Connect with us

Sports

Ex-NFL star Troy Aikman drops theory about cause of early season injuries

Published

on

Ex-NFL star Troy Aikman drops theory about cause of early season injuries

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Former Dallas Cowboys star Troy Aikman offered his own theory as to why there have been a spate of early-season injuries in the NFL over the last few years.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer said he believed the NFL’s rules to help players avoid injuries may actually be the cause of them.

Troy Aikman arrives on the red carpet for the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Aug. 5, 2023. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

Advertisement

On Friday’s “Rodeo Time Podcast,” Aikman fondly remembered doing two-a-day practices in Wichita Falls, Texas, where the Cowboys would hold training camp in the summer. He suggested that while players aren’t as “taxed” as they were in the 1980s and 1990s during camps, they may not be as prepared for the toll their bodies take at the beginning of the season.

“I think they only wear pads one day a week or one time a day, and they have a walk-through, and then after, I don’t know how it all reads, but it’s pretty player friendly and favorable,” Aikman said. “And a lot of it, whenever they negotiate the CBA, the owners tend to always win on the financial side of things. And then the players say, ‘Well, all right, then we’re not gonna practice as long, or we’re not gonna practice as often.’ So, then they tend to get concessions when it comes to how much time they’re actually at facilities.

SUPER BOWL CHAMPION BRYCE HUFF RETIRES FROM NFL AT 27

Troy Aikman  before game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars  at EverBank Stadium on Dec. 4, 2023. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports)

“I think the only ones who don’t have a voice in those negotiations are the coaches. They kind of have to wait till the dust settles and say, ‘All right, just how often do we get them?’ But some of it is that we see too is a lot of the reasons I think that we see so many injuries, especially early in the year. A lot of soft tissue injuries, a lot of muscle pulls, and things of that nature is the players, they’re just not able to train the way that we once did, they’re not able to callous their bodies as easily. Not that they’re not training hard and all that, but it’s different training on your own as opposed to being on the football field practicing football movements.”

Advertisement

Aikman made clear he was a fan of making changes in the name of player safety, but worried they may do more harm than good for some.

Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow, Minnesota Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy, San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy and Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson were among the quarterbacks to miss time early last season.

Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson throws during team warmups before an NFL preseason football game against the Dallas Cowboys Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.  (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Player safety is set to be thrust back into the spotlight as the NFL reportedly eyes a Thanksgiving Eve game with the possibility of expanding to an 18-game schedule in the future.

Advertisement

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Advertisement

Sports

2026 World Cup Odds: How Far Will Team USA Go?

Published

on

2026 World Cup Odds: How Far Will Team USA Go?

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

When will Team USA lose in the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Or, will it not lose at all? 

Let’s check out the odds for the Americans’ stage of elimination at FanDuel Sportsbook, as of June 11.

Team USA — Stage of elimination odds

Last 32: +170 (bet $10 to win $27 total)
Last 16: +220 (bet $10 to win $32 total)
Group stage: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Quarterfinals: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Semifinals: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Runner-up: +2800 (bet $10 to win $290 total)
Outright winner: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)

Advertisement

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

The outlook appears to be … ho-hum?

If the odds ring true, the Americans are expected to make it out of the group stage but fall in the first knockout stage game. 

How would that result stack up against previous results? Well, at the 2022 World Cup, Team USA made it to the Round of 16, which was viewed as a stellar accomplishment. 

The U.S. men’s national team currently has 60-1 odds to lift the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy this summer (Photo by Omar Vega/USSF/Getty Images).

Advertisement

In 2018, the USA did not qualify for the World Cup, and in 2014 and 2010, the Americans also made it to the Round of 16. Their best result this century occurred in 2002, when the Americans made it all the way to the quarterfinals before being eliminated. 

In 1998, Team USA lost in the group stage, in 1994, it fell in the Round of 16, and in 1990, it also fell in the group stage.

With the expanded World Cup format, 32 teams will advance to the knockout stage (out of 48), giving teams a much better chance of getting out of the group stage than in previous tournaments. In past years, only 50% of the field advanced to the knockout round, but now 66.6% of teams will move on.

With that being said, anything less than a knockout round appearance on home soil would be viewed as a major failure this summer for Team USA.

The second result on the oddsboard is the “Last 16,” meaning the USA would make it out of the group stage and win one knockout stage game, before falling in the second knockout stage game. The third result is that the Americans failed to make it out of the group stage, and the fourth is that they made it to the quarterfinals, meaning they won two knockout stage games. 

Advertisement

Making the semis, losing in the championship game and winning the championship are the three results with the longest odds. 

The U.S. begins its World Cup journey on Friday as the Stars and Stripes face Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium. Getting off to a fast start in the group is crucial for the team’s World Cup dreams of making a deep run this summer. 

Continue Reading

Sports

Shohei Ohtani, Justin Wrobleski sustain injuries, exit early for Dodgers vs. Pirates

Published

on

Shohei Ohtani, Justin Wrobleski sustain injuries, exit early for Dodgers vs. Pirates

The Dodgers couldn’t have asked for better timing, as Shohei Ohtani’s leadoff spot came back around.

They were clinging to a two-run lead in the top of the seventh inning against the Pirates on Thursday. With one out and runners on first and second, the Dodgers superstar, who had already reached base four times, was due up.

Instead, Santiago Espinal stepped up to the plate as a pinch-hitter.

Ohtani left the game with inflammation in his left knee, the Dodgers announced. They did not immediately offer an explanation for the injury.

Advertisement

Before leaving, Ohtani hit a solo home run — his second homer in as many games — a single and drew two walks.

It was an impressive performance, coming a day after he took on two-way duties. On the mound Wednesday, he allowed three earned runs in 6⅔ innings.

Earlier in the game Thursday, Dodgers starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski exited with a bruised right hamstring, the team said.

The fifth inning had already begun to spiral on him. After throwing four scoreless innings, he surrendered two solo home runs to Rafael Flores Jr. (the first of his major-league career) and Brandon Lowe.

Advertisement

Then Bryan Reynolds hit a line-drive comebacker off Wrobleski’s leg. The ball ricocheted to the edge of the infield grass, where first baseman Freddie Freeman picked it up.

Wrobleski was already racing toward first base. But after turning to catch the throw, he missed the base and stumbled backward into Reynolds, who tripped over Wrobleski’s extended left foot.

Wrobleski limped away, and an athletic trainer followed him, circling back to the mound. But as he was setting up to throw a warm-up pitch, manager Dave Roberts came out to make a pitching change.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry advises Caitlin Clark to protect herself on the court

Published

on

Seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry advises Caitlin Clark to protect herself on the court

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry has some simple advice for Caitlin Clark: Fight back.

Horry, 55, was asked about the criticism the Indiana Fever star has gotten for complaining to the referees, and Horry said Clark needs to protect herself.

“You think about when you when you’re the best, everybody want to knock you out. And I think a lot of people are going after her and for me, just play the game,” Horry told Fox News Digital at The World Cup 2026 Kickoff Party Blue Carpet at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Advertisement

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark waits for play to resume during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on May 28, 2026. (David Gonzales/Imagn Images)

“Some other players around the league didn’t protect themselves, and the (harassment) went on, so my best advice (for) her is protect yourself. Don’t let nobody try to punk you.”

Horry played with Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and cited him as an example of a player who fought back.

“I think I (played) with one of the greatest players (in) Shaquille O’Neal, he got hammered. I know he’s bigger and stronger than Caitlin, but he got to a point where he just started fighting back. You know, someone (elbowed him), you elbow him back.”

Clark has taken some hard fouls during her three seasons in the WNBA, with many fans wondering if the treatment from her competitors is intentional. The 24-year-old frequently pleads her case to the referees after contact, which has drawn the ire of fans who say she complains too much.

Advertisement

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever reacts after a foul was called during the first half against the Portland Fire at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, on May 30, 2026. (Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

Fever fans at least weren’t complaining when Clark buried a game-winning 3-pointer to help secure a 78-76 win over the Washington Mystics on Monday. Clark had 19 points, five assists and three rebounds in the win.

The Fever have had a tumultuous start to the season, but are over .500 at 6-5. In 10 games, Clark has averaged 18.7 points, 8.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Horry played in the NBA for 16 seasons. He began his career with the Houston Rockets, spending four and a half seasons with them and being a key part of their championship-winning teams in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons. The Alabama native was then traded to the Phoenix Suns, where he spent half a season before signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Robert Horry and Candice Horry pose on the blue carpet for the World Cup 2026 Kickoff Party at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on June 9, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

Horry was a key contributor during the Lakers’ three-peat from 1999-2001 and earned his third, fourth and fifth career NBA titles. After spending seven seasons with the Lakers, Horry joined the Spurs, where he won two more championships in 2004-05 and 2006-07.

In 16 seasons, Horry averaged 7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Advertisement

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending