The World of Sports

New on Sports Illustrated: Kentucky QB Lynn Bowden Involved in Pre-Belk Bowl Altercation With Virginia Tech Players

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2019/12/31/lynn-bowden-kentucky-punches-virginia-tech-player-pregame-belk-bowl">
High tensions appeared to spill onto the field pregame before Kentucky took on Virginia Tech in Tuesday's Belk Bowl
High tensions appeared to spill onto the field pregame before Kentucky took on Virginia Tech in Tuesday's Belk Bowl as ESPN's cameras appeared to show UK quarterback Lynn Bowden punching Virginia Tech defensive tackle DaShawn Crawford. 
Dick Gabriel, the sideline reporter for the UK Radio Network,
</a><a href="https://twitter.com/bigblueinsider1/status/1212036389417738245">also reported</a> a punch had been thrown toward Bowden.
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No penalty or team discipline was assessed following the pregame incident.
The incident comes just days after Bowden refused to discuss his opponent on multiple occasions during a Belk Bowl media event on Monday. 
“I ain’t talking about them, I ain’t talking about them," he <a href="https://www.roanoke.com/sports/college/va_tech/war-of-words-what-happened-at-charlotte-motor-speedway-between/article_2e5b1e72-2b38-11ea-9fb1-afd4898d01d7.html">said.</a>
Those comments seemingly stem from another incident from last Friday, when a video posted on social media appeared to show a small group of Virginia Tech players yelling obscenities at Kentucky players including Bowden, at a visit to a NASCAR facility.
The incident at the track, however, was not indicative of how the Hokies have spoken publicly about Bowden leading up to Tuesday's game. Head coach Justin Fuente praised Bowden on Monday, noting specifically, Bowden's successful position change midway through the season.
“I don’t think he’s got the credit he deserves on a national level for making the switch,” Fuente said. “He’s doing it more than running it up the middle. He’s running the show on offense. He strikes me as an intense competitor. I don’t know the young man personally, but watching his film. He’s been fantastic.”
Bowden took over as starting quarterback in Week 7 after Kentucky suffered multiple injuries at the position. He was named to <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2019/12/11/college-football-all-america-team">SI's All-America First Team</a> at All-Purpose earlier this month.
Following Tuesday's pregame incident, Bowden was escorted back onto the field for warmups by UK coach Mark Stoops and one police officer.
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When the game finally kicked off, Bowden ran for a touchdown on the Wildcats' first series of the game. As <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisVannini/status/1212063180349935618">The Athletic's Chris Vannini noted</a>, as he crossed the goal line, Bowden pointed at a Virginia Tech player. 
The Hokies led 10-7 at the start of the second quarter.

New on Sports Illustrated: Kentucky QB Lynn Bowden Involved in Pre-Belk Bowl Altercation With Virginia Tech Players

High tensions appeared to spill onto the field pregame before Kentucky took on Virginia Tech in Tuesday's Belk Bowl High tensions appe...

New on Sports Illustrated: NBA Best Bets: Clippers, Rockets Will Close Out the Year With Wins

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/12/31/nba-best-bets-december-31-clippers-rockets">
Several playoff contenders are in action on New Year's Eve, and two of the NBA's best should close out the year with wins.
The last day to bet on hoops in 2019 brings us an interesting slate that starts at 3 p.m. ET. Yesterday I didn't really have a strong lean on many games, today there are three positions I really like on this seven-game slate. Four of today's game feature favorites of seven points or more, the other three games have spreads of a single point. It should be a fun day and night of hoops.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Indiana Pacers: Pacers +102
It was all good just a week ago for the 76ers, when they earned their most impressive victory of the season by blowing out the Milwaukee Bucks on their home court. To Sixer fans that may seem like a while ago, as Philly has lost the first two games of a four-game road trip. The Pacers haven't fared much better over their past two games, both road defeats, but one of them was a 22 point loss to the Pelicans. Today in Indianapolis we get a matchup of the current fifth- and sixth-place teams in the Eastern Conference. This will be a highly competitive game, and both teams come into the game at full strength. The reason why I'm betting the Pacers to win the game is because of the home-court advantage, Indiana has a 14-3 straight up record at the crib, and in the past 10 games they have home victories over the Lakers, Raptors and Celtics. Philadelphia is a dreadful road team, 7-10 straight up outside of Philly. It doesn't make it any better that the 76ers are playing their third straight road game. It will be a tough contest but the Pacers will get the win.
Los Angeles Clippers vs Sacramento Kings: Clippers -7
The Kings looked like an up-and-coming team at times last season, but this year, not so much. Sacramento is playing pretty bad basketball right now. The Kings have won once in their last nine games. Not only are they losing games but they are just 2-8 against the spread in their last 10 contests. Sacramento has dealt with some injuries but they should be more competitive than what they have been. The Clippers will not be judged until the summer but they have also had their moments. Los Angeles is only 9-8 straight up in road games and they are 2-3 straight up in their last five games. The Clippers have only lost back-to-back games once this season, other than that, when the Clippers lose they always win the next game. Not only do that win but they normally stomp their next opponent; after a Clipper loss they win the next game by an average of 17 points. That's insane, and it's also why I love the Clippers today.
Denver Nuggets vs Houston Rockets: Rockets -136
The Denver Nuggets have only lost one game since December 12, Nikola Jokic appears to have finally played himself into shape and Denver is rolling. When you look a little closer at the run the Nuggets are currently on, you will notice that they are beating up on some of the worst teams in the league. Their most impressive victory was over the Lakers in a game LeBron sat out. In that same time frame, Denver has been 3-4-3 against the spread, and that's not impressive at all. Houston is going about its business, as usual, winners of seven of their last 10 games. James Harden will be in the lineup for the Rockets tonight after missing the last game with a toe injury. Tonight's matchup with the Nuggets means more for the Rockets than it does for Denver. These two teams will be competing for seeding in the West down the stretch and Hoston already has a road loss to the Nuggets. The Rockets will play this game as must-win. I'm playing it safe and taking the money line but I'm not at all against laying the Rockets’ number at home. 
Season Record: 44-43
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New on Sports Illustrated: NBA Best Bets: Clippers, Rockets Will Close Out the Year With Wins

Several playoff contenders are in action on New Year's Eve, and two of the NBA's best should close out the year with wins. The las...

New on Sports Illustrated: Penguins Star Jake Guentzel Out 4-6 Months After Having Shoulder Surgery

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/2019/12/31/jake-guentzel-injury-shoulder-surgery-penguins">
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel will likely miss the rest of the regular season after having surgery on his right shoulder.
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PITTSBURGH (AP) Pittsburgh Penguins leading scorer Jake Guentzel is out at least four months after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Guentzel injured the shoulder in the third period of a 5-2 victory over Ottawa on Monday night when he slammed into the boards shortly after tapping in his team-high 20th goal of the season. Guentzel slowly made his way to the bench clutching his right arm.
Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford says Dr. Dharmesh Vyas, and Dr. Ivan Tarkin performed the surgery.
Guentzel is a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Penguins. He helped Pittsburgh thrive despite missing captain Sidney Crosby, who has been out since Nov. 9 after abdominal surgery. The Penguins are 14-5-3 during Crosby's absence thanks in large part to Guentzel's playmaking. Guentzel was named to the All-Star team on Monday, just hours before going down.
Rutherford said the expected recovery is 4-6 months, meaning there's a chance Guentzel could return for a portion of the playoffs. Pittsburgh entered Tuesday in second place in the Metropolitan Division behind Washington.
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New on Sports Illustrated: Penguins Star Jake Guentzel Out 4-6 Months After Having Shoulder Surgery

Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel will likely miss the rest of the regular season after having surgery on his right shoulder. P...

New on Sports Illustrated: Bears GM Ryan Pace Says Mitchell Trubisky Will Be Chicago's Starting QB in 2020

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/31/bears-gm-says-mitchell-trubisky-teams-starter-2020-season">
Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace said Tuesday that the team plans on having Mitchell Trubisky be its starting quarterback at the beginn of next season.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace said the team plans on starting Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback next season. 
Both Pace and head coach Matt Nagy told the media they still believe in Trubisky, saying that the young quarterback just needs “more consistency." The duo added that the UNC product showed both the highs and the lows this season. 
"Patience with a quarterback is hard, but a lot of things pay off if you're able to get through these tough times," Pace told reporters. 
Pace noted, however, that the Bears have not decided whether to pick up Trubisky's fifth-year option for 2021.
One year after making the Pro Bowl, Trubisky threw for 3,138 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions this season. He failed to throw a score in seven of his 15 starts.
In mid-November, Trubisky's future
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/11/18/mitchell-trubisky-benched-bears-rams-matt-nagy">with the team became a topic of speculation</a> after he was removed from the team's Sunday night game against the Rams with 3:24 to play and Chicago trailing by 10 points. The Bears attributed the decision to a hip injury. 
“I just tried to keep it loose, but it just kept getting tighter and tighter and it was really preventing me from playing my game," Trubisky <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/11/29/mitchell-trubisky-out-shoulder-injury-giants-chase-daniel-bears-nfc">said after the game.</a> "It’s frustrating.”
<a href="https://twitter.com/CoxSports1/status/1212041037876740097">Notably</a>, just weeks before selecting Trubisky in the 2017 NFL draft, Pace said at a news conference that “Mike Glennon is our starting quarterback and we’re fired up about that.” 
The GM announced Tuesday that Trubisky might have to undergo left shoulder surgery this offseason after playing portion of the year with a partially torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder.

New on Sports Illustrated: Bears GM Ryan Pace Says Mitchell Trubisky Will Be Chicago's Starting QB in 2020

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace said Tuesday that the team plans on having Mitchell Trubisky be its starting quarterback at the beginn of next s...

New on Sports Illustrated: NBA DFS Daily Plays - Tuesday, 12/31 (DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo)

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/12/31/dfs-draftkings-fanduel-yahoo-daily-plays-december-tuesday">
Expert NBA DFS DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo DFS daily plays for Tuesday, December 31
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<h2>NBA DFS (Tuesday, December 31)</h2>
Welcome to the New Year's Eve edition of SI Fantasy's
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/nba">NBA</a> DFS daily plays.
We have a split slate for <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/12/31/most-significant-nba-legal-controversies-of-the-2010s">NBA</a> DFS on New Year's Eve. There is a two-game slate that starts at 3 pm ET, and we also have a four-game main slate that begins at 7 pm ET. FanDuel and Yahoo also have an option to compete in an all-day slate, which includes every game. DraftKings has a showdown slate option for the Clippers/Kings and Mavericks/Thunder games.
Here are five plays for tonight's main slate:  
<h3>James Harden, Houston Rockets </h3>
DraftKings: $10,500 , FanDuel: $11,500, Yahoo: $59  
James Harden is my <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/12/30/nba-all-decade-awards-lebron-james-stephen-curry">top play</a> on the main slate. Harden missed the Rockets last game with a toe injury, but he should go this evening. I don't see him missing a game versus the current second seed in the West. The Rockets have the <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/12/30/nba-power-rankings-lakers-bucks-new-year">highest team total</a> on the slate in a game that could go to overtime.  
<h3>Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors</h3>
DraftKings: $8,400 , FanDuel: $8,200, Yahoo: $31  
With <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/12/31/toronto-raptors-masai-ujiri-nba-trade-rumors">the Raptors</a> dealing with so many injuries, VanVleet has had to step up his production. He is scoring more, and his assists have picked up. VanVleet has scored forty or more fantasy points in three of his last four games.
Enjoy unlimited NBA DFS coverage plus a Lineup Optimizer (FD, DK & Yahoo) for only $19.95/mo at <a href="https://fulltimefantasy.com/subscribe/">FullTime Fantasy</a>. With this all-star lineup of analysts covering daily NBA, you will build better lineups and win more consistently. That’s our guarantee.
<h3>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder</h3>
DraftKings: $7,000 , FanDuel: $7,400, Yahoo: $30  
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been on a tear recently, scoring more than 30 points in three of his last five outings. He has also been very good at home, where he averages 35 fantasy points per contest. I think OKC will knock off Dallas tonight, Shai will lead the way.   
<h3>DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs </h3>
DraftKings: $7,100 , FanDuel: $7,600, Yahoo: $30
DeMar DeRozan has one of the best matchups on the man slate. The defensively challenged Warriors are 22nd in the league vs. opposing shooting guards. DeRozan has also played his best ball as of late. He has 22 assists in his last three games.
<h3>Eric Paschall, Golden State Warriors</h3>
DraftKings: $3,400 , FanDuel: $3,700, Yahoo: $11  
Paschall has had a pretty decent season, but he has struggled as of late. I think those issues were due to a recent hip injury. Good news for Paschall, who is probable to go today, is that he gets a matchup vs. the Spurs. SA is ranked 28th defense vs. power forwards. 
Put your money down with the sharps by heading to <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling">SI Gambling</a>. Avoid the groupthink! You'll know where the pros in Vegas are putting their money!

New on Sports Illustrated: NBA DFS Daily Plays - Tuesday, 12/31 (DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo)

Expert NBA DFS DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo DFS daily plays for Tuesday, December 31 NBA DFS (Tuesday, December 31) Welcome to the New ...

New on Sports Illustrated: NFL Coaching Rumors: Jerry Jones to Meet Jason Garrett Again Tuesday

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/31/nfl-coaching-rumors-jason-garrett-jerry-jones-meet-again-tuesday">
Check out the latest coaching news and rumors around the NFL.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is meeting again with head coach Jason Garrett on Tuesday.
</a><a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1212032988567023616">According to ESPN's Adam Schefter,</a> the two are scheduled to meet at noon CT and while a resolution is "likely," it is "not definite." 
"Expectation continues to be Garrett and Dallas will part ways," Schefter notes. "But the Cowboys are run as a family, Garrett has been a part of family, and it’s hard to part ways."
A number of other teams have <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/30/nfl-coaching-black-monday-tracker-rumors-news-updates">already made decisions regarding their futures.</a> Since the conclusion of Week 17, the Browns <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/30/browns-fire-freddie-kitchens-after-disappointing-season">have fired Freddie Kitchens</a> and the Giants <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/30/pat-shurmur-fired-new-york-giants-two-seasons">have dismissed Pat Shurmur.</a> The Jaguars have decided <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/31/doug-marrone-returning-team-2020-despite-struggles">to retain Doug Marrone</a> and the Redskins <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/31/ron-rivera-washington-redskins-hired-head-coach">have reportedly hired Ron Rivera</a> to be their next head coach. 
The <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/30/coaching-rumors-jerry-jones-jason-garrett-ron-rivera">coaching rumors mill was swirling on Monday</a> and is expected to remain busy as the calendar turns over to 2020. 
Check out the latest coaching news and rumors around the NFL: 
<ul>
<li>Matt Rhule is expected to be interviewed by at least three teams (New York, Dallas and Carolina), but according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Rhule declined the chance to interview for the Cleveland Browns head coaching job. (Adam Schefter, <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1212018148213448706">ESPN</a>)</li>
<li>The MMQB's Albert Breer writes that Rhule is "a natural fit in New York, and my feeling is they would be the most likely to land him." (Albert Breer, <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/31/nfl-black-monday-coaching-rumors-mock-draft">MMQB</a>)</li>
<li>The Giants have put in a request to interview Baltimore defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. (Albert Breer, <a href="https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/1212024366185271298">MMQB</a>)   </li>
<li>The Giants are also expected to interview former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy this week. (Adam Schefter, <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1212004035533950981">ESPN</a>)</li>
<li>49ers passing-game coordinator Mike LaFleur is expected to interview for the Browns' head-coaching job this weekend. San Francisco's running-game coordinator Mike McDaniel is also likely to interview with the Browns. (Adam Schefter, <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1212031514281697280">ESPN</a>) </li>
<li>Chan Gailey is coming out of retirement to become the Dolphins' offensive coordinator. (Tom Pelissero & Ian Rapoport, <a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1211981315970674688">NFL Network)</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: NFL Coaching Rumors: Jerry Jones to Meet Jason Garrett Again Tuesday

Check out the latest coaching news and rumors around the NFL. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is meeting again with head coach Jason Garrett on ...

New on Sports Illustrated: Florida State vs. Arizona State Live Stream: How to Watch, TV Channel, Start Time

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2019/12/31/florida-state-arizona-state-live-stream-how-to-watch-tv-channel-time">
Find out how to watch Florida State vs. Arizona State in the Sun Bowl on Tuesday.
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He may not be on the Florida State sideline Tuesday when the Seminoles face Arizona State in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Tx., but it will be new coach Mike Norvell’s first opportunity to judge the scale of the rebuild he faces in restoring one of college football’s most storied teams to national prominence.
How to Watch
When: Tuesday, Dec. 31
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Live Stream: fuboTV (
</a><a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/collegefootball/?irad=399332&irmp=376635&sharedID=si-football-cfb-fsuasu">try for free</a>)
Norvell was hired earlier this month from Memphis after guiding the Tigers to a 12-1 record and American Athletic Conference title this season, which earned them a spot in the Cotton Bowl. The 38-year-old Norvell, who went 38-15 in his four seasons in the Mid-South, did not win a bowl game in his previous three seasons and was not around for Memphis’ loss to Penn State in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday since he is building his new staff in Tallahassee.
While he goes about that task, the Seminoles (6-6) will be led by interim coach Odell Haggins, who took over when Willie Taggart was fired in November after less than two seasons in which he posted a 9-12 record. Florida State has won two of its three games under Haggins, who will be part of Norvell’s staff going forward and continue his run with the Seminoles that dates back to 1994.
This will be Haggins’ second bowl game as interim coach for the Seminoles, having guided them to a 42-13 victory over Southern Mississippi in 2017 after Jimbo Fisher departed for Texas A&M. Florida State is looking to avoid back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since a four-year run from 1973-76 that preceded 41 straight winning seasons.
Florida State will be without a key component on both sides of the ball for this game. Running back Cam Akers and cornerback Stanford Samuels have both declared for the draft and opted to skip the game. A two-time 1,000-yard rusher, Akers finished with a career-best 1,144 yards and 14 touchdowns. Samuels totaled eight interceptions over 37 games in three seasons.
Arizona State (7-5) is bowling for the second time in as many seasons under coach Herm Edwards, who looks to notch his first postseason victory. The Sun Devils, who are in a bowl game for the eighth time in nine seasons, have not had an eight-win season since going 10-3 in 2014.
The Sun Devils will also be missing important cogs in their offense as 1,000-yard rusher Eno Benjamin and 1,000-yard receiver Brandon Aiyuk are also bypassing this game to prepare for the NFL Draft. That puts the offensive burden on freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels, who threw for 2,748 yards and 17 touchdowns with only two interceptions in 310 attempts.
Benjamin’s absence could loom large considering no other Sun Devils running back on the roster has more than 50 yards, and Daniels was the team's second-leading rusher with 319. He still will have a deep threat in Frank Darby. Eight of Darby's 28 catches went for touchdowns and he averaged 21.3 yards per reception.
Florida State leads the all-time series 3-1, but Arizona State’s lone win came in the 1971 Fiesta Bowl. The teams have not met since a 52-44 Seminoles victory in Tempe in 1984.

New on Sports Illustrated: Florida State vs. Arizona State Live Stream: How to Watch, TV Channel, Start Time

Find out how to watch Florida State vs. Arizona State in the Sun Bowl on Tuesday. He may not be on the Florida State sideline Tuesday whe...

New on Sports Illustrated: Doug Marrone Returning to Jaguars For 2020 Season

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/31/doug-marrone-returning-team-2020-despite-struggles">
Despite finishing 6-10 in 2019 and 5-11 in 2018, the Jaguars are keeping HC Doug Marrone a heading into next season.
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Despite finishing 6-10 in 2019 and 5-11 in 2018, the Jaguars are keeping Doug Marrone as their head coach heading into next season. GM Dave Caldwell will also be retained.
"I have met on several occasions over the past few days with Dave Caldwell, Doug Marrone and their staffs to fully understand their plans to reverse our coursee and compete for a postseason berth in 2020," owner Shad Kahn said in
</a><a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1212026474624167939">a statement on Tuesday morning. </a>
Less than 24 months ago, Marrone and the Jaguars <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/01/21/patriots-jaguars-afc-championship-game-2018-nfl-playoffs">took a lead into the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship game against the Patriots.</a> But since winning 10 games in 2017-18 and being one quarter away from a Super Bowl appearance, the Jags have gone 11–21 over the past two seasons. 
On Saturday, it was <a href="https://twitter.com/diannaESPN/status/1210976248731705344">reported</a> that the Jaguars informed Marrone that he would be dismissed following the regular season finale against the Colts. However, Jim Woodcock, owner Shad Khan's spokesperson, <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1210982942887026689">released a statement</a> denying the rumor.
"Reports that Doug Marrone will be dismissed after Sunday's game are 100% incorrect. Owner Shad Khan will meet with his football staff, which includes coaching and personnel, midweek next week."
According to Kahn, he held "numerous" one-on-one meetings in recent days with players on Monday as well as with Caldwell, Marrone and their respective staffs to discuss the team's past and its future.
The Jaguars defeated the Colts 38-20 on Sunday, though, Kahn said in his statement that the team's victory over Indianapolis had nothing to do with his decision to retain Marrone and GM Dave Caldwell and "everything to do with my positive meetings with Dave, Doug, the coordinators and our players..."
Before Week 17, Marrone had thanked his team for their support during a disappointing season. 
"For me, I look at it as, 'I understand this business,'" Marrone <a href="https://www.jaguars.com/news/kicking-off-week-17-i-understand-what-my-job-is">told the Jaguars' official website.</a> "I understand what my job is – is to win games. When you don't do that, you have to be able to accept whatever the consequences are. I've always been a realist. I've never ducked things or anything.
"It doesn't go to an inner feeling of, 'I didn't have this, or I didn't have that.' It goes more to, 'I let a lot of people down.' That's how I always looked at it."
Marrone came to Jacksonville after two years as the head coach of the Bills. He took over as Jacksonville's interim head coach at the end of the 2016 season and <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/01/09/jaguars-head-coach-doug-marrone">was hired full-time shortly after the season. </a>
On Dec. 18, Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin was <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/19/jaguars-fire-tom-coughlin">dismissed from the team. </a>
Coughlin's firing came after the Jaguars attempted to require injured players to get all rehab treatment at the team facility. In 2018, Jacksonville defensive end Dante Fowler was fined over $700,000 for missing "mandatory" appointments with team trainers or physicians in the offseason, but under the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams cannot require rehabilitation or medical appointments at team facilities during the offseason.
The NFLPA <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/16/jaguars-grievance-nflpa-workout-fines">won its grievance</a> against the Jaguars after disputing the fines.
<a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet">According to NFL Networks Ian Rapoport,</a> as part of the team's new framework, the position of Executive Vice President of Football Operations will not be filled in 2020 and Marrone and Caldwell will instead report directly to Kahn.
"I want to see what what we produce under a new organizational structure in 2020," Kahn said in his statement. "Goals have been established. Accountability will be paramount."

New on Sports Illustrated: Doug Marrone Returning to Jaguars For 2020 Season

Despite finishing 6-10 in 2019 and 5-11 in 2018, the Jaguars are keeping HC Doug Marrone a heading into next season. Despite finishing 6-...

New on Sports Illustrated: Hiring Ron Rivera a Good Look For Washington Right Now—But What About Long-Term?

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/31/ron-rivera-hired-washington-redskins-head-coach">
As Washington’s new head coach, Rivera will be tasked with reviving this franchise going through a tumultuous time. Rivera can help in the short-term, but it will be up to Dan Snyder to see that the team stays on course.
People’s actions in the past dictate the amount of credit they get in the future, which is why we’re all sitting here today applauding Washington owner Daniel Snyder for doing the first sensible thing for his organization in a decade.
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/29/bruce-allen-redskins-fired-football-operations-10-years">Letting go of Bruce Allen</a>, who presided over a chaotic stretch of football in Washington, was the kind of thing someone not interested in fortifying their own stubbornness would have done years ago. But the fact that it was done at all is notable. <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/31/ron-rivera-washington-redskins-hired-head-coach">Bringing in Ron Rivera</a>, a highly-regarded head coach with a 76-63 career record, a Super Bowl appearance and four postseason appearances in seven years, just as the dust began to settle on the <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/30/nfl-coaching-black-monday-tracker-rumors-news-updates">NFL’s Black Monday</a>, was also the kind of move that a capable and decisive franchise might make. The team appeared to take advantage of the head start they got <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/10/07/jay-gruden-fired-washington-redskins-bruce-allen">firing Jay Gruden mid-season</a> and made their decision—reportedly giving Rivera a five-year contract—before they found themselves in the unenviable position of lonely and dateless, with the rest of the candidates paired off.
Again, notable.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTY5NDE0NTI1NDI5MjI5MDE5/ron-rivera-washington-redskins-head-coach.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Hiring Rivera carries no guarantee for success. He will not have an in-prime quarterback like Cam Newton, who, history will show, was more of a matchup nightmare than he was ever given credit for. He will not have a cadre of established defensive talent from which to craft his scheme. He will not have the (relative) anonymity of a smaller market franchise that sometimes allows for a first-time head coach to get away with mistakes he would not have elsewhere.
We also do not know who, if anyone, will be making the personnel decisions. The last time Washington brought in a competent general manager—<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/03/10/washington-redskins-fire-scot-mccloughan">Scot McCloughan</a>—he was smeared, cast aside, stuffed in a corner and fired after two seasons. Will they now be alright with someone making independent football decisions? Will Rivera get to help dictate who he’d like to work with?
Those are questions for another time. So much of days like today are about the optics. Owners like the idea of winning the moment and using an extremely public hire—like that of a head coach—to erase some inescapably bad part of their narrative. Snyder has too much to scrub, but the acquisition of Rivera goes a long way toward putting the franchise on its figurative tracks.
People who spend their hard-earned money and time following this team will have to decide if Snyder’s dive into relative pragmatism is simply a show or if it is evidence that he has learned something from the repeated tumult that has befallen the franchise of late. Perhaps it was a shift in fan behavior, from actively disagreeing with him, in person, at the stadium, to passively leaving the team behind to play their meaningless end-of-season games in an empty concrete auditorium.
In the moment, Rivera can change that. Washington has <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/30/nfl-draft-order-2020-first-round-after-regular-season">a high draft pick in 2020</a> they can tout as well to bring people back to the ticket counter. But the question will always be whether Snyder stays on the course he has set out for himself; whether his actions over the next few years can dictate a brighter future for us to consider. 
Question or comment? Email us at <a href="mailto:talkback@themmqb.com">talkback@themmqb.com</a>.

New on Sports Illustrated: Hiring Ron Rivera a Good Look For Washington Right Now—But What About Long-Term?

As Washington’s new head coach, Rivera will be tasked with reviving this franchise going through a tumultuous time. Rivera can help in the ...

New on Sports Illustrated: The Best of Men's International and Club Soccer in the 2010s

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2019/12/31/best-international-club-soccer-2010s-decade-messi-ronaldo">
Who ran the 2010s in the club and international game? We look back on the decade with a series of superlatives.
The 2010s were loaded with international competitions, outlandish transfer fees and a rise of the superclubs across Europe, and as the decade comes to a close, it's time to look back and filter out the best of the best in the men's game.
There were three World Cups, all won by European nations (Spain, Germany, France), with the Germans breaking through for the continent on South American soil. There were two European championships, with Spain cementing its international domination with a third straight major title in 2012 and Portugal breaking through for its first major European title in 2016 in an expanded event.
In South America, there were four Copa America competitions–with another slated for 2020–as CONMEBOL tweaks its formula to get it on the same schedule as the Euros. Chile's first two major trophies were sandwiched by victories in 2011 by Uruguay and 2019 by Brazil. 
The six Africa Cup of Nations since 2010 yielded six different winners, while the USA (two titles) and Mexico (three) continued to dominate Concacaf's Gold Cup. In Asia, Japan was joined by first-time Asian Cup winners Australia and Qatar, and Tahiti managed to break up the Australia (before it switched federations) and New Zealand Oceania duopoly before the All Whites restored their dominance in 2016.
On the club level, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continued to upstage each other, while Real Madrid's four Champions League titles in five years set a new modern standard. Its fellow superclubs (
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2016/03/21/leicester-city-lcfc-foxes-premier-league-epl">save for one remarkable season by Leicester City</a>) consolidated the domestic-trophy-winning power across the continent, setting the stage for what could be drastic maneuvers that change the club game's structure forever in the decade that follows. 
But before turning the page to the 2020s, let's look back one last time at a series of superlatives for the last 10 years:
<h3>Greatest international title team</h3>
Zambia, 2012 African champions
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTY5NDEzNTY0OTY3MTY3NDUx/zambia-africa-cup-nations-2012.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
What does “greatest” mean? If it means highest quality, then the Spain side that won the Euros in 2012 and by doing so claimed a third major international trophy in a row probably takes the crown. But if football were just about who has best worked out the way of putting the ball in the net, it would not be the global phenomenon it is now. It is also about courage and romance and what it means to be human.
In 1993, the Zambia national team, en route to a World Cup qualifier in Senegal, stopped in Libreville, Gabon, to refuel. Shortly after takeoff, the plane exploded over the Atlantic and went down, killing all on board. Only one regular from that side survived, the great forward Kalusha Bwalya, who was playing for PSV Eindhoven and making his own way to the game from the Netherlands. By 2012, he had become president of the Zambian FA.
Zambia was an outsider for the African Cup of Nations in 2012. It was drawn in the half of the tournament in Equatorial Guinea. It was only after the quarterfinal that people began to realize that if Zambia beat Ghana in the semifinal, it would play the final in Libreville, the first time it had returned since the crash. It did beat Ghana. On the running track by the side of the pitch, Bwalya, voice hoarse with emotion, spoke to journalists. In the final, he said, the Ivory Coast would be facing not just 11 players, but 11 ghosts.
The day before the final, Zambia’s players visited the beach that represented the last point of land the plane had crossed. In team tracksuits they began softly singing a national song and walked out into the surf to lay bouquets on the ocean. The following night, having held the Ivory Coast to a goalless draw, they stood in the center circle at the Stade l’Amitie and sang the same song throughout an epic shootout that stretched to 22 penalties. When Kolo Touré missed, Rainford Kalaba had the chance to win it. He missed. But then so did Gervinho. Stophira Sunzu converted, Zambia had its first Cup of Nations and a stadium was left in tears.
<h3>Greatest club season </h3>
Barcelona 2010-2011
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Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona wasn’t just a great team–perhaps the greatest team–it was also a team that changed the parameters of what was considered possible in football. Defeat to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final may have denied it a clean sweep of trophies, but 2010-11 was still probably its greatest season, in part because of the rivalry with Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, but more for the sumptuousness of the football it produced on a regular basis. The 3-1 victory over Manchester United in the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium was mesmerizing, a philosophy made flesh and enlivened by the brilliance of Lionel Messi.
<h3>Greatest club player </h3>
Lionel Messi
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTY5NDE0MDc1NTMxNDA0NTc3/messi-ballon-dor-titles.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
The ongoing debate about the respective merits of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the more tedious aspects of football in the decade. Both are brilliant, but Messi is less flashy and more team-oriented, somebody who is instinctively a minimalist and yet still seems to score a goal of devastating brilliance every week. Ronaldo’s ego and his reluctance to track, cost Real Madrid in a couple of key games and is one of the reasons he won only two league titles in nine years at Madrid.
<h3>Best club dynasty</h3>
Real Madrid (four Champions League titles in five years, 2014-18)
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTY5NDE0MTI0NjU1MDkzMDI1/real-madrid-ucl-trophy-2018.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Club dynasties in domestic leagues tend to be a terrible thing for football. Nobody, not even fans of those clubs, should look at the way Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have reeled off title after title and see anything other than the dispiriting financial inequality that has effectively destroyed those leagues as competitive entities. Spain is little better. This is the result of greed and a failure on the part of the big clubs to recognize that the greater the disparity between them and their rivals the less their victories matter–something best seen in the way Juventus parted company with Max Allegri after five league titles in a row.
Madrid’s success in the Champions League, of course, is born of the same source, but at least there it is competing with other superclubs. Perhaps it rode its luck at times, and the fact Madrid won only one league title in that spell prevents it from being considered a truly great club side, but still, ending 27 years without a repeat winner in the Champions League by winning three in a row is some achievement. Madrid effectively gathered a host of high-class players and won the moments in big games; it’s not a recipe for sustained success over a league season, but it brought the sort of domination of Europe that hadn’t existed since the 1970s.
Honorable mention should go also to River Plate, which, recovering from its first relegation in 2011, reached three Copa Libertadores finals under Marcelo Gallardo between 2015 and 2019, winning two of them.
<h3>Best transfer signing </h3>
N'Golo Kante (Caen to Leicester City, $7.3M, 2015)
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTY5NDE0MTU1MjU2NzM1MDA5/ngolo-kante-leicester-transfer.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
In a world where money seems to dominate everything–when very ordinary players move for more than $50 million–there is something consoling that a player who moves for so little and with almost no hype can have such an impact. Kante was the key figure as <a href="https://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2016/03/21/leicester-city-lcfc-foxes-premier-league-epl">Leicester won its implausible 2015-16 title</a>, and the following season, having moved to Chelsea for $42 million, he won the league again.
<h3>Best club match </h3>
Liverpool 4, Barcelona 0 (2019 Champions League semifinal second leg)
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTY5NDE0MjUxMDg4MTkyOTg3/liverpool-barcelona-semifinal-origi.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
The end of last season was characterized by a series of remarkable comebacks in the Champions League, and almost any of them could be chosen. There were Tottenham’s wins over Manchester City and Ajax, following years that included Barcelona’s fightback from a 4-0 first leg defeat to beat Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona’s defeat away to Roma. But the one that stands out, for unexpectedness, for the stage of the competition, for the fact it didn’t require away goals, and for the sheer quality of the performance and the thrill of the night, was Liverpool beating Barcelona to overturn a 3-0 first-leg deficit. That the goals came from the unexpected sources of Gini Wijnaldum and Divock Origi only made it more remarkable.
<h3>Best international match</h3>
Germany beats Brazil 7-1 (2014 World Cup semifinal) 
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTY5NDE0Mzk0OTY5NTk3NDAz/brazil-germany-2014-wc.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
There were tighter and more dramatic games, of course–Belgium’s 2-1 victory over Brazil in the 2018 World Cup quarterfinal, France’s 4-3 win over Argentina at the same tournament, or Mali’s comeback to draw 4-4 with Angola in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations–but in a decade in which international football has slipped further behind the club game in terms of quality, the one match you can guarantee everybody will still talk about in 30 or 40 years came in the semifinal of the 2014 World Cup, and Brazil’s collapse against Germany on home soil.
<h3>Best club XI and manager</h3>
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTY5NDE0NDU2OTc4MTg3NzM5/messi-ronaldo-best-2010s.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
GK: Victor Valdes; D: Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; MF: Xavi, Sergio Busquets, Luka Modric; F: Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo
Coach: Pep Guardiola
It’s a side based largely on the great Barcelona of the early part of the decade and the Real Madrid side that subsequently won four Champions League titles in five years, with the addition of Robert Lewandowski, a splendidly complete center forward for both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. Andres Iniesta and Jordi Alba perhaps could have been included ahead of Modric and Marcelo, but other than that, given how the two sides dominated European football over the decade, this was a relatively straightforward team to pick. Equally, Guardiola, with seven league titles in three countries and a Champions League in the decade, and having inspired a tactical revolution, was a fairly obvious pick as coach.
<h3>Best international XI and manager</h3>
<figure><img height="348" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTY5NDE0NjAzNTQzOTQ2NTI5/manuel-neuer-germany-2014.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
GK: Manuel Neuer; D: Philipp Lahm, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba; MF: Xavi, N’Golo Kante, Toni Kroos; F: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alexis Sanchez
Coach: Oscar Tabarez
Spain’s 2010 World Cup- and Euro 2012-winners and Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winners provide the basis of the side, even if that Germany, beaten in the semifinal of the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 Euros, never seemed quite to live up to expectations. 
Kante, the best holding midfielder in the world for the second half of the decade, earns his place on the basis of his performances at the 2018 World Cup, and Cristiano Ronaldo plays at center forward, where he has looked at his best for Portugal, winners of the 2016 Euros and the 2019 UEFA Nations League. 
Messi, for all of Argentina’s underachievement, still takes his place on the left: he is the best player in the world and has inspired an otherwise sluggish Argentina to the finals of the World Cup and two Copa América tournaments. Alexis Sanchez operates on the right having been the key figure as Chile won the first two trophies in its history.
Selecting the coach was more difficult. There are good cases to be made for Vicente Del Bosque (a World Cup and a European Championship, even if he was building on foundations that had already been laid for him), Herve Renard (Cups if Nations with Zambia and Cote d’Ivoire, the only manager ever to lift the trophy with two different countries), Jorge Sampaoli (leading Chile to its first Copa América), Fernando Santos (leading Portugal to its first ever Euros and the Nations League) and Ricardo Gareca (making Peru a force to be reckoned with again), but the decision <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2018/07/05/oscar-tabarez-uruguay-manager-world-cup-2018-russia">went in the end to Tabarez</a>, who not only won the Copa America with Uruguay and led it to a World Cup semifinal but entirely revamped the youth development structure of his nation, redefining the self-image of the Uruguayan game and, as far as is possible, ensuring a steady supply of talent for years to come.

New on Sports Illustrated: The Best of Men's International and Club Soccer in the 2010s

Who ran the 2010s in the club and international game? We look back on the decade with a series of superlatives. The 2010s were loaded with...

New on Sports Illustrated: The 10 Most Significant NBA Legal Controversies of the 2010s

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/12/31/most-significant-nba-legal-controversies-of-the-2010s">
The 2010s were an exciting decade in the NBA, but the league wasn't clear of some of the most notable legal controversies in sports.
The 2010s were an exciting decade for the NBA, but the league and its players encountered major legal controversies along the way. Sports Illustrated legal analyst and writer Michael McCann breaks down his list of the 10 most significant NBA legal controversies of the 2010s.
10. The sexual assault trial of Derrick Rose
The 2010s were a turbulent period for Derrick Rose, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and the youngest player to win the league’s MVP award. The former Memphis star began the decade by starring for the Chicago Bulls. He will end it as a solid sixth man for the Detroit Pistons.
In between were rocky times.
In 2012, Rose tore the ACL in his left knee, an injury that would cost him a season and altered the way he would play. Later in the decade Rose went AWOL while on the New York Knicks. He also abruptly left the Cleveland Cavaliers for a couple of weeks in order to ponder his future.
The most serious matter for Rose was an accusation that he and two of his associates broke into the Los Angeles apartment of a woman whom he had previously dated and then took turns raping her. The alleged incident occurred in August 2013. The Los Angeles Police Department investigated, interviewed witnesses and compiled evidence. Rose wasn’t charged and the applicable statute of limitations expired this past August.
The accuser, who insisted that she was intoxicated and thus could not have offered consent, sued Rose for $21.5 million. Many athletes in that situation would have negotiated an out-of-court settlement. Rose certainly had reasons to avoid a high-profile trial. Most significantly, he could have been found liable, which would have meant that jurors believed it was more likely than not that Rose had committed sexual assault. A court would have then ordered him to pay millions of dollars, perhaps tens of millions of dollars. The NBA would have been more likely to suspend him. too. Meanwhile, Adidas, who had signed Rose to a
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2018/02/06/derrick-rose-adidas-contract-terms-payment-clauses-cavs">14-year, $190 million endorsement deal</a>, would have become more inclined to invoke that deal’s morals clause and void the contract.
Despite those risks, Rose went to trial. He and his accuser faced off in a Los Angeles federal courthouse in October 2016. Over the course of nine days, Rose’s attorneys aggressively challenged the accuser’s recollection and intentions. The accuser acknowledged on the witness stand that some of her alleged facts were exaggerations or misstatements. A jury of six women and two men <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2016/10/19/derrick-rose-civil-sexual-assault-rape-lawsuit-knicks-bulls">held for Rose</a>. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the verdict on appeal.
Timing and context matter in public controversies. Rose’s trial occurred about a year before the #metoo movement would <a href="https://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/">gain substantial traction</a> in the United States. Had the trial been scheduled for a later date, the strategy for Rose and his attorneys probably would have been different. His advisors and sponsors would have more emphatically urged him to avoid a trial and reach a settlement with his accuser. Rose’s inexplicable and offensive responses during the litigation—such as <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2016/09/15/derrick-rose-knicks-sexual-assault-civil-lawsuit-accuser-developments">not knowing the meaning of the word “consent”</a> and describing his intentions on the evening in question with the statement “<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2016/10/04/derrick-rose-rape-trial-civil-lawsuit-knicks-adidas-analysis">I said we men, you can assume</a>”—would have also been much more damning.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTY4Nzg3NTM2OTc2NTUzNDA4/sterling-brown-bucks-police.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>USA TODAY</figcaption>
</figure>
9. Police incidents with Thabo Sefolosha and Sterling Brown
During the 2010s, two NBA players alleged that they were victims of racially motivated police brutality.
Thabo Sefolosha suffered a broken fibula and ligament damage to his ankle in an altercation outside a Manhattan nightclub in 2015. Allegedly, Sefolosha called a 5’6 police officer a “midget” and officers jumped on and beat him. Pero Antić was with Sefolosha at the time. Sefolosha, who played for the Atlanta Hawks and now plays for the Houston Rockets, was found not guilty of resisting arrest and obstructing justice. The City of New York later agreed to pay him $4 million in an out-of-court settlement, though the city insisted that the settlement was not an admission of any wrongdoing.
In 2018, Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown suffered puncture wounds in his back and facial cuts and bruises after an incident with Milwaukee police officers. Brown had illegally parking his car across two handicap spaces outside of a Walmart. As Brown left the Walmart, one officer, later joined by seven other officers, forced him to the ground and used a Taser on him. The officers also directed racially insensitive comments at Brown, including one asking, “What is wrong with these people, man?” One officer later posted racist memes about Brown and black NBA players on social media. Brown is currently <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/12/04/sterling-brown-bucks-police-brutality-case">suing the city</a>.
The Sefolosha and Brown incidents occurred during a decade when there were a number of high-profile killings of unarmed black men. These men died during questionable encounters with police and their deaths sparked public protests. In July 2014, Eric Garner died as a result of a chokehold during an arrest in Staten Island. A month later, Michael Brown was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/18/us/michael-brown-autopsy-shows-he-was-shot-at-least-6-times.html">shot at least six times</a>—twice in the head—by an officer in Ferguson, Missouri. In April 2015, Freddie Gray suffered fatal injuries to his spinal cord while in the custody of Baltimore police. These killings and subsequent protests brought greater attention towards the Black Lives Matters movement and also propelled Colin Kaepernick to kneel during the playing of the national anthem.
While neither Sefolosha nor Brown suffered permanent injuries and while both have continued in their NBA careers, the players’ incidents occurred during a decade of higher tensions related to law enforcement’s treatment of minorities.
8. The in-season tournament
By most metrics, the NBA is doing extremely well. The average player salary (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/players.html">$7.7 million</a>, per Basketball Reference) and median player salary ($3.5 million) are the highest in league history. NBA revenues are also at their highest point, with the league netting about $8 million in revenue according to the most recent annual figure (2018). Meanwhile, the average NBA franchise is worth about $1.9 billion, also the highest in league history.
Despite these indicia of success, there are concerns for the league. TV ratings for nationally aired games on ESPN and TNT were down 16% during the first month of the 2019-20 season (though mitigating that decline is the fact that <a href="https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/tv-ratings-nba-1203427688/">many of those games were missing injured stars</a>). The league also doesn’t want to myopically rest on its laurels; what works in the 2010s might not work in the 2020s and beyond.
To that end, commissioner Adam Silver is interested in making a <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/11/25/nba-schedule-playoff-proposed-format-change">major change to the NBA’s calendar</a>: reducing the regular season from 82 games to 78 games and adding an in-season tournament that would impact playoff seeding. The plan, which will be reviewed by the league’s Board of Governors in April, would go into effect on a trial basis during the 2021-20 season. As the plan is currently understood, players on the tournament’s winning team would split $15 million and coaches would split $1.5 million. The proposed in-season tournament is inspired by the success of this format in other leagues, including the Premier League.
The in-season tournament concept has elicited a wide range of opinions. San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich signaled support for the tournament in the context of reducing the total number of games. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, in contrast, ridicules the tournament idea as a gimmick. He contends that if the winning team was awarded an extra first-round pick, some teams would tank due to adverse salary cap considerations of adding another drafted player.
If the Board of Governors approves the plan, the National Basketball Players’ Association would also need to provide consent in order for it to happen. As detailed on The Crossover, the plan <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/11/25/nba-schedule-playoff-proposed-format-change">could necessitate changes to the CBA</a> since players’ wages, hours and other working conditions are implicated.
It stands to reason that many players would welcome the chance to earn an additional $1 million, along with the satisfaction of winning a tournament. From that lens, many players would be incentivized to take the tournament seriously. Conversely, the prospect of a team netting an additional first round pick might deter players to perform well since that pick could take the job of a veteran player.
The current CBA between the NBA and NPBA runs through the 2023-24 season, with a mutual opt-out clause after the 2022-23 season. If the NBA declines to pursue these calendar changes in 2021 or 22, there’s a good chance the plan could re-surface in labor discussions with the union.
7. Rise of the G League as a true developmental league that could compete with NCAA
For much of its 19-year existence, the G League (previously called the “NBDL” and “NBA D-League”) was mainly populated by banished draft picks and players not good enough for higher paying jobs in Europe—let alone NBA roster spots. Many NBA teams lacked affiliations with NBDL teams, games were seldom broadcast on television, and national media largely ignored what took place. Few players would seriously entertain leaving college early, or skipping college altogether, to play in this league.
Those days are over. The NBA has invested considerable resources into transforming the G League into an attractive league for players and fans. NBA teams now frequently use the G League to develop talented players. These players are mentored by coaches who utilize NBA playbooks and who coordinate with the coaching staff of their affiliated NBA team. Of the 30 NBA franchises, 28 have G League affiliate teams, almost all of which are owned by their parent NBA team. Games are also aired nationally on Facebook Live, NBA TV, ESPN+ ESPNU and Twitch. The G League is also international, with franchises in the U.S., Canada and, beginning in 2020, Mexico. The stigma of a first-round pick playing in the G League has largely eroded.
That point is bolstered by improved compensation for players. NBA teams can employ up to two players on “two-way” contracts. A two-way player can spend as many as 45 days with their NBA team and the remainder with their G League team. Two-way players can earn as much as $385,000, depending on the number of days they spend in the NBA.
As to players employed directly by G League teams, most earn the standard G League salary of $35,000 for the five-month season. They also receive health care benefits, in-season housing, travel day per diem, continuing education opportunities and life skills courses. A small number of G League players are also eligible for “select contracts.” These contracts pay $125,000 and are reserved for elite players who are too young to meet the NBA’s eligibility rule of being at least 19 years old and having at least one NBA season elapse since they finished high school. The NBPA is also interested in <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/12/18/nbpa-persuades-g-league-players-unionize">helping G League players unionize</a>, a move that would amplify the link between NBA players and their G League brethren.
The NBA is careful not to describe the G League as a rival to NCAA men’s basketball, but they are increasingly competing in the same space. As the NCAA <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2019/12/15/ncaa-mark-emmert-name-image-likeness-aspen-institute">struggles to maintain an antiquated system of amateurism</a>—which denies players pay for their labor or for the commercial use of their name, image and likeness—some young players might gravitate towards playing in the G League over spending a year or two in college.
While the G League will never be the NBA, it has morphed into a much more appealing home for professional basketball. Pay and workplace benefits are improving, and players are seen on national TV and can sign endorsements. The G League also provides its players with useful education, such as career planning and financial literacy. Players interested in pursuing a college education can also go back to school later in life. Alternatively, they can take college courses online or during the summer during their basketball careers—in the United States, college isn’t a “one-shot” deal. Many NBA executives also prefer to evaluate players in pro settings than in college.
6. Embracing sports betting after the U.S. Supreme Court rules against the leagues
The 2010s began and ended on very different notes for the NBA’s position on sports betting.
In 2012, the NBA, along with the NFL, NHL, MLB, NCAA and the U.S. Justice Department brought federal litigation to stop the State of New Jersey from legalizing sports betting. They argued that New Jersey’s plan violated the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA)—a federal law that prohibited states from authorizing sports betting but that also exempted Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana because those states had adopted sports betting practices by the time of PASPA’s enactment in 1992.
Over the years, the leagues have opposed sports betting on a number of grounds. A key reason was risk to the integrity of games if players, coaches or referees were bribed. The NBA was especially sensitive to that concern due to the <a href="https://www.si.com/vault/2007/10/29/100910654/stern-action-required">Tim Donaghy scandal</a> in the mid 2000s.
The leagues defeated New Jersey at the federal district and federal circuit court of appeals levels, but New Jersey—and former Governor Chris Christie—got the last laugh. In the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision Murphy v. NCAA, the Court held that <a href="https://www.si.com/more-sports/2018/05/14/sports-betting-legal-supreme-court-ruling-analysis">PASPA was unconstitutional</a>. PASPA, Justice Samuel Alito reasoned in his opinion, had unlawfully commandeered New Jersey to ban sports betting against its own interests. The decision enabled all 50 states to choose to legalize sports betting. Sports betting is <a href="https://www.legalsportsreport.com/sportsbetting-bill-tracker/">currently available in 14 states</a>, and a handful of other states will offer it over the next year.
Silver played a unique role in the sports betting legal debate. Although his league was a party to a lawsuit designed to stop New Jersey—and, by implication, other states—from legalizing sports betting, Silver authored an influential op-ed for The New York Times in 2014 titled “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/14/opinion/nba-commissioner-adam-silver-legalize-sports-betting.html">Legalize and Regulate Sports Betting</a>.” He argued that the federal government should allow states to authorize sports betting so long as states adhere to strict compliance policies. Those policies would include minimum-age verification measures and methods to identify and exclude people with gambling problems. The op-ed made it clear that Silver and his leadership team viewed sports betting as a potential positive, particularly if every state agreed to play by the same policies. The NBA, like other businesses, would prefer to adapt to one set of rules across the country rather than comporting to potentially 50 different sets of rules.
Fast-forward to the close of 2019. The NBA has signed a <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2018/08/01/nba-mgm-resorts-partnership-vegas-sports-betting">multi-year partnership</a> with the Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts to make it the official gaming partner of the NBA and WNBA. The league has also signed betting data partnerships with Sportradar and Genius Sports. The same league that eight years earlier waged a federal litigation against the legalization of sports betting now embraces this type of wagering. By signing partnerships, the NBA has also ensured that it generates revenue for owners and players.
To that point, one source of frustration for leagues with sports betting is that others—be they gaming operators and casinos—can “free ride” by making money off games in which they expended no resources to produce. The NBA has demanded that it receive “sports betting right and integrity fees” from operators and sports books. These fees, which <a href="https://sportshandle.com/integrity-fees/">no state has yet to approve</a>, would be shared with players and reflect both the derivative quality of sports betting (the NBA and its players provide the games upon which bets are made) and the increased costs for the NBA to monitor games and ensure that there aren’t illegal bribes to players, coaches and referees.
5. Adept and non-litigious handling of player and team conduct matters
During the 2010s, the NFL repeatedly attracted negative headlines and even multi-year federal litigations over commissioner Roger Goodell disciplining players for alleged misconduct.
The opposite was true in the NBA.
Silver, who is an attorney and is aided by the league’s highly regarded general counsel, Rick Buchanan, adeptly handled conduct controversies at every turn. There was no NBA equivalent of Deflategate, where the NFL postulated a theory of misconduct that <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2016/10/04/tom-brady-deflategate-ideal-gas-law">neutral scientists debunked</a>, nor was there <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/patriots/2019/07/23/nfl-system-justice-inconsistent-mess/afP4zKBgEyOH1bvL0OIh4J/story.html">inconsistency in how players were punished for similar acts</a> or an instance of the NBA violating its own collective bargaining agreement by <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2014/11/28/ray-rice-reinstated-appeal-roger-goodell-free-agent">impermissibly suspending a player twice</a> for the same act.
There were NBA player disciplinary matters, including NBA players found to have used <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/05/17/tyreke-evans-suspended-two-years-violated-league-anti-drug-program">drugs of abuse</a>, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/08/29/breaking-down-wilson-chandler-25-game-suspension-steroids-peds">performance-enhancing drugs</a> and <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/10/25/deandre-ayton-phoenix-suns-suspension-drug-policy-violation">diuretics</a> and even one player who unwisely consumed a <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/11/11/dion-waiters-miami-heat-gummy-incident">THC-infused gummy</a>. There were also alleged workplace misconduct matters involving the <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2018/02/21/dallas-mavericks-sexual-misconduct-investigation-mark-cuban-response">Dallas Mavericks</a> and <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/08/27/luke-walton-investigation-sexual-assault-improper-conduct-kings-warriors">Luke Walton</a>. Each situation was handled in a predictable and consistent way.
The NBA and NBPA also adopted a carefully configured joint policy on domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. The policy distinguishes these types of offenses and ascribes sensible rules to address them. A key rule is that a league can place an accused player on paid leave while the league investigates. The policy was useful to the Boston Celtics in the aftermath of domestic violence charges <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2018/09/13/jabari-bird-celtics-domestic-violence-assault-charges-arrest">brought against Jabari Bird</a>. Instead of the Celtics having to cut Bird and pay him his salary (which would have been a peculiar reward), the policy helped the Celtics keep Bird’s contract on the books until it could be traded while Bird remained away from the team.
It was unfortunate for the NBA that it had not negotiated a similar domestic violence policy for its partner league, the WNBA. This was apparent in 2019 when Los Angeles Sparks guard Riquna Williams and Seattle Storm forward Natasha Howard were <a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2019/07/19/evaluating-wnba-handling-riquna-williams-suspension-legal-arguments">accused of domestic violence</a>.
4. The Tampering Epidemic and Salary Cap Circumvention Concerns
The NBA has long banned tampering on account of it undermining fair competition. Tampering refers to an owner, general manager, coach, scout, referee or player attempting to persuade, entice or induce a person who is under contract with another team to join the tampering team. The ban is contained in Articles 35 and 35A of the league constitution.
In theory, a team can face harsh punishments for tampering. Loss of draft picks, massive fines and long suspensions for offending employees are all possible. In reality, such punishments are rarely applied. The most significant punishment (of sorts) for tampering occurred in 1995, when the Miami Heat averted league discipline by agreeing to send a first-round pick and $1 million to the New York Knicks in exchange for the right to hire Pat Riley, whom the Heat had illicitly pursued while he still coached the Knicks.
During the 2010s, tampering penalties have been very modest. The NBA fined the Los Angeles Lakers for <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/05/20/magic-johnson-lakers-rob-pelinka-jeanie-buss-lebron-james">Magic Johnson’s tampering</a> and the Los Angeles Clippers for <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/06/01/adam-silver-fines-doc-rivers-comments-kawhi-leonard-tampering">Doc Rivers’s tampering</a>. Without draft pick penalties, and with teams often owned by billionaires, league efforts to curb tampering through imposing five- or six-figure fines are likely ineffectual and not deterring. This was particularly evident in the summer of 2019, when teams <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/07/01/nba-free-agency-tampering-problem-moratorium-period-adam-silver">openly defied NBA tampering rules</a> by contacting soon-to-be free agents while those players were still under contract to other teams.
A related and worse problem is <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/07/25/nba-trade-demands-tampering-clippers-lakers-thunder-kawhi-leonard">salary cap circumvention</a>. It occurs when teams pay players or their representatives outside of players’ NBA contracts. Like tampering, salary cap circumvention is prohibited by league rules. Article XIII of the CBA contemplates severe penalties for circumvention, including forfeiture of draft picks and voidance of player contracts. In 2000, the Minnesota Twins were docked five first round picks for arranging a scheme whereby Joe Smith agreed to take less money in the short-term in exchange for the Timberwolves’ pledge to later sign him to a very lucrative, above-market-value contract.
Circumvention is particularly problematic in a league with max salaries. If teams can’t outbid each other in recruiting superstar free agents, circumvention could enable a team to “sweeten the pot” in ways that evade the salary cap. As <a href="https://theathletic.com/1481876/2019/12/23/improper-requests-an-investigation-and-a-superstar-chase-gone-sideways-the-untold-stories-from-kawhi-leonards-free-agency-that-left-the-lakers-fuming/">detailed</a> by Sam Amick in The Athletic, there are allegations that Kawhi Leonard’s uncle and advisor, Dennis Robertson, requested from the Lakers that they engage in circumvention as a condition for Leonard to sign.
In September, the NBA announced <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/09/23/adam-silver-nba-tampering-compliance-salary-cap-stricter-rules">new compliance measures</a> to combat these and related threats to fair play. The measures include significantly higher fines for tampering and unauthorized agreements, as well as audits and record retention requirements. It remains to be seen if these measures will succeed in their purpose. What is clear is that the next team caught tampering or circumventing the cap will likely be made an example of by Silver. I expect the penalties to be draconian, including forfeiture of multiple first round picks. Woe is that team.
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTY4MjgyMDQ0ODI3MTgyMjQ1/rockets-lost-revenue-daryl-morey-tweet.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
3. The Quandary in China
The expression “hindsight is 20/20” aptly captures the NBA’s problematic situation in China.
During the 2010s, the NBA made substantial investments—both financial and reputational—in building its brand in China. The league’s reasoning was sound. By 2018, the NBA was the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/20/the-nba-is-chinas-most-popular-sports-league-heres-how-it-happened.html">most popular</a> sports league in China. There are more people in China who watch NBA programming than there are people who reside in the United States. China’s market is obviously appealing. With 1.43 billion people, China is the most populated country on Earth. It also has the world’s <a href="http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/countries-by-gdp/">second largest economy</a>. One might argue that it would have been malpractice on the part of Silver to not pursue a foothold in China. After all, the NBA and its teams are private, for-profit entities, with fiduciary duties to investors. They aren’t governmental agencies or democracy-promoting organizations.
The NBA’s interest in China should also be viewed in context. It is hardly unique for a U.S. company to pursue business in China. Indeed, for decades, American companies have conducted substantial business in China. Boeing, Microsoft, General Motors, Apple and Nike are among <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/the-most-popular-american-companies-in-china">many Fortune 500 companies</a> with major undertakings there. This is true in spite of the China’s communist government as well as its questionable, many would say dubious, record on human rights and the lack of civil liberties for its citizens. It was thus not a surprise in the business world for the NBA to sign a $1.5 billion contract with Chinese tech giant Tencent nor was it a surprise for the NBA to sign lucrative deals with the CCTV Sports Channel and the smartphone company Vivo. These weren’t controversial moves until Oct. 4, 2019.
That was the date when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey <a href="https://twitter.com/olgunuluc/status/1180345755174764544">tweeted</a> “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong,” with an accompanying image of a logo associated with protesters in Hong Kong. The tweet contained no obscenities and merely advocated a political view. Considering the hostility often seen in political tweets, Morey’s tweet was mild.
It nonetheless sparked intense anger in China.
Morey had voiced a position adverse to the Chinese government on a very sensitive topic: protests in Hong Kong over the Fugitive Offenders amendment, a bill that would permit Hong Kong law enforcement to detain persons accused of crimes in China (and in other countries with whom Hong Kong lacks an extradition treaty). More broadly, the protests—which are <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests/hong-kong-to-end-year-with-multiple-protests-kick-off-2020-with-big-march-idUSKBN1YY05F">still occurring</a>—connect to the controversial “one country, two systems” model in Hong Kong, a territory that was transferred to China in 1997 pursuant to a 99-year lease agreement between China and the United Kingdom.
The fallout of the controversy quickly grew. Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta <a href="https://twitter.com/TilmanJFertitta/status/1180330287957495809">admonished</a> Morey on Twitter. The NBA issued a statement in support of Morey’s right to voice a position, but that statement was altered after being translated first into Mandarin and then back into English. Silver made several attempts to stress that he found nothing wrong with Morey offering a viewpoint. The commissioner went so far as to claim that the Chinese government had asked him to fire Morey (even if Silver wanted to do that, he couldn’t since Morey works for the Rockets, not the NBA).
Several players added fuel to the fire. Rockets guard James Harden seemed to undermine Morey by telling media, “We apologize. You know, we love China. We love playing there.” Lakers forward LeBron James blasted Morey, saying he “wasn’t educated” about Hong Kong politics and that Morey voicing a controversial viewpoint could cause others to suffer “financially, physically, emotionally [and] spiritually.” Some NBA players had clear financial stakes in the Chinese government favorably viewing the NBA. This is true of Golden State Warriors forward Klay Thompson and Celtics forward Gordon Hayward. Both have signed lucrative endorsement deals with Chinese sneaker companies.
Meanwhile, back in the U.S., many Republican and Democratic politicians rallied behind Morey. They applauded him for defending democracy. In contrast, the NBA and James were often depicted as “selling out” to communists and valuing their own money over Western ideals. Yet the NBA was also sharply criticized in China for supporting Morey. China Central Television (CCTV), the state television broadcaster for mainland China, ominously warned Silver that he would “receive retribution sooner or later.”
It was as if the NBA could do no right in the U.S. or China. The timing couldn’t have been worse, either. The league was in the midst of a promotional trip to Asia. China took advantage of that timing to make a point. In addition to suspending contractual relations, China refused to broadcast NBA preseason games played in China.
If the NBA hoped the dispute would dissipate with the passage of time and with a contemporary news cycle that quickly changes the topic, the league is probably pleased to see that the controversy is no longer in the headlines. Still, the NBA has likely become more sensitive to the fragility of doing business in a country where dissension isn’t allowed. This is particularly a challenge when any one of hundreds of people connected to the NBA—be they players, former players, coaches or general managers—could, at any time, say something that reignites the controversy.
2. Contentious Labor Crisis of 2011 spawns a decade of relative harmony and collaboration
Over the course of 161 days in 2011, the NBA and NBPA waged an intense and often embittered labor war. It led to a loss of regular season games, a major re-division of NBA wealth and labor stability for the next decade.
With the NBA and NBPA’s CBA set to expire on June 30, 2011, the league had demanded a steep reduction in the players’ percentage of basketball related income (BRI) in a new CBA. BRI includes revenue generated by NBA broadcasts, intellectual property (including video games), apparel, arena signage and other physical and digital properties. A higher BRI essentially means a higher salary cap, which in turn means higher player salaries.
Under the expiring CBA, players had received 57% of BRI. The league demanded this percentage be lowered to 47%. In dollars this would have been a major hit to players: BRI was $3.8 billion in 2010-11; the difference between 57% and 47% was nearly $400 million.
To justify this severe demand, the league maintained that 22 of its 30 teams were losing money. The NBA’s economic model, as the league and owners saw it, wasn’t working and would ultimately cost the players money. The NBPA disputed NBA’s math and accounting and refused to accept such a steep reduction in its share of revenue. The NBA then “locked out” the players, meaning the owners refused to allow the players to report for work. Locked out players aren’t paid.
For months, the two sides would remain far apart in negotiations. The situation became bleaker in November when the NBPA aggressively shifted its legal strategy. The NBPA issued a disclaimer of interest, which effectively ended the NBPA’s representation of NBA players.
The maneuver was designed to facilitate the filing of player antitrust lawsuits against the NBA. Various NBA rules that constrain competition, including the salary cap and maximum salaries, are exempt from antitrust scrutiny because they are collectively bargained with the NPBA. The NBPA reasoned that since the CBA had expired and since the NBPA no longer represented players, individual players could sue the NBA over rules that were no longer exempt. Soon thereafter players filed federal antitrust lawsuits in California and Minnesota. If those lawsuits had gone to trial months or years later and if the players had won, a court would have ordered NBA owners to pay treble (triple) damages of tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars.
NBA commissioner David Stern dismissed these tactics as reflecting bad faith on the part of the players and their union. Stern also warned the filing of two lawsuits marked the start of “the nuclear winter of the NBA.” Complicating matters further, the NBA filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against the NBPA. The league maintained that the disclaimer of interest was illegitimate since players would immediately reclaim the NBPA’s representation once the labor crisis had ended.
The situation worsened as NBA owners were accused of racism. Jeffrey Kessler, the lead attorney for the players, insisted that owners (most of whom were white) were treating players like “plantation workers.” Sensing that the labor dispute would lead to a lost season, several players, including Deron Williams and Kenyon Martin, signed with teams overseas.
Cooler heads would eventually prevail, though at a steep financial cost. On Nov. 26, and right before a deadline to reach a deal or the 2011-12 season would be cancelled, the two sides agreed on a new CBA. By that point, the 2011-12 regular season schedule had to be reduced to 66 games. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, owners and players <a href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2012/12/art3full.pdf">each forfeited about $400 million in would-be revenue</a> due to the loss of games.
The deal clearly favored the owners. The new division of BRI (essentially) called for a 50%-50% split. While dividing revenue evenly sounds fair, and perhaps is fair, remember that players had previously received 57% of BRI. They were giving up hundreds of millions of dollars in total money.
The CBA also attempted to help small market teams keep their star players. Specifically, teams that used the so called “Larry Bird exception,” which allows teams to sign their own free agents for more money than other teams, could offer “max” players higher annual increases (7.5% per year) than other teams (4.5%). In other words, a team with a superstar gained the ability to offer that superstar millions of dollars more than other franchises. As it has turned out, however, many free agent stars have declined more money to sign with new teams.
One highlight of the resolution to the 2011 labor crisis is that the league and NBPA became more collaborative. They avoided a potential second labor crisis in 2017 by negotiating a new CBA. Owners and players have also done extremely well financially in the 2010s. As detailed above, players are making more money than ever. The average NBA player salary far exceeds average player salaries in MLB, NFL and NHL. NBA franchise values have never been higher. Much of the revenue reflects nine-year TV deals signed by the NBA in 2014 with ESPN and TNT. These deals add $24 billion to the BRI pot.
1. Adam Silver outmaneuvers and ousts Donald Sterling (with an assist from Shelly Sterling)
It didn’t take very long for the NBA’s new commissioner in 2014 to make his mark. Adam Silver succeeded where his predecessor, David Stern, failed: removing Donald Sterling from the league.
Sterling was an insubordinate figure long before his infamously racist tirade. An attorney and real estate developer, Sterling had bailed out the NBA in 1981 by purchasing the San Diego Clippers for $12.5 million. The team was losing on the court and losing money off the court at a time when the NBA was an afterthought to many sports fans. This was an era before cable TV and ESPN took off and where NBA Finals games were shown on tape delay. Teams relied heavily on gate receipts for revenue. There was talk of league contraction, meaning franchises could have been terminated.
Sterling quickly became a thorn in the side of the NBA. He pledged to keep the Clippers in San Diego, but then, over league objections, moved the franchise to Los Angeles, which already had the Lakers. This prompted the NBA to sue Sterling for $25 million. Sterling countersued the NBA for $120 million. They settled. Given that the Clippers still play in Los Angeles it’s no mystery as to who won that settlement.
Sterling also managed his team in <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2014/05/30/donald-sterling-history">objectionable, if not illegal, ways</a>. He refused to pay bills and bizarrely contemplated having home games played without a live audience in order to avoid having to pay for concession workers and security. Sterling also openly talked about tanking in hopes of landing the top pick in the 1982 NBA Draft. Years later he allegedly instructed scorekeepers to <a href="https://deadspin.com/donald-sterling-continues-to-get-away-with-being-the-mo-5398936">deflate players’ statistics</a> so that the players could be paid less.
There were also sexual harassment lawsuits brought against Sterling, who along with his wife, Shelly Sterling, was sued by the U.S. Justice Department for discriminating on the basis of race and national origin in rental properties (the lawsuit led to Donald and Shelly Sterling paying a multi-million dollar fine). Former general manager Elgin Baylor also sued Donald Sterling for race discrimination, claiming that Sterling referred to his players as “poor black boys.”
Through it all, the NBA acted like a curious onlooker. The league took almost no action against Sterling, who was 80 years old in 2014. He clearly wasn’t afraid of David Stern or Sterling’s predecessor, Larry O’Brien. By all accounts, Sterling felt emboldened to do whatever he wanted.
That changed in April 2014, two months after Silver took over as commissioner. TMZ published a recording of an argument between Sterling and his girlfriend, V. Stiviano. Despite being married to Shelly Sterling for nearly 60 years by that point, Donald Sterling had a girlfriend. The recording included Sterling’s hostile reaction to seeing Stiviano in a photo with Magic Johnson, a longtime nemesis of Sterling. Sterling lost his temper and proceeded to engage in a shockingly racist rant. He demanded to know why Stiviano would “walk publicly with black people” and “take pictures with minorities.” He also ordered her to not accompany any African Americans to games.
The fallout was massive. While traveling in Malaysia, President Barack Obama addressed the controversy. He linked it to the “vestiges of discrimination” and “the legacy of race and slavery.” NBA players also expressed outrage. LeBron James and Stephen Curry threatened to organize a players’ boycott and sit out playoff games unless the NBA removed Sterling. Major sponsors to the league and Clippers—including CarMax, Virgin America and Mercedes-Benz—began the process of seeking to terminate those deals.
There was obvious pressure for Silver to “do something.” But the situation wasn’t so simple. Silver knew that Sterling, a fellow attorney, wouldn’t hesitate to launch lawsuits against the league if Silver took any steps that could justify the filing of litigation. Silver also had to mindful of precedent. Whatever he did to Sterling would be precedent for other owners, some of whom may have also made insensitive remarks in private.
There were also serious difficulties with the evidence. California is a “two-party” state for purposes of recording others. This means everyone on a recording must consent or the recording is illegal. In fact, it’s a crime in a California to secretly record another person in many situations. The NBA also initially didn’t know how the recording was made, whether it was authentic and untampered, and how it landed with TMZ. As a private business, the NBA couldn’t compel Stiviano or TMZ to share any information—a league has no subpoena power.
Silver was undeterred. Aided by league general counsel Rick Buchanan, Silver quickly hatched a plan that boxed Sterling into a corner from which he could never escape. Among other steps, the NBA retained former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Anders to interview all relevant witnesses. This was important since witness statements provided a supplemental form of evidence to the recording (which, as noted above, may have been illegally produced). The NBA also reviewed all the key evidence and authenticated it.
Silver then stunned the world with his punishment of an owner who had operated without restraint for three decades.
“I am banning Mr. Silver,” Silver announced from a hotel conference room in Manhattan, “for life from any association with the Clippers organization or the NBA.”
Sterling, whom the NBA also fined $2.5 million, was banned from any owners’ meetings. He was banned from any league events. He was even banned from attending games played by the team he owned.
Silver then declared that he would recommend the Board of Governors terminate Sterling’s ownership in the Clippers.
Silver had gone to a place that no other commissioner had gone before. And he did it while only being on the job for two months.
The NBA’s legal argument to remove Sterling was found in Article 13(d) of the league constitution. It contemplates the possibility that an owner can be ousted if he or she violated a duty that caused the NBA to suffer financial harm. Sterling, like other owners, had a fiduciary duty to avoid advocacy of “positions that have a materially adverse effect on the league.” Here, Sterling’s racist comments brought about a potential boycott of NBA games and loss of corporate sponsorships. From that lens, Sterling’s racist behavior in 2014 was different from his previous bigotry since his prior acts didn’t threaten the NBA with a loss of revenue.
Would the owners have voted Sterling out? Under league rules, a super majority—22 of the 29 other owners—had to vote in favor of removal. Some owners privately worried about a slippery slope where if Sterling is ousted for comments then other owners could face the same fate. There was also concern that Sterling, who had been with the NBA for more than three decades and had attended numerous owners’ meetings, “knew where the bodies were buried” so-to-speak in terms of possible scandals involving other owners. They also knew he wouldn’t hesitate to share what he knew with media.
The vote never took place. Throughout this section I’ve referred to Donald Sterling as the Clippers’ owner. That is technically incorrect. The Sterling Family Trust, which he essentially controlled, owned the team. This became a massively important distinction. There were two trustees: Donald and Shelly. If either was deemed incapacitated by a court, then the other would gain complete authority.
Shelly Sterling then orchestrated a plot that culminated in the trust selling the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion. Without her husband’s knowledge, let alone his consent, Shelly Sterling had a neurologist and psychiatrist evaluate her husband (under what Donald Sterling’s attorneys would later argue were false pretenses). They concluded that Donald Sterling’s reasoning and cognitive skills no longer permitted him to serve as a trustee. Shelly then went to court to have her husband declared incapacitated. She won.
Donald Sterling would file several lawsuits, including against Silver, the NBA and his wife, but none went anywhere. He lost his team and remains banished from the NBA. Of course, Donald Sterling was well-compensated for the loss: he and Shelly Sterling obtained $1.34 billion, post-tax, in sale proceeds.
But it was a decisive win for the new commissioner and one that engendered lasting trust from NBA players.
<a href="https://law.unh.edu/person/michael-mccann">Michael McCann</a> is SI’s Legal Analyst. He is also an attorney and the Director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law.

New on Sports Illustrated: The 10 Most Significant NBA Legal Controversies of the 2010s

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New on Sports Illustrated: Ta-Ta to the 2010s: An Ode to the Sports Highs, Lows and Themes of the Decade

<a href="https://www.si.com/more-sports/2019/12/31/2010s-ode-sports-decade">
So much changed over the last decade in sports–yet some of its greatest champions are still fighting for supremacy.
The 2010s were a wild decade in sports—nobody knew what was coming,
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2019/11/13/astros-steal-signs-spygate-videotaping">except the Astros</a>. Conferences expanded, the amateurism myth shrank, extra points moved back, gay athletes moved forward, and the Guinness World Record for Standing in Place was broken by James Harden's teammates. It was a time when everything was under review, from plays at first base to Roger Goodell's decisions, and so let's tip back one of Stan Van Gundy's Diet Pepsis, clap for no apparent reason like Jason Garrett ... and look back.
LeBron James proved that if you and your first love go through a nasty, bitter divorce, you can always go back and divorce each other amicably. James was the athlete of the decade, not just because he made eight NBA Finals, won three titles and ended Cleveland's championship drought, but because he also found time to become an activist, use social media incessantly and change teams three times, all while fulfilling his lifelong dream of <a href="https://www.si.com/vault/2014/07/21/106615402/im-coming-home">writing for Sports Illustrated</a>. James ended the 2010s in Los Angeles, along with the Rams and some other NFL team.
In the seventh month of the decade, George Steinbrenner died; the Yankees have not won the World Series since, which means that somewhere in the afterlife, Steinbrenner just fired your grandmother. This was the first decade since the Yankees acquired Babe Ruth that they did not win a pennant. Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.si.com/vault/2016/11/15/world-series-it-happened">the Cubs—the Cubs!—won the World Series.</a>
The <a href="https://www.si.com/vault/2016/02/11/crowning-moment">Royals also won the World Series</a>, an event that, like Halley's Comet, was maybe something we should have watched instead of falling asleep on the couch. The Mets went to the World Series, apparently to see if anything was on sale there. Well, timing is everything—in life, comedy and sports. Ask the Giants. San Francisco averaged an 82–80 record for the decade yet won three titles.
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While baseball remained the quirky and charming favorite of the over-78 demographic, other champions looked quite familiar: Alabama in college football; Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky in men's basketball; Connecticut in women's basketball; Connecticut again and again and again and again in women's basketball.
We were treated to history's best swimmer (<a href="https://www.si.com/vault/2017/01/11/gold-standard">Michael Phelps</a>), gymnast (<a href="https://www.si.com/olympics/2019/12/10/simone-biles-2019-year-most-dominant-athletes">Simone Biles</a>) and sprinter (Usain Bolt). Stanford student Katie Ledecky achieved this paradox: She made her races so boring that long-distance swimming became exciting. The U.S. women's soccer team did an incredible job of stirring interest in women's soccer, and the U.S. men's soccer team did an incredible job of stirring interest in women's soccer.
At the start of the decade, the first few notes of the national anthem inspired most people to wonder if they had time to get nachos before kickoff. By the end, nearly everything an athlete said or did could be construed as a political statement. <a href="https://www.si.com/vault/2017/12/05/truth-teller">Colin Kaepernick knelt</a>, and the NFL told him to stay there.
Coaches got smarter about going for it on fourth down, abandoning the bunt and forgoing midrange jumpers–though not about taking the Knicks' job. Athletes found new ways to tell their stories: on Facebook, on Twitter, on The Players' Tribune, on Instagram and occasionally even to an actual reporter. Courts ruled that it was O.K. to bet on sports, but not on the Browns.
Scandals? We had some big ones (Russia doping), wild ones (Bobby Petrino's crashing a motorcycle with his mistress on it), sickening ones (<a href="https://www.si.com/vault/2014/09/15/106634562/the-brutal-truth">Ray Rice's assault</a>) and hilarious ones (Ray Lewis's deer-antler spray).
The 2010s ended with Google claiming it had achieved quantum supremacy, and by 2020, so will Lamar Jackson. In the meantime, let's bid adieu to the decade. Gosh, it seems like just yesterday that 2009 became 2010, and we were sure the end was coming for the Patriots, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams. I wonder what they are up to these days.

New on Sports Illustrated: Ta-Ta to the 2010s: An Ode to the Sports Highs, Lows and Themes of the Decade

So much changed over the last decade in sports–yet some of its greatest champions are still fighting for supremacy. The 2010s were a wild ...

New on Sports Illustrated: Redskins Set to Hire Ron Rivera as Next Head Coach

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/31/ron-rivera-washington-redskins-hired-head-coach">
Ron Rivera wasn't out of a job for long as the Redskins have reportedly found their next head coach.
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTY5MzUxNTIyMDE3MDkzMDgz/ron-rivera-hired.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Ron Rivera wasn't out of a head coaching job for long. 
Just weeks after getting fired by the Panthers, the Washington Redskins have hired Rivera as their next head coach,
</a><a href="https://twitter.com/mikesilver/status/1212007510120357888?s=21">according to</a> Michael Silver of NFL Network. Washington will give Rivera a five-year contract, <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1212008644201590785">per</a> Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/03/ron-rivera-fired-panthers">Carolina fired Rivera on Dec. 3 after nine seasons</a> with the team. He led the Panthers to a 76-63-1 regular-season record, while also going 3–4 in the playoffs. Carolina won three NFC South titles during Rivera's tenure and the 2015 NFC Championship en route to its Super Bowl 50 appearance against the Broncos.
The Redskins are hiring Rivera two days after finishing the 2019 season 3-13, their worst mark since ’13. Washington fired head coach Jay Gruden after getting off to an 0-5 start and reportedly <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/12/29/bruce-allen-redskins-fired-football-operations-10-years">relieved Bruce Allen</a> from his role as head of football operations on the eve of the regular-season finale.
Washington will be entering 2020 with a number of questions on both sides of the football, but the team appears to have both a quarterback of the future in Dwayne Haskins and a top WR in Terry McLaurin, among other talents.
Prior to his time in Carolina, Rivera was the defensive coordinator for both the San Diego Chargers and Chicago Bears. He played linebacker for the Bears for eight seasons between 1984-92, helping the team win Super Bowl XX.
Rivera and the Redskins will have the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

New on Sports Illustrated: Redskins Set to Hire Ron Rivera as Next Head Coach

Ron Rivera wasn't out of a job for long as the Redskins have reportedly found their next head coach. Ron Rivera wasn't out of a h...

New on Sports Illustrated: Why the Raptors Are the Biggest Wild-Card During NBA Trade Season

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/12/31/toronto-raptors-masai-ujiri-nba-trade-rumors">
History has not been kind to teams that have lost players the caliber of Kawhi Leonard but the Raptors are striving and are in position to make another big move.
Six months ago, Masai Ujiri
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/06/14/toronto-raptors-nba-finals-championship-kawhi-leonard-warriors">celebrated Toronto’s first NBA championship</a>.
Is it possible—possible—that six months from now Ujiri and the Raptors could be celebrating another one?
Crazy, right? Toronto is 22-11, a top five team in the conference. The Raps have lost three out of four, which would be cause for concern if the lone win didn’t come on Saturday, in Boston, when where the Raptors clubbed the Celtics by double digits, and if Toronto had not been <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/12/20/siakam-powell-gasol-injury-updates-raptors">without Pascal Siakam</a>, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/10/29/toronto-raptors-pascal-siakam-evolution">an early season MVP candidate</a>, who has been sidelined since mid-December.
That the Raptors are even in this position is nothing short of remarkable. History has not been kind to teams that have lost players the caliber of Kawhi Leonard. The Cavaliers collapsed after losing LeBron James—twice. The Spurs dynasty effectively ended when they moved Leonard. Russell Westbrook was able to keep the Thunder in the playoff mix after Kevin Durant defected but that team had a low ceiling.
Do we know what Toronto’s is?
This is a quirky season. There is no superteam. The Lakers have James and Anthony Davis but a once sturdy defense has been gashed the last few weeks. The Bucks are steamrolling through the Eastern Conference but until Eric Bledsoe shows up in the postseason, they aren’t invulnerable. The Clippers have perhaps the highest upside but can Leonard really win a championship in his first season with another team?
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<figcaption>Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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There is an opening, even if it is ever so small, for the Raptors to make a run. Toronto has one of the best player development programs in the league. It produced Siakam and Fred VanVleet, unheralded players who have developed into stars. It is producing OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher and Oshae Brissett. Brissett, a rookie, stepped into the Raptors injury ravaged lineup in Boston and chipped in four points and six rebounds.
Believing in the Raptors means believing Siakam, at 25, is ready to carry a playoff team. It means buying that Lowry, who will be 34 in March, is able to handle a bigger role in the playoffs. It means that veterans Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka will be healthy and performing while the collection of young players Nick Nurse and his staff are developing can give good minutes in pressure situations.
This is where Ujiri comes in. For months, it has been assumed that the Raptors at some point would hold a fire sale. They have big, fat expiring contracts in Gasol ($25.6 million) and Ibaka ($23.3). Ujiri handed Lowry another year (and $30 million) to his deal, in part to make Lowry more tradeable. Across the league Lowry and Jrue Holiday’s names make any list of impact players who could be available before the deadline.
But what if he’s not? What if instead of being sellers at the deadline, Toronto emerges as buyers?
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The Raptors could be active everywhere. They have the expiring contracts. They have the intriguing young players. They have the future draft picks. They could probably pluck Toronto native Tristan Thompson out of Cleveland anytime they wanted. If they got aggressive, they might be able to quickly cut a deal for Kevin Love, too. Versatile wings like Holiday and Robert Covington could be in play.
The question is—how aggressive do the Raptors want to get? How strongly does Ujiri believe an upgrade would catapult this team past Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Boston in the East? How realistic is it that the Raptors can knock off either LA team in the West?
Some 18 months ago, Ujiri made a bold move in acquiring Leonard. The situation was different—that Raptors team had a ceiling and cap problems. This version may have a ceiling, but Ujiri can look ahead at the next two years and envision the Raptors as players in free agency. They will have to pay VanVleet next summer, but in 2021—the Summer of Giannis—Toronto projects to have as much flexibility as anyone. They will have two young stars in Siakam and VanVleet. They will have a championship coach and a top executive players can connect with. They will have a winning culture.
That can’t be discounted. The safest play would be to stand pat, to play with the house money a championship season affords and see if a healthy Raptors team can find lightning in a bottle. But Ujiri has never been about the safe play. Toronto is past the point of selling off its veterans. But as the deadline approaches, one of the NBA’s biggest questions will be if the NBA champions are motivated to add one.

New on Sports Illustrated: Why the Raptors Are the Biggest Wild-Card During NBA Trade Season

History has not been kind to teams that have lost players the caliber of Kawhi Leonard but the Raptors are striving and are in position to ...