The bowl season is upon us, college football fans. Now that we know who is playing whom and where, it’s time for our annual attempt to rank the entire slate of postseason pairings by watchability.

We’ll begin with a couple of stipulations. First, we’ll operate under the assumption that all the first-round playoff games, as well as the quarterfinal and semifinal bowl contests, will be appointment viewing anyway, so they won’t be included in this exercise. We’ll also add that while some matchups look attractive in terms of records and rankings, whether the games will turn out to be good hinges upon which key players actually show up. We also recognize that your interest in a particular game might differ based upon your rooting interest.

Bearing all that in mind, we’ll try to put these in order of what we think will have the highest entertainment value, but circumstances can change before the games kick off. Without further ado then, here’s our watchability rankings for all 35 non-playoff bowls.

1. Pop-Tarts Bowl – No. 16 Miami (Fla.) vs. No. 19 Iowa State

Date, time, TV: Dec. 28, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC. Location: Orlando, Fla.

Giant toaster gimmicks aside, this is a really nice matchup of teams that can score a lot of points – and give up a lot. As long as the key contributors take part, notably Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward, this could be great fun.

2. Alamo Bowl – No. 17 Brigham Young vs. No. 22 Colorado

Date, time, TV: Dec. 28, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC. Location: San Antonio, Texas.

Had a few tiebreakers lined up differently this could have been the Big 12 championship game. As it is, it’s a high-profile pairing that should have nearly full participation from both teams. That means both Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter playing their final game for the Buffaloes.

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3. Citrus Bowl – No. 14 South Carolina vs. No. 21 Illinois

Date, time, TV: Dec. 31, 3 p.m. ET, ABC. Location: Orlando, Fla.

The Gamecocks were significantly closer to being in the playoff conversation than the Fighting Illini, who handled the bulk of their schedule but came up short against the best of the best in the Big Ten. The big plays in the game might come on the ground, but there’s nothing wrong with that.

4. Independence Bowl – No. 18 Army vs. Marshall

Date, time, TV: Dec. 28, 9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Shreveport, La.

This is one of the two non-playoff contests matching conference champions. It will have been a busy month for the Black Knights by the time they get to this game, so it’s fair to wonder how much they’ll have left in the tank. The Thundering Herd surprised some people by winning the Sun Belt, and they’ll be eager to show it wasn’t a fluke.

5. Cure Bowl – Jacksonville State vs. Ohio

Date, time, TV: Dec. 20, noon ET, ESPN. Location: Orlando, Fla.

The other pairing of Group of Five conference champions highlights the early portion of the bowl slate. It could be another run-heavy affair with both teams featuring dual-threat quarterbacks – Logan Smothers for the Gamecocks and Parker Navarro for the Bobcats.

6. Birmingham Bowl – Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt

Date, time, TV: Dec. 27, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Birmingham, Ala.

There’s a lot to like about this pairing of teams that enjoyed being playoff spoilers at various points during the season. The play calling should again be somewhat heavy on running, but again that hardly means there won’t be offensive fireworks.

7. Music City Bowl – No. 20 Missouri vs. Iowa

Date, time, TV: Dec. 30, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Nashville, Tenn.

There’s a certain fascination that comes with watching Iowa football as the Hawkeyes pride themselves on finding non-traditional ways to win. Unfortunately, a lot of the star power on both teams will be missing due to NFL draft opt-outs, but it shouldn’t lack for intensity.

8. ReliaQuest Bowl – No. 11 Alabama vs. Michigan

Date, time, TV: Dec. 31, noon ET, ESPN. Location: Tampa, Fla.

One might expect a rematch of a playoff game from a year ago to be higher on the list, though clearly a lot has changed at both programs since. The Wolverines’ decline was more precipitous than the Crimson Tide’s ebb, but both teams own victories against playoff teams, so clearly there is still enough roster talent to give us a quality contest.

9. Liberty Bowl – Arkansas vs. Texas Tech

Date, time, TV: Dec. 27, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Memphis, Tenn.

Several realignment cycles ago this would have been a conference game. It has entertainment potential now, though the latter half of the campaign did not go well for the Razorbacks.

10. Military Bowl – East Carolina vs. North Carolina State

Date, time, TV: Dec. 28, 5:45 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Annapolis, Md.

The Wolfpack started as an ACC contender and managed to reach the postseason with a defeat of North Carolina in their final game. They’ll face the Pirates, who rallied after making a coaching change with a four-game win streak that got them to the postseason.

11. Sun Bowl – Louisville vs. Washington

Date, time, TV: Dec. 31, 2 p.m. ET, CBS. Location: El Paso, Texas.

The Cardinals were a few plays away from possibly playing for the ACC title. They’ll be a lot farther from home for this date with the Huskies, whose first trip through the Big Ten was a struggle at times.

12. Hawaii Bowl – San Jose State vs. South Florida

Date, time, TV: Dec. 24, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Honolulu

There are worse ways to pass the time on Christmas Eve. Neither of these teams were able to hang with the top finishers in their respective leagues but were happy to accept this holiday trip to the islands.

13. LA Bowl – No. 24 UNLV vs. California

Date, time, TV: Dec. 18, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Inglewood, Calif.

UNLV’s coach and Cal’s quarterback are among the key departures hurting the attractiveness of this matchup. All parties who are still around might be auditioning for future roles with the programs, however, so hopefully the game will deliver.

14. Texas Bowl – Baylor vs. LSU

Date, time, TV: Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Houston.

Both teams had loftier goals at the start of the season, so the level of interest will be hard to gauge. In theory the Tigers should have the edge in offensive talent, but the Bears come in on a six-game winning streak.

15. GameAbove Sports Bowl – Pittsburgh vs. Toledo

Date, time, TV: Dec. 26, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Detroit.

It was a tale of two seasons for the Panthers, who went from ACC title contenders with a 7-0 start to bust of the year candidates with a finishing five-game skid. The Rockets didn’t win the MAC but beat Mississippi State earlier, so the opportunity for a second power-four win is on the table.

16. Armed Forces Bowl – Navy vs. Oklahoma

Date, time, TV: Dec. 27, noon ET, ESPN. Location: Fort Worth, Texas.

Aside from ruining things for Alabama, the Sooners’ first ride through the SEC was quite bumpy. Preparing against an academy option attack is always a challenge, and the Midshipmen could make a game of it as long as they don’t put the ball on the turf.

17. Idaho Potato Bowl – Fresno State vs. Northern Illinois

Date, time, TV: Dec. 23, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Boise, Idaho.

Though both teams have some nice wins, especially the Huskies’ memorable takedown of Notre Dame, the campaign overall was a disappointment. The Bulldogs will be much closer to home, and the Northern Illinois offense bogged down at times in MAC competition.

18. Duke’s Mayo Bowl – Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech

Date, time, TV: Jan. 3, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Charlotte, N.C.

There’s mismatch potential here; the Golden Gophers have better wins while the Hokies had to snap a three-game November losing streak just to qualify. On the other hand, if you want to see a coach get a tub of mayonnaise dumped on his head, by all means stick around for the end.

19. Pinstripe Bowl – Boston College vs. Nebraska

Date, time, TV: Dec. 28, noon ET, ABC. Location: Bronx, N.Y.

Our long national nightmare is over as the Cornhuskers’ bowl drought has ended. A cold-weather game against a team from not so far away, however, might not make for the best experience.

20. Rate Bowl – Kansas State vs. Rutgers

Date, time, TV: Dec. 26, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Phoenix.

The Wildcats had aspirations of finishing closer to the top in the Big 12, so their level of motivation here is hard to determine. The Scarlet Knights are seeking a second consecutive bowl victory.

21. Myrtle Beach Bowl – Coastal Carolina vs. Texas-San Antonio

Date, time, TV: Dec. 23, 11 a.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Conway, S.C.

The Chanticleers get what amounts to an additional home game despite taking a step back in the Sun Belt standings. The Roadrunners’ campaign in the American Athletic didn’t go as hoped, either, so who will come to play is very much in question.

22. Boca Raton Bowl – James Madison vs. Western Kentucky

Date, time, TV: Dec. 18, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Boca Raton, Fla.

The Dukes came back to earth in Sun Belt play following a splashy non-conference win at North Carolina. The Hilltoppers might not have their hearts in this one after absorbing a severe beatdown in the C-USA finale.

23. Salute to Veterans Bowl – South Alabama vs. Western Michigan

Date, time, TV: Dec. 14, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Montgomery, Ala.

Other than the distinction of being the first bowl game of the season, there’s little to recommend this encounter between 6-6 teams. Curiously, both teams lost on the road against the opposing league’s eventual champion.

24. First Responder Bowl – North Texas vs. Texas State

Date, time, TV: Jan. 3, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Dallas.

This one figures to be overshadowed during the runup to semifinal week, though it’s a solid pairing that could generate some interest among the Lone Star State’s most devoted football followers. Both are capable of putting up a big score, though both have endured off days as well.

25. Holiday Bowl in San Diego – No. 25 Syracuse vs. Washington State

Date, time, TV: Dec. 27, 8 p.m. ET, Fox. Location: San Diego.

A few weeks ago this matchup had Top 25 potential. But while the Orange ended the year strong, the Cougars limped to the finish line with three consecutive losses and lost offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Oklahoma.

26. Arizona Bowl – Colorado State vs. Miami (Ohio)

Date, time, TV: Dec. 28, 4:30 p.m. ET, The CW. Location: Tucson, Ariz.

These aren’t the flashiest of teams, though the RedHawks should be credited for overcoming a 1-4 start to reach the MAC championship game. The Rams’ late loss at Fresno State cost them a shot at the Mountain West title game, but they’re happy to be bowling for the first time since 2017.

27. Frisco Bowl – No. 22 Memphis vs. West Virginia

Date, time, TV: Dec. 17, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Frisco, Texas.

The Tigers made a late push to rejoin the Top 25 that included a Thanksgiving defeat of Tulane, while the Mountaineers are in a coaching transition. As such, this might be a case of one side having a point to prove while the other has checked out.

28. Gasparilla Bowl – Florida vs. Tulane

Date, time, TV: Dec. 20, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Tampa, Fla.

The matchup here is a lot less attractive than the records might indicate. The Green Wave’s promising year wound up in a series of disappointments including transfer exits, while the Gators made a surprising push late and will now look to carry that momentum into the offseason.

29. New Orleans Bowl – Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston State

Date, time, TV: Dec. 19, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2. Location: New Orleans.

We might actually be giving this one short shrift. The Bearkats are bowling for the first time since moving up from the FCS ranks and will be fully engaged against the Eagles, a long-time former FCS power in their own right.

30. Las Vegas Bowl – Southern California vs. Texas A&M

Date, time, TV: Dec. 27, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Las Vegas.

One might expect to see a meeting of name-brand programs higher on the list, but neither team is delighted to be here. For what it’s worth the Aggies were in the SEC mix longer, but both are capable of turning in a dud of a performance.

31. 68 Ventures Bowl -Arkansas State vs. Bowling Green

Date, time, TV: Dec. 26, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Mobile, Ala.

Unless you happen to have ties to one of the institutions, this probably won’t move the needle for you. The Falcons at least gave some good teams a run for their money, while the RedWolves were on the short end of several blowouts.

32. New Mexico Bowl – TCU vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

Date, time, TV: Dec. 28, 2:15 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Albuquerque.

A strong season for the Ragin’ Cajuns landed with a thud in the Sun Belt championship game. The Horned Frogs probably aren’t delighted to be here, either, but we’ll hope the game is a pleasant surprise.

33. Gator Bowl – No. 15 Mississippi vs. Duke

Date, time, TV: Jan. 2, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Jacksonville, Fla.

The portal giveth and taketh away for the Blue Devils with QB Maalik Murphy on the move, but unfortunately the arrivals won’t be able to replace the departures for this game. For their part, the Rebels’ key hands are expected to play making a rout in seem somewhat inevitable.

34. Bahamas Bowl – Buffalo vs. Liberty

Date, time, TV: Jan. 4, 11 a.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Nassau, Bahamas.

You’d certainly rather be in the Bahamas than in Buffalo at this time of year, and the Bulls earned this trip by winning their last four games. The destination might be a bit of a comedown for the Flames, who were in the Fiesta Bowl a year ago and will be without quarterback Kaidon Salter.

35. Fenway Bowl – Connecticut vs. North Carolina

Date, time, TV: Dec. 28, 11 a.m. ET, ESPN. Location: Boston.

There’s a slight curiosity factor with the Tar Heels as they embark on their new era with a splashy coaching hire. But Bill Belichick won’t be on the sideline and on the busiest day of the bowl season, this matchup better suited to hardwood looks quite skippable.

Ivan Lee, a Hall-of-Fame fencer and the former board chairman for USA Fencing, has pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse in the third degree and one court of forcible touch-intimate parts, according to court records in New York.

The offenses, both misdemeanors, were committed in 2023 against a female collegiate fencer Lee coached, according to the woman’s attorney, Jack Wiener.

The guilty pleas were entered Wednesday at Nassau County District Court in New York the same day a jury trial was scheduled to begin.

Lee, 43, also pleaded guilty Sept. 3 at Kings Criminal Court in Brooklyn to one count of forcible touch-intimate parts, a misdemeanor, and harassment in the second degree — physical contact, a non-criminal violation of New York law. The offenses were committed during a second incident in 2023 against the same collegiate fencer, according to the court records and woman’s attorney.

“She spoke truth to power here–to a grown man who was the Chairman of USA Fencing, a coach, and a former Olympian and police officer,’’ Wiener said in a statement, which noted he represented the woman pro bono. “She came forward to protect others who follow her from suffering the same fate.’’

Lee was the first Black fencer to become a world champion, according to USA Fencing. He also won two Division I national championships at St. John’s, earned two gold medasl at the 2003 Pan Am Games and competed at the 2004 Olympics.

In 2014, he was inducted into the US Fencing Association Hall of Fame.

Elected board chairman of USA Fencing in September 2023, Lee resigned three months later after the organization suspended him for “a violation of SafeSport Code.’’ The U.S. Center for SafeSport, funded by Congress, is tasked with protecting young athletes from misconduct.

Earlier in that same month, Lee resigned as head coach of the women’s fencing team at Long Island University.

He worked for the New York City Police Department from 2008 to 2022 before focusing on coaching the fencing teams at Long Island University. He was serving in his capacity as head coach when the incidents were committed against the complaintant, according to court records.

On Nov. 8, 2023, while there were no teammates around, Lee placed his hands on the complainant’s chest without her consent, made a comment about her thighs, stating in sum and substance “I love your thighs,’’ and began kissing the complainant’s neck, according to a court filing from the Nassau County District Attorney’s office.

On Nov. 21, in a second incident, Lee took the complainant to a seafood restaurant after practice, according to the same court filing. Lee placed his hand on the center of the women’s chest and squeezed her breasts over her clothing without her consent.

“Lee has demonstrated a repeated course of conduct against the complainant, preying on her vulnerability as the trainee of a skilled coach on whom she relies,’’ the court filing states.

Lee was arrested in Kings County Feb. 26 in connection with the first incident and arrested March 21 in Nassau County in connection with the second incident.

He is scheduled for a sentencing hearing at Kings Criminal Court Jan. 14 and at Nassau County District Court Feb. 19. Sexual abuse in the third degree and forcible touch-intimate parts each carry a maximum sentence of one year in jail, according to New York law.

Wiener said SafeSport still has to conclude its investigation, which was put on hold after Lee was criminally charged.

‘I would hope that, under the circumstances, SafeSport would see a permanent SafeSport ban as appropriate, in order to protect other young women in the future,” Wiener said.

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Editor’s note: This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

Eight years since Rashaan Salaam died by suicide in Colorado, his girlfriend still feels the pain of his loss.

“Not one day goes by” that she doesn’t, said Salaam’s girlfriend, Shelley Martin. But she hopes the 30th anniversary of his Heisman Trophy win will renew interest in his memory, especially now that two-way star Travis Hunter is on the verge of winning Colorado’s first Heisman since Salaam won it as a junior running back at Colorado on Dec. 10, 1994.

 “He’s just a beautiful soul,” Martin said of Salaam this week in an interview with USA TODAY Sports. “It needs to be told… about mental health and concussions. That is real. I saw it.”

This is normally a time of reflection for Salaam’s family and friends. He died on Dec. 5, 2016 at age 42. The Heisman Trophy ceremony usually comes shortly after that every year. Only this time it’s a little more personal. If Hunter wins it Saturday, they hope it raises even more awareness about Colorado’s first Heisman winner, thereby bringing more attention to suicide prevention and who Salaam was as a person.

In many ways, he was like Hunter – the gifted football player and humble homebody with the bright smile who often deflected praise toward his teammates.

“You can think you’re having a bad day and then just think back about Rashaan and the smile he always had,” his former Colorado teammate Derek West said this week. “It’s always uplighting. It kind of pulls you out of any funk you may be in.  I just smiled thinking about it.”

Two Heisman Trophies at Colorado, 30 years apart?

Each year, two actual Heisman Trophies are given out – one to the college football player who wins it and one to that player’s school. Colorado still keeps its 1994 Heisman Trophy on display in a hallway that Travis Hunter has walked down many times 30 years later.

On Saturday, Hunter is the favorite to win another one for Colorado, according to BetMGM.

In Salaam’s case, he won the award decisively, rushing for 2,055 yards and 24 touchdowns in a magical 11-1 season when the Buffaloes finished as the No. 3 team in the nation. Yet Salaam didn’t like being singled out for it and instead credited his teammates on the offensive line for helping him gain all those yards. Ten of the 11 starters on that CU offense eventually were drafted into the NFL, including Salaam, all five linemen, quarterback Kordell Stewart and receiver Michael Westbrook.

“He was just the ultimate team guy, and I think we can all learn from that,” said West, who was one of Salaam’s blockers on that offensive line. West also helped carry Salaam’s body to his grave in Boulder after his shocking death.

“If Travis is fortunate enough to win the Heisman, and this brings any attention to Rashaan, the man that he was, and raise any awareness around suicide prevention, then that’s a win all the way around,” West said.

‘He never wanted to be out front’

Stewart, Salaam’s quarterback at CU, stressed the importance of remembering how he lived and who he was, not his death.

“He has (created) more memories of great things and the life that he lived to allow that one moment to deter us from remembering him for who and what he was to us and to his family and friends,” Stewart told USA TODAY Sports this week. “He was a great dude. Loved him to death.”

Stewart said Salaam was like a “little brother” to him who inspired his teammates in a “very quiet way.”

By that he said he means this:

“He never wanted to be out front,” Stewart said. “He just wanted to be a part of it.”

Salaam gave his trophy to his mom, then sold it

The Heisman might be the most famous individual award in American sports, given to the best college football player in the country. Salaam looked at it differently, however.

Not liking all the individual attention, he described the Heisman as a burden of sorts before he even won it – 45 pounds of heavy expectations that he didn’t always want. After winning it, he even gave it to his mother to keep at her home in San Diego for many years. He also gave his other trophies to relatives, including the Walter Camp and Doak Walker awards he won in 1994 as the nation’s top player and running back.

“He gave his trophies away, and he gave me the Heisman,” his mother Khalada told USA TODAY Sports this week.

But Salaam later asked her to have his Heisman sent back to him in Colorado near the end of his life. So she did. Shortly after his death, family and friends then said his trophy had been “lost” until it resurfaced at an auction in January 2018, when it was sold for nearly $400,000.

‘Please reach out to somebody’

The tragic death of Salaam isn’t his final chapter, however − not if his memory is kept alive and others can learn from it, as some of his friends and family said.

Salaam had sold his Heisman Trophy before his death, said David Kohler, president of SCP Auctions in California. It later was consigned out for auction after he died, with some of the proceeds set to be donated to research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the brain disease linked to head trauma in football.

Salaam’s brother, Jabali Alaji, told USA TODAY Sports in 2016 that Salaam had “all the symptoms” of CTE, including depression. Whatever the cause, and despite that outward smile, his inner turmoil reached a breaking point in early December 2016, shortly before the annual Heisman Trophy ceremony that year on Dec. 10. He didn’t plan to attend that ceremony in New York.

“If someone is seeking to harm themselves or having that suicidal ideation, I just beg them to please reach out to somebody,” Martin said. “Because it leaves us as survivors of suicide. It’s horrible. If somebody has cancer or they’re hospitalized in an accident, that’s different. But when it’s self-infliction, it hurts even more. And it hurts every day. It’s like a pain that will never go away.’

A teammate of Salaam’s from the 1993 Colorado team, wide receiver Charles E. Johnson, also died by suicide in North Carolina in 2022 at age 50.

To better support young people navigating their own mental health challenges, Salaam’s mother has helped start The Rashaan Salaam Foundation. She hadn’t been following all of Hunter’s accomplishments this year at Colorado but hoped the attention trickled down to the foundation as people learned about the first Heisman Trophy winner at CU 30 years ago.

“It’s young, but it has the possibility of doing some really positive things in Rashaan’s name and that’s really important to us,” she said.

The aftermath

Thirty years after Salaam took his Heisman home from New York, the current whereabouts of that trophy aren’t publicly known. The person who bought it at the auction in 2018 was a sports memorabilia collector who didn’t want to be identified publicly, the auction company said.

In a strange coincidence, Salaam’s father, Sultan Salaam, 78, died last year on the same date as his son seven years earlier: Dec. 5. He previously was known by the name Teddy Washington and played at San Diego State under coach Don Coryell after a brief tenure as a freshman player at Colorado in 1963.

“It’s amazing,” Salaam’s mother said of that coincidence. “All of this stuff is amazing. If I allow myself, it’s just like it happened yesterday. But I won’t allow myself. I’m trying to do something positive with all of this, because it’s a lot to deal with. It really is.”

After his son’s death in 2016, Salaam’s father told USA TODAY Sports the Heisman was only a football award and didn’t define his son’s life.

He said then he hoped his son would be remembered as a “a team player.”

“That means together each achieves more,” he said. “Not by yourself.”

‘A celebration for us all’

Hunter has echoed that sentiment 30 years later. He couldn’t be reached for comment about Salaam. But in an email interview earlier this year with USA TODAY Sports, Hunter said the Heisman is “more than an individual award.”

 “It’s a collective achievement and a celebration for us all,” he said in the email.

Likewise, Martin is rooting for him to become only the second Heisman winner in school history.

“Of course, we know those are some big shoes to fill, and (Hunter) went above and beyond,” said Martin, a Colorado graduate. “I’m just so happy to support our alumni. I’m grateful. To play offense and defense? Who can do that? It’s super awesome.”

West, the former teammate, has met Hunter and called him “a team guy,” much like Salaam.

He’s “down to earth, kind of always has a smile on his face as well,” West said. “I couldn’t think of a better representative for the university to win the second Heisman than Travis. He’s very similar to Rashaan in those characteristics.”

If Hunter wins the Heisman Saturday, it’ll be a “celebration for us all” at Colorado, as Hunter said – just like Salaam wanted it to be 30 years ago when he won the same trophy.

“Just like we all say, `We like to give the love to each other,’” Kordell Stewart said. “It’s never about one person.”

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

Ivan Lee, a Hall-of-Fame fencer and the former board chairman for USA Fencing, has pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse in the third degree and one court of forcible touch-intimate parts, according to court records in New York.

The offenses, both misdemeanors, were committed in 2023 against a female collegiate fencer Lee coached, according to the woman’s attorney, Jack Wiener.

The guilty pleas were entered Wednesday at Nassau County District Court in New York the same day a jury trial was scheduled to begin.

Lee, 43, also pleaded guilty Sept. 3 at Kings Criminal Court in Brooklyn to one count of forcible touch-intimate parts, a misdemeanor, and harassment in the second degree — physical contact, a non-criminal violation of New York law. The offenses were committed during a second incident in 2023 against the same collegiate fencer, according to the court records and woman’s attorney.

“She spoke truth to power here–to a grown man who was the Chairman of USA Fencing, a coach, and a former Olympian and police officer,’’ Wiener said in a statement, which noted he represented the woman pro bono. “She came forward to protect others who follow her from suffering the same fate.’’

Lee was the first Black fencer to become a world champion, according to USA Fencing. He also won two Division I national championships at St. John’s, earned two gold medasl at the 2003 Pan Am Games and competed at the 2004 Olympics.

In 2014, he was inducted into the US Fencing Association Hall of Fame.

Elected board chairman of USA Fencing in September 2023, Lee resigned three months later after the organization suspended him for “a violation of SafeSport Code.’’ The U.S. Center for SafeSport, funded by Congress, is tasked with protecting young athletes from misconduct.

Earlier in that same month, Lee resigned as head coach of the women’s fencing team at Long Island University.

He worked for the New York City Police Department from 2008 to 2022 before focusing on coaching the fencing teams at Long Island University. He was serving in his capacity as head coach when the incidents were committed against the complaintant, according to court records.

On Nov. 8, 2023, while there were no teammates around, Lee placed his hands on the complainant’s chest without her consent, made a comment about her thighs, stating in sum and substance “I love your thighs,’’ and began kissing the complainant’s neck, according to a court filing from the Nassau County District Attorney’s office.

On Nov. 21, in a second incident, Lee took the complainant to a seafood restaurant after practice, according to the same court filing. Lee placed his hand on the center of the women’s chest and squeezed her breasts over her clothing without her consent.

“Lee has demonstrated a repeated course of conduct against the complainant, preying on her vulnerability as the trainee of a skilled coach on whom she relies,’’ the court filing states.

Lee was arrested in Kings County Feb. 26 in connection with the first incident and arrested March 21 in Nassau County in connection with the second incident.

He is scheduled for a sentencing hearing at Kings Criminal Court Jan. 14 and at Nassau County District Court Feb. 19. Sexual abuse in the third degree and forcible touch-intimate parts each carry a maximum sentence of one year in jail, according to New York law.

Wiener said SafeSport still has to conclude its investigation, which was put on hold after Lee was criminally charged.

‘I would hope that, under the circumstances, SafeSport would see a permanent SafeSport ban as appropriate, in order to protect other young women in the future,” Wiener said.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell apparently had seen enough of Thursday night’s game versus the Los Angeles Rams.

According to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, Campbell refused to enter the game in the third quarter when asked to check in to replace linebacker Dre Greenlaw.

“He said he didn’t want to play today,” Shanahan said after the 49ers’ 12-6 loss.

Shanahan, who said the incident happened in the third quarter, told reporters it was the first time in his head coaching career that a player refused to play when asked.

The Prime Video cameras captured footage of Campbell, helmet in hand, walking off the field and heading to the locker room during the fourth quarter.

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Campbell started 12 games for the 49ers this season. He was replaced Thursday in the starting lineup by Greenlaw, who made his season debut. Greenlaw was playing his first game since suffering a torn Achilles in Super Bowl 58.

After Greenlaw experienced what Shanahan described as “tightness” in the second half, Campbell apparently refused to replace him at linebacker.  

“That is one person who decided not to play for his teammates,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said. “It’s one person making a selfish decision. … I’ve never been around anybody that’s ever done that. And I hope I’m never around anybody that does that again.”

Shanahan was noncommittal when asked if the 49ers will release Campbell.

“We’ll figure out something. I don’t know that right now,” Shanahan said.

Later, Shanahan added that “When someone says that, you move on. You don’t deal with that anymore.”

The 31-year-old linebacker is in his first season in San Francisco. He’s spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers.

Campbell’s odd exit exacerbates a tough Week 15 loss for the 49ers.

San Francisco (6-8) has less than a 1% chance to make the playoffs after dropping Thursday’s game to Los Angeles, per NFL Next Gen Stats. The 49ers are currently in last place in the NFC West.

“This one hurts,” 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy said. “We have a lot of guys in the locker room who are gonna continue to fight, including myself. For this organization, for our fanbase and for each other more than anything to finish out the season in the right way. Focus on one game at a time and see where we are at, at the end of it.”

Maybe at some point after a future loss to Virginia Tech, we’ll once again get a glimpse of the Bill Belichick persona as a way-too-serious, perpetually annoyed, “We’re on to Cincinnati” hater of answering questions from the media.

But on Thursday, the new North Carolina coach — it still feels weird to type those words — struck a different tone at his introductory press conference. 

He sounded like something we don’t usually see in college athletics during these days when coaches and fans are riding the sugar high of a new marriage. Belichick, quite simply, came off like an adult. 

During a roughly 45-minute session that touched on everything from his age to recruiting to his father’s short stint as an assistant at North Carolina in the 1950s, one moment toward the end stood out. 

Asked what challenges he might face in the transition from coaching adult pros to young people who are often still in their teenage years, Belichick didn’t recite his résumé or make grandiose promises about winning national titles or get caught up in the hyperbolic lovefest that these rituals usually devolve into. 

Instead, even the most successful NFL coach of all time left himself some room for uncertainty. 

“Well, I mean, we’ll see,” Belichick said. “I’ve had an opportunity to coach young players at various points in my career whether it was other players on my kids’ teams or having an opportunity to be around University of Washington for multiple weeks out there. But again, it’s a process. And I’d say as a teacher you try to find ways to help the students, help the players, and if you can do that they have a tendency to listen and want more if they’re motivated, which most of them are. And if you can’t, then you know, they look somewhere else.”

That answer may seem unremarkable, but within this genre of introductory press conferences, it was downright refreshing. 

When Texas A&M hired Jimbo Fisher, it gave him a mock national championship trophy with a date to be filled in. Charlie Weis’ honeymoon at Notre Dame was defined by his declaration of having a “decided schematic advantage.” At his first LSU press conference after leaving Notre Dame, Brian Kelly couldn’t help but to pander with the promise that his family was going to “immerse ourselves into the culture of Louisiana. We’re not here to change anything. We’re here to get changed by it.”

Now here was North Carolina, in the midst of a potentially transformational moment for its football program, and its new coach wasn’t waving the pom-poms or talking like a used car salesman or making this anything bigger than what it is. 

He’s there to do a job. He’s there to build a program and help players get better. Will it work? What will success look like? Belichick wasn’t making any promises beyond the effort he’s going to put into the job.  

That’s smart. And it’s a whole lot more realistic than some of the discourse that has emerged in the 24-plus hours since Belichick officially took the job. 

On one side, there are a lot of myopic college football people − especially within the sport − who are convinced that this is all a big joke and that a 72-year-old who has never worked on a college campus will find this environment too complex and frustrating to be successful. 

And on the other end of the spectrum, a lot of NFL-affiliated media members seem to be certain that Belichick is going to waltz into college football with all his championship rings and suddenly start wrecking shop.

ESPN’s “Get Up” on Thursday was particularly over-the-top. NFL insider Adam Schefter suggested that success was a slam dunk because Belichick has more energy than younger coaches. Jason McCourty got a little weird talking about how Belichick would hold multi-hour coaches’ meetings without going to the bathroom while his assistants were, um, struggling to hold it in. Dan Orlovsky predicted that coaches in the ACC and even the SEC were saying curse words out of fear for what Belichick is going to do to college football. Even Paul Finebaum, who normally revels playing the role of fecal matter in the punch bowl, said Belichick is “not going to have to deal with the usual problems most college coaches deal with.’ 

Uh, Earth to Paul: Yes he is. And the reality of his task at North Carolina is that he may well be up to it, or he may not be. The uncertainty is what’s going to make it fun to find out.

Belichick is obviously a confident man. You can glean that much from his success, his willingness to do something that is a bit unfamiliar at this stage of the game and even in some of the details we know about his personal life. 

But he is not approaching this job like it’s going to be light work, and that’s already a level of understanding that a lot of coaches with an NFL-heavy background who failed in college football didn’t have until it was too late. 

Just look at some of the names who tried it: Bill Callahan at Nebraska, Weis at Notre Dame, Jim Mora at UCLA, Herm Edwards at Arizona State. All of them, in one way or another, probably expected that their experience relative to the competition was like the varsity against the JV. And that went poorly for them because once they were in it they realized that a lot of the skills that made them successful at the highest level simply didn’t translate to college kids. 

With Belichick, maybe they will. Maybe they won’t. This is such an unusual situation, with so little precedent, that it would be foolish to declare right now whether it will work. 

But Belichick seems to understand the assignment, with a clear vision of what his role is going to be. Truth be told, most of the new initiatives you’re going to hear about at North Carolina — a more professional and larger staffing structure, a beefed up recruiting budget, a cutting-edge training program — are not novel ideas. They may be new to North Carolina, but most of the top college programs already operate that way. 

And there’s little doubt that on a week-to-week basis, Belichick has the potential to out-scheme and out-coach his opponents in the ACC. 

That doesn’t mean he’s going to win. 

The difference is simply going to be whether Belichick’s approach to developing players and building a system around his personnel like he did in New England is going to work on the college level. It’s no more complex than that. 

“The lessons they learn will be professional lessons,” Belichick said. “They’ll be pros in all areas, and that’s what we want to develop. As well as having a successful program, we want to develop good people and good football players.

“I’m going to do everything I can to help this program and make it as strong as possible.”

For someone of Belichick’s stature, that’s a big enough promise. Whether he can follow through on it will depend on dozens of factors, some of them probably out of his control. 

But if his introduction to North Carolina is a preview of what’s to come, the Tar Heels are now being run by a realist rather than a football televangelist. That’s already an improvement. 

The Detroit Lions have revoked the season tickets of a fan who got into an on-field verbal exchange with Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur before last week’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ game.

The Lions confirmed the decision to revoke the tickets to ESPN. The Packers were in Detroit for the second of two games against their NFC North rival, with the Lions winning again on a walk-off field goal.

The Lions are off to the franchise’s best start with a 12-1 record.

Here’s what you need to know about the altercation’s fallout.

All things Lions: Latest Detroit Lions news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Altercation between Packers coach Matt LaFleur and fan

A TV camera caught part of the verbal exchange that occurred before the game between the two men.

The fan has been identified as Fahad Yousif, according to The Detroit News.

LaFleur told reporters that Yousif was “talking junk to our players, giving them the throat-slash sign.” 

The coach also added that Yousif had gotten in his face down on the field.

Yousif was on the field to hold a giant flag while the national anthem was playing.

What else did Matt LaFleur say about the situation?

The coach told reporters he’s never seen anything like that take place on the field and expected better security to prevent situations like that from happening.

‘… I thought it was an arrogant fan that wanted to get in a part of the action,” LaFleur said. “I would like to see security, or something step in there and get him out of there, because he shouldn’t be doing that.’

How did fan respond to having his season tickets revoked?

Yousif told The Detroit News that he was devastated to find out that he lost access to his season ticket as a result of what he called the “small incident.”

‘The biggest gut punch,’ Yousif told The Detroit News. ‘Just waking up and seeing that email and not being able to talk to somebody in person, it was a terrible feeling. I don’t have my chance to give my side of the story or anything.’

Every week for the duration of the 2024 NFL regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates to the league’s ever-evolving playoff picture − typically starting after Sunday afternoon’s late games and then moving forward for the remainder of the week (through Monday’s and Thursday’s games or Saturday’s, if applicable).

What just happened? What does it mean? What are the pertinent factors (and, perhaps, tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference’s seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? All will be explained and analyzed up to the point when the postseason field is finalized on Sunday, Jan. 5.

Here’s where things stand with Week 15 of the 2024 season underway:

NFC playoff picture

x – 1. Detroit Lions (12-1), NFC North leaders: For the first time in their 95-season history, they’ve won 12 games in successive seasons – and snatching Week 14’s night’s nail biter from the Packers officially qualified the Lions for the 2024 postseason. Big game with Buffalo on Sunday afternoon, but – given its interconference nature – one that shouldn’t necessarily be crucial in the tiebreaker department if Detroit and its depleted defense stumble. Remaining schedule: vs. Bills, at Bears, at 49ers, vs. Vikings

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

x – 2. Philadelphia Eagles (11-2), NFC East leaders: It took a surprising effort to overcome the lowly Panthers on Sunday. But, despite some postgame grumbling, the Eagles prevailed for their ninth straight win – remaining right behind the Lions before officially locking up a playoff spot later in the day when Arizona lost. Philly can sew up the division title in Week 15 with a win plus a Washington loss. Remaining schedule: vs. Steelers, at Commanders, vs. Cowboys, vs. Giants

3. Seattle Seahawks (8-5), NFC West leaders: They just completed a season sweep of the Cardinals, effectively giving them a three-game lead over Arizona in the division. However the Rams are very much lurking, now just a half-game game back – and with a win over Seattle already in hand. Remaining schedule: vs. Packers, vs. Vikings, at Bears, at Rams

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6), NFC South leaders: Their weak schedule down the stretch plus Atlanta’s ongoing collapse has finally done what many saw coming – the Bucs vaulting into first place last Sunday by beating the Raiders as the Falcons crumbled in Minneapolis. Atlanta’s season sweep of Tampa Bay does mean the Buccaneers, who most recently finished out of first place in 2020, need to remain plus one in the win column moving forward. Remaining schedule: at Chargers, at Cowboys, vs. Panthers, vs. Saints

5. Minnesota Vikings (11-2), wild card No. 1: Beating old friend Kirk Cousins and the Falcons keeps the Vikes, winners of six straight, hot on the Lions’ heels in the NFC North and conference at large. Minnesota can clinch a spot by beating Chicago on Monday night. Remaining schedule: vs. Bears, at Seahawks, vs. Packers, at Lions

6. Green Bay Packers (9-4), wild card No. 2: Getting swept by the Lions pretty much relegates the Pack to wild-card status, but they’ll have to wait at least another week to clinch anything. Remaining schedule: at Seahawks, vs. Saints, at Vikings, vs. Bears

7. Washington Commanders (8-5), wild card No. 3: A week off, good as it should have been for the roster’s health, didn’t help Washington’s prospects elsewhere – Philadelphia pulling away in the division while the Rams drew closer in the wild-card race. Remaining schedule: at Saints, vs. Eagles, vs. Falcons, at Cowboys

8. Los Angeles Rams (8-6), in the hunt: Win out, and the Rams – now a half-game behind Seattle – are NFC West champs. But they’re also applying pressure on Washington, though they can’t pass the Commanders this weekend even after beating San Francisco. Remaining schedule: at Jets, vs. Cardinals, vs. Seahawks

9. Atlanta Falcons (6-7), in the hunt: Their margin for error is gone and so is first place in the NFC South after their losing streak extended to four Sunday in Minnesota. The Falcons fell five spots in the conference standings. Still their season sweep of the Bucs means they only need to pull even with Tampa Bay to reclaim first place. Remaining schedule: at Raiders, vs. Giants, at Commanders, vs. Panthers

10. Arizona Cardinals (6-7), in the hunt: They could have moved back atop the NFC West on Sunday by defeating Seattle. Instead, the Cards lost their third straight and have just about played themselves out of contention for anything. They also fell behind the Falcons, who have three more conference victories than Arizona. Remaining schedule: vs. Patriots, at Panthers, at Rams, vs. 49ers

11. San Francisco 49ers (6-8), in the hunt: Thursday night’s loss to the Rams was a near-fatal blow to the reigning NFC champs, who have better than a 99% chance of missing postseason, per NFL.com. Remaining schedule: at Dolphins, vs. Lions, at Cardinals

12. New Orleans Saints (5-8), in the hunt: Their best shot is to somehow win the NFC South … tough as that’s probably going to be without injured QB Derek Carr. Remaining schedule: vs. Commanders, at Packers, vs. Raiders, at Buccaneers

13. Dallas Cowboys (5-8), in the hunt: Another devastating home loss Monday night to Cincinnati just about extinguishes their flickering postseason hopes, especially given the teams Dallas will see down the stretch. The Cowboys even dropped below the Saints, who beat them in Week 2, after their latest defeat. Remaining schedule: at Panthers, vs. Buccaneers, at Eagles, vs. Commanders

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AFC playoff picture

y – 1. Kansas City Chiefs (12-1), AFC West champions: The Chiefs swept away the Chargers on Sunday night to win this division for the ninth consecutive season. Buffalo’s loss earlier in the day was a huge bonus, giving the reigning champs breathing room as they try to steer the road to Super Bowl 59 through Arrowhead yet again. Remaining schedule: at Browns, vs. Texans, at Steelers, at Broncos

y – 2. Buffalo Bills (10-3), AFC East champions: That potentially pivotal tiebreaker against the Chiefs isn’t worth a whole heckuva lot if the Bills, losers of that entertaining show with the Rams on Sunday, can’t keep up with the reigning champs. Remaining schedule: at Lions, vs. Patriots, vs. Jets, at Patriots

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3), AFC North leaders: They remain relevant in the discussion for home-field advantage while taking a two-game lead over the idle Ravens, whom the Steelers have already beaten once, in the division. The strength-of-victory tiebreaker currently keeps Pittsburgh looking up at Buffalo. Remaining schedule: at Eagles, at Ravens, vs. Chiefs, vs. Bengals

4. Houston Texans (8-5), AFC South leaders: Despite their struggles, they effectively own a three-game lead over Indy in the division due to Houston’s season sweep of the Colts. A win next week coupled with another Indianapolis loss would sew up the lackluster division for the Texans. Remaining schedule: vs. Dolphins, at Chiefs, vs. Ravens, at Titans

5. Baltimore Ravens (8-5), wild card No. 1: Good to get a week off … though it cost them more position in the AFC North, further diminishing any shot they have at hosting a postseason game this season. Remaining schedule: at Giants, vs. Steelers, at Texans, vs. Browns

6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5), wild card No. 2: Despite getting dunked (and doinked) by the Chiefs again, they’ll have to do a lot of ‘Charger-ing’ to cough up a golden opportunity in Year 1 under HC Jim Harbaugh … though they will face additional playoff-caliber squads the next two weeks. A win over Denver keeps them above the Broncos, though the Bolts fall behind the Ravens due to their loss to Baltimore. Remaining schedule: vs. Buccaneers, vs. Broncos, at Patriots, at Raiders

7. Denver Broncos (8-5), wild card No. 3: They’ve got a great shot at their first postseason trip since winning Super Bowl 50 nine years ago. But messing around with Indianapolis could get them into trouble. Losses to the Ravens and Chargers currently keep them suppressed as the seventh seed. Remaining schedule: vs. Colts, at Chargers, at Bengals, vs. Chiefs

8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7), in the hunt: Win in Denver in Week 15, and they’d be one game out of a postseason slot. Remaining schedule: at Broncos, vs. Titans, at Giants, vs. Jaguars

9. Miami Dolphins (6-7), in the hunt: They barely survived the Jets to barely remain relevant on the periphery of the playoff discussion. A Week 7 loss at Indianapolis keeps Fins behind the Colts. Remaining schedule: at Texans, vs. 49ers, at Browns, at Jets

NFL playoff clinching scenarios for Week 15

Houston clinches AFC South division title with:

Win + Colts loss

Pittsburgh clinches playoff berth with:

Win or tie
Dolphins loss or tie + Colts loss or tie

Minnesota clinches playoff berth with:

Win or tie
Seahawks loss or tie

Philadelphia clinches NFC East division title with:

Win + Commanders loss or tie
Tie + Commanders loss

NFL teams eliminated from playoff contention in 2024

x – clinched playoff berth

y – clinched division

***

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

A Southern California football icon is back at his alma mater.

Longtime NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer will be the new varsity coach of the Santa Margarita High School football program.

Palmer broke dozens of high school records for the school while playing there in the 1990s before enrolling at nearby USC. His son, Fletch, is currently a freshman quarterback at Santa Margarita. Palmer spent the 2024 season as a volunteer coach for Fletch and the freshman team.

The former Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders, and Arizona Cardinals quarterback succeeds Anthony Rouzier, who spent five years at the helm. Rouzier was placed on administrative leave on Oct. 1 and the Eagles closed the season out under interim coach Steve Fifita, the team’s defensive coordinator.

Santa Margarita made the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division I playoffs this fall, beating Inglewood 59-26 in Round 1. The Eagles ultimately fell 31-29 to Division I runner-up St. John Bosco in the quarterfinals.

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

Rouzier went 23-21 as the Eagles’ head coach. Santa Margarita president Andy Sulik said in a statement following Rouzier’s leave that the coach ‘reported an incident to the administration that involved allegations of student misconduct in the locker room, and he was then placed on a leave of absence related to the incident.’

Sulik went on to state that Rouzier’s leave had ‘nothing to do with any concerns by us that Coach Rouzier personally posed a threat to any of his players’ safety and well being.’

Palmer led Santa Margarita to consecutive Division V state titles in 1996 and 1997 before enrolling at USC. He led the Pac-10 in completion percentage three straight seasons (2000-2002). His 2002 season earned him the Heisman Trophy and Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year honors. His No. 3 was retired by the program following his playing career.

The Bengals selected him No. 1 overall in the 2003 NFL draft and he spent the next eight seasons in Cincinnati. He made the Pro Bowl in 2005 when he ended the team’s 15-year playoff drought and again in 2006. He requested a trade following the 2010 season and contemplated retirement before eventually being dealt to the Raiders during the 2011 season.

Palmer spent two years there before spending the final five seasons of his NFL career with the Cardinals. He had one of the best seasons of his career in 2015 when he earned his only playoff win and led Arizona to the NFC championship game.

He retired after the 2017 NFL season after spending much of the year on injured reserve.

Since retiring, Palmer hasn’t spent much time around the game until this fall, when he was a volunteer coach for the Eagles’ freshman team. He now steps up to lead a team in one of the toughest high school football leagues in the country. Santa Margarita plays in the Trinity League featuring national powers like St. John Bosco and Mater Dei, who regularly compete for state titles.