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Along with an ability to drive a golf ball better than anyone with a persimmon club, Greg Norman had a keen awareness of his own worth as a golfer, especially as it applied to securing fees for his participation.

Norman makes no secret of this. The Australian golfer who earned the nickname the “Great White Shark” and suffered heartbreak along with an abundance of success throughout a Hall of Fame career knew that the best golf in the world was being played on the PGA Tour in the United States.

But he also saw opportunity beyond the tour’s borders, and always wanted to explore them. Starting in 1984, when he played his first full season on the PGA Tour and won his first tournament at the Kemper Open, he always wondered why his ability to play around the world came with stipulations.

As a member of the PGA Tour, he had rules to adhere to and permissions to obtain. And to this day … it bugs him.

“It still frustrated me to death why, as an independent contractor, I couldn’t get out there and expand on my true market value that I truly believe I had,” Norman said. “Same with all the other players.”

And here we are.

Nearly 30 years after Norman first attempted to start a rival tour that would bring the best players together at venues around the world for guaranteed money and lucrative purses, he is now the commissioner of an upstart league that has yet to be publicly named but is busy behind the scenes working to secure people in leadership roles and several players — who, if signed — would give the venture credibility.

Having been anointed the CEO of this new venture called LIV Golf Investments, Norman unveiled a limited amount of plans last week.

How this plays out over the following weeks and months will be fascinating to follow, but Norman’s role is instructive. He — along with the late Seve Ballesteros — battled the PGA Tour’s hierarchy in the early 1980s. Norman sought — with the help of Fox Sports — to launch a World Tour in 1994 that was eventually thwarted by then-PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem.

Now he’s back for another try, but with many of the same questions still to be answered.

“I always wanted to understand why we were stuck in a box,” said Norman, 66, the winner of 20 PGA Tour events and 88 worldwide who was ranked No. 1 in the world for 331 weeks. “In [1993-94], I thought of this idea of how do we get the best players to play against each other on more of a regular basis and give them an annuity into the future.

“I always thought if I could do something for my fellow players and carry the burden of responsibility … I just thought there was a better way, why I thought of this World Golf Tour, where they could have ownership. That’s thinking out of the box. That’s thinking like an independent contractor. Like an entrepreneur. Understanding the marketplace.”

This is not a purely altruistic endeavor for Norman. He is not designating his business interests in the Greg Norman Company to be handled by someone else simply for the good of his fellow players.

Norman will be paid handsomely for his time, popularity and expertise. And with the backing of the Public Investment Fund — the sovereign wealth fund of the Saudi Arabian government — there is a seemingly endless supply of money to take care of him and all the needs of the new league, along with the scrutiny he will face at every turn for being associated with the Saudi government.

The term “independent contractor” is likely to be one that gets a lot of attention as this situation moves forward. PGA Tour players are independent contractors, but with enormous benefits: a pension plan, health care benefits, weekly perks for being members of the tour.

The FedEx Cup bonus money is paid out to 150 places. Purses continue to go up. Jon Rahm led the money list last season with more than $7 million in official earnings. Patrick Cantlay was second and earned another $15 million for capturing the FedEx Cup. There were 67 players who earned more than $2 million in official earnings. Another 57 players earned $1 million or more.

Life on the PGA Tour is pretty good. But the key word is “earned.” Other sports give guaranteed deals, something not available for PGA Tour players. The opportunity to do that exists when traveling to events that will pay appearance fees. That is the crux of Norman’s issue. Why are players not allowed to freely play where they want?

As an Australian, Norman wanted to support his home circuit, his home events. He won the Australian Open five times, the Australian Masters six times. He also won another 22 Australasian Tour events.

But while a member of the PGA Tour, he had to seek and be granted releases to go play them.

The tour long ago shrewdly set up a system that requires players to sign over their media rights when they become members. That means they can’t just play wherever they want. It’s why when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson played their Las Vegas “winner take all” $9 million match in 2018, the tour got a piece of the action.

It is simply protecting itself. The tour wants to tell sponsors its players will be available. Hence it requires them to play a minimum of 15 events, and seek releases to participate in tournaments staged on other tours, even exhibitions. It’s one of the reasons the PGA Tour enjoys a lucrative television contract and can offer purses that make even average players very wealthy.

The number of releases granted is typically three per season. To get more than that requires negotiation, and the tour likely will receive some sort of guarantee from the player: an extra start somewhere; a visit to a place he has not played previously.

All of that seems reasonable. Even though they are independent contractors, they are joining a player-based association that has rules. You can abide by them or not; Norman always did but felt frustrated that he was constricted, because securing five, six or seven releases became prohibitive.

The crux here is that a player who wants to compete on the PGA Tour as well as this new league Norman is championing will undoubtedly need more than three releases to make it work. How is it in the best interests of the PGA Tour to grant them?

“We are not here to pick a fight,” Norman said.

And yet, it seems like that is exactly what is coming.

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Suit accusing BYU QB Retzlaff of rape dismissed

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Suit accusing BYU QB Retzlaff of rape dismissed

A civil lawsuit accusing BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff of rape has been dismissed, according to court records.

The parties jointly agreed to dismiss with prejudice, ending the case which was filed last month. None of the parties was immediately available for comment.

Retzlaff now plans to transfer from BYU as he faces a possible seven-game suspension for violating the school’s honor code by admitting to premarital sex during the legal proceedings, sources told ESPN. He has begun informing staff and teammates of his intention to leave, sources said.

Retzlaff had been working out with the squad and participating in summer workouts and practices. The team is on break until July 7.

The BYU staff has been ramping up the preparation of the three backup quarterbacks — McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet and Bear Bachmeier — in anticipation that Retzlaff might not be available.

The woman alleged Retzlaff raped, strangled and bit her in November 2023. In a response to that lawsuit filed Friday, a lawyer representing Retzlaff denied those allegations but said Retzlaff had consensual sex with the woman.

The response indicated Retzlaff and the woman traded lighthearted text messages for months after the encounter and characterized the lawsuit as an extortion attempt based on the idea that Retzlaff developed into an NFL prospect roughly a year later.

The lawsuit described the encounter much differently.

Both the complaint and the response agree that Retzlaff and the woman connected through social media, which led to her visiting Retzlaff’s apartment to play video games on or around Nov. 22, 2023. The woman arrived with a friend, and friends and teammates of Retzlaff also were present.

Later that evening, the woman’s friend left, after which Retzlaff and the woman started watching a movie and began to kiss, the lawsuit states. While “Retzlaff began escalating the situation,” the suit says, “Jane Doe A.G. tried to de-escalate the situation and attempted to slow things down, trying to pull away, and saying ‘wait.’ She did not want to do anything sexual with him.”

The lawsuit says the woman told Retzlaff “no” and “wait, stop,” but he continued to force himself on her. After she tried to get up out of the bed, the lawsuit alleges, in graphic detail, that Retzlaff put his hands around her neck and proceeded to rape her.

A few days later, the woman visited a hospital, where a rape kit was performed and pictures of her injuries were taken. The lawsuit says she was connected with Provo, Utah, police but did not initially share Retzlaff’s name.

No criminal charges have been filed against Retzlaff.

After the lawsuit was filed, BYU issued a statement, saying: “The university takes any allegation very seriously, following all processes and guidelines mandated by Title IX. Due to federal and university privacy laws and practices for students, the university will not be able to provide additional comment.”

Retzlaff is not the first high-profile BYU athlete who faced a lengthy suspension for an honor code violation related to premarital sex. In 2011, basketball player Brandon Davies was dismissed from the team — which at the time was 27-2 and ranked No. 3 in the country — and suspended from school. He was reinstated that fall. In 1999, running back Reno Mahe was suspended from school and forced to leave the football team. He transferred to a junior college and later reenrolled at BYU.

Retzlaff, who has graduated from BYU, is expected to enter his name in the transfer portal in the coming days. He started 13 games for the Cougars in 2024, his first year as the starter, leading the team to an 11-2 record. He passed for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

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Pac-12 welcomes Texas St. ahead of ’26 relaunch

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Pac-12 welcomes Texas St. ahead of '26 relaunch

Texas State has officially joined the Pac-12, the conference announced Monday, becoming the league’s ninth member ahead of its relaunch in 2026.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12,” commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. “It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a new league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind.”

Texas State’s board of regents voted to authorize a $5 million buyout to the Sun Belt Conference early Monday. The Bobcats will remain in the Sun Belt through the 2025-26 season before joining the Pac-12 in all sports for the 2026-27 school year.

The Pac-12 needed to reach eight football-playing schools to meet the NCAA minimum for an FBS conference prior to the 2026 season.

The conference’s board of directors, which includes representatives from all current and future members, voted unanimously to admit Texas State following the university’s formal application. Texas State joins Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Utah State and Washington State as members of the rebuilt league.

Texas State president Kelly Damphousse called the move “a historic moment” for the university.

“Joining the Pac-12 is more than an athletic move — it is a declaration of our rising national profile, our commitment to excellence, and our readiness to compete and collaborate with some of the most respected institutions in the country,” Damphousse said.

Athletic director Don Coryell echoed that sentiment, calling the opportunity “a new era” for Texas State, which has been in the Sun Belt since 2013 after making its FBS debut with one season in the WAC in 2012.

“This historic moment belongs to our coaches, staff, student-athletes, fans, alumni and students,” Coryell said. “As the Pac-12’s flagship school in Texas, we proudly embrace the opportunity and responsibility that comes with it.”

The long-awaited announcement comes on the heels of the Pac-12’s announcement last week that it had finalized a five-year agreement with CBS for a portion of the conference’s football and men’s basketball media rights, including both sports’ championship game. Additional media partners are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Texas State is located in San Marcos, which is only about 35 miles south of the University of Texas in Austin. Texas State has more than 40,000 students, with one of the 25 largest undergraduate enrollments among public universities in the U.S.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Alabama lands top 3 OLB Griffin for 2026 class

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Alabama lands top 3 OLB Griffin for 2026 class

Alabama’s 2026 recruiting class landed another significant late-June recruiting boost Saturday when four-star defender Xavier Griffin, ESPN’s No. 3 outside linebacker, announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide over Florida State, Ohio State and Texas.

Griffin, a versatile, 6-foot-4, 205-pound prospect from Gainesville, Georgia, is the No. 30 overall recruit in the 2026 ESPN 300. A former longtime USC commit, Griffin took official visits with each of his finalists in June. He now stands as the top-ranked prospect among 14 commits in Alabama’s incoming class, joining days after the program secured top 300 pledges from running back Ezavier Crowell (No. 31 overall) and tight end Mack Sutter (No. 138) on Thursday night.

Griffin told ESPN that the Crimson Tide’s pedigree and vision laid out by Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer and outside linebackers coach Christian Robinson were driving factors in his decision.

“Growing up, just seeing them, all the draft picks and stuff that they’ve had — all the guys they’ve put in the league — it speaks for itself,” Griffin said. “They have history and they’re really clear about what they’re trying to build with this new staff.”

A physical defender capable of dropping into coverage, Griffin has cemented his status as one the nation’s top linebackers at Gainesville (Georgia) High School, where he’s recorded 97 total tackles and 21 sacks across his sophomore and junior seasons.

He initially committed to USC last July and remained one of the Trojans’ top prospects over next 10 months before Griffin pulled his pledge from the program on May 14. Sources told ESPN at the time that Griffin’s decommitment stemmed from his intention to schedule official visits with programs this spring, bucking against USC’s policy against committed players taking official trips to other campuses.

Upon reopening his recruitment, Griffin locked in official visits with Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and Texas for this month, closing with a trip to the Crimson Tide from June 20-22. Despite his lengthy USC pledge, Griffin told ESPN that no program recruited him more actively than Alabama across the past two years, led by Robinson, the program’s second-year assistant.

“He’s been one of the most consistent with me throughout my whole process,” Griffin said. “He’s just a really, really good guy.”

The highest-ranked of seven ESPN 300 pledges bound for Alabama in 2026, Griffin now leads an increasingly talented Crimson Tide defensive class forming in the current cycle.

Alongside Griffin, Alabama holds commitments from top-10 cornerbacks Jorden Edmonds (No. 38 overall) and Zyan Gibson (No. 65) in 2026. Defensive end Jamarion Matthews, Griffin’s teammate at Gainesville High School and ESPN’s No. 92 overall recruit, has been pledged to the Crimson Tide since February, and Alabama’s latest defensive class could get even deeper over the next month as priority targets including top-60 prospects Jireh Edwards, Anthony Jones and Nolan Wilson approach the final stages of their recruiting processes.

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