MEMPHIS — Ja Morant sat at a podium in front of a contingent of media members with Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and general manager and president of operations Zach Kleiman standing off to the side Friday.

The Grizzlies point guard, speaking publicly for the first time since his 25-game suspension, was short and intentional with most of his responses, but his messaging was clear.

Morant admitted he has made ‘a lot’ of mistakes. Two of those mishaps included brandishing what appeared to be guns in two Instagram Live videos. The first incident in March led to a nine-game suspension; the second in June led to a 25-game suspension.

Now, as Morant reflects, he’s finding the balance between proving to others that he has learned from previous setbacks while also not losing the core values of who he is as a person.

‘I can’t make nobody believe me outside of my actions,’ Morant said. ‘Me answering this question with just words probably won’t mean nothing to nobody.’

Morant is expected to return Tuesday when the Grizzlies go to New Orleans to play the Pelicans. He’s been practicing with the team during his suspension, something that he said has been very helpful throughout this process.

‘I can’t go away from being Ja,’ Morant said. ‘I feel like that’s the most important thing. Not trying to lose myself or be somebody that I’m not or act totally different. The change will be my decision-making and how I go about my daily life of being a NBA player, a father, a role model (and) a son.’

Here are five takeaways from Morant’s first comments:

Ja Morant feels ‘guilt’ watching the Grizzlies

Morant said he has stayed engaged with the Grizzlies by watching film and communicating with his teammates. The Grizzlies (6-17) are off to one of the worst starts in the NBA in part because of injuries and not having Morant available.

The two-time All-Star admitted that it hasn’t been easy watching the team struggle.

‘Yes, it’s definitely some guilt in that,’ Morant said. ‘Obviously I’m not on the floor. Nobody like losing. … I take full responsibility of that. Even though I’m not on the floor, decisions I’ve made didn’t allow me to be out there to go to battle with my team.’

One day at a time with the Grizzlies

The Grizzlies will need to win and win fast when Morant returns for any chance at a playoff spot. The top six seeds in the Western Conference will make the postseason, and four other teams will compete for a play-in spot.

Morant said that those goals aren’t his focus right now.

‘The playoffs and play-in is a while from now,’ Morant said. ‘I take it day by day. I feel like each day we can get better at something.’

Morant is hopeful that the practices help shorten any potential game rust.

‘… obviously it’s different when you’re actually in the game getting game reps,’ Morant said. ‘I’m just going to try to come back, do whatever I can to help the team win. I’m not forcing a historic game in my first game back.’

Protecting his peace

Morant said the main thing he has been doing is ‘protecting his peace.’ Therapy and being more open with the people around him are ways that Morant has focused on improving his mental health.

During the more than 16 minutes that Morant spent answering questions, he used words like ‘tough’ and ‘horrible days’ to describe some of what the past few months have been like.

‘Just doing whatever I feel like that keeps me happy, keeps me in a good mood,’ Morant said. ‘Right now, honestly, I feel like the No. 1 thing outside of being around my family and having more time to spend around my daughter is being around the team. I feel like that’s normally when I have my best days, normally when I’m in my best moods. In the coming days, I’ll be even happier when it’s a consistent thing.’

Friends, family and basketball

Many former and current NBA players have spoken out about Morant’s suspension. Some have publicly stated wanting to reach out to Morant and offer advice.

‘Nah, I didn’t talk to none of them,’ Morant said. ‘I feel like I have everybody around me now that will help me get to where I want to be. No knock to anybody who wants to reach out. I feel like my family, my organizations and my veterans on this team is all I need right now.’

A bigger chip on Ja Morant’s shoulder

Morant stated at the beginning of last season that his goal was to be even better than a top 10 player. The mishaps of last season and an early playoffs exit led to him falling down the ladder in the eyes of national pundits.

Even though Morant admitted to not caring about those kind of conversations, he gave a smirk as he stood up and prepared to leave the room after he was asked if he still has the same chip on his shoulder.

‘It’s not a little small chip no more,’ Morant said. ‘It’s a share size.’

Follow Damichael Cole on social media @DamichaelC

The Tennessee Titans are waiving defensive tackle Teair Tart because of issues with his attitude and playing effort, according to multiple reports Friday.

Tart joined the Titans as a former undrafted signee who had become one of the team’s most counted upon interior run defenders the past two seasons.

As those reports were surfacing during the afternoon, Tart himself addressed the situation on social media, with a post saying he had requested to be released.

When asked earlier Friday about Tart’s status with the team prior to the news of his release, Titans coach Mike Vrabel had said, ‘Don’t read too much into that one.’

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Tart did not immediately respond to The Nashville Tennessean’s request for comment.

Tart played in 45 games and started 36 in four years with the Titans, including nine starts this season with 21 tackles, a sack and eight tackles for loss.

During the offseason, the team signed him as a restricted free agent with a second-round tender, locking him in for a base salary of $4.3 million in 2023.

Even before waiving Tart, the Titans were already thin on the interior defensive line. All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is out with a knee injury and regular contributor Kyle Peko landed on injured reserve this week with a calf injury.

To counteract some of these depth concerns, the Titans added defensive linemen Quinton Bohanna and Keondre Coburn off the practice squads of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions this week.

Tart had 76 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in his time with the Titans. He ranked second in defensive run stops in 2022, per Pro Football Focus, but his numbers as both a run stopper and pass rusher have fallen off slightly in 2023. This season he has logged just seven quarterback pressures after posting 26 in 2022, and his defensive run stop percentage has dropped from 9.5% to 7.2%.

The Titans (5-8) host the Houston Texans (7-6) at Nissan Stadium on Sunday (noon, CBS).

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick atnsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

Tiger Woods has shielded young son Charlie from doing press interviews at the PNC Championship – as he should. But 12-year-old Will McGee, the son of Mike McGee and Annika Sorenstam, got the Charlie exclusive at the turn. It was the children of the two goats of the men’s and women’s game chatting it out.

I’m told it was Will’s idea. Tiger stood and watched and playfully tossed a piece of a chicken finger at Charlie.

Will gripped a microphone for PGA Tour Radio’s Sirius/XM Network and asked Charlie three questions – at least two more than most media members get with his dad. The best of them?

Will asked, “My mom was wondering, because she gives me advice on my swing but I don’t listen often. … Do you listen to your dad on swing tips?”

“It doesn’t happen very often,” Charlie answered. “I mean, when I get desperate, yeah.”

Will:  “Yeah, I understand.”

Charlie Woods is at the center of attention

The spotlight is on Charlie every December to see whether he’s going to follow in his father’s footsteps. Charlie shot a career-low round of 66 to win his age group at a regional qualifier for the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship. He went on to finish T-17.

Charlie and his high school team, Benjamin High School, won the FHSAA Class A State Championship. Charlie shot 78-76 the last two rounds. It’s good to remember that he’s only the fifth-best player on his high school team, but Charlie, who has filled out since last year, has some game. As a result, Charlie moved back a tee this year and is just one tee ahead of Tiger now.

At the first hole, he pumped a drive right down the middle, wedged to 10 feet and walked in the birdie putt. It was a birdie on his own ball.

“Dad’s not helping a lot,” Charlie said as he walked to the next tee.

How is Tiger Woods feeling?

This is the $64,000 question. Is Tiger going to be healthy enough to play once a month next season and make another run at a major – it would be sweet 16 – and win No. 83 to break a tie on the all-time career victory list with Sam Snead?

Carson Daly, the TV host and radio personality, played in the pro-am with his son and popped up at the practice area Friday morning and greeted Tiger with a bro-hug. Daly and Woods played junior golf growing up in Southern California.

“How do you feel, bro?” Daly asked.

“I’m good, dude,” Tiger said.

With a big backup at the turn, Mike Thomas, father of Justin, came over to chat with Tiger, and asked the question of the day: “How are you feeling?”

“Cute,” Tiger said breaking into a smile.

“I was not expecting that,” Mike said.

When ESPN’s Michael Collins told Tiger, “You’re looking good,” Woods cracked, “I always look good. You don’t have to tell me.”

It’s hard to put too much into a pro-am let alone one at a two-person team scramble, but Tiger opted not to use a cart, which he is allowed to do at an event that is under the auspices of PGA Tour Champions. To see Tiger choose to walk, even at a flat Florida course, is an encouraging sign for those hoping to see him at Augusta National in April.

Since the start of the 2022-23 NBA season, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been suspended four times.

On Wednesday, the NBA gave Green a rare indefinite suspension for his reckless and dangerous swing with his right arm that hit Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face in Phoenix’s 119-116 victory Tuesday.

Elite athletes have an ideal competitive mindset, high-performance psychologist Michael Gervais told USA TODAY Sports, and some mindsets are revved up and some are calm. Green plays revved, and “when you’re on the edge in that way, that competitive fire is celebrated and it’s a fine line between stepping over into an unbecoming competitive style as opposed to something that is valued,” Gervais said. “And when you are highly intense, there are challenges that come with that.”

Green has thrived on that tightrope for years – winning four NBA championships and the 2017 defensive player of the year award in the process – but now has crossed onto the wrong side too many times.

“He will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play,” the NBA said in a news release.

While the NBA is not ready to list the terms of Green’s return, counseling and education assuredly will be part of it, just as it was for Kyrie Irving (after he spread antisemitic propaganda) and Ja Morant (after he waved handguns in public places) when they were suspended.

Consider Green’s recent history:

He was not – but should’ve been – suspended for punching then-teammate Jordan Poole at practice in October 2022.

He received his 16th technical foul – exceeding the limit for technicals allowed in a season and resulting in an automatic one-game suspension – in March for throwing the basketball at Russell Westbrook’s head.

He stomped on the chest of Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis in a playoff game and was suspended for Game 3 of the first-round series in April.

Green served a five-game suspension last month for “escalating an on-court altercation and forcibly grabbing Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert around the neck in an unsportsmanlike and dangerous manner,” the NBA said.

“This is about more than basketball. It’s about helping Draymond,’ Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Thursday. ‘It’s an opportunity for Draymond to step away and to make a change in his approach, in his life. That’s not an easy thing to do. That’s not something you say ‘OK, we’re going to do five games, and then he’s going to be fine.’ …

‘It’s not just about an outburst on the court. This is about his life. This is about someone who I believe in, someone who I’ve known for a decade, who I love for his loyalty, his commitment, his passion, his love for his teammates, his friends, his family. Trying to help that guy. Because the one who choked Rudy, the one who took a wild flail at Jusuf, the one who punched Jordan last year, that’s the guy who has to change. And he knows that.’

Elite athletes must master charged atmospheres

Before getting into the topic of controlling emotions, Gervais wanted to start with a general thought.

“We’re all going through something, and so we can’t begin to be able to really guess at what’s happening inside of another person,” he said.

Gervais is a best-selling author, host of the Finding Mastery podcast and worked with the Seattle Seahawks for nine seasons. He approaches elite athletes and their ability to perform in charged atmospheres with respect.

“It’s easy to observe and critique, and it’s harder to actually be in high-heated moments and navigate oneself with grace and artistic expression of a craft that is incredibly hard to do,” Gervais said. “Being in high-heat moments and being able to have a sense of grace and artistic mastery is incredibly rare. I always want to point and celebrate the athlete rather than be a critic.”

What can help Draymond Green?

There are mechanisms to help athletes deal with aggression, including breathing exercises and listening to your inner dialogue to help control emotions in intense situations. These mechanisms require practice and training like other skills.

“Mental training begins with awareness,” Gervais said. “Awareness of your body’s activation, awareness of your inner dialogue. And when you’re more aware of your thoughts and emotions, you’re able to guide them more eloquently.”

Athletes are able to do that in those heated moments much of the time even though it can be difficult in competition.

“One of the most important psychological skills to build is the ability to be agile,” Gervais said. “And athletes are required to be agile in consequential high-pressured environments. So for you to be able to creatively solve the challenge at hand requires agility. And agility rests on your ability to be calm, to be confident, to have deep focus, to attend to the variables that you can control and let go of the variables that you cannot control.

“Breathing and self-talk are two skills which allow people to become more calm, more confident, have deep focus and optimism to allow them to be more agile in highly charged environments.”

Does Draymond Green want help?

Mitch Abrams is a sports psychologist and wrote “Anger Management in Sport: Understanding and Controlling Violence in Athletes.”

He distilled Green’s situation to a basic question. “The most important question you could ask anybody that you are working with is ‘What do you want?’ ” Abrams said. “He has to decide what he wants his legacy to be.”

Green could just go through the motions and continue playing like he does. Or he can change.

“The secret is you have to teach them to recognize changes in their cognition,” Abrams said. “If you are more interested in executing your opponent than executing the play, then you’re too hot. You can’t be in the game. You can’t be so hot that problem-solving, decision-making, fine-motor coordination, vision, the ability to synthesize data and make quick decisions all goes (down the drain).”

Understanding what triggers inappropriate actions and knowing how to manage that can be learned through therapy and education.

“From here, it’s about empowering the athlete and telling them, ‘If you want to be the best you can be, I can show you how to do that,’ ‘ Abrams said.

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt

The Washington state Supreme Court declined on Friday to review the Pac-12’s appeal of a lower court ruling that gives full control of the conference to Oregon State and Washington State, keeping in place a legal victory for the league’s two remaining schools over its 10 departing members.

“We are pleased with the Washington Supreme Court’s decision today. We look forward to continuing our work of charting a path forward for the conference that is in the best interest of student-athletes and our wider university communities,” Oregon State President Jayathi Murthy and Washington State President Kirk Schulz said in a joint statement.

Last month, a superior court judge in Whitman County, Washington, granted the two remaining Pac-12 schools a preliminary injunction that sided with Oregon State and Washington State’s argument, saying 10 departing schools relinquished their right to be part of the conference’s decision-making board when they announced they were joining new leagues in 2024.

The decision put Oregon State and Washington State in control of hundreds of millions of dollars in Pac-12 assets, but also made them fully responsible for the conference’s liabilities.

The departing schools appealed the ruling. They contend conference bylaws allow them to continue to be part of the Pac-12 board of directors and have a say in how the conference is run until they actually withdraw from the league in August 2024.

The Nov. 15 ruling was put on hold by the state Supreme Court a few days later and a ruling from September was kept in place that calls for unanimous vote by all 12 schools of any conference business.

Friday’s order lifts the stay and puts the preliminary injunction into effect.

Now Washington State and Oregon State can proceed as the sole decision-makers in the conference, though Superior Court Judge Gary Libey, while making his ruling in November, warned the schools about treating the departing schools unfairly and hoarding funds.

The 10 departing schools have said they are concerned that Oregon State and Washington State could deny them 2023-24 revenues from media rights contracts and postseason football and basketball participation that usually would be shared with the entire conference.

An in-season revenue distribution totaling $61 million dollars that otherwise would have been divvied up among 12 members in December was held up recently by the lack of a unanimous vote, according to a report by the San Jose Mercury News that was confirmed to the AP by a person with direct knowledge of the situation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the conference was not making its internal business decisions public.

Ten Pac-12 schools have announced they are joining other power conferences next year, leaving Oregon State and Washington State facing a future with drastically reduced yearly revenues to fund their athletic departments.

Oregon State and Washington State have a plan to keep the Pac-12 alive and try to rebuild that includes operating as a two-team conference for at least one year, maybe two.

The schools announced earlier this month a football-scheduling partnership with the Mountain West. That partnership could eventually extend to other sports.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The NCAA and a coalition of states suing the organization asked a federal court Friday to extend a small window for multiple-transfer athletes to compete through at least the winter and spring semesters.

The motion seeks to extend the 14-day temporary restraining order barring the NCAA from enforcing a rule for those athletes who transfer multiple times.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey in West Virginia issued a temporary restraining order against the NCAA. The ruling, part of a lawsuit by a coalition of seven states, said athletes who previously were denied the chance to play immediately after transferring a second time can compete in games for 14 days.

The NCAA then circulated a document to its member schools clarifying that the redshirt rule for athletes would still apply if the court’s decision is reversed: Basketball players who compete during the two-week window would be using up a season of eligibility.

Now, the two sides apparently are coming together to address the athletes’ desires.

“Let the kids play,” West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in a news release.

The motion said that following consultation among the parties, the court is being requested to convert the retraining order into a preliminary injunction that will remain in place until the case is decided.

“The NCAA shall take no action to retaliate” against any participating athlete or their school while the preliminary injunction is in effect, based on the athlete’s reliance on the injunction’s terms, the motion said.

NCAA spokeswoman Saquandra Heath said in a statement that, as a result of the joint motion, it “will not enforce the year in residency requirement for multiple-time transfers and will begin notifying member schools.”

Heath said the proposal “is the best outcome for multiple-time transfer student-athletes wishing to compete immediately. This action provides clarity for student-athletes and member schools for the remainder of the academic year — any multiple-time transfer student-athlete who competes this season will be subject to the same eligibility and use of a season of competition rules as all other student-athletes.”

The motion asks that a hearing on the restraining order set for Dec. 27 be canceled and that the case be set for trial no sooner than the last day of competition in the winter and spring sports seasons.

The lawsuit, which alleges the NCAA transfer rule’s waiver process violates federal antitrust law, could have a profound impact on college sports if successful. In court documents, the NCAA has said the plaintiffs “seek to remake collegiate athletics and replace it with a system of perpetual and unchecked free agency.”

Earlier Friday, West Virginia interim basketball coach Josh Eilert said multi-year transfers RaeQuan Battle and Noah Farrakhan would dress and be available to play in Saturday’s game against UMass in Springfield, Massachusetts.

“We have had many conversations with a variety of parties since Wednesday’s court ruling in Wheeling,” Eilert said in a statement. “But most importantly, we have had extensive discussions with RaeQuan, Noah and their families. They have expressed their desire to compete with their fellow teammates and represent West Virginia University on the court. This was their decision to compete. As I’ve said, we will always fully support them and certainly look forward to having them on our active roster.”

NCAA rules allow underclassmen to transfer once without having to sit out a year. But an additional transfer as an undergraduate generally requires the NCAA to grant a waiver allowing the athlete to compete immediately. Without it, the athlete would have to sit out for a year at the new school.

Last January, the NCAA implemented stricter guidelines for granting those waivers on a case-by-case basis.

Morrisey said the joint motion, if allowed, would be “a big win in the fight for student-athletes like RaeQuan Battle of West Virginia University to play in the sport they love. This is all about the student-athletes who were sidelined with the NCAA’s onerous transfer rule, freeing them to pursue their passion and excel in their collegiate experience.”

The states involved in the restraining order were Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Brandon Staley is out as Los Angeles Chargers head coach, along with longtime general manager Tom Telesco.

The Chargers’ decision Friday followed an abysmal performance on Thursday Night Football, during which the team gave up a franchise-record 63 points in a 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The team later fired its defensive run game coordinator/defensive line coach, Jay Rodgers, as well.

The dismissals comes amid a disappointing third season in Los Angeles. The Chargers currently have a 5-9 record and are outside of the AFC playoff race.

The Chargers have made the playoffs only three times since Telesco became general manager in 2013.

“I want to thank Tom and Brandon for their hard work, dedication and professionalism, and wish both them and their great families nothing but the best,” said owner and chairman of the board Dean Spanos. “These decisions are never easy, nor are they something I take lightly — especially when you consider the number of people they impact. We are clearly not where we expect to be, however, and we need new vision.

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‘Doing nothing in the name of continuity was not a risk I was willing to take. Our fans have stood strong through so many ups and downs and close games. They deserve more. Frankly, they’ve earned more. Building and maintaining a championship-caliber program remains our ultimate goal. And reimagining how we achieve that goal begins today.”

Chargers interim coach Giff Smith

The Chargers later named Giff Smith interim head coach. Smith has been with the Chargers since 2016 as a defensive line coach for six season and the team’s outside linebackers coach the past two seasons. He’s also coached for the Bills and Titans. During his career, Smith coached some big names, including Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa.

Chargers interim GM JoJo Wooden

The Chargers named Director of Player Personnel JoJo Wooden interim GM after firing Telesco. He joined the Chargers in 2013 to oversee the team’s scouting departments.

Close losses, poor defense, questionable coaching

We don’t know exactly why Staley was fired, but here are some statistics that have led many to believe Staley was on the hot seat. The Chargers entered the 2023 season with a talented roster and high expectations. But, one-score losses, a lack of execution, questionable coaching and poor defense have marred the Chargers this year.

The Chargers have lost five games by three points or fewer. They rank near the bottom of the league in pass defense, total defense and rushing offense.

Los Angeles lost its first two games to begin the 2023 season and has been on a roller coaster since. The team traded cornerback J.C. Jackson back to the New England Patriots in October after a tumultuous stint in Los Angeles, key starters Mike Williams, Corey Linsley and Joey Bosa were all placed on injured reserve before the calendar turned to December and the Chargers gave up 41 points to the Detroit Lions in a Week 10 loss.

The Chargers reached a low point of the year, though, when franchise quarterback Justin Herbert suffered a season-ending fractured right index finger in their Week 14 loss to the Denver Broncos. Herbert’s injury by all intents and purposes extinguished the team’s slim playoff hopes.

Staley conceded after the team’s Week 14 loss that it has been the most challenging stretch of his career.

‘It has been, just because you know the type of games that you’ve been in, you know the fights that you’ve been in, you see how other teams are doing in the league and how we’ve competed. We just haven’t been able to knock them down,’ Staley said after the team’s loss to Denver. ‘I take full responsibility. But, yeah, it’s been a tough stretch.’

Then in Week 15, the Chargers surrendered a franchise-worst 63 points in a 63-21 loss to the Raiders.

Beginning of the end

In 2022, Staley helped lead the Chargers to the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2018. However, his coaching and in-game adjustments were criticized after the Chargers blew a franchise record 27-point lead and lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 AFC wild-card round.

Jacksonville’s comeback is the third largest in NFL postseason history.

The Chargers’ 2022 playoff collapse was seemingly the beginning of the end of Staley’s tenure as Chargers head coach.

Staley leaves Los Angeles with a 24-24 record in 48 regular-season games as Chargers head coach. He reached the postseason just once in three years and went 0-1 in the playoffs.

Poor defense has plagued the Chargers in Staley’s three seasons at the helm. The Chargers ranked 23rd in total defense in 2021, 20th in 2022 and 29th this year. They also ranked near the bottom in points allowed per game in each of Staley’s three seasons.

The Chargers hired Staley in January 2021 to be the 17th head coach in franchise history after he served as the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator for one season in 2020. Staley was an outside linebackers coach for the Chicago Bears (2017–2018) and Denver Broncos (2019) prior to becoming the Rams’ defensive coordinator and later Chargers head coach.

Staley guided the Chargers to a pair of winning seasons in his first two years. However, an epic playoff collapse, subpar defenses for three consecutive years in addition to an underperforming 2023 season were deemed as grounds for his dismissal.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.