Sports
NFLPA to announce new program limiting locker room interviews after some players were seen 'naked on camera'
The dynamics between the media and NFL players will look different in the near future after Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras confirmed Thursday that the NFLPA plans to enact a program stopping members of the media from conducting interviews inside the team locker room.
Karras, an NFLPA player rep, spoke to the media this week about the new program that is aimed at protecting the “sanctity of the locker room” after he said that there were several instances this season where players were seen “naked on camera.”
“As you’ve heard from a couple of teams now and the NFLPA is going to come out with a statement – In an effort to protect the sanctity of the locker room and the comfort of the players, each team is going to figure out a program to where we conduct our interviews outside of the locker room,” Karras said.
“Now, this doesn’t bar you from the locker room – we can’t do that, but what we want to do is get cameras off guys in private moments in our locker rooms.”
Karras explained the basics of the program, and added that it was not meant as “an indictment” against members of the media. Teams or players are not required to follow the new program.
“This is what our membership feels is best for the players.”
Karras said the idea had been brought about during the COVID-19 pandemic, but interest in implementing a new program was brought on by incidents where players were filmed in the nude while in the locker room.
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“This has been a topic of discussion since COVID with the COVID protocol, when no one was in the locker room. It’s been brought up several times since then, and now we figure it’s the time to do it,” he said.
“I think what brought it to light was a couple guys naked on camera this year. I know that’s happened a few times throughout the history of the league. But this will not affect game day, I don’t think. We’re gonna come up with a good solution to make the week as smooth as possible, get everyone the time they need and, again, protect the sanctity of the locker room.”
The program is aimed at stopping locker room interviews during the week but not on game day. Karras said that while players are free to do what they want, he asked that members of the media “respect” the new process of interviewing players.
“This is not an excuse to avoid the media,” he added. “We are contractually obligated to be available one time a week for questions . . . so, that will not be an issue.”
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Sports
Manchester United confirm Ruben Amorim as new head coach
Manchester United have confirmed Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim as their new head coach.
The Portuguese will start officially on Monday, November 11 with Ruud van Nistelrooy, put in interim charge following Ten Hag’s departure on Monday, set to remain at the helm for upcoming games with Chelsea, PAOK and Leicester City.
Amorim has signed a contract to 2027 with the option of a further year with his first game set to be away at Ipswich Town on November 24.
The composition of Amorim’s backroom staff is yet be confirmed.
The Athletic reported on Thursday that the two clubs had agreed a deal for the 39-year-old to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked after two and a half years at the club.
The Portuguese financial regulator later confirmed that United have agreed to pay €11million (£9.25m; $11.95m) to release Amorim from his contract earlier than his 30-day notice after face-to-face negotiations in Lisbon led by chief executive Omar Berrada.
Amorim has built a reputation as one of Europe’s most highly-rated young coaches with a track record as an astute tactician and of working well with young players.
He was appointed Sporting head coach in 2020 and won the Primeira Liga title — the club’s first league title in 19 years — in his first full season in charge in 2020-21.
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Sporting won the league again last season and Amorim has also won the Taca da Liga, the Portuguese League Cup, on two occasions with Sporting and a third time with his previous club, Braga.
This season, Sporting are top of the table with a perfect record of nine wins from nine games, with 30 goals scored and just two against. They also sit eighth in the Champions League’s new-look league phase after two wins and a draw.
Amorim was a contender to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool in the summer before Arne Slot ultimately got the job. He also held talks over replacing David Moyes at West Ham, before later apologising and calling the meeting “a mistake”.
Amorim was keen to ensure a satisfactory departure from Sporting and was conscious of the bond he had established with supporters over his four years in charge.
Speaking ahead of Sporting’s game with Estrela Amadora on Friday night, Amorim refused to divulge too many details of his imminent exit.
“It’s a negotiation between two clubs. It’s never easy. Even with the clauses, it’s never easy. They have to talk,” he told reporters.
“We will have clarification after the game. It will be very clear so it’s one more day after the game tomorrow we will have the decision made.”
Ten Hag’s departure came after Sunday’s loss to West Ham United, which left the Old Trafford club 14th in the Premier League.
He was appointed in April 2022 and went on to lead United to the Carabao Cup in his first season in charge as well as the FA Cup in May.
The former Ajax head coach was retained by the United hierarchy in the summer following an end-of-season review but only after they had sounded out a number of potential replacements.
Despite having his contract extended in June and the club spending approximately £205m, including add-ons, on new players, Ten Hag departed after winning just four of United’s 14 games this season.
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Why has Amorim been so in demand?
Analysis by senior data analyst Mark Carey
Ruben Amorim is a manager that has been linked with his fair share of jobs in recent months, and you can understand why the 39-year-old is in demand.
Amorim guided Sporting to a first league title for 19 years in 2021-22, followed it up with another victory last season, and has nine wins from nine with Sporting sitting pretty at the top of the Primeira Liga this season.
Even accounting for the quality imbalance of the Primeira Liga, a side who boasted, statistically, one of the best attacks (Chance creation, 95 out 99) and the best defences (Chance prevention, 97 out of 99) shows that their manager must be having a positive effect.
Stylistically, Amorim’s 3-4-3 — or more specifically, a 3-4-2-1 — is built on high possession, flexible attacking approaches and a strong defensive foundation.
Last season’s arrival of striker Viktor Gyokeres led to a more transitional, direct style of attack (Patient attack, 49 out of 99). It also highlights Amorim’s ability to maximise his style by adapting to the skill sets of his players.
Amorim has shown his desire to bring young talent into the first team — including Goncalo Inacio, Matheus Nunes, Nuno Mendes and Ousmane Diomande — and has improved the team’s quality with the resources at his disposal.
Bruno Fernandes moved to Manchester United a little over a month before Amorim’s appointment, but Mendes (to Paris Saint-Germain), Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur), Manuel Ugarte (also to PSG) and Joao Palhinha (Fulham) are among the talented players whom Amorim has improved before being sold for high fees.
Title-winning credentials? Tick. Fielding young players? Tick. Improving individual player performance? Tick. There are reasons why Amorim has been so highly sought-after among Europe’s elite.
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(Top photo: Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
Sports
76ers' Joel Embiid issues explicit, fiery response to critics of his 'load management' after scathing column
The Philadelphia 76ers are being careful with their biggest star, which has rubbed some people the wrong way.
Embiid has yet to play in this young season, his first after signing a three-year, $193 million contract extension, and there has been controversy surrounding his health and availability.
Embiid and the Sixers have been open about his “load management,” both saying it would be unlikely Embiid would play both ends of games on back-to-back nights to preserve his health.
A Philadelphia Inquirer column this week about the controversy was headlined, “Sixers plan to sit Joel Embiid early and often. They should give fans refunds for games without him.” The writer, Marcus Hayes, called Embiid “Mr. 46 Percent” since he’s played in 46% of regular season games since being drafted in 2014. Hayes also described the arrangement as “fraud.”
But when he’s been on the floor, Embiid’s been one of the most dominant forces in the league. He could have won back-to-back MVPs had he stayed healthy last season.
Embiid was asked Friday about how he felt about his usage, and he took it as an opportunity to respond to his critics.
“It was never decided. Like I said, everybody has been on the same page. If your body doesn’t react well and your body tells you one thing, I’ve done it,” Embiid said.
“From what I can tell you, I’ve broken my face twice. I came back early with the risk of losing my vision. I had broken fingers. I still came back. So, I’m not gonna sit here and be like, when I see people saying ‘he doesn’t want to play.’ I’ve been through way too much. I’ve done way too much for this city and putting myself at risk for people to be saying that. So, I do think it’s bulls—.
“Like, that dude, he’s not here. Marcus whatever his name is. I’ve done way too much for this f—ing city to be treated like this. So, I’ve done way too f—ing much. But, like I said, I wish I was as lucky as other ones, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not trying and I’m not doing whatever it takes to be out there, which I’m gonna be here pretty soon.”
The NBA recently fined the Sixers $100,000 due to public statements made about Embiid’s health at the start of the season. The league conducted an investigation into the 76ers after Embiid missed the team’s opening game against the Milwaukee Bucks, which was reportedly a formality due to its player participation policy for nationally televised games.
While the NBA found the 76ers did not violate that policy, it did discipline the team for public comments that did not properly reflect Embiid’s knee issues. The league did conclude that Embiid is dealing with a “left knee condition.”
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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Sports
Jaden Jefferson and Cathedral outlast St. Paul for Angelus League crown
Jaden Jefferson let the glee of victory overtake his face as the clock expired. He grinned ear to ear. Winning wasn’t easy Friday night.
The Cathedral quarterback remembered the feeling of struggling as a young team a year ago. And while trailing St. Paul at halftime, that sinking sensation began to creep in.
“I’m talking to [my teammates] on the sideline, all day,” Jefferson said about trying to build momentum despite managing just a field goal in the first half and giving up a touchdown. “I’m just motivating, pushing them. You just got to go.”
He needed to turn the Phantoms’ tide, shift first-half disappointment into second-half success and channel the signal-callers who came before him. Eight years ago, future No. 1 NFL draft pick Bryce Young — a small, dual-threat quarterback himself — helped Catheral take down St. Paul en route to a league crown.
Now, it was Jefferson’s turn. Alongside his uncle, first-year Cathedral coach Vincent Jefferson and his father, offensive coordinator Jabari Jefferson, Jaden continued his sophomore stardom Friday night. His two touchdown passes and 201 all-purpose yards led Cathedral to a scrappy, 16-14 Angelus League title-clinching victory over St. Paul — the Phantoms’ first league title since 2018.
“I’m just extremely excited,” said Jaden, who has 32 total touchdowns. “We worked all year for this. We worked to win the league. Now, playoffs, CIF championships, here we come.”
St. Paul coach Mike Moschetti entered Friday with a goal: He needed to stop Jaden from controlling the game’s flow.
Moschetti made it work, at first. The Swordsmen (6-4, 4-1) slowed the game and had two nine-minute drives to enter the second half ahead, limiting the Phantoms to three drives in the half. However, Cathedral’s second-half adjustments allowed them to take control. Jefferson threw for touchdowns of 10 and 55 yards in the half, lifting Cathedral (9-1, 5-0).
“They were controlling the clock a lot in the first half,” Jefferson said. “We had to go in halftime, make some adjustments up front [and] try to slow them down a little bit to get our dynamic offensive ball back.”
St. Paul made mistakes — the Swordsmen had four personal fouls, including three in Cathedral territory. Despite this, the Swordsmen were in contention to win until the very end.
Junior quarterback Gabriel Castaneda, who scored two rushing touchdowns against Cathedral, drove to the 15-yard line to set up a potential winning field goal — a drive that included a 25-yard completion, his longest of the night.
As kicker Jesse Riperto lined up for a 32-yard attempt, the Cathedral sideline stood quiet.
Riperto’s kick sailed wide left. The game was over.
“That’s not that kid’s fault,” Moschetti said. “In the second half, they put it to us offensively. They shut us down.”
Jefferson darted to his teammates on the field as the ball missed the uprights. The slog of the first half was history and all that mattered was now.
He was an Angelus League champion.
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