The 76ers might be Philly’s most unpredictable team.
Given their consistent injury struggles, the Sixers’ fate this year is nearly impossible to project. That didn’t stop the national media from making an attempt.
Here’s what they’re saying about the Sixers ahead of the opener tonight against Boston …
It’s complicated
Are the Sixers built to win now or win later? ESPN says it’s complicated, ranking them 13th in its season-opening power rankings.
Before last year, the Sixers thought they were in their championship window, and signed Paul George to a maximum contract to help get them to the next level. But after last season’s injury disaster, the Sixers now have a new, younger core of VJ Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey, and Jared McCain to help them contend potentially for years to come.
“Last season’s 24-58 record suggests this isn’t the right time for any all-in moves from GM Daryl Morey, which might explain why Philadelphia still has several future picks in its cupboard,” Zack Kram wrote. “But as long as [Joel] Embiid is on the roster and even theoretically at full strength, the 76ers have to at least consider trying to maximize his remaining competitive window.”
The health of center Joel Embiid will once again be a key for the Sixers.
Ranked 13th again
In 2024-25, Embiid and George played in just 60 games combined. With compounding injuries to Maxey and McCain, that was enough to sink their season. This year, though, the Sixers are hoping they have enough talent to be consistent and competitive even without Embiid on the court.
“The Sixers have enough offensive talent even if their stars don’t play (just ask Quentin Grimes) and Nick Nurse is going to sell out and get his team to approach 10 steals per game even if it costs the rest of Philadelphia’s defense,” Law Murray wrote for The Athletic, also ranking them 13th in the season-opening power rankings.
“There is too much on the line for everyone involved in Philadelphia, with the possible exception of Tyrese Maxey, so don’t be shocked if the 76ers rebound to their usual results of getting to the playoffs and not doing much while they’re there.”
‘Why not them?’
For all the warranted conversations about the Sixers’ struggles with injuries, they’re not the only team in the East that’s missing players to start the year. Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton are both expected to miss most, if not all, of the year. Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson, and Josh Hart are all missing the Knicks’ opener, and Jaylen Brown may do the same for the Celtics.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst dared to suggest that the Sixers may be the healthiest contender on the board, and their potential could be underrated leaguewide because of their perennial injury struggles.
“Is it possible that the contender with the healthiest roster to start the season could end up being Philly?” Windhorst said. “ … If you’re Philly, I know you have to live day-to-day, you can’t be thinking, you almost don’t have the burden of worrying about the playoffs because you don’t know who’s going to be standing by Thanksgiving. Why not them?”
Eagles legend Jason Kelce and his brother, Travis, broke down the Eagles’ Week 8 resurgence, yet another Tush Push-related controversy, Brandon Graham’s unretirement, and more on the latest episode of their podcast, New Heights, which featured 76ers legend Allen Iverson. Here’s what you missed:
Enjoying an Eagles win
The Eagles (5-2) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 28-22 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Jason, who spent 13 seasons as the Birds’ center, addressed the frustration from fans leading into the matchup, speaking from experience.
“In Philly, when you’re struggling, they’re going to let you know, especially when the expectations are high,” he said.
But he had little sympathy for his former teammates, insisting that pressure from fans would push the team to climb out of the midseason struggles. He also addressed concerns about the running game, encouraging listeners to trust in “inevitable” running back Saquon Barkley.
“Jalen Hurts has been under a lot of scrutiny,” he said. “I like it. Bring it on. I feel like the Eagles, when everybody doubts them early on, I would rather the fans get on them. It’s like, ‘We’re going to have to hunker down together and figure this thing out.’ Nine times out of 10, it makes the team better.”
The brothers look forward to the Eagles’ rematch with the New York Giants on Sunday (1 p.m., Fox29) at Lincoln Financial Field. They emphasized the opportunity for vengeance after Jaxson Dart led the Giants to a 34-17 win on Oct. 9.
Allen Iverson joins as a guest
The Kelce brothers brought on another retired local sports legend in Iverson as a special guest. Iverson discussed his upcoming docuseries on Prime Video, Allen Iv3rson, and the emotional process of looking back on his career in Philadelphia.
“I became a man in Philadelphia,” the former point guard said. “I was 21 years old when I went there. But they were with me throughout my turbulent life. … [The fans] always stood beside me, and that’s why that sentiment is everlasting.
“[Philadelphia fans] are the most loyal, beautiful fans in the world. I just feel like there’s no other relationship between players and fans like it is there.”
The Vikings debuted a new way to defend against the Eagles’ infamous Tush Push — by having defensive lineman Tyler Batty lie down on the line of scrimmage.
Travis, the Kansas City Chiefs’ star tight end, brought up a viral X post depicting the controversial play. It ultimately was unsuccessful as the Eagles converted an attempt on third-and-1.
Jason, however, was open to it.
“I just liked watching the creativity of it,” he said. “[The Eagles] still got the first down. I understand their strategy, take out the guy’s legs and have the other guy go over the top. It’s a good strategy, and they didn’t get another opportunity to do it, so I would be curious to see what it would look like the more times they executed it.”
The brothers also discussed a different athlete’s podcast.
On Tuesday morning, defensive end Brandon Graham, 37, announced his decision to return to the NFL on his podcast, Brandon Graham Unblocked.
Jason congratulated his former teammate as he embarks on his 16th season in Philadelphia.
“I’m just happy that Brandon is doing what he wants to do,” he said. “He wants to continue playing, and the opportunity is there. To be honest, the Eagles can use him in multiple ways. Not just as a player, but his personality, he brings a lot to that locker room that I think would be awesome.”
Travis responded with the natural question of whether Jason, also 37, would consider following in Graham’s footsteps. As for coming out of retirement, it was a hard no. But that did not stop Jason from completing a “humbling” three-hour workout with the Eagles last week.
The Eagles snapped a two-game losing streak with a win on the road over the Carson Wentz and the Minnesota Vikings — but in some cases, that wasn’t enough for them to climb this week’s NFL power rankings. Here’s where they landed after improving to 5-2 on the season …
ESPN: Third
ESPN moved the Birds up two spots, to third, after the win. And Tim McManus shouted out Moro Ojomo as the Eagles’ most underrated player so far this year. Ojomo had two tackles, including a third-down sack, in the 28-22 win over the Vikings.
“A seventh-round pick in the 2023 draft out of Texas, Ojomo tends to get second billing at defensive tackle behind the Georgia duo of Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. But Ojomo has been key in making up for the departure of Milton Williams to the Patriots this offseason.”
The Birds are up one spot following Sunday’s win, which proved to the Ringer’s Diante Lee that the Birds can still be unstoppable when they want to be.
“A string of three-and-outs in the first half against Minnesota made me nervous that Philadelphia’s offense was going to melt down again, but halftime seemed to awaken an aggression in the passing game that Eagles fans have been begging for. Quarterback Jalen Hurts finished the game with a perfect passer rating thanks to deep throws on play action and trusting his receivers in one-on-one matchups.
“If Philadelphia can actually play this well for more than a half at a time, they will be the best team in the NFC again.”
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni smiles during the fourth quarter of his team’s win over the Vikings.
Fox Sports: Sixth
Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacciano kept the Birds at sixth after their win over Minnesota, but he’s not too confident in them staying there over the rest of the season.
“Jalen Hurts rediscovered his arm and his receivers, but this Eagles team still can’t run and struggles on defense,” Vacciano wrote. “It’s getting harder to justify having them way up here, but they’re still sixth for now.”
The Birds stayed steady at sixth, nestled in between the Packers and the Rams for the second week in a row.
“This was the kind of offensive game we really hadn’t seen from the Eagles this season,” Eric Edholm wrote. “Jalen Hurts was dealing, especially with downfield shots, and getting the ball to his best playmakers. A.J. Brown had two TDs and the dagger catch to end it, while DeVonta Smith had more than half the Eagles’ net yardage. Things still aren’t churning up front in the run game behind a remixed offensive line, but when the aerial attack hums like this, it’s not as critical. Defensively, the Eagles had a few slip-ups and didn’t defend the perimeter of the field well enough, but they forced two INTs of Carson Wentz (including a Jalyx Hunt pick-six) and held Minnesota to 1-for-6 in the red zone. Job well done.”
The Eagles defense celebrates after linebacker Jalyx Hunt’s pick-six against the Vikings.
Pro Football Talk: Sixth
The Birds are up two spots to sixth in Pro Football Talk’s power rankings, just behind the Denver Broncos, thanks to their strong offensive performance in Minnesota.
“The mini-bye turned the offense around,” Mike Florio wrote.
The lowest ranking for the Eagles is at CBS Sports. They moved the Birds up just one spot, to 11th, after the win over the Vikings. But they’re still the highest-ranked team in the NFC East.
“Jalen Hurts showed against the Vikings that he can still throw it for big plays when needed,” Pete Prisco wrote. “But they do need to get the running game going.”
Prime Video’s Allen Iv3rson follows the journey of 11-time NBA All-Star Allen Iverson from Newport News, Va., to his career in the NBA, covering his life both on and off the court.
The three-part docuseries gives a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most iconic moments from his Hall of Fame career — from the legendary “practice” press conference to his relationship with former Sixers coach Larry Brown.
But the project goes beyond the court, covering the life of Bubba Chuck and his roots in Stuart Gardens Apartments. The series, produced and directed by One9, is a story of sacrifice, perseverance, and staying true to oneself.
“I think the truth comes out in their memories and it’s very unfiltered,” One9 said. “No one’s ever sat with him to get the raw honest truth. And I felt that if he was able to give me what he left on the court, what he gave to the game. If he was able to give me that in this film — that same raw, relentless, authentic heart — then we’re going to have something epic.
“You can find moments in this film that will inspire you, give you reason to reflect on how things in his life may resonate with what’s happening in anyone’s life. A lot of it deals with sacrifice. It deals with discipline, resilience, just speaking your uncompromising truth, and being true to who you are.”
The series features appearances from his family, former players, former Sixers president Pat Croce, and Brown. Here’s what we learned from Allen Iv3rson, which premieres Tuesday night at the Philadelphia Film Festival and is set to release on Prime Video on Thursday …
Bubba Chuck from Newport News
Most of Iverson’s friends won’t call him by his government name. Instead, they call him by his nickname “Bubba Chuck,” which is a combination of his uncles’ names. Growing up in Newport News, his uncles Stephen and Gregory Iverson were important male role models.
“From the time he was walking, he was always with us, and 90% of the time we’re at the basketball court,” Greg said. “He used to sit there and cry and want to get in the game. He was so small. I called him a crybaby because he would always cry all the time because he wanted to play, he wanted to come with us.”
Iverson added: “I wanted to be like my uncles because they were my heroes. I saw excellence in both of them. They were the rocks of our family.”
A good portion of the series covers Iverson’s relationship with his family as he grew up in the area’s low-income housing. The docuseries shows how Iverson went from hustling on the streets as a young kid to support his family to becoming a neighborhood icon with a street named after him.
“My heart is always going to be here,” Iverson said. “This is who I am. This is what made me who I am, you know what I mean? When I look at this, I think of the people from here. My life in these streets prepared me for the rest of the world. To me, this was my only world right here. Wherever I‘m at in life, I carry y’all with me. I come from the trenches. I come from where you can’t survive being weak.”
Allen Iverson plays against Villanova at The Spectrum as a freshman in January of 1995.
From City Farm to Georgetown
Iverson found success in football and basketball when he was younger, leading Bethel High School to state titles in both sports within the same year. He was highly sought by different colleges until an incident at a bowling alley changed his trajectory.
On Valentine’s Day in 1993, a 17-year-old Iverson went to a local bowling alley where things escalated quickly. A brawl eventually broke out, which allegedly stemmed from racial epithets said by white men in the alley.
“An argument started, all hell broke loose,” Iverson said. “First, when it was going on, I was watching. And then I saw somebody get beat real bad. And that’s when it clicked in my head like, ‘Yo, it’s time to go.’”
Iverson was arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the incident — which resulted in no serious injuries. The case led to heightened racial tensions in Virginia.
“It was crazy because Virginia was divided because of me,” Iverson said. “It was tough seeing it on the news every day, the chaos of it all. I had this one [guard], man, this dude used to [expletive] with me so bad all the time. He just would not stop. Tawanna would come up to me … We would be holding hands and he would separate our hands, push us back.
“And then they used to have the scarecrow outside the jail with my jersey on, hanging from a noose. The mail that came in for me every day was hate mail. And then I had death threats every single day.”
Iverson’s sentencing received plenty of national attention. His mother, Ann, held a number of marches and boycotts to help get her son out of jail. Eventually, the 18-year-old was granted clemency by Gov. Douglas Wilder and was released after four months in prison.
Georgetown’s head coach John Thompson talks to Allen Iverson during a game against St. John’s on Jan. 24, 1996.
But Ann’s job wasn’t done.
Before Iverson was released she went to Georgetown coach John Thompson to beg him to bring her son to the Hoyas.
”I went to John Thompson,” Ann said. “He said, ‘Well, I’m not going to take Allen because I’m not recruiting Allen.’ And I just broke down. I broke down. I said, ‘If you don’t take him, somebody is going to hurt him because he lives in an environment that is not good. I’m scared.’ I asked him to put my son under his wing. He hugged me and he said, ‘I got you, baby girl, I got you.’ He said, ‘Because you’re the only Black momma that ever came up in here and said what they said about their son. And I got him. If he gets out of jail, I’ll take him.’”
Iverson had it rough from fans in other arenas during his first year at Georgetown, including during a game at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.
“Every time I went to shoot a free throw they’re screaming, ‘Jailbird! Jailbird!’” Iverson recalled. “I remember when we went to Villanova there were four guys with orange jumpsuits on and they had chains on. Coach [Thompson] took us off the floor and said we’re not going to play if they don’t get them out of there.
“[Thompson] protected me. I didn’t talk to the media. He didn’t let people attack me like they wanted to. He taught me everything. He would call me throughout my career and we never would talk about basketball. We always talked about life.”
In his first season at Georgetown, Iverson won Big East Rookie of the Year, and was named to the All Rookie Tournament First Team. His second year, he led the team to a Big East championship and into the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. After that season, he declared for the NBA draft.
“When I made the decision to leave Georgetown, it was a lot of hoopla because no player ever left Georgetown early,” Iverson said. “I knew after the season that I could be in the top five. When I found out that Philly was getting the first pick, I knew I had a real chance, a good chance at being the No. 1 pick. I just wanted to be an NBA basketball player. That’s the only thing that mattered to me. I was going to play every game like it was my last.”
Iverson was drafted with the first overall pick in 1996, a stacked draft that included Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Nash. Despite a 22-60 record, he found quick success, earning Rookie of the Year and making highlight reel plays — including crossing over Michael Jordan.
After his rookie year, Larry Brown was hired as the Sixers coach; he didn’t completely see eye-to-eye with Iverson.
“We butted heads,” Iverson said. “I was immature, somewhat high-strung, didn’t see the big picture. … I had him all wrong. He had the blueprint already.
“He was able to make everyone else better by making me better. He just was a masterful coach. Billy King, and Pat [Croce], they put them guys around me that were willing to let me dominate. It was basically, you kill like you kill. And your deficiencies, the things you can’t do, we’re going to do all of those things.”
Sixers guard Allen Iverson and head coach Larry Brown during the team’s 110-100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals. The Sixers would win Game 7 to advance to the NBA Finals.
At first, Brown and Iverson had a complicated relationship. It boiled over when Iverson didn’t show up to practice in 2002, leading to the legendary “practice” press conference.
“[Iverson] called me that night, late at night,” said Croce. “[He said], ‘I want Larry Brown fired.’ Larry Brown calls me, ‘You trade [Iverson] tomorrow. … Get rid of him.’ I said, ‘We’ll meet tomorrow. We’ll meet at the training facility.’ We went into this board room and it was ugly.
“Larry didn’t want to be called to the same level as his player. I didn’t care. ‘You’re not getting traded. And you’re not getting fired. I’ve never told either one of you what to do but I’m telling you right now. You’re both staying.’ … I said, ‘Both of you have the same love of basketball. Both of you have the intention and desire to win.’ I said, ‘You’re both looking in the mirror. Drop it.’ Allen got up, walked around the table, Larry stood up and he hugged and hugged for, it seemed like an eternity.”
Iverson led the Sixers to an appearance in the 2001 NBA Finals before falling to a Los Angeles Lakers team led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
“As a player, he’s one of the greatest players to ever play the game,” O’Neal said. “When it comes to a championship, you have to be on a great team. No disrespect to the Philadelphia 76ers team, Allen Iverson was by himself. So, when it comes to status and recognition, there’s a lot of champions that we don’t even know who they are. But I guarantee you, you know who Allen Iverson is.”
Allen Iverson sits with Aaron McKie and Matt Geiger in the 4th period.dnphoto/Reynolds
Culture changer
When Iverson was a kid, he didn’t have the best clothes in the neighborhood. Instead, he would wear his sister’s pants for three days of the week, and when he went to prom with Tawanna, who became his wife and the mother of his children, he wore a pair of shoes that were two and a half sizes too small.
“I think he had on sweat socks actually, with his too-small shoes,” Tawanna said. “He complained about it. He didn’t dance at all at prom. After prom, it was like at a sports facility, and he couldn’t wait to get out of his dress shoes and play basketball.”
A few years later, Iverson would never have to worry about wearing shoes two sizes too small again. The young player signed a lifetime contract with Reebok in 1996. Iverson’s impact on the league was transcendent. As a small guard, he revolutionized the way players dressed and carried themselves, inspiring an entire generation to want to be like him.
“I didn’t know I was doing it,” Iverson said. “I did it. But I didn’t know I was doing it. I didn’t know I was securing a way for these guys today to be themselves. I didn’t know I was doing it because I was stuck on, ‘I ain’t doing nothing wrong. I’m being myself.’
“This many years later, taking an a— whooping for it is a blessing. Because now you see you can do your [stuff]. But, Chuck took that a— whooping for it. I just thought it was unfair. And the best part about my God, I just knew I was going to get through it all without folding.”
After six weeks of inconsistency and discord on offense, the Eagles’ passing game finally showed what it’s capable of — but the rushing attack remained stagnant. Here’s what national media had to say about the win and what it means moving forward …
A ‘definite step in the right direction’ but …
While one former defensive end, Brandon Graham, mulls a comeback from retirement, another, Chris Long, is still hesitant about the Birds despite the win, even as an improved offense had to leg it out against backup quarterback Wentz.
“This is a definite step in the right direction when it comes to the big-play ability of the offense,” Long said. “You’d love to see them play with more rhythm. I’m not sitting up here hating on a win on the road, but I would like to see a little bit more consistency. If you play like that against a major league quarterback, it might not go that way.”
Wentz finished with 313 passing yards, a pair of interceptions, and another 28 yards on the ground.
Despite the too-close-for-comfort win, the offensive line was “fantastic” and Jalen Hurts was “perfect,” so it was still a big improvement over the Birds’ two previous losses, Long said.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw three touchdowns in Sunday’s win over the Vikings.
A reminder from Hurts
After an offseason full of discourse about where Hurts ranked among the best NFL quarterbacks and the offense’s inconsistency to start the year, Sunday was a reminder of Hurts’ passing ability.
Hurts put up a perfect passer rating in Minnesota, throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns and competing 19 of 23 pass attempts.
“This is a sign not just for the fans, or the people that hate on us, but really for our coaching staff,” LeSean McCoy said. “I think he has to remind you that he can throw the ball. … Jalen Hurts has a really good deep ball, and when you threaten the defense that you’ll throw the deep ball, that’s what happens. Why would we have a guy like A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, if we’re not going to use him?
“Jalen Hurts can play the quarterback position. It was time that we finally get to see him really play it.”
The Birds were aggressive with the deep ball, even on fourth down, taking advantage of their elite receivers and finding explosive plays that eluded them before Sunday.
“The Eagles are so talented that it kind of makes them conservative,” former quarterback Alex Smith said Monday on ESPN’s Get Up. “That’s been the biggest complaint in the passing game and running game by the entire NFL world. Here we are, at Minnesota, against a Brian Flores defense, which is as exotic and aggressive as it gets, and you have to match that aggressiveness. … This team needs to play with their foot on the gas.”
The Eagles finally are back in the win column, snapping a two-game losing streak with a 28-22 victory on the road in Minnesota, against former Birds quarterback Carson Wentz.
Here’s what you might have missed from the broadcast of the Eagles’ big win:
Tush Push
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has a new strategy to stop the Tush Push — have a defender lie down and roll into the center.
Greg Olsen, noted Tush Push fan, said rookie linebacker Tyler Batty was playing in his first NFL game after being activated from injured reserve this week. What an assignment for your NFL debut.
Brian Flores has the Nose Tackle “barrel rolling” into the Center to try and stop the Tush Push 🛡️ pic.twitter.com/VndwDsiM9P
“Making his NFL debut, the rookie out of BYU, Brian Flores says, ‘Hey, I’ve got a very interesting job for you today,’” play-by-play man Adam Amin said jokingly.
“Quite the meeting on Wednesday when you’re setting your Tush Push defense,” Olsen, the analyst, said.
Could Brandon Graham unretire and return to the Eagles? The Inquirer reported just before kickoff Sunday that Graham is “strongly considering” returning to help the Eagles’ depleted pass rusher room.
Just before kickoff, Graham’s Firstrust Bank commercial aired in the Philadelphia area. Is this a sign?
That said, he did give credit to Cooper DeJean for the pass breakup earlier in his analysis.
“Nine out of 10 times, Justin Jefferson comes down with it,” Olsen said. “They teach defensive backs, continue to fight through the hands all the way to the ground, Justin takes that left hand off the ball, and it’s just enough for DeJean to knock that ball loose.”
Getting knocked over on the sideline is an occupational hazard for any photographer or sideline reporter. This week’s victim? Fox’s Pam Oliver, who nearly got bowled over by Jefferson early in the third quarter.
Oliver managed to maneuver herself out of Jefferson’s way, and he profusely apologized getting up.
“If there’s one person on that sideline who cannot be run over, it’s Pam Oliver,” Olsen said.
“He was so polite, he said, ‘Are you OK?’” Oliver said. “I patted him on the helmet. I was glad I didn’t go down.”
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Former Penn State football coach James Franklin appeared Saturday on ESPN’s College GameDay for an exclusive interview, which marked his first public statement since the university fired him last Sunday.
Franklin, who spent 12 seasons in charge in Happy Valley, said he was shocked when Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft informed him of the school’s decision to fire him on Sunday afternoon.
“At about 1:30, the athletic director walked in and said, ‘We’re going to make a change. I’m sorry,’” Franklin recalled. “I was in shock … And then I walked down and had a super emotional meeting with the team to tell them I was leaving.”
Franklin’s 104 wins rank second in program history, trailing only Joe Paterno’s 409. He led Penn State to the 2016 Big Ten Championship and to its first College Football Playoff appearance last season.
Franklin said he wants to focus on the “unbelievable moments” and relationships he built in State College.
“I had a great run there. Twelve years. Penn State was good to me and my family,” Franklin said. “I’m a players’ coach, so walking away from all those young men in that locker room, the recruits that were committed to us, that’s the challenging part. It’s [about] the people at the end of the day.”
The Nittany Lions entered this season with national championship expectations after returning Heisman Trophy candidate Drew Allar, hiring defensive coach Jim Knowles to the richest coordinator contract in the nation, and earning the No. 2 ranking in the Associated Press preseason poll. But after losses to winless UCLA and unranked Northwestern dropped Penn State to 3-3, the school’s patience ran out.
Franklin said he didn’t have an answer as to why the team fell apart so quickly before his firing.
“I’m still working through it myself. It feels surreal,” Franklin said. “To think, essentially, six games ago, we were fighting for a chance to be in the national championship, a two-minute drive away … I thought we were going to win a national championship there. I guess we’re just going to go to win a national championship somewhere else now.”
James Franklin couldn’t explain why the team fell apart so quickly before his firing.
Penn State went 4-21 against AP top 10 opponents during Franklin’s tenure. The constant blip on his resume was his inability to win the big game, which happened again on Sept. 27 when the Nittany Lions lost 30-24 in overtime against Oregon.
While Franklin said it is not his place to say whether Kraft’s decision was fair, Nick Saban, who won seven national championships during his coaching career, didn’t hold back his disdain for Penn State’s decision.
“It’s unfair as hell for you to go to the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, get into the final four, come out being ranked No. 1 this year — an expectation that you created by what you accomplished at Penn State,” Saban said. “And for those people not to show enough appreciation for that and gratitude for all the hard work that you did, I’m saying it’s unfair.”
Franklin is owed more than $49 million in his contract buyout, which will be spread across multiple payments, according to On3.
But if he accepts another coaching gig, which he has to make a “good faith effort to obtain,” according to documents related to Franklin’s 2021 contract extension that were obtained by Front Office Sports, Penn State only has to pay the difference between the annual salary it owes him and his new yearly compensation.
The longtime coach sounded ready to get back in the saddle.
“I don’t know anything else [other than coaching]. I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I don’t have hobbies,” Franklin said. “This has been such a big part of my identity, such a big part of my family. We love it. So I think it was take a deep breath, and then we got to get back to doing what we do, which is helping young people achieve their dreams … I can’t wait for that next challenge.”
Last week at the Vatican, two Villanova legends finally came together: Pope Leo XIV and former basketball star Maddy Siegrist.
Siegrist took a short trip to Rome to visit the big landmarks, including the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum and spent a day with Villanova at an Augustinian conference, where she got to meet the pope.
Last year, the Villanova women’s basketball team took a group trip to Italy and the Vatican, but Siegrist, still in the middle of the WNBA season, couldn’t attend. This time around, after the Dallas Wings were eliminated from playoff contention, Chrissy Quisenberry, who helps organize alumni trips at Villanova, reached out to let Siegrist know they were planning another trip and that they might get an audience with the pope, also a Villanova graduate.
“People always joke because he [went to] Villanova, like, ‘Is he going to do the wedding?’” said Siegrist, who’s engaged to Stephen Perretta, an assistant women’s basketball coach at Drexel and the son of former Wildcats coach Harry Perretta. “When it did happen, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is crazy.’ We have a family group chat of all my cousins and aunts and grandparents. I sent the picture, and they’re like, ‘Are you joking?’ It was kind of a last-minute trip, so I didn’t really tell anyone because I didn’t know — when they said audience, it could be 1,000 people outside, which would have been unbelievable, but I didn’t realize I was actually going to have the opportunity to shake his hand.”
The group attended mass at St. Peter’s Basilica and toured the catacombs before meeting with Pope Leo. Siegrist got a photo shaking the pope’s hand — which she did have to pay for, like a Disneyland ride photo — and said it was a bucket list moment, which “rejuvenated” her Catholic faith.
Pope Leo XIV wears a Villanova hat gifted to him during a meeting with an Italian heritage group in June.
Pope Leo frequently goes viral for his White Sox fandom and has been pictured in Villanova hats on multiple occasions since assuming his new role. But even with a group from Villanova in the building, Siegrist said he was careful to stay impartial.
“He’s not biased at all,” Siegrist said. “I’ve seen a few pictures of Villanova hats and stuff. I think he addressed that. Dr. [Barbara] Wall was on the trip, she was one of his professors, so that was pretty cool to be with her during that moment. He knew there was a small group from Villanova at the conference, I think about 20-25 people. Such a cool experience. I really don’t even remember what I said in the moment. You just get so starstruck. You’re so nervous.”
