Journalist Lisa Guerrero said she was reporting live on the sidelines of ‘Monday Night Football’ in 2003 when she felt an intense pain in her stomach mid-broadcast. 

‘When I felt a dampness between my legs, I thought, ‘Oh, I got my period.’ And then I remembered I was pregnant. I was having a miscarriage,’ Guerrero wrote in an excerpt that People obtained from her upcoming memoir, ‘Warrior,’ out Jan. 24.  

Guerrero opened up about the ‘negativity and cruelty’ she experienced during her one season on the ‘MNF’ sidelines in her new book. But Guerrero said her experience was worse than anyone knew. 

‘I could feel blood leaking. The officials’ bathroom was in the tunnel behind me,’ Guerrero recalled, adding that she told her assistant that she was going to the bathroom. ”He looked at me as if I were insane. ‘They’re about to throw to you.”

Guerrero said she faced harsh bullying from the public, who criticized everything from her clothes to her posture, including her ‘MNF’ executive producer Freddie Gaudelli. With that in mind, Guerrero said she went on with her report despite her medical emergency.

‘I delivered my live report. I was dizzy and nauseated but reminded myself to stand up straight,’ Guerrero recalled. ‘During our Wednesday phone calls, Freddie would ream me out for bad posture. The pain was excruciating. I heard myself mispronounce a player’s name and knew I’d hear about it later. As soon as I finished, I raced off to interview a coach. Then I headed to the bathroom.’

Guerrero’s full excerpt: 

‘As I sat on the toilet, I couldn’t believe the blood pouring out of me. It had soaked through my pants. I shoved a bunch of paper towels in my underwear. It never occurred to me to tell anyone. It never occurred to me that maybe I should have gone to a hospital or, at the very least, sat out the rest of the game. The only thought that crossed my mind was that I could get through the rest of the game as long as I buttoned up my long winter coat. That way, no one would see the blood. It was as if I were on autopilot. Get back on the sideline. Interview the coach. Listen to Freddie’s directions.’

When the game ended, I was supposed to go to the production truck to talk to Freddie. Instead, I headed to the plane. In the bathroom [on board], I changed clothes, and dumped my underwear and pants in the garbage can. I looked into the mirror and didn’t recognize the pale, gaunt, scared, and so very tired woman who stared back at me.’

In an interview with People, Guerrero said her miscarriage wasn’t caused by one person or one negative comment. ‘It was a culmination of the entire season of negativity and cruelty. It was really cruel,’ she said. But those reasons contributed to her decision not to share her miscarriage publicly.  

‘People who knew what was going on with Freddie and who read how I was being treated in the media already looked at me with such pity,’ Guerrero said. ‘I was a shell of myself. And I felt such shame and embarrassment that the last thing I was going to say is, ‘Oh, and by the way, I just had a miscarriage.’ Most of my best friends will learn about it by reading the book.’

In a statement to the New York Post, Gaudelli said Guerrero’s ‘memory of that season and mine are quite different.’

“I always tried to be Lisa’s biggest advocate, starting from the moment that I hired her,” he told The Post. ‘This is the first time I’m learning of her pregnancy, and I’m sorry that she struggled through that difficult time without the full support of the team surrounding her.’

In a new poll released Thursday, 45% of transgender and nonbinary youth said they’d been cyberbullied or harassed online because of increased anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and policies, while 24% said they’d been bullied at school. Nearly 30% said they don’t feel safe going to a doctor if they’re sick or injured.

Now consider that more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, according to The Trevor Project’s 2022 survey on mental health, and that 86% in the new Morning Consult poll said their mental health has been negatively affected by state laws restricting transgender rights.

“It has made me feel increasingly trapped and hopeless,” one person told The Trevor Project.

It’s these kids, these already vulnerable and in-peril kids, who Tony Dungy chose to pile on using his large, national platform. Who Dungy put further in harm’s way with his bigotry and ignorance, under the guise of his “Christian” faith.

In a since-deleted Tweet, the Hall of Fame coach who is now an NBC Sports analyst ridiculed Minnesota’s efforts to treat its most at-risk students with compassion and care by sharing a debunked — and wholly nonsensical – claim that some schools are providing litter boxes because students are identifying as cats.

Dungy is a smart man, the son of educators and a graduate of the University of Minnesota. He should have known right away there was no truth to that tinfoil hat litter box story. Even if he wasn’t sure, determining it wasn’t true would have taken him all of 30 seconds if he’d just searched a reputable news source.

Like, say, his own employer.

Instead, Dungy parroted the hate being used by right-wing extremists and opportunistic politicians to gin up outrage and, ideally, votes, not caring that his tweet to his nearly 1 million followers was putting trans kids in the crosshairs. When he did take it down, he did so without offering an explanation or acknowledgment of why it was wrong or the harm he’d caused.

Not until Thursday night did Dungy apologize, in a statement provided to USA TODAY Sports by his attorney. NBC Sports, asked whether it would address Dungy’s transphobic tweet, did not respond.  

“I saw a tweet yesterday and I responded to it in the wrong way,” Dungy said in his statement. “As a Christian I should speak in love and in ways that are caring and helpful. I failed to do that and I am deeply sorry.”

But this is not the first time Dungy has vilified members of the LGBTQ community. He has a long and very public history of it, and it can’t go unchecked simply because he is personable, popular and has been steadfast in holding the NFL to account for its shameful record on diversity and advocating for coaches of color.

As important as his voice is on diversity, it does not excuse his bigotry.

“This is false and cruel,” Cyd Zeigler of Outsports.com said on Twitter.

Yes, it is. And it causes real harm.

Dungy, like so many others, has used his faith as justification for discriminating against LGBTQ people, claiming homosexuality is antithetical to his Christian beliefs. But that’s as much nonsense as kids using litter boxes.

If you are Christian, you are supposed to follow the teachings of Christ. Not the humans who interpret them, or the churches that have taken license with them for their own gain. Christ’s own words – and nowhere in the Gospels does he say anything about homosexuality or gay marriage. What he did say was to love your neighbor as yourself, and to treat the most marginalized and vulnerable among us as you would him.

If you believe in the Gospels – again, Christ’s own teachings, not others’ interpretations of them – can you honestly say he would approve of policies that ostracize and otherize gays, lesbians and, in this case, transgender and nonbinary people? That he would praise making them feel as if they are not worthy of belonging?

If you say yes, then you’ve heard what you’ve wanted to hear, not what Christ actually said. He preached love and acceptance, embracing lepers, prostitutes and the hated tax collectors, and had no use for those who proclaimed their piety while using it to demean and mistreat others.

It is a struggle simply to exist for many transgender kids. That Dungy thought it was OK to make it even harder for them wasn’t cute or clever, and it sure wasn’t Christian. 

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour. 

An incredibly talented all-around athlete, Todd Helton holds the title of the greatest player in Colorado Rockies history – playing all 17 of his major league seasons in Denver and racking up over 2,500 career hits.

He’s the franchise’s all-time leader in games played, hits, runs, homers, RBI and Wins Above Replacement.

But another part of his legacy is that he conjures up such an interesting game of “what if?”

A football and baseball star at the University of Tennessee, Helton rose up the depth chart to take over as the Volunteers’ starting quarterback his junior year. If not for a knee injury that turned the job over to a freshman named Peyton Manning, Helton might’ve positioned himself for a pro career in the NFL instead of one in MLB.

The other twist of fate came when he was selected in the first round of the 1995 draft by the Rockies. Helton reached the major leagues two years later and never left Colorado until his retirement following the 2013 season.

He finished with a .316/.414/.539 slash line, hitting 369 homers with 1,401 runs scored and 1,406 RBI.

But would Helton have been as great a player if he hadn’t played all his home games 5,280 feet above sea level? It certainly helped bolster his numbers.

There lies the essence of Helton’s Hall of Fame case. Was he a great player because of – or in spite of – his hitter-friendly home?

Why Helton belongs in the Hall 

The lefty-swinging first baseman was outstanding both at the plate and in the field.

He has the rate stats and the career totals to support his inclusion in Cooperstown – with a career batting average above .300, on-base percentage above .400 and slugging percentage above .500. In addition, he collected over 2,500 hits, 1,400 runs and RBI, and 300 homers. Of the nine other players in MLB history to reach all seven of those marks, only Manny Ramirez isn’t already a Hall of Famer.

For a five-year period from 2000-04, Helton was one of the absolute best players in baseball. He was named to the NL All-Star team each of those seasons – winning four Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves and a batting title along the way. His 37.5 Wins Above Replacement over that span ranked third in the majors behind only Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez.

With 61.8 career WAR, Helton falls just below the average of the 24 first basemen in the Hall, but ahead of inductees Harmon Killebrew, Bill Terry and Hank Greenberg.

Where Helton falls short

The most common argument against Helton is that Coors Field turned him from a good hitter into a great one. While he did have much better stats at home – his 193-point home/road OPS difference is one of the highest in history – the constant adjustments players must make when going from altitude to sea level have a negative impact.

Helton’s career peak also wasn’t as sustained as many other Hall of Famers’. Although he was runner-up (to Kerry Wood) in the balloting for NL Rookie of the Year in 1998, Helton’s Silver Slugger and Gold Glove seasons were all concentrated between 2000 and 2004.

The lack of postseason resume also works against Helton. The Rockies made the playoffs only twice during his career – and in those games, he hit just .211/.303/.281 with no home runs in 57 at-bats.

Voting trends

Helton has made steady progress since becoming eligible for the Hall in 2019. He is currently above the 75% threshold of the 167 ballots on Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame tracker with 79% support.

2019: 16.5%2020: 29.2%2021: 44.9%2022: 52.0%

Will Helton ultimately get elected?

Just like his career, Helton continues to build on some already-impressive numbers. His vote total from last year was the second-highest among the returning candidates. And from the ballots already revealed this year, Helton’s 27-vote increase from returning voters is the most of anyone.

National Press Club President Jen Judson condemned The CW’s decision to broadcast the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Tournament on its network in a statement released Friday.

Judson said the organization was ‘deeply disappointed’ in the multi-year agreement that was reached between LIV Golf and The CW, which is primarily owned by Nextar Media Group, to televise 14 events for LIV’s second season.

“We are deeply disappointed that a company that makes money from news like Nexstar would agree to participate in such a shameful PR stunt as LIV Golf,’ Judson said in the statement.

The television contract is the first of its kind for LIV Golf, which continues to be mired in controversy.

The Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth investment fund of Saudi Arabia and one of the largest in the world, has backed and is financing LIV Golf Investments, the parent company of LIV Golf. As the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman is the head of the PIF. According to a declassified U.S. intelligence report released in February 2021, Salman approved an operation ‘to capture or kill’ Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018.

The Saudi government is accused of other human rights violations and has invested in Western athletic opportunities in an apparent attempt to improve its image, a practice known as ‘sportswashing.’

‘We are left to wonder what if anything Nexstar stands for,’ Judson said in the statement. ‘You cannot have a brand in news and act this way. Saudi Arabia murdered a Washington Post journalist and cut him up with a bone saw.’

Judson also urged Nextar employees to push back against the deal and for the company to ‘cancel their bloody golf show.’

Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) wants to use golf to get Americans to forget about murder,’ she continued. ‘We must not let them get away with it. We call on Nexstar employees – many of whom are journalists – to demand management explain why they have partnered with the murderers of a journalist.

‘And if they don’t drop the program here is what we can do: don’t watch it; and write each sponsor asking them not to sponsor.”

The first rounds of the LIV Golf schedule will take place Feb. 24-26 and are set to be available to stream on the CW app only. The second and third rounds will be broadcast on the CW network as well as the app on Saturdays and Sundays, per the initial announcment. 

The National Press Club is a worldwide professional organization for journalists and has 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization, according to its website.

GREEN BAY − Aaron Rodgers’ guaranteed contract gives him a lot of say in where he plays in 2023.

But the big takeaway from his interview on The Pat McAfee Show this week is that the Green Bay Packers have some leverage, too. At least they do if they think Jordan Love has a chance to be a keeper.

Follow every game: Latest NFL Scores and Schedules

Former NFL player Derek Wolfe had a busy week.

On Thursday, Wolfe posted on Instagram that he had killed a mountain lion in Colorado earlier this week after it was ‘wreaking havoc in a rural neighborhood.’

According to his post, the giant male mountain lion had already killed two of a woman’s dogs and was living under the porch. Wolfe said he hiked up 2,500 feet and down the other side of a mountain, then back up again, back down and finally, back up another 9,600 feet.

Eventually, Wolfe said he was ‘exhausted, dehydrated, cramping’ and killed the mountain lion with a bow and arrow. He then had to crawl backwards with the lion down the mountain to get him in the truck, falling 10 feet off of a rock face on the way down.

Follow every game: Latest NFL Scores and Schedules

In his Instagram bio, Wolfe describes himself as an outdoorsman. He is also a sports-talk radio host on the Denver radio station 104.3 The Fan.

A team finishing poorly this season has a chance to win a big prize.

That’s Regina (Saskatchewan) Pats 5-10, 185-pound center Connor Bedard, 17, a generational talent who was confirmed as the top North American prospect in NHL Central Scouting’s midseason rankings.

He has been considered the top pick for 2023 for years and had added to that this season by being named tournament MVP (23 points in seven games) at the world junior championship. He leads the Western Hockey League with 78 points in 31 games (including an active 30-game point streak) after getting 100 points in 62 games last season.

Follow every game: Latest NHL Scores and Schedules

With the winner of the draft lottery in April able to move up only 10 spots this year, the bottom 11 teams have a chance to land Bedard. Here’s a look at the teams with the best chances, starting with the last-place team (stats as of Jan. 19; this file will be updated at various points during the season).

Columbus Blue Jackets (13-30-2, 28 pts.)

They made the biggest offseason splash by signing Johnny Gaudreau, but the team has been beset by injuries, including to No. 1 defenseman Zach Werenski and top six forward Jakub Voracek. Defense and goaltending have also been an issue, and they blew a 3-0 lead in a loss to the Anaheim Ducks, another Bedard watch team. It was their 15th loss in their last 18 games. The biggest question when Gaudreau signed was who would center him and Patrik Laine. It could end up being Bedard next season.

Chicago Blackhawks (13-26-4, 30 pts.)

The Blackhawks were expected to finish low after parting ways with Alex DeBrincat, Kirby Dach, Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik in the offseason. But they have won five of their last six to escape the cellar. That includes their first regular-season win in Philadelphia in more than 26 years. The Blackhawks have plenty of unrestricted free agents who could be moved at the deadline, ranging from Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou to franchise players Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews (who would have to waive their no-movement clauses).

Anaheim Ducks (13-28-5, 31 pts.)

Their minus-83 goal differential is worst in the league, but that came down a little when they scored five unanswered goals to beat the Blue Jackets 5-3. It was just the second time they won when trailing after one period. General manager Pat Verbeek dealt pending UFAs Josh Manson, Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell near the trade deadline last season. This year’s UFA list includes John Klingberg and three other defensemen.

Arizona Coyotes (14-26-5, 33 pts.)

The rebuilding team’s nine-game losing streak came to an end, but then they were shut out at home by the Washington Capitals. The Coyotes have played a big chunk of their games on the road because they share 5,000-seat Mullett Arena with Arizona State, and their road losing streak is at 14 games. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun has played well since returning from injury but also had expressed interest in a trade. Bedard would be a good selling point as voters choose whether to approve a new arena in Tempe during a May special election.

San Jose Sharks (14-23-9, 37 pts.)

Resurgent defenseman Erik Karlsson led the Sharks to a come-from-behind win against the Dallas Stars with his third four-point game of the season. That gave the Sharks their fifth home win of the season, the fewest in the league. First-year general manager Mike Grier could choose to continue to remake this team, as he did with an offseason trade of Brent Burns. Plus, he has a decision to make on pending restricted free agent Timo Meier, their leading goal scorer.

Vancouver Canucks (18-23-3, 39 pts.)

Rumors continue to swirl around the fate of coach Bruce Boudreau, who got emotional on Jan. 20 when addressing reporters. Canucks president Jim Rutherford, asked on Jan. 16 about reports that the team had talked with Rick Tocchet, said, ‘Bruce is our coach now.’ Rutherford also said he has to do “major surgery” on the roster “between now and the start of next season” to get the cap under control, and the changes could end up involving some core players. He added that the team has taken “our best shot” at re-signing Bo Horvat, though he realizes the offer might be low based on the captain’s career season. Could a trade happen? 

Montreal Canadiens (18-23-3, 39 pts.)

The Canadiens have played .500 since a 1-9-1 free fall, but the injuries have been piling up. That includes Brendan Gallagher, Jonathan Drouin, Jake Evans and No. 1 overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky. Montreal also holds Florida’s first-round pick, but the Panthers have moved out of the bottom 11.

Other teams

Ottawa Senators (20-21-3, 41 points): The Senators, who made major moves in the offseason, started slowly but have played better of late. Forward Josh Norris returned Jan. 18 from a shoulder injury, much earlier than had been expected when he was hurt in October.

Philadelphia Flyers (19-20-7, 45): Even with the rare home loss to the Blackhawks, the Flyers have won eight of their last 11 games. They’re six points out of a playoff spot.

Detroit Red Wings (19-17-8, 46): They also made major upgrades in the offseason and were 11-5-4 in late November before dropping back. Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic was sent to the American Hockey League after clearing waivers. 

Buffalo Sabres (22-19-3, 47): The Sabres have lost four of six and were leapfrogged by the Panthers, who beat them 4-1. 

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about the men’s college basketball landscape thus far this season, it’s that, well, we really haven’t learned very much. No team is invincible, and no odds-on championship favorite has emerged with Selection Sunday less than eight weeks away.

Of course, what this also means is that there are a whole lot of meaningful games yet to be played with ample opportunities for memorable moments, fantastic finishes, buzzer-beaters – and any other alliterative phrases you might want to throw in there for good measure.

Such moments can happen just about anywhere to be sure, but we’ve tried to pick out the most compelling contests to help you plan your weekend viewing. Without further ado then, here’s this edition of the Starting Five.

No. 5 UCLA at No. 11 Arizona

Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ABC

Follow every game: Latest NCAA Men’s College Basketball Scores and Schedules

The Bruins wrap up their road swing through the Grand Canyon State in Tucson, where the Wildcats find themselves in need of a top-tier win after some recent setbacks. With tourney-tested veterans like Jaime Jaquez and Tyger Campbell setting the tone, UCLA is an experienced group, and its smallish lineup averages fewer than 10 turnovers a game. Arizona gets most of its production this year on the inside via Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo, but they’re going to need help from the ball handlers who must beware of the Bruins’ perimeter pressure.

No. 13 TCU at No. 2 Kansas

Saturday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

As mentioned, no team is invincible, and in fact both these contenders in the stacked Big 12 are coming off road losses. The Jayhawks dropped a one-point nail biter in overtime at archrival Kansas State, while the Horned Frogs were upended at West Virginia for the Mountaineers’ first conference victory. TCU doesn’t figure to get much of a break at Allen Fieldhouse, where KU has yet to lose this season. Mike Miles and the Horned Frogs are at their best when they’re able to generate points in transition, something the physically imposing Mountaineers didn’t allow Wednesday. The Jayhawks could pose similar issues, and if Gradey Dick, a 45.3% three-point shooter is on target, Jalen Wilson becomes even harder to stop near the rim.

No. 4 Alabama at Missouri

Saturday, 6 p.m. ET, SEC

The last week around the Alabama program has been challenging to say the least, but the Crimson Tide players have maintained their on-court focus. This weekend they pay a visit to the hot-and-cold Tigers, who are hot for the moment after rallying late to defeat Arkansas last time out. But it would be hard to match temperatures with Alabama, whose top three scorers – Brandon Miller, Mark Sears and Noah Clowney – are all  threats from the arc. Kobe Brown does a little of everything for Mizzou, but the Tigers can struggle at times in halfcourt sets and can’t afford to fall behind again.

No. 10 Virginia at Wake Forest

Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPNU

We’ll conclude with a couple of clashes in the jumbled ACC. The Cavaliers are the league’s highest ranked squad in the polls but are battling to maintain a share of second place in the actual standings. The Demon Deacons are also in that mix and are riding a four-game winning streak after handing Clemson its first conference loss. Virginia, as regular hoops observers might expect, is back to playing its signature game of setting a deliberate tempo and locking down on defense. But the Cavaliers often have difficulty putting teams away thanks to lengthy scoring droughts. Wake hasn’t lost on its home floor this season but will have to be sharp with its passes.

No. 16 Miami (Fla.) at Duke

Saturday, noon ET, ESPN

Kicking off the busy day around the conference is this key contest between teams that have decent resumes but have struggled of late. The Blue Devils have been off since last Saturday, a needed respite given the team’s health issues. The Hurricanes started strong in conference play but have taken some unexpected losses of late, including a particularly inexplicable one at Georgia Tech. Duke might not yet regain the services of point guard Jeremy Roach, and the team has struggled to knock down shots in his absence. Miami lead guard Isaiah Wong has takeover ability, but the smaller Hurricanes might have a hard time keeping Duke’s Kyle Filipowski out of the paint.