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Ally Schlegel is departing Chicago Stars FC after three seasons, which comes as no surprise after the club declined her 2026 contract option. Regardless, this move makes no sense. at @OnTapSportsNet #NWSL #WithTheStars ontapsportsnet.com/chicago-star...

Is this club learning anything at all?

If I were Chicago FO/PR I probably would’ve announced my EOY roster decisions before dropping the Schlegel video and Pinto news but what do I know…

also it's patently disrespectful of the organization to give Ally Schlegel a goodbye video from the club and not doing the same for at least Ava Cook, Cari Roccaro and Alyssa Naeher

the first three paragraphs of the announcement has zero info that should be included in an end-of-year roster release. the paragraph about signing Brianna Pinto is not typical for this type of press release. again, please be normal Chicago. We just want professionalism #WithTheStars #NWSL

Very cool radioactive fungus news From @chelleraiser.bsky.social www.sciencealert.com/chernobyl-fu...

This is true of basically every trad wife you’ve heard of. They are not trad wives. They reap the benefits that feminism has won for them and then they grift off pretending to be trad. Women who actually follow their supposed ideals suffer in silence

The other thing about the OU student who wrote the bad essay on God-given gender roles is that she herself is rejecting those religious ideals about femininity by going to college, playing a sport, and having a mother who is a media personality and lawyer for Jan 6ers. Trad for thee but not for me

When the Red Stars under Arnim Whisler's inept tutelage did a better job, it might be time to start reconsidering some things. Namely, just how committed new ownership actually is.

Well shit. Yet another player Nahas and Thackeray messed up with. Hopefully she'll get the playing time she deserves up there.

Maybe now someone will circle back to the Courage's bs with Sean Nahas? This move says a lot more about NC than Chicago.

While I’m here complaining, there should never be an exclamation point in corporate announcements. Just edit what was sent, everyone would be happy

The bare minimum would be sending the announcement to media via email at the same time you make social posts, but Chicago clearly needs the social engagement for their own channels

Not that anyone really cares but I was told in January that the club would start sending stuff like this on embargo so media wouldn’t be thrown off. That hasn’t happened other than Taylor Malham’s extension, which they delayed the announcement for at least twice

News: Chicago Stars FC have signed midfielder Brianna Pinto to a deal through the 2027 #NWSL. Why the club is announcing new signings before it releases its 2025 roster decisions is beyond me, but that's typical at this point #WithTheStars

Story on Chicago Stars FC signing Brianna Pinto before announcing their 2025 end-of-season roster decisions. at @ontapsportsnet.bsky.social #WithTheStars #NWSL ontapsportsnet.com/chicago-star...

"As a whistleblower, you may face an abusive defamation lawsuit from a powerful, self-styled “icon” of the sport..." Three guesses who that line is about.

As always, a thoughtful reflection from Andrew Eastmond in The Trib. He isn't loud about his efforts, so it may come as a surprise to some that the woso world makes an appearance.

around this time people were asking insane rhetorical questions like “oh so he should just never coach again? his career should be ruined?” and… yes! absolutely! very obviously yes! how is that in any way confusing

Genuine question: has any GOP member of house or senate spoken out about the Dept of defense and Hegseth threatening sen Mark Kelly with lawfare? Beyond disturbing Especially any veterans? Shame on all those who stay silent

I do appreciate that they've completely dropped the pretense.

According ESPN, Briles received a $15m settlement when he left Baylor, not to mention the $3m he was making annually. Why is anyone paying him to coach anywhere?

I'm so tired of talking about all of this! About this man! About that school!

Must his second chance be in the exact arena where he failed so many students before? Why? Truly, if you think yes, why? It's worth really sitting with our assumptions about this language and who it protects (both people and institutions).

Has he facilitated making sure that the many women harmed by players he gave second chances to get the longterm help they need? Has he taken any responsibility for his role in the harm that was done? Has he spoken out about how football culture needs to change to mitigate such harm?

Of course, the school that has hired him is using the language of "second chances". He's had them. Briles has coached overseas and at a high school in Texas since he left Baylor. Beyond that, though, what even do we mean by demanding that people deserve second chances?

If you are interested in whether Briles has taken responsibility for the failures under his tenure at Baylor, consider that two years ago, during the only time he's been under oath, he lied about basic things like whether he wrote his own memoir: www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...

Art Briles has been hired as the head football coach at a D2 school and so is back in the news. If you want to understand why this hire is upsetting for many, here's the long piece @dansolomon.com and I wrote back in 2019 about How Baylor Happened: web.archive.org/web/20190208...

After 48 days, 3 pieces from the Houston Chronicle editorial board, requests for comment from others — like TBW — legal work by multiple attorneys and the advocacy organization FIEL, city council meetings, press conferences, and intercessions from Rep. Al Green, Garcia’s son was finally released.

“We need to be there every night. Because while the world scrolls and moves on, there’s still a baby waking up in a place that isn’t his home,” Cathi Rae, a member of Autism Moms of Houston, said. “A baby who can’t make sense of where his mom went or why she hasn’t come to get him.”

State prison guards say they are doing so because their jobs have become more dangerous. A @nytimes.com analysis points to a different reality. Here is what their analysis showed:

The rate at which staff members have used force against inmates has been climbing steadily for the past decade. But interviews with watchdog officials, prisoners’ advocates and prisoners suggest that instances of the most egregious abuse have increased significantly in just the past three years.

The Times identified 120+ instances in which guards were described as having punched, kicked or stomped on inmates, smashed their fingers in cell doors, held their legs apart and struck their genitals with batons, and even waterboarded them — all while they were handcuffed or otherwise restrained.

A @nytimes.com investigation has found that state prison guards have been credibly accused of engaging in such behavior — putting inmates in restraints and then assaulting them — far more often than was previously known.

It’s neither the lawful answer nor is it the oath they took.

Houston police said that because Emmanuel told officers his name was “Manuel,” they didn’t connect him to the missing person’s case — despite the similarity in his description and location. His mom was allowed to visit three times. Once after emergency surgery.

Emmanuel, a 15-year-old with intellectual disabilities, wandered away from his mom’s fruit stand in October. She reported him missing to Houston police. But instead of reuniting them, the city turned him over to ICE. “They’re failing all of us,” his mom said. thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/24/d...

On Media Day, I spoke to former Pitt Panthers Sarah Schupansky and Deborah Abiodun, whose teams face each other in the NWSL final tomorrow. The rookies talked about how proud they are of each other, and how grateful they are for their time in Pittsburgh:

And finally, Sofia Cook recommends an artist whose music she's been enjoying:

I talked to Jaelin Howell about her role as a player representative for the NWSL Players' Association, and what it's like to work with teammate Tierna Davidson in that capacity:

I asked Jaedyn Shaw if she ever experiences imposter syndrome, and how she handles it if/when she does:

I also asked Katie Stengel if she thinks players have the power to move the needle on issues they experience in the league:

Next up, Gotham! First, I talked to Jess Carter and Katie Stengel (separately) about if and how players compare leagues amongst themselves:

And finally, I went long with Sandy MacIver about hashbrowns, eggs Benedict, and what it’s like to cook as a professional athlete who lives alone:

I asked Sofia Cantore and Esme Morgan (separately) about playing each other in the semifinal at the Euros this summer:

I asked Kaylie Collins about being one of Washington’s player reps at the NWSL Players’ Association:

I asked Gabby Carle about the Northern Super League:

I talked to Narumi Miura about why she wanted to translate her 2022 blog post about menstrual health for athletes from Japanese to English, which you can read here: note.com/narumi08/n/n...

I asked Esme Morgan about how players talk about differences between top leagues: