FeaturedThe Friday 5

The Friday 5: May 19th

By May 19, 2023 No Comments

Jim Brown

Hall of Fame running back and civil rights activist Jim Brown has died at the age of 87.

Brown was a 1957 first-round draft pick for the Cleveland Browns, playing for them for nine seasons. He rushed for 12,312 yards in his career and was named a Pro Bowler each season of his career, while he was also the league MVP three times.

Brown was selected to the NFL 100 all-time team in 2020, and a statue of him has been outside FirstEnergy Stadium since 2016. No Browns’ player has worn the No. 32 since Brown retired. RIP.

 

NBA Conference Finals

Eastern Conference

The Miami Heat have a 1-0 lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Game 2 taking place Friday night from TD Garden in Boston. The Heat’s Jimmy Butler continued his epic playoff performance with 35 points in Game 1, while Jayson Tatum had 30 for the Celtics. Tipoff is at 8:30 pm ET/5:30 pm PT and will be on TNT.

Western Conference

Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are taking their 2-0 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers to Tinseltown Saturday night. The Lakers have fought hard and played incredible defense, but the Nuggets have proven to be too much. That being said, LeBron and Co. will be at home for the next two games and the lack of altitude might help, maybe. Game 3 tips off from Crypto.com at 8:30 pm ET/5:30 pm PT and will be on ABC.

 

Mitch Trubisky

It’s been a busy week for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback room, as the Steelers have given backup Mitch Trubisky a three-year deal that keeps him with the team through 2025. Trubisky’s contract had previously expired at the end of this coming season.

Earlier this week, Mason Rudolph re-signed with the team on a one-year deal. Kenny Pickett, Rudolph and Trubisky. The QB band stays together in Pittsburgh.

 

Matt Araiza

After investigating allegations of rape and gang rape, San Diego State University said Friday that there are no findings against former punter for the Buffalo Bills, Matt Araiza. Though no charges were filed after a criminal investigation, a civil case is ongoing.

The allegations are that a minor was gang raped at a party in October 2021. Earlier this month, prosecutors said that Araiza was not there during the alleged attacks and he is not seen on any videos from that night. A lawsuit was filed against him and two college teammates last August, and the Bills released Araiza shortly after.

After a nine-month investigation into the matter, the San Diego Police Department did not recommend charges be filed.

 

Jose Altuve

After a March surgery to repair his broken right thumb, Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has been activated from the injured list and will make his season debut Friday night against the Oakland A’s.

Altuve batted .300 with 28 home runs and 57 RBIs for the champs in 2022.

Tracy Sandler

Tracy Sandler

I created Fangirl Sports Network as a place for female sports fans to follow their favorite teams with content and coverage that speaks directly to females. It started with one and then eight and now 32 NFL Fangirls and 15 NBA Fangirls.