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Reaction tothe death of College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz, who led Notre Dame to a national championship in 1988.

Obit Holtz Football

"Lou and I shared a very special relationship. He welcomed me to the Notre Dame family immediately, offering me great support throughout our time together. Our relationship meant a lot to me as I admired the values he used to build the foundation of his coaching career: love, trust and commitment. ... Lou's impact at Notre Dame has gone well beyond the football team. He and his wife, Beth, are respected across campus for their generous hearts and commitment to carrying out Notre Dame's mission of being a force for good." — Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman.

"He was successful. But more important, he was significant." — Skip Holtz, son of Lou Holtz and a fellow football coach.

"Lou Holtz was more than a football figure. He was a true leader. One of one. He consistently encouraged others in life. The message never changed. Trust, Love, Commitment." — Rick Mirer, Notre Dame quarterback from 1989-1992.

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"Notre Dame mourns the loss of Lou Holtz, a legendary football coach, a beloved member of the Notre Dame family and devoted husband, father and grandfather. Among his many accomplishments, we will remember him above all as a teacher, leader and mentor who brought out the very best in his players, on and off the field, earning their respect and admiration for a lifetime. ... Whenever Notre Dame called to ask for his help, Lou answered with his characteristic generosity, and he will be sorely missed." — The Rev. Robert A. Dowd, University of Notre Dame president.

"He not only was a great coach, he was a great person. We need more people like Lou Holtz. ... He was a jokester and a character. People liked to be around him. It's hard to put a tag on Lou Holtz. He did everything so well. He was a great speaker. He attracted crowds wherever he went." — former West Virginia coach Don Nehlen.

"Coach Lou Holtz was a legend on and off the field, who cared deeply for the state of Indiana and lived a remarkable life grounded in faith, family, and giving back. He will be greatly missed." — Indiana Gov. Mike Braun.

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The flag football event organized by Tom Brady and Fanatics for Saudi Arabia for later this month in Riyadh is likely being moved to the United States amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, Front Office Sports reported Wednesday.

In light of attacks from the U.S. and Israel on Iran that began Saturday and have continued to cause chaos in the region, including additional air strikes in neighboring regions and travel restrictions in the key global transportation hub, the Fanatics Flag Football Classic is reportedly likely to be moved to an as-yet undetermined location in the U.S.

An official announcement could reportedly come as early as this week.

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The event will remain on March 21 as planned, with Fox Sports and Tubi still expected to broadcast it and comedian Kevin Hart to act as host.

Brady is set to be joined at the event, produced by his Shadow Lion studio, by NFL stars including Jayden Daniels, Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Christian McCaffrey, Sauce Gardner, Myles Garrett, Brock Bowers, Maxx Crosby, Tyreek Hill, Odell Beckham Jr., and the retired Rob Gronkowski.

Coaches for the three teams playing the round-robin tournament are Pete Carroll, Sean Payton, and Kyle Shanahan.

--Field Level Media

Two people are now on land after beingrescued from a hot air balloonthat got stuck in a communications tower more than 900 feet in the air in rural East Texas.

TheLongview Fire Department said in a Facebook postthat around 8:15 a.m. local time Feb. 28, units responded to a "high angle rescue after a hot air balloon basket carrying two occupants struck a cell phone tower at an estimated height of 920 feet near the intersection" in Gregg County.

Longview, the county seat of Gregg County, is some 130 miles east of Dallas.

Firefighters began climbing operations around 8:50 a.m., "using multiple rope systems due to the extreme height and complexity of the incident," according to the post. Rescuers made contact with the occupants at about 10 a.m., and they were both secured and safe inside the nearby tower by 10:58 a.m.

Both occupants were on the ground by 12:47 p.m. that day, the fire department said. Following the rescue, both victims were conscious, and no injuries were reported, it added.

'Not an everyday rescue'

Lt. Stephen Winchell, a part of Longview's Special Operations Team, saidduring a news conference on Feb. 28that this incident was "not an everyday rescue," as 14 emergency responders climbed the tower to help save the two occupants.

"Our ropes are limited at 300 feet at the most," Winchell said, adding that the balloon was sitting "close to 1,000 feet," so it took about "five or so" ropes to get the occupants all the way down to the ground.

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According to Winchell, the only way up the cell tower was physically climbing it.

In aninterview with local news station KLTV, Chris Jackson, who works for the Longview Fire Department, described the collaborative effort involving several agencies.

"They initially told us that there was a hot air balloon stuck. We were thinking probably in a tree or some type of high aerial. When we got on scene, it was much more than that," Jackson said.

Jackson added that at least 50 first responders and several additional tower engineers were involved in the rescue.

"Anything we could do on the ground to make their operation more efficient is what our guys provided," he said.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Video shows dramatic hot air balloon rescue in Texas

A 33-year-old Hawaii man is dead after entering a closed section of Kīlauea caldera atHawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, triggering an overnight search and rescue operation in steep, hazardous terrain, officials said.

National Park Servicepersonnel responded Feb. 26 to the east side of the caldera. The volcano was not erupting at the time, authorities noted.

Rescue crews searched through the night before locating the man the following day. On Feb. 27, responders airlifted him from the area and transported him to Hilo Benioff Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Park officials said his family was notified, and his name is being withheld pending privacy considerations.

Hikers Stiff Hotel On Unpaid Bill After Treacherous 7-Hour Mountain Rescue Operation, Nonprofit Says

The death comes as officials continue to warn visitors about the risks of venturing beyond designated areas, particularly amid heightened interest inKīlauea's ongoing eruption activity.

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In December, two trespassers were caught on camera hiking dangerously close to an active eruption inside a restricted zone of the park. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatorytold Hawaii News Nowat the time that no U.S. Geological Survey scientists or other authorized personnel were in that closed area.

Lou Ettore, who runs the eruption-tracking media company Two Pineapples with his wife, Anna, told the outlet the incidents appear to be fueled by social media attention.

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Man Dies At Grand Canyon After Slipping Over Edge, Falling More Than 100 Feet, Sheriff's Office Says

"I think it's really just for the clicks, just for the views to grab attention to themselves," Ettore said.

The couple said they documented nine trespassing incidents over the past year.

"We're seeing it more often now than we have in the past," Ettore added. "There are dozens, if not hundreds, of videos and images, all from out-of-bounds, being posted on all platforms nonstop."

In another close call last June, a 30-year-old Boston man survived a 30-foot fall afterleaving Byron Ledge Trailin an attempt to get closer to erupting lava. A tree broke his fall and likely prevented him from plunging another 100 feet to the caldera floor, according to the National Park Service.

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Kīlauea's eruption, which began Dec. 23, 2024, has drawn a surge of visitors to the park, officials said. During one June episode, lava fountains soared more than 1,000 feet into the air, according to officials. Theactive eruption arearemains closed due to serious hazards.

Kīlauea caldera features unstable cliff edges, hidden cracks and other dangerous volcanic terrain, according to the National Park Service. Officials urge visitors to stay on marked trails and overlooks, avoid climbing over barriers and comply with all warning and trespassing signs.

Original article source:Man dies after sneaking into closed section of popular national park

At least 14 cases of measles have been confirmed at the nation'slargest ICE detention facility,an agency spokesperson told NBC News in a statement.

People who tested positive for the highly contagious disease at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, have been "cohorted and separated from the rest of the detained population to prevent further spread," the spokesperson said.

The agency "is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with public health authorities to ensure appropriate medical care and containment measures are in place — the health and safety of detainees, staff, and the community remain a top priority," the spokesperson added.

Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, whose El Paso district includes the detention center located on the Fort Bliss Army base, said the facility is closed to visitors and attorneys because of the outbreak.

In addition to the 14 people who got sick, 112 other individuals have been isolated in connection to the outbreak, according to Escobar.

"There has been nothing but crisis after crisis inside the walls of this tent city," the Democratic congresswoman said ina statement.

Since Camp East Montana opened last year, three detainees have died while in ICE custody. Victor Manuel Diaz, 36, of Nicaragua,"died of a presumed suicide" inside the facility on Jan. 14. Francisco Gaspar-Andres, 48, a detainee from Guatemala, died ofhealth complications from cirrhosis and cardiac hypertrophy.

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Another Camp East Montana detainee, 55-year-old Geraldo Lunas Campos, of Cuba, died on Jan. 3 andhis death was ruled a homicide.

According to ICE, the agency provides comprehensive medical care for detainees, including dental and mental health services, as well as access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.

On Wednesday, Escobar called for Camp East Montana to be shut down and for an investigation into the facility's contractor.

Camp East Montana holds an average of2,954 detaineesinside its soft-sided tent-style structure, which ICE increasingly favors over brick-and-mortar buildings. That's the largest number of ICE detainees so far in fiscal year 2026, according to theTransactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.

Acquisition Logistics LLC, a Virginia contractor that had not operated an ICE facility before,was awarded a $1.2 billion contract last summerto build and operate Camp East Montana.

Since then,the small company run by Kenneth Wagner out of his single-family homein Virginiahas garnered national attention.Before the Camp East Montana contract, the company's largest contract, according to public records, appears to have been worth $16 million.

The company'swebsitecurrently has little information aside from an address and a header saying, "Site maintenance in progress." Wagner could not be reached at the phone number listed for his business on Wednesday.

It was early December in 2013 when the Los Angeles Lakers' Facebook page posted atwo-minute video of a jersey floating in the wind. Tens of thousands of captivated fans couldn't wait to reshare and comment as dramatic music played over the social media post.

The No. 24 jersey hung in the sky as sunshine pierced through some clouds. Then, over the course of the next 120 seconds, a thunderous storm battered the jersey until it tore in half.

Finally, after a beam of light, the jersey was made whole.

The symbolism relayed the message: Kobe Bryant wasback. "Seasons of Legend. The Lakers announce Kobe's return," the post's caption read. The then 35-year-old Bryant, who had torn his Achilles less than eight months prior, was returning in near-record time, missing just 21 Lakers regular-season games with an injury that infamously had ended NBA careers.

Unfortunately, Bryant's comeback season lasted only six games. Just nine days after his return, Bryant suffered a serious knee injury in the same leg of his torn Achilles, quickly dimming all the excitement over his fast return. His season was over and Bryant's playing abilities were never the same.

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has idolized Bryant and his Mamba Mentality ever since Tatum was a child. The 28-year-old has said Bryant's story has driven him to become the NBA player he is today. As Tatum nears his own return from an Achilles tear, he should continue to take lessons from Bryant's career. The Lakers star's historic 2013 return offers a cautionary tale about what could happen in a highly anticipated and quick midseason return.

Tatum should also take heed of the rehab schedule of another NBA legend, one that tells the greatest Achilles tear story of all time: Kevin Durant.

Kobe vs. KD: A contrast in Achilles recoveries

Watching Kevin Durant dominate in the year 2026, an uninformed observer would never guess the Houston Rockets All-Star tore his Achilles tendon just as he entered his thirties. Durant's injury occurred in the 2019 NBA Finals while playing for the Golden State Warriors and he took the next season off as he joined his new team, the Brooklyn Nets.

While Bryant struggled to return to his pre-Achilles form, Durant's superstar status hasn't wavered. The 37-year-old is averaging an unthinkable 27.6 points with white-hot efficiency in the six seasons since the longest tendon in the human body snapped in his leg. His post-Achilles-tear résumé, consisting of six All-Star appearances and two All-NBA nominations, shines brighter than most players' entire careers.

To be clear, no two Achilles tears are the same. Different mechanisms of injury, different bodies and all that. Beyond the difference in age between Bryant and Durant at the time of their injuries — Bryant was 34, Durant was 30 — the most interesting dynamic is a contrast of time in another dimension: recovery time.

Durant's absence from NBA games lasted 18 months, more than twice that of Bryant's eight months.

We will never know if Durant would have fared as well in the back nine of his career if he returned midseason in 2019-20. Complicating matters was the COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted everything in March of that season, including Durant's injury rehab process with the Nets. Durant decided not to pursue a comeback in The Bubble when the Nets resumed the season in late July. Instead, he took extra time to get himself ready for the following season, which would begin in December 2020.

In aninterviewwith Andscape's Marc J. Spears, Durant said the decision to not play in the 2019-20 season was made well before the pandemic hit.

"My season is over," Durant said in June 2020. "I don't plan on playing at all. We decided last summer when it first happened that I was just going to wait until the following season. I had no plans of playing at all this season. It's just best for me to wait. I don't think I'm ready to play that type of intensity right now in the next month. It gives me more time to get ready for next season and the rest of my career."

Though Durant missed some time in 2020-21 dealing with various injuries, his play on the floor didn't seem to suffer at all. Leading the Nets in the postseason, the long layoff may have paid dividends. He scored a scorching 34.3 points per game in the playoffs, the most of any player who suited up at least 10 games during that postseason.

Plenty of speculation has surrounded Tatum about when he may return this season, if at all. If Tatum decides to sit out the season, he would give himself about 17 and a half months of a layoff before next season kicks off in mid-October — basically the Durant timeline.

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Should Tatum suit up for the Celtics this week, though, he'd be returning about 10 months after he went down in the closing minutes of Game 4 of last year's Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks. In this sense, he's given himself two months of a buffer behind Bryant's timeline when the Laker legend got back on the floor in December following his April injury. But it still would be a remarkably quick timetable in the modern era. A 10-month return would mark the shortest post-Achilles absence for a starting player since the 2015-16 season when Rudy Gay came back in under nine months with the Sacramento Kings.

For another comparison, Tatum can look at fellow former All-Star Dejounte Murray.

Achilles recovery timelines are getting longer lately

Last Tuesday, the New Orleans Pelicans guard scored 13 points in a home win over the Warriors, making his return from his Achilles tear suffered in January of the 2024-25 season. Thirteen is also a notable number because it represents the number of months that it took for the former All-Star to get back on the floor.

Murray's timeline is increasingly becoming the norm. According to Yahoo Sports research supported by injury expert Jeff Stotts of Instreetclothes.com, Murray marks the 30th player since 2005-06 to return to playing NBA games after suffering an Achilles tear in the league. The Pelicans guard headlines a growing number of players who are taking longer than a year to return from the major tendon rupture.

In the decade between the 2005-06 and 2014-15 seasons, there were 12 instances of an NBA player returning from an Achilles injury and, on average, those players spent 10.4 months away from the game. Bryant took only eight months. Same went for Elton Brand and Mehmet Okur, who barely took eight months to hit the hardwood again following their Achilles tears. In 2015, Wes Matthews took 7.7 months to return from his Achilles tear and still enjoyed an impactful nine-year post-Achilles run in the NBA while playing for several playoff teams until he was 37 years old.

At the time of Brandon Jennings' Achilles tear, he was averaging 15.4 points as a 25-year-old with the Detroit Pistons. As one of the more talented young players in the game, Jennings took a little over 11 months to return, getting back on the floor in December. The Pistons moved him later that season and, after bouncing around the league for three years, he never averaged double-digit points again.

Lately, the timelines have gotten longer. In the Achilles ruptures from 2015-16 to 2024-25, the timeline stretched from 10.4 months on average to 13.6 months. In that sample, only two of the 18 players (Rudy Gay and Dru Smith) returned well ahead of the 10-month mark, something that happened with regularity in the previous decade.

Klay Thompson spent nearly 14 months away from the NBA floor after he tore his Achilles in November 2020, perhaps delayed because of his earlier ACL injury. More recently, Brandon Clarke and Thanasis Antetokounmpo also saw more than 12 months pass before they took the floor again.

It's not as simple as to say that longer is always better. DeMarcus Cousins, who was a four-time All-Star before he tore his Achilles in January 2018 with the Pelicans, came back the following January with the Warriors. He needed 12 months to get back onto the court, but never regained his All-Star status and was out of the league by 2022.

Recovery timelines don't always lend themselves to perfect apples-to-apples comparisons. Nothing about injury data is squeaky clean. A return to play could be artificially delayed because the player is waiting for the start of the season. COVID and lockout-shortened seasons could also affect an NBA player's recovery time in ways out of his control. But in general, as we await Tatum's return, it does seem that players are taking longer to get back onto the court.

Tatum and Boston's ticking clock

For Tatum, there are positive signs that he's on track to a full recovery. Because his surgeon, Dr. Martin O'Malley, was in New York at the time of the injury in a game that happened to be at Madison Square Garden, Tatum was able to have his Achilles stitched in quick order. According to Tatum'sdocumentary seriesaired on NBC, O'Malley had an opening in his calendar at 3 p.m. the next day and made time for Tatum.

"There's pretty strong data," O'Malley said, "that if you do [Achilles surgery] within 24 hours [of injury], patients have better outcomes."

In O'Malley's view, Tatum's recovery was headed in the right direction early on. "I don't think I've seen a person's calf look as strong as his,"he said in September."At six or eight weeks he was doing double heel rises. He worked his calf so hard that the side effect of loss of strength, I don't think he's going to have any."

The Celtics have been tight-lipped about possible return dates. The team confirmed he has been practicing with the team and the G League Maine Red Claws when the opportunity arises.

While other players could decide to return in 12 or 13 months, Tatum may not have that luxury. The Celtics' season could be over by then. There are 21 games left in Boston's regular season, which ends in a little over a month on April 12. That would mark 11 months since the injury. As the No. 2 seed in the East, the Celtics are expected to make a deep playoff run that could reach the NBA Finals in June. But if they're a first-round out, a 12-month timetable for Tatum goes out the window, with his return rolling over to October. It's worth noting that of the 30 Achilles returns to play since 2005, none came during the playoffs when gradual ramp-ups aren't as easy.

If the Durant plan is in place, Tatum would eye next season for his debut. But if Tatum and his medical team believe he's ready to go now, he wouldn't be copying KD. Or Kobe. He'd be writing his own story.

Drew Dalman is calling it quits

NEED TO KNOW

• The Chicago Bears center is walking away from the remainder of his three-year, $42 million contract

• Dalman is credited with contributing to the team's success this year, decreasing the amount of quarterback Caleb Williams' sacks from 68 in 2024-25 to 24 in 2025-26

Drew Dalman is walking away from the NFL — and $24 million left on his contract with the Chicago Bears.

The center is retiring at the age of 27 after five seasons in the league,according to ESPN.

Dalman, who just finished his first year of a three-year, $42 million contract with the Bears, is widely credited for making a significant impact with the team.

After quarterbackCaleb Williams' tough rookie season in which he was sacked 68 times, the franchise signed Dalman and other offensive lineman to shore up his protection.

The move resulted in fewer sacks (only 24) and the Bears' resurgence this year, where they made it to the Divisional Round game before losing in a 20-17 heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Rams.

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Dalman also made the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career, after one season with the Bears and four with the Atlanta Falcons. The California native started all 17 regular-season games for the team plus two playoff games.

The Stanford product's decision was met with surprise by many of his teammates — including Williams.

"4eva! Appreciate you!" Williams, 24,wrote in his Instagram Stories. "And gonna miss ya big guy!! Enjoy retirement."

Dalman may be required to return to the Bears the balance of his signing bonus,NBC Sports reported. The 6-foot, 3-inch, 303 lb.-player earned a third of the $6 million he received upfront, and he may be required to pay back $4 million.

Selected 114th overall by the Falcons in the 2021 NFL Draft,Dalman is the son of former San Francisco 49ers player Chris Dalman, who also played at Stanford.

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