WHY LAURA WOODS FELT FORCED TO SPEAK OUT ON BOXING GENDER ROW
TNT Sports presenter Laura Woods risked career "cancellation" to speak out on the Imane Khelif boxing row, saying she felt a deep "injustice" over the debate.
Laura Woods recently opened up about her worries about potential backlash after sharing her views on the gender debate that surrounded the 2024 Olympic Games. The heart of the issue was Algerian boxer Imane Khelif's participation and her gold medal in the women's welterweight division at the Paris Olympics.
A year prior, Khelif and China's Lin Yu-ting were barred from the World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA). This organization, backed by Russia and not well-regarded, claimed blood tests proved Khelif wasn't eligible to compete against women.
The IBA didn't give any real proof to back up their claims. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) didn't think the tests were believable. They let both athletes compete in the Games.
Woods, a TNT Sports presenter, publicly supported a Telegraph article that said the IOC's choice to let Khelif (who had been incorrectly called transgender) and Lin compete put female athletes at risk.
Woods told the newspaper that she feared speaking out could have gotten her canceled. Woods, 38, said she felt like there was a big injustice happening.
She was angry that anyone who wanted to talk about it was made to feel like they were wrong.
She added that it still bothers her because Khelif got a lot of sympathy, but the women around her didn't.
She was shocked that even questioning it could have led to being canceled. After beating Yang Liu in last year's final, Khelif plans to compete at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
This is in response to President Donald Trump's plan to ban biological men from women's sports and his false statement that Khelif was born male. The boxer addressed these claims earlier this year.
Khelif told ITV Sport that she is not transgender. This does not concern her, and it does not intimidate her.
She said the scrutiny she faced last year really hurt her mental and emotional well-being. She felt discouraged, but she knew what was going on.
During the Paris Olympics, she had a team of doctors who supported her. Without them, she might have become depressed.
After Khelif's second-round win over Italy's Angela Carini, she received lots of backlash. She beat Carini in just 46 seconds, and Carini reportedly said, "It's not fair," after Khelif punched her.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES TRADE JAREN JACKSON JR. TO UTAH JAZZ IN 8-PLAYER BLOCKBUSTER
The Memphis Grizzlies have traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz, creating a record $28.8 million trade exception for 2026.
The Memphis Grizzlies turned heads on Tuesday, pulling off a blockbuster trade that sent two-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr to the Utah Jazz. Along with Jackson, the Grizzlies shipped out Vince Williams Jr, John Konchar, and Jock Landale. Coming back their way: Walter Clayton Jr, Kyle Anderson, Georges Niang, and, maybe the most important part, three future first-round picks.
And honestly, it feels like Memphis isn’t done stirring the pot. Inside the organisation, they see Zach Edey and Cedric Coward as the future. Both went late in the lottery in the past two drafts, and the Grizzlies landed some value in the second round this year, too, grabbing Jaylen Wells and Cam Spencer.
All this movement means Ja Morant’s future in Memphis suddenly looks shaky. He’s been the face of the franchise since they took him No. 2 overall back in 2019. When he’s healthy, he’s electric—no question. But injuries and off-court drama have slowed him down, and now, with the trade deadline closing in, the Grizzlies are openly shopping him. Teams around the league are watching.
There’s another wrinkle here: by dealing Jackson, Memphis created a massive trade exception—$28.8 million, the biggest in NBA history, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Shams Charania. It’s a huge chess piece. With that exception, the Grizzlies can absorb big, ugly contracts from other teams in exchange for more draft picks. Think of what the Thunder did a few years back—stockpiling picks by taking on bad deals until they rebuilt into a contender.
Now, you’ve probably heard Giannis Antetokounmpo’s name floating around in trade rumours. He hasn’t officially asked out of Milwaukee, but everyone in the league expects something to happen soon. Teams like the Timberwolves and Knicks are circling. The Grizzlies? They’re not likely to chase Giannis directly. But with that trade exception, they could play a big role as a third team—taking on salary dumps or unwanted contracts, collecting more picks, and helping another franchise pull off the Giannis blockbuster. Memphis just put itself squarely in the middle of the NBA’s hottest rumour.
KLINT KUBIAK SNUBS NFL RIVALS TO LEAD RAIDERS’ NEW ERA UNDER TOM BRADY
The Las Vegas Raiders are zeroing in on Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak as their next head coach, with Tom Brady leading the search.
The Las Vegas Raiders are in the middle of a huge shakeup right now. Klint Kubiak, the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, is set to become their new head coach—and honestly, he’s nothing like Pete Carroll.
Kubiak’s still in his 30s, calling plays on offence, while Carroll just wrapped up last season as the NFL’s oldest head coach. The Raiders had their eyes on Ben Johnson previous year, but when he decided to take the Bears job, they turned to Carroll instead.
This time, Las Vegas seemed to have that same level of interest in Kubiak, but they had to wait things out because Seattle was still in the playoffs. Tom Brady, who’s a minority owner with the Raiders, clearly played a big part in picking the new coach.
Since nothing’s official until after the Super Bowl, Brady can’t come right out and talk about Kubiak joining the team. Still, he didn’t hold back when it came to sharing what he liked about the guy.
“Klint’s played to his team’s strengths. Last week, he did a ton of good things against a really strong Rams defence,” Brady said on the “Let’s Go!” podcast. “That’s what it took for them to win. The Rams are a tough team. That game in Seattle could’ve gone either way... Seattle really had to play a complete game in all three phases to pull it out, and they’ll need to do the same this weekend in Santa Clara.”
Brady also talked about Fernando Mendoza.
Another big reason the Raiders’ coaching job is so appealing? They’ve got the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Everyone expects them to grab Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Brady doesn’t have to be secretive about it—nobody’s jumping ahead of them in the draft. He was pretty open about how much he likes Mendoza.
“What do I value most? When I see him, he’s always talking up his teammates. He wins the Heisman, and he’s giving credit to everyone else,” Brady said. “That’s the kind of attitude you want in a leader.”
Kubiak focused on the Super Bowl, not the job switch.
Kubiak’s career is about to take off, but right now, he’s locked in on trying to win his first Super Bowl. So, he isn’t ready to talk about the Raiders just yet.
“I’m coaching the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, and that’s all I’m thinking about,” Kubiak told reporters on Monday. “I’m just excited for this week and this game.”
Not everyone in Seattle is thrilled to see Kubiak go. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold had nothing but praise after working with him this year.
“He was unbelievable,” Darnold said Monday. “The stuff I picked up from Klint—just with schemes, and then learning from him as a coach and a person—the grit. He’s up before the sun, gets to the facility at 4 or 4:30, and leaves later than anyone. The guy just grinds. He loves football, and he’s always straight with his players. I know I really appreciated that, and so did the rest of the guys.”