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MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. could miss the entire season after undergoing surgery for what the school described as an upper-body injury.

The injury leaves the Badgers without their most experienced defensive lineman as they prepare for their Friday night opener against Western Michigan. Thompson has started 18 games over the past two seasons.

“Now he’ll be in a little bit of a different role for us this year,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said at his Monday news conference. “I don’t know that we’ll have a chance to get him back.”

Thompson made 11 starts last year and collected 29 tackles to lead all Wisconsin defensive linemen. He also had 5½ tackles for loss and three sacks.

That followed a 2022 season in which he started each of Wisconsin’s last seven games. Thompson had two sacks and 6½ TFLs that year.

Fickell didn’t officially rule Thompson out for the season but expressed pessimism about the lineman’s likelihood of returning this year.

“It doesn’t look like James is probably going to make it,” Fickell said. “I don’t know that we’ll have him for the year. There’s a lot of things that are still, we’ve got to wait and see. I don’t know if it’s a four- to five-month thing.”

Coming off back-to-back 7-6 seasons, Wisconsin is opening the year outside the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2016.

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Padres vs. Dodgers (Jun 16, 2025) Live Score – ESPN

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Padres vs. Dodgers (Jun 16, 2025) Live Score - ESPN

Shohei Ohtani made his pitching debut from Dodger Stadium on Monday, giving up a run in his lone inning of work, then struck out in his first plate appearance as Los Angeles’ DH, marking the first time he has pitched and hit in a game since Aug. 23, 2023.

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Source: Steelers extend S Elliott on 2-year deal

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Source: Steelers extend S Elliott on 2-year deal

The Pittsburgh Steelers and safety DeShon Elliott have agreed to a two-year, $12.5 million extension with $9.21 million guaranteed, a source confirmed to ESPN.

Elliott, 28, was one of the Steelers’ best run defenders last year with 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 4 tackles for loss and 108 combined tackles.

NFL Network first reported the deal.

A former sixth-round pick, Elliott spent his first four seasons in the league with the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions before joining the Miami Dolphins for one year.

The Steelers signed Elliott as a free agent to a two-year deal before the 2024 season.

He has 395 tackles in 72 career games.

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Ex-Ohtani interpreter reports to federal prison

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Ex-Ohtani interpreter reports to federal prison

Ippei Mizuhara, the disgraced former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, is in federal prison in Pennsylvania, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told ESPN on Monday.

Mizuhara, 40, was ordered to surrender to federal authorities by Monday. He is in custody at Federal Correctional Institution Allenwood Low, a low-security facility, after being sentenced to 57 months in prison for stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani.

Mizuhara was initially ordered to report to prison in March, but a federal judge granted the delay. The reasons for the delay remain under seal.

Mizuhara’s attorney declined ESPN’s request for comment, but previously stated that he expects Mizuhara, a Japanese citizen, to eventually be deported.

The Dodgers fired Mizuhara in March 2024 after an ESPN investigation revealed he sent millions in wire transfers from Ohtani’s account to an illegal bookmaker. He pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return in June 2024, admitting that he placed about 19,000 bets with the bookie over a two-year period and accumulated over $40 million in debt.

The bookmaker, Mathew Bowyer, pleaded guilty in August to running an illegal gambling business, money laundering and subscribing a false tax return. He is awaiting sentencing.

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