The New England Patriots released their final injury report ahead of their Super Bowl LX matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

On Friday, the team revealed that linebacker Robert Spillane, edge rusher Harold Landry III and defensive lineman Joshua Farmer are questionable to play in the game.

The good news is that Farmer practiced as a full participant all week, while both Spillane and Landry both appeared at Friday’s practice as limited participants. That at least ensures that all three will have a legitimate opportunity to suit up in the Super Bowl.

With that said, it is still concerning that both Spillane and Landry never fully participated in practice. Landry has been dealing with a nagging knee injury, while Spillane is coming off an ankle injury he suffered in the first quarter of the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos.

According to the Boston Herald’s Zack Cox, Spillane said he is “100 percent confident” that he will be ready to play in the Super Bowl. Landry also stated that he “would anticipate” playing in the game, via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

Here are the game statuses for both teams on Friday:

Patriots game statuses

DL Joshua Farmer – QUESTIONABLE

EDGE Harold Landry III – QUESTIONABLE

LB Robert Spillane – QUESTIONABLE

Seahawks game statuses

FB Robbie Ouzts – QUESTIONABLE

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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots final injury report: Good news, bad news

With the Raiders firing Pete Carroll as head coach, most of his staff was not expected to return. And since it’s Friday, today was the day the team did some housecleaning.

Some of the staff has already either reportedly or officially been hired by other teams. This includes the Steelers officially hiring DC Patrick Graham to the same position and reportedly hiring Derius Swinton II to a senior special teams position.

But there were going to be a lot more coaches who are not back and only a few who might be retained.

Friday we got an idea at least of those coaches who would not be back along with, perhaps, an idea of those who could join Klint Kubiak’s staff.

As of right now, these are the coaches still listed on the team’s website:

Offense

• RBs Deland McCullough
• TEs Luke Steckel
• QC Connor McQueen

Defense

• DL Rob Leonard
• Asst DL Kenyon Jackson
• DBs/PGC Joe Woods
• QC Rip Rowan

That doesn’t mean it’s for sure that these coaches will be back, but that it’s possible.

The key names here are Rob Leonard and Joe Woods. Leonard gained a lot of respect over the past few years for his work with the Raiders defensive line and Joe Woods was the DC in New Orleans in 2024 when Klint Kubiak was the OC for the Saints. So, there is some familiarity there.

There are more than a few people who were no doubt scanning that list for the last name Carroll — particularly with the first name Brennan — and were relieved to not see any.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Handful of potential holdovers remain after Raiders coaching staff housecleaning

Greetings, BBN!

The Aggies are no longer alone at the top of the order with the Florida Gators tied with them at 7-2 at the halfway point of conference play for both teams. A&M lost a close one in Tuscaloosa to the Crimson Tide, who are only 5-4 in league play but 15-7 overall with a more manageable stretch coming up.

Another big winner from the weeknight games was Kentucky, as the Cats won their 7th out of their last 8 to rocket from 0-2 to 7-3 in the standings to have sole possession of third place. Let’s get into this week’s SEC standings and see where things sit:

SEC Basketball Standings

Notes:

• Kentucky’s SEC victories have pushed it to 3rd right now, and if they keep it up a double bye in the SEC Tournament could be theirs to enjoy. Still a lot of ball left to play, but something to think about.
• The Wildcats had a fantastic night from Otega Oweh and Colin Chandler. Oweh had 24 points and Brandon had 20, which matched the former’s season high and greatly exceeded the latter’s.
• Alabama jacked up 48 threes in their 100-97 win over the Aggies, making 16 of them. Not a great percentage but the quantity outweighed the quality. Outrebounding them 44-36 also helped.
• Texas continues to tread water in the league, getting by South Carolina at home 84-75 to reach 5-5. The Longhorns have their next four also against unranked opponents, so it’ll be a critical stretch for their tourney hopes.
• Biggest games this weekend: Florida takes on Texas A&M in College Station in a battle for sole possession of 1st place in the league. At the same time Kentucky will host Tennessee in the second of their two games and will either keep the Cats ahead of the Vols in the standings or push Tennessee over UK.

COLLEGE STATION —  Officials are asking Texas A&M basketball fans to help set the atmosphere for a potential upset.

Fans are encouraged to pack Reed Arena wearing all black, while the Aggies do the same in Saturday’s game against No. 17 Florida. 

A&M is 4-0 all-time in all-black uniforms, last wearing it Nov. 28 in a dominant 95-59 win over Florida State.

“Well, really, I just figured, let’s get in the right jerseys and there’s no way we’ll lose,” head coach Bucky McMillan joked Friday. “We just cancel practice, like we’re done; it’s a blackout, that’s it, they’re going to be scared to death walking up in here, we don’t have to worry about nothing.”

Jokes aside, A&M is 0-1 against opponents ranked by the Associated Press, looking for its first win against a top 25 opponent since beating No. 1 Auburn in March of last season. Florida, meanwhile, has won three straight SEC road games.

MORE AGGIES: Our prediction and what you need to know about Texas A&M vs Florida

A&M aims to stay even-keeled vs talented UF squad

A&M (17-5, 7-2) is in arguably its toughest stretch of the season. Their last two games, a win at Georgia and a one-possession road loss to Alabama, came against teams ranked in the top 35 of the NET ratings, a key metric for the NCAA Tournament selection committee. For reference, A&M is ranked No. 41, due to a relatively soft nonconference schedule. Next up is perhaps their toughest test yet: Florida, ranked No. 17 and second among SEC teams.

“If I watch an ultimate fighting fight or boxing match, the guy that’s coming into the ring that’s just over the top emotionally is getting knocked out pretty soon,” McMillan said. “I think the teams that are scary and the fighters that are scarier, are the ones that come in there and just have that glassy look… that’s a guy you don’t want to fight.

A&M is 2-1 following a loss this season, with a 20.5-point average margin of victory.

With first place in the SEC on the line, Florida (16-6, 7-2) arrives to College Station after a full week of rest. The Gators have won seven of their last eight games and, most recently, beat South Carolina and Alabama by a combined 70 points.

Fans in the stands are expected to be rowdy for the nationally televised game. But on the court, it might be a different story, said McMillan.

“You want your team to not be too high, too low, authentic killer intensity instead of emotions up and down because that doesn’t usually sustain.”

AGGIES FOOTBALL: 3 Aggies, including a dynamic WR, who could lead transfer portal class

Aggies feeding off underdog mentality

The Aggies are atop the SEC with just nine games left in the regular season. Most bracketologists have them as safely inside the NCAA Tournament field.

A&M’s offense is one of the most prolific in the country, and they’re finding ways to win without Mackenzie Mgbako, the highest-rated recruit in school history. The injury to Mgbako, a game ahead of conference play, cast serious doubt on just what A&M’s ceiling would be this season.

Some — but not all — of the discussion about rising expectations originates from outsiders.

“We were picked 13th in the league, some people picked us 15th, right?” McMillan said. “You come in here, all of us together, we’re right here fighting for the top spots in the league. With an underdog mentality, I can’t think of anything more fun than that.”

Saturday gives the undersized, and potentially underrated Aggies another chance to answer adversity. Florida has size, scoring and just might be the toughest game on the schedule.

Ball up top.

“What was the total record for blackout (games)?” McMillan asked reporters. “4-0? Alright, we know what it is.”

Reach Texas A&M beat reporter Tony Catalina via email at Anthony.Catalina@statesman.com.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers reiterated Friday that the Bucks have no plans to shut down Giannis Antetokounmpo for the rest of the season, though the two-time MVP’s return date from a calf strain remains uncertain.

Rivers spoke on the issue during the Bucks’ pregame availability a day after the trade deadline passed with Antetokounmpo remaining in Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo’s future had been the center of attention across the league in the weeks leading up to the deadline.

“He’s going to play when he’s healthy,” Rivers said. “We’ve just got to make sure he’s healthy. He’s getting close. He’s working out. He looks good. I would say hopefully sooner than later.”

The Bucks, who are 12th in the Eastern Conference standings, potentially could help their draft status by continuing to rest Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee will pick either in its own spot or in New Orleans’ spot in the first round, depending on which spot is less favorable.

Milwaukee entered Friday 15-15 with Antetokounmpo and 5-14 without him.

Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since straining his right calf on Jan. 23. Antetokounmpo said the night of the injury that he expected to be told he would miss four to six weeks, though the Bucks haven’t specified any timetable.

Whether Antetokounmpo is playing or not, his mere presence after the trade deadline lifted the spirits of the Bucks. They’d been dealing pretty much all season with reports that their star player was on the way out.

“It definitely addresses the elephant that we had in the room for the past few weeks, month or so,” guard Gary Harris said. “Now it’s time to focus, lock in. Rumors, speculation, all that stuff is done.”

As the deadline passed, Antetokounmpo issued a social media post with the message: “Legends don’t chase. They attract,” accompanying a meme of the scene from the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street” in which Leonardo DiCaprio’s character repeatedly yells, “I’m not leaving.”

“I think it was a relief,” Rivers said. “I thought Giannis’ tweet was a unifying thing for all the players as well.”

Rivers had been steadfast throughout the season in saying the speculation surrounding Antetokounmpo’s potential exit was overblown.

“I kept saying it, but no one wanted to hear it,” Rivers said. “I don’t think I ever wavered on what was going to happen. It bothered me because the talk was almost like people were trying to manifest him out of Milwaukee. But I’m glad it’s over.”

It’s not really over, though. The uncertainty surrounding Antetokounmpo’s future has just been pushed back a bit.

Antetokounmpo could remain with the Bucks for just a few more months or for years to come.

He becomes eligible to sign a four-year contract extension worth up to $275 million in October. Antetokounmpo has one year remaining on the three-year, $186 million extension he signed in 2023, though he also has a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28.

Antetokounmpo repeatedly has said he loves playing in Milwaukee, but he also has talked about how much he wants to play on a team that’s committed to competing for championships. He led the Bucks to their first title in half a century in 2021.

Milwaukee has made plenty of moves designed at lengthening its championship window over the last few years, yet the Bucks have lost in the first round of the playoffs each of the last three seasons. Their slow start this season has put their streak of nine straight playoff berths in serious jeopardy.

General manager Jon Horst’s mission is to show Antetokounmpo the Bucks can return to title contention in short order if the nine-time all-NBA forward sticks around.

Horst has done it before.

Antetokounmpo signed one contract extension in 2020 after the Bucks acquired Jrue Holiday, a move that sparked Milwaukee to its 2021 championship. He signed another extension in 2023 after the Bucks made another blockbuster move to bring Damian Lillard to Milwaukee.

Horst showed his willingness to be creative in overhauling Milwaukee’s roster last summer, when he waived the injured Lillard and stretched out the remaining money the Bucks owed him over the next five seasons to gain the cap flexibility to sign Myles Turner.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers reiterated Friday that the Bucks have no plans to shut down Giannis Antetokounmpo for the rest of the season, though the two-time MVP’s return date from a calf strain remains uncertain.

Rivers spoke on the issue during the Bucks’ pregame availability a day after the trade deadline passed with Antetokounmpo remaining in Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo’s future had been the center of attention across the league in the weeks leading up to the deadline.

“He’s going to play when he’s healthy,” Rivers said. “We’ve just got to make sure he’s healthy. He’s getting close. He’s working out. He looks good. I would say hopefully sooner than later.”

The Bucks, who are 12th in the Eastern Conference standings, potentially could help their draft status by continuing to rest Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee will pick either in its own spot or in New Orleans’ spot in the first round, depending on which spot is less favorable.

Milwaukee entered Friday 15-15 with Antetokounmpo and 5-14 without him.

Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since straining his right calf on Jan. 23. Antetokounmpo said the night of the injury that he expected to be told he would miss four to six weeks, though the Bucks haven’t specified any timetable.

Whether Antetokounmpo is playing or not, his mere presence after the trade deadline lifted the spirits of the Bucks. They’d been dealing pretty much all season with reports that their star player was on the way out.

“It definitely addresses the elephant that we had in the room for the past few weeks, month or so,” guard Gary Harris said. “Now it’s time to focus, lock in. Rumors, speculation, all that stuff is done.”

As the deadline passed, Antetokounmpo issued a social media post with the message: “Legends don’t chase. They attract,” accompanying a meme of the scene from the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street” in which Leonardo DiCaprio’s character repeatedly yells, “I’m not leaving.”

“I think it was a relief,” Rivers said. “I thought Giannis’ tweet was a unifying thing for all the players as well.”

Rivers had been steadfast throughout the season in saying the speculation surrounding Antetokounmpo’s potential exit was overblown.

“I kept saying it, but no one wanted to hear it,” Rivers said. “I don’t think I ever wavered on what was going to happen. It bothered me because the talk was almost like people were trying to manifest him out of Milwaukee. But I’m glad it’s over.”

It’s not really over, though. The uncertainty surrounding Antetokounmpo’s future has just been pushed back a bit.

Antetokounmpo could remain with the Bucks for just a few more months or for years to come.

He becomes eligible to sign a four-year contract extension worth up to $275 million in October. Antetokounmpo has one year remaining on the three-year, $186 million extension he signed in 2023, though he also has a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28.

Antetokounmpo repeatedly has said he loves playing in Milwaukee, but he also has talked about how much he wants to play on a team that’s committed to competing for championships. He led the Bucks to their first title in half a century in 2021.

Milwaukee has made plenty of moves designed at lengthening its championship window over the last few years, yet the Bucks have lost in the first round of the playoffs each of the last three seasons. Their slow start this season has put their streak of nine straight playoff berths in serious jeopardy.

General manager Jon Horst’s mission is to show Antetokounmpo the Bucks can return to title contention in short order if the nine-time all-NBA forward sticks around.

Horst has done it before.

Antetokounmpo signed one contract extension in 2020 after the Bucks acquired Jrue Holiday, a move that sparked Milwaukee to its 2021 championship. He signed another extension in 2023 after the Bucks made another blockbuster move to bring Damian Lillard to Milwaukee.

Horst showed his willingness to be creative in overhauling Milwaukee’s roster last summer, when he waived the injured Lillard and stretched out the remaining money the Bucks owed him over the next five seasons to gain the cap flexibility to sign Myles Turner.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA