The moment carried special meaning for Prescott because Jace died in 2020 due to suicide.

MORE: ESPN’s Adam Schefter says Dak Prescott-led Cowboys ‘can be dangerous’ in 2026 NFL season

ESPN’s NFL analyst Todd Archer posted a photo of the exchange and wrote, “After Thursday’s practice, a fan gave Dak Prescott a Cowboys hat with the face of his brother Jace, who passed away in 2020, on the side. Prescott was touched by the gesture.”

After Jace’s passing, the Cowboys quarterback has openly discussed grief and mental health. He has honored his brother’s memory through his Faith Fight Finish Foundation. His message has consistently encouraged people to seek help and support when facing personal struggles.

Back in September 2020, Prescott talked about his brother, saying, “Honestly, a couple of days before my brother passed, I started experiencing depression. I didn’t know what I was going through, to say the least, and hadn’t been sleeping at all. … some of the worst news I’ll ever get.”

Prescott has never hidden the role his family has played in shaping his career. That openness has strengthened his connection with Cowboys supporters, making Thursday’s gift more than a simple training camp souvenir.

Dak Prescott and Cowboys’ 2026 outlook

The interaction came as Dallas continues preparations for an important 2026 season. The Cowboys are looking to rebound after finishing 7-9-1 despite Prescott posting 4,552 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. The offense remained productive, but defensive issues kept Dallas out of the playoffs.

The front office responded with major offseason changes. Dallas rebuilt its defense, retained key offensive pieces, and enters training camp believing it has a roster capable of competing for the postseason. Prescott remains the centerpiece of those expectations.

As the regular season approaches, Dallas will hope Prescott’s leadership translates into wins after two disappointing years. The roster appears stronger, and expectations have risen accordingly.

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While training camp usually focuses on football, the hat moment showed how players carry personal stories alongside professional responsibilities. For Prescott, the tribute honored his brother’s memory while reinforcing the bond he shares with the Cowboys fan base.

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And yet 25 episodes into the series I’m really unconcerned with the fate of every single character. Who are we supposed to be rooting for here? Anyone? Does it matter?

Who would you like to see return for the final season? Who deserves to sit on the overgrown Iron Throne?

I’m not sure it matters because “House of the Dragon” has simply failed to do what “Game of Thrones” did more than a decade ago, which was make you care.

The Starks were good. The Lannisters were bad. Jon Snow and Tyrion were awesome for very different reasons. Several characters were redeemed and broke bad and then went back again. Even the people who read the books saw things play out on their screen and hoped and cared and were invested.

MORE: ‘House of the Dragon’ Recap: Salt and Sea, and Fire and Blood and Dragon Underbites

Do you feel that way about anyone on this show? Is it because when the series started most of the main characters were “Muppet Babies” versions of themselves? Is that unfair to both the Muppets and the Muppet Babies. Do people really like “Young Sheldon?” Is that a thing? Is “House of the Dragon” just the “Young Sheldon” of the ASOIAF-verse?

With that in mind, let’s try and at least figure out who we should be rooting for and against on Sunday and then again two or three years from now when HBO finally gets around to releasing the final season.

Helaena Targaryen

She was basically credited alongside the tapestries for most of the series, but over the last two episodes she has suddenly seemed semi-interesting. She’s a dreamer, which is apparently a thing. She’s a dragonrider, but I feel like something happened to her dragon? She seems quite nice, but she’s also married to her brother, and I had completely forgotten that the queen is technically her sister until Rhaenerya literally called her sister last week. I feel like in another life we could have rooted for her, but instead she means absolutely nothing to either the show or the viewers.

Aemond Targaryen

Now here’s a guy with a claim to the Iron Throne. Sure, he’s living in exile, having sexual fantasies about his mother while cheating on his sister wife with a witch, but … he’s also very skinny. Like, distractingly thin for a main character spending so much time with his shirt off. I distinctly remember him being a total d—head early in the show and then he tried to kill his brother, but he is a pretty badass dragonrider. Speaking of which, he’s very locked in on this very long-term raise-babies-and-dragons-with-his-new-girlfriend plan. And if he’s so happy where he is, why would he even want to leave and run the whole kingdom?

Ormund Hightower

Kingmaker to the vegetable kingdom. Constantly saying weird s–t with the confidence of someone who knows what they’re talking about. One of the only characters you’re constantly waiting for something horrible to happen to. If the Pittsburgh Steelers had a quarterback in the Seven Kingdoms, this would be him.

Daeron Targaryen

Yet another potential king with a half-assed claim to the throne and he seems like he’d be the best choice for the people based mostly on the fact that he doesn’t 100 percent want to be king. He’s a fair-minded dragonrider. He seems like a normal enough little dude. But again, did he exist in June? I certainly had to Google his name to write this portion of the post.

Ser Torrhen Manderly

Character nobody cares about says what?

MORE: ‘House of the Dragon’ recap: Rhaenyra Triumphant

Rhaenyra Targaryen

We all know things aren’t going to work out for her, even if you haven’t read any spoilers. Or as book-readers call them, “source material.” Remember when they did an entire episode showing her losing her mind? Now she’s just kind of bored and annoyed and into girls because there haven’t been many sex scenes this season. She’s also unhappy and just generally bad at the job. Though her idea to send her valuable hostage-slash-best friend and a single assassin to kill her brother-nephew was certainly a choice.

Aegon Targaryen

Looks like Sunfyre got his groove back. I assume he was always a brat, but I honestly don’t remember. Now he’s been burnt and spent a season being hunted and humbled and shown himself to be capable with the blade a few times. His reaction to his dragon showing up was easily one of the best moments of the season.

Who will sit on the Iron Throne?

I guess Daeron would make the best king in the long run so for the sake of all the people of the Seven Kingdoms, we should be rooting for him to somehow jettison Ormund and outsurvive all his siblings.

So, it comes down to Viserys’ older children. Rhaenyra and Daemon are probably on their way out which will set up a final season of the Aemond and Aegon battling for the crown? Aemond used to be a party king, but now he’s going to want revenge. So he’s going to be mean like his brother, who has always been more of a light-ants-on-fire-with-a-magnifying-glass type.

Basically, nothing matters. Maybe just bring back Dunk and Egg and forget about this whole dragon dance.

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The Dan Campbell era has been marked by incredible offense and a truly insane number of injuries to the defense that will ultimately leave fans wondering what could have been. Fresh off making Jahmyr Gibbs the highest-paid running back in NFL history, the Lions figure to enter the 2026 in a familiar situation.

They’ll need to score an awful lot of points and hope that a patchwork quilt of a defense can provide just enough resistance to get the job done.

Mike Tannebaum surveyed the inevitable situation on Get Up on Friday and offered a helpful solution to the Lions’ problems.

“Put Aidan Hutchinson on one side, and Maxx Crosby on the other,” he said.

Crosby to the Lions?

If you’re wondering why no one has thought of this before, please know that everyone has thought of this before. Trading for Crosby, who played his college ball down the street at Eastern Michigan, has been a consistent topic on Detroit sports radio for multiple years. Of course the Lions would want one of the best pass rushers in the game to pair up with their current best pass rusher in the league.

But if they really, really wanted to do this it would have already happened. We’re talking about a team that has been beyond desperate for a healthy difference-maker on that side of the ball that needs pressure on the quarterback to overcome a bad secondary. They would seemingly be willing to overpay to get Crosby. They would seemingly overpay to get someone with half his talent.

So, yeah, it sounds like a simple fix. Yet it isn’t the fix. It can’t be. Because the Lions would have already done it by now.

Sadly for fans of the Lions, the actual fix is to hope Jared Goff & Co. can put up 38 points per game. The bad news is that this isn’t much of a plan. The good news is they’re good enough to do it.

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According to reports, the Twins are calling up highly regarded infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper, who is expected to make his MLB debut during Minnesota’s upcoming series in Milwaukee. The promotion marks another significant milestone for a player who has climbed through the minor league system at an impressive pace.

Before Culpepper officially joins the active roster, however, the Twins will need to make a corresponding move. With the club’s 40-man roster already full and no obvious candidate to transfer to the 60-day injured list, another player is expected to lose his roster spot.

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One of baseball’s best young prospects

Culpepper enters the majors with plenty of hype.

The 23-year-old is widely viewed as the No. 2 prospect in the Twins’ farm system behind only outfielder Walker Jenkins. He also ranks among the elite prospects in baseball, checking in at No. 29 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list, while FanGraphs recently placed him 34th overall.

Minnesota selected Culpepper with the 21st overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, and he has done nothing but produce since beginning his professional career.

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Earned his opportunity

After finishing the 2025 season with 59 games at Double-A, Culpepper opened 2026 at Triple-A St. Paul and continued to impress.

In 74 games, he has posted a 116 wRC+ while hitting 14 home runs and stealing 17 bases. Although his primary position is shortstop, he has also logged time at both second and third base, showcasing the versatility that made him such a coveted prospect.

His promotion may have come even sooner if not for a glute injury that sidelined him in mid-June.

Now healthy again, Culpepper has earned his shot in the majors. Twins fans will be eager to see if one of the organization’s brightest young stars can make an immediate impact as Minnesota looks to build for both the present and the future.

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Well, if you haven’t, you will now.

It happened during a broadcast of WCPO 9 News in Cincinnati, when traffic anchor and meteorologist KJ Jacobs was doing his thing during a live traffic report.

As Jacobs did the report, he and the rest of the viewing audience witnessed a real-time accident on the camera footage behind the anchor.

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The audience saw what appeared to be an SUV slam into the back of another SUV that was sitting on the gore with its hazard lights on.

Understandably, Jacobs was completely caught off guard by the accident and nearly let an “Oh, s***” come out of his mouth before barely cutting himself off.

Jacobs didn’t hide from it, either, as he shared the video of the blooper on X and revealed that was the first time he had seen something like that.

Elite speech control from Jacobs.

He nearly let it slip all the way out but stopped short of saying the “t.”

Because he cut himself off from saying the full word, Jacobs didn’t really have to apologize, but he did anyway.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Jacobs said. “This literally just watched a crash happen in real time, and I almost said something inappropriate.”

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Commenters understand close call

As you’d expect, those who saw the broadcast or caught the clip afterwards loved it.

“You should be allowed to say s–t on the news if something like this happens live,” one viewer said.

“Sir, we are all humans, we understand,” another commenter said.

“This is why live TV is undefeated,” someone else wrote.

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As far as the accident is concerned, we hope everyone involved is OK.

However, it’s fair to wonder how exactly that SUV managed to end up in that situation.

The SUV on the gore clearly had its flashers on and the guilty SUV should have had full visibility of the former and more than enough time to avoid that situation.

Nevertheless, the accident made for a memorable and viral moment Jacobs and those who were watching at home and on social media won’t soon forget.

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One year after finishing second in American League MVP voting, Raleigh is hitting .162 with 12 home runs, 43 RBIs and a .574 OPS. His strikeout rate has climbed above 32 percent, while his average exit velocity and hard-hit rate have dropped sharply from last season.

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That is not ordinary regression. It is one of baseball’s most dramatic year-to-year collapses I think I’ve ever seen.

Raleigh hit 60 homers and drove in 125 runs in 2025, producing one of the greatest offensive seasons ever by a catcher. He was never going to recreate that combination of power, health and historic production, but Seattle still needed him to remain a middle-of-the-order hammer.

Instead, Raleigh has endured multiple brutal stretches, including an 0-for-38 drought and a right oblique injury that required his first career trip to the injured list. Even after returning, the consistent damage has not followed.

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There are fair explanations. Catching is physically punishing. Raleigh played deep into last season, participated in the World Baseball Classic and then tried to fight through soreness early in the season.

Still, Seattle is trying to win the American League West. It added talent at the deadline and believes this roster can make a serious postseason run. Raleigh cannot remain a passenger in that chase.

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His defense, leadership and power threat are still needed. And pitchers know one mistake can disappear into the seats. But reputation cannot keep carrying the argument.

The Mariners do not need another MVP season from Cal Raleigh. They need something much closer to the hitter who earned those expectations in the first place.

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The Texas Longhorns star quarterback enters his fourth season with the SEC program. Preseason Heisman Trophy talks are already on the table, and Texas boasts one of the top chances to win the College Football Playoff.

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However, many fans are already buzzing about Manning’s chances of being drafted into the NFL in 2027. Next year’s draft will likely feature an explosive group of athletes, including Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore.

In fact, Manning’s teammate, wide receiver Cam Coleman, is also drawing major hype as he becomes draft eligible next spring. Still, the nephew of Peyton Manning and Eli Manning continues to be the focal point for college football conversations as the Longhorns prepare to tackle a difficult schedule.

Manning has been lighting up practices recently as head coach Steve Sarkisian’s team faces high expectations.

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With the first pick in the 2027 NFL Draft …

The 22-year-old Manning went viral Thursday after tossing a dime to receiver Ryan Wingo during practice. However, the young signal-caller certainly offers much more than just one-off throws because his arm talent continues to improve.

His family pedigree has brought Manning’s name into the NFL conversation even before he arrived at Texas. Manning’s ability to fight through adversity may actually be his greatest quality since becoming a Longhorns standout.

Every season at Texas has gotten significantly better, including last year’s campaign that featured 3,1000 yards and 26 touchdown passes. Early in Manning’s college football career, there were many questions about him looking uncomfortable in the pocket.

Those issues have certainly cleared up though, and many NFL teams are taking notice. There’s a desperate need for several NFL QB upgrades, and nobody wants to be the team that bypasses the next Manning.

TRENDING: Arch Manning has been absolutely SLINGING IT at fall camp.

Several NFL scouts reportedly believe Manning has “first overall pick” potential in the 2027 NFL Draft.

The Texas Longhorns QB is looking SCARY ahead of next season 😳 pic.twitter.com/1CKB8EokOQ

— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) August 6, 2026

Eli and Peyton are both two-time Super Bowl winners. Arch Manning’s grandfather, Archie, is also considered one of the better signal-callers in New Orleans Saints history.

Draft experts and scouts already believe that it’s likely Manning could be called first by Roger Goodell and whichever team ends up on the clock first at the 2027 NFL Draft.

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However, time will tell just how high Manning’s stock rises this year as the Longhorns look to take another step forward. Texas enters the 2026 season ranked fourth in the preseason coaches poll.

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Brian Cashman even called the contract a potential bargain during the offseason. It has become anything but, as Grisham is hitting .211 with 12 home runs, 43 RBIs and a .689 OPS.

Those numbers are disappointing enough. His current stretch is considerably worse. The Yankee Report captured the problem in one post. He is 8 for his last 70, which is a .114 batting average. That is not a routine slump anymore. It is nearly three weeks of an everyday lineup spot producing almost nothing.

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Grisham still offers occasional power, patience and capable center-field defense. That combination gave him value when the home runs were leaving the yard. Now the Yankees are paying middle-of-the-order money for production they could receive from a fourth outfielder.

The timing makes it worse. Without Aaron Judge, New York’s offense has fallen near the bottom of MLB in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS. The Yankees cannot keep giving premium plate appearances to a hitter this cold while trying to protect a fragile postseason position.

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The roster offers alternatives, friends. The cupboard isn’t bare.  George Lombard Jr., Spencer Jones and deadline acquisition Heliot Ramos need meaningful opportunities as New York determines which younger players belong in its future.

The Yankees do not necessarily need to release Grisham tonight. They should reduce his role, move him out of the leadoff spot and let him walk after the season. Last year’s breakout earned Grisham a bag. Seventy at-bats of almost nothing should help ensure it is his last one in New York.

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One of the playoff’s more polarizing practices also will remain in place.

The CFP Committee releases weekly rankings late in the regular season. This gives fans and analysts a snapshot of where teams stand before conference championship weekend. While those rankings generate significant interest, many believe releasing them before the conference title games creates unnecessary controversy. It also may complicate the committee’s decision-making process.

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That approach isn’t changing this year.

NBC Sports recently released the CFP’s rankings schedule. The committee will once again unveil a set of rankings before conference championship games are played.

“ESPN/CFP still doing a rankings release ahead of conference championship games. That’s what has boxed the committee into tough spots over the years, especially last year. Because not everyone plays between that + final rankings.” Nicole Auerbach reported on X.

The decision is hardly surprising. The rankings have become a major television event, driving conversation across college football and generating debate throughout the final weeks of the regular season. Every new set of rankings fuels discussion about which teams are in, which teams are on the bubble, and which programs have the strongest case to move up.

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From a television and marketing standpoint, the strategy makes sense. The CFP and its broadcast partners benefit from the added attention, while fans eagerly tune in to see how the committee values the nation’s top contenders. Still, Auerbach’s point highlights a legitimate concern.

By releasing rankings before conference championship weekend, the committee effectively creates expectations. That can become difficult to reconcile after the final games are played. Conference championship results often provide a meaningful data point on a team’s resume. Yet the committee has already spent a week publicly defending a previous ranking. If multiple contenders win impressively, or suffer unexpected losses, the committee can find itself making significant adjustments that invite criticism from every direction.

The system also creates the perception that the committee is working backward to justify earlier decisions instead of evaluating the complete body of work after every game has been played. Whether that perception is fair or not, it fuels debate every December.

Controversy has become part of the CFP experience. In many ways it helps keep the sport in the national spotlight. However, with expansion remaining one of the biggest topics in college football, continuing to release rankings before conference championship weekend only adds another layer of scrutiny to a process that is already under the microscope.

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After the incident, CBS promoted J.J. Watt to its lead NFL broadcast booth with Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson.

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Speaking on his SiriusXM Radio show, Smith acknowledged the seriousness of the incident while expressing hope that Romo returns.

“I think so. God bless him. It was a mistake to put himself in that position. But it happens from time to time,” Smith said, per Awful Announcing. “Thank God nobody was hurt or anything like that.”

Still, Smith stressed that impaired driving cannot be excused, saying, “Can’t get behind the wheel of a car inebriated in any way. Can’t even give that impression. That’s a very, very serious transgression, and we can’t minimize that.”

Smith also pointed to Romo’s reputation away from the incident.

“In the same breath, he’s been a good dude, he’s always been a good dude, and nobody’s perfect,” Smith said. “People make mistakes. And hopefully he can move on from here and live his best life and continue to do the great work he’s been doing for CBS.”

CBS faces a difficult decision on Tony Romo

Right now, whether Romo gets another opportunity remains uncertain. Reports indicate CBS is reviewing the morals clause in Romo’s contract, which still has four years and roughly $72 million remaining. The network must also decide whether Watt is a better long-term fit in its top booth.

So, this situation extends beyond broadcasting. Romo helped redefine NFL analysis with his ability to predict plays before the snap. Yet, recent criticism of his preparation and on-air style raised questions about his future.

CBS now has an unexpected chance to evaluate Watt in the same role. If Watt performs well during Romo’s absence, the network could face an even tougher decision.

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While Smith’s comments highlight the human side of the story, CBS has to weigh business, public perception and broadcast quality. The coming weeks may determine not only Romo’s future but also the direction of the network’s NFL coverage.