The San Francisco 49ers’ practice field has become an issue during the week leading up to Super Bowl LVIII and at least behind the scenes, it is not going away.
According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports, the 49ers are “furious” with how the league has handled their practice field issue, though they have downplayed their frustration in public. The 49ers have been practicing at UNLV’s facility, but have had some concerns over the field being too soft.
Publicly, the 49ers are taking the high road. But, behind the scenes, they are furious with how the NFL botched this. https://t.co/7B5T9W5jTn
— Matt Maiocco (Threads @maiocconbcs) (@MaioccoNBCS) February 7, 2024
Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked Monday about the report, but he dismissed the issue by saying the field had been verified as “playable.” This went down poorly with NFLPA leadership, which said in its own Wednesday news conference that the practice field was not satisfactory.
The 49ers have not joined in on the public criticism, perhaps because there is little to gain by doing so. At this point, it is quite clear that there is an issue and the team is probably even more angry at Goodell’s dismissal of that problem. At this stage of the week, however, there is probably not much that can be done about it, though.
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There have been a couple of different theories floated about why the Las Vegas Raiders made the shocking decision to cut star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, but head coach Pete Carroll has no interest in sharing the real motive. The Raiders released Wilkins on Thursday, which was barely a year after they signed him to a four-year, $110M contract in free agency. Initial reports suggested Wilkins and the team were at odds over how the 29-year-old's foot injury was being handled, but the story has since taken a bizarre turn. ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Monday that there was an incident between Wilkins and a teammate in the locker room that Wilkins viewed as playful, but his teammate did not take it that way. Tashan Reed of The Athletic reported that the incident took place in a meeting room at the Raiders' facility last week and was investigated by the team's human resources department. On Tuesday, a reporter asked Carroll about the alleged incident. The 73-year-old coach refused to get into it. "I have no comment to make,” Carroll said, via The Athletic. “We made a decision on what we’re doing, and we’re moving with it. We’ll see how that all unveils itself in time.” The last part of Carroll's comment is interesting. Carroll may have been saying time will tell how the decision to cut Wilkins will turn out for the Raiders, or he may have been insinuating that more information will come out at some point. Raiders defensive tackle Adam Nelson was also asked about Wilkins on Tuesday. Nelson responded by encouraging people to seek therapy if they are struggling with something in their life. Wilkins had 17 total tackles and a pair of sacks in five games with the Raiders before he suffered his season-ending foot injury.
The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired one of baseball's premier relievers to bolster their bullpen. In a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto is adding Seranthony Dominguez to its pitching staff, according to MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. While the move solidifies the Blue Jays' status as buyers, it's the timing of the transaction that stands out. The Orioles finished a 16-4 walloping of the Blue Jays just hours before the deal went down, and while it's not unheard of to see a player traded to a franchise his former team is visiting, the fact that the two teams will face off again Tuesday night at 6:35 PM EST makes this a truly unique swap. Dominguez may not suit up in his first official contest as a Blue Jay, but he will be switching clubhouses before the second half of the team's doubleheader. It won't take long for the veteran reliever to make an impact, either, as bullpen production has stood out for a Toronto team that has been dominating in most aspects of the game. In 43 appearances with the Orioles this season, Dominguez has posted a respectable 3.24 ERA over 41.2 innings. He hasn't quite returned to the impressive form he was in with the Phillies from 2018 to 2022, but the value is obvious for a team hoping to capture its third World Series in franchise history. The rebuilding Orioles acquired right-handed pitching prospect Juaron Watts-Brown, who was ranked as Toronto's 10th-best prospect in the latest MLB Pipeline team Top 30 Prospects list. The 23-year-old has gone 2-5 over 19 starts across High-A and Double-A this year, posting a combined 3.54 ERA while striking out 115 over 89 innings. As two teams heading in vastly different directions this season, it's a sensible move for both sides. Dominguez is an unrestricted free agent after this season, making him a rental for Toronto down the stretch. If Watts-Brown continues to show promise, though, the trade could ultimately be deemed a win for Baltimore.
Left-handed starting pitcher Blake Snell is in his 10th major-league season after making his debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016. Snell spent time with the San Diego Padres, then signed a deal with the San Francisco Giants after the 2023 season, which he later opted out of to enter free agency in 2024. The 32-year-old veteran signed a five-year, $182M contract this offseason with the Los Angeles Dodgers after an exceptional 2024 campaign. Snell earned such a lucrative contract thanks to his outstanding career to date, which includes two Cy Young Awards and an All-Star appearance. Over 213 career starts, he owns a 77–58 record, a 3.18 ERA and 1,372 strikeouts. Snell was placed on the injured list on April 6 (retroactive to April 3) with left shoulder inflammation after experiencing discomfort during a bullpen session; he had made only two starts for the Dodgers before the injury. After four minor-league rehab outings, manager Dave Roberts announced on Sunday that Snell is expected to rejoin the rotation next week. With his return looming, the Dodgers have decided to shift to a six-man rotation but now face a decision on right-hander Dustin May’s roster status. May returned to a full-time starting role for the first time in two seasons and has struggled. On Sunday against the Boston Red Sox, May allowed four runs in five innings of work, and he entered the start with an ERA of 4.73. May’s name has surfaced in trade rumors, and he is a candidate to potentially be moved to the bullpen. He is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has responded to NASCAR suspending Austin Hill for his incident with Aric Almirola during the Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis this past weekend. RCR said it will not appeal the suspension and revealed who will replace Hill this weekend. “Richard Childress Racing will not appeal the penalty NASCAR issued to the No. 21 team following the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” the team said. “We remain focused on winning a championship with Austin Hill in 2025. Austin Dillon will race the No. 21 Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway.” Austin Hill, the driver for the No. 21 Chevrolet for RCR, will miss this weekend’s event at Iowa Speedway. He hit Aric Almirola during the 91st lap of the Pennzoil 250. After Almirola bumped Hill into a slide in Turn 3, Hill hit Almirola’s right-rear fender, turning the No. 19 Toyota into the Turn 4 retaining wall. Austin Hill says his hit on Aric Almirola wasn’t intentional After the race, Almirola reacted to being hit by Hill. “It was definitely intentional,” Almirola told The CW, per NASCAR.com. “He (Hill) blocked me three times. I finally got him loose in (Turn) 3. He had damage on the nose, so he was really slow in the corners. It was time to go. I mean, we’re coming to nine to go, and the leaders are starting to put a gap on us, so it’s time to go. I got him loose, and he just turned left and hooked me in the right rear.” Hill wasn’t available for a comment after the race, but he told his team that the hit wasn’t intentional. “I couldn’t hang onto it. I did not try to right-rear him,” Hill told his team on the radio. “He had me out of control and I drove back to the left to keep it off the wall. I’m not sure what the hell he thought just running me over in 3 though!”
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