Antonio Rüdiger has opened up about his physical struggles, mentality, and approach to defending in a candid interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, offering insight into a challenging period in his career and his return to full fitness.

The Real Madrid defender revealed that he had been dealing with ongoing physical issues for much of the past season, often playing through pain before finally stepping back to recover properly.

“I feel really good and I’m relieved that my medical treatments are starting to pay off. Since practically August-September 2024, there was always some problem. Now I can finally play full matches again without any physical discomfort. Last season I could only play—and even train—if I was taking painkillers. In January of this year, I got worse again, and then I knew: now you have to stop, especially with the World Cup this summer in mind. But now, I’m back to 100%.”

Rüdiger admitted that his commitment to Real Madrid led him to prioritize the team over his own health, even if it came at a cost.

“I put my health on the back burner and wanted to be 100% for Real Madrid, because there’s nothing I hate more than letting my teammates down. Would I do it again? Probably! Even so, after my surgery in 2025, I did say internally more clearly that I really couldn’t go on anymore…”

The German international also addressed criticism he has received, acknowledging that some of his actions have crossed the line while emphasizing his desire to improve.

“When you’re so criticized as an international figure, it makes you think. If the criticism is presented seriously and objectively, of course I take it seriously, because I know myself that I’ve had actions that clearly crossed the line. That also influences my attempt to be even more focused. I don’t want to be a source of problems, but rather to contribute stability and security. The debate reminds me that I have a responsibility and that at times I haven’t lived up to it.”

Known for his aggressive defensive style, Rüdiger made it clear that intensity is a fundamental part of his identity as a player.

“Being a tough defender is part of my DNA. If you want to be a one-on-one specialist at this level, you can’t be a nice little helper. You have to tell the striker, “Today is going to be a bad day for you.” It’s a matter of mentality.”

“If I take away that intensity, that commitment, that playing on the edge, I’m only half as good. That edge is exactly what brought me to Real Madrid. In Madrid, they value and celebrate precisely that. Without it, I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t have won the Champions League twice, nor would I have played so many games for my country.”

Rüdiger also detailed the psychological and tactical aspects behind his defending, explaining how he studies opponents and adapts his approach.

“It’s psychology. A striker wants space, he wants peace of mind with the ball. My job is to take both of those things away from him, even when the ball isn’t even close. A little bump here, close marking there… you have to be present. You learn the right level of toughness with experience.”

“Of course I adapt. When you play against a small, fast striker, you have to defend differently than against one who’s 1.90 meters tall. And of course, if an opponent gets frustrated quickly, I take advantage of that too. I analyze the players thoroughly beforehand—sometimes I even prepare my own video analyses—and I know who I need to send a physical message to from the start.”

Finally, the defender pushed back against the idea that his aggressive style puts his team at risk, pointing to his disciplinary record as evidence.

“That’s the point many don’t understand: I play with intensity, but I’m definitely not a risk to my teams. I know perfectly well what minute it is and what’s at stake. Nine years without a red card on the field isn’t a coincidence—the last one was in 2017, still with Roma. Even my number of yellow cards is much lower than many believe. In recent years, I’ve averaged around five per league season.”

North Carolina basketball is on the search for a new head coach.

Hubert Davis will not return to the Tar Heels, with the coach departing days after its stunning collapse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Davis’ time in Chapel Hill ends with a 125–54 record in five seasons and one Final Four appearance. According to Davis’ contract, obtained by the USA TODAY Network, North Carolina owes Davis $5.312 million for firing him.

Possible candidates: If UNC fires Hubert Davis, here are six names to consider

Debate: Why Todd Golden, Nate Oats should (and shouldn’t) consider UNC

The firing marks what has been a rough end to Davis’ tenure after such a promising start. In his first season at his alma mater, taking over Roy Williams, he led the Tar Heels to the 2022 national championship game as a No. 8 seed. But UNC was unable to hold onto a double-digit lead against Kansas in the contest.

It felt like it would be the start of a successful run for Davis and keep the blue-blood as a national power, but North Carolina hasn’t gotten close since then. It started the following season the No. 1 team in the country but ended up missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.

Opinion: Time to see how serious UNC is about basketball. Go get Todd Golden

While North Carolina made the Sweet 16 in 2024, it had first round exits in each of the past two tournaments, the first time that’s happened in program history. Against VCU on Thursday, March 19, the Tar Heels surrendered a 19-point lead as the Rams forced overtime, where UNC failed to make a field goal in the extra period in the eventual loss to the 11th seed.

It was the largest comeback in NCAA Tournament first round history.

Now, North Carolina begins one of the most intriguing searches in all of college basketball.

Davis was an assistant on Williams’ staff for nine seasons prior to being named head coach, and was the favorite to land the job when Williams retired. With Davis lasting just five seasons, North Carolina will have to decide if it goes outside of the “Carolina family” — someone with past ties to the program — or go for a major hire.

The job is considered one of the highest profile roles in all of the sport, with a rich tradition, large fan base and an abundance of resources, a coach has everything they could need to succeed. But with that, it also carries tremendous pressure, with the expectation to be a national championship contender every year. The 10 seasons since its last national championship is its longest drought this century.

No matter who North Carolina hires, it will have major ripple effects to all of college basketball.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UNC basketball fires Hubert Davis, Tar Heels search for new coach

We all know what Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby is worth. Quite a lot. We are a mere weeks from when the Raiders had multiple suitors for Crosby and ultimately agreed to send the Pro Bowl edge rusher to the Baltimore Ravensin exchange for first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. The trade fell through due to alleged medical concerns.

According to Pro Football Focus’ John Kosko, Crosby is still the most valuable trade chip that the Raiders have on their roster.

“His value is easy to understand. Over the past four seasons, Crosby has accounted for 33% of the Raiders’ total sacks and 27% of their pressures. Even with a slight dip in production by his standards over the past two years, he still recorded twice as many sacks as the next closest defender, Tyree Wilson.”

Crosby would command a hefty price tag in a trade despite the Ravens backing out of their deal to acquire him. The former two-time second-team All-Pro honoree is a game-changer on defense. He led the league in tackles for loss in consecutive seasons from 2022-23. Crosby also recorded double-digit sacks for the fourth time in his career last season with 10.

Given the fact that he was the biggest name involved in trade rumors in the NFL this offseason prior to the botched deal, he is unquestionably the player that carries the most worth in the trade market for Las Vegas.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Maxx Crosby Raiders most valuable trade chip this offseason per PFF

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina and men’s basketball coach Hubert Davis part ways after five seasons leading the tradition-rich program.

BYU football is fully in spring-ball-mode as we enter the final week of March. Fresh off of a fantastic 12-2 season, the Cougars look to build off that campaign with a set of new faces at key positions.

Kalani Sitake, with a minted new extension, still is the head man along with offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick. However, Kelly Poppinga takes over on defense as Jay Hill departed for Michigan

Along with some coaching turnover, BYU will break in new starters and impact players on both sides of the ball.

Let’s highlight the three biggest newcomers that will impact the 2026 team. Newcomers could mean transfers or incoming freshmen.

Cade Uluave, LB (Transfer from Cal)

If you’re asking yourself “how can BYU replace Jack Kelly on the defense?” look no further than Uluave. He is the clear consensus top newcomer and ESPN’s top 2026 addition for BYU. The 6-1, 235-pound Uluave led Cal with 100 tackles, 12 TFL, and earned first-team All-ACC honors. He brings a similar sideline-to-sideline speed as Kelly, with pass rushing ability to match. He has earned early praise in camp for his leadership, despite being a new face in Provo. Being paired with veteran leader Isaiah Glasker could mean this is the best linebacker duo in the Big 12 next season.

Don’t be surprised if he is named a captain this fall, despite barely coming over from Berkley this offseason.

Walker Lyons, TE (Transfer from USC)

The athletic tight end is already living up to the hype with speed, blocking, and route-running that creates lanes for QB Bear Bachmeier. OC Aaron Roderick has called him one of the offense’s best players; he’s running with the first team. Last season, the Cougars unlocked Carsen Ryan after he struggled to break through at UCLA and Utah. Lyons comes in with a much higher ceiling. Lyons is a former four-star recruit that had SEC offers before choosing USC initially. He likely begins fall camp as the top pass-catching option at tight end.

Lyons projects as a more athletic tight end than Ryan was last season. He could become BYU’s best tight end since Isaac Rex.

Kyler Kasper, WR (Transfer from Oregon)

It’s obvious the Cougars wanted to upgrade the passing game via the transfer portal. With Lyons and Kasper, they did just that without having to even cross the Rocky Mountains to do so. At 6-6, 210 pounds, Kasper is BYU’s tallest receiver in years. His specialty is contested-catch situations, red zone packages, and providing a big target for QB Bear Bachmeier down the field. BYU needed to fill two big holes in the receiving corps after Chase Roberts ran out of eligibility and Parker Kingston was removed from the program and school due to being arrested and charged with first-degree felony rape.

Kasper could rise to becoming the top receiver if he can quickly develop in-game chemistry with Bachmeier. Kasper is consistently running with the first-team offense alongside Jojo Phillips and Cody Hagen, showing the coaches’ trust in him already.

The Hubert Davis era in Chapel Hill is over after days of speculation about his future. The decision to part ways comes after the Tar Heels blew a 19-point lead against VCU to get bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 64. Rumors that Davis would not be head coach for the upcoming year started nearly immediately with reports of internal meetings and concerns from boosters about the state of the program.

Davis’ tenure as head coach started off as strong as humanly possible. He notched big wins over Duke in Coach K’s last game in Cameron and again in the Final Four. Looking back, the big blown lead in the national championship game against Kansas was maybe a bigger sign of trouble than we knew at the time. It is a problem that would come up several more times in the years since. The very next year Carolina came into the season ranked #1 before failing to make the tournament. The Tar Heels either did not make the tournament or didn’t make it past the Round of 64 in three of Davis’ five seasons at the helm.

UNC will now turn their attention to finding a new head coach that will hopefully be able to get the program back to the levels expected of Carolina Basketball. It will undoubtedly be an attractive opening for coaches who may be looking for a change of scenery. Hopefully Bubba Cunningham and Steve Newmark will be able to make a hire on the merits without interference from meddling Board of Trustee members in order to land the best candidate for the job. With no good options to turn to when it comes to former players in the coaching tree, it’s a near certainty that the new hire will come from outside the Carolina Family.

The transfer portal opens on April 7th.

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Hubert Davis is out as the head basketball coach at North Carolina, according to multiple reports.

Davis’ exit ends a five-year run for the former North Carolina shooting guard as the head coach of his alma mater. Davis was a longtime assistant under Roy Williams and took over the program upon the coaching legend’s retirement following the 2021 season.

In his first season as head coach, Davis guided the Tar Heels to the 2022 Final Four and two of the most iconic wins in program history. North Carolina defeated rival Duke in head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It then beat Duke again in the first-ever meeting between the programs in the Final Four.

That run by an 8 seed before a loss to Kansas in the national championship game signaled a promising start for Davis in his first season as a head coach at any program. But each of North Carolina’s four subsequent seasons have ended in disappointment, most recently with Thursday’s first-round NCAA tournament loss to VCU.

UNC has failed to live up to high standards

The sixth-seeded Tar Heels held a 19-point second-half lead over No. 11 seed VCU, but faltered down the stretch and ultimately lost in overtime.

VCU’s win marked the sixth-largest comeback in NCAA tournament history and the largest-ever in the first round. The loss for North Carolina featured multiple player and game-management miscues down the stretch. It evoked memories of the 15-point halftime lead UNC surrendered in the championship-game loss to Kansas.

Prior to this season, North Carolina missed the tournament altogether in 2023 after starting the season ranked No. 1 in the country. It rebounded in 2023-24 to win the ACC regular season and earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. But it suffered a loss to Alabama in the Sweet 16.

Now the Tar Heels have failed to advance out of the first round of the NCAA tournament in two consecutive seasons. And they’ve fallen behind Duke in the annual race for ACC supremacy.

For a program with six NCAA championships that expects to compete for a title every year, this is not the standard. And North Carolina has made the difficult decision to part with a beloved former player to seek a new head coach.

Who will replace Davis?

The question now in Chapel Hill becomes who will take over? North Carolina has prided itself in keeping the job in the UNC family and done so since the retirement of legendary coach Dean Smith in 1997.

Smith’s assistant Bill Guthridge succeeded him as head coach for a three-year stint before retiring in 2000. After initially failing to lure Williams from Kansas, North Carolina hired former player and then-Notre Dame head coach Matt Doherty to take over for Guthridge.

Following Doherty’s failed three-year stint, North Carolina did hire Williams, a UNC alumnus and former assistant and Smith disciple. Williams took over in 2003 and righted the program, winning three national championships and advancing to five Final Fours before handing the reins to Davis upon his retirement.

But UNC may be forced to take a different route in a 2026 landscape revamped by the transfer portal and NIL. Now that Davis is out, there will be pressure in Chapel Hill to extend its search beyond the North Carolina family to get the program back to national title contention.

The fallout from Real Madrid’s derby clash with Atlético Madrid continues, with the Spanish refereeing authorities stepping in to defend the game’s most debated moment: the red card shown to Federico Valverde for a foul on Alex Baena.

The incident, reviewed extensively, has now been formally upheld by Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), who supported referee José Luis Munuera Montero’s on-field call.

According to the CTA, the decision to send Valverde off was based on the nature of the challenge itself. In their assessment, the Uruguayan midfielder made contact with Baena ‘without any realistic attempt to play the ball’, doing so with a level of force that crossed into dangerous territory.

The committee also clarified VAR’s role in the situation. After examining the replay from multiple angles and at varying speeds, video officials determined that the contact, intensity, and overall action aligned with serious foul play. As a result, they saw no grounds to overturn the original decision, concluding there was no “clear and obvious error” from the referee.

In essence, both the on-field call and the VAR review were deemed correct.

During the match, Munuera Montero had already explained his reasoning to Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa, emphasizing that Valverde approached from behind, made no attempt to play the ball, and committed the foul solely to stop the opponent with excessive force.

Despite the backlash, the CTA expressed strong support for the referee’s overall performance in the derby. Internally, there was a sense of surprise at the level of criticism directed toward the officiating, with the committee viewing Munuera Montero’s display as not only correct in key decisions but also of a very high standard throughout the match.