Connect with us

Published

on

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse entered Game 4 of the Western Conference finals under intense scrutiny for his ineffective play against the Dallas Stars. Things could not have gone worse for him at the start.

Nurse was on the ice for two Stars goals in the first 5:29 Wednesday night, including an Esa Lindell shot that hit Nurse’s posterior and deflected past goalie Stuart Skinner.

But he didn’t sulk. He didn’t fold under the pressure. That Nurse played as well as he did for the rest of the Oilers’ 5-2 series-tying victory ended up inspiring his team.

“That would’ve been really hard for a lot of guys to recover from after everything that’s been going on,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “But personally, I thought it was his best game in the series. Maybe in the playoffs.”

Nurse entered Game 4 through a storm of criticism. No Oilers player was on the ice for more Stars goals at 5-on-5 than Nurse (4 goals). He was in the negative across the board in shot attempts and scoring chances at even strength. Skinner had a .852 save percentage when Nurse was on the ice.

While plus/minus doesn’t paint a full picture of a player’s performance, Nurse has the playoffs’ lowest rating at minus-12.

There was speculation after Game 3 if he should be benched and what the Oilers should do about their Nurse “problem,” in the short- and long-term.

On Wednesday after the morning skate, Nurse gave a series of short answers to the media before he cut off his availability after a minute. His teammates, Connor McDavid among them, were asked about the criticism of Nurse’s game.

“He gives us everything he’s got and he always has for a long time,” McDavid said ahead of Game 4. “I expect him to have a great one tonight.”

For the most part, his performance was great. Nurse recovered from those disastrous opening minutes to assist on Ryan McLeod‘s first-period goal that cut the lead to 2-1. He played 19:19 overall and delivered a game-high 12 hits, using his physicality to make a difference but never crossing the line, as he finished with zero penalty minutes after earning minor penalties in the previous two games.

“A lot to be said about Darnell,” Oilers forward Connor Brown said. “Everyone and their dog coming at him this morning. Two tough bounces to start the game and he settles in and plays probably his best game of the playoffs and leads us to a victory. So that’s character right there.”

Edmonton star Leon Draisaitl, who scored his 10th goal of the playoffs, said he wasn’t concerned with Nurse’s performance in the postseason.

“He plays extremely hard,” Draisaitl said. “Maybe his confidence hasn’t been where we’ve all seen it be, but those things happen. That’s normal. He’s a human being and tonight was a great step for him. I thought he was outstanding tonight.”

Game 5 is Friday night in Dallas.

While Nurse helped solidify the Edmonton defense, Dallas has a new concern on its backend: Stars defenseman Chris Tanev blocked an Evander Kane shot with his right foot with 7:38 left in the second period and did not return to the game with a lower-body injury.

Tanev has been a critical part of the Stars’ top four on defense, averaging 23:26 in ice time. He has 68 blocked shots to lead all players in the postseason. Coach Pete DeBoer said “fingers crossed” he is healthy for Game 5.

Continue Reading

Sports

LSU’s Lacy facing charges related to fatal crash

Published

on

By

LSU's Lacy facing charges related to fatal crash

Louisiana State Police have issued an arrest warrant for former LSU receiver Kyren Lacy, who is accused of causing a fatal crash that killed a 78-year-old man on Dec. 17 and then fleeing the scene without rendering aid or calling authorities.

Louisiana State Police said on Friday that Lacy will be charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run and reckless operation of a vehicle.

Police said they have been in contact with Lacy and his attorney to turn himself in.

According to a news release from state police, Lacy was allegedly driving a 2023 Dodge Charger on Louisiana Highway 20 and “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a designated no-passing zone.”

“As Lacy was illegally passing the other vehicles, the driver of a northbound pickup truck abruptly braked and swerved to the right to avoid a head-on collision with the approaching Dodge,” a Louisiana State Police news release said.

“Traveling behind the pickup was a 2017 Kia Cadenza whose driver swerved left to avoid the oncoming Dodge Charger. As the Kia Cadenza took evasive action to avoid impact with the Dodge, it crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a southbound 2017 Kia Sorento.”

Police alleged that Lacy, 24, drove around the crash scene and fled “without stopping to render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash.”

Herman Hall, 78, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, who was a passenger in the Kia Sorrento, later died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to state police.

The drivers of the Cadenza and Sorento also sustained moderate injuries, according to police.

Lacy played two seasons at Louisiana before transferring to LSU in 2022. This past season, he had 58 catches for 866 yards with nine touchdowns and declared for the NFL draft on Dec. 19, two days after the crash.

Continue Reading

Sports

Effort to unionize college athletes hits road block

Published

on

By

Effort to unionize college athletes hits road block

The legal efforts to unionize college athletes appear to be running out of steam this month as a new Republican-led administration gets set to take over the federal agency in charge of ruling on employment cases.

A players’ advocacy group who filed charges against the NCAA, Pac-12 and USC that would have potentially opened the door for college players to form a union decided Friday to withdraw its complaint. Their case – which was first filed in February 2022 – was one of two battles against the NCAA taken up by the National Labor Relations Board in recent years. Earlier this week, an administrative law judge closed the other case, which was filed by men’s basketball players at Dartmouth.

The National College Players Association, which filed its complaint on behalf of USC athletes, said the recent changes in state law and NCAA rules that are on track to allow schools to directly pay their players starting this summer caused them to reconsider their complaint.

“[T]he NCPA believes that it is best to provide adequate time for the college sports industry to transition into this new era before football and basketball players employee status is ruled upon,” the organization’s founder Ramogi Huma wrote in the motion to withdraw.

The NCAA and its four power conferences agreed to the terms of a legal settlement this summer that will allow schools to spend up to roughly $20.5 million on direct payments to their athletes starting next academic year. The deal is scheduled to be finalized in April.

College sports leaders, including NCAA President Charlie Baker, have remained steadfast in their belief that athletes should not be considered employees of their schools during a period when college sports have moved closer to a professionalized model.

Some industry stakeholders believe that the richest schools in college sports will need to collectively bargain with athletes to put an end to the current onslaught of legal challenges facing the industry. Currently, any collective bargaining would have to happen with a formal union to provide sufficient legal protection. Some members of Congress say they are discussing the possibility of creating a special status for college sports that would allow collective bargaining without employment. However, Congressional aides familiar with ongoing negotiations told ESPN that influential Republican leaders in Congress are firmly against the idea.

The NLRB’s national board previously declined to make a ruling on whether college athletes should be employees in 2015 when a group of football players at Northwestern attempted to unionize. Jennifer Abruzzo, the agency’s leader during the Biden administration, signaled an interest in taking up the athletes’ fight to unionize early in her tenure. Abruzzo is not expected to remain as the NLRB’s general counsel during Donald Trump’s presidency.

Under Abruzzo, the agency’s regional offices pushed both the Dartmouth and USC cases forward in the past year. Dartmouth players got far enough to vote in favor of forming a union in March 2024, but were still in the appeals process when they decided to end their effort last month.

The only remaining legal fight over employee status in college sports is a federal lawsuit known as Johnson v. NCAA. That case claims the association is violating the Fair Labor Standards Act, which does not guarantee the right to unionize but instead would give athletes some basic employee rights such as minimum wage and overtime pay. That case is currently working its way through the legal process in the Third Circuit federal court.

Continue Reading

Sports

Ex-Georgia QB Carson Beck commits to Miami

Published

on

By

Ex-Georgia QB Carson Beck commits to Miami

Georgia transfer quarterback Carson Beck has committed to Miami, with Beck posting the news on Instagram.

Beck is expected to visit Miami this weekend, and his commitment comes within 24 hours of his surprise decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal Thursday. After declaring for the 2025 NFL draft on Dec. 28, Beck will instead join Miami for his final season of eligibility.

Beck, a two-year starter for the Bulldogs with a 24-3 career record, will succeed Heisman Trophy finalist Cam Ward and attempt to lead Miami into the College Football Playoff after the Hurricanes came up short in 2024.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound redshirt senior is currently recovering from a season-ending elbow injury, a setback that forced him to reconsider his plans to go pro. Per sources, he’s unlikely to be healthy enough for spring practice at Miami because of the recovery from the injury.

Beck became the No. 2 player in ESPN’s transfer rankings and a significant recruiting win for coach Mario Cristobal and a Hurricanes team that lacked a proven quarterback entering 2025.

Beck underwent surgery on Dec. 23 to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow after injuring it on the final play of the first half in Georgia’s SEC championship victory over Texas on Dec. 7.

Beck will not be able to throw until March, sources told ESPN, and he received feedback that he could be selected anywhere between the first and third round, with much of that uncertainty due to the fact he wouldn’t be able to throw for teams in pre-draft workouts. Based on the feedback and advice he received, Beck changed his mind and entered the portal as a graduate transfer.

After backing up Stetson Bennett during Georgia’s run to back-to-back national titles, Beck threw for 7,426 yards over his two seasons as Georgia’s starter, fifth most among all FBS passers since 2023, with 57 total touchdowns and 23 turnovers.

He led the Bulldogs to nine wins over top-25 opponents and back-to-back appearances in the SEC title game. Beck received second-team All-SEC honors in 2023 and has twice been named a finalist for the Manning Award as one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the country.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. considered Beck the No. 5 quarterback in his draft rankings. Beck was viewed as a potential first-round pick entering his senior season and will now look to boost his draft stock just as Ward did with a big season in Coral Gables.

Ward, a former Washington State transfer, declared for the 2024 NFL draft last January but changed his mind upon learning he’d be at best a second- or third-round draft pick, opting to join Miami.

After producing 4,313 passing yards and 43 total touchdowns with the Hurricanes and finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting, Ward is now a projected top-10 pick and was the No. 1 pick in Jordan Reid’s latest mock draft.

Ward led the Hurricanes to a 9-0 start and a rise to No. 4 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, but November losses to Georgia Tech and Syracuse knocked the team out of the ACC title race.

Miami finished No. 13 in the final CFP rankings and closed its season with a 42-41 loss to Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

Miami had not picked up a quarterback via the transfer portal this offseason to replace Ward and returned only one passer, sophomore Emory Williams, who has playing experience. Williams started two games as a freshman in 2023.

After Beck’s elbow injury, Georgia turned to backup Gunner Stockton to lead the team in the postseason. The redshirt sophomore threw for a combined 305 yards with one touchdown and one interception in Georgia’s overtime victory over Texas and its 23-10 loss to Notre Dame in the CFP quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl, ending the season with 440 total yards.

Continue Reading

Trending