The cold war between tennis players and the sport’s integrity authority grew several degrees hotter this week, as the leading but nascent organizing body for tennis players directly questioned the methods by which tennis polices doping and corruption.

In a letter addressed to Karen Moorehouse, the chief executive of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and seen by The Athletic, Ahmad Nassar, the executive director of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), alleged that ITIA investigators have on occasion seized the personal mobile phones of players, harassed their families and threatened players with sanctions and suspensions unless they immediately do what is being demanded of them.

“The reports we have received demonstrate that the ITIA’s investigative process is broken, and that ITIA investigators are abusing their roles,” Nassar wrote.

“While we would hope that these incidents violate the ITIA’s investigative protocols, given the prevalence of complaints, we believe there are flaws at the core of how the ITIA conducts itself,” he added.

Nassar, who leads the PTPA alongside Djokovic, told The Athletic that more than 10 players have contacted the PTPA in recent months to allege aggressive treatment by ITIA investigators.

One player alleged that investigators demanded he turn over his phone and threatened to provisionally suspend him if he contacted a lawyer before doing so. Other players alleged that they were threatened with public disclosure of a provisional suspension without any clear, established grounds for a sanction. These players cannot be identified as doing so would reveal their being under ITIA investigation.

The PTPA did not disclose whether these allegations related to anti-doping offences or anti-corruption offences, and a footnote in Nassar’s letter characterized an investigator as “all individuals acting under the control of the ITIA.”

In a statement to The Athletic issued through Adrian Bassett, the chief spokesperson for the ITIA, the agency characterized the allegations as “serious, yet generic,” and said that it would investigate any specified allegations of improper behavior.

“It is currently our belief that ITIA investigators work according to the rules, with respect and reflecting our values,” it said.

The agency added that the procedures for issuing a provisional suspension are clearly described in its list of rules regarding anti-doping and anti-corruption, and said that it does not take lightly the decision to take a player’s mobile phone. “It must be necessary, proportionate and lawful. We will not request a device without full consideration of both the intelligence received, and the impact it will have on an individual.”

According to people involved in crafting the letter to the ITIA, who spoke on condition of anonymity to outline the process, the letter marked a change in the PTPA’s strategy in how it engages with the most powerful organizations in tennis.

Nassar copied law firm Weil, Gotshal and Manges, which has acted on behalf of the N.F.L. Players Association and the National Basketball Players Association, on the letter. The PTPA has now retained the firm to represent the organization and to explore potential litigation and other challenges to the governing bodies that have controlled tennis for the past half-century — the ATP and WTA Tours, and the four Grand Slam tournaments, all of which were copied on the letter. It has also hired James Quinn, a former Weil partner and sports antitrust attorney.

Ahmad Nassar has been executive director of the PTPA since summer 2022. ( Ilya S. Savenok / Getty Images for PTPA)

The challenges to the sport’s power structure could take many forms according to Quinn and the involved with crafting the ITIA letter. They include possible antitrust lawsuits, and pleas to the U.S. Congress and other governmental entities.

“You look at tennis and how it treats players and it’s basically pre-Neanderthal,” Quinn said in an interview Thursday. “This is an antitrust fire zone.”

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Nassar’s letter to the ITIA, which requested an initial response by October 15, includes questions about the qualifications and compensation of investigators and doping control officers charged with collecting urine from players for drug tests.

It also asks how the ITIA balances the legal principle of presumption of innocence with its suspension system, in which a player who does not successfully appeal the provisional suspension that comes with a positive doping test is named and banned from the sport while the full ITIA investigation into their test is conducted. 

Nassar also asked for clarity on the nature of the evidence the ITIA requires to begin an investigation, whether into doping or anti-corruption, which can include match fixing and spot betting by players or umpires.

“Players sign up to these to be part of events run by our funders (ATP, WTA, Grand Slams and ITF),” the ITIA said.

“Provisional suspensions cannot be issued without due cause, there is a strict process which is adhered to, and an independent appeal process for players.”

The letter comes on the heels of two significant developments for the ITIA.

Last Saturday October 5, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that it would appeal the ITIA’s decision not to suspend men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner for two anti-doping violations.

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Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol in March, but an independent hearing convened by the ITIA found that Sinner bore “no fault or negligence” for those positive tests. The tribunal accepted his explanation that he had been contaminated by a healing spray purchased by his trainer, Umberto Ferrara. Sinner’s physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, used the spray on a cut on his hand and then subsequently gave Sinner a massage on his back and applied treatments to his feet, through which Sinner was contaminated.

WADA, which sits above the ITIA is seeking “a period of ineligibility of between one and two years,” in which the two-time Grand Slam champion would be banned from playing tennis. The WADA appeal is now being overseen by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

On Thursday October 10, CAS released the written reasons for its decision to reduce the ITIA’s banning of former women’s world No. 1 Simona Halep from four years to nine months. The large discrepancy between CAS and the ITIA’s conclusions, and perceptions of Sinner’s treatment being favorable, have further roiled players’ impressions of the body that governs integrity in their sport.

Simona Halep earlier this month played in Hong Kong after her return to tennis was derailed by injury. (Yu Chun Christopher Wong / Eurasia Images via Getty Images)

“It’s quite obvious that we have a system that is not working well,” Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion, said during a news conference in Shanghai. “There’s way too many inconsistencies, way too many governing bodies involved, and, you know, just this whole case is not helping our sport at all.”

Djokovic is a founding member of the PTPA, the organization he and others created four years ago to give players a united voice independent of the two tours, the ATP and the WTA.  He is among many players, not all of them PTPA members, who have grown frustrated with the tennis status quo, despite the existence of ATP and WTA player councils which are designed to engage the players with the machinations of the sport which they show off to the world.

“We acknowledge it is not pleasant for players to be under investigation for alleged wrongdoing; however, it is our job to investigate matters thoroughly – to protect everyone in the sport, including PTPA members,” the ITIA said.

Nassar’s letter concurs — to a point.

“The players want a game defined by fair play and integrity, but they do not deserve to be subject to arbitrary and overbearing investigative mistreatment,” he wrote.

(Top photo: Hector Ratamal / AFP via Getty Images)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill made a joke on social media about his quarterback amid major brain health concerns. 

Hill made a post on X on Friday that joked about Tua Tagovailoa’s ability to call plays in response to an X user who had proposed the quarterback try a dangerous play if he returns from his latest concussion. 

The X user, known as Coach Fuller, proposed that Tagovailoa run the ball on a designed quarterback run if the quarterback returns from the third concussion of his NFL career. 

But for Hill, the idea was light enough to respond with a joke. 

“Who gone call the next play,” Hill wrote in an X response to the proposal. 

Just a few hours after making the joke, Hill claimed that his account was under review. The social media platform’s review process happens when a post is reported for abusive content by a large amount of users. 

“They put my account under review because of my last tweet,” Hill wrote in another post. 

Many X users, some of whom are Dolphins fans, had mixed responses to Hill’s comments. 

On Sept. 12, Tagovailoa was hit by Bills safety Damar Hamlin during a game against the Buffalo Bills, collapsed to the turf in pain and showed signs of a traumatic brain injury, according to multiple experts. Tagovailoa’s history of brain injuries includes two in the span of one month in the 2022 season. 

Tagovailoa’s arms froze in what neurologists refer to as the “fencing response,” a sign of head trauma.

Tagovailoa is currently on the team’s injured reserve. Some former players and media pundits have called for him to retire after he suffered his third concussion in three years. The quarterback previously suffered two concussions in the span of a single season in 2022. 

His third concussion prompted cries from former NFL players to retire, including former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, Super Bowl champion kicker Lawrence Tynes of the New York Giants and Broncos Hall of Famer and current ESPN host Shannon Sharpe. 

McDaniel told reporters this week that the quarterback will meet with brain health experts during the team’s bye week, because he still hasn’t cleared concussion protocol. When asked whether the team has been advised to hold Tagovailoa out longer even after he has been cleared to return, McDaniel said he has received “nothing negative” from experts.

Meanwhile, Hill has been the subject of multiple controversies for the Dolphins this year.

In the Dolphins’ last loss against the Tennssee Titans, Hill was seen patrolling the sideline as the Dolphins trailed the Titans by double digits, yelling at his coaches and teammates. McDaniel appeared to dismiss him during Hill’s rant. After the game, the coach felt the need to address the incident. 

“I would expect him to be visibly upset at somebody,” McDaniel said after the Dolphins’ 31-12 loss. “A lot of times guys can be yelling at . . . He’s a leader and he wanted to do everything that he could to make sure the result wasn’t that. Within the locker room, there’s a lot of guys challenging each other, and we get an opportunity to see what we’re made of, for sure.”

TUA TAGOVAILOA’S RETIREMENT COULD COST DOLPHINS $124 MILLION AFTER GM RELIED ON JIUJITSU TO END HIS CONCUSSIONS

Hill was infamously the focus of an incident involving the Miami-Dade Police Department in September when he was handcuffed and thrown to the ground by officers, who had pulled him over for reckless driving. Bodycam footage showed the incident and the extent to which Hill cooperated with the officers before he was put in handcuffs. 

The officer who put Hill in handcuffs is 27-year veteran Danny Torres. 

Torres has since been assigned to administrative duties. The Miami-Dade Police director placed Torres on paid administrative duty after she said she had reviewed the body camera footage from officers that day. Torres’ lawyers told Fox News Digital that they are demanding that the officer be reinstated immediately.

“We call for our client’s immediate reinstatement, and a complete, thorough and objective investigation, as Director Daniels has also advocated. Our client will not comment until this investigation is concluded and the facts are fully revealed,” the lawyers said in a statement. 

After the incident, Hill called for the officer to be fired. 

Hill and his lawyer, Julius B. Collins, entered a not-guilty plea to Hill’s two traffic citations that came from the confrontation, Collins previously told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. 

“At this moment, we don’t have any information whether or not laser radar or anything was used or whether or not he was pacing him or anything. So, with that, obviously we’re going to plead not guilty,” Collins said. 

Whether Hill will catch another pass from Tagovailoa again remains to be seen, as the quarterback was set to meet with brain experts during the team’s week off this past week. 

The team’s trainers and doctors could eventually clear Tagovailoa to return to the field. If that happens, he would need to make the decision about whether to keep playing. 

If Tagovailoa is not able to pass concussion protocols for a third time in his NFL career, he could be forced to retire. If he retires, the Dolphins would have to pay out a huge chunk of his $212.4 million contract. 

The contract, signed in July by Dolphins general manager Chris Grier, includes $167 million in guarantees. Tagovailoa has already made $43 million of that salary, and if he is medically forced into retirement, he will have a right to collect the remaining $124 million.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) leaves the field at the end of the first half during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla.  (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

However, if he is cleared to return and chooses to retire anyway, he would forfeit that guaranteed money. He and the team would have to come to a settlement in that case. 

Hill is currently signed to a four-year, $120,000,000 deal with the Dolphins, which he signed in 2022. 

The Dolphins have not won a playoff game with the two players on the team. They have started this season 2-3 amid Tagovailoa’s absence since Week 2. They will return to the field on Oct. 20 in Indianapolis to take on the Colts. 

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

I was at a family wedding last Saturday, waiting in line at the bar when I noticed another guest checking his betting app. When I asked how he was doing, he grumbled about Alabama, well, screwing up, his parlay.

Week 6’s seemingly lackluster slate instead demonstrated why there are no bad weekends of college football, as many have pointed out in the days since. It was also a reminder not to dismiss a matchup based purely on the magnitude of its gambling line, particularly in conference play (Alabama was a 23.5-point favorite over Vanderbilt). In an NFL-dominant landscape where double-digit favorites are rare, it’s easy to forget how fickle those big spreads can be in college football. Until Alabama mucks up your parlay.

Let’s rank the top 10 games of Week 7, starting with honorable mentions and counting down.

Honorable Mention: Washington at Iowa, Wisconsin at Rutgers, Cincinnati at UCF, Stanford at No. 11 Notre Dame, Louisville at Virginia, Memphis at USF, Arizona at No. 14 BYU, Florida at No. 8 Tennessee, Vanderbilt at Kentucky

(All point spreads come from BetMGM; click here for live odds. Stream college football on fubo. All kickoff times are Eastern and on Saturday unless otherwise noted.)

10. Cal (3-2) at No. 22 Pitt (5-0), 3:30 p.m., Fubo, ESPN

Put some respect on the Pitt Panthers, who entered the Top 25 this week and are 5-0 for the first time since 1991. Quarterback Eli Holstein, an Alabama transfer, looks like one of the best pieces of portal business this offseason. He’s eighth in the FBS at 313.4 passing yards per game and the first Pitt QB to win his first five starts since Dan Marino in 1979. Add transfer running back Desmond Reid and first-year offensive coordinator Kade Bell, and the new-look offense has turned Pitt into one of the early surprises of 2024. Cal and the Calgorithm make a cross-country trek looking to rebound from the high-to-low swing of last Saturday’s “College GameDay” atmosphere and late-night collapse against Miami.

Line: Pitt -3

9. No. 17 Boise State (4-1) at Hawaii (2-3), 11 p.m., Fubo, CBS Sports Network

Ashton Jeanty is reason enough to tune in for Boise State. The running back and Heisman hopeful leads the FBS with 1,031 rushing yards — 260 more than the next closest player — and 16 rushing touchdowns, averaging 10.9 yards per carry. That’s on top of the fact that the Broncos are in pole position among Group of 5 programs for a Playoff berth. Boise’s offense is third in the FBS at 8 yards per play (the equivalent of a subpar handoff to Jeanty) and first at 50.6 points per game. That should be more than enough to handle a Hawaii team that has yet to log an FBS victory, though the Rainbow Warriors have been respectable on defense. And with a bye week followed by a trip to UNLV on the horizon, the Broncos can’t afford to get caught looking ahead.

Line: Boise State -20.5

8. No. 16 Utah (4-1) at Arizona State (4-1), Friday, 10:30 p.m., Fubo, ESPN

Not to be confused with the other Big 12 game featuring a ranked team from Utah against a team from Arizona, but this one gets the nod in our list. The Utes, preseason favorites in the Big 12, will try to avoid a second conference loss on the road against the surprisingly feisty Sun Devils, a team defying its dead-last position in the league’s preseason poll. The never-ending Cam Rising injury saga continues as well, with Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham again noncommittal on the quarterback’s status for Saturday. The Big 12 race is already looking like the toss-up everyone expected, but two losses this early would put a real dent in Utah’s conference title ambitions.

Line: Utah -5.5

7. South Carolina (3-2) at No. 7 Alabama (4-1), Noon, Fubo, ABC

Big moment for the Tide. How will they respond to the loss at Vanderbilt, back home against a very hot-and-cold South Carolina? The Gamecocks beat Kentucky, should have beaten LSU, then managed only three points at home last Saturday against Ole Miss. But this is all about a humbled Alabama, featuring a defense that has been gashed since halftime of the Georgia game. Losing to Vanderbilt not only put Alabama on notice, but it will instill a level of confidence in every other team it faces this season — the type of confidence that was usually lacking from opponents when Nick Saban was on the sideline. Kalen DeBoer’s squad has Tennessee and Missouri waiting on the other side of this one, but it first needs to prove it can weather the scrutiny and bounce back.

Line: Alabama -21.5

6. No. 18 Kansas State (4-1) at Colorado (4-1), 10:15 p.m., Fubo, ESPN

A marquee, prime-time television window for Colorado against a ranked opponent that is sure to draw significant viewership numbers — be prepared for something wild to happen. Both teams are coming off bye weeks, before which Kansas State had a big win in the best performance of quarterback Avery Johnson’s young career, and the Buffs played arguably their best all-around game of the Deion Sanders era. This matchup is another critical one for the Big 12 race; similar to Utah, the Wildcats need to avoid picking up a second conference loss, while a win would assert Colorado as a legit contender for the league crown. And if recent history is any indication, expect Travis Hunter to do something to burnish his Heisman resume.

Line: Kansas State -3.5

5. No. 11 Iowa State (5-0) at West Virginia (3-2), 8 p.m., Fubo, Fox

Iowa State is quietly on the verge of a top-10 ranking, taking care of business in workmanlike fashion as chaos reigns supreme elsewhere. The Cyclones tend to lean on defense under Matt Campbell, and this year’s unit is again one of the best in the country. But a balanced offense is elevating this team to Playoff contention, led by steady redshirt sophomore Rocco Becht at quarterback and a pair of game-breaking receivers in Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins. West Virginia will look to play disruptor a week after rushing for almost 400 yards against Oklahoma State — and while wearing new black alternate uniforms for the program’s first-ever Coal Rush game.

Line: Iowa State -3

4. No. 4 Penn State (5-0) at USC (3-2), 3:30 p.m., Fubo, CBS

This feels like a massive prove-it game for both teams. USC fell out of the Top 25 after the loss to Minnesota, but if Penn State manages to fly across the country and get a victory against a big-name opponent, it will be a boost to that top-five ranking and the team’s Big Ten chances, with Ohio State at home the only currently ranked opponent left on the schedule. For the Trojans, a third loss would essentially be curtains for their season and put Lincoln Riley under the microscope. Yet a top-five win keeps Playoff hopes alive, with Notre Dame looming to end the regular season but no Ohio State or Oregon (or Indiana!) in league play.

Line: Penn State -4

3. No. 9 Ole Miss (5-1) at No. 13 LSU (4-1), 7:30 p.m., Fubo, ABC

Could be a barnburner: Both offenses rank in the top 20 nationally in yards per play. However, Ole Miss hasn’t been nearly as efficient the past two games, going a combined 4-for-23 on third down in the loss to Kentucky and win over South Carolina, and running the ball for only 3.3 yards a pop over those two games. The Rebels need to rediscover that top gear at what will be a rowdy Tiger Stadium. Save for a narrow escape at South Carolina, LSU hasn’t been tested too much beyond the season-opening loss to USC and could use a quality win. The victors here get to stay in the upper echelon of SEC and Playoff Contenders for another week, while the losers get kicked to the Pretenders bin.

Line: Ole Miss -3

2. No. 1 Texas (5-0) vs. No. 18 Oklahoma (4-1), 3:30 p.m., Fubo, ABC

It took a top-five showdown to keep the Red River rivalry from the top spot, but this matchup has rarely disappointed in recent years. Nine of the last 11 meetings, including the 2018 Big 12 Championship, have been decided by one score, though Oklahoma has won eight of those 11, including a quadruple-overtime victory in 2020 and last year’s last-minute upset. The two face off in Dallas for the 120th rendition of the rivalry and first as SEC foes. Quinn Ewers is back at quarterback for Texas after missing two-plus games, and his experience could be vital against an aggressive Sooners defense and its league-leading plus-eight turnover margin.

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Texas to start Quinn Ewers vs. Oklahoma

Line: Texas -14.5

1. No. 2 Ohio State (5-0) at No. 3 Oregon (5-0), 7:30 p.m., Fubo, NBC

Our last top-five matchup was the Georgia-at-Alabama instant classic a couple of weeks ago, so this game has a lot to live up to. Oregon and Ohio State battle for the first time as conference opponents after the Ducks won the most recent tilt in Columbus in 2021, the program’s only win over the Buckeyes in 10 tries. There are major Big Ten and CFP implications in what should be a much-needed litmus test for both. Ohio State has glided to a 5-0 start in which Marshall tallied the most points against the Buckeyes all season with 14. Oregon’s trail hasn’t been as smooth, including a last-second win over Boise State. The offense has played better of late but is still below the lofty standard the Ducks established last season. Saturday should provide answers to whether Ohio State is a cut above in the Big Ten, or if Oregon is a legit national title candidate.

Line: Ohio State -3.5

 (Photo of Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson: Ian Johnson / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)