Cowboys QB Dak Prescott out at least 1 game as team evaluates hamstring injury
FRISCO, Texas (AP) -- Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will miss at least one game with a hamstring injury that the team says is still being evaluated. Coach Mike McCarthy says Prescott is out for Sunday's game against Philadelphia after getting hurt at Atlanta. Multiple reports citing anonymous sources say Prescott is expected to miss multiple games. Any lengthy absence from Prescott would be another setback in a season full of them for the Cowboys. They are on their first three-game losing streak since 2020. Dallas played the last 11 games of that 6-10 season without Prescott after he broke an ankle. Cooper Rush replaced Prescott in the 27-21 loss to the Falcons.
Saints fire coach Dennis Allen after seventh straight loss. Darren Rizzi named interim coach
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The New Orleans Saints have fired coach Dennis Allen a day after a loss at last-place Carolina extended the Saints' losing streak to seven games. It's the franchise's longest skid since 1999. Allen is 18-25 without a playoff appearance since taking over in 2022 after Sean Payton began what turned out to be a one-season retirement from coaching. The 52-year-old Allen is 26-53 in his NFL coaching career, including an 8-28 mark with the Oakland Raiders from 2012 to 2014. The Saints named special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi the interim coach with eight games left in what likely will be the club's fourth straight season without a playoff berth.
College athletes are getting paid and fans are starting to see a growing share of the bill
Winning at big-time college sports has never been free. But in a rapidly changing era in which players are allowed to earn money, it's never been more clear that fans will be picking up a bigger part of the tab. Athletic directors are making that clear, by sending letters to boosters detailing the increase in expenses that will come once many schools start sharing revenue with players under the terms of a lawsuit settlement. At other schools, ticket prices could be going up while others are adding fees to tuition to help cover the costs.
No. 3 USC hits two late free throws to beat Ole Miss 68-66 in Paris
PARIS (AP) -- Kiki Iriafen made a pair of free throws with seconds remaining to lift No. 3 Southern California over Mississippi 68-66 in a season-opening doubleheader in France. The score was tied 66-66 with 10 seconds left when Iriafen made her two free throws. JuJu Watkins scored 27 points for USC while K.K. Deans led No. 20 Ole Miss with 19. The 8,000-capacity Adidas Arena was less than half full for the start of the first game of a season-opening doubleheader.
Michael Jordan, fellow team owners head to federal court for hearing in antitrust fight vs. NASCAR
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Retired NBA great Michael Jordan and his fellow owners of two NASCAR teams headed to federal court Monday for a hearing in their antitrust fight against the stock car series over what they say is an unfair business model. 23XI Racing, which is owned by Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, owned by restaurant franchisee Bob Jenkins, sued NASCAR and chairman Jim France in October. That followed months of tense negotiations over NASCAR's charter system, which is essentially a franchise model that includes revenue sharing.
The reward isn't always greater than the risk for aggressive coaches: Analysis
Nick Sirianni got away with aggressive decisions that failed. Mike McCarthy and Sean Payton had no such luck. It's easy to second-guess when the calls don't work. The Philadelphia Eagles held on to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-23 on Sunday thanks to a twisting interception in the end zone by linebacker Nakobe Dean. If not, Sirianni would be lamenting passing up nine points. The Cowboys couldn't overcome McCarthy's aggressive decisions that backfired in a 27-21 loss at Atlanta. The Broncos knew they would need to score a lot of points to compete with the high-octane Ravens so Payton was aggressive from the start.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sidelined indefinitely with undisclosed illness
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is out indefinitely while recovering from an illness that forced him to miss Saturday's victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. San Antonio announced Popovich did not travel with the team on its current road trip at the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday and at Houston on Wednesday. The Spurs host the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday. Mitch Johnson will serve as interim coach during Popovich's absence.
AP Top 25 Extra Points: No. 13 SMU's 5-0 start in ACC is best ever for a first-year Power Four team
This move from a Group of Five conference to the Power Four is working out better than all right for SMU. The Mustangs are 8-1 and No. 13 in The Associated Press college football poll for their highest ranking in 39 years. They are 5-0 in ACC play following their 48-25 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday. That's the best start ever for a team in its first year in a power conference. With three regular-season games left, SMU controls its destiny in the race for the ACC championship game and the College Football Playoff spot that goes to the winner.
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office reviews officer altercations with fans at Georgia-Florida game
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is reviewing online videos that show police officers punching fans during Saturday's Florida-Georgia game at EverBank Stadium. Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan says she has spoken to sheriff T.K. Waters regarding altercations at the rivalry game known as "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party." The Sheriff's Office says it won't comment until its review is complete. One video shows two officers struggling with two spectators in the stands. A second video shows an argument between a man and two JSO officers escalate into a fight that left the man with his face bloodied and handcuffed after being shot repeatedly with a stun gun.
Arkansas tops list of six preseason Top 25 teams that didn't reach 2024 NCAA Tournament
Arkansas has only one scholarship player back from a team that finished a game below .500 last year, yet the Razorbacks open this season in the Top 25. Consider that a testament to the way new coach John Calipari reshaped Arkansas' roster by adding transfers and freshmen. Arkansas added three top-30 recruits and also was among the most active teams in the transfer portal. The result has Arkansas entering the season as the No. 16 team in the nation. Arkansas is one of six teams in the preseason Top 25 that didn't earn an NCAA Tournament bid last season.