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Good morning to everyone but especially to…
JOSH HARRIS AND THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Days before what could make it finally, officially official, Josh Harris and his group took a major step forward in securing ownership of the Commanders.
- Per reports, the NFL finance committee — made up of eight owners — completed a remote vote to unofficially recommend Harris. In what was described as a “straw poll,” the owners who gave input unanimously endorsed Harris’ record-setting $6.05 billion deal.
- The finance committee will officially vote on Thursday ahead of owners’ meetings, and the owners tend to follow the finance committee’s lead. The deal needs approval from at least 24 of the 32 owners.
- The sale could be official by Friday.
Furthermore, the legal issues surrounding the Jon Gruden email leaks that threatened to complicate the sale have reportedly been resolved.
Honorable mentions
And not such a good morning for…
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SAQUON BARKLEY, THE NEW YORK GIANTS, JOSH JACOBS AND THE LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Franchise deadline day has come and gone, and it was none too kind to running backs. Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard all failed to reach a long-term deal with their respective teams. Both Barkley and Jacobs plan to hold out, as neither have signed their franchise tender. Pollard signed his back in March.
This, frankly, isn’t particularly surprising. The franchise tag pays running backs just over $10 million this season, and only six running backs — Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, Joe Mixon and Aaron Jones — are averaging more than that. Ultimately, Barkley, Jacobs, Pollard and everyone else playing the position were losers, writes Garrett Podell.
- Podell: “If these three can’t secure long-term deals now, what hope is there for others at the position going forward? … Six years ago, back in 2017, the running back franchise tag figure was $12.1 million. … On the flip side, franchise tag figures have all increased for quarterbacks ($21.2 million in 2017 to $32.4 in 2023), wide receivers ($15.6 million in 2017 to $19.7 million in 2023), offensive linemen ($14.2 million to $18.2 million), defensive ends ($16.9 million in 2017 to $19.7 million in 2023), and cornerbacks ($14.2 million in 2017 and $18.1 million in 2023).”
Henry, McCaffrey and plenty of others expressed their frustrations on Twitter.
On one hand, it’s a brutal market for running backs. On the other, the Giants and Raiders are certainly worse off without their star ball carriers. Jared Dubin took a look at what’s next for both teams.
Not so honorable mentions
⛳ The Open Championship storylines, odds, more
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Open Championship week is here, and things at Royal Liverpool are in full swing, with tee times and groupings unveiled early this morning. Here are some notables:
- 4:03 a.m. — Jordan Spieth, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jason Day
- 4:36 a.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama
- 4:47 a.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, Adam Scott
- 4:58 a.m. — Cameron Smith, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark
- 9:48 a.m. — Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau, Justin Thomas
- 9:59 a.m. — Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose
These guys will capture the most attention, none more so than McIlroy. The 34-year-old superstar is fresh off a thrilling Scottish Open victory and seeking his first major victory since 2014 at… Royal Liverpool. Kyle Porter has McIlroy as the No. 1 storyline. But it’s a different star on his own amazing run who I’m particularly intrigued by:
- Porter: “Will Scottie Scheffler cash in? — While he’s had an extremely successful 2023 with wins at the Players and the Phoenix Open, I can’t help but think he could look back on this window of extraordinary play with whom he only really has one ball-striking peer over the last 20 years (Tiger Woods) and believe he should have won more tournaments. Perhaps this is where that changes.”
McIlroy, meanwhile, tops Patrick McDonald’s rootability guide.
We also have…
🏀 WNBA Power Rankings, midseason awards
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After a thrilling All-Star Weekend that saw record-setting performances by Sabrina Ionescu in the 3-point contest and Jewell Loyd in the All-Star Game, the WNBA returns tonight.
Jack Maloney has updated Power Rankings as we hit the home stretch.
- 1. Aces — “They’ve opened up a 3.5-game lead in the race for the No. 1 seed, are on pace to have the highest winning percentage in WNBA history and boast the best offense, the best defense and a plus-19.1 net rating that would be the best all-time over the course of a full season.”
- 2. Liberty — “Relative to the sky-high expectations, and in comparison to the Aces, they’ve been a bit underwhelming.”
- 3. Sun — “They are one of two teams to defeat the Aces this season and are in the top three in offensive and defensive ratings.”
- 4. Dream — “They’ve already had multiple losing streaks of at least three games and multiple winning streaks of at least three games, and are the only team in the league with at least five double-digit wins and five-double digit losses.”
- 5. Wings — “[They’re] on pace for their first winning season since they moved to Dallas in 2016.”
The Aces may be the top team, but when it comes to individual awards, a player from a different team is running away with MVP, Jack says.
- Maloney: “MVP: Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty — The veteran forward is averaging 23.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists, all of which are career-high marks, and also shooting 47.6% from the field and 41.1% from 3-point land. She’s second in the league in scoring, first in rebounding and the only player in the top-15 in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks. Furthermore, she’s on pace to become the first player in WNBA history to average at least 20 points and nine rebounds for a season, let alone at least four assists as well.”
Here are all of Jack’s award picks.
⚾ Case for, against trading Shohei Ohtani
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We’re two weeks out from the trade deadline, and there’s still the Shohei Ohtani-sized elephant in the room. It’s not where he’ll go — yet — but if.
If he goes, the deadline looks completely different. Ohtani, a free agent at season’s end, would make all other targets secondary. But it’s hard for the Angels to just give him up. As a Nationals fan who just watched Juan Soto leave last year, I know how agonizing it can be. Yes, there’d be an amazing haul incoming if he’s traded, but trading a beloved superstar is more than numbers. That’s a point Dayn Perry made in his cases for and against trading Ohtani.
- Perry: “The Angels could be divorcing themselves from his latest appointments with history. What if he becomes the first player in MLB history to win the MVP after being traded during that MVP season? … It’s one thing to say that you were unable to persuade Ohtani to sign an extension. It’s another to trade him away in the midst of fringe contention and his finest ever season at the plate. That’s worth thinking about, particularly for an organization that’s not known for recent competence.”
🏈 Eight former Northwestern players retain legal representation
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Eight former Northwestern football players hired noted civil rights attorney Ben Crump and law firm Levin and Perconti to pursue legal action against the university regarding alleged abuse.
- Northwestern fired head coach Pat Fitzgerald earlier this month after details of alleged hazing — including sexual acts — and racist culture within the program emerged. Fitzgerald was initially given a two-week suspension before university president Michael Schill reassessed the punishment after said details emerged.
- Per the school’s investigation summary, 11 players corroborated the allegations of hazing.
- Crump represented the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and victims of the Flint water crisis as well as victims of former Ohio State physician Richard Strauss.
Fitzgerald hired legal counsel previously.
📺 What we’re watching Tuesday
⚾ Dodgers at Orioles, 7:05 p.m. on TBS
🏀 Sun at Mercury, 10 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
