Sports
Tynes: The death of Alabama's inevitability during the Nick Saban era
Yes, make no mistake, it did happen. I saw it with my own eyes. Just when things looked dour late, Nick Saban had no choice. The sun had already set behind the San Gabriel Mountains. Damn, Saban. Don’t do it, not like this. Not in front of the Rose queen, the royal court and all of the maize and blue Teslas in Arroyo Seco. Not in front of Audra McDonald, for God’s sake. But in the late moments of the Rose Bowl, Saban had to have cracked open his sacred talisman and offered another wish to the genie he’s imprisoned in his golf khakis since Obama was still in office.
January in the playoff meant there had to be a certain crimson magic brewing under the leaves in Pasadena. Do you think all of these Bammers flew ’cross the nation, in L.A.N.K. paraphernalia to watch the Tide roll over? The entire pathos of Alabama football in the last two decades was predicated on Letting Any Naysayer Know. In fact, Bama fans told me at halftime they were confident they’d win the ballgame even if their team started slow, wasn’t leading in yardage and forgot how to convert on third down. What else did Bama do besides win during the winter’s coldest moments despite the collective groans coming from everywhere except the Southeast.
Michigan defensive end Josaiah Stewart (5) reacts after stopping a run by Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) to defeat the Crimson Tide in overtime of the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Rose Bowl Monday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
In a battle for entitlement between Michigan and Alabama, the press was painting Michigan the mighty underdog leading into the game, even if the oddsmakers in Vegas tagged the Wolverines as slight favorites. Some of us are still too young and beautiful to remember, or even give a damn, frankly, about the Big Blue from yesteryear. Most of the vexatious Michiganders we’ve grown to hate for morphing into a modern Notre Dame migrated from the Midwest to Santa Monica to live year ’round. So, excuse me if I can’t be bothered to remember that Bo Schembechler lost five times in the ’70s in the Rose Bowl, or take the “Michigan vs. Everybody” mantras seriously. For large runs of the playoff semifinal, Wolverines fans didn’t look like they believed the sacred vows sewn onto their shirts. It was settling into their faces as the game was rumbling toward its conclusion. The thump of impending heartbreak was part of their football pedigree.
The game was uncertain for most of the last moments. The only certainty felt like what always happens in these moments, when the mighty machine of Alabama makes its final adaptation and kills off another would-be from seeing the national championship game.
That was: until Jim Harbaugh countered with his own Hail Mary. It was just hard to notice at first.
In front of nearly 100,000 in the Rose Bowl, the warm January afternoon turned chilly. When the sun disappeared, the cold instantly came, and late into the fourth quarter that freeze crept to the bottom of the bowl. We, on the sidelines, started to breathe as heavy as those standing on top of Terry Donahue Pavilion. I couldn’t believe it. Alabama, after being battered and beaten for most of the contest, was not only winning late, but looked like a completely altered image. It felt like Saban was going to do it, again. Everyone in the Rose Bowl felt the sickening churn in the depths of our guts. Saban had turned another national stage into a disaster, a vast abyss of icy winds and hellacious fury. No wonder I could see the frost from my breath.
It took another hour for God to answer Harbaugh’s call and for the temperature to even out while the winds stopped whipping from end zone to end zone. When Michigan tied the game with 90 seconds left in regulation, the howl ringing inside the stadium mirrored the Big House in Ann Arbor. Its eventual victory in overtime was even more damning. Not only did they kill the beast, launching Michigan to their first real title game in the school’s history, they slowed the unstoppable Southeastern Conference for the first time in nine years from putting one of their behemoth programs in the title game. A feat so spectacular, it left nearby SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, standing under the goal post where the Wolverines stopped the Tide, with his jaw dropped.
As the fireworks shot off from behind the goal posts, Wolverines flooded the field from the opposite sideline. A blizzard of confetti parachuted down from the heavens. It almost didn’t seem real: but there on that field died the illusion of divine inevitability. Saban and the Tide were no longer the infallible beasts of college football. It was a feat that could only happen at the Rose Bowl.
Wolverines players were skipping toward the locker room after the trophy presentation, roses betwixt their teeth, battle scars on their bodies. Not many players in the recent history of college football have gone to the underworld and come back alive. But there was no doubt they belonged here, at last. In the dark of the night in Pasadena, right before they disappeared to the party in the locker room, were players screaming to the moon, “I DON’T GIVE A PISS ABOUT NOTHIN’ BUT THE TIDE!”
Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker, left, and quarterback Jalen Milroe walk off the field after losing to Michigan in the Rose Bowl Monday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Saban and his starting quarterback, Jalen Milroe, rode by the locker rooms on a long golf cart as the Michigan celebrations continued — Wolverines fans shouting the university mottos and fight songs above them from the connecting bridges of the stadium. Milroe was shielded by a towel over his head, but it was clear he was listlessly staring into the nothingness of his cleats. Saban was seated next to his soldier, wearing the mug of the defeated general.
By the time he was seen at the dais in front of the gathered press, Saban appeared even more tortured — forced to endure the same agony he’d been dishing out to the rest of the country for as long as some of us watching had been alive. That reality was silently shaking him to his core. There has rarely been a postseason defeat in the glitzy dynasty Saban built in Tuscaloosa County. And this one, of course it was this one, where we all may have seen the truth rear its ugly head. I’m sure someone’s meemaw is hewing now about how Saban deserves the ax. Even at the end of his remarks to the media, he and his wife, Terri, exchanged a long, somber hug once he was done delivering his sullen final words of the season.
“I just wish that I could have done more as a coach to help them be successful and help them finish.” Saban said, clicking his teeth and looking away with reddening eyes. There’s an innate pressure to playing at Alabama. One of those includes titles, which the Tide have missed on in three straight seasons now, their longest drought with Saban at the helm. All that remained was another missed chance. Every second Saban sat there, it was sinking in. “All we can do now is learn from the lessons that, sometimes, failings bring to us.”
It was a sight many of us never thought we’d never see: Nick Saban, the mortal man.
And, he wasn’t the only one. Let them Bama boys tell it, they just didn’t live up to the standard tonight.
“You know, even though guys got they heads down, you gotta be proud to accomplish what we have so far,” defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe told a small scrum of media. His eyes were as low as anyone’s that night. “We were able to be SEC champions. You have to look at the positives, not just the negatives right now.”
Tyler Booker, the Tide’s starting left guard who went to high school at IMG with Michigan’s winning quarterback J.J. McCarthy, was another Bama player who kept a cool head after the loss. He noted the team was young and would be back. On the field after the game, helmet off, he found McCarthy and hugged him tight. “I love you baby,” he said. Booker pulled him in tighter. “I’m so happy for you,” he said. “Go finish the job.”
Alabama running back Jase McClellan (2) runs the ball under pressure from Michigan Wolverines linebacker Junior Colson (25) and defensive back Will Johnson (2) during the fourth quarter at the Rose Bowl Monday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
“We’re still trying our best to embody the standard,” he said after the game. “We talked a lot about the standard after the Georgia game and we kind of got away from it today. We have to make sure we get back to it and keep it through the whole [game].” Booker said he was going to use the playoff experience as a driving force to get Bama back to their contending ways next season. “Just remember this feeling,” the sophomore said, noting how young this team was. “A lot of guys are coming back. Guys in the right position are going to step up and help us win next year.”
One thing Michigan disrupted on the Alabama offensive line was a direct challenge to the group’s set of rules as a unit. They had a lot of movement across their defensive line and offered a few stunts that confused the Tide’s linemen. Booker acknowledged that Michigan was certainly the best defense in the country. “When we were in six-man protection or five-man protection, they had a good tell on what we were doing,” he said. “They had rule-breakers over there.”
“Of course we’re expected to win every year, but this is football,” he continued. “College football is different now. Everybody’s good, now.”
Terrion Arnold, one of the Tide’s starting corners who said that the game would be more like a heavyweight title fight, told me after that the difference was execution. OK, sure, but what about running it on fourth-and-goal from the three-yard line with the game on the line in overtime? “It’s one of those things that the offense practices,” he said of the run by Milroe. “I love when the ball is in his hands. He’s a playmaker. Unfortunately, we came up short. But, I wouldn’t of had it no other way than with the ball in his hands.”
Behind some dark sunglasses, he turned zen considering what it meant that Bama came up short. Most of these players have lived with the immense demands of being the kings of college football for quite some time. What is required to survive in Title Town Tuscaloosa is a different request than some other programs. Eventually, as players who’ve won it all before for the Tide have told me, everyone learns how to shoulder the weight of being the sport’s crowning champion for the last generation. It just seems, now, that maybe college football’s one great civilization is finally falling.
“You have to look forward, pick your guys up and really grow from it,” Arnold said, noting it’s also something you have to constantly do to survive in this world. “This is one of those things where you can get emotional, get down on yourself, beat yourself up, but you can’t do that in life. The sun is gon’ rise tomorrow, the moon is gon’ [shine] tonight. So we have to keep lookin’ forward. We have to continue to keep livin’.”
Sports
Ex-NFL reporter Dianna Russini interaction with police officer to dodge traffic ticket comes to light
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Police bodycam footage appeared to refute a claim made by former NFL reporter Dianna Russini earlier this year about what she did to get out of a traffic ticket.
Russini, whose relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel led to her resigning from her role with The Athletic in April, said on the “Stugotz and Company” show back in February that she FaceTimed the NFL coach, though she didn’t drop the name, of the officer’s favorite team after being pulled over for being on her phone.
It was a story that came up again during the New York Times’ deep dive into the Russini-Vrabel controversy, and now police bodycam footage has confirmed that wasn’t the case. However, she did name-drop a coach.
ESPN reporter Dianna Russini looks on during the NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sept. 16, 2018. (Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire)
The footage went just over seven minutes long, as Russini was stopped in Ridgewood, New Jersey, for using her phone while driving. Not only did a FaceTime never happen, but no call at all occurred during the exchange between Russini and the officer.
What did occur, though, was Russini showing the officer texts she had been having with Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, and she showed the officer her phone with the texts on it.
DIANNA RUSSINI PULLED PATHETIC MOVE WITH AN OFFICER TO GET OUT OF A TICKET, AND IT SHOULD HAVE THE NFL NERVOUS
“I’m an NFL reporter, and I just broke that Seam McDermott got fired from the Bills,” Russini told the officer almost immediately, understanding why she was being pulled over. “I was gonna pull over because I have to make calls. I know you don’t care, but I’m just letting you know my reason why. It was a work thing and it was an emergency for what I do.”
McDermott was fired the morning of Jan. 19, which was the date shown on the bodycam footage, after the Bills’ AFC Divisional Round loss to the Denver Broncos.
The officer replied that Russini had been on her phone “for a while” before pulling her over, though he did acknowledge she had a job to do.
Russini continued, telling the officer that former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll “wants the job” with the Bills. He was connected to the team given his history with Buffalo prior to joining the Giants, but they hired in-house with Joe Brady being promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach. Daboll ended up joining Robert Saleh’s staff as offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.
Dianna Russini, left, and Mike Vrabel, right, are shown in a split composite image featuring Russini with an ESPN microphone and Vrabel on the Titans sideline wearing a headset. (Imagn Images)
Russini, then, asked if the officer was a Giants or Jets fan given the New Jersey ties. When he responded by saying he was a Vikings fan, it prompted Russini to seemingly show texts with O’Connell. The conversation, which included Russini saying the Vikings’ quarterback “sucks” and “KOC’s awesome” ultimately led to the officer letting her off with a warning.
“I’m gonna cut you a break on the cellphone,” the officer was heard saying. “I understand your job requires you to be on the phone a lot. Just try to wait until you get home, OK?”
PATRIOTS SAY THEY ‘FULLY SUPPORT’ MIKE VRABEL AMID LATEST IN CONTROVERSY INVOLVING DIANNA RUSSINI
The Center Square first reported Russini’s interaction with the officer.
Fox News Digital reached out to Russini and the Vikings for comment.
Ridgewood Police Chief Forest Lyons issued a statement on the matter.
“On January 19, 2026, at 9:40 a.m., a Ridgewood police officer conducted a motor vehicle stop on Godwin Avenue involving Ms. Dianna Russini for the use of a handheld cell phone while driving,” the statement read. “After following department protocol during the stop, and reviewing Ms. Russini’s driving history, the officer exercised his professional discretion and issued a verbal warning to Ms. Russini.
Dianna Russini attends the 2026 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at Pier 48 in San Francisco, California, on Feb. 7, 2026. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
“The use of officer discretion in determining whether to issue a warning or a citation is consistent with Ridgewood Police Department policy and longstanding practice. Police officers are encouraged to use their judgment and, when appropriate, provide motorists with warnings as part of the Department’s commitment to fair, impartial and community-oriented policing.”
Russini resigned from her post at The Athletic amid mounting criticism over her relationship with Vrabel after photographs of them hugging and holding hands at a private resort in Sedona, Arizona, went viral. After initially trying to downplay it, saying “reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues,” Russini ultimately released her resignation.
After the original photos, others dating back to 2020 showed Vrabel and Russini kissing at a bar in New York City. The pictures exclusively obtained by the New York Post were taken in the early hours of March 11, 2020.
“They were kissing, and they were all over each other,” an eyewitness told the outlet. “He had a ring on.”
Dianna Russini appears on the red carpet prior to the NFL Honors awards presentation at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 10, 2022. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
While Russini resigned, Vrabel was back with the Patriots after a counseling visit, which fell on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Vrabel said he had difficult conversations with his family, while also speaking with his players about the situation. The Patriots said before the draft they “fully support” Vrabel, allowing him to seek the counseling he desired despite four rounds of the draft still remaining.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Group play is over and it’s knockout time at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The round of 32 is in progress, with several teams already moving on the round of 16, including tournament co-hosts Canada and Mexico. The U.S. will be looking to do the same when it faces Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday.
Here’s everything you need to know about World Cup knockout stage matches being played Wednesday, Thursday and Friday across the U.S., Mexico and Canada (all times Pacific).
Wednesday’s round of 32 matches
England vs. DR Congo
England’s Jude Bellingham celebrates with teammates after scoring against Panama on June 27.
(Steve Luciano / Associated Press)
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Time: 9 a.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo
The buzz: England was unbeaten in group play, but it looked sluggish, failing to score in a goalless draw with Ghana then needing two second-half scores to beat Panama. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have combined for five of England’s six goals while Jordan Pickford hasn’t given up a goal since the opening half of the first game. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, playing in the World Cup for the first time since 1974, made it out of the group stage for the first time ever by beating Uzbekistan with three second-half goals.
Belgium vs. Senegal
Belgium’s Leandro Trossard celebrates after scoring against New Zealand on June 26.
(Abbie Parr / Ap Photo/abbie Parr)
Where: Lumen Field, Seattle
Time: 1 p.m.
TV: FS1, Telemundo
The buzz: Unbeaten Belgium didn’t score a goal of its own until routing New Zealand 5-1 in its group-play finale. That allowed it to finish atop of its group and advance to the knockout stages, something it failed to do four years ago. Senegal started with consecutive losses, but routed Iraq 5-0, giving it the best goal differential of all third-place teams and allowing it to advance.
U.S. vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
U.S. forward Christian Pulisic shoots during a loss to Turkey at the World Cup on June 25.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
Time: 5 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo
The buzz: The U.S. won its group, winning twice in the first round for the first time since 1930. But it has won just once beyond the group stage in its history and hasn’t beaten a European team in 12 tries dating to November 2022. Bosnia-Herzegovina beat Qatar in its group-stage finale to advance to the knockout rounds for the first time. Ermin Mahmic has two of the team’s five goals.
Thursday’s round of 32 matches
Spain vs. Austria
Austria’s Marko Arnautovic celebrates after a goal against Algeria on June 27 at the World Cup.
(Reed Hoffmann / Associated Press)
Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
Time: Noon
TV: Fox, Telemundo
The buzz: Spain did not allow a goal in the group stage with keeper Unai Simón making just four saves in the three shutouts. But No. 3 Spain has struggled offensively; leave out its 4-0 rout of Saudi Arabia and it scored just once. Austria needed a goal deep in stoppage time to draw Algeria and finish second in its group, advancing to the second round for the first time since 1982. Marko Arnautovic has two of the team’s six goals.
Portugal vs. Croatia
Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo attempts an overhead kick against Colombia at the World Cup on June 27.
(Robert Cianflone / Getty Images)
Where: BMO Field, Toronto
Time: 4 p.m.
TV: FS1, Telemundo
The buzz: Call this the Geritol Cup. Unbeaten Portugal finished second in its group with Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, becoming the second-oldest male to score in a World Cup and the only man to score in six consecutive tournaments while Croatia saw Luka Modric become the oldest player in history to record a World Cup assist. Croatia has reached the semifinals of the last two tournaments, but its golden generation is aging. Portugal, a quarterfinalist in 2022, is hoping to give Ronaldo the one title he’s missing.
Switzerland vs. Algeria
Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi heads the ball against Canada at the World Cup on June 24.
(Abbie Parr / Associated Press)
Where: BC Place, Vancouver
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: FS1, Telemundo
The buzz: Unbeaten Switzerland held off Canada in its last game to win its group for the first time since 2006. The Swiss have not won a knockout-round game since 1954. Midfielder Johan Manzambi, the team’s youngest player at 20, has three of Switzerland’s seven goals. Algeria drew Austria in its group-play final to advance as a third-place team. Riyad Mahrez, 35, had a brace in that game and leads Algeria with two goals.
Friday’s round of 32 matches
Australia vs. Egypt
Egypt’s Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring against New Zealand at the World Cup on June 21.
(Alex Grimm / Getty Images)
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Time: 11 a.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo
The buzz: Australia finished second to the U.S. in its group but stumbled into the round of 32, going 195 minutes without a goal. It’s the first time since 1974 Australia has gone scoreless in consecutive World Cup games. The Socceroos are playing in the knockout stage for the third time in 20 years but have yet to win an elimination game. Unbeaten Egypt also finished second in its group, on a goal-differential tiebreaker. Its five goals have come from five different players. The Pharaohs, Africa’s oldest national team, will be playing in the second round of the World Cup for the first time.
Argentina vs. Cape Verde
Argentina’s Lionel Messi, left, and Jordan’s Noussair Mazraoui battle for the ball at the World Cup on June 27.
(Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Time: 3 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo
The buzz: The last World Cup loss for Argentina came in its 2022 opener, making its nine-game unbeaten run the longest under one coach since 1986, the year it won its second championship. Speaking of streaks, when Lionel Messi came off the bench to score in the group finale, it gave him goals in a record seven consecutive World Cup games. He is tied with France’s Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race, having scored six of Argentina’s eight goals. Unbeaten Cape Verde is playing in the World Cup for the first time, advancing to the knockout stages behind three straight draws, two of them clean sheets by Vozinha, the team’s 40-year-old keeper. It is the first debutant to go unbeaten in the group stage since Senegal in 2002. The smallest country ever to advance out of World Cup group play, Cape Verde had just seven shots on target in the group stage, according to FIFA.
Colombia vs. Ghana
Colombia’s Gustavo Puerta reacts during a match against Portugal at the World Cup on June 27.
(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)
Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
Time: 6:30 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo
The buzz: Unbeaten Colombia won its group but scored just once in its final two games. It’s 59 shots are tied for third in the tournament but just four of those found the back of the net. Goalkeeper Camilo Vargas, on the other hand, has been called on to make just five saves. Ghana is back in the knockout stages for the first time since 2010, advancing as a third-place team.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Winning two knockout stage games? That means you’re really in the running to win the World Cup.
Let’s check out the updated odds for which countries will make it to the quarterfinals at FanDuel Sportsbook as of July 1.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
To Reach Quarterfinals
France: -1250 (bet $10 to win $10.80 total)
Argentina: -425 (bet $10 to win $12.35 total)
Morocco: -260 (bet $10 to win $13.85 total)
Brazil: -240 (bet $10 to win $14.17 total)
England: -175 (bet $10 to win $15.71 total)
Spain: -140 (bet $10 to win $17.14 total)
Colombia: -105 (bet $10 to win $19.52 total)
USA: +105 (bet $10 to win $20.50 total)
Mexico: +140 (bet $10 to win $24 total)
Norway: +160 (bet $10 to win $26 total)
Portugal: +175 (bet $10 to win $27.50 total)
Canada: +180 (bet $10 to win $28 total)
Belgium: +185 (bet $10 to win $28.50 total)
Switzerland: +195 (bet $10 to win $29.50 total)
Senegal: +370 (bet $10 to win $47 total)
Algeria: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Egypt: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
Ghana: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
The USA is currently one of the favorites to reach the World Cup quarterfinals (Getty Images).
Here’s what to know about this oddsboard.
Recent History: The quarterfinals are kinda a given for France, at least in recent years. The French have made it to at least the quarterfinals in five of the last seven World Cups, and they have made the final in four of the last seven years, winning the tournament twice. Les Bleus are now heavy favorites at -1250 to beat Paraguay and get back to the quarterfinals.
The Host Nations: Before this summer, Canada had never won a World Cup match in two tournament appearances. But that has all changed. Canada is through to the Round of 16 after beating South Africa in the Round of 32. As for Mexico, it has recorded four straight scoreless wins to start the tournament for the first time in its nation’s history. El Tri will look to get back to the quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years after dominating Ecuador in the Round of 32. After its win over Ecuador, Mexico jumped from +290 to +140 to make the quarters. The U.S. looks to replicate the other two host nations’ knockout stage performances against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday.
-
Missouri1 second ago
In Missouri, Software ‘Bug’ Leads to Tax Deadline Extension
-
Montana7 minutes agoUniversity of Montana welcomes Jeremiah Shinn as 20th president
-
Nebraska10 minutes agoTwo high schools will represent Nebraska in the National Independence Day Parade
-
Nevada15 minutes agoTesla Semi involved in first fatal crash, killing 2 in Nevada
-
New Hampshire22 minutes agoHave You Ever Actually Talked to a New Hampshire Police Officer? Here’s Your Chance
-
New Jersey25 minutes agoExclusive | NJ’s suburbs are in a full-blown bidding war frenzy — with houses going 33% above asking
-
New Mexico30 minutes agoDispatches from Route 66: Finding queer hope in New Mexico and Arizona
-
North Dakota40 minutes agoWATCH LIVE: Trump speaks in North Dakota ahead of July Fourth
