The United States is perfect in its attempt for a three-peat at the world junior hockey championship as the level of competition ramps up with each game.

That continues on Wednesday, Dec. 31 when the USA (3-0) faces Sweden (3-0) in the final preliminary round game with the top seed in Group A on the line before the quarterfinals begin on Jan. 2.

The USA has already beaten Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia. They have been without top defenseman Cole Hutson since midway through the Switzerland game after he was hit by a puck and left the ice on a stretcher. He won’t play on Wednesday and remains day-to-day.

The Americans also faced adversity in the Slovakia game, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to pull off a wild win.

Here’s what to know about Wednesday’s USA vs. Sweden world junior championships game, including how to watch:

What channel is USA vs. Sweden world juniors hockey game today?

TV channel: NHL Network

Livestream: Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers, or Sling TV.

Watch world junior championships on Fubo

What time is USA vs. Sweden world juniors hockey game today?

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 31

Time: 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. local time)

The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. local time) at the Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the home of the Minnesota Wild.

World juniors USA vs Sweden: How to watch, stream

Time: 6 p.m. ET on Wedneday, Dec. 31

Location: Grand Casino Arena (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

TV: NHL Network

Streaming: Fubo and certain levels of Sling TV carry NHL Network.

Today’s world juniors hockey schedule

All times p.m. ET

Dec. 31

Switzerland 3, Slovakia 2: Loris Wey and Mike Aeschlimann scored power-play goals after Tobias Tomik received a double minor for high sticking in the first period. Kevin Haas’ second period goal ended up being the game-winner as Slovakia scored twice in the last 13 minutes. Switzerland finishes third and Slovakia fourth in Group A. The Swiss will face the Canada-Finland loser and Slovakia will face the winner.
Czechia vs. Latvia, 3:30
USA vs. Sweden, 6
Canada vs. Finland, 8:30

Cole Hutson injury update

Hutson, who has been out since the Switzerland game after he was hit in the head by a shot, has been ruled out of the Sweden game. He remains day-to-day.

USA players to watch

Will Zellers leads the USA with four goals and six points. He has the game-winning goal in the first three games. James Hagens (Bruins), AJ Spellacy (Blackhawks) and Brodie Ziemer (Sabres) have four points apiece.

Sweden players to watch

Blackhawks prospect Anton Frondell has three goals and five points. He was drafted No. 3 overall in 2025. Viggo Bjorck, eligible for the 2026 NHL draft, also has three goals. Ivar Stenberg, who’s challenging to be the top of the draft, has a goal and two assists.

Trevon Diggs didn’t need to wait long to learn his landing spot.

The two-time Pro Bowl cornerback was claimed by the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday, just one day after he was placed on waivers by the Dallas Cowboys.

Diggs, 27, joins the Packers’ defense for at least the playoff push. Green Bay is locked into the No. 7 seed regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Minnesota Vikings.

Diggs is a close friend of Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons, who played with the cornerback in Dallas for four years before being traded to Green Bay in late August. Parsons suffered a season-ending in a Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos, but he expressed his approval of the move shortly after news broke.

Diggs also hired Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, after he was waived.

In the short term, Diggs could provide depth beyond starting cornerbacks Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine for a defense that has struggled down the stretch without Parsons and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, who was also lost for the season to an ankle injury suffered on Thanksgiving. Nate Hobbs and Kamal Hadden were both hurt in the Week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and landed on injured reserve.

Diggs will earn $472,000 for Week 18 as well as a bonus of nearly $59,000 if he is active for the regular-season finale. He has no guaranteed money remaining on his contract, however, so Green Bay could move on from him this offseason without incurring any additional costs.

The woman tried to phone her mother during the ordeal but Barmore grabbed the phone and ended the call, The Athletic reported via charging documents. The couple’s two-year-old child allegedly witnessed the incident.

Barmore is due to be arraigned in court on Feb. 3.

‘The New England Patriots are aware of reports regarding a pending February arraignment involving Christian Barmore, which stems from an alleged domestic incident that occurred in August,’ the team said in a statement.

‘The Patriots were made aware at the time of the incident and informed the NFL in a timely manner. The matter remains part of an ongoing legal process. We will respect that process, continue to monitor the situation closely, as we have over the past few months, and cooperate fully with the league. We will have no further comment at this time.’

Barmore is the second Patriots player accused of violence against a woman in as many days. On Dec. 30, wide receiver Stefon Diggs was charged with felony strangulation and assault of a former female employee stemming from a Dec. 2 incident at his home.

The Patriots face the Miami Dolphins in the regular-season finale Jan. 4 and will host a playoff game the following week. Head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters Dec. 31 that he had no reason to expect either Diggs or Barmore would miss time (although Barmore didn’t practice Wednesday with an illness).

Vrabel said he wasn’t ‘disappointed’ by the Diggs and Barmore legal troubles.

‘I think that these are allegations, like you mentioned in your question, it’s things that we have to handle,’ Vrabel said. ‘Everyday there are distractions. Some are smaller than others. Confident that we’ll focus on the Dolphins and those two individuals that you mentioned will be able to handle the ongoing legal process.’

The No. 1 ranked UConn women’s basketball team is holding its own against Providence in a Big East contest on Wednesday.

Sarah Strong has been hot from behind the arc in the first half with five 3-pointers.

UConn starting point guard KK Arnold and forward Ayanna Patterson are not playing. Arnold has a nasal fracture and Patterson a concussion. Both injuries happened in practice Tuesday.

Third quarter: UConn 70, Providence 35

The Huskies have doubled up the Friars by outscoring them 22-16 in the quarter. Azzi Fudd now leads UConn in scoring with 18. Sarah Strong has 17 points, seven rebounds and five turnovers.

Providence has 27 turnovers with UConn scoring 39 points off of them.

The Huskies’ lead has been as large as 38 points.

Halftime: UConn 48, Providence 19

The Huskies only outscored the Friars 18-12 in the second quarter. UConn is shooting 60% from the field compared to 26% for Providence.

The Friars have 20 turnovers. The Huskies have cashed in with 28 points off turnovers. They also have 18 points in the paint compared to four for Providence.

Sarah Strong has 15 points and Azzi Fudd 11 points for UConn. Payton Dunbar has 11 points for Providence.

Sarah Strong from 3!!!

UConn forward Sarah Strong has tied her career high with five 3-pointers and it’s only the second quarter.

First quarter: UConn 30, Providence 7

The Huskies went on a 21-0 run to end the first quarter, dominating the Friars. Sarah Strong has 12 points for UConn on 4-of-5 shooting from the 3-point line. Blanca Quiñonez added seven points.

The Huskies have scored 19 points off turnovers and are shooting 65% from the field.

We are underway in Providence

Sarah Strong has six points in the early going as the Huskies have jumped out to an 11-6 lead.

What time is UConn vs Providence?

The UConn Huskies play the Providence Friars on Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 3 p.m. ET at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island.

UConn vs Providence: Streaming

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 31
Time: 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT)
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion (Providence, Rhode Island)
Stream: Peacock

UConn Huskies starting lineup

Providence Friars starting lineup

UConn without starting point guard KK Arnold

Starting point guard KK Arnold sustained a nasal fracture in practice Tuesday and will not be available on Wednesday. She’s averaging 6.9 points, 4.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds for the Huskies.

Forward Ayanna Patterson will miss the game after suffering a concussion Tuesday.

Providence getting amped

UConn in Providence

The Huskies have started their warmups.

Kirk Ferentz is back in the win column in bowl games.

The Iowa football coach improved to 11-11 as the Hawkeyes’ head coach in bowl games, with Iowa earning a 34-27 win over Heisman Trophy runner-up Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year’s Eve in Tampa, Florida.

The Hawkeyes (9-4) held a 21-3 halftime lead and then held on in the second half to knock off the Commodores (10-3).

Stream ReliaQuest Bowl live with Fubo (free trial)

Mark Gronowski finished 16-of-22 passing for 212 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while also adding 10 rushes for 54 yards and a touchdown. Kamari Moulton had 14 rushes for 95 yards and a touchdown in the win for the Hawkeyes, while tight end DJ Vonnahme had seven catches for 146 yards and a score.

Pavia finished 25-of-38 passing for 347 yards and two touchdowns and also added a rushing score. He, however, struggled in the first half with accuracy and was sacked four times.

Vanderbilt falls to 5-5-1 all-time in bowl games. The Commodores were playing in consecutive bowl games for only the second time in program history.

USA TODAY Sports provided updates from the ReliaQuest Bowl between Iowa and Vanderbilt. Catch up here:

Iowa vs Vanderbilt score

Iowa vs Vanderbilt highlights

Iowa vs Vanderbilt live score: Hawkeyes 34, Commodores 27 (Final)

Final: Iowa 34, Vanderbilt 27

Vanderbilt-Iowa final stats

Iowa takes down Vanderbilt in ReliaQuest Bowl

Iowa holds onto a 34-27 win over Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa Bay, on New Year’s Eve. The Hawkeyes finish the season at 9-4, while the Commodores finish at 10-3.

Brock Taylor field goal cuts Iowa lead to touchdown

Vanderbilt opts to kick a field goal from 37 yards out with 2:58 left in the fourth quarter, but interestingly, Clark Lea calls for it on second down. The scoring drive is seven plays for 60 yards and takes 1:10 off the clock.

Drew Stevens hits second field goal of game to put Iowa up 10

Drew Stevens hits a 44-yard field goal to push Iowa’s lead to 34-24 with 4:1 left in the game. The score makes it a two-possession lead for the Hawkeyes.

The scoring drive is 13 plays for 49 yards and takes 7:06 off the game clock. Vanderbilt was forced to use two timeouts on the drive and has just one more left.

Vanderbilt scores on Diego Pavia TD

Diego Pavia scores on an 11-yard rush to cut the Iowa lead to 31-24 with 11:19 left in the game. Pavia hit Junior Sherrill for a 46-yard pass to set up the scoring opportunity.

The scoring drive is five plays for 72 yards and takes 2:11 off the game clock.

Mark Gronowski rushing touchdown extends Iowa lead

Mark Gronowski scores a 1-yard rushing touchdown to give Iowa a 31-17 lead with 13:35 left in the fourth quarter. That’s his 16th rushing touchdown of the season.

The scoring drive is six plays for 70 yards and takes 2:59 off the game clock.

End of third quarter: Iowa 24, Vanderbilt 17

Vanderbilt scores two touchdowns on passes from Diego Pavia to get back into the game in the fourth quarter.

However, Iowa will have first-and-goal from the 4-yard line with a chance to extend its lead when the final quarter commences.

Diego Pavia draws Vanderbilt within a touchdown

Diego Pavia hits Joseph McVay for an 18-yard touchdown to cut the Iowa lead to 24-17 with 1:41 left in the third quarter.

The scoring drive is eight plays for 70 yards and takes 2:06 off the game clock. Pavia accounted for all of the yards, either passing or running, on the drive.

Drew Stevens extends Iowa lead over Vanderbilt

Following the turnover on downs, the Vanderbilt defense forces a three-and-out for Iowa’s offense. However, with the drive starting in Commodores’ territory, the Hawkeyes turn to kicker Drew Stevens, who hits a 47-yard field goal to extend the Iowa lead to 24-10 with 3:54 left in the third quarter.

Vanderbilt turns ball over downs

Diego Pavia misses a throw on a fourth-and-1 from the Vanderbilt 38-yard line and the Commodores turn the ball over on downs. Iowa will take over in Vanderbilt territory with a chance to extend its lead.

Diego Pavia responds with long TD for Vanderbilt

Diego Pavia drops a dime into the hands of Tre Richardson, who takes it in for a 75-yard touchdown to cut the Iowa lead to 21-10 with 8:37 left in the third quarter.

Mark Gronowski hits DJ Vonnahme for touchdown

Iowa extends its lead to 21-3 with 8:50 left in the third quarter on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Mark Gronowski to tight end DJ Vonnahme.

The scoring drive is six plays for 58 yards and takes 3:18 off the game clock.

Vanderbilt goes three-and-out on first drive of second half

Vanderbilt gets the ball first out of halftime and is not able to do much with it. The Commodores go three-and-out, exasperated with a 5-yard penalty for an illegal formation on fourth-and-1, where it looks like Diego Pavia was ruled to have a first down.

Iowa takes over on its own 42-yard line following a 21-yard return from Kaden Wetjen.

Halftime: Iowa 14, Vanderbilt 3

Vanderbilt-Iowa halftime stats

Iowa holds a 14-3 lead over Vanderbilt at halftime. The Commodores opted for a Hail Mary at the end of the half rather than trying to get into field goal range.

The miscue on the punt cost Vanderbilt seven points, as Iowa started its final drive of the first half from the Commodores’ 10-yard line and took advantage with the score.

Iowa extends lead to 14-3 before halftime

A Vanderbilt gaffe on special teams leads to an Iowa touchdown before halftime. Commodores’ punter Nick Haberer is called for crossing the line of scrimmage before punting, resulting in a penalty and a turnover.

Starting from the Vanderbilt 10-yard line, Mark Gronowski hits Reece Vander Zee for a touchdown with 41 seconds left to push the Iowa lead to 14-3.

Brock Taylor gets Vanderbilt on board with field goal

Brock Taylor connects on a 41-yard field goal to cut the Iowa lead to 7-3 with 7:53 left in the first half. The field goal caps a 13-play, 59-yard drive that takes 7:05 off the game clock.

Diego Pavia completes 5 of his 7 passes on the drive for 43 yards.

End of first quarter: Iowa 7, Vanderbilt 0

Iowa dominates the first quarter, outgaining Vanderbilt 147-29, but only scores one touchdown. A second red zone trip resulted in an interception in the end zone. The Commodores have seen both of their first two drives end due to a sack by Karson Sharar of Diego Pavia on third down.

Martel Hight intercepts Mark Gronowski pass in end zone

Just as it looks like Iowa was going to go up two scores over Vanderbilt, Martel Hight picks off a Mark Gronowski tipped pass in the end zone to give the Commodores life.

The Hawkeyes had the ball a the Vanderbilt 4-yard line following a 51-yard pass from Gronowski to tight end DJ Vonnahme. However, the scoring drive is stalled due to the interception.

Karson Sharar sacks Diego Pavia to end Vanderbilt’s first drive

On a third-and-3 from the Iowa 42-yard line, Karson Sharar sacks Diego Pavia for a 9-yard loss to put an end to Vanderbilt’s promising opening drive.

Iowa will start its second drive from its own 17-yard line.

Kamari Moulton opens scoring for Iowa

Kamari Moulton scores on a 4-yard touchdown to give Iowa a 7-0 lead with 12:55 left in the first quarter. The score was set up by a 44-yard scramble by quarterback Mark Gronowski on a third-and-7.

The scoring drive is five plays for 72 yards and takes two minutes off the game clock.

Iowa to open ReliaQuest Bowl on offense

Vanderbilt wins the coin toss and defers to the second half. Iowa will receive, and the Commodores will defend the south goal.

Pregame

Iowa has no opt outs for ReliaQuest Bowl

According to Iowa’s NIL X account, the Hawkeyes do not have a single opt-out for the ReliaQuest Bowl today against Vanderbilt. That is quite a coup in 2025 for a bowl game.

Eli Stowers opted out of ReliaQuest Bowl

While Vanderbilt will have quarterback Diego Pavia under center for the ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Iowa, he will be without one of his top playmakers. Tight end Eli Stowers opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Stowers ― who caught 62 passes for 769 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Commodores’ receivers ― is the lone major opt-out for Vanderbilt, according to the Nashville Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Mark Gronowski stats 

Mark Gronowski will close out his lone season with Iowa football with a start against Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl. 

Gronowski, 24, transferred to the Hawkeyes following a five-year collegiate stint with South Dakota State.

Here’s a look at Gronowski’s stats:

2020 (South Dakota State): 109-of-189 passing (57.7%) for 1,584 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions; 83 rushes for 577 yards and nine touchdowns
2021 (South Dakota State):Did not play
2022 (South Dakota State): 232-of-356 passing (65.2%) for 2,967 yards, 26 touchdowns and five interceptions; 111 rushes for 408 yards and 12 touchdowns
2023 (South Dakota State): 209-of-307 passing (68.1%) for 3,058 yards, 29 touchdowns and five interceptions; 93 rushes for 402 yards and eight touchdowns
2024 (South Dakota State): 206-of-338 passing (60.9%) for 2,721 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions; 98 rushes for 380 yards and 10 touchdowns
2025 (Iowa): 150-of-240 passing (62.5%) for 1,529 yards, eight touchdowns and six interceptions; 120 rushes for 491 yards and 15 touchdowns

Diego Pavia stats

Diego Pavia is set to make what could be his final start with Vanderbilt football against Iowa. The Commodores QB finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2025 after leading the program to a 10-2 finish.

Pavia has been a star with Vanderbilt over his two seasons after a two-year stint with New Mexico State.

Here’s a look at Pavia’s stats:

2022 (New Mexico State): 101-of-190 passing (53.2%) for 1,450 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions; 93 rushes for 508 yards with six touchdowns
2023 (New Mexico State): 221-of-366 passing (60.4%) for 2,973 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions; 177 rushes for 923 yards with seven touchdowns
2024 (Vanderbilt): 177-of-298 passing (59.4%) for 2,293 yards, 20 touchdowns and four interceptions; 193 rushes for 801 yards with eight touchdowns
2025 (Vanderbilt): 242-of-340 passing (71.2%) for 3,192 yards, 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions; 152 rushes for 826 yards with nine touchdowns

What time does Iowa vs Vanderbilt start?

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 31
Time: Noon ET | 11 a.m. CT
Location: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)

The ReliaQuest Bowl between Iowa and Vanderbilt is scheduled to start at noon ET (11 a.m. CT) from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

What TV channel is Iowa vs Vanderbilt on today?

TV: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)

Iowa and Vanderbilt’s game will air nationally on ESPN, with Mark Jones and Roddy Jones broadcasting the game from the booth and Alyssa Lang reporting from the sideline. Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app (with a cable login) and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Stream Iowa vs Vanderbilt live with Fubo (free trial)

Iowa vs Vanderbilt predictions in ReliaQuest Bowl

Here’s who experts within the USA TODAY Network predicted to win the ReliaQuest Bowl between Vanderbilt and Iowa:

Matt Hayes: Vanderbilt
Jordan Mendoza: Vanderbilt
Paul Myerberg: Iowa
Erick Smith: Vanderbilt
Eddie Timanus: Vanderbilt
Blake Toppmeyer: Vanderbilt

Iowa vs Vanderbilt odds, spread for ReliaQuest Bowl

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday, Dec. 30

Spread: Vanderbilt (-5.5)
Over/under: 46.5
Moneyline: Vanderbilt (-220) | Iowa (+180)

For the NBA, Christmas Day in 2025 was a resounding success — at least in terms of viewership.

Across the five-game slate on the Disney networks, 47.19 million unique viewers tuned in, making it the most-watched Christmas Day since 2010 and representing a 45% year-over-year increase. These data exclude 2011, when a lockout prompted the start of the regular season to fall on Dec. 25.

Interestingly, Christmas Day viewership may also be hinting at a general changing of the guard. The first two games of the slate — Knicks vs. Cavaliers and Thunder vs. Spurs — were the ones with the highest viewership.

Knicks-Cavs averaged 6.37 million viewers, making it the most-watched 12 p.m. ET Christmas game in history. Thunder-Spurs averaged 6.71 million, making that the most-viewed second game since 2017.

The league made an impact on social media, as well. According to Videocites, the NBA generated more than 1.6 billion views across social platforms, making it the brand with most views on Christmas.

This is notable, given that the NFL has also laid claim to the holiday, broadcasting Christmas games over the past two years. NFL remains king in broadcast viewership, but this year’s games proved to be significantly inconsequential, with injuries marring the matchups, which mostly featured teams already eliminated or in danger of elimination from playoff contention.

The Knicks-Cavaliers game featured a late flurry from New York, which rallied back from a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to beat Cleveland, 126-124.

The Thunder-Spurs game featured the latest iteration of an emerging rivalry in the NBA, one that features a pair of the game’s most dynamic young stars in Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama and reigning NBA MVP, Shai Gilegous-Alexander.

The other games on the 2025 Christmas slate were Warriors-Mavericks, Lakers-Rockets and Nuggets-Timberwolves.

Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton has played through significant injuries for three consecutive seasons.
Despite a hairline fracture in his leg, Morton had a career-best season in 2025.
The senior quarterback is described as the persevering heart of the team, embodying a West Texas work ethic.

MIAMI GARDENS, FL — They’re everywhere in West Texas. Can’t swing a cowboy hat without hitting one. 

But here’s the thing about pump jacks that paint the flat landscape of the oil-rich state: The damn things never stop pumping. For anything.

“That’s what I think of when you say West Texas,” says Texas Tech All-America linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. “What I think of when you say Behren Morton.”

And that’s the story of this magical Texas Tech season. Not big money benefactors swinging a big stick in the transfer portal era, not a former high school coach managing all those egos and somehow making it work.

But an overlooked and undervalued senior quarterback who has beaten significant injury odds, year after year, by gutting and grinding it out — and not stopping for anything or anyone.

This season, this time around, it’s a hairline fracture in his right leg. Or as medical professionals call it, a broken leg.

For two years prior — two years, and two full seasons — Morton played with a Grade 3 AC joint sprain of his throwing shoulder, an injury so severe, it involved a complete tear of ligaments connecting the collarbone and shoulder blade. 

That’s three seasons of playing with significant injuries that would be season-ending for most players. But not this guy. 

Not this West Texas soul born and raised in Lubbock, Texas, where life is spent bending and lifting and working nonstop like those pump jacks. You just keep going. Day after day, year after year in the hardscrabble island of the Texas hinterlands. 

They’re not stopping, why should he?  

“It’s just not how I was raised,” Morton said. “I’m going to do everything possible to get on that field.”

So he did, and wouldn’t you know it, the one thing that makes the $25 million dollar Texas Tech roster go, the one home-grown indispensable on a team of high-dollar, single-season mercenaries of the transfer portal era, is the pounding and persevering heart of West Texas.

The first Big 12 title in school history. The first 12-win season in school history. The first appearance in the College Football Playoff in school history, beginning Thursday in the Orange Bowl quarterfinal against Oregon. 

Morton’s not missing this ride, he’s leading it. 

It should come as no surprise that the one time Texas Tech stumbled in 2025, the one loss in an otherwise spotless season of winning every game by at least 22 points, was a game Morton didn’t play at Arizona State. Not because he didn’t want to, but because Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire told him it wasn’t going to happen. 

He couldn’t be on the field if he couldn’t protect himself.

“He’ll fight you, now,” McGuire said. “He wants on that field.”  

Look, Morton understands the risk of playing with a broken leg. Just like he understood the risk of playing with a Grade 3 AC joint sprain — until he finally relented and had surgery this past offseason. 

After months of rehab and getting his body in perfect shape for his final season, and eager to show off his rehabbed strong arm, a typical tackle on a typical hit in the season opener — against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, for the love of god — changed everything. He has been hobbling around campus with that flippin’ boot since. 

“Not a good look,” Morton said. ‘But what alternative do I have?’

It’s the boot and rehab, or it’s surgery and the end of the season. Just like it was stabilizing tape and rehab on his shoulder, or surgery and the end of the season previously.

Think about this: Not only has Morton accounted for 69 touchdowns – five of them rushing – over the last three years of playing with what would have been season-ending injuries for most quarterbacks, he had a career season in 2025 — while every single move on the field aggravated the fracture and increased the pain in his leg.

He completed 67 percent of his passes, had a touchdown/interception ratio of 22/4, and averaged 8.8 yards per attempt. All career bests.

All after not practicing a majority of the season.

“Honestly, I don’t know how he made it out there some Saturdays,” said Texas Tech backup quarterback Mitch Griffis. “I’m taking first-team reps (in practice), and he’s standing there in a boot. Then he goes out and plays, and plays at a high level. Unbelievable.”

Morton could’ve left when McGuire arrived in 2022, could’ve walked away from a coach who didn’t recruit him and found somewhere to start over. But that would’ve meant walking away from Lubbock. 

That’s not how it works in West Texas.

“Never even thought about it,” Morton said. “That would be like walking away from family.” 

The night before the Big 12 championship game, Morton’s dad, James, called McGuire and asked for two things. After 30-plus years of bending and lifting and working as a legendary high school football coach in the state of Texas, James Morton wanted a Big 12 title. He needed that Big 12 title. 

And he wanted a picture of Behren and McGuire walking off the field together.

“We walked off together guns high,” McGuire said. 

They’re not stopping now. Not for anything. 

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs faces a felony charge of strangulation or suffocation and a misdemeanor assault and battery following an incident with his personal chef.

The charge was filed in Dedham District Court in Massachusetts, and Diggs’ attorneys appeared in court remotely on Tuesday on his behalf.

Diggs has denied wrongdoing in the Dec. 2 incident, which occurred a day after New England beat the New York Giants 33-15 on “Monday Night Football.”

The 32-year-old Diggs is set to be arraigned on Jan. 23, two days before the AFC Championship Game if the Patriots advance that far in the playoffs.

Details of alleged assault

According to a police report, a woman hired as a private chef said that on Dec. 2, the woman met with Diggs to discuss payment for services and that Diggs entered her bedroom and hit her. The alleged victim says that the Pro Bowler then began choking her and that she struggled to breathe.

“You will be paying me out for the season & the money you said you would give me,” the victim said in one text message exchange, according to court documents. Diggs then said, “I don’t gotta do a mf thing…You can get whoever you want. You got my address, tell them come take the money.”

Authorities wrote the details of the business arrangement in their report, which was filed on Dec. 16.

“She said that she is normally paid by wire transfer, and the initial agreement was for weekly pay. She said that since she has been working, she has been getting paid monthly instead,” police wrote in the report. “As of now, she said that she still believes she is owed a month’s pay.”

The woman says that Diggs’ assistant wanted her to sign a nondisclosure agreement, and that Diggs’ lawyer, Michael DiStefano, told the court a financial settlement has already been offered to the woman to resolve the case.

‘Stefon Diggs categorically denies these allegations. They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur,“ Diggs’ other attorney David Meier said in a statement. ”The timing and motivation for making the allegations are crystal clear: they are the direct result of an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction. Stefon looks forward to establishing the truth in a court of law.”

Patriots and NFL response

‘The New England Patriots are aware of the accusations that have been made regarding Stefon Diggs,’ the Patriots said in a statement. ‘Stefon has informed the organization that he categorically denies the allegations. We support Stefon. We will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL as necessary. Out of respect for all parties involved, and given that this is an ongoing legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time.’

“We are aware of the matter and have been in contact with the club. We have no further comment at this time,’ the NFL said in a statement.

The Patriots can wrap up a first-round bye and the AFC’s No. 1 seed with a victory in the season finale against the Miami Dolphins and a loss by the AFC West champion Denver Broncos to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Diggs, a four-time Pro Bowler, has 82 catches for 970 yards and four touchdowns this season.