Sports
Judge rules against government in NIL-visa case
A federal judge has denied the U.S. government’s argument to categorically block international college athletes from obtaining the type of visas typically used by professional athletes.
Louisiana-based Judge Brian Jackson denied on Friday the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Arizona State basketball player Last-Tear Poa. The judge’s order does not resolve Poa’s case but leaves the door open for her and many other international athletes to apply for a type of visa that would make it easier for them to make money on American soil while playing college sports.
Poa, an Australian point guard who played her past three seasons at LSU, filed a lawsuit earlier this year after she was denied a P-1A visa, which is the document many international professional athletes use to make money while competing in the United States. Poa is currently in the country on an F-1 student visa, which prohibits her from working while in the United States. College athletes are now allowed to be paid directly by their schools as well as by third parties for endorsement deals, but it remains unclear whether international athletes who accept those payments are putting their immigration status in jeopardy.
“It’s a critically important issue because it’s a real question as to whether or not students will be violating their status if they’re competing in the NCAA and getting paid,” said Amy Maldonado, who has represented Poa in her case along with fellow sports immigration attorney Ksenia Maiorova.
USCIS did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon.
Lawyers for USCIS argued in court documents that an athlete must be in America “solely” for the purpose of playing their sport in order to receive a P-1A visa, and therefore a college athlete who is also in the country to get an education would not qualify. Judge Jackson disagreed with their argument.
The case will now move forward to assess whether Poa meets the other qualifications needed to obtain the more professional visa, which include proving that she is an athlete who competes at “an internationally recognized level of performance.” Maldonado said she believes that “quite a few” college athletes would comfortably meet this definition, which means they might be able to accept NIL money while in the United State with significantly less legal risk in the future.
Concerns about how international athletes can safely cash in on their popularity while in college have been a persistent open question since the NCAA changed its rules to allow athletes to make money in 2021. In 2023, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said his department was aware of the issue and planned to find a solution with “deliberate speed” but took no further action. At least one congressional bill has also attempted to add clarity for international athletes but did not progress past an initial draft. Schools have in the meantime been forced to search for creative workarounds to help their international players make money.
Poa’s eligibility to play in the upcoming season for Arizona State — her last year of college eligibility — is not impacted by the ongoing case. Her lawyers declined to say whether she is receiving any payments from the school this season. It’s possible her case might not reach a conclusion until after the end of the basketball season.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — No. 3 seed Texas A&M showed the “grit” it has displayed throughout the NCAA Division I women’s volleyball tournament in Sunday’s final, beating No. 1 seed Kentucky 3-0 to capture the program’s first national championship.
In the first all-SEC title-game showdown, the Aggies trailed by as many as six points in the first set and were down a set point. A kill by redshirt sophomore Kyndal Stowers tied the game at 24-24. A block by Ifenna Cos-Okpalla gave the Aggies a set point. And a Stowers kill sealed it.
The Aggies never trailed the rest of the way.
“As soon as we got within two, I was like, ‘Oh no’ for them,” Texas A&M coach Jamie Morrison said. “They should know better on this team. This team is not going to back down.”
The Aggies had a string of upsets just to make it to the title game, starting with a regional semifinal reverse sweep of No. 2 seed Louisville, followed by a regional final upset against previously undefeated No.1 Nebraska. Texas A&M continued its upset streak by sweeping No. 1 Pitt 3-0 in the semifinals before claiming the national title against Kentucky.
“I just said [to my team], ‘We’ve been here before. We’ve been there twice. I brought up the Louisville match,” Morrison said of his team’s first-set deficit. “We talked about Louisville being down 0-2. We talked about Nebraska. We said, ‘Hey, we’ve been here.’ … I just said, ‘It’s going to take one or two points, start to get firing, they’re going to be there.'”
In the second set, the Aggies held a consistent lead over the Wildcats, finishing 25-15 after an attack error by Kentucky. Texas A&M held onto its lead in the third set and clinched the title when senior middle blocker Cos-Okpalla’s kill brought the score to 25-20.
After leading her team with 11 kills, Texas A&M senior Logan Lednicky fought back tears as she looked back at her four-year career in College Station. The 6-foot-3 opposite hitter credited the nine seniors on her team for helping build this program.
“I was pretty emotional all day today just knowing that no matter the outcome of this game, it would be my last getting to represent A&M on my chest,” Lednicky said. “Being able to do this with these girls, end with [the trophy], end like this, I just can’t even believe it.”
Stowers, who had 10 kills in the title match, claimed the Most Outstanding Player award. The transfer from Baylor medically retired because of concussions before transferring to Texas A&M. Stowers had 17 kills against Louisville, 25 against Nebraska and 16 against Pitt.
“A year ago today, I sat on my couch and watched some good friends of mine actually win this game,” Stowers said of Penn State’s victory over Louisville. “Now, to be living that is genuinely surreal. It was a journey to get here. Good days; bad days. It took this guy sitting next to me [Morrison] believing in me after not playing volleyball for over a year and a half, to take me on his roster and coach me every single day.”
Throughout the NCAA tournament, Texas A&M credited its “grit.” The Aggies were two points away from elimination in the regional semifinals against Louisville. Since that upset, the Aggies outscored their opponents 317-276.
“It’s a testament to the work we put in in the practice gym and just generally in all of our careers,” Lednicky said after the semifinals. “It’s been a long time coming for us, a lot of work put into this moment.”
Kentucky had won four matches in a row against Texas A&M, including a four-set victory Oct. 8. Wildcats coach Craig Skinner pointed to A&M’s passing as the difference.
“They handled our serve really well early,” Skinner said. “Our serving pressure didn’t allow them to get in sync when we were down at College Station [in October]. Today, they were in sync.
“Credit their first contact with their passers of [Ava] Underwood, [Addi] Applegate, [Emily] Hellmuth and Stowers of really doing a good job of providing [Maddie] Waak opportunities to set their whole offense. It was a difficult thing to try and score points on defense.”
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Denver Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant was carted off the field in the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars after a vicious hit that was scary to look at.
Bryant was attempting to make a catch with just seconds left at Empower Field when Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown came flying in and crashed into him to break it up.
One could hear how hard Bryant was hit with the broadcast picking up the cracking of helmet and pads as he went to the turf.
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Pat Bryant of the Denver Broncos is carted off the field during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Empower Field At Mile High on Dec. 21, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
Bryant stayed down on the field after the play, and he wasn’t moving much as Broncos trainers came running out to look at him on the turf.
After several minutes of evaluation, Bryant was loaded onto a stretcher and carted off the field. There was obvious concern throughout the stadium for Bryant, and it was later reported that he was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
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Broncos head coach Sean Payton, speaking after his first loss in 12 games, gave an update on Bryant, saying that he “had movement” in his extremities, and it was “encouraging” to see, per 9News’ Mike Klis.
Of course, any time a player is loaded onto a stretcher, thoughts of the worst immediately enter the mind. Luckily, Bryant’s hospital visit was only to ensure everything was fine.
Pat Bryant of the Denver Broncos is carted off the field during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Empower Field At Mile High on Dec. 21, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
The Broncos moved to 12-3 after the loss at home, a 34-20 defeat at the hands of a red-hot Jaguars squad who have now won six straight games.
At 11-4, the Jaguars remain one win above the Houston Texans for the AFC South lead, though they are likely headed to the playoffs one way or another.
Meanwhile, the Broncos have already clinched their shot at a Vince Lombardi Trophy, having won 12 games this season for the best record in the AFC to date. Only the New England Patriots could reach 12 wins this week if they defeat the Baltimore Ravens on “Sunday Night Football.”
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Bryant finished the game with five catches for 42 yards. He has totaled 27 catches for 347 yards and a touchdown this season in a loaded Broncos receiving room.
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