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Lindsey Vonn turns heads at the ESPYs, the US men's team was disgustingly snubbed & Dechambeau fires back
'Nightcaps' is a daily column that catches you up on the biggest sports, news and culture stories you may have missed while pretending to do work at your desk. It runs Monday–Friday on OutKick.com.
Whew. We're on the other side of the week, boys and girls. And, as of today, we're on the other side of the month!
The ESPYs were last night. Did you know? I didn't. Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning and found out! Remember back in the day when the ESPN-led awards show was appointment viewing? It always marked the halfway point of the summer, right?
It usually falls on the slowest sports day of the year (during non-World Cup years, of course), and bridges the gap nicely.
But this year, it came and went with little to no fanfare, which is ... fair ... given how far ESPN has fallen over the years. And buddy, they did themselves NO favors last night.
On that note, welcome to a Thursday Nightcaps — the one where ESPN snubbed the crap out of our great USA hockey teams. It's truly unfathomable. You'll see.
What else? I've got Lindsey Vonn turning heads on the red carpet, and is getting stuck in a porta-john the worst possible thing that can happen to a person in this life?
I ain't talking about getting locked inside, either. I'm talking about literally falling through the toilet and getting trapped underneath.
I've never been more disgusted. Stay tuned!
Grab you a drink — dealer's choice today! — and settle in for a Thursday 'Cap.
Before we start ... watch that video, if you have time. I watch the Jimmy V speech once a year around ESPYs time, and it's just the best.
True story: I took a public speaking class in college and we had to choose one speech to give at the end of the semester. I chose that one. I'm fairly certain I was terrible at it, but whatever. It's still my favorite speech of all time — and that includes Lincoln's address!
Anyway, we've gone from that moment back in 1993, to ... this moment last night at the latest edition of the ESPYs:
Lordy. The difference that 30 years can make is truly remarkable. Do you think people in 1996, who were alive and well in the 50s and 60s, saw a societal transformation quite like we have? No shot, right?
While that little performance was certainly a talker, it wasn't the real talker from the night. Nope. That took place a few hours later, when the New York Knicks were inexplicably named the Best Team.
The other finalists?
Goodness gracious. Let me make sure I have the right ...
The USA men's and women's OLYMPIC hockey teams both won gold medals this year — with the men winning for the first time since the Miracle game — and ESPN instead gave the award for "Best Team" to the New York Knicks?
Okeedokee. Makes sense!
On top of that, they awarded OG Anunoby's tip-in in GAME 4 of the Finals "Best Play" honors over Jack Hughes' GOLDEN GOAL to win an Olympic gold medal.
You know what? I'd argue that tip-in wasn't even the second best play of the year! I'd put both the Golden Goal AND Miguel Rojas' game-tying home run in the ninth inning of GAME 7 of the World Series over it!
Yeah, I mean ... come on. What are we doing here? In what world is a game-winning, gold medal-clinching goal by the USA to win it all for the first time in four decades NOT the play of the year? It's just insane.
Oh well. ESPN has to pander to the NBA audience. It's in the rulebook, I reckon.
You know what's not in the rulebook? Falling through the toilet of a porta-john and having to be cut out:
"Come on, get on outta there!"
"Watch your f--king self, we're gonna cut way back, get all the way down!"
"I'm not lifting, lean forward!"
"I can’t, dumbf--k"
"I’m the dumbf--k? While you’re stuck in a f--king urinal?"
Just incredible content out of Kansas City today. I've never seen anything like it. We live in amazing times right now, folk. Soak it all in. Like Jimmy V said, don't take anything for granted.
OK, let's rapid-fire this Thursday class into a big Thursday night. First up? While we were all sleeping or drinking our morning coffee, Bryson DeChambeau was playing some elite golf over at Royal Birkdale:
After just a miserable season in which he's missed every major cut, Bryson fired a 3-under 67 and sits in a tie for fifth after Day 1. This, of course, comes a day after Sir Nick Faldo lit him up like a Christmas tree.
"He has, and I'll say it to his face, zero clue of strategy," Faldo said ahead of the opening round.
Take a look:
Tell us how you really feel, Nick!
Naturally, Bryson then fired a 67 and mentioned the word "strategy" three times in his post-round interview:
Is DeChambeau BACK? No idea. We'll see if he can carry this over to tomorrow. I hope so, personally. I've given Bryson a lot of crap this season, but the game is so much better when he's in contention.
Didn't think Royal Birkdale would be the place he would turn it around, but I'm all for it. Give 'em hell, Bryson!
OK, that's it for today. Good work, everyone. Here's Jutta Leerdam and Lindsey Vonn dominating the ESPYs red carpet to take us all home.
Patriots.
Did the USA get snubbed? Email me at Zach.Dean@OutKick.com.
Sherrill ripped after NJ skips flag directive honoring Graham: ‘Most political governor’
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is taking heat after state flag-status records showed flags at full-staff despite a White House proclamation directing U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff nationwide in remembrance of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., through Saturday evening.
"This is probably the most political [Trenton administration], and she's only been there six months -- probably the most political governor I've served with in the last 25 years," New Jersey state Sen. Joe Pennacchio, R-Boonton, told Fox News Digital on Thursday. He formally requested the governor lower the flags earlier this week following Graham's death.
A Trenton source confirmed that flags at the Capitol remained at full-staff as of Thursday midday. A New Jersey Department of State website tracking flag status also indicated "all flags full-staff" on Thursday.
Sherrill, whose office did not respond to multiple requests for comment, appeared to be one of a handful of Democratic state leaders to ignore the White House's proclamation – as neighboring Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro both ordered flags lowered, reportedly along with leaders of California, Colorado, Maryland,
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM DEAD AT 71 AFTER 'BRIEF AND SUDDEN' ILLNESS, OFFICE SAYS
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger did not appear to issue half-staff orders either – as each state's official flag status remained "full-staff" as of Thursday. Fox News Digital reached out to both governors for comment.
Pennacchio told Fox News Digital that after inaction from Sherrill on lowering the flags, he crafted a formal request.
Pennacchio said that honoring people like Graham should be nonpartisan – because Graham was a respected public figure as well as a decades-long U.S. Air Force veteran and someone who also exuded a bipartisan nature particularly on key votes like confirmations of Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.
"My request was very respectful. It wasn't partisan at all," he said, noting that Sherrill is also a veteran.
Pennacchio said Graham himself would speak about the importance of putting politics aside in important moments like this, recounting that the South Carolinian defended his aisle-crossing confirmation votes by saying his advise-and-consent role was to consider whether a nominee is qualified regardless of party.
KAGAN RECALLS LINDSEY GRAHAM'S VOTE THAT HELPED SEAL HER SUPREME COURT CONFIRMATION
When Sherrill was in Congress she represented Pennacchio’s state Senate district. He told Fox News Digital that he had hope for bipartisanship with Sherrill because the two offices worked very well together on intergovernmental constituent services.
Sherrill’s decision not to lower flags also ran counter to one of New Jersey’s other most prominent Democrats, Sen. Cory Booker, who recorded a video honoring Graham.
In his video, Booker spoke of how – as a freshman senator – he was told by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., that Graham would be a good bipartisan colleague to work with on criminal justice reform.
Booker recounted walking up to Graham and breaching the topic, as Graham jokingly admonished him that he was in a South Carolina primary with a "bat—t crazy" opponent and that he can't even be seen with Democrats.
Graham said Booker should come back to him after the election – and he did.
"True to his word, [Graham] rolled up his sleeves and he went to work," Booker said, adding that their collaboration ended in the passage of the First Step Act.
Booker did not respond to a request for comment on this story, but Pennacchio said he appreciated the Democrat’s gesture.
"Senator Booker is as partisan as they come, but he did the right thing and put his partisanship aside," Pennacchio said. "The death of one diminishes a little bit of all of us."
Another New Jersey figure who did speak out after Graham’s passing was Rep. Christopher Smith, a Republican representing the Jersey Shore and the Garden State's longest-serving congressman.
MAJORITY LEADER THUNE: LINDSEY GRAHAM WAS THE GOP’S GLUE, BINDING US TOGETHER WITH COURAGE AND GRACE
"Lindsey Graham was an indefatigable and courageous fighter for the right to life, human rights, liberty and freedom," Smith said earlier this week.
"He was articulate and persuasive and brought both incisive candor and humor to debate. He was a national treasure and will be deeply missed. My wife, Marie, and I offer our deepest condolences to his family."
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Fox News Digital also reached out to Booker’s counterpart, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., for comment on the situation.
"Our nation has long understood that when a public servant passes away after a lifetime of service to the American people, we come together and honor them with dignity and respect. New Jersey should not be the exception," Pennacchio said.
Mamdani ripped over 'freak show' press conference where eviction was declared a form of 'violence'
New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism online over a press conference where a local housing advocate claimed evictions are a form of "violence" as the mayor stood behind her.
"Our city is turning the corner on tenant power. When we organize, we win results. The Mamdani administration is emboldening us so we no longer tolerate the violence of evictions as a matter of business as usual," Antonia Marrero, a member of the Housing Organizers for People Empowerment (HOPE) Tenant Union, said during a press conference on Thursday.
Mamdani, who has faced heavy criticism over the past year for his housing policies, was quickly blasted by conservatives and political commentators in general on social media over the comment.
"This looks like a scene out of a Batman movie," Heritage Foundation senior fellow Mike Gonzalez posted on X.
MAMDANI SPARKS FIERCE BACKLASH FOR WORLD CUP STUNT 'PALLING AROUND' WITH RIKERS ISLAND CONVICTS
"Theater of the absurd," Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis posted on X.
"Look at Mamdani's face in the back," the conservative influencer account End Wokeness posted on X, referencing Mamdani’s grin as the woman was speaking.
"Impossible to describe how much damage Fauci and the CDC lying to everyone about the efficacy of masks caused," Outkick writer Ian Miller posted on X. "Even Mamdani had to dial up the fake smile to 11 to hide how ridiculous this all is."
"Is theft from the property owner violence?" investor Rick Rule posted on X.
"This is the game Mamdani is playing," Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. "He ‘freezes’ rent, which means some landlords can’t afford to do repairs or keep renters, and then people get evicted. Then he weaponizes that anger in his favor. The end goal is confiscation. Manipulative and sick."
SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER MAMDANI'S FAR-LEFT SUPPORTERS TURN ON HIM OVER HOMELESS SHELTER: 'OOPS'
"The mole people are taking over," The Breckinridge County Republican Party in Kansas posted on X.
"The grinning Mamdani in the background makes it all look like some creepy scene in a horror movie," conservative radio host Mike Gallagher posted on X.
"How is this real," conservative commentator Graham Allen posted on X.
"I always wondered how the pigeon lady from Home Alone 2 came out of the pandemic," GOP strategist Matt Whitlock posted on X.
"Freak show," Neighbors Together Oakland founder Seneca Scott posted on X.
"Mamdani is just trolling at this point," political commentator Link Lauren posted on X. "He wants press and attention. The outrage fuels him. Even he’s laughing in the back."
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani's office and the parent organization of HOPE for comment.
Thursday's event highlighted Mamdani releasing a "Rental Ripoff Report," which makes the case that residents in the nation's largest city are paying too much rent while not receiving enough in return and offering up 23 proposals to remedy that issue.
"At Rental Ripoff Hearings across the five boroughs, we heard from thousands of New Yorkers living with mold that was never treated, pests that were never addressed and fees that were never explained. Listening was only the first step," Mamdani said in a press release. "This report turns those stories into concrete action. From requiring disclosure of AI-altered listings to bringing our code enforcement systems into the 21st century and finally recognizing tenant unions, we are making it clear that every New Yorker deserves a safe home – and every landlord who refuses to provide one will be held accountable."
Earlier this week, Mamdani faced renewed criticism over housing affordability as rents in Manhattan and Brooklyn hit record highs, with conservative commentators arguing that immigration-driven demand is adding pressure to an already tight rental market that the mayor campaigned to ease.
Mamdani campaigned on addressing New York City’s housing crisis by freezing increases for rent-stabilized tenants, building 200,000 new affordable homes and expanding tenant protections. Since taking office, he has successfully frozen rents on rent-stabilized leases, released a housing plan aimed at building and preserving 400,000 affordable homes and moved to expand rental vouchers.
Critics argue that rent freezes will lead to increased prices for everyone else and disincentivize property owners from doing more than the bare minimum to maintain units that they aren’t being paid market rate to rent.
Fox News Digital's Robert Schmad contributed to this report.
'Woke' military academies targeted in new blueprint for sweeping warfighting overhaul
FIRST ON FOX: A conservative organization is calling for a sweeping overhaul of America's service academies and war colleges, arguing the institutions have drifted too far toward civilian academia and urging Congress to permanently enshrine the Trump administration's military education reforms into law.
The 12-page blueprint, obtained by Fox News Digital, was drafted by Restoration of America, a conservative advocacy organization that promotes right-leaning public policy proposals and political engagement, and proposes reshaping admissions, curriculum, faculty and governance around a single objective: preparing officers to "win the nation's wars" by returning military education to what its authors describe as a warfighting-first mission.
"The expectation is that they're generating warfighters, not philosophers and future bureaucrats," Restoration of America founder Doug Truax, a West Point graduate, told Fox News Digital. "We pay a lot for these academies... and the expectation is that they're generating warfighters."
COAST GUARD ENDING RACE-BASED ADMISSIONS FOR OFFICER COMMISSIONING PROGRAM UNDER TRUMP DEI CRACKDOWN
A Pentagon review already has led to changes at the academies. West Point disbanded a dozen cadet clubs centered on race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation to comply with the administration's anti-diversity, equity and inclusion directives.
During a March 26, 2025, Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, the service academy superintendents testified that West Point had eliminated two elective courses — "Race, Ethnicity and Nation" and "Power and Difference" — while the Naval Academy canceled two courses, "Gender Matters" and "Gender Sexuality Studies," and modified 18 others as part of a Pentagon-directed review of diversity-related curriculum.
But Truax argues those changes should not end with executive action.
"We have to take our opportunity when we have power to put this into law," Truax said. "Otherwise, we'll look back and be like, well, we had that one little moment where it was getting better, but now we're right back where we were."
SENATE DEMS DRAW RARE LINE AGAINST MUST-PASS PENTAGON BILL
Truax said the foundation is sharing the blueprint with lawmakers and administration officials in hopes Congress ultimately will codify many of the recommendations through legislation. He said executive orders can be reversed by future administrations, making statutory changes the only way to ensure the reforms endure.
The blueprint is organized around four pillars — admissions, curriculum, faculty and governance — and proposes some of the most sweeping changes to military education advanced by conservatives since President Donald Trump returned to office.
Among its recommendations, the paper calls for permanently banning consideration of race, ethnicity and sex in admissions decisions, requiring at least 75% of coursework to focus directly on military competencies and warfighting, replacing most civilian professors with active-duty or retired military officers and abolishing tenure at military educational institutions.
LIBERAL FACULTY STILL HUGELY OUTNUMBER CONSERVATIVES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: REPORT
It also recommends ending academy participation in the Rhodes Scholarship program, arguing the military's top young officers should spend their formative years leading troops rather than pursuing prestigious overseas academic fellowships, along with eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion offices and restructuring academy oversight boards.
Truax argued the nation's military academies gradually adopted the culture and priorities of civilian universities during the Obama and Biden administrations, shifting attention away from preparing officers for combat.
Critics of similar proposals argue senior military education exists to prepare future generals and admirals for strategic leadership rather than tactical command.
In a March essay published by War on the Rocks, retired Army officer Bradford Duplessis argued "the cult of lethality approach, characterized by its focus on tactical warfighting at the expense of strategic study, will not produce senior military leaders with the necessary skills and attributes to effectively lead in today’s complex environment."
"The removal of civilian faculty from the war colleges would result in brain drain in vital areas where military officers possess little to no experience or education," he wrote.
Duplessis argued senior officers "must understand the responsibilities of their future bosses" and said strategic leadership requires an understanding of diplomacy, politics and other instruments of national power in addition to military force.
Truax rejected that argument, saying he believes the officer corps has spent too much time learning to think like "politicians, State Department employees and military contractors" instead of warriors — a theme echoed throughout the blueprint.
While Truax praised Hegseth for taking what he called "a number of steps in the right direction," he argued executive action alone is insufficient.
"There's been a number of steps in the right direction," Truax said. "However, here's the main problem. A lot of this has been done by executive order."
"Woke did not go anywhere," he added. "It's just in hiding right now."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of War and all three military service academies for comment.
Former French tennis player's plan to appeal a match-fixing suspension backfires on him
A former French tennis player has seen his ban for match fixing bumped up to three years after his attempt at appealing the initial penalty backfired.
Samuel Bensoussan, a 34-year-old from France, was initially suspended for one year and 11 months after he was found to have fixed four matches.
The Frenchman's actions were tied to a wide-ranging match-fixing syndicate set up in Belgium by a man named Grigor Sargsyan.
According to The Athletic, citing documents from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), this syndicate was involved in fixing a stunning 375 matches at a minimum, and involved 1,500 conspirators.
However, Bensoussan, whose suspension started in May of 2025, opted to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Of the 18 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Protocol Bensoussan was charged with, all but one were proven. However, in his appeal, he alleged that he had been pulled into the situations due to false accusations from former tennis player Mick Lescure.
Lescure was handed a lifetime ban in 2022 for, you guessed it, match fixing.
Bensoussan — who has turned to coaching and previously hit a singles career high-water mark of No. 405 back in 2018 — wasn't the only party appealing the decision. ITIA was appealing it as well, saying that he should actually have his suspension increased to be more in line with those given to others, and requested that it be upped to six and a half years.
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The CAS dismissed Bensoussan's appeal, and as if that wasn't bad enough for him, the court decided that he should have his suspension increased, though it stopped short of going with the six and a half years the ITIA was looking for.
TENNIS PLAYER DANIEL ALTMAIER PUNTS RACKET INTO CROWD, SHOCKINGLY AVOIDS DISQUALIFICATION
Bensoussan's ban is now three years, and begins on the same date as his previous one, meaning it will end in May of 2028.
Schumer dodges questions after bombshell report alleges Dem senator had relationships with House staffers
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., declined to weigh in on the latest scandal to hit a member of his party, instead focusing on his planned diatribe against President Donald Trump’s prime-time address Thursday.
The New York Post reported that Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., engaged in sexual relationships with at least two Democratic House staffers who did not work for him while he was a member of the House. According to House rules, members are not barred from having relationships with staffers who work outside their office.
Sources told the outlet that it was believed the relationships happened while the lawmaker was unmarried.
ETHICS PANEL CLEARS GALLEGO AS LUNA DECLARES, 'ONCE A CREEP, ALWAYS A CREEP'
When asked to weigh in on the latest scandal involving Gallego, Schumer tapped his planned speech railing against Trump’s scheduled address on foreign interference in the 2020 election Thursday night, and told Fox News Digital, "I’m not — I’m focused on this right now."
It’s the latest bad headline to hit Gallego, who has been in the conversation for a 2028 presidential bid. The Post reported that Gallego admitted to the two relationships, which were both with aides to Texas Democrats.
When asked by reporters about the allegations, Gallego said, "I’m not going to engage in gossip."
'DISTURBING' ALLEGATIONS AGAINST UNNAMED SENATOR UNDER REVIEW IN WAKE OF SCANDALS ROCKING CONGRESS
Gallego's office did not immediately return a request for comment.
The report comes as Gallego has come under scrutiny for his relationship with former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned from the House earlier this year after being accused by several women of sexual assault, rape and harassment.
Swalwell has vehemently denied the allegations.
Gallego moved to quickly put distance between himself and Swalwell and argued that his tight-knit relationship "clouded my judgment," regarding rumors that swirled about the ex-lawmaker for years in Washington, D.C.
He also reportedly hired former President Joe Biden’s former deputy press secretary to handle crisis communications in the ensuing fallout from Swalwell and a now-dismissed Senate Ethics probe.
SENATOR GALLEGO SAYS LONGTIME FRIENDSHIP WITH SWALWELL 'CLOUDED MY JUDGMENT' AS RUMORS SWIRLED IN DC
That probe, which centered on a complaint from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., that alleged Gallego committed sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations, was tossed out by the Senate Ethics Committee last month.
Gallego said in a statement at the time that the Ethics Committee’s decision "reaffirms what I have said about these accusations from the beginning: they were right-wing conspiracies peddled by far-right activists like Anna Paulina Luna, the White House and their allies."
Luna quickly weighed in on the latest allegation, charging on X, "‘Conspiracy theories,’ right, [Sen. Ruben Gallego]?"
"Time to resign. Glad people are going on record about this creep," she said.
WNBA postpones game between Wings and Liberty due to mechanical issues with plane
Planes, trains and automobiles, none of which were capable of getting the New York Liberty to Texas on time.
The Liberty were scheduled to play the Dallas Wings at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, but the game was postponed. The WNBA said the game was postponed due to travel delays caused by mechanical issues with the Liberty's charter flight.
The game is being rescheduled for Monday, July 20, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET, and the WNBA said the Wings will honor all tickets purchased for the original game.
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Liberty player Pauline Astier aired out her frustrations about the plane to her Instagram Story on Wednesday night.
"10h après toujours sur le tamarac," she wrote, which translates to, "10 hours later, still on the tarmac."
According to the New York Post, the Liberty switched planes once before eventually deplaning around 12:30 a.m. ET.
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New York City dealt with thunderstorms throughout Wednesday afternoon. With the travel delays, the Liberty canceled their shootaround on Thursday.
The Liberty are fourth in the Eastern Conference at 13-11. However, they have struggled of late, having lost seven of their last 10 games, including each of their last three.
With the schedule change due to the plane issues, the Liberty will be playing three games in a span of five days in three different cities. They play the Indiana Fever on Saturday on the road, the Wings on the road on Monday, and the Chicago Sky back in New York on Wednesday.
The Wings are 16-8 on the season and have won five straight. The schedule change for them means they are playing three games in a span of four days.
The Wings play the Los Angeles Sparks at home on Sunday before hosting the Liberty on Monday. They then travel to play the Portland Fire on Wednesday.
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Travel basketball parents cry foul as Ohio tournament admission price hits a shocking new high
AAU basketball parents who are used to paying exorbitant fees to watch their kids play in tournaments got a surprise over the weekend in Ohio. The game has officially changed.
Basketball dad Kevin Brandt of Leipsic, OH, is used to paying admission prices that are more than attending NBA games. He's not naive to the big business of AAU basketball, or what he and his wife signed up for. Their daughter is playing on one of the top travel teams in the Midwest.
But, what he experienced at the Spooky Nook complex in Hamilton left him scratching his head.
"Just got home from watching my daughter play in AAU Tournament, Select Showcase. $260 for my wife and I to watch her play this weekend. $260 to get in. Someone HAS to feel a little guilty about this, don’t they?!" Brandt wrote of his family's weekend experience at Spooky Nook.
Wasn't there a weekend pass? Typically, these tournaments will offer a $70-$90 all-you-can-attend pass. Brandt says that was not the case in Hamilton.
The family was told that it would have to pay admission prices for two different tournaments being held at the same complex. One tournament was called the Select Events Super Showcase. That was followed by another Select Events tournament called the Midwest Summer Classic.
Same location. Same tournament organizer.
"They told us it was (two) 'separate' events. Paid $120 for each event. Then $5 a day for parking," Brandt explained.
"We stayed one night but drove two and half hours back and forth every other day because every hotel was $300+ around the area. One of our sons and his girlfriend came for one day… so add $60!"
OutKick reached out to Spooky Nook senior management in an attempt to clarify who is setting admission prices and parking fees, or if the company suggests pricing levels for events at its facilities. We have not heard back.
Where is this all going? That is the prevailing concern among AAU parents.
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AAU travel mom Mookie Edmond knows exactly what Brandt and others are feeling. She documented her family's weekend trip to a tournament in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Unlike the Ohio tournament, this one offered a weekend pass for the low, low cost of $90. Edmond isn't looking for your sympathy. "At the end of the day, we are going to invest in our child," she said on a Facebook video where she addressed the costs to play at the highest level of AAU.
"We're going to do whatever we have to do to get him to that next level," she added.
However, after dropping just shy of $1,500 on hotels, admission, gas, food and extracurriculars, Edmond is left with scar tissue. "I’m over here scratching my head like do I really wanna run it back this weekend," she told her friends on Facebook.
Married officer off force after her on-duty affair exposed, woman slept with future son-in-law & three loves
Buckle up, or strap in, or whatever you normally do each Thursday because we have a roller-coaster of True Romance this week.
Carmen Electra is handing out threesome advice, a married cop is off the force after an on-duty affair with another officer, a bizarre story of a woman sleeping with her future son-in-law requires an investigation of its own.
It's a full slate. We have another song this week, which, with your help, could become part of what we do around here.
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First up, and before we start getting too deep into it, is Carmen Electra. She made her return to Playboy after 30 years as an advisor and was asked various questions, one of which happened to be from a guy in his early 50s with 28 years of marriage under his belt.
The kids are out of the house and now is the time to ask his wife for a threesome. The problem is he doesn’t know how to ask.
Here's Carmen's answer: "That’s a tricky question. I mean, has your wife ever kissed another woman? Do you see her flirting with women? Is she comfortable around other women?"
She continued, "If she is, then maybe you could kind of ask her, but if you do decide to ask her, I would do it like this: 'You’re my queen, and everything you say goes in the bedroom, so if we bring someone else into the picture, we’re going to be all about you.' Because you don’t want your wife to ever feel like you’re more into the other person—that’s going to be a disaster, so you’ve got to make her the queen of it. You guys have to pleasure her and make her feel like it’s all about her, and then she’ll be cool with it."
Best of luck to him as he works up the nerve to use Carmen Electra's advice. Let's get into the rest of the romance this week.
Go follow True Romance on Twitter and Facebook. Send your emails here: sean.joseph@outkick.com (anonymously if you prefer).
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Almost four years ago now, officer Lisa Vidrios and her husband were making headlines for being the first married couple to graduate together from the Metro Police Academy.
It was at that time, she said, while representing the graduating class, "I came here to Nashville with my family, and my husband included, who is also now a member of the Metro Police Department with me. We have three children together — ages 6, 4, and 1 years old — and we love spending time as a family and doing everything we can throughout the city of Nashville."
Fast-forward to this week and Lisa Vidrios is making headlines for resigning from the Metro Nashville Police Department force after she admitted to "serious departmental violations, including conduct unbecoming an officer," reports WKRN.
This reported admission comes as the result of an investigation into "inappropriate sexual activity while on duty." An added element to the story is the fact that these unapproved activities weren't with her husband.
According to an investigative summary from the Office of Professional Accountability, a complaint was submitted against Vidrios and an unnamed 18-year veteran officer back on May 26, 2025.
The two, according to the investigative report, had sex on duty in a MNPD vehicle and in the middle school where Vidrios was a school resource officer.
This affair, reports WKRN, began between the 37-year-old married mom and the veteran officer of almost two decades in May 2025. The two reportedly had multiple sexual encounters during this time.
Some of them were recorded, and the report states that Vidrios' phone contains video of the two having sex in her school resource officer's office at the middle school.
Staff can be heard talking outside the door and Vidrios admitted in a written statement that "kids were inside the building during this time."
There was also video, according to the OPA's report, of the two having sex in the male officer's police vehicle, which Vidrios said happened twice.
The Office of Professional Accountability hasn't been able to interview the 18-year veteran of the force because he filed for an injury-on-duty pension that was approved earlier this year and prevented an interview from taking place.
As for Vidrios, she agreed to a settlement for the violations of MNPD policy. She served a 30-day suspension then resigned from the force.
This just goes to show you how quickly you can be led down a much different path when you let romance lead the way. It's a classic tale of the heart overpowering the mind and better judgment.
This isn’t the first time this has taken an officer in uniform off course, and it won't be the last. Nobody planned for one half of the first married couple to graduate from the academy together to end up off the force in less than five years due to an affair.
It played out that way anyway. Sometimes all you can do is wish them luck. I have a feeling she'll be just fine.
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After we somehow managed to stick the landing on the officer affair, we're going to attempt to do so again with a woman who says she slept with her future son-in-law. I'm not making any guarantees that we'll pull it off.
This one is admittedly a touch on the more bizarre side. She's a married 55-year-old mom who has embraced the swinging lifestyle for the last 15 years. Neither Amanda's husband nor her daughter had an issue with this "hot romp," as the Daily Star so eloquently referred to it as.
"The idea was his," she said of the hot romp with her future son-in-law. "We all have fantasies and part of the lifestyle is experiencing those. The situation made the sex even hotter."
What did her daughter think of the entire thing? According to Amanda, she was on board with it. Why wouldn't she be?
She said, "Everything in the lifestyle is about consent, so she (his partner) was completely on board and enjoyed the outcome."
Sure she was. If you can't have a hot romp with mom, are you really the one? Most people skip this part and maybe that's why the divorce rate is so high.
Who am I to say? I'm not an expert on the matter. I'll leave that up to others to decide. What I do know is there's no chance he doesn't become her son-in-law now. The real question is, can he make it last with the daughter?
We've got another song to get to this week, so I'm not going to go into a big introduction about the married boss hooking up with your coworker here.
Here are some stories and what to look for in your own workplace. Step one: take your head out of the sand. Take it away Reddit:
- Deep in the Heart of Texas writes:
Sean,
With last week’s column that ended with the "logical choice" discussion and follow up this week by MP from Staunton, Virginia with that Huey Lewis "Stuck with You" video . . .
I recommend considering the "Three Loves Theory" which is summed up well by Google AI:
The three people you date, according to this framework, serve the following purposes:
1. The Idealistic Love (Fairy Tale)
2. The Hard Love (The Lesson)
3. The Grounded Love (The Unexpected One)
I would summarize the three as "Passion, Pain, and Peace".
Do our OutKick friends agree? Can you remember the three that fall into these categories? Did you marry the right one?
Another song along the same logical choice lines, "Escape" (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes
SeanJo
Someone gets what we're doing here every week. Thanks for sending this my way. Is there a chance that you can experience all three with the same person?
Also, I'm starting to get into the idea of a weekly song. Including one with your email was a nice touch.
-------------
That's all I have this week. Feel free to reach out, anonymously if you prefer, at sean.joseph@outkick.com. Send me whatever you want, including a song for next week.
Claude Lemieux 'acknowledged' relapse after 12 years sober to concerned family hours before death: report
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Claude Lemieux allegedly admitted to relapsing after 12 years of sobriety the night before he died by suicide, according to an incident report obtained by TMZ Sports.
The report stated that Lemieux's family had noticed a change in his behavior over the past year, leaving his wife, Deborah, to confront him.
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After he allegedly "acknowledged" that he had relapsed, Deborah told him to leave the home at 10:30 p.m. ET, according to the outlet. He then was found hanging in the family's furniture store roughly five hours later by his son, Brendan.
Deborah had called Brendan after confronting her husband, and Brendan came to the residence to discuss how they could support Lemieux. Brendan then checked his father's location and saw he was at the business - he then drove there, spotted his father's Ford truck in the parking lot and removed a firearm he knew Claude kept in the glove box due to the "emotional aspect of the situation."
The report also said a message was found on Lemieux's phone.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office but did not immediately hear back.
Lemieux broke into the league with the Montreal Canadiens and was part of their Stanley Cup-winning team in 1986.
SHARKS STAR MACKLIN CELEBRINI JUST MADE AN IMPRESSIVE BIT OF NHL AND VIDEO GAME HISTORY
He won four Stanley Cups in his career and in 1995 and 1996 became the 10th player in NHL history to win back-to-back Stanley Cups with different teams, first with the New Jersey Devils and then with the Colorado Avalanche.
After the 1995 Stanley Cup Final, Lemieux was also awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. In his postseason career, Lemieux had 158 points (80G, 78A) in 234 games played.
Lemieux last played in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks and retired in 2009.
In all, he appeared in 1,215 NHL games for the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks.
He went on to become a player agent and, according to North State Journal, represented Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen.
Lemieux's death came just days after he made an appearance at the Eastern Conference Finals between the Hurricanes and Canadiens. Andersen was between the pipes for the Hurricanes, while Lemieux carried the ceremonial torch into the arena for the Canadiens ahead of Game 3.
OutKick's Matt Reigle and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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