As the issue of name, image, and likeness makes its way to a possible conclusion and regulation in the world of college athletes, the United States government is getting involved as the courts continue to sort out the issue.

Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville and former Alabama coach Nick Saban met with President Donald Trump to discuss possible NIL reform measures before Trump was set to deliver the commencement address at the University of Alabama.

Before that meeting, Tuberville spent his time in a radio interview 100.9’s “The Game with Ryan Fowler on Wednesday playing the blame game, aimed explicitly at Democrats.

‘I think we can get it on the floor, the problem is getting it past a Democrat group that really wants nothing to do with making this country better. They don’t care about college sports or education, they worry about the power that they control in this country. It’s a hard way to go, but if anybody can get it done, it’s President Trump, and hopefully we can have some discussion to get on the right track toward helping the NIL and college sports,’ Tuberville said.

Tuberville also had an issue with the transfer portal, which has run rampant in the past few years, where athletes can essentially switch schools every year without penalty.

“Everybody would be on the same level. We’ve got to come up with some rules for the transfer portal, possibly a contract for players,” Tuberville said. “We do not want to turn into minor league sports. I talked to (Auburn men’s basketball coach) Bruce Pearl a few weeks ago, he says it’s a disaster, absolute disaster in basketball, and I’m sure it goes over into football and some of the other sports.”

The fan who fell out of the right field stands and onto the warning track during the April 30 Pirates-Cubs game in Pittsburgh has been identified as Kavan Markwood.

A South Allegheny School District spokesperson told both the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and The Athletic that Markwood, a 2022 graduate of South Allegheny High School, was the fan who fell.

‘Everyone at South Allegheny would say he is a hardworking, highly resilient young man. He’s a fighter. He’s going to need that resiliency now. But he has it,’ Laura Thomson told the Tribune-Review. ‘He’s touched a lot of lives at South Allegheny. We’re a small community. He’s a household name here. Everyone knows him.

‘He has the prayers and the support of the South Allegheny community.’

‘Pittsburgh Police do not anticipate providing any additional updates to the public,’ it added.

Markwood was a standout football player at South Allegheny High School, which is located in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. He was on the rosters for the Walsh University football team in 2022 and Wheeling University football team in 2023. Both schools are Division II programs. His Wheeling bio says he appeared in five games for the Cardinals in 2023.

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LOS ANGELES — James Harden and Kawhi Leonard led the Los Angeles Clippers to a 111-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 6.

With the series now tied at 3, the first round series will conclude in Denver with the Oklahoma City Thunder awaiting the winner.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue referenced a “temperature check” before the game during pregame media availability, considering the win-or-go-home situation.

Harden finished the night with 28 points, eight assists and six rebounds in 47 minutes of play.

It was a bounce-back performance for the 16-year veteran from his recent outings, having scored just 26 points combined in Games 4 and 5.

Lue called his players to take the temperature of his team during an off day following a loss in each of the two games in the series.

“He usually does that,” Leonard said about Lue’s phone calls. “Whether it’s winning streaks or losing streaks, just to see how we feel about the lineup and how we should be playing with the matchups. … He’s pretty good at that.”

Leonard produced a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds.

The Clippers built some early momentum in the first quarter, but the Nuggets finished the opening period with a 28-25 lead. L.A. managed to keep the game close in the second quarter before pulling away coming out of the locker room at halftime.

The Clippers lead the Nuggets 80-66 with 3:56 left in the third quarter, one of their largest leads of the night after Norman Powell drove in a layup off an assist from Nicolas Batum.

Powell provided a spark with 11 of his 24 points in the third. 

While Nuggets cut into the Clippers’ lead in the fourth quarter, Powell hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 110-101 with 1:40 left and put the game out of reach for the Nuggets.

The Clippers outscored the Nuggets 33-29 in the second quarter to take a 58-57 lead at halftime.

MVP finalist Nikola Jokic fell short of a triple-double on Thursday, finishing with 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray followed up his 43-point performance in Game 5 with 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

“We still had some mistakes tonight but I think our energy defensively and even offensively our aggressiveness was different,” Harden said. “It starts with me. We’ll watch some film and find something I can get better at and do it for one more game.”

Nuggets ready to match physicality

Nikola Jokic was seen gesturing toward the officials for the lack of fouls not called on the Clippers while he had the ball multiple times throughout the game.

While the Nuggets star may have spent time expressing himself during the game, Nuggets coach David Adelman spoke after the game and made it clear that his team is ready to match the play style in Game 7.

“Nikola gets fouled a lot,” Adelman said. “I’m not sure what was happening tonight, but for him to shoot two free throws with the amount of contact that was going on out there was absolutely crazy. 

“They put smalls on him. Those smalls were allowed to do whatever they want, so I’m really excited for Saturday that we’re going to be able to do the same thing with their best players, because if that’s the physicality we’re allowed to play with, we’ll react to it, and we will go there in Game 7.”

Jokic went just 1 of 2 from the free-throw line and turned the ball over four times.

Clippers stay healthy

The Clippers have managed to finish out the first six games of the series healthy but recent history hasn’t worked in the team’s favor. The team had lost in the first round in each of the last two years. 

Leonard has been limited in both of those years, playing in just two playoff games in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

“I’m enjoying every game. I’ve been on the sidelines the last couple of years in the playoffs,” Leonard said. “So I don’t take it for granted. I just try to cherish every moment and thank God that I’m able to play.”

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It’s been a year since Lando Norris’ Formula One career changed, following his first win at the Miami Grand Prix.

Norris is no longer trolled by the nickname Lando No-wins. He’s got five total F1 race wins under his belt, including a victory to start the 2025 season in Australia.

Just don’t ask Norris, 25, about his post-race celebrations in Miami last year.

“I don’t remember,” Norris said May 1 with a sly smile.

“It’s just good memories. It’s stuff I dreamed of as a kid, was winning and standing on top step, and I managed to do it here,” Norris said. ‘So, just good memories – good, good times. Thinking back to the race, the checkered race, seeing the team, the celebrations – a lot of things that really bring a smile to my face.”

Before the 2025 Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, Norris has found himself behind his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri on the grid in the races after winning the Australian Grand Prix.

Piastri won the Chinese Grand Prix, the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this season. Norris finished second in China and Japan (behind Max Verstappen), third in Bahrain (also behind George Russell), and he missed the podium with a fourth-place finish in Saudi Arabia.

Still, Norris is in great shape to contend for the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship after finishing second behind Verstappen, who won his fourth straight title, in 2024. And he remains in high spirits.

While Piastri leads the drivers’ standings with 99 points, Norris is in second place with 89 points ahead of Verstappen (87), heading into the Miami race — the sixth of 24 races during the 2025 season.

“I’m doing what I can. Clearly, I’ve made some mistakes, and not where the level I need to be. But I believe I can be at the level soon enough. So, no reason to be worried,” Norris said of his finishes this season. “It’s round six of 24. I’m not going to say that forever, but I know I need to get a move on, and I need to get into gear a little bit.

‘But I’m doing the best I can every weekend at the minute, and trying to improve. The speed is there, the pace is there. The right space is definitely there. It’s just one thing I need to tidy up, and it’s a difficult thing, but I’m confident that I’ll get it.”

While Norris didn’t reveal the ‘one thing” in his path, Norris insists he’s happy with McLaren’s team success — more than his own.

With wins in four of the five races, McLaren leads the constructors’ standings with 188 points, ahead of Mercedes (111 points) and Red Bull (89 points).

‘It’s great. Obviously, there’s a good atmosphere, because it’s been the best start of a season McLaren has had for many, many, many years,” Norris said.

“[We’re] in a very good spirit. And the same between Oscar and myself — we’re both getting along and enjoy working together. I appreciate him. He appreciates me. And that’s a good thing to have in the team. So, yeah, all positive things.”

So positive, Norris insists he isn’t worried about being edged out by Piastri — just yet. Then again, there are 18 Grand Prix left this season.

“No, no worries at all,’ Norris said. ‘He’s doing a good job, and he deserves it. Nothing more than that.”

The NHL’s coaching carousel has recorded its first hire of the offseason.

The New York Rangers announced Friday that they have hired Mike Sullivan as the franchise’s 38th coach. The two-time Stanley Cup winner was available because he and the Pittsburgh Penguins had parted ways this week after a third season missing the playoffs.

The Rangers had fired Peter Laviolette after the team had fallen from the best record in the league in 2023-24 to out of the playoffs this season. Sullivan, who coached Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh plus Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, will take over another team loaded with high-end players. He had been an assistant coach with the Rangers from 2009-13.

‘I’ve gotten to know Mike very well over the years, including as teammates in the 1997 World Championships, when he coached me as a player in New York and through our shared time working together with USA Hockey,’ general manager Chris Drury said in a statement. ‘As we began this process and Mike became an available option for us to speak with, it was immediately clear that he was the best coach to lead our team.”

The Rangers had been No. 1 on USA TODAY’s rankings of the NHL’s coach openings. Here are the remaining seven destinations, ranked from most to least attractive:

1. Anaheim Ducks

Reason for opening: Greg Cronin was fired after two seasons.

Recent history: They haven’t made the playoffs for seven seasons.

Advantages: The team jumped 21 points in the standings so it’s on the rise. Forward Troy Terry and goalie Lukas Dostal are solid. The Ducks have promising younger players in Mason McTavish, Jackson LaCombe, Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson. GM Pat Verbeek said he will be aggressive in free agency.

Disadvantages: Even with the improvement, the Ducks finished 16 points off a playoff spot. The Western Conference is tough. The Ducks finished last in the league on the power play and in the bottom five in goals, penalty killing and 5-on-5 play. Trevor Zegras has problems staying healthy.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins

Reason for opening: The team and Sullivan agreed to part ways.

Recent history: They have missed the playoffs the last three seasons.

Advantages: You get to coach Crosby, who continues to thrive and broke Wayne Gretzky’s record with a 20th season averaging at least a point per game. He’s signed for two more seasons. Fellow core member Malkin has another year left on his contract and Kris Letang has three. Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust topped 30 goals this season.

Disadvantages: There’s not a lot of production from the bottom six forward group. Goaltender Tristan Jarry’s inconsistency led to time in the American Hockey League. The team ranked 29th in the league in five-on-five goal differential and had the fourth-worst goals-against average.

3. Boston Bruins

Reason for opening: Jim Montgomery was fired in November and Joe Sacco finished the season as interim coach. The Bruins said Sacco would be considered in their coaching search.

Recent history: The Bruins’ eight-year playoff streak ended this season.

Advantages: David Pastrnak is an elite scorer. Morgan Geekie had a breakout season. The team will be better when injured defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm return. GM Don Sweeney has cap room to make free agency moves.

Disadvantages: Core players were dealt at the deadline. As of now, the center depth needs improvement. Goalie Jeremy Swayman is coming off a down season. Sweeney, whose free agency moves for Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov didn’t pan out, has a year left on his contract.

4. Chicago Blackhawks

Reason for opening: Luke Richardson was fired in December. Anders Sorensen finished the season as interim coach.

Recent history: They have one playoff appearance in the last eight seasons, none since 2020.

Advantages: Connor Bedard is a generational player and will keep getting better. Ryan Donato scored 31 goals this season. Trade deadline acquisition Spencer Knight is a potential franchise goalie. The team will draft high again in 2025.

Disadvantages: The Blackhawks traded away a lot of veterans before winning the 2023 Bedard draft lottery and lack depth. Even with promising young players, this is a long rebuild. Donato is a free agent.

5. Philadelphia Flyers

Reason for opening: John Tortorella was fired in March and Brad Shaw finished the season as interim coach.

Recent history: They last made the playoffs in 2020.

Advantages: Young forward Matvei Michkov is an exciting, skilled player. Forward Travis Konecny and defenseman Travis Sanheim made Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Disadvantages: They finished last in the conference so there’s a long way to go. Their goaltending is inconsistent.

6. Vancouver Canucks

Reason for opening: Rick Tocchet turned down a new contract offer to pursue other opportunities.

Recent history: They missed the playoffs this season and have made it once in the past five years.

Advantage: They won the Pacific Division title in 2023-24. Defenseman Quinn Hughes won the Norris Trophy last year and is a finalist this season.

Disadvantage: This is far from the team that won the division title. J.T. Miller was traded to New York after he and Elias Pettersson had a dispute. Pettersson needs to find his game again. Goaltender Thatcher Demko has injury issues. Brock Boeser is expected to leave in free agency. And according to team president Jim Rutherford, Hughes wants to play with his brothers: New Jersey’s Jack and Luke. His contract runs out in 2026.

7. Seattle Kraken

Reason for opening: Dan Bylsma was fired in April after one season.

Recent history: They have made the playoffs once in four seasons of existence.

Advantage: Brandon Montour and Vince Dunn bring offense from the blue line. The team can build around youngsters Matty Beniers and Shane Wright. Kaapo Kakko looked good after his arrival in a trade. Joey Daccord is solid in net.

Disadvantage: Unlike the Golden Knights, this recent expansion team has had little success, outside its second season. The Kraken’s team defense ranks in the bottom third of the league. Philipp Grubauer has struggled in net.

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The 2025 NFL Draft featured one of the best running back classes in the modern era.

It came at an opportune time, as teams are running the ball better than at any time in the last three decades. The league average of 119.8 rushing yards per game last season is behind only 2022 (121.6) for the most since 1988.

In a talented, deep class, most experts agreed on the top prospect: Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty.

Jeanty had one of the best seasons by a running back in college football history as the Broncos made their first appearance in the College Football Playoff. That was enough for the Las Vegas Raiders to select Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick in the draft.

In doing so, Las Vegas made Jeanty the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley in 2018. Here’s how he got there and his hopes for his rookie season in 2025.

Ashton Jeanty’s historic run at Boise State

A child of a military family, Jeanty moved a lot with stints in Florida, Georgia, Virginia and even Italy before settling in Frisco, Texas.

That helped him adapt quickly to multiple new environments as a young player.

‘In football, there’s always a change or there’s always something that doesn’t go your way,’ Jeanty said. ‘Being in a military family, always having to constantly pack up and move, I think (I could) connect with everybody on the team and build new relationships quickly.’

Jeanty played defensive line, safety and slot receiver before settling in as a running back as a senior at Lone Star High School. His 1,843 rushing yards and 41 total touchdowns earned him 15 college offers, with Boise State earning his commitment.

In 2023, Jeanty earned Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors as the top running back in the league. Power 4 conference teams came calling for his services but he chose to stay with the Broncos.

Behind his near-historic season last fall, the Broncos made the College Football Playoff and faced off in the Fiesta Bowl against Penn State. The Broncos lost 31-14 but still achieved unprecedented success for the program.

‘That was everything,’ Jeanty said. ‘Just the fact that we were able to make it there and make history. … That’s what we had talked about starting in January and worked at it, took it day by day and able to accomplish it as a team.’

Jeanty finished the 2024 college season with 2,601 rushing yards. That’s the second-most since 1956 and only surpassed by Barry Sanders’ 1988 season (2,628 rushing yards).

Jeanty’s impact on Boise State isn’t over now that he’s in the NFL. Thanks to the money he earned through the school’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) fund, he set up the ‘Ashton Jeanty Endowed Scholarship for Football’ to help support future Boise State athletes.

‘Some of the things that you learn in school are invaluable,’ Jeanty said. ‘Growing up, experiencing life, experiencing being an adult for the first time, having to do things on your own. College really sets you up for later in life and the years 18 through 25, college is four of those years that can set you up for the rest of your life. … I’m hoping to give other people an opportunity.’

NFL draft night 2025

There was little doubt Jeanty would hear his name called early.

Roughly 75% of his 2,601 rushing yards in 2024 came after contact, and that alone would’ve easily led the country in rushing last season. That quantifies one of his most elite tools: contact balance. It’s Jeanty’s calling card as defenders bounce off of him as he churns out more yards.

‘Some of it’s God-given talent but also just the work I’ve put in from the weight room and studying how people tackle,’ Jeanty said of his contact balance. ‘Then it comes to game time and you see how a defender tackles you, how you can evade, avoid and bounce off defenders. For me, I like to make contact first so I can bounce off them but it takes a little thinking and processing to do it.’

That film time studying how defenders tackle keys Jeanty in to the best approach.

‘Guys who wrap up, guys who like to lead with their shoulders, guys who form tackle – do they tackle high or do they tackle low, are they someone to kind of sit and wait to see which direction you’re going or are they coming downhill?’ he said. ‘All of that just helps your analyzing and then you make your move.’

Las Vegas made its move on the clock at No. 6 overall. Raiders general manager John Spytek made the call to the top prospect.

‘We’re about to make you a Raider,’ Spytek told Jeanty over the phone. ‘As Mr. Davis would love me to say, welcome to the dark side, my friend.’

‘We’re proud to take you, proud to get you, this’ll be so much fun for you and for all of us,’ Raiders coach Pete Carroll told him.

Jeanty was a fan of former Seahawks and Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch as a kid, making the fit even better.

His first call after getting drafted was to Boise State running backs coach James Montgomery.

‘Shout-out to Verizon for putting it together and getting us on the phone,’ Jeanty said. ‘It was an amazing moment. First thing, he answered the call and we’re both laughing because that’s our relationship. We have a lot of fun together and sometimes it didn’t feel like he was my coach, he just felt like he was one of my guys.’

‘It was great being able to call him right after the moment because he’d done so much to help me get where I’m at,’ Jeanty added. ‘I don’t think people realize how important it is to have a great coach along with the skill set and abilities that you have to bring those to life.’

Ashton Jeanty’s goals for rookie season

Jeanty is one of many new faces on the Raiders’ offense for 2025. Las Vegas has a new starting quarterback in Geno Smith and a host of rookie wide receivers, including Jack Bech, Dont’e Thornton and Tommy Mellott to compliment star tight end Brock Bowers in the passing game.

‘They’ve already got some great pieces that they’ve added and I hope to be another piece that brings it all together,’ Jeanty said.

Las Vegas made Chip Kelly the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league after hiring Carroll as head coach. Both coaches have traditionally looked to run first on offense, making Jeanty a key piece in that plan for success.

The Raiders face a relatively tough schedule in 2025. Six of their games come against AFC West foes who all made the playoffs in 2024. They’re also facing the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Jeanty’s keeping a wider perspective for his rookie season priorities.

‘The biggest goal for me is being a great teammate and having an early impact,’ Jeanty said. ‘Hopefully with the team, making the playoffs. Then individual success like Offensive Rookie of the Year, rushing for 1,000-plus yards, those will come with the team success.’

The Vegas Golden Knights’ clinching 3-2 victory in Game 6 put them in the second round of the NHL playoffs and ended the Minnesota Wild’s season.

It also was the end of the career of future Hall of Fame goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who backed up on Thursday after getting into part of Game 5 because of Filip Gustavsson’s illness. Fleury, the 2003 No. 1 overall pick, previously announced that this was his final season.

He finishes with three Stanley Cup titles with the Pittsburgh Penguins, a Vezina Trophy and another trip to the Final with the Golden Knights and 575 regular-season wins, second best in NHL history.

ESPN had a second game to broadcast Thursday night and cut away from the handshake line before Fleury went through in order to show the intro of the Los Angeles Kings-Edmonton Oilers game.

ESPN later showed video of Fleury in the handshake line during the intermission of the Kings-Oilers game. But here’s what you missed from Fleury’s last time on the ice, courtesy of agent Allan Walsh and others:

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There’s been a late scratch to the field for the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, and an intriguing new contender is joining the race.

Rodriguez, trained by Bob Baffert, has a foot bruise, co-owner Tom Ryan said in a post on X late Thursday afternoon.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have made a very tough decision to scratch our Derby horse, Rodriguez,” Ryan wrote. ‘He has a small but slightly sensitive foot bruise that will need a few more days. Therefore, we are resetting our plans and will target him for the Preakness.”

Baeza will now join the field for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, and the John Shirreffs-trained horse becomes a compelling pick for the first Triple Crown race of the year.

The half-brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage finished second behind Kentucky Derby favorite Journalism in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby last month, but didn’t receive enough points to initially qualify for this year’s Run for the Roses due to the size of the field at Santa Anita. Baeza instead spent this week at Churchill Downs as the top of the also-eligible list for the 20-horse field, hoping for a development like the one announced Thursday.

Scratch time is 9 a.m. on Friday morning.