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TGL II Back on Schedule

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PALM BEACH GARDENS – (Wire Service Report) – The second season of TGL will begin Sunday, Dec. 28, with a rematch of the inaugural championship series.

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The simulator golf league co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy announced Monday that the defending champions Atlanta Drive GC and the New York Golf Club will face off in the season-opening match. It will be played at 3 p.m. ET and be broadcast on ABC while competitors CBS and Fox carry Week 17 NFL games.

Atlanta Drive GC feature Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel and Lucas Glover. New York’s team is made up of Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler, Cameron Young and Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick.

Atlanta swept New York in the best-of-three championship series last March to wrap up the first season of the league, which plays 15-hole matches in a purpose-built arena in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

TGL announced that the full schedule will be published in September. The TGL season will run through March.

–Field Level Media

Launch of Telemundo Deportes Ahora

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MIAMI – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Telemundo announced the launch of Telemundo Deportes Ahora, its 24/7 Spanish-language Sports FAST channel, debuting August 14initially on Peacock, Xumo Play, cthe NBC News FAST hub, and Telemundo.com with some content live streaming on YouTube. Telemundo Deportes Ahora will roll out on additional platforms over the coming months.

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“With Telemundo Deportes Ahora, we’re giving Hispanic audiences another way to connect with the sports they love, complementing our sports offering and enhancing their viewing experience on the road to World Cup and beyond,” said Joaquin Duro, Executive Vice President of Sports, Telemundo.

This new streaming channel delivers a dynamic, sports viewing experience, with more than 50 hours of new Spanish-language content weekly, including original programming, live shows and select live sporting events, designed for today’s digital-first audiences. And, as the countdown to FIFA World Cup 26 intensifies, Telemundo Deportes Ahora will feature comprehensive coverage of fútbol and beyond, including expert commentary and a fresh take on sports storytelling.

Telemundo Deportes Ahora will complement Telemundo’s existing and most valuable sports properties, such as Básquetbol LATAM, select MMA events, Bare-Knuckle Boxing, and Pro-Paddle League.

Telemundo’s roster of award-winning sports talent will contribute to FAST channel programming, delivering extended and dedicated coverage. Andres Cantor, Carlota Vizmanos, Diego Balado, and Luis Omar Tapia will expand their Premier League coverage; Jorge Calvo, José Luis López Salido, and Miguel Gurwitz will provide additional Liga MX content; and Isabella Echeverri will supplement U.S. Soccer programming on Telemundo Deportes Ahora.

Telemundo will premiere new live studio shows exclusively for Telemundo Deportes Ahora. Below are the daily live shows airing Monday through Friday offering real-time coverage of the day’s top headlines, spirited debates, analysis and exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the sports world debuting with the launch:

  • Telemundo Deportes Al Día – 1 p.m. ET: Hosted by Carmen Boquín, the show kicks off the day with the freshest sports news and a preview of the day’s programming. Carmen delivers key headlines and sets the stage for the rest of the sports coverage.
  • Puesta a Punto – 6 p.m. ET: An engaging show filled with debate, analysis, and in-depth commentary. Telemundo’s roster of award-winning sports talent brings their experience and insight, inviting audiences to take part in the conversation.
  • El Pelotazo Ahora – 11 p.m. ET: Hosted by Diego Arrioja, Pablo Mariño, andVerónica Rodríguez with regular contributions by Adriana Monsalve, the show serves as an extension of the network’s late-night sports show with a 360° approach, energetic hosts, guests, and lively debates, delivering a fresh take on the day’s most talked-about sports moments.

Telemundo Deportes Ahora will also present a suite of original programming designed to keep fans informed and entertained around key sports properties. Shows such as Fútbol MX, Fútbol US Soccer and Tercer Tiempo Ahora deliver the latest stories, biggest goals and expert breakdowns across Mexican, U.S. and global fútbol plus other major sports moments around the games. For Premier League fans, the channel will offer a rich slate of complementary content, including weekly highlight reels (Zona de la Premier League), player profiles (Historias y Leyendas de la Premier League), pre- and post-match analysis (Previa de la Premier League and Repaso de la Premier League), as well as legacy specials (Campeones de la Premier League).

In addition to its live offerings, Telemundo Deportes Ahora will offer weekly original programming, including:

  • Panorama Deportivo: A comprehensive look at the U.S. sports landscape, hosted by Jorge Calvo. This informative program dives into national trends with in-depth reporting and analysis, providing audiences with a full, detailed snapshot of the current sports scene.
  • Somos o No Somos: Hosted by Gurwitz, this is a fresh, energetic, and opinion-driven talk show that brings bold perspectives to the table. Whether the debate gets heated or stays lighthearted, this is the space for passionate takes on the week’s biggest topics.
  • Mundo PX Sports: A front-row seat to the world of extreme sports. This weekly show features news, highlights, exclusive interviews, mini-docs, and stunning scenery—all produced with a cinematic lens that captures the thrill of adrenaline-fueled action.

Telemundo Deportes Ahora joins Telemundo’s growing FAST channel lineup, including Telemundo Al Día (news, entertainment, reality, and sports), Noticias Telemundo Ahora (24/7 Spanish-language news), Telemundo Acción (high-energy action series) and Caso Cerrado (Telemundo’s iconic courtroom show). This expansion reinforces Telemundo’s commitment to diverse, on-demand content. For more information on Telemundo Deportes Ahora channel visit www.telemundo.com.

White Named to NFL Players’ Post

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – Less than three weeks after NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. resigned amid numerous allegations of impropriety, the union elected David White as it interim executive director.

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White is the chief executive officer of consulting firm 3CG Ventures and the former national executive director and chief negotiator of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA). He was a finalist for the NFLPA post when a the board of 32 player representatives elected Howell in June 2023, according to multiple media reports.

NFLPA president Jalen Reeves-Maybin said in a statement regarding the move by the Board of Player Representatives to appoint White, “This decision is the result of a comprehensive, player-led process. We understood the urgency to fill this role and did our due diligence to identify the right person to lead our union in this moment.

“We have full faith in David to take the union forward and operate in the best interests of our membership. David has spent much of his career fighting for collectively bargained rights in the labor movement and is committed to putting players first in all the union does. We are confident that he will inspire solidarity and provide the necessary stability during this period of transition.”

White added in a statement, “I am grateful to the NFLPA’s player leadership for entrusting me with the privilege and responsibility to guide their union as interim executive director. It’s a duty I do not take lightly, and I’m committed to reestablishing trust and ensuring the union is serving its members best. I look forward to working with the entire NFLPA team to protect players’ health and safety, secure their financial well-being, and further strengthen their voice to shape their futures.”

Howell stepped down on July 17 to no longer be a “distraction” for the NFLPA. During his tenure, he allegedly reached a confidentiality agreement with the NFL over a collusion case, worked for a private equity firm approved to pursue NFL minority ownership stakes and made inappropriate charges to the union, include a strip club visit.

Commanders Get Their New Home

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WASH DC – (Wire Service Report) – After nearly three decades of playing in Maryland, the Washington Commanders have the green light to build a new $3.7 billion stadium in D.C. that should bring them back to the nation’s capital by 2030.

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The D.C. Council voted 9-3 on Friday to ratify the deal between the city and the NFL team. The site of the new 174-acre complex will be the same as RFK Stadium, which remains in place even though the team moved out prior to the 1997 season.

“This is a historic moment,” Commanders managing partner Josh Harris said in a statement. “This project is about more than delivering a world-class stadium worthy of our players, fans and the region. It’s about revitalizing a critical part of our city, creating thousands of jobs and unlocking long-term economic benefits for the District. We look forward to working with our fans, residents, community leaders and elected officials to deliver on this vision.”

The franchise enjoyed its finest years at the RFK site, which opened in 1961 as District of Columbia Stadium. During the team’s 36 seasons at RFK, it won Super Bowls VII, XXII and XXVI while appearing in two more and earning eight other playoff appearances.

Since former owner Dan Snyder moved the team to now-Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., in 1997, Washington has amassed just seven playoff appearances in 28 years. Last season’s run to the NFC title game was the Commanders’ first push past the divisional round since 1991.

Snyder’s decision to sell his team in 2022 – a move encouraged by the NFL – helped pave the way for the franchise’s return to D.C. In addition, Harris indicated his willingness to foot more of the bill than most owners.

According to details of the deal, the Commanders are expected to handle $2.7 billion of the stadium’s cost along with any overruns. The District of Columbia will pay $1 billion, but much of that is expected to be recouped over the long haul in taxes and other revenue streams.

–Field Level Media

Poker Face? Gilbert Arraign-as

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LOS. ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former NBA All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas and five other defendants were arrested Wednesday on a federal indictment alleging they operated an illegal gambling business running high-stakes poker games at Arenas’ mansion in Encino, Calif., according to the United States Attorney’s Office of the Central District of California.

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He is scheduled to make his initial appearance and be arraigned on Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. If convicted, he would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.

Also charged on Wednesday in the indictment were Yevgeni “Giora” Gershman, 49, of Woodland Hills; Allan “Elica” Austria, 52, of West Hills,Calif.; and Evgenni “Eugne” Tourevski, 48, Yarin “YC” Cohen, 27 and Ievgen Krachun, 43, all of Tarzana, California.

Gershman is a suspected high-level organized crime figure from Israel, according to the news release from the U.S. attorney’s office.

Arenas and the other defendants operated an illegal gambling business from September 2021 to July 2022, according to the indictment that was unsealed on Wednesday. Arenas rented out the Encino mansion for the co-conspirators to host the illegal “Pot Limit Omaha” poker games, among other illegal games, with a fee charged from each pot either as a percentage or a fixed amount per hand.

Gershman hired women who were paid in tips and served drinks, provided massages and offered companionship to the poker players — with the women charged a percentage of their earnings by the business operators, per the indictment. Chefs, valets and armed security guards also were hired to staff the games.

Arenas was a three-time All-Star, and All-NBA second-team selection in 2006-07 and third team in 2004-05 and 2005-06.

He averaged 20.7 points, 5.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 552 regular-season games (455 starts) for the Golden State Warriors (2001-03), Washington Wizards (2003-10), Orlando Magic (2010-11) and Memphis Grizzlies (2012).

His NBA career was overshadowed by a locker-run incident in December 2009 in which he and Washington teammate Javaris Crittenden brought guns into the locker room two days after having a dispute on a flight during a card game. Arenas was suspended for the remainder of the 2009-10 season.

The Warriors selected Arenas in the second round (31st overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft out of Arizona.

Baseball at the Race Track

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BRISTOL (Tenn) – Saturday’s MLB Speedway Classic will break Major League Baseball’s all-time single-game attendance record, the league announced on Monday.

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More than 85,000 tickets have been sold for the game between the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves at Bristol Motor Speedway, the first MLB game ever played in Tennessee.

The current record for paid attendance is 84,587 set on Sept. 12, 1954, for a doubleheader at Cleveland Stadium between the then-Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees.

Fans from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and nine countries across four continents have purchased tickets for the game.

Hall of Famers representing both teams will throw out the ceremonial first pitches, Chipper Jones for the Braves and Johnny Bench for the Reds.

The Speedway Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports with the first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET.

The current record for paid attendance is 84,587 set on Sept. 12, 1954, for a doubleheader at Cleveland Stadium between the then-Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees.

Fans from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and nine countries across four continents have purchased tickets for the game.

Hall of Famers representing both teams will throw out the ceremonial first pitches, Chipper Jones for the Braves and Johnny Bench for the Reds.

The Speedway Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports with the first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET.

Harper and The Commish

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PHILADELPHIA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Right smack in the middle of the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper dropped an f-bomb on Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred in a heated confrontation last week about a potential salary cap, ESPN reported.

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An irate Harper reportedly got in Manfred’s face and told him to “get the f– out of our clubhouse” if he wanted to discuss such a sensitive economic issue.

Manfred replied that he was “not going to get the f– out of here,” insisting it was important to talk about threats to the league’s business and ways to grow the game, sources told ESPN.

Other players tried to defuse the situation and Harper and Manfred eventually shook hands after the meeting, but Harper would not answer calls from Manfred the next day, per the report.

“It was pretty intense, definitely passionate,” Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos told ESPN. “Both of ’em. The commissioner giving it back to Bryce and Bryce giving it back to the commissioner. That’s Harp. He’s been doing this since he was 15 years old. It’s just another day. I wasn’t surprised.”

Harper, 32, is one of the game’s most influential players as a two-time National League Most Valuable Player and an eight-time All-Star.

Pogacar Wins Shortened Tour de France

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PARIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia claimed his second straight and fourth career Tour de France championship on Sunday in rain-soaked Paris.

Pogacar, who also won in 2020 and 2021, became the sixth man to win the world’s most prestigious cycling competition at least four times.

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The 26-year-old joined France’s Jacques Anquetil (five) and Bernard Hinault (five), Belgium’s Eddy Merckx (five), Spain’s Miguel Indurain (five) and Britain’s Chris Froome (four).

Pogacar finished four minutes and 24 seconds ahead of rival Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark, the race winner in 2022 and 2023. Germany’s Florian Lipowitz was third, 11 minutes behind.

Belgium’s Wout Van Aert was the first across the Stage 21 finish line in the French capital, collecting his 10th career stage win in the Tour de France.

Due to hazardous conditions and the threat of crashes on the slippery streets, race organizers announced about 50 kilometers into Sunday’s 132.3-kilometer trek from Nantua that all times would be frozen with 50 kilometers to go.

The change all but guaranteed victory for Pogacar, although he still had to finish the race to be declared the winner.

–Field Level Media

Crime Doesn’t Pay

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – A New York City pawn shop owner has pleaded guilty to buying and selling luxury items stolen by a national burglary crew whose victims including Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York.

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Burrow was playing a road game last December against the Dallas Cowboys when items were stolen from his home. The pattern of athletes’ homes burglarized while they were publicly scheduled elsewhere includes Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and NBA stars Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers and Mike Conley Jr. of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The pawn shop owner, Dimitriy Nezhinskiy, 43, of North Bergen, N.J., pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of conspiracy to receive stolen property in a Brooklyn federal court. He admitted knowingly purchasing stolen property, including high-end watches, jewelry and handbags.

Nezhinskiy, whose sentencing date has not been determined, faces a maximum of five years in prison and restitution and forfeiture of more than $2.5 million. In addition, because he is from the country of Georgia while legally residing in the United States, Nezhinskiy faces federal charges and the possibility of deportation, District Judge William F. Kuntz said.

“This defendant ran a black-market pipeline, buying stolen luxury goods from organized theft crews that targeted homes and businesses,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a news release on Friday. “It was a deliberate operation that helped professional burglars prey on innocent people.”

Co-defendant Juan Villar, 48, who co-managed the pawn shop, pleaded guilty in June to the same charge, per Friday’s news release. The two men worked together between 2020 and this year, according to the release, as “fences” to receive and buy stolen goods from outside of New York. Villar, of Queens, N.Y., also is awaiting sentencing.

The news release said that South American Theft Group traveled the United States and targeted homes in affluent neighborhoods as well as jewelry vendors. The investigation involving multiple states has resulted in six arrests.

Nezhinskiy and Villar haven’t been charged with specific burglaries. Police searched the pawn shop as well as storage units owned by Nezhinskiy in New Jersey and found suspected stolen property including sports memorabilia, artwork and fine wine as well as luxury goods and clothing and “power tools consistent with those commonly used in burglaries and opening safes,” according to the news release.

Three men arrested in a series of burglaries, including the one of the crimes at Burrow’s home, were indicted in February by a federal grand jury in Cincinnati, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

–Field Level Media

NFLPA’s Lloyd Howell Jr. Steps Down

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – Lloyd Howell Jr. stepped down as executive director of the NFL Players Association on Thursday night following weeks of scrutiny for multiple blunders, including a reported conflict of interest and a decision to hide key parts of an arbitration ruling from the players

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“It’s clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day,” Howell said in a statement. “For this reason, I have informed the NFLPA Executive Committee that I am stepping down as Executive Director of the NFLPA and Chairman of the Board of NFL Players effective immediately. I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season.

“I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish at the NFLPA over the past two years. I will be rooting for the players from the sidelines as loud as ever, and I know the NFLPA will continue to ensure that players remain firmly at the center of football’s future.”

Last week, ESPN reported that Howell held a part-time role as a consultant for The Carlyle Group, one of a small handful of private equity firms that the NFL has approved to pursue minority ownership in franchises.

ESPN’s reporting included a former lead outside counsel for the NFLPA, Jim Quinn, calling it “an outrageous conflict for the head of a labor union to have an interest in a third party that is aligned with the NFL.”

It was not the first blow to Howell’s reputation this offseason. In June, the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast published an arbitrator’s report from January, when the NFLPA and the league were at odds over potential collusion by team owners to tamp down the growth of quarterback contracts.

The arbitrator, Christopher Droney, ruled that there wasn’t sufficient evidence of collusion between owners — but he went on to say that “by a clear preponderance of the evidence,” commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL’s general counsel encouraged owners to restrict guaranteed money in player contracts.

Howell and the union reportedly had a confidentiality agreement with the NFL to keep the full report from getting out. Howell briefed the players but didn’t provide them copies of the report, according to ESPN.

Furthermore, Howell sits on the board of OneTeam Partners, a group licensing firm that is under investigation by the FBI.