Once again, injuries have been a huge part of the San Francisco 49ers’ season. Multiple stars have had serious injuries, first with edge rusher Nick Bosa in Week 3 against Arizona and tight end George Kittle last Sunday against Philadelphia in the wild-card round.

Linebacker Fred Warner broke and dislocated his ankle in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Less than 100 days later, the team opened his practice window from injured reserve (IR).

‘We’re opening his window so he can do some stuff,’ 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. ‘But again, we’re not doing much, so he’ll walk through out there with us today and things like that. But, hoping he can be ready for next week.’

That, rightfully, has 49ers fans excited about the idea of one of the best defenders in the league taking the field against the Seahawks in the NFC divisional round.

But that excitement will have to wait − and turn to hope for a road win over Seattle.

Shanahan said Warner will not be activated off IR ahead of Saturday’s game. Warner was limited in practice Tuesday and Wednesday but did not participate at all Thursday.

Teams have 21 days to activate a player to the active roster from IR after opening their practice window. That means Warner could potentially be in the lineup for the NFC championship game or Super Bowl 60 if the 49ers make it that far.

This is the first injury to keep Warner off the field for an extended period in his career. The four-time first-team All-Pro hadn’t missed a game in his previous seven seasons.

In his place, the team has rotated through multiple linebackers as injuries have piled up. Tatum Bethune and rookie Nick Martin are on IR while Dee Winters and Luke Gifford may be back from IR this week. Mid-season veteran signee Eric Kendricks and Garret Wallow started for San Francisco against Philadelphia in the wild-card game.

49ers injury report

Here’s a look at the final injury report for the 49ers ahead of Saturday’s game in Seattle:

S Ji’Ayir Brown: Out (hamstring)
LB Fred Warner: Out (ankle)
WR Jacob Cowing: Questionable (hamstring)
LB Luke Gifford: Questionable (quadricep)
WR Ricky Pearsall: Questionable (knee)
LB Dee Winters: Questionable (ankle)
DE Yetur Gross-Matos: Did not practice (knee)
G Dominic Puni: Full practice (ankle)
DE Keion White: Full practice (groin, hamstring)
OT Trent Williams: Full practice (hamstring)

Federal prosecutors have indicted 20 people in a widespread point-shaving scheme involving college basketball games.
The scheme allegedly began in 2022 and involved players accepting bribes to underperform in games.
Former Chicago Bulls player Antonio Blakeney was charged separately for recruiting NCAA players into the conspiracy.
The operation involved 39 players on more than 17 Division I teams, with millions wagered on at least 29 games.

On the heels of an NBA gambling scandal that rocked the sports world in October, federal prosecutors have secured indictments against 20 people accused of fixing college basketball games, as well as professional games in China, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

According to records unsealed Thursday, Jan. 15, sports gamblers worked with players who agreed to underperform in games from 2022 to 2025 in a widespread point-shaving scheme.

The charges, filed in federal court in Philadelphia, include bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy. The fraud charges carry a maximum sentence of up to 20 years. The bribery charges have a maximum sentence of five years. According to the indictment, some of the bets placed at Rivers Casino in Philadelphia were for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Prosecutors say the alleged sports gambling conspiracy began in September 2022 when several of the defendants first started to bribe players in the Chinese Basketball Association. One player named but not charged in the indictment is Antonio Blakeney, a former member of the Chicago Bulls, who later played for the Jiangsu Dragons in China.

Blakeney was the first player recruited, according to prosecutors, and after several successful outcomes in China, he went on to ‘recruit NCAA players who would accept bribe payments,’ court papers said.

Blakeney was charged separately in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in an indictment dated Oct. 17, 2024, according to a copy obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

For his role in the scheme, prosecutors say Blakeney, 29, received a one-time cash payment of $200,000, which another defendant dropped into a storage unit Blakeney had in Florida. Blakeney later went on to recruit college players to shave points in NCAA games.

The operation eventually involved 39 players on more than 17 Division I teams from 2022-2025, with bettors wagering millions of dollars on at least 29 different games, according to the indictment. Payments to players ranged from $10,000 to $30,000 per game.

‘We allege an extensive international criminal conspiracy of NCAA players, alumni and professional bettors who fixed games across the country and poisoned the American spirit of competition for monetary gain,’ U.S. Attorney David Metcalf told reporters on Thursday.

Of the 20 people named in the indictment, 15 are active college or former college basketball players.

One of the players named, current Kennesaw State guard Simeon Cottle, played Wednesday night and scored 21 points in the Owls’ 89-86 win over FIU.

In addition to Cottle (currently averaging 20.2 points per game), other active college players in the indictment are Eastern Michigan’s Carlos Hart (13.1 PPG), Delaware State’s Camian Shell (8.0 PPG) and Texas Southern’s Oumar Koureissi (4.9 PPG).

NCAA responds to gambling allegations

NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement that the NCAA continues to work with law enforcement to preserve the legitimacy of college sports competition.

‘The Association has and will continue to aggressively pursue sports betting violations in college athletics using a layered integrity monitoring program that covers over 22,000 contests,’ Baker said, ‘but we still need the remaining states, regulators and gaming companies to eliminate threats to integrity – such as collegiate prop bets – to better protect athletes and leagues from integrity risks and predatory bettors.’

The indictment unsealed Thursday revealed a scheme similar to the one announced in October in which Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was one of 30 people indicted in a wide-ranging gambling probe allegedly involving members of New York’s organized crime families.

One of the gamblers charged Thursday was high-stakes sports bettor Shane Hennen, who had already been charged alongside Rozier and was also accused of participating in that scandal.

Who is Antonio Blakeney?

Antonio Blakeney, a 6-4 shooting guard, played his college ball at LSU (2015-17). After declaring for the 2017 NBA Draft, Blakeney went undrafted and signed with the Bulls. He played two seasons in Chicago and averaged 7.5 points and 1.8 rebounds over 76 career games. He joined the Jiangsu Dragons for the 2019-20 season, when he averaged 34.8 points and 8.0 rebounds and shot 50% from the field.

Who was named in latest gambling indictment?

The 20 people charged in the 70-page indictment unsealed on Jan. 15 are:

Jalen Smith
Marves Fairley
Shane Hennen
Roderick Walker
Alberto Laureano
Arlando Arnold
Simeon Cottle
Kevin Cross
Bradley Ezewiro
Shawn Fulcher
Carlos Hart
Markeese Hastings
Cedquavious Hunter
Oumar Koureissi
Da’Sean Nelson
Demond Robinson
Camian Shell
Dyquavion Short
Airion Simmons
Jalen Terry

John Harbaugh is finalizing a deal to become the new head coach of the New York Giants.
Harbaugh was fired by the Baltimore Ravens last week and became a highly sought-after candidate.
The move is seen as a major win for the Giants organization, particularly owner John Mara.

The race to secure John Harbaugh’s services was over not long after it officially started.

The former Baltimore Ravens coach became this year’s most hotly pursued candidate on the open market shortly after he was fired last Tuesday. By late Wednesday night, Harbaugh and the New York Giants were working to finalize a deal to make him the organization’s new head coach, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not yet been finalized.

In filling the first of nine head-coaching vacancies this offseason, both Harbaugh and the Giants sent ripples throughout the NFL and its coaching search process, with the effects sure to be felt in the weeks and months to come.

Now, a coach with 180 regular-season wins and a Super Bowl title on his resume will be tasked with revitalizing a franchise that has stood as one of the league’s doormats for nearly a decade.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from the move:

Winners

John Mara

Last January, the Giants president and co-owner was railing against his own organization’s leadership after deciding to keep Brian Daboll for another year, saying, ‘I’m going to have to be in a better mood this time next year.’ He didn’t retain Daboll, but it’s safe to say Mara is much happier 12 months later. New York reeled in the biggest fish out there in this coaching cycle, landing a figure who looks capable of engineering the quick turnaround Mara has been seeking. Doing so likely cost him greatly, as New York had to provide enough reason for Harbaugh to cut his search short and focus instead on closing out a deal with Big Blue. Yet clearly Mara was willing to pay a premium to land someone with a proven track record of shepherding an organization to competing year in and year out.

John Harbaugh

He didn’t get to exit Baltimore on his own terms, but here’s to betting that control shouldn’t be a problem for Harbaugh as he seizes the reins for the Giants. After his dismissal by the Ravens, Harbaugh held an almost unparalleled amount of leverage as he weighed his options. It’s not immediately clear how things will shake out for New York, but it seems safe to say his influence at any level should be sizable after New York brass hotly pursued him to get a deal in place. Harbaugh lands in a spot that has several promising elements, and even guiding the team back to mere competence could earn him a hero’s welcome from a fan base that has seen just one season with seven or more wins in the last nine years.

Jaxson Dart

Any dual-threat quarterback could do a lot worse than linking up with a head coach who oversaw two MVP seasons by Lamar Jackson, especially if Harbaugh brings Todd Monken along as his offensive coordinator. Dart was described by many as a draw for New York in the coaching search process, and Harbaugh’s willingness to pursue the opening rather than see what else is out there would seem to bode well for this pairing. Regardless of how the partnership with Jackson panned out toward the end, Harbaugh proved fairly adaptable in catering to his quarterbacks during his time. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll endorse the headlong dives that Dart can occasionally revert to, especially given how injuries loomed over the coach’s teams at times. But it seems as though the second-year signal-caller likely has a new leader at the top who will embrace his aggressive identity rather than one who will try to change it.

TV networks

The league and its broadcast partners love stuffing Big Blue into prime time, regardless of whether the team can realistically be expected to keep pace with top contenders. Now, the Giants are sure to be an even more popular option for standalone spots as others follow along to see whether a quick turnaround is in the cards. There’s no revenge game against the Ravens on tap for 2026, nor is there another Harbaugh Bowl against the Los Angeles Chargers and brother Jim Harbaugh. But it won’t take an abundance of creativity to sell people on tuning into the early days of this new setup.

Joe Schoen

On one hand, Harbaugh’s arrival would seem to be a net negative for Schoen in terms of wielding power, as the new head coach is sure to have a hefty influence on several different fronts. Still, Harbaugh is one of the few figures who could capitalize on the uneven roster that the Giants general manager has assembled. Ultimately, the hope for Schoen might be that he’s found his Mike Vrabel, whose hiring by the New England Patriots put Eliot Wolf in a smaller but more secure spot. Given Mara’s admitted lack of patience and the all-out nature of the Giants’ pursuit, striking out on Harbaugh would have been an embarrassment.

Losers

Tennessee Titans

They were next up on the Harbaugh tour, per reports. Sure seemed like the Titans were a long shot to secure his services, but with cap space to facilitate a rapid revival and No. 1 pick Cam Ward exhibiting some serious resilience and big-play ability as a rookie, they were frequently mentioned as a team that couldn’t be dismissed off the bat. While general manager Mike Borgonzi has cast a wide net in Tennessee’s search, it’s been readily evident that he’s interested in speaking to almost anyone with previous head-coaching experience. It stands to reason, then, that the most established candidate would have been of great interest to a team desperately seeking to re-establish relevance ahead of its new Nashville stadium opening in 2027.

Atlanta Falcons

If ever there was a team in the market for a quick fix, this is it. The Falcons now stand alone with the NFL’s second-longest active playoff drought at eight seasons, and owner Arthur Blank’s patience has worn thin as he has seen his team remain mired in mediocrity for years. Atlanta has plenty of enticing pieces on the roster, including All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and a defense dotted with young cornerstones. But the organization lacks considerable resources for short-term growth, so landing someone who could develop and bring together the in-house talent is essential. Harbaugh seemed like a strong candidate to handle those tasks, but now they’ll fall on someone else.

Kevin Stefanski

The two-time NFL Coach of the Year seemed like he might be the big prize of this cycle when he hit the open market. Then, a day later, Harbaugh took over that title. With Harbaugh accounted for, Stefanski now probably has considerable leverage as he weighs his options among the other openings. But despite the Giants’ dysfunction at various levels, New York figured to be an enticing landing spot that would have provided a little bit more of a settled outlook on several fronts than Stefanski was accustomed to having in Cleveland.

Lou Anarumo

When the Giants fired Brian Daboll on Nov. 10, the Indianapolis Colts were 8-2, with Anarumo’s star on the rise as his defense continued to confound opponents. After that point, of course, the Colts would lose their next seven games and fail to make the playoffs. Anarumo still seemed toward the tail end of the campaign as though he had a strong case for this opening, which would have offered him the opportunity to work alongside his son, Louis Anarumo, a pro scout for the Giants. But the arrival of Harbaugh and Stefanski probably deflated his candidacy a good deal. He hasn’t been the fixture of the interview circuit that some others have been, with the Titans the only other team he’s been linked to this cycle. At this point, a return to Indianapolis for a critical 2026 season seems most likely for the 59-year-old.

Mike McCarthy

Like Anarumo, he’s on the older side at 62 and has only been receiving consideration from the Titans outside of New York. At one point, he stood out as perhaps the safe and established candidate given his history of getting the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys back on track as playoff outfits. But he, too, receded to the background a bit once the coaching carousel kicked into high gear. Don’t dismiss him for the Tennessee job, but McCarthy’s absence from the NFL head-coaching ranks might extend beyond a year.

The San Francisco 49ers have overcome significant injuries to key players this season.
Despite numerous setbacks, the 49ers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in an upset playoff victory.
Coach Kyle Shanahan is credited with his best coaching performance due to the team’s success amid adversity.
The 49ers are now preparing to face the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round on a short week.

The San Francisco 49ers’ upset win over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles was a microcosm of their season.

San Francisco’s emotional offensive leader, George Kittle, went down with a torn Achilles in the first half. Any injury, especially to star player, takes a toll on a team. Kittle is of that caliber.

The 49ers didn’t blink. The offense amassed 361 total yards against Philadelphia in what was the biggest upset victory of wild-card weekend. It was the most total yards the 49ers’ offense has recorded in a road playoff game since Jan. 5, 2014.

The phrase “next man up” is coach speak. The words are uttered in every NFL locker room.

But the 49ers have lived it. No team has been decimated by injuries quite like the 49ers.

NFC title contender 49ers have 13 players on injured reserve

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk injured his knee last season and hasn’t played a down this year. Edge rusher Nick Bosa tore his ACL in Week 3. Linebacker Fred Warner dislocated his ankle in Week 6. Quarterback Brock Purdy was limited to nine regular-season games because of a turf toe injury.

That’s the 49ers’ No. 1 wide receiver, top edge rusher, arguably the best linebacker in the NFL and their starting quarterback for those keeping score.

Purdy is healthy as he engineers the 49ers offense, and the team opened Warner’s 21-day practice window with the hopes that he could possibly be available for the NFC championship game. Yet, as it currently stands, the 49ers have 13 players on injured reserve.

Despite the injury bug hovering over their team like the Golden Gate Bridge hangs over the Golden Gate Strait, the 49ers are remarkably in the divisional round.

Kyle Shanahan has masterfully steered 49ers to playoffs

Kyle Shanahan’s won two NFC titles and three NFC West championships. But considering the cards he was dealt with this year, this season is his best coaching campaign yet.

Coach of the Year voting concluded Jan. 5. New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel is the Coach of the Year favorite, according BET MGM. However, if playoff success was factored into the decision-making process, Shanahan should be the odds-on favorite.

Shanahan’s 49ers were a Week 18 victory away from the top seed in the NFC and sent the reigning Super Bowl champs home the very next week.

The 49ers now must travel to Seattle on a short week to face the Seahawks on Jan. 17, the third matchup between the NFC West rivals this season. The well-rested Seahawks have a competitive advantage due to their wild-card bye and the 49ers’ short week. Are Shanahan’s 49ers using the situation as an excuse?

No.

“I kind of prepared for that mentally, so it is what it is. Ready to go,” Shanahan said this week. “You’re like that this time of year. We’ve kind of been in a hole for about seven months and once you get to the playoffs, it really doesn’t matter. Everyone’s into it. So, whether they gave us three days, one day, eight days, you always have your preferences for commonsense reasons, but whenever you get dealt your hand, you’re ready to roll.”

The 49ers roster has adopted Shanahan’s mentality. The 49ers are “ready to go” no matter the slew injuries or an abbreviated week. The 49ers are the walking wounded, but don’t count them out. They’ve battled through adversity all season, Shanahan’s put his players in position to succeed and they have a chance to pull off another major upset.

It’s Shanahan’s best coaching season to date.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

It seems that each passing day brings a new report about Anthony Davis and his future with the Dallas Mavericks.

Complicating matters further is a left hand injury that is expected to sideline him for at least the next six weeks, which extends past the Feb. 5 trading deadline. It’s the latest health issue Davis has faced during his tenure with the Mavericks and throughout his career, and it could give prospective teams pause before opting to ship assets to Dallas for a veteran whose best days appear to be behind him.

So what’s going on with Davis and the Mavericks?

Frankly, there’s a lot to sort through.

Because of the injury and because the interests of player and team may not necessarily be aligned, it’s tough to tell with certainty. But, using the latest information that has been reported, here’s a read of the situation.

Scenario A: Mavericks want to trade Anthony Davis

Given his age — Davis will turn 33 in March — and given his lack of availability and massive salary, Dallas may realize it’s better served to move on and flip him for some assets that might align more closely with the franchise’s timeline to compete.

Davis has played just 29 of a possible 74 games since the Mavericks acquired him in February 2025 in the deal that shipped Luka Dončić to the Lakers. And the team is clearly shifting toward No. 1 overall rookie Cooper Flagg being the face of the franchise.

On one hand, trading away Davis, who was supposed to be the centerpiece of that Dončić deal, is further admission of a mistake made. But it was former general manager Nico Harrison who orchestrated that deal, so, if the new front office doesn’t view Davis as part of the future, then it would make sense to not compound that mistake and double down.

The problem for Dallas is that Davis’ value is as low as it has ever been, particularly with the injury. He should make a full recovery — that’s not the concern — but any potential destination clearly cannot count on him being consistently available; Davis has played an average of just 51.4 games per season over the last five (not counting 2025-26), and he has already missed 21 games this year.

And while he continues to be effective when on the floor (20.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game), the Mavericks may encounter a depressed market and be forced to accept compensation for Davis that amounts to pennies on the dollar.

All that said, that Davis won’t require surgery is a positive for the Mavericks because that would make him even tougher to trade.

Scenario B: Anthony Davis wants the Mavericks to trade him

The inverse of the previous scenario is that the Mavericks want to keep Davis (or are at least neutral or in a holding pattern), but he’s the one who wants to go. Davis may feel that the Mavericks are not in position to contend in the near future, and he may want to latch on with a contender.

If this is the case, it makes sense for Dallas to be patient with Davis’ health. The Mavericks are still without star point guard Kyrie Irving (torn anterior cruciate ligament) and may not get him back at all this season.

It’s important to reiterate here, though, that this is the time of the year when teams/players/agents are hyper-calculated on leaking information that suits their interests, and not every report should be viewed as indisputable fact.

Think of it this way, when you come across an anonymously sourced report: Why is this information out in the public, and who does it serve? A subsequent question to ask is: Who’s doing the leaking?

If, deep down, the Mavericks wanted to ship Davis, it would make sense for them to drum up interest by saying they don’t want to trade him. But, the team could also be trying to sway the public perception if Davis does indeed want out, to posture that they will do what’s best for the Mavericks.

Davis is signed through next season (with a combined cap hit of $112.6 million) and has a player option worth an additional $62.8 million in 2027-28 — a massive investment of the available cap.

The Mavericks are 15-26 and rank 12th in the West. Despite that, there are simply so many unknowns about what this team might look like at full health.

For what it’s worth, Davis was rather defensive in directly responding to an erroneous ESPN report that had indicated Davis was “likely to undergo surgery” on his left hand. In a series of social media messages, Davis called the report “lies.”

Rehashing a previous point, if Davis would want out, it’s in his best interest to not have surgery, so the social posts could feed into that narrative.

Scenario C: Both parties want a fresh start

If this is the case, expect Davis to be moved before the deadline.

The reality is that, aside from Flagg, every other Dallas Maverick is probably available in a trade, though it will come down to value. Put another way: If teams want to pry Davis or Klay Thompson or P.J. Washington or any other veteran away, they will need to present an offer good enough for the Mavericks to be swayed.

Chivas pair Brian Gutiérrez and Richy Ledezma have both been included on Mexico’s roster for upcoming friendlies against Panama and Bolivia.

Both players have previously been capped for the U.S. men’s national team, and have now received their first call-ups for El Tri.

Per FIFA regulations, a player with less than three senior international caps prior to the age of 21 can switch nations.

Gutiérrez played for the USMNT as recently as January 2025, making his first two senior national team appearances in friendlies against Venezuela and Costa Rica.

The 22-year-old midfielder, who was born and raised in Illinois, recently moved to Chivas after spending six seasons with the Chicago Fire.

Gutiérrez was born and raised in the United States but is eligible for Mexico through his parents.

Ledezma was born in Arizona and has only represented the United States at the international level, but is also eligible for Mexico through his parents.

The 25-year-old has one cap for the U.S. at the senior level, which came in November 2020. He’s also played for the U.S. at the U-19, U-20 and U-23 levels.

Ledezma joined Chivas last year after spending most of his pro career in the Netherlands with PSV.

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Glenn Davis spent 20 years as the play-by-play announcer for the Houston Dynamo, but he won’t be coming back for year 21.

According to Davis, that is because he was too critical of team ownership.

Davis posted a message on X last week saying he’d been ‘relieved of his duties’ as the team’s announcer, a role he’d filled since its inaugural season in 2006.

The Dynamo told the Chron that Davis was on a year-to-year contract, which the club decided not to renew.

Davis called Dynamo matches locally in Houston, as well as other soccer competitions for national outlets like Fox Sports and ESPN. After MLS moved all of its broadcast rights to Apple TV, Davis could be accessed via the local home radio option on MLS Season Pass.

The former pro player also hosted a weekly radio show on ESPN 97.5. He believes his outspokenness on his radio program cost him his job.

In a November segment, Davis criticized owner Ted Segal as well as minority investor Tim Howard, a longtime U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper.

Davis called out Howard for not investing enough time in the club and was critical of both for their alleged condescension toward fans.

‘Any of the things I’ve said, in any professional soccer league, the NFL, MLB, the NBA, they are child’s play. They are nothing top executives shouldn’t be able to handle,’ Davis told Chron. ‘But they were intimidated by my criticism.’

Davis added his belief that his outspoken nature led to the end of his two-decade association with the Dynamo.

‘It can’t be anything else, because my salary has decreased every year with new ownership.’

Davis said that Segal, as well as former owner Gabriel Brener, were invested in the team for profit — not necessarily to win games or build ties with the local community.

‘You buy ’em, you occupy ’em, you wait for appreciation to occur for four, five, however many years,’ Davis said. ‘Then you sell it, and walk away making money.’ 

Davis elaborated on that opinion in his post on X last week.

“It is my sincere hope that one day the priority of the Houston Dynamo truly shifts — to being a soccer club in the fullest sense of the word, one that values the game itself as much as investment and business decisions,” he wrote.

“I say this because I care deeply. I believe this club is underachieving in too many areas and has failed to be relevant in a city that lives and breathes the sport. This city, you the fans, and the early legacy of the Dynamo deserve more. It is sad that those that care deeply seemed to be deemed a threat.”Davis added on X this week that club president Pat Onstad was not to blame for his departure.

‘I want to make something clear here,’ Davis said. ‘Pat Onstad stood up for me and showed respect and class for the situation.’