The Seawanhaka Sports Rundown is a weekly roundup of five stories that examine developments in sports news at the local, state, national and international levels.
BY: ZACK JONES / DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR
No RBs Got Franchise Tagged this NFL Offseason
This year's NFL franchise tags have gone out and none of the major free agent running backs were tagged by their respective teams. Former season rushing yards leaders Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans (2019, 2020) and Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders (2022) will enter free agency after not being tagged by their squads. Among others who went untagged and look to enter free agency are New York Giant Saquon Barkley, Dallas Cowboy Tony Pollard, Los Angeles Charger Austin Ekeler and Philadelphia Eagle D’Andre Swift.
This offseason is the complete of last year, which saw multiple major running backs tagged, including three of the major aforementioned rushers; Jacobs, Barkley and Pollard. This could be in response to the money attached to the franchise tag increasing from $10.09 million in 2023 to $11.95 million this year. This trend will definitely be something to keep an eye on for the running back position that has been struggling to be properly valued over the past few years.
Heat-Pelicans Fight
The Miami Heat are no stranger to scuffles and it’s surprising that this is the first major one to occur this year. The Miami Heat and the New Orleans Pelicans got engaged in a rumble between a plethora of players from both teams. The fight occurred over what was deemed by the players at the time as a hard foul by Miami vet Kevin Love onto Pelicans forward Zion Williamson. This foul was later deemed by Williamson as Love protecting him.
Williamson Quoted, "I wasn't tripping about K-Love because he actually protected me on my fall."
This did not come across the same for teammates on either side as Pelicans Naji Marshall and the Heat’s notorious bad boy Jimmy Butler soon engaged in a shove match that saw both players' hands on the other’s neck.
This scrap led to four players being ejected from the game and five getting suspended. The list of suspended players includes Marshall and Jose Alvarado for the Pelicans, alongside Butler, Thomas Bryant and Nikola Jovic for the Heat.
St. John’s Takes Down Creighton
St. John’s has had all but a pleasant first year under legendary head coach Rick Pitino. The Red Storm has struggled to adjust to the harsh nature of Pitino’s coaching and has done poorly for most of the season. The team currently holds a 16-12 and sits at seventh in the Big East.
However, the struggles aren’t removed from glory. After remarks that shocked many and made people question Pitino’s faith in his squad, the coach has seemingly fired up his squad to play some of their best basketball of the season, defeating #15 Creighton by 14 points.
Both teams shot poorly but Pitino’s squad separated the gap playing stifling defense and protecting the ball on offense, winning the turnover battle 13-3. It may be too little too late for Pitino’s Red Storm to climb the ranks of the NCAA or even the Big East but with the month of March around the corner, anything is possible.
Eric Acker Wins Rookie of the Week
Eric Acker won NEC Rookie of the Week for the third time this season. The young guard has continued to develop for the Sharks and has stepped up big with multiple injuries across the backcourt.
With injuries to multiple guards including starter Tai Strickland as well as second year guard Ahmed Essahaty, Acker was asked to step up and did. Acker nearly hit the 30 point mark in a big win over Le Moyne and added seven rebounds and five assists to encapsulate the strong conference victory.
LIU Baseball Wins in Thriller Against Miami
LIU and Miami were all tied up at 2-2 through eight innings of baseball. The game featured multiple scoreless innings up until that point but redshirt freshman Noah Sorenson would change that for LIU in the top of the ninth.
Soreson crushed a 2-run homer to take the lead and win the game 4-2. A huge moment for the young Shark and a great moment for the LIU Baseball team early in the season.