GREEN MAG

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR's management structure is unfair to its teams and drivers, with money and power in the hands of people who don't risk life and limb on the oval, basketball legend Michael Jordan told a court on Friday.

Testimony from Jordan and the daughter-in-law ofPro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbshighlighted courtroom action Friday, in a federalantitrust case, accusingNASCAR of operating as monopolistic bullies.

"Someone had to step forward to challenge NASCAR," said Jordan, a co-owner of 23XI Racing.

Jordan explained that NASCAR needs to be run more like the NBA, with a mutually beneficial partnership between the league and its teams.

"If you share responsibility, the healthiness of the sport can grow," he said. "It needed to be looked at from a whole different perspective. That's why we're here."

Drivers are risking their lives to race with no insurance or union protections, according tothe former North Carolina Tar Heel,whowon six NBA championshipswith the Chicago Bulls.

"I never saw(NASCAR CEO) Jim Francedrive a car and risk his life," Jordan said.

Even though 13 of 15 NASCAR Cup Series teams have signed the 2025-2031 charter agreement extension, those organizations had no real choice, according to Heather Gibbs, chief operating officer of Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR).

Before Jordan took the stand, Gibbs told the court that signing was the only option in what amounted to a "take-it-or-leave-it" situation.

"As if you have a gun to your head,"Gibbs said of her team's decision to sign.

Even though JGR is on one of the sport's most storied organizations, Gibbs said profits have been hit-and-miss under the current NASCAR system.

"Some years, not every year," she told a NASCAR attorney asking if JGR is a money maker.

Three ofNASCAR's top five drivers, No. 2 andthree-time Daytona 500 winnerDenny Hamlin, No. 3 Chase Briscoe and No. 5 Christopher Bell, race out of the JGR stable.

Despite the massive stakes on the table and the occasional tough words, both sides were remarkably cordial to one another in court on Friday.

When a NASCAR attorney finished his cross-examination of Jordan, he told the all-time basketball great: "My 9-year-old thinks I'm pretty cool today."

Jorden joked that the NASCAR attorney should've been laced up in the former player's famed hight tops in court.

"You're not wearing your Jordans today," Jordan quipped.

Charlie Gile reported from Charlotte, N.C., and David K. Li from New York City.

Our long, national nightmare is over.Penn State footballhas found its head coach.

TheNittany Lionsare finalizing an agreementwith Iowa State's Matt Campbellto replace James Franklin,per a report by ESPN.

Campbell, 46, has coached the Cyclones for 10 seasons and became the winningest coach in school history with a 72-55 record, including 8-4 in 2025.

HAYES:Penn State must hire Matt Campbell to avoid blowing CFB coaching carousel

Here's how we grade the hire:

Grade: B+

Penn State took a circuitous route to making a solid hire, if not a home run.

Even after whiffing on Brigham Young's Kalani Sitake,athletic director Pat Kraftmanaged to land a proven coach, one who was named the Big 12 coach of the year three times.

Campbell's name has appeared on candidate lists for prime jobs for many years, but he repeatedly remained loyal toIowa State. Now, finally, he saw an opportunity good enough to make a move. An Ohio native, the 46-year-old Campbell has spent his entire career in the Midwest. He'll fit Penn State's brand.

Campbell departs Iowa State as the best coach in program history, producing a winning record eight times in 10 seasons there. He's headed to a program with superior resources — and more demanding expectations than Campbell has ever encountered in his career.

Campbell's resume is not superior to that of the coach Penn State fired, but it always seemed unlikely the Nittany Lions would hire a more accomplished coach than James Franklin.

Campbell's known more for being a player developer than an ace recruiter. He'll need to prove he can win blue-chip recruiting battles to get Penn State onto Ohio State's level, or even to keep it at the level Franklin had Penn State operating at in most seasons before this one.

At Iowa State, Campbell could be counted on to assemble one of the Big 12's stingiest defenses, year after year. That'll translate well at Penn State. Can Campbell develop quarterbacks that'll allow Penn State to stand toe-to-toe with the best Big Ten programs?

As good as Campbell's Cyclones defenses usually were, his offenses were more middle of the pack or even toward the bottom of the Big 12. Maybe, that'll elevate with higher-caliber athletes at Penn State. Campbell only ever had one Iowa State quarterback selected in the NFL Draft. That was Brock Purdy, a four-year starter selected in the seventh round in 2022.

An 8-4 season at Iowa State would go down in the good-season column. At Penn State, that won't cut it anymore. Welcome to the big leagues.

Campbell is a steady hand who now must show he's ready to perform to the level Penn State demands.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Penn State football hires Matt Campbell as coach. Expert grades for move

One of the best players in Los Angeles Clippers history isn't thrilled with how the franchise has treated his former teammate, Chris Paul.

Three days afterthe Clippers unceremoniously released the future Hall of Famer in the middle of a road trip, former All-Star Blake Griffin provided some perspective on the divorce during an appearance onPrime Video's NBA pregame show. Consider him fully on Paul's side.

Griffin praised Paul's leadership during their time together in L.A. while criticizing the Clippers' lack of communication and consideration for Paul as he navigates what is supposed to be his final season in the NBA.

"I'm disappointed for Chris Paul."An open and honest@blakegriffin23on his former teammate Chris Paul parting ways with the Clippers.#NBAonPrimepic.twitter.com/Yk9dQ8firW

— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime)December 5, 2025

Griffin's comments:

"I'm just disappointed, to be honest. I can't really think of another word. Obviously shocked at first, but disappointed. I'm disappointed for Chris Paul, but I'm disappointed in the Clippers organization.

"Chris Paul is a guy who came to the Clippers when DeAndre [Jordan] and I were first- and second-year guys. He brought a winning culture. He taught us how to operate in the NBA and how to take every game seriously, how to take your body seriously, that there was no detail that was too small ... Chris Paul, for 20 years, has been the same player. He's been about winning.

"Re-signing with the Clippers, this was supposed to be his moment, his coming back to L.A. 'I'm giving it one last go.' And for him to not get to walk out on his own terms, from the franchise — that he chose to go to — to end his career, is extremely disappointing.

"But I think the biggest reason I'm disappointed is what Chris said. No communication with Ty Lue. And, even more than that, no communication — I talked to CP Wednesday, I talked to him yesterday, I talked to him today — no communication with Steve Ballmer. And that's the disappointing thing for me.

Since Paul's release,there have been reports that the 40-year-old had clashed with members of Clippers leadership, to the point that he allegedly hadn't spoken to head coach Tyronn Lue in weeks. Prime Video's Chris Haynes reported Friday the Clippers front office received intel that Paul was privately criticizing players, coaches and executives in the organization, which led to a meeting between Paul and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank.

Paul reportedly denied the allegations, but later apologized to his teammates "if his words or actions were misconstrued." He also reportedly asked for a meeting with Lue, but the coach declined.

As all of this was happening, the Clippers were off to an awful start, holding a 5-16 record at the time of Paul's release. Paul was averaging career lows across the board, including 2.9 points per game, while coming exclusively off the bench.

Paulreportedlygave the following comment to Haynes:

"I'm just staying ready. I'm hooping right now. I don't [know] what's next. I'm still scarred by it all. Still processing everything. But I'm staying ready."

It's unclear where Paul will land in free agency, but it's been made clear he doesn't want to retire until the end of the season. Even if he's no longer as productive as he once was, there figures to be a decent market for a player with his experience and leadership, especially given the number of connections he still has around the league.

As for the Clippers,they've received more than their usual amount of taunts, but also broke a five-game losing streak on Wednesday with a lopsided win over the Atlanta Hawks.

A grandfather and his infant granddaughter were pronounced dead after authorities in Tennessee found pitbulls mauling the 3-month-old girl, officials said.

The district attorney general's office for Tennessee's 14th Judicial District said in a news release Wednesday that authorities are still trying to determine the cause of death for James Alexander Smith, 50, and his granddaughter, and whether the mauling occurred after they were already dead.

The prosecutor's office said it isn't clear if criminal charges will be filed in the case.

The apparent attack occurred at a residential address in Tullahoma, roughly 75 miles southeast of Nashville. Responding police officers killed the dogs to stop the attack, according to the release.

"Regrettably, it was obvious that both victims were deceased," the release states.

District Attorney Craig Northcutt said the dogs stayed at the home where the mauling occurred but it wasn't clear who they belonged to.

NBC affiliate WSMV of Nashville reportedthat the animals were among seven pitbulls that lived there.

A neighbor, Rebecca Adams, told the station that dogs routinely escaped from the family's yard and chased other neighborhood pets. But she said she'd never seen them be aggressive toward people, the station reported.

The district attorney general's office said investigators are examining the animals' history and "other potential issues that may have contributed to this situation."

According to the release, the other dogs in the home were taken by the local animal control agency.

INWOOD, W.Va. (AP) — The West Virginia National Guard member who survivedlast week's shooting in Washingtonis slowly healing, West Virginia's governor said Friday.

Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe's head wound is slowly improving and "he's beginning to 'look more like himself,'" Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a statement quoting Wolfe's parents.

Wolfe and Spc. Sarah Beckstromwere ambushed as they patrolled a subway station three blocks from the White House on Nov. 26.Beckstrom died from her injuriesthe next day.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a29-year-old Afghan nationalwho was also shot during the confrontation, has been charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

Wolfe's family expects he will be in acute care for another two or three weeks, the governor said. He asked that West Virginians and Americans continue to pray for Wolfe.

A vigil was scheduled to be held for him at his alma mater, Musselman High School, in Berkeley County on Friday night.

Wolfe, 24, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, about 75 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., was assigned to the Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard.

He has worked as a lineman with Frontier Communications since early 2023, the company said.

Wolfe joined the National Guard in 2019, the year he graduated from high school. At Musselman, Wolfe was an engaged and high-achieving student "who embodied the Applemen spirit, contributing positively to our school community both academically and athletically," Principal Alicia Riggleman said.

Wolfe and Beckstrom were among more than 2,000 troopsdeployed to the nation's capitalas part of President Donald Trump'scrime-fighting missionthat involved taking over the local police department.