Sports
What we’re hearing about John Tortorella’s final days with the Flyers
An incident between John Tortorella and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York this week contributed to a deteriorating relationship between coach and team that led to Tortorella’s firing on Thursday morning, a team source said.
The source said that after Tortorella benched York for the final 50 minutes of the Flyers’ game on Tuesday at Toronto, a confrontation took place between the two that did not turn physical but that “they probably both crossed the line.”
As a result, York was functionally scratched on Thursday in a victory over the Montreal Canadiens, although he sat on the bench for the entire game because the Flyers had no healthy extra players. Interim coach Brad Shaw called it a “disciplinary issue,” and the team source said the decision to sit York was made by general manager Daniel Briere, who felt the team needed to make a point with York — who is expected to return to the lineup on Saturday.
But he won’t be playing under Tortorella, who has not responded to multiple interview requests from The Athletic since his firing.
The disagreement with York, and subsequent comments that Tortorella made after the game, contributed to the coach’s firing on Thursday morning. But those two events were not isolated. Something began to shift around the trade deadline on March 7, according to the team source.
Up until then, Tortorella seemed to be on board with the moves that Briere made, as the Flyers traded respected leaders Scott Laughton and Erik Johnson, further reducing a roster that had lost top-nine forwards Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee about a month earlier. But there was a heaviness around the team stemming from some of Tortorella’s reactions in the days and weeks that followed.
A disconnect started to grow between Tortorella, the team and Flyers management, culminating on Tuesday in Toronto, where the coach’s postgame comments didn’t help his cause, either, according to the team source.
As colleague Pierre LeBrun reported on Friday morning, the timing of Tortorella’s dismissal “was surprising. The indication from the Flyers earlier this week was that they wanted to sit down after the season with the 66-year-old coach, who had another year on his deal, to see where he was at, mentally and physically.”
Shaw said on Friday that Tortorella “left a note in our (coaches) room and in the players’ room when he came and got his stuff. That’s the type of guy he is.”
There had seemingly been tension bubbling between Tortorella and York for the past few weeks. York was made a healthy scratch for a game on March 8, and later bemoaned the lack of communication from the coach.
“We haven’t talked much, so I’m not sure,” he told reporters two days later, when asked why he thought he was scratched.
He also added: “I mean, I’m not playing to prove him anything. I’m playing for the guys in this locker room and the logo on my chest. I’m not playing for him, necessarily, if that makes sense.”
On Friday, speaking for the first time since being benched and then punished, York said: “I’m not going to get into the details of it. I will say this, I take full responsibility for my actions. It’s been addressed here in the locker room. It’s something that I’m going to put behind me and move on from. We’ve got eight games left here and that’s my focus right now. We’ll leave it at that.”
Still, he admitted frustration with watching the team get shellacked 7-2 by the Maple Leafs, as they had only five defensemen playing for the majority of the game at the end of a 10-day road trip.
“Obviously, sitting on the bench there in that type of game is never fun,” he said. “Five (defensemen) is a tough thing to do and you never want to put your teammates in that type of situation.”
Shaw was asked whether he would do something like bench a player for 50 minutes, as Tortorella did on Tuesday.
“I’m not going to get into that,” he said. “I don’t want to answer a question that can be used against Torts. I don’t think it’s anybody’s best interests, so I’d rather not answer that.”
In 58 games this season, York has four goals and 11 assists for 15 points. The 24-year-old is a pending restricted free agent. There were discussions about a contract extension earlier in the season, but not much progress made.
York reiterated his desire to be a part of the Flyers’ future on Friday.
“This is where I want to be,” York said. “I’ve stated that. I love what’s going on here and I love what we’re building. It hasn’t been our (best) year, but it’s here. This is where I want to be, and I’m looking forward to the future.”
Regarding Tortorella, York said: “I have nothing bad to say. He taught me a lot of really good things and was a really good coach for me. I’m going to use a lot of the things that he taught me down the road in my career. He’s a really good coach, and I wish him the best of luck down the road.”
(Photo: Robert Edwards / Imagn Images)
Sports
Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter: Dodgers celebrate World Series repeat, NFL trade deadline frenzy
Los Angeles Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw holds the trophy as the Dodgers celebrate their win in Game 7 of baseball’s World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
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Welcome to the Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
ALL EYES ON MLB – According to FOX Sports, 25,984,000 viewers tuned into Game 7 across FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX Sports streaming services. The company said it was the most-watched World Series game since Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. Continue reading …
WORLD SERIES MVP – Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched all nine innings in Game 2. He threw six innings in Game 6, and went 2 ⅔ innings in Game 7 to secure the Dodgers’ second consecutive championship. Yamamoto became the second Japanese-born player to earn World Series MVP honors. Continue reading …
THREE’S A CHARM – Shohei Ohtani has two World Series rings in his first two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the two-way Japanese superstar already has his sights set on a potential trifecta. Continue reading …
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani acknowledges the crowd during the World Series championship parade at downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 3, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)
‘THE TRUTH’ – The Baltimore Ravens bolstered their pass rush by picking up Dre’Mont Jones. The Tennessee Titans received a conditional draft pick in exchange for Jones, who praised the Tennessee rookie quarterback. “Cam is the truth too y’all give ‘em time, he can be great,” Jones said. Continue reading …
MAKING MOVES – The Philadelphia Eagles acquired Pro Bowl defensive back Jaire Alexander from the Baltimore Ravens in a swap of draft picks a few days before the NFL trade deadline. Continue reading …
SELL MODE – The New York Jets were involved in a series of blockbuster trades leading up to Tuesday’s deadline. New York sent All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys. In a separate deal, Sauce Gardner was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a player and two first-round draft picks. Continue reading …
New York Jets helmets during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on Aug. 17, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jim Dedmon/USA TODAY Sports)
‘HE’S A BUM’ – The Cowboys dropped Monday’s game to the Cardinals, falling to 3-5-1 on the season. Dak Prescott finished the night with 259 passing yards. While the Cowboys’ offense has been a strong point this season, Draymond Green criticized Prescott and questioned his ability to ever win a championship. Continue reading …
FROM FOX SPORTS – The flurry of activity by the Dallas Cowboys leading up to this year’s NFL trade deadline prompted an animated reaction from Dak Prescott. “I’m f—— pumped. You can quote me on that,” the Pro Bowl quarterback said. Continue reading …
FROM OUTKICK – Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels fell to the turf in pain late in the 38-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He was diagnosed with a dislocated elbow and could return before season’s end, though the team must decide whether to play him again. Continue reading …
WATCH NOW – The Bills beat the Chiefs in Week 9 in Josh Allen’s fifth consecutive regular-season win against Patrick Mahomes. FOX Sports’ “First Things First” crew asked if the Bills are Super Bowl contenders. They also discussed the Los Angeles Dodgers defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. Watch here …
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Former USC and NFL linebacker Keith Browner died Tuesday morning in San Leandro, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau confirmed Wednesday. He was 63.
Keith Browner Jr. told TMZ that he talked to his father Monday night when the elder Browning was having stomach problems, vomiting and feeling tired. Browner Jr. said his father told him he would go to the hospital the next morning.
Browner was getting ready to go to the hospital Tuesday morning, according to TMZ, “when he curled over the side of a chair and collapsed to the floor next to his girlfriend.” TMZ also reported that “it appears” Browner suffered a heart attack and that his death was “unexpected and sudden.”
Alameda County authorities provided no cause of death Wednesday.
Born in Warren, Ohio, Browner was the fifth of six brothers, all of whom played college football and four of whom went on to play in the NFL. A second-round pick (30th overall) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1984, Browner also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders and San Diego Chargers during a five-year NFL career.
Oldest brother Ross Browner spent 10 years in the NFL, playing for the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers. Jimmie Browner Jr. played two years with the Bengals. Joey Browner was a six-time Pro Bowl player who spent nine seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and one with the Buccaneers.
Browner Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps as a college and pro football player. A standout defensive end at Dorsey High, Browner Jr. played three seasons at California and one season with the Houston Texans.
A nephew, Ross Browner’s son Max Starks, played nine years for the Pittsburgh Steelers and one for the St. Louis Rams.
Browner — who was 14 when his father, Jimmie, died of cancer at age 49 — said his mother Julia was the driving force behind her sons’ passion for the sport.
“She’s the one who always urged us to play,” he told the Dayton Daily News in 2023, “and sometimes she’d be right out there with us in the yard when we were having pick-up games.”
A three-sport standout at Warren Harding High, Browner spent four seasons at USC (1980-83), overlapping with brother Joey for the first three. He was named a captain for his final season and finished his college career with six interceptions in 34 games played.
Browner made the NFL’s all-rookie team in 1984. After three years with the Buccaneers, he split the 1987 season between the 49ers and Raiders before spending his final NFL season with the Chargers.
He finished his NFL career with 10.5 sacks, four interceptions (including one returned 55 yards for the Chargers against the Seattle Seahawks in 1988) and five fumble recoveries, then played two seasons in the Canadian Football League and six in the Arena Football League.
Browner is survived by his son and four daughters.
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The first College Football Playoff rankings have been released, and the reigning champions are atop the pack.
The Ohio State Buckeyes were ranked first when ESPN unveiled the projected 12-team bracket Tuesday night. The 2024 champions, who defeated Notre Dame in the championship game earlier this year, have been stellar with an 8-0 start to no one’s surprise.
But perhaps one of the best storylines this season comes from the No. 2 team in the rankings, the Indiana Hoosiers. Head coach Curt Cignetti’s group has been phenomenal to start the year, and they’re leading the Big Ten with a 9-0 record behind the play of Heisman candidate quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day watches during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign Oct. 11, 2025. (IMAGN)
Rounding out the top four seeds, who will all get a bye in the first round of the CFP, are No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Alabama.
The SEC is represented well in the debut rankings. Georgia comes in at No. 5, followed by Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels at No. 6.
AUBURN FIRES HUGH FREEZE FOLLOWING KENTUCKY LOSS AND FAN BACKLASH ON THE PLAINS: SOURCES
Rounding out the top 10 are BYU, the No. 7 team that leads the Big 12 with a perfect 8-0 record; Texas Tech; Oregon; and the Fighting Irish at No. 10.
Notre Dame may have lost its first two games of the season, but the Irish have ripped off six straight wins as an at-large team. Their first two losses came against the Aggies and No. 18 Miami in their opener.
Speaking of the Hurricanes, they have the same number of losses as the Fighting Irish, but their recent overtime loss to SMU dropped them in the rankings.
Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin watches his team play against Oklahoma during the first half in Norman, Okla., Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
Right on the cusp are Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns at No. 11, especially given the team’s win over No. 16 Vanderbilt. The No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners are close as well.
Given that each Power Four conference will have a representative, Virginia, the leader in the ACC, comes in at No. 14. With all top 25 teams coming from a Power Four conference, the CFP committee had Memphis as the top team from the Group of Five.
However, this isn’t the same format as previous college football seasons because the committee is using a straight seeding model this time. The top four teams in the final ranking, no matter what conference they play in, will receive a first-round bye.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith celebrates a catch against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium in Columbus Nov. 1, 2025. (Imagn)
With the current rankings, Memphis would face Georgia, Virginia would play Ole Miss, Notre Dame would travel to BYU and Oregon would take on Texas Tech.
Of course, this is just the first of many rankings to come. The bracket will be finalized Dec. 7, the day after conference championship games.
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