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T.J. Watt skipped the Pittsburgh Steelers’ mandatory minicamp as he looks to land a new long-term deal with the franchise.

The two parties haven’t yet bridged the gap between them, but the Steelers remain steadfast they want to keep Watt, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.

‘I talked to somebody with the team who said, ‘Look, these are complicated deals to do, but we are working on it. We want T.J. Watt here,” Fowler said in a recent appearance on ‘SportsCenter.’

Watt had been the subject of recent trade rumors amid the ongoing contract dispute. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported multiple teams had reached out to the Steelers about Watt.

Despite this, Pittsburgh doesn’t appear interested in listening to offers about Watt.

‘There’s not a lot of traction right now as far as a potential trade, though there would certainly be a lot of interest if the Steelers would tap into that,’ Fowler explained.

So, why then haven’t the Steelers yet agreed to a deal with Watt? Fowler outlined some of the hang-ups in negotiation.

‘People have told me around the league that it’s guaranteed money, it’s term length, a lot of the details that get sticky this time of year,’ Fowler explained.

Still, Fowler believes the likely outcome is Watt earning a record-setting contract from Pittsburgh.

‘This is a situation where he’s probably going to be the highest-paid edge rusher in the league when this is all said and done,’ Fowler said. ‘It just depends on when the Steelers can do it.’

‘Typically, they like to do their deals either around training camp or leading into Week 1,’ he added. ‘So this is far from over.’

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Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala suffered a seemingly major ankle injury during a FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal between the German side and Paris Saint-Germain at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Musiala required significant treatment in the final seconds of the first half of Saturday’s game after an awkward collision between him and PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma caused what looked on replay like a potentially severe injury.

BAYERN VS. PSG: Highlights from Club World Cup showdown

REAL MADRID VS. DORTMUND: Catch up on quarterfinal action

Donnarumma, upon seeing the nature of the injury, was one of several players to look distraught on the field, with referee Anthony Taylor calling the first half to a close as team trainers attended to Musiala. Serge Gnabry was brought on to replace Musiala during the halftime break.

The 22-year-old, a major player for Bayern and the German national team, is among the world’s premier attacking midfielders, and the Bundesliga powerhouse does not have a straightforward option to replace him.

Watch Club World Cup on DAZN

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The MLS regular-season game between Austin FC and the Los Angeles Football Club on Saturday, July 5 has been postponed.

The league decided to postpone the game due to the “severe weather impacting the safety of travel in central Texas,” according to a statement released by Austin FC.

The league worked with local authorities upon making the decision.

As of Saturday evening, flooding in Texas has caused the death of 32 people while state officials now are bracing for a ‘long, toilsome’ recovery.

“Austin FC extends its heartfelt sympathy to those who have been impacted by the devastating flooding across central Texas. Our hearts go out to the families, friends and neighbors who have lost their lives – and we urge those that are able to find their way to safety,” the club said in its statement.

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There isn’t a shortage of explosive offensive players in the NFL, but which players provide the most fireworks on the field?

In the spirit of the fourth of July holiday, USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon provides his take for the four most explosive offensive players in the NFL this upcoming season.

Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson is an obvious answer but is he the lone quarterback on the list? Does Tyreek Hill make the cut after a down year by his standards. How many wide receivers and running backs make the list?

Here are the four most explosive offensive players in the NFL:

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said this offseason that Jackson will be the highest-paid player in football when he signs his next contract. There’s no doubt the two-time MVP deserves that distinction.

Jackson is coming off a season in which he led NFL in passer rating (119.6), set career highs in passing yards (4,172) and touchdown passes (41), and became the first quarterback in league history with at least 4,000 passing yards and 800 rushing yards (915).

The Ravens are once again on the short list of contenders this year. And Jackson and company are motivated after a disappointing showing this past postseason.

“We’re going to bounce back,” Jackson told reporters this offseason. “We’ll come back and I feel like we’re gonna have vengeance on our mind.’

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley

The Eagles rewarded Barkley with a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension after his superb year in Philly. He’s the first running back in NFL history to earn more than $20 million per year.

Barkley’s 2,005 rushing yards were the eighth most in a regular season in NFL history. And to top it off, he became the league’s all-time single-season, including playoffs, rushing leader during the Eagles Super Bowl 59 win.

Barkley compiled an NFL-high 46 runs of 10-plus yards.

The Eagles core offensive players are all set to return, including four returning starters along the O-line, so expect Barkley to have another stellar season in Philadelphia.

‘It’s very obvious when you watch the tape how good of a player he is, right. But the things that he has that he brings to our football team as far as his leadership, his work ethic. He’s an awesome teammate. Those are the things that make him very special,’ Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said, via the team’s official website.

Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs

Good things tend to happen when the Lions give Gibbs the football.

Gibbs had a Lions single-season record and NFL-high 20 touchdowns from scrimmage last season. He became only the fourth player in league history to produce a season with at least 1,900 yards from scrimmage, 16 rushing TDs and four receiving TDs in 2024. Entering 2025, the versatile running back is tied-for-first in total touchdowns (31) and ranked third in scrimmage yards (3,190) and rushing yards (2,357) in Lions history through two-career seasons.

Gibbs has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons. He’s the first Lions running back to do that since Barry Sanders. He’s averaged 5.5 yards per carry to begin his career.

“I feel like last year was more of a breakout season for (Gibbs),” Sanders said of Gibbs this offseason. “He eclipsed 1,000 yards. Just the type of exciting, dynamic plays that he’s able to make. His speed and his vision.”

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase

Chase earned the receiving triple crown last season. He was rewarded when the Bengals re-signed him to a massive extension this offseason, making him the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver.

Joe Burrow and Chase have one of the league’s most potent connections. Chase has 395 catches for 5,425 receiving yards and 46 TDs in four seasons. His total receiving yards and receiving TDs are each the third-most in a player’s first four seasons in NFL history. The wideout leads the NFL in touchdown receptions of 40 or more yards (18), 50 or more yards (13) and 60 or more yards (12) since the start of his 2021 rookie season, per the Bengals.

There’s no sign of Burrow and Chase slowing down. The Bengals have both signed through the 2029 season.

“(Chase) is a special player,” Burrow said to reporters last season. “Any way that you can get him the ball, he makes plays.”

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

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Paris Saint-Germain survived a dramatic FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal, holding off Bayern Munich to win 2-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta despite finishing the game with just nine players on the field.

PSG, the reigning UEFA Champions League winner, got late goals from Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé to claim victory, even after defenders Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernández both received red cards. Bayern had the better of large chunks of the game, but saw two goals called back for offside calls, and most worryingly lost playmaker Jamal Musiala to a potentially major ankle injury in the first half.

PSG’s win sends Luis Enrique’s side through to the Club World Cup semifinals, where they’ll meet the winner of Saturday’s late game between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

Here are highlights from the game, as well as minute-by-minute updates as a chaotic Club World Cup battle played out between PSG and Bayern:

PSG vs. Bayern Club World Cup highlights

Full time: PSG 2, Bayern 0

It was utterly unhinged in the final minutes, and the German side will walk off baffled at how it’s turned out this way, but nine-man Paris Saint-Germain has claimed a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich.

Désiré Doué’s 78th minute goal turned out to be the game-winner, but it also let loose a wild sequence of events. PSG had both Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernández sent off, yet scored a second with just nine men on the field. Ousmane Dembélé’s stoppage-time goal sealed the win, but there was still more drama as Bayern were given a penalty kick…only for it to be chalked off due to a VAR check.

However it happened, PSG is through to the semifinals, where they will face either Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Bayern given, and then denied, penalty kick

Pure chaos in Atlanta.

Bayern hoofed a ball into the box that Gianluigi Donnarumma could only get fingertips to, and Thomas Müller leapt up to head the rebound towards goal. Nuno Mendes stuck his foot up high at the same time to attempt a clearance, and PSG had to block Müller’s effort on the line.

However, referee Anthony Taylor has called Mendes for a foul due to his high foot, giving a penalty.

And yet! Taylor gets a call from VAR, and after checking the monitor he has taken the call back. No penalty, and the game restarts with a drop ball.

Goal PSG! Dembélé puts this game to bed

PSG, who again are playing with just nine after two red cards, have somehow ended up scoring anyway.

It looked like their moment was going to pass, as Ousmane Dembélé’s thunderbolt slapped off the crossbar, but PSG ended up keeping the attack going. Bayern left too many men forward gambling in pursuit of an equalizer, and they’ve paid a high price. Achraf Hakimi collected the ball and fed Dembélé again, and this time the France striker had to just steer the ball over the line.

Red card: PSG down to nine as Hernández is off

Lucas Hernández has barely been on the field, but his day is already done after getting a red card in stoppage time.

A replay shows that his swinging elbow caught Raphaël Guerreiro in the chin, and referee Anthony Taylor almost immediately responded with a straight red card.

What a bizarre ending this is. Bayern is sizing up a free kick, and PSG has just nine players on to defend.

PSG vs. Bayern: Substitution round-up

Between the goal and the red card, we’ve seen a wave of substitutions from both teams. Here’s who came in, and who departed:

PSG

Out: Désiré Doué, Fabián Ruiz, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
In: Lucas Hernández, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Lucas Beraldo

Bayern

Out: Aleksandar Pavlović, Kingsley Coman, Sacha Boey
In: Leon Goretzka, Thomas Müller, Raphaël Guerreiro

Kane denied goal by offside flag

It’s non-stop here, but we need to give this update as Harry Kane is called offside just after nodding home a seeming 87th-minute equalizer.

Expect a dramatic finish given how wild this game has gotten since Doué’s goal.

Red card: PSG’s Pacho dismissed

PSG may have the lead, but they’re going to have to hang on for dear life here after center back Willian Pacho was given a red card in the 82nd minute.

Replays show Pacho catching Leon Goretzka with his studs, arriving late and raking down the Germany midfielder’s shin.

Goal PSG! Doué strikes in 78th minute

We have the breakthrough goal, and it’s Désiré Doué firing a left-footed effort past Manuel Neuer in the 78th minute.

The sequence started with a Bayern turnover, with João Neves running on past Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The Portugal midfielder produced a stunning turn to shed his defender, then passed back to Doué, who in turn cut inside before shooting quickly, picking out the bottom corner.

Both teams have made changes after the goal, we’ll get those straightened out momentarily.

Bookings both ways

Désiré Doué just picked up a yellow card after taking a dive near midfield, but seconds later referee Anthony Taylor was called over to the Bayern bench, apparently giving a booking to the German side’s head coach Vincent Kompany.

PSG vs. Bayern: Neuer error somehow doesn’t end in goal

Manuel Neuer came well out of his box only to turn the ball over, and somehow this 74th minute opening didn’t end in a goal.

It seemed impossible for Neuer to close the angle after sending a pass directly into Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but the Germany No. 1 somehow dove in to prevent a shot with a sliding tackle, then put enough pressure on Ousmane Dembélé to force the forward to roll his shot from long range wide.

What a lucky escape from Bayern.

Bayern’s Laimer gets yellow card, PSG makes change

Bayern has received more bad news, with Konrad Laimer being the first player to receive a booking after a 68th-minute challenge on Désiré Doué. That will have a major impact if Bayern advances, as Laimer will be suspended due to yellow card accumulation.

Meanwhile, Ousmane Dembélé (PSG’s top scorer in the 2024-25 season) is coming on to replace Bradley Barcola in the 70th minute.

Neuer denies Barcola

Suddenly PSG has a breakaway after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia slipped in him behind Bayern’s defense, with Bradley Barcola looking sure to score.

However, the 22-year-old started to lean for his shot early, and Manuel Neuer read his intentions, springing to his left to get fingertips to Barcola’s shot.

Still 0-0, but that was easily PSG’s best look so far.

PSG vs. Bayern: Second half begins

We’re back underway in this Club World Cup quarterfinal, with Bayern bringing on Serge Gnabry for the injured Jamal Musiala.

No word on Musiala’s status just yet.

Halftime: PSG 0, Bayern 0

It’s been nearly all Bayern Munich, but PSG has held on to keep this game scoreless at the halftime break. Bayern has disrupted PSG with an intelligent pressing scheme, and the UEFA Champions League winners have only sporadically been able to feed their attackers while fending off an increasing tide of chances.

However, the big story at the moment is what seems like a severe injury for Jamal Musiala, who badly wrenched his ankle after a collision in essentially the final moment of the first half.

Musiala appears seriously hurt

A collision chasing the ball down inside the PSG box has ended with a very alarming injury for Jamal Musiala.

It’s bad enough that Gianluigi Donnarumma is nearly in tears, with several players putting their hands on their head after seeing the state of the Germany midfielder. Mercifully we’re only getting one look at it on replay, which revealed what looked like a severe ankle problem.

Bayern goal waved off for offside

PSG is barely going to stagger into halftime with a 0-0 scoreline at this point, as Dayot Upamecano seemingly headed Bayern into the lead.

However, as the center back celebrates with a knee slide, the bad news arrives: the offside flag is up, and on replay it’s Upamecano and about four other teammates going too soon.

Great refereeing in first-half stoppage time, but for PSG the alarm bells have been ringing for some time.

Big save from Donnarumma denies Bayern

Aleksandar Pavlović didn’t mean for that to be a dangerous shot, but Bayern had its closest brush yet with a goal. Pavlović’s 42nd-minute attempt to slip Jamal Musiala in for a close-range chance didn’t quite connect, but Musiala’s lunging attempt to touch the ball home was a huge distraction for Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Nevertheless, the Italian goalkeeper managed to spot that Musiala didn’t get a touch, then react with stunning quickness to slap the ball away on the line.

Kane narrowly misses for Bayern

Kingsley Coman hasn’t featured much so far against his former club, but he just roasted two defenders in the 38th minute before driving a cross in for Harry Kane.

This looked like it was going to end in an opening goal, but the England striker’s header from close range zipped over the crossbar. That’s a let-off for PSG, as Kane has made a career out of burying chances like that one.

Kvaratskhelia nearly forces a goal, Bayern substitution

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cut inside of Konrad Laimer and charged straight at goal, suddenly turning some possession into a major chance. Manuel Neuer did a great job to get a hand out and stop the initial shot, then stuffed Kvaratskhelia on the rebound to keep this game scoreless.

Josip Stanišić has taken a seat, and it’s the same hamstring issue from before. Sacha Boey has been brought in to replace the Croatian in the 34th minute.

PSG vs. Bayern: Olise forces game’s first big save

Michael Olise has been a major factor for Bayern in these early stages, and the France winger was just denied by a good save from Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 27th minute.

Olise’s shot from a slight angle had plenty of power, but Donnarumma correctly read that this would be a shot rather than a cross, allowing him to dive out and tip the ball away.

At the other end, Désiré Doué is down in a bit of pain, but it looks more like he’s hoping to get a penalty kick over some modest contact in the box. That didn’t pan out, we’re still at 0-0.

End-to-end as teams exchange chances

PSG finally found a counter-attacking opportunity, but the angle was just too narrow for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who fired a shot from a yard off the endline into the outside netting.

Bayern took the resulting goal kick quickly and briefly looked to have caught PSG out, but the French side recovered well enough to prevent a shot.

Meanwhile, Josip Stanišić seems to have felt some tightness in his hamstring, and Bayern is already getting Sacha Boey ready. Stanišić has come back on after some treatment, but that’s a situation to watch given PSG’s attacking speed.

Bayern vs. PSG: Germans on the front foot

For the first time at the Club World Cup, PSG is under something resembling sustained pressure as Bayern has kept the game closer to Gianluigi Donnarumma’s net.

There haven’t been a lot of chances, but after nine minutes, PSG has had to do a substantial amount of defending deep in their own end. The Ligue 1 side has handled that comfortably, forcing Bayern wide, but that’s about all you can say for their performance so far.

How to watch PSG vs. Bayern Munich: TV channel, live stream

TV channel: TNT
Streaming: DAZN

Watch Club World Cup free on DAZN

What time is Bayern vs. PSG?

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bayern Munich is scheduled to kick off at 12 p.m. ET.

Bayern Munich vs. PSG lineups today

PSG vs. Bayern Munich odds

Odds via BetMGM, as of 9:30 a.m. ET

Regular time result

PSG +135
Draw +260
Bayern Munich +180

To advance

PSG -135
Bayern Munich +105

PSG can ‘take our revenge’ vs. Bayern

PSG can avenge a defeat that marked their lowest point this past season when they face Bayern Munich.

On Nov. 26, PSG suffered a 1-0 loss to Bayern that marked a third consecutive defeat in the UCL league chase and put their chances of progressing in danger. Kim Min-jae scored in the 38th minute and PSG star Ousmane Dembele was sent off for his second booking in the 56th in what was a dominant performance by the German side. But the Parisians rebounded to win their last three league phase games and advance, then stormed to the title while defeating Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Inter Milan along the way.

Despite that eventual triumph, PSG forward Bradley Barcola admitted this week that the loss would still be on his team’s mind heading into Saturday’s rematch.

‘This could be a very good moment to take our revenge,’ Barcolo said in an interview with RMC Sport. ‘When we faced them earlier this season, we weren’t in a great moment. Now I think we can do much better in this game. Are we favorites? I don’t know, but when we play like this, I think we’re unstoppable.’

– Field Level Media

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The New York Yankees were already limping into the second half of the season. Now, they’ll find themselves yet another arm short as they try to stop the bleeding in the American League East. 

Right-hander Clarke Schmidt will likely undergo Tommy John surgery, manager Aaron Boone announced Saturday, which would end Schmidt’s season and likely keep him shelved through most of 2026. 

The elbow reconstruction is the Yankees’ second this year, following ace and reigning Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole going under the knife during spring training. And it comes with the Yankees having lost five in a row and 15 of their past 21. 

That skid took them from a 4 ½-game lead in the East to two games behind the Toronto Blue Jays and tied for second with the Tampa Bay Rays. And it further weakens their rotation depth as they await the return of reigning Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, who has been out all season with a lat injury. 

Gil could soon begin a rehab assignment and is expected to be back by the end of this month. 

Schmidt, 29, wasn’t so fortunate. He’d been placed on the injured list with forearm discomfort before additional imaging revealed the likely need for major surgery. Schmidt was 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 14 starts this season, and was part of the Yankees’ playoff rotation last season as they reached the World Series for the first time since 2009. 

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This is Part 3 of a three-part summer series visiting with three former major league All-Stars turned sports dads. They offer sports and life advice about how to make our kids better players, but also how to get the most out of athletic experiences with them. 

This week: Fulfilling professional dreams with Tom, Dee and Nick Gordon while enjoying the ride as fathers and sons.

New York Yankees fans learned a familiar pitching formula in 2004 and 2005. If their team had the lead, they would see Flash Gordon’s biting fastballs and sharp curveballs in the eighth inning, then Mariano Rivera’s lethal cutters in the ninth. A victory was virtually sealed.

The routine often started much earlier in the day, in the New Jersey suburbs where Gordon lived with his teenaged son.

“Daddy, I want to go to the ball field,” Dee Gordon would say as he woke up his dad.

The veteran relief pitcher, now in his mid-to-late 30s, found a personal revival in what came next.

They would go to a nearby diamond at 10:30 or 11 a.m. and get in their work: Father hitting son ground balls, the two talking baseball and soaking up the energy of the interactions he would replicate with similar sessions with another son, Nick.

He would rest for a couple hours, feeling laser focused when he headed to Yankee Stadium.

“That way of doing things took pressure off me,” Tom “Flash” Gordon tells USA TODAY Sports. “I had such a regimen with working with them, where it was taking stress off my mind. And then when it was time for me to get ready to go, I can ease back into it, and then I can go as hard as I can go. They helped me just as much as I helped them.”

It’s the way youth sports can work for parents and kids. Dee and Nick both reached the major leagues, which Flash credits to their determination to climb above their competitors, but also to a path to success his mother and father set him and his siblings along in Avon Park, Florida.

Gordon calls himself an ambassador of sorts these days as he coaches and scouts for Perfect Game, a youth baseball and softball platform.

“I tried to do the very best I could as a father but also I feel like my job is to pass on information that was given to me,” he says.

Gordon, 57, spoke with us about Rivera, Bo Jackson and George Brett, but also the wisdom of Tom and Annie Gordon that drives him, and how we can use it to guide our kids’ travel sports journeys. He offers 10 tips:

1. Approach sports as a love that can last a lifetime

When Flash’s father, also named Tom, took his son to the ballyard, they gassed up, packed sandwiches and headed up into Alabama, Georgia or South Carolina in a parade of cars. It was a real-life barnstorm.

Others came to watch, and the young boy developed an image of what it looked like to be a professional.

 “I got to see not the actual Negro Leagues — the Grays and the Monarchs and teams like that — but these small teams and these small little towns that wanted to be like them,” Flash Gordon says. “It was a Negro league for them, and it was something that they needed.”

His father never graduated from high school, never came close to the opportunities his son had, but he embraced the life a game had given him.

“He never thought he’d be a major league baseball player,” Gordon says of his father. “He probably never thought that his son would and then grandsons, but what he did believe in is that he loved baseball so much to where you keep playing it, or play a sport or do something you love, until it’s out of you in regards to you don’t have the same drive to do it.

“And I was really proud of him because he could have easily said, ‘Son, I play every Sunday, and I work as hard as I could go, and I was hoping that maybe somebody would see me and like me as a player.’ (He was a good pitcher.) And they never did. But he never let that deter him from being our best supporter, our best parent, our best love, and a guy that always wanted to hear how our day went.”

2. It’s not your sports career, it’s your kids’: Parents’ job is to provide the experience

Late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner once offered advice that Flash continues to use when he’s at the Florida car dealerships he and his brothers own: It’s important to be here, but it’s more important for you to leave something behind.

“The knowledge you have, just give that, leave it, because when you’re gone, it’s not yours to take with you,” Flash says.

He saw his parents’ dedication to not only their jobs, but their roles as parents. Annie was at all of her sons’ local games but also carefully sketched out activities for their sister, he says, ‘to create things in her life that kept her motivated and happy and excited about growing up as a kid in our household.”

“My mom was a stickler in staying on top of your grades,” he says. “Being the oldest, you wanted to make sure that the chores around the house were done. … I don’t think I would have made it to the major leagues, I don’t think I would have been the person that I’ve had an opportunity to become without the leadership of my parents. And I see it in my brothers, how they deal with people, respond to people. It’s almost like seeing my brothers be just like my mom in a lot of ways; they have that gentle smile before they make a decision.”

3. Scouts look at the full person, not just their ability

As he scowled from the mound, Flash thought he was tough. But he says he has plenty of his mom in him, too.

Annie has helped him understand, as he roves around to showcases and events, what constitutes the most elite players.

“You’re looking at social media and the stuff that they’re doing, it’s almost like they’re already gratified, they’re already at that point where, ‘Hey, I’ve shown a scout that I’m going to be great. I can hit home runs, shoot 3-pointers, I can hit a volleyball or whatever on videos and show ’em that I got a chance to be great,” Gordon says. “Well, guess what? The coach and the scout have not been around you long enough to see if you’re a quality enough of a person to make everybody around you better.

“It looks good when you do all these things on video, but now I need to come to your house and ask your parents whether or not you do your chores on time, do you look out for your brothers and sisters, or are you someone that they have to stay on and have to constantly be motivated to do something.”

4. Let your kids’ sports motivation come from within

Flash’s son, Dee Strange-Gordon, was drafted in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 and became a two-time All-Star. But his first sports love was basketball.

“All of a sudden, it was like, ‘Daddy, could you buy me a bat? Could you buy me a glove?’ Yes, yes!’ ” Flash says. “It’s only because they’re around it so much. … This game wasn’t pushed on them to where they had to play.

“Let it be about them and their career and just be more motivated to help them the best way you possibly can, reminding them, for the most part, and Nicholas had a tough time sometimes with this one: Nothing comes easy, son.”

5. Whether you are in the dugout or bleachers, allow your son or daughter to be coached

Before Nick Gordon was drafted in the first round in 2014 and would play 338 big-league games, Flash coached him in travel ball.

“I moved my son from shortstop to second base. Sometimes I played him at third,” Flash says. “He felt like, well, that’s the wrong decision to make. However, I have to make the decision best for the entire team, not just for the fact that you’re my son.

“Be willing to allow your coach to coach your child, and then sit back in the stands and observe and watch the process. … The toughest thing for a parent is when a coach changes your son’s position, and maybe you don’t think that’s the right way. However, you’re looking at it from a parent’s perspective outside, and he’s looking at it [from] the coach’s perspective on the ground, boots down.”

6. The most elite players have pregame routines

After Flash Gordon was drafted by Kansas City in the sixth round in 1986, he reported to the rookie-level Gulf Coast League in Sarasota, Florida. He was a hotshot high schooler who found himself up against another Kansas City Royals prospect named Linton Dyer. Dyer’s nickname was “Lightning.”

“Flash vs. Lightning,” another Royals prospect, Bo Jackson, observed, coining Gordon’s moniker.

Gordon was 20 when he reached the majors. He found out how much he didn’t know, when Brett called him over to his locker.

“I don’t see a routine, son,” the future Hall of Famer said.

Brett did the same thing every day. He arrived, put on his shorts, and headed off to hit and watch video.

“The routine as a parent at home, getting up, those things change sometimes,” Flash says, “but when you have a game that’s being played at 7 o’clock, it’s time for you to get a routine at 3 p.m. and have that routine ready to go and make sure that you capture those goals through that routine until game time.

“I really appreciated Mark Gubicza and Bret Saberhagen. Those guys had great routines and prepared, they paid attention in the meetings, and it just inspired me to want to try and see if I could do more of that and become that much of a better baseball player.”

7. We don’t ever want to tear kids down, but we can use constructive criticism to motivate them

Gordon learned in the majors that teammates wanted to know when they weren’t pulling their weight.

“Every now and then it’s OK to let them know you were not that good today,” he says. “Sometimes, as a leader, you have to be reminded that it ain’t just about the way you see things. It’s about team. We’re trying to promote winning. Sometimes players think about things a week down the road when we right now are in this struggle with this other team to beat them three out of four. In the major leagues, guys come there, they all think they’re ready to play, and everyone’s coming to watch them. I was there. I know what it feels like. But sometimes that criticism puts things back into perspective.”

8. Taking nothing for granted when you reach the upper levels of sports

Sometimes Flash will look at his phone, and see that it’s Bo Jackson calling, and say to himself: “What have I done now?”

Bo always gave it to Flash straight if he felt he was just going through the motions.

“Hey, you’re in the major leagues,” Jackson would tell the younger player. “Every day you take nothing for granted here. You go as hard as you can because you never know when that day that you can’t play again happens. You get hurt, you may not ever be able to play again. Things don’t go well, you may not find that way of being able to progress.”

Even when our kids reach high school sports, there is no guarantee they will play. Each game, each sliver of playing time within that game, presents an opportunity.

Gordon tells kids there are always three things they can control: Your preparation, your attitude and your emotions.

“If you do those things,” he says, “you make my job easier, and I can help you become a much better baseball player, a much better person.”

9. Find calm before you go into the storm

Gordon was in his 15th full major-league season when he got to the Yankees. When he walked into the clubhouse, he’d see Rivera two lockers away. Rivera’s routine was to sit there. Nothing, it seemed, could disrupt the guy who would become baseball’s all-time saves leader.

“We could have a bonfire in the middle of the clubhouse,” Gordon says.

He was putting himself in that space of mindfulness and focus where pitchers thrive. The practice kept him fresh and motivated, and it was one Gordon realized he liked himself.

10. Your No. 1 asset is being a good teammate

When Flash came up with the Royals, he had lived with Jackson and his wife, Linda. He was a part of the family to the point where Bo’s kids called him their brother.

Gordon had just been told by then-Arizona Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch he had been released after what would be his final major-league game in 2009, when he was reminded of that feeling. He walked out of Hinch’s office, and each of his teammates was there to hug him.

“There’s not a coach I’ve ever come across that’s not willing to give you great information to help make you better when you’re a good teammate,” he says.

He couldn’t stop crying and yet he was at peace, like he had felt in those days when he and Dee were on the field in New Jersey.

“With everything that we have today, technology and the Internet, and everything that’s out there, kids’ lives start to get overshadowed with them being athletes and other things that they’re doing,” he says. “Just stay at a place where you’re more of a listener than you are someone that’s giving advice. You don’t have o. Sometimes just watching gives you the best perspective. Just be there for their journey.”

Read Part II: World Series champ shares how to maximize high school, college potential

Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.

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The Carolina Hurricanes landed the biggest remaining name on the free agent list when winger Nikolaj Ehlers agreed to terms on a six-year deal averaging $8.5 million a year.

Though Jack Roslovic, Matt Grzelcyk, Ilya Samsonov and other unrestricted free agents remain out there, teams will focus on their restricted free agents. Eleven players chose on July 5 to have their 2025-26 salaries determined by a neutral arbitrator.

Among unrestricted free agents, Mitch Marner went to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign and trade on June 30, and several key players re-signed, including Florida’s Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand, plus Detroit’s Patrick Kane. Vancouver’s Brock Boeser and New Jersey’s Jake Allen decided on the July 1 free agency opening day to stay.

In addition to Ehlers, Mikael Granlund, Vladislav Gavrikov, Pius Suter, Brent Burns and others have changed teams.

Here are the signings, trades and other news that have taken place since free agency opened:

July 5: 11 file for salary arbitration

The NHL Players’ Association announced that 11 players have filed for salary arbitration. Hearings will be held from July 20 to Aug. 4, though both sides usually reach an agreement beforehand.

The biggest names are Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal, who will be the clear-cut No. 1 netminder after the trade of John Gibson to the Red Wings, and Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi, who set career bests with 27 goals, 34 assists and 61 points for the NHL’s top regular season team. Two other Jets players filed.

The full list:

Morgan Barron(Winnipeg Jets)
Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks)
Drew Helleson (Anaheim Ducks)
Kaapo Kakko (Seattle Kraken)
Nicholas Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Dylan Samberg(Winnipeg Jets)
Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks)
Jayden Struble(Montreal Canadiens)
Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres)
Maksim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders)
Gabriel Vilardi (Winnipeg Jets)

July 3 signings

Capitals re-sign Anthony Beauvillier

He’ll average $2.75 million in the two-year deal. The Capitals bring back their trade deadline acquisition after falling short in the Nikolaj Ehlers sweepstakes.

Hurricanes agree to terms with Nikolaj Ehlers

The Hurricanes had acquired a skilled offensive player the last two seasons via trade only to see Jake Guentzel and Mikko Rantanen go elsewhere. This signing means Carolina has Ehlers locked in until 2031. He’s known for his speed and he takes a lot of shots, which fits in well with Carolina’s system. His goal production is consistently in the mid to high 20s. He could hit 30 if he gets more than the 16-plus minutes he averaged with the Jets. Ehlers has been named to the Danish Olympic team, along with his new teammate, goalie Frederik Andersen.

Sharks sign Dmitry Orlov, claim Nick Leddy off waivers

He’ll average $6.5 million in his two-year deal. Orlov is the third veteran defenseman that the Sharks have added this season after signing John Klingberg and claiming Nick Leddy off waivers. Orlov, 33, had 28 points and 101 hits with the Hurricanes in 2024-25. He won a Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018 and Leddy won with the Blackhawks in 2013. The additions of Orlov and Leddy bring the Sharks up to the salary cap floor and they have room to make other moves if they want.

July 2 signings

Avalanche agree to terms with Brent Burns

The 40-year-old defenseman gets one year. Sportsnet reports it’s a $1 million deal and he could get another $3 million in bonuses. Burns has the longest active consecutive games streak in the NHL at 925 games. He last missed a game in 2013-14. His offensive numbers have dropped the past two seasons (he had 29 points in 2024-25), but he has a booming shot and averaged nearly 21 minutes a game in the regular season and nearly 23 in the postseason. He’s still looking for his first Stanley Cup title. The Avalanche could give him a chance.

Red Wings sign Mason Appleton

The Wings gave Appleton two years at $2.9 million average, a hefty price for a forward who topped out at 14 goals in one season in 2023-24 while a member of the high-octane Jets. Appleton had 10 goals in 71 games last season with the Jets. He has 57 goals and 138 points in 400 career NHL games. Appleton played at Michigan State from 2015-17. – Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press

Devils re-sign Cody Glass

The center will average $2.5 million in the two-year deal. The restricted free agent was acquired at the trade deadline from the Penguins.

Jets sign Gustav Nyquist

Nyquist landed a one-year, $3.25 million contract. He had 28 points in 79 games between the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators last season but had a 75-point season in 2023-24. The Jets are losing Ehlers in free agency.

Islanders sign Maxim Shabanov, Emil Heineman

The Islanders signed Kontinental Hockey League free agent forward Shabanov, 24, to a one-year entry-level deal. He averaged more than a point a game last season with Chelyabinsk and had 25 goals the season before. The Islanders also signed Heineman, acquired in the Noah Dobson trade, to a two-year contract.

Blues sign Pius Suter

The forward will average $4.125 million over two years. Suter set career highs with 25 goals and 46 points in 2024-25 with the Canucks while tying his career best of 21 assists. The Blues earlier placed defenseman Nick Leddy on waivers.

Penguins sign Anthony Mantha

The Penguins have signed forwards Anthony Mantha ($2.5 million) and Rafael Harvey-Pinard ($775,000) to one-year contracts. Mantha was limited to 13 games in 2024-25 because of ACL surgery.

Oilers sign Curtis Lazar

Lazar gets a one-year, $775,000 deal for a likely bottom six role. The NHL veteran played his junior hockey in Edmonton and has 47 goals and 78 assists in 572 career games.

Connor Bedard, Blackhawks talking extension

Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 draft, and the Blackhawks are talking about an extension. He’s eligible for one because he’s entering the final year of his contract.

“I probably don’t want to get too far into it, but we are talking,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said, according to NHL.com. “So, I think that’s an indicator of an openness to discuss. He made his thoughts very clear at the end of the season and subsequently in other interviews, that he’s committed to Chicago and wants to be here long-term and we obviously want him here long-term, so there’s mutual agreement there.”

Bedard won rookie of the year in 2023-24 and has 45 goals and 123 points through 150 games over two seasons.

July 1 signings

Oilers sign Andrew Mangiapane

He’ll average $3.6 million in the two-year deal. The Oilers needed scoring depth after trading Viktor Arvidsson. Mangiapane did score 35 goals in 2021-22, though mostly he’s in the 14 to 18 range, including 14 this past season with the Capitals. The Oilers got to see Mangiapane a lot when he played for the Flames from 2017-24.

Hurricanes sign K’Andre Miller after trade with Rangers

The Hurricanes signed defenseman K’Andre Miller to an eight-year deal with a $7.5 million cap hit after acquiring him in a trade with the Rangers. Carolina gives up defenseman Scott Morrow, a conditional first-round pick and Carolina’s 2026 second-rounder in the trade. The Rangers dealt Miller, 25, to free up the space to sign top free agent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov.

Miller gives the Hurricanes a young defenseman for their roster with Dmitry Orlov and Brent Burns hitting free agency. ‘Right now, I do not anticipate either of them being back with us,’ general manager Eric Tulsky said. ‘Obviously that could change with one phone call.’

The Hurricanes also signed free agent defenseman Mike Reilly to a one-year, $1.1 million deal. He played for the Islanders last season.

Rangers re-sign Will Cuylle

New York locked up its top restricted free-agent priority to a two-year, $7.8 million deal on July 1, as first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. It will carry an average annual value of $3.9 million. Cuylle’s coming off a sophomore NHL season in which he scored 20 goals while breaking the franchise’s single-season record with 301 hits. – Vince Z. Mercogliano, lohud.com

Sharks sign John Klingberg

The veteran defenseman gets a one-year, $4 million deal. He had played for the Oilers last season, suiting up for 19 playoff games and four in the final. The Sharks also signed forwards Philip Kurashev (one year, $1.2 million) and Adam Gaudette (two years, $2 million average) and traded for goalie Alex Nedeljkovic.

Devils sign Evgenii Dadonov

He’ll get a one-year, $1 million deal that could grow with bonuses. He’s coming off a 20-goal season in Dallas, but his ice time shrank in the playoffs.

Stars sign Radek Faksa

His three-year deal will average $2 million. Faksa played his entire career in Dallas, except for 2024-25, when the depth forward played for the Blues. He won 57% of his faceoffs this past season and he kills penalties. The Stars also are bringing back forward Colin Blackwell on a two-year deal with a $775,000 cap hit.

Mammoth sign Vitek Vanecek

The goalie signs a one-year, $1.5 million contract. He split time between San Jose and Florida last season, getting to lift the Stanley Cup. Utah backup goalie Connor Ingram is out indefinitely after entering the NHL/NHLPA Players Assistance Program.

Ducks sign Mikael Granlund

He gets a three-year deal, with a reported $7 million cap hit. Granlund played on an all-Finland in Dallas after arriving in a trade, but the Stars didn’t have the cap room to keep him. The Ducks continue to be aggressive in trying to get back to the playoffs after earlier trading for Chris Kreider.

Wild sign Nico Sturm

He’ll average $2 million in the two-year deal. Sturm is strong on faceoffs and kills penalties. He spilt time the past between the Sharks and Panthers, winning a Stanley Cup with Florida. He started his career in Minnesota.

Islanders sign Jonathan Drouin

He gets a two-year contract with a reported $4 million average. He averaged 0.76 points per game in two seasons in Colorado but missed nearly half of the 2024-25 season.

Devils sign Connor Brown

He’ll average $3 million in the four-year deal. Brown has reached the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons with the Oilers. He can move up and down the lineup and teams appreciate that versatility.

Mammoth sign Brandon Tanev

He’ll average $2.5 million in the three-year contract. The forward is fast, kills penalties and has the league’s best team head shots.

Red Wings sign James van Riemsdyk

The forward gets a one-year, $1 million contract. His 16 goals this past season were his most since 2021-22.

Kings sign two defensemen, goaltender

Defenseman Cody Ceci (four years, $4.5 million average) and Brian Dumoulin (three years, $4 million average) will fill the roster spots of Vladislav Gavrikov (signed by Rangers) and Jordan Spence (traded to Senators). Goalie Anton Forsberg gets two years at a $2.25 million cap hit. Kings goalie David Rittich signed a free agent deal with the Islanders.

Kings sign Corey Perry, Joel Armia

Perry, 40, had 10 playoff goals during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. He has been to the final five times in the last six seasons, losing all five (he won in 2007). But for a Kings team that has lost four years to the Oilers. they’ll gladly accept a player who regularly gets past the first round and more. Armia is a penalty killing forward with 17 career short-handed goals.

Perry gets a one-year, $2 million contract and can earn other $2 million in bonuses. Armia averages $2.5 million his two-year deal.

Mammoth sign Nate Schmidt

The defenseman will average $3.5 million in the three-year deal. Schmidt had been bought out in Winnipeg last summer and joined coach Paul Maurice in Florida, where he played a key role in the Stanley Cup run. The Mammoth were in need of a defenseman after trading Michael Kesselring to the Sabres. The Mammoth also signed defenseman Scott Perunovich and forward Kailer Yamamoto to one-year, two-way deals.

Blackhawks acquire Sam Lafferty from Sabres

The forward is returning after previously playing in Chicago for parts of two seasons. He struggled in Buffalo with seven points in 60 games. The Sabres get a 2026 sixth-round pick in return.

Kraken sign Ryan Lindgren

The defenseman will average $4.5 million over four years. He kills penalties and is known for putting his body on the line, but that takes its toll. The team later signed goalie Matt Murray to a one-year, $1 million contract.

Flyers sign Christian Dvorak

He’ll get $5.4 million in the one-year deal. He kills penalties and wins faceoffs. The Flyers ranked 20th in penalty killing and were just below 50% in faceoff winning percentage.

Sharks give William Eklund contract extension

The three-year deal, starting in 2026-27, will average $5.6 million. He finished second on the Sharks this past season with 58 points. His brother, Victor, was just drafted by the Islanders.

Bruins sign Tanner Jeannot

He’ll average $3.4 million in the five-year contract, per reports. Jeannot is a rugged forward with 211 hits in each of the past two seasons. He scored 24 goals in his second season but hasn’t had more than seven goals since.

Rangers sign Vladislav Gavrikov

He’ll average $7 million over seven years, according to multiple reports. He was the top defensive defenseman in the free agent pool and can slot in next to Adam Fox. The Rangers needed shoring up defensively and Gavrikov (140 blocked shots) will fill that role. He also had 30 points, second best in his career. Does this mean K’Andre Miller gets moved out?

Flyers sign goalie Dan Vladar

He’ll average $3.35 million in the two-year deal. Goaltending was an issue with the Flyers last season, and Vladar will make sure that Samuel Ersson has a steadier backup.

Capitals extend Martin Fehervary

He’ll average $6 million in the seven-year extension that kicks in during the 2026-27 season. He had career highs with 20 assists and 25 points this past season.

Avalanche re-sign Parker Kelly

He’ll get four years at a reported $1.7 million average.

Canucks re-sign Brock Boeser

He’s staying with a seven-year deal worth $7.25 million a year. That’s key for the Canucks after he scored 40 goals two seasons ago. His agent, Ben Hankinson, posted that the deal was reached ‘in the final minutes, really, did you expect him to sign anywhere else?’

Free agency officially open

It’s noon and teams can officially pursue players on other teams.

Bruins-Oilers trade

The Bruins acquire forward Viktor Arvidsson from the Oilers for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick, Arvidsson had signed a two-year deal with Edmonton last season and did not work out. He was in and out of the lineup in the playoffs. But he did score 26 goals two seasons ago and could fill a middle-six role in Boston. Edmonton saves $4 million in cap space.

Canadiens-Blues trade

The Canadiens acquire forward Zack Bolduc for defenseman Logan Mailloux. Bolduc adds secondary scoring after scoring 19 goals and 36 points in his first full season. Mailloux, who was taken in the first round of the 2021 draft despite asking not to be drafted, has played eight NHL games. The Canadiens recently acquired Noah Dobson, who fills the role of offensive defenseman.

Jake Allen staying with Devils

He’ll average $1.8 million over five years and will remain in a tandem with Jacob Markstrom. That will disappoint teams that may have been looking for a goalie. He was the top netminder out there.

Islanders re-sign Tony DeAngelo

The defenseman gets a one-year deal worth a reported $1.75 million. His offensive role will grow with the Islanders trading Noah Dobson to the Canadiens.

Hurricanes’ Logan Stankoven gets extension

He’ll average $6 million in the eight-year deal. Stankoven, 22, was the key return when the Hurricanes traded Mikko Rantanen to the Stars. He scored five game-winning goals last season. The contract kicks in during the 2026-27 season.

Panthers sign Daniil Tarasov

The goalie, recently acquired from the Blue Jackets, will get one year at $1.05 million, according to reports.

Canucks sign Thatcher Demko, Conor Garland to extensions

Demko will average $8.5 million in his three-year contract and Garland will average $6 million in his six-year contract. Both deals will take effect in 2026-27. Demko has dealt with injuries but was a Vezina Trophy runner-up in 2023-24. Garland is a two-time 50-point scorer.

Panthers re-sign Tomas Nosek

He’ll get one year at $775,000. Nosek joined the lineup with the Panthers down 2-0 to the Maple Leafs in the second round. The new-look fourth line helped lead the Panthers’ comeback and the team rallied around Nosek after his overtime delay of game penalty proved costly in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers have all 12 forwards from their clinching game under contract.

Maple Leafs announce Matthew Knies deal

He’ll get six years at a reported $7.75 million per year. Knies, a restricted agent, played on the top line with Auston Matthews and just-departed Mitch Marner. He had a career-best 29 goals, 29 assists and 58 points.

Golden Knights make Mitch Marner deal official

The Golden Knights officially announced the Mitch Marner deal on July 1. He was acquired from the Maple Leafs for center Nicolas Roy and will get an eight-year, $96 million contract. The $12 million average makes him Vegas’ top-paid player ahead of Jack Eichel ($10 million). Marner will wear No. 93, his junior hockey number with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights.

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Ailing defending champion Barbora Krejcikova was knocked out of Wimbledon on July 5 when she was beaten 2-6 6-3 6-4 by American 10th seed Emma Navarro in a disjointed Court One contest.

Czech Krejcikova, seeded 17, led by a set and a break of serve but faded badly and looked physically drained in the final set in which she required treatment from the doctor.

A distressed Krejcikova, who has had a difficult season plagued by a back injury, battled on but appeared to be in tearsas she prepared to serve to stay in the tournament at 3-5 in the decider, bravely holding serve to prolong the contest.

But Navarro held her nerve to seal victory and ensure that, for the eighth Wimbledon in a row, the women’s singles champion will be a first-time winner.

Navarro, who reached the quarterfinals last year, will face 18-year-old seventh seed Mirra Andreeva in the next round.

A 15-minute interruption for drizzle after two games and a blustery breeze hardly helped the flow of an untidy contest in which Navarro struck only 13 winners to Krejcikova’s 34.

But the American managed to focus through the distractions, with Krejcikova at times bent double between points in the third set after having her blood pressure and pulse checked.

‘It was tough out here today, neither of us played our best tennis, she was dealing with some injuries and I wasdealing with whatever I was dealing with,’ Navarro said on court.

‘It’s not easy to be composed (when your opponent is struggling). Part of you is saying just put a bunch of balls inthe court and that’s all you need to do. But then you trick yourself into not playing the way you want to play.’

After the early rain stoppage left the players twiddling their thumbs on court with officials opting not to shut the roofor cover the grass, Krejcikova settled better and reeled off four games in a row on her way to taking the opening set.

Krejcikova broke serve for a 2-1 lead in the second set but, unlike earlier when she went on a roll, she lost the momentum as Navarro began to dig in her heels.

‘I like to play scrappy and get a few more balls back in the court,’ Navarro said of her change in fortunes.

Navarro broke serve twice on her way to levelling the match with Krejcikova then going off court for a comfort breakand Navarro having a long pep talk from her coach Peter Ayers.

The 24-year-old saved five break points in the second game of the third set and Krejcikova looked mortified when shewas broken in the next game, staring into space as her hopes faded.

Krejcikova broke back, but then lost her own serve immediately as Navarro found the corner with a sweetly-struckbackhand. After being checked over by the doctor, Krejcikova dragged herself back to the baseline and even found some inspiration to level the set at 3-3.

Despite the support of a sympathetic crowd, Krejcikova looked close to collapse at times in the finals stages as herWimbledon reign came to a bitter end.

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Bryan Braman, a former NFL linebacker who played seven seasons with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles, is battling an aggressive form of ‘life-threatening cancer,’ according to a GoFundMe set up in his benefit by William Jones.

Braman, 38, has had multiple surgeries while being treated for the disease in Seattle, which has put financial strain on the Spokane native and his family.

‘He is required to have a 24-hour caregiver, but his insurance doesn’t pay for housing for this program,’ Jones’ first GoFundMe update in February read. ‘He has no home currently as he has had to pay out of pocket for much of his treatment, and even sold his last vehicle to raise the money for the motel [for] this week.’

The GoFundMe for Braman had raised more than $65,000 as of 11 a.m. ET on Saturday. That included a $10,000 donation from Braman’s former Texans teammate, J.J. Watt, and donations from other former teammates including Chris Long, Duane Brown, Brian Cushing, Brent Celek and Rasul Douglas, among others.

Braman’s treatment has included CAR T-cell Therapy – which the American Cancer Society describes as ‘a way to get immune cells called T cells (a type of white blood cell) to fight cancer by changing them in the lab so they can find and destroy cancer cells’ – according to an update posted to the GoFundMe on June 20.

‘His cells did re-infuse themselves, and did in fact start reproducing within his bone marrow,’ Jones wrote. ‘At first the mass did start to shrink, but then the cancer started fighting back.’

Braman has since had chemotherapy treatments but has struggled to bounce back from the surgical procedures he has had due to lowered immunity from the treatments.

Despite this, Braham remains ‘determined to never give up,’ according to the GoFundMe. That hasn’t been a surprise to Sean Stellato, his long-time agent.

‘At Stellato Sports, Bryan Braman has always stood for strength, resilience and leadership,’ Stellato told KPRC 2 in Houston. ‘He is a pillar and a staple of the underdog. Now, in the face of cancer, he embodies those qualities more than ever.’

‘If there is one person that I know that can beat cancer, it is Bryan Braman, who I have always considered family. He’s in the fight of his life.’

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