AI-assisted summary
• The Los Angeles Clippers are under NBA investigation for allegedly circumventing the salary cap.
• NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the investigation is ongoing but provided no timetable for its completion.
• Silver stated the league is not considering moving the 2026 All-Star Game from the Clippers’ arena.

A few weeks ago, the NBA went ablaze with allegations of the Los Angeles Clippers circumventing the NBA salary cap by paying star Kawhi Leonard with a no-show deal from a now-bankrupt company, Aspiration, in which Clippers’ owner Steve Ballmer invested.

This potentially egregious navigation of the NBA’s salary rules and subsequent penalties will not be taken lightly. The NBA is currently investigating the matter with the mighty hammer of justice yet to bonk the Clippers on the head. Such a devious way around the NBA salary cap has never been seen before, meaning the ruling and penalties that the team will face will be a landmark case for the NBA moving forward.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the allegations facing the Clippers on Monday from NBC Sports headquarters. Here’s what he said on the matter.

Adam Silver statements on Kawhi Leonard, Clippers controversy

Silver did not give much of an update on the Leonard controversy itself, only noting that the NBA is still investigating the matter. He provided no timetable regarding when the investigation may be completed.

Will this affect the 2026 NBA All-Star Game?

With this upcoming season’s All-Star Game set to take place at the Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, there was speculation that the league could move the game as a penalty for the Leonard situation.

Silver shut down those rumors. He said, ‘There’s no contemplation of moving the All-Star game, and planning for the All-Star game and the surrounding activities are operating completely independently of the ongoing investigation.’

Steve Ballmer’s response

Ballmer has denied any knowledge of the situation, claiming he was ‘duped.’

On Sep. 5, Ballmer made an appearance on ESPN, claiming that he was unaware of the court documents that had originally linked Aspiration to Kawhi Leonard.

A few weeks later, the Clippers made a statement of their own, addressing the situation and Ballmer’s involvement with Aspiration. It read, ‘This effort reflects Steve wanting to set a positive example and raise awareness of the growing and important role of voluntary carbon markets. Unfortunately, he was duped on the investment and on some parts of this agreement, as were many other investors and employees.’

Former NFL quarterback and current Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez is facing an additional charge for his alleged involvement in a violent altercation in Indianapolis early Saturday morning.

Sanchez, 38, had initially been arrested and charged with several misdemeanors during the weekend after he was hospitalized with a stab wound. On Monday, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced in a press conference that his office filed a charge against Sanchez for Level 5 felony battery.

‘We received an amended, or an additional probable cause affidavit this morning,’ Mears said. ‘With that additional information, we have added more serious charges against Mr. Sanchez. At this point in time, we have filed a felony charge, a Level 5 felony of battery involving serious bodily injury.’

If convicted of the felony, Sanchez would face a sentence between 1 to 6 years.

According to an affidavit obtained by multiple outlets, including USA TODAY Sports, Sanchez allegedly threw a 69-year-old man into a wall and onto the ground in an altercation early Saturday morning. The man told the police in a statement that he feared for his life and used his knife in self defense, according to the affidavit.

Sanchez was in Indianapolis to announce the Indianapolis Colts game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. He was reported to be in stable condition after he was hospitalized for the stab wound.

In the network’s pregame show, ‘Fox NFL Sunday,’ host Curt Menefee addressed Sanchez’s hospitalization and arrest in a statement.

‘One of our team members, Mark Sanchez, was involved in an incident that, to be honest, we’re all still trying to wrap our heads around. At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with Mark, his family and all those involved.’

Fox NFL analyst Brady Quinn stepped in for Sanchez to announce Sunday’s game after the incident.

Sanchez was the No. 5 overall pick by the New York Jets in the 2009 NFL Draft after playing his collegiate career at Southern California. He retired in 2019 after stints with five other teams and joined Fox as an NFL analyst in 2021.

On Sunday, Sept. 28, a vehicle carrying two bay-winged hawks was stolen from SoFi Stadium — home to the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and Rams. The hawks, which are owned by falconer Charles Cogger, were employed by SoFi Stadium to not only keep other birds away from the stadium during game times, but also to prevent those birds from defecating on fans or swooping down to steal unattended food.

After more than a week away from its trainer, one of the hawks, named Bubba, has been found safe and returned to Cogger. The other, Alice, remains missing.

How were the hawks stolen?

The vehicle carrying the hawks, a Kawasaki Mule UTV, had been left unattended with the keys in the ignition. It is unclear whether or not the culprit knew the birds were in the backseat.

The vehicle was found soon after, in a south LA neighborhood just five miles from SoFi Stadium. The birds were nowhere to be found though.

Where was the hawk found?

Bubba was found Monday morning near Seventh Street in Hacienda Heights, nearly 25 miles from where the vehicle had originally been stolen. A concerned homeowner spotted the hawk in her backyard and called the Inglewood Police Department, who promptly identified the hawk and returned it.

Has the other hawk been found?

No. Alice remains missing.

However, Bubba’s safe return has kept Cogger optimistic that Alice is safe as well.

‘Alice is still out there,’ Cogger told NBC Los Angeles. ‘But this gives me hope she will show up.’

He continued, ‘They can only go so long without food or water.’

How to identify the missing hawk

Bay-winged hawks are known for their broad and long wings paired with a short, rounded tail. They are often around 18-22 inches long.

Alice, specifically, wears a metal band around its leg, identifying it as captive-bred to other aviary enthusiasts.

All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter. Check out the latest edition: Last of the unbeatens fall.

This story has been updated.

ESPN has denied a report that it has barred Paul Finebaum from appearing on its various platforms after the longtime college football pundit expressed an interest in running for a soon-to-be vacant U.S. Senate seat in Alabama.

Radio host Clay Travis, the founder of the sports and politics website OutKick, reported on Monday, Oct. 6 that ESPN had canceled all of Finebaum’s scheduled appearances on shows across the ESPN family of networks, including ones that have taken place for “a decade plus.” Finebaum had teased the possibility of a Senate run in an interview with Travis last week.

Within 30 minutes of Travis’ initial post about Finebaum on social media, Bill Hofheimer, a spokesman for ESPN, strongly refuted the report.

“This is not true at all,” Hofheimer posted on X (formerly Twitter). “The below is TOTALLY FALSE.”

Travis quickly responded to Hofheimer’s denial, asking why Finebaum wasn’t on ‘SportsCenter’ on Sunday or ESPN’s morning shows Monday to discuss an eventful Week 6 of the college football season, highlighted by Penn State’s stunning loss to previously winless UCLA.

In a statement provided to USA TODAY, OutKick said it ‘stands by Clay’s reporting.’

Finebaum, a staple of the SEC and broader college football world for decades, has been with ESPN since 2014. In recent years, he has frequently appeared on ESPN’s biggest shows — ‘SportsCenter,’ ‘First Take’ and ‘Get Up’ — to discuss the biggest stories in college football.

Finebaum is scheduled to appear on ‘First Take’ on Tuesday, Oct. 7, a hit that had been previously arranged and was not a reaction to Monday’s report from Travis. Finebaum is also set to go on ‘SportsCenter’ this upcoming weekend. Finebaum’s work on his own show and ‘SEC Nation’ on the SEC Network have not been affected, either.

He’s not the first ESPN personality to hint at a run for public office. For much of the past 11 months since the 2024 presidential election, Stephen A. Smith, perhaps the network’s most prominent figure, has openly discussed a possible presidential run in 2028 and has continued to appear on ESPN shows.

Though he has been doing his radio show in Charlotte, North Carolina for much of his time at ESPN, Finebaum’s roots as a reporter and media personality are in Birmingham, Alabama, where his show and its legendary cast of regular callers became synonymous with the passion and mania that surrounds SEC football.

Finebaum told Travis he had been registered as a Republican in North Carolina, but he had recently moved back to Alabama and was planning on re-registering as a voter there.

Finebaum would have to make a decision to run by Jan. 26, 2026, the qualifying deadline in Alabama for the Senate race. The 70-year-old would be running to fill a seat being vacated by former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, who has said he will run for governor of Alabama in 2026, right before his Senate term ends in 2027.

‘Alabama has always been the place I’ve felt the most welcome, that I’ve cared the most about the people,’ Finebaum told Travis. ‘I’ve spoken to people from Alabama for 35 years, and I feel there is a connection that is hard to explain.’

USA TODAY’s James Powel contributed to this report.

The NHL’s Florida Panthers received championship rings Monday, Oct. 6, and they pulled another rat trick.

Like the rings from 2024, the latest edition includes an engraved rat, a nod to the fans’ tradition of throwing plastic rats onto the rink after victories. A lot of rats and a lot of victories have piled up with the Panthers having won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

The Panthers received the rings in a private event at War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and they feature more than vermin. The rings, handcrafted in white and yellow gold, include more than 450 diamonds and genuine rubies, according to a press release issued by the Panthers.

Two Stanley Cup trophies, one for 2024 and one for 2025, sit atop the ring. The sides of the ring display the player’s number, the championship year and “BACK TO BACK CHAMPIONS.’’

In a nod to the Panthers’ home state, the rings also feature palm trees. Those are pricey palms, too, with diamonds cascading down that side of the ring. Between the diamonds and rubies, the total gemstone count is 16.15 carats of gemstones, according to the Panthers.

Engraved in the interior of the ring is one of the team’s mottos: “We Apologize To No One.”

They’re certainly not apologizing for the rat.

Perhaps more will hit the rink Tuesday, Oct. 7 when the Panthers raise the 2025 Stanley Cup championship banner during their home opener at Amerant Bank Arena against the Chicago Blackhawks.

AI-assisted summary
• NBA commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged the WNBA is experiencing ‘growing pains’ amid player dissatisfaction.
• The WNBA players union opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement, which now expires on Oct. 31, 2025.
• Players are seeking a larger share of league revenue, especially with a new multi-billion dollar media rights deal starting next season.
• Despite the issues, Silver expressed confidence that a new deal will be reached with the players to avoid a work stoppage.

On the heels of several prominent WNBA players criticizing league commissioner Cathy Englebert for a lack of accountability and leadership, NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Monday added his voice to the discussion.

In remarks made Oct. 6 at NBC Sports headquarters, Silver acknowledged the WNBA is experiencing ‘growing pains’ with its unprecedented popularity colliding with rampant player dissatisfaction just ahead of the expiration of its collective bargaining agreement at the end of the month.

‘Cathy Englebert has presided over historic growth in the league, but there’s no question that there’s issues we need to address with our players,’ Silver said. ‘They’re not just economic. There’s relationship issues, as well.

‘I’m confident we can fix those over time, and this league can continue to be on the rocket trajectory that it’s on right now.’

The current CBA was originally set to run through 2027, but the WNBA players union opted out last year, which pushed the expiration date up to Oct. 31, 2025.

With a new 11-year media rights deal — worth an estimated $2.2 billion — set to kick in next season, and two new expansion teams slated to join the league in 2026, players have been pushing for a greater share of the league’s revenue than the 9.3% they currently receive.

By comparison, NBA players receive roughly 50% of their league’s basketball-related income.

Silver didn’t take sides in the dispute, preferring instead to keep the focus on the court, with the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces headed toward Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday night.

‘There’s no question that the WNBA is going through growing pains, and it’s unfortunate that it’s coming just as their most important games in the finals are on right now,’ Silver said. ‘We’ve had two fantastic games so far and want to celebrate the game at the moment. And then we’ve got to sit down with the players and negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.”

The WNBA has experienced rapid growth recently, spurred in part by the 2024 draft class that included Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The league turned in its most-watched regular season in 24 years and recorded its highest attendance in 22 years this past season.

However, that progress could come to an abrupt halt if the league and the players can’t agree on a new CBA, especially if it leads to a work stoppage.

With so much on the line, Silver seemed confident things wouldn’t reach that stage.

“We will get a deal done with the players,’ Silver said emphatically. ‘Lots of work left to be done, but we’ll, of course, get a new collective bargaining deal done.’