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Keyshawn Johnson files $1 million lawsuit against NFL agent
Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Keyshawn Johnson is suing an NFL agent after the former star wide receiver claims he was stiffed out of a large sum of money.

According to court documents that were obtained by TMZ, Johnson filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles last week that claims he and NFL agent Chris Ellison had a deal that Ellison failed to live up to. Johnson said he agreed roughly 10 years ago to push players to Ellison in exchange for a portion of the agent’s commission.

The lawsuit claims Ellison agreed to pay Johnson one-third of the agent’s three percent commission on the contracts of players that were referred by Johnson. Johnson says Ell ison owes him $962,335 based on their agreement and has not paid.

The aforementioned sum of money is tied to contracts that were signed by San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson, Atlanta Falcons cornerback Mike Hughes and Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs. Johnson says he influenced all four players to sign with Ellison.

Ellison told TMZ that he denies all of the claims that are laid out in the lawsuit.

Johnson played in the NFL for 11 seasons from 1996-2006. He made the Pro Bowl three times and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002.

Johnson now works as an analyst for FS1.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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Cowboys' Micah Parsons seen taking bizarre action in preseason finale
NFL

Cowboys' Micah Parsons seen taking bizarre action in preseason finale

Micah Parsons showed up for the Dallas Cowboys' preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons in body only. The star pass-rusher showed no spirit and did not dress amid his hold-in for a contract extension. On Thursday, Parsons scrubbed the Cowboys from his social media feed. During Friday's game, he couldn't be bothered to be with his teammates on the sideline watching the whole game. Per a photo posted on X by The Athletic's Jon Machota, Parsons was seen lying down on a trainer's table during the contest. Parsons' actions come amid a turbulent week between his representation and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. In separate interviews, Jones told both Michael Irvin and ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that he did not plan to back down from his agreement with Parsons to work with agent David Mulugheta. During the pregame show on Friday, Jones boasted to 105.3 The Fan that defensive end is where the Cowboys have the most depth on the roster. "Frankly, our defensive ends may be the best depth, where we have the most talent of any position on the field," Jones said via Machota. "I'm excited about our depth and our numbers at pass rusher. ... I'm concerned because of having space on the roster to keep that many of our guys that have pass rushing ability." Following Friday night's game, the Cowboys' preseason is over. The situation between Jones and Parsons is not ideal for first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who is tasked with trimming the roster to 53 players by Tuesday. If Parsons is traded or chooses not to play in Week 1, Schottenheimer is going to have to decide to take away depth from what Jones sees as a weaker part of the team to boost a unit that is without their best player because he won't negotiate with Mulugheta.

Pat McAfee has strong reaction to Hall of Fame honor
College Football

Pat McAfee has strong reaction to Hall of Fame honor

Former punter Pat McAfee is receiving an honor that is rare for a special teams member. On Friday, West Virginia announced that McAfee was one of six players entering the program's Hall of Fame for the 2025 class. McAfee is thankful for the recognition from his former school. He used some strong language to react to WVU's reveal. "It was nice to have an opportunity to think back and reminisce about a great era of my life," McAfee posted on X. "I am so thankful for the recognition. This is normally something I would try and f------ hate.. I’d say that it’s b------- and they feel obligated to do this but; this call made my soul feel good. Thanks for the opportunity to be a Mountaineer @RealCoachRod.. it was an honor." McAfee was a highly productive specialist at West Virginia, earning First-team All-American honors in 2008. During his time with the Mountaineers, he set the school record for most games played (51), scoring (384) and extra points made (210). He held the Big East record for most extra points made, when he made 210 of 212 attempts. McAfee's success at West Virginia propelled the Indianapolis Colts to select him in the seventh round of the 2009 draft. He earned All-Pro honors in 2014 and made the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2016. He has the highest career net average in punting years with 41.1. McAfee should be proud of his achievements during his days in college and the legacy he is building with the program. The ESPN pundit even used his influence to speak with WVU athletic director Wren Baker to help with the coaching search that ultimately brought back Rich Rodriguez to the school.

How offseason gambles put the Toronto Maple Leafs in a better position
General Sports

How offseason gambles put the Toronto Maple Leafs in a better position

With training camp on the horizon, the Toronto Maple Leafs are about to enter their first season of a new era. This new “era” rightfully has some fans dismayed, but that doesn’t mean these fans should not be excited. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Unfortunately, this is exactly what we have seen the Leafs do over the last nine years, and it has not worked. Not even close. We have beaten to death the playoff failures and how the “Core Four” was a problem. Mitch Marner unfortunately had to go, and from the sounds of it, it was mutual. But we now have a change in perspective and direction when it comes to the team. In this post, let’s take a look at some of the offseason moves made by the Leafs and why the Leafs are in a better position than last season. Changes and acquisitions With the changes so far, we have seen a shift in team philosophy. The two “go to” guys are now Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Perhaps throw in Knies after signing his six-year extension. But either way, the Leafs will have to fill in the holes with actual supporting players, instead of shopping at Value Village for bargain-bin players like they have the last several years. The three big additions this offseason by general manager Brad Treliving were Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy, and Dakota Joshua. Maccelli is a young winger at 24 years old, while Roy and Joshua are entering the tail end of their prime. Maccelli has one 57-point and one 49-point season in his four-season NHL career, with last year being a disappointment. It should be mentioned that he played for the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth for his career. The team has made the playoffs once in over a decade, and Maccelli was playing for Ilves Tampere in the SM-liiga at the time. Nicholas Roy and Dakota Joshua are known to play a heavier game and have an aggressive forecheck. Roy has been a 30–40 point centre the last four seasons, while Joshua showed promise two seasons ago, scoring 18 goals and 14 assists for 32 points, but tapered off considerably. Last season, he only scored seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 57 games. This is what Leafs fans have wanted for several years now: a much more balanced roster in terms of salary allocation. But are they better? Are the Leafs better? I think the question everyone is wondering with these acquisitions is: Are the Leafs better? I think this can’t be answered until the conclusion of the 2025–26 season. But for the sake of argument, I will say yes, they are better, but not from a skill standpoint, but from a cultural shift and flexibility point of view. The Leafs’ roster needed to change in a big way; the playoff failures speak for themselves. Brad Treliving’s Gambles Losing a 100-point winger in Mitch Marner hurts. If we add up the point totals from last season for all three new additions, they scored 30 goals and 33 assists for 63 points. Compared to Marner’s 27 goals and 75 assists for 102 points, this looks like a horrible proposition on paper. But what do these three players have in common? They are all expected to have bounce-back seasons. If we add up the point totals of three new acquisitions from the 2023–24 season, they scored 48 goals, 82 assists for 130 points. Much better value, especially when considering these three players will play throughout the lineup, not just on the first line. The team is heading towards a better balance instead of being so top-heavy. Maccelli playing with either Auston Matthews and Knies, or with John Tavares and William Nylander, is a solid bet, especially with Maccelli in a contract year. For the sake of discussion, let’s say Maccelli scores 50–60 points. At age 25 and an RFA, you absolutely re-sign him and have a decent young player in your top-six. Joshua and Roy are less flashy and are older. However, while not every player will be a Matthew Knies, Roy and Joshua could be the missing pieces in the bottom-six that have plagued the Leafs for nearly a decade: A bottom-six that can ram you through the boards and can also score. With Treliving’s gamble on Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, and the gambles on defence, notably Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Simon Benoit, Treliving has deserved the benefit of the doubt. More often than not, his gambles have paid off. Future opportunities The offseason acquisitions have a lot to do with future opportunities just as much as they do with this upcoming season. The Leafs are no longer married to a high-priced offence that disappears come playoffs. They can continue to find personnel who fit their new vision. The Leafs have just under $2M in cap space. With a logjam of players in the bottom-six, one or both of David Kampf or Calle Jarnkrok will likely be moved. I am not expecting a huge trade, but the Leafs will likely have more cap space by the NHL trade deadline to fill holes. None of the changes made this offseason prevents the Leafs from making changes in the future. If one of the new additions doesn’t work out, their cap hits aren’t insurmountable that they can’t be traded. With few draft picks or solid prospects, these new acquisitions can be used in combination with available cap space to make a bigger acquisition come the trade deadline or next offseason. The offseason moves provide the Leafs with much-needed cap space and roster flexibility. However, if the new additions perform well in the lineup, the team will be much more well-rounded than last season, especially come the playoffs. Way forward I think we need to look at everything in totality, as opposed to viewing it as a “100 point player out, a bunch of third line producers in.” During most of the regular season, most of the series against the Ottawa Senators, and when the Leafs went up 2–0 against the Florida Panthers in the second round, what were your thoughts? My thoughts, and we’ve written about it several times, are that this team has changed. A lot of it is due to Craig Berube and his system, but this was Year 1. Adding more “Berube-esque” players in Joshua and Roy, and this team will perhaps be even better than last year. Combine these solid offseason bets with existing players like Matthews and Morgan Rielly being due for bounce-back seasons, or perhaps Easton Cowan making the roster out of camp, and there’s plenty to be excited about heading into next season. I am not dismissing the importance of points during the regular season. After all, the team still has to make the playoffs. But if the Panthers are any indication, regular season success does not translate to playoff success. It’s how the team plays the game, and the Leafs need to continue to reshape their DNA into something where we will not have an annual eulogy.

Reports: Red Sox Have 2 Options To Replace Walker Buehler
General Sports

Reports: Red Sox Have 2 Options To Replace Walker Buehler

The Boston Red Sox ripped off the band-aid and made a difficult decision on Friday. There has been some chatter for a few weeks about the possibility of moving Walker Buehler out of the starting rotation. He actually has looked better lately than he did at the beginning of the season. But, his command was still shaky, including eight walks over his last 10 innings pitched, and Boston opted to move him out of the rotation. The Red Sox announced the decision on Friday, as shared by MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo. "Walker Buehler is going to the bullpen, Alex Cora announced," Cotillo said. "The starter for Monday is TBD. Cora said Buehler 'handled it like a professional.'" The Red Sox have two options to replace Walker Buehler Boston has two more games left in its series against the New York Yankees. Garrett Crochet is getting the ball on Saturday and will be followed by Dustin May on Sunday. On Monday, the Red Sox will begin a series against the Baltimore Orioles and this is when the club will have to make a decision. So, who could it be on the mound? Cotillo noted that Richard Fitts and Kyle Harrison are both options. "For Monday's outing, Richard Fitts and Kyle Harrison are the leading candidates to pitch," Cotillo said. "It'll likely depend on how the next few days go in NY. If Fitts pitches (in a multi-inning role), bet on Harrison to make that start. If not, Fitts is with the club and ready." Fitts is up with the team and it was initially reported that he was called up to help out in the bullpen. He hasn't been used out of the bullpen yet, so Monday certainly is a possibility. Harrison was the jewel of the Rafael Devers trade but hasn't made a start with Boston yet. Harrison has been down with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox and has a 3.69 ERA in 10 starts. At some point, Harrison is going to be a big piece for this rotation. Could that start on Monday?

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