By Field Level Media

Sep 05 (Field Level Media) – The two former NFL players who returned to college to join the LSU program were not added to the Tigers’ roster ahead of the Saturday season opener against visiting Clemson.

Tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris will miss the Saturday contest but still could be added to the roster at a later date if they remain enrolled in school. LSU put only 103 players on the roster, and the limit is 105.

Louisiana district court judge William Jorden issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday that cleared the way for Wright and Harris to play for the Tigers even though both were in NFL training camps this summer.

Wright and Harris were 42 athletes across multiple sports who were covered by the injunction, which came in the wake of the NCAA’s pivot to a new 5-for-5 eligibility system. The judge’s ruling temporarily prevents the Southeastern Conference and the NCAA from enforcing rules that would keep the athletes from playing college sports in the new school year.

Wright signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in the offseason, then was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns, who subsequently waived him last week. Harris signed an undrafted free agent contract with the New Orleans Saints before they waived him in early August.

Both Harris and Wright played for new LSU coach Lane Kiffin last season at Ole Miss

The SEC and the NCAA have vehemently opposed the return of athletes from the pro ranks to college programs, including a federal lawsuit filed by the SEC against Kiffin and a number of LSU administrators on Thursday in Alabama in an attempt to keep such players off college rosters.

On Friday, Clemson’s general counsel sent an email to LSU’s general counsel, stating that using Harris or Wright may break “contractual obligations between the two parties” for the Saturday game, Yahoo Sports reported.

The SEC passed a rule last week that permitted commissioner Greg Sankey to punish any school that added players who signed NFL contracts to its roster. A half-season suspension of the head coach and a fine of half of the school’s football athletic budget were the prescribed penalties.

The conference approved the measure regarding the penalties by a 15-0 count, with LSU abstaining.

(–Field Level Media)

By Janina Nuno Rios

NEW YORK, Sept 4 (Reuters) – Carlos Alcaraz’s headline-grabbing U.S. Open tank top came with an extra layer of modesty on Friday after the Spaniard said that he had revealed “too much nipple” during his first two matches.

In a tournament where outfits have drawn attention in both the men’s and women’s draws, Alcaraz’s loose-fitting brown Nike tank top, a Travis Scott x Cactus Jack collaboration, kept slipping to expose his chest.

The seven-times Grand Slam champion’s outfit prompted plenty of memes and witty comments online, with former WTA Tour player Eugenie Bouchard jokingly telling him to “put the nip away.”

For his third-round match with China’s Wu Yibing on Friday, Alcaraz stepped onto Arthur Ashe Stadium wearing a white undershirt beneath his kit.

“I think I’ve been seeing too much of my nipples lately,” Alcaraz told reporters with a laugh after his 6-3 6-4 6-1 win.

The 23-year-old confirmed that the decision to add the undershirt was entirely his own.

“I feel really comfortable with another shirt. So I think I’m going to stay like that,” he added.

Alcaraz, who is returning from more than four months out with a wrist injury, has lost one set through his first three singles matches at Flushing Meadows. He next faces American 20th seed Tommy Paul, an opponent he has beaten five times in a row.

“He’s a really talented player, really difficult one to play,” Alcaraz said. “I think he’s really dangerous for everyone on the tour. I’m really looking forward to playing him once again.”

(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

By Janina Nuno Rios

NEW YORK, Sept 4 (Reuters) – Four years after what seemed like their final bow, Serena and Venus Williams transformed a first-round U.S. Open doubles defeat into a celebration of tennis in front of 23,000 adoring fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday.

Australia’s Maya Joint and Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching emerged with a 6-3 6-7(6) 7-6(10-7) win, but for much of the contest the score felt irrelevant as fans roared at every Williams winner and fell into virtual silence at every point in between.

Serena, 44, walked onto court wearing a shiny customized bomber jacket decorated with patches marking her U.S. Open singles and doubles triumphs. Her 46-year-old sister stodd alongside, the pair carrying matching pink bags.

The comeback, which Serena said was at the suggestion of her daughter, carried the weight of more than two decades: 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, two U.S. Open crowns, three Olympic gold medals, and another 30 Grand Slam singles titles between them.

Joint and Chan, the 14th seeds, weathered the hostile atmosphere to take the opening set, but the Williams sisters hit back in the second, riding the crowd’s energy to force a third set.

The Americans showed they had lost none of their grit, going toe-to-toe with the younger pair, spurred on by a raucous crowd desperate to carry their long-time idols over the finish line.

But Joint and Chan edged the super tiebreak in dramatic fashion, sealing victory in just over three hours.

“Being able to play against such legends of the game is super special,” said Joint on court.

The reunion had been a long time coming.

The sisters were forced to withdraw from the Wimbledon doubles draw after Serena suffered a knee injury in singles, leaving New York as the stage for the comeback fans had been waiting for.

Joint, 20, beat Serena at Wimbledon in the only singles match of her comeback and the Australian struggled to sum up the Flushing Meadows experience.

“I’m lost for words to think of it,” she said. “She’s my idol, both of them. I grew up in Michigan so I always looked up to them. Being able to play them twice is amazing.”

The Williams sisters had arrived in Flushing Meadows with little recent doubles form together, having lost in three sets to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in Cincinnati.

Serena had already given New York a taste of the magic, though, teaming up with Carlos Alcaraz for a mixed doubles run that ended in the quarter-finals.

Whether the sisters team up again is uncertain, so for the crowd at Flushing Meadows on Friday, seeing Serena’s clenched fist and Venus at her side made it a night to remember.

(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

By Field Level Media

Sep 05 (Field Level Media) – New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham exited Friday night’s game against the host San Diego Padres with an apparent hamstring injury after the top of the third inning.

Grisham couldn’t run down Xander Bogaerts’ two-out fly ball into shallow left- center that fell for a single to score Ty France with the game’s first run in the second. Before the Yankees took the field in the third, he was replaced by Heliot Ramos in the lineup with Spencer Jones switching from right to center field.

Grisham walked in his only plate appearance in the second. He entered the game batting .211 with 18 homers and 59 RBIs.

At the time he left the game, New York and San Diego were tied at 1-1.

(–Field Level Media)

By Field Level Media

Sep 05 (Field Level Media) – Marking the end of an eventful career, Chicago Fire FC winger Chris Mueller announced his retirement from professional soccer on Friday.

Mueller made an impression in two caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team. He recorded a brace in the USMNT’s 6-0 win over El Salvador in a friendly in 2020.

Mueller was diagnosed with pericarditis in 2025, which cost him the season. He returned for the Fire in February, making his debut in a preseason friendly against the LA Galaxy. He appeared in five regular-season games with one start.

“Goodbyes are never easy, especially when you’re waving farewell to a game you’ve centered the last 20 years of your life around,” Mueller said in a statement provided to the Fire. “With that being said, this has been a decision that hasn’t come without real challenge, a hefty amount of consideration, and serious contemplation.”

Mueller, 30, is a native of Illinois and joined the Fire in 2022, fulfilling a lifelong dream of suiting up for his childhood club. In 66 appearances over the next five seasons, Mueller tallied six goals and 10 assists.

“Thank you to the Chicago Fire, firstly, for bringing me home and allowing me to play for my childhood club,” Mueller said. “And secondly, but more importantly, for their support throughout me battling through this diagnosis. Truly, it was unbelievable and I never felt alone in it.

“I’m beyond excited to see where the Club continues to head and for the victories that are yet to come. Thank you, Chicago. A supporter, I will always be.”

Prior to joining Chicago, Mueller had stints with Orlando City (2018-21) and Hibernian F.C. of the Scottish Premiership (2022). His four-year run with Orlando resulted in 21 goals and 24 assists in 112 appearances.

(–Field Level Media)

By Field Level Media

Sep 05 (Field Level Media) – Charlie Woods put himself in contention at the Junior Players Championship on Friday, firing a 1-under-par 71 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

The 17-year-old recorded five birdies and four bogeys on the par-72 Stadium Course in his lowest competitive round at the venue where his father, Tiger Woods, twice won the Players Championship.

Charlie Woods was tied for eighth when he finished shortly before 2 p.m. ET, minutes before weather halted play. After the round was completed, he was tied for ninth, four strokes behind leader Chase Bauer, who shot a 5-under 67.

Starting on the back nine, Woods overcame bogeys at Nos. 11 and 14 with consecutive birdies at Nos. 15 and 16. His most memorable escape came one hole later at the famous par-3 17th.

Woods pulled his tee shot toward the left side of the island green and initially thought the ball had gone into the water. Instead, it stayed dry on the footpath leading onto the green.

Faced with little room, Woods chipped to approximately 4 feet and converted the par putt.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” Woods said of discovering his tee shot hadn’t found the water.

He then rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt at No. 18 to make the turn at 1 under. Woods added birdies at Nos. 3 and 9 while mixing in two more bogeys over his final nine holes.

Friday’s 71 continued a steady improvement for Woods at TPC Sawgrass. He tied for 31st at the event last year after rounds of 76, 75 and 72.

Tiger Woods won the Players Championship at the Stadium Course in 2001 and again in 2013. His first victory featured the famous 60-foot birdie putt at No. 17 in the third round.

Charlie Woods is scheduled to begin the second round from the first tee Saturday morning.

(–Field Level Media)

NFL career rushing leader Emmitt Smith is being sued by a Native American investment company over claims that the former Dallas Cowboys running back and his business partners misappropriated a $2.5 million loan that was supposed to fund a wind farm project in Texas.

Kituwah LLC claimed in a lawsuit filed this week in Delaware that 4 13 Solutions used the money to repay an investor from previous dealings with Smith’s company. Kituwah seeks to invest in business opportunities for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Kituwah’s attorneys said Smith and the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s longtime business partner, David Mosley, misrepresented their efforts to secure a U.S. Department of Energy loan that would have triggered repayment to Kituwah.

Kituwah claims the loan has accrued about $600,000 in interest and is asking a jury to determine damages. A message sent to 4 13 Solutions wasn’t immediately returned. There was no information on an attorney for Smith or his company in the filing.

According to the lawsuit, Darrel Wilson of Wilson Holdings of North America LLC told Kituwah that he accepted a $2.5 million payment from Smith’s company and said he didn’t know what triggered the payment. Kituwah’s attorneys said it was, “Essentially, like a ponzi scheme.”

Kituwah claims Wilson Holdings was supposed to be repaid only after the wind farm project between Austin and San Antonio, called Project Exodus, secured permanent financing.

“Smith and Mosley knew this was improper,” the lawsuit said. “Instead of telling the truth, they represented to Kituwah that 4 13 Solutions had used the money to acquire Project Exodus as promised, but that the acquisition had been held up for one reason or another.”

The lawsuit claims Smith and his partners never met the requirements for securing government funding and repeatedly made excuses for why the project wasn’t proceeding or stopped responding to requests.

Kituwah said it delivered the funds on Sept. 1, 2023, with the expectation of being paid back within months. The lawsuit said 4 13 Solutions promised the wind farm would be operational by December 2024, but Kituwah had seen no evidence the project even existed just a month before that date.

Kituwah said Smith and his partners claimed the wind farm project was valued at $396 million and would generate nearly $14 million in net income in its first year.

The 57-year-old Smith spent the first 13 of his 15 seasons with the Cowboys, won three championships and was the MVP of Super Bowl 28. He broke Walter Payton’s rushing record in 2002 and finished with 18,355 yards.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams’ entire roster will travel to Australia for their regular-season opener next week, but coach Sean McVay still isn’t sure whether unretired defensive tackle Aaron Donald will play.

McVay announced his plans Friday for the Rams while they began preparations for their trip to Melbourne, where they will meet the rival San Francisco 49ers.

The Rams were initially equivocal on whether Donald would make the long trip for the NFL’s first international game in Australia. The 35-year-old superstar only ended his retirement last weekend, rejoining the Rams after 2 1/2 years away.

McVay said the Rams still haven’t decided whether Donald will suit up at the Melbourne Cricket Ground alongside Myles Garrett, but Donald has clearly made significant progress in his return to game shape.

“I don’t have that sense quite yet,” McVay said. “I think (the ramp-up process) has been really good. He’s so intentional about his rhythm and routine. … This week will be a big week for him in terms of how he feels, and then we’ll take it a day at a time and see where he’s at. If he feels good enough to go, great. If not, I have a lot of confidence in the other guys that’ll be ready to step up if that’s the case, that have really gotten all the reps anyway.”

Garrett is expected to play in Melbourne despite missing more than a dozen training camp workouts with soreness and a minor knee concern, while All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua is also expected to play after making significant progress in his return from a core muscle injury incurred three weeks ago.

“He’s feeling good,” McVay said. “Been hitting some high-speed yards at a really good clip, and when we get back out there, it’ll be fun to have him.”

The Rams are completing their full week of preparation for the 49ers at their training complex in Woodland Hills before flying to Australia less than 48 hours before the game, which will be played Friday morning in Melbourne and Thursday night in the U.S.

San Francisco took the near-opposite approach, flying to Australia earlier this week and doing its full week of preparation on site.

McVay strongly believes in the correctness of the Rams’ approach to international games. They’ve honed it in previous years on trips to London and to Mexico City, yet McVay realizes that no NFL team has ever traveled as far as the Rams and 49ers for this Week 1 showdown.

“The thinking in its simplest form is, what do we deem the best for our football players, and for them to try to be at their best?” McVay asked. “There are different approaches and theories, but I do have a lot of trust in our group, and we’ll see. Hopefully it works out. I know that we’ve got a bunch of guys that I think will feel good about the plan.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

By Field Level Media

Sep 05 (Field Level Media) – A pair of key Indiana defensive linemen are eligible to play in Saturday’s season opener after a state court temporarily blocked the NCAA and Big Ten from keeping them off the field.

Monroe Circuit Court Judge Kara Krothe issued a temporary restraining order Friday, restoring eligibility for Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, as well as six other college athletes who challenged NCAA rules that prevented them from competing during the 2026-27 academic year.

The ruling means Daley and Wyatt can rejoin No. 6 Indiana when the defending national champion opens its season at home against North Texas.

Krothe wrote that the athletes should be returned to the positions they held following their most recent college seasons, provided they would otherwise have qualified to compete with an additional year of eligibility.

“As long as they would have been eligible, academically and otherwise, to continue playing college sports in the following semester if they had a fifth year of eligibility, they are eligible today,” Krothe wrote.

A hearing on the athletes’ requests for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for Sept. 11, meaning Friday’s ruling does not permanently settle the dispute.

Daley and Wyatt initially returned to Indiana in August, before their eligibility was once again called into question. On Aug. 21, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit stayed a separate ruling that had granted another season of eligibility to qualifying athletes from the high school Class of 2022 who were excluded from the NCAA’s new eligibility framework.

Both players were important pieces of Indiana’s defense during its 16-0 championship season.

Daley recorded 19 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 13 games. A knee injury suffered in the postgame celebration following Indiana’s 13-10 victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game kept him out of the College Football Playoff.

Wyatt started seven games before a knee injury against Michigan State ended his season. He finished with eight tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

The other plaintiffs include Miami basketball player Malik Reneau; Indiana volleyball player Avry Tatum; Butler basketball player Yohan Traore; defensive back Jordan Johnson, who intends to play at Purdue, and Indiana swimmers Owen McDonald and Zalan Sarkany.

(–Field Level Media)

By Field Level Media

Sep 05 (Field Level Media) – Philadelphia infielder Bryson Stott was scratched from the Phillies’ lineup shortly before first pitch against the visiting Atlanta Braves on Friday due to a personal matter.

The Phillies didn’t immediately provide a reason for Stott’s removal. However, Stott and his wife, Dru, announced in May that Dru would be giving birth to a girl in September.

While not divulging the reason for Stott’s absence, Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said after the game the team learned that Stott would miss the game about an hour before first pitch. Mattingly added that he did not know if Stott would be available Saturday.

Stott was slated to bat seventh and play third base. Edmundo Sosa moved from left field to third and Bryan De La Cruz started in left and batted seventh against Braves starter Chris Sale. The Braves won the game 5-2.

Stott, 28, is batting .255 with 10 homers, 61 RBIs and 24 stolen bases in 134 games this season. Over five seasons, he has a .256 average, 59 homers, 295 RBIs and 123 steals in 707 games.

(–Field Level Media)