Red Raiders beat Portland in first game of East Robertson Classic

Chiefs celebrate back-to-back Super Bowls at White House

Members of the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs reunited on Friday at the White House to celebrate their Lombardi Trophy win with President Joe Biden on the South Lawn. "Welcome back," Biden said to applause. Biden teased tight end Travis Kelce, who found his way to the microphone at last year's celebration in Washington, that he would "have Travis come up here, but God only knows what he'd say. Travis ... come up here." Kelce, in a tan suit standing in the first of three rows of teammates and coaches, made the shuffle step from a few feet away and took the microphone. "My fellow Americans," Kelce said to laughter. "It's nice to see you all yet again. I'm not going to lie, President Biden. They told me if I came up here I'm going to get tased. So I'm going to go back to my spot, alright?" Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, who was traded to the Tennessee Titans, and wide receiver Rashee Rice, who began the offseason training away from the team after being involved in a high-speed accident in Texas that left multiple others injured, were with the 2023 team on Friday at the White House. So was kicker Harrison Butker. Butker's commencement speech at Benedictine College in May drew attention when he criticized Biden as "delusional" based on what he considers "hypocritical" views on abortion. Biden was gifted a Chiefs helmet, the traditional red headwear with the arrowhead K.C. logo on the side, and was urged to put it on -- which he did after resisting initially. --Field Level Media

Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson is getting off the wrestling mat and trying his hand on the gridiron. Steveson's agent, Carter Chow of Red Envelope Sports, told ESPN on Friday that his client will sign a standard three-year rookie contract with the Buffalo Bills. The team officially announced the signing later Friday. The 5-foot-11, 266-pound Steveson worked out for the Bills on May 15. He is expected to play on the defensive line. "I have been fortunate to compete at the highest level of competition in my sport but am looking forward to the challenge of seeing how my wrestling skills may translate to football," Steveson said, per ESPN. "I am grateful to Coach (Sean) McDermott, (general manager) Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills organization for giving me this opportunity." Steveson, 24, captured gold in the super heavyweight division of freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Tokyo Games. He also won two national championships at Minnesota (2021, 2022) and three Big Ten championships (2020, 2021, 2022). He is a two-time recipient of the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is awarded to the best college wrestler in the United States. Steveson was released by WWE earlier this month. Also on Friday, the Bills released left-footed punter Matt Haack. Haack, 29, played in one game with the Cleveland Browns last season before joining the Bills' practice squad as insurance for the injured Sam Martin ahead of the team's divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Haack averaged 44.5 yards per punt in 99 career games with the Miami Dolphins (2017-20), Bills (2021), Indianapolis Colts (2022) and Browns (2023). --Field Level Media

Olympic wrestler Gable Steveson signs with Bills

Denver Broncos rookie running back Audric Estime sustained a knee injury and is not expected to return until training camp, coach Sean Payton said Thursday. Estime, a fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame, had left practice a week ago because of the injury. He had a "small scope procedure" to make sure there wasn't serious damage, Payton said. "He'll be available at the start of training camp," Payton said after the conclusion of the Broncos' second week of OTA sessions. "So we won't see him through the rest of these OTAs, but on the conservative side, he's going to be just fine. It was all good news. And he'll stay and rehab, but he'll be full go at the start of training camp." Estime, listed by the Broncos as 5-foot-11 and 227 pounds, played three seasons at Notre Dame and had 373 carries for 2,321 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and 29 touchdowns in 37 games. Last season, he rushed 210 times for 1,341 yards and 18 touchdowns, and also caught 17 passes for 142 yards in 12 games. --Field Level Media

The Chicago Bears, with the top overall draft pick in Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams, will be the subject of the long-running "Hard Knocks" documentary series for the first time, HBO, NFL Films and the team announced Thursday. The franchise had not been interested in being the subject of "Hard Knocks," which since 2001 has chronicled NFL teams at training camp with behind-the-scenes access. "We're told there is some interest in other teams being on the program and we welcome that interest," Bears chairman George McCaskey said at the NFL team owners meetings in March. The organization does not appear to have changed its tune since then, judging by coach Matt Eberflus' brief statement in a press release. "Our players, coaches and staff are excited to continue the process of building for the 2024 season," Eberflus said. The five-episode series will premiere Aug. 6 on HBO and will stream on Max. New episodes run each Tuesday through Sept. 3. "We are honored to feature such an iconic NFL franchise on ‘Hard Knocks,'" Shannon Furman, NFL Films senior director and supervising producer, said in a statement. "The Chicago Bears have a talented roster, coaching staff and front office all determined to match the expectations of a hungry fanbase. We are thankful to the entire organization for opening their doors to us for what is sure to be an exciting training camp this summer." "‘Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears" will provide our passionate fans across the world the ability to experience this unique and critical time in the history of our franchise," team president & CEO Kevin Warren said in a statement. The Bears improved after an 0-4 start last season in finishing 7-10. Quarterback Justin Fields was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, opening a clear path for former Southern California star Williams to be the new starter. Chicago also drafted wide receiver Rome Odunze of Washington to join veterans DJ Moore and Keenan Allen -- the latter a notable new edition along with running back D'Andre Swift as the Bears bolstered the offensive side of the ball to complement a solid defense. The Bears play four preseason games, including the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against the Houston Texans on Aug. 1. Chicago also has the Bills, Bengals and Chiefs on its exhibition schedule. The series has expanded to three versions this season. The training camp coverage will follow a five-week run of a new spinoff endeavor, "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants," which was announced earlier this month. The in-season version will follow all four teams in a division for the first time. The specific division has yet to be chosen. --Field Level Media

Report: G Jaxson Robinson following Mark Pope to Kentucky

Transfer guard Jaxson Robinson, who played for Mark Pope at BYU, is following his coach to Kentucky and withdrawing from the NBA draft pool. Robinson, a four-star high school prospect from Oklahoma, began his college career in the Southeastern Conference at Texas A&M before moving on to Arkansas and then to BYU the last two seasons. He will play his final collegiate season in the SEC with the Wildcats. Last season, the 6-foot-7 guard was the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and received All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors after averaging a career-high 14.2 points along with 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 33 games (six starts) for the Cougars. Robinson scored 20 or more points in five games last season, including 25 in BYU's first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Duquesne. In four college seasons, Robinson has averaged 8.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 96 games (44 starts). Robinson is the ninth transfer and sixth player with four years of college basketball experience to join Kentucky after Pope arrived to an empty roster. --Field Level Media

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton participated in voluntary organized team activities this week after his contract was adjusted. Slayton had been away from the team while seeking a revised deal or a new one with the team. Per ESPN, Slayton has an opportunity to earn an additional $650,000 in incentives in addition to the $1.5 million already included in his contract. It was not known what he needed to accomplish in order to collect on the new incentives. "I'm satisfied. We got done what we needed to get done and just looking forward to playing ball," said Slayton, who will compete in the final season of his two-year, $12 million deal. "We just adjusted my contract this year a little bit. Just tried to make it a little bit more lucrative. Business is business and I'm here." Giants coach Brian Daboll was all business as well on Thursday. "It's good for him to be back," Daboll said when asked about Slayton. "Again, it's voluntary, so glad he decided to come." Slayton, 27, recorded 50 catches for 770 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games (13 starts) last season. He has 220 catches for 3,324 yards and 19 scores in 76 career games (53 starts) since being selected by the Giants in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Auburn. --Field Level Media

Penn State Health is weighing its options after being slapped with a $5.25 million verdict in the case of a doctor who was fired amid a clash with football coach James Franklin. On Wednesday, a jury in Dauphin County, Pa., ruled in favor of Dr. Scott Lynch, who sued Penn State Health after being fired in 2019 as medical director for Penn State athletics and as an orthopedic consultant to the team. "We are extremely disappointed to learn of the jury's decision, as we continue to believe that the claims in the complaint have no merit," Penn State Health said in a statement issued Thursday morning. "Penn State Health will soon determine whether it will appeal the decision. Penn State Health and the University remain dedicated to the health and well-being of our student-athletes." The jury awarded Lynch $250,000 in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Also named in the lawsuit was Lynch's supervisor, Dr. Kevin Black. During the trial, Lynch said he was terminated from both jobs after repeated disagreements with Franklin about the status of injured players. PennLive reported Lynch contended he was fired because he would not "allow a coach to interfere with his medical treatment and return to play decisions," referring to Franklin. Penn State Athletics and Franklin initially were named in the lawsuit but were dropped on a technicality. The jury came to its verdict after a seven-day trial. Franklin, hired in 2014, did not testify. --Field Level Media