📰🏟️ Snitching on yourself
Plus: SEC sues LSU, Kiffin over pro players...
Good afternoon. The top sports stories of the day are at your fingertips. Just keep scrolling.
—Kyle
Breaking: The SEC has reportedly sued LSU and head football coach Lane Kiffin over allegations that they “waged a deliberate and coordinated campaign to recruit professional athletes.”
1) College football Week 1 kicks off tonight
After last weekend’s appetizer, college football officially takes over the calendar with 91 games from tonight through Labor Day. Here’s the viewing guide:
- Tonight: Georgia Tech hosts Colorado (7pm CT) to kick off the weekend’s more interesting matchups.
- Friday: #7 Miami visits Stanford, while #14 USC hosts Fresno State (both kick at 8pm CT).
- Saturday: Boise State visits #2 Oregon (2:30 pm), before Clemson at #11 LSU headlines primetime (6:30 pm).
- Sunday: #4 Notre Dame-Wisconsin at Lambeau and #24 Louisville-#9 Ole Miss in Nashville share the 6:30 pm spotlight.
- Monday: #19 SMU at Florida State closes things out (6:30 pm).
Ranking the top 10 games of Week 1
2) LA Clippers hit with historic punishment for Kawhi scandal
The NBA dropped the hammer on the LA Clippers yesterday, handing out the largest punishment in league history after an 11-month investigation found the team illegally circumvented the salary cap to pay star Kawhi Leonard.
- The Clippers were fined $30M and stripped of 5 1st-round picks (from 2029-33), while owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for a year.
- Leonard avoided suspension but must pay a $700K fine, while two Clippers executives received suspensions.
- Leonard accepted the punishment in a statement, while the Clippers strongly rejected the NBA’s findings and said they plan to challenge the ruling.
Los Angeles gets clipped over Kawhi
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🎾📸 Flash in the pan: Tennis influencers have become “a little too much” at the US Open, says world No. 3 player.
3) Bill Simmons faces regulatory scrutiny for betting story
The sports personality is facing scrutiny from Massachusetts’ Gaming Commission after admitting on his popular podcast, The Bill Simmons Show, that he used his daughter’s boyfriend to place bets.
- Simmons lives in California, where sports betting is illegal.
- According to his story, published in Sunday’s episode, Simmons enlisted his daughter’s boyfriend to access his FanDuel account and place bets in Massachusetts.
- But in Tuesday’s episode, Simmons revealed his story actually involved illegal proxy betting that drew the attention of FanDuel, who voided his proxy bets and reported them to state gaming authorities.
- The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said it’s “aware” of the matter and “currently reviewing” it.
4) Notre Dame is preseason co-favorite to win CFP
College football enters Week 1 without a clear team to beat: Notre Dame and Ohio State are co-favorites to win the national championship at 6-1 odds, just ahead of Texas (13-2, or 6.5-1).
- It's the first time the Fighting Irish have had shorter than 10-1 odds to win the title heading into the season since 2006.
- For the Buckeyes, it marks their second straight season starting as title favorites, after winning the 2024-25 national championship.
- Oregon (15-2), Georgia (17-2), defending champ Indiana (9-1), and Miami (10-1) round out the top tier of CFB preseason contenders.
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