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During Father’s Day weekend last year, Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders suffered a heart attack. For Father’s Day this year, Sanders is featured in a new documentary exploring what risks and lifestyle choices are behind heart attacks and strokes.

‘The Making of a Heart Attack’ is a new documentary film set to premiere Saturday at 1 p.m. on A&E. In it, Sanders will talk to four other people ‘who faced a heart attack or stroke to uncover the hidden risks, lasting impact and what they want others to know,’ according to the film’s description on A&E’s website.

On June 21 last year, Sanders shared a statement via social media announcing that he had ‘experienced a health scare related to my heart.’

“It was unexpected and served as a reminder of the importance of staying vigilant about our physical well-being, even when we are feeling fine,” Sanders’ statement read. “I am grateful for the amazing doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals for providing me with needed care. My family and I are thankful for your prayers and support during this time.”

In a recent interview with The Athletic, Sanders said that he had no idea the heart attack was coming. As a former athlete who worked out consistently and stayed in shape, he was not aware of other factors or habits that could have led to the cardiovascular event.

Even when he had suffered the heart attack, he was not aware it had happened. Sanders told The Athletic that it felt like a similar sensation to heartburn, but he eventually drove himself to the emergency room when it wouldn’t go away.

Sanders said his goal with this new documentary is to educate more people about the potential risks that can lead to – and the warnings that precede – heart attacks. He also wanted to explore why ‘the system, including healthcare professionals and patients, aren’t catching the signs early enough.’

The film’s description reads: ‘When it comes to cardiovascular disease, recognizing the risks is the first step to taking action.’

Sanders told The Athletic that ‘life since his heart attack has been good.’

The former Lions running back played in the NFL for 10 years and finished his career a six-time All-Pro and three-time Offensive Player of the Year award-winner. Sanders also won the NFL MVP award after the 1997 season, his penultimate year in the league. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

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Oregon State baseball snapped a seven-year College World Series drought by winning the Corvallis Super Regional, and it now looks to continue its ‘road warrior’ mentality with an opening win in Omaha.

The eighth-seeded Beavers’ first opponent also happens to be another team that is back at the Mecca of college baseball for the first time in quite some time. Oregon State and Louisville are slated to close down Day 1 of the 2025 CWS with a 7 p.m. ET first pitch on June 13 at Charles Schwab Field Omaha.

Mitch Canham’s Beavers, who are competing as an independent this season, are led by Aiva Arquette, a 6-foot-5 junior shortstop who is one of the top prospects in the upcoming MLB draft.

Trent Caraway has been on a heater at the plate this postseason for Oregon State as well, with a single-postseason program record of six home runs. He enters Omaha with 14 RBIs on the postseason, which is six RBIs off Adley Rutschman’s single-postseason program record.

Louisville took two of three games against Miami in the super regionals to return to Omaha for the first time since 2019. The Cardinals have been one of the more streaky teams in the NCAA baseball tournament this season, as they have won five of their last six games after losing five of six before the NCAA Tournament.

USA TODAY Sports is providing live updates, scores and highlights of Oregon State vs. Louisville at the College World Series. Follow along below.

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Oregon State vs Louisville baseball live score

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Oregon State vs Louisville CWS live updates

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Eric Segura gets out of jam

Eric Segura comes up big for Oregon State as he gets out of the jam. Facing runners on second and third with one out after throwing a pitch to the backstop, Segura answers back by getting Eddie King Jr. to strike out and Garret Pike to pop up in foul territory behind home plate to Wilson Weber.

Oregon State takes a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth against Louisville.

Louisville gets on the board

Eric Segura gets Jake Munroe to roll one to shortstop but Aiva Arquette can’t come up with the ball, allowing Kamau Neighbors to score and Munroe to reach first.

It’s now 2-1 Oregon State in the top of the sixth.

Oregon State makes pitching change

Oregon State makes a surprising call to the bullpen as Dax Whiney hits a roadblock in the top of the sixth inning after Louisville puts two runners into scoring position with one out. It will be Eric Segura who is summoned from the bullpen for the Beavers.

Whitney cruised through his first four innings in his first CWS start before losing some gas in the last two. He finished the night with nine strikeouts.

Louisville building momentum on offense

The Cardinals have some life on offense for the first time on the night as Kamau Neighbors works a walk and Moore singles over the head of Aiva Arquette into left field.

Matt Klein would then advance both runners into scoring position with a groundout to first. Runners on second and third with one out for Louisville coming up in the sixth inning.

Oregon State strands two runners

Oregon State takes a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning vs. Louisville, but leaves two runners on base in the fifth.

Patrick Forbes has kept the Cardinals in the game after giving up two runs in the fourth inning, but Louisville is going to need some offense if it wants a shot at advancing in the winners’ bracket. Louisville has just two hits through the first five innings in Omaha.

Oregon State adds another run in fourth inning

The Beavers aren’t done scoring in the fourth inning.

Wilson Weber singles through the right side of the diamond, allowing Aiva Arquette to score from third. It’s 2-0 Oregon State over Louisville going into the fifth inning.

Oregon State takes early lead in fourth inning

Oregon State is the first to strike in Omaha, as Gavin Hurley hit one to shortstop for an RBI groundout.

The Beavers got the scoring going with back-to-back singles from Trent Caraway and Aiva Arquette. Both runners would then move up a base on a wild pitch to the backstop from Louisville pitcher Patrick Forbes. Turley’s RBI breaks Oregon State coach Mitch Canham’s program record for most RBIs in a single postseason. Canham was part of Oregon State’s back-to-back national championship teams in 2006 and 2007.

Louisville leaves two runners on

Dax Whitney gets himself out of his first jam of the night by getting Garret Pike to chase a 95 mph fastball for strike three and the third out of the inning.

After not getting through Whitney in the first three innings, Louisville had some momentum in the fourth with back-to-back two-out singles from Jake Munroe and Eddie King Jr. off Whitney. A missed opportunity for the Cardinals.

Jake Munroe breaks up Dax Whitney’s perfect game

Louisville third baseman Jake Munroe breaks up Dax Whitney’s perfect game attempt with a single through the left side of the field in the top of the fourth. It’s the first hit and baserunner of the night for the Cardinals.

Before giving up a two-out single to Munroe, Whitney was rolling for the Beavers on the mound as he struck out seven of his first 10 hitters while throwing 70% of his pitches for a strike.

Oregon State, Louisville scoreless after three innings

It’s all knotted up at 0-0 between Oregon State and Louisville after three innings in Omaha.

After two and a half innings with no baserunners, Oregon State first baseman Jacob Krieg was the game’s first runner after being hit by a pitch. Louisville first baseman Tague Davis, the son of former MLB catcher Ben Davis, then made a nice play at first base to complete the 4-6-3 double play to retire Krieg and Canon Reeder.

Dax Whitney strikes out side in second inning

Good morning, good afternoon, good night! Dax Whitney is feeling it on the mound as he strikes out the side in the top of the second inning. He has now struck out five of the first Louisville batters he has faced.

The Beavers’ freshman ace has done a nice job through the first two innings of mixing in his pitches during at-bats with speed and placement. It’s 0-0 between Oregon State and Louisville going into the home half of the second.

Oregon State, Louisville scoreless after first inning

Both teams go down in order 1-2-3 in their halves of the first inning. Oregon State pitcher Dax Whitney and Louisville pitcher Patrick Forbes each have a pair of strikeouts to start their nights on the bump.

Is the College World Series double elimination?

Yes, the College World Series is double elimination in bracket play until the start of the best-of-three CWS finals.

Each team starts at a 0-0 record and is guaranteed at least two tournament games. Similar to the regional tournament format, the winner continues in the winner’s bracket, while the loser fends off elimination until a winner emerges from the bracket.

If a team loses two games in either the double elimination or championship series portions of the CWS, they are eliminated.

Dax Whitney opens CWS career with back-to-back strikeouts

Not a bad first impression in Omaha for Oregon State freshman pitcher Dax Whitney, as he retires Lucas Moore and Matt Klein on back-to-back strikeouts.

Two outs in the top of the first inning for the Beavers.

Pregame

Eddie King Jr. NCAA baseball tournament stats

Louisville shortstop Eddie King Jr. has been on a tear in the postseason for the Cardinals — and is one of the reasons why they are back in Omaha.

In five NCAA baseball tournament games this season, King Jr. is hitting a scorching .545 at the plate with eight RBIs and three home runs. Entering the CWS, King Jr. is 20 for 36 (.556) over his last 10 games with six doubles, seven homers, 17 RBIs and 11 runs scored. He also took home Nashville Regional Most Valuable Player honors after hitting .500 with four RBIs in the three games.

Louisville starting lineup

Here’s Louisville’s starting lineup for its CWS game vs. Oregon State:

  1. CF Lucas Moore
  2. C Matt Klein
  3. 3B Jake Munroe
  4. DH Eddie King Jr.
  5. RF Garret Pike
  6. LF Zion Rose
  7. 1B Tague Davis
  8. SS Alex Alicea
  9. 2B Kamau Neighbors

Patrick Forbes is starting on the mound for the Cardinals.

Oregon State starting lineup

Here’s Oregon State’s starting lineup for its CWS game vs. Louisville:

  1. 3B Trent Caraway
  2. SS Aiva Arquette
  3. LF Gavin Turley
  4. C Wilson Weber
  5. 2B AJ Singer
  6. DH Tyce Peterson
  7. 1B Jacob King
  8. CF Canon Reeder
  9. RF Easton Talt

Dax Whitney is starting on the mound for the Beavers.

Oregon State, Louisville arrive at CWS

The Beavers and the Cardinals have arrived at Charles Schwab Field Omaha for their CWS game. It is the first time both teams are facing each other since the 2013 College World Series.

How did Louisville make College World Series?

The Cardinals’ appearance at the 2025 College World Series has come by way of catching some last-season fire.

Louisville began its road to Omaha by sweeping its way through the Nashville Regional, which included a second-round win over top overall seed Vanderbilt. The Cardinals would secure their first regional title since 2022 with a 6-0 shutout win over Wright State.

Dan McDonnell’s squad would then take two of three games in the Louisville Super Regional against their ACC foe, Miami. The Cardinals’ super regional win over the Hurricanes sent them back to Omaha for the sixth time in program history and the first time since 2019. 

How did Oregon State make College World Series?

The Beavers advanced to the College World Series for the first time since winning it all in 2018 by taking two of three games in the Corvallis Super Regional against No. 9 Florida State. Oregon State also played itself out of the ‘elimination bracket’ of the Corvallis Regional to advance out of the first weekend.

Oregon State’s appearance in Omaha is a bit of a historic one, as it comes as an independent. The Beavers are the first independent to make the eight-team CWS field since Miami in 2004.

Click here to read more on why Oregon State is competing as an independent.

What time does Oregon State vs Louisville baseball start?

  • Date: June 13
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET
  • Where: Charles Schwab Field Omaha (Omaha, Neb.)

Oregon State and Louisville are scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET first pitch at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska in the opening round of the College World Series.

What TV channel is Oregon State vs Louisville baseball on today?

  • TV channel: ESPN
  • Streaming options: ESPN app | ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial)

The CWS opening-round game between Oregon State and Louisville will air on ESPN. Mike Monaco (play-by-play), Kyle Peterson (analyst), Chris Burke (analyst) and Kris Budden (sideline reporter) will be on the call for ESPN.

Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app (with a TV login), ESPN+ — ESPN’s subscription streaming service — and Fubo, the last of which carries ESPN and offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Streaming Oregon State vs. Louisville baseball with ESPN+

Oregon State vs Louisville baseball predictions, picks, odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, June 12

  • Spread: Oregon State -1.5
  • Over/under: 10.5
  • Moneyline: Oregon State (-175) | Louisville (+135)

NCAA baseball schedule

The 2025 NCAA baseball tournament began on May 30 with the regional round of play. The tournament has since advanced to the super regionals, which began June 6 and will run no later than June 9. The College World Series is the final step of the postseason and began on June 13. It will run through June 22 or 23, depending on whether the championship series requires two or three games.

Here is more detailed look at the latest college baseball schedule and NCAA Tournament bracket update.

  • Regional round: May 30-June 2
  • Super Regional round: June 6-9
  • College World Series: June 13-22/23
  • CWS finals: June 21-22/23

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Democratic lawmakers are sounding off on the Israel-Iran conflict, criticizing Israel’s initial airstrikes Thursday night in the capital of Tehran.

Israel launched ‘Operation Rising Lion,’ targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure, and Iran responded with strikes in Tel Aviv, injuring at least five people.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released a statement Friday calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an ‘extremist.’

‘The world is more dangerous and unstable as a result of the extremist Netanyahu’s government ongoing defiance of international law,’ Sanders wrote. ‘First, he uses the starvation of children in Gaza as a tool of war, a barbaric violation of the Geneva Conventions. Now, his illegal unilateral attack on Iran risks a full-blown regional war.’

Sanders added the strikes ‘directly contravened’ U.S. interests in resolving long-standing tensions over Iran’s nuclear program. 

‘Talks were planned for Sunday, but Netanyahu chose instead to launch an attack,’ Sanders wrote. ‘The U.S. must make it clear that we will not be dragged into another Netanyahu war. Along with the international community we should do everything possible to prevent an escalation of this conflict and bring the warring parties to the negotiating table.’

Senate Foreign Relations member Christopher S. Murphy, D-Conn., chimed in on social media Friday morning.

‘Netanyahu wasn’t trying to help diplomacy; he was trying to destroy diplomacy,’ Murphy wrote. ‘How do we know? They reportedly targeted and killed Iran’s chief negotiator with Trump.’

Tim Kaine, D-Va., who also serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, added he could not understand why Israel would launch a preemptive strike when a meeting was scheduled between the U.S. and Iran this weekend.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said military aggression is ‘never the answer.’

‘Israel’s alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence,’ Reed wrote. ‘These strikes threaten not only the lives of innocent civilians but the stability of the entire Middle East and the safety of American citizens and forces. While tensions between Israel and Iran are real and complex, military aggression of this scale is never the answer.’

By Friday afternoon, some Democrats seemingly changed their tune in response to the counter-attack.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., slammed Iran’s response, calling it ‘cowardice.’

‘#Israel’s strike on #Iran was targeted precisely at senior Iranian military commanders and military sites that posed an existential threat to Israel,’ Sherman wrote. ‘The Islamic Republic’s response? To target civilian centers in #TelAviv. Unsurprising cowardice from a regime that has spent decades brutalizing its own people.’

Others evaded the conversation all together.

‘This is a rapidly evolving situation, and it’s critical that the United States works with our allies and avoid steps that will cause further escalation across the region,’ Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., wrote in a statement. ‘For years, Iran has threatened the safety of Israel and the region, and Israel has an undeniable right to defend itself and its citizens.’

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National security and China experts are warning that Israel’s attack on Iran is an example of why Beijing’s efforts to purchase land and other assets within the United States need to be stopped immediately. 

After the initial attacks began on Friday, news reports began surfacing indicating that Israel had secretly built a drone base on Iranian soil that it used to launch its attacks. The operation was years in the making, one Israeli security official told the Jewish Chronicle, adding that weapons systems and soldiers had been smuggled into the country ahead of time. 

‘Look at the ways Israel penetrated Iran for sabotage operations. Now look at the Chinese companies and assets permeating the US power grid (solar converters), local law enforcement (DJI drones), and social media (TikTok),’ China policy expert Michael Sobolik wrote in a post on X. ‘The CCP is preparing to paralyze us in a crisis.’

Gabriel Noronha, president of Polaris National Security, also drew parallels between the China land grab in the United States and the recent Ukrainian drone strike that decimated a significant portion of Russia’s air fleet. The attack reportedly involved drones smuggled into Russia and released near airfields. 

‘After Ukraine’s drone operation in Russia and Israel’s operation in Iran, it is obvious that America’s enemies will try to replicate that playbook on our soil,’ Noronha said. ‘It is increasingly dangerous to allow Chinese companies and individuals to own land – especially near our military bases and critical infrastructure. Left unchecked, we are opening our land to host clandestine Chinese military bases to launch all sorts of attacks and cripple our nation in wartime.’

Officials in the United States have been sounding the alarm for years now about China’s efforts to purchase land near military bases, and other strategic assets that could help them sabotage the country. 

Just recently, the Arizona legislature passed a bill meant to block Chinese entities from obtaining more than a 30% stake in Arizona real estate, but it was vetoed by Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs. According to the bill’s sponsor, China had recently been trying to lease property near a major Air Force base in the state.

Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a conservative group with a mission to develop and enact state-level solutions to global security threats, warned Friday that if the United States does not get serious about interrupting China’s asset grab, it risks losing a war with them. He said land grabs are just the ‘tip of the iceberg.’

‘CCP land ownership is bad but it’s tip of the iceberg,’ Lucci said. ‘Their industrial property holdings are worse, as is their port access. Perhaps worst of all is their deep penetration of critical infrastructure and govt systems.’

‘I now understand the potential problem of the Chinese government owning land in America,’ added writer and podcast host Jamie Weinstein.

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A federal judge in Maryland on Friday ruled that President Donald Trump lacked the authority to fire three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and ordered their reinstatement — teeing up another high-stakes court clash centered on Trump’s ability as commander-in-chief to remove or otherwise control the members of independent agencies.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox, a Biden appointee, sided with the three ousted members of the board — Mary Boyle, Alexander Hoehn-Saric and Richard Trumka Jr. — in ruling that their firings were unlawful and ordered all three members to be reinstated to their posts.

In his ruling, Maddox said that the tenured design and protection of the five-member, staggered-term CPSC board does ‘not interfere with’ Trump’s executive branch powers under Article II of the U.S. Constitution.

The decision is a near-term blow for Trump, and comes just weeks after the Supreme Court last month agreed to uphold, for now, Trump’s removal of two Democratic appointees from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Merit Systems Protections Board (MSPB). 

Both board members had challenged their terminations as ‘unlawful’ in separate lawsuits filed in D.C. federal court. The Supreme Court voted 6-3 in May to temporarily allow the firing of both board members, siding with lawyers for the Trump administration, who had urged the justices to keep both members on the job while the case continued to move through the lower courts.

In his ruling, Maddox sought to distinguish those cases from the terminations of members of the CPSC board and said that the Trump administration, in this case, had failed to identify neglect or malfeasance by any other Senate-confirmed commissioners on the CPSC, which is required by law to justify their removals. 

‘For the reasons set forth below, the Court finds no constitutional defect in the statutory restriction on Plaintiffs’ removal and that Plaintiffs’ purported removal from office was unlawful,’ he said in the order.

‘The Court shall enter an Order granting Plaintiffs’ motion, denying Defendants’ motion, and providing declaratory and injunctive relief permitting Plaintiffs to resume their duties as CPSC Commissioners.’

The decision clears the way for the members to return to their roles on the board, pending an appeal to higher courts by the Trump administration. 

The case is the latest in a string of challenges centered on Trump’s ability to remove members of independent boards. Like the NLRB and MSPB rulings, it centers on the 90-year-old Supreme Court decision known as Humphrey’s Executor, in which the court unanimously ruled that presidents cannot fire independent board members without cause.

Maddox invoked the uncertainty created by the preliminary posture of the NLRB and MSPB cases, which saw both plaintiffs removed and reinstated to their positions multiple times — which he said was the basis for ordering more permanent injunctive relief.

‘Disruption might have resulted in the instant case if Plaintiffs had been reinstated while this case was in its preliminary posture, only to have the Court later deny relief in its final judgment and subject Plaintiffs to removal again,’ said Maddox. ‘The risk of such disruption is no longer a factor now that the Court is granting permanent injunctive relief as a final judgment.’ 

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: More Americans support rather than oppose Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to a new national poll conducted before Israel’s Friday attack on Iran.

But the survey, released by the Ronald Reagan Institute, indicates that most Democrats and Republicans don’t see eye-to-eye on the issue.

According to the poll, which was first shared with Fox News on Friday, 45% of those questioned said they would support Israel conducting targeted airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities if diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Iran fail.

Thirty-seven percent said they opposed Israeli airstrikes, with 18% unsure.

But the poll indicates a partisan divide.

Six in 10 Republicans said they support the airstrikes, but that backing dropped to 35% among independents and 32% among Democrats.

Twenty-seven percent of Republicans opposed the Israeli airstrikes, with a third of independents and just over half of Democrats opposed.

The poll of adult Americans was conducted, May 22-June 2, before Israel’s unprecedented attack on Iran, named ‘Operation Rising Lion,’ which included strikes on both the Islamic State’s nuclear program and military leaders.

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A warrant has been issued for the arrest of former NFL All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown in Miami-Dade County (Florida), according to a report.

The warrant, first reported by the Washington Post, was signed by a judge on June 11. It lists a charge of attempted murder with a firearm stemming from an incident outside of a May 16 boxing event in Miami.

Brown and his representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY Sports.

Brown was temporarily detained after an altercation in which gunshots were fired outside of the event hosted by streamer Adin Ross. Video posted to social media allegedly showed Brown fighting with several people and later jogging out of a garage. Gunshots can be heard near the end of the video.

Brown posted an explanation of what happened on X on May 17.

‘I was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me,’ Brown wrote in part. ‘Contrary to some video circulating, Police temporarily detained me until they received my side of the story and then released me. I WENT HOME THAT NIGHT AND WAS NOT ARRESTED [sic].’

He did not mention gunshots in that statement but said he was discussing ‘pressing charges on the individuals that jumped me’ with his attorneys.

In a livestream a few days later, Brown told Ross he could not remember what happened in that altercation.

‘Yeah I got CTE, I blacked out,’ Brown said. ‘I blacked out, Adin. I don’t know what happened.’

The warrant, the Post reports, details that officers responded to gunshots in the area. An off-duty officer at the venue who was working security stated that he observed Brown in an altercation after being told about the gunshots.

Patrons in the parking lot outside the venue identified Brown as the shooter to officers, according to the warrant, but Brown did not have a weapon when officers patted him down. Detectives later obtained video that appeared to show Brown getting in a physical altercation with another man and later appearing to take a security officer’s gun and running at the man.

Cell phone video shows Brown approaching the victim and the victim ducking gun shots, according to the warrant.

Brown was arrested in Broward County, Florida, in October 2023 for allegedly failing to pay child support.

Brown spent 12 seasons in the NFL: nine with the Pittsburgh Steelers, one with the New England Patriots and two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Steelers traded Brown to the Las Vegas Raiders but he was released before playing a down with the team and later signed with the Patriots.

(This story was updated to include new video.)

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BEREA, Ohio – Before being traded to the Cleveland Browns this offseason, quarterback Kenny Pickett had already heard about head coach Kevin Stefanski’s prowess of working with and getting the most out of his quarterbacks. 

Through the first few months of Pickett’s time with the Browns, Stefanski has lived up to the reputation “to a tee.” 

“He’s probably exceeded that,” Pickett said June 11. 

Stefanski sits in every quarterback meeting and will resume play-calling duties for the 2025 season after he handed the role briefly to former offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey halfway through last year. Dorsey is no longer with the Browns, and Tommy Rees was promoted to offensive coordinator, with Bill Musgrave as the quarterbacks coach. 

“The knowledge of his system, that he’s been in for a long time and how he understands quarterback play and what it’s like to be back there and the clock that we’re on and what we have to do to be successful,” Pickett said. “It’s been awesome.” 

A history of QB success under Stefanski

Stefanski spent most of his coaching career with the Minnesota Vikings and spent time with multiple position groups on offense, at one point serving as the tight ends coach and running backs coach. 

But from 2009-13, his first on-field role was as assistant quarterbacks coach. He overlapped with Brett Favre for the first two of those seasons, when the gunslinger led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game (2009) and finished fourth in MVP voting at 40 years old. 

Stefanksi worked his way back to the quarterbacks room, this time as the quarterbacks coach in 2017, when Case Keenum had his best year as a professional and the Vikings went to the NFC title game again. Kirk Cousins achieved the highest completion percentage of his career in 2018 (70.1%) and Stefanski became the offensive coordinator for the final three games of that season. In his first full season leading the offense, Stefanski’s scheme helped Cousins make his second Pro Bowl. 

Once he became a head coach with Cleveland in 2020, he helped Baker Mayfield turn in his best years as a Brown, which led to the franchise’s first playoff victory since 1994. But the defense has become Cleveland’s calling card during Stefanski’s Ohio tenure, despite the acquisition and payment of Deshaun Watson, whose suspension due to sexual harassment allegations and a series of injuries derailed the organization’s short-term plans. The current quarterback contingent of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and the two rookies means it will be up to the coach to get the most out of what is there. 

How does Stefanksi’s scheme fit Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel?

Under center. Play action. Quick reads. That’s the way of a Stefanski offense. And if he’ll once again assume more control of the philosophy and its implementation, ESPN analyst Dan Orlvosky, said then Sanders is “perfect for it.”  

“He’s perfect for the under center, play-action, control the line of scrimmage, see the defense — get from one, two, three, he’s got to do it more quickly, but he’s custom-made for that,’ Orlovsky said June 9 on “Get Up.” 

Orlovsky added: “He’s custom-made for that … the way that he thinks, the way that he can see something on the board, take it to a walk-through, bring it to a practice that’s (what you want to see).” 

Many of the questions from Gabriel or Sanders to the coaching staff or Pickett and Flacco – who played for Stefanski in 2023 as the Browns made the playoffs – have revolved around being under center at the line of scrimmage and the footwork required to drop back. But it’s a requirement for Stefanski, who establishes the run and lets other concepts evolve from that. 

Stefanski claimed “we’re so far away from that type of thought process” when it comes to choosing a starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Flacco is the odds-on favorite, but there will be an open competition come training camp. 

“Right now, that’s not the focus,” he said during team minicamp. 

 Pretty soon though, it will be. 

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Iran on Friday said the U.S., as a ‘backer’ of Israel, ‘shall be held fully accountable’ for the series of strikes Jerusalem levied overnight against Tehran, its nuclear and military facilities, and top officials – deepening retaliatory concerns over U.S. bases near Iran.

The U.N. Mission to Iran sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council condemning the attacks that killed four military commanders, one Iranian official allegedly involved in the nuclear talks with the U.S., and two nuclear scientists, and said that Israel’s ‘conduct’ in the region ‘poses a serious threat to international security.’

But earlier this week, just days ahead of a planned meeting between Washington and Tehran in Oman to discuss nuclear negotiations, Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh threatened to hit U.S. bases in the Middle East, should Israel once again directly strike the Persian nation. 

‘Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don’t come to fruition,’ Nasirzadeh said, according to Reuters following early reporting that Jerusalem was considering a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. ‘If a conflict is imposed on us … all U.S. bases are within our reach, and we will boldly target them in host countries.’ 

The Trump administration announced a partial evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Iraq and authorized military dependents to leave locations across the Middle East, but it remains unclear how many Americans are expected to depart from the region. 

President Donald Trump on Thursday said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution and told reporters ‘I had to do it.’

‘We have a lot of American people in this area. And I said, we got to tell them to get out because something could happen soon, and I don’t want to be the one that didn’t give any warning and missiles are flying into their buildings,’ he added in reference to the feared military escalation between Israel and Iran.

Defense officials in October 2024 said some 40,000 service members were stationed throughout the Middle East, many of which are in striking range of Iran. 

The U.S. military has at least 19 sites spread across the region, eight of which are considered to be permanent, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. 

These sites are located in countries that border or are geographically near Iran, including Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. 

But Iran’s lack of immediate defensive response to Israel’s Thursday night strike has prompted questions over whether Tehran would be able to pick a fight with the U.S. and create a third front. 

‘Given the fact that in January 2020, Iran launched short-range, precision strike ballistic missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq for killing Qasem Soleimani – the regime’s chief terrorist – this is not a theoretical exercise,’ Iran expert with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Benham Ben Taleblu told Fox News Digital. ‘The regime has proven an ability to land blows at these bases before.

‘It is possible, and it’s not theoretical, given that the regime has done this in the past and lived to tell the tale,’ he added. 

Ben Taleblu said he believes that Iran, at this moment, is looking to make sure the U.S. is not only uninterested in engaging in direct conflict against Tehran, but could even distance itself from Israel.

‘There is a political element to the regime continuously threatening America, which is to try to take advantage of the desire for de-escalation that exists in America,’ the expert added. ‘To try to put as much daylight between America and Israel as possible, and to turn America from an ally or partner of Israel, into just observer of yet another Middle East crisis. 

‘This is how Tehran is politically, trying to put America on the sidelines when militarily, it might struggle – militarily, it would struggle,’ Ben Taleblu added.

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Iran has initiated a forceful counterattack on Tel Aviv, just as the dust had begun to settle on Israel’s first round of strikes on Tehran, an operation to wipe out the Iranian regime’s nuclear capabilities. 

Tel Aviv residents were instructed to remain in bomb shelters Friday evening until further notice as the Israeli Defense Forces intercepted an onslaught of missile attacks from Tehran. 

The U.S. is left to wonder whether it will be drawn into the conflict. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at first insisted the American government was not involved in the strikes, but President Donald Trump’s comments Friday suggest he didn’t oppose them. 

Iran claimed that Israel’s ‘aggression against Iran could not have been carried out without the coordination and approval of the United States.’

If Iran is acting rationally, it has no reason to provoke America into joining offensive attacks on behalf of its ally Israel.

But what if it isn’t?  

‘I hope and pray the Iranians don’t hit Americans but …  it’s going to be very hard for the regime to not hit back and not hit back big,’ one former Pentagon official said. ‘All indications are they feel like they’re going to have to hit back hard.’

Another analyst echoed that point but emphasized the emotional toll on Iran’s leadership. 

‘You’re talking about human beings who just watched their country get attacked, and a lot of their close advisors, confidants, probably friends get killed, right?’ said Rosemary Kelanic, director of the Middle East Program at Defense Priorities. ‘That’s a tough thing for Iran to actually muster to do, but that’s clearly the right move for them strategically.’

Iranians haven’t been afraid to attack the U.S. before: they tried to kill Trump and his former advisors Mike Pompeo and John Bolton over the Qassem Soleimani assassination for years. 

Iran’s ability to strike U.S. targets in the region is no secret: It has missiles and drones capable of reaching American bases in Iraq, Syria and the Gulf. And, as Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum, noted, it has already demonstrated a willingness to use them.

‘Iran has the ability to use its missile program and its drones to strike at the United States and its bases in the region and in Israel,’ Roman said. ‘It has threatened to do so.’

But a bigger concern is sleeper cells – Iran’s ability to operate through proxies even within the U.S. 

‘That’s what I’m most worried about,’ said Roman. 

‘Iran has demonstrated… that it has the capability to establish infrastructure here in the United States,’ said Joe Truzman, senior research analyst with FDD’s Long War Journal. ‘Whether that’s through agents they hire, a proxy force like Hezbollah, or sleeper agents… it’s definitely a possibility.’

A former Pentagon official pointed to Iran’s massive missile arsenal – including more cruise and ballistic missiles than the U.S. has interceptors globally.

‘If Iran really decides to throw in its missile force, … they could really do a lot of damage,’ one former official said. ‘Particularly in Iraq and Syria, where a lot of our smaller bases are not well defended … not covered by Patriots or THAADs.’

Iran has a chokehold on Iraq’s Shiite military forces: They are the regime’s strongest proxy at the moment. The U.S. has around 2,000 forces stationed in Iraq to fight terrorism and this week evacuated non-essential embassy staff and their families from the embassy there.

‘Iran may choose to direct its proxy forces in Iraq or Yemen to begin increasing pressure on the U.S. by attacking American targets,’ said Truzman, ‘to build up enough pressure to compel the U.S. to stop carrying out attacks.’ 

Israel ‘prepared’ for further Iranian retaliation, IDF says

For now, Iran appears to be aiming its retaliation primarily at Israel – not the U.S. ‘Right now, most of Iran’s violent rhetoric and their attention is on attacking Israeli targets,’ said Truzman. ‘At this point, I don’t think Iran wants to provoke the U.S.’

Still, the situation remains fluid. ‘A lot depends on how Iran perceives the United States’ involvement in this conflict right now,’ he added. ‘The longer this conflict drags on, it’s very likely the U.S. military will get more involved.’

Beni Sabti, Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies, said that right now, ‘it’s convenient for Israel, Iran and for the U.S. for Iran to leave the U.S. alone.’ 

Kelanic warned that Israel may have made a grave miscalculation. ‘I think this is a huge strategic mistake by Israel,’ she said. ‘I’m worried they’re going to drag the United States into this giant mess.’

The U.S. is all but guaranteed to get involved at least in a defensive posture to help Israel repel Iran’s countermoves, and Ayatollah Alli Khamenei has vowed to bring Israel ‘to its knees.’ The U.S. coordinated closely with Israel to fend off Iran’s last two counterattacks in April and October last year. 

‘The Zionist regime will not escape unscathed from this crime,’ Khamenei threatened in a televised address on Friday. 

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