📰🏟️ NIL “snitch line”
Plus: Browns turn to green QB...
Good afternoon. Ready for the top-five sports stories of the day? Just keep scrolling.
1) College sports has a new NIL “snitch line”
The College Sports Commission (CSC), a newly created enforcement body that oversees the NIL Go clearinghouse, is reportedly creating an “anonymous reporting tip line” for whistleblowers to share information about any NIL-related rules violations across D1 college sports. The CSC currently has just four full-time employees who are manually scrutinizing the thousands of NIL deals under its purview, meaning the new tip line—which industry insiders call a “snitch line”—could prove useful in catching violations that fall through the cracks, according to FrontOfficeSports.
2) The WNBA Finals are set amid leaguewide tensions
The Las Vegas Aces beat the Indiana Fever 107-98 (OT) in a deciding Game 5 last night to advance to the WNBA Finals against the Phoenix Mercury. The Finals will be held in a best-of-seven format for the first time ever, with Game 1 set for Friday. Meanwhile—the WNBA has been generating headlines off the court for a series of comments over the past week by players and coaches criticizing the league’s leadership, with voices including Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier, four-time MVP A’ja Wilson, and Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve.
See a full WNBA Finals preview
3) Braves become latest MLB team to change managers
Atlanta announced on Wednesday that longtime manager Brian Snitker will transition to an advisory role next year after 10 seasons of leading the team. Snitker led the Braves to six consecutive NL East titles from 2018-23, as well as the 2021 World Series championship. The Braves now join seven other MLB clubs looking to hire a new manager this offseason: the Rangers, Giants, Twins, Angels, Nationals, Orioles, and Rockies. Atlanta’s move comes as MLB Wild Card action is in full swing, with four games spread across today.
See how the playoffs are going
4) Cleveland Browns turn to a green QB
Cleveland announced earlier today that rookie QB Dillon Gabriel will get the first start of his career this weekend in London against the Vikings, taking over for veteran Joe Flacco after a 1-3 start to the season. Flacco will move to backup, while rookie Shadeur Sanders will remain the #3 option. Gabriel, the Browns’ third-round pick out of Oregon, will be the first NFL QB ever to make his starting debut in an international game. He’s also the 41st Browns starting QB since 1999—11 more than any other NFL team, and far ahead of the Packers’ eight over the same period.
5) NBA training camps kicked off today
The start of training camp comes after NBA teams held media days where players fielded questions for the first time since last season. Key storylines revealed this week: Lakers F LeBron James acknowledged his retirement will come “a lot sooner than later” and didn’t commit to playing beyond this season; Clippers F Kawhi Leonard dismissed recent cap circumvention allegations as “clickbait”; Rockets F Kevin Durant said he expects to sign an extension with his new team; and Spurs C Victor Wembanyama somehow grew another inch and is now listed at 7’4”.
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