Sports
NFL investigating phone calls but prankgate looks to be partially league's own doing
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The NFL began supplying select draft prospects with single-purpose phones, but that has become a problem for the players, teams, and, yes, the league itself, because the numbers are being leaked with unacceptable frequency now.
You know about the leak of Shedeur Sanders’ phone number. That one was quite public and ultimately easy to solve.
Sanders Phone Provided By NFL
It was all over social media and Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich had Sanders’ number, supplied to him via email from the NFL, and that somehow got into the hands of his 21-year-old son Jax, who then facilitated a viral prank call to Sanders.
Oct 7, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
What you may not know is that the phone Sanders got the call on was not his own. It was provided by the NFL only days prior to the draft.
Even Sanders said in one of his released videos of the incident that the phone “ain’t in my name.”
Added Sanders: “I just got this phone yesterday.”
That’s true because the NFL provided the phone so that teams could be certain of immediately reaching Sanders and other prospects and not have lines of communication crossed while prospects might have otherwise been on their personal phones – perhaps communicating with friends and family or simply in a dead cell zone.
NFL Provides Phones To Help TV
And here’s the kicker: The NFL began supplying these single-purpose phones to make sure its draft telecasts were not awkwardly interrupted or turned uncomfortable with phone calls that didn’t reach the players, a former league official told OutKick on Thursday.
So, basically, the league provided phones for select prospects to make sure the calls got through at the exact moment teams needed them and the exact moment television partners wanted them to get the calls on air to keep their broadcasts humming.
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Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos quarterback Shedeur Sanders prior to the game against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
The NFL provided the phones and then provided an estimated 2,000 NFL and club employees with the numbers via email, multiple sources confirmed.
If this doesn’t seem like an inefficient way of making sure an NFL draft broadcast delivers the iconic prospect-answering-the-call-from-the-team moment, then consider these facts:
Sanders was one of a double-digit number of prospects – some who have not been publicly identified – who got prank calls on their league-issued phones, one league source estimated Thursday.
NFL Needs To Investigate Its Own Role
The NFL has been mum about this subject other than to say it is investigating.
That’s ironic because one supposes the investigation by the NFL would have to begin with none other than the NFL itself.
Did the league send out the numbers to an unnecessarily wide group of people? That’s possible because not only did general managers, their staff and coaches get the numbers, but secondary staffers and some media did as well, a source said.
So public relations people, non-football executives, even some equipment managers and training staff may have gotten the delivered list of numbers.
The league may have to pare the list of people who get the numbers to its single-purpose phones in the future because, well, it’s got a problem that it doesn’t like.
And one reason the NFL doesn’t like this problem is because it’s gone public.
In this draft alone, we know the list of players who received prank phone calls prior to being selected includes: Sanders, Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter, Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham, Colts tight end Tyler Warren, Commanders offensive lineman Josh Conerly, Bills offensive lineman Chase Lundt and Eagles quarterback Kyle McCord.
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NFL Commissioner points out New York Giants fans to edge rusher Abdul Carter after the Giants select Carter with the third pick during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The draft runs through April 26. (Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)
Source: Double-Digit Prospects Affected
There are others, according to a source.
“I got a few prank calls earlier in the day from 609 numbers and 215 numbers, so I’m like, alright, when I got that 215 phone call, I was thinking it was another prank call,” McCord told Philadelphia area reporters. “But picking up the phone and having [general manager] Howie [Roseman] on the other side, it was pretty cool.”
McCord actually got multiple prank calls before the draft even began. There were so many that when the legitimate call came from the Eagles, he expected it to be another prank.
“I didn’t really think it was going to be legit, to be honest, because I got a bunch of 215 calls obviously leading up to the draft,” McCord said. “And, you know, obviously, sitting there anxious to see what area code pops up and it was 215.
“So, I’m thinking, you know, I don’t know who it was going to be. And then I picked up the phone. I said, ‘Hello,’ and then to hear Howie’s voice on the other side, alright, not what I expected, but I was super pumped that it happened.”
Prank phone calls are as old as, well, phone calls themselves.
And they’re not new to the NFL, either.
Pranks Not New But More Problematic
In 2013, two 20-year-olds somehow got then-Bills general manager Buddy Nix and then-Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik on a conference call. And, amazingly, during the call, the two GMs proceeded to discuss free agency plans for six full minutes.
Oct 9, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) warms up prior to a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. (Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
Yes, funny, but not for the player that was primarily discussed: Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
But the 2025 NFL draft seems to be the boiling point for the league on prank calls.
Expect some changes in how it handles the distribution of the numbers, the former league employee speculated, even if its own investigation finds nothing wrong with its actions.
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Sports
Eli Manning fires back amid debate comparing ex-Giants star to Falcons great Matt Ryan
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Eli Manning retired in 2019 and missed out in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility in 2025. He was passed over again earlier this year but still fired back at a fan who claimed one of his contemporaries was the better quarterback.
On Tuesday, a social media user floated a theory about former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan, who now oversees football operations as the team’s president, last played in an NFL game in 2022. He announced his retirement in 2024, making him eligible for Hall of Fame consideration beginning in 2028.
“Matt Ryan was a better QB than Eli Manning… people just worship rings. Agree or nah,” the post read.
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New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning greets Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan after their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct. 22, 2018. (Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports)
Manning caught wind of the suggestion and weighed in, pointing to the two Super Bowl-winning teams he was part of during his standout run with the New York Giants.
“I will ponder this while I play with my rings…,” Manning wrote in a quote-tweet.
Ryan’s statistical production surpasses Manning’s, at least on paper. He was named NFL MVP in 2016, an honor Manning never earned. Ryan is also the most accomplished player in Falcons history and finished his career with more than 62,000 regular-season passing yards, compared with Manning’s 57,023.
NFC head coach Eli Manning leads a huddle during a practice session before the NFL Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on Feb. 4, 2023. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Both quarterbacks were selected to four Pro Bowls, but the key difference lies in championships. Manning won the Super Bowl in 2007 and 2011, while Ryan reached it once but fell short. Manning threw for a single season career-best 4,933 during the run leading up to the second Super Bowl title.
Ryan threw for 284 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions to help the Falcons build a 25-point lead in the championship game — a matchup remembered for the New England Patriots engineering the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan passes the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Jan. 2, 2022. (Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports)
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The Falcons have reached the Super Bowl twice in franchise history, first in 1998, but the team is still chasing its first elusive championship.
The Giants marked their 100th season in 2024, winning four Super Bowls over the franchise’s century-long history.
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Sports
Rams coach Sean McVay says Puka Nacua is ‘doing really well’ after rehab stint
Star receiver Puka Nacua will fully participate in voluntary offseason workouts, the Rams are getting closer to another contract adjustment with quarterback Matthew Stafford, and coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead hope backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo decides to put off retirement and return for a third season and possible Super Bowl run.
McVay and Snead addressed those topics and the NFL draft on Tuesday during a videoconference with reporters.
Nacua led the NFL in receptions last season but also was involved in a string of off-the-field incidents the last few months, including an alleged biting incident that led to a civil lawsuit. Those situations put the brakes on any immediate discussion between the Rams and Nacua about a massive extension for the fourth-year pro.
In March, Nacua began a rehabilitation program in Malibu, but he was present for the first day of workouts on Monday.
Nacua, 24, “looks great” and is “doing really well,” McVay said. McVay declined to detail discussions he’s had with the All-Pro, who was a finalist for NFL offensive player of the year.
“He and I have a great relationship,” McVay said. “Feel really good about kind of the direction we’re going.”
Stafford, 38, led the Rams to the NFC championship game last season and is the reigning NFL most valuable player. According to overthecap.com, he is due to carry a salary-cap number of $48.3 million this season.
But Stafford has no doubt demanded, and will receive, a raise and a possible additional year in a deal that the Rams acknowledged two years ago is essentially a year-to-year situation.
“Progress has been made,” Snead said of negotiations.
There is no timeline, Snead said, “but don’t expect any drama, per se.”
Garoppolo, 34, has backed up Stafford for two seasons, and he has been invaluable.
Last year, with Stafford sidelined for training camp because of a back issue, Garoppolo ran the offense and prepped the defense with a skillset honed during a 12-year career that included a Super Bowl appearance. Stafford joined workouts before the season and remained healthy throughout, but Garoppolo was perhaps the most valuable insurance policy in the NFL.
Last season, Garoppolo played on a one-year contract and earned $4.5 million, according to overthecap.com.
McVay expressed confidence in fourth-year pro Stetson Bennett, but said he was hopeful that “when the time is right,” Garoppolo will “change his mind,” and return.
“You leave the door open,” McVay said when asked if there was a point that Rams would press Garoppolo to return. “I don’t think you want to press. What you don’t want to do is ever force a guy to play if in his mind he’s ready to move on.
“But you don’t want to minimize that, ‘Hey, if you do decide you want to play, let’s make sure it’s here with us.”
The Rams have the 13th pick in the NFL draft, which begins Thursday in Pittsburgh. They have one pick in the second and third rounds, one in the sixth round and three in the seventh.
Receiver, offensive line and edge rusher are among the positions the Rams could address with their first top-15 pick since they selected quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in 2016.
“There’s a lot of possibilities,” McVay said. “We don’t control what happens in those 12 picks before, and so what we’ve done is a lot of contingency planning and a lot of conversations, and feel really good about that.”
Sports
PGA Tour signals new era with axing of Hawaii events from schedule
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The PGA Tour has announced that it will not be hosting an event in Hawaii during the 2027 season, ending a 56-year run of holding a tournament in The Aloha State. The change comes as the Tour and CEO Brian Rolapp have consistently teased a revamped schedule beginning next year.
The Tour was forced to cancel The Sentry at the start of the 2026 campaign due to the dying grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua amid a local dispute with the company responsible for delivering water to the area.
An aerial view of the golf course from over the ocean prior to The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on December 31, 2023 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)
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With The Sentry being canceled, the Sony Open at Waialae Country on Oahu served as the Tour’s season opener in ‘26, which was won by Chris Gotterup. The event was in the final year of its sponsorship, although the Tour has shared that it is working toward making the event the opening event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Chris Gotterup of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the 18th green after his winning round of the Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 at Waialae Country Club on January 18, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
The Tour’s removal of The Sentry and the Sony Open wipes out what has now turned into a traditional two-week stretch on the island to begin a new season.
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The PGA Tour did not share further details about the 2027 schedule upon its announcement about leaving Hawaii, but with Sentry reportedly being an event title-sponsor through 2035, it will need to find a new landing spot on the calendar. The logical stop would be Torrey Pines in San Diego, which checks the West Coast and great weather boxes, but the venue is also looking for a new sponsor, as its deal with Farmers Insurance ended in 2026.
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View of the 18th hole is seen during the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on January 5, 2025 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
The Tour’s decision not to begin next season in Hawaii makes sense, as there are plenty of venues in the lower 48 states that are much easier to operate from, but the departure will have a tremendous financial impact on the state.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that The Sentry is estimated to have a $50 million annual impact on the community, while the Sony Open directly generates an estimated $100 million in revenue per year, plus another $1 million per year to Friends of Hawaii charities.
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