Sports
'The Harbaugh way': Even practice jerseys are a source of pride
It was a summer day in June, but Daiyan Henley was dressed for a prime-time moment. Fitted with long socks, white pants and a sleeve on his elbow, the Chargers linebacker’s practice jersey was complete with game-ready lightning bolts on each shoulder.
Other team’s practice jerseys are plain. They’re looser. They’re more breathable.
“But this is us,” Henley said, running his fingertips over his crisp blue jersey. “This is clean.”
“This,” he added, “is the Harbaugh way.”
Entering his second season at the helm as training camp begins Thursday, Jim Harbaugh is firmly woven into the fabric of the Chargers organization. The coach responsible for the franchise’s best single-season turnaround in 20 years was the mastermind behind the team’s new practice jersey patches. Already outfitted with their elevated practice jerseys, players now wear their biggest accomplishments on their chest with patches that celebrate personal victories while pushing for collective success.
The patches represent eight accomplishments: Playoff wins, Chargers records, NFL records, All-Pro seasons, seasons as a team captain, Walter Payton Man of the Year, the NFL’s Ed Block Courage Award, and the block of granite award determined by the Chargers strength and conditioning staff.
Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. talks about the patches on his practice jersey during a news conference in June.
(Michael Gonzalez / Los Angeles Chargers)
The only player who has at least one of each is Derwin James Jr.
The four-time team captain’s right chest is plastered with three playoff appearances, three Chargers records, three NFL records, two nominations for man of the year, four All-Pro honors and one each of the courage and block of granite awards. He wants to collect enough patches to reach down to his ribs.
“At the end of the day, we’re all professionals, this is a professional league, but [the patches] kind of keep us connected and get a little bragging rights in the locker room,” James said. “Guys want to compete for their jersey to look like that too.”
At Michigan, Harbaugh used helmet stickers to symbolize each player’s accomplishments. The jersey patches remind the coach of the stripes on a general’s uniform.
“Some day, they’ll be able to put that jersey up in a frame, put it on a wall, say something really good about themselves,” Harbaugh said. “It’ll be what they accomplished as a pro football player.”
The patches are Harbaugh’s latest culture-setting innovation. He outfitted the locker room with personalized locker name tags that list each player’s hometown, college, high school and recruiting ranking to promote team bonding. The coach handed out metal lunch pails and blue-collar work shirts customized with embroidered name tags to symbolize the team’s hard-working mentality. Hoodies celebrated major victories such as the team’s thriller against the Cincinnati Bengals, a late-season Thursday night victory over the Denver Broncos and the playoff-clinching win over the New England Patriots.
“He wants it to be close-knit, in house,” Henley said. “Everything is love and football and family, and that’s how we go about our business. Now that we have another year under our belt, we’ve had bad games and good games and we’ve gone the distance and also didn’t accomplish what we wanted to, all of that wrapped into one, is what’s motivating us and pushing us forward.”
After going 11-6 in Harbaugh’s first regular season, the Chargers won’t be a sleeper playoff contender again. With momentum from a successful start to the Harbaugh era, the team hopes to make consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 2009.
“We’re far ahead of where we were last year, but there’s still a lot of work to do,” quarterback Justin Herbert said during minicamp. “I think guys have done a great job this offseason of showing up mentally prepared and being focused day in and day out.”
Herbert’s jersey patches require multiple rows of lightning bolt tally marks to display his numerous NFL and Chargers records. Yet the quarterback is missing a playoff win mark.
Not only is he 0-2 in the postseason, both losses came in spectacular disasters. The Chargers blew a 27-point lead against Jacksonville in a 2022 wild-card game. He threw four interceptions against the Houston Texans last year.
Despite Herbert’s elite athleticism and arm talent, the 27-year-old will remain an afterthought in the quarterback hierarchy until he finds the playoff success that follows contemporaries Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson.
The prize they’re all chasing is worth much more than a new jersey patch.
Etc.
The Chargers placed five players on the physically unable to perform list before training camp: S Elijah Molden, WR Mike Williams, WR Jaylen Johnson, LB Del’Shawn Phillips and T Savion Washington. Molden, who signed a three-year extension in February, underwent offseason knee surgery and missed all of the offseason program. He said in April that he expected to be ready for training camp.
Sports
Becky Lynch enters exclusive WWE club with Women’s Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 42
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LAS VEGAS – Becky Lynch entered an atmosphere no other WWE women’s superstar has ever reached as she won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship over AJ Lee on Saturday night at WrestleMania 42.
Lynch became the first person to hold the Women’s Intercontinental Championship three times after she pinned Lee. She first won the title against Lyra Valkyria in June 2025 and then again against Maxxine Dupri in November.
Becky Lynch celebrates with the belt after defeating AJ Lee during their women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
She dropped the belt to Lee at the Elimination Chamber, sparking a monthslong feud with her.
Lee gave Lynch the chance at the title in the weeks prior to WrestleMania 42. But it appeared Lee played right into Lynch’s plans. Despite arguing with referee Jessica Carr for most of the match, Lynch was able to tactfully tear down a rope buckle and use it to her advantage.
Lynch hit Lee with a Manhandle Slam and pinned her for the win.
WWE STARS REVEAL WHAT MAKES WRESTLEMANIA SO SPECIAL: ‘IT’S THE SUPER BOWL OF PRO WRESTLING’
AJ Lee reacts after losing to Becky Lynch in their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
It’s the second straight year Lynch will leave Las Vegas as champion. She returned to WWE at WrestleMania 41, teaming with Valkyria, to win the women’s tag titles. She will now leave Allegiant Stadium as the women’s intercontinental champion.
Lynch is now a seven-time women’s champion, three-time women’s intercontinental champion and two-time tag team champion.
Becky Lynch withstands AJ Lee during their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match on night one of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Lee’s reign as champion ended really before it could really begin. WrestleMania 42 was her first appearance at the event in 11 years. It’s unclear where Lee will go from here.
The Clippers’ season has come to an end but better than anyone expected. No consolation but a great job by head coach Tyronn Lue for guiding the Clippers from a disastrous 6-21 start and finishing with more than 40 wins.
Coach Lue led the team, overcoming major obstacles throughout the season with a player investigation, injuries, internal strife and major roster changes at the trade deadline. As usual for Clipper fans, wait till next year.
Wayne Muramatsu
Cerritos
The Clippers are the NBA’s version of Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle With You.” Yes, they have had 15 straight seasons of playing .500 or better, and owner Steve Ballmer has brought them respectability, but for their entire 56-year existence — which has contained many clowns and jokers — they still have never [attained] their goal of winning (or even reaching) the NBA Finals.
Ken Feldman
Tarzana
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LAS VEGAS – Paul Walter Hauser is an actor who has been in “The Naked Gun,” “Blackbird,” and “Richard Jewell.” But on Friday night at Maple Leaf Pro’s first U.S. event, MLP Multiverse, there was no acting going on.
Hauser squared off against QT Marshall in a sin city street fight at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. It was the final show of Slam Fest. The two pro wrestlers pulled out all the stops and left the ring in complete disarray.
Paul Walter Hauser competed against QT Marshall at Maple Leaf Pro Multiverse on April 18, 2026 in Las Vegas. (Fox News Digital)
It was a rematch of their brawl at Ring of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor event. Marshall went on the attack first, throwing in all kinds of foreign objects into the ring, including a piece of wood wrapped with barbed wire, a table, a cane, chairs and even a door was brought into the match.
Hauser was able to regain momentum in the match. He set up the barbed-wire object in the corner. Marshall countered and was trying to whip Hauser into the barbed wire. However, Hauser stopped himself. As Marshall tried to take Hauser by surprise, the movie star avoided Marshall and tossed him into the barbed wire.
Marshall was busted open, but wasn’t done. Hauser was trying to inflict more pain. He set up a table near one corner of the ring and poured thumbtacks on top of it. Marshall was able to powerbomb Hauser through the tacked table.
Paul Walter Hauser is pictured on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. (Nathan Congleton/NBC)
BLUE PANTHER AND ÚLTIMO GUERRERO STEAL THE SHOW AT CMLL’S FIRST-EVER US EVENT IN LAS VEGAS
Hauser was left with thumbtacks in his back and one in his head. He managed to power through and put Marshall into a sharpshooter. Marshall tapped out. Hauser picked up the victory.
Hauser got his start in pro wrestling in 2023 at Pro Wrestling Revolver. He worked his way through appearances at All Elite Wrestling before he signed with Major League Wrestling in 2024.
He’s currently Progress Wrestling’s Progress proteus champion.
Elsewhere, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) world heavyweight champion Hechicero defended his championship against Jonathan Gresham, Maple Leaf Pro Canadian women’s champion Gisele Shaw fended off Shotzi Blackheart, Persephone and surprise entrant Killer Kelly to keep the title.
Mistico, Mascara Dorada and Amazing Red defeated The Rascalz at Maple Leaf Pro Multiverse on April 18, 2026 in Las Vegas. (Fox News Digital)
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The show started with Subculture, the tag team duo of Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster, defeated Vaughn Vertigo and Guy Cool. The Demand’s Ricochet, Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona defeated Sidney Akeem, Michael Oku and Rich Swaan, Steve Borden defeated Kiran Gray and Mistico, Mascara Dorada, Amazing Red defeated The Rascalz – Desmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz and Myron Reed.
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