Sports
Ex-NFL star praises Cowboys player’s ‘all-out effort’ on key special teams turnover
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Dallas Cowboys player Alijah Clark turned heads over the weekend when he showed off incredible hustle to force a key turnover during the team’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
During a Cowboys punt, Clark was pushed down multiple times but still got back up to cause Xavier Gipson to fumble. Many NFL fans and players applauded Clark, including former star pass rusher Shawne Merriman, who told Fox News Digital that type of effort is exactly what any coach would want to see out of a player.
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Shawne Merriman of the Chargers warms up before the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the New England Patriots on Jan. 14, 2007, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. (Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)
“It was clear coaching tape of what you want to show every high school kid in the country,” Merriman said. “People come up to me all the time, they want to play in the NFL, that’s what I would show them. If you ever want to make a team, if you’re on the fence whether you can make a team or not, you do that, you put yourself in the best position to make that 53-man roster. That’s clear coaching tape of all-out effort of what these young players need to see.”
Clark joined the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent this year. Merriman said it’s those types of plays that would keep him on a roster for a long time.
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Dallas Cowboys safety Alijah Clark (38) and cornerback Trikweze Bridges react in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on Oct. 26, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
“That is what determines if a guy is gonna make a team or not. I always tell guys, ‘The more you can do.’ If you can run down on special teams and make a play like that, I know guys who stayed around in the NFL for a very long time making plays like that and that’s what you need to do,” Merriman added.
While the Cowboys failed to gain any points after the play, Dallas was able to win the game 24-21.
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He’s appeared in six games for Dallas and has 15 tackles.
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Twenty men have been charged in a point-shaving scheme involving more than 39 college basketball players on more than 17 NCAA Division I teams, leading to more than 29 games being fixed, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Fifteen of the defendants played college basketball during the 2023-24 and/or 2024-25 seasons, according to the indictment. Some have played this season. Two of the players named in the indictment, Cedquavious Hunter and Dyquavian Short, were sanctioned in November by the NCAA for fixing New Orleans games.
At least two of the defendants, Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, were also charged in a federal indictment in the Eastern District of New York centered on gambling schemes in the NBA.
Former NBA player Antonio Blakeney was named but not charged in the indictment. The indictment describes Blakeney as being “charged elsewhere.”
The scheme, according to the indictment, began around September 2022 and initially was focused on fixing games in the Chinese Basketball Association. The group later targeted college basketball games, offering bribes to college players ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 to compromise games for betting purposes, according to the indictment.
“In placing these wagers on games they had fixed, the defendants defrauded sportsbooks, as well as individual sports bettors, who were all unaware that the defendants had corruptly manipulated the outcome of these games that should have been decided fairly, based on genuine competition and the best efforts of the players,” the indictment said.
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USAA on Thursday announced the three finalists for the NFL’s Salute to Service Award, and a dynasty in San Francisco could be on the rise.
After 49ers star George Kittle took home the award last year, Christian McCaffrey is among three finalists for the league’s award, along with Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson and Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones as the finalists — Jones was a finalist last year, as well.
“The finalists for the 15th Annual Salute to Service Award presented by USAA have used their platforms to be exceptional advocates for the military community, reminding us that service doesn’t stop when the uniform comes off,” Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Bob Whittle, Senior Vice President and Head of Military Affairs at USAA, said in a release.
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Christian McCaffrey, Jake Ferguson and Aaron Jones are this year’s Salute to Service Award finalists. (, G Fiume, and John Fisher/Getty Images)
“The NFL and USAA applaud Jake Ferguson, Aaron Jones, and Christian McCaffrey as deserving finalists who have demonstrated exactly what the award stands for — using the power of football to connect with, empower, appreciate and uplift our service members, veterans and their families.”
McCaffrey launched 23 and Troops in 2021 to focus on post-traumatic stress and athlete-level care for veterans. The foundation has raised $700,000 for military support and paid off holiday layaway for 515 military families.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) celebrates his touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Santa Clara, California. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Ferguson has partnered with USAA to visit local military bases and supported the National Medal of Honor Museum, including an event in 2024 in which 900 students joined in person and thousands more virtually.
Jones grew up in a military household. His father, Alvin, served 29 years in the Army, while his mother, Vurgess, served for 27. Jones’ older brother, Xavier, serves in the Air Force. Jones and his twin brother, Alvin Jr., founded the A&A All the Way Foundation in 2020 to support the youth of military families.
The winner will be announced at NFL Honors in San Francisco on Feb. 5, the same night the MVP, Offensive and Defensive Players and Rookies, and Coach of the Year will be crowned.
George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after a touchdown with Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter in the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 10, 2023, in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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Whittle and Kittle will be among those on the judging panel for the award.
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Monday night’s game featuring hometown Miami and championship-starved Indiana is one of the toughest tickets in sports.
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