Can you name the athletes featured on the cover of EA Sport NCAA Football? Quiz clue: Year / Game system (when appropriate). Good luck!
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Not only did Ryan Day name Julian Sayin the starting quarterback of the Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday, but he also revealed his key protector at left tackle. Austin Siereveld has had a remarkable rise for the Buckeyes since last December. He is now a team captain, the starting left tackle, and an Iron Buckeye. “You guys keep asking the question,” Day stated jokingly as the media laughed. “Alright, mercy. Austin (Siereveld) will be at left tackle. But that’s it, you guys aren’t getting any more.” That announcement means one of Ohio State’s most important transfer portal additions may not actually start this fall. Landing offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa from Rice was considered a huge win for the Buckeyes, and many expected him to lock down the left tackle spot. Instead, Siereveld emerged as the better option, leaving Onianwa to battle for the right tackle job. Onianwa is competing with Minnesota transfer Phillip Daniels, and recent momentum suggests Daniels may have the edge to win that position. The silver lining for Ohio State is their depth up front, with players like Onianwa, Ian Moore, and Josh Padilla ready to step in. “I think right now we would say that we’re probably at six or seven guys that we feel comfortable putting in a game on the offensive line,” Day explained. “I don’t think we’ve fully decided how many reps everybody will play on the line, but I think you will see a little bit of a rotation.” If Onianwa doesn’t start, he could still play a key role at some point this season. Still, it would be a tough break for the 6-foot-7, 331-pound transfer, who didn’t need to return to college but chose to do so for another year.
It is no secret that the relationship between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys is not on solid ground, but that does not necessarily mean it is tarnished beyond repair. On the latest episode of his podcast, which was released on Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter predicted that Parsons and the Cowboys are "headed towards divorce." Schefter said the two sides have not spoken since April and that it seems like a matter of when — not if — they part ways. Longtime NFL reporter Josina Anderson was told the situation is not quite that grim, at least from the Cowboys' perspective. Anderson reported on Tuesday evening that the relationship between Parsons and Dallas "has not deteriorated to the point of an imminent divorce." "I did not detect any obvious tones of concern in my sourced conversation when I recently asked about ESPN's Adam Schefter's report stating he sees 'these two sides headed towards a divorce, in time.' ... I just feel Dallas has so much history with protracted (and) sensitive negotiations, thus my current impression is the club remains unrattled, at this time," Anderson wrote in a post on X. Parsons is earning just over $24M in the final year of his rookie contract this season. The 26-year-old had 12 sacks in 13 games last season and has 52.5 sacks in 63 career games. Parsons is arguably the best pass-rusher in the NFL when healthy. Although Parsons has formally requested a trade, the Cowboys maintain that they have no intention of dealing their four-time Pro Bowl defensive end. The only real leverage Parsons has is creating a headache in Dallas. He remains under contract, and the Cowboys also can use the franchise tag on him in each of the next two seasons. If Parsons were to sit out regular-season games, his contract would eventually toll. Even with Jerry Jones publicly taking shots at Parsons, one massive contract offer could change everything.
Major League Baseball announced that Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles has received a 10-game suspension and an undisclosed fine from the league. The suspension will begin as soon as Robles is reinstated from the injured list, though Robles has filed an appeal and the suspension is being held in abeyance until the appeals process is complete. Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reported these details prior to the official announcement. Divish notes that the M’s would have to play a man short during the suspension. Robles has been on the injured list for most of the year. Back in early April, he made a sensational catch in San Francisco but crashed into the sideline netting and dislocated his left shoulder, causing a small fracture in the humeral head of said shoulder. A week ago, he was finally able to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma. During that week, he was hit by pitches multiple times, as shown in this video breakdown from Jomboy Media. Although he was hit five times, only three of them were technically counted as hit-by-pitches, with the other two counting as swings. Regardless, the final incident saw Robles hit by Joey Estes of the Las Vegas Aviators. Of the five times Robles was hit, three of them were out of the hand of Estes, though the final two were counted as swinging strikes. Regardless of how it was scored, Robles was clearly upset and threw his bat toward the pitcher’s mound. It doesn’t appear as though it hit Estes or anyone else, but MLB is understandably taking a firm stance against a player using his bat in this dangerous manner and sending Robles a message. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto spoke to members of the media, including Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, noting that the club tentatively planned to reinstate Robles from the IL next week but those plans may change with the suspension. Divish suggests that perhaps the best plan is to reinstate Robles on Sept. 1, so that the M’s can at least play with a 27-man roster, though that would push his reinstatement into the middle of September. Reinstating him earlier would mean playing with a 25-man roster for a while, though that would also mean Robles would be able to be reinstated for more games. It’s also unclear how long the appeals process will take. Sometimes, players appealing a suspension will hang in limbo until their team goes to New York, where the MLB head offices are located. The M’s don’t play in New York again this year, so it’s not clear when the appeal would be scheduled for. Robles being in the minors could also complicate factors. The M’s would surely love for the appeal to drag out into the winter and for Robles to serve his suspension next year, since they are currently in a playoff race, though MLB presumably wouldn’t let it play out like that.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has not been shy about criticizing WNBA officials, and that trait seems to run in the family. Cunningham’s sister Lindsey had a critical message for the WNBA after Sophie was injured during the second quarter of the Fever’s game against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday. Lindsey Cunningham wrote on X that the league was “pathetic” for “fining players for commenting on your poor officiating” instead of “hiring officials that are able to call a consistent game and protect your athletes.” Sophie Cunningham suffered a season-ending knee injury when Connecticut’s Bria Hartley drove into her knee while trying to get to the basket. Critics felt that Hartley dove into Cunningham’s knee instead of making a basketball play. Cunningham is frequently critical of WNBA officiating and has already received multiple fines this season for it. Presumably, her sister’s commentary will not cost her any money, but one has to be wonder if Sophie’s thoughts are the same. The Fever came from behind to beat Connecticut 99-93 in overtime on Sunday. The win moved them to 19-16 on the year and back into sixth place in the standings.
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