BRIEFLY TOLD; PORTAL OPEN ... NO INDICATION IRISH LEAVING ACC (YET)

Now, it begins … the rush to the transfer portal. Virginia’s

 JA’SON PREVARD, a defensive back, will leave for 

parts unknown (at the moment) and plans to skip the 

Cavaliers’ Dec. 27 appearance in the Gator Bowl

Also gone from Charlottesville, often-injured 6-4, 308 

pound O-lineman TYSHAWN WYATT from 

Richmond’s Henrico High by way of James Madison U. 

He played in two games this season after missing the 

entire 2004 campaign, his last at JMU.

NOTRE DAME’s decision not to go bowling after being 

snubbed by the CFP selection committee was done with 

vthe approval of the team’s captains … who told athletic 

director PETE BEVACQUA several NFL-bound 

teammates would not participate.

At his press conference Tuesday, Bevacqua apparently 

gave no hints the Irish might leave the ACC for, say, the 

Big Ten … even though he continued to insist the 

conference, by pushing Miami over Notre Dame for the 

final berth in the 12-team playoff, caused “permanent 

damage” to their relationship.

Except for 2020, when it played a full ACC schedule, the 

Irish have remained independent in football since joining 

the conference in 2013-14 for 24 of its 25 other sports. 

Men’s ice hockey plays as a member of the Big 10.

WOW! ANOTHER head rolled Wednesday in the 

seemingly never-ending removal of football coaches 

when Michigan suddenly fired SHARRONE 

MOORE, who was18-6 in two-plus seasons.

The reason given was: “an inappropriate relationship with 

a member of the athletic department.” Because he 

apparently violated a moral’s clause in his contract, 

Moore presumably will not collect a generous parting 

gift.

He succeeded JIM HARBAUGH, who barely beat the 

NCAA posse out of town after allegations of spying on an 

opponent to gain a competitive advantage.

ONE LEAVES, another returns (sort of) … when 

incoming Virginia Tech football coach JAMES 

FRANKLIN hired his predecessor BRENT PRY  (fired) 

as … defensive coordinator.

Pry was Franklin’s DC at Vanderbilt when he accepted 

Tech’s offer in 2022, shortly before his long-time friend 

left for Penn State.

SO DREW BREES is back, replacing MARK 

SANCHEZ on Fox’s bottom-feeding NFL pairing with

 ADAM AMIN.

Brees, who bombed in his first network try, got a hasty 

reprieve when Sanchez, the former New York Jets’ QB, 

was arrested after pulling a knife on a trucker at a truck 

stop and wound up in jail.

Likable but, on air, more like JOE MONTANA than

 TONY ROMO, Brees didn’t last long after retiring from 

a Hall of Fame career. Sunday, prior to kickoff of 3-9 

Washington at 4-8 Minnesota, he proved why.

Big news for the Commanders was the return of QB

 JAYDEN DANIELS, the 2024 rookie of the year, from 

an elbow injury. And Amin set Brees up (perfectly) to say 

how much his versatile presence should mean to The 

Team Formerly Known as Redskins.

Instead, he said something about how well backup

 MARCUS MARIOTA did (0-3-0), and implied there 

was little to no dropoff from Daniels. Wonderful.

FIRST POSSESSION. Already trailing 7-0, Daniels took 

Washington inside the Minnesota five, first and goal. The 

running of the 2023 Heisman Trophy recipient,

 converting a couple of short-yard situations on third 

down, in addition to CHRIS RODRIGUEZ (10 carries,

 52 yards) was most instrumental.

But here, the Commanders stopped doing what had been 

so successful. They left it up to Daniels to throw them 

over the line. On fourth down, DEEBO SAMUELS 

couldn’t catch a perfect pass that hit him in both hands.

BREES GOT THIS ONE RIGHT. After Daniels was 

pushed to the ground, landing on his already-damaged left 

elbow, and clearly hurt, Brees said: “He’s taking too 

many hits today, and this is the worst one.”

With eight minutes left in the third quarter (and the 

Vikings ahead 14-0), Daniels got up, grabbed his arm 

obviously in pain, and did not return.

Mariota replaced him. “He’s done a great job, especially 

the last two weeks (both losses in overtime) … helping 

this offense get back on track,” Brees said.

On his second pass, Mariota threw the ball to Notre Dame 

alumnus and Minnesota’s 2012 first-round draft selection HARRISON SMITH, who made the 39^th INT of his 

career … most by an active player in the NFL.

“The defense has imposed its will,” said Amin. “The 

Vikings are in control.”

Final: 31-0 … Washington’s eighth straight loss.

SOME TAKEAWAYS from two teams, including one 

owned by MICHAEL JORDAN, suing NASCAR for 

damages in an anti-trust suit:

The plaintiffs are asking for more than $364 MILLION 

in damages. While it would seem unlikely they will be 

awarded THAT much, it should be considered a major 

upset if they don’t prevail.

The over-riding issue is NASCAR continuing to run the 

business the way the late “BIG BILL” FRANCE did 

when he formed the association in 1948. In the suit, the 

organization is accused of being “a monopolistic bully.”

And 81 year old chairman JIM FRANCE didn’t help the 

rebuttal, when evidence showed he was doing his best to 

limit teams in sharing revenue from lucrative TV deals 

(for one thing).

 As the trial moved into its second week in Charlotte, 

N.C., U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Bell asked both 

parties to speed up the process, (cliche alert) stop 

dragging their feet.

The last witness called by 23XI Racing, whose primary 

owners are Jordan and Hall of Fame-bound driver

 DENNY HAMLINfrom Richmond, and Front Row 

Motorsports, was Jim France, son of Bill Sr., who has 

been running the world’s premier stock car racing series 

since 2020. And acted like an old man losing his memory.

In response to many questions, France (according to one 

report) “said either he was unable to recall, did not 

remember or was not sure … even in response to 

evidence introduced that the France Family Trust received 

$400 million in distributions from 2021 to 2024 and that 

NASCAR is valued at $5 BILLION.”

Until next time ...