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Virginia running back Perris Jones has ‘regained movement in all of his extremities,’ the school announced early Friday morning.

Jones was taken off the field on a stretcher and taken to U of L Medical Center following a scary collision in Thursday night’s game against No. 11 Louisville.

Jones took a massive hit as he moved up the field after catching a swing pass on a second-and-27 play in the final minute of the third quarter. The hit jarred the ball loose but it was scooped up by Malik Washington, who scampered into the end zone to give UVA a 20-14 lead.

But the celebration was short-lived as it was immediately clear Jones needed medical attention. The ESPN broadcast said trainers were immediately on the field to assist Jones, who was placed onto a backboard and taken off the field on a cart.

Players kneeled as Jones was attended to. When Jones was placed onto the cart, the entire Virginia team came to surround him.

The game eventually resumed, and Virginia kicked the extra point to go up 21-14. Louisville rallied to win 31-24.

In his postgame press conference, Virginia coach Tony Elliott said he was receiving ‘encouraging’ news from the hospital about Jones’ condition.

Virginia said Jones would remain in the hospital overnight.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The high-flying product that Iowa women’s basketball loves to lean on remained grounded much longer than usual in Thursday’s high-profile showdown, one that was supposed to pour in the points from two top-five squads.

Fortunately for the Hawkeyes, No. 22 usually figures it out one way or another.

Despite an off shooting night from Caitlin Clark, and the No. 3 Hawkeyes as a whole, against No. 5 Virginia Tech, Iowa’s superstar unlocked a victorious route with tough drives and smart passing until the treys eventually came. The final product was an 80-76 Iowa victory at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, a win that sets an early convincing tone about where this team can go.

If there’s such a thing as a grueling 44-point showing, that’s what Clark delivered in front of a pro-Virginia Tech crowd that capitalized on the geographical proximity. But it was those in black and gold, many of them decked out in Clark swag with handmade signs, that made the loudest noise when the clock struck all zeros.

Clark finished 13-for-31 from the field, including 5-for-16 from deep and 13-for-17 at the line. Unsurprisingly, much of that production arrived in crunch time — with 16 fourth-quarter points — as Clark supplied the cushion Iowa needed to finally lurch away.

‘Sometimes you’re playing checkers, and she’s playing chess,’ said Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks. ‘She’s that good.’

Clark’s trey with 4:50 remaining handed the Hawkeyes a 71-62 advantage, their largest lead at the time since late in the first quarter. Virginia Tech made one late push in the closing minutes, leaning on Georgia Amoore’s downtown stroke that was there all night with Elizabeth Kitley stifled until late. The Hokies got within four with 48 seconds remaining and three with 5.6 seconds left — but no closer as Clark closed things out down at the line.

‘I feel like this is a really good early-season win for us,’ said Iowa coach Lisa Bluder. ‘We shot the ball so poorly, which is so uncharacteristic of us. But we got to the free throw line, and we did a good job on the boards.’

Gutting through a choppy first half required Clark to dial in on what was working rather than worry about what wasn’t. Repeated hard drives into the lane hunting — and finding — contact don’t pop on the highlight reel the way deep heaves and swishes do, but Iowa needed its superstar to make due regardless.

‘Just the way they were calling the game, they decided to call the game close on both ends of the floor. So why not drive and make the ref call a foul?’ Clark said. ‘We went 18-for-22 at the line, which is pretty good.

‘I thought we had a lot of really good looks (from deep). A lot of mine felt like they were going in, and Gabbie (Marshall) said the same thing (after going 0-for-6 from deep). Sometimes, that’s the hardest thing to do as a shooter — continuing to shoot when the ball doesn’t go in. At the same time, I thought we drove to the basket very well.’

Clark trotted to the locker room at the halftime break with 18 points on 15 shots, having made just one more field goal (6) than free throws (5). Still, Iowa owned a 33-32 intermission advantage despite missing its final 13 treys to close the first 20 minutes of action.

The Hawkeyes knew this experience would be a crucial building block in this much-anticipated campaign. Finding a way to gut through an up-and-down offensive night wasn’t atop the list of expected lessons to learn coming in, but Iowa and Clark made it work like they have so many times before.

‘This very much had feelings of postseason play,’ Bluder said. ‘Without a doubt. Playing in this arena, having a great crowd.’

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on X at @Dargan_Southard. 

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an exclusive interview with Fox News Chief Political Anchor Bret Baier insisted a cease-fire is not an option even though operations in Gaza have taken ‘longer’ than planned. 

‘One thing we haven’t agreed to is a cease-fire,’ Netanyahu said during the interview that aired Thursday on ‘Special Report with Bret Baier.’

‘A cease-fire with Hamas means surrender to Hamas, surrender to terror and the victory of the Iran’s axis of terror, so there won’t be a cease-fire without the release of Israeli hostages,’ he insisted. 

Calls for a ceasefire have continued to plague both American and Israeli officials as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) presses on with its efforts to wipe out Hamas and ensure the terrorist group can no longer operate within the Gaza Strip. 

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported that over 10,000 people have died, with multiples more injured due to IDF bombings that aim to kill Hamas officers and bases of operation, including the extensive tunnel network that exists throughout Gaza City. 

Critics, including President Biden, have cast doubt on the numbers reported by the ministry, with some reports noting that the ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its counts, and Netanyahu this week claimed the IDF has killed ‘thousands’ of terrorists. 

‘[The army] is fighting the terrorists both above ground and below ground,’ Netanyahu told Baier. ‘We’re doing everything in our power to reduce civilian casualties: We’ve managed safe zones and safe corridors so civilians can hear our call to leave, even though Hamas is trying to keep them in.’

He claimed that 50,000 people departed Gaza City, in the northern part of the strip, to the southern safe zone two days ago, and another 70,000 on the day of the interview. Meanwhile, Hamas militants have tried to keep civilians in the north – an act that Netanhayu described to Baier and a Palestinian activist previously discussed with Fox News Digital. 

‘Not only do they murder and mutilate, rape and murder women burn children alive, take hostages of toddlers, babies, elderly, Holocaust survivors, the worst savagery perpetrated on the Jewish people since the Holocaust … Not only do they do that, but they actually target their own civilians,’ Netanyahu lamented. ‘That is, they want to keep their civilians as a human shield.’

Netanyahu admitted that the operations have not progressed at the pace he had initially anticipated, but he credited the support from the U.S. Congress and Biden as ‘very, very important’ to the overall success of the IDF operations. 

‘It’s taking a little longer than I had hoped,’ Netanyahu said. ‘I hope we could do it very fast, but we have battled conditions on the ground, the safety of our own forces, the hostages. We want to get out and the humanitarian corridors.’

‘So it’s taken a little while, but … I very much appreciate the support that President Biden has shown, the administration has shown, and frankly, the American people have shown and in the Congress have shown on both sides of the aisle,’ he added. 

However, support has not remained unanimous across the U.S., and Netanyahu commented on the censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., following her comments related to the explosion at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital and her refusal to apologize for using the ‘From the River to the Sea’ chant, which many have insisted is a call to wipe Israel off the map. 

The censure effort succeeded thanks to support from 22 Democrat representatives who agreed that her language required an official reprimand – a stance that Netanyahu supported. 

‘What this congresswoman is calling for is Palestine and genocide, the elimination of the Jewish state, the one and only Jewish state of the Jewish people,’ Netanyahu said. ‘That’s absurd, and I salute the Congress for censoring [sic] her.’

He acknowledged that the protests across the U.S. and some parts of the world, in which demonstrators repeat the chant among others – including a disturbing incident in Australia in which the crowds chanted ‘Gas the Jews’ – may include ‘naïve people,’ but he maintained that ‘there are a lot of people who know exactly what they’re saying.’

The protesters have aligned themselves with Hamas, according to Netanyahu. During his speech alongside German Chancellor Olaf Schulz last month, Netanyahu called Hamas ‘the new Nazis.’ 

‘This is what they’re aligning themselves with,’ Netanyahu told Baier. ‘We have to protect not only our lives, but our future.’ 

Netanyahu insisted that the future does not include an extended stay in the Gaza Strip once the IDF cripples and eliminates Hamas, saying that Israel does not ‘seek to govern Gaza.’ 

‘We don’t seek to occupy, but we seek to give it and us a better future in the entire Middle East,’ he argued. ‘That requires defeating Hamas. I’ve set goals. I didn’t set a timetable because it can take more time.’

‘I wish it’ll take a little time, but we’re proceeding step by step, reducing our casualties in the process, trying to reduce and minimize civilian casualties and maximize the casualties of the Hamas terrorists, and so far I think it’s proceeding well.’ 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Former Republican presidential candidate Will Hurd hopes that some of the remaining GOP White House contenders will follow in his footsteps.

Hurd, a former CIA spy turned three-term congressman from Texas, last month ended his long-shot bid for the 2024 Republican nomination.

‘It has become clear to me and my team that the time has come to suspend our campaign,’ Hurd said as he dropped out of the race.

Fast-forward a month, and the vocal critic of the GOP nomination front-runner — former President Donald Trump — has a message for some of the other candidates still in the race who face steep uphill climbs to victory.

Hurd told Fox News Digital it’s time for the 2024 field to further winnow.

‘It’s hard to put aside your own personal ambitions and ego, but this is about the country, this is about making sure that we have another 247 years of a country, of a way of life that has become the envy of the world, and that’s what we need to focus on,’ he said.

Hurd was interviewed in the spin room following the third GOP presidential primary debate, which was held Wednesday in Miami.

The former congressman, who endorsed Nikki Haley as he ended his campaign, was at the debate as a surrogate for the former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration.

‘Nikki Haley’s the only person who can beat Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and that’s where I hope some of these candidates can consolidate around. And tonight she showed her grasp of the issues,’ Hurd emphasized. ‘We’re living in a dangerous world. It’s only going to get more dangerous, and Nikki Haley’s ready to lead on day one.’

Late last month, former Vice President Mike Pence became the first major Republican presidential contender to drop out of the 2024 GOP nomination race. 

Besides Hurd, the other contenders who also failed to make the debate stage who have ended their presidential bids are Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, business leader and quality control expert Perry Johnson, and 2021 California gubernatorial recall election candidate and former conservative talk radio host Larry Elder.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who qualified for the first debate but didn’t make the stage at the second and third showdowns, remains in the race for now.

Hutchinson, whose shoestring campaign is running low on cash, has said he will reevaluate his standing come Thanksgiving.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who narrowly missed qualifying for Wednesday’s debate, is a multimillionaire due to his private sector success in the tech industry. He has more than ample resources to stay in the race and continues to campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire, the two lead-off states in the GOP nominating calendar.

As for his own political future, Hurd told Fox News, ‘I’ve been fortunate to have some great experiences. I love my country and if I can serve my country, I’ll always evaluate it.’

He added, ‘Right now, it’s trying to help Nikki Haley however I can, take my wife on a honeymoon, and then we’ll go from there.’

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

An alleged campaign finance violation could ensnare Secretary of State Antony Blinken and 51 former senior intelligence officials who asserted without evidence in 2020 that the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation.  

America First Legal, a conservative organization run by former Donald Trump White House aide Stephen Miller, filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission in late October, alleging a ‘coordinated communication’ and an unreported in-kind contribution to the Joe Biden presidential campaign and related entities, in violation of federal law. 

‘[The] evidence suggests that the respondents failed to disclose coordinated expenditures constituting in-kind donations with respect to the infamous ‘Letter of 51’ former intelligence officials claiming that the Hunter Biden laptop story had ‘all the classic earmarks’ of Russian disinformation,’ says the 13-page AFL complaint, with 110 accompanying pages of evidence.   

The FEC complaint claims that the Biden for President campaign in 2020, the Biden Victory Fund, the Democratic National Committee, and the Biden Action Fund should have reported on coordinating efforts. 

The ‘Letter of 51’ was released on Oct. 19, 2020, weeks before the Nov. 8 presidential election between Biden and Trump.  

The Obama administration officials who signed included former Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and former CIA director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Former George W. Bush DNI Michael Hayden, a vocal Trump critic, also signed. 

The complaint notes that Panetta and Clapper donated to the Biden Victory Fund and the Biden for President campaign in 2020.  

In March, former CIA Deputy and Acting Director Michael Morrell testified to the House Judiciary Committee and House Intelligence Committees that on Oct. 17, 2020, then-Biden campaign adviser Blinken contacted him to discuss the Hunter Biden laptop story first reported by the New York Post.  

The complaint cited an April statement from the House Judiciary Committee that summarized the Morrell testimony.  

‘Morell testified that his communication with Blinken was one of a few communications he had with the Biden campaign, explaining that he also received a call from Steve Ricchetti, Chairman of the Biden campaign, following the October 22 debate to thank him for writing the statement,’ the House Judiciary Committee press release from April said. ‘Morell also explained that the Biden campaign helped to strategize about the public release of the statement. Morell further explained that one of his two goals in releasing the statement was to help then-[former] Vice President Biden in the debate and to assist him in winning the election.’ 

The letter from intelligence officials provided cover and credibility for social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter to restrict the access and distribution of the Hunter Biden laptop story, first broken by the New York Post. Eventually, both the New York Times and Washington Post verified the authenticity of the Hunter Biden laptop. Also, during the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden, Biden referred to the laptop story as Russian disinformation. 

‘There are reasons to believe that the public statement by 51 former intelligence officials was a coordinated political operation to help elect Vice President Biden in the 2020 presidential election, as set forth below,’ the complaint to the FEC says.  

This fits a pattern of election meddling, said Reed D. Rubinstein, senior counselor and director of oversight and investigations for America First Legal.  

‘In 2016, high-ranking federal intelligence officials interfered in a presidential election, lying about Russia collusion in a failed effort to elect Hilary Clinton,’ Rubinstein said in a statement.  

‘In 2020, many of these same officials again interfered in a presidential election, lying about Hunter Biden,’ Rubenstein continued. ‘The Federal Election Commission’s charge includes election integrity — Americans have the right to know who is coordinating with federal candidates. But this right is only as effective as the agency that enforces it. The FEC must act here.’ 

Neither the Biden 2024 presidential campaign nor the Democratic National Committee responded to inquiries for this story.  

The State Department also did not respond to an inquiry about Blinken’s role from Fox News about the matter.  

The complaint alleges that the ’51 former intelligence officials’ statement was part of a carefully orchestrated effort to influence the 2020 election. AFL argued the Biden campaign, through key individuals, actively participated in drafting and disseminating the statement. The complaint argues that the 51 former intelligence officials’ public statement was strategically crafted to discredit the Hunter Biden laptop story, with the intent of aiding Joe Biden’s campaign. 

The complaint details communication between then-Biden campaign advisor Blinken and Morell regarding the Hunter Biden laptop story. For his part, Blinken has denied having a role.  

‘There is reason to believe that the respondents failed to report the above contribution and to identify the individuals who made it,’ the complaint says.  

The complaint also alleges that the disinformation campaign should be considered a ‘coordinated communication’ under FEC regulations, subject to reporting requirements. 

The AFL complaint contends that the Biden campaign actively participated in drafting and disseminating the statement, utilizing the national security credentials of the former intelligence officials to downplay the Hunter Biden laptop revelations. 

The complaint further references a survey that found almost four of five Americans who followed the Hunter Biden laptop scandal thought that honest news coverage would have changed the outcome of the election. The survey by Technometric Institute of Policy and Politics was released in August 2022.  

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Last month, twins Ziv and Gali Berman were average Israeli citizens. They cheered for Maccabi Tel-Aviv Soccer Club, worked for a sound and lighting company, and enjoyed traveling for concerts when they were able.

Now, the Israeli Defense Forces believe the 26-year-old brothers were taken from their own home and are being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

On Oct. 7, violent attacks broke out across Israel as Hamas launched a coordinated assault on civilian and military targets. In addition to those killed and injured in the mayhem, hundreds of Israelis were taken hostage by the terrorist organization.

The twins’ brother, Liran Berman, spoke with Fox News Digital on Wednesday about the night of the terrorist attack and ongoing efforts to rescue his siblings.

‘I went to nine funerals of friends, neighbors. It was the worst week of my life,’ Liran told Fox News Digital about the time since the war broke out. ‘Nine funerals since then. Since the last funeral, the ninth, I haven’t managed to cry anymore. No more tears are left.’

The horror at the Kfar Aza kibbutz began similar to other areas of Israel on the day of the attack – with alarms and explosions.

‘We all woke up in Israel around 6:30 a.m. to a barrage of rockets. Sadly, we are used to it,’ Liran recounted. ‘And for the first hour, we were [thinking], ‘OK, again rockets. Missiles.’ Sadly, it is a usual issue.’

Liran is one of four brothers. The siblings and their parents live in the same kibbutz and his father also requires an in-home caretaker for his Parkinson’s disease. The family stayed in contact as much as possible during the onslaught.

Every person Liran was in contact with believed the violence would pass and life would quickly resume as it had many times before. 

But as the attacks continued, the possibility that this was not a routine assault became more and more likely.

‘Around 7:30, 8, we started to realize it was something much bigger. We saw media coverage of Hamas terrorists inside a big city and throughout the city of Sderot – which is a seven-minute drive from the kibbutz – and Hamas terrorists on pickup trucks going door to door in the city,’ said Liran. 

‘[The families] started to hear Arabic voices shouting in the kibbutz. They hear a lot of gunshots, which is very, very, very not common. Never happened. And we didn’t understand the scale of it yet,’ Liran said. ‘But the rumors were terrible – the WhatsApp groups and the phone calls that they are in the house next door.’

Liran’s parents and his father’s caretaker managed to survive by staying in a safe room for close to 18 hours. The caretaker was forced to crawl on the floor of the house to stealthily retrieve his father’s medicine outside the bunker.

Liran lost contact with Ziv and Gali that Saturday around 9:30 a.m. Their last sign of life was a WhatsApp message to their mother. The kibbutz witnessed extreme violence and a prolonged battle that stretched all the way until Monday.

Roughly 1,400 Israelis were killed in the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the ongoing war between the IDF and Hamas.

The twins’ family waited for days as recovery efforts in the kibbutz sorted through bodies and identified fatalities. They waited with grim solemnity to hear if Ziv and Gali would be named as victims.

But nothing surfaced. There was no trace of the twins – until officials of the Israeli government contacted Liran’s family. 

‘Ten days later, officers of the government came to us. And let us know that, according to their understanding, with a 99.9% guarantee, they are kidnapped in Gaza.’

As misinformation, unverifiable reports and conflicting statistics plague the public’s understanding of the conflict, Liran says his family is subject to the IDF’s painstaking but steady stream of intelligence on the hostage crisis.

‘We know that they can’t share with us all the information… We know that and we understand. In the first week or a bit more than the first week, there was complete chaos,’ Liran told Fox News Digital. 

He continued, ‘There [were] numbers changing all the time. And the IDF and the government didn’t know what to say or how to say. But I feel that now the information that we’re getting is still incomplete. It’s still missing, but it is consistent – like what is now going out to the media and to the families is the most up-to-date that the government can show. So we trust them.’

The Kfar Aza kibbutz is gone. The violence and bombardment of Oct. 7 left its buildings and infrastructure in utter shambles.

Liran told Fox News Digital, ‘Complete destruction. Houses burned to the ground. The neighborhood where my brothers lived is completely demolished. Completely. Trees were [torn] up from the roots. Roads were completely destroyed – remnants of destroyed cars, remnants of missiles that Hamas shot at the kibbutz. It’s a complete destruction.’

There are plans to rebuild, but it’s impossible to speculate how long such efforts could take in the current environment.

Asked what his message would be to his brothers if they could hear him, Liran had only love to offer.

‘We miss them. We need them home. We know that together they are strong. Individually, they are strong,’ he said. 

Voice shaking, he concluded, ‘Keep each other safe and we miss you. And we need you home. And we love you.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

The IRS on Thursday announced higher federal income tax brackets and standard deductions for 2024.

The agency has boosted the income thresholds for each bracket, applying to tax year 2024 for returns filed in 2025. For 2024, the top rate of 37% applies to individuals with taxable income above $609,350 and married couples filing jointly earning $731,200.

Federal income brackets show how much you’ll owe on each portion of your “taxable income,” calculated by subtracting the greater of the standard or itemized deductions from your adjusted gross income.

Higher standard deduction

The standard deduction will also increase in 2024, rising to $29,200 for married couples filing jointly, up from $27,700 in 2023. Single filers may claim $14,600, an increase from $13,850.

Adjustments for other tax provisions

The IRS also boosted figures for dozens of other provisions, such as the alternative minimum tax, a parallel system for higher earners and the estate tax exemption for wealthy families.

There’s also a higher earned income tax credit, bumping the write-off to a maximum of $7,830 for low- to moderate-income filers. And employees can funnel $3,200 into health flexible spending accounts.

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After reviewing the women’s basketball national championship, the NCAA ruled that the officiating in the game was below its standards.

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that the organization shared its findings after controversy swirled around the matchup where Louisiana State defeated Iowa, 102-85, for its first title.

Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president for women’s basketball, said that the game was analyzed to see the accuracy of the calls and that it fell short compared to the usual target.

“In the championship game itself, for example, we typically have a performance that I think is 91% historically,’ she said. ‘In that game, the percentage of correct calls was below that, around 88%. That’s factually the case.”

An independent official also studied the game and found the accuracy of the calls was much lower. The unidentified individual said that among the missed calls was a foul on Tigers star Angel Reese that shouldn’t have been called and two offensive fouls — one on LSU and one on Iowa — that were not called but should have been.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley commented on the findings on X, formerly Twitter.

‘So the independent review was done under anonymity but it is known who the officials were….all black and brown skinned women,’ she wrote. ‘Now that they’re thrown under the bus let’s not run them over.’

Last season, the Gamecocks reached the Final Four and were defeated by the Hawkeyes. It was their third straight appearance in the semifinals.

The NCAA had a lineup of all women officiating the Final Four for the first time in its history. Lisa Jones, Michol Murray and Pualani Spurlock-Welsh were the referees for the championship game.

A particular call that had fans upset was a technical foul on Hawkeyes star Caitlyn Clark in the third quarter. It was her fourth personal foul of the game.

After the game, Jones explained the reasoning behind the foul. She cited last season’s NCAA women’s basketball rulebook, which states a technical foul can be called ‘after a team warning has been issued, attempting to gain an advantage by interfering with the ball after a goal or by failing to immediately pass the ball to the nearest official after the whistle has blown.’

“Iowa received a delay of game warning in the third period at the 7:28 mark for batting the ball away after a made basket, causing a delay,” Jones said in a statement, per basketball reporter Khristina Williams. “The second offense was when No. 22 from Iowa [Clark] picked up the ball and failed to immediately pass the ball to the nearest official after the whistle was blown.’

This offseason, the NCAA removed that specific rule regarding the delay of game penalty as part of an update to the rule book.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

With the Tennessee Titans announcing Will Levis as the team’s starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, Ryan Tannehill is trying to adjust to being a backup for one of the few times of his 11-year NFL career.

‘It hits hard,’ Tannehill said Wednesday. ‘I mean, I’ve never been in this situation before, so it hits hard. Never a situation that anyone wants to be in. But that’s the situation I’m in, so got to walk through it.’

Since starting his NFL career in 2012 with the Miami Dolphins, Tannehill has rarely been benched, taking over the starting duties for Miami in his rookie season. Aside from injuries, Tannehill only spent time on the sidelines in his first season in 2019, when Marcus Mariota began the season as the starter. After a disappointing start, Tannehill took over the starting duties and had been at the helm since then.

‘Try to help him out along the way’

Tannehill, who had missed the last two games with a high ankle sprain, said head coach Mike Vrabel told him of his decision on Monday before it was announced on Tuesday. He said he has been trying to ‘walk through those emotions and prepare’ to be named the backup.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Still dealing with the injury, Tannehill’s main goal is to get healthy as he returned to practice this week. But he still wants to be a mentor to Levis and ‘help him find his footing.’ As Levis prepares to start his third game of the season, Tannehill told the rookie during drills this week to ‘start owning the position.’

‘I’m going to be here to answer any questions he has and try to help him out along the way,’ Tannehill said. ‘It’s not a fun situation to be in, but I want to be a pro and handle it with class, and still be a guy that people can look to.’

QB CHANGES AHEAD? 12 NFL teams that could swap starters in 2024

Will Levis on Ryan Tannehill’s professionalism

Levis gave praise to Tannehill for keeping the decision professional while helping him become the new leader of the team.

‘Yesterday at practice, doing a good job of stepping in and letting me know that the reps, even in the beginning of practice, with the 1s’ Levis said. ‘I didn’t want to step over him, but he came to me first to be like, ‘Hey, this is you.’ So it was cool to hear that.’

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As the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears take center stage on ‘Thursday Night Football,’ which team won the trade that shook up the 2023 NFL draft?

Let’s revisit the trade:

The Panthers acquired the No. 1 pick from the Bears, and selected quarterback Bryce Young instead of C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson.

The Bears acquired Carolina’s first- and second-round picks (Nos. 9 and 61) in the 2023 draft, along with a first-round pick in 2024, a second-round pick in 2025, and wide receiver DJ Moore.

The Bears were also aggressive during the draft, trading both of Carolina’s picks. Chicago used the No. 10 pick to draft starting right tackle Darnell Wright, and the No. 56 pick to draft starting cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

The Panthers and Bears are still in the process of undertaking major franchise rebuilds, evident by their combined 3-14 record before their Week 10 matchup.

Did the Panthers pick the right quarterback?

Panthers owner David Tepper preferred Young over Stroud, who was taken No. 2 by the Houston Texans, while Panthers coach Frank Reich has been insistent on speaking up for Young, despite his history of coaching quarterbacks who typically have more size.

‘My eyes and our eyes were on Bryce Young, from start to finish,’ Reich said before the Panthers’ win against the Texans this season.

‘You look at the film, you talk to the man, you get a sense for the leader, the player and what he is and what he can be and how he fits to what we wanna do in the vision we have as an offense, as a team and as an organization. We got the guy for us. And I’m sure Houston feels they got the guy for them.”

Young has a 1-6 record in seven starts, completing 63.9% of his passes for 1,375 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. Young has a 77.1 quarterback rating, ranked 29th among 32 starters, and has been sacked 26 times – tied for fourth-most in the NFL.

Stroud is 4-4 in eight starts, completing 62% of his passes for 2,270 yards, 14 touchdowns and one interception. Stroud’s 102.9 quarterback rating is fourth in the NFL, and he’s been sacked 18 times (17th in the NFL).

It would be premature to compare Young and Stroud through the first half of the season of the NFL careers and determine one was a better decision than the other. The fact is the Texans have a few more pieces in place, namely offensive line help, that have helped Stroud succeed, while the Panthers have position needs that must be filled to help Young flourish.

How did the trade turn out for the Panthers?

Not so well so far. The Panthers have the second-worst record in the NFL because of their deficiencies. Among those roster holes is a star receiver which, in Moore, the Panthers sent to the Bears to get the deal done.

While the Panthers have more work ahead, they are pleased with their decision to draft Young after making the trade with the Bears.

‘When you find your quarterback you’ve got to go all in – and you can’t look back,’ Reich said this week, looking back on the trade.

‘When you find the quarterback that you want, you have to be willing to make that deal. … You’re taking steps to build a championship franchise, and getting your quarterback is a big deal.’

How did the trade turn out for the Bears?

The Bears turned their No. 9 and No. 61 picks from the trade into Wright, the No. 10 pick who has started every game at right tackle, and Stevenson, who has started every game at cornerback – two premium positions of need.

The Bears traded away a fifth-round pick to move up five spots in the second round, and they received a 2024 fourth-round pick to move back one spot in the first round. But the Philadelphia Eagles used the No. 9 pick to draft standout defensive lineman Jalen Carter.

The Bears prioritized their quarterback and offensive line over their defensive line in the draft, and addressed their defensive line last week at the NFL trade deadline. The Bears signed defensive lineman Montez Sweat to a four-year deal worth $98 million, but sent away a 2024 second-round pick to the Washington Commanders for him.

Who won the Bears-Panthers trade?

Here’s the early verdict: Chicago. 

Like the Young-Stroud argument, it’s too early to tell whether the Panthers or Bears ‘won’ their trade. 

But here’s why Chicago has an edge over Carolina after the trade: The Bears have Carolina’s first-round pick to use in the 2024 NFL draft, which could be a top 3 selection. Chicago has a second-round pick in 2025 from Carolina to use, too.

If the draft was this week, Chicago would have the second and third pick in the draft, and that type of talent could accelerate the Bears’ rebuild into another gear if the right players are selected.

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