A 24-year-old man was charged with attempting to burglarize the Chester County home of Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and stealing jewelry worth nearly $800,000 from two other homes, authorities said Wednesday.
Jabir Parker, of Philadelphia, was charged with multiple felonies related to the alleged crime spree through Chester and Montgomery Counties. Parker was being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $1 million cash bail until his next court appearance, scheduled for Sept. 10.
In July, Tredyffrin Township police said an attempted burglary occurred at Barkley’s home, with at least one person getting inside. By the time police arrived, the burglars had fled. Barkley and his family were unharmed, police said.
The forced-entry burglaries happened in the overnight hours between June 22 and July 18, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said Wednesday.
Steele did not name Barkley as one of the victims, but police already had confirmed the case in July.
A spokesperson for the Eagles could not be reached for comment.
Two of the burglaries happened in Lower Merion Township, Steele said. The residents were not at home when they occurred.
In the first burglary, investigators found that 12 pieces of jewelry, with an estimated value of $106,700, were taken.
In the second burglary, 28 items of jewelry worth an estimated $687,292 were stolen. A safe also was taken from the home.
The attempted burglary at Barkley’s home happened on July 18.
During the second burglary, Parker allegedly was captured by a nanny cam talking, presumably on his cell phone, Steele said.
Parker allegedly used his cell phone to communicate with a getaway driver during the two burglaries and one attempted burglary.
Parker allegedly used his cell phone and his Gmail accounts to Google phrases such as “gold presidential rolex,” “briony raymond new york,” asking how much a 1.5 carat diamond was worth, and other searches related to the stolen jewelry items, Steele said.
Parker allegedly rented a white GMC Yukon Denali from a rental location in Philadelphia on July 16 and returned it on July 18 at 6:43 a.m., less than two hours after the attempted burglary at Barkley’s home.
In July, Tredyffrin Township police released an image of a white SUV in connection with the attempted burglary.
For seven shutout innings on Wednesday, Andrew Painter did his part against the Diamondbacks to preserve the scoreless tie. But Arizona catcher James McCann ambushed the first pitch thrown by reliever Jonathan Bowlan in the eighth inning for a go-ahead home run in the 1-0 Phillies loss.
The Phillies offense didn’t back up the rookie right-hander’s performance, despite it being a bullpen game for Arizona. With just three hits for each team, the margin of error for the pitchers was razor-thin. And McCann’s swing proved to be the difference.
“We didn’t really do enough to win,” said interim manager Don Mattingly. “We didn’t put any real pressure on them.”
Seven pitchers split the job on the mound for the Diamondbacks. Bryan De La Cruz accounted for the Phillies’ only hits through the first six innings: Aa double in the third and a single in the sixth. Both times, the Phillies failed to advance him. Bryce Harper added a single in the seventh, but the offense didn’t capitalize on that, either. They did not advance a runner to third base in the game.
It was a frustrating game to cap off a frustrating road trip for the top two hitters in the Phillies batting order. Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber went hitless to finish with .158 and .171 respective batting averages across the nine-game swing. Turner struck out three times on Wednesday.
“It’s like early, late, early, late,” said Schwarber, who struck out twice. “There are going to be times when you’re up, you’re down, and you have to keep finding a way to be competitive, and that’s what I try to do on a daily basis, and get right back to work.”
Bryson Stott fouls a ball off his foot during the fourth inning.Ross D. Franklin
The Phillies still went 6-3 on the trip, even without consistent contributions from the top two spots in the lineup. And although the team boarded the flight home for their biggest series yet — four games against NL East-leading Atlanta — on the heels of a loss, Painter’s performance Wednesday provided a dose of positivity.
The rookie turned in one of his best starts of the year as he continued his second-half resurgence. While starting pitching has long been the Phillies’ calling card, the revival of Aaron Nola and now Painter’s development has made them deeper and even more formidable.
Earlier this year, the Phillies had a stretch of 13 consecutive losses in games started by the fifth rotation spot. Painter was on the mound for seven of those, and the others came while he was demoted to triple A after his struggles reached a fever pitch.
“Early in the year, basically between him and Noles, it just was like, ‘Ah, these are bad days,’” Mattingly said. “Now, both of those guys, you feel like they’re going to give you a chance to win. So it is nice to have that.”
But even as a revitalized fastball and tweaked changeup helped turn Painter’s rookie season around, he still had issues giving up first-inning runs. He had a 10.00 ERA in the first inning entering Wednesday, which included the three early runs he allowed in his previous start in Anaheim.
Against the Diamondbacks, who have a relatively passive lineup with the fourth-lowest swing rate (45.7%) in baseball, Painter knew he had to be aggressive in the zone early. And after he gave up a leadoff single to Lars Nootbaar, that approach helped him settle in earlier than in his previous outings.
“They knew that I was in the zone a lot, so you kind of got to force their hand,” Painter said. “You need the early outs if you’re going to throw seven-plus innings. So just setting that tone early, and trying to earn a little bit more chase, or a little bit more aggressiveness a second or third time through.”
Andrew Painter has relied more on his changeup since being recalled on July 31.Ross D. Franklin
Painter retired the next nine Diamondbacks. He didn’t allow another hit until the seventh when Geraldo Perdomo singled, but he rebounded by forcing a Nolan Arenado ground out and striking out Tim Tawa on a changeup.
It was Painter’s sixth strikeout of the night — and fourth on that pitch — to end his outing on a high note. His confidence in the changeup has grown since he was called back up on July 31. On Wednesday, he threw it 30% of the time to left-handers and 12% of the time against righties.
While most pitchers shy away from throwing changeups to same-sided hitters because they break toward the batter, Painter views right-on-right changeups as a potential unexpected weapon.
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“The command of it was pretty consistent,” Painter said. “It was either down or it was arm side. There weren’t really those ones I hang over the middle of the plate. I thought they were really good to the righties. That’s something I want to continue to build on, is being able to throw that right-on-right.”
Painter’s pitch count reached 93 in the seventh inning. Mattingly said he would have considered sending the righty back out for the eighth if he was pitching on extra rest, but instead he called on Bowlan.
The reliever pitched 1⅓ innings during Tuesday’s win. His first pitch to McCann was a sweeper, located well at the bottom of the zone, but the Arizona catcher was sitting on it. He sent it 409 feet into the left-field seats.
“I feel like it was executed pretty well. Definitely could have been better, looking back on it,” Bowlan said. “But I mean, we’re not perfect, and I tried my best. He just put a good swing on it. … It’s just part of the game. You live and you learn.”
Jonathan Bowlan gave up a first-pitch home run to the Diamondbacks in the eighth, which proved to be the deciding run.Ross D. Franklin
The Phillies put the tying run aboard when Harper drew his second walk of the game with two outs in the ninth inning. But there was no late-game magic this time. Luis Arraez grounded out on the first pitch to snap the Phillies’ win streak at six.
The club now heads back home to open a massive series against the Braves on Friday. Atlanta currently holds a four-game lead on the Phillies.
“I look at it like we need to win a game,” said Mattingly. “Keep it simple. Win a game.”
At Sunday’s roster cutdown deadline, Howie Roseman decided that Jonathan Greenard would not start the year on the Physically Unable to Perform list after dealing with a pectoral strain throughout training camp.
The Eagles general manager said that the veteran pass rusher would be “playing sooner rather than later,” but he added that he would keep Greenard’s exact timeline “close to the vest.”
While Greenard’s availability for the Sept. 13 season opener against the Washington Commanders might be a mystery to the public, his potential impact among the Eagles edge rusher corps once he returns to action isn’t in doubt — /at least to his position coach, Jeremiah Washburn.
“He’s what we thought he’d be,” Washburn said Wednesday. “And working really hard and staying engaged and been an A-plus in the meeting room and on the field.”
Jonathan Greenard’s timetable for a return to the field is unknown. David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
The Eagles acquired Greenard, 29, from the Minnesota Vikings this offseason and signed him to a four-year, $100 million deal, adding pass-rush prowess to a group that lacked sack production in 2025. Seven Eagles edge rushers combined for 18 sacks last season, and five of those players are no longer on the team.
Those departed players include Jaelan Phillips, whom the Eagles acquired at the trade deadline from the Miami Dolphins. While Phillips only registered two sacks in eight games with the Eagles, he played 78% of the defensive snaps in that span.
Whether Greenard might be expected to shoulder that workload has not been determined, according to Washburn.
“We have not even gotten there with that,” Washburn said. “It’s different. We’re starting the season, and guys carve out their roles and identities and play times and things of that nature. Whereas with J.P., we caught him at a time that was, what, Week 9? So it was a little different.”
Greenard only played 12 games in 2025, as he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery late in the year. He had three sacks last season but combined for 24½ in 2023 and 2024.
The Eagles are betting that Greenard can get back to his productive ways, all while looking for Nolan Smith Jr. and Jalyx Hunt to take the next step in their respective games.
Even though Greenard’s exact role isn’t clear just yet, Washburn emphasized that he will be leaning on the entire group to contribute to the rotation, with precise snap counts to be determined.
“We’ve been blessed with a lot of guys that can play, and guys just kind of carve out their roles as we go, and we figure that [out] week-to-week,” Washburn said. “But, man, I’ve been here since ’19, and we’ve just been blessed with depth and different guys that can play. So it’ll look a lot similar to what we’ve done in the past.”
The Eagles have a specific plan for developing international prospects Uar Bernard (93) and Joshua Weru. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
A ‘long road’ ahead for Bernard
Even though training camp is over and the Eagles are on the cusp of Week 1, the development of Uar Bernard and Joshua Weru continues.
The Eagles have dedicated developmental periods at practice to promote the growth of their prospects, including both players from the International Player Pathway program. In fact, those prospects have more time to learn in those periods now than they did during camp.
“Other places I’ve been, we might not have had that much [developmental time], and we have an ample amount of time to work with them,” Washburn said. “I just got off a field with [Weru], he and Keyshawn [James-Newby], and so we’ve been really fortunate on that to have a lot of time to work with him. So we should see the fruits of the labor with that.”
Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt said there’s a “long road” ahead for Bernard, but he emphasized that he loves “where it’s going.”
That road for Bernard includes the developmental periods and his early-morning meetings with Hurtt.
“He’s getting more reps now in the developmental stuff to continue to advance his game, and also spending time continuing to teach him the game itself,” Hurtt said. “Formations, splits, the things that offenses are looking to do, situational football.
“Those are the things that he doesn’t get enough introduction to individually, even from the time that we drafted him.”
Now, Bernard can focus on those details that have been cut for time as he works toward his goal of suiting up for NFL action in the future.
“He’s on the back burner, but his development is in fast-forward right now,” Hurtt said. “So it’ll take time, as we’ve said numerous times. But I like where it’s going.”
Bryce Harper is one of the most famous athletes in Philadelphia, but his wife, Kayla Harper, has chosen to remain out of the limelight for much of Bryce’s 15-season MLB career.
That is, until Tuesday when the couple appeared on Let’s Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari. In promotion of Bryce’s collaboration with Cavallari’s jewelry and skin care brand, Uncommon James, Kayla and Bryce took to the podcast to discuss their 16-year relationship and what life looks like for a family with a father who’s also a professional athlete.
After meeting at 14 years old, the two started dating when they were 17 before Kayla left to play college soccer at BYU and Ohio State and Bryce left for the minor leagues.
It was their shared experience as athletes that originally drew Bryce to Kayla.
“I think when you’re an athlete or understand the athlete side or want to be great at something, whatever that looks like, it follows you in life as well,” Bryce said.
At 33 years old, they have four kids — Krew (6), Brooklyn (5), Kamryn (2), and Hayes (10 months) —and Kayla “holds down the fort,” as Bryce said.
“I couldn’t imagine being a stay-at-home mom,” Bryce said, “To do that, pretty much a single parent, doing that, I couldn’t imagine. It’s one of the hardest jobs in the world.”
With “lots of help and lots of praying,” Kayla takes on the majority of the parenting responsibilities while Bryce is away, with her parents coming out once every fourth week to help.
But when her husband is around, whether it be a Phillies homestand or an off day, prioritizing family dinners is one of the keys to finding balance in their hectic lives, the couple said.
“When we get home, that’s when we’ll have dinner,” Kayla said. “We’ll sit down, and you talk about your day, and just normal family dinner. It’s always been a big importance to us. Sit down as a family, no phones, you have dinner, you talk.”
For the past few years, Kayla and the kids would try to make as many games as possible, knowing what it means to Bryce to have his kids see him play. But as their kids have gotten older, that’s posed more of a challenge for Kayla, who said this is the first year they haven’t been able to travel much because the kids, mainly Krew as the oldest, have their own commitments with school and practices.
“They’ve got to live, too,” Kayla said. “We sacrifice a lot to be here and support him each year.”
But even when Bryce is home, there’s a learning curve that comes with having to integrate him into the routines Kayla has established with the children.
The beginning of the offseason is the biggest adjustment when Kayla said she has to tell Bryce, “I have the kids going to the bath at a certain time. I don’t know where you fit in yet, you gotta give me a little time to put you back into this routine.”
Bryce’s boredom during this time, he said, is what led to the TikToks he started posting. But even at home, Kayla said he’s always been a fan of baking.
“It’s like in High School Musical when the athlete starts baking and they’re like, ‘What?’” Bryce said.
Sometimes, this boredom manifests as creativity for Bryce, who said he’s always thinking of ideas for bats, sleeves, cleats, and anything else he might sport during the season. He told Cavallari that he’s not pandering to Phillies fans with his gear or reactions — it’s simply how he thinks.
“My mind works so different,” Bryce said. “So when I have ideas, I try to put those ideas through. I’ll think about things and my teammates are like, ‘How did you think about that? We’re a year away.’”
For Kayla, the biggest misconception of her husband has more to do with his demeanor.
“That he’s loud and cocky and obnoxious,” Kayla said. “He’s the exact opposite. Like, it always throws people off. He’s so quiet and he’s more of an observer.”
As for the hardest part about being married to a public-facing figure like Bryce? Kayla got emotional when answering, saying through tears that seeing people attacking his character without knowing him has always posed a challenge for her.
“That’s hard, when you hear so many people’s opinions about your husband and that’s not the person that he is, or the dad that he is, or the friend that he is, or even the baseball player that he is,” Kayla said.
Bryce said it doesn’t bother him much, after being in the spotlight for so long and having dealt with the criticism from a young age. But for Kayla, who said she’s lived “a relatively normal life,” it’s taken time to come to terms with not responding to the remarks.
“It’s hard to keep your mouth shut and pretend like it’s not happening,” Kayla said. “But at the end of the day, I know who he is. He’s got his family. It is what it is.”
PHOENIX — Kyle Schwarber got a rare start at first base in the Phillies’ series finale against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Schwarber had been taking pregame grounders at the position for the past few days to keep his skills sharp. Bryce Harper moved to designated hitter, while Bryan De La Cruz got the start in right field and Alec Bohm had the day off.
With the Phillies scheduled for an off day on Thursday ahead of a pivotal home series against the Braves, interim manager Don Mattingly wanted to give Harper some extra time off his feet.
In general, Mattingly feels like Harper has physically handled the move back to right field well. This marks just his second start at designated hitter since Aug. 11.
“We feel like we’ve kind of gotten over that hump and that hurdle. So he’s been holding up,” Mattingly said.
The Phillies are still monitoring the knee soreness that bothered Harper initially after the switch. He remains on pace to start all 162 games this season.
“Tendinitis just doesn’t go away,” Mattingly said. “More than anything, it’s getting him off his feet. He’s on pace to play 162. So try to get him some DH days here and there. Try to get him off his feet when I can. And that’s what we’re trying to do, to keep him as fresh as possible.”
Bryce Harper, shown during Monday’s game against the Diamondbacks, extended his on-base streak to 35 games with a first-inning walk on Wednesday. Ross D. Franklin
The adjustment certainly hasn’t affected Harper’s performance at the plate. In the 26 games since his move back to right, Harper has slashed .360/.521/.539 and has drawn 30 walks.
Fresh off a 4-for-4 performance in Tuesday’s win, he wasted no time extending his career-high on-base streak to 35 games. He drew a four-pitch walk in the first inning against Arizona opener Taylor Clarke on Wednesday.
“I got to keep going and keep rolling,” Harper said Tuesday. “It’s a long ways to go. We’re going to play a lot of really good teams the next couple weeks, and I got to play my brand of baseball.”
Tanner Banks (left forearm strain) pitched two scoreless innings in a rehab assignment with triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday. He did not allow a hit or walk and struck out two.
“He was good, really efficient,” Mattingly said. “He’s got another two inning coming, so he’s building up. He’s quick with the pitches. … Not that we want him to walk people or give up hits, but we would like to see his pitch count just get built a little more.”
Once Banks is ready to return, the Phillies hope to be able to use the left-hander as a multi-inning option. Tuesday was Banks’ third rehab appearance, and he needed just 21 pitches. The Phillies want to see him reach the 30 mark as he continues to build up.
Tanner Banks threw two scoreless innings in a rehab appearance for Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Banks will be eligible to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list on Sept. 7.
Nestor Cortes, who was placed on the injured list in single-A Clearwater to allow him time to build up after signing with the Phillies on Aug. 19, is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session in the next few days, according to Mattingly.
Extra bases
The Diamondbacks were without Ketel Marte on Wednesday’s series finale for a planned day off. … Following Thursday’s off day, the Phillies open a key series against the Braves on Friday. Cristopher Sánchez (16-4, 2.52 ERA) will take the mound opposite Atlanta lefty Chris Sale (13-9, 2.06).
The Flyers report to Voorhees for training camp in just over two weeks, and there will be plenty of new faces around the rink.
On Wednesday, the Flyers announced a series of changes to their hockey operations staff both with the NHL club and the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Lehigh Valley.
The most notable change is Alex Ambrose being promoted to head athletic trainer, a post held by Tommy Alva since 2022-23. A league source told The Inquirer that Alva was let go from the position. Ambrose, who has 10 years of experience, has served as the Flyers’ assistant athletic trainer for the past three seasons.
The Flyers also announced they have hired Zach Casinelli as an assistant athletic trainer. Casinelli most recently served as the head athletic trainer for the Florida Panthers’ American Hockey League affiliate in Charlotte.
Some of the other hires include Abe Edson, who was previously an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the Minnesota Wild for the past two seasons, as head of athlete performance; Jake Rogers, who will replace John Peters as an new equipment manager; and former NHLer Dave Morrison (amateur scout).
The full list of hires is below:
Alex Ambrose: Head athletic trainer
Zach Casinelli: Assistant athletic trainer
Melissa Rucker: Head massage therapist
Abe Edson: Head of athlete performance
Chris Gratton: Performance coach
Lorne Goldenberg: Performance development coach
Ryan Adkins: Director of athlete rehabilitation
Jake Rogers: Equipment manager
Dave Morrison: Amateur scout
Kevin Braeunle: Manager of team services
Joe Hurley: Head athletic trainer, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Evan Hanberry: Head strength and conditioning coach, Phantoms
A woman is facing multiple charges, including forgery, after authorities said she stole more than $7,000 from a Little League team in Delaware County.
Robin Massing, 57, was charged Tuesday, following an investigation into fraudulent checks.
Media Little League upper management contacted the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office to report check fraud, telling authorities three checks were mailed on behalf of the organization and sent through a mailbox in Upper Providence Township, in May 2025.
In February, the Little League got word that one of the checks was deposited via mobile to Philadelphia Federal Credit Union for $7,200. But the amount, endorsement, and signature had been changed.
A month later, a Fulton Bank in Southampton contacted the Little League management to verify a payment they found suspicious, the District Attorney’s Office said.
Like the February check, the name and amount had also been changed, but the check number was the same as the February one, leading the bank to open its own investigation.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, the bank retrieved footage that identified Massing as the person behind the theft.
No lawyer is listed in court records for Massing, who was described in the affidavit as homeless.
In June 2025, Massing was detained in Chester County for producing and forging a check at TD Bank, the District Attorney’s Office said.
Now, Massing faces one count of forgery, bad checks, theft by unlawful taking, and receiving stolen property.
The Media Little League has been organizing and teaching baseball to the community since 1952. In 2023,they made it all the way to Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport.
“It is hard to imagine a more disappointing target for personal greed than an organization raising money for kids,” said District Attorney Tanner Rouse in a Wednesday statement.
The money was meant to go to uniforms, equipment, fields, and other resources for the kids, Rouse said.
“To steal those funds and use forged checks to divert money for personal benefit is not just a financial crime; it is a profound betrayal of the entire community,” Rouse said.
With the start of another NFL season comes the start of a new season for the New Heights podcast, hosted by Jason and Travis Kelce.
The brothers returned after a short break to discuss the upcoming football season and what they’ve seen in the preseason for the Chiefs, the Eagles, and other teams around the league.
But before they got into ball, the brothers shared what they did this summer, from Jason’s college hall of fame induction to Travis’ July 3 wedding to Taylor Swift.
A busy offseason
After over a month without any details or photos from the couple about their Madison Square Garden wedding, Travis opened up a little about what he called the “biggest night of both our lives.”
While Travis gave a comment during a press conference at the Chiefs training camp in August, the podcast episode marks the first time Travis or Taylor shared notable details.
“It’s a night we’ll never forget,” said Travis, the Chiefs’ veteran tight end. “Me and Taylor are so thankful for everybody that showed up, from the vows to seeing everyone to how much fun we had throughout the entire evening to hearing that kind of be relayed through everybody’s stories of the night. It was just so magical, man, and I wish it could have lasted even longer than it did. It feels like it just happened in the blink of an eye.”
Travis is a married man and we had to talk about the big day!
He went on to offer his gratitude to the people who made the event possible at a place where they “could have a very intimate and genuine setting without a lot of distractions,” and give them the “private feel” they wanted and needed.
As for Jason, some of his big news for the summer came on Aug. 13, when he was announced as a member of the Cincinnati athletics’ 50th anniversary Hall of Fame class, alongside his former college and NFL teammate, Connor Barwin, who’s now the Eagles’ head of football development and strategy.
“Part of an awesome class, obviously incredibly honored that Cincinnati would adorn me with this honor into the hall of fame class,” said Jason, who was the Eagles’ center for 13 seasons. “It feels a little odd knowing that I was a walk-on two-time conference second-team selection.”
Eagles insider
Jason’s summer also included a few visits to Eagles training camp at Jefferson Health Training Facility.
Jason spoke at length about 5-foot-11 offensive lineman Willie Lampkin. Despite being the smallest lineman in the NFL, Jason observed that he is “stout” and plays “at a high level every time he gets an opportunity.”
Jason Kelce had good things to say about Eagles center Willie Lampkin ahead of the season. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
“I just love that he’s a Philadelphia Eagle because I think he represents what being an Eagle is, why it’s important and why it’s awesome,” Jason said.
He also said his former teammate, star tackle Lane Johnson, finally is getting some much-deserved recognition for his NFL dominance.
Johnson has announced that he expects this to be his last season, but Jason said you can never be sure, depending on the success Johnson could have this season and how he feels at the end of it.
“If you look at every metric and being on an island, dropback pass, how long a quarterback holds on to the ball, all that stuff, nobody’s really done it at a better level from a pass protection standpoint than Lane Johnson,” Jason said.
Eagles wide receiver Makai Lemon is a guy that Jason Kelce urges people not to immediately write off because of his injuries. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Jason’s compliments extended to the Eagles “depth at the receiver position,” including the surprising Dontayvion Wicks, while giving grace to rookie Makai Lemon, who struggled in his preseason debut, coming off a hamstring strain. He offered some choice words to those who are already starting to write off Lemon.
“He didn’t even practice for all the training camp,” Jason said. “Let the kid have a [expletive] season.”
Aside from the Eagles, the team that received the bulk of their focus was Travis’ Chiefs.
Returning for his 14th season with Kansas City, Travis touched on training camp in St. Joseph, Mo.
“I think as I get older in my career I really appreciate the fact that I did take those three weeks every single year just to focus on that and to be around those guys and to really just dive in and be all in on what we’re about to endure together,” Travis said.
While Travis was focused on the team-building, Jason was more interested in learning about the state of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is coming off a left knee injury.
Travis Kelce talked about preparing for his 14th season in Kansas City and his marriage to pop star Taylor Swift. Charlie Riedel
Travis said that Mahomes has been “awesome” in training camp, but thinks it’s going to take actually being in a game for him to reacclimate and get comfortable again.
After seeing Mahomes’ frustration in dealing with the injury and his determination to return to the field, Travis said it’s “a huge reason” that he returned for the season when contemplating retirement.
“I know that guy. I want to be there for that guy in every aspect of the game,” Travis said. “I think that’s exciting coming into this year. We get a fresh start and we’re a motivated group.”
Whether or not Mahomes plays Week 1 when the Chiefs face the Broncos on Monday Night Football, remains to be seen.
“That’s a good question,” Travis said. “I might have to ask that question. I don’t know.”
With all the craziness in the soccer world, it can feel like there isn’t much good news out there. But this week, American fans are finally getting some.
MLS announced Wednesday morning that all 27 of its U.S.-based teams will compete in the U.S. Open Cup next year, returning the league to full standing in the national championship after three years of acrimony.
The league was in a protracted argument with U.S. Soccer, which runs the Open Cup, over a variety of factors from a lack of marketing to travel costs, revenue splits, and stadium standards.
The dispute led the nation’s top circuit to withdraw many of its clubs from the tournament from 2024-26. There were attempts to send reserve teams, and to exempt teams in the Leagues Cup and/or Concacaf Champions Cup in the name of schedule congestion. The Union were one of those teams this year.
Cavan Sullivan (left) in action in the U.S. Open Cup last year.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
None of it held water with fans who value the Open Cup’s special place as the only American soccer competition in which teams from every level can play against each other, similar to England’s FA Cup and other national cup tournaments around the world.
Fans also value the Open Cup’s over 110 years of history, much of which was created in Pennsylvania. The state ranks No. 3 all-time for most Open Cup winners. Its famous teams down the decades include the Bethlehem Steel dynasty of the 1910s, and Philadelphia’s Ukrainian Nationals, German-Americans, and United German-Hungarians.
A program from the 1977 U.S. Open Cup final soccer game between Philadelphia’s United German-Hungarians and Los Angeles Maccabee, with Larry Sullivan in the German-Hungarians’ lineup, displayed at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas.Jonathan Tannenwald
Larry’s son Brendan also played in the Open Cup in the 1990s, making three generations of the family to take part in the tournament.
In recent times, the Union have made three Open Cup finals: 2014, 2015, and 2018. But they haven’t yet joined their predecessors in lifting the trophy. Fans will hope the Sullivans and the club’s other academy products finally break through next year.
A pair of tournament rules changes could help the Union’s odds. Game-day rosters will expand from 18 to 20 players, and MLS teams can pick their squads from a wider range of first-team and reserve-squad prospects.
Next year’s Open Cup will be played in the midst of MLS changing its schedule to a winter-centric one. The Open Cup will change some too, though it will remain based on the calendar year for now.
Nashville SC won last year’s U.S. Open Cup.Eric Gay
MLS teams will enter the tournament in the round of 64, which will be played in July — during MLS teams’ preseasons for the 2027-28 campaign. Notably, all MLS teams will be at home for that round, which will help with advance ticket sales.
David Applegate, U.S. Soccer’s director of competitions told the Sports Business Journal that the governing body agreed to change its take of revenue to a flat fee instead of a percentage.
The pre-set home games will annoy fans of lower-division clubs hoping for upsets. But a reward will come after that: any lower-division team that makes the round of 32 will have priority to host. And there should be some lower teams still alive at that point, since having 27 MLS teams in a round of 64 means there won’t be a MLS team in every game.
The round of 32 will be played in September. The round of 16 isn’t set yet, but the remainder of the tournament is: quarterfinals in late November, semifinals on Dec. 1, and the final on Dec. 15. That could make for a cold title game, since it’s on a Wednesday night. But it could also be memorable.
“The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is one of the most powerful platforms we have to showcase what makes American soccer special,” U.S. Soccer chief operating officer Dan Helfrich said in a statement. “When you bring various levels of the soccer community together, you create a connected, competitive environment that moves the sport forward and gives fans the drama of knockout soccer.”
On Christmas mornings while growing up in Northeast Ohio, Matt and Scott Campbell were excited to fulfill what became a yearly tradition. Most kids raced toward the Christmas tree to open presents and celebrate the holiday, but not the two brothers, who were born four years apart. They raced out the door to get a football game in, even when snow covered the ground.
Those games were one-on-one, mano a mano. Matt “had quite an impressive [size] advantage on me,” Scott said. The memory proved instructive of his older brother’s competitiveness, as Matt steps into his third college football head coaching job.
“It was not uncommon to get your favorite football jersey for a Christmas present. And then Riddell was giving out all those football uniforms that came with shoulder pads, leg pants, and helmets,” Scott Campbell told The Inquirer of his earliest football memories with Matt. “Then you go outside [to play against Matt].
“I never won these games.”
Football runs deep for the Campbells. Rick Campbell, Matt and Scott’s father, was a high school coach at Jackson High School in Massillon, Ohio, and later went into administration.
The sport quickly became the center of Matt’s life, too.
He would attend two-a-days with his dad before his school day started.
“My greatest childhood memories are being in the locker room and being on the football field with my dad, watching him lead and coach a football team,” Matt Campbell told The Inquirer in July. “I wanted to help give back and make a difference [as a coach] because so many people had done that for me.”
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From those early days in their backyard, to stops at Pittsburgh and Mount Union as a player, then coach, and several other stops before landing his highest-profile opportunity yet at Penn State, Campbell has remained the same, his former teammates, players, and coaches across his 24-year coaching career say.
“Anybody that knew younger Matt or played with him or crossed paths with him, I don’t think anybody is surprised [by] the success he’s had,” Indianapolis Colts tight end coach Tom Manning said by phone shortly after Campbell was hired at Penn State. “Obviously, he’s a very good football guy in terms of X’s and O’s, but I think the thing that makes Matt dynamic is his ability to inspire others, certainly a great teacher, but he has this ability to have a relationship with everybody that is authentic and real.
“He creates this culture of unification, of toughness, of having a chip on your shoulder. And I think that every person that’s ever played [in] his football program or coached for him, they just feel like they’re part of something a little bit bigger than themselves.”
Matt Campbell (center) makes a tackle during a game for Mount Union during his playing days.Courtesy of Cockrill’s Studio
Embracing the ‘abnormal’
Campbell, now 46, developed into a standout defensive end at Perry High School in the 1990s. Matt was coached there by Keith Wakefield, who is “as inspirational as anybody in his life,” Scott said.
Out of high school, he accepted a scholarship from Pitt, but after the team went 2-9 his freshman season in 1998, he transferred to Division III Mount Union — a move that not only defined his playing and coaching career, but moved him closer to home.
Campbell won three D-III titles from 1999 to 2002 at Mount Union, was named an All-American twice, and was the Ohio Athletic Conference defensive lineman of the year in back-to-back years in 2001 and 2002. But it was during his playing days there, under legendary coach Larry Kehres and alongside lifelong friends and coaching contemporaries, where Campbell first showed an inkling toward his future career.
Matt Campbell played defensive line at Division III school Mount Union after spending his freshman season at Pitt.Courtesy of Cockrill’s Studio
“The connection of understanding the value of ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,’ and you go back and you say, ‘Man, why? What made the great coaches that you had impactful in your life?’” Campbell said. “It was a transformational experience rather than a transactional journey. And you’re talking about two of the winningest coaches in the history of Ohio high school football, and certainly in all of college football [in Wakefield and Kehres].
“I think their greatest gift was their gift to connect … and find a way to help make their players better, because their belief [of], ‘Man, they cared about them and they wanted to have a real relationship with them.’ So I think that foundation has been huge.”
Often understated about Campbell’s background is how impactful he was on the field for the perennial title contender. His 182 assisted tackles and 55 tackles for loss rank fourth in school history, his 26 career sacks are seventh, and he is 19th in total tackles (256).
Matt Campbell played and coached at Division III Mount Union.Courtesy of Cockrill’s Studio
His on-field success, though, was anchored by film study. Campbell would know “the play that was coming by whether it was the formation or certain motions that they do into the boundaries, and he was calling the plays out,” said Scott, who joined his older brother on Mount Union’s football team in 2002. Campbell’s teammates also took notice.
“All of them knew the way that Matt prepared for football games was abnormal,” Scott said.
But what made what Matt was doing abnormal?
“I don’t think it’s uncommon for a player to be obsessed at watching film,” Scott said. “Some people get really good at honing their skills and they want to do it. It’s abnormal when they bring people along with them. So when you might get a kid, like a very talented defensive tackle … and some of these guys that he played with, they’re meeting on a Sunday night and doing hard core [film study] because they want to be ready for the next week.
“When you have gravitational pull to bring the people that either you’re leading, which we are seeing it with him as a coach, or the ones that you’re going to war with as a football player … for them to match your intensity, they were buying into that and they saw, ‘Well, Campbell’s doing that. We have to do it.’”
Added Manning, Matt’s teammate for two years at Mount Union: “He was always in the film room. He was always trying to find an edge, in terms of being a player, and he was a guy that was probably more talented than most of the people that he played, and he still had the work ethic and the attention to detail as a player that I think helped him separate himself even further.”
Matt Campbell was twice named to the College Football All-America team and named Ohio Athletic Conference’s defensive lineman of the year at Mount Union.Courtesy of Cockrill’s Studio
‘Just as authentic’
When Campbell finished his playing career at Mount Union in 2002, he went to Bowling Green to work as a graduate assistant, but returned to Mount Union in 2005 and was its offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the next two seasons.
The program won back-to-back titles, with a staff that included Eagles coach Nick Sirianni (2004 to 2005), Campbell’s college teammate and former roommate, as defensive backs coach in that first year. Connecticut coach Jason Candle (2003 to 2008), another former teammate, and Syracuse defensive coordinator Vince Kehres (2000 to 2019), Larry Kehres’ son, were on the staff both seasons.
Campbell returned to Bowling Green for two more seasons before landing at Toledo in 2009, first as an offensive line coach and run game coordinator. By 2012, he was the program’s head coach at 32 years old, making him the FBS’s youngest coach at the time.
Colts tight ends coach Tom Manning was teammates with Matt Campbell for two years at Mount Union.Phelan M. Ebenhack
What impressed Manning, who also worked at Toledo as a graduate assistant (2009) and later as its director of football operations and offensive line coach, was how quickly Campbell connected with players and recruits.
“What I really recognized the most was that he was different in recruiting, [he had a] dynamic personality, but I was always impressed, and probably what stuck out the most was that when he had recruits, whether up on campus or visiting him, he had a real relationship with a ton of kids,” Manning said. “I was like, ‘Man, I don’t understand how this guy after just a couple brief contacts, has the ability to know so much about him, have real conversations with him.’ … I knew Matt as a younger guy, and now I knew him in the professional world. I was like, ‘Man, the biggest thing about Matt is he’s just as authentic as he was the day that I met him.’”
And that started with his own teammates. Mount Union was “a player-led program,” and Campbell — along with other leaders like Sirianni, Candle, and Kehres — would open their house and “nurture the young kids because that’s the next generation of leaders in that program.”
Jason Candle followed Matt Campbell to Toledo in 2009 as slot receivers/tight ends coach.Carlos Osorio
“That’s what that whole program was,” Scott said. “It was a program that was giving way before we even knew it was giving to us.”
Matt Campbell worked closely with Candle, who followed him to Toledo in 2009 as slot receivers/tight ends coach, especially when the former assumed play-calling duties under Tim Beckman.
Candle, who considers Campbell a “true friend” and a “great mentor,” recalled the early “camaraderie of the young assistant coaches that we had at the time.”
“Lots of times you don’t get to work with or alongside with or for your college teammates,” Candle said. “And we’ve been through a lot of battles together as players and certainly as young assistant coaches. [Matt’s] been a guy that I’ve learned a lot of football from and a guy that has certainly earned the right to lead one of the top programs in the country.”
Campbell went 9-4 in his first season leading Toledo, and he compiled a 35-15 overall record before moving on to Iowa State at 36 years old.
Matt Campbell compiled a 35-15 overall record while at Toledo.Nick Wass
Campbell “surrounded himself with young and hungry people,” Manning said, particularly on his offensive staffs at Toledo — which featured future Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield, future Auburn coach Alex Golesh, and Candle. But it was Campbell “doing things the right way” and never being “anybody that he’s not” that stood out.
“Working for him is was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” said Manning, who worked with Campbell for a total of 12 years between Toledo and Iowa State. “You felt like you were doing something. … You were coaching the whole player. It was about character. It was about teaching kids attitude and effort, the ability to be consistent, and to give a little bit more themselves and to play in a unified front — that’s what he does so well.”
Matt Campbell was the head coach at Toledo from 2012 to 2015.David Richard
‘Dog mentality’
In the 10 years before Campbell took over Iowa State, the program had just one winning season and had finished with more than seven wins once since 2000.
He accomplished those milestones by Year 2. In 2017, the Cyclones went 8-5, their best record in 16 years, and upset No. 3 Oklahoma, 38-31, a memory that is forever etched in the mind of Manning, who was the team’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.
“That week, we kind of put in a whole new defense,” Manning said. “We had our middle linebacker who [also] was a quarterback. He played about 40% of the snaps at quarterback. He’s playing both ways. We got a walk-on quarterback who essentially ends up winning us the game, and [Matt’s] belief the whole week, his belief during the game, never wavered. A lot of guys tell themselves like, ‘Hey, we’re going to win this game.’ My man thought we’re going to win the game the entire week, and then we end up winning the game.
Matt Campbell became the Iowa State’s all-time winningest coach.Matthew Putney
“… And to me, it was culture over scheme. Maybe our players collectively weren’t as talented and as good, but, ‘Hey, if we’re united, we have this culture of winning, we do things the right way.’”
That unwavering belief was reflected by his players, too. Among them was former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy, a four-year starter who could sense Campbell’s “loyalty” and praised his former coach “who had a vision for [him in] place.”
“Coach Campbell’s coaching style is huge on culture. It’s important because he sets up an organization that is able to withstand adversity, the good, the bad,” said Purdy, who’s now the San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback. “And it’s all about being a real team that trusts in each other, goes through things with each other. And then at the end of the day, he is going to prepare us better than anybody in the country in terms of scheme and making sure our bodies are right for a long season.”
Former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy gets a hug from Matt Campbell against TCU on Nov. 26, 2021.Charlie Neibergall
Those Iowa State teams often punched above their weight. Campbell’s highest-ranked recruiting class with the Cyclones was the Class of 2026, which was 48th before he departed for Penn State, taking much of that class with him.
Wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson, who played three seasons at Iowa State from 2020 to 22, said Campbell recruited players that were “like-minded.”
“Everybody went to Iowa State either because you were underlooked, you weren’t valued, or just people thought [other players] were better,” said Hutchinson, who’s now on the Houston Texans with four other former Cyclones who played for Campbell. “We all had like a dog mentality — and I felt like that’s Coach Campbell’s mentality. It’s like the rough side of the mountain. … He wanted guys who have something to prove and had a chip on their shoulder.”
Matt Campbell congratulates former Iowa State wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson on his touchdown against Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 3, 2022.Matthew Putney
There were plenty of highs in his 10-year run at Iowa State: Two Big 12 championship appearances (2020, 2024), the most wins in a two-year stretch (19 wins across 2024 and 2025) and double-digit wins for the first time in program history. Twelve of his 17 Associated Press Top 25 wins came in that time frame, and he became the program’s winningest coach.
Even in the down years — Campbell and Iowa State missed bowl games just twice in 10 years, once in his debut season (2016) and another in 2022 — Hutchinson says his former coach “never let the success or the failures define him as a coach.”
“He’s taken them all on the chin,” Hutchinson said. “When we’ve had the greatest success, he was there. He still had the same motto even when we started [struggling] a little bit. He was still the same guy every day. And I think when your head coach is the same guy, and he doesn’t get frazzled by the success or the failures — it’s going to bleed into the into the team.”
Matt Campbell led Iowa State to two Big 12 championship appearances.Charlie Neibergall
‘The best version of me’
Campbell will emerge from the Beaver Stadium tunnel for the first time this weekend, marking the next chapter for him and the program. His team has 24 former Iowa State players who followed him to Happy Valley.
At the root of his confidence in leading Toledo, Iowa State, and now Penn State is what he learned from his father, Wakefield, and Kehres, his coaching mentors: “Not trying to be somebody else.”
“I love learning. I love being humble and growing, but I’m just trying to be me, the best version of me,” Campbell said. “What I found is we’ve been able to build trust, loyalty, togetherness in our football program, whether it was at Toledo, whether it’s at Iowa State, and obviously that’ll be a great challenge as we build this Penn State program.
Matt Campbell during Penn State’s first practice of training camp on Aug. 5.Craig Houtz / For The Inquirer
“The attitude and the effort and the consistency to show up every day, and be able to be the same person every day, and allowing your staff and the players on the team to know exactly what they’re going to get … I think those are what I learned and took as a player and a coach from [Kehres and Wakefield], and it’s what I’ve tried to emulate everywhere I’ve been as a football coach.”
His former players, Purdy, Hutchinson, and offensive lineman James Neal III, have no doubts Campbell is ”going to give [Penn State] everything he has” to help it reach new heights. It begins with Marshall on Saturday (3:30 p.m., FS1).
Scott, who joined Wakefield at a Penn State practice on Aug. 13, says his older brother is doing “what he loves.” And it’s why he believes Campbell has sustained success throughout his career.
“If somehow you’re able to get, say, the 400, 500 people that at some point came across Matt Campbell at Mount Union College that played with him or whatever, I would probably say in the high 95 percentile range, every one of them would have told you he was going to be a head coach and a successful head coach at some point,” Scott said. “Matt’s elite trait that he has is that he is beyond competitive.
“He just doesn’t say, ‘We’re going to do this’ because why else would you do it? No. Matt envisions this and believes it. He’s not going to tell you if he doesn’t [believe it.].”
