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3 years ago

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4:09 PM ET

Justin Turner, who has spent his entire stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers fervidly giving back to the community where he grew up, has been named recipient of the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award, which annually honors players for their philanthropic efforts.

Turner, the Dodgers’ Clemente Award nominee in five of the past six seasons, is in Philadelphia to be commemorated alongside the Clemente family and Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred ahead of Game 3 of the World Series on Monday. Turner is the third member of the Dodgers to win the award, after Steve Garvey in 1981 and Clayton Kershaw in 2012.

The award is in many ways a culmination of Turner’s time in Los Angeles. When he arrived with the Dodgers as a free agent in February 2014, he was a 29-year-old journeyman infielder struggling to carve out a defined role in the major leagues. He overhauled his swing, established himself as an every-day third baseman, made two All-Star teams, won a World Series championship and started the Justin Turner Foundation.

Turner is 37 now and suddenly uncertain about whether his time with the Dodgers has come to an end. The team holds a $16 million club option for 2023 and has yet to announce whether it will exercise it.

“Everything in my life really feels like it has taken off since the day I put the Dodger uniform on,” Turner said on a conference call. “Obviously, it’s very special to me, growing up in Southern California, getting to wear that jersey and getting to be a part of an organization that has so much history and has so many people who have impacted the game in so many different ways. I’m just trying to do my little part.”

Turner’s foundation, started alongside his wife, Kourtney, began in 2016 with a desire to support homeless veterans, children and families battling life-altering diseases and illnesses. In recent years, Turner has become intimately involved with the Dream Center, an L.A.-based resource center focused on supporting the homeless through community outreach programs. He and Kourtney have also provided more than 70,000 toys and 14,000 bicycles to children in L.A. and have donated more than $100,000 for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where Turner now sits on the board of directors, according to a release from MLB.

The Los Angeles City Council previously recognized Turner’s philanthropic efforts by declaring Jan. 22, 2019, “Justin Turner Day.”

Turner, made available over the weekend, said he was still in “wait-and-see mode” as to whether he’d return to the Dodgers next season but added that his charitable efforts would continue long after his time with the team has concluded.

“I think that’s something that will always be part of Kourtney and I’s DNA,” Turner said. “Obviously, we don’t know what it will look like when eventually I am done playing, and when the events come together and what’s going to happen on that front. But I think it’s something that we will always continue and always be giving back to help people in need.”

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Arch plays ‘his game’ as Texas rebounds with win

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2 hours ago

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September 6, 2025

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Arch plays 'his game' as Texas rebounds with win

  • Dave WilsonSep 6, 2025, 05:45 PM ET

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      Dave Wilson is a college football reporter. He previously worked at The Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun.

AUSTIN, Texas — A week after Arch Manning struggled in a loss at Ohio State, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian saw his quarterback bounce back in a 38-7 win over San Jose State and said this game showcased more of Manning’s style.

Manning matched a career high with four touchdown passes, going 19-of-30 for 295 yards, and added a 20-yard touchdown scramble, tiptoeing down the left sideline at the end of the third quarter.

“I thought today was a by-product of the week of work. He played aggressive throughout the week. He studied the game plan. He knew exactly what we were trying to do, and I thought today he played more of his style,” Sarkisian said. “He extended plays, used his legs, scrambles for a touchdown. That’s the style of player that he is.”

On several plays, Manning rolled out and found receivers. A few of his passes were dropped, with Sarkisian saying Texas “didn’t catch the ball great for him.” But Sarkisian was pleased that Manning made plays when things broke down.

“Him playing his game and not trying to play at somebody else’s style of game, I think it is important for him,” Sarkisian said.

Manning also threw a bad interception while under pressure, heaving the ball into double coverage from the Spartans’ 14-yard line. San Jose State defenders had a shot at picking off a couple of his other throws but failed to haul them in.

“A lot to work on,” Manning said. “I thought it was sloppy for my part. Can’t turn the ball over in the red area. I’ve got to play better. I think all around, it was a little sloppy.”

Manning started slowly, going 3-of-6 for 11 yards on his first two drives. But then, on a third-and-3 with 2:52 left in the first quarter, Manning found Parker Livingstone along the left sideline, and he turned it upfield for an 83-yard touchdown.

The touchdown throw was part of a stretch where Manning went 5-for-5 for 142 yards and four touchdowns, including TDs on three consecutive passing attempts — a 3-yarder to Livingstone, then 36- and 16-yarders to tight end Jack Endries.

“Anytime you can get points on the board after a slow start, it feels good,” Manning said. “Then, [we] finally got some rhythm. Defense started stepping up, too, so we’ve just got to start quicker next week.”

The Longhorns, who committed 12 penalties for 115 yards, have four new offensive line starters, and many new players at wide receiver and tight end. And even Texas stars such as edge rusher Colin Simmons (two penalties for offsides, one for roughing the passer) didn’t perform their best.

“I think as our team in general goes, this is not the best version of Texas football this season that we’re going to see,” Sarkisian said. “My foot’s got to get in their butt here on Monday morning. That’s unacceptable. And there’s a standard in which we want to play the game, and 12 penalties does not meet that standard.”

Manning said all week that he had to play better for Texas to win. He was encouraged by his performance Saturday, finding a way to make plays, but doesn’t believe he’s at his best.

Sarkisian said Manning is gifted with his dual-threat abilities, but his team is learning on the fly how to block for him while he’s scrambling or that he could throw while on the move.

“There’s things that we’re learning as we go as a team, but those are some of the growing pains that we have to work through,” Sarkisian said.

Those growing pains still resulted in an easy win at home Saturday. For Sarkisian, he said he can see the trust growing among his players, including Manning.

“The guys rally around him, you can feel it today on the sidelines,” Sarkisian said. “They really like playing with Arch, and that’s important.”

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A&M’s Howell sacks Utah St. QB 3 times in a row

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5 hours ago

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September 6, 2025

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A&M's Howell sacks Utah St. QB 3 times in a row

  • Associated Press

Sep 6, 2025, 02:48 PM ET

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M‘s Cashius Howell sacked Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes on three consecutive plays in the second quarter Saturday.

Utah State had the ball on its 25 early in the second quarter when the defensive end muscled past left tackle Jake Eichorn and dropped Barnes for a loss of 6 yards for 19th-ranked Texas A&M. On the next play, Howell got past Eichorn again to take Barnes down for a loss of 7 yards.

Bullying past Eichorn one more time, Howell sacked Barnes for a loss of 8 yards to bring up fourth-and-31 and single-handedly force a punt.

Howell, a fifth-year senior, entered the game with 15½ career sacks and had just four last season. His career best came in 2023 when he had 9½ for Bowling Green.

It’s the first time a player has had sacks on three straight plays since Jack Cichy did it for Wisconsin against USC in the 2015 Holiday Bowl, according to research by the Texas A&M communications staff.

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FSU players honor Pritchard with dad on hand

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September 6, 2025

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FSU players honor Pritchard with dad on hand

  • Andrea AdelsonSep 6, 2025, 01:51 PM ET

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    • ACC reporter.
    • Joined ESPN.com in 2010.
    • Graduate of the University of Florida.

The father of Florida State linebacker Ethan Pritchard was on the sideline Saturday for the Seminoles’ game against East Texas A&M.

Earl Pritchard and another family member were on the sideline wearing his son’s No. 35 jersey. Ethan Pritchard remains hospitalized in Tallahassee after surviving a gunshot wound to the head last weekend.

Florida State safety Earl Little Jr. brought out a No. 35 jersey to midfield for the coin toss, and Florida State players wore No. 35 wristbands to honor their teammate.

Defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. wore a T-shirt with Pritchard’s face on it during pregame warmups.

According to Earl Pritchard, Ethan Pritchard was driving his aunt home when he was shot in the back of the head in Havana, Florida, 16 miles from Tallahassee, on Sunday night.

The Seminoles routed East Texas A&M 77-3 on Saturday, after which coach Mike Norvell presented Earl Pritchard with the game ball, and asked him to break the rock – a tradition generally given to the player of the game after each Seminoles victory.

Norvell grew emotional as he discussed Pritchard during his postgame media availability.

“The way that he plays the game … he loves it, he absolutely loves it. To know that right now that’s taken away from him in a senseless act, you don’t always know why you have to go through things in life but I do believe God has his hand over Ethan and this football team,” Norvell said.

“To have Earl here today – He’s a wonderful man, and being with him I know it’s so very hard. I know it’s hard for anybody to have to go through, but he told me early in this week, ‘I know where my boy wants to be so I’m going to go stand in his place for him.'”

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