Sports
Superstar F Mohamed Salah leaving Liverpool at season's end
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah applauds fans after a match against West Ham United on Feb. 28, 2026. Liverpool superstar forward Mohamed Salah announced on Tuesday that he will leave the Premier League club at the end of the season after a nine-year run as one of its greatest players.
The club confirmed the news later, saying that it had agreed to forego the final year of the two-year extension Salah signed at the end of the 2025 season.
“Salah expressed his wish to make this announcement to the supporters at the earliest possible opportunity to provide transparency about his future due to his respect and gratitude for them,” Liverpool said in a statement.
The 33-year-old, nicknamed the “Egyptian King,” joined Liverpool in 2017. Salah has 255 goals (third in club history) in 435 appearances, and his 281 combined goal contributions (189 goals, 92 assists) in 310 Premier League appearances are the most in league history.
His total of 191 goals in Premier League career matches (including two with Chelsea in the 2013-14 season) is fourth all-time.
“I wanted to start by saying that I never imagined how deeply this club, this city, these people would become part of my life,” Salah said in a video posted on X. “Liverpool is not just a football club. It’s a passion, it’s a history, it’s a spirit that I can’t explain in words to anyone not of this club.”
Salah helped lead the Reds to Premier League titles in 2019-20 (their first top-division crown in 30 years) and 2024-25 as well as the FA Cup (2022), League Cup (2022-24) and UEFA Champions League trophy (2019).
“We celebrated victory, we won the most important trophies and we fought together through the hardest time in our lives,” Salah said in the video. “I want to thank everyone who was part of this club throughout my time here, especially the teammates past and present.
“And to the fans, I don’t have enough words. The support you showed me through the best time of my career, and you stood by me in the toughest times. It’s something I will never forget and something I will take with me always.”
The “toughest times” he referenced might include in December, when second-year manager Arne Slot didn’t play him for three consecutive matches. Salah said at the time that he was being thrown “under the bus” for the team’s poor play, suggested he had no relationship with Slot and questioned his future with Liverpool.
After being left off the squad for a Champions League match with Inter Milan, Salah later became a regular starter again. He has 10 goals and nine assists in 34 appearances this season.
“Leaving is never easy,” Salah said in Tuesday’s video. “You gave me the best time of my life. I will be always one of you. This club will always be my home, to me and to my family. Thank you for everything. Because of all of you, I will never walk alone.”
Last May, Salah scored a league-best 29 goals and won the Premier League Golden Boot for the fourth time in his career, matching the record set by former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.
Salah also was awarded the Premier League Playmaker of the Season award, after leading with 18 assists. His 47 combined goals and assists were the most ever in a 38-game season.
It was the second time Salah has completed the Golden Boot-Playmaker sweep in his career. Salah became the first player ever to win the Golden Boot, Golden Playmaker and Player of the Season awards in a single campaign.
Salah also claimed the Golden Boot in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2021-22.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bryson DeChambeau headlines group in lead at LIV Golf Korea
Aug 24, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC reacts to making his putt on the 18th green in a playoff hole during the finals of the LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship at The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images Bryson DeChambeau and Charles Howell III battled to the end last year at LIV Golf Korea and picked up where they left off on Thursday, with Sam Vincent joining them for the ride.
The three players each recorded a 5-under-par 65 to spring the top of the leaderboard of this season’s Korea event at Asiad Country Club in Busan, South Korea. They have a one-stroke lead over Ian Poulter, Joaquin Niemann and Thomas Pieters, with four players two shots back and a packed group of 12 at 2-under par.
Vincent built his round on five birdies, including two of his final three holes, while defending champion DeChambeau and Howell had some ups and downs.
DeChambeau made the turn at 5-under and added a birdie at No. 10. But he played the final eight at 1-over with bogeys at holes 13 and 15 and a birdie at 16.
Howell, DeChambeau’s Crushers GC teammate, played the first five holes at even par and followed with an adventure of an eagle, two birdies and two bogeys to reach 3-under. He made birdie on the final two holes to finish in the three-way tie.
Although DeChambeau couldn’t keep the pace of his sizzling first 10 holes, he nonetheless was pleased with his play on an unfamiliar course. LIV Golf Korea was held at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon in 2025.
“I guess Charles and I love Korea. We both played well today, played well last year,” DeChambeau said.
“It’s a tricky golf course. … If you’re strategic and you execute good shots, you can make some birdies. Your ball-striking has to be premier; you can’t fake it around here.”
DeChambeau said his round was impacted by the bogeys on the par-3 13th hole, where his drive overshot the green and left him to three-putt and at 15. At that par-5, 601-yard hole, his second shot landed in the water.
“I felt like being 6-under through 10, I felt like something special was happening, and I simmered off, but still played some great golf. Surprised that I didn’t go deeper,” he said.
Behind DeChambeau and Howell, Crushers took the team lead at 10-under, three strokes ahead of OKGC. That was a mixed blessing for Howell.
“Well, team-wise, it’s wonderful. Individual-wise, it’s terrible. Team-wise I love him up there at the top. Individually I wish he was at the bottom,” Howell said.
“Obviously Bryson, more weeks than not, he plays extremely well, and if my name is near his, I’m usually doing something pretty good.”
Vincent shot the only bogey-free round of the day to give him a share of the lead for the first time in his LIV career. He is temporarily part of the HyFlyers team in the absence of captain Phil Mickelson.
“I don’t know what it is, but the second I joined them (HyFlyers), my game just went up,” Vincent, of New Zealand, said. “It’s been amazing.”
The three leaders will be paired together on Saturday.
The group that stands two shots back includes Sergio Garcia of Spain and Australia’s Cam Smith.
Jon Rahm of Spain finished at even par Thursday in a tie for 27th.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Vikings Need to Move On From J.J. McCarthy Before It Gets Worse
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts during a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, Dec 21, 2025, East Rutherford, NJ, USA The Minnesota Vikings need to rip the band-aid off and give up on J.J. McCarthy.
It’s uncomfortable, especially because the team invested the No. 10 overall pick into McCarthy during the 2024 NFL Draft. But since then, the Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and brought in free agent quarterback Kyler Murray in free agency.
The Vikings are signaling to McCarthy that they’re giving up on him, but now it’s time to formalize that by trading the 23-year-old quarterback.
After OTAs on Wednesday, Murray praised McCarthy to reporters, explaining that he wants to be a veteran leader for the team.
“I know he’s a younger guy, so any way I can help him… give him any knowledge that he needs,” Murray said. “We’re both competitors and want what’s best for the team.”
Murray said that McCarthy has been very receptive to advice, but the former Michigan quarterback didn’t exactly view the relationship that same way.
“It’s just like two guys in a classroom, he sits on one side, I sit on the other side, and it’s the coach’s responsibility to teach us and coach us,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy was asked if there’s any awkwardness with Murray. And he didn’t exactly shut it down.
“Awkwardness? You know, it’s just like the same feeling when you’re in high school and there’s another person on the other side of the room, I wouldn’t say there’s any awkwardness.”
McCarthy referencing that it’s up to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell to “teach us and coach us” almost makes it seem like he’s not very receptive to the advice that Murray is trying to give him.
Quarterback competitions never work
The Vikings need to nip this in the butt now before it becomes a bigger issue.
When was the last time a quarterback competition worked? When Russell Wilson beat out Matt Flynn with the Seattle Seahawks? That was almost two decades ago. Quarterback competitions rarely bear fruit. Instead, they take valuable preseason reps away from the team’s starter.
McCarthy told reporters that Minnesota’s brass told him this is an honest competition. But let’s be real about that for a second. There’s no world they convinced Murray to sign with the Vikings without some sort of guarantee that he’d be the starting quarterback.
Murray could’ve gone to the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers or the New York Jets – all three teams that needed a starting quarterback. But he picked the Vikings, probably because they give him the best chance to start and succeed, similar to how Sam Darnold performed under McCarthy before securing a three-year, $100 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
That’s why the Vikings need to just admit that this experiment with McCarthy is over. It was screwed up from the moment he injured himself, allowing Darnold to flourish. McCarthy wildly underperformed last year, throwing 12 interceptions compared to 11 touchdown passes.
It’s clear the organization is iffy about him. Now, he sounds iffy about the organization.
Cut bait. Somebody might be willing to give up a Day 2 draft pick to try and save McCarthy’s career. It’s not happening in Minnesota and it’s already time to turn the page.
Sports
Kirby Smart, SEC Continue Complaining About College Football’s Future
As the calendar flips to the next day, things continue to change; however, one consistency will always come to the forefront, and it’s that the SEC will be the biggest crybabies on the planet.
Similar to its geographic counterparts, Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart went to the media to discuss the SEC’s potential to secede from the NCAA. There are currently two issues causing strife for the SEC.
The major power conferences and Notre Dame want to expand the playoffs to 24 teams, while the SEC only wants to expand to 16 teams. I personally don’t think any expansion should occur, as the regular season should still matter in college football. That said, I’m shocked the SEC doesn’t want the larger expansion.
A larger playoffs means more money, more potential home games, and smaller schools feeling that they can genuinely compete for national titles. The SEC complains every year when their 9-3 teams miss the playoffs, so I’m shocked they wouldn’t want half their conference playing in the postseason.
Kirby has his complaints about playoff expansion, but uncontrolled NIL expansion is his bigger concern. I think most people with common sense believe there needs to be more guardrails around NIL. I’m just not sure that head coaches are the right messengers for these complaints.
NIL isn’t going anywhere, either.
College football head coaches tend to be the highest-paid public worker in most states. They can also leave their job whenever they want and hold their universities over the fire for more money. When you hear Kirby Smart complaining about these kids, many of whom coming from limited money, it feels super disingenuous. These high level coaches keep complaining about the current state of NIL, but aren’t coming up with better solutions. Our current “wild west” of NIL is significantly better than these college athletes playing for free in years past.
NIL isn’t the death of college sports, but the SEC leaving the NCAA would be. Smart argues that the SEC can stand on its own, and doesn’t need to play by rules they don’t like.
Things like this is why everyone hates the SEC. If they don’t get everything they like, they take their ball and go home. If the SEC ever left the SEC, maybe the NCAA could survive, but it would always be a shell of its former power.
Also, I feel this is mostly just a bad bluff by Kirby Smart. Yes, SEC fans love their teams, but having an entire season of only SEC football feels like a disaster waiting to happen. Fortunately, the SEC is locked into contracts through the next 5 years, so they’ll have to wait a little before getting too off the rails.
Bryson DeChambeau headlines group in lead at LIV Golf Korea
Vikings Need to Move On From J.J. McCarthy Before It Gets Worse
