Sports
AD: USC wants long-term benefits of equity deal
In a letter to the USC fan base Friday, athletic director Jen Cohen addressed the school’s stance on the pending Big Ten private capital deal that could infuse the conference with up to $2.4 billion.
“As we continue to evaluate the merits of this proposal or any others, our University leadership remains aligned in our stance that our fiduciary obligation to the University of Southern California demands we thoroughly evaluate any deals that could impact our long-term value and flexibility, no matter the short-term benefit,” Cohen said in the letter.
The proposed deal would extend the league’s grant of rights an extra 10 years to 2046 and create a new business entity, Big Ten Enterprises, that would house all leaguewide media rights and sponsorship deals. Each school, as well as the league office, would get shares of ownership of Big Ten Enterprises, while an investment fund that is tied to the University of California pension system would receive a 10% stake in the new entity in exchange for an infusion of over $2 billion to conference athletic departments.
USC and Michigan are the two Big Ten schools that have pushed back on the deal, which has otherwise been supported by a majority of the programs in the conference, as well as Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti.
In a call last month between USC and Michigan trustees, sources told ESPN’s Dan Wetzel that both programs were skeptical of the deal and talked about how it does not address the root issue — soaring costs — that has made cash so imperative for athletic departments. Just providing short-term money, sources said, does not solve that issue.
The schools also noted pending federal legislation that makes predicting the future of college athletics difficult, as well as a general apprehension about selling equity in a university asset — the conference media rights.
Beyond the potential impact to long-term value and flexibility in exchange for a “short-term benefit” that Cohen suggested (an extension to the grant of rights to 2046 could limit conference expansion and the departure of any programs, for example), she also noted in her letter that the $2.4 billion would be “unevenly distributed” among the schools and “create a tiered revenue distribution system moving forward.”
According to reporting from Wetzel and ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the exact equity amounts per school in Big Ten Enterprises are still being negotiated. There is expected to be a small gap in the percentage of the remaining equity among the schools that would favor the league’s biggest athletic brands, but it’s likely to be less than a percentage point. A tier system for initial payments is also expected, but with the lowest amount in the nine-figure range. Larger athletic departments could receive an amount above $150 million.
“We greatly value our membership in the Big Ten Conference and understand and respect the larger landscape,” Cohen said. “But we also recognize the power of the USC brand is far-reaching, deeply engaging, and incredibly valuable, and we will always fight first for what’s best for USC.”
The Big Ten is in the middle of a seven-year, $7 billion media rights package that runs through 2030. The money infusion is believed to be acutely needed at several Big Ten schools that are struggling to pay down debt on new construction and budgeting for direct revenue ($20.5 million this year and expected to rise annually) to athletes.
In a move that altered the college football landscape, USC left the Pac-12 and joined the Big Ten conference in 2024, alongside UCLA, Oregon and Washington, pushing the league to 18 members.
Sports
Florida State football’s Ethan Pritchard leaves rehab after shooting, reunites with teammates
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Florida State football player Ethan Pritchard had an emotional reunion with his teammates at practice on Friday.
Pritchard was away from the team after he was shot in the back of his head one day after FSU upset the Alabama Crimson Tide in August.
The linebacker spent several weeks in a hospital after the shooting.
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Linebacker Ethan Pritchard of the Florida State Seminoles during the first day of practice at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility on the campus of Florida State University in July 2025 in Tallahassee, Fla. (Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
After he was discharged, the freshman entered a rehabilitation center in Jacksonville. He rang a bell and received a standing ovation as he was released from the center Thursday.
FLORIDA STATE HONORS ETHAN PRITCHARD, WHO WAS SHOT IN HEAD, DURING GAME VS EAST TEXAS A&M
He is expected to attend the Seminoles’ home finale against Virginia Tech Saturday. Pritchard got around on an electric wheelchair when he arrived at practice Friday to visit teammates and coaches.
Florida State linebacker and former Seminole High star Ethan Pritchard was shot during a gathering in Havana, just 30 minutes outside of Tallahassee, Fla. (Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Pritchard was a four-star high school recruit and is a Florida native.
Investigators determined Pritchard was the victim of mistaken identity and was “not doing anything wrong” when he was shot outside an apartment complex near Tallahassee Aug. 31. Authorities said Pritchard was dropping off an aunt and a child after a family party when he was attacked.
Florida State linebacker Ethan Pritchard walks to the stadium before a game against Duke Oct. 21, 2023, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
Four people were arrested in September in the shooting.
“I remember everything,” Pritchard said in an interview with WESH-TV in Orlando. “I turned the corner and shots rang off. I put the car in reverse and just backed up, and, after that, I don’t remember what else happened.”
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Pritchard added that he couldn’t move his right side when he arrived at the rehab center in Jacksonville, but he woke up one morning able to move and continues to improve.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Cristiano Ronaldo is in danger of missing at least Portugal’s opening match at next year’s World Cup after being shown a red card in Thursday’s 2-0 loss to the Republic of Ireland.
Ronaldo was initially shown a yellow card after elbowing Ireland defender Dara O’Shea during the match in Dublin.
However, it was upgraded to a red card, and Ronaldo was sent off for the first time in his international career after the referee reviewed the contact on a pitch-side video monitor.
“When he tries to get away from the defender, I think the action looks worse than what it actually is,” Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said. “I don’t think it’s an elbow, I think it’s a full body. But from where the camera is, it looks like an elbow. We accept it.
It could be a red card, but for the right reasons.”
Ronaldo will serve his mandatory one-game suspension when Portugal plays host to Armenia on Sunday. Portugal, which still leads Hungary by two points in Group F, can clinch a spot in next year’s World Cup with a victory.
However, FIFA disciplinary rules state that a ban of at least two matches is required for “serious foul play” and for at least three matches for “violent conduct,” or for “an appropriate period of time for assault, including elbowing.”
Pre-World Cup exhibitions would not count towards serving a potential match ban, and it could be three weeks before FIFA issues a verdict.
It is the first red card Ronaldo has received in the record 226 games he has played for Portugal.
“He is just a captain that has never been sent off before in 226 games,” Martinez said. “I think it was a bit harsh because he cares about the team.”
Ronaldo is seeking to reach his sixth World Cup.
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Luis Rubiales, the former Spanish soccer federation president who resigned after kissing a player without her consent at the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, was pelted with eggs while on stage promoting his book.
The culprit, who was later arrested by police, was revealed to be Rubiales’ uncle.
Jorge Vilda, Head Coach of Spain (L), with Luis Rubiales, President of Spain’s football federation, during the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Final match between Spain and England at Stadium Australia on Aug. 20, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
The incident was captured on video and showed Rubiales sitting on stage while promoting his 500-page memoir. A man can be seen throwing several eggs in Rubiales’ direction, one hitting him directly in the back.
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Rubiales charged at the man, but several others stepped in to restrain him.
Spanish police told The Associated Press that the man, identified as Luis Rubén Rubiales, was arrested. No motive was immediately revealed. The suspect was Rubiales’ uncle and a local actor.
“A man entered who I later saw was my uncle, who is a troubled man, and always has been,” Rubiales told reporters, via the AP. “He had some eggs and threw some at me, but I didn’t know what he had in his hands, and when I first saw him I thought he might be carrying a weapon.”
The former president of Spain’s soccer federation Luis Rubiales sits in a courtroom on the outskirts of Madrid, Monday Feb. 3, 2025, where he goes on trial for his unsolicited kiss on forward Jenni Hermoso. (Chema Moya, Pool photo via AP, File)
EX-SPANISH SOCCER PRESIDENT RECEIVES FINE OVER UNWANTED KISS OF FEMALE PLAYER
In February, Rubiales was found guilty of sexually assaulting Spanish soccer player Jenni Hermoso after he kissed her without her consent following the Women’s World Cup final in 2023. The controversy overshadowed Spain’s title and led to Rubiales’ resignation just weeks later.
Despite prosecutors seeking prison time, Rubiales was ordered to pay a fine and was prohibited from being near or communicating with Hermoso for a year.
A smiling Jennifer Hermoso of Spain with the FIFA Women’s World Cup winners’ trophy after the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Final match between Spain and England at Stadium Australia on Aug. 20, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
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The 48-year-old former soccer chief has denied kissing Hermoso without her consent. According to its publisher, Rubiales says he was the victim of a “conspiracy of different powers of Spanish public life” including the government and “the profitable world of feminism.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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