VIOLET MAG

Indiana's Curt Cignetti cashes in on title run with 8-year extension worth $13.2 million per year

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is cashing in onhis first national championship run— even more than initially expected.

Athletic department officials announced Monday thatthe two-time national coach of the yearhas signed a memorandum of understanding on an eight-year contract extension, paying him an annual average of $13.2 million —or an increase of about $1.6 million per yearfrom what school officials said Cignetti would earn when he first agreed to the extension in October.

School officials released the document Cignetti signed Feb. 4.

He joins Georgia coach Kirby Smart and LSU coach Lane Kiffin as the only active Football Bowl Subdivision coaches to receive paychecks of $13 million or more. The payouts could be even higher if Cignetti earns bonuses for winning Big Ten or national coach of the year honors in addition to playoff appearances and conference titles. The 64-year-old Cignetti already has said he hopes to retire at Indiana.

The new deal calls for a base salary of $500,000 per year through the 2033 season and a $1 million retention bonus on Nov. 30 of each year, starting this fall. The remaining portion of the $105.6 million will be collected from outside, promotional and marketing income.

Cignetti initially agreed to an eight-year extension worth $92.8 million — an annual average of $11.6 million — but university officials agreed to modify the deal as the Hoosiers remained undefeated and pursued the first football national championship in school history.

It's the third time Cignetti has received a raise since he took over the losingest program in FBS history in November 2024. All he's done since arriving is produce the two best seasons in school history while becoming one of college football's fan favorites for his quick quips and unique facial expressions. Players have embraced him, too, telling many of their favorite Cignetti tales.

Just ask tight end Riley Nowakowski, who recounted his favorite Cignetti story during the recent NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

"I think (Alberto Mendoza) was in the game, and he pulled like four runs in a row," Nowakowski said, referring to last season's victory over Illinois. "He kept pulling it, kept pulling it, kept pulling it, and then after the fourth time, it was a terrible read. So in the middle of the game, (Cignetti) tells our coach, 'Get (Alberto) over here.' Bert's like, 'What, it's the middle of a game, what are you doing?' And (Cignetti) goes, 'We're not paying you to run the ball, hand the ball off, right? We're up like 70 points, but he's pissed off, yelling at Bert, and (Cignetti) just turned back at me and gave me one of his little smiles, and he was just like, 'You like that now?'"

Cignetti wasted no time delivering on his promise to win after leading James Madison to the most successful transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the FBS.

The son of Hall of Fame coach Frank Cignetti and a former Alabama assistant led Indiana to a school record 11 wins and its first College Football Playoff appearance in his first season with the Hoosiers.

Last season, he outdid that mark by producing the first 16-0 mark in major college football since the 1890s. The Hoosiers also won their first outright Big Ten crown since 1945, beat Miami on its home field to claim the national title and shed the label of having the most all-time losses in FBS history.

Mendoza's older brother, Fernando, also became the first Indiana player to win the Heisman Trophy and is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in April's NFL draft.

The reward: A record nine players, including Mendoza and Nowakowski, attended the recent combine in Indianapolis while Cignetti got another pay raise and school officials continued to invest heavily in keeping the coach's staff together.

Offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines each agreed to three-year contract extensions worth about $3 million per year in December, making them two of the highest-paid assistants in the FBS. Haines won this year's Broyles Award, which goes to the nation's top assistant coach.

Indiana will begin next season with the longest winning streak (16) and longest home winning streak (15) in the FBS. Cignetti has never lost a home game with the Hoosiers, who open defense of their league and national titles at home against North Texas on Sept. 5.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign uphere. AP college football:https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-pollandhttps://apnews.com/hub/college-football

bySator Tenet

in

March 02, 2026

Indiana's Curt Cignetti cashes in on title run with 8-year extension worth $13.2 million per year

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is cashing in onhis first national championship run— even more than initially expected. ...

Ryan Murphy takes flak from John F. Kennedy Jr.'s nephew Jack Schlossberg for

Jack Schlossberg is continuing his verbal assault on producerRyan Murphy'sLove Story.

Ryan Murphy and Jack Schlossberg both pictured in 2025Credit: Santiago Felipe/Getty; JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty

FX's limited series documents the romance between Schlossberg's late uncle, John F. Kennedy Jr., and Carolyn Bessette before the couple died in a plane crash on July 16, 1999.

"Well, if you want to know someone who's never met anyone in my family, knows nothing about us, talk to Ryan Murphy," Schlossberg quickly responded when asked about it during an interview withCBS Sunday Morning's Mo Rocca this week. "I would just want people who do watch the show to watch it with one letter in mind, and that's a capital F for fiction. The guy knows nothing about what he's talking about, and he's making a ton of money on a grotesque display of someone else's life."

John F. Kennedy Jr. and wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in May 1999Credit: Justin Ide/Newsmakers via Getty

"I would hope that Mr. Murphy would donate some of the millions of dollars of profits that he's making to some of the causes that John championed throughout his life," Schlossberg continued. "Maybe he would donate some of that money to the JFK library to help keep President Kennedy's memory alive, but he's not. He's making money. This is not a documentary. And I'll leave it at that."

Back in June, Schlossberg, the son of JFK Jr.'s sister Caroline Kennedy, slammed the series, which debuted Feb. 12. At the time, he said the Kennedy family had not been consulted on the project, and he considered the series a way of profiting off his late uncle "in a grotesque way."

Rocca asked if there was something about this particular show that bothered Schlossberg, since the Kennedys have been depicted countless times on TV, in movies, and in books.

"I think in the last year, two years, three years," Schlossberg answered, "partly because of [Health Secretary] RFK Jr., but also partly because Donald Trump has used JFK as sort of a human punching bag, both by renaming the Kennedy Center after himself, by doing a false reinvestigation into the assassination, and dismantling all the programs that he fought for."

Schlossberg, who's running for Congress in New York's 12th district, said the timing of the series bothers him.

"There's a lot of misinformation now and iconography being used about the Kennedy family, my family, at a time when we really can't afford to confuse people," Schlossberg said. "We really need to take every breath that we have to try to make things better. So, if Ryan Murphy really cares so much about the Kennedy family, my uncle John, maybe he would try to do something about getting Trump out of power."

Entertainment Weeklyhas reached out to reps for Murphy and the show.

Murphy has previously saidLove Storyis "very sympathetic" to the family.

Watch the full interview above.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

bySator Tenet

in

March 02, 2026

Ryan Murphy takes flak from John F. Kennedy Jr.'s nephew Jack Schlossberg for “Love Story” series: 'Grotesque display'

Jack Schlossberg is continuing his verbal assault on producerRyan Murphy'sLove Story. FX's limited s...

Former Raptor Jontay Porter, who was banned from NBA for gambling, to play in independent league

SEATTLE (AP) — Former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter,who was banned for life from the NBA in 2024after a league probe found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and wagered on games, even betting on the Raptors to lose, is planning to play professional basketball again.

Porter has signed with the Seattle Superhawks, a member of the independent United States Basketball League. The USBL was originally formed in 1985, ceased operations in 2008 and announced its return in November.

Porter, who was denied a request to be allowed to resume his basketball career in Greece in 2024 while awaiting sentencing for his role in thebetting scandalthat got him banned from the league, will have the chance to play again when the Superhawks begin their season at home on Saturday. In a statement shared with The Associated Press, the USBL said it believes in second chances, and that the Superhawks are confident in Porter's sincerity.

"While Jontay fully acknowledges the consequences of his actions, he has demonstrated genuine remorse and a strong commitment to personal growth," the statement said. "The USBL and the Superhawks are united in offering him the chance to continue his basketball journey, both as an athlete and as an example of how redemption can take shape through accountability and hard work."

Porter pleaded guilty in July 2024 in federal court in Brooklyn to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a felony that carries up to 20 years in prison. He acknowledged that he agreed to withdraw early from games so that co-conspirators could win bets on his performance.

Porter was on a two-way contract at the time of his violations, which meant he could bounce back and forth between the Raptors and their G League affiliate. His salary was $410,000, and a standard NBA contract would have been more than $2 million. Inpleading guilty, Porter acknowledged wrongdoing, saying he did it "to get out from under large gambling debts."

"I know what I did was wrong, unlawful, and I am deeply sorry," Porter said at the time.

Prosecutors estimated his sentence at a range from just under three and a half years in prison to a little over four years.

Porter averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games in the 2023-24 season for Toronto. He also played in 11 games for the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2020-21 season.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/nba

bySator Tenet

in

March 02, 2026

Former Raptor Jontay Porter, who was banned from NBA for gambling, to play in independent league

SEATTLE (AP) — Former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter,who was banned for life from the NBA in 2024after a league pr...

How much longer will theCommunitymovie be deferred?

The cast of 'Community' is set to return for the movie, except for Chevy ChaseCredit: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

It's been a decade since the NBC sitcom concluded its six-season run with the promise of "#andamovie" flashing on screen at the end of the series finale.

Chevy Chase as Pierce, Joel McHale as Jeff, Ken Jeong as Señor Chang, and Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley on ‘Community’Credit: Trae Patton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

In a2024 interviewwith Deadline, two years afterPeacock greenlit the long-awaited project, series starJoel McHaleteased: "I really do think it's happening this year, and probably next week."

At the time, he cited "working around"Donald Glover's busy schedule as reason for possible delay, whichGlover deniedand McHale recanted.

Two years later, theCommunitymovie remains at a standstill. So what happened?

"We got very close to shooting that,"Communitywriter Andrew Guest revealed on the Feb. 26 episode ofThe Watchpodcast. "As the writers' strikes and actors' strikes were ending [in 2023], all of our cast were available. All of them wanted to do it. We had a line producer. We had a script that we were in the process of starting to rewrite and one of our actors' projects sort of came in conflict in terms of timing."

Although other television shows, likeArrested Development's 2013 season on Netflix, have managed scheduling conflicts by filming scenes with actors separately, Guest insists that won't work forCommunity.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

"The fun and energy of that show is the chemistry between these people in the same room, around a table," he toldThe Watch's Andy Greenwald. "So we have to have them all in the same place at the same time."

Danny Pudi as Abed, Chevy Chase as Pierce, Gillian Jacobs as Britta, Joel McHale as Jeff, and Donald Glover as Troy on ‘Community’Credit: Lewis Jacobs/NBC

However, that wasn't always the case onCommunity. Behind-the-scenes drama withChevy Chaseresulted in theSaturday Night Livealum shooting separately from the rest of the cast before he left the show in 2013.

"There was some of that done with one particular actor occasionally," Guest admitted with a laugh. "But the rest of the cast are delightful, all get along great, and we want them in the same place."

Check outThe Watch's full interview with Andrew Guest below.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

bySator Tenet

in

March 02, 2026

“Community” writer reveals reason behind long-awaited movie's delay: ‘We got very close’

How much longer will theCommunitymovie be deferred? It's been a decade since the NBC sitcom concluded it...

Commanders to release four-time Pro Bowl CB Marshon Lattimore

TheWashington Commandersare moving on from one of their former marquee acquisitions.

The team has informed cornerbackMarshon Lattimoreit will release him before the start of the new league year on March 11, ESPN'sAdam Schefter reportedMonday.

Lattimore had been set to have an $18.5 million cap hit for 2026. Instead, Washington wiped that figure out entirely by moving on from him prior to the final year of his contract.

TheCommandersacquired Lattimore at the 2024 trade deadline, sending third-, fourth- and sixth-round picks to theNew Orleans Saintsin exchange for the four-time Pro Bowl selection. The move to secure him marked the first of several bold veteran additions to boost a team that two seasons ago made a surprising run to the NFC championship game.

His time in Washington, however, fell well short of the team's expectations. In 2024, he played in just two games for the team after the trade due to a hamstring injury. Prior to suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in November, Lattimore struggled for much of last fall, allowing a 93.3 passer rating when targeted in coverage, according to Next Gen Stats. That marked the second-worst figure of his career.

Lattimore in January wasarrested in Ohioand charged with a felony count of improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle and carrying concealed weapons.

Commanders general manager Adam Peters said atthe NFL scouting combinelast week that the team was still going through the process of evaluating things with Lattimore.

"We haven't made a final decision there," Peters said of Lattimore "There's a lot of things that go into that, and we still have a few more conversations. Until then, he's still on our team."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Marshon Lattimore to be released by Washington Commanders

bySator Tenet

in

March 02, 2026

Commanders to release four-time Pro Bowl CB Marshon Lattimore

TheWashington Commandersare moving on from one of their former marquee acquisitions. The team has informed c...

How Lainey Wilson went from 'trailer girl' to global superstar

Lainey Wilson is one of USA TODAY's 2026 Women of the Year, a recognition of women who have made a significant impact in their communities and beyond. Meet all the honoreeshere.

WhenLainey Wilsonwas 9 years old, she wrote a song called "Lucky Me."

She still remembers every word.

That same year, she got her first pair of bell-bottoms, her first horse and her first glimpse of the stage that would indelibly shape her future: theGrand Ole Opry.

"My mom and daddy brought me to Nashville when I was 9 years old," Wilson says on a video call from Brisbane, Australia. "I just remember going to the Opry and watching Bill Anderson, Crystal Gayle, Phil Vassar, Little Jimmy Dickens, and I just thought, 'Man, I want to be part of this community.' I felt like I kind of already was. I just needed to try to convince everybody else that I was, too."

The 33-year-old, dressed in her signature bell-bottoms and matching cowboy hat, is moments away from performing her second sold-out show at Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

Before stepping onto the stage, she gathers her band for a quick dance party, where "really weird moves" are encouraged.

The"4x4xU"singer has spent 15 years building toward this moment, becoming a global household name.

"It is crazy to think that people on the other side of the world are somehow finding their story within mine, but that truly is the power of storytelling and the power of country music," she says. "It just goes to show that we're all a little bit more linked than you think. Even on the other side of the world, we might not have grown up the same exact way, but we all want to live and laugh and love. We've all been hurt. We've been through things. It's my job to just get up there and make people feel something."

Building dreams 'brick by brick'

The singer-songwriter and her older sister, Janna, grew up in Baskin, Louisiana, population 170. Their father, Brian, farmed corn, wheat and soybeans in a stretch of northeastern Louisiana farmland. Their mother, Michelle, was a schoolteacher.

"I feel like everybody in my town is just who they are, unapologetically themselves," Wilson says. "The truth is, I didn't know there was any other way. I knew that I was signing up to tell stories and make people feel something. I sure would have hated to have been anything other than myself."

Wilson's father showed her a few chords on the guitar at 11. As a preteen, she was writing constantly, chasing melodies the way her dad chased harvests. In 2006, she uploaded an EP to Myspace titled "Country Girls Rule." In high school, she booked herself as a Hannah Montana impersonator, performing at birthday parties, fairs and festivals across Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas, even once for child cancer patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

With a six-string and a dream, Wilson moved to Music City in 2011. She lived in a 20-foot Flagstaff camper trailer for three years and hustled up and down Broadway to book gigs, play at hole-in-the-wall bars and cement relationships "brick by brick," she says.

"I was known as the camper trailer girl around town," she says. "And there were definitely times when I should have probably packed it back up and went back home to Louisiana, but there was this just burning fire inside of me and this faith that I was given a gift and I was supposed to share it."

She released a self-titled album in 2014, followed by "Tougher" in 2016, which cracked the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. A self-released EP in 2018 helped land her a publishing deal with Sony/ATV and a management contract that same year. Country Music Television tapped her for the "Listen Up" class of 2019 and its "Next Women of Country" tour. She toured with Morgan Wallen in 2019, and her first song to reach No. 1 was "Things A Man Oughta Know" in 2021.

Her songs found their way into the massively successful"Yellowstone"universe. She never asked to be on screen. She never auditioned for a role. CreatorTaylor Sheridanwrote a role specifically for her.

Her 2022 breakout hit, "Things A Man Oughta Know" got Wilson a songwriting nomination at the ACM Awards that year.