Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce married Friday night at Madison Square Garden, where actor Adam Sandler was the surprising officiant at a star-packed ceremony. The secrecy that surrounded the buildup to the nuptials lifted when a marquee outside the Midtown Manhattan arena proclaimed "JUST&T MARRIED" once the deed was done. The couple did not have bridesmaids or groomsmen, instead opting for Swift’s brother Austin Swift to serve as her man of honor and Kelce’s brother and podcast co-host Jason Kelce serving as his best man, Swift's publicist Tree Paine said in an email. The bride and groom’s outfits came from Christian Dior Haute Couture and its designer Jonathan Anderson, with shoes custom-made by Christian Louboutin. She wore Cartier jewelry. The long-anticipated union of sports and song brought hype to new heights at a venue made more for historic NBA games and bucket-list concerts. The Kansas City Chiefs' superstar tight end and the music megastar married as fans and spectators gathered outside in blistering heat, eager to be part of the occasion, even though the event was almost entirely hidden. Singer Camila Cabello, actors Hugh Grant, Ethan Hawke and Jason Sudeikis, and model Karlie Kloss were among the guests. Running back Kareem Hunt was among Kelce's Chiefs teammates in attendance. Seattle Seahawks receiver and recent Super Bowl champ Cooper Kupp, New York Giants receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, NFL announcer Joe Buck and Jenny Han, author of the "The Summer I Turned Pretty" series were also seen entering the arena. In a culture obsessed with famous couplings, it may be the apex celebrity wedding, with perhaps only royal unions getting more attention. Holding such a ceremony in a huge, iconic space that sits at the center of the U.S. media universe while keeping all the details secret made for a surreal scene, but it was a mix of hype and hush that is not out of character for Swift. An Associated Press camera outside the arena showed a long line of black SUVs dropping off wedding-goers in tuxedos and evening gowns, surrounded by New Yorkers in shorts and Swifties amassing for the occasion. Celebrities, athletes and friends were posting on social media about getting ready or about to leave for a black-tie event, including Brandon Borders, producer of the New Heights podcast starring Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce; Beau Allen, retired defensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles; and Jessica Chastain. There was a notable lack of social media posts from guests once they had entered the arena, after reports that phones would not be allowed. Rain began falling soon after the marriage was announced. Weddings have been a constant subject in Swift’s songs since she was a teenager, and her actually walking the aisle for the first time at age 36 adds to the drama. It would also be a first marriage for the 36-year-old three-time Super Bowl champ Kelce, who could have been one of the jock characters in Swift's early hits. Sandler, star of "The Wedding Singer" and many other hit comedies, can’t have been high on anyone’s betting list for who would marry the couple, though he’s become an increasingly warm and paternal cultural figure with age. The email announcing the marriage described him as "a friend" of the couple. Kelce was one of the many athletes who appeared in "Happy Gilmore 2," Sandler's 2025 sequel to one of his earlier hits. The relationship of the pop star and the football player has thrilled and fascinated millions around the world — particularly the Swifties, the pop star’s enormous and ardent fan base — ever since the pair first started dating in 2023. Outside the arena, some frazzled tourists mixed with happy fans. Lori Powers, who lives an hour north of Manhattan and rode the train in to be near the nuptials, said Swift's "music is the soundtrack behind so many amazing moments in my life. Relationships, friends, like my husband and my kids." She stood outside the arena before the marriage was announced with her friend Cecily Hall. "Just being here and witnessing all the energy and the excitement, it’s so much fun," Hall said. "The combination of sports and music makes perfect sense as to why they’re at Madison Square Garden today." Questions remain about who may perform and what it looked like inside the affair that could go well into the night. Reporting by The Associated Press.
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Friday, 3 July 2026
2026 NFL Odds: Josh Allen, Buffalo Best Bet To Win AFC East
The Fourth of July is a great time to celebrate. Hot dogs, hamburgers, fireworks and warm weather — Independence Day is a 1-seed when it comes to holidays. The nation’s birthday also means football is right around the corner. The late, great John Madden used to say July 4 is what he considered the start of football season, as training camp is just weeks away, and the start of the regular season is just two months away. As we prep for football season and fantasy drafts, the best bet I think to be made right now is the Buffalo Bills to win the AFC East at -125. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. The Bills had won this division five consecutive years until last season, when the New England Patriots unseated the Bills on their way to another AFC championship. But last year, the Patriots had a pillow-soft schedule, playing just four of their 17 games against teams that would go on to make the playoffs. The Steelers, Panthers and two games against the Bills were the only other playoff teams the Patriots encountered last regular season, and this year, a first-place schedule will give the Pats a significantly tougher test. That schedule includes the Jaguars, Broncos, Seahawks, Chiefs, Chargers, Lions, Packers, Bears and two games against the Bills. The Super Bowl hangover has long been an obstacle for teams who struggle to bounce back the following year after losing the Big Game, and the last three Super Bowl losers combined to win zero playoff games the following year, with two of those teams missing the playoffs entirely. The Bills finished runners-up in the AFC East last year but were still able to win 12 games. That was their seventh consecutive double-digit win season. Bills quarterback Josh Allen is one of the league’s best and most durable players. While his teams have yet to get over the hump and win — or even play in — a Super Bowl, he’s a regular-season winning machine. With Allen, the Bills have won 10 or more games every year except for his rookie year in 2018. With the Patriots' difficult schedule and the consistency of the Bills, I like the AFC East to once again go back to the Bills for what would be a sixth division title in seven years. PICK: Bills (-125) to win AFC East
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Wednesday, 1 July 2026
Sports World Reacts To Folarin Balogun's Controversial Red Card In USA Win: 'Man What'
The U.S. men's soccer team defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Wednesday to reach the World Cup round of 16, but the victory came with some controversy that could hurt the team in the long run. Folarin Balogun received a red card during the 64th minute of the matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The USA star forward stepped on Bosnia and Herzegovina center back Tarik Muharemovic's ankle as he was falling while challenging a ball. Balogun wasn't called for a red card initially. However, after a VAR check, it was determined that Balogun's challenge was worthy of a red card. So, even though the USA's victory was a joyful occasion, many in the sports world were stunned by the decision to give Balogun a red card. Even some in the NFL thought the call was bad, like Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. Future Pro Football Hall of Famers JJ Watt and Jason Kelce weighed in, too. In the basketball community, Basketball Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki and New York Knicks standout Josh Hart also joined the chorus. FOX Sports soccer analyst Alexi Lalas thought there was an inconsistency with the VAR decision that led to Balogun's red card. He shared a picture of Lionel Messi making a similar play earlier in the World Cup that didn't lead to a VAR check. Soccer broadcaster Ian Darke, meanwhile, thought that the play was worthy of a card, but not a red. On a different note, NBA icon LeBron James weighed in on the goal Balogun scored earlier in the night. As Balogun used James' iconic silencer celebration, the NBA's all-time leading scorer saluted him.
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More Magic At MSG: Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce To Hold Wedding At Iconic NYC Venue
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will have their wedding at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the security plans. The festivities will kick off with a smaller rehearsal dinner planned for Thursday night, the official said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the events. Speculation about the superstar singer and football player’s nuptials has built to a frenzy in recent days, following weeks of unconfirmed reports that it would take place over July Fourth weekend at one of New York’s iconic landmarks. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Wednesday that a permit had been filed for a "large event" at Madison Square Garden. "We are fully prepared," he added. "There isn’t anything to share beyond that." New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said police "will of course have a detail in place," but also declined to go into further detail. This week, crews have been unloading equipment from trucks outside the Manhattan arena. A large carpet was briefly unveiled outside one entrance and then promptly removed. Nothing has been publicly confirmed by the couple, despite multiple requests from The Associated Press to Swift’s representative for comment, including on Wednesday. Reporting by The Associated Press.
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Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Brendan Sorsby Drops NFL Lawsuit, Shifts Focus to 2027 Draft: ‘I Accept 100% Responsibility’
Brendan Sorsby is moving on to 2027. The NFL sent a memo to all 32 teams on Tuesday informing them that Sorsby, a quarterback whose college career ended when the NCAA banished him for gambling activity that included wagers on his own team while on the roster at Indiana in 2022 and betting on pro sports, will not seek legal action against the NFL after the league denied his petition to enter the supplemental draft. "I accept 100% responsibility for my actions," Sorsby posted on Instagram on Tuesday evening. "I did not have control of my gambling problem and it took getting caught to realize that, but it was truly the best thing that could have happened to me." Sorsby, who moved from Indiana to Cincinnati to Texas Tech before revelations about an extensive gambling problem surfaced, tried to enter the draft just three days before the scheduled deadline. The league, which hasn't held a supplemental draft since 2023 and hasn't had a player selected in it since 2019, denied the petition. "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," NFL attorney Lawrence P. Ferazani Jr. wrote in a letter to Sorsby last week. The 22-year-old Sorsby, who cannot play in the Canadian Football League in 2026, is now considered "draft-eligible" for the 2027 NFL draft. Sorsby will not be eligible to sign an NFL contract until the draft's conclusion. The NFL has no plans to discipline Sorsby for any currently known prior misconduct but holds the right to investigate Sorsby. The league can also take Sorsby's college misconduct into account should it find cause to discipline Sorsby in the future. Sorsby's decision to not challenge the NFL in court leaves him with 10 months on his hands to prepare. Sorsby had planned to play at Texas Tech this year before the NCAA declared him ineligible for making thousands of bets on sporting events worth at least $90,000 during his college career. Those included at least 40 bets on Indiana while he was a freshman there in 2022, though none on the games in which he played for the Hoosiers that season. "I am fully committed to being the best version of myself that I can be while getting ready for the 2027 draft," Sorsby wrote. "God makes no mistakes and I look forward to seeing the good that is to come from this." Reporting by the Associated Press.
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Monday, 29 June 2026
Deion Sanders Considers Himself 'Cancer Free' One Year After Bladder Removal Surgery
Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders says he feels like his old — and younger — self again a year after undergoing surgery to remove his cancerous bladder. "I consider myself cancer-free," thanks to robotic surgery that also reconstructed his bladder using part of his intestine, Sanders told The Associated Press after getting a tutorial in the surgical system that was used in his operation. This being Men's Health Awareness Month, the University of Colorado football coach wanted to get a first-hand look at the Intuitive Da Vinci System, which is less invasive than open surgeries and cuts down on hospital stays and speeds recoveries. "I was fighting" last year at this time, Sanders recalled. "I was walking out on the property with a bag of blood and also urine and trying to get back. But this expedited the process. Last year at this time I was in a whole different place, and I'm just thankful." Sanders missed football camps last summer in Boulder as he went through cancer treatments. The Buffaloes finished with a 3-9 mark a year after making a bowl game behind Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. This summer he appears much fitter and energetic as he oversees offseason training. "If I pull my shirt up, I'm not scarred, it's not flawed. I'm not embarrassed by anything that transpired. I'm elated by everything that transpired," Sanders said. At a routine checkup last spring, a CT scan showed a mass on Sanders' bladder. He was referred to the University of Colorado Anschutz, where he met Dr. Janet Kukreja, director of urologic oncology at the CU Cancer Center and UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. Sanders, who turns 59 later this summer, was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his bladder. Although the tumor hadn't reached the muscle layer in his bladder it was considered "very high risk" with a 50-50 chance of recurring or progressing after treatments. Kukreja is among the small group of surgeons in the U.S. who perform robotic removal of the entire cancerous bladder — called a radical cystectomy — and robotic reconstruction of the organ, which involves having a section of intestine function as a bladder. "It got me back in the game, got me back on my feet and got me out of the darn hospital and back into the normalcy of my life," Sanders said. "I'm here to let people know there's another option if you need surgery." He called the robotic system his time machine. "I'd be a fool to be blessed the way I was blessed and not sound alarms," Sanders said. "When I opened up a club years ago I went to the mountaintop and told all the stations come on to the nightclub. So, why wouldn't I do this? Saved me time so I could get back on the field, get back on my game instead of sitting up there in the hospital having a pity party. It saves you time. That’s what we’re all fighting for is time. We never know how much we get." Football Past and Present Sanders has spent time recently with his son Shedeur, who's entering his second year with the Cleveland Browns and who will compete for the starting job with Deshaun Watson in training camp. "He's on vacation but he's going to the hills in St. Croix right now doing gassers," Sanders said. Asked what he thought about Hunter, entering his second season in Jacksonville, possibly focusing on playing defensive back after pulling double duty as a DB and wide receiver in college, Sanders said, "I just want him to be happy. I can't tell those coaches how to coach and Travis what he's gifted to do. I just want him happy; that's all I want." As for Julian "JuJu" Lewis, the Buffs' starting quarterback and former five-star recruit out of Carrollton, Georgia, who took over the starting role as a freshman late last season, Sanders said those cameos will pay dividends in 2026. "I think the entire team is benefitting" from lessons learned last year and new faces arriving this spring, Sanders said. "I have the best coaching staff I've ever featured. Everybody's unified. I just walked out of the weight room. They're lifting their butts off and they can't wait to go to camp. It's going to be phenomenal." Reporting by the Associated Press.
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Thursday, 25 June 2026
Alex Freeman Headlines Kids Of Former NFL Players Making Their Names In Other Sports
While seeing second-generation NFL players isn’t uncommon, several former players have children starring at the highest level in sports other than football. Look no further than the event of the summer, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and this week's NBA Draft. Here are some of the most accomplished current athletes in the pro sports ranks with NFL bloodlines: Alex Freeman scored the second goal in Team USA’s 2-0 win Sunday over Australia in group stage play at the World Cup, where the Americans have clinched Group D and will advance to the knockout round. The U.S. faces Türkiye in their final group-stage match Thursday (10 p.m. ET on FOX). At age 21, Freeman is the youngest player representing Team USA this year. He plays his club ball for Villarreal in La Liga, the highest level league in Spain. The elder Freeman, Antonio Freeman, played nine seasons as a wide receiver in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 1996. He was a first-team All-Pro selection in 1998. Haley, 27, is a standout for Brighton & Hove Albion in the English Women’s Super League, the most competitive tier of women's soccer in England. She starred collegiately at Stanford and was drafted seventh overall by the Chicago Red Stars in the 2021 NWSL Draft, though she never played for the team. She helped Sydney FC win the Australian League title in 2023 before joining Brighton. Madison's father, Charles Haley, is a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He won five Super Bowls and was twice named an All-Pro edge rusher in his 13 NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. Joshua Jefferson was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft on Tuesday, taken at No. 28 overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who sent him to Brooklyn in a pre-arranged trade. A 6-foot-8 forward, Jefferson averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists for Iowa State last season. Ben Jefferson was a 6-foot-8, 300-plus-pound guard at Maryland in the 1980s. As a freshman in 1985, he was highlighted by Sports Illustrated as one of the biggest players in college football. He went undrafted out of college but had stints with a few NFL teams, making all four of his career appearances in 1990 with the Cleveland Browns. Koa Peat, who starred for Arizona as a freshman last season, was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 30th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft — a selection that was traded to Phoenix. A 6-foot-8 forward, Peat averaged 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds for an Arizona team that made the Final Four. Todd Peat Sr. was an 11th round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1987 NFL Draft, making 79 appearances as a guard across six seasons with the Cardinals and Raiders. Koa's brother, Andrus Peat, is an 11-year NFL veteran and three-time Pro Bowl guard, most recently appearing in six games with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. Longtime pro tennis player Sloane Stephens has been ranked as high as the world No. 3 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association. She has won eight singles titles as a pro, including the 2017 U.S. Open. Her father, John Stephens, was a first-round pick of the New England Patriots in 1988 and a Pro Bowl running back as a rookie. He played six total seasons, with the Patriots, Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs. Jaxson Hayes was selected eighth overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, and the 7-foot center has played eight seasons and counting with the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers. His best season to date came in 2021-22, when he averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Pelicans. Jaxson's father, tight end Jonathan Hayes, was a second-round pick in the 1985 NFL Draft by the Chiefs and appeared in 184 games across 12 seasons. The elder Hayes is a former tight ends coach for the Cincinnati Bengals (2003-18) and served as the head coach and general manager of the St. Louis Battlehawks in 2020. Vashti Cunningham is a three-time Olympian for Team USA in the high jump, finishing fifth in the Paris Games in 2024. The 28-year-old has medaled twice in the World Championships, winning gold in 2016 and silver in 2018. Randall Cunningham, a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985, was a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback in his 16 seasons with the Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. Elijah Green was selected fifth overall in the 2022 MLB Draft after starring at IMG Academy in Florida. He’s hit 10 home runs in his first 62 games this season for the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Nationals’ High-A affiliate. His father, Eric Green, was picked 21st overall in the 1990 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He played nine seasons in the league and was twice named to the Pro Bowl as a tight end.
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