The Sportsletter - Marching Into Madness

BY JEFF YODER

MAR. 1, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 👋

And welcome to March. We’re 16 days away from NCAA Tournament brackets. But before we shift into conference tournament mode, the weekend stage is set for scoring records fit for a King and Queen (LeBron’s 40,000 and Caitlin Clark’s NCAA record). Thursday’s news cycle brought one bombshell after another. Let’s have some fun.

LeBron Watch: LeBron James scored 31 last night in the Lakers’ win over the Wizards (134-131, OT). He needs just 9 points on Saturday night to become the first player in NBA history with 40,000 career points (Nuggets at Lakers, Sat. 8:30 pm ET, ABC).

Letter Rip!

  NFL  

Did Hardman Hijack the Jets?

Photo: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images

Jets Say Former Receiver (& Chiefs’ Super Bowl Hero) Mecole Hardman Leaked Team’s Gameplan to Opponents Out of Spite

Images of Mecole Hardman’s Super Bowl-winning touchdown catch in overtime of SBLVIII are still fresh in the minds of football fans. It was only three weeks ago, after all. The Chiefs picked up their ex-receiver from the Jets at the Week 8 trade deadline after his stint with New York went south. This week’s bombshell headline was one of those stories we flip-flopped on — we don’t often report on rumors — but it was too big to ignore, whether it's a half-truth or just some gamesmanship.

What Happened With Hardman?

A rumor-ish story appeared this week between Hardman and the Jets after the receiver went on a podcast and said he was “checked out” during his time in New York. The Jets believe Hardman leaked the team’s gameplan to opponents out of spite due to his lack of playing time and frustration. This would have been during the first half of the season before he was traded to Kansas City. Jets CB Sauce Gardner was the first to lob the accusation in a since-deleted post on X/Twitter: “We ain’t gon(na) talk about how our offensive gameplan got leaked vs. the Eagles.” Multiple outlets corroborated the story with speculation from Jets brass, as well as Eagles and Chiefs players. Both Philly and KC played the Jets in October just prior to the trade deadline. The Jets still went 1-1 in those games and played some of their best football of the year, but that’s not the story.

Disgruntled Employee No-No Clause

There’s always a bit of drama when player-team relationships don’t work out. Just look at the recent history of players like James Harden (76ers) or Aaron Rodgers (Packers) who forced trades. That’s sports. Moves happen constantly, and sometimes they’re ugly. But what Hardman *allegedly* did was sports’ biggest no-no — polluting the integrity of the game. There are 100 players on the field, as well as thousands of fans, staff, and others with investment in the outcome. Angry and want a trade? Fine. But sabotaging your team (if it turns out to be true) is beyond petty and hard to recover from.

Potential Fallout (Sum it Up)

Hardman lost playing time to Jets rookie WR Xavier Gipson during the season. He was visibly angry about it. Whether or not he leaked gameplans to opponents is probably a rumor that vanishes into offseason fairy dust, unless it’s confirmed. If it is, the soon-to-be free agent (25 years old) may have a hard time finding work again in the NFL.

What Do You Think?

If Hardman actually shared intel with opponents, should he be punished by the NFL? (click to vote)

Yes (Punish Him) | No (Fair Game)

Read More

NBC Sports: Report: Some Jets Believe Mecole Hardman Leaked Gameplans

B/R: Jets’ Sauce Gardner Trolls Mecole Hardman With Old ‘Snitch’ Tweet Amid Rumors

USA Today: Jets Tear Into Former Teammate Mecole Hardman After Podcast Appearance

  SOCCER  

Pogba Banned, Career Over?

Photo: Daniele Bodolato -- Juventus FC / Getty Images

France & Juventus Midfielder Paul Pogba — Once a Soccer Mega-Star — Gets Massive 4-Year Ban for Testosterone

Thursday's mega-story across the pond featured a once-illustrious soccer star in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Paul Pogba, Juventus' 30-year-old midfielder who’s been a staple of France’s national team, received a four-year ban from soccer after testing positive for testosterone. Pogba said he’ll appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and he released a heartfelt statement denying that he knowingly took any prohibited substances.

Who is Paul Pogba?

For those who don't follow soccer closely, Pogba was once viewed as a generational talent with superhuman athleticism. He's 6-foot-3, strong, and covers ground as well as any player in soccer. Pogba made his Premier League debut at age 18 for Manchester United and played two separate stints for both United and Italian club Juventus over the last 12 years. He was also a member of France’s 2018 World Cup champion squad. At one point, many considered Pogba one of the best players in the world.

Four-year bans are standard for taking unapproved substances, but it could be reduced if Pogba can prove he didn't knowingly take a performance-enhancer. At 30 years old, if the ban holds, this could be a career-ender for the once-prominent player.

Read More

Reuters: ‘Heartbroken’ Pogba to Appeal 4-Year Doping Ban

NBC Sports: How Will Paul Pogba’s Legacy Be Affected by Doping Ban?

  WNBA  

Fever Dream: Clark Declares

Photo: Matthew Holst / Getty Images

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark Officially Declares for 2024 WNBA Draft — Indiana Fever Hold No. 1 Pick

More Caitlin Clark news? Yes, we know. But you can’t steal the shine away from the star of the moment. Iowa’s sharpshooter and soon-to-be NCAA scoring record-holder officially announced her declaration for the 2024 WNBA Draft on Thursday. That’s music to the ears of Indiana Fever fans. The Fever hold the No. 1 pick in the draft for the second straight season. They took South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston in 2023. Selecting Clark at No. 1 overall is about as certain as the Spurs drafting Victor Wembanyama — consider it done.

Fever Dream

Given that Clark is a senior, many fans might wonder why this is even a headline. She was a member of the class that was given an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Few expected her to use it, but it was still an option for her to return to Iowa next fall. Fever fans have been holding their breath for months awaiting confirmation. Indiana’s WNBA franchise was once a powerhouse with 12 straight playoff appearances and a championship in 2012. They haven’t had a winning season or returned to the postseason since 2016, and they’re just 58-174 (.250 win %) in the last eight years. Enter Clark... A Fever dream.

Read More

ESPN: Caitlin Clark to Forgo Final Year at Iowa & Enter WNBA Draft

Sporting News: Why Iowa Star Caitlin Clark is Passing Up 5th Year to Go Pro

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

The Full Scoreboard

🏀 NBA

Bucks def. Hornets (111-99)

Warriors def. Knicks (110-99)

Suns def. Rockets (110-105)

Nuggets def. Heat (103-97)

Nets def. Hawks (124-97)

Magic def. Jazz (115-107)

Spurs def. Thunder (132-118)

*Wembanyama (28-13-7-5) Dominates OKC

Lakers def. Wizards (134-131, OT)

*Anthony Davis (40 pts, 15 rebs) Goes Off

🏒 NHL

Maple Leafs def. Coyotes (4-2)

Islanders def. Red Wings (5-3)

Sabres def. Lightning (3-2, OT)

Panthers def. Canadiens (4-3, S/O)

Predators def. Wild (6-1)

Stars def. Jets (4-1)

Kings def. Canucks (5-1)

Kraken def. Penguins (2-0)

Ducks def. Sharks (6-4)

Avalanche def. Blackhawks (5-0)

Bruins def. Golden Knights (5-4)

*Morgan Geekie Nets Hat Trick

🏀 NCAA Women’s Basketball

#17 Notre Dame def. #5 Virginia Tech (71-58)

#12 NC State def. #19 Syracuse (75-71)

#7 USC def. Arizona (95-93, 2OT)

#1 S. Carolina def. Arkansas (98-61)

#4 Stanford def. #11 Oregon State (67-63)

  NEWS   📰 

🏀 76ers’ Joel Embiid Talks About Return Timeline for First Time Since Knee Injury (B/R)

⚽️ Cristiano Ronaldo Suspended 1 Match Over Offensive Gesture in Saudi League (AP News)

⚾️ Phillies Cite Unruly Fans as Reason for Scrapping ‘Dollar Dog Night’ After 27 Years (ESPN)

🏈 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Doesn’t ‘Believe in Space’ & ‘Other Planets’ (CBS Sports)

⚾️ Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Announces Marriage in Social Media Post (SI)

🏈 NFL Says Eagles’ ‘Tush Push’ is Staying, Won’t Attempt to Ban Play (Yahoo! Sports)

🏀 Hornets Hire Nets’ Jeff Peterson as Head of Basketball Ops (NBC Sports)

🏈 46-Year-Old Tom Brady Runs 40-Yard Dash, Improves Time From 2000 NFL Combine (FOX Sports)

  WEEKEND SCHEDULE   🗓️

The Weekend Must-Watch List

March is here! And that means college basketball takes it up a notch. A fun weekend ahead features the NFL Combine, Women’s Gold Cup, and some exciting races alongside the NBA and NHL, but college hoops is at the forefront. A number of teams will wrap up their regular season conference titles this weekend, and our NCAA must-watch list is extra large. Huge weekend on the way.

🏈 NFL Scouting Combine

D-Backs & Tight Ends (Fri. 3:00 pm, NFLN)
QBs, Receivers & RBs (Sat. 1:00 pm, NFL)

Offensive Linemen (Sun. 1:00 pm, NFLN)

🏀 NBA

Mavericks at Celtics (Fri. 7:30 pm, ESPN)

Nuggets at Lakers (Sat. 8:30 pm, ABC)

Knicks at Cavaliers (Sun. 7:00 pm, ESPN)

Thunder at Suns (Sun. 9:30 pm, ESPN)

Full NBA Weekend Schedule

🏒 NHL

Flyers at Capitals (Fri. 7:00 pm, NHLN)

Panthers at Red Wings (Sat. 3:00 pm, ABC)

Bruins at Islanders (Sat. 7:30 pm, ESPN+)

Full NHL Weekend Schedule

⚽️ Soccer

MLS: Inter Miami vs. Orlando City (Sat. 4:30 pm, AppleTV)

EPL: Man. City vs. Man. United (Sun. 10:30 am, NBC)

Gold Cup: USWNT vs. Colombia (Sun. 8:15 pm, Par+)

🏁 Racing

F1: Bahrain Grand Prix (Sat. 10:00 am, ESPN)

NAS: Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas (Sun. 3:30 pm, FOX)

🏀 NCAA Basketball

M: #24 Florida at #18 S. Carolina (Sat. Noon, ESPN)
M: #7 Kansas at #15 Baylor (Sat. 1:00 pm, ABC)

M: Oregon at #6 Arizona (Sat. 2:00 pm, ESPN)
M: #5 Marquette at #12 Creighton (Sat. 2:30 pm, FOX)
M: NC State at #9 N. Carolina (Sat. 4:00 pm, ESPN)

M: Virginia at #10 Duke (Sat. 6:00 pm, ESPN)

M: #1 Houston at Oklahoma (Sat. 8:00 pm, ESPN2)

M: Michigan State at #2 Purdue (Sat. 8:00 pm, FOX)

M: #4 Tennessee at #14 Alabama (Sat. 8:00 pm, ESPN)

M: #23 Gonzaga at #17 Saint Mary’s (Sat. 10:00 pm, ESPN)

M: Seton Hall at #3 UConn (Sun. Noon, CBS)

W: Tennessee at #1 S. Carolina (Sun. Noon, ESPN)

W: #2 Ohio State at #6 Iowa (Sun. 1:00 pm, FOX)

W: #22 Louisville at #17 Notre Dame (Sun. 2:00 pm, ESPN)

*All Times ET

  POLL   📊

Poll Results

Yesterday, we asked: What’s your favorite NFL Combine drill to watch? The results were our most evenly split multiple-choice poll ever (and the most voted on, too). More than 2,000 responded. Fans love the 40.

40-Yard Dash —23.6%

Passing Drills — 20.8%

Long/High Jump — 19.3%

Cone Drills — 18.2%

Bench Press — 18.1%

Enjoy the weekend!

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

Please consider supporting The Sportsletter, an independently operated and bootstrapped publication, and you'll receive our exclusive Sunday edition. Many thanks to everyone who already supports us!

Did Someone Forward You This Email? Subscribe Here
Feedback? Contact Our Editor: Jeff@TheSportsletter.com
Not Loving The Letter? Unsubscribe

Copyright © 2023 The Sportsletter
717 Market Street, San Francisco, CA, 94103