Baseball’s greatest two-way player of all time is now a two-time MVP.

He’s the first MVP in major league history to earn unanimous election twice.

In the National League, Atlanta Braves five-tool sensation Ronald Acuña Jr. earned his first MVP award – also in unanimous fashion – after becoming the first player in major league history to hit at least 40 home runs and steal at least 70 bases.

Yet it is Ohtani, 29, who makes history virtually every time he steps on the field. And now, he will take the top honor available into a new frontier: Free agency.

HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.

AL MVP winner: Shohei Ohtani, Angels

Nobody’s excelled at a higher level on both sides of the ball than Ohtani, and the past three seasons are almost like a personal art gallery: It’s just so hard to choose which painting’s most compelling.

He could have easily won three consecutive MVPs, but Aaron Judge opted to hit 62 home runs in 2022. A year later, Ohtani left no doubt: He hit an AL-best 44 home runs and also led the AL with a .412 OBP, and the majors in slugging (.654) and OPS (1.066).

And he pitched as long as he could, until, for the second time in six seasons, damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow forced him from the mound. Yet Ohtani the pitcher, in 23 starts, was simply one of the best in the majors: 167 strikeouts in 132 innings, a 3.14 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and 10 victories for a Los Angeles Angels team that won just 73 games.

Until his injury – and reconstructive surgery will keep him off the mound in 2024 – this year resembled an other-worldly mashup of his 2021 season – when he hit a career-high 46 home runs with a 157 adjusted OPS – and his ’22 campaign, which featured “just” 34 home runs but 219 strikeouts in 166 innings, an AL-best 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Alas, he will just have to settle for arguably the greatest all-around season in baseball history and joining Bryce Harper and Mike Trout as active players to win multiple MVPs. And soon he will be compensated commensurately.

NL MVP winner: Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves

Forget the new rules for a minute.

Acuña was destined to be a 40-40 man – that’s steals and home runs – regardless of how long it took or what the rules of engagement might have been. Heck, he hit 41 homers and stole 37 bases as a 21-year-old in 2019 – essentially a rounding error away from one of the game’s great milestones.

So, when Major League Baseball aimed to inject more action into the game and introduced larger bases and limitations on pickoff throws to first, it was like waving the Roadrunner onto the Autobahn.

Acuña stole 73 bases this season, obliterating the field during a year in which steals were up 41% across the majors, and also socked 41 home runs with a majors-leading 217 hits. He was the greatest player on one of the greatest offenses in major league history, a leadoff man who seemed to stick the opposition in a first-inning hole every night.

Acuña also showed he was all the way back from a torn ACL that waylaid what looked to be his first MVP season – 2021, when he had 24 homers by the All-Star break but was sidelined from there as the Braves went on to win the World Series.

He was back, but not the full Acuña, in 2022, limited to just 119 games before his statement season this year.

And it only seems a matter of time before Acuña joins Ohtani in the pantheon of multiple MVP winners.

MVP voting results

Sometime around August, Ohtani could have paraphrased Larry Bird’s famous trash-talking line before a 3-point shooting contest: ‘Who’s coming in second?’

Thursday, we found out that was Corey Seager, the Texas Rangers shortstop and eventual World Series MVP who commanded 24 of 30 second-place votes – plus six third-place votes. He outpointed his teammate and middle-infield partner, Marcus Semien, who got five second- and eight third-place votes. Ohtani, Seager, Semien and fourth-place finisher Julio Rodriguez earned mention on all 30 ballots.

Meanwhile, Mookie Betts knows for sure he was No. 2 in voters’ hearts: He earned second place votes on all 30 NL ballots to finish runner-up to Acuña. It was all Braves-Dodgers in the top four: L.A. first baseman (and former Brave) Freddie Freeman finished third, while his replacement, 53-home run man Matt Olson, finished fourth.

Acuña was the eighth Brave to win NL MVP and the first since Freeman in 2020.

American League

Voting on a 14-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system, first-place votes in parenthesis

Shohei Ohtani, Angels (30) – 420Corey Seager, Rangers – 264Marcus Semien, Rangers – 216Julio Rodriguez, Mariners – 197Kyle Tucker, Astros – 178Yandy Diaz, Rays – 137Bobby Witt Jr., Royals – 83Gunnar Henderson, Orioles – 77Adley Rutschman, Orioles – 50Jose Ramirez, Guardians – 40Gerrit Cole, Yankees – 30Luis Robert Jr., White Sox – 21Yodan Alvarez, Astros – 16Adolis Garcia, Rangers – 14

Also receiving votes: Aaron Judge, Bo Bichette, J.P. Crawford, Cal Raleigh, Rafael Devers, Isaac Paredes, Sonny Gray, Alex Bregman, Josh Naylor

National League

Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves (30) – 420Mookie Betts, Dodgers – 270Freddie Freeman, Dodgers – 227Matt Olson, Braves – 223Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks – 165Juan Soto, Padres – 106Austin Riley, Braves – 68Luis Arraez, Marlins – 67Francisco Lindor, Mets – 52Cody Bellinger, Cubs – 49William Contreras, Brewers – 39Bryce Harper, Phillies – 36Blake Snell, Padres – 16

Also receiving votes: Fernando Tatis Jr., Ha-Seong Kim, Ozzie Albies, Logan Webb, Pete Alonso, Marcell Ozuna, Devin Williams, Dansby Swanson, Kyle Schwarber, Zac Gallen, Christian Walker, TJ Friedl, Nick Castellanos

Here’s how the NFL playoff picture looks with Week 11 of the 2023 season underway:

AFC playoff picture

1. Kansas City Chiefs (7-2), AFC West leaders: Coming out of their bye week awaits a Super Bowl 57 rematch with Philadelphia. Get that win, and K.C. looks well positioned to lay the groundwork for a sixth consecutive AFC title game at Arrowhead Stadium. Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, at Raiders, at Packers, vs. Bills, at Patriots, vs. Raiders, vs. Bengals, at Chargers

2. Baltimore Ravens (8-3), AFC North leaders: They survived a physical game with Cincinnati on Thursday night to cement their spot atop the division. Two games against LA’s teams seem like the easiest left on the Ravens’ docket … and, not that easy. But a Kansas City loss Monday night to the Eagles will move the Ravens atop the overall conference standings. Remaining schedule: at Chargers, BYE, vs. Rams, at Jaguars, at 49ers, vs. Dolphins, vs. Steelers

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-3), AFC South leaders: They were embarrassed by the Niners on Sunday, but interconference defeats are the least penal at tiebreaker time. But, with three AFC North opponents left, the schedule looks fairly penal. The strength-of-victory tiebreaker keeps them ahead of Miami. Remaining schedule: vs. Titans, at Texans, vs. Bengals, at Browns, vs. Ravens, at Buccaneers, vs. Panthers, at Titans

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4. Miami Dolphins (6-3), AFC East leaders: They might have to wait a while for their next shot to beat a winning team. Remaining schedule: vs. Raiders, at Jets, at Commanders, vs. Titans, vs. Jets, vs. Cowboys, at Ravens, vs. Bills

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3), wild card No. 1: Another ugly win Sunday against Green Bay, but they’ll take it – especially ahead of two daunting divisional road games. Remaining schedule: at Browns, at Bengals, vs. Cardinals, vs. Patriots, at Colts, vs. Bengals, at Seahawks, at Ravens

6. Cleveland Browns (6-3), wild card No. 2: The optics say they’re better than the Steelers. A Week 2 loss at Pittsburgh says otherwise, but the Browns can negate that with a win in Week 11 … provided rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson is up to the task of replacing Deshaun Watson, who’s out for the season with a shoulder injury. Remaining schedule: vs. Steelers, at Broncos, at Rams, vs. Jaguars, vs. Bears, at Texans, vs. Jets, at Bengals

7. Houston Texans (5-4), wild card No. 3: They knocked the Bengals out of this spot with Sunday’s win at Cincinnati. They retained it courtesy of the Buffalo Bills’ stunning loss Monday night and the Bengals’ subsequent defeat Thursday. Remaining schedule: vs. Cardinals, vs. Jaguars, vs. Broncos, at Jets, at Titans, vs. Browns, vs. Titans, at Colts

NFC

1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-1), NFC East leaders: They own the best record in the league … for now. But a foreboding five-week gauntlet initiates in Week 11 at Arrowhead. Remaining schedule: at Chiefs, vs. Bills, vs. 49ers, at Cowboys, at Seahawks, vs. Giants, vs. Cardinals, at Giants

2. Detroit Lions (7-2), NFC North leaders: They’ve never hosted a playoff game at Ford Field. Very good chance they could have two or three in Detroit this postseason. Remaining schedule: vs. Bears, vs. Packers, at Saints, at Bears, vs. Broncos, at Vikings, at Cowboys, vs. Vikings

3. San Francisco 49ers (6-3), NFC West leaders: Two big games with Seattle ahead but, for now, the Niners’ superior record in divisional games gives them the tiebreaker over the ‘Hawks. Remaining schedule: vs. Buccaneers, at Seahawks, at Eagles, vs. Seahawks, at Cardinals, vs. Ravens, at Commanders, vs. Rams

4. New Orleans Saints (5-5), NFC South leaders: Battered QB Derek Carr can certainly use the week off, though it will also present Tampa Bay an opportunity to retake first place in the division. Remaining schedule: BYE, at Falcons, vs. Lions, vs. Panthers, vs. Giants, at Rams, at Buccaneers, vs. Falcons

5. Seattle Seahawks (6-3), wild card No. 1: They’ve got work to do to wrest divisional control from the Niners. A superior conference record keeps Seattle ahead of Dallas, but that will eventually get trumped by their Week 13 head-to-head result. Remaining schedule: at Rams, vs. 49ers, at Cowboys, at 49ers, vs. Eagles, at Titans, vs. Steelers, at Cardinals

6. Dallas Cowboys (6-3), wild card No. 2: They’ve won three of four and should have an opportunity to catch Philadelphia atop the NFC East in the near term. Remaining schedule: at Panthers, vs. Commanders, vs. Seahawks, vs. Eagles, at Bills, at Dolphins, vs. Lions, at Commanders

7. Minnesota Vikings (6-4), wild card No. 3: Crazy to think they were 1-4 five weeks ago. Now, the Vikes are 1½ games clear of the eighth-place Tampa Bay in the conference standings. Remaining schedule: at Broncos, vs. Bears, BYE, at Raiders, at Bengals, vs. Lions, vs. Packers, at Lions

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter @ByNateDavis.

UNIVERSAL CITY, California – Sunisa Lee, the reigning Olympic all-around champion now aiming for the 2024 Paris Games, said she gained 45 pounds this year because of an unspecified illness involving her kidneys.

“I couldn’t fit into any of my clothes,’’ Lee said. “My eyes were swollen shut. It was just so scary.’’

On Thursday, the 20-year-old Lee looked very much like the gymnast who won the gold medal in the individual all-around at the Tokyo Games, which were delayed a year due to the pandemic. She was on the Universal Studios Lot in Southern California as a guest of NBCUniversal, which will broadcast the Paris Games next summer.

On a sunny day, Lee wore a silver necklace with the Olympic rings and the look of good health. In April, she announced she was ending her collegiate gymnastics career at Auburn early because of the kidney issue.

“I haven’t had a really bad day in a while,’’ Lee said. “But in the beginning it was like I was waking up swollen. My fingers were so swollen they wouldn’t fit into my grips and I couldn’t hold on to the bar. …

“My whole body was swollen because I was retaining water, so I couldn’t do a flip. … So it was really different and I had to learn how to work through it.’’

Lee’s progress in her gymnastics training

Lee has declined to identify her specific kidney issue or discuss medical treatment. But she did say she has changed her diet – less sodium, because it retains water.

“I’m feeling good,’’ Lee said, before explaining how she has changed something else – her approach to gymnastics training.

“We’re still working on trying to figure out how to balance all of it because I do have good days and bad days,’’ she said. “But with the good days I just take advantage of what I’m able to do, and on the bad days I just do basics and try and stay as safe as possible.’’

She still seems struck by the abruptness of it all.

“I’ve never had health issues before, so waking up one random Tuesday of the week and you just can’t even recognize yourself is so scary,’’ she said.

What Lee says about missing the world championships

In August, Lee returned to competition. She qualified for the U.S. Championships, where she earned bronze on the beam, and was invited to attend the U.S. team selection camp for the world championships.

Lee declined.

“I just decided that I didn’t want to rush into it and push my body and even risk something happening to be able to prepare for the Olympic year,’’ Lee said Thursday.

The Olympic trials will be held in June in Minneapolis, near where she was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. She clearly relishes the thought of competing in front of a hometown crowd – and in front of any Olympic crowd.

Unlike Tokyo, when fans were prohibited from attending the Games because of the pandemic, the marquee events in Paris are expected to attract sellout crowds.

“I really thrive off of a crowd and the energy, it just helps uplift me and gives me that boost of confidence,’’ Lee said.

But Lee stopped short of making any promises or predictions.

“Obviously the Olympics are always going to be in the back of my head,’’ she said. “But I wake up every morning and I’m not like, ‘Today’s going to get me to the Olympics.’…I’m not trying to think too far ahead. because that can just add a lot of unwanted pressure and stress.’’

Or tap into their memory of how the last two seasons ended.

In a game in which the Cincinnati Bengals lost quarterback Joe Burrow for the season to a right wrist injury, it was Lamar Jackson who was the first quarterback to have an injury scare in the Ravens’ 34-20 victory. 

At the three-minute mark of the first quarter and Baltimore leading 7-3, Jackson rolled right toward the Ravens’ sideline and managed to get rid of the ball as he was tackled by Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson. The 2019 league MVP immediately grabbed for his leg, as the black-clad Ravens formed a cautious circle around him in front of their bench. 

Jackson gingerly walked toward the bench and plopped himself down. The training staff consulted with him, and he headed into the sideline medical tent for an evaluation of his ankle. 

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“We all know who he is,” wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said after the game. “There’s never any questioning his toughness. I didn’t think for a moment he wasn’t coming back in.” 

Maybe he’d take a play or two off, Beckham thought. At 8:56 p.m. ET, Jackson emerged from the tent. He didn’t miss a single play. 

“He’s the leader of this team,” Beckham said. “Everybody feeds off him. We see him come back out, and it makes you like, whatever you have going on, you feel like you’re hurting – he’s out there. We all gotta be out there. Big leadership moment from him. Definitely wouldn’t expect anything else.” 

After the game, Jackson said he spent his time in the tent thinking about how he could get back out on the field and appease the training staff. 

“We need to stop talking about this,” he joked after the game. “I’m good.” 

Jackson then knocked on the wooden lectern he stood behind. 

“Don’t speak it into existence,” he said. 

Jackson finished 16 of 26 for 264 yards and two touchdowns through the air and ran the ball nine times for 54 yards. 

“I’m feeling good,” he said.

Jackson seemed to move fine with the ball despite gingerly meandering back to the huddle or sideline on a couple of occasions. He was spotted wearing a heat pad while standing on the sideline. 

“When that deal happened, to bounce back and play the way he did, still have some mobility, hang in there and make those throws, was impressive,” head coach John Harbaugh said. 

But while running Thursday, Jackson appeared to have little interest in absorbing contact and would often sacrifice himself to the ground before a defender could arrive. 

“I was just playing it safe,” Jackson said. “I don’t want to get hit – a crazy hit. I’m just trying to get as much yards as I could and just get down for the next play.” 

After two years of watching from the sidelines as his team’s season slipped away, Jackson knows his team needs him down the stretch for Baltimore to make a deep postseason run. 

In a 2021 Week 14 game against the Cleveland Browns, Jackson was carted off the field with an ankle injury that cost him the remainder of that season. The Ravens lost their final five games, including that one, and missed the playoffs. Last year, a knee sprain – the severity of which was long unclear – suffered in a Week 13 game against the Denver Broncos ended his season. The Ravens hung onto a wild-card spot but lost in Cincinnati with backup Tyler Huntley starting – and making the game-defining mistake in the form of a fumble at the goal line in the fourth quarter. 

Now it is the Ravens – who still lost Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews to a likely season-ending ankle injury – boasting the healthier quarterback situation in the AFC North race. The Browns lost Deshaun Watson (right shoulder) for the season days after leading a second-half comeback at the Ravens’ home stadium. And the Bengals will be dealing with the fallout of Burrow’s latest ailment. 

 “I’m not happy that those guys are getting injured,” Jackson said. “I don’t want to see nobody in the league getting injured, especially a season-ending injury, because those guys got to feed their family just like I do.”

When 21-year-old Garrett Johnson saw his first collegiate shot go in, he felt ‘everything kind of release.’

It makes sense for a freshman college athlete to have nerves in their first game and feel a sense of relief seeing their first play result in a success. But for the George Washington forward, it was a moment that didn’t seem possible just a few years ago. 

For the past two years, Johnson has battled a benign tumor in his hip, which not only delayed the start of his college basketball career, but created an uncertain future. But it was a battle Johnson didn’t let end his dream, and he’s gone from not knowing if he’d be able to hoop again to becoming a breakout star for the Revolutionaries. 

‘It kind of changes your whole perspective on how you see life,’ Johnson told USA TODAY Sports. 

The diagnosis

Johnson, an Alexandria, Virginia native, lost his senior season of high school due to COVID-19, and being a Princeton-commit, he kept in shape by playing in pickup games.

But in late 2020, Johnson began to notice tightness in his hip. He didn’t think much of it, but it continued for months, to the point where Johnson had a difficult time with his range of motion. On March 1, 2021, he went to the doctor, and an MRI revealed a large mass in the area.

In an instant, Johnson went from preparing for his freshman season at Princeton to thinking about ‘cancer and what that entails.’

‘As a 19-year-old, it’s something that you don’t think you’re gonna have to think about, ever,’ he said.

A biopsy was then done, which found that Johnson’s tumor was benign, but it could still cripple him if not treated.

No progress

Even thought the tumor wasn’t cancerous and wouldn’t spread throughout his body, it was affecting his day-to-day and his ability to play. There was a belief that if the tumor was quickly taken care of, Johnson would be ready to go by the beginning of the season.

So Johnson spent three months on a chemotherapy pill with the goal of shrinking the tumor, but by the end of it there was no change. Surgery was done in August 2021, but soon after, the tumor grew back.

Another surgery was done in December and another in March 2022, with the same results.

Johnson’s first year of college resulted in three unsuccessful surgeries and not a single basketball practice. That July, Johnson had another surgery, but the tumor again grew back and ‘was larger than it had ever been.’

‘We’re about a year and a half into the process, and we had made no progress,’ Johnson said of that time.

It was after the fourth surgery when Johnson and his medical team decided to go through chemotherapy radiation. With the new school year on the way, Johnson decided to leave Princeton and focus on his treatment at home, meaning another year of no basketball.

‘As a college age, student-athlete, with the aspirations I had, you don’t think that you’re going to have two years of your life just kind of disappear from you and go down the drain,’ he said. ‘I was thinking about ‘Would I ever play basketball again?”

Getting cleared for the court

Throughout his chemotherapy treatments, Johnson couldn’t practice or play any pickup games, but he would get shots up as often as he could. He recalled nearly every night during his year at Princeton, going to the gym and just shooting the ball until around 2 a.m., hoping the activity would mean something one day. 

Then when he was at home during chemotherapy, he had a team of trainers slowly helping him get conditioned, believing his basketball dream was still within reach. There were days when the chemotherapy made training feel worse, but Johnson felt as long as he got a little bit better, it was a win.

But then came some hope. Johnson began to notice as the chemotherapy progressed, he felt more relief on his hip. His range of motion and athleticism was coming back.

The best news came this past spring. After four surgeries and nine rounds of chemotherapy, the tumor had shrunk enough to where Johnson was cleared to play basketball. His last treatment round was April 27, a day he said ‘was one of the best days.’

Getting back in the game

Even with clearance to play, Johnson knew he didn’t want to go back to Princeton. There wasn’t anything wrong with the basketball program, but after what he went through, there were too many negative thoughts and memories associated with the campus, and a change of scenery was necessary. Johnson entered his name in the transfer portal, but there was no guarantee he’d get another opportunity to play.

‘For a guy who hasn’t played basketball in two and a half years – competitively – I didn’t know necessarily anybody would really want me,’ Johnson said.

Through connections, George Washington head coach Chris Caputo learned of Johnson, with several people telling him he would be a great fit for his program. Caputo, like most coaches, wondered about Johnson’s health, but offered him a workout. Caputo liked what he saw.

‘I talked to Garrett about, ‘Hey, I’ll have patience with you,” Caputo said. ‘It was clear to me after a couple of workouts, he’s somebody we want to not only have in the program, but we want to make sure he understands we’re gonna put them on scholarship.’

Now on a college roster, Johnson spent all of summer and early fall getting into season shape. He admitted it was a shaky start and there were some tough days, adding he once got bumped where the tumor was in a pickup game but it didn’t affect him as much as it did before. Wwith his health in great condition throughout training camp, by the time the 2023-24 season began, he was ready to play.

Two years later, the first college game

The day of George Washington’s season opener against Stonehill on Nov. 6, Johnson was ‘really nervous’ all morning and afternoon. He couldn’t stop thinking about his first game in more than two years. But when he thought about how long that journey was, his mindset went from feeling anxious to feeling grateful.

‘This is really the fun stuff. I went through all the hard stuff,’ Johnson said. ‘At the end of the day, this is basketball. I love playing the game and I shouldn’t be nervous for something I’ve prepared hours and hours and hours for. I’ve been through real tough things. A basketball game is not in comparison to some of the things that I’ve had to do.’

Not only did Johnson play in the first game, he was a starter. The first minute he said he was jumpy, but once that first shot went in, it was as if he hadn’t missed a single game. Johnson went on to score a team-high 21 points with five made 3-pointers in an 89-44 win. Just six months after finishing his last round of chemotherapy.

‘I’ve been doing this 22 years, I don’t remember a lot of guys getting 21 points in their first game,’ Caputo said.

Johnson has continued to be hot since his return. He followed up his debut with a 15-point performance in a 85-89 win over William & Mary, and ended the first week of the season being named the Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Week. George Washington is now 3-0 on the season, with Johnson emerging as a top scoring and rebounding starter for the team.

‘He’s doing the thing he loves to do’

The tumor isn’t gone, but the last MRI in August showed it has continued to shrink even after ending chemotherapy. Johnson’s health will still be monitored as the season progresses, with another MRI scheduled at the end of the season. But Johnson said he still feels great right now, and is eager to help George Washington make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2014.

When he looks back on what he overcame just to get back on the court, Johnson is thankful for his parents and girlfriend for being with him throughout the entire process. He also wants people that see his story to know not to give up on any aspirations they have in life and to keep ‘that hope that one day the storm is gonna pass and you’ll be able to do what you want to do.’

Caputo said he’s been ‘incredibly fortunate’ to witness Johnson’s return. With four years of eligibility, the hope remains the worst is behind Johnson and he can go about his college career just like any other athlete. Caputo knows Johnson won’t be the leading scorer every night for his team, but it’s more than OK for him, because he’s already achieved something far greater.

‘I told him that it’s a huge accomplishment just to be on the court after what he’s been through, and that’s inspiring to a lot of us and a lot of people,’ Caputo said. ‘What’s most important is that he’s out there and he’s doing the thing he loves to do, and he’s healthy.’

Michigan has fired linebackers coach Chris Partridge, the school announced in a statement Friday morning.

‘Effective today, Chris Partridge has been relieved of his duties as a member of the Michigan Football staff,’ read a message from team spokesman Dave Ablauf. ‘Rick Minter will serve as the team’s linebackers coach.’

Partridge, who was making $500,000 this season, is the second staffer to leave his position in the past few weeks, after recruiting analyst Connor Stalions resigned Nov. 3 following evidence he ran an illegal sign-stealing scheme. The NCAA’s investigation is ongoing.

Yahoo Sports reported Friday that Partridge ‘allegedly participated in the destruction of evidence on a computer after the scandal broke,’ according to its sources, though he is not currently alleged of knowing about Stalions’ advanced scouting.

The original announcement came at 11:20 a.m. ET. Just more than 30 minutes later, the Free Press sent a message to a Michigan spokesman asking if a statement was coming from coach Jim Harbaugh. The spokesman responded ‘the statement you have is what is being issued by the university.’ At 12:10 p.m., the university added another comment.

‘From the outset, our focus has been on seeking due process and allowing the NCAA to conduct a fair and deliberate investigation,’ read the message from associate athletic director Kurt Svoboda. ‘Although the Big Ten has closed its investigation, we are continuing to cooperate with the NCAA as it moves forward with its ongoing investigation. Consistent with our commitment to integrity, we will continue to take the appropriate actions, including disciplinary measures, based on information we obtain.

‘Earlier today, Michigan Athletics relieved Chris Partridge of his duties as a member of the Michigan Football staff. Due to employee privacy laws, we are unable to comment further.’

Partridge was in his fifth year as a member of Michigan’s coaching staff overall; he was brought back Feb. 8 to begin his second tenure with the Wolverines when he was hired to coach the linebackers. Partridge previously served as the team’s special teams coordinator for four seasons (2016-19), before he became defensive coordinator at Mississippi for three seasons (2020-22).

Harbaugh has been suspended for the final three games as overseer of the program. Michigan and the Big Ten were scheduled to be in court Friday to address an attempt by the school to overturn Harbaugh’s ban. However, an agreement was reached between the sides and Haburgh agreed to accept the ban.

Amazon and Fox Studio host and former NFL sideline reporter Charissa Thompson responded to the backlash she received after admitting that she fabricated reports when she found herself in a bind.

Thompson made this admission earlier this week on the Pardon My Take podcast.

‘I’ve said this before. I haven’t been fired for saying it, but I’ll say it again. I would make up the report sometimes, because A) the coach wouldn’t come out at halftime, or it was too late and I didn’t want to screw up the report,’ Thompson said. ‘So I was like, ‘I’m just gonna make this up, because first of all, no coach is gonna get mad if I say, ‘Hey, we need to stop hurting ourselves, we need to be better on third down, we need to stop turning the ball over and do a better job of getting off the field.’ They’re not gonna correct me on that. So I’m like, it’s fine, I’ll just make up the report.’

The backlash came swiftly from sideline reporters and media across the country, with former sideline reporter Michele Tafoya calling it a ‘professional fraud,’ NBC’s Kathryn Tappen labeling it ‘deplorable,’ and ESPN’s Molly McGrath saying, ‘this is not normal or ethical.’

On Friday, Thompson took to social media in an attempt to explain her stance.

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‘Ok, let’s address the elephant in the room. I have a responsibility to myself and my employers to clarify what is being reported,’ she wrote on Instagram.

Thompson goes on to say she ‘chose the wrong to describe the situation’ and says she ‘never attributed anything I said to a player or coach,’ in a direct contradiction from what she said on the podcast.

‘I’m sorry. I have never lied about anything or been unethical during my time as a sports broadcaster,’ Thompson said.

‘I have nothing but respect for sideline reporters and the tireless work they put in behind the scenes and on the field. I am also appreciative and humbled to work alongside some of the best in the business and call them some of my best friends.’

It’s not the fault of the offensive coordinator. Or the defensive coordinator. Or any coordinator. It’s not the head coach’s fault. Or any coach’s. It’s not the actual football’s fault. Or the economy’s. Or an alien conspiracy. Well, actually, you can always blame an alien conspiracy.

The reason for the struggles of Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen is because of Josh Allen. His issues are almost exclusively problems of his own making.

Allen leads the NFL in turnovers (14) and interceptions (11). He has six straight games with a pick. Allen had three of the Bills’ four turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble) on Monday against Denver. For those of us who have long pointed out Allen’s propensity to cough up the football with poor decision-making, and said it would one day catch up to him in a big way, well, we will not say we told you so.

Allen has long been coddled by a media and NFL ecosystem that ignored his turnovers, or made excuses for them, while focusing with laser precision on the faults of Lamar Jackson and Dak Prescott. For those of us who have long pointed out Allen’s propensity to throw the football to the other team at critical moments, and asked why so much attention went on Jackson instead, well, we will not say we told you so.

‘The industry talks about Dak’s (interceptions),’ posted former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III on X, formerly known as Twitter, ‘the way they should talk about Josh Allen’s.’

In the end, what we’re seeing with Allen is something clear. A bunch of people crowned Allen prematurely as a generational talent. He’s good. I’ve said that. But he’s so incredibly flawed that for now he can’t be great. It’s impossible. It’s also impossible for the people who have defended Allen like their life depends on it to ignore who he’s de-evolving into which is a more athletic Jameis Winston.

The comparison isn’t as bonkers as angry Bills fans will make it out to be. In 2019, Winston led all passers with 5,109 yards while also throwing a stunning 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. He remains one of the most physically gifted passers in the league but turnovers practically destroyed his career as a starter.

Maybe Allen won’t follow that path and he’ll be able to cut back on the turnovers and reassemble into the player who shook up the league. But Allen turning the ball over has been a consistent problem for years and it was only a matter of time before the issue became catastrophic. We’re at that point now.

‘The Josh Allen conversation NEEDS to be had!’ posted analyst and former Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman on X. ‘It’s getting out of hand.’

When asked to explain further, Sherman told USA TODAY Sports: ‘Just meant the consistent turning over of the football. The expectations of this team since the AFC Championship appearance and the underwhelming’ record of the team. The Bills are 5-5 and one of the most disappointing teams in the league.

Firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey won’t necessarily fix Allen’s issues. Allen will have to do that himself.

One of the reasons why you see Griffith, Sherman and others talk tangentially, and sometimes directly, about how Allen’s mistakes have been viewed differently in the media when compared to other quarterbacks is because they have been. There are numerous examples of this. Just this week an NFL journalist who scouts college players said that Allen needs more player talent around him and better offensive schemes. That is a remarkable statement considering Allen’s primary receiver is Stefon Diggs. There are quarterbacks who do more with far less.

That’s what it’s been like for Allen. He’s been protected by a media bubble. His mistakes deemphasized; the mistakes of others heightened. It’s like he’s Loki burdened with a glorious purpose. But he’s been a good quarterback, at times great, but also prematurely elevated to a stature he hadn’t yet earned. He was propelled there by a media that desperately wanted him to be galactic when he’s barely suborbital.

Again, Allen is good. He’s just not what so many want him to be.

Allen will likely have games this season where he does remarkable Allen things. If that pattern holds, unfortunately, another one will. Where he will toss an interception. Or fumble the football. Or maybe there’s some Josh Allen-y thing where he does both.

The only way this will change with Allen is if he works at it and maybe he has. If so, what he’s doing isn’t working.

And that isn’t anyone’s fault but his own.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow addressed reporters Friday after suffering a season-ending injury Thursday night. The 26-year-old left the Bengals’ game against the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter with a right wrist injury, which the team said Friday is a torn ligament.

The NFL is reportedly investigating why Burrow was not listed on the Bengals’ injury report before the game. The Bengals posted, and then deleted, a video of players arriving to Baltimore on Wednesday, which showed Burrow wearing what appeared to be a soft, fingerless glove or sleeve on his right hand.

Burrow said Friday that the device he wore Wednesday was a compression sleeve, and that the injury he sustained during the game was new.

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‘This is a completely different thing,’ he told reporters. ‘It’s not uncommon for guys to wear compression sleeves on a plane because when you go up to that altitude, things can swell up.’

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Burrow added that wearing the compression sleeve during travel was normal maintenance after ‘bumps and bruises’ and a short week, but it had ‘nothing to do with the wrist.’

‘This is a completely new injury,’ he added.

The NFL routinely looks into matters of compliance with its injury report policy, ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, who first reported about the investigation, wrote on X. Teams can be fined or even lose a draft pick if they violate the policy.

In 2019, the NFL fined the Pittsburgh Steelers $75,000 and coach Mike Tomlin $25,000 for violating the league’s injury report policy.