GREEN MAG

Martin Chivers, soccer, 1945-2026

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Sports figures we lost in 2026

"It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Pirates Hall of Famer Elroy Face, a beloved member of the Pirates family," Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said ina statement. "I was fortunate to get to know Elroy personally, and I will always be proud that we had the chance to honor him with his induction into the Pirates Hall of Fame."

Nicknamed "The Baron of the Bullpen," Face was a groundbreaking pitcher, performing in a role that evolved into the modern-day closer. Face holds the National League record for wins in relief (96). Face also holds Pirates franchise records for appearances (802) and saves (188). His NL record for saves was not broken until 1982, when Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter surpassed Face's total.

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Face made All-Star Game appearances in three consecutive seasons from 1959-1961. The peak of his career coincided with the Pirates winning the1960 World Series, a Fall Classic made famous byBill Mazeroski's walk-off Series-winning home runinGame 7. Face recorded three saves in that World Series win over theNew York Yankees.

It was Face's 1959 season that was his finest. He went 18-1 with a 2.70 ERA over 57 appearances, finishing seventh in NL MVP voting. During his career, he was a three-time league leader in saves and twice led the league in games pitched.

Face spent 15 seasons with the Pirates before pitching briefly with theDetroit Tigersand Montreal Expos to close out his storied career.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Elroy Face, Pirates' pioneering relief pitcher, dies at 97

"We have no heart," Schaefer said. "We're not tough. It's probably the softest team I've had in years. "

The Longhorns trailed by 26 points before making a late push.

"It translates from practices … my fault," Schaefer said. "I'll wear it. I'll wear all of it. It's my fault. It stops now."

After skewering his team, Schaefer pivoted to giving credit to the Commodores and national scoring leader Makayla Blakes.

"That damn team over there is really good," he said. "That's a heck of a team. Take nothing away from that team. They beat the University of Texas. That team's got heart."

Blakes scored 34 points.

The Longhorns visit No. 22 Tennessee on Sunday.

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But when Player wanted to get in one more round on the course, he was denied. Player, 90, said Augusta National denied his request to play fourball with his grandsons on the Masters' course. Player said he accepted the decision, butwas sad about it, per Golf Monthly.

"All the golf courses that have hosted the Open, the US Open and the PGA would oblige, but they won't do it at Augusta.

"It is just this current management there, but these are the times we live in and I accept it, but I accept it with sadness."

Player said he was hoping to tell his grandsons more about his playing days on the course. Player turned in a handful of excellent performances at Augusta National. He first won the Masters in 1961, becoming the first international player to win the event. Player was born in South Africa. He then won the Masters again in 1974 and 1978. In addition to those wins, he has 12 other top-10 finishes at the event. In 1998, Player became the oldest golfer to make the cut at the Masters. He was 62 at the time.

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Player's success in golf wasn't just limited to the Masters. He won the PGA Championship twice, the U.S. Open once and The Open Championship three times. Those accomplishments made him — along with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus — "The Big Three" of golf. In 2011, Augusta invited Player to join Palmer and Nicklaus as honorary starters at the Masters. Player has continued to serve in that role and was an honorary starter at the 2025 Masters.

Augusta National, however, has strict rules on who can play at the course outside of the Masters. In order to play a round at Augusta, you need to be a member at the club. Player is not a member, and it's fairly rare for tour golfers to join Augusta.

Palmer was a member and Nicklaus is a member, however, so there's precedent for legendary players to get an invite to join the club. That's the only way to become a member at Augusta. You need to beinvited or recommended by a current member.

Unless that happens, Player seems unlikely to have his request granted. While it was assumed Player would serve as an honorary starter at the 2026 Masters in April, that could be up in the air depending on whether there's any animosity between Player and Augusta following the decision.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said Marimar Martinez, a 31-year-old Montessori school teacher, on Oct. 4 followed federal Border Patrol agents, blocked them, and rammed her vehicle into them before Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum shot her five times.

But video evidence, investigative reports and messages released Feb. 10 by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago tell a different story.

Footage from an officer's body camera and surveillance video do not show agents boxed in or Martinez ramming them as she and other demonstrators followed federal agents to alert neighbors to their presence.

"Border Patrol law enforcement officers were ambushed by domestic terrorists that rammed federal agents with their vehicles,"DHS said in a statementafter the shooting. "The woman, Marimar Martinez, driving one of the vehicles, was armed with a semi-automatic weapon."

Martinez is a legal gun owner with a concealed-carry permit who had her pistol holstered in her purse during the shooting.

"The question at the end of this is why, knowing the truth, would our own government continue to lie about who this woman is and what happened?" Chris Parente, Martinez's lawyer and a former federal prosecutor, told USA TODAY.

At the government's request, a federal judge on Nov. 20 alreadydismissed the criminal casefor assault with a deadly weapon against Martinez, an American citizen from Chicago who is Latina. The incident occurred during the Trump administration's"Operation Midway Blitz"that surged immigration agents in and around Chicago.

Activists protest outside of an immigrant processing and detention center on Oct. 2, 2025 in Broadview, Ill.

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Chicago protests push back against increased federal immigration raids

Martinez's lawyers are now pursuing legal action for damages from the shooting, which has left Martinez in pain and unable to close her hand or cross her legs months later. The incident is among a growing list ofviolent encounters with federal immigration agents.

In response to emailed questions, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which includes Border Patrol, said Exum was placed on administrative leave, consistent with policy. The agency referred questions to the Department of Justice, which has not responded to USA TODAY's request for comment.

Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs,previously said on Xofficers had been rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars, and Martinez rammed the officers while armed with a semiautomatic weapon.

What the footage shows

The body camera footage, released in agreement with federal officials, shows the moments leading up to the shooting on a Saturday morning on Chicago's South Side.

Inside agents' Chevy Tahoe, one agent had their body camera on before Exum shot Martinez. Exum, whoreportedly described himself in courtas a firearms instructor, didn't turn his body camera on before the shooting.

Exum can be seen in the video driving as protesters honk their horns. The agent wearing the body camera is seated in the back seat and has his finger on the trigger of an assault rifle while another agent also in the back seat, behind Exum, has his handgun drawn.

An agent can be heard saying "Do something, (expletive)."

"Alright, it's time to get aggressive and get the (expletive) out, cause they're trying to box us in," an agent says.

Exum then steers the wheel sharply left.

"Be advised we've been struck, we've been struck," the agent wearing the body camera says into a radio.

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Exum has his pistol in his right hand as he stops the car. He quickly opens his door and fires his weapon. Martinez, shot five times, drove away, then stopped to call 911 and was taken to a local hospital.

In released encrypted messages,Exum bragged about firing five roundsinto the windshield and being unharmed. Officials have said Martinez was driving toward him.

But Parente said bullet holes showed Exum fired as Martinez moved away from Exum's vehicle. Martinez's Nissan Rogue had three bullet holes into the passenger side windshield, followed by a fourth bullet from the side, shattering the passenger window. Another bullet appears to have been shot from behind, striking the passenger seat from behind. Parente said this violated Border Patrol's use of force policy for shooting at fleeing vehicles.

Previously released encrypted messages from a group called "Posse Chat" showedExum on Oct. 7saying "I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys."

Messages from fellow agents appeared to celebrate the shooting.

"Good shootin. lol," a message said. Exum responded "Gracias senior," an apparent reference to "señor," Spanish for "sir."

Exum also sent a screenshot of a text exchange, in which a message said, "You are a legend among agents you better (expletive) know that."

"Beers on me when I see you at training," a second message said.

Approximately four hours after the shooting, Exum received an email fromGregory Bovino, the high-profile Border Patrol chief patrol agent who has been dispatched by the administration to surges in several cities.

Bovino praised Exum, who is normally stationed in Maine along the Canadian border. Bovino offered to extend retirement beyond 57, his second extension.

"In light of your excellent service in Chicago, you have much left to do!!" Bovino wrote, instructing another official to have staff work with Exum "to accomplish this most illustrative endeavor. Thank you."

In the "Posse Chat," Exum said he was supported "big time" by federal leaders.

He cited Bovino, Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks, DHS SecretaryKristi Noemand "El Jefe himself… according to Bovino."

"El Jefe" means "the boss" in Spanish.

On Feb. 3, Martinez testified in a U.S. Senate hearing on use of force by DHS. She provided testimony alongside the brothers of Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

On Feb. 12, theSenate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs held a hearing with DHS officialsto examine tactics leading up to federal agents fatally shooting Alex Pretti, 37, on Jan. 24 also in Minneapolis. Like Chicago, Minneapolis has seen a surge of immigration enforcement and protests in response.

Contributing: Michael Loria, Reuters

Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email atemcuevas1@usatoday.comor on Signal at emcuevas.01.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Bodycam contradicts DHS story of Border Patrol shooting Chicago woman

An American flag is seen through the barbed wire surrounding the CoreCivic Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, California, on October 4, 2025. Credit - Kevin Carter—Getty Images

Two of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) biggest contractors for building and managing detention centers have posted record revenue in 2025, as companies are expanding their facilities nationwide to hold more immigrants apprehended by the Trump Administration.

GEO Group, which operates 19 facilities for ICE around the country, reported $2.6 billion in total revenue in 2025, up 6% from $2.43 billion in 2024. CoreCivic, which owns and operates at least ten ICE detention facilities, reported $2.2 billion in total revenue in 2025, up 13% from $1.96 billion in 2024.

Read more:ICE Is Seeking to Build New Detention Centers Around the U.S. Here's How Communities Are Battling to Stop It

During their earnings calls, both companies hailed the rapid expansion of their facilities, marking it a "significant growth opportunity," and said they are working to reactivate facilities that were previously phased out under the Biden Administration to meet ICE's increasing detention demands. The two companies have told ICE that, together, they can hold an additional population of 19,000 if needed.

Asked by one caller about how he views the current rate of ICE detentions—which, at  fewer than 100,000 immigrants a day, the caller described as "below what investors thought [it] was going to be"— CEO of CoreCivic Patrick Swindle responded by assuring investors that the immigration crackdown will pick up pace.

"When you're looking at the way that ICE approaches enforcement action, nothing occurs immediately," Swindle said. "So, as we think about timing, it does take time because it is a very complex ecosystem, and as that ecosystem grows, it's gonna result in additional bed demand."

In addition to the expansion of its immigrant detention facilities, GEO Group also saw an increase in ICE's use of its surveillance devices, which the agency uses to monitor some immigrants as an alternative to detention. During the call, incoming GEO Group CEO George Zoley said the number of participants on GPS ankle monitors has increased from approximately 17,000 in early 2025 to more than 42,000 today.

According to Zoley, ICE is currently holding approximately 70,000 immigrants in 225 separate jails or detention centers, nearlydoublethe number of immigrants detained and the number of available facilities from last year.

The WashingtonPostreportedthat, thanks to an unprecedented $45 billion budget approved by Congress, ICE intends to expand immigrant detention to parts of the country where none are currently located while building new detention facilities in populous states like California and Texas. The plan would double the agency's number of large-scale, mega-detention centers—the kind that are contracted out to GEO Group and CoreCivic—as well as building makeshift "soft-sided" structures that can be built in a few weeks.

One of the plans that ICE is pursuing in this effort to build massive detention facilities is acquiring warehouses and turning them into jails, despiteprotestsin local communities. GEO Group said it is "cautiously participating in this process," despite having little experience in renovating warehouses.

"We've only had one experience in renovating a warehouse, and that occurred maybe 30 years ago. So it's more complicated than you may think," Zoley said during the earnings call.

"As a 40-year partner to ICE, we expect to be a part of this solution," he added.

For-profit detention centers hold the overwhelming majority of immigrants who are detained by ICE, according todatafrom TRAC Immigration. They have also been the site of most of the fatalities in federal immigrant detention that have occurred in recent months: Of the 38 people who died in ICE custody from January 2025 to now, 71 percent were held in for-profit facilities, according todata collectedby independent journalist Andrew Free.

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