The women of WWE are ready to take center stage.

For the first time in seven years, Evolution will take place as WWE holds an event dedicated to its stacked women’s division. 

It’ll be a bigger card than a typical WWE event with seven matches scheduled to take place. The top prizes in the division — the WWE Women’s Championship, Women’s World Heavyweight Championship and Women’s NXT Championship — will be on the line, as will the Intercontinental and Tag Team titles.

A no holds barred match between bitter rivals is on deck, and a battle royal will commence with a title opportunity at stake. It’ll be a night celebrating the best women’s division in wrestling, and it’s expected to be a dazzling performance from everyone involved.

Follow USA TODAY Sports for the results, highlights and analysis from Evolution:

Watch: WWE Evolution preshow

When is Evolution 2025?

WWE Evolution is on Sunday, July 13.

Evolution 2025 start time

Evolution will start at 7 p.m. ET. The preshow begins at 5 p.m. ET.

Where is Evolution 2025?

The event takes place at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

How to watch Evolution 2025

Evolution 2025 will be streamed on Peacock, but you must have their premium or premium-plus subscription to watch. Internationally, it will be available on Netflix in most markets.

How to watch Evolution 2025 preshow

The Evolution preshow will be available to watch on Peacock, and on WWE’s social channels, including YouTube.

Stream WWE Evolution on Peacock

Evolution 2025 match card

Matches not in order

Battle royal for championship match at Clash in Paris
No holds barred match: Jade Cargill vs. Naomi
Fatal four-way tag team match for WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Sol Ruca and Zaria vs. The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane)
Triple threat match for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria
NXT Women’s Championship match: Jacy Jane (c) vs. Jordynne Grace
WWE Women’s Championship match: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Trish Stratus
Women’s World Championship match: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Rhea Ripley

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Braving warm and steamy conditions, and added security to account for the attendance of U.S. President Donald Trump, soccer fans from across the globe filed into MetLife Stadium with little incident for the FIFA Club World Cup final.

The Sunday afternoon final is between Chelsea FC and Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain. Outside the venue, the atmosphere was festive, with fans setting up their tailgates.

There was a significant security presence around the stadium before the final. Hundreds of officers across multiple law enforcement agencies and stadium security personnel greeted fans as they entered the gates.

Among the agencies present were the Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration, New Jersey State Police — some of whom carried long guns — and K-9 units with bomb-sniffing dogs.

A person with direct knowledge of the security plan declined to share specific details because of the sensitive nature of securing the venue, but stressed that a collaborative approach among the different agencies would take place.

“Rest assured we are all engaged to ensure a safe and wonderful final,” the person, who spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss security, told USA TODAY Sports in a text message.

The perimeter, established several hundred feet outside the stadium entrances, featured 15-feet high chained fences on top of concrete bases with entry paths for fans to enter. The perimeter is a departure from NFL regular season games held here, and armed guards were posted along the entrances every hundred yards or so.

While there were fans from both England and France, the home countries of the two teams playing in the match, there was also a large contingent of Latino fans, with flags from Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Brazil visible across the parking lots.

The Club World Cup is all taking place against the backdrop of massive efforts from U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection officers to deport illegal residents. Fans and critics have expressed concern major international tournament like the Club World Cup and next year’s World Cup in the United States would pose a problem for international visitors.

Sunday, fans walked through a winded line separated by metal barricades until they reached the front, where they walked through metal detectors and got their tickets scanned. If they had any bags, they were asked to check their items into a locker for the duration of the match.

Tyler Weiss, 29, is from Australia but lives in Philadelphia. A Chelsea fan, Weiss also attended last year’s Copa América match between Argentina and Chile on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.

‘Compared to last year, the security has been far better,’ Weiss said. ‘The train has been far better, getting in has been far better. I felt safe. I think they’ve really learned from last year, and hopefully they learn a few things again for next year.’

The FIFA World Cup final is also set to take place at MetLife Stadium, on Sunday, July 19, 2026.

After entering, fans were able to pick up black and gold Club World Cup squared towels as a keepsake. They also found a clear spot to pose for photos and videos in front of the stadium to commemorate the occasion.

One woman said it took ‘two seconds” to enter. Another woman said, ’15 seconds.’ Other fans said it took about 5-10 minutes to get past security.

Laura Friedman and João Rosa from Brooklyn had to check in their camera bag before they could enter, but took five minutes to clear the obstacle.

‘We had to adjust our timing to get through security,” Friedman said. ‘But once we figured it out, we were totally fine.”

‘We didn’t even know who was playing. We bought tickets before it was announced, and we just wanted to be part of the festivities,” Rosa added. ‘It’s a big deal. FIFA is coming here, and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. I took off from work to be here, and I’m here for fun.”

A little past 1:30 p.m. ET, some roads were closed ahead of Trump’s arrival. In a statement issued Saturday, July 12, FIFA encouraged fans to arrive prior to 1:30, partly to take in the pregame show.

At 2:14 p.m., Marine One, the helicopter carrying President Trump and his traveling party, circled over the stadium, flanked by two other helicopters.

Trump’s entourage included special envoy Steve Witkoff, first son Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Bettina Anderson, and son-in-laws Jared Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, and Michael Boulos, husband to Tiffany Trump. First lady Melania Trump is also accompanying her husband.

The convoy then traveled a short distance to Teterboro Airport, which is fewer than five miles from MetLife Stadium. Once Marine One landed, Trump departed Marine One and entered the Presidential state car, nicknamed ‘The Beast,” and the motorcade traveled to the stadium.

The motorcade arrived at 2:37 p.m.

According to the White House press pool, Trump did not gaggle with reporters and made his way to the suite where he is watching the match.

‘It’s amazing, whatever your politics are, to have the leader of your country be here, showing that soccer is huge in this country,” Weiss said. ‘It’s really exciting to show that the United States loves soccer — to show the President takes time out of his day to be here. It’s a really big deal.”

ATLANTA – The All-Star Game is back on in Georgia. But the conditions that caused its removal in 2021 have not changed.

In fact, voting expert rights say, conditions have only worsened for potentially disenfranchised voters.

The eyes of the baseball world will be on Truist Park in suburban Cobb County July 15, when Major League Baseball’s 95th All-Star Game is played, four years after the league moved the game in the wake of Georgia passing the Election Integrity Act. State Bill 202 rolled back voting by mail and other absentee ballot options and prohibited distribution of food and water to those standing in line to vote – actions that historically would have greatest impact on Black voters.

“I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft,” commissioner Rob Manfred said then. “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.”

Manfred’s action came three days after President Joe Biden said he’d support moving the game out of Atlanta. Given MLB’s actions to remove the term “diversity” from a careers page earlier this year in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order against such efforts, a charitable interpretation would suggest Manfred, as he’s stated, is most concerned with complying with federal law and the whims of the current chief executive.

Yet the game was returned to Atlanta in November 2023, two years after the Braves – who’d go on to win the 2021 World Series – and Georgia politicians blistered MLB’s decision, with Gov. Brian Kemp declaring that “cancel culture and woke political activists are coming for every aspect of your life, sports included.”

Kemp struck a tone of appeasement when the game was returned, noting in a statement that “Georgia’s voting laws haven’t changed, but it’s good to see the MLB’s misguided understanding of them has.”

In returning the game to Georgia, Manfred leaned into the host team’s chops, if you will, while striking an apolitical tone.

“I’ve said it before, we wanted to bring an All-Star Game back to Atlanta,” Manfred said at the owners’ meetings in Arlington, Texas. “I made a decision in 2021 to move the event and I understand, believe me, that people had then and probably still have different views as to the merits of that decision. 

“What’s most important is that the Atlanta Braves are a great organization. Truist Park and The Battery are gems in terms of the facilities, and Atlanta and Georgia have been great markets for us for a very, very long time.  Atlanta deserves an All-Star Game, and we’re really looking forward to being there in 2025.”

Georgia voting laws: Black turnout was depressed

That the laws, crafted by late former Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston were onerous and disproportionately impactful in the first place is what will make the game’s return next week disappointing to pro-democracy factions.

“SB 202 is doing its job,” Adrienne Jones, an Atlanta-based voting rights expert and political scientist, told USA TODAY Sports. “Kemp and Ralston and others wanted to present that as a democratizing law, when many would argue that it’s exactly the opposite. Because of SB 202 and other practices and laws that have occurred in the state, it gives them room to maintain and expand laws – without the criticism that was coming from the left in 2021, when they moved the All-Star Game.

“It’s allowed them more room to do what they wanted to do, anyway. And today, it’s an atmosphere where small changes can be made in perpetuity.”

In 2021, the same year Kemp signed SB 202 into law, Republican lawmakers drew redistricting maps in the wake of the 2020 census that did not withstand legal challenges by civil rights and religious organizations.

Federal judge Steve Jones in September 2023 ordered that the state GOP must re-draw maps for 2024 because they violated the federal Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of Black voters.

The judge approved a redrawn district and congressional map in December 2023, yet the political drift still resulted in inequities that would further lessen the impact of voters in majority Black areas, says Adrienne Jones.

“The state did draw additional majority minority districts,” she says, “but not in a manner that reflected the spirit of what the judge said needed to happen. They got the maps that they desired, and the more restrictive your maps are, the less people are able to exercise their citizenship.

“It impacts the value of their vote.”

Beyond districting, the tangible effects of SB 202 are harder to pinpoint, yet tend to buttress the point that its effects would be disproportionately felt by Black voters. A Brennan Center for Justice analysis of the 2022 midterms revealed that the racial gap between white and Black voters was the largest in at least a decade.

As opponents of the bill indicated, reducing the amount and availability of drop boxes would have a disproportionate impact on voters in areas like Fulton County, where they were abundant during the presidential election but much scarcer in the wake of SB 202.

Atlanta’s All-Star moment

Moving the All-Star Game was not uniformly supported by Georgians. Stacey Abrams, the Democrat and voting rights activist who twice lost to Kemp – narrowly in 2018 – in the race for governor, lauded MLB’s stance but regretted the potential loss of economic impact.

This week, Cobb County is set to capture that revenue, with Monday’s Home Run Derby and the game one night later luring visitors and a worldwide audience. Given the rotating nature of baseball’s Midsummer Classic, Georgia likely won’t see another one until around 2050.

Less certain is whether the impact on voting rights will endure that long.

“If we’re talking about the baseball game, we’re talking about this racial dispute and ultimately, we’re not speaking about it loudly and boldly,” says Jones. “But it’s a win for those who get to have the game in Atlanta, regardless of the wellness of the racial environment.”

Jim Abbott is 57 years old now and hasn’t thrown a pitch in a quarter-century, but on this day his voice slightly quivers, realizing the impact he has made in not only baseball, but this world.

Once Abbott’s documentary ‘Southpaw: The Life and Legacy of Jim Abbott’ hits the airwaves at 9 p.m. ET, Sunday, July 13 on ESPN, there will be kids and young adults learning about him for the first time, the inspiring tale of the man born without a right hand who once pitched a no-hitter at Yankee Stadium and had a 10-year major league career.

“I’ve been the subject of very kind pieces for awhile,’ Abbott tells USA TODAY Sports, “but I was touched when ESPN Films wanted to do this, and dig deeply as they did. Having the impact of being different, growing up with one hand, and how some people connected with that who were like me, and others who weren’t like me, has been incredibly rewarding.’

The documentary is powerful with Abbott sitting at his kitchen table in Southern California listening to former Los Angeles Angels public relations director Tim Mead, and later the Hall of Fame president, reading handwritten letters from children inspired by him. The film also features interviews with some of those same kids who are now adults, thanking Abbott for making a difference in their lives.

“I couldn’t believe it’’ Abbott says. “There were some of the personal experiences that I had back in my playing days, at the ballpark, that weren’t always publicized, and now to see some of those same kids and families interviewed now, my jaw dropped.’

One of those letters was from a little girl, 8-year-old Tracey Holgate, from Windsor, Ontario, whose letter was read by Mead. She is now a 44-year-old teacher, married with four children.

‘Dear Jim, My name is Tracey Holgate. I am age 8. I have one hand too. My grandpa gave me a picture of you today. I saw you on TV. I don’t know anyone with one hand. How do you feel about having one hand? Sometimes I feel sad and sometimes I feel okay about it. Most of the time I feel happy. I hope to see you play in Detroit and maybe meet you. Could you please send me a picture of you in uniform? Could you write back please? Here is a picture of me. Love, Tracey.‘

“It really gives you pause, to be honest,’ Abbott says. “You know when you’re playing, you’re competing, and it’s such a fight, it can be a little insulating and you protect yourself.

“This film really helped me to see how many people are watching, and how many people are connected to it that you’ve never even seen. It’s just amazing. It’s very, very heartwarming.’

There is Shaquem Griffin, who became the first NFL player with one hand, thanking Abbott. There is Nick Newell, 39, the veteran MMA fighter born without a left arm, thanking Abbott. There is Carson Pickett, born without most of her left arm and playing for the U.S. women’s national soccer team, thanking Abbott. They all let Abbott know how much they were inspired by him, knowing that they, too, can overcome all odds.

“They saw something in me that related to their own experiences,’’ Abbott said, “with kids and families looking for hope.’’

Abbott, who was born in Flint, Michigan, and attended the University of Michigan, spends much of his summer in the state, watching baseball and rooting for his childhood team, the Detroit Tigers. He’s like every other Tigers fan, hoping this could finally be the year, the year they win their first World Series title since 1984.

“I just love when the Tigers are doing well,’ Abbott says, “because the whole state just goes crazy. Hats are out, and my friends are excited and talking about the Tigers again. I would love to see the Tigers keep it up. They’re incredible.’

While living most of the time in Southern California, he too has been caught up in the exploits of Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw’s brilliant career.

“It was really cool to see Clayton Kershaw get that 3,000th strikeout the other night,’’ Abbott says. “He’s been such a classy presence in Southern California for so long. And God, how many people are ever going to do that again. It’s one of those, you know, immortal accomplishments.

“And, of course, I love Shohei, just like everybody else. I just marvel at what he’s doing. Having struggled to be a starting pitcher, and knowing how important routine and structure is, the fact that he does both is just unreal. It’s incomprehensible.’

The film ends with Abbott speaking in front of a crowd, telling them of the time his daughter had a question for him in a classroom, asking, “Dad, do you like your little hand?’

“I have to tell you,’’ Abbott said, “I do. I like my little hand. I haven’t always liked it. Times I hated it, but that’s who I am, and it’s taken me to places I never would have gone without it.

“It’s taught me important lessons. It’s taught me that life’s not always easy, and it’s not always fair. My hand has taught me that you know you can do things a little bit differently, but you can still do them just as well as anybody else.

“I hope we always believe that.’

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ATLANTA – It can be a dizzying climb: Star amateur player to draft day to prospect list and, just like that, the major leagues.

For the dozens of participants in Major League Baseball’s Futures Game, a weekend spent immersed with fellow elite prospects can offer a moment’s perspective on how far they’ve come.

Yet for those who have climbed to Class AA or AAA, who have reached the “just a phone call away” of the developmental program, it brings the whirlwind right back – and the promise of what may be around the corner.

“I’m surrounded by and playing with the best minor league players in every organization right now,” Toronto Blue Jays Class AAA right-hander Trey Yesavage tells USA TODAY Sports on July 12.

“It goes to show I’m just as close as every one of these guys and it’s great to be here.”

With the second half looming and both pennant races and the trade deadline tempting teams to scuttle best-laid plans and bring the minors’ best to the big leagues, USA TODAY Sports checks in with four rising stars on the doorstep to the big leagues:

JJ Wetherholt, infielder, St. Louis Cardinals: A speedy rise

It’s been just a year since Wetherholt donned a Western fit and shook commissioner Rob Manfred’s hand as the seventh overall pick in the 2024 draft, and just a week since he got promoted from Class AA Springfield to AAA Memphis.

Yet there are multiple forces that make Wetherholt an intriguing candidate for a St. Louis summons: He’s tearing up the minor leagues, is unstoppable on the basepaths – and the Cardinals have defied all expectations of what 2025 would look like by hanging in the playoff race.

While Wetherholt is a shortstop by trade and the Cardinals have Masyn Winn entrenched there, he could easily slide to second or third base. And, above all, his speed brings an element any contender could use.

While Wetherholt has just 16 steals in his 94-game pro career, he’s only been caught twice, an elite 88.9% success rate. That’s even better than his college exploits at West Virginia University, where he stole 57 bags in 73 tries.

“Really, it just comes down to trusting my legs,” says Wetherholt. “It’s going to come down to the pitcher’s time and the catcher’s time. If I see the catcher’s pop time and the pitcher’s time (delivering to home) is something that makes me realize I can get a good jump and steal, I’m all over it. I’m going to trust it.

“If I play the calculations right, I should be safe every time.”

He’s in the right organization, from a heritage standpoint. The Cardinals have long thrived on speed, from current center fielder Victor Scott all the way back to their go-go teams from the 1980s, many of whom have befriended Wetherholt.

Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith has struck up a particular friendship.

“They keep you humble, because you got to see what they do and you see how humble they are, it’s just ridiculous,” says Wetherholt.

“Ozzie Smith is the nicest dude ever. He was so excited to meet me and I was like, ‘Dude, I’m shaking right now.’ It’s awesome.”

Wetherholt may not follow directly in Ozzie’s footsteps and to that point, he’s willing to embrace the versatility that’s both a hallmark of the current Cardinals roster and an increasing necessity in today’s game.

Whatever gets him from Memphis to St. Louis.

“Obviously, my focus has been the middle of the infield. That’s where they see me long term,” he says. “For me, I’m a competitor. A lot of people talk about my bat and I hope that excels. Defensively, I’m going to work my butt off to be good wherever that may be.

“But I’m definitely open to anything.”

Harry Ford, catcher, Seattle Mariners: Third time’s the charm?

At least Harry Ford has home-field advantage this time.

The Futures Game is typically both rite of passage and waystation, but Ford is playing in the midsummer mini-classic for a third time, for a couple of reasons.

First, he was a very precocious prospect once the Mariners drafted him 12th overall in 2021. And now, he’s blocked from a big league job by perhaps the greatest story in baseball this year: Cal Raleigh.

Yet Ford, 22, is staying sanguine about it. Born in Atlanta, he attended high school at North Cobb, about 20 miles from Truist Park. He secured 22 Futures Game tickets for friends and family.

His big league time will come, the clock ticking only a bit faster when the Mariners summoned him to Texas last month for a night on the taxi squad, in case backup Mitch Garver couldn’t go.

The debut wasn’t to be, and with Raleigh slugging an otherworldly 38 home runs before the All-Star break, a full-time job isn’t in the offing. But Ford is strafing Class AAA pitching. His time is coming, even if it requires a trade from Seattle if they see a greater need to fill to maintain their positioning, one-half game out of a playoff spot.

“I try my best to stay where I’m at,” says Ford. “You know, something that I lean on the most is a proverb, and it says the king’s heart is in the hand of Lord, he guides it like a stream of water. He guides it wherever he pleases.

“And so I’m just like, you know what? My career in God’s hands and I just let it let it be where he decides it to go.”

Right now, it’s running roughshod over the Pacific Coast League. Ford is slashing .292/.409/.446 at Tacoma, his .854 OPS 109 points better than his Class AA mark. Ford is doing just fine.

“I’m only 22. I’ve got a lot of time to grow. Just continue to grow, continue to get wisdom,” he says.

“I mean, it’s not too many 22-year-olds at AAA. So sometimes, it’s nice to take a step back and see that. Proud of what I’ve been so far.”

Carson Whisenhunt, left-hander, San Francisco Giants: Bustin’ loose

The biggest jolt from baseball’s first half was felt all the way in Sacramento, a couple hours east from where Rafael Devers touched down as a San Francisco Giant in a blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox.

Headed east in that deal: Kyle Harrison, a valued young lefty who’d flashed potential in bouncing from Class AAA and the Giants. And suddenly, Carson Whisenhunt found him a little closer to the front of the line.

“We all were kind of stunned on that one,” says Whisenhunt, a second-round pick in 2022 out of East Carolina. “Nobody really knew what to expect once that happened, but everything happens for a reason and we got Devers out of it. And hopefully he helps the team up there and we go from there.”

It might not be long before Whisenhunt’s that guy helping the big club.

He impressed in big league spring training and, for now, is sporting a 4.50 ERA – a quality start, essentially – at Sacramento while hoping to follow the example of two of his close friends.

Landen Roupp and Hayden Birdsong have graduated to San Francisco, mainstays in the Giants rotation and, in Roupp’s case, an indispensable cog with a 3.39 ERA in 18 starts. Birdsong has not met as much success, but has very high-end stuff.

Whisenhunt has been taking notes, learning and listening.

“It’s a great path to follow,” says Whisenhunt. “They’re both throwing really well. Roupp’s had a great year. Birdy’s struggled a little bit but he has great stuff; nobody’s worried about what he can do on the field.

“I’m close with Birdy and Roupp. I pick their brains on what’s going on, what’s working and not working, take little bits and pieces of it and apply to myself.”

That usually starts with featuring his changeup, a beguiling offering that lands in the low 80s and plays nicely off a fastball that touches the mid-90s. Above all Whisenhunt is developing a better feel for his pitches, a development he credits to changes made by new club president Buster Posey loosening the reins just a bit on the young starters.

“It’s definitely different this year, especially with Posey overtaking everything,” says Whisenhunt. “Last year we were on a restriction of how many innings, how many pitches per outing. This year, there’s still a limit, but the limit is a lot higher.

“It’s trying to get us extended – the guys that do get called up ready to  compete once their name’s called.”

That time draws increasingly nearer for Whisenhunt.

Trey Yesavage, right-hander, Toronto Blue Jays: Full-time gig

It’s not that Trey Yesavage did not take his academic pursuits seriously at East Carolina University. It’s just that, one year since Toronto plucked him out of Greenville with the 20th overall pick a year ago, he’s feeling a nice boost when his first and only job is baseball.

“I’ve definitely gotten stronger, I’ll tell you that,” says Yesavage. “I’ve built a good foundation and my body’s feeling amazing because of it.”

He’s getting a pretty good workout from the figurative steps he’s climbing: Seven starts at Class A Dunedin, four more at high-A Vancouver and now five more at AA New Hampshire. Yesavage dominated the younger competition in Florida, striking out 55 in just three innings, and posted a WHIP of less than 1 in both of his A ball outposts.

The going has gotten more challenging at Class AA – he has 23 strikeouts and 11 walks in 17 innings over five starts – but the growth is real.

“I can say that I’ve become more of a pitchability guy, throwing pitches in any count I want, and it’s been a big help for my career,” says Yesavage. “Not having distractions but being able to focus on one task and hone in on that.”

Yesavage’s employers have been the hottest team in the AL East for more than a month, and lead the division by 2 ½ games. Yesavage’s steps would have to become leaps to earn a summons for the playoff push, but he’s methodically passed every other hurdle so far.

“You’re obviously going to have that main goal of making it to the big leagues and having a long career there. You also have to remember the milestones along the way, what’s going to help you get there,” he says. “If you’re worried about two months in advance, the game in front of you is not going to go good and that’s going to set you back from your main goal.”

Brody Hopkins, right-hander, Tampa Bay Rays: A new home

For many of the Futures Games participants, it was easy to get star-struck by members of their coaching staff, a Braves-centric group featuring Hall of Famer Chipper Jones and Fred McGriff, among others.

For Brody Hopkins, it was a little startling to see the company he can now call peers.

“I would say it feels a little more real, and I would say coming here makes it feel even more realer, if that’s a word,” says Hopkins, a Tampa Bay Rays right-hander. “Being here, looking around, it’s crazy. I couldn’t have told you two years ago that this was where I’d be. I’m just trying to soak it all in, take as many pictures as I can, talk to as many people as I can.

“You only get this moment once.”

This is just Hopkins’ second season as a full-time pitcher, as he dabbled in the outfield both at Winthrop and in the Seattle and Tampa Bay organizations.

But his career took a turn when he was a key piece of the trade that sent All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena from Tampa Bay to Seattle, one year after the Mariners selected him in the sixth round.

“They just instill confidence in me, tell me to be an athlete and let my athleticism take over,” says Hopkins of Tampa Bay. “Kind of just tell me to trust my stuff, throw everything down the middle, make it presentable and let my (pitch) shapes do what they do.

“I was traded early, but I feel like the Rays are my home.”

They’re doing pretty well so far. Hopkins has struck out 98 in 80 innings at Class AA Montgomery, his 3.35 ERA not much worse than the 3.05 mark he posted at two A ball stops in 2024.

His fastball sits in the mid-90s and he possesses a slider that’s a wipeout offering to right-handers. Hopkins still profiles as a starter, but that two-pitch arsenal alone could make him an attractive option for an earlier trip to Tampa Bay, with the Rays once again in playoff position.

“I’m not going to say I’m going to get there tomorrow,” says Thorpe. “I’m not going to say I’ll be there in two years.

“But it could be somewhere in between there and when that day happens, it’s going to be pretty exciting.”

Per the Florida criminal code, Judkins faces a charge of battery, in which a person ‘actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other’ — typically a first-degree misdemeanor that carries a penalty of a ‘definite term of imprisonment not exceeding one year’ and a $1,000 fine.

Selected with the 36th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Browns, Judkins was one of 14 Ohio State players drafted back in April.

A Browns spokesperson told the Akron Beacon Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the team was ‘aware and gathering information’ about Judkins’ arrest.

In his lone season at Ohio State, Judkins was part of a one-two punch running back group with TreVeyon Henderson, helping lead the Buckeyes to their first College Football Playoff national championship since 2014 with a 34-23 win over Notre Dame.

In 16 games this past season for the Buckeyes, Judkins ran for 1,060 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns on 194 carries, adding 161 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns on 22 receptions. He ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the national championship game.

Across his three seasons at Ole Miss and Ohio State, Judkins ran for a combined 3,785 yards and 45 touchdowns. Judkins is scheduled to report to his first NFL training camp on Friday, July 18 with the rest of the Browns’ rookies, per NFL.com.

This story has been republished with new information.

Ndamukong Suh announced his retirement on Saturday. Some of you will know that name. Some of you will not. Everyone who follows the NFL and appreciates its history should have a deep appreciation of who Suh was. What he represented. All of him. The good, the bad, the really ugly. So here it is.

Suh was in many ways a representative of the NFL before it became the league we see now. He was an old-school football dude in a 21st-century era. If there was a player today who embodied the clotheslining, cheap-shotting, step-on-a-player’s leg while they’re down era of the 1970s, it was Suh. In fact, Suh actually did step on a player’s leg while he was down. He did it to Aaron Rodgers.

Suh was dirty. That’s not an opinion. That’s who Suh was. Don’t take my word for it. His peers said the same. The Sporting News in 2012 asked 103 players who was the dirtiest in the NFL and Suh was at the top of the list. He earned that position.

‘There’s not many guys in this league like that guy,’ former Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount said in 2017. ‘He’s a dirty player. He’s always been a dirty player. There’s no room in the game for that. At some point in time, guys have to defend themselves when he’s doing the things that he does.’

Suh was fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for various late hits, dirty plays and on-field illegalities. In fact, by 2023, he had racked up a staggering $420,669 in fines. Part of that unreal total was a $100,000 fine for a low block against Minnesota’s John Sullivan in the 2013 season opener.

This is who Suh was. But there is another part of him.

I was a massive critic of Suh, but I always appreciated how he was unapologetic about who he was, and I believe Suh saw football for what it really is: at times, and perhaps most of the time, a brutal sport played by tough people. That’s it. That’s all. Not the game that the league and networks sell. The beautified game. The flashy game. That’s not who Suh was.

It’s hard to put into words just how offenses feared Suh. Quarterbacks were terrified of him for legitimate reasons. But also, teams feared him because he was physically devastating, not just a cheap shot guy.

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Suh was the second overall pick in the 2010 draft and the league’s defensive rookie of the year. He dominated in Detroit and then signed a deal with Miami that, at the time, made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. After the Dolphins, he played for the Rams and Buccaneers before ending his career in Philadelphia.

The point is, besides the dirtiness, he was really good. Like, historically good. Suh played in Super Bowls for each of his last three teams, something that almost never happens in NFL history. According to Pro Football Talk, the short list of players who have played in Super Bowls for three different franchises includes Rod Woodson (Steelers, Ravens, Raiders), Bill Romanowski (49ers, Broncos, Raiders), Preston Pearson (Colts, Steelers, Cowboys), Harry Swayne (Chargers, Broncos, Ravens) and Joe Jurevicius (Giants, Buccaneers, Seahawks).

To me, he is a Hall of Famer.

And no, the cheap shot stuff shouldn’t keep him out. It should be noted, and debated, but he was, without question, one of the great defensive players of his era. That’s the bottom line in making that type of decision.

I have to tell you something else about Suh. Just one last thing.

You can see some of what these people who spoke to me meant when reading Suh’s thoughtful and heartfelt retirement post, which starts by noting he was retiring on the same day, a year later, that his father died.

“It’s the day I said goodbye to my father, the man who raised me, shaped me, challenged me, and believed in me before I believed in myself,” Suh wrote. “He wasn’t just a dad. He was my idol, my coach, and my anchor. He taught me what it meant to be disciplined, focused, and relentless in everything I do. Every snap I took in football carried his fingerprint. Every time I lined up across from someone, I could hear his voice pushing me, reminding me that I wasn’t just representing myself. I was representing him, my family, my name. Before he passed, he gave me one final piece of advice, ‘It’s time to let football go. You’ve done everything you set out to do. Now it’s time for the next chapter.’”

That next chapter should include a trip to Canton.