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The adults have entered the building
Amid all of the Brendan Sorsby kerfuffle, many of us have wondered when is someone going to actually hold him accountable.
Welp, turns out it’s the NFL.
The league office for The Shield has cancelled the NFL Supplemental Draft. Sorsby had entered the draft and forfeited his final year of court-injunction-OK’ed eligibility at Texas Tech.
Now, Sorsby will have to wait until the 2027 draft to reach the NFL.
It’s hard to argue with the NFL’s reasoning on this.
Sorsby was the lone player to enter the Supplemental Draft, which allowed the NFL — which assuredly checked with all owners/organizations before the decision — to feel comfortable in cancelling this one.
Here’s the language from the letter sent to Sorsby and the entire NFL franchises:
“Under our Collective Bargaining Agreement, the League retains sole discretion to determine whether it is appropriate to conduct a Supplemental Draft in any given year. The League has not conducted such a draft for several years and, prior to your submission, the League had no plans to do so this year, as no other player has sought entry.
“Your Petition — filed three business days before the deadline, without any supporting information or documentation, and only after abandoning your recent litigation efforts to avoid NCAA sanctions — does not provide a basis for the League to alter those plans. The issues presented by your Petition are too significant, and too closely tied to the League’s core integrity interests, to permit meaningful review within the timeline presented.”
There is little justice in this world, I suppose. And justice without kindness is almost always cruel.
But this feels like how this should have been, right?
Sorsby does not play college football and cash NIL checks. He has months to ponder his future. It is finally some form of conclusion that makes sense.
Loaded Tuesday news spin
So, the NFL dropped the Sorsby ruling on Tuesday afternoon, amid the World Cup and hours before the NBA Draft on ESPN was diverting the casual sports fans’ attention.
Smart.
So we can say the PGA Tour’s decision to announce the sweeping changes for its schedule on Tuesday was also astute, right?
Here’s more, as the PGA Tour announced plans to have two tiers (although they assuredly won’t call them tiers) with the Champions Tour and Challengers Tour.
Here’s the details, including regulation and promotion, which could and will be interesting, I suppose.
But this feels rife with controversy. Feels full of unknown for a sport that has been based on tangible facts, you know?
Majors are career-defining.
Money will come, but making cuts is paramount early on.
Cuts are part of the pressure for everyone.
You be your best you, and you will be OK.
And maybe that last one still stands — in golf and life, though I currently have my doubts — but trying to force stars into fields with standouts and wannabes is a fool’s errand.
Like so many other sports leagues around it, the PGA Tour is trying to maximize star power, and in turn, maximize TV revenue.
Feeling the Draft
Man, tough spot to have a draft that a) goes almost entirely to script, and b) feels like no one really mucked anything up.
Where’s the fun in that?
Heck, the Hawks actually made a good pick with Houston PG Kingston Flemings at 8. Dude is a defensive-minded point guard who has his best basketball ahead of him.
We’re in a place where teams like the Washington Wizards have built a core that makes you wonder if they could be a contender for a mid-level playoff seed.
We’re in a spot when not even the Pelicans made a mistake in the draft. (Granted, the Pelicans traded their first-round pick beforehand, but still.)
We’re in a strange but familiar place where freshmen dominated the first half of the first round. Interesting but predictable, right?
We’re in a state of shock that the ticker told me that Caleb Wilson was UNC’s first top-five NBA pick in more than 20 years. Does that seem even possible considering the pedigree?
We’re leaving the projections and the production to the kids and the experts, moving forward. Will Darryn Peterson be better than AJ Dybantsa? We’ll see. I do think Nate Ament has a chance to have an insanely high ceiling, and I would be incredibly tickled with Darius Acuff Jr. as my PG1 of the future.
But now we look to tonight’s second round with a few thoughts and a few beliefs.
We’re in a modern-era when arguably the most consistent player (Denver’s Nikola Jokic) and the hottest player (New York’s Jalen Brunson) were second-day picks. That increases the importance of tonight — in terms of production and perception.
We’re in a spot where it becomes kind of a home-run derby. Big misses are forgotten. Big hits are franchise changing.
With that, here are some swings I’d be willing to take.
> Purdue PG Braden Smith. He is assuredly undersized, but dude is a great passer, and 100% gets the game. Plus, even at 5-11ish, he can create his own shot, and had to do so against frequent double teams.
> Isaiah Evans, Duke. He played at an elite program against elite talent and was above-average defensively. But here’s the thing, in the modern game, folks who can shoot like Evans from distance will always, Always, ALWAYS have value.
> Tyler Nickel, Vanderbilt. If you have an elite skill — defender, rebounder, etc. — you can craft an NBA career. But Nickel’s elite skill is being an elite shooter, and that skill is greatly coveted.
This and that
> The World Cup was still pretty awesome. But we do have a draw problem, right? Asking for a few billion casual fans.
> Here’s an interesting take about the UT Vols’ embarrassment of riches at linebacker. It’s a good problem to have for sure.
> The Lollipop Kid is a great nickname, even for an MLBer with a great name like Jazz. Jazz Chisholm, the Yankees second baseman, drew ire from his manager for having a lollipop in his mouth while he was playing in the field Monday. Amid the hubbub, Chisholm homered Tuesday in a New York one-run win. If I were Jazz’s PR dude, when asked about the backlash, he should have said, “They’re suckers.” And started marketing this ASAP.
> Braves played. Braves lost. In a 7-6, extra-inning setback in San Diego. Side note: If we think Austin Riley (.216) is sucking right now, what in the world are they thinking in San Diego about Manny Machado (.185) these days?
> The Best of Preps is right around the corner. Here’s Hargis with a list of the male athlete of the year finalists.
Today’s questions
Which Way Wednesday will continue this way: Which “lollipop” is the best: Dum-Dum, Tootsie Roll Pop, Blow Pop or other? Discuss.
Which NBA draft pick was best?
Which issue with the Braves are you most concerned about, considering they have lost nine of their last 12.
Which is the best actual name of a New York Yankees player? (Other than Costanza, of course, since he did do a batting practice.)
As for today, June 24, let’s review.
Gotta go here, right? Lionel Messi is 39 today and has been the highlight story of the World Cup.
Rushmore of Lionel (regardless of pronunciation), gang? Go.