coach

It never has been about the glory for Semaj Morgan.

Not the touchdowns. Not the name, image and license deals. And not even the 2024 national championship he won with Michigan.

For the UCLA wide receiver, all of that plays second fiddle to giving back to his community in Detroit and touching the lives of the people around him through the Semaj J. Morgan Foundation — an initiative he started when he was 17 years old.

“My foundation is definitely the best thing that I do. It’s great being a football player, but being able to give back and show people that I really care for others and not just about football and money, I want to be able to pour back into the people that support me and show me love,” Morgan said. “A lot of people don’t get to wake up every day and know that there’s going to be food around. A lot of people in the city of Detroit don’t even know if they’re going to eat at all.”

UCLA receiver Semaj Morgan is surrounded by children he has helped through his foundation.

(Courtesy of the Morgan family)

Morgan decided he wanted to start the foundation when he handed out toys with the Dream Team Male Mentoring group, telling his dad, Semaj T. Morgan, that community service was his calling. But at 17, he was too young to have his name on the paperwork, so his parents opened the foundation for him.

Since the foundation’s launch in February 2023, Morgan has hosted turkey drives, during which he gives away 2,000 turkeys, 2,000 food bags and 1,000 hot meals along with hats, coats, scarves and gloves, in an effort to tackle the health and food gaps in his community.

Morgan also has spearheaded back-to-school giveaways, handing out backpacks and supplies to children.

“We don’t do it just to do it. We do it because we’re trying to close the educational gap that our kids in Detroit suffer from,” Morgan’s father said.

“When you have a kid that’s going to school with the same notebooks and pens and highlighters and erasers that their counterparts have, now they have more confidence when they go to school.”

Morgan received a grant from the Ballmer Group, founded by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife, for the foundation’s DiscoverWorks Summer program. The initiative serves 250 families, giving students the opportunity to get their test scores up in the morning and go on field trips in the afternoon, alongside other enrichment activities such as robotics and mentoring.

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava celebrates with Semaj Morgan after scoring a touchdown against Purdue at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 19.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

But the endeavor closest to Morgan’s heart is the foundation’s Mother’s Day and Father’s Day events.

“These are mothers and fathers who lost their sons to gun violence. Semaj is their son, and he takes his NIL money, and he takes them to dinner, buys them gifts as if their son was here,” Morgan’s father said. “These are parents that a lot of these children’s murders have not been solved, so this is a way for us to bless these parents, let them know that they’re not forgotten. There’s never a dry eye in the room.”

The events — which started out with 10 moms and five dads and are up to 35 moms and 20 dads — are particularly special to Morgan, who was friends with some of the sons of the parents involved. Morgan said that seeing the parents and hearing their testimonies puts everything in his life into perspective.

While Morgan is humble about the effect his foundation has had on the people around him, others are taking notice.

UCLA receiver Semaj Morgan holds up a Michigan state Senate certificate recognizing his foundation’s work to support people in Detroit.

(Courtesy of Morgan familiy)

Morgan was recognized on the Michigan House floor by state Sens. John DaMoose and Rosemary Bayer for the community service that he’s led in Detroit.

And during the 2024-25 academic year, Morgan was nominated for the inaugural Big Ten Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award by his previous school, Michigan, for his philanthropic work.

“He understands his mission and call in life, and that’s to bless other people. He’s not about him; he’s about other people, and it’s very rare that you see individuals at such a young age understand their mission and cause in life,” Morgan’s father said.

“Football is one thing, but when he’s giving out turkeys, food bags, hats and coats, he has a bigger smile than getting in the end zone because he understands these people need help.”

Morgan’s desire to help others was inspired by Curtis Blackwell — Morgan’s travel football coach and president of Sound Mind Sound Body Sports Academy. Morgan’s father said Blackwell always urged players to give back to others.

Blackwell, who coached Arizona Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson, Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston and former Michigan safety Makari Paige alongside Morgan, stresses education before football and places an equal emphasis on academics, athletics and life skills.

And because Michigan does not get the same high school football exposure as Texas, Florida or California, Blackwell was keen on getting his players on college visits, leading to Morgan receiving more than 25 offers — a direct result of the travel the team made to raise players’ exposure.

“Growing up in a single-parent home, I was fortunate to get a scholarship to college, and it was because of my coaches. And had it not been for my coaches, I don’t know where I would be,” Blackwell said. “If we as coaches are the best people to really influence young people, they will listen to their coach more than their mom, their teacher. And so if we can get the coaches to be the teachers off the field, we could really change their attitude.”

Blackwell was astounded that Morgan was the pupil who took the program’s mission the furthest, surpassing the efforts of NFL players and affecting people well before he’s turned 21.

“You don’t have to wait till you get to the NFL to make an impact. You don’t have to wait till you retire to give back. You can do something every step along the way, and that’s what we teach to our kids — lift as you climb,” Blackwell said. “Semaj took that and ran with it. He has a really big heart and he’s a person that is a giver, not a taker. He’s going to give you the shirt off his back.”

UCLA receiver Semaj Morgan catches a touchdown pass against Purdue at the Rose Bowl Stadium on Sept. 19.

(Kevin Terrell / Getty Images)

Morgan earned his bachelor’s degree at Michigan and is working on his master’s degree at UCLA while playing football and running his foundation from the West Coast. But he may miss his first foundation event when UCLA travels to Ann Arbor to play his former school in November, although coach Bob Chesney already gave him permission to stay in Michigan after the team leaves.

Morgan’s greatest achievement that weekend may not involve the scoreboard at the Big House.

“I might not have done the best on the field last year, but being able to come home knowing that I’m touching people’s lives, that’s the biggest thing for me,” Morgan said. “To do this at such a young age, and grow so rapidly and touch so many lives, it’s great for me. After football, I want to continue to give back to people. I eventually want to be able to start football programs.”

Oct. 7, 2026 11:09 AM PT

Longtime Oregon Ducks men’s basketball coach Dana Altman is retiring effective immediately, the school announced on Wednesday.

Altman, 68, took over ahead of the 2010-11 season and is the winningest coach in Oregon history with a 382-182 record. The Ducks made nine NCAA Tournament appearances over that span, including a Final Four berth in 2017.

Oregon also won four Pac-12 regular season titles and four Pac-12 tournament titles during his tenure.

Over the course of his 37-year career as a head coach, Altman’s record is 792-425. Before he came to Eugene, Altman was the head coach at Creighton for 16 years.

“I have had to make two really tough decisions in my coaching career,” said Altman. “The first was leaving Creighton, a place my family and I dearly loved, to come to Oregon. This is the second,” Altman said in a statement. “I’ve loved every minute of coaching here, and stepping away is difficult and truly painful. I love coaching, it’s what I know best and what I’ve been fortunate enough to do for almost five decades. I’m going to miss my coaches, my players and our incredible fans more than I can express. But I know this is the right thing to do at this time.”

Oregon will begin the national search for Altman’s successor after the season. Assistant coach Tony Stubblefield will coach the Ducks for the 2026-27 season.

The Ducks struggled last season, going 12-20, and the program lost nine players to the transfer portal and three to graduation in the offseason.

Stubblefield has spent two stints as an assistant to Altman at Oregon. He left to become head coach at DePaul from 2021-24 before returning to the Ducks.

“Winning 382 games over 16 years, including making nine NCAA Tournaments and a Final Four, is an incredible track record. But the record book tells only part of the story,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullins said. “Dana and Reva have given so much of themselves to this university and to the young men who played for him, and we thank him for all his contributions to Oregon student-athletes, the game of basketball, and the University of Oregon.”

Peterson writes for the Associated Press.

Fred Claire was an unorthodox choice for general manager, a former sportswriter and public relations man who didn’t play baseball beyond the junior varsity level in high school, and his 1987 promotion to head the Dodgers’ front office was met with skepticism around the game.

A year and a half later, after his shrewd moves helped turn the Dodgers into World Series champions in 1988, Claire was named Major League Baseball’s executive of the year by the Sporting News.

Claire, who spent 30 years in the Dodgers’ front office, died Monday on his 91st birthday. The news was shared on social media by former Dodger broadcaster Ross Porter.

An avid runner and golfer fit and trim enough to pass for a man a decade younger, the silver-haired Claire was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in 2015 when what looked like a harmless spot on his lip turned out to be cancerous.

The growth was surgically removed, but the cancer returned in August 2016, and spread into the left side of his face. Claire underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments to kill the malignant cells in his body, but the cancer returned again in 2017.

An immunotherapy clinical trial saved his life, according to a story in Pasadenanow.com, but then an infection forced him to undergo even more extensive facial reconstruction surgery at City of Hope in Duarte, replacing his jawbone with a bone from his leg.

Claire was so impressed with his treatment at City of Hope that he teamed with author Tim Madigan in 2021 to publish a book chronicling his career and capturing the hospital’s history as well the stories of patients and doctors. The book, “Extra Innings,” can be purchased at Amazon, with all net proceeds donated to City of Hope.

“The main thing that I liked and appreciated about the book was people buying it because of their interest in baseball,” Claire told the Desert Sun in 2021, “then to discover what a great place [City of Hope] is after reading it.”

Claire was also active in helping fund research — he and his wife, Sheryl, set up a scholarship fund with the USC Keck School of Medicine for research in head and neck cancer.

Claire was born Oct. 5, 1935, in Jamestown, Ohio. His parents moved the family — Claire had a brother and a sister — to Torrance when Claire was a teenager. After graduating from Torrance High, Claire earned a degree in journalism from San José State in 1957 before taking his first newspaper job.

“I graduated on a Sunday afternoon,” Claire told The Times in 1997, “and by Monday morning, I had a job at the Whittier Daily News.”

For 30 years, Dodger Stadium was Fred Claire’s home. “Honestly, in my heart and soul, it was a thrill and honor to have the opportunity to walk into Dodger Stadium every day and go to work,” Claire told the Times in 2017.

(Jack Harris / Los Angeles Times)

Claire spent 11 years as a sportswriter and was covering the Dodgers for the Long Beach Press-Telegram in the spring of 1969 when a position opened in the team’s public relations department.

Claire, who always longed to be involved in baseball, expressed interest in the job and was hired as a public relations assistant, remaining in the position until 1975, when he was promoted to vice president of public relations.

He was instrumental in creating the branding that came to be known as “Dodger Blue” and was directing the team’s marketing efforts when the Dodgers passed the 3-million mark in attendance for the first time. He also hired Ross Porter, a Dodgers broadcaster from 1977 to 2004.

In April 1987, then-Dodgers general manager Al Campanis was fired after making controversial and what many said were racist remarks about Black Americans on “Nightline,” during which he told the show’s host, Ted Koppel, that Black people may lack “some of the necessities” to be the field manager or GM of a major league baseball team.

Claire was then-Dodgers President Peter O’Malley’s surprise choice to replace Campanis, and his hiring raised the eyebrows of his new peers, who saw Claire as an outsider with no background as a player, coach, manager or scout.

“I knew some people might say, what does this guy know about baseball, he covered it from behind a typewriter?” O’Malley said in 2017. “But I knew Fred could do it. And he did it. He deserves a lot of credit for stepping in quickly, without advance notice, and doing a great job.”

The Dodgers suffered their second straight losing season in 1987, but Claire made several off-season moves — acquiring outfielders Kirk Gibson and Mike Davis, shortstop Alfredo Griffin and pitchers Jay Howell and Jesse Orosco — that fortified the club.

The Dodgers, led by National League Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Orel Hershiser and most valuable player Gibson, won the National League West in 1988 and upset the 100-win New York Mets in the NL championship series.

The gimpy Gibson hit his memorable pinch-hit, walk-off homer off Oakland closer Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the World Series to push the Dodgers toward their fifth championship since moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958.

Kirk Gibson reacts to his game-winning two-run homer in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.

(John Swart / Associated Press)

Claire dealt a smallish and seemingly fragile pitcher named Pedro Martínez to Montreal for second baseman Delino DeShields in what turned out to be one of the game’s most-lopsided trades. DeShields hit .241 in three years in Los Angeles, while Martinez went on to have a dominant 17-year career that earned him a 2015 Hall of Fame induction.

But during Claire’s 11-year tenure as GM, the Dodgers won a World Series, two division titles, a wild-card berth and a first-place finish in the strike-shortened 1994 season.

Claire also changed the culture in the front office, hiring an analytics expert, holding regular conference calls with coaches and scouts and canvassing the clubhouse to talk with players about everything from their families to their on-field performance.

“Fred gave us that first edge of being progressive and aggressive,” Hershiser told the Times in 2017. Added former Dodgers utility man Mickey Hatcher: “Fred Claire was amazing. For a guy who was suddenly put into the limelight, he asked all the right questions, listened to everyone and believed in all of us.”

Claire was fired along with then-Manager Bill Russell on June 21, 1998, five weeks after executives from Fox News Corp., which purchased the Dodgers earlier that year, engineered a blockbuster trade — deflating to many fans — of All-Star catcher Mike Piazza to the Florida Marlins without Claire’s involvement.

Claire, a man of “integrity and dignity,” as former Times baseball columnist Ross Newhan wrote, walked away with no harsh words or public regrets.

“Honestly, in my heart and soul, it was a thrill and honor to have the opportunity to walk into Dodger Stadium every day and go to work,” Claire told the Times in 2017. “This is truly enough for me.”

After his departure from the Dodgers, Claire worked as a columnist and analyst for MLB.com, a radio show host, an instructor at USC and a consultant to companies involved with sports. He co-authored an autobiography, released in 2004, titled “Fred Claire: My 30 Years in Dodger Blue.”

His response during an interview with Business Renaissance Quarterly in 2007 shed some light on Claire’s philosophy. The question: What do you want to be remembered for?

“I was once in the presence of the late Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley when he was asked this question by a reporter from United Press International,” Claire said. “Mr. O’Malley spun his ever-present cigar, paused for just a second and replied, ‘I want to be remembered for planting a tree.’

“Walter O’Malley’s answer, in my mind, overshadowed the great question. He wanted to be remembered for helping things grow, and in my mind, that meant his family, his friendships, the good causes he was involved in.

“I have seldom planted a tree, but I would proudly borrow Mr. O’Malley’s answer to this question.”

Claire is survived by his wife, Sheryl, and their three children, Jen, Jeff and Kim.

The drama surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s international future took another turn after Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus left the door open for the 41-year-old superstar’s return following his abrupt departure from the national team’s training camp.

The sentiment is shared by the Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro ⁠⁠Proenca, who believes the episode is a mere misunderstanding that could be resolved internally.

But how did the apparent rift start, and will Ronaldo ever play again for Portugal?

What happened between Ronaldo and Jesus?

Ronaldo left the Portugal squad late on Wednesday, shortly after the head coach’s news conference, where Jesus confirmed that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would be left out of his starting lineup for the match against Denmark, marking a second consecutive Nations League game absence.

Ronaldo’s decision to walk out came as a shock, as he had been due to train with his teammates at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.

Portugal’s leading scorer had already spent the entirety of the 2-1 Nations League win away to Norway on September 27 on the bench, having captained the side in the 1-0 home victory over Wales three days before.

The game in Oslo was the first time since November 2024 that Ronaldo had not featured for Portugal despite not being injured or suspended.

What has Ronaldo said?

Ronaldo appeared to indicate that the reasons behind Jesus’s decision to bench him ran deeper and hinted at a departure from the national team he has graced for more than two decades.

“In due course, I will tell the truth to all the Portuguese people about my reasons for leaving the national team, to which I have always been dedicated,” Ronaldo said in a cryptic Instagram post, announcing his sudden exit from the camp.

Spanish sports daily Marca said Jesus and Proenca followed Ronaldo to Copenhagen airport in an attempt to persuade him to stay with the squad, before the player boarded his private jet.

There were reports that Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro had even discussed the issue of Ronaldo’s involvement with the coach on Wednesday.

Jesus insisted that there was no rift between them, although the 72-year-old, who was appointed in July, acknowledged that his captain was disappointed to remain on the bench against Norway.

How did Portugal play without Ronaldo?

Despite his absence, Nations League title holders Portugal won, defeating Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen and Norway 2-1 in Porto. They also became the first team to qualify for the quarterfinals, ensuring a top-two finish in Group A4.

Forward Goncalo Ramos stepped up in Ronaldo’s absence, scoring three goals to be the team’s joint top scorer along with Joao Felix, while the AC Milan player also bagged an assist.

What did Portugal’s coach say about Ronaldo?

On Sunday, coach Jesus said Ronaldo could return to the national team ⁠⁠if he chooses ⁠⁠to.

“If he wants to, he’ll return to the national team. We can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who’s going ‌‌to decide,” said Jesus, who also coached Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.

“He’s the one who should decide how he wants to end his time with the national team. In my first call-up, I said, ‘I need you, I need you to be close to me, playing or not playing, I need you’. And now I’m saying ⁠⁠the same thing.”

Jesus expects the forward to be available for the next international window if he wants to return.

What have the Portugal players said about Ronaldo?

Midfielder Bruno Fernandes said on Saturday he had spoken to Ronaldo and dismissed suggestions of a rift within Portugal’s squad.

“I had a chat with him and what I said to him is ‌‌what I’ll repeat here: the most important thing is that, whatever happens, Cristiano Ronaldo will never cease to be the greatest symbol of our national team, of our football and of the country,” Fernandes told a news conference.

“For what he has achieved not only in Portugal, but all over the world. He has a place reserved not only amongst the all-time greats, but also in the hearts of all Portuguese people.”

“The most important thing is that we ⁠⁠stop stirring up trouble; there are no divisions within the national team. It is ⁠⁠one team and will remain so, despite any noise that may come from outside.”

Fernandes called for unity after a tumultuous few days in which Portugal fans’ opinions have been split over Ronaldo’s decision.

“We are outside of this controversy, but what I ask is that the country does not divide itself, does not make choices, that it respects all sides, but, at the same time, Cris is and will be the biggest icon of our national team. He deserves everyone’s respect, regardless of who likes him more or [who likes him] less,” Fernandes added.

When was Ronaldo’s last match for Portugal and how did he perform?

Ronaldo featured just once for Portugal during this year’s Nations League, playing 67 minutes in their 1-0 home win over Wales.

It was a frustrating night for the Al-Nassr forward, who misfired several times. He found the side netting once and shinned an inviting volley high over from close range.

Around the hour mark, Ronaldo slid the ball into the Wales net but, to his evident disbelief, was ruled offside.

He was still shaking his head when Jesus substituted him seven minutes later.

Will he play for Portugal again?

The jury is still out.

Ronaldo, who made his Portugal debut in 2003 at the age of 18, has said this will “probably” be his final year in football. The forward has been a fixture of the national team for more than two decades and has played at six World Cups.

Former Real Madrid and Manchester United attacker Ronaldo is ⁠⁠Portugal’s record scorer and most-capped player, with 146 goals in 234 international appearances.

He reached the World Cup semifinals in 2006 and captained his country to glory at Euro 2016. Ronaldo and Portugal were eliminated by eventual winners Spain in the last 16 of this year’s World Cup.

When is Portugal’s next match?

Portugal have completed their quota of four Nations League fixtures in this extended international window.

Their upcoming matches are in the next window: a home game with Norway on November 14 and an away match against Wales three days later.

Those matches will wrap up Portugal’s league phase in the Nations League, which they have won twice.

When Matisse Thybulle was asked what it has been like trying to defend offensive savants Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves during the Lakers training camp, he shook his head and smiled.

Thybulle was emphatic with his answer.

“I mean, you have to work soooo hard. They’re soooo talented,” Thybulle said, laughing. “And it’s just … I think for me it’s great because getting to play against two of the best offensive players in the NBA every day just primes you for — I think it primes all of us, but me specifically — just primes you for what to expect. And I think it was a big thing when you’re growing up that practice should be harder than the games. And I think in the NBA it’s a little different because you just have to pace yourself for such a long season. But guarding Luka and AR, practice is definitely going to be harder than the games.”

During the first four days of Lakers training camp, Thybulle was frequently listed as one of the players who has been a menace on defense.

It was why the Lakers signed the 6-foot-5 free-agent wing to a one-year, $3.2-million contract.

Thybulle, along with Ziaire Williams and Adou Thiero, has been praised for how disruptive he has been during workouts.

“I just think naturally it’s going to be a healthy competition and it gets you better. It’s going to make Austin better when Ziaire is picking them up full court every possession and Matisse is in the passing lane trying to blow things up,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I think [Thybulle and Williams] — [and] Adou with his physicality — those guys are getting better from practicing that way. It goes both ways.”

Thybulle made a name for himself on the defensive end of the floor. He is a two-time NBA all-defensive second team selection, both times with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2021 and 2022.

Still, Thybulle said he’s picking up new skills.

“I think, like the best offensive players in the league — Luka being probably one of the best — change pace so well,” Thybulle said. “And I think as I’m growing in this league, growing as a defender, learning when to change pace and go for steals versus sitting back and being solid and make it more of a cat-and-mouse game as opposed to trying to be in every passing lane every single time.”

On offense, Thybulle will try to mold his game around Doncic and Reaves.

Thybulle will be asked to knock down corner threes and fill the lane on the fast break.

Over the course of his seven-year career, he has made 34.9% of his three-pointers.

“I think luckily for me, I started my career in an offense that was similar to that, and just understanding you never know when it’s going to come, but just to be ready,” Thybulle said. “And just for me personally, at this point, having the confidence in my shot to know that when it comes, I’m ready for it, as opposed to just hoping for the best. I think it goes a long way as well.”

Health has been an issue for Thybulle during the past two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers.

He played in just 30 games last season while recovering from a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb and in just 15 games during the 2024-25 season because of right knee and right ankle injuries.

But he’s healthy now and ready for a breakout season.

He’s one of nine new players on the roster and he’s one of the Lakers that will compete for a starting role.

“I leave those decisions up to the coaches,” Thybulle said. “Yeah, so for me, if my teammates are happy with how I’m playing and the coaches are happy with how I’m playing, that’s a good sign to me that I’m doing a good job. But if that means I’m coming off the bench or that means I’m starting, I trust that the coaches know how to use me best to create the most impact, and we’ll go with that.”

Two starting spots up for grabs

When the Lakers play their first exhibition game Monday night in Sacramento, the big story line will be the starting five.

Redick has said Doncic, Reaves and Walker Kessler will for sure start and that the other two spots will be decided by an open competition.

Redick was asked who would be available in Sacramento.

“Obviously, [we’re] still working through stuff,” he said.

There are so many ethical dilemmas in high school sports that earning a teaching credential or gaining life experiences from participating in sports won’t always provide a clear path on how to proceed.

And when you bring in rules and regulations set forth by the California Interscholastic Federation, the state’s governing body for high school sports, everyone has an opinion or complaint — especially when there is a perception of inconsistency in how punishment for a rule violation is assessed.

It really comes down to how coaches hold themselves accountable and what a principal believes in supporting. For example, some principals have dismissed coaches for using profanity. Others do nothing.

Here are some of the ethical questions administrators, coaches, parents and players now face:

If cheating is wrong, how come so many cheat?

Should a player who transfers and has superior talent immediately get to start over a player who has been in the program for three years busting his butt?

How do you figure out when it’s OK to share playing time at quarterback if you have two good players or even three?

When is it OK for a parent to ask about their son‘s or daughter’s playing time, if ever?

How important is winning games compared to team grade-point average?

What is the most appropriate punishment for showing up late to practice?

What is a legitimate excuse for missing practice?

When should a coach allow players to wear whatever shoes they want compared to having one universal shoe and color?

Why are coaches allowed to use profanity but players can’t?

Why can’t coaches welcome multi-sport athletes instead of seething when they have to miss an offseason game?

Should benching a player for receiving a technical foul be automatic?

Should a player be immediately removed for committing a personal foul in football?

How much consideration should be given to the parent with money versus the parent with no money?

How much acting is required to pull off a pregame or halftime speech to inspire your players?

How can you teach teamwork and unselfishness for the team but lay low and suddenly go silent when the top player doesn’t follow the example away from the team?

When a parent offers to become an assistant coach, what instructions and guidelines must be imposed to prevent other parents complaining about “daddy ball?”

When is yelling at an official ever appropriate?

When is the margin of victory too large?

Why is it OK to recruit players, then complain when someone else recruits your players?

For years, baseball coaches have broken rules by holding batting practice before playoff games, resulting in teams forfeiting and coaches learning ignorance of a rule is no excuse. That leads to how can a coach receive only a two-game suspension from his district for playing three ineligible players during an out-of-state football game while claiming he didn’t know the ineligible players couldn’t play outside of California when he’s been coaching for more more than 10 years?

Any coach who says “I don’t want to know” where a transfer lives to escape accountability might want to start realizing an entire program can go down when they abdicate responsibility.

Finally, many claim whatever they are doing “is for the kids,” but when is it time for an adult to enter the room and explain the end doesn’t justify the means?

As someone who has seen virtually every kind of behavior, both good and bad, during 50 years of covering high school sports, I can say I don’t have all the answers to many of the questions posed. But when it comes to education-based high school sports. everyone has a responsibility to follow high ethical standards so that maybe a little bit might rub off on their players and help them navigate their future real-life decisions from a position of strength and confidence.

When Lincoln Riley hired Gary Patterson to be his third defensive coordinator in five seasons, the USC head coach naturally pointed to Patterson’s impressive track record.

His reputation, after all, was as one of the great defensive minds in the modern history of college football, a coach who, at Texas Christian, knew how to get more out of lesser talent. It stood to reason that he could do the same at USC, where they’d just signed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class. And through the spring and summer, that appeared to be the case, as coaches and players alike raved about their new coordinator, who earlier this year was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

But as the Trojans approach the midway point of an increasingly tense campaign, Patterson and his defense have fallen drastically short of those expectations.

As USC welcomes Washington to the Coliseum with its season on the brink, its defense is currently allowing more than 6.14 yards per play, good for 115th nationally. The secondary, which has struggled with consistent miscommunication, is allowing 8.4 yards per pass play — more than either of former coordinator Alex Grinch’s defenses allowed at USC. And big plays are becoming a big problem. Only three defenses the country have allowed more explosive plays of 20-plus yards than USC (23), which is also in line with Grinch’s defenses.

USC coach Lincoln Riley and defensive coordinator Gary Patterson talk after a loss to Oregon at the Coliseum on Saturday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

And all this despite the fact four of the Trojans’ first five games were against opponents who were expected to struggle against USC’s far superior talent.

Patterson has yet to answer questions about those early results. That’s because unlike Riley’s first two defensive coordinators at USC, who spoke at least weekly, Patterson has not spoken to reporters since the preseason.

Without any explanation from him for USC’s early issues, the numbers don’t exactly paint a promising portrait of Patterson’s season. But while Riley acknowledged that the defense has “had some breakdowns at all levels” and must “play tighter in all areas,” the coach insisted Thursday that the Trojans were close to reaching their potential on defense, again reassuring that there was “a lot of good on tape” on that side of the ball.

“We don’t necessarily need any level of the defense to make this massive jump,” Riley said. “We just need each level to play a little bit better and each level to play a little bit better together.”

Outside of USC’s Week 1 shutout of Fresno State, though, the Trojans haven’t looked particularly good at any level of the defense. The pass rush has been lacking, with only three sacks across USC’s four other games. And on the back end, the Trojans continue to be caught flat-footed, with defensive backs out of position.

One former USC defensive back, Max Williams, posited on social media that the Trojans’ secondary appeared to be getting the defensive calls too close to the snap of the ball. In another social media breakdown by a former Trojan player, former quarterback Max Browne suggested that USC’s defensive backs were often out of position before the play began, putting them behind.

Those problems have seemingly been exacerbated the past two weeks in Big Ten play, as Rutgers and Oregon combined to pile up 964 yards on USC’s defense. And the Ducks did it with a backup quarterback at the helm in Dylan Raiola, who converted all seven of his third- and fourth-down pass attempts.

Patterson’s defense will have another tough test this week in Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who’s just as much a threat with his legs as his arm. The Trojans already had trouble with a dual-threat quarterback earlier this season, allowing Louisiana’s Lunch Winfield to rush for 94 yards during a Week 2 Trojans win.

Any further struggles from here for USC’s defense could spiral in a hurry. The Trojans travel to Penn State next weekend and still have No. 5 Indiana and No. 6 Ohio State on the schedule. They’ll have to win two of those three, plus all their other games, if they still hope to contend for the College Football Playoff.

Those hopes hinge largely on Patterson, who Riley bet before the season would finally bring him salvation on the defensive end.

Riley still has faith that bet will pay off. Mostly because “there’s very few that have been through as much as he has.”

“Trust me, nobody takes it more personal than him or takes more responsibility than he does,” Riley said of Patterson. “He’s done this for a long time. He’s done it at a high level. And there’s nobody, you know, more committed to getting it fixed.”

In the same news conference, Jesus said he did not expect to start Ronaldo against Denmark.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the game,” Jesus said. “If we need him to play, he’ll play. If not, he won’t.”

This time, the player did make the decision for the coach.

“Following the national team coach’s news conference, and after a conversation with the president of the Portuguese football federation, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” Ronaldo posted on social media hours after Jesus spoke.

“In due time, I will tell all the Portuguese about the reasons that motivated my departure from the national team, which I always dedicated myself to. Now it’s time to wish good luck to Portugal and all my teammates, without exception.”

LAFC on Thursday named Xavi Tamarit its interim head coach, replacing Marc Dos Santos, who was fired Sunday amid a slump that has seen the team win just two of its last 13 games in all competition.

Tamarit, 44, was named to Dos Santos staff last January. He has more than two decades’ worth of elite coaching experience, including stints in the English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga and Argentina’s top division. A Spanish citizen, he is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

“Xavi brings a wealth of experience at the highest levels of the game and a clear understanding of our players, their strengths and what this group needs now,” John Thorrington, LAFC’s president of soccer operations, said in a statement. “We have full confidence in Xavi and the rest of the staff to get the best out of this team. Our standards and ambitions remain unchanged, and we are committed to giving everything to finish the 2026 season strong.”

LAFC (11-9-8) is sixth in the 15-team Western Conference table with six regular-season games left. That’s good enough for a playoff berth but two places and five points out of home-field advantage for the postsesason. LAFC is 3-6-6 on the road by 8-3–2 at home this season.

Dos Santos, an assistant for both Bob Bradley and Steve Cherundolo at LAFC, was named the third manager in team history last winter and was unbeaten in its first 11 matches in all competition, outscoring opponents 27-3 and advancing to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, where LAFC lost to Mexico’s Toluca, the eventual winner. But the team has gone 6-9-7 in MLS play since then, including a 1-0 loss to FC Dallas last Saturday in which Dos Santos was without six key players — including leading scorer Denis Bouanga and captain Son Heung-min — who were with their national teams.

Tamarit’s first game as manager will be at home on Oct. 10 against conference-leading Vancouver.

After 72 particularly miserable hours for his football program, Lincoln Riley took his place behind a lectern Tuesday and tried to assure that things at USC weren’t as bad as they looked.

“There’s a lot of things to be proud of in this football program right now,” Riley assured. “Those that really look into it and look at what’s happening here will see that and understand that. There’s people on the outside that just don’t.”

But the optics at USC, since Saturday’s 41-27 home loss to Oregon, certainly couldn’t have been much worse for Riley. Because it wasn’t just that his Trojans lost a critical game to a bitter rival, one framed for weeks — months, even — as a must-win. Or that in its wake, Ducks coach Dan Lanning had savaged him or his program multiple times.

It was what happened in the midst of that loss, as well as the reactions after, that only made matters much worse for USC.

The days since have prompted questions across the country about Riley’s future at USC, where he’s midway through his fifth season as coach. One person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly on the matter told The Times that “all options are on the table” with Riley after the loss and the events of last weekend.

The chain of regrettable decisions began the moment Trojan linebacker Desman Stephens lowered his shoulder into the helmet of sliding Oregon quarterback Dante Moore in the second quarter Saturday evening. Moore’s head slammed hard into the ground, and he laid motionless for several minutes surrounded by medical personnel, until he was lifted onto a backboard and loaded into an ambulance that had driven onto the field.

The whole unsettling scene was made far worse by Stephens’ reaction in the immediate aftermath of the hit. After jawing with Oregon players, the junior linebacker was seen taunting the Oregon sideline and celebrating on his way back to USC’s side of the field. He continued high-fiving teammates while the Ducks surrounded their quarterback, who was diagnosed with a concussion but no other serious injuries.

The next morning, both Stephens and his coach said in a statement that his actions were “unacceptable,” “inexcusable” and “completely inappropriate.” But after the game, Riley first said he didn’t see Stephens celebrate the hit. And when Riley was asked why Stephens was allowed to stay on the sideline for the second half, the coach responded, incredulously, “‘cause he’s on our football team.” He wished Moore well, but said nothing further about Stephens or his vicious hit.

“It’s an easy answer,” said Petros Papadakis, a local radio host and former USC captain. “I understand you can’t have eyes everywhere as a head coach. But even if you didn’t see it, by the end of the game you know most of college football has turned against you in the last hour.

“The story didn’t go away because Lincoln didn’t get in front of it.”

It was clear that night, among USC’s leadership, that the immediate response wasn’t adequate enough. So the next morning, athletic director Jen Cohen met with Riley to discuss a suspension for Stephens. They settled on one game.

On Tuesday, Riley took a different tone. He said he was “disappointed with how [Stephens] handled it” and that he “needs to have more awareness.”

Riley also asked for understanding from those who have been critical of Stephens, whom he described as “a young person who made a mistake.”

“Consider if that was your son,” he said, “how would you want it handled?”

But three days later, the college football world was still litigating Stephens’ hit. The story was still alive, in part, due to a short documentary from the game, published by Oregon on Tuesday morning. In it was a clip that would unexpectedly make things even worse at USC.

The clip is of USC’s radio booth, where Pete Arbogast has been the Trojans’ play-by-play guy for the past quarter century. From his perch in the Coliseum press box, Arbogast is painting the scene of the play when Moore was injured. Except, in this case, listeners heard a different account of his slide and Stephens’ hit than what happened on the field.

“He did not try to slide feet first!” Arbogast said in the moment.

Arbogast went on to say that Moore “ducked into that hit. I did not see him put his feet out first. I saw him dive forward.”

When confronted with the replay moments later, Arbogast stood by what he said, claiming that Moore’s slide was “more of a knee-first slide.” Even Arbogast’s radio partner — former Trojan defensive tackle Shaun Cody — raised his eyebrows at the suggestion.

Both Arbogast and the university declined to comment on the situation when reached by The Times.

Papadakis, who previously worked on the broadcast with Arbogast, called it “a bad look,” but explained that Arbogast was “usually defending USC or trying to spin something positive.”

That job was left to Riley and his players on Tuesday. Though, some were more convincing than others.

“This is a time of adversity, the best time to come together as one,” left tackle Elijah Paige said.

“Times like these you tend to see teams fall apart,” quarterback Jayden Maiava added, “but this team is such a tight team and we’re all bought into each other.”

Riley, meanwhile, pointed for the second day in a row to a stretch early in Saturday’s fourth quarter against Oregon, when the Coliseum had reached a fevered pitch and momentum seemed to be swinging in the Trojans’ favor.

Except, it never did. USC allowed two fourth-quarter touchdowns after that. Riley still tried to find the silver lining.

“We didn’t get run out of the stadium,” Riley said. “There’s a lot of good on that tape. You don’t have a chance to win a game like that if you don’t do some things pretty well.”

Fishlock, who has said this will be her last year playing club football, will be on duty with Reign when Wales go to Albania on Friday, 9 October and then again in the return leg in Llanelli four days later.

Should Wales overcome a side who are 36 places in the Fifa rankings – and one they beat twice in the group phase of World Cup qualifying – they will play either Norway or Romania in a two-legged play-off final in December.

Wilkinson has revealed that another recently retired former player, Kayleigh Barton, will be part of her staff for the Albania ties and then Fishlock will have a role should Wales reach the final.

Fishlock previously worked as a technical assistant for Wales’ opening game of this qualifying campaign, against the Czech Republic in March.

Wilkinson explained that Fishlock had been in touch before she named her semi-final squad on Tuesday, adding: “I didn’t appreciate her saying ‘call me up coach, I’m ready’, which I thought was mean, but [she was] a wonderful player and a great leader for us.

“If we are able to get past Albania, she’ll be coming in as a coach for us for the next round.”

Scotland fans came to Hampden to welcome the new man, Sebastien Pocognoli, and left with all the woes of old weighing them down as they went.

More calamitous defending in the beginning, another self-inflicted wound that was a complete game-changer, another day without a goal – four in a row now.

In the early minutes when Jack Hendry got himself sent off, we may as well have been back amid the meltdown of Miami. Then, Scotland gifted Brazil one goal and then two when they made a fiendishly-difficult job an impossible one on the back of slapstick in defence.

So it was again on Tuesday. Hendry’s red card was a grim moment that sucked the life out of the occasion.

Switzerland don’t lose many games. Argentina had the devil’s own job in seeing them off in extra-time at the World Cup. Germany beat them 4-3 in a friendly, the winner only coming in the 85th minute.

They’re full of nous and strength and belief. Their coach, Murat Yakin, has the calm authority of a man who knows, with absolute certainty, that his team will prevail.

Once the opening goal went in, Yakin turned around in his technical area with a half-smile on his face. Job done, already.

According to documents obtained by The Times via the California Public Records Act, Inglewood High School confirmed to the Southern Section that its football coach, Mil’Von James, played three ineligible players during a game in Austin, Texas, last month.

The reason, according to the letter sent to the Southern Section office, was, “The coach stated that he was not aware CIF eligibility rules applied to a game in Texas.”

That raises the question how many more times Inglewood has used ineligible players for out-of-state football games under James, the head coach since 2019. Last season on Sept. 25, 2025, the team played in Midland, Texas, three days before sit-out transfer players became eligible. Inglewood won 43-42. One of the players on the team who had not been cleared to play was Masyn Harvey, a quarterback transfer and holder on PATs.

Harvey, now playing for a prep school team, declined to return a request for comment if he had played.

If Harvey did play, Inglewood should have forfeited its win last season to Midland. Because Inglewood lost to Westlake of Austin on Aug. 28, a forfeit was moot for this season. Inglewood informed the Southern Section that it imposed a two-game suspension as punishment to James, who returned to coach last week in a win over Downey. The school said it would extend the sit-out period by another week to those players who participated while not cleared.

As for corrective action, the school stated, “Going forward, all ineligible players, across all sports, will be in street clothes on the sideline and must check in with the game administrator prior to the start of each game. We will send all coaches, across all sports, a weekly email listing ineligible players and the reasons for their ineligibility.

“At the start of each season, we will re-train all coaches on eligibility criteria and the clearance process and require them to sign an acknowledgment confirming they understand.”

James has a history of using ineligible players. He was dismissed at Hawkins High in 2016. The Los Angeles Unified School District did not share why James was fired, calling it a confidential personnel matter. LAUSD dismissed James soon after the discovery of ineligible players, resulting in Hawkins forfeiting all of its games to finish 0-13. Since then, the City Section established a rule that teams must exchange rosters before games to verify that players are eligible.

The Southern Section declined comment, but according to a letter response from an assistant commissioner, “Based on your self-report, preventative measures and the corrective actions taken, we will consider this matter closed.”

Cricket Ireland has named former international Ed Joyce as its new high performance batting coach, with a focus on the the men’s senior squad and male talent pathway.

Joyce played 151 times for Ireland, scoring 5,552 runs at an average of 40.82 with 10 centuries and 29 half-centuries.

In 2019, one year after his playing retirement, Joyce became head coach of Ireland women and stayed in the role until stepping down last year.

“The head coach role with Ireland women was a great experience and I enjoyed the day-to-day aspect of working with players on developing and improving their techniques and mindset,” he said.

“Despite the power game coming to the fore, having a sound technique and a positive mindset are still crucial aspects for any batter at this level.

“When I look at the Ireland men’s side over recent years, it’s obvious to see the amount of hard work that has gone on behind the scenes in preparing our players to be competitive on the international stage.

“I look forward to getting involved in this work and perhaps adding some insights and knowledge to push the batting group forward. The talent is there, the goal is now consistency.”

Joyce also played for England on 19 occasions.

LAFC, mired in a slump having won just two of its last 13 games in all competition, fired first-year coach Marc Dos Santos on Sunday with six matches left in the MLS regular season.

The firing, announced in a three-paragraph statement, comes less than 24 hours after Saturday’s 1-0 loss to FC Dallas dropped the team to sixth in the Western Conference table.

“Marc has given a great deal to this club over the years, and we are grateful for his commitment, care and contributions to LAFC,” said John Thorrington, the team’s president of soccer operations, in the release. “We wish Marc and his family all the best moving forward.”

LAFC (11-9-8) said it will begin the search for a new manager immediately but didn’t say who would coach the team in its next game on Oct. 10, after the two-week FIFA international break.

Dos Santos, 49, was an assistant on Bob Bradley’s staff in LAFC’s inaugural season in 2018. He left after the season to take over the Vancouver Whitecaps but struggled to a 22-39-20 record in 2 ½ years that were heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the team to play many of its games on the road.

Dos Santos returned to LAFC as an assistant in 2022, this time for Steve Cherundolo, helping the team to a Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup. When Cherundolo stepped down after last season, Dos Santos was given the head coaching job just two weeks later, becoming the third manager in the team‘s history.

His two stints as an assistant at LAFC taught him that the team’s fans are among the most demanding in MLS, something he said he embraced.

“It’s a privilege when you coach a team in Los Angeles,” he said at the time. “Every sport here is pressure. Every team here is win, win.

“It’s a winning city and the culture of the city. So I understand that.”

Dos Santos, who is fluent in four languages, was born in Montreal and split his childhood between Quebec and Portugal. With the exception of Vancouver, he has won everywhere he’s managed, from the Ottawa Fury of the NASL, where he was named the league’s coach of the year in 2015, to the San Francisco Deltas, whom he guided to an NASL title.

LAFC was unbeaten in its first 11 matches in all competition under Dos Santos, outscoring opponents 27-3 and advancing to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, where it lost to Mexico’s Toluca, the eventual winner. But the team has gone 6-9-7 in MLS play since then, including Saturday’s loss when Dos Santos was without six key players — including leading scorer Denis Bouanga and captain Son Heung-min — who were with their national teams.

Afterward, he spoke about his plans for the two-week international break.

“It’s a hard moment right now for us. And we have to face it,” said Dos Santos, who was popular with his players. “It’s been hard for us to get wins. A lot of draws, a lot of close games.

“We need to have everybody together and start working on what this team can be. That’s the big objective during the break.”

The Southern Section has no authority to tell a school to get rid of a coach. It has no control over personnel matters. But there’s precedent that when a coach knowingly plays an ineligible player, it expects a school district to take appropriate action.

In the case with Inglewood football coach Mil’von James, he has a history of using ineligible players. James came to Inglewood, which is 4-1 this season, after being fired at Hawkins in 2016 following the discovery of ineligible players, resulting in Hawkins forfeiting all of its games to finish 0-13. Since then, the City Section established a rule that teams must exchange rosters before games to verify that players are eligible, known as the “Hawkins rule.”

Inglewood Unified School District administrator James Morris told the Daily Breeze that James is scheduled to return to coach on Friday after missing last week’s game against Long Beach Poly at SoFi. That means he received a two-game suspension for using two ineligible players in a game last month, since it is believed he also didn’t coach a game against Elk Grove Franklin.

James appears to have knowingly played two players listed on the Southern Section transfer portal that had not been cleared when Inglewood played in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 28. Video obtained by The Times shows the players in the game.

Add to that, both players’ names and numbers were missing from Inglewood’s MaxPreps’ roster, something that was also a tactic when James coached at Hawkins and resulted in the new City Section rule to exchange roster before games.

Shame on the Inglewood Unified School District for failing to hold its coach accountable for a serious violation of CIF rules.

If the two-game suspension stands, shame on the Southern Section, too. The message being sent to other coaches and other schools is that it’s OK to cheat as long as you don’t get caught, and if you get caught and only get suspended for two games, it’s worth it.

The Southern Section, under commissioner Mike West, went out of its way to try to catch those breaking transfer rules last year. It was a sign maybe things were changing and people were paying attention to the games being played with more than 17,000 transfers in California. But if the Southern Section settles for a two-game suspension for James, it will lose credibility among coaches and programs trying to follow CIF rules.

Southern Section spokesman Thom Simmons has declined comment and declined to make West available.

As always, they’re afraid of legal action. And it must be pointed out again the Southern Section has no authority to discipline coaches. But at some point, to save credibility, they will need to address this breaking of rules that goes to the core of what the CIF is supposed to guard against.

The Southern Section Council has a meeting on Thursday. If any of the representatives have concerns, maybe then they’ll get to ask West how this could be acceptable.

In 2014 Long Beach Unified suspended Long Beach Poly basketball coach Sharrief Metoyer for one year for after he was caught using an ineligible player during a state basketball playoff game. He did it on purpose being frustrated at the CIF transfer policies. The CIF could not tell administrators what to do. But if they did nothing or put in only a two-game suspension, there’s no doubt that the Southern Section leadership had the authority to take action.

According to Southern Section’s Blue Book rule 500.5, “Any school knowingly or unknowingly violating the rule may be suspended from membership in the CIF Southern Section.”

Hopefully the Southern Section is keeping its options open, but it’s time for West, the commissioner since 2023, to get his credibility back. If not, it’s up to the Southern Section Executive Committee to launch its own investigation of what the section is supposed to do when schools and districts don’t take their rules seriously.

Tributes accumulated rapidly for Chris Spatola, a popular ESPN college basketball analyst who died Monday. He was 47.

Spatola is the son-in-law of legendary former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and was an assistant coach with the Blue Devils from 2007 to 2012. He married Krzyzewski’s daughter, Jamie, and the couple had three children together.

The cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.

“There are no words to adequately express our heartbreak over the loss of our beloved Chris Spatola,” the Krzyzewski family said in a statement through Duke. “Chris served our country, was a devoted husband and father, and was such an important part of our family. We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, thoughts, and prayers we have received during this incredibly difficult time. We respectfully ask for privacy as our entire family, particularly Jamie and her three beautiful children, grieve and process this unimaginable loss.”

Spatola served in the U.S. Army after playing basketball at Army and studying at the U.S. Military Academy from 1998-2002. He deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal for exceptional combat performance and the Army Commendation Medal for outstanding leadership.

As a player, Spatola was a four-year starter at guard and twice was named All-Patriot League. He commented on his military service for ESPN Press Room in 2018:

“Serving in the Army has made me better in every facet of my life — a better husband, father, professional,” Spatola said. “It exposed me to adversity, how to react to and deal with tough times and situations, and showed me that teams are better when you’re more concerned about serving others, serving the teammate to your right and left, and serving the mission. It forced me to realize there is no substitute for being prepared … and showed me that character matters.”

Spatola was on the Duke coaching staff in 2010 when the Blue Devils won one of their five national championships under Coach K. Soon after leaving Duke, Spatola was hired by ESPN and SiriusXM. He called games and appeared in studio for ESPN for the last 13 years.

“Chris Spatola brought a unique perspective to ESPN’s college basketball coverage, shaped by his experiences as a student-athlete, Army veteran, coach and broadcaster,” ESPN wrote in a statement. “He was thoughtful, prepared and passionate about the sport, earning the respect of colleagues, coaches, players and fans alike. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his loved ones during this difficult time.”

Fellow analysts flooded social media with an outpouring of praise.

“I am devastated over the passing of my friend and colleague Chris Spatola,” Jay Bilas wrote on Instagram. “Chris was a wonderful human being. A point guard at West Point, Chris was … a man of great humility and unusually high character. A great family man that was devoted to his wife Jamie and their wonderful family. Chris was selfless .… a fabulous colleague and knowledgeable basketball man. With Chris, it was never about him, it was only about the game, the players, the coaches, and the fans. Heartbroken beyond words to lose such a great friend, yet grateful beyond words to have known him.”

Longtime basketball analyst and Duke graduate Seth Davis also commented on Spatola’s friendship.

“I could not possibly come up with the words to describe how shocked and devastated I am to learn of Chris Spatola’s untimely passing. It will never make sense or seem real. Chris was one of the all time great dudes. A terrific broadcaster but most of all a treasured friend who absolutely adored and doted on his family…. May his memory be a blessing.”

On the appointment of Edwards, England head coach John Mitchell said: “Since his time with France ended, we have had a conversation about our game, and he expressed an interest in working in an international women’s set-up for the first time.

“He has a huge amount of respect for the Red Roses and what we stand for; he sees it as a privilege to join our environment.

“His coaching credentials are exceptional and his experience at the highest level of the game speaks for itself.

“Defensively, Sarah Hunter is relishing the opportunity to learn from him, alongside the rest of our coaching group, as we head into another exciting Test match against New Zealand.”

Last week, Edwards expressed his desire to return to coaching and be a part of next year’s men’s Six Nations.

“I’m def­in­itely open to offers now, until I sort out a full-time role,” he told the Daily Mail., external

“I’m a proud Englishman and everybody loves to represent their country, don’t they? I’m no different.”

Wales might need it at the back.

The appointments come against the backdrop of Wales’ failure to reach the World Cup and the beginnings of criticism around the side’s openness.

“He’ll bring some unique skills, particularly when you play Nations League A games when you have to defend a lot,” said FAW chief football officer Dave Adams of Williams’ appointment on the Feast of Football podcast.

“Some of the dark arts of defending, he’ll bring some interesting things for the players to think about.”

There is the thought that Williams would also be prepared to challenge Bellamy’s thinking – seen as healthy part of a management team.

But while Bellamy says he is keen to lean on Williams’ defensive know-how, it will still be the former Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle forward’s managerial message.

“With his position, sometimes it’s easier coming from a player who’s been in there,” said Bellamy – a former Wales captain himself.

“Now, I’ll lead a lot on the information, but it’s nice for me to be able to ask ‘What would you see with this? If you played there, how did you feel when I asked you to do that? Is that possible? Is that not possible?’ I believe he’ll be a huge asset to me.”

Sheehan’s appointment also suggested a more defensive focus.

The former Republic of Ireland Under-21 international was seen to have a pragmatic style at Swansea.

But it appears Wales will look to benefit from the 40-year-old’s eye for set-piece work, something he has also been responsible for during previous coaching roles at Luton and Southampton.

“We really want someone who is in tune with restarts and set-pieces,” added Adams.

“In these sorts of games they could be the factor that give us a chance to win the game, because they are going to be very hard games to play in.

“We realise the importance of attacking and defending set-pieces in these next six games, and feel Alan and [goalkeeping coach] Martyn Margetson will bring that level of detail to help the team be best prepared for these games.”

Once is a hiccup.

Twice is a habit.

Maybe this is what the Chargers are — lurching, sputtering and unable to consistently move the football, despite an offensive overhaul packed with high expectations.

Just as they did in their abysmal season opener, the Chargers struggled at home Sunday and failed to establish a rhythm on their way to a 26-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Chargers lost their opener to the Arizona Cardinals by an identical score — 26-14.

A week after losing an opener for the first time in his career as an NFL head coach, Jim Harbaugh is off to his first 0-2 start as a coach in college or the pros.

It won’t get any easier. The Chargers play at Buffalo on Sunday against the 2-0 Bills, who have scored a combined 77 points in victories over the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions.

After that, the Chargers play at Seattle, at home against Denver, at Kansas City, and against the Rams as rare visitors at SoFi Stadium. Four opponents, four Super Bowl-winning coaches.

These first two games were supposed to be the soft start, of at least a relatively gentle ramp-up to the thorny part of the schedule.

Well, that’s out the window. The Chargers were dominated by Arizona, a team that won just three games last season, then dropped another home game to the Raiders. As head coach of the Chargers, Harbaugh had won all four of his previous matchups against Las Vegas.

The Chargers last started 0-2 in 2023, when they went on to finish 5-12.

Sunday, the Chargers were unable to get the ball downfield and repeatedly committed penalties and miscues that short-circuited drives. For instance, normally sturdy tackle Joe Alt was flagged for false starts three times.

Snapshot of another major problem: Trailing by a field goal late in the third quarter, the Chargers had a third-and-inches on their side of the field. They could have run a tush-push with 6-foot-6 Justin Herbert. They could have used 220-pound running back Omarion Hampton to hammer up the middle for a first down.

Instead, they had Herbert drop back into shotgun and sent Tre’ Harris in motion from right to left. Then, they snapped the ball at the precise moment the receiver was between center Jake Slaughter and the quarterback. The snap bounced off Harris’ knee, Herbert had to pounce on the loose ball and the threat was thwarted.

The normally stoic Herbert couldn’t hide his frustration. He appeared to angrily yell before retreating to the home sideline.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert reacts after an offensive holding penalty on Joe Alt results in a safety late in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Raiders.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Later, with slightly less than four minutes remaining, when the Chargers seemingly had a bit of momentum. They had just gotten a first down on a Raiders penalty — 12 men on defense — and had inched across the 50.

Herbert handed off to Hampton on a draw, and the second-year back was met by linebacker Nakobe Dean and promptly fumbled — one of six on the day for the Chargers. Safety Jeremy Chinn scooped up the ball and returned it 43 yards to the 16.

The final insult came on the Chargers’ last possession when Alt drew a holding penalty while trying to stop pass rusher Maxx Crosby, resulting in a safety.

Raiders fans at SoFi Stadium erupted in glee. For the Chargers, that singsong, taunting “Raiii-derrrs” chant will surely haunt their dreams. The TV cameras didn’t help matters, finding a lone Chargers fan amid an ocean of Raiders fans, a blue dot bobbing in a silver-and-black sea.

Three plays later, Kirk Cousins found Cody White with an 11-yard pass, the second touchdown of the day for the erstwhile practice-squad receiver.

The Chargers took a 14-10 lead midway through the third quarter when Herbert connected with tight end Oronde Gadsden II for a 10-yard touchdown.

But the Raiders responded on the ensuing possession when Cousins threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to White to put Las Vegas up, 17-14.

A key play in that drive showed the creativity of Klint Kubiak, in his first season as coach of the Raiders. Cousins took the snap and pitched the ball to Ashton Jeanty, who in turn threw it back to Cousins.

The quarterback then hit a wide-open Dareke Young for a 27-yard gain, giving the Raiders the ball deep in Chargers territory.

The Raiders led at halftime, 10-7, breaking a tie with four seconds remaining in the second quarter when Matt Gay kicked a 59-yard field goal.

Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the first half, and each quarterback was picked off.

The Raiders scored first on a 40-yard touchdown reception by Tre Tucker, who was so wide open behind the defense he was able to turn and wait for the ball to arrive.

The Chargers answered in the second quarter when Hampton pounded across the goal line from the one.

That’s something the Raiders failed to do at the end of the opening quarter, when they had a first-and-goal from the four, yet couldn’t score on four consecutive Jeanty runs.

The Chargers had a similarly frustrating moment in the first quarter when Herbert found tight end David Njoku behind the Las Vegas defense and delivered the ball for what should have been a big gain.

Njoku bobbled the pass, however, and the ball was grabbed by rookie safety Hezekiah Masses, who had another pick in the fourth quarter during his first career start.

Making matters worse, Njoku suffered a knee injury on the play and did not return.