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🏴☠️ Five things to know Tuesday
- Vita Vea requested a trade from the Buccaneers. The two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle has been in search of a contract extension all offseason and conducted a hold-in during minicamp as the negotiations stalled. On the eve of training camp, Vea used his most drastic piece of leverage. Will Tampa Bay make a last-ditch effort to secure the premium run defender beyond 2026, or has he already played his final down for the franchise? We identified potential landing spots as trade suitors begin to draw up their pitches.
- The Dodgers are not pursuing a trade for Tarik Skubal. Less than a week out from the MLB trade deadline, the team that seemingly always lands the biggest names on the market is reportedly not expected to make a push for Skubal. It is still not clear whether the Tigers even plan to trade him in the first place, but if they do emerge as sellers, teams other than the Dodgers will come calling for the two-time Cy Young Award winner. Suppose Skubal does hit the trade block. What will it take to land him? These prospects could be on the move at the deadline as teams build return packages for the hottest commodities.
- The Commanders fired tight ends coach Ben Steele. Washington's training camp begins tomorrow, so the personnel change leaves the team with little time to shift responsibilities around. While the Commanders did not publicly provide a reason for the firing, they reportedly made the move due to a violation of team policy. It should be noted that Steele was arrested June 7 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and faces additional charges for refusing a blood or breath test and obstructing or resisting an officer without force. Steele had been on leave since informing the team of his arrest.
- North Carolina placed general manager Michael Lombardi on administrative leave. Off-the-field drama continues to define the Bill Belichick era in Chapel Hill. Just ahead of his second year in charge, his GM is on leave reportedly due to a human resources complaint filed by a former UNC front office employee. Lombardi oversees the Tar Heels' personnel operations and is the top adviser to Belichick, who seeks a better second year after opening his tenure with just four wins -- UNC's fewest since 2018.
- Eric Bieniemy's wife is recovering from multiple gunshot wounds. In even more serious and troubling news, Mia Bieniemy was reportedly shot Sunday night at the couple's home. Their son, 27-year-old Elijah Zion Bieniemy, was arrested and faces felony charges in connection with the case. Eric Bieniemy left his training camp duties as Chiefs offensive coordinator to be with his family and does not have a timetable for a return to the team.
🔠 Do not miss this: NBA offseason grades 2.0
When we graded every NBA team's offseason last week, LeBron James still had the league not-so-patiently awaiting his decision on where he would play what is potentially his final season. Now that the biggest domino of the summer has fallen, we have to amend our report card.
It is more than just the 76ers whose grade changed as a result of James' announcement. This free agency move has a massive ripple effect. For instance, the Warriors are probably the biggest losers of the whole ordeal because signing James was their only real path to championship contention. They dropped nearly a full letter grade because of their failed pursuit of King James.
Sam Quinn explained why the Warriors are now in the midst of a "C-" summer instead of their original "C+."
- Quinn: "There is a lot of doom and gloom surrounding the Warriors right now, and it's warranted. The Stephen Curry championship window is closed. Probably permanently. Here's the thing, though... that was true before they missed out on James."
As for the 25 teams that were not involved in the James sweepstakes, these teams put together terrific offseasons even without pursuing the NBA's all-time leading scorer:
- Hornets: A
- Clippers: A-
- Jazz: B+
- Spurs: B
🏈 Burning questions for Big Ten Media Days
Talkin' season heats up in the Big Ten today when the first batch of representatives takes the stage at media days. From this morning through Thursday, coaches and players from the conference that produced college football's last three national champions will preview the season ahead. Here's the schedule of attendees and how to watch their press conferences.
The unofficial Big Ten preseason poll is out ahead of media days, and three teams received first-place votes from the league's media. Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana are the perceived teams to beat. Behind them is a meaty upper-middle class:
4. USC
5. Michigan
6. Penn State
7. Washington
8. Iowa
Representatives from all 18 teams will face questions this week about how they plan to attack the 2026 season. We have a few burning questions of our own. For the reigning national champion Hoosiers, our Brandon Marcello wants to know whether they properly reloaded for another College Football Playoff push.
- Marcello: "The story is no longer how the Hoosiers flipped the script from the losingest program in college football to national champions. That's nice and will be remembered forever, but now we can start wondering whether Curt Cignetti will remain at the top of the mountain."
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
- In honor of Lauren Betts winning the 2026 Honda Cup, we recognized nine athletes who changed women's sports forever.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. is back from the injured list.
- Tensions built between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns ahead of their SummerSlam match.
- An unbelievably quick recovery from a torn Achilles has Daniel Jones ready for tomorrow's opening day of training camp.
- Take a look at the Bills' new alternate uniform, which features a color the team has never worn before.
- LeBron James' arrival cements the Eastern Conference's supremacy over the West, our Brad Botkin argues.
- Peyton Watson is reportedly considering accepting his qualifying offer. Here's why that would be huge for the Nuggets.
- Stanford football players are laying the foundation for what could be college sports' first labor union.
- UNLV coach Josh Pastner walked back his comments suggesting the program is for sale.
- We have one burning question for every NFC team heading into training camp.
- Sarah Strong told CBS Sports how growing up in Europe helped mold her into college basketball stardom.
- With his win at the 3M Open, Jackson Koivun threw a wrench into the U.S. Presidents Cup team selection process.
📺 What we're watching Tuesday
🏀 Sun at Mystics, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
⚾ Cubs at Cardinals, 7:45 p.m. on TBS
🏀 Fever at Storm, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Astros at Angels, 9:38 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Brewers at Giants, 9:45 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Mariners at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. on Peacock
