The biggest star in Major League Soccer won’t play in the All-Star Game.

Lionel Messi will skip the festivities for the second straight year. Messi and Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba did not travel to Austin, Texas, with MLS releasing an updated All-Star roster before the match.

The 2025 MLS All-Star Game will be played Wednesday, July 23 at 9 p.m. ET (MLS Season Pass on Apple TV), with the MLS All-Stars facing off against standouts from Mexico’s LIGA MX at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.

It’s unclear whether Messi or Alba would miss Inter Miami’s next match against first-place FC Cincinnati on Saturday, July 26, due to a MLS rule that stipulates players who miss the All-Star Game must sit in their next match. That decision could come later this week.

MLS commissioner Don Garber will address the media during a press conference before the match, where he will likely be asked about Messi’s absence.

“Messi has been such an incredible part of the MLS story the last couple of years and playing so well. It’s just been a gift to have the best player in the world in Major League Soccer,” MLS commissioner Garber told USA TODAY Sports on Friday, July 11.

Messi, 38, is the reigning MLS MVP and the oldest player named to the MLS All-Star roster. But his considerable workload this season certainly warrants some time off.

Since April 2, Messi has played every minute in 22 of 23 matches for Inter Miami across all competitions – the MLS regular season, the Concacaf Champions Cup tournament and the FIFA Club World Cup. The Argentine World Cup champion has logged well over 2,000 minutes during that span. His last match off was April 30 when Inter Miami lost 4-3 at home to FC Dallas.

Messi has also been dynamic during a recent stretch of matches: He has scored two goals in six of his last seven MLS regular-season games, including a five-game streak to set an MLS record. Messi scored two goals with two assists (one of the hockey variety), in his last match against the New York Red Bulls on July 19.

Jordi Alba, who was also named an All-Star for the second straight season and played in the exhibition last year, has started the last six matches for Inter Miami. He was substituted off in the 85th minute against the Red Bulls.

“The players are called up, I would like them to be able to rest but that is not my decision,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said of Messi and Alba before the Red Bulls match. “I know how important the All Star [Game] is, and as far as I know there is no decision from the club, everything is as normal.”

Along with Messi’s recent scoring stretch, he helped Inter Miami make history at the Club World Cup before being eliminated by Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16.

Messi’s free-kick goal against Portuguese side FC Porto delivered the first win for a North American team against a European club in a major international competition. Inter Miami finished as a runner-up in their group, while LAFC and Seattle Sounders were eliminated before the knockout stage.

Messi and Inter Miami return to regular-season action on Saturday at home against FC Cincinnati, which beat them 3-0 on July 16. After the match, MLS and LIGA MX clubs will begin the 2025 Leagues Cup tournament.

Inter Miami will host Atlas FC on July 30, Club Necaxa on Aug. 2 and Pumas UNAM on Aug. 6 in the first phase of Leagues Cup, which they won in 2023. Messi missed the 2024 MLS All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio due to his Copa America ankle injury, which caused him to miss two months after the tournament.

USA TODAY Sports’ 48-page special edition commemorates 30 years of Major League Soccer, from its best players to key milestones and championship dynasties to what exciting steps are next with the World Cup ahead. Order your copy today!

Two U.S. House of Representatives committees on Wednesday, July 23 advanced a bill that would establish a variety of national rules concerning how college sports operate, making this the most comprehensive measure connected to the industry set to reach the chamber’s floor in decades.

After considering nearly a dozen amendments, the Energy and Commerce Committee ultimately voted 30-23 to send the bill to the House floor. It was a straight party line vote in which one vote was not recorded.

The Education and Workforce Committee also signed off on the bill later in the afternoon by a narrower margin of 18-17, with Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., joining all of the Democrats in opposition. In a brief moment of drama, the tally was deadlocked at 17 for several seconds before Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, cast the deciding vote.

Barring last-minute intervention from another committee, the bill could receive a vote in September, perhaps within the first two weeks after the House is scheduled to return Sept. 2 from a summer recess that is expected to begin at the close of business July 23.

‘Hopefully between now and in September we can work to get some more Democrat support,’ said Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Kentucky, who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee. ‘… We feel like we have reached out and we have put their positions in and I’m not sure why we can’t quite get their support. But I hope people are going to go home, and I’m sure the universities who support this measure are going to talk to them.’

Guthrie said the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten have ‘always put big pressure to try to move this forward’ and expressed hope that schools from those conferences could help convince Democrats to get on board.

If the bill moves to the Senate, its future will remain uncertain, as 60 votes will be needed to prevent a filibuster. So, even if all 53 Republican members back the measure — which so far has received bipartisan support and opposition in the House — seven Democrats also will have to approve.

‘From the partners that I’ve talked to, this is not going to have a future in the Senate’ without changes, Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., told USA TODAY Sports while walking to her office Wednesday for what she said was a meeting with NCAA president Charlie Baker.

Dubbed the SCORE Act (Student Compensation And Opportunity Through Rights and Endorsements), the bill includes antitrust-exemption language that specifically would allow the NCAA, and potentially the new College Sports Commission, to make operational rules affecting schools and athletes in areas that have come into legal dispute in recent years. That would include rules about transfers and the number of seasons for which athletes can compete.

It also would prevent college athletes from being employees of their schools, conferences or an athletic association. The employment issue is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit in a federal district court in Pennsylvania.

In addition, the bill also would codify college athletes’ name-image-and-likeness activities, basically following the terms of the recent settlement of three athlete-compensation antitrust cases against the NCAA and the Power Five conferences. And it would require most Division I schools to provide a series of health and educational benefits for athletes that are currently called for under NCAA and some conferences’ rules, but do not have the force of federal law.

While proponents of the bill have argued that it will help put important guardrails in place for college sports, critics have expressed concern that the legislation hands too much power to the NCAA.

‘We’re not giving everything away to commissioners and to the NCAA, with nothing in exchange for athletes,’ said Trahan, a former college athlete who has been critical of the bill.

There have also been long-standing concerns about what the bill could mean for women’s sports and Title IX, the federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex.

The revised version of the bill passed by the Education and Workforce Committee added a brief reference to Title IX, but it did not go far enough for lawmakers like Rep. Baumgartner. He said he supports federal regulation of college sports but believes a system that pays male and female athletes differently, based on television revenue, ‘is just not in the public good.’

‘If you do not specifically address Title IX in this bill, it will not resolve the underlying issues,’ he said. ‘Not only will this system exacerbate this slide towards a second NFL, but it will continue to be in the courts.’

Without further changes in the bill, Senate approval seems unlikely. House Democrats have mostly opposed the bill and longstanding negotiations between Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a college-sports bill proponent who now chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, and Democratic senators, including Cory Booker, N.J., and Richard Blumenthal, Conn., remain stalled.

However, as approved on July 23, the bill included a number of changes from the version that was advanced by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee by a 12-11, party-line vote on July 15. The changes appeared designed to make the bill more attractive to Democrats.

Among those are:

Mandates that would apply to NCAA’s — and potentially the College Sports Commission’s — governance structures. It includes requirements concerning the involvement of athletes and schools outside the Power Four conferences.

It also would require the NCAA, and potentially the CSC, to “establish a council to serve as the primary deliberative body” that is “composed of individuals who represent each conference that is a member” of the association. No such group currently exists within the NCAA, which comprises three competitive divisions. And changes to Division I’s governance setup that are being discussed by those schools aim to reduce the size of its Board of Directors and a secondary policy-making group.

Requiring future studies on several college sports topics by the schools, the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Comptroller General. These would seem to combine to cover ground contemplated by a college sports commission President Donald Trump had been considering.

The schools would be required to report within 180 days of enactment and then, every two years, on issues relating to compliance with the SCORE Act and “recommendations to improve the health, safety and educational opportunities of student athletes.”

The FTC would have to study the possibility of establishing an independent entity to address certification and regulation of agents who represent college athletes. The Comptroller General would have to conduct a study within two years of enactment covering the impact of the SCORE Act on schools’ Olympic sports programs, “including the funding of Olympic Sports” and to ‘develop recommendations for support of Olympic Sports, given the unique nature of Olympic Sports and intercollegiate athletics’ in the U.S. It also have to analyze “trends with respect to roster sizes for Olympic Sports,” especially at Power Four schools.

Tight end Jimmy Graham will officially retire from the NFL as a member of the New Orleans Saints.

The five-time Pro Bowler announced his official retirement via the Saints’ team website on Tuesday.

‘During the season at some point I’m going to be in New Orleans to retire, to do that the right way, in front of the people I love and the people I care about,’ Graham said Tuesday via the Saints.

Graham, 38, played one more year for the Saints – the team that originally drafted him in 2010 – in 2023 after previously sitting out the 2022 season. He also did not play in 2024.

Graham was one of two notable Saints veterans to announce his retirement Tuesday. Safety Tyrann Mathieu, who played the last three seasons of his 12-year career in New Orleans, also said he was calling it a career.

All told, Graham played 13 seasons in the NFL for four teams: five initial years with the Saints, three with the Seahawks, two with the Packers, two with the Bears, then one more with the Saints. Along with his five Pro Bowl appearances, Graham was named to the All-Pro first team in 2013, the year he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns (16).

Shortly before officially announcing his retirement, Graham completed a 10-day rowing journey across the span of the Arctic Ocean – a trip of more than 670 miles (and 580 nautical miles). With their official time of 10 days and five hours, Graham and his three fellow crewmembers broke the record for the ‘Arctic Challenge’ by more than five days, according to the challenge website.

Jimmy Graham stats

Graham played 13 seasons in the NFL, the first five of which he played as one of the best tight ends in the league.

Here are the stats from his career:

Games played: 197 (134 starts)
Receptions: 719
Receiving yards: 8,545
Yards per reception: 11.9
Receiving touchdowns: 89

Jimmy Graham contract

Graham hasn’t played in the NFL since 2023, but here are the details for his last NFL contract from that season:

Length: One year
Value: $1.32 million

Jimmy Graham net worth

While there aren’t reputable sources available for Graham’s total net worth, Spotrac has details on the tight end’s career earnings in 13 seasons as a player.

Total earnings: $82,871,200 (Average: 6,374,708 per year)

Earnings from New Orleans Saints (six years): $17,570,640 ($2.93 million per year)
Earnings from Seattle Seahawks (three years): $27,011,031 ($9.00 million per year)
Earnings from Green Bay Packers (two years): $22,250,000 ($11.13 million per year)
Earnings from Chicago Bears (two years): $16,039,529 ($8.02 million per year)

LAS VEGAS — The Big Ten and SEC control the future of the College Football Playoff. 

The Big Ten and the SEC can’t agree on anything.

Which tracks about just how you think it would in Sin City, driving directly into the theater of the absurd.

“I’m not going to put any deadline on it,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said Tuesday of negotiations for the new CFP format, while opening Big Ten Media Days at Mandalay Bay Resort. 

I know this is going to shock you, but SEC commissioner Greg Sankey made it clear last week during SEC Media Days that, “We have a deadline of Dec. 1.”

Just when you thought the great College Football Playoff format debate couldn’t devolve to more ridiculous levels, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti entered the chat and changed everything. 

Forget about the Big Ten and its desired 16-team format that focuses on automatic qualifiers (four each for the Big Ten and SEC) and the need for CFP play-in games during championship week. 

Forget about the SEC and its desire for 11 at-large selections of the 16, based heavily on strength of schedule.

Cignetti wants everyone to know that the CFP selection committee has too much power in the process. The very committee that last year selected his 11-win team – with one win against a team with a winning record – to the exclusive party.  

The same guy who, when asked Tuesday about Indiana dropping a non-conference game against big, bad Virginia for a Championship Subdivision directional school, responded with, “We figured we’d just adopt the SEC scheduling philosophy.”   

I swear I’m not making this up.

SCHEDULE DEBATE: Indiana coach fires hot at SEC after dropping Virginia

But at this point, nothing should be surprising in this ever-more-absurd cock walk. Each ego-driven, billion dollar conference trying to exert power over the other, in a blatantly awkward swinging dictator contest.  

The Big Ten doesn’t want to be seen as the SEC’s little brother. The SEC doesn’t want to be pushed into a corner, and bend the knee to the conference it has dominated on the field for decades. 

Sankey touted the SEC’s historical strength of schedule in defense of 11 at-large selections. Winning 14 national titles since 2000 doesn’t hurt, either.

Petitti responded by declaring the Big Ten played in eight of the 11 CFP games in 2024, had the four most viewed television games on the season and seven of the top 10. 

Then he dropped the ultimate ‘scoreboard’ hammer: “We just stand by what we do in the Big Ten. I think the national results have shown the last couple of seasons.”

Translation: the Big Ten has won the last two national titles. The SEC has done … what exactly?

There’s nothing logical about this public spat, nothing tangible that can be easily negotiated with clear minds or paid off with more money — which a 16-team CFP most certainly brings. This is about superiority and inferiority, and where the SEC and Big Ten fit. 

No matter the collateral damage. 

Imagine you’re Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff. A distinguished 38-year career in the Air Force, retired as a Lieutenant General — the second-highest general officer rank. 

You’re minding your own business at Big Ten media days, sitting quietly in the back of the large ballroom when some newbie who just picked up his first power conference coaching job starts throwing darts at your committee.

A committee the SEC and Big Ten played a critical role in creating and developing, and growing into the singular, insular monster it has become.

So I asked this titan of service to his country, and frankly, to the Big Ten and SEC and every other college football conference, what it was like to watch Cignetti kneecap his committee. Was it difficult to watch?

“Yeah,” Clark said, smiling wide — and then he stopped himself. Because like all military personnel, he knows there’s oder and there’s consequences for going outside it. 

“The committee selected Indiana,” Clark continued, “And I think it was the right decision, too.”

Would you look at that, a lesson in swallowing ego and pride for the greater good. 

No swinging dictators necessary. 

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

Tyreek Hill has been putting in the work to repair his relationships within the Miami Dolphins’ building.

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa told reporters Wednesday that his relationship with Hill is a ‘work in progress.’

Hill made headlines at the end of the 2024 season when he declared ‘I’m out’ following the season finale.

‘I’m out, bruh,’ Hill said after the loss to the Jets. ‘It was great playing here, but at the end of the day, I have to do what’s best for my career.’

Even after he explained later that it was an outburst of frustration, the comment still raised questions about his future in Miami. Evidently, it also fractured some of his relationships with Dolphins teammates.

‘When you say something like that you don’t just come back with ‘My bad,” Tagovailoa said. ‘You gotta work that relationship up. He is working on himself.’

Tagovailoa also credited Hill with being ‘more vulnerable with his teammates about his personal life,’ according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. However, ‘work needs to be done to show what he says.’

Hill’s Week 18 outburst came at the tail-end of a disappointing follow-up season to his excellent outing in 2023. After leading the league in receiving yards (1,799) and receiving touchdowns (13) two years ago, the Dolphins’ star wideout finished the 2024 season with 959 receiving yards and a career-low six touchdowns. It was the first year of Hill’s career without a Pro Bowl nod and his first season in Miami without All-Pro recognition.

Other issues likely contributed to a drop in production. There was the wrist injury Hill suffered in the preseason that he attempted to gut out without surgery, and there were the various injuries to Tagovailoa, resulting in six starts by other quarterbacks.

The Dolphins also missed the playoffs for the first time since Hill’s arrival in Miami and had their first losing season since 2019.

‘I’ve been winning my whole life,’ Hill said in a January video game livestream. ‘Y’all just want me to say, ‘Oh well, get ’em next year?’ Nah, (expletive) that. We’ve got to come back.’

As Dolphins training camp begins, Hill remains on the roster and projects to be Tagovailoa’s lead receiver, provided he’s rebuilt that trust.

Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Bayron Matos was airlifted by helicopter to a local hospital at the end of Wednesday’s training camp practice, according to Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post.

It wasn’t clear exactly how Matos was injured, but Habib reports the offensive tackle was ‘immobilized and strapped to a board before being carted off the practice field by first responders.’ Several of Matos’ teammates grouped around him while medical personnel tended to him.

The Dolphins did not disclose the nature of Matos’ injury but said the 24-year-old is in stable condition.

Matos came to the NFL in 2024 as part of the league’s International Player Pathway program, which provides athletes from around the world an opportunity to train with an NFL club and battle for a spot on its roster.

Matos grew up in the Dominican Republic before moving to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a basketball career. He played the sport collegiately at New Mexico (2019-21) and South Florida (2021-22) before joining the latter’s football program as a walk-on in 2022.

Matos signed with the Dolphins after going undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. The 6-7, 334-pound offensive tackle didn’t play as a rookie, spending the entire season on Miami’s practice squad in an international exemption slot.

This story has been updated with new information.