Happy New Year 2025

Tag: refuses

Red Sox’s Rafael Devers refuses to let Alex Bregman take third base position

Boston Red Sox star Rafael Devers appears to have an issue with his new teammate, Alex Bregman, or rather the position he plays.

Bregman has always played third base primarily for the Houston Astros, and when he signed with the Red Sox last week, it was expected by many that would remain the case.

In turn, Devers, the Red Sox’s man in the hot corner, would move to either full-time designated hitter or to first base.

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Alex Bregman #2 of the Houston Astros waves to fans prior to playing the Detroit Tigers in Game One of the Wild Card Series at Minute Maid Park on October 01, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

During an interview in Fort Myers at the team’s spring training facility, Devers made it clear that third base is still where he wants to be.

“Third base is my position. That’s what I’ve played,” Devers said through an interpreter. “I don’t know what their plans are. I know we had a conversation. I made it clear what my desires were, and yeah, whatever happens from here, I don’t know.”

Then, when asked if he would move to designated hitter, Devers responded, “I gave them the answer that I just gave, no.”

So, the Red Sox immediately face drama at spring training with their incumbent All-Star and their new stellar acquisition.

IN MASSIVE SHORT-TERM COMMITMENT TO ALEX BREGMAN, RED SOX SHOW THEY’RE SERIOUS AGAIN

Devers added that the conversation he is talking about took place Friday with Red Sox manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, who was instrumental in getting the Bregman deal done.

Bregman signed a three-year deal worth $120 million with opt outs after each season.

Boston Red Sox’s Rafael Devers celebrates in the dugout with teammates after scoring on his two-run home in the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Sunday, July 14, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

“He has a lot of pride,” Cora said of Devers, per NESN. “We know that. He feels like he’s the third baseman. He’s going to work out as the third baseman. And we’re going to make decisions accordingly. Here, it’s not about Bregman or Devers or Cora. It’s for the Boston Red Sox. Whatever decision we make is going to be for the benefit of the team.”

While Devers has played third base exclusively in his career, Bregman has spent time at shortstop (107 games) and two games at second base. However, when you break down their defensive metrics at the hot corner, Bregman takes the cake.

Just last year alone, Bregman posted six defensive runs saved with a defensive WAR of 8.1, per Fangraphs. Devers, who dealt with shoulder problems during the season, had -9 defensive runs saved and a -2.6 defensive WAR.

Bregman might be one of the big pick-ups this offseason for a new-look Red Sox team, but Devers is still the face of the franchise, having signed a 10-year, $313.5 million extension before the start of the 2024 campaign.

“It was definitely discussed when I signed that I [would] play the position for a long time,” Devers added. “I don’t know what caused the change, but I know I work really hard on defense.”

Devers says the Bregman deal “definitely surprised” him, especially considering both Cora and Breslow said this past offseason that he was their third baseman of the future.

But it’s very clear Devers won’t be giving up his position, even if Cora and Breslow ask him to do so for Bregman.

Boston Red Sox’s Rafael Devers runs the bases after hitting a two-run home in the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Sunday, July 14, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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“It’s my decision,’’ Devers said. “My position is third base. Whatever it is they want to do is what they want to do. But my position is third base.”

Where the Red Sox go from here will be interesting to watch. Bregman could move to shortstop, but Trevor Story is currently slated to start Opening Day there. Both Bregman and Story have second base experience, and that position isn’t etched in stone.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

February 17, 2025
NYC Mayor Eric Adams refuses to resign in sermon: ‘I have a mission to finish’

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told churchgoers on Sunday that he’s on a mission from God and won’t resign from office as he faces allegations of a quid pro quo with President Donald Trump’s administration.

Adams made the remarks during a sermon at Maranatha Baptist Church in Queens, telling the gathering, “I am going nowhere,” the New York Post reported.

“I have a mission to finish, the mission that God put me on many years ago,” Adams said, adding that “God has fortified me.”

Adams told “Fox & Friends” in an interview on Friday that he plans to run for re-election as a Democrat.

NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SAYS HE WILL RUN FOR RE-ELECTION AS DEMOCRAT

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told Fox News last week that he plans to run for reelection as a Democrat. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images, File)

Adams, a Democrat who said he was targeted by the Biden administration, was indicted in September on charges including bribery, soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals, wire fraud and conspiracy. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The decision to drop the case against Adams came as part of Trump’s effort to overhaul the Justice Department, which he said has been weaponized against political opponents.

Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the decision to drop the case, telling Fox News in an interview Friday that Adams was targeted after he criticized the Biden administration’s immigration policies.

Several senior Justice Department officials resigned in protest Thursday rather than comply with an order to drop a bribery case against Adams.

After the charges were dropped, Adams was accused of a quid pro quo over his willingness to work with the Trump administration crackdown to curb illegal immigration, and has faced calls to resign.

“I just find it so amazing — the most sanctified among us are calling for me to step down,” Adams told the church gathering. “I’m not going to step down. I’m going to step up.

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS PROMISES TO REOPEN ICE OFFICE ON RIKERS ISLAND AFTER MEETING WITH TRUMP BORDER CZAR

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday evening that she was considering removing Adams from office amid the allegations of a quid pro quo.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has faced pressure to fire Adams amid the allegations. (Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images, File)

“The allegations are extremely concerning and serious, but I cannot as the governor of this state have a knee-jerk, politically motivated reaction like a lot of other people are saying right now,” she said.

Hochul is the only state official who has the power to remove Adams from his position.

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Hochul further stated, “I have to do what’s smart, what’s right and I’m consulting with other leaders in government at this time.”

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

February 17, 2025
Former Panthers star Cam Newton refuses to back down from ‘locker room of losers’ comments

Cam Newton, who spent the majority of his 11-year NFL career with the Carolina Panthers, is not backing down from his recent criticism of his former teammates.

Newton was the first overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft and said when he arrived in Carolina he entered a locker room of “losers.”

The 2015 NFL MVP acknowledged his remarks were “aggressive,” but he remained steadfast in his position that they were “true.”

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Cam Newton at Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl party at Marquee Dayclub Las Vegas at The Cosmopolitan Feb. 10, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)

“When did we become so sensitive,” the former NFL star said this week during the “4th&1 with Cam Newton” podcast. “When did we become so sensitive to really speaking what the reality is? A locker room full of losers? Aggressive, but it’s true.”

STEVE SMITH SR. FIRES BACK AT CAM NEWTON FOR CALLING PANTHERS ‘LOSERS’

The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback made the initial comments during an interview with Colorado football star Travis Hunter.

Newton told Hunter he has “no way of impacting the game the way a quarterback does.”

“I went into a locker room of losers,” Newton said. “Just honest. Guys didn’t know how to win, guys didn’t know how to prepare. They didn’t take themselves serious to realize we was 2-14. There was a lot of 2-14 in the mentality of those guys.”

Hunter, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, is projected to be one of the first players selected in April’s draft. Newton was offering Hunter some insight into the pressure the two-way player could face if he becomes this year’s No. 1 pick.

One of Newton’s former teammates, Steve Smith, took exception to the quarterback’s comments.

“53 man locker room – 1 = 52 losers. Wow… breaking news to 89,” Smith wrote on X with an angry emoji.

The Carolina Panthers’ Steve Smith, left, and Cam Newton share a laugh during the first half of an NFL preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Aug. 29, 2013, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn, File)

A few hours later, Smith posted, “I’ve watched & listened from a far as U @CameronNewton talk about @Panthers! None of us are perfect. Yes We were 2-14 before you blessed us w ur presence. The way you have talked about @panthers lately I’m very disappointed. I wish u nothing but the very best. I’m done!!!”

Smith played for the Panthers from 2001-13 and is the most productive receiver to wear a Panthers uniform. He is also a finalist for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Newton said he has “no quarrel” with Smith and understands why he had an issue with the remarks. Newton did clarify that he was referencing the Panthers’ performance as a whole and not individual players when he made the original comments.

“I’m not specifically talking about those guys,” Newton said. “I’m talking about the culture that was there prior to me coming into the locker room. And it was a losers’ mentality.”

Cam Newton (1) of the Carolina Panthers drops back to pass during the fourth quarter of a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium Dec. 12, 2021, in Charlotte, N.C. (Lance King/Getty Images)

Newton said the Panthers still had it his first two seasons when they went 6-10 and 7-9.

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Things started to come together in 2013, when Carolina went 12-4 before losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs. The 2015 team went 15-1 and earned a spot in the Super Bowl. Carolina came up short in that game, losing 24-10 to the Denver Broncos.

“Is it me saying that, ‘Oh when I came, I made everything (better)?’” he said. “No. I never said that. What I said was, ‘If you’re getting drafted No. 1, you’re going to a bad football team.’ That’s facts. And that’s the point that I was trying to tell Travis Hunter.

“You see what I’m saying? For me, everybody is so taken aback, like, ‘Oh, Cam said this.’ Bro, it’s the truth. It’s the truth.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

February 16, 2025
CA lawmakers introduce bill protecting girls from trans athletes after state refuses to follow Trump’s order

After California took a stance refusing to follow President Donald Trump’s executive order banning trans athletes from girls’ and women’s sports, state Republicans are taking matters into their own hands.

On Friday, California lawmakers introduced three bills in the state legislature aimed to combat trans inclusion. One bill, which was introduced by Assemblymember Bill Essayli, focused specifically on sports. His bill would require that students use all school facilities only play on sports teams based on their biological sex and not their gender identity.

“We know the state of California is going to do everything it can to resist and avoid compliance with federal law, so it’s our role to try to force change at the state and local level,” Essayli said at a press conference outside the state capital building in Sacramento Friday.

Former San Jose State University volleyball coach, who was suspended and then let go from the program after filing a Title IX complaint over the school’s handling of a trans player last season, spoke at Friday’s press conference just days after her home was shot at. Batie-Smoose told Fox News Digital she believes she was “targetted.” Police have not determined a suspect or motive.

“We need to make sure there’s DNA testing and moving forward there’s only women playing in women’s sports,” Batie-Smoose said at the press conference. “We definitely need to continue this fight and make sure that laws and legislation is changed so that we can have safe spaces for women and women in sports.”

Essayli’s bill would reverse a current law in California that protects trans athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.

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A law called AB 1266 has been in effect since 2014, and gives California students at scholastic and collegiate levels the right to “participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) said it will continue to follow that law, even after Trump’s executive order went into effect, in a previous statement provided to Fox News Digital.

The U.S. Department of Education announced earlier this week that it is launching a Title IX investigation into the CIF over potential Title IX violations for its refusal to comply with Trump’s order.

In addition, residents have held protests and threatened lawsuits in response to the CIF’s current stance.

Essayli’s bill is the second proposal that California has seen to address the issue in 2025 alone.

California State Assembly member Kate Sanchez announced on Jan. 7 that she is introducing a bill to ban trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.

Sanchez will propose the Protect Girls’ Sports Act to the state legislature. Currently, 25 states have similar laws in effect.

TEEN GIRLS OPEN UP ON TRANS ATHLETE SCANDAL THAT TURNED THEIR HIGH SCHOOL INTO A CULTURE WAR BATTLEGROUND

“Young women who have spent years training and sacrificing to compete at the highest level are now forced to compete against individuals with undeniable biological advantages. It’s not just unfair – it’s disheartening and dangerous,” Sanchez said in a statement announcing the bill.

California’s enabling of trans athletes to compete with girls and women in the state has resulted in multiple controversies over the issue over the last year alone. Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California, is currently embroiled in one of the most contentious local controversies on the issue.

A school board meeting by the Riverside Unified School District on Dec. 19 featured a parade of parents berating the board for allowing a trans athlete on the Martin Luther King girls’ cross-country team. A lawsuit filed by two girls on the team alleges that their T-shirts in protest of that player were compared to swastikas simply because they said “Save Girls Sports.”

The father of a girl who lost her varsity spot to the trans athlete previously told Fox News Digital that his daughter and other girls at the school were told “transgenders have more rights than cisgenders” by school administrators when they protested the athlete’s participation.

In San Diego, a middle school was recently thrust into local controversy because of a transgender student using the girls’ locker room. San Elijo Middle School previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital, crediting its enabling of the transgender student to access the girls’ locker room to the school’s obligation of following state law.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted against a measure to carry out the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would prevent trans athletes from competing in girls’ sports or entering girls’ locker rooms, despite pleas from multiple parents at the meeting to take action to protect the girls at the school.

Meanwhile, Stone Ridge Christian High School’s girls’ volleyball team was scheduled to face San Francisco Waldorf in the Northern California Division 6 tournament but forfeited in an announcement just before the match over the presence of a trans athlete on the team.

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Transgender athlete supporter Kyle Harp, left, of Riverside holds the progress pride flag as “Save Girls Sports” supporters Lori Lopez and her dad Pete Pickering, both of Riverside, listen to the debate as they join the overflow crowd converging outside the Riverside Unified School District meeting Thursday night to debate the rights of transgender athletes to compete in high school sports Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Before that, a transgender volleyball player was booed and harassed at an Oct. 12 match between Notre Dame Belmont in Belmont, California, against Half Moon Bay High School, according to ABC 7. Half Moon Bay rostered the transgender athlete.

The two other bills that were introduced Friday, by Essayli and freshman Assemblymember Leticia Castillo, focus on empowering parents to remove their children from settings and situations that promote transgender ideology in public schools.

“Reestablishing the primacy of parental rights over dangerous indoctrination is a critical first step in reestablishing trust in our schools and educators,” Castillo said Friday.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 14, 2025
Marco Rubio calls out South Africa, refuses to attend G-20 summit

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is refusing to attend the Group of 20 (G-20) summit in Johannesburg this year, in protest of the South African government’s controversial land seizure bill.

The bill, which was signed last week, permits South African authorities to expropriate land “for a public purpose or in the public interest,” promising “just and equitable compensation” to those impacted by the bill. Although the majority of South African citizens are Black, most landowners are White — and this disparity has been a topic in South Africa for years.

The law also allows expropriation of land without compensation, but only in circumstances where it is “just and equitable and in the public interest.”

The G-20 summit is scheduled to kick off on Nov. 22 — but in a social media post on Wednesday, Rubio wrote definitively that he “will NOT” be there.

US FOREIGN AID IS SUPPOSED TO SERVE AMERICAN INTERESTS, SAYS MARC THIESSEN

Marco Rubio is refusing to go to South Africa for G-20. (iStock / Getty)

“South Africa is doing very bad things,” Rubio’s X post read. “Expropriating private property. Using G20 to promote ‘solidarity, equality, & sustainability.’”

“In other words: DEI and climate change,” the Republican added. “My job is to advance America’s national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism.”

President Donald Trump‘s administration has been vocally critical of the land seizure bill. In a Truth Social post, Trump called the situation a “massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum.”

RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AGENDA

Secretary of State Marco Rubio boards a plane en route to El Salvador at Panama Pacifico International Airport in Panama City on Monday. Rubio is in Panama on a two-day official visit. (Mark Schiefelbein/Pool AP/AFP via Getty Images)

“It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention,” Trump wrote in a post. “The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”

The South African government has coolly responded to the Trump administration’s accusations, denying that any unjust confiscation has occurred.

“We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement. “We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters”.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, South African analyst Frans Cronje proposed that Trump alluded to the ongoing killing of farmers in South Africa when he talked about certain classes of people being treated “very badly.” The attacks have been perpetuated against both White and Black farmers.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, left, and President Donald Trump, who has criticized the country’s new land laws. (Evan Vucci/AP/Rajesh Jantilal/AFP via Getty Images)

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“President Trump’s recent comments on land seizures in South Africa cannot be divorced from his past comments on violent attacks directed at the country’s farmers,” Cronje said. “Whilst these comments have often been dismissed as false, the latest South African data suggests that the country’s commercial farmers are six times more likely to be violently attacked in their homes than is the case for the general population.”

Fox News Digital’s Paul Tisley contributed to this report.

Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can send story tips to [email protected].

February 6, 2025
Travis Kelce refuses to speak about penalties against Texans for hits on Patrick Mahomes as fans rage

National outrage over questionable penalties called during the Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff game against the Houston Texans made its way to Travis Kelce’s podcast Wednesday, but he stayed on the sidelines of the debate.

After NFL referees called two roughing the passer penalties after hits on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during Saturday’s divisional round game, Texans players and head coach DeMeco Ryans suggested officials sided with Kansas City. Many fans expressed grievances about the questionable penalties on social media.

Kelce and his brother Jason read some of the outraged tweets during Wendesday’s episode of their podcast, “New Heights,” but Travis refused to speak about the issue.

“I’d like to plead the Fifth,” the tight end said, jokingly referring to his constitutional right to remain silent.

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Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce (Imagn)

Jason described one of the penalties as “completely, absolutely ridiculous.”

“He didn’t even get touched,” Jason said. “I understand why they called it. I just think it was a bad call.”

Travis is one of the few people to remain silent on the matter as the penalties were among the most debated topics in football over the last week.

Mahomes has since defended referees for the penalties multiple times. The quarterback was asked by reporters Wednesday if he believed referees were giving him preferential treatment.

“I don’t feel that way,” Mahomes answered. “At the end of the day, the referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and as proper as they possibly can. And all you can do is go out there and play the game that you love as hard as you can and live with the results. … I think that’s what we preach here in Kansas City.

COWBOYS EYE EX-JETS HEAD COACH ROBERT SALEH AFTER MOVING ON FROM MIKE MCCARTHY: REPORT

The homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were reportedly burglarized last month. (Imagn)

“You get new referees every year, you get new circumstances and you never can really tell because every play’s different. And that’s what makes the NFL so special. I feel like I’ve just continued to play the game, and I just try to win. And whatever happens kind of happens.”

Mahomes defended the referees Tuesday during a radio interview on 96.5 The Fan.

“I‘ve kind of learned that no matter what happens during the game, something’s going to come out about it if you win and you continue to win. So, I don’t really pay attention to it,” Mahomes said.

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“I mean, obviously, I’ve been on both sides of it as far as how I felt the calls were made, but, at the end of the day, man, those guys are doing their best to make the best calls and keep it to where the players are making the plays in the game.

“And that’s what decides the outcome. And obviously there was a call here or there that people didn’t agree with, but, at the same time, I think there was a lot of other plays that really decided the outcome of that football game.”

Head referee Clay Martin explained the calls to a pool reporter after the game, saying one of the controversial calls was a result of “forcible contact to the face mask area,” which warranted a flag. He said there was forcible contact to Mahomes’ “hairline” on another unnecessary roughness call.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

January 22, 2025