Sports
Ole Miss' Pete Golding questions why LSU isn't being investigated
Head coach Pete Golding speaks at Ole Miss “Meet the Rebels” in Oxford, Miss. on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Pete Golding’s Ole Miss program is being investigated by the NCAA for tampering in relation to its recruitment of linebacker Luke Ferrelli, but on Wednesday, Golding openly called into question why other schools weren’t being investigated as well.
Asked about the tampering case involving Ferrelli at the Southeastern Conference meetings in Miramar Beach, Fla., Golding talked about Ferrelli becoming a replacement for another player who departed in the portal, and with dubious circumstances surrounding the latter’s departure.
Golding referred to the departing player as a three-year starter, a thinly veiled reference to former starting linebacker TJ Dottery, who transferred to LSU — now led by former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin — on the final day of the portal window.
“The kid we’re talking about with tampering was on an official visit that weekend,” Golding said of Ferrelli before turning his attention to Dottery moments later. “We’re not comparing that to a guy that was a three-year starter somewhere, that wasn’t in the portal that’s at a new school now? What are we doing?
“There’s an enforcement on this that just took an OV, but there’s not an enforcement of this, that he just ruined his brand over three years, who’s been tampered with his entire time?”
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney held a press conference in late January alleging tampering by Ole Miss with Ferrelli, who committed to transfer to the Tigers from Cal and had even arrived on the Clemson campus before departing for Ole Miss a short time later.
Dottery started for the Rebels the past two years, but he became the fourth player to defect from the program to follow Kiffin to LSU, who hired Kiffin away from Ole Miss in the midst of its 2025 playoff run.
Golding, who took over when Kiffin left, took another shot at Kiffin and LSU when he related the issue of tampering to coaches as well as players, an issue the U.S. Senate is attempting to address with its “Lane Kiffin Rule,” meant to limit coaches’ mobility during the season.
“My thing when they talk about tampering, you don’t think the coaches get tampered with?” Golding asked rhetorically. “You don’t think ADs meet with head coaches? I mean we’re talking about this new Kiffin rule and this s—, who do you think’s meeting with these guys and offering them the job before?
“So, I’m not getting into all of that, but holy cow.”
Ole Miss hosts Kiffin and LSU in Oxford, Miss. on Sept. 19.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ian Happ breaks out of slump, Cubs snap 10-game skid vs. Pirates
May 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (8) hits a two-run single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Ian Happ drove in five runs and ignited a six-run seventh inning with a three-run home run that eventually helped the Chicago Cubs snap a 10-game losing streak with a 10-4 win over the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.
The Cubs last scored 10 runs in a game in their prior win May 15th before the losing streak began. The skid was the longest active losing streak in the majors and the longest for the Cubs since June 4-16, 2022. Chicago won for only the third time in its past 17 games.
Happ finished with two hits, marking his first multi-hit game since May 15th after he entered the game mired in a 2-for-31 slump.
Happ’s 11th home run of the season off Pittsburgh reliever Yohan Ramirez (2-2) helped the Cubs break a 4-4 tie on the way to snapping the Pirates’ three-game winning streak.
After Seiya Suzuki Happ’s homer with a single, Michael Conforto belted his fourth homer of the season off Justin Lawrence to add two more runs. Michael Busch capped the frame with an RBI single.
The Cubs opened the game with two runs in the first on a 2-run single by Happ and another in the second on an RBI single by Nico Hoerner. Pirates starter Bubba Chandler allowed four runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out five over five innings.
The Pirates tied the game in the bottom of the third when Brandon Lowe smacked his 14th home run of the season off Cubs starter Jameson Taillon.
Chicago took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong before the Pirates tied it again on rookie Konnor Griffin’s fourth home run in the bottom of the inning.
Taillon, who allowed four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four against the team that drafted him, combined with relievers Jacob Webb (1-1), Phil Maton, Caleb Thielbar and Ethan Roberts to keep the Pirates scoreless over the final five innings.
Hoerner finished with two hits and an RBI while Swanson, Carson Kelly and Alex Bregman each had two hits for the Cubs, who totaled 14 overall.
Bryan Reynolds had three hits, including a double, for Pittsburgh.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers place IF Kike Hernandez (oblique) on IL, recall Alex Freeland
May 25, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Enrique Hernandez (8) hits a RBI double in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Dodgers returned infielder Kike Hernandez to the injured list on Wednesday due to a left oblique strain. With Hernandez back on the shelf after a mere two-game return, infielder Alex Freeland has been recalled in a corresponding move.
Hernandez, who started the season on the IL due to offseason elbow surgery, was activated Monday and started his season 4-for-4 with a homer, two doubles and two RBIs before exiting Tuesday’s 15-6 win over the Colorado Rockies with the injury.
While Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t share a timeline for how long Hernandez will be out, he did admit that his MRI showed a “significant tear.”
Hernandez, 34, is in the fourth year of his second stint in Los Angeles. He’s a career .237 hitter with 131 homers and 472 RBIs over 1,278 games.
Freeland, 24, started the season on the Dodgers’ roster. He hit .235 with two home runs, four doubles and eight RBIs in 33 games before being optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he hit four homers and drove in 16 runs in 11 games.
A third-round pick by Los Angeles in the 2022 MLB Draft, Freeland made his debut for the Dodgers in 2025 and hit .190 with two homers and six RBIs in 29 games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Gucci taking over title sponsorship for F1's Alpine in 2027
Italian fashion company Gucci will take over as the title sponsor for Formula 1 team Alpine beginning in 2027. The Alpine Formula 1 team will have a new look next year when Gucci takes over as the title sponsor.
The Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team will feature the sponsor’s red and green color scheme, a switch from Alpine’s current blue and pink.
According to Alpine, the agreement will create “a new business and experiential platform built around the values of performance, precision, discipline, and excellence at the intersection of luxury and sport.”
Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore added in a statement, in part, “Partnering with a prestigious brand of Gucci’s calibre in Formula 1 as title partner of Alpine Formula One Team is something I am incredibly proud of.
“Not only that, but I am also excited about the possibilities the partnership with Gucci brings and the great things we can achieve together at a global level. The Enstone Team has a history of doing things differently to others and has previously shown that fashion can finish first in Formula 1.
“With the improved performance on track, and Alpine having its best-ever points total to start a season, this new collaboration with Gucci shows the growing momentum behind the team.”
Gucci president and chief executive officer Francesca Bellettini lauded the company becoming the first luxury fashion house to act as the title sponsor of an F1 team.
“That reflects our ambition for the brand and the role we want Gucci to play on this stage,” Bellettini said. “Formula 1 represents today a unique convergence of performance, culture, and global reach, and Alpine Formula One Team is the right partner to bring this vision to life.
“Gucci Racing is more than a presence on the grid. It is an expression of who we are and where we want to take the brand. And there is much more to come. We are grateful to Alpine and the entire Renault Group for sharing this ambition with us.”
After coming in last place (10th) in the F1 team standings in 2025, Alpine currently sit in fifth place. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly holds eighth place in the driver standings, and teammate Franco Colapinto sits in 11th.
–Field Level Media
Ian Happ breaks out of slump, Cubs snap 10-game skid vs. Pirates
Dodgers place IF Kike Hernandez (oblique) on IL, recall Alex Freeland
