Sports
Gabriel cleared but Sanders to stay Browns’ QB1
BEREA, Ohio — Rookie Shedeur Sanders will start at quarterback in Sunday’s home game against the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski announced Monday.
Sanders, a fifth-round pick, will remain the starter even though fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, a third-round pick, has cleared the concussion protocol, Stefanski said.
With Gabriel sidelined, Sanders completed 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown and an interception in the Browns’ 24-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday in his first NFL start.
“The No. 1 job of a quarterback is to win,” Stefanski said. “So, excited to get that first win under his belt. And the next thing is improvement, and that’s what young players do. Certainly, young quarterbacks do. You get one game better, and that’s just from working at it. So, that’ll be our focus.”
When asked if Sanders starting would be a week-to-week decision, Stefanski said: “I’m just going to focus on this week. Not going to get much past this week.”
Sanders, who became the 42nd quarterback to start for the Browns since 1999, also became the first Cleveland quarterback to win his first NFL start since Eric Zeier in 1995. The victory ended a 17-game losing streak for the Browns in games with a quarterback making his first career start. That was the longest streak by any franchise since 1950, when QB starts were first recorded.
“First start for any quarterback, you’re always going to make sure that the operation is how you want it, and I thought by and large was good,” Stefanski said. “There’s things that we can clean up and obviously that goes on all of us. That’s coaches, that’s the players, the quarterback, where we can clean up some of our operation. But I thought communication was really good throughout the day with him.
“The big plays downfield,” Stefanski added. “Obviously the [52-yard completion] to [rookie wide receiver Isaiah Bond] was very, very high degree of difficulty with that play. Are there things that he can do better? Absolutely. We’ve already talked about that with him. He has the mentality that he will make the adjustments to the speed of the game, make the adjustments to what people are giving us to make those improvements.”
Gabriel started the previous five games before suffering a concussion against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11, which sidelined him for the second half of the 23-16 loss and Sunday’s game against the Raiders. In eight games (six starts), Gabriel has completed 59.2% of his passes (109-of-184) for 937 yards, 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The Browns went 1-4 in games Gabriel started before his injury in Week 11.
Lionel Messi drew high praise from President Donald Trump as the Argentine superstar and his Inter Miami team were honoured at the White House on Thursday for winning the MLS Cup last year.
The president said: “It’s my distinct privilege to say what no American president has ever had the chance to say before: ‘Welcome to the White House, Lionel Messi.'”
Trump went on to reveal the affection his 19-year-old son Barron has for Messi.
“My son said, ‘Dad, you know who’s going to be there today?’ I said, ‘No, I got a lot of things going on today,'” Trump said. “He said ‘Messi!’ He’s a big fan of yours. He thinks you’re just a great person. And I think you got to meet a little while ago. So he’s a big soccer fan, but he’s a tremendous fan of yours. And a gentleman named Ronaldo. Cristiano is great. You’re great.”
Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi’s longtime rival in European soccer, attended a White House event with Trump last year.
Regarding Messi’s impact on Inter Miami, Trump said: “This guy won. There was tremendous fanfare, and he won. Leo, you came in and won. It’s hard to do. … You came in and won with all that pressure.”
Wading into the area of soccer history, Trump said to Messi, “You may be better than Pele,” and he asked those in attendance, “Who’s better?”
Trump said of the Inter Miami squad: “What a group of people. We could have a lot of fun with these guys. You can imagine how they celebrate.”
The president singled out Rodrigo De Paul, an Argentine midfielder who scored the go-ahead goal in the Herons’ 3-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS Cup final.
“Where the hell is Rodrigo?” Trump asked, causing De Paul to blush.
The president added: “Do you have any bad-looking players? I like the bad-looking players much better.”
Messi gave Trump a pink signed Inter Miami soccer ball, and club co-owner Jorge Mas and coach Javier Mascherano presented the president with a team jersey and a watch.
Mas said: “It’s our aspiration to continue breaking barriers and putting no limits, to making sure Major League Soccer and Inter Miami are considered among the elite in global football.”
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board has demanded a public apology from a journalist over what it described as “agenda-driven fake news” targeting the character of Pakistan’s national cricketers.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the PCB strongly condemned the broadcast of unverified allegations against a Pakistan player, calling the report baseless and unacceptable.
PCB Warns of Legal Action
The cricket board said the reporter responsible for the news must issue a public apology immediately, warning that failure to do so could lead to strict legal action.
“Agenda-driven fake news targeting the character of our players is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the PCB said.
The board added that it would take all necessary steps to address what it termed malicious reporting if the apology is not issued promptly.
Controversy Over Report
The controversy began after a local media outlet aired a report alleging that a Pakistani cricketer had been involved in inappropriate behaviour at a hotel, claiming that staff had filed a complaint with team management.
The report also suggested that the player had violated the team’s code of conduct and was fined following a preliminary internal review.
Allegations Denied
However, the PCB dismissed the claims as false and misleading, stating that the news lacked verification.
A representative of the player, Mirza, also rejected the allegations in a social media statement and announced plans to pursue legal action against the media outlet.
He criticised the broadcast as “cheap journalism”, stressing that no media organisation should air unverified reports about national athletes.
The PCB reiterated its commitment to protecting the reputation and dignity of Pakistan’s cricketers against what it described as irresponsible reporting.
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Russell Wilson and Sean Payton spent just one NFL season together, but tension lingered after a rocky year.
And it appears the tension that built up from that tumultuous stretch continues to linger.
Wilson’s interview on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast, recorded before last month’s Super Bowl between Seattle and New England, recently resurfaced.
In the interview, Wilson doubled down on his October comment labeling Payton “classless,” saying he felt slighted by his former coach’s remarks.
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Head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos talks to quarterback Russell Wilson on the sideline during an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium Aug. 11, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
“[When] you’ve been on the same side or this and that, and I got the same amount of rings as you got, meaning Sean, right?” said Wilson, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks as Payton did coaching for the New Orleans Saints.
“I got a lot of respect for him as a play-caller, this and that, but to take a shot, I don’t like. I don’t think it’s necessary, you know, I mean, especially when I’m not even on your own team anymore. So, for me, there’s a point in time where you have to, I’ve realized, I’ve stayed quiet for so long. There’s a there’s a time and place where I’m not.
“I know who I am as a competitor, as a warrior, as a champion, too, and, you know, I’ve beaten Sean, too. You know, like we’ve been on the same place and the same thing. And so, it’s not a matter of disrespect. Just don’t disrespect me.”
Sean Payton and Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos during an a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Empower Field at Mile High Nov. 19, 2023, in Denver, Colo. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
After a rocky one-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, Wilson joined the New York Giants last offseason. However, he was relegated to a backup role after just three games.
Rookie Jaxson Dart quickly showed promise once he had the chance to start, but his season was briefly derailed by injury. Jameis Winston — not Wilson — stepped in for Dart in a handful of games. Dart threw three touchdowns in a Week 7 matchup with the Broncos, nearly pulling off an upset in what was eventually a close loss.
After the game, Payton said Dart provided a “spark” to the Giants’ offense.
“I was talking to [Giants owner] John Mara not too long ago, and I said, ‘We were hoping that that change would have happened long after our game,'” Payton said.
The New York Giants’ Russell Wilson attempts to escape a sack by Dallas Cowboys defensive end James Houston (53) in the first half of a game Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Payton also said the Broncos would have faced less of a challenge had Wilson been under center.
“Classless … but not surprised,” Wilson responded in a social media post. “Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later though the media.”
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Despite last season’s struggles and chatter about his football future, Wilson does not appear ready to call it quits in 2026.
“I wanna play a few more years for sure,” he said. “I think, for me, I’ve always had the vision of getting to 40, at least. I think the game is different. Quarterbacks, we get hit. It’s not, you know, we get hit hard, but … there’s certain rules. I mean, back in the day when I started, bro, it was you just get [clobbered].
“I mean, so I feel like the game allows you to, you know, live a little longer, I guess. I feel healthy. I feel great. But I think, more than anything else is, do you love the game? Do you love studying? Do you love the passion for it all? Do you love the process? Do you love the practice? Do you love — everybody loves the winning part of it, but it’s process. There’s a journey that you got to be obsessed with. And that part I’m obsessed with.”
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