⚽️ Axios Sports: Family feud

Plus: Boston's historic start | Friday, January 06, 2023

Open in app View in browser   Presented By SiriusXM   Axios Sports By Kendall Baker · Jan 06, 2023 🎉 Happy Friday! The first week of 2023 is in the books. ❤️ Hamlin update: Damar Hamlin is beginning to awaken as he shows "substantial improvement" in his recovery. The NFL has officially cancelled the Week 17 Bills-Bengals game. Today's word count: 1,610 words (6 minutes). Let's sports...     1 big thing: ⚽️ Family feud Gregg Berhalter talks to Gio Reyna during the USMNT's quarterfinal loss to Netherlands in Qatar. Photo: Maurice Van Stone/AFP via Getty Images   The Berhalters and Reynas may not be exchanging holiday cards again any time soon, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Driving the news: USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, 49, went public on Tuesday with a domestic violence incident from his past. When he was 18 — four months into dating his now-wife Rosalind at UNC — they got in a drunken argument that ended with him kicking her in the legs. She immediately left him, but seven months later they reconciled. They've been married for 25 years, have four children, and "to this day, that type of behavior has never been repeated," he wrote. The backdrop: It turns out the reason Berhalter shared the story is that Danielle Reyna — wife of former USMNT captain Claudio and mother of current USMNT midfielder Gio — had already told U.S. Soccer about it last month out of frustration at her son's treatment at the World Cup. Berhalter singled out Reyna — not by name, but everyone knew who he was talking about — after the team's World Cup exit, saying they "had a player that was clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field." In fact, Gio was nearly sent home from Qatar. It was after those comments that Danielle told U.S. Soccer sporting director Earnie Stewart about Berhalter's incident, at which point U.S. Soccer hired a law firm to conduct an investigation. Danielle was acting not only as an upset parent, but as a friend who witnessed the original incident's fallout firsthand. But as Berhalter said in a live interview on Thursday, "It was [my wife's] story to tell, if she chose to or not. That's what really saddens me." What they're saying: "Rosalind Berhalter was my roommate, [UNC soccer] teammate and best friend, and I supported her through the trauma that followed," Danielle said in a statement on Wednesday. "It took a long time for me to forgive and accept Gregg afterward, but I worked hard to give him grace, and ultimately made both of them and their kids a huge part of my family's life." "I would have wanted and expected him to give the same grace to Gio. This is why the current situation is so very hurtful and hard." Between the lines: Gio's father Claudio played alongside Gregg for decades at the youth, high school and national level. These families are — or at least were — very close. The big picture: This incident will always be a part of the USMNT's 2022 World Cup story, and could impact the team's trajectory towards 2026. Berhalter's contract expired on Dec. 31, but Stewart said Wednesday that he could be re-hired pending results of the investigation. In the meantime, assistant Anthony Hudson has been named interim coach for the USMNT's January's friendlies.     2. 🏒 Boston's historic start Photo: Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images   The Bruins beat the Kings, 5-2, on Thursday to earn their 30th win in 38 games. Why it matters: That ties the 1944-45 Canadiens for the second-fastest to 30 wins in NHL history. The only team to get there faster? The 1929-30 Bruins, who finished 38-5-1 before losing to the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Final. Wild stat: Boston (30-4-4) is outscoring opponents by 60 goals (145-85). The next-best scoring differential is Dallas at +30. The bottom line: We're witnessing history, folks. Tune in any chance you get.     3. 📺 Chart du jour: The sports media machine Adapted from Sportico; Note: Only includes deals worth over $50 million. Chart: Axios Visuals That's a lot of money.     A message from SiriusXM Stream SiriusXM now and get 3 months for free     Stream more than 425 channels on your devices for free on the SXM App, including expertly curated ad-free music, live sports, personalized stations and more. Next steps: Sign up now to get 3 months free. Cancel anytime. Learn more about the offer and start streaming. See offer details.     4. ⚡️ Lightning round Photo: Dustin Satloff/Getty Images   🏀 Texas fires Beard: Texas fired head basketball coach Chris Beard on Thursday, less than a month after suspending him following his arrest for choking, biting and hitting his fiancée. ⭐️ NHL All-Stars: Connor McDavid and Alex Ovechkin were among the initial 32 players selected to this season's NHL All-Star Game, with the final 12 to be voted in by fans. ✋ Slap fighting delayed: Dana White's new slap fighting league, set to debut on TBS next week, has been delayed in the wake of a video showing the UFC president slapping his wife in the face on New Year's Eve. 🏁 11th F1 team? Andretti Global and Cadillac are moving forward with a joint bid to bring an 11th team to the F1 grid. Rising American star Colton Herta would likely drive one of the team's two cars.     5. 🏀 Men's hoops: Wooden watchlist Zach Edey and Oscar Tshiebwe. Photos: Michael Hickey/Getty Images; Dylan Buell/Getty Images   Purdue's Zach Edey and Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe headline the men's Wooden Award midseason top 25 list, released Wednesday. Edey is averaging 21.3 points, 13.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game for the top-ranked Boilermakers. The 7-foot-4 junior is the current betting favorite to win the award. Tshiebwe is averaging 16.8 points, 13.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in his quest to join Virginia's Ralph Sampson (1982-83) as the only two-time Wooden Award winners. He won last year as a junior. Other top contenders: Gonzaga senior Drew Timme (21.9 pts, 8.1 reb), Indiana senior Trayce Jackson-Davis (17.6 pts, 8.3 reb) and Kansas junior Jalen Wilson (20.6 pts, 8.4 reb) are all in the mix. Full watchlist: Seniors (10): Armando Bacot (UNC), Marcus Carr (Texas), Antoine Davis (Detroit Mercy), Kendric Davis (Memphis), Adam Flagler (Baylor), Jackson-Davis (Indiana), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA), Marcus Sasser (Houston), Timme (Gonzaga), Jordan Walker (UAB) Juniors (10): Hunter Dickinson (Michigan), Edey (Purdue), Caleb Love (UNC), Mike Miles Jr. (TCU), Kris Murray (Iowa), Adama Sanogo (UConn), Tshiebwe (Kentucky), Ąžuolas Tubelis (Arizona), Wilson (Kansas), Isaiah Wong (Miami) Sophomores (1): Terquavion Smith (NC State) Freshmen (4): Gradey Dick (Kansas), Kyle Filipowski (Duke), Keyonte George (Baylor), Brandon Miller (Alabama)     6. 🏀 Women's hoops: Wooden watchlist Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark. Photos: G Fiume/Getty Images; Michael Hickey/Getty Images   Four teams have multiple players on the women's Wooden Award top 25 list, also released Wednesday. South Carolina: Aliyah Boston (2022 winner) and Zia Cooke Iowa: Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano Stanford: Haley Jones and Cameron Brink UConn: Azzi Fudd and Aaliyah Edwards By the numbers: Boston is averaging 11.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, down from last season's averages of 16.8, 12.5 and 2.4. Clark is putting up nearly identical stats as last season: 27.1 points (up from 27.0), 7.4 rebounds (down from 8.0) and 6.9 assists (down from 8.0). Full watchlist: Seniors (14): Boston (South Carolina), Cooke (South Carolina), Czinano (Iowa), Mackenzie Holmes (Indiana), Jordan Horston (Tennessee), Ashley Joens (Iowa State), Jones (Stanford), Emily Kiser (Michigan), Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech), Taylor Mikesell (Ohio State), Diamond Miller (Maryland), Charisma Osborne (UCLA), Maddy Siegrist (Villanova), Madi Williams (Oklahoma) Juniors (6): Clark (Iowa), Brink (Stanford), Edwards (UConn), Deja Kelly (UNC), Alissa Pili (Utah), Hailey Van Lith (Louisville) Sophomores (4): Fudd (UConn), Olivia Miles (Notre Dame), Aneesah Morrow (DePaul), Angel Reese (LSU) Freshmen (1): Ta'Niya Latson (Florida State)     7. 🌎 The world in photos Photo: Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images RALEIGH, N.C. — All-Star goalie Juuse Saros saved 64 shots (!!!) in the Predators' 5-3 win over the Hurricanes, tied for third-most in NHL history. Quote du jour: "It was a sweaty night, but nice to get the win," said Saros. Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images LAHAINA, Hawaii — Jon Rahm plays his shot off the 18th tee at the Plantation Course during Day 1 of the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Not a bad view. Leaderboard: Rahm (-9) is in a three-way tie for the lead after 18 holes. Tyson Hinds of Team Canada kisses the Cup. Photo: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Canada beat Czechia, 3-2, on Thursday for its record-extending 20th world junior hockey title. Third-place game: USA 8, Sweden 7 (OT)     8. 📺 Watchlist: Week 18 Note: *Week 17 Bills-Bengals game canceled; Table: Axios Visuals The final week of the NFL season is upon us, featuring 16 games and eight teams fighting for the final three playoff spots. The Jaguars host the Titans on Saturday (8:15pm ET, ESPN/ABC) for the AFC South title. The Bills host the Patriots on Sunday (1pm, CBS) in what's sure to be an emotional game for Buffalo. The Packers host the Lions on Sunday night (8:20pm, NBC) in what will be a "win and you're in" game if the Seahawks lose that afternoon. More to watch: 🏈 FCS Championship: South Dakota State vs. North Dakota State (Sun. 2pm, ABC) ... NDSU has a record nine titles, all since 2011. SDSU has zero. 🏀 NBA: Nets at Pelicans (Fri. 7:30pm, ESPN); Heat at Suns (Fri. 10pm, ESPN) 🏒 NHL: Rangers at Devils (Sat. 1pm, NHL); Red Wings at Maple Leafs (Sat. 7pm, NHL); Panthers at Stars (Sun. 3:30pm, NHL) 🏀 NCAAM: No. 25 Iowa State at No. 17 TCU (Sat. 2pm, ESPNU); No. 13 Arkansas at No. 22 Auburn (Sat. 8:30pm, SEC) 🏀 NCAAW: No. 16 Iowa at No. 14 Michigan (Sat. 4:30pm, Fox); No. 11 Iowa State at No. 17 Oklahoma (Sun. 3pm, ESPN2); No. 18 Oregon at No. 15 Arizona (Sun. 7pm, ESPN2) ⛳️ PGA: Sentry TOC (Fri.–Sun., ESPN+/Golf/NBC) 🏈 HS Football: All-American Bowl (Sat. 1pm, NBC) ... The nation's top seniors play in San Antonio. 🎾 Tennis: Adelaide International (Fri.–Sun., DAZN) ... Finals on Sunday.     9. 🇺🇸 State capitals trivia Photo: Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images   It's the Battle of Dakotas in Sunday's FCS title game: South Dakota (State) vs. North Dakota (State). Question: What's the capital of each state? Hint: Fargo is not an answer. Answer at the bottom.     10. ⛄️ 1 A-Rod thing: Not buying it, man Screenshot: @arod (Instagram)   Alex Rodriguez, minority owner of the Timberwolves, made an Instagram post showing off his shoveled driveway after Wednesday's snowstorm in Minnesota. Yes, but: That's a very large driveway, A-Rod can definitely afford snow removal and the sticker is still on the shovel, writes Audrey Kennedy for Axios Twin Cities. Plus, are those tire tracks? The response: Many of his followers were skeptical, including his former nemesis Johnny Damon, who wrote, "Video or I ain't buying it." A-Rod replied: "Ha ok!! Video coming your way!! Miss you my guy!!" He delivered with a 15-second follow-up video showing him shoveling, but many still doubted his abilities. By the numbers: Axios Twin Cities carried out a poll on Instagram, and 94% of voters said he didn't actually shovel his driveway. "That's called cleaning up after a snowblower went through," said one reader. "The video reminds me of my younger brother in the 70's trying to look like he is helping shovel ... NOT," said another.     A message from SiriusXM Get free access to music, sports, news and more     Subscribe to SiriusXM Streaming and get access to 3 months of free: Expertly curated ad-free music. Pandora artist stations. Live sports. Celebrity hosts, comedians and newscasters. Howard Stern and more. More info: Listen on your phone, at home and more with the SXM App. See offer details.   Enjoy the weekend, Kendall "What is this, middle school geography class?" Baker Trivia answer: Pierre (South Dakota) and Bismarck (North Dakota) 🙏 Have a great day! Follow us for more (@kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy). Friends can sign up here. Thanks to Bryan McBournie for copy edits. Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: