Western Kentucky football offensive lineman Elijah Williams was carted off the field during the first quarter of the New Orleans Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 23.

Williams appeared to have sustained a lower left leg injury at the end of a run on second down where he got rolled up on by Hilltoppers running back La’Vell Wright. He immediately went down on the field at Caesars’ Superdome in New Orleans and was tended to by members of Western Kentucky’s medical staff. Williams had an air cast put on his left leg.

He was then carted off, where he was seen giving a thumbs-up to those inside the stadium. ESPN’s Ian Fitzsimmons mentioned on the broadcast during a second-quarter hit that Williams underwent X-rays in the stadium and sustained a lower-leg injury.

The 6-foot-2 redshirt freshman offensive lineman was moved into the starting center position on Western Kentucky’s offensive line for the New Orleans Bowl against Southern Miss, according to ESPN’s broadcast.

Here’s the latest on Williams:

Elijah Williams injury update

Williams sustained an apparent leg injury in the first quarter of the New Orleans Bowl after getting rolled up on during a run play. ESPN’s broadcast mentioned that he was talking to members of Western Kentucky’s staff as he was being tended to on the field.

Fitzsimmons mentioned on the ESPN broadcast that after speaking with Williams’ parents at the stadium, Williams was seen with both hands over his face coming out of the X-ray room and was in ‘a lot of pain.’

‘It’s a lower leg injury, meaning his left ankle, left foot are in an air cast. If they do take him to a hospital, it’ll be to University Medical Hospital, which is a Level 1 Trauma Facility that’s only 0.7 miles away here from the Superdome,’ Fitzsimmons said on the broadcast.

This story will be updated

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Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk has seemingly fell out of the rotation after playing less than five minutes in the team’s 125-124 win against the Houston Rockets.

Before that in back-to-back losses versus the Portland Trail Blazers, Monk did not play as part of a coach’s decision on Dec. 18 and 20.

Kings head coach Doug Christie told reporters following the Houston game, where he logged 4 minutes and 50 seconds, that he told Monk he appreciates him for ‘being a pro’ regarding his frustration about not playing.

‘That’s part of what it is to be a part of a team and a good teammate. It was big time for him,’ Christie said. ‘It was five minutes, but they were a really good five minutes that we needed and he supplied it.’

Monk, an eight-year NBA veteran who’s in his fourth season with Sacramento, is averaging 12.5 points in 23 minutes per game, the lowest scoring output in his Kings tenure. In five minutes against the Rockets, he scored two points.

He told The Sacramento Bee in an interview that he is ‘1,000% confused’ at the recent change in his playing time.

‘It’s not my job to try to figure out why I’m not playing because I deem myself more than the whole,’ he said. ‘So I’ll just be ready when my name is called. I’ve been in the league long enough where I don’t let this stuff get to me. Everybody knows I want to be out there, especially playing in front of this crowd in Sac, but there ain’t (expletive) I can do about it.”

Given the recent turn of events, combined with the Kings 7-22 record, there could be signs that Monk is out the door.

Sacramento Kings: news, stats, trade rumors and more

Malik Monk rumors: Could Malik Monk be traded?

Monk could be in some of his final days suiting up as a Sacramento King.

According to senior NBA insider Chris Haynes, Monk has been available for trade ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline.

Kings trade rumors

With their lackluster start to the season and a boatload of veteran contracts, the Kings plan to offload many contracts via trades. Monk, who is owed $18 million this year and $41.7 million through 2028, isn’t the only one.

So far, rumors have swirled that Sacramento could also be looking to depart from veteran players such as Zach LaVine. DeMar DeRozan, a Compton-native, has drawn interest from the Los Angeles Clippers, according to The Athletic. And although teams have expressed interest in Kings forward-center Domantas Sabonis, he remains committed and plans to stay in Sacramento.

Another player whose name has been thrown into trade talks is fourth-year guard Keon Ellis. Ellis is in the final year of his contract and will be a free agent looking for a big payday in the summer of 2026.

Paul has been the forefront of several of the biggest boxing events in the world, and there are more to come. Despite the severe injuries he suffered during the fight with Joshua, including a broken jaw, Paul has vowed to return to the ring, and has even hinted at taking on Canelo Alvarez in his next fight.

Was this the most-streamed boxing event ever?

No. The most-streamed sporting event of all-time remains Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson in 2024. That fight drew in 108 million viewers according to Netflix, causing major technical issues for many viewers.

In fact, this fight wasn’t even the biggest Netflix fight of the year, with Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford drawing in 41.5 million viewers on Netflix.

What is Jake Paul’s boxing record?

With the loss to Joshua, Paul now owns a 12-2 record with seven knockouts.

Joshua, meanwhile, boasts a stellar 29-4 record with 26 wins coming via KO/TKO.

Attorneys for Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are asking a federal judge to dismiss the two felony charges he’s facing for his alleged role in the NBA’s wide-ranging gambling scandal, according to a new motion filed on Rozier’s behalf.

Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, wrote in court documents provided to USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday, Dec. 23, that federal prosecutors in the case are overreaching and going against recent Supreme Court precedent by charging Rozier with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in the alleged scheme. Trusty instead argued the federal government is attempting to ‘enforce its view of integrity in sports wagering’ and that the allegations are a violation of the wagering rules set by state-licensed betting companies.

Rozier’s side wants the charges thrown out by the U.S. District Court for Eastern New York since this is conduct traditionally regulated at the state level. Rozier was arraigned on Dec. 9 and pleaded not guilty to both charges in federal court in Brooklyn.

‘The government has billed this case as involving ‘insider betting’ and ‘rigging’ professional basketball games,’ Trusty wrote. ‘But the indictment alleges something less headline-worthy: that some bettors broke certain sportsbooks’ terms of use against wagering based on non-public information and ‘straw betting,” Trusty wrote, in reference to the practice of one person placing bets on another’s behalf.

The 2025-26 NBA season began with the startling revelation that Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones had been arrested in connection with two federal indictments related to illegal gambling on games and rigged poker games that had Mafia ties.

Federal authorities allege the extensive scheme spanned years, and there are more than 30 co-defendants accused in the case along with these prominent NBA figures. Rozier has only been charged in the indictment involving illegal gambling on games, though authorities said in October that the investigation is still ongoing. Rozier was placed on immediate and indefinite leave from the Heat until the situation is resolved and NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters last week the league will look into the possibility of giving Miami some sort of ‘satisfactory relief’ since Rozier can’t play and he’s earning $26.6 million against the salary cap this season.

The 31-year-old is accused of being part of an illegal betting scheme by alerting gamblers he intended to fake an injury in order to make money off a prop bet related to his performance in a game when he played for the Charlotte Hornets.

Prior to a March 23, 2023, game between the Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans, according to the federal indictment, Rozier told co-defendant Deniro Laster that he planned to prematurely remove himself from the game in the first quarter due to injury and not return to play. Rozier had not been listed on the injury report.

Federal authorities allege Laster then sold the information to co-defendant Marves Fairley, and more than $200,000 in prop bets were subsequently placed on Rozier’s ‘unders’ for the game. Rozier played 9 minutes, 34 seconds for the Hornets in the game before leaving with an injury and finished ‘under’ his prop bet totals for points, assists and 3-pointers.

The indictment also states that once Laster collected his cut of the winnings from Fairley in Philadelphia, he drove from Philadelphia to Rozier’s home in Charlotte and counted the money with Rozier during the early morning hours of April 1, 2023. Rozier did not appear in another game that season for the Hornets.

Rozier’s motion countered, however, the federal government’s money laundering case is predicated on the alleged wire fraud that it believes should also be dismissed. ‘Moreover,’ according to the motion, ‘the indictment fails to allege an essential element of money laundering conspiracy: that Mr. Rozier agreed to commit the offense.’

‘The indictment does not allege that Mr. Rozier ever placed a bet, whether himself or through a proxy, on any NBA game,’ Trusty wrote in the motion to dismiss. ‘Nor does it allege that he knew that Laster intended to sell this information to others, or that using it to place wagers would violate the betting companies’ rules.’

Rozier, Jones and former NBA player Jontay Porter were each accused of providing inside information for the illegal gambling scheme as part of the investigation. Porter was banned for life from playing in the NBA in April 2024 and pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in July 2024.

Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, called it ‘one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States’ during an Oct. 23 news conference announcing the indictments in the two cases.

Rozier’s motion filed Tuesday included reference to that moment, and noted ‘countless instances of speakers blurring Mr. Rozier’s case with a 31-defendant indictment that alleges Mafia involvement and several examples of condemning Mr. Rozier’s morality, rather than describing criminal allegations.’

‘Charging the alleged wagering scheme as a federal wire fraud conspiracy runs counter to the Supreme Court’s repeated warnings against using the federal fraud statutes to federalize state matters and criminalize civil matters,’ Trusty wrote. ‘Contrary to the theory underlying the indictment here, the federal wire fraud statute does not vest the government with the general power to enforce its view of integrity in sports wagering.’

The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the verge of winning the AFC North for the first time since 2020. They may have to clinch the honor without the services of their top receiver, DK Metcalf.

The NFL suspended Metcalf two games for ‘conduct detrimental to the NFL’ after the 28-year-old got into an altercation with a fan during his team’s Week 16 win over the Detroit Lions.

‘Metcalf’s actions violate league policy, which specifies that ‘players may not enter the stands or otherwise confront fans at any time on game day,’ the NFL said in a statement obtained by USA TODAY Sports. ‘If a player makes unnecessary physical contact with a fan in any way that constitutes unsportsmanlike conduct or presents crowd-control issues and/or risk of injury, he will be held accountable.’

Metcalf is planning to appeal the suspension, per multiple reports. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero also reported ‘had a history’ with the fan in question and had reported the fan to security last season while he was with the Seattle Seahawks.

However, if Metcalf’s suspension is upheld, the Steelers will have to clinch passage to the postseason without the services of Metcalf. How easy will that be? Here’s a look at the Steelers’ playoff chances and what they’ll need to do over the final two weeks to make the playoffs.

Steelers playoff chances

The Steelers have an estimated 92% chance to make the playoffs, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. They are battling with the Baltimore Ravens atop the divisional race but have earned a significant advantage after winning back-to-back games and seeing Baltimore drop back-to-back contests.

The Ravens have just an 8% chance to make the postseason, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

Steelers playoff scenarios

The Steelers can wrap up a playoff berth in Week 17 if one of the following scenarios occurs:

• Steelers win OR tie against Cleveland Browns OR
• Ravens lose OR tie against Green Bay Packers.

Baltimore will be in action Saturday, so Pittsburgh will know if it has already clinched a playoff berth before its game Sunday.

If the Steelers are unable to clinch the division in Week 17, they can get into the playoffs with a win or a tie against the Ravens in Week 18.

The only way the Steelers will be eliminated from playoff contention is if the following scenario unfolds:

• Steelers lose to Cleveland Browns in Week 17 AND
• Ravens win final two games.

Metcalf’s absence may make that scenario slightly more likely to occur – if only because the Steelers lack depth at the wide receiver position – but the Steelers still certainly have a significant edge in the AFC North race.

AFC North standings

The Steelers and Ravens were tied atop the AFC North standings entering their head-to-head battle in Week 15. Since then, Pittsburgh has opened a two-game lead on Baltimore with two games left to play.

Below is a look at the pecking order within the division:

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6)
2. Baltimore Ravens (7-8)
3. Cincinnati Bengals (5-10)
4. Cleveland Browns (3-12)

The Steelers currently own a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Ravens and possess a better divisional record (3-1) than the Ravens (3-2).

The only way Baltimore can win a tiebreaker over Pittsburgh is if the Steelers lose their final two games. That would give the Ravens a better divisional record than their rival.

Even then, the Ravens would still need to beat the Packers in Week 17 to have any shot at unseating the Steelers in the season’s 11th hour.

Steelers remaining schedule

The Steelers have the eighth-easiest remaining strength of schedule over the final two weeks of the NFL season, per Tankathon. That’s buoyed by their Week 17 matchup with the AFC North-worst Browns.

Here’s a look at Pittsburgh’s end-of-season slate:

• Week 17: at Cleveland Browns (3-12)
• Week 18: vs. Baltimore Ravens (7-8)

Ravens remaining schedule

Conversely, the Ravens have the 10th-hardest finish to the season. They are playing two nine-win teams to close the season. Both are currently on track to make the 2025 NFL playoffs.

Here’s a look at how Baltimore finishes the regular season:

• Week 17: at Green Bay Packers (9-5-1)
• Week 18: at Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6)

Steelers WR depth chart

Below is a look at the receivers on whom the Steelers will be relying if Metcalf’s suspension is upheld.

• Calvin Austin III
• Adam Thielen
• Marquez Valdes-Scantling
• Ben Skowronek
• Scotty Miller
• Roman Wilson

Austin leads the team with 28 receptions this season, while Thielen and Valdes-Scantling are recent veteran additions signed to improve the Steelers’ depth at the position.

In all likelihood, the Steelers will also rely on their trio of solid tight ends – Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington – as well as running backs Kenneth Gainwell (the team’s receptions leader) and Jaylen Warren to keep their passing game afloat without Metcalf.