Mahomes played “streetball,” and another league coach said Lamar Jackson struggled to read defenses in a 2022 article on quarterback tiers published by The Athletic.
Mahomes wouldn’t go so far as to say Black quarterbacks are evaluated differently because of race. In 2022, he said Black quarterbacks daily are “proving that we should’ve been playing the whole time.” Having nearly half of the league with a starting Black quarterback shows progress.
“I think we’ve been able to overcome a little bit of it from those times just because of the evolution of our culture, the mindset,” Ward said. “Racism is still a part of our culture. We’re not going to put our heads in the sand and say that it’s not the case, but it has come a long way.”
Telling the story of Black quarterbacks allowed Vick to examine his place in history. The first episode begins with Vick acknowledging he is viewed as a game-changer on the field. Many, however, will never forget Vick pleading guilty to charges related to a dogfighting ring in 2007 and spending 18 months in federal prison.
Vick said the ordeal was especially tough as he reflected on his grandmother, Caletha, who introduced him to football and died while he was incarcerated. Caletha had dementia when Vick went to prison, so he lied to her about his whereabouts. Before his sentence, he told her he was going to NFL training camp — even though it was during the fall.
“That was probably one of the toughest times of my life,” Vick said. “Having to leave and go away and to lie to my grandmother and tell her I was going to training camp when I was going to prison camp.”
Vick’s return to the NFL in 2009 also is covered in the docuseries. He ended up with the Philadelphia Eagles and became teammates with McNabb, who he drew inspiration from as the No. 2 pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. Vick was a freshman at Virginia Tech when McNabb was drafted. Seeing McNabb play college ball at Syracuse gave him a new perspective, as Vick, while in high school, once thought playing defensive back — not quarterback — would be his ticket to the NFL.
“I changed the game and fought for a right to be a dual threat and to make it a real thing,” he said. “Now you can draft a quarterback knowing that he’s going to be your dual threat, and you can feel comfortable knowing you’ve got a quarterback that’s going to give an opportunity (to win) every week.
“This project is about paying homage to those who came before me who allowed me to have that confidence to keep doing what I do.”
(Photo of Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb: Len Redkoles / Getty Images)
Sports
‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin avenges Olympic disappointment with backflip for third straight world title
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It seems like Ilia Malinin, the “Quad God,” has done a nice job of moving on from his Olympic heartbreak.
Last month, the 21-year-old Team USA star was the overwhelming favorite to bring home the gold in the men’s free skate. But the unimaginable happened as he fell twice and dropped all the way to eighth place.
However, he has begun to avenge the loss and is now a three-time world champion.
Ilia Malinin from the United States competes during the men free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin shouted and punched the air with relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his desire to “move on” from the Olympics after days of being tormented by his mistakes.
Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total of 329.40, far ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan on 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third on 288.54.
Malinin was blunt about his Olympic performance when speaking to NBC afterward, saying simply, “I blew it,” and said it was a clear mental hurdle from start to finish.
“I just had so many thoughts and memories flood right before I got into my starting pose, and almost, I think, it maybe overwhelmed me a little bit. I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad and good experiences,” Malinin told reporters.
Gold medalist Ilia Malinin from the United States waves to spectators after the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
LINDSEY VONN KEEPING RETURN TO SKIING ON TABLE DESPITE INJURIES: ‘I DON’T LIKE TO CLOSE THE DOOR ON ANYTHING’
“So, I just feel like it’s the pressure of especially being that Olympic gold medal hopeful. It was just something I can’t control now. The pressure of the Olympics, it’s really something different, and I think not a lot of people understand that. They only understand that from the inside and going into this competition, especially today, I felt really confident, really good,” he added. “But it really just went by so fast I did not have time to process.”
But with some pressure off, Malinin was able to show who he truly is on the ice.
Gold medalist, Ilia Malinin from the United States waves before the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen, who achieved the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
Ilia Malinin bounces back from Olympic nightmare to win third straight world figure skating title
PRAGUE — Ilia Malinin is back on the top step of the podium.
Six weeks after a disastrous skate knocked the Olympic gold-medal favorite off the podium, the “quad god” reeled off one huge jump after another, and a backflip for good measure, to retain his world championship title for the third year running.
Malinin shouted and punched the air with relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his desire to “move on” from the Olympics after days tormented by his mistakes.
He praised the crowd’s support, saying: “It was really challenging, really hard but with you guys I was able to make it through.” His aim, he added, had simply been to get through the free skate “in one piece.”
Skating last after leading the short program, just as he did in Milan, Malinin landed five high-scoring quadruple jumps but not his pioneering quad axel, a jump he didn’t attempt at the Olympics.
Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total 329.40, far ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan on 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third on 288.54.
Ilia Malinin performs a backflip during his free skate at the World Figure Skating Championships on Saturday in Prague.
(Petr David Josek / Associated Press)
Kagiyama beat his personal-best free skate score but still had to make do with a fourth career world championship silver in a career which includes four Olympic silvers and five total worlds medals, but no gold from either event. He still embraced Malinin after his skate and they jumped together in celebration.
In a showcase of top-level skating, there was no podium spot for France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, who had been in second after the short program but dropped to fifth overall after a fall. Estonia’s Aleksandr Selevko also fell dropped from third to sixth.
Malinin had no rematch with Mikhail Shaidorov, the skater from Kazakhstan who won the Olympic gold, because he opted against competing again this season.
That’s relatively common in figure skating for gold medal winners who face a rush of media and commercial opportunities after a grueling four-year Olympic buildup.
Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen, who achieved the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last competition of the championships is the free dance portion of the ice dance event later Saturday. France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron are in the lead after Friday’s rhythm dance.
Sports
Tiger Woods released from jail after DUI arrest; eyes appear bloodshot in booking photo
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Tiger Woods was released from jail Friday night after he was arrested earlier in the day on a DUI charge following a car crash in Florida.
In a mugshot released hours after his arrest, Woods’ eyes appeared bloodshot, as he donned a blue polo inside the Martin County Jail in Florida.
Woods was seen leaving the jail in the passenger seat of a black SUV after his release on bail late Friday, according to The Associated Press.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek confirmed in a news conference that Woods was traveling at “a high rate of speed” when his vehicle collided with another car, resulting in his vehicle rolling over onto the driver’s side.
Tiger Woods was booked into Martin County, Florida, jail on March 27, 2026. (AP)
Authorities said Woods “exemplified signs of impairment.” He blew “triple-zeroes” for alcohol but refused a urine test.
“DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment. They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests,” Budensiek added.
“We really weren’t suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case, and that proved to be true at the jail. … But when it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused. And, so, he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.”
Woods was spotted on the phone after the crash, wearing navy blue shorts.
Woods was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a test, all misdemeanor charges. No one was injured, authorities said. Woods was alone in the car and crawled out of the passenger door after the crash.
Tiger Woods was driven from the Martin County Jail after being arrested for driving under the influence following a car crash on March 27, 2026, in Stuart, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
VANESSA, KAI TRUMP TAKE IN TIGER WOODS’ RETURN TO GOLF AT TGL FINALS
“This could’ve been a lot worse,” Budensiek noted.
President Donald Trump commented on the arrest of his “very close friend.”
“I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump said. “There was an accident, and that’s all I know. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person, an amazing man, but some difficulty.”
Woods has not commented on the arrest.
Tiger Woods was arrested on a DUI charge after getting into a car crash on Friday. (Associated Press)
Woods currently is dating Trump’s ex-daughter-in-law, Vanessa, whose daughter, Kai, is set to play college golf in Miami next week.
This is Woods’ second DUI arrest within the last decade. In 2017, he was taken into custody, also in Jupiter Island, after taking prescription drugs and being asleep behind the wheel of a running car at 3 a.m.
In 2021, he got into a wreck that resulted in serious leg injuries that kept him off the golf course for the entire year.
Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Jason Oteri/AP)
Woods made his return to competitive golf earlier this week in the TGL championship after rupturing his Achilles just before last year’s Masters (this year’s tournament is in less than two weeks). Woods has not appeared on the links since the 2024 PGA Championship, in which he missed the cut.
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