Sports
North Carolina hosts NC State in Mack Brown's home finale
Nov 2, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tarheels head coach Mack Brown during warmups before a game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Myers-Imagn Images In most cases, a regular-season finale between two teams with a combined 11 wins wouldn’t be too compelling.
That’s hardly the case on Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C., where North Carolina’s Mack Brown coaches his final home game against rival North Carolina State.
The university announced Tuesday that Brown, 73, will not return next season, despite Brown telling reporters on Monday he planned to be back in 2025.
“While this was not the perfect time and way in which I imagined going out, no time will ever be the perfect time,” Brown said in a statement. “We’ve had the chance to coach and mentor some great young men, and we’ll miss having the opportunity to do that in the future. … We want to send these seniors out right and I hope our fans will show up Saturday to do the same.”
In addition to the emotionally charged atmosphere at Kenan Stadium for the host Tar Heels (6-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), the Wolfpack (5-6, 2-5) desperately need a victory to become bowl eligible.
A loss to North Carolina would mark just the third losing season for the Wolfpack since Dave Doeren took over in 2013. NC State is coming off a 30-29 defeat at Georgia Tech in which the Yellow Jackets regained the lead with 22 seconds left on an 18-yard run by Aaron Philo.
True freshman CJ Bailey has completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 1,941 yards and 12 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Bailey has also rushed for 201 yards and five touchdowns.
With three straight wins over the Tar Heels, Doeren knows how significant a fourth would be, especially considering it would send the Wolfpack to a bowl game and end Brown’s tenure on a sour note.
“I’m a little different,” Doeren said. “I guess I don’t treat it as a normal game. … It’s something that matters deeply. Not just to Dave Doeren. It matters a lot to the former players. It matters a lot to the alumni, to the donors, to the administration. It’s not that the other games don’t matter. They do, but this one runs deeper.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Giants planning to release LB Bobby Okereke
Nov 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) leaves the field after losing to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images The New York Giants are planning to cut inside linebacker Bobby Okereke in a cost-saving move, The Athletic reported Saturday.
Releasing the seven-year NFL veteran, who turns 30 in July, will save the Giants $9 million against the 2026 salary cap.
Okereke has led New York in tackles in two of his three seasons with the team, including 143 stops in 2025 and 149 in 2023.
Okereke added one sack, two interceptions and one fumble recovery in 17 games (all starts) for the Giants in 2025.
He has recorded 805 tackles, 7.5 sacks, seven interceptions and 11 forced fumbles in 110 career games (95 starts) with the Colts (2019-22) and Giants. Indianapolis drafted him in the third round in 2019.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tyler Reddick starts bid for 3rd straight NASCAR Cup win with pole run
Feb 22, 2026; Hampton, Georgia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick rounds the track at EchoPark Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images AUSTIN, Texas — One of the few things that wasn’t startling about Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Circuit of the Americas was Tyler Reddick’s run for the pole position.
Negotiating the 2.4-mile road course in 97.760 seconds (88.380 mph) in the second qualifying group, Reddick claimed his third Busch Light Pole Award in six attempts at the track. He will lead the field to green in Sunday’s DuraMAX Grand Prix Powered by Reladyne (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Of course, there’s more at stake for Reddick than simply a victory at COTA. In winning at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta last Sunday, the driver of the No. 45 Toyota became the sixth Cup competitor to start a season with two consecutive wins. No driver has ever won three straight to open a season.
The 23XI Racing driver acknowledged that the pole position, the 12th of his career, is a positive first step toward that goal.
“It helps the chances, certainly,” said Reddick, whose series-best average finish of 4.6 at COTA includes a victory in 2023. “I think starting up front is huge.”
Michael McDowell led the first qualifying group of 19 drivers with a lap at 88.031 mph but fell to sixth soon after the second group took to the track. Ultimately, Ross Chastain posted the second-fastest lap at 88.256 mph (97.897 seconds) and will start on the front row beside Reddick.
The shocker was not that Chastain, the 2022 COTA winner, fashioned an excellent lap. What was surprising was that his two Trackhouse Racing teammates, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch — both vaunted road course racers — failed to crack the top 10 in qualifying.
Van Gisbergen was 13th fastest on his third lap. Zilisch could do no better than 25th. Van Gisbergen is seeking his sixth straight road course victory in the Cup Series, a mark that would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon for most consecutive road course wins.
Chase Briscoe (88.242 mph) will start third, followed by Ryan Blaney (88.179 mph) and Chase Elliott (88.161 mph). Elliott leads active drivers with seven road course victories.
Behind McDowell in sixth, AJ Allmendinger qualified seventh, followed by defending race winner Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and William Byron.
“We’ll see how it gets going,” Reddick said. “Certainly, Ross, Shane, Ryan Blaney-there’s a number of good drivers who were really strong in practice today. We’ll try to understand what that all looks like and make our best decisions on the car and everything.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Warriors F Gui Santos signs multi-year extension
Feb 25, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos (15) passes the ball as Memphis Grizzlies guard Javon Small (10) defends during the third quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos signed a multi-year contract extension on Saturday.
Specific terms were not disclosed by the Warriors. However, ESPN reported it was a three-year, $15 million contract extension with a player option in 2028-29. Santos was in line to become a restricted free agent prior to this extension.
Santos, 23, is posting career-best averages in points (6.6), rebounds (3.2) and assists (1.7) in 48 games (13 starts) this season.
He is contributing 4.9 points, 3.0 boards and 1.4 assists in 127 career games (15 starts) since being selected by the Warriors in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
–Field Level Media
Report: Giants planning to release LB Bobby Okereke
Tyler Reddick starts bid for 3rd straight NASCAR Cup win with pole run
