Saquon Barkley Madden cover: Eagles RB's hurdle to grace video gameNew Foto - Saquon Barkley Madden cover: Eagles RB's hurdle to grace video game

The popular "Madden" video game franchise announced Monday thatPhiladelphia Eaglesrunning backSaquon Barkleywould be gracing its cover in 2025. Barkley was chosen after producing just the ninth 2,000-yard rushing season in NFL history in his first year with the Eagles. He achieved the feat despite sitting out the final game of the regular season to prepare for Philadelphia's Super Bowl run. The game's cover art will feature Barkley's most iconic play from the 2024 campaign: a 14-yard reception during which he reverse hurdled overJacksonville JaguarscornerbackJarrian Jones. The move came after Barkley had already used his patented spin move to avoid another would-be tackler. THE 180 HURDLE??? DID SAQUON JUST INVENT THIS?!📺:#JAXvsPHIon CBS/Paramount+📱:https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqGpic.twitter.com/tYThjnbdgG — NFL (@NFL)November 3, 2024 SAQUON BARKLEY HURDLE:Eagles RB wows coach, fans with highlight reel play Below is a look at the "Madden 26" cover, via the team's X (formerly Twitter) account: .@Saquonhurdled his way onto the cover of#Madden26Coming 8.14.25. Pre-Order Today.🔗:https://t.co/zm14BbUaJfpic.twitter.com/l1QYWN0b7h — Madden NFL 26 (@EAMaddenNFL)June 2, 2025 Barkley referred to making the cover as a "dream come true" ina post shared to social media. "It starts with imagination," Barkley said. "Being a kid, having those moments, playing video games and saying, 'Why can't I do it in real life?'" Barkley will be the second Eagles player to be on the cover of a Madden game. Donovan McNabb was the first to do so for the 2006 iteration of the game. Barkley will also become the third-ever Eagles player to earn a 99 overall rating – the highest in the game –as the team revealedfollowing the cover announcement. Philadelphia's previous members of the 99 club were safety Brian Dawkins (2004) and kicker David Akers (2006). Madden first put an athlete on the cover in 2001, whenTennessee Titansrunning back Eddie George was chosen to front the game. Below is a look at all of the people to earn the cover art nod since then. 2001: Eddie George, RB,Tennessee Titans 2002: Daunte Culpepper, QB, Minnesota Vikings 2003: Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis Rams 2004: Michael Vick, QB, Atlanta Falcons 2005: Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens 2006: Donovan McNabb, QB,Philadelphia Eagles 2007: Shaun Alexander, RB, Seattle Seahawks 2008: Vince Young, QB, Tennessee Titans 2009: Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay Packers 2010: Troy Polamalu, S, Pittsburgh Steelers and Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals 2011: Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints 2012: Peyton Hillis, RB, Cleveland Browns 2013: Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions 2014: Barry Sanders, RB, Detroit Lions 2014: Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings 2015: Richard Sherman, CB, Seattle Seahawks 2016: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants 2017: Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots 2018: Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots 2019: Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers 2020: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs 2021: Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens 2022: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs and Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2023: John Madden, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach 2024: Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills 2025: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers 2026: Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Eagles RB Saquon Barkley chosen as Madden 26 cover athlete

byKonstantin Pynzar
in
June 02, 2025

Saquon Barkley Madden cover: Eagles RB's hurdle to grace video game

Saquon Barkley Madden cover: Eagles RB's hurdle to grace video game The popular "Madden" video game franchise announced Monday...
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OKC's Mark Daigneault knows what it takes to win championships. His wife has won a ton of themNew Foto - OKC's Mark Daigneault knows what it takes to win championships. His wife has won a ton of them

Oklahoma City's Mark Daigneault has the best record of any coach in the NBA this season. And he has the second-best record of any coach in his house. Daigneault is a coach, and a coach's husband, too. His wife is Oklahoma assistant women's gymnastics coach Ashley Kerr. She and the Sooners went 33-2 this season and won another national championship, their third in the last four years. So, as Daigneault chases his first NBA title — he and the top-seeded Thunder open the NBA Finals at home against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night — his wife has now been part of seven national championships over her career on the staffs at Florida and Oklahoma, the most recent of those coming just a few weeks ago as Oklahoma City was starting this playoff run. Daigneault isn't shy about touting the strengths of his wife's resume, either. "Among my wife and I, she is — by far — the more accomplished, more impressive, better coach," Daigneault said. "She's the real deal." It is a relationship born from ties to Florida. Daigneault — a Massachusetts native — was a student manager under Jim Calhoun at Connecticut, part of the team that won an NCAA championship there in 2004, then started his assistant-coaching career at Holy Cross for three years before moving on to Billy Donovan's staff at Florida. Kerr, a Florida native, was a gymnast whose four years as a student-athlete for the Gators was ending around that time. She was brilliant, a four-time All-SEC academic selection, and Florida found a way to keep her with the program once her eligibility was exhausted. Kerr became a volunteer student manager for the 2011 season, then got promoted to team manager and eventually assistant to the head coach. Along the way, she and Daigneault started dating and over time things got serious. And then, the relationship reached a key moment. Daigneault had an offer from Oklahoma City to coach the Blue, its G League franchise. He was ready to leave. Kerr had a job in Gainesville. She was not ready to leave. "The OKC job was a no-brainer for him," Kerr told The Oklahoman newspaper for a story in 2021. "I was like, 'You have to do it. You have to.'" It became a long-distance relationship for a few years, until Kerr decided it was time to leave Florida and try to embark on a coaching career in Oklahoma. The Sooners didn't have a job for her initially, before a volunteer position opened up right around the time she was going to make the move anyway. Kerr kept that volunteer job — coaching balance beam and helping Oklahoma win three NCAA titles — for about six years, before the NCAA changed rules to allow volunteer assistant positions to be converted into full-time, paid positions. Over that time, Daigneault was promoted from the Blue to the Thunder, they got married and started a family. "She has a way of connecting with our student-athletes on a personal level and is an exceptional leader," Oklahoma coach K.J. Kindler said when Kerr was finally promoted. Daigneault likes to say the real coaches in his house right now are the couple's two children, ages 3 and 2, who basically run the show. "We are not in charge," Daigneault said. "We are just surviving." The younger of the two kids was born April 15, 2023 — a day after the Thunder were eliminated from that season's play-in tournament, and the day the Sooners were competing in the NCAA gymnastics final at Fort Worth, Texas. It was also more than a week ahead of Kerr's due date. Except she went into labor, in Fort Worth, around 5 a.m. Daigneault had been back in Oklahoma City for about an hour after the middle-of-the-night flight home from Minnesota, where the Thunder lost that play-in game. He hopped in the car and made it to Fort Worth just in time for the birth that morning, and later that night the Sooners won a national title. "Our team really rallied around her," Kindler said. There are obvious benefits to a coach being married to another coach, as Daigneault and Kerr have found. There is an understanding of the jobs, an understanding of long hours and late nights and travel and unpredictability. But when they're home, they try to be home, not still at work. "There's certainly a lot more things that define our relationship together, starting with our kids now," Daigneault said. "That's occupying the majority of our bandwidth, but even beyond that, we've always tried to compartmentalize it in a way that's pretty healthy because we both like to be home when we're home and not just using the house as an extension of our jobs." Daigneault got his master's degree from Florida, though originally intended to get it immediately after graduating from Connecticut. If he had stuck to that schedule, though, he almost certainly wouldn't have coached at Holy Cross. He might not have made it to Florida. He might not have met Kerr. He might not be married to someone with seven national championships and counting. He might not have come to Oklahoma City. He might have missed out on these NBA Finals. Right place, right time. "If you replayed my life 10 million times — I used to say a million, but now that we're playing in the NBA Finals, I'll say 10 million — this would only happen once," Daigneault said. "And so, there's never a minute that I'm not grateful." ___ AP NBA:https://apnews.com/nba

byKonstantin Pynzar
in
June 02, 2025

OKC's Mark Daigneault knows what it takes to win championships. His wife has won a ton of them

OKC's Mark Daigneault knows what it takes to win championships. His wife has won a ton of them Oklahoma City's Mark Daigneault has t...
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Novak Djokovic earns his 100th career French Open victory by overwhelming Cam NorrieNew Foto - Novak Djokovic earns his 100th career French Open victory by overwhelming Cam Norrie

PARIS (AP) —Novak Djokovicearned his 100th careerFrench Openvictory, a mark surpassed among men only by Rafael Nadal, by overwhelming Cam Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 in the fourth round Monday. Djokovic hasn't ceded a set on his way to the quarterfinals this year at Roland-Garros, where he has won three of his 24 Grand Slam titles. The 38-year-old Serbian had a pair of three-match losing streaks this season but seems to be in top form lately, including collecting his100th titleat the Geneva Open the week before play began in Paris. Next up for Djokovic is a matchup against No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev on Wednesday for a berth in the semifinals. Djokovic improved to 100-16 at the French Open. Nadal, who retired at the end of last season, went 112-4 while winning a record 14 championships at the clay-court major. ___ AP tennis:https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

byKonstantin Pynzar
in
June 02, 2025

Novak Djokovic earns his 100th career French Open victory by overwhelming Cam Norrie

Novak Djokovic earns his 100th career French Open victory by overwhelming Cam Norrie PARIS (AP) —Novak Djokovicearned his 100th careerFrench...
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China blasts Pete Hegseth over 'Cold War' mentalityNew Foto - China blasts Pete Hegseth over 'Cold War' mentality

BEIJING − China protested to the United States against "vilifying" remarks made by Defense SecretaryPete Hegseth, the foreign ministry said June 1, while accusing Washington of deliberately ignoring calls for peace from regional nations. China has objected to Hegseth calling it a threat in the Indo-Pacific region, the ministry added, describing his comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 31 as "deplorable". "Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely called China a 'threat'," the ministry said on its website. More:Trump and China's Xi Jinping to speak soon, iron out trade fight, White House officials say "The United States has deployed offensive weaponry inthe South China Seaand kept stoking flames and creating tensions in the Asia-Pacific, which are turning the region into a powder keg," it added in the statement. China's defence ministry also weighed in, saying the U.S. is "accustomed to using" the forum to "stoke disputes, sow discord and seek selfish interests." "China's armed forces will work with other countries in the region to oppose hegemonism harming the Asia-Pacific region," ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said in a statement posted on the ministry's WeChat account. Hegseth had urged allies in the Indo-Pacific region, including key security partner Australia, to spend more on defence after warning of the "real and potentially imminent" threat from China. Asked about the call to boost defence spending, Australian Prime MinisterAnthony Albanesesaid his government had pledged an extra ten billion Australian dollars (US $6 billion) to defence. More:Trump accuses China of 'totally' violating preliminary trade deal "What we'll do is we'll determine our defence policy," he told reporters on Sunday, a transcript of his remarks showed. As part of Washington's longstanding defence ties with the Philippines, the U.S. military this year deployed Typhon launchers that can fire missiles to hit targets in both China and Russia from the island of Luzon. China and the Philippines contest sovereignty over some islands and atolls in the South China Sea, withgrowing maritime run-insbetween their coast guards as both vie to patrol the waters. China's delegation at the forum said "external intervention" was the biggest risk for stability in the South China Sea, saying the country had shown "goodwill and restraint" through talks on the issue. "Some foreign powers have sent warplanes and warships to the South China Sea for so-called 'freedom of navigation,'" the state-backed Global Times newspaper cited Senior Colonel Zhang Chi from the PLA National Defence University as saying. Such actions infringed China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, he added. More:Pentagon ran secret anti-vax campaign to undermine China during pandemic The United States, Australia, Japan and the Philippines have conducted joint maritime operations in the busy waterway. China claims nearly all the South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal ruled Beijing's expansive claim had no basis in international law, however. China's foreign ministry also told the United States not to "play with fire" on the question of Taiwan. Any attempt by Chinato conquer Taiwan"would result in devastating consequences", Hegseth said in his speech to Asia's premier forum for defense leaders, military officials and diplomats. China has vowed to "reunify" with the separately governed island, by force if necessary. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:China blasts Pete Hegseth over 'vilifying' remarks

byKonstantin Pynzar
in
June 02, 2025

China blasts Pete Hegseth over 'Cold War' mentality

China blasts Pete Hegseth over 'Cold War' mentality BEIJING − China protested to the United States against "vilifying" rem...
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John Kennedy, Georgia's top Senate Republican, joins race for lieutenant governorNew Foto - John Kennedy, Georgia's top Senate Republican, joins race for lieutenant governor

ATLANTA (AP) — John Kennedy, the top-ranking Republican in Georgia's state Senate, on Monday joined a growing field of GOP candidates seeking to become the state's next lieutenant governor in 2026. Kennedy, a Macon lawyer, is banking on the support of Georgia's business community after helping pass a law this yearlimiting lawsuits and civil verdicts. Burt Jones, the current Republican lieutenant governor,is expected to run for governornext year instead of seeking reelection. He's could announce his candidacy later this summer. Kennedy was first elected to the state Senate in 2014. Majority Republicanselected him president pro tem, the No. 2 position in the Senate, in 2023. Before that, Kennedy had been chair of the majority caucus and led the redrawing of legislative and congressional districts after the 2020 Census, securing Republican majorities. Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch of Dahlonegaannounced last monththat he is running for lieutenant governor, saying he would model his candidacy onPresident Donald Trump. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery of Vidalia is raising money for a possible bid. Other Republicans could seek the office as well, including state Sen. Greg Dolezal, of Cumming. Kennedy didn't mention Trump in his announcement, saying his top priorities as lieutenant governor would be a strong economy, education and public safety. "Georgians can be confident that my leadership will be focused on delivering conservative results, not empty rhetoric," Kennedy said in a statement. "And I know that by working together, we will keep Georgia growing, keep Georgia learning and keep Georgia safe." This year, Kennedy sponsored a law that is meant to curb the number of student absences in schools. Like the onetime president, Kennedy's initials are JFK. But this 59-year-old Kennedy, born less than two years after the president was assassinated, is unrelated and bears the middle name of Flanders. Georgia's lieutenant governor presides over Senate sessions, but senators decide how much power the official has. When senators agree, lieutenant governors can be influential. As president pro tem, Kennedy already works with Jones to set the agenda for the Senate. On the Democratic side, the only declared candidate isstate Sen. Josh McLaurinof Sandy Springs.

byKonstantin Pynzar
in
June 02, 2025

John Kennedy, Georgia's top Senate Republican, joins race for lieutenant governor

John Kennedy, Georgia's top Senate Republican, joins race for lieutenant governor ATLANTA (AP) — John Kennedy, the top-ranking Republica...
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