Former Albany defensive lineman AJ Simon, who was hoping to get picked in the upcoming NFL Draft, has died at only 25 years old.
The university announced the tragic news on social media on Wednesday, writing ... "The UAlbany football program was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former student-athlete Amitral "AJ" Simon this morning."
"AJ was a tremendous young man and even better teammate throughout his time at UAlbany. he was a role model both on and off the field, serving as a pillar to this program over the last two years."
Beyoncéhas now joined the long list of people giving Dawn Staley her flowers for her latest NCAA championship win -- sending a literal bouquet to the South Carolina head coach this week!
Staley showed off the gift from Queen B in an adorable Instagram video Wednesday ... beaming from ear-to-ear as she revealed in addition to the roses -- the "Irreplaceable" crooner also sent an "Always Been Country" tee too!
"This deserves a video thank you!" she said as she blared Bey's "Texas Hold 'Em" tune in the background. "Look at the flowers. Look at the merchandise! If you know, you know!"
Caitlin Clark has always been a baller, but even her own high school coach, Kristin Meyer, never saw this level of stardom coming, telling TMZ Sports, "I can't say that I honestly predicted this!"
Don't get it twisted, Meyer knew from the get-go Clark was special and would find success -- but No. 1 college women's basketball player ever simply didn't cross her mind when she had the point guard runnin' pick and rolls at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa.
"This level of success, and especially this level of fame that she's achieved," Meyer said, "it's just something I don't think anyone could have predicted."
Caitlin Clark continues to break records -- the basketball superstar skyrocketed to the top of the merch charts after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft ... earning the top-selling jersey EVER for a draft pick.
The former Iowa Hawkeyes baller was the obvious choice for the Indiana Fever on Monday ... and considering her historic run in college, no one was surprised to hear her name called first.
Right after Clark's big moment, Fanatics -- the official online retailer for the WNBA -- was quick to offer preorders for her No. 22 jersey ... and they rapidly sold out.
Angel Reese's outfit wasn't the only thing shining at the WNBA Draft, so were her pearly whites ... the 7th overall pick rocked a sick white gold and VVS diamond grill!
The former LSU star was seen with the awesome piece of jewelry Monday night as she walked the WNBA's orange carpet at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.
The 6'3" forward even shared a closeup of the bling on Instagram.
Caitlin Clarkis moving on from Iowa to Indiana ... the Fever just revealed they've taken the former Hawkeyes superstar with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft!!
The choice, of course, was a no-brainer ... Clark is considered by many to be the greatest women's college basketball player ever -- but still, Caitlin was fired up for the honor nonetheless.
The 22-year-old hooper walked across the stage in New York with a huge smile on her face ... before she embraced commissioner Cathy Engelbert and held up her new Fever jersey.
Indiana fans won't have to wait long to see her ball out in the new threads ... as preseason for the team begins in just a couple weeks -- on May 3.
Fans can obviously expect fireworks as soon as Clark hits the court ... because her four seasons at Iowa were some of the most memorable in the history of the sport.
She averaged 28.4 points per game ... as well as 7.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists per contest. She totaled 3,951 points in all -- a number no other player has ever reached.
A ton of other ex-college superstars, meanwhile, are set to find their new WNBA homes in a matter of minutes too -- including LSU's Angel Reese and South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso.
What a night for women's basketball ... congrats, ladies!
La gran Caitlin Clark dejó a todos boquiabiertos en 'SNL', dando cátedra a Michael Che por menospreciar el baloncesto femenino.
La guardia de Iowa se unió a Che y Colin Jost para el Weekend Update, y nada más al inicio, MC bromeó diciendo que Caitlin iba a cambiar su camiseta por un delantal.
¡Mira el clip, porque al final Caitlin le enseña a Che quién manda!
The great Caitlin Clark brought the house down on 'SNL,' schooling Michael Che for pooh-poohing women's basketball.
The Iowa guard joined Che and Colin Jost for Weekend Update, and right out of the gate, MC joked Caitlin was going to trade in her jersey for an apron.
Well, watch the clip, because at the end Caitlin shows Che who's boss!
Caitlin Clark is gonna fit right in at her new home in Indiana ... so says former Pacers forward Al Harrington, who tells TMZ Sports it's the perfect market for her to kickstart her WNBA career.
Clark -- who just capped off her historic college career at Iowa -- will undoubtedly be the first overall pick at this month's pro draft ... meaning she'll be the newest member of the Fever.
Al was a first-round pick to Indiana in 1998 ... so naturally, we asked him what it'd be like for Caitlin at the next level.
Caitlin Clark va a encajar perfectamente en su nuevo hogar en Indiana, o así lo dice el ex alero de los Pacers Al Harrington, quien le dice a TMZ Sports que es el mercado perfecto para que pueda poner en marcha su carrera en la WNBA.
Clark, que acaba de terminar su histórica carrera universitaria en Iowa, será sin duda la primera elegida en el draft profesional de este mes, lo que significa que será la nueva integrante de las Fever.
Al fue seleccionado en primera ronda en Indiana en 1998, así que naturalmente, le preguntamos cómo sería este siguiente nivel para Caitlin.
3:10 PM PT -- Teddy Knox turned himself in to cops on Friday for his role in the Rashee Rice car crash ... just one day after the Chiefs star did the same.
Knox, like Rice, took a mug shot ... and it didn't exactly look thrilled in the pic.
SMU Mustangs cornerback Teddy Knox -- the other man facing several charges stemming from the Rashee Rice car crash -- has been suspended from the football team, the school announced Thursday.
Dallas PD announced they issued arrest warrants on Wednesday ... with Knox and Rice both facing one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury, and six counts of collision involving injury.
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Rice admitted to driving the rented Lamborghini during the multi-vehicle accident ... and Knox is accused of driving the Corvette.
SMU addressed the legal update on Thursday ... confirming Knox is a member of the Mustang football team -- but not at the moment.
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"Knox has been suspended from the team," the school said in a statement. "SMU takes these allegations seriously. Federal student privacy laws prevent the University from discussing details involving student disciplinary proceedings."
Knox was a four-star recruit out of The Woodlands High School in Texas ... and started his college career at Mississippi State before transferring to SMU.
He played in 11 games in 2023 ... earning four tackles.
If Kentucky still wants a UConn coach to lead its program next year, it might want to forget about Dan Hurley -- and target one of his assistants instead ... Bill Murray's son, Luke Murray!!
That's because Huskies superstar Donovan Clingan tells TMZ Sports the younger Murray has been just that good on the sidelines during his career in Storrs!!
Clingan -- who just won his second straight national championship under the tutelage of Hurley and Luke -- spelled it all out for us while he was working a promotional shift at Raising Cane's this week ... saying straight up Luke "is a head coach."
O.J. Simpson's death might have shocked the world ... but, it didn't come as a surprise to his close friends -- who TMZ has learned came to Las Vegas to say their final farewells.
Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... those who remained in O.J.'s inner circle flew into Vegas over the last week to see him before he passed. Unclear exactly how many friends, or who showed up, but we're told a handful of people came to Sin City and got to see O.J.
We're told Simpson was communicating just fine and was able to talk with his pals ... but, our sources say they all knew the end was coming, and that this would be their last chance to get some face time.
La muerte de O.J. Simpson puede haber conmocionado al mundo, pero no a sus amigos cercanos, quienes volaron hasta Las Vegas para despedirse, según ha averiguado TMZ.
Fuentes con conocimiento directo nos dicen que los amigos que permanecían en el círculo íntimo de O.J. viajaron a Las Vegas durante la última semana para verlo antes de morir. No está claro cuántos amigos exactamente o quiénes se presentaron, pero nos dicen que un puñado de personas llegó a la ciudad del pecado y logró ver a O.J.
Nos dicen que Simpson se podía comunicar bien y pudo conversar con sus amigos, aunque nuestras fuentes dicen que todos sabían que el final estaba cerca y que esta sería su última oportunidad para estar con él cara a cara.
Caitlin Clark took women's basketball to new heights ... and South Carolina freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley is looking to build off her momentum -- telling TMZ Sports the next generation of hoopers wants to make the Iowa superstar proud!!
Clark had a huge impact on the entire sport during her career with the Hawkeyes ... breaking records and helping set historic television ratings in the process.
Fulwiley and the undefeated Gamecocks took down Clark's Iowa squad in the national championship game on Sunday ... and despite being opponents in the biggest matchup of the year, the freshman had nothing but great things to say about the WNBA's next No. 1-overall pick.
"Caitlin Clark, she's a great person, she did tremendous things for women's basketball -- not just women's basketball, but college basketball," Fulwiley told us.
Speaking of winning the natty, Fulwiley and her teammate Kamilla Cardoso celebrated by working a shift at Raising Cane's in Columbia on Wednesday ... handing out some delicious tenders for a ton of 'Cocks fans in attendance!!
Clark declared for the WNBA Draft earlier in the season ... leaving many to wonder what'll happen to all the hype surrounding women's hoops once she's gone.
Fulwiley said the up-and-comers are ready to fill Clark's big shoes ... and they're going to take what they learned from her and apply it to their game.
"Her leaving is gonna be a big impact on us, but she made us want to push harder," Fulwiley added. "She inspired all of us, all the younger ones, all us freshmen to see what it feels like to achieve all the goals that we've dreamed of."
"We're just trying to pick up where she left off and just keep things going because I know she'd be proud and everybody else that supports women's basketball will be proud."
We also spoke to Fulwiley all about what the past few days have been like as a champion ... and it's clear she's soaking it all in!!
Kentucky's coaching job is still up for grabs, and Dan Hurley should stay far away from it ... at least that's what John Salley thinks!!!
TMZ Sports caught up with the former Bad Boy Piston out in L.A. while he was on his way to record an episode of the "Wander Well" Podcast ... and he told us one of his ex-teammates would be a much better fit for the job than Hurley.
Salley said while UK is one of the most prestigious programs in all of college basketball ... Hurley has a dream situation after winning back-to-back Natty's with UConn -- so he shouldn't make the leap to Lexington.
