Antonio Brown backs GoFundMe for man arrested after leaving children alone in McDonald's over job interview



A debate erupted over a man arrested for leaving his children alone at a fast-food restaurant in order to go to a job interview, and former NFL star Antonio Brown sided with the dad against his critics.

24-year-old Chris Louis is accused of leaving his three children without supervision at a McDonald's in Augusta, Georgia, on March 22. A witness saw Louis at about 4:30 p.m. and called police, who detained him at about 6:18 p.m.

'She said he was at a job interview and that they had been homeless since November.'

Louis told police they had walked to the restaurant from his apartment because he didn't want the children, ages 1, 6, and 10, to walk back alone. He also said he doesn't own a car. The witness said that Louis had left and returned once briefly and left again.

Louis was arrested and charged with deprivation of a minor, while the children were released to their mother.

The incident sparked a national debate, with some accusing Louis of abusing the children and others defending him for seeking employment.

Brown opened a GoFundMe donation account for the man and donated $1,000 of his own money.

"Leaving his kids wasn’t right… but not everyone has the $ or help for child care," wrote Brown on social media. "Chris was on the Pursuit of Happiness & sometimes ppl just need help."

When details from the police report appeared to contradict the claim that he had been at a job interview, Brown said he would verify the story before releasing the funds.

"Spoke to his girlfriend this morning," he wrote. "She said he was at a job interview and that they had been homeless since November. No funds will be sent to family till story is verified.. if can’t verify story.. I will have @gofundme refund the money to everyone who has given."

Brown had raised $60K for Louis after only 23 hours.

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Trump Admin Sends Maine ‘Final Warning’ For Allowing Boys In Girls’ Sports

The Trump administration has sent a “final warning” to the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) over its “ongoing refusal to comply with Title IX” as it continues to allow male athletes to compete against women in sports. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) sent the letter to MDOE stating it is […]

Jake Paul likely never fighting in MMA, says promotion that signed him: 'I think he's pretty set on boxing'



An executive from the Professional Fighters League said it is unlikely that boxing star Jake Paul will cross over into mixed martial arts.

Dan Hardy, PFL's director of fighter operations for Europe, directly contradicted the promotion's founder Donn Davis when he said he did not think Paul would make the jump to MMA.

In January, Davis said Paul's MMA career has been delayed "because he's killing it in boxing."

"So will MMA happen with the PFL? Yes, it will. Has it been delayed? Yes, it has. My guess is the fall of this year, but I don't think it's going to be before that," Davis added, per BJPenn.com.

Hardy, a former UFC fighter who joined the promotion at the executive level in 2023, spoke to outlet MMA Fighting and was asked if Paul's MMA debut had been put off so long that it seemed it was no longer going to happen.

"Yeah, I don't know. I'm not seeing him make any moves in that direction, certainly from my perspective," Hardy replied. "I mean, he just called out Anthony Joshua the other day did he not? He's certainly making things interesting for the combat sports world and he's definitely a disrupter. That’s the main purpose that he's serving right now, and he’s a benefit to the PFL in that regard as well."

Joshua is a highly respected English boxer with a 28-4 record. The 35-year-old last fought, and lost by knockout, in September 2024 to Daniel Dubois.

'Do we ever see him in MMA? I don’t think so.'

Hardy then dropped a bomb that likely will not please his company's ownership.

"Do we ever see him in MMA? I don’t think so," Hardy stated. "I think he's pretty set on boxing right now. I don't know, I don't know, it’s a lot of work for him to cross over into MMA. He's not going to fight anybody that you've ever heard of before, you know, it’s going to have to be a decent name or people won't watch it. Old guys in MMA could still handle business, I think, with Jake Paul."

Paul claimed last October that he would be entering the MMA arena following his fight with Mike Tyson.

Earlier in the summer, Paul expressed that he did not want an easy opponent for his first time in the cage and said he could likely "beat Nate Diaz."

Paul went on, "It would be tough, of course. It's a 50/50 fight, but I don't want to go into something where I'm going to be outclassed like fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov in my first fight."

Nurmagomedov is considered one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time and retired undefeated at 29-0.

Diaz, 39, recently signaled he wanted to return to the UFC having last fought in 2022 when he beat UFC legend Tony Ferguson.

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Coastal Carolina University announces free, unlimited food at football games, but fans are suspicious



Coastal Carolina University has begun a new era that will certainly have football fans across the country asking for reciprocal treatment from their programs.

The NCAA Division I school plays its football at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina, with a capacity of 21,000. That is the number of fans the Chanticleers plan on feeding multiple times this fall after the school announced ticket holders will have unlimited access to free concessions at home games this year.

The university made the announcement with a playful promo to show that no matter how much food a fan wants, they will get it.

"All games. All fans. Feast for free," the caption read.

The details were not quite as muddy as fans may have initially thought; the school revealed in a press release that ticket holders will be able to get four items each during every visit to the concession stand. However, there is no limit to the number of times they can pick up food.

The available (free) concessions were announced as hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, fountain drinks, and water.

Chauncey the Chanticleer mascot at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina. Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images

"Our fans are the heartbeat of Teal Nation, and we're always looking for ways to elevate their game day experience," said school executive Chance Miller. "With the CCU Kickoff Meal Deal, we're excited to offer free concessions this fall as a way to say thank you for the energy, passion and support they bring to Brooks Stadium every game."

With the offer seemingly too good to be true, fans online reacted with suspicion over the idea of free and unlimited access to goods that could easily total over $50 per person under regular circumstances.

"There is 100 [%] a catch behind this," one fan wrote.

The only catch from Coastal Carolina seemed to be the required access through their custom app. Every time fans head to the concessions stand, they must "scan each trip through the line with the soon-to-be-launched Coastal Carolina Athletics App."

At least one fan theorized that user data would be the key to the school making its money back through the app, while others wondered if the offer would raise the prices of all other concessions.

The school did not mention whether or not specialty items, like alcohol, would increase in price, rather they noted other concessions would simply remain available for purchase.

Beer will now be $20 each lol
— Former Football Fan (@nyjetsnerd) March 31, 2025

"Genuine question- how is this financially feasible?" a concern fan asked.

An Alabama fan offered an outsider's perspective for the all-you-can-eat offer and cleverly described it as the "greasiest marketing strategy of all time."

While it remains unclear if the promotion is temporary, the Chanticleers could simply be looking to draw more fans after a disappointing 3-5 conference record in 2024.

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Lia Thomas says he was 'devastated' over ban on men in women's swimming: 'It has to be the athletes deciding for themselves'



Former NCAA swimmer Lia (William) Thomas said athletes should be able to decide which gender category they compete in.

The former swimmer was infamously ranked 554th in the 200-yard freestyle for men before achieving fifth in the nation against women. Thomas was also the top-ranked swimmer in the country for the women's category for the 500-yard freestyle, with the distinct advantage of being a man.

Thomas was the keynote speaker at this year's HiTOPS Trans Youth Forum, a gender activist group aimed at children that describes its mission as "empowering youth with sex education, social support, and affirming communities."

During an hour-long session, Thomas claimed athletes should self-determine which gender category they compete in, implying that it could be discriminatory if done based on an athlete's actual biology.

"It has to be the athletes deciding for themselves where they feel most affirmed and most comfortable," Thomas said, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian. "Having routes that are safe and non-discriminatory, that allow them access to that."

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2022, Thomas said he was "devastated" when World Aquatics barred transgender athletes from competing in elite events, including the Olympics.

"I felt so devastated and [felt] grief over losing this access to my sport," Thomas recalled. "There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to fight this, that this is my sport too, and I'm not just gonna give it up to trans folks."

Lia Thomas (left) and Riley Gaines (right), March 18, 2022. Gaines became America's most recognizable advocate for female-only sports. Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

'I just wanted to step away and be able to transition and be myself.'

While at UPenn, Thomas explained that he felt declaring himself a woman might prevent his continued competitition in college athletics and claimed that he initially did not want to continue in sports.

"I looked up … the NCAA transgender policy [during freshman fall] and knew it might be technically possible. ... I didn't think that I could do it."

Thomas then said the idea of having to confront that he might not be able to compete as a woman contributed to his gender dysphoria, because he had to "pick one," either swimming or posing as a female.

"I didn't want to swim. I just wanted to step away and be able to transition and be myself," Thomas claimed. "But my love of swimming kept me going. ... When I had transitioned, I felt more comfortable, and I said, 'I can do this. I could do both.'"

The former swimmer said he felt more confusion seeing his name or image on social media as part of news stories, stating that he knew what was happening on "a conceptual level," but was still confused because "on a personal level," he felt he was "just another college woman competing."

The HiTOPS organization called for activism following President Trump's executive order to keep men out of women's sports. The group said the president does not support the "science and the lived experiences of trans people" because he allegedly wants to remove access to gender procedures and hormones to minors.

The group called the president cruel, ignorant, and guilty of intentionally marginalizing transgender people.

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Next 'logical step': NFL looking to add 18th game to schedule ahead of broadcasting rights review in 2029



NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is likely to add another game to the NFL regular season but keep within a predetermined framework.

Goodell and league owners are looking to push more aggressively toward adding an 18th regular season game, with reports out of the annual owners meeting that the league would like to add the game before 2029, when the NFL has the ability to opt out of its current broadcasting rights contract.

League executives spoke to Yahoo Sports anonymously and pointed to talks about expanding the schedule at the Florida meetings.

"Everyone understands consensus-building time is coming for both [the league and NFL Players Association]," an executive said.

The unnamed source said the idea of the expanded schedule will start to "get some momentum in Florida" but could still take "a year or two" to hammer out the details.

In the 1960s, the NFL played 14-game seasons through the merger with the AFL in 1970, before expanding to 16 games in 1978. That format was kept all the way up to 2021, when the league announced the removal of one preseason game, adding a 17th game to the regular season. The next move to 18 games would be considered a rapid expansion of the schedule.

The only undefeated team in NFL history was the 1972 Miami Dolphins at 14-0.

Back in January, Goodell told Bloomberg's David Rubenstein that the league intends to "keep within the 20-game framework," which currently consists of three preseason games and 17 regular season games.

"We went to 16 and four, and now 17 and three. So 18 and two is a logical step," Goodell said.

Goodell boasted that there has not been an increase in player injuries since the schedule change and pointed to player safety being paramount in the discussions.

Another discussion at the owners meeting regarding player safety is around the kickoff format.

Owners are talking about making 2024's kickoff setup permanent, citing that injuries on kickoffs were cut in half last season.

In November 2024, President Trump criticized the kickoff format, as well as Guardian Caps, the pads on the exterior of player helmets.

"That thing looks weird!" Trump remarked.

Other adjustments included moving the starting position after touchbacks from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line and adding the ability for a team to declare an onside kick at any point in the game — but only if they are behind in the score.

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New York college defies executive order on men in women's sports with male athlete on female rowing team



Ithaca College has a male athlete competing on its women's rowing team for the second straight year.

As reported by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, Ithaca College defied President Trump's executive order to keep men out of women's sports by allowing a sophomore male, Juniper (Tyler) Gattone, to compete in the women's Cayuga Duals over the past weekend.

Gattone was listed on the Ithaca women's rowing Instagram page in an image for the third varsity squad.

Gattone is also listed on Ithaca's official online roster for women's rowing, and at 5'10" he shares the honor of being the tallest athlete on the team. Under his biography, the rower is credited with helping the women's team "capture their sixth consecutive Liberty League women's rowing crown" and was named to the conference Women's Rowing Novice Crew of the Year.

The athlete is also referred to using "they" pronouns.

Ithaca featured Gattone in a recent TikTok video in which the rowing team participated in a social media trend where one person, facing away from a group, attempts to identify his friends by voice only after each person repeats the same phrase. The athlete who was doing the guessing was able to correctly identify Gattone's voice.

'Men are still competing in women's NCAA sports.'

ICONs also reported on Gattone's participation in women's athletics in 2024, when he was noted as the second male athlete to be competing in women's sports in the conference.

Ithaca College competes in the NCAA's Division III in the Liberty League conference, the same conference as Camden Schreiner (who goes by Sadie), a male athlete competing against women for the Rochester Institute of Technology. Schreiner set records in January by winning the women's 200-meter dash in 24.50 seconds and the women's 400-meter dash in 55.91 seconds. The times were also program records, according to RIT.

RIT later named Schreiner female athlete of the week but has since removed the page that showcased the honor.

Former NCAA athlete and women's sports activist Riley Gaines reacted to Gattone's inclusion in women's rowing by saying the NCAA "purposefully deceived the public" with its new policy.

"Wait a minute...I thought the NCAA had a new policy that was in full compliance with Trump's EO? Nope. Men are still competing in women's NCAA sports," Gaines wrote on X.

Gaines had previously complained that the NCAA's new policy had glaring loopholes, including that it allowed men to participate in women's practices and still be listed on their rosters.

Former gymnast and pro-women's sports entrepreneur Jennifer Sey claimed the NCAA's policy does not hold up.

"The NCAA’s new policy does nothing to protect women's sports," Sey wrote.

The Department of Education also recently declared that the NCAA must return and restore any women's records that had been taken by men to their rightful owners. At least one former athlete, a national hurdling champion, has demanded that the NCAA award her a first-place finish after being beaten by a man in 2019.

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UFC fighter faces criticism over fundraising travel expenses for championship fight: 'Come have a beer with Jack'



Australian UFC fighter Jack Della Maddalena has garnered strong reactions from fans after he seemingly planned to host a fundraiser for his travel expenses ahead of his championship fight.

The 28-year-old is scheduled to fight for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 315 in May in Montreal, Canada, after No. 1 contender Shavkat Rakhmonov pulled out of the fight.

As reported by multiple outlets, Della Maddalena was scheduled to appear at a fundraiser for his own travel expenses in Perth, with the intention of paying for his entire team's travel from Australia to Montreal.

"Come have a beer with Jack Della Maddalena," an Australian restaurant called the Riverton Bar & Grill wrote on a since-deleted Instagram post.

"Jack will be fighting for the UFC welterweight championship in Montreal on the 10th of May and RBG is having a Fundraiser Dinner on the Monday the 14th of April for his team," the post continued. "All profit from the tickets will go towards getting the full team out to Montreal to support Jack on his mission for UFC gold. A world title shot for Perth's finest MMA son."

The company then took its post a step further and criticized the UFC after revealing its tickets would start at $150.

"Believe it or not the UFC do not pay for anyone or anything but 6 nights accommodation and flights for 2. The rest of the team are expected to pay their own way."

Strangely, the end of the post was written in first person, revealing it may have been provided by one of Della Maddalena's team members:

"We will be taking the full team for this huge fight," the post concluded.

As TalkSport reported, the flights for Della Maddalena's listed team of four could cost thousands per person. That outlet estimated between $1,200-$7,700 per plane ticket, while Google Flights listed the cheapest roundtrip at $3,500.

Regardless of the price, fans were split in their reactions, with some saying this was evidence of the UFC not paying fighters enough.

"This is just said, it's literally a title fight and the UFC won't pay," one fan reportedly wrote.

"Its absolutely insane that someone fighting for a ufc championship has to do fund-raisers to get their team to the fight," another fan argued, according to BJPenn.com.

Other fans were not so forgiving of the Australian and said he makes more than enough to cover his trip and should pay out of his own pocket for his extended team to fly over.

"I don't know if I side with JDM on this," a fan pondered. "He's not running his business well if this is what he's going through. He's not special or deserves special treatment over the rest."

"Social media believes anything an account posts, disregarding how much the fight purse is or what the contract was that got [negotiated]," another sports fan wrote.

One fight fan called the fundraiser "pitiful," and said the expenses were a "pathetic" reason to host such an event.

"Jack Della Maddalena having a fundraiser so his team can be there is pitiful. There's literally hundreds of more important causes. What a pathetic thing to have a fundraiser for. I hope Belal ruins him."

Jack Della Maddalena having a fundraiser so his team can be there is pitiful. There’s literally hundreds of more important causes. What a pathetic thing to have a fundraiser for. I hope Belal ruins him
— Sports Savantstradamus 3.0 (@iStayWinning711) March 31, 2025

Just a couple of days after the backlash, the hosting venue announced it had canceled the event citing the fighter's commitments.

"Unfortunately due to Jacks training commitments. The event will be postponed to after Jacks fight and when he brings the strap home! Thank you to who supported him. All ticket purchased will be refunded."

The wording from the company was certainly strange and made no mention of the previous post that listed the event as a fundraiser.

Della Maddalena has not publicly posted any statements regarding the matter.

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The Curse of Tim Walz: Minnesota Twins Go 0-4 After Loser VP Candidate Predicts Undefeated Season

Tim Walz is trying to make a comeback after losing the 2024 election, but he can't shake the stench of failure emanating from his Midwestern dad body. The Minnesota governor, best known for being briefly adored by mainstream journalists after Kamala Harris picked him as her running mate, keeps spreading his loser vibes wherever he goes.

The post The Curse of Tim Walz: Minnesota Twins Go 0-4 After Loser VP Candidate Predicts Undefeated Season appeared first on .

Why The NFL Shouldn’t Ban The ‘Brotherly Shove’

If the Packers or other teams have problems with the 'brotherly shove,' they have a simple solution: develop and execute a defensive strategy to stop it.