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The New York Giants got off to a rocky start this season but they are a young, budding team. Their youngsters have been rising to the occasion week in and week out, especially in the team’s Week 5 win over the Seattle Seahawks. The Giants’ 2024 rookie draft class came up big against Seattle, as they have all season.
Malik Nabers isn’t the Giants’ only rookie contributing to the offense
Rookie sensation Malik Nabers was sidelined in this one with a concussion. But without their star wide receiver, the Giants’ offense was still able to find ways to move the ball, in large part due to the success of another one of their rookies.
Fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy Jr. got the start at running back with the veteran Devin Singletary out due to a groin injury. Tracy maximized the opportunity, totaling 129 yards on 18 carries and sparking controversy in the backfield. After such an impressive breakout performance, Tracy will undoubtedly see more playing time going forward, and could even push to be the team’s starting running back at some point this season.
Also impressive was fourth-round pick Theo Johnson. The 6-foot-6 tight end had struggled to make an impact through the first four weeks of the season but flipped the script in Week 5. He racked up five receptions for 48 yards against the Seahawks, demonstrating that he can be a key weapon in the receiving game going forward.
All of these breakout performances from the Giants’ rookie combine with the elite talent of Nabers to give the offense an incredibly bright future. Nabers was among the league leaders in nearly every receiving statistic exiting Week 4 and should be back on the field soon to continue his Rookie of the Year campaign.
The Giants’ defense has a few standout youngsters
On the defensive side of the ball, rookie safety Tyler Nubin was spectacular in Week 5. The second-round pick led the team with nine total tackles against the Seahawks. He’s now tied for the third-most tackles on the team this season with 30 through five games. He also added one fumble recovery to his resume against Seattle.
Alongside Nubin was another standout rookie in the secondary. Third-round pick Dru Phillips was back in the lineup as the Giants’ starting slot cornerback after missing the team’s Week 4 matchup with a calf injury. He bounced back in Week 5 with four combined tackles, bringing his season total to 21 in four games.
The Giants’ rookie draft class has been spectacular through the first five weeks of the season. The Giants are 2-3 and will aim to get their record back to .500 and get back into the postseason race in Week 6. However, regardless of the way the team finishes the season, they will have plenty of positives to take away from the performances of their rookies.
More must-reads:
- NFLPA reportedly under federal investigation
- Nick Saban responds to speculation about coaching return amid NFL rumors
- The 'Single-season sack leaders by NFL team' quiz
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Why as many as 100 NFL players are facing fines and potential suspension
There is not a bigger sporting event in North America than the Super Bowl, and tickets are only getting more expensive every year. There is also a ridiculous secondary market for tickets where seats sell for well above the original face value. It is usually fans or ticket resellers going for a quick profit. But as was reported on Friday, sometimes it can be players in the NFL looking to make a profit. According to multiple reports, including the Associated Press and ESPN, more than 100 players are facing fines and potential suspensions for selling their allotment of tickets to this year's Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs for above face value. Players are reportedly facing fines of one-and-a-half times the face value they originally paid for the tickets, while they are also prevented from purchasing tickets to the Super Bowl for the next seasons. The Associated Press obtained a memo from the NFL detailing the violation and investigation. That memo was as follows: “Our initial investigation has determined that a number of NFL players and coaches, employed by several NFL Clubs, sold Super Bowl tickets for more than the ticket’s face value in violation of the Policy. This long-standing League Policy, which is specifically incorporated into the Collective Bargaining Agreement, prohibits League or Club employees, including players, from selling NFL game tickets acquired from their employer for more than the ticket’s face value or for an amount greater than the employee originally paid for the ticket, whichever is less. We are in the process of completing our investigation into this matter, but the investigation has revealed that club employees and players sold their tickets to a small number of ‘bundlers’ who were working with a ticket reseller to sell the Super Bowl tickets above face value.” If players are not willing to pay the fine, they could be facing suspension from the league. It seems unlikely that any of the players — none of whom have been named, or their teams — would refuse to pay such a fine. It's also one of those moments where you can say, professional athletes — they're still normal people trying to make a quick buck. The most logical answer here is perhaps some of the players caught up in this are younger players who have not yet struck it rich on a big contract or perhaps even practice squad players who are not making top dollar.
Athletics' Nick Kurtz makes MLB history vs. Astros
Athletics rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz already had an impressive start to his career. Kurtz entered Friday having posted a .288/.360/.622 batting line in 265 plate appearances, hitting 19 homers and 17 doubles. Despite making his major league debut on April 23, Kurtz has been the A's most valuable player, leading the team with 2.6 bWAR. He appeared to be on the cusp of becoming the superstar the A's needed to sell the team to the residents of Las Vegas. That performance set the stage for what may have been the most impressive game for any rookie in major league history. Kurtz became the 20th player in MLB history to have a four-home run game and the first rookie to achieve that feat. Kurtz's performance also put the 2025 season into baseball history. Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez had a four-home run game on April 26, making this the third time that there have been two four-homer games in a season. That had happened in 2002 (outfielders Mike Cameron and Shawn Green) and 2017 (utility man Scooter Gennett and left fielder J.D. Martinez). Kurtz did not stop with those four homers. He was 6-6 in the A's 15-3 victory over the Astros, with a double and eight runs batted in. The favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, Kurtz put an emphatic stamp on an already impressive season with his barrage on Friday.
Warriors' Stephen Curry believes NBA players are 'underpaid'
Are NBA players underpaid? Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry argues yes. The greatest shooter in NBA history said Thursday on Complex’s “360 With Speedy” that because the league’s current CBA doesn’t allow for current players to invest in league and team equity, players are leaving money on the table. “I would say, yes, we are underpaid,” Curry admitted when asked, despite enormous salaries, if the players were getting short-changed, “because you wanna be able to participate in that rise [of equity].” “It’s a partnership with ownership, [and] it’s a partnership with the league,” the 37-year-old stressed, revealing that league salaries do not reflect players’ impact on team valuations. If anyone has the right to begrudge the current CBA on player participation in equity, it’s Curry. When drafted in 2009, the Warriors were worth $315 million. Current valuations in May of 2025 have the team at $9.4 billion, the most in the league. Curry’s been paid handsomely during his time in Golden State, and he doesn’t overlook it. “I know we’re blessed to be in a position where we’re playing basketball for a living, and these are the type of checks that people are earning,” he told Complex. However, when he signed his $62.6 million one-year extension in 2024 that would keep him in a Warriors’ jersey until 2027, many felt that no amount of money the franchise could offer him would represent his worth. Curry had an undeniable impact on the Warriors’ valuation increasing by nearly 3,000%. He’s benefited by being the most salaried player on the roster and plenty of endorsement deals. But is he getting his fair share? Something similar may happen with reigning NBA Finals MVP and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just signed the richest contract in league history with an average annual value of $71.25 million. According to Forbes, the Thunder’s valuation increased 20% from 2023 to 2024 and will likely take another jump after this year’s championship. Curry concedes that player participation in equity isn’t a simple concept and not all markets are created equal: “You got competitive advantage considerations…and want every market to have a fair chance, like I get all that.” He believes, however, that finding a solution is a “mutually beneficial proposition” for players, teams and the league. Even the most expensive people in the world need to find other investors to make owning an NBA team possible. The best example of Curry’s point is the Boston Celtics sale in March. The most-championed franchise in league history was sold to Bill Chisholm for $6.1 billion, the largest ever sports franchise sale in North America at the time. Chisholm needed Rob Hale, Bruce Beal Jr., and private equity firm Sixth Street, to afford the purchase. Because team ownership is already a multi-investor operation, the league could potentially come to an agreement with the players by the next CBA negotiation at the end of the decade. If not, the league's best players will continue to simultaneously earn a ridiculous amount of money, and it will not be nearly enough.
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber inches closer to franchise history vs. Yankees
Right now, it is Kyle Schwarber's league, and everybody else just happens to be playing in it. The Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter continued his white-hot month of July -- and incredible season at the plate -- on Friday night in a 12-5 win over the New York Yankees, going 3-for-5 with two more home runs and four runs batted in. He is now up to 36 home runs on the season, and within striking distance of a Phillies franchise record. His 36 home runs are tied for the most for a Phillies player through 103 games, and have him on a pace for around 56 home runs for the season. The team's single-season record is the 58 home runs hit by former first baseman Ryan Howard during the 2006 season. This is a huge season for Schwarber because he is in the final year of his contract and is set to be eligible for free agency after this season. He wants to stay in Philadelphia, and the Phillies would love to keep him, but each home run is only making that price tag go higher and higher. As of Friday, his 36 home runs are tied for second in the National League, just one behind Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. While Schwarber has been a key cog in the Phillies lineup all season, his performance has reached an entirely new level of production in July. With his two home runs on Friday, he has now hit 11 home runs in only 73 official at-bats for the month, and entered Friday's game with a staggering 1.044 OPS in July. It went up after Friday's performance. The Phillies are in a back-and-forth fight with the New York Mets for the top spot in the National League East race, and it might be time to start talking about Schwarber as a potential MVP candidate, given how much of an impact he is making at the plate.
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