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“Add a tip?”

The prompts have become ubiquitous in all kinds of sales situations — from ordering a coffee to paying for a packaged sandwich — as digital card readers proliferate. But while automated requests for gratuities continue to spur confusion and grumbling, recent data suggests consumers have no trouble breezing past them.

Many people first started noticing so-called tipflation as the economy emerged from the pandemic. Venturing out again to bars, restaurants and shops, consumers were confronted with what felt like a new set of etiquette expectations — and duly began tipping more often, even as many griped loudly about it. But those upticks were modest and far from universal, and some of shoppers’ generosity now looks to be waning.

In a survey released this month by the Pew Research Center, 72% of American adults said tipping is now expected in more places than it was five years ago — but that’s pretty much all consumers can agree on when it comes to tipping.

Many dislike it when the tablets they’re presented suggest specific gratuity amounts; 40% oppose the prompts, while just 24% favor them, according to Pew.

But when consumers are left to their own devices, they take widely different approaches to deciding how much extra to offer and when to offer it, if at all. While 78% of respondents told Pew they always or often tip for haircuts, just 61% said the same of tipping their taxi or ride-hailing drivers. And only 1 in 4 reported frequently tipping baristas.

Americans can’t even agree on whether adding a tip is more of a choice or an obligation: 21% see it the first way and 29% the latter, with the remaining 49% landing somewhere in the squishy middle, saying it depends on the situation.

There’s just too many prompts now in the marketplace with these automated payment systems.

Deidre Popovich, Texas Tech University

It’s no surprise consumers are so divided and exasperated, said Deidre Popovich, a Texas Tech University professor of marketing and supply chain management who specializes in consumer behavior.

“I think there’s just too many prompts now in the marketplace with these automated payment systems,” she said. “We’re used to tipping when we can evaluate the service, and in a lot of these situations, there’s no service tied to the tip. What do we do?”

There has been some movement at the margins of Americans’ gratuity habits.

NBC News reported in February that tipping frequency was up, possibly reflecting a pandemic hangover of good vibes toward service workers when expanding point-of-sale systems made it easier for businesses to solicit tips.

The payments processor Square, which makes a popular point-of-sale platform, said the restaurant and retail workers who use its software have seen increases in tipped and overtime earnings. But the company noted that the rises have tracked broader wage increases and higher restaurant menu prices.

“We’ve definitely observed a slight increase in tipping over the last few years,” said Ara Kharazian, the research lead at Square. “But I think it’s a lot more modest than people realize, and it’s starting to slow down a lot.”

For example, the average overall earnings for restaurant workers using Square were $17.67 an hour in October, with a base wage of $13.80. That $3.87 difference, which mostly reflects tips, is only about 60 cents higher than it was in October 2021, according to the company’s payroll index.

As consumers get used to seeing tip prompts in more places more regularly, they may be getting more comfortable ignoring them — especially after having dealt with inflation-related sticker shock for many goods and services over the past year.

We’ve definitely observed a slight increase in tipping over the last few years, but I think it’s a lot more modest than people realize.

Ara Kharazian, research lead at Square

Lightspeed, another POS provider, said customers add tips on just 1.3% of in-store transactions at the retailers that have enabled its tipping feature.

While tip levels in some settings have held steady or inched higher, others are declining.

Lightspeed said the median tip at all types of restaurants using its service increased from 16.9% in the second quarter last year to 17.3% in the same period this year. But tip amounts for online orders and delivery — for which patrons can decide privately whether to tip, without service workers nearby — have dipped since last year, from about 8.8% to 8.1%.

Another point-of-sale platform, Toast, said in September that average tips at full-service restaurants declined from 19.7% in the first quarter this year to 19.4% in the second — the lowest level for that category since the start of the pandemic. Gratuities at quick-service restaurants using Toast barely ticked up to 16.1% from 16.0% over the same period.

A Bankrate survey this year found tipping frequency has continued a multiyear downslide virtually across the board. The shares of Americans who say they always tip in service transactions from food delivery to hotel housekeeping have steadily shrunk. That’s the case even at sit-down restaurants, where those who reported always tipping their servers fell from 75% in 2021 to 65% this spring.

Some companies are trying other ways to nudge customers to tip. DoorDash wrote in a blog post this month that it was testing an in-app pop-up in the U.S. and Canada to remind users of its delivery service to leave gratuities, lest they risk longer waits.

“Orders with no tip might take longer to get delivered,” the test prompt reads. “Are you sure you want to continue?”

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The Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday posted on social media that forward Kelly Oubre Jr. was “a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle in Center City, Philadelphia. He is currently in stable condition and being treated at a local hospital.”

The Sixers later said Oubre sustained a fractured rib.

However, the exact details of the incident are murky following a statement Wednesday from a Philadelphia police spokesperson who said, “The Police Department currently does not have any video or photographic evidence that depicts this collision. We continue to work in hopes of gathering evidence and we encourage anyone who has information to reach out to our crash investigation unit.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that two local businesses reviewed two hours of video footage from the area and saw no evidence of someone struck by a car.

TMZ also obtained Ring doorbell video of Oubre entering his apartment with a BMX bike and telling someone he was hit by a car.

The lack of clarity has led to speculation about what happened to Oubre and where.

Here’s what we know about the Oubre situation:

What does the incident report from Philadelphia police say?

The police, who have not insinuated Oubre has been misleading, released this:

“On Saturday, 11/11/23, at 7:20 PM, a crash occurred in the 9th District at the intersection of Hicks St. and Spruce St. 

“Unit #2 (pedestrian, 27/M) was walking westbound on 1400 Spruce St. crossing Hicks St. when Unit # 1 (Silver vehicle, NFI) was also traveling westbound on 1400 Spruce St. at a high rate of speed and attempted to turn south onto Hicks St. striking Unit #2, in the upper chest area with the driver side mirror. Unit #1 then fled the location south on Hicks St. PFD Medics responded to the scene and transported the pedestrian to Jefferson Hospital in stable condition with a broken rib and injuries to his hip and right leg. 

“The investigation remains active and ongoing with the Crash Investigation Division.”

The intersection of Hicks and Spruce is six blocks south of city hall and four blocks from Rittenhouse Square in downtown Philadelphia.

What are the Sixers saying?

The Sixers offered their “best to Kelly and his family as he recovers from the incident” in a social media post, and Sixers coach Nick Nurse addressed the situation before Philadelphia’s 117-107 loss to Boston on Wednesday.

“Listen, I don’t think it’s very fair to him to say that he’s made up some story,” Nurse said. “He’s one of our players, and we’re going to stand behind him. So am I.”

He also said: “If some more evidence or anything else comes to light, we’ll handle it when it comes to light.”

Who is Kelly Oubre Jr.?

Oubre, 27, is a nine-year veteran who played college basketball at Kansas and was the No. 15 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He spent his first three-plus NBA seasons with the Washington Wizards and was traded to Phoenix. He then played for Golden State and Charlotte and signed a one-year deal with the Sixers on Sept. 26.

Oubre had career-highs in points (20.3 per game) and was off to a strong start with the Sixers this season, averaging 16.3 points and 5.1 rebounds and shooting 50% from the field and 37.8% on 3-pointers.

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The thrill of Formula 1 is taking its show to the entertainment capital of the world: Las Vegas.

The series will race in ‘Sin City’ for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend. It’s the first time F1 is in the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas since 1981 and 1982, when Alain Prost and Niki Lauda raced in the Caesars Palace Grand Prix in the resort’s parking lot. Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg both finished fifth in the two races to claim their respective drivers’ championships.

This year’s track is much different as Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris will race on the famous Strip in a night race with the city’s lights shining down.

The championship is already wrapped up as Verstappen won his third straight title at the Qatar Grand Prix last month, but there is still competition among the rest of the grid. Amonst drivers, Fernando Alonso, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz are all within six points of each other for fourth place; in the constructor’s standings, Ferrari is within 20 points of Mercedes for second place.

With traffic jams and sky-high ticket prices, fans have been concerned about the cost of attending the race and what it actually means to the community.

Beyond the racing, Formula 1 has embraced the culture of the city. Among the weekend’s festivities, there is an F1-themed wedding chapel and the Bellagio is hosting a shoey bar for fans to celebrate like Daniel Ricciardo.

Here is everything you need to know about the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix:

Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix schedule

Practice 1: Thursday, Nov. 16, 11:30 p.m. ETPractice 2: Friday, Nov. 17, 3 a.m. ETPractice 3: Friday, Nov. 17, 11:30 p.m. ETQualifying: Saturday, Nov. 18, 3 a.m. ETRace: Sunday, Nov. 19, 1 a.m. ET

The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix will follow the traditional race weekend format with three practice sessions, qualifying and the race.

The times are a little later than usual for

Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix start time

The lights will go out at the inaugural F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix at 10 p.m. local time Saturday (1 a.m. ET) on Sunday morning.

There are a few reasons why the race is so late. First, race organizers wanted to be fair to the sport’s European viewers. That is, according to Las Vegas GP Ceo Renee Wilm.

‘That was actually a compromise to make sure we are broadcasting at a time when our European fans can get up with a cup of coffee and watch the race six, seven in the morning, very similar to how we [in the US] watch the European races,’ Wilm said recently.

‘So that was actually a very important component of planning out our sequencing for the race weekend.’

The organizers also had to find time in order to close off Vegas’ busy streets in order to make the race work. With the circuit driving through the Vegas strip,

Organizers also wanted to embrace the culture of Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world. While F1 has expanded to three races in the United States — Austin, Miami, Las Vegas — each one has been unique to the vibe of the location.

How to watch the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix

The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix will air on television on ESPN.

The race will be live streamed on ESPN3 and ESPN+.

Formula 1 Las Vegas ticket prices

Initial entry fees for the Las Vegas Grand Prix were around $2,000 on the low end. The average price was around $7,000. Hotels saw their rates soar in anticipation of the global event, tailor-made for international high-rollers.

Tickets for the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix on resale websites have been popular, as well.

As of Monday, the race was one of the top 10 sports events of the year on StubHub, per the resale company. The average price for a three-day pass to the race was $2,100.

On Thursday, a three-day pass for the race started at $759 on StubHub and $856 on SeatGeek.

Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix track details

The track for the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix runs along the famous Strip. The 17-turn circuit is 3.853 miles/6.201 kilometers around with the paddock located off the Strip at the intersection of Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane. Drivers will wind around the Sphere before taking Sands Avenue to the Strip where they will pass The Venetian, The Mirage, Caesars Palace, The Bellagio and The Cosmopolitan.

How weather affects Formula 1 cars

The weather does affect the performance of an F1 car. The colder the weather is, the less the tires stick to the track. The extended time it takes for the tires to warm up means more power is exerted. The cold also affects the brakes, which means the drivers will have a harder time controlling the cars and they could face lockups, and it will take longer for brakes to heat up.

That could spell trouble, as the Las Vegas Grand Prix has the potential to be the coldest race in Formula 1 history. Temperatures are expected to be 49 degrees Fahrenheit/9.4 degrees Celsius with a humidity of 65 percent.

The previous record for the coldest F1 race was the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal where temperatures dropped to 41 degrees Fahrenheit/5 degrees Celsius.

Who will win the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen (-250) is the favorite to win the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, according to BetMGM Formula 1 odds. This would mean the Red Bull Racing driver won all three races in the United States in his historic season that at one point had a record 10-race win streak

McLaren’s Lando Norris (+900) has the second best odds to win the race followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (+1200), Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez (+1400) and Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz (+1400). Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton (+1800) has the sixth best odds of taking home the trophy.

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Argentine superstar Lionel Messi found himself laying on the pitch after a defender contested him one minute into Argentina’s World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay.

About 20 minutes later, Messi came to the defense of a teammate by pushing and putting his left hand around the neck of Uruguay’s Mathias Olivera in a scuffle that dissolved with no discipline from referees.

It set the tone for a feisty match between South American rivals, leaving Argentina on the losing end for the first time since winning the World Cup last December, falling to Uruguay 2-0 at Estadio La Bombonera in Buenos Aires on Wednesday night.

Ronald Araújo in the 41st minute and Darwin Núñez scored in the 86th minute to lead Uruguay, and break Argentine goalie Emiliano Martínez’s impressive shutout streak of 751 minutes.

“We had to lose someday, this happens,” Messi said in an interview after the match.

It was Argentina’s first loss in nearly a year, since falling 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their World Cup opener on Nov. 22, 2022 – a result that did not impact Messi’s career defining moment in the World Cup final in Qatar last December.  

Argentina had not relinquished a goal to their opponents in eight matches – four friendlies and four qualifying matches – since their thrilling victory over France in the World Cup final.

Martínez won the Golden Glove at the World Cup, and the Yashin Trophy last month at the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony as the best goalie in the game. But his streak, the longest in Argentina history, came to an end.  

Messi — who made a much-ballyhooed summertime move to Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami — has not scored in a match since scoring in the 32nd and 42nd minutes in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Peru on Oct. 17.

Messi’s best chance in the match was a free kick outside the box in the 57th minute that just had too much behind it, hitting the top of the net, leaving him upset at the missed opportunity to tie the match at 1.

Messi had another free kick in the 23rd minute deflected by a header from a Uruguayan player, and at least two other shots that were deflected by defenders during the game.

Messi was in the thick of the match from the start, after being taken down by Nunez in the first minute. Messi also jumped in to defend his teammate Rodrigo De Paul when he and Olivera got into a heated scuffle. No players were given yellow or red cards, and play resumed.

Argentina suffered its first loss in World Cup qualifying, but retained the lead in the CONMEBOL standings with 12 points. Uruguay’s win improved them to 10 points, and solely in second place in the standings after entering the match tied with Brazil and Venezuela.

Argentina’s next match is against Brazil on Tuesday.

“Brazil’s matches are classic matches and separate matches that are not related to anything previous and carry a lot of history, so we must recover and get up,” Messi said.

Final: Uruguay 2, Argentina 0

Lionel Messi and Argentina had not relinquished a goal to their opponents in eight matches since their thrilling World Cup victory over France in Qatar last December.

That streak has come to an end.

Ronald Araújo in the 41st minute, and Darwin Núñez scored in the 86th minute to lead Uruguay past Messi and Argentina in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match at Estadio La Bombonera in Buenos Aires on Wednesday night.

Argentina suffered its first loss in World Cup qualifying, but retained the lead in the CONMEBOL standings with 12 points.

Uruguay’s win improved them to 10 points, and solely in second place in the standings after entering the match tied with Brazil and Venezuela.

Darwin Núñez goal in 86’: Uruguay 2, Argentina 0

This match is nearly over.

Darwin Núñez’s right boot found the back of the net, and Uruguay leads Argentina 2-0 in the final minutes of this World Cup qualifying match.

Argentina almost had a chance to tie this match.

Ángel Di María right boot in the 81st minute was wide, leaving him in disbelief after the attempt. Lautaro Martínez also missed a header that Uruguay goalie Sergio Eochet punched away in the 83rd minute after a series of corner kicks for the Argentinians.

The fans at Estadio La Bombonera, home of the Boca Juniors, are standing and cheering their home side with vigor, but to no avail.

Final 15 minutes left: Uruguay 1, Argentina 0

We’ve got 15 minutes left in the match, which has already featured five yellow cards and several contentious moments.

But Leo Messi and Argentina are running out of time if they want to tie or beat Uruguay in this 2026 World Cup qualifying match.

Argentina entered atop the CONMEBOL Standings, with the defending World Cup champions holding 12 points. Uruguay entered tied with Brazil and Venezuela with seven points.

But the outcome of this one will surely shake up the order.

Maximiliano Araújo injury: Uruguay 1, Argentina 0

Uruguay’s Maximiliano Araújo was carted off the pitch in the 61st minute after sustaining a lower leg injury.

Araújo reached for his right ankle and was emotion and in pain as he was taken off after colliding with an Argentine player.

Exequiel Palacios replaced him in Uruguay’s lineup.

Messi misses free kick in 57’: Uruguay 1, Argentina 0

Leo Messi’s magical left boot had a little too much juice during a free kick outside the box in the 57th minute.

Messi’s kick hit the top of the net’s post and into the stands, leaving Messi to raise his hands to his head in disgust after wasting a prime opportunity to tie this match.  

Messi had another long shot in the 50th minute that was blocked.

Halftime: Messi, Argentina trail Uruguay 1-0

Well, that was an eventful opening half.

Leo Messi and the Argentine side were a feisty bunch, but trail 1-0 at halftime to Uruguay.

Ronald Araujo took a cross from Matías Viña, and found the lower left corner of the net in the 41st minute. The ball was deflected off Argentina goalie Emiliano Martínez on the shot.

Messi has missed one shot on goal, and had a free kick opportunity stopped by Uruguay’s wall in the first half.

Messi also came to the defense of a teammate during a scuffle between both teams in the 20th minute, and appeared to push and put his left hand around the neck of Uruguay’s Mathias Olivera.

Players from both Argentina and Uruguay participated in the brief altercation during the match between Olivera and Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul. No players were given yellow or red cards, and play resumed.

How to watch Argentina vs. Uruguay in the U.S.?

The match begins at 7:30 p.m. ET, and will be broadcast by Telemundo and livestreamed on FuboTV, DirecTV Stream and ViX.

Ronald Araujo goal: Uruguay 1, Argentina 0

Ronald Araujo took a cross from his teammate, and his right boot deflected off Argentina goalie Emiliano Martínez in the 41st minute.

Araujo’s shot hit the bottom left side of the net after a cross by Matías Viña to give Uruguay a 1-0 lead just before halftime.

It is the first time in this round of Argentina’s World Cup qualifying matches that Messi’s side has faced a deficit and allowed the opposition to score a goal.

Messi’s free kick hits wall in 23’: Argentina 0, Uruguay 0

Messi’s free kick in the 23rd minute was deflected by a header from a Uruguayan player.

But the leadup to the free kick was interesting.

Messi pushed Uruguay’s Sebastian Caceres, and was then pushed down by Uruguay’s Manuel Ugarte as he was attacking the penalty area.  

Messi got the benefit of the referee’s decision to set up a free kick, a call the Uruguay players were demonstratively upset about.

Messi puts his hand about Uruguay player’s neck in tussle in 20’: Argentina 0, Uruguay 0

Leo Messi appeared to put his left hand around the neck of Uruguay’s Mathias Olivera during a scuffle in the 20th minute of the match.

Players from both Argentina and Uruguay participated in the brief altercation during the match as it appeared Messi was defending a teammate.

No players were given yellow or red cards, and play resumed.

Here’s video of the sequence:

Messi misses in 13’: Argentina 0, Uruguay 0

Messi’s first shot in this match game in the 13th minute, after a defense by Uruguay’s Mathias Olivera.

Messi was able to shake Olivera, but his left boot from about 30 yards out was saved by Uruguay’s goalie Sergio Rochet.

Darwin Nunez misses shot in 10’: Argentina 0, Uruguay 0

Uruguay’s Darwin Nunez missed on his side’s first shot on goal in the match.

Nunez tried to squeeze it into the far-left side of the net with a right boot, but his shot was wide.

One minute later, Uruguay again charged toward the Argentina’s net but was stopped by the goalie.

Messi gets taken down in first minute: Argentina 0, Uruguay 0

The action started early for Leo Messi, who was taken down by Darwin Nunez in the first minute of the match.

Messi appeared to be in pain after the sequence, favoring his leg, but he got back to his feet.

The play led to a free kick in the second minute, which Messi did not take despite lining up for it.

Rodrigo De Paul kicked it into the box, and Uruguay quickly ended any chance with a good defense in the goal area.

Messi and Luis Suarez meet before Argentina, Uruguay match

Future teammates?

Leo Messi and Luis Suarez, who will reportedly sign with Inter Miami for next season, met each other for a hug before tonight’s match between Argentina and Uruguay.

How much will Messi play against Uruguay?

Messi is likely to start, and play the entire match against Uruguay tonight.

Messi is healthy again after a leg injury in Argentina’s World Cup qualifying match on Sept. 7. The injury caused Messi to miss Argentina’s 3-0 win over Bolivia on Sept. 12 and six matches with Inter Miami in September.

“Messi is fine, he is doing well,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said in a news conference on Thursday. “Beyond the fact that he played a game in the last 25 days, he has been training normally, he is in good condition and he is fine.”

How has Messi performed in recent matches?

Messi played the entire match in each of his last three appearances.

Messi appeared quite rusty in Inter Miami’s friendly last Friday, his first match in nearly three weeks after the MLS regular season ended (Inter Miami did not qualify for the MLS playoffs). He missed all his shots as Inter Miami lost 2-1 to New York City FC, on a night where Messi presented his eighth Ballon d’Or award to Inter Miami fans.

Messi had a goal negated because he was offsides, and a free kick was deflected off the crossbar in Inter Miami’s season finale loss to Charlotte FC 1-0 on Oct. 21.

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As another college football season winds down over the next few weeks, hundreds of Football Bowl Subdivision coaches will be thinking about their next career moves. And many will be in line for a pay raise.

As part of its annual review of assistant coach compensation, USA TODAY Sports identified seven assistants across the FBS who are likely to see a bump in pay at the conclusion of the season, either because of a strong performance at their current school or because they figure to be highly sought-after on the job market − either as coordinators or as head coaches.

Here’s a look at each coach, what they’re making in total compensation this year and why that figure will likely increase in 2024.

Alex Atkins, Florida State

Position: Offensive coordinator/offensive line

Total pay: $1.15 million

The only holdover from last year’s iteration of this list, Atkins got a raise of $300,000 last winter and seems destined for a similar hike ahead of 2024. It’s not just that Florida State is undefeated and has the inside track on a spot in the College Football Playoff, but also that Atkins’ offensive line has been consistent despite overcoming injuries along the way. The Seminoles have allowed just 15 sacks in 10 games, and they didn’t allow even a tackle for a loss against Boston College in Week 3 − just the second time in school history in which that’s occurred.

Tim Banks, Tennessee

Position: Defensive coordinator

Total pay: $1.5 million

Banks is the 18th highest-paid assistant coach in the FBS this season, but he might still see a raise given where his compensation ranks among defensive coordinators in the Southeastern Conference (seventh). Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, whose focus is on offense, likely feels fortunate that he can rely on Banks to lead the Volunteers’ defense − a unit that, with the exception of last week’s loss to Missouri, has been fairly steady. No defense has scored more touchdowns than Tennessee’s four, and the line has been particularly impressive, ranking among the nation’s best in sacks (tied for seventh in the FBS) and tackles for loss (tied for fourth).

Brian Hartline, Ohio State

Position: Offensive coordinator/wide receivers

Total pay: $1.6 million

Hartline got a massive raise before this season, when head coach Ryan Day promoted him to offensive coordinator. And he could get another bump this winter if he garners interest for FBS head coaching jobs. This season, the former NFL wideout has guided a Buckeyes offense that has been consistently productive, even if it hasn’t been quite as explosive as in recent years. And he deserves credit for the performance of the team’s wide receivers, too; Ohio State has had three wideouts drafted in the first round over the past two years, and Marvin Harrison Jr. will almost certainly join them this spring.

D’Anton Lynn, UCLA

Position: Defensive coordinator

Total pay: $1.02 million

In his first year at UCLA, Lynn has helped build the Bruins into a top-10 defensive unit − which is no small feat given all of the offensive firepower in the Pac-12. The Bruins are holding opponents to just 16.4 points per game, which ranks ninth in the FBS, and just 70.8 yards per game on the ground. Lynn, the son of longtime NFL coach Anthony Lynn, is just 34 years old and has a strong coaching pedigree, including several stints in the NFL. It seems like only a matter of time until he is getting head coaching looks.

Brennan Marion, UNLV

Position: Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks

Total pay: $310,000

UNLV has surged to the top of the Mountain West in Barry Odom’s first season as head coach, and Marion’s innovative Go-Go offense is a key reason why. The Rebels have put up 40 points or more in six games this season, all of them wins, and boast both a top-20 rushing attack and one of the best third-down conversion rates in the country. Yet Marion, a former assistant at Pittsburgh and Texas, is not even among the 10 highest-paid assistants in his conference. That will almost certainly change this winter − unless he’s hired away by another school, most likely as a coordinator at the Power Five level.

Will Stein, Oregon

Position: Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks

Total pay: $835,000

The Ducks’ first-year offensive coordinator appears severely underpaid in the wake of his unit’s success this season, and Bo Nix’s emergence as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Oregon leads the FBS in scoring offense at 46.3 points per game and is averaging more than six offensive touchdowns every time it steps on the field. Stein put up big numbers at his previous stop, Texas-San Antonio, a year ago and seems poised to be a hot name on the coaching market over the coming months.

Jay Valai, Oklahoma

Position: Co-defensive coordinator/pass defense/cornerbacks and nickelbacks

Total pay: $700,000

Oklahoma is tied for the FBS lead with 17 interceptions, including two last weekend against West Virginia and two that have been returned for touchdowns. It’s a credit to the Sooners’ entire defensive staff but also the impact of Valai, who has been highly sought-after in recent years and looks poised to take another step. The 36-year-old spent one year in the NFL, as a quality control coach with the Kansas City Chiefs, and has since coached defensive backs at some of the nation’s premier football programs, including stints at Alabama and Texas before arriving at Oklahoma in 2022.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.

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Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh will not be on the sideline Saturday when his team goes for its 1,000th win in school history, or the following Saturday when it plays No. 3 Ohio State with a trip to the Big Ten Championship on the line.

The university announced in a statement Thursday afternoon that the school and Harbaugh have ‘resolved their pending litigation’ with the Big Ten Conference and accepted his three-game suspension for the remainder of the regular season.

Harbaugh was punished as part of a sign-stealing scandal that is being investigated by both the NCAA and Big Ten. As part of the settlement between Michigan and the Big Ten, the conference will drop its investigation.

‘This morning, the University, Coach Harbaugh, and the Big Ten resolved their pending litigation. The Conference agreed to close its investigation, and the University and Coach Harbaugh agreed to accept the three-game suspension,’ began a statement from Associate Athletic Director Kurt Svoboda. ‘Coach Harbaugh, with the University’s support, decided to accept this sanction to return the focus to our student-athletes and their performance on the field. 

‘The Conference has confirmed that it is not aware of any information suggesting Coach Harbaugh’s involvement in the allegations. The University continues to cooperate fully with the NCAA’s investigation.’

WEEKEND FORECAST: Expert picks for every Top 25 game in Week 11

Shortly after Michigan announced its decision, the Big Ten released a statement.

‘The Big Ten Conference’s commitment to student-athletes, sportsmanship and the Commissioner’s duty to protect the integrity of competition will never waver,’ the statement began. ‘Today’s decision by the University of Michigan to withdraw its legal challenge against the Conference’s November 10th Notice of Disciplinary Action is indicative of the high standards and values that the Conference and the University seek to uphold.

‘The University of Michigan is a valued member of the Big Ten Conference and the Conference will continue to work cooperatively with the University and the NCAA during this process.’

Harbaugh was suspended by the Big Ten last Friday for violating the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy as it relates to the ongoing sign-stealing investigation surrounding the program. Connor Stalions, a former recruiting staffer, was identified as a person of interest by reports on Oct. 20 that said he illegally obtained signals from other teams. He was initially suspended by the school before resigning on Nov. 3.

Sign-stealing is not against NCAA rules, but in-person scouting and the use of technology to scout are prohibited.

The sudden about-face to drop the lawsuit comes less than 24 hours before Harbaugh and attorneys who represented him and the Michigan Board of Regents were set to hold a hearing in front of Judge Timothy Connors in Washtenaw County Circuit Court.

By bringing the case to court, Michigan’s hope initially was to receive a temporary restraining order against the league’s ruling, which would’ve allowed Harbaugh to coach each of the remaining regular season games. Now that Michigan has come to terms with the league, Harbaugh’s suspension is final, but the Big Ten’s investigation into the matter has ended.

The NCAA investigation into the matter still remains, where there could be additional penalties if the governing body deems there was evidence somebody on Michigan’s staff either helped Stalions, or had knowledge of his plot.

The NCAA reportedly has evidence of Stalions purchasing 35 tickets at 17 different stadiums across the past three years. He would then forward them to an associate who would record the opponents’ sidelines with their cell phone and send the videos back to Stalions who would time them up with the plays and de-code the signals. There was also reportedly a spreadsheet with that indicated a $15,000 budget for travel and fees associated this year. Michigan – in response to a Freedom of Information Act request – said Wednesday that Stalions never filed expense reports with the university, even though that doesn’t necessarily prove there wasn’t a budget.

There is also an investigation into whether Stalions was on the Central Michigan sidelines for a game against Michigan State earlier this season, earlier this season, allegedly wearing Central Michigan gear.

Harbaugh, the Big Ten said, was never directly linked, but is being punished as he represents the program.

The decision came down last Friday when the No. 2 Wolverines were en route to State College for a game against Penn State, their first top-10 matchup of the year, and athletic director Warde Manuel lit into the league in a statement, when he called the suspension ‘unethical’ and ‘insulting’.

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Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs says he’s “not responsible for how other people feel,’ including his brother, Trevon Diggs, after the Dallas Cowboys cornerback took shots at Buffalo on social media.

Following the Bills’ 24-22 loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday, Trevon Diggs pleaded for his brother to leave Buffalo on X (formerly Twitter), writing, ‘Man 14 Gotta get up outta there.’ He doubled down with another post on Tuesday, this time taking a jab at Bills quarterback Josh Allen: ‘Let’s not forget, he didn’t start going off till bro got there.’

Trevon Diggs’ posts, which remain on his social media account, sparked questions on whether or not Stefon Diggs is unhappy and wants out of Buffalo as the Bills dropped to 5-5 on the season. But Stefon distanced himself from his brother’s opinions, saying he’s hasn’t ‘had a personal conversation with him.’

‘I’m not responsible for how other people feel,’ Stefon Diggs told reporters on Thursday. ‘Anybody in this room for this manner, a reporter, a player, even my own brother. I love my brother. In the space that my brother’s coming from is my family. So, you want to know how he feels? You got to take it up with him.’

TREVON DIGGS: Cowboys CB takes shot at Josh Allen, pleads to get brother out of Buffalo

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Stefon Diggs said commentary from his brother Trevon, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury in September, was coming from a ‘fan perspective’ and not from an insider, because Trevon is ‘not a part of the Buffalo Bills’ and has no insight into the organization, despite being siblings.

‘I haven’t had a personal conversation with him,’ Stefon said. ‘My brother is watching football right now. He’s not playing too much. Obviously, he’s coming from more of a fan perspective, but that is my family. So, I handle my family with the utmost respect, and I always hope that people treat it that way. So, when people speak of my family, have a level of integrity as well, because I feel like if it was another family member or somebody else, obviously people kind of handle things however they want. But tread lightly when you’re talking about my family.’

Trevon Diggs’ comments resurfaced previous drama surrounding Stefon Diggs and Buffalo. Last season, Stefon was noticeably frustrated during Buffalo’s playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and his frustrations boiled over to the offseason when he was absent during a portion of the Bills’ mandatory minicamp. Stefon’s agitation this offseason reportedly stemmed from his role in the Bills’ offense, but he said it’s ‘water under the bridge’ in July.

‘We had those conversations, everything that needed to be said was said, we talked it out as men, everybody involved,’ he said back in July. ‘Forcing my way out anywhere is not my goal. I don’t feel like I have to at this point, I feel like I’m in a great space, I’m in a great place. I’m loved and I’m appreciated.’

‘I really sat down and kind of everybody here around training camp and felt like I nipped it in the bud as to how I felt or what I was feeling,’ Stefon Diggs said. ‘But here we are again. Here we are revisiting a topic about how I feel. I play with confidence. I go in with confidence. I prepare each and every week. I’ve always been a professional.’

Diggs continued: ‘I’ve never really said anything about being unhappy or any instance of that. So, when you’re drawing conclusions as to stuff I’ve never said, that’s what kind of troubles me because it kind of throws a wrench in it. It kind of creates chaos where I haven’t created. Chaos created around me, whereas I just been in the same space, I’ve been in the same place, and I’ve spoken true words. I’ve said the same thing over and over and over. So, when you draw a conclusion as to how I feel in my foreseeable future here, I’ve never said anything, but I was a Buffalo Bill. I gave it everything I got. I’m a professional and I treat this game as such.’

Buffalo faces the New York Jets (4-5) at home on Sunday.

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When the gavel – real or proverbial – came down Thursday morning on the Oakland Athletics’ bid to move to Las Vegas, and 30 multi-billionaire owners approved the relocation almost unconditionally, it sounded not so much like finality but a warning shot.

This is what they can do to you.

In an industry where revenue is measured in the tens of billions, in a market rich in baseball tradition, flush with wealth and passionate fans, the foundation can be uprooted in service of a panicked and incompetent owner.

John Fisher is already trying to flip the narrative.

The A’s owner has, in recent days and weeks, spun the tale that he left it all on the proverbial field/negotiating table, that this uprooting from the Bay to the desert was a no-choice proposition after the franchise tried for the better part of two decades to find a new home.

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

His 29 fellow owners and Major League Baseball are publicly obligated to nod soberly and play along, with Dodgers chairman Mark Walter telling USA TODAY Sports that they “worked on that thing a long time.”

Yet in the seven years since Fisher became managing partner, he and club president Dave Kaval – who was probably inspired, and not horrified, by Office Space’s Bill Lumbergh – have staged a fizzle reel of futility.

There was the community-college site announced to much fanfare – which was news to the actual community college. An assurance that if needed, they’d build at the Coliseum site – endorsed by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred until they told him to declare it unviable.

No, no, never mind that, Howard Terminal was going to be a $12 billion mixed-used baseball paradise, a perfect locale to live, work, play and finish 40 games out in the American League West. Never mind that it was by far the most complex of the situations, that the city of Oakland was asked to jump through more hoops than the circus tigers the A’s will now share Las Vegas with.

Silly Oakland. Still burned 28 years later by a Raiders deal that sank the city’s finances – only for the Raiders to leave anyway – and nodding ruefully as the Warriors packed up and nuzzled closer to the tech bros across the Bay, the city wanted to protect itself and get this right.

Unfortunately, they were dealing with a nepo baby whose portfolio was starting to fray.

Manfred has said on several occasions that getting a stadium built in California is “a different animal” than other places, and that’s true. The state and its municipalities feature countless diversions and almost year-round gorgeous weather and are less inclined to approve hundreds of millions of dollars for a nominally necessary stadium, as they did in in Nashville, or multi-billion dollar monstrosities plopped in an Arlington, Texas parking lot.

Yet consider who succeeded in the Golden State this century, and how Fisher failed.

The San Francisco Giants managed to privately finance a gorgeous ballpark across the Bay, with current club CEO Larry Baer instrumental to that effort. Stan Kroenke finessed a transformational facility out of the citizens of Inglewood, finally solving the no-football-in-SoCal problem that vexed the NFL for two decades. Joe Lacob built a basketball paradise for the Warriors in San Francisco.

Fisher cut and ran, and we still don’t exactly know why.

The city of Oakland still wants some answers, mayor Sheng Thao insisting they were meeting the A’s requests and ready to turn the corner on a deal when Fisher and Kaval went ghost. Turns out there was $380 million of public funding awaiting in Las Vegas, where the math is fuzzy, the tourism board and unions always win and things like infrastructure and education are problems best left for the proles.

Fisher insists he had little choice and inspired significant ire when he told a trio of A’s fans lobbying owners at their Texas meetings that this was “a lot worse for me than you.”

Hey, Late Capitalism has been tough on everybody.

Sure, maybe you’re wondering how to make the mortgage payment this month, or catch up on back rent, or put your kids through school or wonder if you’ll need to work forever or die with dignity, but imagine being Fisher.

It’s not easy for a multi-billionaire with his riches tied up in brick-and-mortar retail and America’s erstwhile pastime.

Perhaps Fisher’s Howard Terminal dreams expired with the pandemic, as construction prices soared and shares of The Gap – it was cooler when his dad owned it – sagged.

So Fisher took a semi-sure thing, even as significant hurdles remain before the club hopes to open on the Strip by 2028 and play as short-timers and vagabonds until then. And even as he got barely more than half the public funding that his fellow failson across town, Mark Davis, bilked out of Nevada to bail on Oakland and come to Vegas.

Fisher will exchange 55 years of history for a market that at best is ambivalent and at worst, saturated and wary. (Or did you not hear the stories of regret from locals regarding the F1 race that’s torn up Sin City this week?)

He’ll have perhaps the smallest permanent stadium in baseball, 30,000-ish seats, but hey, he’ll have ticket scarcity and luxury seating. Who cares if capacity is cut by 25% when you can raise ticket prices by 40%?

It’s not hard to imagine a lot of those tickets paid for but unused, stuck in the virtual wallet of corporate casino types (yeah, that’s a redundancy) as high rollers opt for tickets to U2 or Adele or Cirque du Soleil, rather than Paul Blackburn vs. Patrick Sandoval.

And the Vegas maneuver brings up a question MLB can only do so much to answer: Just who is this game for?

The many owners and Manfred dumping on Oakland’s Coliseum – from an aesthetic standpoint, rightfully so – are only showing how out of touch they are with actual fans. To these billionaires, a McMansion behind a security gate is far more palatable than a night at a dive bar.

And to the vast majority of fans, a reasonably-priced ticket, a cold beverage, an appealing team are all they want. Alas: You sell a lot more water bottles than bottle service, but you can charge a lot more for the latter.

That question – Who is our audience? – is not going away, not until two expansion clubs are identified, and markets like Baltimore and Kansas City and Tampa Bay and Arizona and Anaheim squeeze as much as they can out of municipalities and, ultimately, their ticket-buying fans.

Right now, Major League Baseball is a paradox. The league is rightfully gleeful about a season in which attendance rose as Manfred’s transformative on-field maneuvers paid off better than imagined, and games are once again over before sunrise. Sure, World Series ratings were terrible, but unless Ross and Rachel or Jerry and Elaine or Who Shot J.R.? walks through that door, they know networks will pony up billions of dollars for the right to broadcast it.

Locally, the picture is far more muddled, what with the regional sports network crisis landing about a decade ahead of time, with the Camden Yards-era ballparks nearing what its revenue-hungry owners might think is obsolescence and with only so many rabbits to pull out of Manfred’s hat to lure younger fans.

It is within this environment that Fisher decided to bolt. MLB owners waived his relocation fee but did insert a condition that he pay a significant penalty should he sell the team early in their Vegas stay.

That’s almost cruel to fans in the desert, MLB mandating that they’re stuck with Fisher and his notoriously cheap payrolls and weak excuses. Their compadres in Oakland know the deal, that they must learn to enjoy baseball, and not Major League Baseball. After all, they just saw their team yanked away at the whims of billionaires, all so the very rich can issue veiled threats to their communities until they no longer consider it a bluff.

Who’s this game for? On a dark day in MLB’s history, it certainly was not for the fans, the first collateral damage when a billionaire gets restless.

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher sat back in a chair by the massive windows of the second-floor suite Thursday afternoon overlooking the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, and slowly exhaled.

The day began when Major League Baseball owners voted unanimously at 8:11 a.m. CT to approve the A’s move to Las Vegas and 4 ½ hours later, Fisher was standing at a podium uttering the words that left Oakland cringing:

“Today is an incredibly difficult day for Oakland A’s fans,’ Fisher said. “It’s a great day for Las Vegas.’’

Later in the day, in an interview with USA TODAY Sports, Fisher said it’s painful leaving the A’s passionate fanbase heartbroken, but after 18 years, simply felt there was no choice.

“When you when you work on something for a very long time,’ Fisher said, “and you put your heart and soul into it, and then sort of you have this kind of momentous occasion with the vote itself, just a lot of different emotions going on.

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“Obviously the first emotion is this understanding, you know, just what what this means for the Oakland community and our local fans. The feelings of sadness and anger that they that they have about the situation.

“But at the same time, there’s this other side to it, which is a lot of excitement in Las Vegas, a path forward to building a new great stadium on the Strip, and a future for the Athletics.’

The team’s fanbase blames Fisher for the departure. The A’s payroll has ranked among the bottom eight teams in baseball every year since 2007, and easily the lowest the past two years. They went 110-214 in that stretch, finishing a combined 86 games out of first place, while drawing just 1.6 million fans.

If Fisher had spent the money, and the team won, their fans insist, they would have shown up. They drew more than two million fans from 2000 to 2005 when the team reached the postseason five times in seven years. Yet after Fisher purchased the team in 2005, they surpassed 2 million in attendance just once.

Fisher insists the payrolls would have been higher if they had larger attendance, and the fans say they would have come to the ballpark if the payrolls were higher to field competitive teams.

“Our attendance numbers had been declining over the years,’ Fisher said, “regardless of the quality of the team. And I think that was probably based on a lot of different things, one of which, of course, was the stadium itself. … I did what I thought was everything possible to get a new stadium built in Oakland, and then when it was over last two and a half years, we started spending time on Vegas under the view that if Oakland wasn’t going to be able to get this done, we needed an alternative.’

Fisher, who must pay a substantial portion of his profit to his fellow owners if the team is sold any time in the near future, promises that things will be dramatically different in Las Vegas. He went to an NHL Golden Knights’ game last year in Las Vegas, and was blown away by the atmosphere, believing they can replicate it at their new ballpark.

“I was in awe of not just the success of the team on the ice, but also the passion of what was a predominantly local group of fans,’ Fisher said. “So, I know that the bar is set very high for what it means to be successful in Las Vegas. There are a lot of opportunities for great entertainment in that market. And, and sports is one form of entertainment. You better make sure that it’s a that it’s great.

“So, our intention is and our whole reason for trying to move to a new stadium here is because that will allow us to significantly increase payroll, which will allow us to keep the Matt Chapmans, the Matt Olsens, the Shawn Murphys, as opposed to having them leave and be really successful with other teams.

“That will also allow us to be much more competitive in the free-agent market, and to make trades for higher-payroll players, which just gives us a lot more opportunity.’’

For now, the A’s will spend the 2024 season playing at the Oakland Coliseum and thenenter a world of uncertainty. They could continue playing in the Oakland Coliseum in 2025, play 30 to 40 games at the Giants’ Oracle Park, and perhaps just as many at the A’s Triple-A facility in Summerlin, Nevada.

The Athletics could divide their time among the three sites, just as the Toronto Blue Jays did during the pandemic, but Manfred said but they prefer to spend their entire season in one facility until moving to their new $1.5 billion ballpark in Las Vegas.

“You know we tried very hard to make a deal,’ Manfred said. “There was an effort over more than a decade to find a stadium solution in Oakland. It was John Fisher’s preference. It was my preference. We did that out of respect for the fans in Oakland and I hope they understand that at some point. A facility deteriorates in the long run. If you’re looking at the situation objectively, you really have no choice but to relocate.’

Several owners and executives privately say they have no idea if the team will succeed in Las Vegas or not, but it’s the best alternative. Manfred believes that the Las Vegas tourism and revenue from the casinos will make the A’s a huge financial success.

“I know, I know, this is a terrible day for fans in Oakland,’ Manfred said. “We’ve always had a policy of doing everything humanely possible to avoid relocation, and I truly believe we did that in this case. I think at the end of the day, the status quote in Las Vegas was untenable. I think it’s beyond debate that that the status quo in Oakland was untenable. I am absolutely convinced there was not a viable path.

“We look forward to being in Las Vegas. There are two professional sports franchises there [the Raiders and the Golden Knights] that have been wildly successful. We do believe in the long haul, that Las Vegas will be a great asset for baseball.’

The A’s fanbase, who long braced themselves for the news that would come this day, but still, it stung.

Jorge Leon, president and founder of the Oakland 68s fan group, got the news early in the morning on Twitter, and immediately felt nauseous.

“It was a gut-punch,’ Leon said in a phone interview, “and it left me angry. Not so much sadness, but anger. I had to get up early to get my kids dressed for school, and I had to compose myself.’

He then spent the next few hours calling for a boycott of the A’s season opener, and asking that all Giants’ season-ticket holders give up their season tickets out of protest if the Giants permit the A’s to games at their ballpark.

“We will challenge this relocation and seek to disrupt it,’ Leon said, “in any way possible. We won’t let them dictate the end of pro baseball in Oakland.’

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao says that the city will continue to fight for the A’s, and once the move becomes official, will lobby for an expansion franchise.

“We are disappointed by the outcome of this vote,’ Thao said in a statement. “But we do not see this as the end of the road. We all know there is a long way to go before shovels in the ground and that there are a number of unresolved issues surrounding this move.

“I have also made it clear to the Commissioner that the A’s branding and name should stay in Oakland and we will continue to work to pursue expansion opportunities. Baseball has a home in Oakland even if the A’s ownership relocates.”

There are no immediate plans to expand, Manfred said, and once MLB starts to even explore it, expanding from 30 teams to 32, including massive realignment, may not happen until at least 2028.

Privately, MLB doesn’t believe that Oakland is a serious candidate considering that city officials never were able to reach a binding agreement. And, even if an owner does step up in the East Bay, the cost will be nearly double, having to pay an expansion fee of at least $2.2 billion while funding a new ballpark.

“When, and if, we have an expansion process,’’ Manfred said, “every city that’s interested in having an expansion franchise will have an opportunity to participate.’’

The easiest solution to the A’s mess, one owner said, would simply have been to permit the A’s to move to San Jose years ago. The Giants, however, refused to give up their territorial rights, blocking a potential move. Manfred confirmed that the Giants’ territorial rights will remain the same, leaving no viable solution for a potential expansion team.

This is the first time since the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C., in 2005, and only the second MLB relocation since 1972. Meanwhile, the A’s become a footnote in baseball history, playing in their fourth city of existence, starting in Philadelphia in 1901, Kansas City in 1955, and Oakland in 1968.

“It’s tough, real tough,’’ Fisher said, “because I’ve seen enough history to see how these moves have affected communities. I feel for them, I really do.’

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On Thursday, NFL broadcaster Charissa Thompson said that she used to fabricate statements from coaches when she worked as a sideline reporter. She now works as a host for Fox Sports and Amazon Prime Video.

‘I would make up the report sometimes because, A, the coach wouldn’t come out at halftime or it was too late,’ she said on the ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast, ‘and I was like, I didn’t want to screw up the report, so I was like, ‘I’m just gonna make this up.”

Many reporters across the sports world responded to Thompson’s admission, saying that her actions violate the journalism ethics, which would never tolerate making up information.

‘I had to watch the video multiple times to make sure I wasn’t being pranked. Yep. She said that,’ he wrote. ‘There’s no way Thompson, who has been doing this for more than a decade and knows better, should survive this. This is a firing offense. It’s not even close.’

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Several other sports journalists took to social media to share why Thompson was wrong.

Andrea Kremer, Lisa Salters respond to Charissa Thompson saying she makes up reports

Award-winning reporter Andrea Kremer, who was the recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award in 2018, took to X to explain why Thompson’s actions were offensive.

‘As one of only 3 women in the @ProFootballHOF I’m sickened by the insulting mockery being made of sideline reporting,’ she said, ‘a challenging role primarily manned by women – most of whom understand & respect the values of journalism and are integral, trusted members of a broadcast team.’

Lisa Salters, a veteran journalist who is a sideline reporter for ‘Monday Night Football’ and has covered the Super Bowl, posted on X for the first time since March to share her thoughts on how Thompson’s admission leaves a bad mark on the industry.

‘Shocked. Disappointed. Disgusted. What we heard today called all sideline reporters into question. My job is an honor, a privilege and a craft at which I have worked so hard…,’ she said in two posts.

‘Trust and credibility. They mean everything to a journalist. To violate either one – in any way – not only makes a mockery of the profession, but is a disservice to players, coaches and, most importantly, to fans.’

Other journalists ‘devastated,’ call Charissa Thompson’s comments ‘deplorable’

‘I hold myself to the highest standard in everything I do- I KNOW my hard working colleagues do the same,’ she said. ‘We earn respect the hard way. To those commenting on the irrelevant role of sideline reporters- beat it! WE ARE JOURNALISTS. THESE actions are not normal.’

Tracy Wolfson, who is CBS Sports’ NFL and NCAA basketball reporter, chimed in with how the news affected her.

‘This is absolutely not ok, not the norm and upsetting on so many levels,’ she said. ‘I take my job very seriously, I hold myself accountable for all I say, I build trust with coaches and never make something up. I know my fellow reporters do the same.’

ESPN’s Molly McGrath offered Thompson’s comments as a lesson for young journalists.

‘This is not normal or ethical,’ she wrote on X. ‘Coaches and players trust us with sensitive information, and if they know that you’re dishonest and don’t take your role seriously, you’ve lost all trust and credibility.’

‘A good portion of the public doesn’t trust the media as is,’ he said. ‘I cannot believe she would proudly admit this. This causes significant harm to the people who actually take the job seriously. It’s entirely unethical and worthy of never working in the field again.’

Laura Okmin, who is an NFL sideline reporter for FOX, also shared her thoughts on the social media platform.

‘THE privilege of a sideline role is being the 1 person in the entire world who has the opportunity to ask coaches what’s happening in that moment,’ she said. ‘I can’t express the amount of time it takes to build that trust. Devastated w/the texts I’m getting asking if this is ok. No. Never.’

Sports reporters suggest how Charissa Thompson could have handled sideline reports

ESPN baseball reporter Buster Olney replied to Okmin’s statement, agreeing with her comments. He added a suggestion for how to properly handle the situations Thompson said led her to make up reports.

‘If the coach/manager declines to answer any questions, you start with that,’ he said. ‘And then plane onto other information.’

Veteran reporter Lindsay Rhodes, a former anchor for NFL Network’s ‘Total Access,’ also offered a solution to what someone could do if faced with the situation where Thompson felt pressured.

‘She tells the producer, ‘he didn’t stop’ and they don’t go to the sideline reporter for an update she doesn’t have,’ she said on X. ‘OR, she tells the audience that in her report. Or she observes things herself & reports them without misleading anyone into thinking it came from someone it didn’t.’

Criticism for Charissa Thompson’s comments impacting women in sports

Lyndsey D’Arcangelo, women’s basketball reporter for The Athletic, examined the impact Thompson’s impact has on women in sports media. Women have historically been the minority in the industry and continue to break barriers.

‘I don’t think she realizes how this looks,’ she said on X. ‘Women have had to work so hard to gain credibility, to prove themselves, to show they’re fully capable of not only sideline reporting but so so much more. Think about how many years it took just for Beth Mowins to get to call an NFL game.’

NFL reporter Lindsay Jones wrote that Thompson making up quote ‘is unforgivable.’

‘I thought it was a near universal experience for women in sports media is the feeling of needing to work twice as hard to be taken seriously; that you can’t bare to make a mistake,’ Jones wrote on X. ‘So the cavalier way Charissa Thompson cavalierly admitted to making up quotes is unforgivable.’

Lindsay Gibbs, women’s sports journalist and founder of the Power Play newsletter, also expressed frustration on social media reflecting on what the situation means for women.

‘Just thinking about how hard women in sports have worked to be taken seriously,’ she said, ‘how many trailblazers made it possible for her to have that job, just for her to go and do this (expletive).’

Patriots host Tamara Brown shared the sentiment that comments like Thompson’s make an already tough journey harder for women in sports, especially women of color.

‘As a black woman who’s been GRINDING to get a network job as a sideline reporter this is infuriating,’ she said. ‘I’ve been told I wasn’t ready, nothing was open, left on read…you name it. Yet there are people like you in these roles not taking it seriously.’

ESPN college sports reporter Morgan Uber echoed the criticism of Thompson’s actions, calling them ‘extremely infuriating and completely unethical’ while pointing out the difficulties women face being judged by their looks instead of their work ethic.

‘This is already a role in a profession that is already stereotyped as just being ‘eye candy,” she said. ‘Good sideline reporters do their homework, talk to players and coaches throughout the week & on game day and most definitely don’t make up reports. Period. There’s still journalism involved, despite what you may think.’

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