As someone who grew up in New England during the Patriots’ dynasty, falling in love with football came naturally for Zach Smith.

A relative bought him the “NFL Sunday Ticket” television package for his eighth birthday. That hooked him further. But the gift he cherished every year was the latest edition of the NFL’s record and fact book. 

Learning the history of the game mesmerized him; nothing beat watching records fall. Peyton Manning breaking Dan Marino’s single-season touchdown mark during the 2004 season was the catalyst for his fascination with football players reaching new heights. And the way statistics have changed over the years, especially with the emergence of dual-threat quarterbacks, has kept him invested in the numbers. 

That fascination with numbers and records eventually landed Smith his dream job: Now 27, he is one of the NFL’s ace statisticians based at league headquarters in New York.

He is also autistic.

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

‘Having been an avid football fan for the last 21 years,’ Smith said, ‘I can’t imagine life without football and I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d rather be on Sunday: watching football, whether on the couch or in my case right now, working the games.’

Zach’s story

Smith was diagnosed with autism when he was just 2 1/2 years old.

For most of his life, he wouldn’t even say that word, his father, Bob, said. But now he’s become a champion for others like him since his employment with the NFL.

“It was something he kinda knew, but didn’t really own,” Bob told USA TODAY Sports. “It was in the college years when he started to own it and became an advocate for it.”

The advocacy happened through – and thanks to – Best Buddies International, the non-profit organization that provides resources for youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The Best Buddies Job Program, which helps people with IDD earn an income and support themselves, placed Smith with the NFL. On Feb. 9, he worked his fourth Super Bowl for the league.

Smith became involved in Best Buddies through the local chapter at Westborough High School in Massachusetts. By his sophomore year, he was the school’s Buddy Director. In college, at Worcester State University, he said he lost that feeling of community but later reconnected with the organization after moving to the New York area (Smith resides across the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey.) The Best Buddies events he attends now are karaoke nights and picnics at public parks and other social gatherings, such as pizza gatherings or jogs. 

And Best Buddies means much more to Smith than just helping him start his career in sports statistics. 

“Anthony Shriver did the right thing when he started it at Georgetown all those years ago. He’s done an amazing thing,” Smith told USA TODAY Sports, referencing the Best Buddies founder who is a nephew of President John F. Kennedy. “It’s really touched the lives of so many people.’

How he reached the NFL

When Smith was in college, his family reached out to Best Buddies after struggling to find an internship for Zach. They met with an employee from Best Buddies who said internships were tough to secure, but that permanent employment was the organization’s priority. They kept in touch until Zach graduated from Worcester State magna cum laude with a degree in communications and a minor in writing. 

“That’s where the whole NFL connection came,” Smith’s mother, Michele, said.

Michele Smith was in the house the day he interviewed with the NFL. Sitting silently downstairs, she listened while Zach was pummeled with football questions. Zach answered each one efficiently and effectively, she said.

“They even said at the end, ‘We never even had someone go through that many questions during an interview’ because they kept asking and he kept answering,” Michele recalled. 

At the NFL, Smith helped launch an employee resource group (ERG) called “NFL Able” for employees with neurocognitive disabilities (or for those with family members diagnosed with one), a first-of-its-kind ERG in the league. Smith helped come up with the group’s logo and commissioner Roger Goodell attended the launch party. In 2025, Smith hopes the group can fundraise more and become better-established.

‘We got into diversity efforts because we felt it was the right thing for the National Football League, and we’re going to continue those efforts because we’ve not only convinced ourselves, I think we’ve proven ourselves that it does make the NFL better,’ Goodell said at his annual Super Bowl news conference earlier this month.

Smith said it’s important to “continue to build on that mantra” and make sure all applicants for roles are noticed, accepted for interviews and considered in the hiring process. 

“And making sure if they do get hired, that they are accepted into the workplace and make sure they have enough support so that when they start work, that they know what to do and what areas they may need help in,” Smith said.

Working at the NFL

Smith’s role, his manager Ollie Auerbach explained, is to validate all game and play statistics and data as they come in. He said in Smith’s four seasons with the league, nobody has inputted more “perfect” games – no corrections made after the fact – than Smith. 

Auerbach described Smith as a hard worker who wants every shift possible, whether games are on the West Coast or Germany. 

“I remember seeing his resume or his application and, honestly, when we look for individuals, we’re constantly looking for tie-ins to football or involvement in sports and statistics,” Auerbach told USA TODAY Sports. “Obviously, it’s a unique position where we’re looking for people that really know the game of football.”

Smith is the one who brings doughnuts or bagels for his colleagues on those early Sundays, or candy on Halloween. On game days, before he leaves, he’s always sure to find Auerbach and say goodbye. 

“It’s kind of funny,” Auerbach said, “you don’t think about something like that, but not every person does that. It’s always nice in a stressful environment that we are in. Obviously, the pressure could be high. He always puts things in perspective, too.”  

Smith has perfectionist tendencies, but he’s learning it’s impossible to always be flawless. Maximum effort is what matters. 

“Accuracy means putting in the best you can do in all areas … in this job I’m in now, it’s important to be perfect, but any small mistakes you may make along the way, those aren’t a big deal,” he said, “as long as they’re not awful mistakes that we miss on game days.” 

Working in New York City

The Smiths said they assumed Zach would live with them his whole life, and they don’t want other families to fall into the same thinking. With better education and information for parents and increased life-skills training for those with autism, more could benefit. Looking at Zach now, his promise and potential would have been unfulfilled. 

Bob and Michele did have questions, like, ”How is he going to cook dinner?” when Zach was hired.

‘For him to get the job and just flat-out move to the city, we were kind of panicking,’ Bob said.

But Zach fell in love with New York City, and his determination made Bob realize that fretting over the move wasn’t necessary.

“He was so set on that, that he really has so impressed us with the ability to be on his own in such a big city,” Bob said. 

Zach ran the New York City Marathon in November and achieved his goal of finishing under the four-hour mark. According to his watch, he clocked in at 3:59:30 – and there’s little reason to believe it’s an inaccurate stat.

There are challenges, such as exacerbated sensory issues while commuting to one of the world’s busiest cities. Strangers approaching him isn’t always easy. A weekly family FaceTime call includes his sister, Kathryn, who has a close relationship with Zach and is studying to become a school psychologist. During that call, they’re all able to talk through hurdles he may be facing.

Michele works in special education and encourages those with an intellectual disability who have a “focus-interest” – in Zach’s case, sports and statistics – to try to translate that into a career.

“A lot of places are hiring kids on the spectrum – whiz kids with math, etc.,” Michele said. “Everybody has their strength. And of course when you’re dealing with autism, you have weaknesses; you have to just kind of really focus on the strengths and then parlay that strength, like Zach did, into a potential job or career.” 

Catching a touchdown from the GOAT

In addition to his association with the NFL, Smith has something in common with Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Randy Moss. 

Catching a touchdown from the GOAT. 

In 2014, when Zach was 17, he played in the Best Buddies: Tom Brady Football Challenge for charity at Harvard. Brady was the universal quarterback, and Smith took the field in the fourth quarter. 

The seven-time Super Bowl champion found Smith over the middle near the end of the game. Smith caught it with his chest in the end zone for a touchdown and celebrated with a “Gronk-spike.’

“I had my shining moment, getting a high-five,” said Smith, who loves to re-watch the clip. 

Shortly after he was hired by the NFL, Smith appeared in a 10-minute “Good Morning Football” segment. His touchdown was featured during the show.

Brady posted the highlight on his Instagram story after Smith joined the NFL stats team. “Congrats Zach!!” Brady wrote in the caption. “Keep up the great work.”

Brady can count on that, as Smith keeps stats for the sport he loves.

There’s a simple law of the universe that goes something like this: Where there’s a vacuum, there’s always backfill. 

So be careful what you wish for. 

Oklahoma and Nebraska, two historical blue blood programs of college sports, recently hired two former NFL executives as general managers of their football programs. 

Smart, forward thinking and proactive moves amid the fluid player procurement landscape of the sport, right? 

That, or a manufactured position of need that will continue to drastically change the power structure of athletic departments all over college sports. Those with the power now – coaches and athletic directors – are willingly giving it up faster than you can say ‘pay for play.’

Because no one wants to deal with the dynamics of paying players. 

Not coaches, not athletic directors. Certainly not university presidents.

They don’t have the time nor inclination to figure out salary structure and terms for players, and beyond that, for specific positions. They already have oars in the water, bud. Don’t need more.

Go get the NFL guy, he’ll do it. Give him a job that’s equal parts player procurement (high school and transfer portal) and salary cap manager, and let him work his magic.

Oklahoma hired NFL super scout Jim Nagy, most recently the executive director of the successful Senior Bowl. Nebraska hired New England Patriots director of pro personnel Patrick Stewart. The moves come two months after North Carolina hired Michael Lombardi to have a similar role alongside incoming coach Bill Belichick.

Both are highly qualified, maybe even overqualified. Both will bring fresh ideas and an element of professionalism to the programs. 

Both will walk through the door with power relinquished to them by the (former) two biggest positions in every athletic department: football coach and athletic director. For no other reason than, “You deal with it, Im not.” 

Here’s your expected multi-million budget, and make it fit with an anticipated 105 scholarship players. All while doing so under the tattered NCAA umbrella, or whatever the sport’s governing body evolves into before the start of the 2025 season and the advent of pay for play.

Offers and contracts, guaranteed deals and performance-based bonus structures. Retention bonuses and buyouts for leaving early, incentives and clawbacks.

The unwieldy mess is enough to make a coach pine for the halcyon days of helicopter parents and players fighting with the local frat. 

So you hire a GM and cut him loose to do the dirty work, the seemingly mundane grind of salary cap structure. But here’s what coaches don’t understand ― at least, not yet. 

Player procurement and the salary cap is everything. That’s why NFL coaches are typically fired long before general managers. 

Because NFL owners (see: university presidents) don’t want to know how the sausage is made. They just want results, and when they’re looking for reasons why it’s not working, they typically seek guidance from the one clear buffer between them and the obviously self-served opinion of the head coach. 

They ask the GM, who then tells the owner that the talent is in place to win. I just buy the groceries, I don’t cook the meal. 

See where this is headed? 

At this point, and so early in the process of pay for play, what university president and/or athletic director in their right mind is going to fire a coach and general manager if the losses pile up?

You’re not going to run off the guy who understands the salary cap and how to structure it, and salaries and budgets and everything that goes with it. Because you don’t want to do it, and don’t want to start all over and hire another person to do it their way — unless you absolutely, positively have to. 

Remember, the GM is providing the players, not coaching them. Not my fault, not on me.

In less than four years, college football has nearly completed this blind metamorphosis into a cheap facsimile of the NFL. Once players become employees (that’s the next step) and collectively bargain, we’ll have reached peak imitation.  

The vacuum is being filled, everyone.

Be careful what you wish for.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

There’s more than just city bragging rights at stake when UCLA and Southern California meet again on Saturday.

The No. 2 Bruins and No. 3 Trojans had an epic first clash on Feb. 13, with JuJu Watkins delivering a signature performance as USC beat its rival in front of its home fans. The second game will take place at UCLA. Just like the first matchup at the Galen Center, an electric environment is expected; it will be a sell-out crowd at Pauley Pavilion.

UCLA and USC have had little trouble in their first season in the Big Ten. Saturday’s winner can cap off an incredible regular season with a championship and generate momentum as March Madness approaches. Each team has national championship aspirations and is in prime position to get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament based on Thursday’s selection committee rankings.

‘It’s for all the marbles here,’ said USC forward Rayah Marshall.

Before the big-time Saturday night feature, here are the top storylines and keys to the game:

Big Ten regular-season title is on the line

At 16-1 each in conference play and tied atop the standings, Saturday’s game will be for the Big Ten regular-season title.

‘The UCLA rivalry game is always a big game,’ said USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. ‘But now I think the stakes that are on it nationally and, for the first Big Ten regular-season championship, it has a little bit of an elevated feel for sure.’

Playing in a new league that requires several cross-country trips hasn’t been much trouble for either team. In the coaches and media preseason poll, the Trojans were picked to finish first with the Bruins slated second. Now, it’s a guarantee they’ll finish 1-2 in the standings and be the top two seeds in next week’s conference tournament.

USC’s recent dominance over UCLA

It’s been the Trojans’ city recently; USC has won three straight over its rival. Watkins lost her first matchup against the Bruins in December 2023, but hasn’t lost since.

‘We’re both great teams, so it really just comes down to the wiring and down to those small categories,’ Watkins said. ‘I’m always excited for the matchup, and then it just comes down to the intangibles.’

Marshall, a senior, said she wants to set the groundwork for the freshmen to never ‘have the feeling of losing to their rivals’ and be ‘the top dogs in L.A.’

The winning streak against UCLA is a refreshing sight for USC, which had little success against the Bruins before Watkins’ arrival on campus. Prior to USC’s three-game winning streak, UCLA had won nine straight against the Trojans and 18 of 21 meetings.

How does UCLA stop JuJu Watkins?

A major reason for USC’s success against UCLA? You guessed it; it starts with Watkins.

The hometown kid has been a Bruin killer. In the last three meetings, she’s averaged 34.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.3 blocks and 3 assists per game. In the first meeting this season, she had a historic performance with 38 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and a career-high eight blocks. She became the first player this century — at either the NBA, WNBA, Division I men’s and women’s level — to have a game with 35-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, five-plus assists, five-plus blocks and five-plus made 3-pointers, according to OptaStats.

If the Bruins want to finally best the Trojans, it starts with limiting Watkins. In their first meeting, it was Londynn Jones who primarily defended Watkins, but that could change or a double-team could be in order. Another key will be to not send Watkins to the foul line; in the past three meetings, she’s shot at least 10 free throws in each game.

Can USC limit Lauren Betts again?

In their first meeting, the Bruins surged out to a second-half lead thanks to Lauren Betts’ dominance in the paint. She scored the first seven points out of halftime and the Bruins led by seven points. It looked like UCLA would remain perfect.

It was a different story in the fourth quarter. Betts didn’t score in the final 10 minutes and the Bruins managed to score only eight points while USC scored 24 to take over the game. The difference was USC started bringing help from the guards to double-team Betts once she got in the post. That was the primary reason Watkins had a career night swatting the ball, as a majority of her blocks came from behind against Betts.

After the loss, Betts said she was forcing too many shots and wasn’t doing a good enough job sealing off defenders, vowing to do better next time. Marshall said Betts got the better of her in that game and, although her teammates helped her out, her mission will be to make it another rough outing for the star center.

‘As corrupt as we could be to her on the block, making her work hard, making her work for every rebound, making her have to run the floor, putting her in ball screen and whatnot, then it’d be a tough day in Pauley for her,’ Marshall said.

Rare familiarity

Thanks to the size of the 18-team Big Ten, UCLA and USC played every other conference member once. The only conference opponent they’ll play twice is each other. With a full game of experience spent learning, neither side can expect to go into the matchup with the same exact game plan.

‘There’s always ways that you can improve, and so we’re certainly gonna try to use the film to do better, whether that’s changing a game plan or just tweaking something that we did,’ Gottlieb said.

Several players on each side are friends. Marshall said she’s good friends with Betts, and USC forward Kiki Iriafen and Betts were teammates together at Stanford. Marshall said there’s been some friendly trash talk between both sides.

But there’s certainly a bigger feel to this matchup. Watkins said her goal at USC was to get the rivalry with UCLA up to the same intensity with the fanbase as it is in football. She’s noticed the energy has been raised at USC, and it’s likely to be the same at UCLA with a sold-out crowd.

And this might not be the last time these two teams see each other this season. They could meet again in the Big Ten tournament final, and there’s a possibility they play again in the NCAA Tournament − likely in the Final Four or national championship game.

‘March is madness. You never know what’s capable in March,’ Marshall said.

It is our long-standing policy here at Starting Five headquarters that the word ‘penultimate’ must be used whenever possible. OK, actually we just made that rule up. But be that as it may, we now find ourselves heading into the penultimate weekend of the men’s college basketball regular season, with Selection Sunday now just just two weeks away.

This weekend’s slate features the usual top-10 clash in the SEC, a second Top 25 showdown in that league, and a pair of significant contests in the Big 12. The weekend wraps up with a Sunday tilt important for contenders in the Big Ten.

Here’s the breakdown of the quintet of matchups that will have an impact on the upcoming NCAA Tournament announcement.

No. 1 Auburn at No. 23 Kentucky

Time/TV: Saturday, 1 p.m. ET, ABC.

To say that the top-ranked Tigers have been on a roll is something of an understatement. Auburn enters on a five-game winning streak, capped by Wednesday’s demolition of Ole Miss, and is two games clear in the deepest conference in the nation. The Wildcats have been treading water of late splitting their last eight contests, so they hope the Rupp Arena environment provides a boost for this one. Another plus for Kentucky is the return of point guard Lamont Butler from a shoulder injury. He doled out six assists Wednesday at Oklahoma despite fouling out, and he’ll need to shake off more rust to deal with Tigers’ super pest Chad Baker-Mazara. But like nearly every other opponent Auburn has faced, the Wildcats might not have an answer for big man Johni Broome near the rim.

No. 10 Texas Tech at Kansas

Time/TV: Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN

While this still shapes up as a major road test for the Red Raiders, it looms as even more of a must-win for Kansas. The Jayhawks are not in bubble trouble, but they’ve been a .500 team since the calendar turned to February, and their postseason staying power is very much in question. Kansas has won its last two but closes with the Big 12’s top three teams, starting with this one. Texas Tech couldn’t complete the season sweep of league leader Houston on Monday night but was within a single possession in the final minute despite missing two of its top three scorers, Chance McMillian and Darrion Williams. Both are still listed as day-to-day, but JT Toppin can expect a heavy workload whether or not those teammates are available. KU’s perimeter shooting has been spotty at best in Big 12 play, so Hunter Dickinson has had to contend with frequent traffic inside.

No. 6 Alabama at No. 5 Tennessee

Time/TV: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN

The SEC game of the century of the week could, for the moment at least, determine a spot on the No. 1 seed line in bracket projections. How much postseason success that would actually portend remains to be seen, of course, but a win here on the first day of March would be welcomed. On the surface it’s a contrast in styles, with Alabama’s high-octane attack pitted against the Volunteers’ lockdown defense. But no matter whose preferred tempo prevails, the game will ultimately hinge on making shots. The percentages say the Crimson Tide have more guys capable of doing that, but second-chance points could prove to be an equalizer for Tennessee.

No. 21 Arizona at No. 9 Iowa State

Time/TV: Saturday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

Perhaps Arizona didn’t exactly break Iowa State back on Jan. 27, but it is undeniable that the Cyclones haven’t been the same since Caleb Love’s half-court buzzer-beater and overtime dominance propelled the Wildcats to victory in Tucson. Iowa State is now on a two-game skid and could use some Hilton magic to restore the confidence it displayed during the first half of the season. It would also help if Keshon Gilbert is able to return from injury, but that might not be determined until game time. The Wildcats for their part have come back to earth a bit since winning 11 of their first 12 in conference. Love will come out firing as he always does, and Jaden Bradley will also try to help quiet the crowd in Ames.

No. 12 Wisconsin at No. 8 Michigan State

Time/TV: Sunday, 1:30 p.m. ET, CBS

We can’t promise another game winner from backcourt, but the Spartans have certainly made for interesting viewing of late. They now put a four-game winning streak on the line against the Badgers, who successfully closed out Washington after letting Oregon get away last weekend. Long-time Wisconsin fans might still have a hard time recognizing their current team that is putting up 81.9 points a game, paced by Big Ten player of the year candidate John Tonje’s 19.5 per contest. Michigan State can play fast as well but is just as comfortable in a defensive slog like Wednesday night’s squeaker at Maryland. The Spartans’ depth allows them to challenge opposing shooters for the full 40 minutes, so the Badgers must be selective of when to push the pace.

As the regular season winds down in women’s basketball, conference bragging rights and potential No. 1 seeds are still to be settled before conference tournaments start next week.

It remains to be seen if those teams can keep their seeding when the Women’s NCAA Tournament Selection Show airs March 16 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN).

Here are this weekend’s top games to watch:

No. 3 USC at No. 2 UCLA

Time/TV: Saturday, 9 p.m. ET, FOX

Part 2 in the Battle for Los Angeles has national seeding implications more than anything. The Trojans handed UCLA its only defeat, 71-60, on Feb. 13, and another victory over the Bruins would be a résumé booster no other team in the country has, regardless of what happens in the Big Ten tournament. Even though UCLA center Lauren Betts is a front-runner for Player of the Year honors, another vintage JuJu Watkins game could also change the conversation concerning that race.

No. 8 TCU at No. 18 Baylor

Time/TV: Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET, FS1

First place and the regular-season conference title in the Big 12 are on the line as the Horned Frogs visit the Bears. TCU is led by the dynamic transfer duo of Hailey Van Lith (17.4 ppg, 5.5 apg) and Sedona Prince (17.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg) and will break a 15-year NCAA Tournament absence regardless of what happens the rest of the season. Baylor has been on a roll, winning nine straight since losing back-to-back games to UCLA and TCU. One of the Big 12’s deeper teams, the Bears have six players who average more than 10 points a game.

No. 14 Kentucky at No. 6 South Carolina

Time/TV: Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN

When the Gamecocks are on defensively and can use that to create offense, there isn’t anyone in the nation beating them. While UConn exposed them in a blowout home loss, Dawn Staley’s crew got back to basics by blowing out Arkansas and Vanderbilt. Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore is playing at an all-conference level and will likely need to play the entire game (she plays an average of 36 minutes per game) and stay out of foul trouble to counter South Carolina’s blitz of quick guards and contributors off the bench.

No. 20 Alabama at No. 13 Oklahoma

Time/TV: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET, SECN+

Here is the good about Oklahoma: They can score on anyone, dominate teams on the boards, and share the ball better than anyone in college basketball. Now the bad: The Sooners foul too much and are entirely too careless with the ball, contributing to most of their six losses. Alabama is the best 3-point shooting team in the SEC, with six players hitting 35% or better from downtown, and will need to stretch the floor in order to contain a suddenly red-hot Raegan Beers, who has 76 points and 28 rebounds in her last three games for the Sooners.

Louisville at No. 4 Notre Dame

Time/TV: Sunday, noon ET, ESPN

NC State may have shown the blueprint to beating the Irish when it snapped their 19-game winning streak with a double overtime home win on Sunday. The Irish are the nation’s best 3-point shooting team and ranked fourth in field goal percentage, so the key for Louisville to have any chance is to make them take tough shots and keep them off the boards. The Cardinals didn’t do that in their first meeting and lost by 18 as Notre Dame, despite 23 turnovers, shot 55% and dominated on the boards and in the paint. 

No. 15 Duke at No. 24 Florida State

Time/TV: Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, ACC Network

A double-bye in the ACC Tournament is at stake in this one. For those who haven’t seen Florida State play, you are missing out. The Seminoles have the nation’s leading scorer in Ta’Niya Latson, and for a tough inside presence, Makayla Timpson (3.3 blocks per game) can erase any threat driving to the hoop. The Blue Devils have struggled lately, but got a big victory over rival North Carolina on Thursday. Against Florida State, Duke may need more from leading scorer Toby Fournier, a freshman from Canada, who rarely plays more than 25 minutes a game.

Princeton at Harvard

Time/TV: Friday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+

While Columbia has the lead in the Ivy League standings, these two teams might be battling for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, with the loser hoping their NET rating will impress the committee to warrant their inclusion unless they go on to win their conference tournament. The Crimson, winners of five straight games, haven’t been to the dance since 2007, and the Tigers are the three-time defending league champions. The first team to score 50 might be at an advantage, as scoring will be at a premium in this matchup. Harvard leads the nation in scoring defense.

INDIANAPOLIS – For nearly 24 hours, the main topic of conversation at Prime, the J.W. Marriott hotel bars and St. Elmo steakhouse hasn’t been a prospect or a veteran quarterback, although Abdul Carter’s health and Matthew Stafford’s potential landing spot have been newsy themes at this year’s combine. 

It’s one reporter confronting another at a Starbucks that doubles as a confluence of influence between executives, coaches, agents and media who frequent the brew station throughout the week.

On Wednesday, FOX and Bleacher Report NFL insider Jordan Schultz (who has also worked for ESPN and the Score) confronted NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport at the Starbucks located above the J.W. Marriott lobby. The situation escalated to the point Rapoport alerted NFL Security (since he is an employee of the league), according to NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk. 

Schultz did not respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY Sports. The NFL also confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that the league’s security apparatus had been notified.

The spirited interaction first started going viral thanks to a post on social media from Barstool Sports personality “PFT Commenter” (real name Eric Sollenberger). It didn’t become physical, but the two were face-to-face by the end of the discussion.

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

Schultz briefly relayed his side of the story Wednesday to Pro Football Talk. 

“It really isn’t anything too much,” Schultz told Pro Football Talk via text message. “Ian Rapoport and I had a verbal confrontation. It lasted a little over a minute. Multiple agents and reporters were nearby. Rapoport was the one who called security shortly after, but it never escalated further.”

Rapoport, on Thursday, had a chance to set the record straight during an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.” 

“Last night when it all broke, everyone in the world texted me, wanting to know details,” Rapoport said. “And it was all out there. (Pro Football Talk) basically wrote the whole thing, so there’s not much to add. And then I woke up this morning, and everyone in the world had texted me.”

The backstory is such: Schultz reported Stafford, the Los Angeles Rams quarterback, and Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady had a meeting in Montana recently, with Brady courting him to play for the Raiders. Rapoport’s reporting on social media and the show he co-hosts, “The Insiders,” countered that Brady and Stafford had more of a casual run-in with one another in public rather than a formal meeting. 

Brady’s agent, Don Yee, told a different NFL Network reporter that Schultz’s report essentially amounted to ‘an Internet rumor.’

‘There’s no issue here,’ the NFL told the Las Vegas Review-Journal regarding a potential tampering violation. ‘The Rams gave the player and his agent permission to speak to the Raiders.’

Schultz was insistent he and Rapoport speak. Rapoport did not feel that was necessary. Then the biggest story of the combine was born – or brewed.

Upon inspection Thursday afternoon, there was no yellow caution tape on the Starbucks’ premises. Nor was there an outline of a body composed of plastic coffee stoppers.

The final layer of irony: Schutlz is the son of former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.

A Florida judge said the U.S. Center for SafeSport “perpetuated a fraud” and intentionally withheld evidence in a criminal case brought at the encouragement of one of the center’s investigators.

In a ruling Tuesday related to the expunction of misdemeanor charges against a female water polo player, Seminole County judge John Woodard said SafeSport violated the woman’s due process rights by withholding evidence that would have cleared her. Even after prosecutors recognized there was no basis for the charges, SafeSport continued to stonewall, Woodard said.

“SafeSport acted in bad faith, intentionally and with malice,” Woodard said in his ruling, “and the court finds the evidence of fraud, collusion, pretense and similar wrongdoing to be clear, convincing, intentional and beyond doubt.”

In a statement, SafeSport said Woodard’s order lacked jurisdictional, factual or legal basis.

“This is a stunt designed to interfere in the Center’s ability to hold individuals accountable for sexual misconduct,” SafeSport said in a statement.

Following sexual abuse scandals in several sports, Congress created SafeSport as an independent body to handle abuse complaints in the Olympic movement. Almost since it opened in 2017, however, SafeSport has been criticized for its lengthy delays in resolving complaints and investigative and appeals processes that both sides of the process have deemed unfair and insensitive.

But Woodard’s rebuke is the most stunning criticism yet.

Kelsey McMullan, then 18 years old and a high school senior, went to SafeSport in February 2022 to report bullying by teammates. According to court records, after talking with the teammates, a SafeSport investigator encouraged police to open a sexual abuse case against McMullan.

McMullan was able to provide evidence refuting the accusations against her, including an acknowledgment by one of the teammates that what she’d told police was not true. The charges against her were dropped 15 months later.

But Woodard blasted SafeSport for not providing McMullan earlier with evidence it knew would clear her. He also was furious the center refused to cooperate when police and prosecutors decided to investigate the other women for potential falsification of a report.

“The exculpatory information is and was within the knowledge, custody and control of SafeSport,” Woodard wrote. “The exculpatory information is and was within a SafeSport file that was the subject of numerous court orders and properly issued subpoenas. The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the State’s Attorney Office and defense counsel went above and beyond any duty, and made every reasonable and good faith effort to obtain the exculpatory material and compliance by SafeSport to no avail.”

Woodard ordered the charges against McMullan erased, making it as if the case never happened. But Russell Prince, McMullan’s attorney, said nothing can erase the trauma McMullan suffered in fighting the charges.

“The Center is irreparably broken and serves neither claimants or respondents in a fundamentally fair and lawful manner,” he said. “These actions are consistent with a pattern of conduct that the Center employs on a regular basis. This time, they were finally held accountable according to commonly accepted standards of fairness and due process.”