SI:CYMI | Diego Pavia Is an NFL QB

Good morning, sports fans! This is Madison Williams from Sports Illustrated, here to share the biggest news that you might’ve missed over the weekend and what’s coming next in the world of sports.

Send this to a friend who is pumped to have Ted Lasso return for season four on August 5! So excited to see the crew back on our screens, and to meet the new characters. “Whistle! Whistle!” Speaking of TV shows, there’s been plenty of popcorn-worthy headlines in sports the past couple days.

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The Headlines …

COACH DRAMA: Craving a good drama? You can thank some coaches across sports for causing drama. … One of the biggest storylines this month regards the photos of Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini that have gone viral. On Tuesday, a couple of New England’s players commented on the situation. … It was poor timing for Boston Magazine to have Vrabel grace the cover. … The Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson after their rough 9–19 start to the season. … Phillies executive Dave Dombrowski detailed why it was the time for the organization to move on. … Recently fired Red Sox manager Alex Cora broke his silence yesterday. … Former Kansas State coach Jerome Tang found a new role in college basketball.

QUARTERBACK ACTION: Looking for more action? NFL quarterbacks have you covered. … Less than a week after being passed in the NFL draft, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia finally found a home in the league: the Ravens. He signed a deal and bypassed the rookie minicamp tryout. … Unfortunately, the internet is forever. A video resurfaced of Pavia snubbing Lamar Jackson when being asked who the best college QB was a few months back. … For Baltimore’s AFC North rival Steelers, the team placed a right of first refusal tag on Aaron Rodgers. SI’s Mike Kadlick explained what that means for Pittsburgh’s never-ending quarterback dilemma. … Former Steelers starting quarterback Russell Wilson visited the Jets, where he could possibly sign for the 2026 season. … Now onto other rookie quarterbacks. Maxx Crosby sent a powerful message to No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza on his podcast. … Matthew Stafford found the best offseason distraction to the Rams drafting Ty Simpson. (It also makes him an awesome dad.)

BASKETBALL THRILLERS: Nothing like the NBA and college basketball to bring you some thrilling storylines. … The Spurs eliminated the Trail Blazers to advance to the second round of the playoffs. Could they be the team to win the title? … Portland’s whirlwind season is over. What grade did they receive? … SI’s Ryan Phillips previewed the Blazers’ offseason, too. … Looking ahead to tonight’s games, Austin Reaves could potentially return to the Lakers’ lineup for Game 5 vs. the Rockets. That would be huge. … On the flip side, though, Houston will be without Kevin Durant again. Here’s what the Rockets need to do to stay alive in the playoffs. … The Suns were eliminated by the Thunder. SI’s Liam McKeone previewed the biggest storylines heading into Phoenix’s offseason. … In college basketball news, the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2026, Tyran Stokes, made his commitment last night. … USC star Alijah Arenas withdrew from the NBA draft to return to the Trojans program next season.

Feed Refresher …

Here’s some fun moments we saw online …

REPORTING HERO: A young Cleveland fan attempted to grab a home run ball hit by Daniel Schneemann during Monday’s game, but an older fan won the battle and pocketed the souvenir. The young fan didn’t go home empty handed, though, as Rays sideline reporter Ryan Bass saved the day by tracking down another baseball and gifting it to the young fan. Bass also brought a ball to the young girl’s brother, who happened to ask the older Guardians fan for the home run back originally. That fan did end up handing the baseball over to the young fans. What a wholesome story all around.

VIRAL REACTION: Bears draftee Malik Muhammad II unfortunately went viral for the wrong reason after his name was called as a fourth round pick over the weekend. A TikTok posted of the moment Muhammad became an NFL rookie shows the cornerback having zero emotional reaction to the news. Fans assumed he didn’t like where he landed—but that’s the furthest thing from the truth, according to Muhammad in a statement he released last night. He was “overwhelmed with excitement and emotion” in the moment, but froze with how wild it felt to him. Good thing he cleared that up before joining Chicago’s squad.

HONEY, YOU’RE UP: Last night was Women’s Night at Dodger Stadium. In honor of the themed game, the Dodgers let the wives and girlfriends of all their players pick their walk-up songs for the night. The selections did not disappoint. We know relief pitcher Will Klein’s song (“Golden” by HUNTR/X) will get the kids on their feet, for sure. Alex Freeland’s was pretty awesome, too.

What We’re Watching Tonight…

NBA Playoffs:

Magic @ Pistons—7 p.m. ET; Prime Video

Orlando could send Detroit into the offseason tonight if they win Game 5. It would be the first time since the 2023 Bucks that a No. 1 seed lost in the first round of the playoffs. Let’s see if the Pistons can step it up to stay alive.

Raptors @ Cavaliers—7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN

Toronto and Cleveland will be competing to take a 3–2 advantage in the series tonight.

Rockets @ Lakers—10 p.m. ET; ESPN

Kevin Durant will miss Game 5, and his season might be over soon if his Rockets can’t eke out a win tonight. If L.A. wins, then they’ll advance to the conference semifinals to face the reigning champion Thunder.

NHL Playoffs:

Canadiens @ Lightning—7 p.m. ET; ESPN2

The series is currently tied 2–2, with the lead on the line tonight.

Penguins @ Flyers—7:30 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, HBO Max

Philadelphia could end the series against Pittsburgh tonight with a win. The winner of this first round series will go on to face the No. 1 Hurricanes in the second round.

Mammoth @ Golden Knights—10 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, HBO Max

The No. 1 seeded Golden Knights are tied with the Mammoth. We’ll see which team can take the lead tonight.

That’s it for today. We’re halfway to Friday!

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