Sports
Toy Story super fan Jo’Quavious 'Woody' Marks finds perfect fit at USC
Tameka Marks just wanted to buy her youngest son a Halloween costume. She had no idea, at the time, what she was committing to.
All she knew was that Jo’Quavious, who was in preschool, loved Toy Story. Especially Woody, the toy cowboy leading man. So she bought him a Woody costume — with a signature hat, cowhide vest and boots — and nearly two decades later, as Jo’Quavious settles in as the new leading man in USC’s backfield, it’s still a part of him.
That’s because as soon as young Jo’Quavious put on that costume, he never wanted to take it off. All these years later, they still call him “Woody” because of it.
“He wanted to wear it every day to school,” Tameka said. “Every. Day.”
It wasn’t just the costume. Tameka bought him Toy Story-themed clothes. The Toy Story movies were played on repeat in the Marks household, to the point that multiple DVDs broke and were replaced.
Even as Jo’Quavious went to kindergarten and stopped demanding to wear the costume to school, the movies were still a fixture.
“I watched it all day, every day on the weekends,” Jo’Quavious said. His mom, as one might imagine, “got very sick of it.”
Eventually, the obsession waned. But the nickname stuck. By high school, it was how most people knew him.
Others tended to mispronounce his actual first name. At one high school football game, Tameka marched up to the press box when she heard it mispronounced over the loudspeaker. She told the announcer to just call him “Woody” from then on.
He’d hear his name called plenty during four years at Mississippi State, emerging as the go-to back early on in Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense, even if Leach also struggled to pronounce his first name. Marks led Mississippi State in rushing during three of his four years in Starkville, while also catching 214 passes, a career total that far exceeds any receiver currently on USC’s roster.
It was the sort of his resume he once hoped would result in him being drafted this April. But a hamstring injury he suffered in October lingered through the end of the season, sapping him of his effectiveness. He forced himself to return for the final two games, but he wasn’t the same.
“After the season was over with, it was nothing but the NFL,” Tameka Marks said. “But he was still nursing his hamstring, and the closer it got, it just wasn’t there, where he wanted it to be. He didn’t want to go out there and run a 4.5 or a 4.6. He didn’t want to reinjure it, and he didn’t want his draft stock to go down. He had the extra year, though, so it was like, let’s just go with that extra year, nurse that hamstring and make that last year your best year.”
USC wasn’t initially on the family’s radar. But Lincoln Riley made a point to reach out early on, and his history in the Leach coaching tree intrigued Tameka. So she and her oldest son, Dontavious, did a deep dive into Riley’s offense. They particularly liked that it was a more balanced version of the Air Raid, one that would allow Marks to show more of his chops as a runner.
“We thought when you turned the tape on, that he was the best [running back in the portal,]” Riley said. “We thought he was incredibly productive, he caught the ball well, he was a really physically tough runner, which we wanted to get a little bit bigger and a little bit more physical in the backfield and Woody showed that on tape. The other thing is his career, you look at his numbers, it doesn’t quite tell the whole story because he’s battled a lot of injuries. He hasn’t really been able to stay healthy and you kind of look like, ‘Man, if this guy can improve and can stay healthy, what can he really be?’”
When Marks and his family sat down with Riley for his official visit, the coach pitched him on a role in USC’s offense similar to what he’d cooked up for Joe Mixon at Oklahoma. It was a compelling case for the Marks family, who proceeded to devour Mixon tape from his time under Riley’s tutelage.
There was also still the matter of his injured hamstring. At the time, he was still doing rehabilitation work in Atlanta, near his family’s home. But USC sold the family on its strength and conditioning program under Bennie Wylie.
It was enough to ease any concerns — and convince Marks to commit.
“I couldn’t move the way I wanted to when I got there,” Marks said. “I wasn’t feeling like who I was. But I think Coach Wylie has put me in a great spot.”
Now, as his first spring practices at USC wind down, Marks is feeling like himself again. Assuming that continues, the expectation is he’ll become the third consecutive transfer to enter the fall as USC’s lead back, while sophomores Quinten Joyner and A’Marion Peterson factor in as change-of-pace options.
Until then, he plans to take advantage of all that his new home has to offer. Jet skiing in the ocean. Laying by the beach. This weekend, he’s even considering a visit to Disneyland, where his namesake awaits on the Midway.
Just don’t get Marks started on the next Toy Story movie, which is slated to be released in 2026.
“I heard Wody wasn’t going to be in it,” he said. “So I’m not sure I’m gonna be a fan.”
Caitlin Clark hit in throat during WNBA loose-ball scramble, sparking backlash and game suspension
WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark was hit in the throat during a loose-ball scramble, sparking outrage and a one-game suspension for Alyssa Thomas. Fox News’ Garrett Tenney reports on the ‘absolutely unacceptable’ incident and the coach’s reaction. Political analyst Gianno Caldwell discusses Clark’s immense impact on WNBA viewership, including a $2.2 billion deal, and the role of gender and race in the controversy.
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Phoenix Mercury All-Star Alyssa Thomas is the latest villain to Caitlin Clark fans after punching Clark in the throat during a game on Wednesday night.
The referees missed the punch in real time, but fans and the league office did not.
A viral clip of the punch in slow motion spread across social media, pouring gasoline on the ongoing culture war surrounding Clark’s physical treatment by opposing players, which has been a controversial issue dating back to Clark’s rookie season in 2024.
And Less than 24 hours after the incident, the WNBA slapped Thomas with a one-game suspension for what was deemed a “reckless” and “non-basketball act.”
Who is the woman behind the punch?
If Thomas wasn’t in the WNBA, she says she would go pro in combat sports
In a 2019 interview with Nike PLAYlist, Thomas answered what sport she would have gone pro in if she didn’t go pro in basketball.
“Either boxing or MMA,” Thomas said.
If Thomas never went pro in any sport, she said she would have gotten into dentistry.
“Since I was a kid, I loved going to the dentist. I just was fascinated with teeth and still am. I’m passionate about that whole process of cleaning,” according to a profile on WNBA.com.
The first time Thomas stepped on a basketball court, she threw a ‘hissy fit’
Thomas was signed up to try basketball for the first time at the age of five by her mother, Tina, per the WNBA.
Thomas said she “Threw myself all down the stairs, down the hallway,” while her mom said “She just threw an absolute hissy fit.”
WNBA SUSPENDS ALYSSA THOMAS FOR ‘RECKLESSLY’ HITTING CAITLIN CLARK IN THROAT DURING SCRAMBLE
Her parents didn’t let her win a popular board game
Thomas’ parents never took it easy on her when they played “Candyland” as she was growing up.
“We weren’t the parents that were just going to let you win,” Tina said, per the WNBA.
“In life, you have to fight, and how are you going to fight if you don’t teach your kids to fight? So if she fell over, ‘get up, you’re alright,’ and if she didn’t get up, you knew something was wrong.”
It was a parenting tactic also used by the father of New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter, who famously never let Jeter win in board games or card games when he was growing up, to instill harsh competitiveness at an early age.
Thomas added that her mom was especially hard on her and helped develop her toughness.
“By no means was it easy, and it’s still not easy,” Thomas said.
Thomas plays more physically because shoulder issues hinder her shooting ability
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas scrambles to get up over Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on June 24, 2026. The Phoenix Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever 111-109. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Thomas currently plays basketball with torn labrums in both of her shoulders.
The injuries are so severe that she completely lacks the structural integrity to lift her arms and shoot a traditional, fluid jump shot. Instead, she is forced to use a rigid, one-handed pushing motion from her chest just to get the ball to the rim.
Because she cannot rely on outside shooting, Thomas adapted by leaning entirely into her physical frame. She drives directly into the teeth of opposing defenses, absorbing heavy contact in the paint to score closer to the basket.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark shown after falling in the lane while Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas watches the ball at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Indiana on June 24, 2026. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
That brutal, driving style requires her to initiate intense physical collisions on nearly every single possession.
Despite the mechanical limitations and constant pain, the tactical shift worked. She transformed herself into a six-time All-Star, three-time First-Team All-WNBA, an Olympic gold medalist and the undisputed triple-double queen of the WNBA.
Thomas has been the center of immense criticism this week
The throat punch on Clark ignited a fierce wave of backlash.
Indiana Fever Head Coach Stephanie White led the charge, completely unloading on Thomas and the league’s officials during her postgame press conference.
“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” White said, pointing directly at Thomas’s actions. “Absolutely unacceptable.”
White argued that Thomas regularly crosses the line from playing physical defense into inflicting dangerous, non-basketball contact.
“It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful,” White continued to fume to reporters. “The fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous.”
On Thursday, Fever President Kelly Krauskopf released a statement praising the decision to suspend Thomas.
“Player safety should be paramount in our league. We appreciate the WNBA’s review of last night’s incident and the action taken. Right now our focus is on Caitlin and our entire team as we prepare for Saturday,” Krauskopf wrote.
Former Minnesota Vikings captain and prominent conservative activist Jack Brewer said the punch would be considered a “hate crime” if the roles were reversed.
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“This would be considered a hate crime if it were the other way around,” Brewer told Fox News Digital.
Other critics have expressed their own outrage on social media.
Sports
Parents of ex-NFL player Doug Martin allege excessive force by Oakland police in wrongful death suit
The parents of Doug Martin filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that police officers used excessive force in trying to subdue the former NFL running back while he was “experiencing a mental health crisis” last October.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the Northern District of California, also claims that paramedics contributed to Martin’s death by failing to “provide timely medical care.” The city of Oakland, several police officers and emergency medical service provider Falck USA/Northern California were named as defendants.
Martin died Oct. 18 in a hospital following his arrest by officers responding to reports of a break-in at a residence. He was 36. His death remains under investigation by Oakland police.
According to the Alameda County coroner’s office, Martin’s autopsy reports still are being finalized. Martin family attorney John Burris told the Athletic that an independent pathologist told the family that Martin potentially died from restraint asphyxia.
“Plaintiffs allege, on information and belief, that Decedent Martin died from restraint asphyxia caused by Oakland police officers and the FALCK NORCAL paramedics’ failure to provide timely medical care,” the lawsuit states.
The Oakland Police Department and Falck Norcal did not immediately respond to messages from The Times.
According to the complaint, Martin was “experiencing a mental health crisis” when his mother called for paramedics. He then fled and hid in a neighbor’s basement, where officers found him.
“After a brief struggle, defendant police officers physically restrained him,” the complaint states. “During the restraint, decedent Martin was placed face down while one or more officers pressed on his back. After a period of time, defendant Officers turned him onto his side.
“When they did so decedent Martin was unresponsive seemingly unconscious; However, the defendant officers initially believed he was sleeping or pretending to be sleep. When decedent Martin remained unresponsive, an officer requested medical assistance.
“Plaintiffs are informed and believe that decedent Martin did not receive immediate medical attention. Falck paramedics arrived over 15 minutes after the call for service and, and when they arrived, did not promptly provide medical care.”
A Stockton native, Martin was a first-round pick by Tampa Bay in the 2012 draft. He played six seasons for the Buccaneers, making the Pro Bowl in 2012 and 2015, before spending his final season with the Oakland Raiders in 2018. In his career, Martin rushed for 5,356 yards and 30 touchdowns.
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With 48 teams competing and a grueling path through the knockout stage, reaching the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be an accomplishment in itself.
Only four nations will survive the tournament’s first 100 matches and earn a spot in the final four, putting themselves within two victories of lifting the most coveted trophy in sports.
Let’s take a look at the latest odds to reach the semifinals at FanDuel Sportsbook as of June 26.
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To Reach Semifinals
Argentina: +100 (bet $10 to win $20 total)
France: +110 (bet $10 to win $21 total)
Spain: +120 (bet $10 to win $22 total)
England: +165 (bet $10 to win $26.50 total)
Portugal: +210 (bet $10 to win $31 total)
Brazil: +270 (bet $10 to win $37 total)
Netherlands: +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total)
Germany: +330 (bet $10 to win $43 total)
USA: +380 (bet $10 to win $48 total)
Norway: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Colombia: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Belgium: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Morocco: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Switzerland: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)
Mexico: +850 (bet $10 to win $95 total)
Japan: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Croatia: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)
Ecuador: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Canada: +1700 (bet $10 to win $180 total)
Austria: +1900 (bet $10 to win $200 total)
Here’s what to know about this oddsboard:
The Top 10: Argentina, France, Spain, England, Portugal, Brazil, the Netherlands and Germany — all considered powerhouse countries — stand at the top of the board, with each nation listed at +330 or better to reach the semifinals. But right after that group? The USA and Norway. The Americans have never made it to the semifinals of the World Cup, and this is Norway’s first appearance in the tournament since 1998.
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