'All right, f**k this': ESPN reporter quits radio interview seconds after it starts



An ESPN reporter made an abrupt exit from an interview after she appeared to suffer from technical difficulties during a morning radio show.

Reporter Courtney Cronin, an ESPN journalist who covers the NFL's Chicago Bears, had been reporting from the NFL Scouting Combine, where hopeful college football players showcase their skills ahead of the pro draft.

Cronin was a video call-in guest on ESPN Chicago's "Kap & J. Hood Morning Show," which airs on AM radio and has a video simulcast. The radio hosts were hoping to get an update from Cronin on the Chicago Bears' likely number-one NFL draft pick, Caleb Williams from the University of Southern California.

"Courtney Cronin is with us from Indianapolis at the NFL Combine," host David Kaplan said as he introduced her.

Cohost Jonathan Hood then asked the reporter to give her thoughts on the aforementioned college player.

"We were able to play some of the sound from Caleb Williams in his press conference at Indianapolis; what did you glean from the conversation?"

"He's incredibly confident," Cronin replied.

However, during her response, the Chicago reporter heard an echo over everything she said, causing her to pause at first.

"It was such an incredible display of people that were there watching him, and everything else that kind of unfolded," she continued before she abruptly said, "All right, f**k this," and pulled her headphones out.

As the call disconnected, host Kaplan seemed shocked as he walked toward his cohost, who quickly said, "We'll put her on hold, and we'll be back with Courtney in a moment."

"Alright, f*** this." \ud83d\ude02 \n\nH/T: @willeggert
— (@)

As Awful Announcing reported, it was unclear if the disconnection came from the reporter or the radio station.

The New York Post noted that Cronin did not return to the show soon thereafter or following a commercial break.

Fans seemed amused by Cronin's departure, however, with many stating online that it only made them like her more.

"I am a bigger Courtney Cronin fan than I was a minute ago," one viewer said on X.

"New favorite reporter," another added.

"I just became a fan of her," another fan joked.

From @SportsCenter: Caleb Williams spoke about what he gleaned from the Bears in his short visit at the combine and told us how he\u2019s given no thought to not being the No. 1 overall pick next month.
— (@)

Cronin made another appearance on ESPN's "SportsCenter" the same day from the NFL Scouting Combine, and, fortunately, she was able to give an update on Williams without any technical difficulties.

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Jill Biden blasted by Angel Reese, Shannon Sharpe for wanting women's basketball loser Iowa at White House with winner LSU. First lady seems to have walked it back.



LSU women's basketball star Angel Reese and NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe blasted first lady Jill Biden over her desire to extend a White House invitation to the University of Iowa women's basketball team — which lost to LSU in the NCAA final Sunday — along with LSU.

Biden made her comments Monday, ESPN reported, adding that by Tuesday morning her press secretary appeared to walk back the first lady's comments.

What are the details?

Biden was in attendance at American Airlines Center in Dallas when LSU beat Iowa 102-85, the sports network said, adding that on Monday she praised Iowa's sportsmanship and congratulated both teams.

"I know we'll have the champions come to the White House; we always do. So we hope LSU will come," Biden said, according to ESPN. "But, you know, I'm going to tell [President] Joe [Biden] I think Iowa should come too, because they played such a good game."

It's customary that only champion teams receive White House invites, not the runners-up.

Reese — who gained fame for taunting back at Iowa's star Caitlin Clark and being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player — ripped Biden's unorthodox invite suggestion with a succinct tweet Monday night, calling it "A JOKE" and adding a trio of laughing emojis:

\u201c\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23A JOKE. https://t.co/9SiOKQNqbj\u201d
— Angel Reese (@Angel Reese) 1680562634

Sharpe on Tuesday's edition of Fox Sports' "The Undisputed," which he co-hosts with Skip Bayless, said that the first lady "needs to sit down" in the wake of her comments.

Sharpe, who is black, added that "the people that won ... look like me, and the people that lost look like [Biden], now we're gonna invite the runner-up!"

He added that Biden is "a doctor," implying she should have known the competitive and racial dynamics between Iowa and LSU: "If she didn't know, she should have known before she opened her mouth and blurted this dumb scenario out!"

"Does Dr. Jill Biden understand how this looks? ... the losing side is white America, and she's like, 'You know what ... '" Sharpe also figuratively asked the first lady, before adding, "Did you forget who put your husband in the White House?" and predicting that Joe Biden would suffer ratings losses if Iowa gets invited to the White House.

Bayless agreed with Sharpe, saying Biden's invite suggestion was uncalled for: "You don't need to pat the Iowa women on the head and say, 'Oh, you poor girls. Why don't you come to the White House, too?'"

UNDISPUTED | 'A JOKE' Shannon sounds off on Jill Biden & said she needs to sit down youtu.be

Walking it back?

Early Tuesday morning Jill Biden's press secretary appeared to walk back the first lady's comments regarding an Iowa invite to the White House:

\u201cHer comments in Colorado were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes. She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House.\u201d
— Vanessa Valdivia (@Vanessa Valdivia) 1680602782

"Her comments in Colorado were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes," Vanessa Valdivia wrote. "She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House."

President Biden on Tuesday morning also tweeted a series of congratulatory messages to LSU and to the NCAA men's basketball champion, the University of Connecticut, adding that "I look forward to welcoming them at each of their White House visits." He didn't mention Iowa.

Anything else?

In regard to Reese's now famous taunting — which also included her pointing at her ring finger to signify a championship — NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal slam-dunked on Keith Olbermann for ripping Reese, telling the outspoken ex-ESPN anchor to "shut your dumb ass up" and "leave Angel Reese alone."

\u201cANGEL REESE TO CAITLIN CLARK \ud83d\ude33\u201d
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 1680472338

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith opined that since both Reese and Clark engaged in taunting, the fact that it became an issue only after Reese engaged in it reflected a degree of racism.

"Here’s the reality of the situation: [Clark] instigated this kind of stuff," Smith said Monday on "First Take," Fox News reported. "Let’s call it what it is. She was waving. ... How about what she did to Raven Johnson? She didn’t just go into the lane and not guard her against South Carolina in the national semifinal. She waved her off, she didn’t mind being disrespectful. So, why is it that we’re hesitant to bring that up?"

Smith added, "We all know that there’s a white-black issue here because the fact of the matter is when Caitlin did it, people were celebrating it, and they were talking about nothing but her greatness. But then the second a sister steps up and threw it back in her face, now you got half the basketball world saying, ‘You know what? That’s not the classiest thing to do. That’s not the way to act.’ It was the exact same thing," according to Fox News.

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Shaq slam dunks on Keith Olbermann, tells him to 'shut your dumb a** up' after former ESPN anchor blasted conduct of LSU's Angel Reese in title game



NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal slam dunked on Keith Olbermann early Monday, telling the outspoken former ESPN anchor to "shut your dumb a** up" after Olbermann ranted on Twitter about the behavior of LSU's Angel Reese in her team's title game win Sunday over Iowa.

What are the details?

Reese made headlines for taunting Iowa star Caitlin Clark with Clark's own taunt of waving her hand in front her face — a way of saying "Can't see me!" — and also by pointing at her ring finger to signify a championship:

\u201cANGEL REESE TO CAITLIN CLARK \ud83d\ude33\u201d
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 1680472338

Outkick said some were behind Reese for "giving Clark, a notorious trash talker, a taste of her own medicine. But others — like our favorite unhinged sports commentator — did not approve."

In reference to Reese, Olbermann on Sunday evening tweeted, "What a f***ing idiot."

He added, "Doesn't matter the gender, the sport, the background — you're seconds away from a championship, and you do something like this and overshadow all the good. Mindless, classless, and what kind of coach does this team have?"

Later that night, Shaq let Olbermann have it, telling him to "shut your dumb a** up" and to "leave Angel Reese alone."

More from Outkick:

But Shaq wasn’t the only one who jumped on Olbermann. Thousands of Twitter users invited him to bring that same energy to Caitlin Clark, too. Clark has made headlines during the tournament for her “can’t see me” taunts and even waving off a South Carolina player.

An apology — sort of

On Monday morning, Olbermann offered a kind of apology:

\u201cI apologize for being uninformed last night about the back story on this. I don't follow hoops, college or pro, men or women. I had no idea about Clark. Both were wrong.\n\nThis is what I said in today's Countdown podcast. 2nd segment, about 24 minutes in: https://t.co/JDYjXBrkWy\u201d
— Keith Olbermann (@Keith Olbermann) 1680473156

“I apologize for being uninformed last night about the back story on this,” he tweeted. “I don’t follow hoops, college or pro, men or women. I had no idea about Clark. Both were wrong.”

He also included further thoughts, saying that "Reese was named MVP of the tournament, and nobody will remember that, nor the LSU crown, just the fact that women's hoops has now achieved parity with the men: its stars can be classless winners who are willing to overshadow their own team's victories."

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One-armed high school star to play Division I college basketball, signs $1.2 million NIL deal with Gatorade



A Florida high school basketball star, who has only one arm, has just accepted two major deals.

Hansel Enmanuel, the 6'4," 175-lb. guard originally from the Dominican Republic, has not only signed up to play basketball at a Division I school, but he has signed a name, image, and likeness deal with Gatorade valued at approximately $1.2 million.

Though Enmanuel is now making a name for himself in college basketball circles and with corporate sponsors, there was a time when most predicted he'd never have a future in sports. When he was just 6 years old, his left arm had to be amputated above the elbow. A cinder block wall had collapsed on him and pinned him to the ground for nearly two hours, until his father, Hansel Salvador Donato, rescued him.

Through the guidance of his father, who played professional basketball in the Dominican Republic, Enmanuel soon got back into the game he loved. He then moved to Florida in 2020 and soon became a star player at Life Christian Academy in Kissimmee, Florida, where he averaged a double-double.

He has now accepted an offer to play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, though the terms of the offer are not clear. Enmanuel also received offers from the University of Memphis, Tennessee State, and Bethune-Cookman.

Enmanuel's story has garnered national attention in the last couple of years. He was featured on "SportsCenter" on ESPN and even was nominated for an Espy for "Best Play" for this dunk:

\u201cHansel Enmanuel windmilled and then handed the ball to a trash talker \ud83d\ude33 @SCNext\n\n(via issa__bucket/IG)\u201d
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 1642210717

He ultimately lost the award to women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe.

Enmanuel has also partnered with Gatorade, which featured him in a recent ad.

“Want doesn’t come from anywhere but within. I’ve got a drive to be great. So can you! @gatorade #gatoradepartner,” Enmanuel posted to Instagram.

Though the details of the deal are not known, On3 suggested that Gatorade selected Enmanuel in order to add more diversity to its NIL sponsorships.

Rapper J. Cole also featured Enmanuel in a recent video, tweeting out the video with the message, "The Audacity II Dreamer. I believe."

Despite the national spotlight, Enmanuel has remained grounded. He does not speak fluent English, but he gave an interview in Spanish to the Orlando Sentinel and expressed his hope that people would "not see me as a special kid who has a disability. [I wish] that they only see me as a great player who will go as far as many. That I am a good player."

“It’s not about what I want to achieve or do in life, it’s what God wants from me,” he said.

H/T: OutKick

Sage Steele: Another Day, Another Woke-Based Sidelining | Ep 363

Sage Steele: Another Day, Another Woke-Based Sidelining | Ep 363

Soccer star says LeBron should stay out of politics, James responds: 'I am kind of the wrong guy to go at'



LeBron James was called out by a soccer star, who said the NBA legend should stay out of politics. James has responded to Ibrahimovic's recommendation by saying, "I am kind of the wrong guy to go at."

Ibrahimovic, a 39-year-old Swede who plays for Italy's A.C. Milan, questioned the basketball player's political and social activism in an interview with Discover+ this week.

"[LeBron] is phenomenal at what he's doing, but I don't like when people have some kind of status, they go and do politics at the same time," Ibrahimovic said. "Do what you're good at. Do the category you do. I play football because I'm the best at playing football. I don't do politics. If I would be a political politician, I would do politics."

"That is the big first mistake people do when they become famous and they become in a certain status," he added. "Stay out of it. Just do what you do best because it doesn't look good."

Following the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night, LeBron was asked to give a comment regarding Ibrahimovic's statement about him.

"He was the same guy who said when he was back in Sweden ... because his last name wasn't a certain last name, that he felt there was some racism going on when he was out on the pitch," James said.

James is referencing a 2018 quote from Ibrahimovic, in which he said he was the victim of "undercover racism" in his native Sweden because his Bosnian heritage gave him a surname that doesn't sound traditionally Swedish.

"I am not Andersson or Svensson," Ibrahimovic told Canal+. "If I would be that, trust me, they would defend me even if I would rob a bank. They would defend me, I tell you."

James stated, "I would never shut up about things that are wrong. I preach about my people, and I preach about equality. Social injustice. Racism. Systematic voter suppression. Things that go on in our community."

"I use my platform to continue to shed light on everything that may be going on, not only in my community, but around this country and around the world," the Lakers star continued. "So, there's no way I would ever just stick to sports, because I understand how this platform and how powerful my voice is."

"I speak from a very educated mind, so I'm kind of the wrong guy to actually go at because I do my homework," LeBron.

LeBron responded after Zlatan Ibrahimovic criticized him for his activism.“I’m kind of the wrong guy to actually… https://t.co/9ZePUEep5T
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter)1614407276.0

Despite James saying he "would never shut up about things that are wrong around the world," LeBron was previously widely criticized for supporting the totalitarian Chinese Communist Party in the firing of former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey and not speaking up for pro-Democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong. Many people, including activists, slammed LeBron as being hypocritical with his social activism while turning a blind eye to protests in Hong Kong because the NBA makes billions from China.

This isn't the first time LeBron was advised to focus less on politics. In 2018, there was the infamous confrontation between James and Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who instructed the NBA great to "shut up and dribble" instead of providing his political opinions.

James has been an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump while supporting the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, plus getting involved with campaigns for black Americans to vote. LeBron has also been a staunch proponent of the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as speaking out against police brutality and racial injustice against black Americans.

NBA ratings plummeted last year, including during the NBA Finals that included LeBron's Lakers, which were the least-watched Finals on record. Many believe the NBA's overwhelming embrace of social justice was a factor in 2020's dwindling viewership, and a poll found that 38% of fans said the sport had become "too political."