The top training camp storylines ahead of a massive Commanders season
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New York Times
a few seconds ago
- New York Times
Colorado's Deion Sanders gives health update, says he's ‘still going through something'
Colorado coach Deion Sanders said he is still recovering from his undisclosed health issue ahead of reporting to campus in Boulder for preseason football practice. 'You know I'm still going through something,' Sanders said in a YouTube video posted by his son Deion Sanders Jr. on Monday. 'I ain't all the way recovered.' Advertisement The video showed Sanders and his daughter Shelomi preparing to step into an ice bath. Sanders' quotes were featured in a voiceover added to the video, which also showcased his active lifestyle. It featured Sanders taking a tennis lesson, shooting hoops and walking/running 1.3 miles with Shelomi. At Big 12 media days nearly two weeks ago, Sanders took the stage in his first public appearance since April and refused to discuss his health issue. He hasn't publicly stated the nature of the problem that's kept him away from campus. 'I'm not here to talk about my health,' Sanders said. 'I'm here to talk about my team.' Sanders also participated in a coaches roundtable and did two on-air interviews with ESPN at Big 12 media days. 'Average day? I'm looking good,' he said when asked what his day-to-day life looked like during his time away from campus. 'I'm living lovely. God has truly blessed me. Not a care in the world. Not a want or desire in the world.' Sanders hosted an NFL Draft party at his home for his son Shedeur in April, but hadn't made any public appearances since the Buffaloes' spring game on April 19. Shedeur was projected by some to be a top pick in the draft, but slid to the fifth round, where the Cleveland Browns selected him. Colorado athletic director Rick George told The Athletic at Big 12 media days that he expected Sanders to return to campus 'in a week or two, probably.' George said the two had been in constant contact since Sanders left campus to deal with his health and recover at his ranch in Canton, Texas, in late April. A person briefed on the situation told The Athletic that Sanders was in touch with his coaching staff daily but did not appear at Colorado's youth camps during his absence and wasn't on campus during a feverish, five-week recruiting contact period during the summer. Advertisement Sanders has a history of blood clot issues, and in 2021, had two toes amputated. In 2023, he had surgery to relieve the clots that kept him from attending Pac-12 media days and spent most of that offseason in pain and limping before reaching his stated goal of running out on the field with his team to begin the season. Last month, Sanders posted on X that he would update people once he returned to Boulder and was excited to be on campus. Colorado begins preseason football practice later this month and opens its season against Georgia Tech on Aug. 29.
Newsweek
a few seconds ago
- Newsweek
Jerry Jones Makes Blunt Statement on Dallas Cowboys Star
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Heading into the 2025 season, the Dallas Cowboys are a team eager to get back in the mix in the NFC. Ahead of training camp officially kicking off Tuesday, one key member of the organization weighed in on the team's biggest off-field storyline. Leading up to camp, there were a handful of players across the league eager to secure new contracts. Among them was Cowboys defensive standout Micah Parsons. He is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is in search of a new long-term commitment from the iconic franchise. Since being drafted 12th overall in 2021, Parsons has emerged as a pillar for the Cowboys franchise. He's arguably one of the top defensive players in the NFL right now, resulting in two All-Pro nominations in his first four seasons. Along with capturing Defensive Rookie of the Year, Parsons has finished in the top three in DPOY voting on three occasions. Despite the massive impact he's had in Dallas, the organization hasn't appeared in any sort of rush to get a deal done. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the field before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on December 15, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the field before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on December 15, 2024 in Charlotte, North read: Cowboys Standouts Named Among NFL's Top Homegrown Duos Before veterans arrived for camp, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones held a media availability Monday. As expected, Parsons not getting an extension this offseason came up. Based on Jones' blunt comments, it doesn't appear that a new deal will be materializing anytime soon. "There's no anticipation at all," Jones told reporters. "We're just working with what it is. It's not uncommon for me and not anything there's a lot of angst over. He's doing a real good job of being here. And that's important. ... We are where we are. And I sign the check. Period." It doesn't sound like a Micah Parsons deal is about to get done in the next few days. Jerry Jones after today's news conference: 'There's no anticipation at all. We're just working with what it is. It's not uncommon for me and not anything there's a lot of angst over. He's doing… — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 21, 2025 In some instances, disgruntled players will remain absent from camp in hopes of things getting done with the front office. However, Parsons has decided not to take this approach. Reports stated that he is in attendance for camp, which led to some praise from Jones for his professionalism. "Leadership is really big. I'm appreciative of Micah being here," Jones said Monday. Jerry Jones on Micah Parsons: 'Leadership is really big. I'm appreciative of Micah being here.' Jones says there's no disappointment that a deal is not done. 'We're here with everybody under contract.' — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 21, 2025 Also read: Former Champion Sets High Bar For New-Look Cowboys Offense Jones doesn't appear to be budging on the subject, which means Parsons will likely have to wait another year before getting paid. Though it's not the outcome he wanted, it could work out in his favor. The market for defensive players skyrocketed recently following T.J. Watt's historic deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. If Parsons can put together another DPOY-level campaign in 2025, it should result in a massive payday. For more Dallas Cowboys and NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What's the answer to college football's playoff problem? Big Ten commish points at 'play-in games' for his rationale
LAS VEGAS — A month ago, as he tuned into a College Football Playoff meeting through Zoom, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti felt a wave of sudden enlightenment wash over him. As he watched CFP staff members share potential changes to the criteria and data used by the selection committee, as he witnessed mathematicians deliver ideas on adjustments, Petitti pulled away from the Zoom and had a thought. What the heck are we doing? 'I found myself sitting there thinking that play-in games seem so rational as we look at folks talk about points and subtracting numbers and adding numbers. I'm thinking, 'This is the rational system and the one where we play games is radical?' 'I admire the work they're putting into it and all the stuff they're talking about and adding and subtracting and listening to mathematicians and scheduling experts. But all of that is more valuable than two teams playing on the field? OK.' In an interview on Monday with Yahoo Sports from the site of this week's Big Ten football media days, Petitti emphasized that his league's position on a future playoff format remains unchanged — a position, he says, that is unlikely to change until the power conferences agree to play the same amount of conference games (nine) and until the selection process is rectified. The conference continues to support a playoff structure with more automatic access spots as opposed to the so-called '5+11' format that features more at-large selections. The Big Ten's long-discussed playoff format — a '4-4-2-2-1' model — would grant four automatic qualifiers to the SEC and Big Ten, two each to the ACC and Big 12, one to the highest-ranked Group of Six champion and three at-large selections. The model, vehemently opposed by the ACC and Big 12, would reduce the subjectivity of the selection committee, incentivize more perennial non-conference matchups and, Petitti says, provide an avenue for inner-conference play-in style games pitting, for instance, the third-place Big Ten team against the sixth-place finisher and the fourth vs. the fifth for spots in the playoff. Any format with a bigger at-large pool such as the 5+11 — it grants qualifiers to the top five conference champions and 11 at-large spots — relies too heavily on a subjective selection committee, he says. Petitti believes proposed alterations to the data used by selection committee members to seed teams and determine at-large selections remains 'incredibly incomplete' and, he suggested, may never reach the point of satisfying his membership. 'I've heard my colleagues around other leagues say that a lot of work has to be done to the selection committee and that's where I have a hard time on what that actually means,' Petitti said. 'In talking to some of the folks in our room, our ADs that have been on that (selection) committee, I've yet to hear someone say they need more data or stuff to look at. You can come up and make metrics, but ultimately it's just people evaluating what's put in front of them.' While acknowledging that his league must agree with the SEC on a playoff format in order for it to advance forward — the two conferences control the matter — Petitti says he's OK with the playoff remaining at 12 teams next season instead of the proposed 16-team expanded model. 'Earlier on, we felt expansion would be a good thing, but we're not going to expand unless we really feel like the format and access makes sense,' Petitti said. 'It has to make the regular season better. If it doesn't do that, why are we doing it?' Such a possibility — remaining as a 12-team playoff in 2026 — is growing more likely by the day as the two conferences remain at an impasse, both with one another over the number of conference games they play (SEC eight and the Big Ten nine) and with the CFP's selection process. The SEC is yet to decide on whether it is moving from eight conference games to nine in 2026, though signs point to the conference remaining at eight games at least for next year, especially if the selection committee process is unsatisfactory. Even SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said last week during his media days there's 'not a lot of warmth' from the football coaches in adding an extra conference game. The head coaches hold sway in the conference. In fact, their pushback to the Big Ten's 4-4-2-2-1 model in May shifted the league's consideration of that format. Meanwhile, neither league seems necessarily agreeable to proposed alterations to data changes in the selection process. The CFP staff proposed to commissioners an adjustment to the committee's strength-of-schedule ranking that gives more weight to games played, for instance, against the top 30-40 programs in the country. Secondly, a new data point, 'strength of record,' has been created that grants more weight to good wins and doesn't penalize as much a program for losses against ranked or top teams. Petitti is unmoved. He is against widening the at-large pool from seven to 11 teams as it gives the 12-member selection committee — a rotation of mostly athletic directors and former coaches — more authority. 'It's not that we think the selection committee does a poor job. I'm just not sure how you make it better. The more teams you add, the more tough decisions you create,' he said. 'We're going to give the committee more to do? What's the reason to do that? Giving them more work to do and more discretion?' Despite the disagreement with the SEC, both commissioners say that they continue to speak regularly and the two leagues remain close. Petitti hopes the conferences can hold a third joint athletic director meeting soon. 'Anybody who is writing that the fact we might not be on the same page today on format changes means we don't have a great working relationship is in the wrong place,' Petitti said Monday. Said Sankey last week: 'There is no rift between the SEC and Big Ten commissioners. We have different views. That's OK.' They disagree on something else too: the timing of the transfer portal. A committee of power conference football administrators and athletic directors is expected to make a formal recommendation on the portal soon. The expectation is for a single portal in January. The Big Ten remains the only FBS conference that is against such a move. Big Ten coaches and administrators are pushing for an April portal. 'That's not where the other three (power) leagues are,' Petitti said. 'At the end of the day, when you govern with others, there are going to be issues where you know you're going to have to agree that your position wasn't the one adopted. But having player movement occur during the postseason seems something that is not ideal. It puts players in tough spots. It's not good for the game.' In an interview with Yahoo Sports last week, Sankey said he was seeking a portal date that is 'the right thing for the educational enterprise,' and both leaders believe there should be a single portal as opposed to the two currently existing. 'We have to get back as a collegiate enterprise to say we have a responsibility and expectation that you pursue your education in a consistent way,' Sankey said. 'Transferring every semester or five schools in five years is not consistent with those objectives.'
