ESPN Daily

No NFL franchise has endured more public turmoil in recent years than the Washington Commanders and their owner Daniel Snyder. There have been allegations of sexual misconduct, a toxic workplace environment, the changing of the team’s controversial name… not to mention the federal investigation into the team’s finances. But now there are new allegations of potential fraud by Snyder in connection to how he treated his own business partners. So today, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Don Van Natta delivers his latest investigation into Snyder and the Commanders – a staggering story about a hidden loan that led to Snyder’s fellow billionaires crying foul – forcing the league, and even Roger Goodell… to step in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL combine: an annual spectacle that is part job interview, part gym class, and part reality TV show. It is also a critical moment in deciding the future of a new class of NFL draft prospects. An exceptionally good or bad performance in the combine will make a prospect’s draft stock rise or fall, meaning millions in potential salary is on the table. But just how useful is the combine in actually predicting a player’s NFL career? And what is it like for the players to run the gauntlet of medical evaluations, physical tests, and character evaluations? ESPN’s Domonique Foxworth went through the process in 2005. He shares all the secrets from inside the scouting combine, and why it may not be as important as we think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just over 55 years ago this month, one of the most horrible tragedies of the civil rights movement took place in Orangeburg, South Carolina when police opened fire on a group of Black protesters outside of a bowling alley. The protesters had gathered to push for the desegregation of All-Star Bowling Lane, and when all was said and done 31 people had been shot, most of them students at nearby South Carolina State University. Three men lay dead, two members of the South Carolina State football team and a high school athlete. Andscape Senior Writer, David Dennis Jr., author of THE MOVEMENT MADE US: A FATHER, A SON, AND THE LEGACY OF A FREEDOM RIDE, tells the story of this underreported massacre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Things are just a bit messy in the NFL right now. With Patrick Mahomes giving Kenny Powers-style victory speeches and a hallucinating Aaron Rodgers trying to eat two meals a day in total darkness, you can see how things are really just…out of sorts. And as if things couldn’t get any crazier, the Ravens are now in a predicament: they are refusing to give Lamar Jackson the contract that he wants and believes he deserves. So, today, Jeremy Fowler walks us through his and ESPN colleague Jamison Hensley’s new reporting into the NFL’s premiere contract standoff. And he shines a light on what’s to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NBA is a study in chain reactions — many of which have been chronicled on this podcast. Like the fact that in November of 2021, our colleague Baxter Holmes published a bombshell investigation into the broken workplace culture of Robert Sarver’s Phoenix Suns. And now, 15 months later, those Suns have a new billionaire owner, Mat Ishbia…who promptly went out and apparently gave the Brooklyn Nets whatever they wanted for Kevin Durant. So we asked Brian Windhorst to take us behind the scenes, in Brooklyn and Phoenix, as the dominos very quickly started falling… And how that power dynamic also helps explain why Russell Westbrook is staying in Los Angeles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bill Russell’s life touched so many different areas that trying to figure out how to properly honor his legend is a task in itself. His name adorns the Finals MVP Award, he was the first Black head coach in NBA history, the 11 titles he won with the Boston Celtics are still the standard by which champions are measured. And his impact was just as large off the court where the civil rights activist fought for racial justice at every step of his life. Martenzie Johnson takes us inside the foundational chapter of Russell’s life, where he transformed a small program that didn’t even have a gym to practice in, into back-to-back national champions…and changed the entire sport of basketball along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An NBA halftime lasts just 15 minutes. It’s a time for players to leave the court, fans to run to the bathroom or grab another beer, or, a break, for all intents and purposes. But for Rong Niu - it’s her time to shine. Rong, better known to audiences as the Red Panda, has been astounding NBA halftime audiences around the country for thirty years, with her 7-and-a-half-foot-tall unicycle, a stack of white bowls, and not much else. With the NBA All-Star this past weekend, we celebrate a star who has been at the top of her game for decades…and who we believe belongs in the Hall of Fame one day. Rong Niu, the Red Panda herself, joins the show today to tell us her story - and how she became an NBA legend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who is Chiefsaholic? Imagine a Chiefs superfan wearing a werewolf costume with a Chiefs cap, a KC shirt, and a red fanny pack. That’s Chiefsaholic, and in recent years he’s been a staple at Chiefs’ games both home and away, while at the same time becoming a fixture on social media for seemingly sparing no expense when it comes to proving his Chiefs devotion. But now everything Chiefs fans thought they knew about Chiefsaholic has been turned upside down, after he was arrested for robbing a bank in Tulsa, Oklahoma this December. The shocking revelation has led many to wonder, was Chiefsaholic funding his Chiefs’ fandom by robbing banks? With so many elements to this story, Liz Merrill is here to unravel this mystery which must be heard to be believed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the surface, there is an unprecedented level of excitement surrounding the WNBA. TV viewership numbers have been trending upwards, and the league has entered the superteam era thanks to some splashy free agency signings like Breanna Stewart to the New York Liberty and Candace Parker to the Las Vegas Aces. But beneath all the hype, there are still some major issues that haven’t been addressed…such as the fact that the world’s best women’s basketball players still fly commercial, unlike the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB, who all charter private flights. And as we found out, the real issue goes much deeper. So Ramona Shelburne helps us examine the changing landscape of the WNBA, and maps out what could be the next steps in the evolution of the sport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For years, Super Bowl winners have used a four-word phrase to commemorate their iconic victory: “I’m going to Disney World!” (or alternately, “I’m going to Disneyland!”) In all its simplicity, this phrase has stretched across many generations of winners….all the way up to this past Sunday night, and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes. Sam Borden tracked down the origin of this famous sentence for SC Featured, and he explains how this “magic” phrase became an institution unto itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices