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Luka Doncic and the Lakers did some team building at Slovenian nightclub where a Playboy model was hanging out

Can't Luka Doncic and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates do some team building at a Slovenian nightclub in peace? Can't a former Playboy model also happen to be hanging out there?

The answer to that, apparently, is no. The Lakers trip over the weekend to a Ljubljana restaurant, which reportedly also serves as a nightclub, made news in the Slovenian outlet Nedeljski dnevnik.

The exclusive party had strict rules, according to the outlet. There were no pictures or videos allowed inside the nightclub and phones had stickers placed over the cameras.

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Slovenian model Anja Jenko, who appeared on the cover of Playboy back in 2014, was also reported, among others, to have been at the nightclub at the time.

Her attendance became the focus of other headlines, although there were no reports of the model hanging out with any of the players.

ADULT ACTRESS MADISON IVY CRASHED A LAKERS PRIVATE DINNER 'THIS MIGHT BE THE GREATEST MOMENT OF MY WHOLE LIFE'

As was already mentioned, this was a team-building event for the Lakers. A business trip, if you will. The Slovenian media even pointed out "the basketball players are said to mostly hang out with each other."

So what are we doing here? Luka is noticeably thinner. He's been dealing with baby momma drama. There's no LeBron James on the Lakers roster, and he can't team build with the guys in his home country?

This was supposed to be an exclusive party, stickers on camera for a reason. So a former Playboy model was reported to be in the building. What does this have to do with the Los Angeles Lakers and their superstar?

I can't be the only one who doesn’t see a connection here. When did team building at a nightclub become something more just because a former Playboy model was at the same nightclub at the same time?

California pastor charged with yearslong child molestation as investigators seek more victims: DA

A California pastor and massage therapist has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of molesting two children under the age of 14 over several years, prosecutors said.

David Johnson, 58, of Ojai, faces six felony child molestation charges in Ventura County, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

Investigators are also looking for possible additional victims and have publicly asked anyone with information about Johnson or other possible unreported crimes to come forward.

Johnson is accused of molesting two children who were under 14 years old at the time of the alleged abuse.

Prosecutors said the alleged abuse occurred over several years at locations in Ojai and Oxnard.

SAN FRANCISCO ARCHDIOCESE AGREES TO $395M SETTLEMENT WITH 530 CLERGY ABUSE SURVIVORS

Johnson, who worked as both a pastor and massage therapist, had access to the children through a familial relationship, according to prosecutors.

Authorities have not publicly identified the children.

Johnson faces four felony counts of committing a lewd act upon a child and two felony counts of continuous sexual abuse.

Prosecutors have also filed special allegations involving substantial sexual conduct and the victims being under 14 years old, according to the district attorney’s office.

EX-TEXAS MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER SENTENCED TO 33 YEARS FOR SEXUALLY ABUSING 13-YEAR-OLD STUDENT

Johnson was arrested Monday on charges of child molestation by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, according to sheriff’s inmate records.

The records show Johnson was arrested shortly before 3 p.m. and booked into the Ventura County Main Jail later that evening.

Johnson appeared in Ventura County Superior Court for his arraignment and pleaded not guilty to all six charges.

He remains in custody without bail and is scheduled to return to Ventura County Superior Court on Friday for a bail review hearing.

HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER WHO ALLEGEDLY HAD SEX WITH STUDENT IN CLOSET NOW FACES CHARGES INVOLVING MORE TEENS

Deputy District Attorney Cesar Ponce of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting the case.

Investigators have not said publicly how many additional victims they believe there could be.

The district attorney’s office is asking anyone with information about the case or other possible unreported crimes involving Johnson to contact Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Detective Michael Loth at 805-384-4745.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office for additional information.

Jerry Jones has no 'succession plan' for Cowboys leadership: 'Just won't be here to toss my two cents in'

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is 83 years old and continues to lead the way in the front office of his organization.

But Jones’ age also poses questions about when he will step aside and have a successor take his place at the head of the Cowboys’ table. Stephen Jones, his son who has been heavily involved in the Cowboys’ decision-making for years, seems to be the easy guess for who will take Jerry’s spot one day.

However, if you ask him about his eventual handing of the torch, Jones scoffs at it.

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"I don’t have a succession plan, I don’t. One day, I just won’t be here to toss my two cents in," he told The Athletic.

A comment like that seems to indicate that, until his final breath, Jones will be working to get the Cowboys more Super Bowl rings.

The oil and gas businessman purchased the team for $140 million in February 1989, and the team’s success quickly came thereafter.

JERRY JONES 'OPEN' TO CO-OWNING COWBOYS WITH MARK CUBAN: 'ALL THE RESPECT IN THE WORLD FOR HIM'

The Cowboys won the Super Bowl in 1993, 1994 and 1996, restoring the team’s previous glory after Dallas won Super Bowl VI (1972) and Super Bowl XII (1978) prior to Jones’ ownership.

But the Cowboys have not made it back to the Super Bowl since that 1996 win, and the supporters of "America’s Team" are desperate to see it happen. Each season, it feels the Cowboys have the chance to do so, but they’ve either fallen short in the playoffs, or worse, missed the postseason entirely.

However, the Cowboys remain one of the most valued teams in all of American sports since Jones purchased the club. According to Sportico, the team is valued at an estimated $15.5 billion if he were to sell it today.

Still, fans have been worried over the years whether Jones’ involvement in team affairs has cost them the opportunity to win more rings. And Jones hasn’t been afraid to retort when that notion is brought up by fans and reporters alike.

"I’m not pushing Jerry out by any means, but when that day comes, it’s gonna feel a lot different," Cowboys legendary Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman told The Athletic.

Aikman added that he doesn’t feel Stephen has the same ego that his father has, believing that will "serve" him "well."

Jerry has even said Stephen has been a great right-hand man over the years because he’s kept him in check.

"He’s about as good as anybody I’ve ever been around in giving deference when he should," Jerry explained about his son. "Now, don’t confuse that with lack of intensity. He’ll bite back real hard when he has to. Real hard. He just does it with more grace than I do."

The day will eventually come where Jerry won’t be leading the Cowboys, but it doesn’t sound like it will be anytime soon.

Former Gitmo prosecutor likens 9/11 trial delay to 'Frankenstein's zombie court'

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and three alleged co-conspirators will finally stand trial in 2028, as the case against them has languished amid lengthy delays and a protracted process that one expert has likened to "Frankenstein's zombie court."

A military judge on Wednesday set the long-delayed trial for June 5, 2028, while establishing deadlines for the case. Much to the frustration of the loved ones of those who died during the attacks, Mohammed and his alleged co-conspirators have been held at a military detention center in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for more than two decades.

The problem, according to Michael Lebowitz, a former Guantánamo military commissions prosecutor, isn't the evidence against the terror suspects — it's the system.

NEW EVIDENCE IN LOCKERBIE PAN AM FLIGHT 103 BOMBING CASE PUSHES FEDERAL JUDGE TO POSTPONE TRIAL

"It's the system and how it evolved and was created. And it's also an issue of Guantánamo Bay itself, where Gitmo is an adequate, albeit expensive, option for things like detaining suspected war criminals and even migrants," Lebowitz told Fox News Digital.

"The problem is that we used to call it the traveling circus because, in order to even conduct the smallest court hearing, everybody has to go to Washington, D.C., and get on an airplane," he continued. "I'm talking judges. I'm talking prosecutors, defense counsel, witnesses and court people."

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The case of Mohammed, as well as Walid bin Attash, Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Ammar al-Baluchi, has been delayed for decades amid lengthy legal wrangling, including failed efforts to resolve the case through plea agreements.

The 2028 date sets a timetable for a case that has remained in pretrial proceedings for years as the military commission has addressed disputes over evidence and other legal issues before a trial on the merits can begin, Fox News Digital previously reported.

NEW 9/11 MUSEUM EXHIBIT AIMS TO CONNECT YOUNGER AMERICANS TO THE ATTACKS THROUGH POWERFUL ARTIFACTS

Mohammed, a Pakistani citizen, is accused of masterminding the attacks in which hijackers crashed commercial airliners into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon. A fourth hijacked plane, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to overtake the hijackers.

The case has had more than 10 judges, Lebowitz said, meaning lawyers have had to keep relitigating the same "mundane" issues. Lebowitz, an Army veteran, participated in a number of cases in Guantanamo, including the 9/11 case and the bombing of the USS Cole.

TRUMP ADMIN INVOKES 30-YEAR DORMANT TERROR COURT AS IT SEEKS TO DEPORT AFGHAN WOMAN TIED TO ELECTION DAY PLOT

"What I found was that the way the system has kind of been set up and how it evolved and turned into, it's essentially a candy store for defense lawyers, where the judges don't have teeth to control the courtroom like you would in federal court," he said. "It just goes from there where defense lawyers can really grease up the system and grease up the gears and really grind it to a halt."

One issue prosecutors will have to iron out is whether to seek the death penalty, Lebowitz said. Even if Mohammed and the other suspected terrorists are condemned to death, it's highly unlikely to be upheld, he said.

I LOST MY WIFE ON 9/11. PLEASE LET THIS 25TH ANNIVERSARY BELONG TO THE FAMILIES

"You're dealing with cases where, essentially, the defense lawyers would put the CIA on trial for their treatment of detainees after 9/11," he noted.

In 2024, Mohammed, bin Attash and al-Hawsawi agreed to admit their roles in the terror attacks in exchange for serving life sentences and avoiding the death penalty. While some 9/11 families supported the idea, others blasted the deal.

Amid the criticism, the Biden administration withdrew the plea deal, resulting in more litigation.

Fox News Digital's Brittany Miller contributed to this report.

Wild Ohio wedding brawl leaves guests injured as man allegedly threatens crowd with butter knife

A long-running feud between two families boiled over at an Ohio wedding, triggering a sprawling brawl that left guests injured, drew police from several departments and ended with three men under arrest.

FOX 8 in Cleveland reported that Ali Wahdan, 47, Raed Mahmoud Sulaiman, 46, and Abdallah Wahdan, 48, were arrested after the Aug. 21 fight at La Centre Banquet Facility in Westlake.

Sulaiman, of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, was charged with assault, inducing panic and tampering with evidence after police accused him of threatening guests with a butter knife and tossing it aside as officers arrived.

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Wahdan was charged with violating a temporary protection order, while Abdallah Wahdan of Westlake was charged with aggravated menacing for allegedly threatening other guests.

Fox News Digital obtained 911 calls, body camera footage and other video showing how the fight unfolded, beginning inside the banquet hall before spilling into the parking lot.

NORTH CHARLESTON OFFICER ATTACKED BY CROWD IN VIRAL VIDEO AFTER GUNFIRE ERUPTS AT BLOCK PARTY

"There’s a fight at our venue," the banquet hall’s general manager told a 911 operator, describing "a bunch of people" fighting inside and outside.

"Someone’s bleeding," he added, telling the operator that one man with a head injury was in a bathroom as the fight continued.

STAMPEDE ERUPTS AT SOUTH CAROLINA BIKER FESTIVAL; 19 INJURED IN LATE-NIGHT CHAOS

When asked what was behind the brawl, the manager said it involved relatives.

Another 911 call captured shouting in the background, while a separate caller pleaded for police and said he had been attacked.

FIVE PLEAD GUILTY TO CHARGES IN BRUTAL CINCINNATI BEATDOWN THAT WENT VIRAL LAST SUMMER

"Somebody started beating me," the caller said.

Dashcam footage from the night of Aug. 21 shows an officer arriving at the venue to find a crowded parking lot filled with vehicles and people dressed for the wedding. As the response grew, Westlake police called for additional officers and requested help from neighboring departments.

WATCH: SOUTH CAROLINA BLOCK PARTY THUGS WITH MACHINE GUN, SPEAR CHARGED IN MOB ATTACK ON OFFICERS, POLICE SAY

Body camera footage shows officers moving through the crowd and trying to keep groups separated as guests poured out of the venue.

One man approached an officer to make a police report and said his group had been attacked while dancing.

CALIFORNIA FAMILY MEMBERS CLAIM THEY WERE ATTACKED AT LUXURY MAUI RESORT DURING VIOLENT MELEE

"We were dancing, and four brothers jumped on us," he told police during the encounter captured on the officer’s body camera.

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Cellphone video from inside the ballroom captured another part of the brawl as screams broke out among guests. A man in a suit, identified by police as Sulaiman, held what appeared to be a butter knife as several men rushed toward him and struggled to restrain him.

TEEN BRAWL INSIDE IN-N-OUT SENDS CUSTOMERS RUNNING DURING MONSOON STORM, VIDEO SHOWS

Chairs were knocked over as nearby guests moved away from the confrontation.

Paramedics were called to treat injured guests as officers worked to bring the scene under control.

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Police Capt. Jerry Vogel told FOX 8 that officers knew people had already been injured but did not initially know whether anyone had a weapon.

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Once the groups were separated, investigators began piecing together what sparked the fight. Police said alcohol was not a factor and instead pointed to longstanding bad blood between the two families.

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Investigators said Ali Wahdan was subject to a temporary protection order involving members of a family at the wedding and was required to leave when he encountered them.

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"Under the law, if you see this person, even if you’re there accidentally at the same time, you have to leave," Vogel said. "It is your responsibility to leave."

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Police said Wahdan instead remained at the venue, allegedly helping set the confrontation in motion.

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Despite the brawl, injuries and three arrests, the wedding was not over. Once officers restored order, the celebration resumed without further trouble.

The charges against the three men were filed in Rocky River Municipal Court.

WATCH: Man accused of aiming flamethrower at officers serving eviction notice in wild bodycam video

A routine eviction call turned into a fiery standoff when an Oklahoma man allegedly blasted deputies with a makeshift flamethrower while a wired car-battery device sat inside his apartment, body-camera video shows.

Body-camera video released by the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office captures deputies forcing their way into the dark, cluttered Oklahoma City apartment on Aug. 11 after the tenant, identified as Darron Dunn, 61, allegedly barricaded the entrance.

Deputies had arrived to serve an eviction order shortly before noon. Housing Authority staff unlocked the door, but it would not open all the way. Officers said they found cables connected to the door and an electric wheelchair positioned behind it.

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Once inside, a deputy spotted Dunn sitting in a bedroom. The incident report notes Dunn immediately sprayed an aerosol can toward the deputy and a Housing Authority security officer, then allegedly lit it on fire.

The bodycam video showed a bright orange flash as the burst of fire filled the doorway.

"Back up!" an officer can be heard yelling as deputies retreated.

LIVE EXPLOSIVE DEVICE FOUND NEAR HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICE IN CLEVELAND, FORCING MASS EVACUATIONS

Authorities said the deputy felt the "extreme heat" from the flames. The sheriff’s office said the fire traveled about 15 feet in the deputy’s direction.

But the flames were only the start.

As deputies backed out, officers spotted a car battery with wires attached near Dunn, and another wired device near the front door. The video captured the growing alarm inside the apartment.

WATCH: EVICTION STANDOFF TURNS TO WAR ZONE AS GUNMAN KILLS DEPUTY IN AMBUSH, GETS RUN OVER BY ARMORED VEHICLE

"He’s got it hooked up to the battery!" one officer shouted.

"Everybody out! Improvised device! Get out!" another could be heard yelling.

NORTH CAROLINA MAN ARMED WITH FLAMETHROWERS, CROSSBOWS, 500 ROUNDS ARRESTED OUTSIDE CHURCH: POLICE

According to the incident report, the device consisted of rows of butane lighter-fluid and carburetor-cleaner aerosol cans taped together with bare wires attached. 

Deputies evacuated residents from the third floor and nearby levels while the sheriff’s tactical team and bomb squad responded.

Officers later disabled the wires connected to the cans and safely removed Dunn from the apartment in his wheelchair, authorities said.

NYPD OFFICER SHOT, GUNMAN KILLED AFTER ARMED BARRICADED STANDOFF IN BROOKLYN: POLICE

A spokesperson for the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital that bomb technicians determined the wired aerosol-can device was unlikely to explode as configured. The spokesperson said it could have sparked or heated up if the bare wires touched the car-battery terminal, but technicians did not believe it would detonate.

Dunn was taken to a VA hospital because of medical issues and stress before being placed in a mental hospital, according to the incident report.

Out-of-custody charges were filed against Dunn for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; possessing, using, manufacturing or threatening to use an incendiary device or explosives; and obstructing an officer.

The sheriff’s office spokesperson said evictions can be "so emotionally charged" and deputies sadly see volatile reactions during such calls. The spokesperson said the confrontation came four years after officers were attacked in another similar eviction-related incident.

In a separate eviction call about a year ago, the spokesperson said, a man allegedly tried to set a deputy on fire before setting himself ablaze and dying.

Stockard Channing hits first red carpet in 2 years after saying she's a 'recluse'

"Practical Magic" star Stockard Channing made her red carpet return for the first time in two years after settling into a reclusive life in the United Kingdom.

Channing, 82, basked in the flashing lights while attending the European premiere of "Practical Magic 2" at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London Aug. 26.

Earlier this year, Channing confessed she's "happy being a recluse" as she reflected on her quiet lifestyle after leaving the United States following the death of her longtime partner.

‘GREASE’ STAR STOCKARD CHANNING SAYS SHE’S ‘HAPPY BEING A RECLUSE’ AFTER LEAVING AMERICA

The actress, who reprised her role as Aunt Franny in the highly anticipated sequel, sported a chic blue suit with a white button-down and chain-link jewelry to mark her red carpet return.

The following day, Channing turned heads in a monochrome emerald green ensemble for a London photo call. The "Practical Magic" sequel brings stars Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock and Dianne Wiest back together 28 years after the original film's release.

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Channing began living in London "just before COVID," a move she envisioned after the 2014 death of her partner of 25 years, producer Daniel Gillham.

"I've lived alone since I lost Daniel and I'm happy being a recluse," Channing wrote in an essay for The Sunday Times. "I was married four times before Daniel, and they all represent epochs of me."

She admitted that Gilham's death "was more devastating than I realized; it had a lag effect."

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"The pattern of my life shifted, so I shifted my life from Maine," she wrote of the move, which also vaguely coincided with Trump's second presidential bid.

Her days of stardom are slightly different from now. The "Six Degrees of Separation" actress detailed her morning routine, which begins at 7 a.m. when her dog wakes her up.

By 10 a.m., Channing pursues a "bit of exercise" but admitted that her "favorite exercise days are when I play hooky."

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"I know that exercising is the right thing to do but my brain tells me to go hide behind the bike sheds," she wrote. "Lunch is my first meal of the day and I can follow a recipe, but if my ramen doesn't work out I give it to the dog.

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"If I'm leaving the apartment I comb my hair, but I don't have a wardrobe of designer outfits. Well, I do, but they're all from the Eighties and Nineties. Do I care how I look? Most actors do although part of your job is not being self-conscious.

"But I've never considered myself as beautiful. And I'm not a celebrity 'tart.' I'm just me, take it or leave it."

Mamdani stands by DSA insider accused of stiffing landlord amid $1.4M townhome makeover

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani repeatedly declined to distance himself from embattled New York City Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) co-chair Gustavo Gordillo, after being pressed on allegations that the DSA leader failed to pay thousands in rent on a Crown Heights apartment while his family spent a reported $1.4 million renovating the NYC townhouse where he lives—a contrast critics say is difficult to square with the anti-landlord, rent-abolitionist socialist housing agenda he helps champion.

Mamdani said Sunday that people working for a "more affordable life" and a "fairer life" for New Yorkers "should be welcomed into this work." When asked again Monday whether Gordillo should step down and whether he condemned allegations that Gordillo lied about his employment, the mayor said he welcomed anyone committed to making New York "a city that everyone can belong to." Meanwhile, asked directly whether he condemned Gordillo’s alleged actions and lying, Mamdani ended the exchange: "Thank you very much."

Gordillo, an Ivy League graduate who as a NYC-DSA co-chair met weekly with Mamdani and his campaign manager as the group coordinated fundraising, field and communications efforts, later served on Mamdani’s Economic Development & Workforce Development transition committee, according to public reporting. 

He is named in a pending Brooklyn Housing Court case, in which a former landlord alleges Gordillo failed to pay $5,000 in rent on a $2,500-a-month Crown Heights apartment, while his family's townhouse was undergoing its $1.4 million in renovations, according to the New York Post. Gordillo's family reportedly bought the Bed-Stuy townhouse in 2019 for $935,000, while Gordillo’s father has said it is for Gordillo and his brother to live in.

SOCIALIST BIGWIG BLASTS THE WEALTHY WHILE LIVING IN $1.4M BROOKLYN BROWNSTONE WITH EYEBROW-RAISING BACKSTORY

"The Democratic Socialists of America have become the Double Standards of America — demanding transparency, fairness, and accountability from everyone else while ignoring serious questions about one of their own," Rev. Kevin McCall, a Brooklyn pastor who also assists tenants in New York City Housing Authority complexes, told the New York Post.

"The allegations surrounding NYC chapter co-chair Gustavo Gordillo raise troubling questions about whether he misled working-class New Yorkers about where he lived, how he obtained housing, and his labor credentials. DSA leaders and elected officials must answer these questions publicly and call for Gordillo’s resignation," the Reverend added.

NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI STRUGGLES TO DEFINE 'WORKING CLASS'

Neither Mamdani's office, the NYC-DSA nor Gordillo, responded to Fox News Digital's requests for comment. The housing case involving Gordillo remains pending and no judgment has been issued.

Questions about Gordillo’s working-class credentials were also central to Monday’s exchange between Mamdani and reporters about Gordillo. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers told the New York Post that its Joint Apprentice Training Committee terminated Gordillo’s electrician apprenticeship in March after a "prolonged absence from and failure to participate in required work and classes."

FRUSTRATED BLUE-COLLAR UNION BOSSES RIP SOCIALIST POLITICIANS, WARN OF LABOR EXODUS FROM DEM PARTY

The New York Post reported that Gordillo later sought and received approval for a $95,000 annual salary from NYC-DSA without disclosing the termination to members. The outlet also reported that the Bed-Stuy renovation used nonunion contractors and was hit with a city stop-work order over permit issues—prompting further criticism of a DSA leader who has cast himself as a union electrician and advocate for working people.

A source close to the union, according to the New York Post, said Gordillo "didn’t have a strong work record to begin with" and took the job "just for show," while hogging "a slot from someone who probably really needed the opportunity."

Sue Bird claims WNBA players wanted to 'shut up and dribble' despite leading 2020 political push

"We would have loved to shut up and dribble."

That's what Sue Bird said on a recent episode of her podcast.

Yes, Sue Bird. The same woman who was engaged to Megan Rapinoe for more than five years before they announced their split earlier this year now claims that she wanted to "shut up and dribble" instead of diving headfirst into progressive politics in 2020.

Bird said the players "would have loved to shut up and dribble because that meant we were talking about basketball." But the "intersectionality of it all," she argued, meant they "kind of had to speak on these things."

My goodness. I'm not sure a more ridiculous piece of revisionist history has ever been uttered into a microphone.

WNBA SUDDENLY WANTS TO STICK TO BASKETBALL AFTER YEARS OF MAKING POLITICS PART OF THE PRODUCT

Bird was a WNBPA vice president in 2020. That was the season that the WNBA put Black Lives Matter on its courts, launched the Justice Movement and created a Social Justice Council.

The league and its players repeatedly spoke out on progressive political topics like voting rights, LGBTQ advocacy and gun control.

This wasn’t just a handful of players sounding off online, either. The league and union built it into the fabric of the season.

Players even went so far as to openly support a Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate by wearing shirts that said "Vote Warnock" prior to games.

Bird now wants people to believe they were forced to do all those things.

Here's the problem: Bird's new stance is openly contradicted by... Bird's old stance.

"Our season was going to have to be played with social justice messages, on our jerseys, on the floor, forefront."

That’s what Sue Bird said in an October 2020 interview with NPR.

Quite a bit different than "we would have loved to shut up and dribble," huh?

Bird didn’t just say she wanted social justice at the forefront of the WNBA’s 2020 season. She called it nonnegotiable for the players.

And Bird said the league was on board "right from the jump."

THE LEFT WANTS CAITLIN CLARK, SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM TO SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE WHEN IT COMES TO TRANS SPORTS

Then the WNBA got even more explicit. Players wore "Vote Warnock" shirts in support of Democrat Raphael Warnock during his Senate race against then-Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler.

Loeffler had criticized the WNBA for dedicating its season to Black Lives Matter, and the players’ union had already called for her ouster. Bird had a different idea: go after her Senate seat.

Axios reported the idea to publicly support Warnock came directly from Bird. "What a great way for us to get the word out about this man, and hopefully put him in the Senate," Bird said at the time.

In 2020, Bird was openly thinking about how WNBA players could help put a Democrat in the U.S. Senate.

In 2026, though, Bird says the WNBA has become a "lightning rod" for political fights the league office cannot be expected to solve. She brought up Donald Trump and wondered whether anyone, including Democrats, had figured out how not to be manipulated by the way he operates.

How, Bird asked, was the WNBA supposed to figure that out "overnight"? She said the league office might be getting too much flak for failing to handle things that even politicians paid to handle them cannot figure out.

STEPHEN A. SMITH BLAMES ‘THE RIGHT’ FOR WNBA FIRESTORM, SAYS LEAGUE ‘LEFT THE DOOR OPEN’

The through-line for all of Bird's commentary was remarkably consistent, although misguided. Her central claim was that the WNBA and its players were innocent victims and unwilling players in a political game in 2020 and they are, once again, going through the same problem.

But Bird’s guest on that episode, ESPN reporter Ramona Shelburne, correctly noted that's not exactly true. Shelburne called the WNBA "a more willing participant" in political conversations because its players are willing to weigh in on hot-button issues.

She said the WNBA sits in the middle of the culture wars, but players, coaches, front offices and the league all have a choice about whether to engage.

"Right now the choice seems to have been that you are engaging," Shelburne said.

Exactly.

In 2020, Bird called social-justice messaging nonnegotiable. And when players fought with Kelly Loeffler, she helped turn it into a campaign for Raphael Warnock.

Bird clearly knows the difference.

She's choosing revisionist history anyway.

Pro Bowl running back Miles Sanders arrested on DUI charges, court records show

Pro Bowl running back Miles Sanders was arrested on DUI charges in June while driving in Churchill Borough, Pennsylvania, according to court records.

Sanders, who last played for the Dallas Cowboys in 2025, pleaded guilty to driving an unregistered vehicle and illegal parking where signs prohibit it, according to online records reviewed by OutKick. He has a preliminary hearing on Sept. 23 for careless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance.

Sanders was arrested after he was found slumped over in the driver’s seat of his Lexus in the middle of William Penn Highway, according to a criminal complaint obtained by CBS News. Officers tried to wake Sanders up but he was unable to answer questions.

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Officers said Sanders appeared to be "in and out of consciousness" and "extremely lethargic," according to CBS News. The former running back admitted to drinking earlier in the day, while police officers said his breath smelled of alcohol and his eyes were glossy.Marijuana was also found in the car, according to CBS News. Police said Sanders tested positive for alcohol after taking a portable breath test.

Sanders grew up in Pittsburgh and played college football at Penn State. He was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.

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He spent the first four seasons of his career with Eagles before signing a four-year, $25 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. Sanders was cut two seasons in the contract while dealing with injuries and underperformance.

Sanders then signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys but played only four games due to a season-ending knee and ankle injuries. He remains a free agent and hasn’t played since.

In 88 career games, Sanders has rushed for 4,462 yards and 24 touchdowns while catching 183 passes for 1,274 yards and four touchdowns. His best season came in 2022, the lone season he made the Pro Bowl, when he ran for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns.