"GIVE ME THE FINE": WHY JAYLEN BROWN RISKED $35,000 TO DEFEND THE CELTICS
Jaylen Brown is $35,000 lighter. Discover the full details of the Celtics star's fiery rant against NBA refs after the Spurs' loss.
Just a few days after telling reporters he’d take the hit for calling out NBA refs, Celtics star Jaylen Brown got slapped with a $35,000 fine.
James Jones, who runs basketball ops for the NBA, handed down the penalty on Monday, blaming Brown’s “public criticism of the officiating.”
Brown’s making $53 million this season, so let’s be real, he’s not losing sleep over the fine. Still, fans had his back. They jumped in online, saying stuff like, “It’s pocket change for him, but it still sucks.” Plenty of people chimed in with, “They always penalise honesty.”
After Saturday’s loss to the Spurs, Brown didn’t hold back. Boston only got four free throws in a 100-95 loss, while the Spurs went 14-for-20 from the line. Brown told reporters, “I’ll accept the fine at this point,” and then let loose. “I thought it was some bull *** tonight. They’re a good defensive team, but they aren’t that damn good. I hope somebody pulls up the clips because it’s the same s*** every time we play a good team. They refuse to make a call, then call touch fouls on the other end. It’s just extremely frustrating, bro. Every time we play a good team, the inconsistency is crazy. I’ll take the fucking fine.”
He even called out one of the refs by name. “Curtis and all those dudes were terrible tonight. I don’t care. They can fine me whatever they want.”
The NBA loves to fine players for profanity, especially in interviews. Just recently, Jalen Green from the Suns got hit with a $25,000 fine for cursing during a teammate’s postgame interview.
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla also got heated with the refs that night, and you could see the frustration all over the court. At the end of the day, though, $35,000 is a drop in the bucket for Brown, who’s already earned over $200 million in his career. One Knicks fan joked, “The fine is a teacher’s salary. This world isn’t real.”
Celtics fans mostly sided with Brown. “He’s not wrong!” was a common refrain. But some people pointed out that Boston’s love affair with the three-point line could be a reason for the lack of free-throw attempts. Both teams shot 44 threes in that game. Someone else wrote, “When you shoot 60 threes a game, you tend to get fewer free throws than the other team.”
Boston actually averages 42.8 threes per game—second only to the Warriors. So, maybe there’s something to that. Either way, Brown said his piece, took the fine, and moved on.
RAIDERS PLACE RECEIVER JUSTIN SHORTER ON IR; SIGN HOOSIERS STAR BRADY
With Justin Shorter on IR, discover how new signing Jonathan Brady fits into the Raiders' wide receiver youth movement for 2026.
The Raiders aren’t sitting still; rookie minicamp just started, and they're already shuffling the roster. Right now, some veteran players are basically on borrowed time as the team leans hard into getting younger.
Take Justin Shorter. He’s been in Vegas since 2024 but hasn’t caught a pass in an actual NFL game. Well, his spot just got even more shaky. The Raiders put him on the Reserve/Injured list, which, let’s be real, is never a good sign this early in the offseason. Usually, that sort of move means a buyout could be next so he can test free agency.
There’s a steady influx of young receivers competing for spots, so it’s tough to see Shorter making his way back, even if he heals up. To fill his spot, the team signed Jonathan Brady, a receiver out of Indiana.
Nobody’s really sure what kind of injury Shorter has. If it’s serious, maybe he sticks around and rehabs with the team. If not, we might see him try his luck somewhere else.
As for the Raiders’ wide receiver group, the youth movement is real. Wide receiver was a big need heading into the offseason, but they didn’t do much outside of signing Jalen Nailor and drafting Malik Benson in the sixth round.
Vincent Bonsignore from the California Post pointed out that the Raiders might still look to add more receivers if the current group doesn’t step up. He basically said that the early rounds of the draft went to bigger needs, and now guys like Bech and Thornton Jr. have a chance to prove the team doesn’t have to keep looking elsewhere. But don’t expect the Raiders to hesitate if things look shaky.
Now, about that passing game, it was rough last season. The Raiders finished in the bottom five. But with Klint Kubiak calling plays and Fernando Mendoza hopefully taking over for Geno Smith, things honestly should get better. If Kirk Cousins ends up starting, he’s probably an upgrade, too. And bringing in Tyler Linderbaum at centre will only help.
Chances are, the Raiders will use an early pick on a receiver in next year’s draft. Even though they have a rookie quarterback waiting in the wings, they didn’t spend big at receiver this offseason. Maybe that’s because they don’t expect him to start right away. Who knows. For now, the wide receiver group looks decent enough to get by.
NFL EXECUTIVE NAMES COLE PAYTON HIS "NO. 2 QUARTERBACK" IN THE 2026 CLASS
From 94.6 PFF grades to 4.56 speed, Cole Payton is the Eagles' latest QB project. Analysing his path to the NFL depth chart.
Cole Payton, who played quarterback at North Dakota State, might end up making a bigger splash as a fifth-round pick than people expect.
He’s not just another late-round flyer, either. An NFL executive recently told insider J.L. Canfora that Payton has real upside. The Eagles have done something similar before, so this isn't coming out of nowhere.
Remember Carson Wentz? Philly grabbed him with the second overall pick back in 2016, but Jalen Hurts ended up taking over. Now, some people around the league think history might repeat itself with Payton possibly replacing Hurts down the road.
The executive went all in on Payton: “You know, I believe in that kid. That was my No. 2 quarterback in the draft. And Howie [Roseman] takes him? Come on. He sees it too. Cole Payton, if you bring him along the right way, can start in this league.”
Roseman, the guy in Philly’s front office, was a big part of the Wentz pick. He’s seen his fair share of quarterback changes over the years, and honestly, that might matter this time, too.
The executive didn’t hold back: “All the stuff you hear about Hurts, all the drama and where he is in his contract." You can call me crazy, but I think this kid could take over from him in a few years. They did this with [Kevin] Kolb, even when [Donovan] McNabb was still there. I know how Howie thinks. This kid has a chance.”
Payton had to wait for his turn at NDSU.
Payton rolled into North Dakota State in 2021, known as a strong recruit for an FCS quarterback, straight out of Omaha.
He was supposed to be the next big thing, just like the string of successful Bison quarterbacks before him. But things didn’t break that way at first. Cam Miller, the QB ahead of him, kept stacking up wins and making a name for himself in Fargo.
Miller even beat out Quincy Patterson II, a gifted dual-threat quarterback who transferred in from Virginia Tech. After Patterson got banged up in 2021, Miller took over, steered the team to a national championship, and then hung on to the starting job through 2024.
Patterson left for Temple, so Payton slid into the Bison’s running packages in a spot that Patterson had filled before. And Payton did more than just fill that role. In 2022, he ran for 284 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries. By the next year, he really took off: 615 yards and 13 touchdowns on 84 carries.
Setback, then a breakout
Payton started 2024 looking like the same kind of threat on the ground, but a shoulder injury cut his season short. He only managed 164 rushing yards and a score on 21 carries before he went down.
Finally, in 2025, his shot as the full-time starter arrived after Miller left for the NFL draft, drafted by the Raiders in the sixth round. Payton made the most of it. He led NDSU to an unbeaten 12-0 regular season, completing 70% of his passes for 2,719 yards, with 16 touchdowns and just four picks. And he still ran wild, with 777 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 136 carries.
Now, he’s got a fresh chance in Philadelphia. If you ask people around the league, he’s not just there to hold a clipboard. They're watching to see what happens next.
_1777814568.webp)
