Between four events this past weekend, including one where Jason Kelce drank beer from a prosthetic leg, Kelce’s Team 62 broke its own fundraising record for the sixth year in a row.
Raising $1.26 million for the Eagles Autism Foundation, the events that were held at Ocean Drive in Sea Isle City on June 24-25 saw another year of huge crowds. This year, efforts stretched beyond the bar, with an online auction, beer bowl, and a family-friendly park takeover complete with an all-abilities sports clinic, and a silent disco.
Since 2021, Team 62 — the name an homage to Jason Kelce’s Eagles jersey number — has expanded from a single celebrity bartending event to a multiday affair that has raised more than $3.69 million for the Eagles Autism Foundation.
“We are beyond thankful for everyone’s support and generosity in setting a Team 62 fundraising record,” Jason and Kylie Kelce said in a statement. “While we are certainly humbled by the overwhelming success this year, it’s not surprising when you’re surrounded by such an incredible group of people.”
The Eagles Autism Foundation was founded in 2019, and has raised over $56 million. The proceeds go toward funding more than 223 research projects and community grants worldwide. The Eagles efforts were recognized Tuesday when ESPN announced that team owner Jeffrey Lurie will be recognized with the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award, acknowledging his philanthropy in connection with autism awareness.
Kylie Kelce adds some money to the cash register during the Shore Birds celebrity bartending event in Sea Isle.
The Kelces have taken part in not only the Team 62 event but the annual Eagles Autism Challenge as well.
“Jason and Kylie Kelce have always been incredible ambassadors for the Eagles Autism Foundation,” Ryan Hammond, the foundation’s executive director, said in a statement. “It is their passion, creative vision, and drive that have transformed this annual fundraiser into one of our biggest events.”
The Kelces certainly know how to fundraise with style, recruiting friends in their celebrity network to sling beers and serve gelatin shots. Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean, rugby star Ilona Maher, and more brought multiple fan bases to the Jersey Shore bar.
“The growth of this event all starts with our good friends at the Ocean Drive enthusiastically leaning into this idea of ours back in 2021,” the Kelces said in a statement. “Six years later, we now stand here amazed at what we’ve accomplished for the autism community. A special thank you also goes out to the Eagles organization, the incredible town of Sea Isle City, and most importantly, the best fans in the world for always showing up and supporting such a worthy cause.”
And show up they did, raising $1.26 million in just 36 hours, between tickets, donations, drink sales.
Long rumored to be a target of the Flyers for the fourth line, Noel Acciari is heading to Philly after signing a two-year deal that carries a $2.8 million average annual value. His arrival comes less than a week after the Flyers traded fourth-line winger and fellow veteran agitator Garnet Hathaway to Florida.
“Checks a lot of boxes,” Flyers general manager Danny Brière said Wednesday. “The experience, playoff experience, the hardness, the fourth-line role, face-offs, the leadership. So, we just felt it was a good mix for where we are now and what we needed. We talked about [our] younger lineup — we realized that — and we felt it was a good fit, and he’s the guy we targeted.”
Acciari, 34, had 13 goals, 25 points, and an impressive plus-14 rating in 67 games last season for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Noel Acciari (center) had 13 goals, 25 points, and an impressive plus-14 rating in 67 games last season for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
During the regular season, Acciari was part of a melee with Trevor Zegras that saw both players tossed after Acciari wasn’t too happy with the Flyers forward knocking off his helmet. He had one assist in six playoff games against the Flyers, winning 61% of his faceoffs in the series.
“He’s going to hopefully bring some offense as well. What he did now in the playoffs with our stingy defense, he wasn’t able to do much, but we respect that,” Brière said with a grin. “Now, the way he played, though, in the playoffs, he was hard to face. Our guys did not like playing against him, completely dominated us in the face-off circle, and we thought that he would be a player that could really help us.”
A natural center — and a right-shot, which makes him the only one on the NHL roster — Acciari also has played a lot of wing, including in Pittsburgh, where he combined with Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte to make up one of the league’s top fourth lines.
Known primarily for his faceoff prowess, agitation abilities, and penalty killing, Acciari has also quietly registered four double-digit goal seasons with bottom-of-the-lineup deployment, including a 20-goal campaign in 2019-20 with the Panthers. Last season, Acciari won 52% of his faceoffs (53.5% since 2022-23) and ranked 11th among all NHL forwards in average shorthanded ice time per game at 2 minutes, 35 seconds.
“It’s options that are good to have,” Brière said. “He can play center [but] the most important piece for us when we targeted him was what he can bring taking face-offs on the right side. … We were looking for a right-shot center, also a guy that brings us a little hardness, a guy that can be versatile as he is, and a little offense.”
In 585 career games with the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Penguins, Acciari has amassed 81 goals and 144 points. He was a teammate of Owen Tippett’s in Florida and worked with Todd Reirden in Pittsburgh for one season. He and Dan Vladař also briefly overlapped in the Boston organization. In 2019, he was a valuable contributor for a Bruins team that came up one game short of winning the Stanley Cup.
Acciari was a major target as he fit specific needs with the Flyers wanting to see their young players grow and develop their games this upcoming season.
“Our young guys have shown a lot of promise last year, the way they battled in the playoffs. I think they deserve the first look, and it’s part of the reason why we didn’t feel like we had to dive in, other than that specific need with Acciari,” Brière said. “Didn’t feel like we need to go out and blow our brains out on crazy contracts on the outside. … If they can’t do it, then we’ll readjust along the way.”
Flyers add organizational depth
The Flyers also added depth to Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League, signing forwards Zach Aston-Reese, Danila Klimovich, and Jack Studnicka, and defenseman Cam Dineen, who is a native of Toms River, Ocean County. It comes as the Phantoms get retooled with several players either not brought back as unrestricted free agents or not given qualifying offers.
“Give them a little spunk,” Brière said about the new additions. “Also, two things there: first, it’s a little depth for us. You’re going to run into some injuries along the way, so you want guys that could help you if you need [it].
“Change a little bit of the vibes too down in Lehigh and protect some of our young players that are turning pro [like Oliver] Bonk, who was there last year but the Bonk, the [Spencer] Gill on defense, [Jett] Luchanko, [Cole] Knuble up front. Try to protect them too, and give them some players that have some experience at the pro level to hopefully give them a chance to get on to building some confidence, because eventually we hope to see some of the young guys step up and play here.”
Aston-Reese’s deal is a two-year deal with an AAV of $875,000. Klimovich has signed a one-year, two-way contract with, according to a league source, a cap hit of $850,000 in the NHL.
A league source has also confirmed that Dineen’s two-year, two-way deal is for $850,000 in the NHL, the league’s minimum. Studnicka is signed to a two-year, two-way deal.
The Flyers added Zach Aston-Reese in an organizational depth move on Wednesday.
Aston-Reese, who is best known for his time with the Penguins and can play center or wing, has compiled 49 goals and 102 points in 416 career NHL games. The 31-year-old from Staten Island, N.Y., split last season between the Columbus Blue Jackets and their AHL team in Cleveland, tallying five points in 27 NHL games and another 16 points in 27 AHL contests. He will be expected to compete for an NHL spot in training camp, but he seems more likely to be ticketed for the AHL.
He has some ties to the Flyers organization. In Pittsburgh, he worked with Mark Recchi, a senior adviser who was an assistant coach, and Reirden, and played with Garrett Wilson, the Phantoms captain, in the NHL and AHL. Aston-Reese was a teammate of Acciari and new backup goalie, Joseph Woll, in Toronto. He also worked with Flyers assistant coach Jay Varady in the Detroit Red Wings organization and played with David Jiříček in the Columbus’ system.
Drafted in the second round by the Vancouver Canucks in 2021, Klimovich has spent the past five seasons playing for Abbotsford of the AHL. Last year, the 6-foot-2, 202-pound right winger had 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists) in 63 regular-season games and was a member of the 2025 Calder Cup championship team, scoring four goals in 16 playoff games.
Klimovich, 23, was a teammate of goalie Aleksei Kolosov with Belarus at the 2021 IIHF men’s World Championships and overlapped with Rick Tocchet and Yogi Svejkovský’s time in the Canucks organization.
The talented Studnicka, 27, has never seemed to stick in the NHL. Across 126 NHL games in six seasons, the right-shot center has six goals and 16 points, but in the AHL, he has 69 goals and 192 points in 266 games.
He is coming off a season where he had 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 41 games for Charlotte of the AHL and played in 19 games, but did not get on the scoresheet for the Florida Panthers. His best pro season was 23 goals and 49 points in 60 games with the Providence Bruins in 2019-20, when he was a teammate of Flyers goalie Dan Vladař. Studnicka’s other Flyers ties are with Tocchet, Svejkovský, and Klimovich in Vancouver and Tippett at the 2019 World Juniors for Canada.
Dineen, 28, is a local kid who has played 38 NHL games, notching seven assists, between the Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers. In 383 AHL games, he has 37 goals and 191 points, including 10 power-play goals. This past season, he had 21 points in 40 games for Bakersfield, the Oilers’ farm team, and two years ago he had his best season with 43 points in 59 games.
In his final year of juniors, he was traded to Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League, where former Flyers defenseman Derian Hatcher was the head coach. Drafted by Arizona in the third round of the 2016 draft, he played three seasons for Varady with Tucson of the AHL.
Breakaways
The Flyers announced that Carl Grundström re-signed for one-year at $1 million. … Former Flyers goalie Sam Ersson signed with the Ottawa Senators for two years with an AAV of $2.2 million; forward Bobby Brink signed with the Minnesota Wild for one year at $2.75 million; and defenseman Noah Juulsen signed with the Colorado Avalanche for two years with an AAV of $1.1 million. … Ex-Phantoms defenseman Christian Kyrou and forward Philip Tomasino signed with the Senators. … Ex-Flyers Scott Laughton (Los Angeles Kings) and Andrei Kuzmenko (Pittsburgh Penguins) also signed new deals. … Overnight, the Flyers lost out on defenseman John Carlson, who inked with the Tampa Bay Lightning for two years at an AAV of $8.5 million. … Flyers defenseman Adam Ginning signed with Vegas. … Former Flyers goalie Ivan Fedotov returned to the Kontinental Hockey League, signing a two-year deal with Spartak Moskva.
Kelly Oubre Jr. will not return to the 76ers, instead agreeing to a two-year contract worth “nearly” $17 million with the Indiana Pacers, ESPN reported Wednesday afternoon.
Oubre’s departure became more plausible when the Sixers agreed to sign forward Dean Wade, who now is projected to slide into a starting spot, to a four-year, $39 million contract late Tuesday, The Inquirer confirmed.
Oubre rebuilt his NBA career in three seasons with the Sixers, and now joins a Pacers team that made the 2025 NBA Finals and is expected to return to contention when All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton recovers from a torn Achilles tendon.
The 30-year-old Oubre was a starter who impacted both ends of the floor for the Sixers, averaging 14.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 50 games in 2025-26. The 6-foot-8 wing used his athleticism in a more controlled way on offense, shot a career-best 36% from three-point range last season, and was willing to take on challenging perimeter defensive assignments.
Oubre signing with Indiana occurred after he also reportedly planned to meet with at least the Sixers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Portland Trail Blazers. The Sixers had Oubre’s full Bird rights, which permit teams to re-sign their own free agents even if they are over the salary cap. Oubre’s new contract with Indiana is only a slight raise on the $8.3 million he made last season, suggesting the Sixers could instead complete their offseason by signing a player to a veteran’s minimum deal to stay under the luxury tax ($201 million).
Though Oubre said “I love it here” in Philly during his end-of-season news conference last month, his length, athleticism, and positional archetype are typically valued leaguewide. Oubre also said he hopes he “did myself a good service” by putting a concerted effort into a more efficient playing style.
Former Sixers guard Kelly Oubre Jr., is reportedly leaving Philly to join the Indiana Pacers.
“I learned so much,” Oubre said of his time with the Sixers. “The game of basketball has reinvented itself to me through different lenses and different eyes throughout my tenure here, and I’m forever appreciative for the opportunity to play for this city.
“Obviously I don’t like how [the season] ended. I always say I like to finish what I start, and this is a bit sour for me. But at the end of the day, it’s already written.”
Yet the veteran entering his 12th NBA season also has previous experience with the harsh realities of free agency. Oubre reminded during his end-of-season news conference that, after averaging 20.3 points per game with the Charlotte Hornets in 2022-23, he “still found myself barely getting any contracts” until the Sixers signed him to a veteran’s minimum deal that September.
Oubre’s departure comes after the Sixers also lost sixth man Quentin Grimes, who reportedly agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal with the Lakers Wednesday afternoon. Backup center Andre Drummond, reserve forward Trendon Watford, and veteran guard Kyle Lowry (who is expected to retire) are the Sixers’ other unrestricted free agents and remain uncommitted to returning to Philly or signing with a new team.
During free agency’s first 24 hours, the Sixers also agreed to add reserve center Ariel Hukporti on a one year, $3.4 million deal. They also picked up the team options for Dominick Barlow ($3.4 million) and Dalen Terry ($2.6 million, nonguaranteed until Jan. 10).
Hukporti’s and Wade’s salaries came out of the nontaxpayer midlevel exception, leaving the Sixers with $2.6 million remaining from that to sign an outside player. They also still have the $5.5 million biannual exception.
Dean Wade (right) is expected to slide in the starting role vacated by Kelly Oubre Jr.’s departure.
The Sixers entered free agency with limited financial flexibility, with All-NBA guard Tyrese Maxey ($40.8 million), former NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid ($57.7 million), and former perennial All-Star Paul George ($54.1 million) all on max contracts that account for the bulk of the salary cap of nearly $165 million. Using the nontaxpayer midlevel exception on Wade hard-capped the Sixers at the first apron ($209 million).
The Sixers finished last season seventh in the Eastern Conference standings (45-37) and, after their stunning rally from down three games to one to upset the Boston Celtics in the playoffs’ first round, were swept by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks.
It’s been a roller coaster start to his career, but Tyson Foerster’s feet are firmly planted in Philly.
On Wednesday, the 24-year-old winger inked an eight-year extension with an average annual value of $7.1 million. According to league sources, the deal features limited trade protection in years 3-8, but it does not contain a no-move clause. The contract will start in 2027-28, when Foerster was scheduled to become a restricted free agent.
“We believe he’s a big piece and part of our future,” Flyers general manager Danny Brière said Wednesday when asked why he was extended on the day he was eligible.
“It’s another great leader, grown inside the organization. The leadership part, the scoring threat that he is, the 200-foot game that he plays, the size. He’s worked really hard to improve his physical condition, to improve his skating.”
The Flyers now have Foerster, Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, Owen Tippett, Sean Couturier, Cam York, and Christian Dvorak inked to long-term deals. Goalie Dan Vladař signed a five-year extension that will begin after next season on Wednesday, and restricted free agents Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale are expected to be locked down in the coming days.
Foerster has one more year left on a two-year bridge contract he signed last May at a cap hit of $3.75 million. The GM acknowledged he could have signed him at that time for eight years, but it would have meant he’d be with the Flyers for eight years. Now, between the two deals, he’s slated to play in orange and black for 10. Also, if he had waited, the expectation is that the cap hit would have been larger.
“You probably remember when we drafted him [that] the big knock on him is that he’ll never play in the NHL, [that] this is a fatal flaw, he can’t skate,” Brière said. “He worked really hard at overcoming that, and when you watch him now, it’s not even a question [about] the skating part.
“So a lot of credit goes to him, and he’s growing into a leadership role that’s very important on our team, very respected by his teammates. We see him as a big part and piece of our future. So, to get those guys at a respectable number … you have to jump on them, and we believe he’s going to be a big-time goal scorer and overall player for us, and if we didn’t do it now, it’s going to cost us a lot more down the road.”
Drafted by the Flyers with the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft, Foerster has solidified himself as a top-six winger but has battled a multitude of injuries.
Flyers forwards Tyson Foerster and Trevor Zegras are poised to become part of the team’s long-term core.
This past season, he missed four months with an upper-body injury that required surgery. Injured Dec. 1 during the follow-through of a one-timer against the Pittsburgh Penguins, he underwent surgery in mid-December and missed 49 games.
Before the injury, Foerster had 10 goals and 13 points in the first 21 games of the season, including a goal in the game against Pittsburgh. He was not expected to return during the season, but recovered to do so on April 2 and marked his return with a goal .
Foerster had three goals and one assist in his final eight games before adding another goal in the postseason. He also missed time in November with a lower-body injury from a blocked shot.
“I think right when I came back, we were kind of looking at must-win games. So, the first couple were adrenaline and stuff, and then you kind of get tired or whatnot,” Foerster said at his end-of-season availability. “Everyone’s been playing for so long, and they’re up to speed and stuff. So yeah, it was a little tough,” he said about his lack of production after returning in April.
“But I got no excuses. I came back, and it was a lot of fun for me to come back. I missed the team, and I missed everybody, and I missed playing in front of the fans.”
Two seasons ago, Foerster set career highs in goals (25), assists (18), and points (43) in 81 games. He finished the season on a high with nine goals in his final nine games, including notching his first career hat trick on April 9 against the New York Rangers.
But then his training was impacted in the summer after suffering an elbow injury while playing for Canada at the men’s World Championships last May. He underwent a procedure to remove the infection, and the team said he did not have any structural issues with the elbow. He started training camp in a non-contact jersey, but shed that pretty quickly.
Flyers right wing Tyson Foerster returned after upper-body surgery in December last season and returned in early April, right before the playoffs.
In his first full season with the Flyers in 2023-24, Foerster played in 77 games and potted 20 goals and 33 assists. He missed four games in February with an injury to his right foot — also scoring in his return. Foerster also had a few injuries that cost him significant time in the minors, including a shoulder injury that cost him most of the 2021-22 season.
A reliable two-way forward, coach Rick Tocchet has also long lauded his shot.
“I’m sure you guys noticed, but I noticed that even in the corner, just a little bit of a play to keep the puck possession, body position, just a little play to our guy, instead of losing the puck. He’s a real smart player,” Tocchet said toward the end of the regular season.
“Even for a guy like him, even if he doesn’t have his A-game, he contributes. … Sometimes those guys are whatever, might not have their best night in the legs, but somehow they contribute. He’s that type of guy for us. He’s a real glue guy for us.”
One year after he was drafted by the Phillies, Gage Wood will make his Citizens Bank Park debut in the Futures Game.
Wood and fellow right-hander Wen-Hui Pan were selected to represent the Phillies in the annual prospect showcase as part of MLB’s All-Star festivities. The seven-inning game takes place July 12 (noon, NBC10).
The Phillies selected Wood with the 26th overall pick last year. After striking out 38% of the batters he faced over eight starts this season at low-A Clearwater, they promoted him two levels to double-A Reading, where he has a 3.86 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 25⅔ innings over seven starts.
Wood, 22, achieved notoriety last year with a no-hitter for Arkansas in the College World Series. He’s widely regarded as the Phillies’ top prospect, though not yet among the top 50 in baseball. MLB Pipeline has him 54th in its midseason rankings, while Baseball America lists him 69th.
Pan, a right-handed reliever, signed with the Phillies as an international amateur from Taiwan in 2023. The 23-year-old missed last season after Tommy John surgery but was promoted to double A roughly two weeks ago.
In 20 appearances at three levels, Pan has a 3.18 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 22⅔ innings, including a 5.40 ERA mark in five games since moving up to Reading.
The future is headed to Citizens Bank Park 🤩
Congratulations to Fightin Phils pitchers Gage Wood and Wen-Hui Pan on being selected to the 2026 All-Star Futures Game! ⭐
— Reading Fightin Phils (@ReadingFightins) July 1, 2026
Like everything about All-Star week, the Futures Game will have a Phillies flavor. Shane Victorino will manage the National League roster, while Larry Bowa will manage the American League. Bowa’s staff will include several former Phillies, notably Michael Bourn (first base coach), Juan Samuel (bench coach), Milt Thompson (hitting coach), and Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner (pitching coach).
Twelve of the top 13 prospects in Baseball America’s rankings were selected for the Futures Game: infielders Jesús Made (Brewers), Leo De Vries (Athletics), Franklin Arias (Red Sox), George Lombard (Yankees), and Eli Willits (Nationals); outfielders Josue De Paula (Dodgers), Theo Gillen (Rays), and Mike Sirota (Dodgers); pitchers Ryan Sloan (Mariners), Seth Hernandez (Pirates), and Kade Anderson (Mariners); and catcher Ethan Salas (Padres).
NBA free agency opened at 6 p.m. Tuesday, and, within hours, the 76ers had made their first move, agreeing with Dean Wade on a four-year, $39 million deal.
This was the first free agency move for new Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who previously was the general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, where Wade spent the first seven seasons of his career.
Outside of his familiarity with Gansey, Wade’s 6-foot-9 frame and versatility on the court have led many to think he could be a good fit in Philly, but his age (29) and contract terms garnered some criticism.
Here’s how experts are grading the move:
ESPN: B+
Wade’s ability to guard perimeter players and his 36.7% career three-point accuracy make him the type of player the Sixers have been seeking for years, ESPN said.
“The 76ers have plenty of guards and centers but a dearth of wing connectors between them” Zach Kram wrote. “Other than Paul George — a big swing on a maximum contract at forward — they’ve cycled through various options who haven’t quite panned out.”
“Philadelphia doesn’t get a full ‘A’ grade here because a four-year contract is a bit rich for a player who will celebrate his 30th birthday in November and already has an extensive injury history. Wade has played between 44 and 59 games in each of the past five seasons — which is a concern, given Philadelphia’s rough injury track record.”
The Athletic was a little more critical of the signing, with the same concerns about the four-year commitment and a lot more pause on Wade’s assets.
“I’ve never fully understood the Wade obsession within the Cavaliers,” Zach Harper wrote. “He’s about a league-average 3-point shooter (36.7 percent). I’m not convinced he’s some great defensive option. He competes on that end but doesn’t have definite matchups you feel great about. He’s never played more than 63 games in a season. He’s never made more than 80 3-pointers in a season. He’s a solid role player, and he could land nicely with Philadelphia. Committing four years is a lot, though.”
New Sixer Dean Wade will turn 30 early next season.
Bleacher Report: C
Wade’s age and consistency again posed a concern, this time for the Bleacher Report NBA staff, which gave the signing one of the lowest grades among all free agency signings so far.
“Dean Wade has started a lot of games for the Cleveland Cavaliers over the years, but he turns 30 in November, has a career average of 5.3 points and has a barely-above-average three-point percentage,” the Bleacher Report NBA staff wrote. “In theory, a good floor spacer with size can open up a lot of possibilities for a rotation, but Wade’s not consistent enough to really bend defenses. And while he’s generally been a pretty good positional defender, it’s going to be tougher for him to keep up with NBA scorers as he ages into his 30s.”
The only signing graded lower by Bleacher Report was Zach Collins’ two-year $17 million extension with the Chicago Bulls which received a C-.
A landmark bipartisan bill aimed at stabilizing college sports and protecting student-athletes cleared the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on June 18 and is expected to receive a Senate floor vote in July. This marks the first time a major college reform bill has advanced this far in the Senate.
Spearheaded by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the Protect College Sports Act was introduced last month to regulate college sports and provide antitrust protection to the NCAA.
“We need order and stability now,” Cantwell said in her opening statement on June 18. “The craziness that is happening in this marketplace with cutting of thousands of roster slots, the taxing students’ fees for education to pay for football, the arms race that is basically taking money away from research and development. Our task here is to win the race in innovation.”
The bill was voted 19-9 and included support from Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa. It now must pass the 60-vote threshold in the Senate before advancing to the House of Representatives. If approved by both chambers, it would then be sent to President Donald Trump’s desk. The bill can still be challenged and changed throughout this process.
The history behind the proposed legislation
The NCAA has sought congressional intervention for years to help regulate college athletics. College sports officials have asked Congress to help them create a national standard for how athletes are paid and for antitrust protections to avoid continuous legal challenges.
“There have been dozens of attempts at congressional intervention in college athletics for decades, but it certainly has increased the past 10 years because of justified litigation over a broken college sports model and restricting athletes’ rights,” said David Ridpath, a professor of sports business at Ohio University and an expert on NCAA governance.
The Protect College Sports Act has been spearheaded by Senators Ted Cruz (right) and Maria Cantwell.
Last year, the SCORE Act advanced through two major House committees but did not reach the floor for a vote. That proposed bill was focused on creating a national framework for name, image, and likeness compensation and failed because it did not receive bipartisan support.
What does the bill say?
The proposed bill would provide an antitrust exemption, allowing the NCAA to regulate athlete transfers and eligibility within certain guidelines. It would also establish limits on athletes’ compensation and prohibit coaches from leaving before the season ends with their current team. Coaches who violate this rule would be ineligible to coach for the following season.
The legislation also seeks to protect women’s and Olympic sports programs. Major colleges and universities would not be able to cut the number of women’s and Olympic sports programs, roster spots, or scholarship opportunities below current levels. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee endorsed the bill.
“The revised version of the Protect College Sports Act ensures that higher-resourced NCAA Division I athletic departments — those with annual revenues exceeding $80 million — will maintain at least the same number of roster spots as in the 2024-2025 academic year,” wrote the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee in a statement. “We welcome that the agreement provides reasonable flexibility, including traditional protections for mid-sized institutions, while preserving overall participation opportunities.”
Student-athletes would be allowed only one unrestricted transfer during the NCAA designated windows in their career. Any other transfer would cost the athlete a year of eligibility.
The bill would also allow colleges and conferences to voluntarily pool their media rights under a single entity rather than negotiate deals solely through individual conferences. The NFL voiced its support for the voluntary pooling of media rights, according to ESPN.
What are the experts saying?
Ridpath said pooling media rights could generate more revenue and allow colleges and universities to share that revenue across the entire college athletic ecosystem.
“That could be used to help expand sports offerings and save current sports,” Ridpath said. “College sports is an incubator for Olympic and national teams, and if we start cutting these sports, we’re going to become less competitive.”
Ridpath said this bill is a “fair effort” to regulate college athletics, but his biggest issue is the lack of direct negotiation with student-athletes.
“If the NCAA wants real legal and antitrust protection, if they would sit down and negotiate with the athletes as a collective body, that would give you legal cover because everyone has agreed to the rules,” he said. “Until you speak directly with the athletes, I think we are still going to have litigation.”
What are people saying?
College sports stakeholders have voiced mixed opinions on the bill.
More than 20 conferences, including the American, Big East, and Atlantic 10, have expressed support for the bill. The NFL, MLB, and the National Basketball Players Association sent statements to Congress voicing their support as well.
Charlie Baker, the NCAA president and former governor of Massachusetts, publicly backed the bill on social media.
“Every sports league needs rules, and there are certain challenges to NCAA rules that only Congress can address,” he wrote. “The bipartisan Protect College Sports Act’s sections bolstering eligibility, transfer and agent policies are needed now to deliver on that obligation. As a former governor, I understand that getting important legislation done requires compromise. While the bill does not address every issue college sports face, the current state of play cannot continue, and we must move the bill forward.”
However, the Big Ten and SEC, the wealthiest college conferences, oppose the bill as it stands, saying revisions are needed to gain their approval. Part of the bill prevents conferences that declare more than $1 billion in revenue on their 2025 tax returns — the SEC and Big Ten — from forming a “super-league.”
“From the outset, we identified a set of essential revisions to the PCSA necessary for the long-term sustainability of college athletics,” the two conferences wrote in a joint statement on June 18. “We have worked with both majority and minority staff to advance those revisions, which focus on better supporting student-athletes and stabilizing the college sports environment.”
Letters obtained by The Inquirer from former Penn State trustee Anthony Lubrano showed Penn State president Neeli Bendapudi writing on June 17 to Sens. Fetterman and David McCormick in opposition to the bill, saying “significant problems remain” in the legislation.
Lubrano, whose term ended Tuesday, said Bendapudi did not collaborate with the board of trustees on the correspondence with Fetterman and McCormick. He believes it would be in Penn State’s best interest to support the proposed legislation.
“For Penn State, we’d be best served to embrace the legislation and work to enhance and improve it over time,” Lubrano said. “But in the absence of perfection today, we shouldn’t allow perfection to get in the way of being good, and so we should be behind it.”
The bill, he said, protects all student-athletes and the non-revenue Olympic sports at Penn State.
“Listening to the senators on a number of calls I’ve had with them, it’s clear that one of their primary concerns revolves around the Olympic sports,” Lubrano said. “If you do nothing, schools will likely discontinue some of their programs in the non-revenue sports, and a lot of those are Olympic sports. So consequently, you can envision a day where the United States isn’t competitive on a world stage at the Olympics. Is that what we want to see happen?”
Quentin Grimes will not return to the 76ers, instead agreeing to a four-year, $60 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, ESPN reported Wednesday afternoon.
Grimes’ departure is not a surprise after the Sixers agreed to sign forward Dean Wade to a four-year, $39 million contract late Tuesday, a league source confirmed to The Inquirer. Reports surfaced earlier Tuesday that the Lakers were targeting signing Grimes, who will reunite with former Dallas Mavericks teammate Luka Doncic. It is also a significant raise for Grimes, who played last season on his $8.7 million qualifying offer after a messy restricted free agency.
Grimes was primarily the Sixers’ sixth man during a 2025-26 season he described multiple times as “solid.” The 26-year-old was part of a terrific three-guard lineup, and reignited his aggressive scoring ability when All-NBA guard Tyrese Maxey missed three weeks in March with a finger injury.
But Grimes shot a career-low 33.4% from three-point range, while also averaging 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 29.4 minutes in 75 games. And other than an excellent Game 5 performance on both ends of the Sixers’ first-round upset of the Boston Celtics, he was not good enough during the playoffs for a Sixers second unit that desperately needed scoring production.
When asked shortly after last month’s season-ending Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks about how he viewed his free agency and ideal basketball setup, Grimes was not exactly forthcoming.
“I haven’t even really thought about that, honestly,” Grimes said. “… talking to my agents and everything, we’ll kind of figure out what’s the best situation moving forward.”
Quentin Grimes played a large role for the Sixers in the disastrous 2024-25 season but struggled at times last year, especially in the playoffs.
After joining the Sixers at the 2025 trade deadline, Grimes became a go-to scorer for an injured team that had shifted to “tank” mode to increase odds of landing a high draft pick. He averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in 28 games with the Sixers that season, including a 46-point outburst at his hometown Houston Rockets.
Grimes then entered restricted free agency, which turned into a months-long saga. He skipped the Sixers’ training camp and preseason games in Abu Dhabi and eventually signed his one-year qualifying offer to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Grimes then parted ways with agent David Bauman and is now represented by Creative Arts Agency.
Grimes’ departure suggests that the Sixers will immediately lean on rookie-to-be Labaron Philon Jr., the Alabama guard they selected 22nd overall in last week’s draft to link with the dynamic Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. The Sixers also lost sharpshooting guard Jared McCain in a controversial trade at the February deadline.
Fellow Sixers free agent Kelly Oubre Jr., a starting forward for three seasons in Philly, remains uncommitted to return or sign with a new team. He will reportedly meet with at least the Sixers, Lakers, Indiana Pacers, and Portland Trail Blazers. Backup center Andre Drummond, reserve forward Trendon Watford, and veteran guard Kyle Lowry (who is expected to retire) are the Sixers’ other unrestricted free agents.
The Sixers on Wednesday morning also agreed to sign reserve center Ariel Hukporti to a one-year, $3.4 million contract, The Inquirer confirmed. That means the Sixers have about $2.6 million remaining of that midlevel exception, which can be used to sign an outside player. They also still have the $5.5 million biannual exception. They entered free agency with limited financial flexibility, with Maxey ($40.8 million), former NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid ($57.7 million), and former perennial All-Star Paul George ($54.1 million) all on max contracts that account for the vast majority of the salary cap of nearly $165 million.
The Sixers finished last season seventh in the Eastern Conference standings (45-37) and, after a stunning rally from down three games to one to beat Boston, were swept by the eventual NBA champion Knicks.
Last July 1, the Flyers surprised many by signing Dan Vladař to a two-year, $6.7 million contract. Vladař then surprised many with his play.
One year later, and the goalie is sticking around for the foreseeable future. The Flyers announced Wednesday that he is signing a five-year, $27.5 million contract extension with an annual average value of $5.5 million. According to a league source, the contract comes with a no-trade clause for the first two years, followed by a no-movement clause for the remaining three years, with it dwindling from 15 teams to five.
Vladař’s contract won’t kick in until the 2027-28 season and will take him through his age-34 season. The signing came now, as opposed to next summer or even mid-season, because if he at least meets his numbers this year, “you’re looking at a crazy number that we’re probably not comfortable with,” Flyers general manager Danny Brière said on Wednesday.
“Dan, I think, exceeded expectations last year, not just on the ice, but also off the ice, too,” the GM added. “Tremendous leader, tremendous human being, the way he interacted in the room with the guys, the way he found a way to get them going, and wanted more.
“I think you’ve heard Rick Tocchet talk about him coming over to the bench and trying to encourage the guys and get them going; it’s more than just this play on the ice. He was huge in our locker room. I don’t expect that to change. He’s just a good human being. It’s good to have him around.”
The writing had been on the wall for some time that the goalie was sticking around long-term. Asked about the rumors of an extension, Vladař joked at his end-of-season availability that, while he would accept the phone call for the extension, “If you can ask the same question to Danny Brière, I’m going to be watching. So we’ll see what he says.”
Two days later, the general manager was quick to respond, saying, “I heard his answer. Maybe we wait, and I’ll talk to you guys [off camera] about that.” The extension could not be signed until July 1.
The Czech goalie, who previously was a career backup, mainly for the Calgary Flames, is coming off the best season of his career while playing almost twice as many games as his previous career high (30). Across 51 starts, he went 29-14-7 and had the most wins by a Flyers goalie since Steve Mason in 2013-14. He also had one relief appearance, stopping all six shots he faced from the Boston Bruins, to finish the regular season with a 2.42 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.
In the postseason, despite the Flyers getting swept in four games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes after beating the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in six, Vladař’s numbers were even better. He posted the ninth-best playoff GAA among Flyers goalies all-time with at least five starts (2.18) and the eighth-best save percentage (.922). Vladař recorded two shutouts in the playoffs, making him the eighth Orange and Black netminder to have a pair in the postseason; the team did not record one in the regular season.
Flyers goaltender Dan Vladař recorded two shutouts in the playoffs, making him the eighth Orange and Black netminder to have a pair in the postseason.
“Vladdy, he was a monster in there,” forward Travis Konecny said after the season. “And he wins the games two ways. There’s the — we’re not playing good; he comes and talks to us, pumps us up. We believe in him, so you kind of keep going, you keep pushing, you find a way to win. Or he wins the game by just being Vladdy, and he just takes the game.”
Vladař revealed after the season that he had sustained an injury in the playoffs when Penguins forward Bryan Rust ran over his arm. Because of it, he wasn’t able to represent Czechia at the men’s World Championships in May.
There are some questions outside the organization about the long-term contract, especially with this past season being Vladař’s first season as a No. 1. Internally, they do not think it’s an anomaly. He came to Philly to prove he can be a starter, and he showed it.
“Dan Vladař wanted to be a Flyer,” Brière said. “He was adamant … and look at the end of the day, it’s not everybody who wants to be a Flyer … but when you have your MVP from the previous year who says, I want to be here, this is my team, I want to lead this team, it made it really easy for us to [sign him] — especially at the number that we got [him at].
“He put it on the line, and he played ball with us. If we wait, that number gets dramatically higher the following year.”
Bringing in Vladař, who will turn 29 in August, helped solidify a position that has long been a question mark in Philly. The previous year, the Flyers’ three-headed monster of Sam Ersson — who was traded recently for Joseph Woll — Aleksei Kolosov, and Ivan Fedotov — who was traded before last season — combined for a league-worst .879 save percentage. Brière stressed that things needed to be better.
Under Vladař, they were. And now he has a solid backup in Woll, who was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in mid-June. Woll has a career 63-43-9 record with a 2.94 GAA and .906 save percentage.
“Now with Woll to help him, it’s not just him; now he’s got a really strong helper right beside him,” Brière said. “So my hope is that with both those guys we can keep them fresh along the way, too. You don’t have to overplay one or the other. I think they’ll support each other really well, and I think that ups the chances that both these guys will be able to stay fresh and play well throughout the year.”
Ariel Hukporti has agreed to a one-year, $3.4 million contract with the 76ers, The Inquirer confirmed Wednesday morning.
The move gives the Sixers a new option at backup center behind Joel Embiid, the former NBA MVP who has struggled with numerous health issues in recent seasons.
Veteran Andre Drummond, now an unrestricted free agent, and Adem Bona, whose $2.3 million salary for 2026-27 becomes fully guaranteed July 7, saw their roles fluctuate last season.
Hukporti, an athletic 7-footer, played his first two NBA seasons with the New York Knicks. He averaged 2.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 9.2 minutes across 54 regular-season games in 2025-26, primarily as the third-team center. The 24-year-old only logged spot minutes during the Knicks’ championship run, primarily when big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson got in foul trouble.
Hukporti joins forward Dean Wade as free agents who are set to join the Sixers for the 2026-27 season. Drummond, starting forward Kelly Oubre Jr., sixth man Quentin Grimes, and reserve guard Kyle Lowry (who is expected to retire) remain unsigned by the Sixers or another team with the first full day of free-agency negotiation underway.
Hukporti’s salary comes out of the nontaxpayer midlevel exception, giving the Sixers $2.6 remaining from that to use on an outside player. They also have the $5.5 biannual exception.
