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North Carolina football general manager Michael Lombardi addressed the ongoing speculation about the relationship between Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson and whether it is impacting the football program.
In an appearance on ESPN Radio’s “Marty & McGee” Saturday, Lombardi dismissed much of the speculation about Hudson’s involvement with Belichick as “noise” and said the program did not want to add fuel to the fire.
“I mean, a lot of it is just noise,” Lombardi said, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “And for us to be distracted by something that has no bearing, that has no relevance whatsoever, that is a complete falsehood, in terms of what people are saying or what they’re writing. It’s comical. And for me, to really even attack anybody who’s saying it, gives them credibility. Which I don’t, because it’s a completely false narrative.
“The noise out there comes from a direction of people trying to be disruptive within our program. We’re not going to allow it. We’re not going to acknowledge it. We’re gonna move on. And look, let’s face it, the proof’s in the pudding. We’re having a tremendous recruiting class. We had a tremendous portal, and we’re going to continue to get better every day.”
This is a bit more in line with the traditional Belichick stance of not giving oxygen to outside noise. That approach has been undermined by Hudson’s controversial presence around the North Carolina program, where there have been conflicting reports about how extensive her role is. Belichick has claimed that Hudson has no real role within the program, though others seem to feel differently.
For the moment, Belichick and his cohorts have quieted some of the noise and avoided giving it any new fuel. However, the speculation will continue, especially since it would be very easy for Belichick to leave his role as North Carolina head coach at this point.
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What Oregon Ducks' Chris Hampton Said About Jahlil Florence, Dillon Thieneman, Theran Johnson
EUGENE - Last week, Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi spoke to the media about “knocking off the rust” in fall camp and about the maturation of young defensive players on the program’s roster. On Monday, co-defensive coordinator Chris Hampton and defensive backs coach spoke to the media for the first time this preseason. What Hampton Said During Week 2 Of Fall Camp: Contingency Plan For How He’ll Handle Nickel With Daylen Austin Trial Upcoming: “We got multiple guys working there, not just Daylen. No, we got Jadon Canady Dillon (Thieneman) doing it. Zach Grisham is having a heck of a camp so far. We got plans. We got plenty of DBs so hopefully he's with us. But if the decision is that he's not with us for a while, then we gotta play.” What’s The Competition Been Like Between The Young Guys: “We've had an outstanding competition, young guys, old guys. There’s no depth chart right now. We're letting everybody roll. Different guys are going with different groups. We call it green, yellow, so everybody's getting the same amount of reps. We're splitting guys up, working with different combinations. The competition's been great. Today’s been one of the most competitive days, probably the most competitive so far.” How He Evaluated The Group After Spring: “I thought we had a really good group. Following the spring, all those guys were here in the spring and going into fall. And so, I thought this summer they took tremendous gains in the weight room, in the offseason, we had to have opportunity to get some meetings this summer with them. I thought the guys learned a lot know the system a lot better. They're playing a lot faster than they did in the spring. I think we're going in the right direction right now.” What He’s Seen From Theran Johnson: “We've got a good group, and Theran’s been a guy that’s came in, he learned the system, he's highly intelligent. Today, I think was his best day. I've got to go watch the film, but just from watching from the sideline, he made a lot of plays. He had some ball production. So hopefully tomorrow and the next day and the next day is better than today was but today was one of his better days. If continues to go like he's going today, he'll have another great year for us.” How Impactful Jahlil Florence’s Return To The Field Is: “I think the big thing you said was leadership. I think he brings it to the group. He's been here for a while, longer than anyone in the room. He understands the scheme, knows what we're doing, he knows the standard, he knows what's expected. He motivates the guys on the sideline. So, he's definitely gotta take on a leadership role for us, and I think he's ready to do that.” How Ify Obidegwu Stands Out As A Redshirt Freshman: “Ify’s having a great camp, but that's a lot of guys having a great camp right now, but he's definitely having one of the better outputs in the secondary. So, he's just got to continue to grow, continue to get better. We’ve only had five practices. We've got a long way to August 30. Every day's competition, like he just acts in the back. We’ve got great players, so you've got to bring it each and every day. Nobody owns a position right now. Ify knows that. But I definitely expect big things.” How Kingston Lopa Has Continued To Develop: “I think he really changed his body. Got in the weight room, hit the weights hard. He's probably put on about 15 pounds of muscle this offseason. That's the first thing I think he did. He has a greater understanding of what we're doing right now on defense. Year two in the system. He gets it. So, another guy, just like Ify, to have a great season for us.” How Austin’s Presence Opens The Door For Position Versatility: “We’re kind of rolling guys between field safety, boundary safety, and star. And we've got Peyton (Woodyard) playing some star. Kingston Lopa, Dillon Thieneman, Jadon’s playing safety, Daylen’s playing safety," Hampton said. "So, I'm making them learn all three of them, because you never know injury may happen throughout the season. So right now, in camp, we kind of just rolling everybody playing all three positions, and making them learn, and making the challenges on them right now, so it’ll be easier in the season if that happens where we lose a guy due to injury, or whatever the case might be.” What Dillon Thieneman Needs To Do To Make Himself A First-Round Draft Pick: “I think he's gonna have a great season. He needs to tackle well, have some great ball production, be a great communicator, which he's done all that. He's working hard enough to do it. He's trying his best to do it, and it’s just a matter of how he plays in the season.” What The Added Length In The Secondary Allows Them To Do Schematically: “I think we're still gonna run our system at the end of the day, but obviously we have guys that we think fit the profile of what we would want. Height, weight and speed. We've done a great job recruiting, I think everyone in the organization. So, we definitely look the part," Hampton said. "We're not as experienced. I think everyone knows that, but we do have the height, the weight, the speed. We look the part. I think we got all the talent to be a really good secondary, and we just got to do it and continue to grow each and every day. We're going in the right direction.” If He Gives Himself Credit For What He’s Done To Reshape The Room: “It's a different room, but I don't think I get all the credit. I think that Rashad Wadood has done a great job of recruiting elite players here, Connor Boyd, a lot of guys that really don't get as much credit as they should. I get a lot of the credit because I'm a secondary coach," Hampton said. "But you've got Kyle Cogan. There's so many guys that work with me, and I think hopefully guys understand that I'm selfless and I don't have an ego. I hope I don't seem that way. And I allow them to coach and listen to their opinions and their input, and we all team recruiting. I think we brought in some really good players, and now you just got to play like it.”
Celtics' moves suggest new guard will be traded — eventually
The Boston Celtics got under the second luxury-tax apron by trading Georges Niang to the Utah Jazz Tuesday. The move also gives them a huge incentive to deal their most expensive new player. The Celtics have dramatically reduced their payroll in the wake of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury. With their superstar unlikely to play in 2025-26, the Celtics traded away starters Jrue Holiday ($94.4M for three years, plus a $37.2M player option in 2027-28) and Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7M next season). They also let Luke Kornet ($2.8M) leave as a free agent, and Al Horford ($9.5M) is almost certainly gone as well. They received Georges Niang ($8.2M) in the Porzingis deal, but traded him Tuesday for undrafted R.J. Luis Jr., a rookie on a two-way deal. That effectively takes Niang's full salary of their books and gets them under the second luxury-tax apron, freeing them from the penalties and restrictions that go along with second-apron status. According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan, the Celtics have saved a whopping $286M in salary and taxes with their moves. Still, the team can reap a larger long-term reward by dropping below the luxury tax entirely, which requires reducing their payroll by just over $12M more. The Celtics don't seem inclined to trade Jaylen Brown, Derrick White or Payton Pritchard, wanting to keep some core members of their 2024 title team together for Tatum's return. Sam Hauser is on an affordable four-year, $45M deal, but losing his $10M salary wouldn't get them under the tax line. That's why Anfernee Simons, acquired in the Holiday trade, is likely not long for Boston. The 26-year-old guard makes $27.7M in the last year of his contract, making him the perfect trade piece to get Boston under the luxury tax. Not only would getting under the tax line free the Celtics of their tax obligations and save them as much as $40M, but it would make them eligible to share in the money from tax-paying teams. The Celtics would also be able to avoid the dreaded repeater tax penalties, which make every dollar over the luxury-tax number progressively more expensive every year a team stays over the tax line. This doesn't mean Simons is going to be traded this summer. Boston has until the Feb. 5 trade deadline to move Simons, since luxury tax is calculated on the team's total payroll the last day of the season. But given the massive savings they'd get back from losing Simons' salary, it seems inevitable. The Celtics have lost a lot of talent this summer, but they've saved a tremendous amount of money in the process. They might have to attach draft capital to get off Simons' deal, but if he plays well in Boston, he might even bring back something in a trade next season. Tatum's injury threw a huge wrench in the Celtics' plans. If they can use this season to get under the luxury tax, they'll have the flexibility to reload and contend again when their star is back in a year.
Yankees quickly pull plug on key trade-deadline acquisition
After a disastrous start to his time in the Bronx, the New York Yankees have seen enough of reliever Jake Bird. Acquired in a trade-deadline deal with the Colorado Rockies, Bird was sent to Triple-A after giving up a game-winning three-run home run against the Texas Rangers on Monday night. The long ball continued what has been a head-shaking start for the 29-year-old right-hander with the Yankees, as he has given up seven runs (six earned) and four hits in just 2.0 innings worked over three games. His recent outings extend what has been a downward spiral for Bird. While with the Rockies, Bird allowed runs in 10 of his last 17 games before being traded, equaling a 13.20 ERA during that stretch. Before that, Bird was one of the most dominant relievers in baseball, posting a 1.41 ERA through his first 28 outings of the season. Bird's collapse in the Bronx goes along with the overall struggles of the Yankees bullpen. Devin Williams, another trade that was supposed to be an answer in the late innings for New York, served up the game-tying homer on Monday night in Texas. Over his last seven appearances, he has a 7.71 ERA, and a potential change at closer could be in the air after manager Aaron Boone's comments after Monday's loss. The Yankees made deals at the deadline to boost the bullpen, bringing in Bird from Colorado, David Bednar from Pittsburgh and Camilo Doval from San Francisco. However, those moves have mostly hurt the Yankees, who also saw leads evaporate in a three-game road sweep at the hands of the Miami Marlins. While it's still too early to say the Rockies won the trade by acquiring two prospects for Bird, the early results for the Yankees certainly point in that direction. If Bird isn't able to regain the confidence that was such a big part of his demeanor while in Colorado, the trade will be a decision that New York could regret for the rest of the season and beyond.
D’Angelo Russell Shades Lakers While Praising Nets: 'They Taught Me How To Be a Professional'
D’Angelo Russell isn’t holding back when it comes to his early NBA journey, and he’s putting the Lakers on notice. In a recent appearance on the Wy Network, the veteran guard reflected on his time with the Brooklyn Nets and credited the franchise for instilling the habits that saved his career, contrasting it sharply with his first stint in Los Angeles. “The organization of Brooklyn is different,” said Russell. “It’s unlike any other. The performance, team, coach — everything about Brooklyn is different than what you would expect. And I’ve been around the league, where I came from the Lakers, where the structure is not the same.” Russell went on to explain how his time with the Nets transformed his mindset and work ethic, saying the team taught him how to train, recover, and prepare like a professional, habits he didn’t develop during his early years with the Lakers. “Then I got to Brooklyn, where it’s all structure, and it taught me how to be a professional," Russell continued. "I always approach the game to where I was nonchalant and I felt like I could just wing it… they taught me how to be a professional, how to sleep, how to eat, how to recover.” Unlike many of today’s athletic point guards, Russell has never relied on elite speed or explosiveness to impact the game. Russell thrives on the perimeter, whether it's working as a playmaker, spotting up for threes, or simply helping his team find an open look. It wasn't until he joined the Nets that he learned to maximize his game and put in the work required to keep his game in the best condition. “That’s why I’m still playing to this day," said Russell. "I’m not a guy that’s athletic, I had to take care of my body, I had to recover, I had to eat the best way. I couldn’t just show up. And that’s what Brooklyn really taught me.” Drafted second overall in 2015, Russell began his NBA journey as a member of the Lakers. He was given major expectations from the very start, but he struggled to live up to expectations in Los Angeles, underperforming in his first two years before he was traded to the Nets in 2017. During his second season in Brooklyn, Russell made his first All-Star team in a breakout campaign, where he averaged 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game on 43.4% shooting. To this day, it's his only All-Star appearance, but his game has never been the same since. According to Russell, he learned how to make the most of his career in Brooklyn, and he experienced more structure and order there than he ever did in Los Angeles. That's true for his first stint there (which involved a falling out with Nick Young) as well as his more recent return to L.A., where he played two seasons alongside LeBron James before ultimately being pushed out. He never felt appreciated or comfortable on the Lakers, a reminder that Russell never found his rhythm in Los Angeles. Fortunately, he's in a better place now with the Mavericks. After averaging 12.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game on 36.7% shooting in 2024-25, he's hoping to deliver his best season yet alongside Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and young star Cooper Flagg. While D’Angelo Russell’s time with the Lakers was filled with growing pains, his journey has come full circle as he prepares for the next chapter in Dallas. Now equipped with the discipline and perspective he lacked as a young player, Russell has the chance to redefine his career on a team built to compete in the West. His comments on the Lakers may sting for fans in L.A., but for Russell, they reflect a hard-earned evolution and a reminder of where he truly found his footing in the NBA.
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