Archive

2025

Browsing

Buzz Williams is heading to College Park.

On Tuesday, Maryland announced it hired Williams, the former Texas A&M coach, as the school’s men’s basketball coach.

Williams, who spent the past six seasons in the SEC with A&M, replaces Kevin Willard at Maryland after Willard took the vacant coaching job at Villanova on Sunday. Texas A&M is owed a $1 million buyout with Williams’s departure, according to his contact obtained by the USA TODAY Sports, as long as Texas A&M exercised options to extend his contract last year and this year.

‘It is an honor and privilege to be named the head coach of the University of Maryland men’s basketball team,’ Williams said in a statement.

‘I want to thank President (Darryll) Pines and (interim Maryland athletic director) Colleen Sorem for this opportunity to lead one of the most prestigious programs in the country. In leading this program, I promise to uphold the history of Maryland basketball and make Terp Nation proud with the men who represent this institution.’

Tuesday’s announcement comes roughly a week after Williams was first was linked to the Maryland job if Willard decided to leave and take another position. Prior to his six years at Texas A&M, where he led the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament each of the past three seasons, Williams was coach of Virginia Tech from 2014-1019. He got his first head-coaching job in 2006 at New Orleans before being hired in 2008 by Marquette, where he was head coach for six seasons and elevated the Golden Eagles back to national prominence.

Maryland and Marquette are set to face each other in the back end of a home-and-home series this upcoming season, a non-conference matchup that will mark Williams’ first return to Milwaukee since leaving for the Virginia Tech job in 2014.

Williams holds an overall record of 373-228 in his 18 seasons as a head coach. He has won at least 100 games at each of his past three stops – Marquette, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M.

Maryland finished 27-9 overall this past season under Willard and it went to the Sweet 16 of the West Region, where it fell to No. 1 seed Florida.

Williams will now look to rebuild Maryland’s roster to compete once again in the Big Ten, as the Terrapins have already lost Rodney Rice, Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Braden Pierce to the transfer portal, and star freshman Derik Queen is expected to declare for the NBA draft.

(This story will be updated.)

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin will be on the road for back-to-back nights, starting Tuesday in Boston, as he continues his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s goal record.

The Capitals captain scored his 890th career goal Sunday afternoon and now needs five goals to top the 894 that the Hall of Famer Gretzky scored from 1979-99. Washington will play in Carolina on Wednesday night after visiting Boston.

Ovechkin will be facing the Bruins for the second time this season. He missed the teams’ first meeting with a broken leg and was held without a goal in the other game.

USA TODAY will provide live coverage of Tuesday’s game between the Capitals and Bruins. Follow along:

When is Alex Ovechkin’s next game? Capitals vs. Bruins start time

The Capitals play the Bruins at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday at TD Garden in Boston.

Where to watch Capitals vs. Bruins game

The game is not being aired on television nationally. It will be shown on NESN in Boston and on Monumental Sports Network in Washington. 

How to stream Capitals vs. Bruins game

The game can be streamed via ESPN+ outside of the local markets.

Alex Ovechkin linemates

Newcomer Ryan Leonard is scheduled to skate with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas to give him a taste of top-six action in his debut. Those are often Ovechkin’s linemates. He’ll skate with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tom Wilson on Tuesday vs. Boston.

Capitals’ Ryan Leonard to make NHL debut

The focus of Tuesday’s Capitals-Bruins game will also be on the NHL debut of Ryan Leonard, the Boston College and U.S. world junior hockey championship star who signed an entry-level contract on Monday. Ovechkin called him a ‘tremendous player.’

‘Just play your game. Don’t try too much,’ Ovechkin told reporters about his advice for Leonard. ‘I’m pretty sure he’s going to have lots of energy. Probably, he’s going to be nervous. But I’m sure he’s going to be fine.’

Alex Ovechkin goals vs. Bruins

Ovechkin has 29 goals in 68 regular season games against the Bruins. He was held to no points on three shots in a December game against Boston.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The golf legend took to social media Tuesday morning, on the heels of going public with his relationship with Vanessa Trump, and made what initially appeared to be a stunning announcement about his recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

‘I can’t believe I am saying this, but a few weeks after rupturing my left Achilles, the sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber plus the explosive lifts my doctors and trainers have me ready to play the Masters next week!’ Woods wrote on his X account. ‘Can’t wait! See y’all on the course.’

Woods then followed up three minutes later with another post ‒ and a punch line.

‘P.S. April Fools my Achilles is still a mess,’ he wrote.

Woods was already attempting to return from microdecompression surgery on his lumbar spine last September to relieve nerve impingement in his lower back, hoping it would reduce the pain and spasms he experienced last year. His potential 2025 season debut on the PGA Tour at The Genesis Invitational was also subsequently delayed as he grieved the sudden death of his mother in February.

The 15-time major winner has not been in the course of a professional golf event since The Open Championship last July. He did play with his son, Charlie, at the PNC Championship in December and competed throughout TGL’s inaugural season with Jupiter Links GC.

Woods only played in five PGA Tour events last season, and that included withdrawing after the first round of the 2024 Genesis Invitational due to an illness. He only made the cut at the Masters, finishing in 60th place. It’s unclear when his next appearance on the PGA Tour could be after this latest injury.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

President Donald Trump expressed his approval of the recently revealed relationship between Tiger Woods and his ex-daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump.

Vanessa was married to Donald Trump Jr. for 12 years before their divorce in 2018.

‘He told me about it, and I said, ‘Tiger, that’s good, that’s good.’ I’m very happy for you both. Just let them both be happy. Let them both be happy. They’re both great,’ Trump said.

Woods and Vanessa Trump were spotted together following around Vanessa’s daughter, Kai, at the Genesis Open. Since then, Vanessa and Kai have attended a TGL event in Florida alongside Woods’ children, Charlie and Sam. The 15-time major champion revealed his relationship with Vanessa through a social media post, making their relationship a public affair.

‘Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side! We look forward to our journey through life together. At this time we would appreciate privacy for all those close to our hearts,’ Woods captioned with a picture of him and Vanessa.

Is Tiger Woods playing in Masters?

Despite Tiger Woods’ April Fools Day prank on social media announcing he would play in the Masters, Woods is still rehabilitating his left Achilles tendon, which he ruptured at home in March. Woods underwent minimally invasive surgery to repair the injury, and his timeline for returning to play is currently unknown.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Democrats and Republicans repeatedly clashed on Tuesday during a lengthy hearing on what the GOP calls ‘activist judges’ blocking President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittees on the Constitution and on courts held the joint hearing in preparation for a House-wide vote on legislation that would limit district judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions. That bill is currently stalled, however, after an unrelated fight on proxy voting paralyzed the House floor.

During the hearing, Democrats repeatedly tried to press Republicans on the issue of judicial impeachments — something pushed by conservatives but that House GOP leaders have shown little appetite for pursuing.

‘Some guy I’ve never heard of, he, might be in Congress, introduced an impeachment resolution, and he’s not here,’ Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said of an impeachment resolution targeting U.S. district Judge James Boasberg by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas.

‘He hasn’t been here for at least the last hour, and every witness here is in agreement that we really shouldn’t be impeaching judges. I haven’t heard a single colleague on the other side say we should be impeaching judges.’

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who was co-chairing the hearing alongside Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, asked Swalwell to yield his time — but the California Democrat refused.

‘I don’t think they have anything to talk about with the bills, since they offered a similar bill, and even the solicitor general, as late as October of last year in the Biden administration, wanted exactly what we’re moving out of committee today,’ Issa told Fox News Digital about Democrats’ ploy.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., compared conservatives’ push to impeach judges to House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry efforts into former President Joe Biden — which ultimately did not end in any such proceedings.

‘I guess we’re taking a page out of [House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer’s] playbook, we’re just doing fake impeachments,’ Moskowitz told Fox News Digital.

But Roy, who co-led the hearing with Issa, told Fox News Digital it was about ‘trying to make clear that you’ve got a handful of judges acting, clearly politically, to stop the administration from acting.’

‘It’s pretty clear that my Democratic colleagues prefer to defend the right of an MS-13 gang member, clearly here illegally, from being deported,’ Roy said.

But Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., another member of the committee, said at least one goal was to ‘raise the profile of the issue.’

‘Maybe the more headlines a hearing like this gets, it clearly sets it on the plate of Chief Justice Roberts, right, to take action and try to get control of the courts again,’ he said.

It’s not immediately clear when Issa’s bill will get a vote, after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced House floor activity was canceled for the rest of this week.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

The White House is warning President Trump may veto a Democrat-led resolution that would undo his tariffs against Canada if it passes the Senate on Tuesday.

In a statement of administrative policy obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, the Trump White House said that if the resolution came to his desk, ‘his advisors would recommend that he veto it.’

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., led several other Democrats in introducing the privileged resolution, which would specifically roll back the tariffs that the Trump administration levied on Canada. 

The resolution would reverse the national emergency that Trump declared on Feb. 1 at the northern border. 

A White House official told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement, ‘President Trump promised to secure our borders and stop the scourge of fentanyl that’s poisoning our communities, and he’s delivering. Democrat Senator Tim Kaine is trying to undermine the President’s Emergency Declaration at our Northern Borders—a measure that prioritizes our national security—for reasons that defy logic.’

‘Under Joe Biden’s failed leadership, criminal networks, fentanyl, and terrorists ran rampant along the northern border. Today’s stunt by Tim Kaine proves once again how woefully out of touch the Democrat Party is with the American people as they use a matter of national security for political gamesmanship. The stakes are too high to reverse course; the declaration must stay in place.’

Kaine responded with his own statement, telling Fox News Digital, ‘The Trump Administration’s own threat assessment report on fentanyl did not mention Canada—not even once. Trump’s order is a blatant abuse of his authority, and it is critical that Congress push back before he inflicts even more damage to our economy and to the relationship with one of our top trading partners and closest allies.’

In a recent op-ed in the Washington Post, Kaine wrote, ‘The emergency powers Trump is invoking — based on provisions of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act — are intended for use in legitimate emergencies related to foreign threats and adversaries.’

The senator claimed that ‘Trump’s rationale for an ‘emergency’ that justifies billions in taxes on American consumers doesn’t make sense in Canada’s case.’

He also accused the president of making ‘spurious claims of a fentanyl crisis at the northern border on par with the drug situation at the southern border, but his numbers don’t add up.’

According to the White House, since the emergency was declared, border crossings from the north have fallen by 65%. 

The White House also pointed to the significant increase in encounters along the northern border under former President Joe Biden, who saw a more than 420% increase in encounters at their peak. 

In 2024, the White House further claimed U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized enough fentanyl to kill nearly 10 million people. 

Trump took to Truth Social himself on Monday to rail against Kaine’s resolution: ‘Senator Tim Kaine, who ran against me with Crooked Hillary in 2016, is trying to halt our critical Tariffs on deadly Fentanyl coming in from Canada. We are making progress to end this terrible Fentanyl Crisis, but Republicans in the Senate MUST vote to keep the National Emergency in place, so we can finish the job, and end the scourge.’

‘By their weakness, the Democrats have allowed Fentanyl to get out of hand. The Republicans and I have reversed that course, strongly and quickly. Major additional progress is being made. Don’t let the Democrats have a Victory. It would be devastating for the Republican Party and, far more importantly, for the United States. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’ he continued. 

Republican leadership is echoing Trump’s message in the Senate, with Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., set to make similar arguments in a floor speech on Wednesday. 

In prepared remarks obtained by Fox News Digital exclusively, Barrasso will say, ‘For four years, America’s attention has been on the southern border. Meanwhile, the criminal cartels noticed how Joe Biden and the Democrats threw open the northern border.’

He will note that Trump recognized its unique threats and ‘is taking bold, swift action to secure it.’

‘Why would we let up?’ Barrasso will ask, also pointing to the facts that ‘Canada is making changes. Canada agreed to deploy to the border more technology and more law enforcement officers. Canada also created its first ever National Fentanyl Czar.’

The resolution is expected to get a vote on Tuesday. However, it could be moved depending on the length of Sen. Cory Booker’s record-breaking floor speech, which is still ongoing. 

It will only require a simple 51-vote majority to be agreed to. This means there’s a significant chance that it advances, with some Republicans, such as Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., having expressed concerns about the tariffs.  

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Restaurant chain Hooters of America filed for bankruptcy protection in Texas on Monday, seeking to address its $376 million debt by selling all of its company-owned restaurants to a franchise group backed by the company’s founders.

Hooters, like other casual dining restaurants, has struggled in recent years due to inflation, the high costs of labor and food and declining spending by cash-strapped American consumers. The company currently directly owns and operates 151 locations, with another 154 restaurants operated by franchisees, primarily in the United States.

The privately-owned company, which shares a private equity owner with recently-bankrupt TGI Fridays, intends to sell all corporate-owned locations to a buyer group comprised of two existing Hooters franchisees, who operate 30 high-performing Hooters locations in the U.S., mainly in Florida and Illinois.

Hooters did not disclose the purchase price of the transaction, which must be approved by a U.S. bankruptcy judge before it becomes final.

Founded in 1983, Hooters became famous for its chicken wings and its servers’ uniform of orange shorts and low-cut tank tops.

The buyer group is backed by some of Hooters’ original founders, and it pledged to take Hooters “back to its roots.”

“With over 30 years of hands-on experience across the Hooters ecosystem, we have a profound understanding of our customers and what it takes to not only meet, but consistently exceed their expectations,” said Neil Kiefer, a member of the buyer group and the current CEO of the original Hooters’ location in Clearwater, Florida.

Hooters said it expects to complete the deal and emerge from bankruptcy in three to four months. The company has lined up about $35 million in financing from its existing lender group to complete the bankruptcy transaction.

Casual dining restaurants have been hammered by rising costs in 2024, with well-known chains like TGI Fridays, Red Lobster, Bucca di Beppo, and Rubio’s Coastal Grill all filing for bankruptcy last year.

Restaurant prices have risen about 30% in the last 5 years, outpacing consumer prices overall, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

Over the course of his coaching career, Buzz Williams has compiled a transient résumé, often staying at a program for five or six years before heading elsewhere.

In 2014, one year after leading Marquette to an Elite Eight, Williams left the Golden Eagles for what was then an ACC cellar-dweller in Virginia Tech. Five years later, and after taking the Hokies to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1967, he accepted the same position at Texas A&M.

Now, he’s on the move again.

Williams has been hired as the head coach at Maryland, the university announced Tuesday. He replaces Kevin Willard, who left after the Terrapins’ run to the Sweet 16 in the 2025 NCAA Tournament to be Villanova’s coach.

The 52-year-old Williams has been a proven winner for much of his career, with a 359-211 record and 11 NCAA Tournament appearances since the start of the 2008-09 season. Most recently, he made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons at Texas A&M, including with a team during the 2024-25 season that earned a No. 4 seed before falling to Michigan in the second round.

The transaction comes with a price tag, though. Prying a sitting head coach from a power-conference program usually comes with the additional cost of a buyout, with Williams’ move from the Aggies being no exception.

Here’s a look at what Maryland owes Texas A&M for hiring Williams:

Buzz Williams pay

Salary: $4.7 million

According to information from USA TODAY’s men’s coaching salary database, Williams boasted a total pay of $4.7 million for the 2025 season. With that figure, Williams was the 17th highest-paid coach in the country, based on USA TODAY Sports’ research of the Power Four plus any non-Power Fours that have qualified for three of the past five NCAA Tournaments. And he was the seventh-highest in the SEC.

According to a copy of his contract, obtained by the USA TODAY Sports, he was due a raise of $100,000 on Tuesday, which would have boosted his salary to $4.8 million.

Buzz Williams contract buyout

As part of the terms of Williams’ contract with Texas A&M, as long as the school exercised contract extension options on or before March 31 of 2024 and 2025, the Aggies are owed $1 million from the coach for leaving before the end of his deal.

So Maryland probably saved a bit of money, given the timing of the move. Williams’ buyout probably was cut in half, dropping from $2 million to $1 million, on Tuesday. The Terrapins are set to receive $2 million in buyout money from Willard.

Buzz Williams career record

Here’s a look at Williams’ record as a college head coach:

New Orleans (2006-07): 14-17
Marquette (2008-14): 139-69
Virginia Tech (2014-19): 100-69
Texas A&M (2019-25): 120-73
Overall: 373-228

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Correction/clarification: An earlier version of this report misstated the organization that changed its security protocols. It was Inter Miami.

Yassine Cheuko, Lionel Messi’s bodyguard will no longer be on the sideline during Inter Miami CF games, a club spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports.

Cheuko is recognized for his viral moments as he scans the crowd to prevent potential pitch invaders from reaching Messi. The change was a club decision but Cheuko will continue to work with Inter Miami, the spokesperson said.

An MLS spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports the league has not ‘updated policies or protocols regarding team security guards being stationed on the field,’ contrary to an earlier report from Reuters.

Reuters reported Tuesday that Cheuko told Spanish media he ‘was barred’ from the field and will only have access to the locker room and mixed zones.

When is Inter Miami CF’s next game?

Inter Miami CF are currently at the top of the Eastern Conference in the MLS table with 13 points, ahead of Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew.

Inter Miami’s next game will be against LAFC in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday, April 2 at 11:30 p.m. ET.

This report has been updated with new information.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Despite the false hope generated by an April Fool’s joke, Tiger Woods will not be at Augusta National next week competing for a sixth Masters title as he recovers from his latest surgery. But that doesn’t mean his presence won’t still be felt at the storied golf course.

‘I hope he gets back to where he can play,’ ESPN golf analyst Curtis Strange said Monday on a pre-tournament conference call. ‘We don’t even know if he can play ever again.

‘It’s going badly. But especially here, where he can come back and be comfortable and just be around. The people can’t get enough of him. We can’t get enough of him. It would be sad that he wouldn’t come back here and play in the future, but what the future holds, we have no idea.’

Woods last won at Augusta in 2019 with an improbable final-round charge for his fifth green jacket.

But after having surgery last month to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, Woods is sitting out this year’s Masters as he focuses on rest and rehab.

Will Tiger Woods ever play again?

Perhaps a bigger issue than returning to Augusta is whether Woods will ever tee it up again on the PGA Tour.

‘Now we’re getting to the point that this next rehab is going to be brutally difficult for him,’ ESPN’s Andy North said on Monday’s call. ‘He doesn’t have to prove anything to anybody. He’s done everything he needed to do. If he were to announce in the next month or two that, you know what, I’m never playing competitive golf again. I think that would be great, and no one would have an issue with that.’

Woods, 49, hasn’t played an official tour event since last year’s British Open. He underwent back surgery in September and played using a cart at the PNC Championship in December alongside son Charlie. 

‘I think that the competitor in him – you know, you always think you can rehab. You always think you can come back. You always believe that you can do this,’ North said. ‘But I don’t have any magic answers there. I would think that he’s going to try to play some events after this rehab. Is it going to be a Tiger Woods that can compete? Deep in my heart, I don’t think so.’

Tiger Woods’ future

Woods’ place in golf history is unquestionably secure with his record-tying 82 PGA Tour wins and 15 major titles. Yet Strange believes Tiger can still bolster his legacy by continuing to return to the Masters.

‘You know, these great players, superstars, always talked about they never want to be a ceremonial player or something to that effect, like it’s a negative,’ Strange said.

‘I want to see him at Augusta for a long time in the future playing. He’s not going to play the way he wants to, but I think the people would love to see him, much like they saw Jack and Arnie, especially Arnie, for a long time.’

Strange and North will be part of ESPN’s live first- and second-round coverage of the 2025 Masters, beginning Thursday, April 10.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY