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Will Bill Belichick coach again? A hoodie-shaped cloud looms over NFL in 2024

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Will Bill Belichick coach again? A hoodie-shaped cloud looms over NFL in 2024

Bill Belichick will cast a large shadow over the NFL throughout the 2024 season.

The coaching legend is out of the league for the first time in 50 years, but he’ll have a ghost-like presence in many buildings, specifically among those franchises with coaches under intense pressure to win now.

Whether Belichick actually gets another coaching job remains to be seen. Still, there’s no question his free-agent status will be among the most heavily discussed topics around the league during the season. In fact, it’s already been a prominent topic at various facilities.

You can understand why. This is a completely unprecedented situation. There’s never been a six-time Super Bowl champion head coach waiting on standby — though with a meaty media schedule — to sift through the inevitable wave of job openings in January.

Call it The Belichick Cloud.

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“That will definitely be a much bigger cloud than we’ve seen in a long time,” said a high-ranking team executive, who, like the other sources in this story, was granted anonymity so he could speak candidly.

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The Dallas Cowboys are the obvious connection. Mike McCarthy, who is on an expiring contract, has 36 regular-season victories and just a single playoff triumph over the past three years, so the Cowboys may need to advance deep into January for McCarthy to keep his job.

And even then, would it be enough? The Cowboys still have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, and owner Jerry Jones isn’t afraid to go star-chasing. If Jones believes Belichick would give his ready-made contender the best chance to end a three-decade Super Bowl drought, it could be the perfect fit for both sides.

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“Nothing (the Cowboys) could do would surprise me,” an assistant coach from another team opined.

Belichick, who will turn 73 in April, has his own short-term goals. He’s got 333 career victories, including the playoffs, and needs another 15 to surpass Don Shula for the all-time record. Belichick’s legacy is secure without hitting that benchmark, but he still wants to hit it.

Therefore, a team in need of a roster reconstruction wouldn’t be a logical fit, not personally or organizationally. So while Belichick will forever be linked to the New York Giants, whom he helped guide to two Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator, they’re still in the middle of a large-scale rebuild in the third year of the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll ticket.

Other teams that could potentially match a more suitable criteria could include the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles. While the Bills have won double-digit regular-season games in five consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history, they haven’t gotten over the hump in the playoffs. If Sean McDermott can’t buck that trend, would ownership consider a run at Belichick?

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Nick Sirianni has also caught plenty of heat in Philly. In fact, when the Eagles practiced in Foxboro this month, a fan yelled at Sirianni that Belichick would be taking his job next year, so he’s already privy to the noise.

“(It’s) definitely a distraction,” another assistant coach said, “especially if the coaching staff is on an expiring contract. (It’s) important to get off to a good start, I would think.”

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There’s an important element at play that must also not be overlooked, though. There were seven coaching vacancies last offseason, not including the New England Patriots, and Belichick still wound up without a job.

The Athletic reported in February that three primary factors played into that: Belichick’s mishandling of the Patriots’ quarterback situation, including the events that led to Tom Brady’s departure in 2020 and the failure to develop Mac Jones, Belichick’s desire to maintain total control of football operations and a concern over his inability to relate to a younger generation of players.

The same apprehension still exists.

“If the model is the New England model, you’re blowing up the operation as you know it,” a personnel executive said. “If you’re doing that with a 73-year-old head coach, you’re blowing up your personnel operation and starting over with a head coach who may only be there for three years. There’d be a lot of questions.

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“It’s got to be an owner who is in a situation where they need to win now because it’s not a hire for the future. It’s not future-oriented. It’s present-oriented. And then what do you do for two years? How do you sustain success?”

Another executive simply asked, “Do you really think Jerry and Stephen (Jones) are giving personnel control to (Belichick)?”

It’s surely conceivable the year away will soften Belichick’s stance on maintaining roster control, especially if the alternative means he’s coached his last game. Jerry Jones has long since established he’ll remain the Cowboys’ general manager, and his aligned vision with Stephen Jones and Will McClay has yielded a premium roster.

Similarly with the Eagles, Howie Roseman is widely viewed as one of the best general managers in the NFL. Even if owner Jeffrey Lurie ultimately approved a coaching change, it’d be somewhat stunning if he took away responsibilities from Roseman.

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The Bills are in a unique spot of their own on that front. General manager Brandon Beane and McDermott have worked together since 2011 when they were with the Carolina Panthers. If owner Terry Pegula determines Belichick is the better option after the season, would Pegula view Beane and McDermott as a package deal, or force Beane and Belichick to make serious adjustments and figure it out?

It’s also fair to remain concerned over Belichick’s delivery. His old-school, hardline approach with players has become the exception in the modern landscape, as players have gained a greater appreciation for coaches who empower the locker room. While older generations of coaches, players or fans may roll their eyes at that notion, it doesn’t change the truth. Those who have refused to adapt have had shorter shelf lives in their roles.

At any rate, these questions will continue to help drive the conversation, which will only fuel the speculation in several buildings. Strong starts will be imperative to curb the discussion in places like Dallas, Philly and even Buffalo where the debate has already started, either as a whisper or otherwise. But as history has shown, a few purported Super Bowl contenders will limp or fall out of the starting blocks, leading to a new group of potential Belichick suitors.

“The teams that struggle the first two months who have high expectations, you’re going to have that pressure anyway, whether it’s Belichick hanging overhead or anyone else,” an executive said.

But if sports-talk speculation seeps into the building, either in news conferences or conversations among coaches or front office executives who are wondering about their future, tensions could rise in certain organizations.

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“I believe it could become annoying and could be a distraction if it’s constantly asked about and mentioned,” an executive said.

Belichick won’t be hard to find this season. He’s got various media roles lined up, so he’ll surely hear questions about the matter. He may duck them to avoid putting a former colleague in a bad spot, but it won’t take much to generate headlines.

And that hoodie-shaped cloud will remain overhead.

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(Photo illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos of Bill Belichick, Nick Sirianni and Mike McCarthy: Cooper Neill, Mitchell Leff and Adam Bettcher) 

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Law firm fighting for women’s sports in SCOTUS battle comments on ruling possibly impacting SJSU trans lawsuit

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Law firm fighting for women’s sports in SCOTUS battle comments on ruling possibly impacting SJSU trans lawsuit

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A law firm leading the charge in the ongoing Supreme Court case over trans athletes in women’s sports has responded after a federal judge suggested the case’s ruling could impact a separate case involving a similar issue. 

Colorado District Judge Kato Crews deferred ruling in motions to dismiss former San Jose State volleyball co-captain Brooke Slusser’s lawsuit against the California State University (CSU) system until after a ruling in the B.P.J. v. West Virginia Supreme Court case, which is expected to come in June. 

Slusser filed the lawsuit against representatives of her school and the Mountain West Conference in fall 2024 after she allegedly was made to share bedrooms and changing spaces with trans teammate Blaire Fleming for a whole season without being informed that Fleming is a biological male. 

 

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Meanwhile, the B.P.J. case went to the Supreme Court after a trans teen sued West Virginia to block the state’s law that prevents males from competing in girls’ high school sports. 

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is the primary law firm defending West Virginia in that case at the Supreme Court, and has now responded to news that Slusser’s lawsuit could be affected by the SCOTUS ruling. 

“We hope the ruling from the Supreme Court will affirm that Title IX was designed to guarantee equal opportunity for women, not to let male athletes displace women and girl in competition. It is crucial that sports be separated by sex for not only the equal opportunity of women but for safety and privacy. Title IX should protect women’s right to compete in their own sports. Allowing men to compete in the female category reverses 50 years of advancement for women,” ADF Vice President of Litigation Strategies Jonathan Scruggs said.

Slusser’s attorney, Bill Bock of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, expects a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the legal defense representing West Virginia, thus helping his case. 

(Left) Brooke Slusser (10) of the San Jose State Spartans serves the ball during the first set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Oct. 19, 2024. (Right) Blaire Fleming #3 of the San Jose State Spartans looks on during the third set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym on October 19, 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. ( Andrew Wevers/Getty Images; Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)

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“We’re looking forward to the case going forward,” Bock told Fox News Digital. 

“I believe that the court is going to find that Title IX operates on the basis of biological sex, without regard to an assumed or professed gender, and so just like the congress and the members of congress that passed Title IX in 1972, allowed this specifically provided for in the regulations that there had to be separate men’s and women’s teams based on biological sex, I think the court is going to see that is the original meaning of the statute and apply it in that way, and I think it’s going to be a big win in women’s sports.”

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared prepared to rule in favor of West Virginia after oral arguments on Jan. 13. 

Slusser spoke on the steps of the Supreme Court on Jan. 13 while oral arguments took place inside, sharing her experience with a divided crowd of opposing protesters. 

With Fleming on its roster, SJSU reached the 2024 conference final by virtue of a forfeit by Boise State in the semifinal round. SJSU lost in the final to Colorado State.

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Slusser went on to develop an eating disorder due to the anxiety and trauma from the scandal and dropped out of her classes the following semester. The eating disorder became so severe, that Slusser said she lost her menstrual cycle for nine months. Her decision to drop her classes resulted in the loss of her scholarship, and her parents said they had to foot the bill out of pocket for an unfinished final semester of college. 

President Donald Trump’s Department of Education determined in January that SJSU violated Title IX in its handling of the situation involving Fleming, and has given the university an ultimatum to agree to a series of resolutions or face a referral to the Department of Justice. 

Among the department’s findings, it determined that a female athlete discovered that the trans student allegedly conspired to have a member of an opposing team spike her in the face during a match. ED claims that “SJSU did not investigate the conspiracy, but later subjected the female athlete to a Title IX complaint for ‘misgendering’ the male athlete in online videos and interviews.”

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SJSU trans player Blaire Fleming and teammate Brooke Slusser went to a magic show and had Thanksgiving together in Las Vegas despite an ongoing lawsuit over Fleming being transgender. (Thien-An Truong/San Jose State Athletics)

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SJSU Athletic Director Jeff Konya told Fox News Digital in a July interview that he was satisfied with how the university handled the situation involving Fleming.

“I think everybody acted in the best possible way they could, given the circumstances,” Konya said. 

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Myles Garrett cited for speeding a ninth time, an elite pass rusher seemingly always in a rush

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Myles Garrett cited for speeding a ninth time, an elite pass rusher seemingly always in a rush

Myles Garrett is in a hurry to become the greatest pass rusher in NFL history. The Cleveland Browns All-Pro defensive end set the single-season sack record in 2025 and has cracked the top 20 career leaders after only nine seasons.

“I’m going to take that down, and I prefer I take it down in the next five years,” Garrett told Casino Guru News last month.

Off the field, however, his urgency to get from point A to B is a problem. He’s accumulating speeding tickets at an alarming rate.

On Feb. 21, Garrett was handed his ninth speeding ticket since his NFL career began in 2017. He was cited for driving 94 mph in a 70-mph zone on Interstate 71 between Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.

The citation from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office says Garrett was driving his green 2024 Porsche at 1:35 a.m., returning home after attending a Miami of Ohio basketball game in Oxford.

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Body cam footage shows the officer telling Garrett that she kept the charge under 100 mph so that a court appearance wouldn’t be mandatory. Garrett reportedly still holds a Texas driver’s license — he attended Texas A&M — and told the officer that he did not have an Ohio license.

Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett wears a jacket displaying his girlfriend Chloe Kim before the women’s snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy.

(Lindsey Wasson / AP)

The officer wrote that the famously affable Garrett was “kind and cooperative,” and that drugs and alcohol were not a factor.

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Garrett’s need for speed flies in the face of his persona. He has written poetry since high school, peppers social media with inspirational sayings and donates time and money to several charities.

His girlfriend is two-time gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, for whom he wrote a poem he shared on social media: “You enrapture fools to kings, and exist without a peer, put on this Earth for many things, but our love is why you’re here.”

Verse hasn’t slowed his roll. On Aug. 9 he was cited for ticket No. 8, clocked at 100 mph in a 60-mph zone in a Cleveland suburb a day after the Browns returned home from a preseason game at Carolina.

Garrett’s seventh ticket followed a frightening crash in 2022. He flipped his gray 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S off State Road in Sharon Township and he and a female passenger were injured. He was cited for failing to control his vehicle due to unsafe speeds on what had been a slick roadway.

A witness told a responding police officer that Garrett’s vehicle went airborne, took out a fire hydrant and rolled three times. Garrett sustained shoulder and biceps sprains and was sidelined for the Browns’ game that week against the Atlanta Falcons. His companion was not seriously injured.

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Cleveland television station WKYC reported that in September 2021 Garrett was stopped twice in a 24-hour period — for driving 120 and 105 mph. The infractions occurred on Interstate 71 in Medina County, where the speed limit is 70 mph, and he paid fines of $267 and $287.

A year earlier, Garrett was cited for driving 100 mph in a 65-mph zone of Interstate 77 — again while driving a Porsche — and paid a $308 fine. He accumulated his first batch of speeding tickets in 2017 and 2018, and the police reports recite similar circumstances: Garrett driving well over the speed limit, cited without incident, paid a nominal fine.

The piddly fines certainly aren’t a deterrent. Garrett, 30, and the Browns agreed to a four-year contract extension in March 2025 that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at the time. The deal pays the seven-time All-Pro more than $40 million a season and includes more than $123 million in guaranteed money.

He set the NFL single-season sack record with 23.0 last season, surpassing the 22.5 accumulated by T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan. Garrett has 125.5 career sacks, averaging 14 a season, a pace that would enable him to break Bruce Smith’s career record of 200 in five years.

“That is definitely on my mind to go out there and get,” Garrett said. “That’s a goal I’ve had for years now since college.”

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Garrett has declined to discuss his driving habits.

“I’d honestly prefer to talk about football and this team than anything I’m doing off the field other than the back-to-school event that I did the other day,” he told reporters after ticket No. 8 in August, referring to a charity appearance.

“I try to keep my personal life personal. And I’d rather focus on this team when I can.”

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Keith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death

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Keith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death

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Former ESPN broadcaster Keith Olbermann once again incited backlash on social media Wednesday after he called late legendary college football coach Lou Holtz a “legendary scumbag” in an X post on the day Holtz was announced dead. 

“Legendary scumbag, yes,” Olbermann wrote in response to a clip of Holtz criticizing former President Joe Biden in 2020 for supporting abortion rights. 

Olbermann received scathing criticism in response to his post on X.

 

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“You’re a scumbag that needs mental help,” one X user wrote to Olbermann. 

One user echoed that sentiment, writing to Olbermann, “You’re the real scumbag here. Lou Holtz had more class, integrity, and genuine decency in his pinky finger than you’ll ever show in your lifetime.”

Another user wrote, “You’re a grumpy, lonely, Godless man. All the things Lou Holtz was not.”

Keith Olbermann speaks onstage during the Olbermann panel at the ESPN portion of the 2013 Summer Television Critics Association tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel July 24, 2013, in Beverly Hills, Calif.  (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Olbermann has made it a pattern of sharing politically charged far-left statements that are often combative and ridiculed on social media, typically resulting in immense backlash.

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After the U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal win, Olbermann heavily criticized the team for accepting an invitation from President Trump to the State of the Union address. Olbermann wrote on X that any members of the men’s team who attended the event were “declaring their indelible stupidity and misogyny,” while praising the women’s team for declining the invitation.

In January, Olbermann attacked former University of Kentucky women’s swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler for celebrating a women’s rights rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments for two cases focused on the legality of biological male trans athletes in women’s sports.

Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz listens before being presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in Washington, D.C., Dec, 3, 2020.  (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“It’s still about you trying to find an excuse for a lifetime wasted trying to succeed in sports without talent,” Olbermann wrote in response to Wheeler’s post. 

In 2025, Olbermann faced significant backlash after posting (and later deleting) a message on X aimed at CNN contributor Scott Jennings, that said, “You’re next motherf—–,” shortly after the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. 

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Holtz was a stern supporter of President Donald Trump, even saying in February 2024 that Trump needed to “coach America back to greatness!”

Near the end of Trump’s first term, shortly after former President Joe Biden defeated him in the 2020 election, Trump awarded Holtz with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States. 

After Holtz’s death was announced Wednesday, several top GOP figures paid tribute to the coach on social media. 

Those GOP lawmakers included senators Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; Todd Young, R-Ind.; Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; representatives Greg Murphy, R-N.C.; David Rouzer, R-N.C.; Erin Houchin, R-Ind.; and Steve Womack, R-Ark.; and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; Indiana Gov. Mike Braun; U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon; and Rudy Giuliani.

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Lou Holtz, former Notre Dame football coach, addresses the America First Policy Institute’s America First Agenda Summit at the Marriott Marquis July 26, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

At the time of publication, prominent Democrat leaders have appeared silent on Holtz’s passing, including prominent Democrats with a football background. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who worked as an assistant high school football coach; Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who was a recruiting target for Holtz in 1986 as a college prospect; Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who played in the NFL; and Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Ill., who played football for the University of Illinois, have not posted acknowledging Holtz’s death. 

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